July 16, 20232 yr To DVS of the Sun-Times: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2023/7/15/23796140/focus-attention-to-detail-lacking-for-white-sox-manager-pedro-grifol-says
July 16, 20232 yr Grifol describes the team weaknesses as a lack of focus and attention to detail which are absolutely some of their huge problems. However he seems to forget he promised those things would be strengths and not problems at his initial press conference when Hahn introduced him. This is the best paragraph of the article: Grifol pledged the Sox would be fundamentally sound, control the strike zone on both sides of the ball and earn the trust of fans. But Sox hitters’ chase rate is the second-worst behind the Tigers, and their walk rate is last. Defense was stressed during spring training, but the Sox are near the bottom of most runs-saved metrics. I'm sorry but talk is cheap and once again until Grifol proves he can be a leader and actually back up his promises, so we actually can see major improvements in the results on the field defensively, on the mound with the pitchers and in the batter's box with all their hitting approach flaws; I'm not buying his crap. It's the "same s%*#, different day" BS speech.
July 16, 20232 yr I wonder if Pedro is intimidated in his position. Maybe has the right intentions but took over a dysfunctional group of Prima donnas who thought they would win it all because all the reporters said so a few years back. It’s hard to come in as a first time leader in any organization and when you have this mess known as the Sox, it’s a difficult position. If they had a few established leaders on the team he could lean on it may help, but their most tenured guy is a complete mess this year and a bad example for the younger guys to follow. What a hole they dug for themselves. He was the wrong choice for a team in this position, but he was cheap and controllable.
July 16, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, Dick Allen said: According to Nightengale, Pedro’s predecessor, Tony, also had cancer. That’s the first time I’ve felt bad for Tony.
July 16, 20232 yr So much to unpack here. I harken back to memories not long ago of Jose rounding the bases laughing, of TA putting his arm around Jose as they helped each other back to the dugout, of Eloy bouncing around the field, among many others as we watched this team grow together. Where did this go?? Meanwhile, we have a manager who constantly stresses focus. preparedness. Really? Could this not be the problem? These may well be issues but this team severely lacks any type of confidence and they play tight without any semblance of looseness. I see it every time Eloy comes up in a game situation. You can literally see his spine straighten, his sphincter pucker as the game moves entirely too fast and he invariably swings at a pitch he used to wait on. And it's not just Eloy. It's almost everyone but contrast today's Eloy to his approaches in 2020. And pitchers? Watch their body language when they lose their release point and control. No, Pedro, the main issue with this team is they just don't play loose. They play like losers trying to think their way to getting better. To me, the most telling statement in the article was his admission that he doesn't do a lot of team stuff but a lot of individual conversations. Um, isn't that what a coach does? I am willing to admit Pedro may be a good coach but a manager is responsible for the team and right now, this team needs a manager. Ricky was not the greatest tactician but he kept the team loose and confident. LaRussa clearly brought gravity just with his resume. Last year, I felt the team did a bad job of adjusting to being the target but this has now been two years of watching a team regress. It's sad and disappointing. Yes, this is a severely flawed team, a different beef with a FO not understanding what a rebuild actually entails. Pedro has been dealt a difficult hand but I don't think he has done himself any favors either.
July 17, 20232 yr On 7/16/2023 at 12:36 AM, Lip Man 1 said: To DVS of the Sun-Times: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2023/7/15/23796140/focus-attention-to-detail-lacking-for-white-sox-manager-pedro-grifol-says Couldn’t finish reading the article as I got hit with a Sun Times paywall, but thanks anyway. Didn’t want to subscribe.
July 17, 20232 yr On 7/16/2023 at 11:14 AM, NWsideSoxfan said: I wonder if Pedro is intimidated in his position. Maybe has the right intentions but took over a dysfunctional group of Prima donnas who thought they would win it all because all the reporters said so a few years back. It’s hard to come in as a first time leader in any organization and when you have this mess known as the Sox, it’s a difficult position. If they had a few established leaders on the team he could lean on it may help, but their most tenured guy is a complete mess this year and a bad example for the younger guys to follow. What a hole they dug for themselves. He was the wrong choice for a team in this position, but he was cheap and controllable. Good analysis. Losing Abreu did not help on the team side. Coming from a coaching role in a losing organization did not help either. He is over his head in his current role. Another Rick Hahn bad decision.
