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ESPNCompare and contrast Sox with the worst teams/franchises in other sports....

1) Iconic black white and silver logos

2) Unstable franchises...have occupied major market/s but second team to 49ers/Cubs...never found home in LA or St Pete or Nashville

3) Terrible at drafting and signing FA's

4) Al Davis and JR iconic owners who aged out of relevance

5) Bowers/Crosby=Crochet/Robert

Davante Adams=Benintendi

6) Proud histories/historic franchises...only major difference the two stadiums and 70s 80s early 90s winning tradition of the Raiders.

 

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"The biggest problem is the same one that has faced this organization for years. I wrote about it repeatedly at the end of the Jon Gruden era in 2021, then again when it traded for Adams in 2022. After nearly a decade of poor drafts and short-sighted decision-making, the Raiders are missing virtually an entire roster's worth of homegrown players. Across an eight-year window from 2016 to 2023, they essentially would have done better drafting out of a magazine with 10 minutes of prep like your friend who forgot about his fantasy draft:

Here are the Raiders draft picks from 2016-23 - the final year of McKenzie, the Gruden/Mayock era, and the two McDaniels drafts. Guys crossed out in black aren't in the league, guys crossed out in red are in the league but no longer with the Raiders.

Eight drafts that appear to... pic.twitter.com/HYVNpObLVQ

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 15, 2024

Earlier versions of the Raiders tried to make up for the absences by getting very aggressive in free agency. The 2024 team is fielding the league's fifth-youngest roster, which is at least a testament to change. They're playing a young group of receivers after the injuries, paced by rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who has been fantastic. The offensive line has three starters on rookie deals, while the same is true for five of the six regulars in the secondary. Young, cheap talent doesn't necessarily equal breakout players, but the Raiders were often too confident that signing veteran free agents would solve their problems. I'm not sure they're any more likely to whiff by giving the same chances to young players."

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/41911328/nfl-worst-teams-2024-which-need-rebuild-roster-depth-chart-salary-cap

Edited October 22, 20241 yr by caulfield12

For baseball, we’re closest to the Mariners (playoff ineptitude) or Twins (family ownership group, similarity in tight fisted spending)

7) Both had Bo Jackson

First franchise to have multiple consecutive 15 loss seasons, ownership issues, character issues with players, owner who would totally pack up in the middle of the night, they're obviously the Cleveland Browns.

They're the 2000's era Detroit Lions.

1 hour ago, JoeC said:

They're the 2000's era Detroit Lions.

Poor Detroit...at that time.

At least they had 2006 after 2003.

3 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Poor Detroit...at that time.

At least they had 2006 after 2003.

I mean, the Wings were good during the 2000’s, and the Pistons were also good at the time.

The Lions were truly miserable. I moved to Michigan from Wisconsin after college. I was so used to 2-way trash talking with Packers fans, but I quickly found that Lions fans were immune to taunting. How do you hurt someone’s feelings when you say stuff that they agree with 100%?

4 hours ago, JoeC said:

They're the 2000's era Detroit Lions.

At least those teams had Calvin Johnson and Stafford. There weren't very good, but they were fairly entertaining and had a GOAT type doing GOAT things weekly. No disrespect to Crochet, but he's no Calvin Johnson type.

Some of the points of comparison feel a bit contrived....also the 2017 Browns exist...but I'm clicking the like button anyway. Also every Oakland team is seemingly comparable to one another. The Raiders are just the A's, right?

Edited October 22, 20241 yr by nrockway

4 hours ago, chitownsportsfan said:

At least those teams had Calvin Johnson and Stafford. There weren't very good, but they were fairly entertaining and had a GOAT type doing GOAT things weekly. No disrespect to Crochet, but he's no Calvin Johnson type.

Or better yet, the GOATest...Barry Sanders.  And Scott Mitchell wasn't that bad.

The Sox remind me of the Saints.

