Lip Man 1

And the "fun" is just beginning! 😠

Gio has had severe injury issues the last few years.

For what this is worth I was told by an individual in the front office that a lot of the financial issues were caused by the banks refusing to loan JR any more money. As I was told JR was borrowing from banks who were happy to loan it to him because they assumed that when the team was sold they'd get their money back plus interest. But given JR's reluctance to sell and the on and off the field issues they stopped doing so. That put him in a real bind and he had to go outside the organization and bring in Ishbia. I wasn't told specific numbers so I can't tell you how much or if JR was losing money only that he like many owners was borrowing money but that was stopped.

Sox Machine with the demotion impact: White Sox option Shane Smith to make room for Tyler Schwe...The White Sox roster will be in a healthier place when they can make it through an entire 162-game schedule without optioning their Opening Day starter. For the second straight season, the top of the

Two factoids for today: April 8, 1963 – On this date, one of the biggest ‘what if’s’ in franchise history took place. As per the rules at the time, the White Sox had to choose between two pitchers signed to “bonus baby” contracts. The rules stated that only one player signed to a deal for over a certain amount of money could remain in the organization. The other would have to be waived. With that in mind rookies Bruce Howard and Denny McLain squared off in an intra-squad game to see who would be released and who got promoted to Double A Lynchburg. Howard won 2-1. McLain got his walking papers and was claimed by Detroit the following week. He’d go on to win 131 big league games including 31 in 1968. April 8, 1991 - It was always a “House of Horrors” for the Sox but on this day, they got the last laugh. The Sox spoiled the last home opener in old Memorial Stadium by ripping the Orioles 9-1. Sammy Sosa clubbed two home runs to lead the rout. His homers came in the second and eighth innings. He’d knock in five RBI’s on the afternoon. Jack McDowell went the distance striking out 10 which set the team mark for most strikeouts by a pitcher on opening day… that was later tied by Dylan Cease in 2023 at Houston.

Again I ask those who are in the camp of 'defending' him, at what point does everyone admit his promotion was a failure and should never have been done? Even given JR's limitations, should a team be this bad for this long? I mean how long should we have to wait for progress? Four years? Six? I'm just looking for a benchmark.

Saw this in Merkin's recap: "The Orioles improved to 14-1 against the White Sox since 2024 and extended their winning streak at the Rate to 10 straight."

And all because of one individual.

Just a bad day today with the usual issues that have been dogging this franchise for several years now. Bullpen coughs up another lead after the 7th inning, team scores less then three runs and they make two more errors. As Kenny said at one time, "it is what it is..." Not much more you can say or do.

Baldwin is now done for the season. It's really incredible how the Sox don't have one legit outfielder on the club and have had issues with this for the past several years.

