tray

Why? The Sox need LH power off the bench.

He looks at Super Joe after the 3-0 count, just before hitting the home run. It looks like a disingenuous effort to check for a sign, a glance, almost like he intentionally wanted to blow it off. Anyway. Yermin should have clarified this instead of adding fuel to the fire. You can argue with LaRussa's decision whether to take 3-0 in that situation. Tony wanted to be conservative and not wake a sleeping dog (The Twins). Maybe he should have let Yermin swing. OK, Whatever. Say whatever about your opinion of LaRussa. However, I just don't get why Yermin said this was about him playing his game. That to me is bulshit. You have to follow the coach and the manager, period. Once he didn't I agree with what LaRussa said ...that he would be disciplined. This is a player that showed up late fpor a game less than a week before and had a history of doing that. He needs to follow the rules, like everyone else. LaRussa is old as dirt but he isn't going to take shit from any player.

I saw the video and in my opinion., UYermin looks at Super Jow just prior to the pitch that he hits the home run. It is a fleeting glance which to me , looks like he was trying to either blow it off, or perhaps he misunderstood it. I really think that Yermin should clear this up. I get that people dislike LaRussa but you can't have any player blowing off their coaches and Managers. For those here who are parents or have been coaches, you tell your kids (and players if you were or are a coach) to do something. They need to listen and certainly not try to show you up, even if you are wrong. I don't understand where Yermin is coming from on this when he continues to say he is playing HIS game. What the heck does that mean? He does what he wants regardless?

Post a link to the video you have watched that includes the time period just prior to Yermin hitting the HR where Yermin looks down for the sign. Let's both look at the same clip to discuss. LaRussa was yelling take, take, take from the dugout and other Sox players heard that. Has Yermin ever stated that he did not hear LaRussa or explain what he saw when he looked at Super Joe ? Maybe he saw a sign but didn't understand it. I don't get the argument that the decision to swing in any at bat is the player's prerogative rather than the Managers. *IF* Yermin missed the sign from Super Joe and did not hear LaRussa, he could have simply apologized. Instead, he chose to respond by stating that he plays HIS game. HIS game. That attitude sets a bad precedent for the team---you can disobey and even disrespect your coaches and managers and even turn fans against them because you have become the center of attention, the Star who has the limelight on them.

Oh well, if a greasy burgur can be named after an obese player, then why not hang a sign with the name of a guy who had a DUI in an area where someone might carry a beer and sit down? Fake outrage knows no bounds.

Where White Sox fans get "beat downs"....what a nice place to share thoughts and express opinions for avid, loyal, life-long White Sox fans.

He destroyed Yermin? Make me laugh.

Knew when to admit mistakes and to take responsibility for them. Wisely kept Vaughn out of the line-up against tough RH pitchers early in the season to bring him along slowly and boost his confidence. Deployed Michael Kopech wisely to slowly bring his arm strength up to avoid potential injury. Kept Collins and Grandal fresh by splitting the catching responsibilities. Deployed bullpen including Closer wisely, Can't blame him flr poor performances. Has a team with several players hitting near the Mendoza line and a team rated at 25th out of 30 teams in J\Home runs in first place.

Tony bunted Hamilton to third. Sac fly drove him in. Sox won 2-1. Benetti questioned the move in real time, then said nothing when the run scored and the Sox won because of it. LaRussa started Lamb against the wishes of many posters. Lamb jacked a home run in the fiirst inning and scored another run. Tony put Hamilton in to LF for defense and he threw a runner out at home, preserving a Sox win. You can list any number of good and bad decisions a Manager makes. There are hundreds every week. Players who defy Managers and show up late for games have to be disciplined. Ask St. Louis fans what they think of some of Shilton's decisions in the series against the White Sox. At the end of the day, the anti-LaRussa schtick won't amount to a good gaddamn but it will make you miserable though if you allow it to.

Look at the batting averages of our outfielders and catchers. Our bullpen has been spotty. We have to be happy where we are at in the standings despite player injuries and under-performance. I credit Tony LaRussa a lot for keeping this team in win mode.

Here are a few interesting videos for those interested in baseball history that touch on the topic.: Joe Niekro talks about ball scuffing Gaylord Perry Hoyt Wilhelm

I would think your estimate of 18-24 dingers would be a pretty good tally ...something like Pablo Sandoval numbers. Some might argue that 25 HR is a minimum requirement for a full-time DH but if he hits .300, that will be more than sufficient to fill that role. Mercedes finished 0-for-4 with 10 left on base yesterday. That is the opposite of what the teams needs right now. We need RBIs from the middle of the order.

He got the take sign and chose to ignore it. That was the issue. Tony was mad that he ignored the sign because a lot of his players saw it. Mercedes still has not apologized. Instead, he says that he plays HIS game. It's all about him.

There was a verbal direction to take. Joe assumed Yermin heard it or had the common sense not to swing. ding ding.

Sometimes if something appears to be too good to be true, it is or maybe it isn't. Mercedes has proven he is a major league level hitter and that he has power to this point. My frame of Sox reference is Ron Kittle who had 35 home runs in his rookie season. If Mercedes hits 35+ HR, he will be worth a lot. No matter what the hitting coach says about HR v BA, HRs sell tickets and win a lot of games. As Mercedes continues to get exposed to the top pitchers in the league and scouting reports on him get refined, we will see if he can sustain his success. I kind of feel the same way with Vaughn. Hopefully, both Mercedes and Vaughn continue to prove themselves this season. Personally, I have more confidence in Vaughn's eventual ceiling because of his age, so for me, Mercedes has more on the line this season than Vaughn does. Mercedes future with the White Sox and in MLB are in his own hands. His decision to hit that home run and defy his manager and third base coach won't matter. He has already been given a pass on that and on arriving late for a game. Mercedes has to hit to keep his spot as DH. Nobody cares about his attitude or his personal life or the Yermin burgur. We just want to win.