Both won titles a while back.
Saints have had more playoff success, but in the last few years, they've drafted poorly, retained and signed declining players (sound familiar?) and are in cap hell.
Both are in the deepest holes in their respective leagues.

And lucky for me, they are my 2 favorite teams in pro sports (Sox #1).

It's harder to be bad in the NFL but once again it's all about drafting and scouting. Luck goes a long way too.

It's extremely hard to be good in baseball and maintain it.  Then to be the #1 draw in town.

Then there's cities were all of their teams are bad.  Yet people will go to an NBA or NFL game.

I remember the lowest price ticket for the Colts in the RCA dome was $15 and the lowest price for a Sox game was $25. 

I just checked NFL Cardinal tickets and those are about $200.  I guess for some that is a price one would pay for an event like a concert.

Spring training game is over $30 now.  I no longer go. I'm sure I could pay that for a D"Back game when the games mean something.

Where baseball stands out is one can enjoy a game on the radio.

https://global.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/42623978/leaks-team-meetings-losses-factors-driving-philadelphia-76ers-dreadful-start

Maybe the 76ers are the White Sox with Moncada Robert Jimenez playing the roles of George Embiid and Maxey...minus the obsession with analytics.

4 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

https://global.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/42623978/leaks-team-meetings-losses-factors-driving-philadelphia-76ers-dreadful-start

Maybe the 76ers are the White Sox with Moncada Robert Jimenez playing the roles of George Embiid and Maxey...minus the obsession with analytics.

That team was doomed the moment they fired Hinkie. I think this is a pretty good analogy except the Sixers had more playoff success and sustained it somewhat. I think you still wouldn't want to face them in the play-in. I guess Paul George is kind of like Benintendi. bad, old, overpaid....or Joe Kelly. 

I heard some call DePaul the White Sox of College Basketball.

6 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

I heard some call DePaul the White Sox of College Basketball.

The Oregon State, Rutgers or Washington State of college fb.

Even that seems too complimentary.

I think the current White Sox are more like the Washington Generals!

1 hour ago, Chimpton said:

I think the current White Sox are more like the Washington Generals!

But, in all fairness, as the perfect foil team, they were actually quite talented/entertaining…

2 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

But, in all fairness, as the perfect foil team, they were actually quite talented/entertaining…

Yes that is a big difference!

Being a sports nut my whole life the only team I actually really care about are the White Sox.  If the Cardinals were still in Chicago, I probably would cheer for them over the Bears.

My comparison for franchises would be the Sox & Cardinals, two sad sack teams.

On 11/28/2024 at 9:53 AM, Falstaff said:

Being a sports nut my whole life the only team I actually really care about are the White Sox.  If the Cardinals were still in Chicago, I probably would cheer for them over the Bears.

My comparison for franchises would be the Sox & Cardinals, two sad sack teams.

My late uncle had the same loyalties. When the Cardinals moved, he started rooting for the Packers. 

26 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

My late uncle had the same loyalties. When the Cardinals moved, he started rooting for the Packers. 

Whoa Nelly, I may not have ever warmed up to George Halas or the McCaskey's but to go over to the Packers? I think that would take time to reflect and walk the earth to decide ....NEVER  🙂

1 hour ago, WestEddy said:

My late uncle had the same loyalties. When the Cardinals moved, he started rooting for the Packers. 

I read a fan say he lost his emotional attachment to the Bears, it was probably after the Hail Mary pass at Washington. We need White Sox Spring Training to get us charged up, LET'S GO !!!

1 hour ago, Falstaff said:

Whoa Nelly, I may not have ever warmed up to George Halas or the McCaskey's but to go over to the Packers? I think that would take time to reflect and walk the earth to decide ....NEVER  🙂

I would take a hard look at the Brewers before defaulting to Cub fandom. Detroit and Cleveland would probably be AL landing spots. 

Idk, after the past month and ineptitude, I feel like the NFL equivalent of the Sox is our own NFL team in town.