April 7, 1970 - The worst White Sox team in history at that time, began their forgettable season getting pounded 12-0 at home by the Twins before less than 12-thousand fans. Sox starting pitcher Tommy John only lasted into the fifth inning giving up six runs, five earned. The Sox would go on to lose a then franchise record 106 games and before the season ended saw the G.M., field manager and a number of front office people on the baseball side fired by owner John Allyn. April 7, 1971 - Charlie Finley, the A’s owner, got the first regularly scheduled opening day double header in history but was stunned when the Sox under manager Chuck Tanner beat them twice 6-5 and 12-4 at the Oakland Coliseum. Tommy John and Bart Johnson were the winning pitchers. The Sox clubbed five home runs on the day, including a grand slam by Bill Melton. It should have been six homers except that Carlos May somehow missed touching home plate on his blast. A’s catcher Gene Tenace picked up on it and tagged him out when he was sitting in the dugout. It went as a triple in the scorebook and two RBI’s. This was also Harry Caray’s first regular season game as Sox announcer although at the time not a whole lot of folks could hear him. Three straight awful years caused the Sox to lose their radio contract with any mainstream Chicago station. For the next two years Sox games were broadcast on WTAQ (LaGrange) and WEAW (Evanston), two low powered stations along with other smaller stations throughout the area. April 7, 1973 - On opening day in Texas, Mike Andrews became the first White Sox designated hitter. He hit sixth in the lineup for manager Chuck Tanner. He went 1 for 3 in the Sox 3-1 win behind Wilbur Wood. Andrews got off to such a blazing start that Sports Illustrated wound up doing a story on him in his role as DH. He was hitting over .300 through mid-May but then reality set in. He was released by the team in July after refusing to sign a contract offer made by then vice president Stu Holcomb. He’d wind up with the A’s for the remainder of the season including the World Series where A’s owner Charlie Finley tried to say he was injured and get him replaced with another player after his errors led to a loss to the Mets. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn did not fall for the deception. April 7, 1977 - The White Sox introduced American League baseball to Canada as they played the first ever game in Toronto Blue Jays history. The Jays outslugged the Sox in a driving snowstorm to win 9-5. But it was the start of something much bigger; the “South Side Hitmen” were born. Richie Zisk hit the first Sox home run of the season in the first inning. The club would blast 191 more of them that year. The Sox had nine players record double-figures in long balls that year. April 7, 1984 - The Tigers Jack Morris threw the last no-hitter at the original Comiskey Park when he shut down the Sox 4-0 on the NBC Saturday “Game of the Week.” The Sox had their chances; including loading the bases on walks in the fourth inning with no out, but could never get the key hit as he retired Greg Luzinski on a double play and then got Ron Kittle to strike out. April 7, 1993 - On his first swing of the season, future Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk would blast his final Major League home run. It would come off the Twins Jim Deshaies in the third inning and be the only run scored by the Sox in a 6-1 loss. Fisk would be released by the Sox in June. He’d finish with 376 home runs, 214 in a White Sox uniform, at the time both the club and Major League record for a catcher. April 7, 1994 - In the annual “Crosstown Classic” charity game between the Sox and Cubs, Michael Jordan wrote his name into Sox lore. His double in the late innings tied the game and prevented the Sox from losing for the first time in this series. He’d have two hits and drive in two runs in the game which ended in a 4-4 tie at Wrigley Field. The Sox would go 10-0-2 in this affair that lasted from 1985 through 1995. Two games were played in 1995.

That could work but only if the bullpen is better than putrid.

To a certain extent it is to be sure since both teams have to play in it and the Sox usually are on the short end in the talent department but as someone who has played in cold weather it isn't easy hitting a 90+ MPH fastball when you can barely feel your hands or to try to throw a breaking ball in that weather which can be a real injury risk.

As everyone knows for the last several years the Sox offense has been poor at best. If I remember right in 53% of the games last season they scored three runs or less. It's early but just something to keep an eye on, they have scored three runs or less in six of their first 10 games this season.

To be fair the Sox starting rotation in toto is among the worst in baseball so it really doesn't matter what inning they are bad in, they just aren't very good.

“I don’t think that this game is meant to be played in really, really cold weather,” manager Will Venable

Story on White Sox "opener" philosophy. Quotes Getz and Venable: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/04/06/grant-taylor-opener-white-sox

Tuesday's game has been changed from 6:40 Chicago time to 2:10 Chicago time because of cold weather. Makes sense. Have no idea why ANY Sox April games are scheduled for night-time.

He'll probably be canning a boatload of folks from the baseball side if for no other reason new owners like to hire their own people who they feel will be loyal to them. Not that most if not all of the folks who will be let go deserve to be drawing unemployment.

April 6, 1993 - The Western Divisional Championship season began with a night game in Minnesota and a big 10-5 win over the Twins. Tim Raines would knock in three runs on the night with a three-run home run. He’d also score two runs. The Sox would wind up winning the division by eight games and compiling 94 victories. Jack McDowell picked up the first of his 22 wins on the year going six innings.

Sun-Times with the post game wrap, according to the story Venable wasn't happy after Miami and let the team know it: https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/2026/04/05/breaking-news-white-sox-after-sweeping-blue-jays-are-almost-mediocre

There have been a number of economic studies and reports that explicitly say governments investing in stadiums to the benefit of the owners do not provide the economic return that said owners like to thump their chests about.

Just got back inside from yard work and looked at the box score. You get pitching like that you can win some games, bullpen didn't cough it up and they didn't make an error today which to me was even more impressive.

