tray

You already earned an "F" in an "Anti - Stalking" course. Class Dismissed, for now.

Correct. As long as the American flag flies over this country, and certainly since abolition, employers can't do that. IMO, Hahn and KW should have been fired before, e.g., after the Drake LaRoach ordeal, poor evaluation of talent, non-competitive line-ups, etc.

Yes, JR has been loyal to a fault with a lot of employees and players over the years. Most of those entrusted with JR's good will and loyalty returned it in kind (Ozzie, Konerko, Harold, Thome). Given that, it made me wonder about the way Kenny and Rick were dismissed unceremoniously and told to pack up there sh1t the next day and maybe even told not to come back. As ptatc mentioned, that is not the way JR normally treats employees, especially KW who often boasted about his close relationship with JR. Did thos guys get caught on a hot mike talking about JR or something? I don't know....they surely deserved to be fired but the way it was done seemed odd.

Ignorance is bliss.

Ron: I was pleasantly surprised to read that you would not be surprised if the WSox compete for the Division championship. As it stands though, too many shortcomings in the pitching staff inc. no high leverage L or R arms and no Closer. Murakami's defense at 1B might be an issue. Meidroth might not single or walk enough to start him over Sosa, who was one of the best hitters on the team last year. Braden might come up and rake, or not. Robert or no Robert. Etc. As far as acclimating pitchers through bullpen appearances, OK, but in the Minors. There it could have value. Bringing a pitcher in a game in high leverage situations puts the microscope on what they can or can't do in crunch time, often against the best hitters. A starter can often get by after walking a lead-off man in an inning and then working out his control on the fastball or spin on off-speed pitches as the game progresses. Conversely, as we witnessed the last two seasons, bullpen guys came in , walked the first guy they faced, and then let hitters take advantage of their lack of control. So let the Minor league pitchers prove what they have before they come up and f things up worse than they already are.

One year opt-out? Another trick in Boras' bag. No reason to invest team resources in a guy that is going to book after one season. Fans would not even invest in a jersey with his name on it.

There is an old saying..."Be careful what you wish for." Is Ishbia cheap as well ? Is he really a White Sox fan ? Oh, is that why he pulled his Private Equity Investment in the Twins and instead purchased White Sox shares ? Or was that part and parcel of the typical PEI leveraged buyout formula? Ishbia remains silent and is just paying down debt right now, right? Really? corporate debt is part of the strategy used by PEI firms over and again. "A leveraged buyout is a strategy in which a private equity firm finances its acquisition of a company using debt secured by the company it is acquiring rather than using its capital or taking on the debt itself. This tactic saddles private equity-owned companies with substantial debt, often draining resources that could otherwise be invested in innovation, workforce development, or adapting to market changes. Instead, firms under private equity ownership must channel much of their revenue toward servicing this debt, leaving them vulnerable to financial distress and bankruptcy. Bankruptcies are a key bellwether signaling the broader risks associated with private equity investments." https://pestakeholder.org/news/private-equity-behind-70-of-large-u-s-bankruptcies-in-the-first-quarter-of-2025/ Also, imagine what is ahead for Walgreens now that is has been taken over by a Private Equity firm that financed 70% of it deal through debt...with little or no skin in the game. https://medcitynews.com/2025/09/walgreens-private-equity-sale/ Meanwhile, did Ishbia offer one cent capital to the WSox corporation for acquiring Murakami or to be used to fortify the 2026 White Sox roster? We know he has money to spend and that he spends a lot of it on his own Winnetka estate. And what does he say about Murakami, or about anything related to the White Sox. What's with the Wizard of Oz BS ? As a Sox fan, I want the team to win now or at least in the next 2-3 years. If that gets Jerry another ring, fine by me. Count me out of the group that puts some kind of baseless faith in a silent private equity investor. He is in it for money. Ishbia could give 2 chits about the WSox or WSox fans, never has, never will. His silence now, even with the fan excitement over the Murakami signing, is proof positive of that.

Can't wait to get my Murakami jersey and for Opening Day !

Thank you. Not sure that means that JR would not have signed him anyway though.

I am wondering....where did you read that Brooks Boyer had to convince JR to sign Murakami ? Sounds absurd. I thought maybe Ishbia had something to do with it but maybe that isn't right either. Maybe, just maybe JR wants to go for another one.

On the same point, the '77 WSox Hitmen were so much fun to watch and in this day and age, would have drawn even more fans. The atmosphere in the stands back then was crazy.

The excitement about Murakami coming to the WSox probably has little to do with the fact that he is coming from Japan. Reinsdorf already knows how one player or a couple of new players could excite the Sox fan base....which begs the question, "why hasn't he done it more often?" Consider when he brought Fisk in from Boston. Fans went crazy on Opening Day in Comiskey in 1981. Fisk had already homered at Fenway in their Opener. Fisk responded again in Chicago with a grand slam home run. As we now know, Fisk, Luzinski and Kittle all became fan favorites and made us occasionally wear the ugly '83 uniforms. The roof shot home runs from those guys drew fans into the park. So if Murakami, Colson, et. al. hit some bombs, more fans will come for the show.

I enjoyed Chuck Garfein's comments in the face of some aggressive and understandable questioning by AJ including past and future spending on player contracts. Anyway, I enjoyed the bantar.