July 17, 20232 yr Uhm......just like......the Royals? After a paragraph or two it's like nothing new under the sun. As for fundamentals I never blame a manager since they are never an organization priority.
July 17, 20232 yr Author 45 minutes ago, hankchifan said: Couldn’t finish reading the article as I got hit with a Sun Times paywall, but thanks anyway. Didn’t want to subscribe. The Sun-Times no longer charges for viewing stories, they changed that months ago. They just want you to register but stories are free.
July 17, 20232 yr 42 minutes ago, hankchifan said: Good analysis. Losing Abreu did not help on the team side. Coming from a coaching role in a losing organization did not help either. He is over his head in his current role. Another Rick Hahn bad decision. I dont think Abreu was the clubhouse leader many thought he was. He was respected but he didn't fire up the team. He didnt speak up and hold his teammates accountable.
July 17, 20232 yr Pedro just discovered and read Chapter Two from Baseball For Dummies on the plane ride home. I really think we are about to see some major changes from Our Skipper. Also coming up Chapter Three about guys making videos of pitchers and hitters that you would face and then having people look at it, including the players in some cases. I had no clue people did this. (Although I heard- Some players don't want to be distracted by that stuff).
July 17, 20232 yr 17 minutes ago, Rocky said: I dont think Abreu was the clubhouse leader many thought he was. He was respected but he didn't fire up the team. He didnt speak up and hold his teammates accountable. And he said something to the effect last year that no one could talk to these guys and hold them accountable.
July 17, 20232 yr 7 minutes ago, FloydBannister1983 said: And he said something to the effect last year that no one could talk to these guys and hold them accountable. Yup. My guess is Moncada and TA are a big source of the locker room issues. They do their own thing and since no one checks them, the rest follow suit.
July 17, 20232 yr Every team has a language divide, i wonder how others deal with it? I consider it to be problematic. My thought had been mandatory bi-lingual classes in the locker room.
July 17, 20232 yr Grifol pledged the Sox would be fundamentally sound, control the strike zone on both sides of the ball and earn the trust of fans. But Sox hitters’ chase rate is the second-worst behind the Tigers, and their walk rate is last. Defense was stressed during spring training, but the Sox are near the bottom of most runs-saved metrics. Fortunately they fired their analytics guy so this stuff isn't important.
July 17, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, Rocky said: I dont think Abreu was the clubhouse leader many thought he was. He was respected but he didn't fire up the team. He didnt speak up and hold his teammates accountable. Totally agree. I’ve never really understood where the leader label came from, because he didn’t give off that vibe to me. I think this team has operated for years without a true leader.
July 17, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, Rocky said: I dont think Abreu was the clubhouse leader many thought he was. He was respected but he didn't fire up the team. He didnt speak up and hold his teammates accountable. Adults are accountable for themselves. Period. Management is responsible to identify and address. Teammates may occasionally say something, but it’s not their responsibility. The hotheads self proclaimed leaders on this club, Keuchel and Lynn, have been the players with the least accountability during their time here. The Sox need a FO that brings in many good players, not a “clubhouse leader” to save them. Edited July 17, 20232 yr by South Side Hit Men
July 17, 20232 yr Author From my story this past November from a source: “The problem with this team is there was no real leadership, nobody to hold guys accountable. No red-asses like the Sox had in the past… Carlton Fisk, Jack McDowell, A.J. Pierzynski. Paul Konerko was a quiet guy but when we weren’t doing well he’d get really pissed. Elvis Andrus tried to supply some leadership when he came and Lucas Giolito tried.”
July 18, 20232 yr Doesn't everyone need someone yelling at them to do their jobs? Could you image professionals in any other business doing their jobs without a coworker to hold them accountable.
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