February 14, 20233 yr Author 5 hours ago, caulfield12 said: Well, except for three post-season series victories, a 50000+ sold out fanfest along with Soto, Tatis, Jr., Bogaerts, Machado, Musgrove, Darvish, Snell and Hader...pretty much exactly the same. And maybe the competition in the NL West is just a wee BIT stiffer... However, that's a great selling point for all those ticket agents desperate to generate some commissions, though. Just switch the years around in the way one perceives the two respective franchises. And let's not forget the White Sox have unlimited financial flexibility at #12 in current MLB payrolls, while the Padres simply have to be tapped out, right? No way they can afford an extension for Soto AND a new deal for Machado simultaneously, right? Meanwhile, Sox looking to dump Giolito and Anderson over the next two seasons....arguably two of the top 3-5 most popular and/or identifiable members of the team. Without Anderson, it's basically Dylan Cease and Luis Robert's unfulfilled potential. Montgomery might actually be third, with Colas 4th...unless one is a huge Eloy or Vaughn fanboy. Hell hath no fury like the Padres scorned.
February 14, 20233 yr 1 hour ago, ChiSox59 said: I mean, I acknowledged the two playoff series wins. They got the Sox beat there. But no one is hanging banners for winning a division series. The two clubs have remarkably similar regular seasons the last 3 years; both have 0 pennants and 0 World Series. Yes, one owner and GM has balls, and the others doesn't. Most certainly was not a post in support of those 2. But the Padres are talked about like some model franchise, and frankly, results wise the Sox are right there with them over the past several seasons. If that's the case, why are the White Sox seeing a 25-30% fall off in season ticket sales...and the Padres sold out all their available season ticket packages by January 25th? What is the equivalent of the White Sox beating the Mets, Dodgers and Cardinals in the post-season? The Yankees/Astros, Cubs, Red Sox, etc.? And by the lack of playoff success metric, the Dodgers and Rays have been terrible the last decade...yet they are universally regarded by most as the two best franchises for various reasons. The only WS championship for LA since 1988 was in the tainted strike-shortened year. Zero for the Rays. And the Braves went to the postseason constantly in the 90's and 2000's and only recorded a single title. Indians also zero, etc. Would the Chiefs be considered a disappointment too if they only had one title (instead of two) after five consecutive AFC Championship appearances (all home games)??? Context counts. If the White Sox beat two teams that significantly outspent them in the post season...let alone their own division...it would be considered a minor miracle. Edited February 14, 20233 yr by caulfield12
February 14, 20233 yr Sports are very simple. As a fan, are you satisfied your team did everything it possibly could to compete? The Eagles just experienced a terribly bitter loss, but they put the best team out on the field they possibly could all season...totally rebuilding (and fast!) after their last Super Bowl win. They simply got out coached by a master...who was highly motivated (along with his tremendously loyal players) in a match-up with the organization that infamously gave up on him. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-rumors-padres-sign-top-international-prospect-ethan-salas-orioles-interested-in-michael-wacha/ Just freaking try to compete. The White Sox haven't had a legit All-Star catching prospect (not accepting Collins here) of their own in decades...so go out and get one. Luis Robert is the only occasion other than Abreu in the last decade plus where they were the aggressors and successfully signed a potentially great player. But you have to consistently go after great players with the conviction you can sign them and the willingness to back it up with real money and not just loophole contracts that create the illusion you've got a seat at the table. Edited February 14, 20233 yr by caulfield12
February 14, 20233 yr 1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said: Hell hath no fury like the Padres scorned. He’s made me hate them so much
February 14, 20233 yr 35 minutes ago, caulfield12 said: Sports are very simple. As a fan, are you satisfied your team did everything it possibly could to compete? The Eagles just experienced a terribly bitter loss, but they put the best team out on the field they possibly could all season...totally rebuilding (and fast!) after their last Super Bowl win. They simply got out coached by a master...who was highly motivated (along with his tremendously loyal players) in a match-up with the organization that infamously gave up on him. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-rumors-padres-sign-top-international-prospect-ethan-salas-orioles-interested-in-michael-wacha/ Just freaking try to compete. The White Sox haven't had a legit All-Star catching prospect (not accepting Collins here) of their own in decades...so go out and get one. Luis Robert is the only occasion other than Abreu in the last decade plus where they were the aggressors and successfully signed a potentially great player. But you have to consistently go after great players with the conviction you can sign them and the willingness to back it up with real money and not just loophole contracts that create the illusion you've got a seat at the table. Remember fiscal responsibility and making sure JR "wins" any deal are more important than winning.
