Sell the Team

[Flash Tizzle]

42 minutes ago, tray said:

I sense a lot of frustration and even some anger. Maybe try to be grateful for what we have in Chicago...and what you have in life. And try to place things in perspective if you can.

I am very grateful for what I have, but I’m also capable of noticing a problem with our ownership. I also really don’t care about potential tax hits for Reinsdorf or any other investors if they sell. Too bad; he should network himself further with the local/national politician to change the  tax laws. Or just hire the right accountants to exploit loop holes, like every other wealthy businessman. He can figure it out, every other owner/ownership group who sold their team in the history of sports did before him. It’s not an impossible task

Edited December 16, 2022 by Flash Tizzle

[ShoeLessRob]

5 hours ago, tray said:

So, are the Cubs a "successful franchise"   ? Yes of No? Great trade of Cease and Eloy to the Sox...Great trade to get Madrigal. Any Cub fans pining for Rickettes to sell? As much as Cub fans whine, it seems like nothing compared to this.  But maybe it is a generational thing.  My guess is that most posters here weren't even born when JR bought the W Sox and cannot fully understand the state of the franchise before he acquired it.  Old Comiskey was a dilapidated, filthy , dump. Extremely limited parking around the  stadium and given its condition and the probable move of the Sox out of town, no incentive for real estate investment in the surrounding area. Saving the Sox for Chicago  was critical to the neighborhood and it meant everything for Sox fans.

Unfortunately, JR and the late Einhorn made some serious mistakes by firing Harry Carey, moving off channel 9, and selecting an incompetent relative to select the location, the architectural firm  and the design for the new stadium. It was and arguably is one of the worst in baseball. JR made some  efforts to correct things by cutting rows off the upper deck, changing every seat from the original blue color, adding parking , etc, , and it is now just OK.

JR has stayed within a budget not because he is cheap but because it is a business.   He feels that spending on player contracts like the LA Angels does not guarantee "multiple championships"  That is a promise that Hahn made and one that he has to live with.

 

I am convinced you’re Jerry. 

[Quin]

53 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

For the record, Elon Musk sucks a fat you know what.  I don’t agree with his politics, but that’s not why I dislike him.  He’s a self-absorbed loser who would do anything to be cool and maintain his status as the ultimate genius.

I’d love for a mega billionaire to buy this franchise, but Musk can stay the f*** away from Chicago.  Give me a more humble billionaire like George Lucas who isn’t a total douche and will take on some risk unlike Reinsdorf.  That shouldn’t be asking a lot.

Even though he no longer owns Star Wars, George Lucas would make Star Wars night so much fun.

[southsider2k5]

1 hour ago, Quin said:

Even though he no longer owns Star Wars, George Lucas would make Star Wars night so much fun.

I would literally fight someone for a ticket to this.

[southsider2k5]

We at Soxtalk are now going to violate your freedom of speech and end the Elon talk.  Unless there is an actual rumor, there is no point to the discussion.

For the record, this is sarcasm, and there is no need to reply and further this conversation.

[Chick Mercedes]

16 hours ago, tray said:

I sense a lot of frustration and even some anger. Maybe try to be grateful for what we have in Chicago...and what you have in life. And try to place things in perspective if you can.

Ok 

[T R U]

Seeing the contracts being given out, its not hard to look at the White Sox and truly now realize we will never be able to put a sustained winner on the field because we will

A. Never sign a superstar free agent to the contract they would demand

B. Never resign a homegrown/traded superstar to the contract they would demand

C. Never spend to supplement or round out a championship caliber roster

[Lip Man 1]

43 minutes ago, T R U said:

Seeing the contracts being given out, its not hard to look at the White Sox and truly now realize we will never be able to put a sustained winner on the field because we will

A. Never sign a superstar free agent to the contract they would demand

B. Never resign a homegrown/traded superstar to the contract they would demand

C. Never spend to supplement or round out a championship caliber roster

At least not under this ownership...in the future? Who knows.

[Tnetennba]

 

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

7 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

 

Amazing

[ShoeLessRob]

That’s the best thing to come from this off season. 

[The Grinder]

Too bad the billboards message will fall on deaf ears....

[GradMc]

On 12/15/2022 at 11:47 AM, tray said:

The Sox franchise is stronger now...much stronger than when Reinsdorf took over. And it is not even close.  That's just a fact.  There are 30MLB teams to compete with on the field and many of them are either major market teams, or teams that have over-performed with respect to their market size, like the Rays , KC, or the Cardinals - teams you cannot count on beating in certain years or out-bidding for FA.  Did anyone really expect Judge, Correa, Trea Turner to sign here?

The measure of a successful franchise over time is stability. That is why the Cubs have many fans even though they barely won one WS in well over 100 years.  Any calls from cub fans or Ricketts to sell?  Any signs outside of Wrigley?  What is with this circular firing squad on the South side about ? Cry babies wanting to win by having an owner who throw money at player contracts every year like a drunken sailor?  And what is the true value of winning when the championship has to  be bought and paid for? That is a larger question for mlb to address.

Signed:

Jerry Reinsdorf

[SonofaRoache]

On 12/19/2022 at 5:44 PM, The Grinder said:

Too bad the billboards message will fall on deaf ears....

