Lip Man 1

Hahn's "winning" acquisitions: Alonso (waived), Santana (waived), Despaigne (waived), Jay (missed half the season), Herrera (ERA is almost eight), Nova (ERA is almost six). Give him McCann and Colome. Even with a rebuilding team that's really really poor evaluating and signings. I just don't know if he's got the acumen to get this club to the next level. This off season is going to be one of the most important in Sox history, you can see indications that this team could be good moving forward, but I don't know if he can get the help that the team is going to need. I honestly can't trust his judgment which more often than not has been awful.

This quote made me laugh: “We’ve always been big fans of Minny,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “We wanted him to be a little more efficient.” Don't worry... like the Terminator "he'll be back" once he passes through waivers. He sucks period, just like half of the current staff including Covey. By the way here are the splits on Minaya courtesy of Merkin: "Recording a 3.90 ERA in 22 appearances. But after posting a 1.15 ERA in his first 11 games (two earned runs in 15 2/3 innings), the right-hander compiled a 7.50 ERA (10 earned runs in 12 innings) over his next 11 outings." More trash that the Sox never seem to be able to get rid of over the past few years.`

Outside of two or three guys this pitching staff is a joke and an embarrassment.

That is true about the foul poll part.

Remember when Hahn said he wouldn't have made the deal if the A's wouldn't give him Ynoa? LOL. ?

Sox must have thought they were still on break tonight. Someone needs to get Nova hypnotized before his games telling him he's really facing the Cubs or Indians, that seems to be the only teams he can beat. Oakland now 10 over and I'm amazed that they are doing it again with basically a bunch of nobodies (save for two or three guys) and they've had their share of pitching injuries. They seem to have a pretty solid organization.

From my interview with Sox infielder Greg Pryor: ML: July 12, 1979 was a rather ‘unusual’ evening. It was “Disco Demolition” night at Comiskey Park. I’ve spoken with fans who were there (including future Sox pitcher Donn Pall and future actor Michael Clarke Duncan) and media members, but I’ve never spoken with a player who was there for that night. Why don’t you take me through the evening your perspective. GP: “There were around 47 thousand on hand that night and the great majority was underage kids. They weren’t there to see a double header let’s say that. I played shortstop the first game and I remember getting an RBI double. It was the only run we got. (Author’s Note: The Sox lost to the Tigers 4-1) I’m in the locker room between games, I was supposed to play shortstop again in the second game and I see Ken Kravec. Ken was supposed to start game two and this was only a few minutes before we were supposed to begin and I was surprised that he was in the locker room so I asked him about it.” “He told me, “Have you seen what’s out there? There’s a riot going on!” So I ran back through the tunnel towards our dugout, I was still in my underwear. What I saw was like a battlefield after a war. They had blown up those records and the smoke was all over the field and it was complete chaos. I remember our equipment manager swinging a baseball bat to keep a bunch of kids from trying to get into the tunnel towards the clubhouse. Anyone who left anything in the dugout itself lost it. Everything was taken.” “I ran back to the clubhouse and eventually we bolted the door. We were in our own cave, we couldn’t get out. We heard the mounted horses arrive through the clubhouse walls. Outside of those few moments was I was looking on to the field I didn’t see anything else. We were locked in the clubhouse for about an hour and a half.” “My wife arrived at the park near the end of the first game and she couldn’t get in. They locked all the gates because there were another 15 thousand kids trying to get in. She was stuck in her car and the crowd just started rocking it back and forth. Finally for her own safety the guard opened the gate so she could get in. As she was getting through she told me the kids were feeling her up. We were still finding pieces of blown up records on the field and in the grass a month later.”

Thank you. Turns out to be another expensive mistake.

I'm assuming the Sox are now off the hook for the rest of his salary?

Will be interesting to see how they handle Robert. Good situation to have though. My guess is that especially in a year where they aren't going anywhere, they won't bring him up in September and start his clock. Now that situation changes if he signs a extension before then.

