tray

Frank Kaminsky for guest fill-ins

Ryan McGuffey, Connor McKnight and his dog Penney.

I am not sure what all the faux outrage over Bennetti is about here. He was never that well liked on this forum. He wasn't fired by the White Sox. He decided to look for more money, more flexibility to do national broadcasts, and more days off. Sox on the other hand, didn't want a play by play man that required several days off at whatever price he was asking. They also did not want to be forced to fill in several dates with guest broadcasters which is not easily done. Moreover, we don't know what might have gone on behind the scenes that may have caused some issues between him, Steve Stone or other members of the broadcast team or management. At the end of the day, good luck. It's just that this feels so weird to be happening right now and I am left with feeling that may be more to this than we know about.

I am surprised that the Cubs didn't hire him to be truthful. That would have felt like what Harry did back in the day, and that really cost the Sox some fans, including some in our parents generation that liked free WGN TV. Some feel that Benetti became a bit self-absorbed with his quirky humor. Let's be honest, his style was something one had to get used to over time...quite a departure from mlb players and certainly that of HOF announcer Hawk. At the end of the day, Bennetti was good but not great. Great vocabulary and sarcasm, but at times, he seemed to lack attentiveness, often times favoring silly banter in the booth over baseball play by play. That style seems better suited to color announcer than play-by-play. Jason became increasingly critical of on-field managerial decisions but he seldom came back to admit he was wrong. A few posters here also suspected that he may have had some issue with depth perception on fly balls because he often could not determine if a ball was hit deep enough to have a chance to be a home run. Maybe that was part of the reason that he never developed a consistent home run call. ( OK, another reason was that the Sox didn't hit enough of them.) I think the job may go to Conor McKnight. If so, most Sox fans should be happy with that. Conor is more relatable in some ways than Jason was. Anyway, I'd rather have a free agent starting pitcher than Sox math, trite jokes, and a high priced announcer. Lastly, one has to wonder if Stone was somehow involved with this and the extent to which his input will be used to select Benetti's replacement. I would be OK with Stone retiring as well.

I have always wondered if Kopech would accept the Closer role. Yes on paper that makes no sense because the Sox need him for the rotation and that is where he wants to be, but thinking outside the box, I wonder if he is durable enough to last a full year as a starter and feel that he could have a more productive, longer lasting career as closer.

Vaughn and Eloy lack speed if you want a team built on speed and do not enough hit enough home runs if you want a power based line-up. Maybe keep them for another year since they are both mid-twenties and should be at the peak of their respective careers. Mistakes were made. A few of us wanted the Sox to sign Cody Bellinger on a short term deal. Instead the self ordained multi-championship GM signed little Benny on a 5 year deal. Benny is a good player but did not hit enough HR for a corner outfielder IMO. Same for Moncada at 3rd base, but he is also under contract and is too injury prone to rely on. Trading Burger for Eder was unnecessary. That unnecessary trade undoubtedly pissed off Sox ownership and may have been the final straw for Hahn and KW. I remain hopeful that things will improve for the Sox in 2024 on all fronts. Fresh faces and a new commitment to winning as underdogs will at minimum be interesting to watch. Just a couple of pitchers that can stop the bleeding in late innings will work wonders to save games where we got beat in late innings or were walked off this year. Two set-up guys and a Closer minimally, and I am not talking about Bummer. He was actually part of the problem walking the lead-off man in the 7th inning as Stone marveled at how unhittable his sweeper was.

Love my Sox plates and seeing so many fans with them and with Sox decals on their cars.

There will be opportunities to improve the team before Spring Training which is several months away. Have a little patience and give the new management a chance. It takes time to bring an aircraft carrier about.

Vaughn has proven to be a decent hitter. Defensively he is at best average at 1B, partially because he is short and wide with big feet and alligator arms. No development time in he Minors was ever going to change that. IMO, 1B is not a position that management should make a priority to upgrade. Pencil him in there for 2024.

I'm not arguing.

Harper, Schwarber Turner.. choked at the end. Ketel Marte and the D Backs go into the WS as underdogs.

What was the Padres excuse for not making the playoffs? How about the Cubs and about 20 other teams? Hindsight is 20/20. At the end of the day, under-performance of key pitchers and positions players thought to have had more potential sunk the season....particularly key starters and relievers. Too few HR was another disappointment. No one has a crystal ball though.