It won't. Give it a few weeks, our sports media will pick up on it. It will also make some rounds through Twitter. Jerry won't care, but attention is the ultimate goal. 

[The Kids Can Play]

On 12/14/2022 at 6:56 PM, A-Train to 35th said:

He does have another son named Jonathon who I'd prefer over Michael.

You're right Jerry's other son Johnathan is very sharp and super successful on his own. The problem still exists that in Jerry's will, he has told his sons he wants the Sox team sold. Even if Johnathan took over and the team wasn't sold, the problem still remains that the Reinsdorf family isn't ridiculously rich like the Met's Steve Cohen. Ideally, the Sox need that type of liquid rich billionaire to come in and compete with the other teams like the Mets. Padres, Phillies and Dodgers that are spending the money to aggressively attempt to compete for a championship.

[The Grinder]

On 12/20/2022 at 6:57 PM, SonofaRoache said:

It won't. Give it a few weeks, our sports media will pick up on it. It will also make some rounds through Twitter. Jerry won't care, but attention is the ultimate goal. 

Yr probably right, unresponsive ears would be the correct word

[pcq]

Looking forward to the billboards. What if everyone carried signs around and wore t-shirts. 

[The Beast]

I saw this seating map today on Twitter. It’s kind of pathetic. I usually buy on their site for my birthday game and opt for the  best seats for under $30 which is usually in the outfield and I usually the Bleachers and Brews deal. Beyond that, I only go to another game if someone else wants to go or I want to take my dad to the game for his birthday. I buy in StubHub and not directly from the club to get the best deal. I got 7 rows from the dugout against the Astros for $50 apiece.

I’ll probably take the same approach with tickets this year and tune into them on the radio and TV. I don’t trust that JR truly cares about winning, given the amount of times they have made the playoffs since I started watching in 1999. I think Hahn really had to fight for the money invested in Beni10D and Clevinger. It was absolutely pathetic that they aren’t having the fan convention this year when the Cubs are. Maybe they don’t care about the section of young fans they could win over. Our ownership and front office continues to puzzle me with some decisions they make. But I’ll still give them some of my money in a limited capacity even as they f*** fans like us over with subpar teams seemingly year after year.

[Jack Parkman]

 

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Jack Parkman

[The Beast]

10 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

 

 

Okay. So what are you all planning to do with your support of the team - buying tickets, following the team on social media, here, on radio or TV this coming season?

[ShoeLessRob]

Jerry when he hears us complaining.

[NO!!MARY!!!]

On 12/15/2022 at 12:35 PM, Quin said:

Dying over here.

So what is it about? Homegrown talent? Because Jerry has shown Frank Thomas, Mark Buehrle, and Jose Abreu the door. 

He also didn't spend on the draft when he could have and the Sox don't spend on scouting compared to other franchises.

Is it about a fan experience? Because while I love The Cell (the only park I've ever known), he had the chance to have Camden Yards with the Chicago skyline in the background. Or the beautiful Armor Square Park design that has floated over the years. Instead, they've spent millions fixing a blighted stadium ridiculed for initially being a cookie cutter eyesore.

I will note that the Cell has the best food in the majors and the lower level is phenomenal. Upper Deck sucks ass, especially compared to other stadiums.

Oh, let's also remember that he passed up the name Wintrust Field at Comiskey Park, the ultimate good will name with fans, for a giant down arrow.

Jerry has one thing: He's a loyal man. It's commendable. But his loyalty has also destroyed another shot at winning that didn't require winning at any cost because he had to bring back a has-been manager who couldn't stay awake in dugouts.

Wintrust thing again m? I don’t buy that, sorry

[Lip Man 1]

12 minutes ago, NO!!MARY!!! said:

Wintrust thing again m? I don’t buy that, sorry

From a source in my look at the State of the Sox (one of six sources by the way):

“Wintrust offered a much better deal than Guaranteed Rate but part of what Wintrust wanted is the name had to be changed back to Comiskey Park and JR didn’t like that at all. He also wasn’t told some of the details in the agreement that may have made a difference had he knew.”

[The Mighty Mite]

On 12/16/2022 at 12:14 AM, ShoeLessRob said:

I am convinced you’re Jerry. 

The White Sox left WGN in after 1967 for UHF channel WFLD 32. The trouble was very few Chicagoans at the time had UHF TV's. They did return to WGN in the 90s for a few years showing a limited amount of games on free TV. The 1968 was a major mistake at the time and turned many Sox fans into Cub fans especially kids who came home from school and watched the Cubs on WGN. More of the same in the early 80's when the Sox went to pay TV while the Cubs with Harry Caray were televising 162 games on free WGN TV.

[Chicago White Sox]

1 minute ago, Lip Man 1 said:

From a source in my look at the State of the Sox (one of six sources by the way):

“Wintrust offered a much better deal than Guaranteed Rate but part of what Wintrust wanted is the name had to be changed back to Comiskey Park and JR didn’t like that at all. He also wasn’t told some of the details in the agreement that may have made a difference had he knew.”

Doesn’t the naming money go to the state?