Lip Man 1

I'll have more news, notes, facts and factoids in a few days but for right now... How ironic. Six years ago Hahn spoke about being "mired in mediocrity" and started the rebuild. Sox end the year 81-81. How "mediocre" can you get? ????? Only the fifth time in franchise history the team finishes exactly at .500 And of course it's so fitting that at the end of this dismal year yet ANOTHER player gets hurt, a kid who they may be counting on to be a back end starter next year. "Bicep soreness"...oh my...hello TJS!

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2022/10/5/23388683/white-sox-must-atone-for-jerry-reinsdorf-mistake-tony-la-russa

Steve Greenberg of the Sun-Times makes the case for Joe Maddon: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2022/10/4/23387850/white-sox-joe-maddon-manager-tony-la-russa I don't necessarily agree but he does have a point if Maddon can win with a lot of average/mediocre players in Tampa he possibly could with better talent with the Sox.

It's a tough decision but in my opinion the reality is you have a better chance in the future with Vaughn, or Jimenez maybe even Sheets simply because of the age difference. If the Sox could cut loose (for various reasons) guys like Billy Pierce, Nellie Fox, Jack McDowell, Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura (the player) they can sure do the same with Jose.

He'll be with the Marlins.

Just some thoughts on today. I honestly appreciated TLR's candor and honesty. This had to be damn hard for him but he stood there and took questions. I e-mailed him to let him know that and I thanked him for the courtesy he showed me over the years. He actually responded which was very nice and unexpected. I loved the fact that maybe for the first time Hahn addressed things that have been upsetting Sox fans for a long time, to wit, hiring managers from only inside "the family" (what is this the Mafia?), and talking about the medical, training and conditioning staffs and if you read between the lines changes are coming in those areas. What I didn't like was the guy who is this close to having the eighth losing season in 10 years under his watch is still in a position of power. (And the Sox weren't always rebuilding in those years). And he immediately began to get defensive (you could almost see the hair standing up on the back of his neck) when questions along the lines of why he and others in the front office shouldn't be held responsible. You could tell he was getting frustrated. We'll see what happens, who is hired, which coaches are fired (pray: McEwing, Boston and the hitting coach are cashiered) and how Hahn can fix the huge holes in the roster with a limited budget (season ticket sales are going to drop and JR is going to lower the payroll over it). He doesn't have a lot of room to work with because of insane deals given to stiffs like Garcia, Kelly et al. and the trade for Diekman. It will be interesting.

Only if JR still owns the team.

The Sox have now scored three runs or less in 10 of their last 12 games, tonight marks the 81st time this season they've done that. That mean they have guaranteed themselves scoring three runs or less in 50% of games FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON. Priority number one for the new manager, FIX THE DAMN OFFENSE.

DVS of the Sun-Times recaps Hahn's part of the press conference: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2022/10/3/23386338/white-sox-gm-reflects-on-failures-of-2022-sets-sights-on-new-manager

I appreciated his direct honesty today

They need to look outside of the organization. Can't believe JR hasn't got the guts to fire an incompetent GM.

Statement from TLR: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2022/10/3/23386022/white-sox-tony-la-russa-statement

They need to do a legitimate search, looking for the best and the brightest from WINNING organizations. People who have ZERO connections in any way to JR or the White Sox 'family." They need fresh ideas, and new ways to look at their myriad problems and issues.

TLR should never have been named manager in the first place but what's done is done, wish him all the best in retirement.

Maybe I'm mistaken but didn't Hahn just a few days ago say they were going to repair a "cyst" behind the knee? I'm no doctor but I know a cyst isn't a meniscus tear.

The White Sox have now scored three runs or less in 50% of all games played this year. 79 times in 158 games. They have to win their remaining four games to finish over .500 at 82-80. From supposed "World Series" contender to this. WOW! If the season was two weeks longer the Cubs would catch them in the win column. ?

This from DVS Saturday story in the Sun-Times: "A source close to La Russa and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said he expects Reinsdorf to give La Russa the option of coming back but also will encourage him not to do so for his own personal good.

I had never heard of this one before, can you supply any links to any stories on this situation? I'd like to get more details.

I'm guessing this is a moot point since JR will never pony up the amount of money needed to get him anyway.

One of the dividing points between the two men was that JR wanted the Sox to acquire down the stretch run for that season Mike Scott who was being made available by the Astros. Himes refused to part with any of the young players. Another point and maybe the final nail (and Jeff Torborg told me the same thing) was how down the stretch the A's were able to claim both Harold Baines and Willie McGee on waivers when the Sox could have claimed one or both since they trailed Oakland in the standings. Jeff told me that JR called him in his hotel room to ask what was going on. Jeff said he told him he had no idea.

September 15, 1990 - Owner Jerry Reinsdorf fired G.M. Larry Himes citing ‘personality differences.’ Himes drafted and signed Sox future stars like Frank Thomas, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura and Alex Fernandez. During the press conference announcing the hiring of Ron Schueler as new G.M., Reinsdorf issued his famous ‘Point A to point B to point C’ comment. Later in a rare radio appearance he was candid on the subject to host Chet Coppock. “The fact is Larry Himes cannot get along with anybody. You can hardly find anybody in the Sox organization that wasn’t happy when Larry Himes left.”

Ozzie did some good things for the Sox but it's hard to just "forget" about this: September 26, 2011 – He was considered the face of the franchise for eight seasons but on this night after a 4-3 win over Toronto, manager Ozzie Guillen announced he was leaving after owner Jerry Reinsdorf agreed to let him out of the final year of his contract. Guillen, who was the 1985 A.L. Rookie of the Year with the White Sox, won the World Series in 2005 and also got the club into the playoffs in 2008. He had five winning seasons in the eight years as manager and was named Manager of the Year for his work in 2005. In that magical season of 2005, “Ozzieball” resulted in the Sox getting off to the best start in their history and with a perfect blend of pitching, speed, power and the ability to execute the fundamentals the Sox were in first place from wire to wire. Then they blitzed through the post season putting together an 11-1 record that was the third best post season record in baseball history. Guillen’s passion and enthusiasm for the franchise was unparalleled but at times he was his own worst enemy. Over his final years in Chicago, he became increasingly thin-skinned and defensive when criticism was directed his way and he lashed out at Sox fans on more than one occasion. Among his famous rants against the fans were one where he said that they could ‘‘Turn off their TVs and stop watching the game if they don’t like the [bleep]ing lineup’’ and another in May 2011 where he claimed Sox fans would not remember him, “As soon as you leave the ballpark, they don’t care about you. They don’t. The monuments, the statues…they pee on them when they get drunk.” On the afternoon of the day he left the team Guillen told reporters that he would not want to return to fulfill his 2012 contract unless he got an extension and more money. Ozzie’s relationship with G.M. Kenny Williams also deteriorated over the final few years because the two men appeared to have different viewpoints over how the roster should be constructed and the style to which the Sox should play. The Jim Thome/DH controversy was an example of the different ideas. Guillen’s family didn’t help the situation with social media comments derogatory to Williams. Many felt when Ozzie was hired in November 2003 that he was the right man for the right team at the right time and for a few years he was. Unfortunately, the manager with the longest tenure since Al Lopez let some personal foibles override a good situation and it was best for all that a parting of the ways took place.

Are you serious? So the guy risks injury over a shin guard color??? Can you say "baseball-stupid?"

To DVS of the Sun-Times: https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/2022/9/29/23378806/not-good-at-all-leury-garcia-sums-up-white-sox-season-and-his-own

You wonder given his propensity to foul pitches off his foot, ankle, lower leg why he doesn't wear a small shin guard every at bat.