What assumptions? The replay of the home run that includes Yermin peering down for the take sign and ignoring it? That Yermin showed up late for a game as he had done in the past with other teams ? Did you read the article or do you simply want to make things personal ?

As to the home run that started this manufactured controversy, LaRussa was yelling "Take, Take , Take " from the dugout. Super Joe heard it as did the entire bench. Super Joe put the take sign on.The replay of the home run shows that Yermin glanced at Super Joe and quickly looked away, obviously choosing to ignore his coach. Yermin had to have heard Tony and casnnot deny seeing the take sign but decided to showboat for selfish reasons. He showed up his Manager and coach in front of the players. This is less than a week after Yermin showed up late for a game. Yermin is a fun-loving player who is understandably caught up a bit with his new found fame and fortune. He deserves a Mulligan or two. Having said that, all that is gold does not always glitter. Here is an article with positive and some negative information about Yermin's ascent to the White Sox roster: "despite hitting above .300 as a catcher over three seasons in the Dominican Summer League, he was released in the winter of 2013. He’d developed a bit of a reputation for showing up late, not always giving 100 percent and pumping himself up to anyone within earshot. Essentially, he was big-leaguing it. That type of confidence is entertaining and endearing when you’re in a fun-loving big-league clubhouse like the White Sox have. It’s decidedly less so when you haven’t even reached Low-A. As a result, the Nats decided the slow, old-for-the-level catcher with the big mouth wasn’t worth the trouble. As a bad defensive catcher with average power numbers, Mercedes wasn’t exactly an organizational cornerstone. As such, the White Sox scooped him up and left him in the minors until a 23-homer power surge in Double-A and Triple-A in 2019 put him on the big-league radar. He spent most of the pandemic season at the alternate site, with a very brief cup of coffee in August 2020. Then he made the big-league roster out of spring training this year after mashing his way through the Cactus League — and boom! That’s how Yermin Mercedes ended up going 8-for-8 to start the 2021 season. It should be noted that Mercedes’ climb hasn’t been without incident. His time with the Nationals ended earlier than it should have due to his lackadaisical attitude. More recently, Licey suspended him in each of the past two seasons: in 2019 for bailing on the team unannounced before first pitch and in 2020 for violating COVID-19 protocols. The line between confidence and overconfidence is a fine one. Over the years, Mercedes has built a character around himself that allowed him to truly believe, against all odds, that he could be a big leaguer. While the attitude that he was too good for some of the lower levels of pro baseball was surely exhausting to be around at times, it has largely been validated by Mercedes' ascension to the majors." https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/chicago-white-sox-yermin-mercedes-long-road-to-the-big-leagues

Do some believe that the Covid-19 virus was developed as a bio=weapon by China and that it's release was intentional ? I'm asking.

That is placing sports into a proper perspective in life. Some are not capable of doing that for whatever reason.

If the White Sox can stick around the top of the standings for a few more months and then Eloy and Robert magically come back ahead of schedule, they would be a formidable play-off team.

St Louis Manager needs a new translator that can tell him when he needs to change pitchers.

Considering the large first baseman's gloves and so many close plays at first this is a good question. On "bang-bang" plays the ump sometimes listens for the sound of the ball hitting the glove while looking at the base to see when contact was made. If you couple that with the rule that clear video evidence is needed to overturn a call on the field it still leaves some wiggle room. Back in the day, "tie goes to the runner" was a gentlemanly way that these close plays got resolved. Now we need frame by frame analysis by off-site experts in NY.

As we know, Hendriks has been disappointing at times and so has Bummer and most of the rest of the pen for that matter. Even Cody Heuer has had some rough outings. Not sure where Hahn can go in terms of potential acquisitions/trades to bolster the pen at this point but I am sure he is thinking about it. Hopefully Katz can help each of them improve or at least become less predictable with what they throw in any count or situation. Obviously walking people in critical situations doesn't work and we have seen that all too often.

He didn't start anything. Yermin did and those who dislike/hate LaRussa have prolonged it ad nauseum. Plenty of ageism mixed in with outrageous accusations that Tony is suffering from Dementia. Nice. Jason Benetti continues to rub salt into the wound and continues his off handed and often unjustified criticisms of LaRussa. He may want to check to see how that kind of schtick worked out for Harry Carey after Reinsdorf purchased the White Sox. Maybe Benetti should bring his opinion about LaRussa as Manger into the open instead of playing games with it. Unwritten rules may be different elsewhere around the league but for the White Sox, Tony has made it clear that players have to obey take signs and directions from their Manager. Tony sets the rules for the players as long as he is Manager and has the support of the Owner. He does. End of discussion. Mercedes will obey signs and directions and if he shows up late for another game, there will be additional fines or punishment. I know Ronnie Kittle as I am sure some of you do. As a rookie in '83, he would never have even considered disobeying a sign and showboating. Ask him if you want to verify that. And ask Fisk or Hawk while you are at it. I bet they would agree with Ron. Oh well maybe way back in '83, that was old school - follow directions from your Manager, show up for games on time. keep the gold necklaces inside your jersey, and maintain some degree of humility , especially as a rookie. Pro athlete should set an example for young kids who play the game. Sportsmanship isn't a rule, but it has been a thing for a few thousand years.

I watched s replay of Vaughn's diving catch. Very nice effort indeed by the young man but in all honesty, he wasn't airborne very long before gravity ended his flight. A better effort though than Avi Garciai's infamous human lawn dart dive when he injured himself. Be careful out there Andrew.