February 14, 20233 yr 33 minutes ago, fathom said: He’s made me hate them so much But you couldn't really hate the Royals, right? If it was that easy to be a fair weather fan, I would just denounce/renounce my allegiance (as an alum) to Iowa fb and bb, because the odds of winning a national championship in either revenue sport are much lower than that of the White Sox winning the World Series. Probably below zero with James Ferentz around. In fact, one of my best friends from high school (orthodontist now) sent both of his kids for free on SAT-based scholarships to Alabama and adopted them as his favorite team even though he went to Northwestern and Iowa Dental School. So that's even more sacrilegious. Like being a Warriors' fan the last decade. The Sox simply need to start over with a clean slate...across the board. That's the only way fans will really come back. Everyone used Epstein as a counterexample in the past when I made this argument (backed up by Liptak's piece), but Hahn not being able to ever play baseball well or truly understand the sport from a player's perspective has handicapped him greatly...especially on the talent evaluation side. The only way to overcome that is to run a Top 2-3 payroll. Edited February 14, 20233 yr by caulfield12
February 14, 20233 yr Hate trading with the Rays, but that MLBTR post about Vidal Brunson being a trade candidate sure got me thinking.
February 14, 20233 yr 5 minutes ago, Eminor3rd said: Hate trading with the Rays, but that MLBTR post about Vidal Brunson being a trade candidate sure got me thinking. We might want to actually find legit catchers and 2B...but there's always the end of ST waiver wire to go dumpster diving in. Brujan would be a start. Rick Brunson, maybe not. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=brunso001lar Or this former 1st rounder for DET in the 90's...9th in first round. Edited February 14, 20233 yr by caulfield12
February 15, 20233 yr 1 hour ago, caulfield12 said: We might want to actually find legit catchers and 2B...but there's always the end of ST waiver wire to go dumpster diving in. Brujan would be a start. Rick Brunson, maybe not. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=brunso001lar Or this former 1st rounder for DET in the 90's...9th in first round. That’s what I get for posting on mobile
February 15, 20233 yr 5 hours ago, ChiSox59 said: I mean, I acknowledged the two playoff series wins. They got the Sox beat there. But no one is hanging banners for winning a division series. The two clubs have remarkably similar regular seasons the last 3 years; both have 0 pennants and 0 World Series. Yes, one owner and GM has balls, and the others doesn't. Most certainly was not a post in support of those 2. But the Padres are talked about like some model franchise, and frankly, results wise the Sox are right there with them over the past several seasons. Starting to sound like Hahn. That's a long 7th inning stretch. They are a model franchise. A gorgeous warm weather city in a state that produces many big league players. Willing to spend top dollar on big name players . These 2 things alone make it an ideal place for free agents. They may not have won a World Series but they generate a lot of positive buzz and interest among their fans. Our off season has been about Cancer and domestic abuse and talking about the death of JR.
February 15, 20233 yr 40 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said: Starting to sound like Hahn. That's a long 7th inning stretch. They are a model franchise. A gorgeous warm weather city in a state that produces many big league players. Willing to spend top dollar on big name players . These 2 things alone make it an ideal place for free agents. They may not have won a World Series but they generate a lot of positive buzz and interest among their fans. Our off season has been about Cancer and domestic abuse and talking about the death of JR. Benintendi must be the quietest, most unremarkable "biggest contract in team history" in recent memory. I thought about including the Astros and Braves with the Dodgers and Rays as the two best franchises, but too much water under the bridge, especially with Houston. The Guardians are nudging closer to that Top 5 spot if they can just hold onto their arbitration years talent, but that's not on the GM as much as the ownership group.
February 15, 20233 yr Just now, BigHurt3515 said: Good god I had to scroll for 15 minutes When I clicked into this thread when I was taking a s%*#, the scrolling was giving my thumb a workout on my phone lol
February 15, 20233 yr Were we supposed to comment on each of those points? It looked like an essay question test.
February 15, 20233 yr 1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said: Hey Jack, lay off of the enter key. Something weird was happening with my phone I tried to fix it but couldn't.
February 15, 20233 yr 8 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said: Something weird was happening with my phone I tried to fix it but couldn't. Your 2023 Chicago White Sox.....we tried to fix it but couldn't.
February 15, 20233 yr 1 hour ago, wegner said: Your 2023 Chicago White Sox.....we tried to fix it but couldn't. "tried"
February 16, 20233 yr 50 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said: "tried" When the air quotes are doing more work than the Sox FO did all winter…
February 16, 20233 yr 2 hours ago, Tnetennba said: MLB trade rumors has that breakdown as well from Rosenthal. It's pretty insane. But also totally reasonable. Hopefully the trend of get paid what you are actually worth becomes the norm with contracts.
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