Bad luck was an element and anyone who watched a lot of the games may recall that. I never said it was the only thing but it was a thing in many close games. As far as 100 losses, the end of the season after the departure of key members of the rotation and bullpen exaggerated that followed by some intentional tanking. There is way too much spin here. Just relax and wait for some changes to be made for next season. I have seen the Phoenix rise from the ashes on the Southside. I recall the addition of Fisk and Luzinski plus the arrival of the big man from Gary transformed the team and reignited fan interest back in the day. It doesn't take that much. OTOH, look at the Padres and tell me how far all those big name/big contract players took the team this year. Is that the template that fans want to follow ? Yea, JR is cheap and you can't wait until he is gone...ridiculous.

Oh quit whining you little beyatches. You are only depressing yourselves. Try to think positive. Aside from career low numbers for multiple players, we ran into some bad luck and had a bullpen that gave up the ghost over and again in some tough heart breaking losses. That won't be that difficult to improve on. We need pitching more than anything. You can't bring Bummer et. al. in for the 7th or 8th inning with a two run lead and then walk the lead-off batter before giving up the lead. And we were without a legit Closer since Liam got sick.

White Sox aren't going anywhere. So sorry.

Would love to have Kim Ng back in Chicago with the White Sox. Bring Burger back as well. Getz promotion was an unforced error and regretful example of the Peter principle. Maybe reverse the wheels, hire Kim as GM and find another job for Getz.

Montgomery might be better suited as a first baseman because of his size. His defense seems to be the major concern about bringing him up as a starting SS. He could be a major upgrade over Vaughn because of his height stretching for throws at first, left hand bat, and speed on the bases.

Really short-sighted, foolish and crazy pre maga carp.

Teams that are eliminated from play-off hopes early on undoubtedly sustain a hit in ticket sales and viewership. Not sure where the 41% comes from though. This seems like a rather subjective number. i.e, if you watched for two innings does that make you a viewer of that game for statistical purposes ?

Eloy is one of a few hitters that gives the Sox a chance to get an RBI or get an extra base hit late in games. His batting average and other stats compared to the rest of the line-up bear that out. His positive demeanor is an asset to clubhouse chemistry and fan support and his friendship with Robert decrease the likelihood he will be traded. Player trades are not made to satisfy personal preferences of certain fans who have their own little agendas. So sorry.

Sometimes it's hard for some to see beyond stereotypes that exist in their own minds.

I'm old school and look at batting average first and home runs second with 1B / DH players, Extrapolated season average hitting for Vaughn and Eloy from baseball reference: Vaughn over three years and 1493 ABs hitting average is .256 with 21 HRs Eloy over five years and 1642 ABs hitting average is .275 with 33 HRs Yes, Eloy has been on the injured list but a lot of that has been overblown, including surgery to get his appendix removed and a freak injury reaching to save a HR in ST. Also he is now a DH so the injury argument is largely inapplicable. Athleticism: Eloy is a tall player with some speed. Vaughn looks like he is boxing out with age and is already one of the slowest players in MLB. Intangibles: Eloy is a character that some like or don't like for whatever their reasons might be, but he adds to the team and is a cheerleader for other players in the dugout. Vaughn is more reserved which is fine. Neither player is a problem in the clubhouse. Eloy appears to have better plate coverage. Vaughn still has issues hitting outside pitches and is repeatedly victimized by outside sliders with 2 strikes. I would keep both players for one more year. There is much to do to improve this team that does not involve Eloy or Vaughn.

The Sox will probably keep most position players and continue the plug and play game with RF, 2B and catcher. When you are in a hole stop digging because things can get worse. That said, the focus should squarely be on rebuilding the pitching staff from top to bottom. That is going to be the biggest challenge for new management and Katz, if they decide to keep him. Adding 3-4 starters , 3-4 key bullpen pieces and a Closer in one off-season would be a tall task for anyone. It takes a while to bring an aircraft carrier about. Patience by fans will be tested again but Sox fans are resilient. Keep wearing your Sox gear and showing support for our Sox. We shall return.

ISFA (located at GRF) will almost certainly make a deal with the Sox for a new lease at 35th and Shields before the current lease expires, especially if the Sox want to rehab or rebuild there. Meanwhile there is nothing structurally wrong with GRF ...a facility than can last for decades if properly maintained. Infrastructure (streets , sewers gas/ electric), parking facilities, access to public transportation, expressway access...it is already there. The ONLY option that might attract the Sox and the City of Chicago is Soldier Field...a very remote possibility and that only....IF the Bears move out and a deal can be worked out, including TIF financing and a share of gaming, hotel taxes, and other revenues. Frankly, I don't see the Sox moving anywhere for decades and any thoughts about that will be put to bed when they get a new lease in place.

Ridiculous. Do you watch the games or just hate on certain players?