Yea, I see some fan displeasure with Reinsdorf ... which is not dissimilar to what one sees across many fan bases in sports... but I am not allowing that to deter me from watching and enjoying WSox and Bulls. Look forward to going to Glendale this Spring and Opening day.

I think I heard on one of the Sox podcasts that just after Getz learned that a deal for Murakami was finalized, he called Ishbia. If so, I wonder if the Sox, with Ishbia backing, could beat out the Cubs and get Imai. That would really be the shot heard 'round the baseball world.

How much?

It is impossible to hold a sensible conversation with you because it appears that you are too anxious to argue than to discuss. Further, your points are predicated on half-truths which can be a deceptive form of argument. In short, you state facts to support your position (that anything can be built on any soil) but that has NOTHING to do with the points I made in my post. Anyway, I do not want to argue with you on this and accept your points so let's leave it at that.

I left this topic alone but wondered why one poster in particular kept posting on this hundreds of times. Meanwhile you cannot let one post of mine go by without chiming in. You cite skyscrapers which present entirely different foundation requirements and cost parameters per sq. ft., but that has nothing to do with what is required at the 78. Of course almost any building can be built almost anywhere. So what? Recall that the U of I suddenly cancelled plans to build on the 78 citing among other things, the ballooning costs of construction. The Developer left taxpayers holding the bag for 30 Million in unpaid contractor bills. There was a deal breaker in that case. Frankly, I don't know how much more in additional costs could be a deal breaker for Mansuetso/the Fire or any project on that site. You suggested that added costs will not be a deal breaker. How so? Is Mansueto all in, regardless of costs? That would be an unusual approach for any businessman/developer. You failed to address the other points I made, but oh well ... maybe let it go. I don't really want to engage you further.

Not sure why you continue to resurrect a dead issue with hundreds of posts. Ishbia, is never going to lease land from an Iranian criminal instead of from IL taxpayers. Not going to happen and there are many reasons why. i.e, limited ingress/egress, complicated development issues*, and, contrary to what you have argued here, the "78" is not within walking distance to any entertainment venue. Even if it was, that area would not be safe for fans to be walking around especially given that the majority of White Sox home games are at night. What you hope for would further risk the future of the White Sox franchise in Chicago, something that is already a concern. But anyway, proceed. *from AI: Key Findings and Project Details Site History and Soil Composition: The 62-acre site, located along the Chicago River, is former railyard land, and the river itself previously ran through a portion of the proposed location. Geotechnical surveys have identified challenging subsurface conditions: River Muck: Borings indicated a layer of very soft, organic river muck with very low soil strength near the river's elevation. Fill Material: The surface generally consists of 1 to 2.5 feet of fill, including gravel, sand, silt, bricks, and clay. Contamination: A strong petroleum odor was noted at some boring locations, and the general history of industrial use means the soil may require environmental remediation. Construction Approach: Due to these conditions, the project team, a joint venture including Pepper Construction, GMA Construction Group, and ALL Construction, is emphasizing specific foundation and soil remediation strategies to ensure structural integrity. Soil stabilization is a primary challenge for the riverfront construction. Note: Any further development beyond the Fire stadium, including commercial or residential, would require the same environmental and structural evaluation.

SS2K : I am going to disengage on this and let you have the last word there. Have a nice evening sir.

You describe the Cub fan experience in Wrigleyvlle after day games. Sox play night games for the most part, and their fan base for the most part enjoy watching and/or going to games at night. tailgating before games, and for those who want to go out after the game ends and they get to their cars around, 11 p.m with wife and kids, there are plenty of bars and restaurants open. My guess is that most fans head home at that time, especially those with kids. Wrigleyville has a different demographic. Citing Wrigley bars is just part of a failed Cubs/Sox analogy. The WSox are a Southside team, and the 78, is not in a Southside neighborhood. It would be a stretch to claim it is on the South Side as South siders well understand. Not sure if you are very familiar with the abandoned 78 tract. It is 20 feet under the grade of Roosevelt road. I don't get where the Fire conceptual plan provides enough vehicular or pedestrian access. I would not be surprised if Mansueto becomes just the latest in a long line of potential tenants to drops out. The writing for that is on the wall. These billionaires are not foolish. And don't believe all the hype that you read.

I am not angry but you sound angry...angry at Jerry Reinsdorf and certainly always angry at me. I was pursuing a different point, a larger point that I thought should be obvious but is sometimes lost. Forget I posted it 2023.

That's your opinion. I pick fights? No, but I will hold my own ...and then I know when to disengage with those who always want to have the last word. Now who starts s%*#? Look no further than a recent post in this thread where I wanted to make the point that the culture of Sox fans on the South side has been over a century in the making. Certain groups (like the S Side Irish community) and other ethnic groups took root on the South side and expanded out, largely to the S and SW suburbs. That is where the majority of the fan base is located. The fact is that the White Sox are identified with the South side, Sox fandom and all it entails. It is part of their culture. So the responses to that post immediately attempted to deflect and make it about age...Gen X fans v old fans on Social Security or something ridiculous like that. My point, which was pretty clear, had nothing to do with the age of fans. It did have to do with the long relationship between the White Sox, the location where they have played for 125 years, and where most in the WSox fan base reside. My guess is that most younger fans and even our young announcer understand that.