Lip Man 1

10th time the Sox have been shutout this season. Bad...just bad. Mark

I remember both Curt Schilling and Mike Mussina saying they would not play for the White Sox after reports came out the Sox had interest due to their pitching falling apart via injuries in the second half of the season. I also remember Ron Schueler despite a desperate need for pitching going out and bringing back Harold Baines and Charles Johnson at the trade deadline. By the playoffs the pitching staff was being held together by duct tape and the results were predicatble. Such a sad end to what could have been a great season. But typical White Sox luck. Mark

9th time this season the Sox lost a game when leading in the 7th inning or later. And the first "blown" game didn't happen until May 26th. The bullpen has been directly responsible for losing seven of those nine games. Nine games is a lot to me. Mark

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 1, 2015 -> 02:33 PM) I don't know about anyone else, but I would rather the Sox not break laws and rules. The Wilder fiasco was enough for me. I can't believe anyone would seriously endorse that sort of thing. South: I suspect things like this have been going on for decades, all under the table. I respect your viewpoint but if that's what it takes to win, then so be it. This isn't a morality play, it's a business...and for the last decade basically business has been very poor. Mark

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Sep 1, 2015 -> 02:23 PM) By hiring the guy that traded Rizzo to him. All's fair in love and war. If this was a quid pro quo deal more power to Epstein. Wish the Sox were smart enough to do something like that. Mark

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 1, 2015 -> 08:01 AM) If you have players that reached the major leagues but have no clue when it comes to fundamentals, you have problems other than your major league staff. A major league baseball player on day 1 should understand how the game is played. Given how players are rushed to the big leagues today (the days when guys like Gary Peters and Joe Horlen spent five years in the minors learning their craft are long gone) maybe it would be to the Sox benefit to actually work with players every day no? ESPECIALLY if other teams aren't doing it. Makes you wonder if the coaches feel they shouldn't have to do it, what exactly do they do and what are they getting paid for. And don't overlook the impact a coaching staff can have, I refer back to this quote from Tony LaRussa when I interviewed him. He was talking about when he first came on-board and the Sox started to develop in the early 1980's: "For a long time coaches were just friends of the manager or guys getting their time in to get a pension. But jerry Reinsdorf recognized that because kids were being pushed to the major leagues earlier, the role of coaches as teachers became crucial. He embraced the idea of putting together the best coaching staff you possibly could, that the staff of a manager should be a force for developing players..." Note the last part of Tony's comment. This team has been putrid fundamentally and baseball stupid overall for the past five years or so. Some of that falls on the players, some on the manager and the coaches. This team was also totally unprepared for this year coming out of spring training. They were on a record pace in terms of poor defense and base running according to Fan Graphs. Again some of that falls on the players but in this particular case the majority of the blame goes to the manager and his coaches in my opinion. Mark

QUOTE (LDF @ Aug 31, 2015 -> 07:10 PM) don't get me wrong, i am in agreement with the bold. but is it the coaches fault for that. i mean, it been like this the whole season, i would imagine that the coaches and yes even the GM and team meeting are discussing this. so is it the mgr, the coaches, the players or is it the atmosphere of the clubhouse. It's a combination of all of the above in my opinion. All share in some of the blame. Things aren't helped when Mark Parent makes the statement (paraphrasing) that coaches shouldn't have to work on fundamentals every day with guys because "they are major leaguers..." Mark

QUOTE (LDF @ Aug 31, 2015 -> 01:40 PM) well at least the sox may had some iron in the fire. as i said, i really believe this is going to be a fun off season. Sorry...I don't. We'll see. Mark

QUOTE (oldsox @ Aug 30, 2015 -> 04:28 PM) I've been thinking about this topic for a few days now. I remember when Sox traded for Larry Doby, can't remember when, sometime in early 60's I believe. Anyway, he got off to a bad start, and he was booed big time. It was pretty ugly, actually. He had his unique reaction to the booing. Obviously, the slump ended and he played pretty well, and he was embraced, sort of. I'm not saying he was the most hated in Sox history, not even close, but Doby received some pretty intense booing. The Sox made the deal for Doby in the 1950's. Specifically October 1955. Mark

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Aug 30, 2015 -> 11:13 PM) I doubt KW leaves. I just want an all new coaching staff starting with a veteran manager. I'd be very surprised if you even got that. I suspect now more than ever everyone returns next year, KW, Bell, Robin and his cadre of clown coaches. It's really hard to find any silver lining for the franchise in all this and it's worse with the Cubs seemingly figured it out enough to look like they could be a factor for years to come while the Sox keep "hoping" they can figure something out. Mark

Another move that when it happened looked good on paper but once again blew up in the faces of the Sox. Kenny keeps pulling the strings on all these deals so I guess we should start calling him the 'puppet master.' Mark

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 29, 2015 -> 09:29 PM) Is this a wraparound four game series where we can get swept? Or just three losses? Aren't we getting close to season-worst in terms of games below .500?? Good job Robin. Good job Coop. Good job hitting coach; I won't dignify using your name cause I forgot it. Series started Thursday, Sox off Monday. Have won a game in this series. Mark