April 5, 1974 - The Sox opened the season at home under freezing conditions versus the Angels and Nolan Ryan. The Sox started Wilbur Wood which caused broadcaster Harry Caray to comment that the game was “The tortoise against the hare.” This time the hare won as Ryan and the Angels got an easy 8-2 victory. The game did have its moments however. The streaking craze had hit college campuses and, on this day, a few young ladies in the upper deck decided to partially streak while a young man jumped the outfield fence and ran naked through left field before being hoisted back into the stands by his friends. Sox manager Chuck Tanner had one of the best lines anywhere when asked what he thought about the outfield streaker. “I wasn’t impressed by him.” (nudge, nudge, wink, wink...say no more!) April 5, 1977 - Literally a few hours before the team was to head north to open the season, owner Bill Veeck traded shortstop Russell “Bucky” Dent to the Yankees. Salary was the reasoning behind it and Veeck’s comment that “I’d trade Dent even up for any other starting shortstop in the American League” didn’t help matters. In return the Sox got outfielder Oscar Gamble, pitcher Bob Polinsky, minor league pitcher LaMarr Hoyt and 200,000 dollars. Gamble would be a big part of the 1977 hitting orgy, belting 31 home runs, while Hoyt would have some good seasons with the Sox culminating with the 1983 Cy Young Award when he won 24 games. Between 1980 and 1983 Hoyt won 61 games and saved 10 others. April 5, 2004 - New Manager Ozzie Guillen figured he had his debut game all wrapped up as the Sox took a 7-3 lead into the ninth inning at Kansas City. 20 minutes later the Royals scored six runs to take the game 9-7. The amazing rally set the modern record for the most runs scored in the ninth inning to win a game on opening day. Damaso Marte faced three batters, gave up three hits, two of them home runs to Mendy Lopez and Carlos Beltran, and allowed five runs to score in getting the loss. By the way that was Lopez’s only home run that season. April 5, 2010 – It was opening day and for Mark Buehrle, it was his eighth opening day start setting the franchise record and breaking the tie he had with Billy Pierce. Buehrle was brilliant in the 6-0 win over the Indians, but what everyone was talking about after the game was the play he made on a hard-hit ball off the bat of Lou Marson in the fifth inning. Both ESPN and the MLB Network called it the play of the year. Marson’s shot ricocheted off Buehrle’s leg and was hit so hard it was headed towards foul ground on the first base side of the field. Buehrle sprinted off the mound, fielded the ball with his glove and flipped it between his legs to Paul Konerko who made a barehanded catch nipping Marson. It was simply an incredible play as it beat Marson to the bag by a step and a half.

That was a separate incident which took place a few years earlier: September 6, 1981 – It was the beginning of the end for broadcaster Jimmy Piersall in connection with the Sox. Piersall and Harry Caray appeared on the “Mike Royko show” on WLS-TV. Royko asked the duo how they handle baseball wives who disliked the comments they made about their husbands. Caray said, “You know what Mike. I would love to call all the wives together someday and tell them what their husbands say about them across the ballfield.” Piersall’s answer was more controversial to say the least. “First of all, they were horny broads that wanted to get married, and they wanted a little money, a little security and a big strong ballplayer. I traveled; I played. I got a load of those broads too.” When I spoke with Mike Leiderman for my story on the history of SportsVision, he told me what went on in the studio during that opening night game in Texas: "Leiderman also was the last person to be on a TV set with Sox announcer Jimmy Piersall who was fired after his on-air comments after the Sox lost opening night in Texas back on April 4, 1983, by the score of 5-3. “Greg Walker started at first that night. He was a rookie then. Texas’ infield was as hard as concrete and he made a few errors and didn’t handle a few other balls that were generously scored as hits. Jimmy and I were back in the studio and we went live between innings. I was setting Jimmy up for his analysis and he was just merciless with his comments. He was ripping Walker, Jerry Reinsdorf, and the Sox organization. I actually went back to the control room and asked ‘what should I do? Should I challenge him? What?’ They said ‘just let him go.’ He was fired the next day.”