When I interviewed Mike Veeck I asked him about that night and what went wrong: ML: Talk to me about “Disco Demolition.” How did the idea first get started and how did you develop it? MV: “The idea actually started two years earlier in 1977. Jeff Swartz, a guy who worked for United Artists, suggested it to me. In 1978 in connection with Coke, we had a dance contest at Comiskey Park. There were 25,000 kids dancing on plywood stages that we had on the field. We thought it might be an idea to have a night for people who hate disco.” “Anyway I get a call one day in 1979, from Swartz who says to turn on my radio to WLUP, that there is a guy named Steve Dahl who is going to blow up disco records at a shopping mall. I listened, then called him at 10:05 AM, as soon as he got off the air, and offered him the chance to do that at Comiskey Park. He was going to do it in front of 3,000 kids. It didn’t take long to convince him he could do it in front of 40 thousand kids.” ML: Let’s talk about that night, what went wrong, and what would you have done differently? MV: “My mistake was thinking that we’d get about 35,000 for the promotion. It turned out there were 60,000 inside the park and another 30-40 thousand on the streets around the park. Traffic was backed up all the way out to O’Hare Airport! Who had any idea that many kids would come out? WLUP was a 5,000 watt station; it wasn’t a giant like WLS or WCFL from when I was a kid.” “The other thing that happened was that we moved some of the police off the field. We had an adequate security force for 35,000 fans but not for 60,000. Outside of the park there were some temporary ticket booths staffed by older people. The kids were starting to get out of hand and started rocking those booths. We moved some of the police off the field outside to help. What happened next was the worst thing that could possible happen, the crowd began thinking as one and they realized there were only 35-40 police on the field. When a crowd begins thinking as one there is no such thing as crowd control. They said ‘let’s go on the field!’ ML: Some Sox fans feel DJ Steve Dahl could have done more to help calm the situation; instead he left the park with the riot in full force. Could he have done more to help? MV: “He could have made an effort. I, my dad and Harry Caray were all down on the field trying to regain control and he wasn’t... but the responsibility was mine. It was a bad decision.” “It was also a slow news day and that generated a tremendous amount of publicity, it was also an election year and Jayne Byrne used the situation as an election photo-op. What I most remember is newspaper guys like Bill Gleason saying what a tragedy it was. I know what a tragedy is, my daughter is losing her sight... this wasn’t a tragedy. The sun came up the next day; the Sox played another baseball game a few days later. It was the fourth forfeit in baseball history but how many take the same umbrage at 30,000 Dodger fans throwing baseballs on the field causing the fifth forfeit in baseball?” (Author’s Note: That took place on August 11, 1995 when Dodgers fans threw baseballs by the thousands on to the field with one out in the 9th inning in a game against the Cardinals. St. Louis was awarded a forfeit win.)

The folks at Fuzzy Memories TV and You Tube have put together an interesting compilation of the events leading up to Disco Demolition Night and the evening itself. It starts the day before with Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall talking about the "Teen Night Promotion." Some of the footage was never broadcast by WSNS-TV but was recorded by the folks working there at the time. According to the folks at Fuzzy Memories, a lot of them helped out in putting this together. Not the greatest moment in Sox history but certainly one of historical significance: Runs about an hour and a half.

Interesting but would Boras go for it?

It begins: http://kentuckysportsradio.com/main/ncaa-hits-nc-state-basketball-with-two-level-i-violations/ N.C. State hit with two level one violations, paying over 45 thousand in illegal benefits. Who is next?

Last night's game was the lowest rated All-Star Game of all-time.

I would like the game a lot more, haven't really watched it since the mid 80's, just catch highlights if: 1. Like Billy Martin and others have said, not every team should be represented. If your 20 out at the break and flat out suck, it is hard to justify having a player off it with a more deserving one sitting at home just because every team needs to be included. (Part of the justification at one time was so that fans in that market would actually watch to see said player.) 2. Fans are only allowed to vote one time, just like in an election. This eliminates the big market (i.e. Yankees, Red Sox) fans from stuffing and inflating things. One fan = one vote. You can't legislate against fan stupidity but you can also help limit it. Just my opinion.

If this ever happens the Sox will be in deep shit. They'll never put up the money it would take to sign some of these guys. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cubs would just clean up.

I thought they stopped awarding home field advantage in the World Series to the all-star game winner? And congratulations to the American League, the REAL Major League. Seven straight wins and congrats to the three Sox players who helped make it happen.

Could they be cutting Castro?

Surprised by this move, I though this kid was highly regarded by the Hawks and its not like Q was still the head coach. His history with rookies was pretty well known.

Just for discussions sake though recently things have not been looking good from that standpoint...consider: Fulmer, Burdi, Burger, Collins. All recent high picks, in some cases very high, who so far have basically produced next to nothing for the Sox. Personally I've written off Fulmer and Burdi. Burger is close to that as well because the guy (like Burdi) is one injury after another. Not ready to go there yet for Collins who has produced some at the minor league level and really hasn't had a real chance yet with the Sox.

Certainly changes the dynamic. Though I can't believe yet they are writing Collins off. I mean if they haven't written off Fulmer yet I can't see them doing that to a kid who is barely getting a chance at the big league level. If they are though, that's another black mark against the drafting / developmental part of the organization since Collins was also a first round pick.

I could see Cordell maybe as a 4th outfielder or so moving forward depending on the progress of some of the other minor league outfielders in the system but certainly not as a regular.

Always happy to help out those who are behind on things. if ever I can be of service to you in the future again please let me know.

Considering he twice led all Minor league baseball in home runs it's worth a shot, not like they have anything to lose right now.