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 29, 2015 -> 08:30 PM) Some of you guys expect a lot out of your announcers. I like Swirsk tonight. Just now he seemed to be enjoying telling that story to Swirsk. Seemed like he was OK with him. Robin seems like an outstanding guy. He has to know the team has no chance with him in charge. If he is manager in April and loses the first 3 vs. KC again (which will happen, unless it's Detroit or Cleveland or Minnie we open with this time and lose 3 to them) it'll be the same ol s***ty season starting all over again. I think he'll agree to step down. He knows his teams are disgracefully bad and have no chance again vs. the Central Division teams. He won't quit for exactly the reason you said...pride. He is not going to walk away with the team and franchise in the position its in because he'll feel he owes it to JR to try to pull them out of the hole. Plus he's got a deal for next year, Ventura seems an honorable man, you sign the deal you live up to it. He won't quit and JR won't fire him ergo he returns next year. Sorry but that's how I see it. Mark

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 29, 2015 -> 08:15 PM) Robin has pride. He'll resign after this season. You can't save your job directing a team this s***ty. Bye Robin. You tried but the team is one of the worst in baseball again with a relatively decent payroll. Bye bye. No he won't. Mark

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Aug 29, 2015 -> 09:05 AM) We've been lucky on injuries, yeah, but we also consistently have one of the healthiest teams every year, that's not an accident. Except in 2001, 2004, 2007 and the bullpen down the stretch in 2010. And the times the Sox suffer injuries they are screwed unlike say the Cardinals or Yankees because the minor league system has offered very little help. Mark

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Aug 28, 2015 -> 09:56 PM) JR has fired many coaches and executives of the past 35 years. Just seems to have a thing for Williams though. He promised his parents when he personally went out to California to sign him that he'd "always" take care of their son. True story. And everyone knows how JR values loyalty. Mark

19th time this year the Sox allowed three runs or less in a game...and lost. 9th time team has been shutout. Have played 127 games, have scored three runs or less in 66 of them. 52% overall. Mark

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Aug 28, 2015 -> 05:10 PM) Yes and no on the Reinsdorf thing. While I understand that he has a certain way of running things, I don't think organizationally he's overbearing on the ways the GM and VP of Baseball Operations run the team. At the end of the day, this garbage is on Kenny and Hahn. If Kenny walks to Seattle, the joke is on them. Austin: You make a valid point to be sure however I've been told from sources for years that JR is more "hands-on" than you may think. I was told for example that one more than one occasion he has interjecting himself into the draft process and 'recommended" who the team should take. That puts the scouting director and his staff in a bind. Put it this way, how comfortable would you be going against the 'recommendations' of the guy who signs your pay check? Mark

One thing is certain one of the possible reasons for not rebuilding completely (or even mentioning that word) is because of the impact it would have on attendance. I think we can throw that one out the window. If they rebuild and only get 12 thousand a game that's not much different from what they are regularly getting now, 14-18 thousand. With all the outside revenue streams pouring money in MLB teams attendance should no longer be used as a reason to do or not do anything in my opinion. Mark

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 28, 2015 -> 08:44 PM) Saladino looks like a utility player I agree. And there's nothing wrong with that, he'd be a solid guy playing once or twice a week and used as a late inning defensive replacement. Teams need a guy or two like that absolutely. Mark

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Aug 28, 2015 -> 09:06 PM) Couldn't live without that bunt pop out by LaRoche. I hate Ventura as manager, they can't possibly keep him. Oh yes they can. Mark

I would love to see Kenny leave for the following reasons: 1. It would eliminate all talk, rumors about who actually is calling the shots in the organization. (Since I don't think JR would hire 'another' VP or promote Buddy Bell) 2. Change in my opinion is DESPERATELY needed in the front office. It has grown stale, set in their ways, and I suspect tend to look at problems from the same viewpoint. New talent, new blood is needed to shake that up and to look at the issues in new ways. No guarantees anybody else would leave after Kenny but to me it's a start. I'd thank him for what he brought to the franchise and wish him well as he walked out the door. But I'd be shocked if it happened. JR doesn't like change (or winning apparently either over the last decade...) Mark

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 28, 2015 -> 11:56 AM) They want experience. Maybe Orsillo is coming to the White Sox TV booth and the Hawkeroo heads to Seattle to be their GM. Mercy! Well played sir! Mark

QUOTE (shysocks @ Aug 28, 2015 -> 09:41 AM) The writing's on the wall; I don't think KW will still be with the Sox next season. I hope you're right but we'll see. Mark

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Aug 27, 2015 -> 11:17 AM) I hear he has a nice house in Arizona I've actually been passed it. Team played at Arizona State a few years ago and we spent three days in the Phoenix / Scottsdale area. It looks like it's three stories high and the top floor is basically a very nice 'man-cave.' One of our assistant coaches step-dad coached Paulie in Little League, and they told me a little about it. Mark