Getz: "We are... building from the ground, up"

[southsider2k5]

 

[JoeC]

He would have some semblance of credibility with the fanbase if he would have said this 12 months ago.

[Tony]

6 minutes ago, JoeC said:

He would have some semblance of credibility with the fanbase if he would have said this 12 months ago.

It's amazing how much damage Jerry caused from a PR perspective with his comments about "not wanting to waste a year"

And while there are MANY things to be frustrated about regarding this organization, their continued lack of media training and strategy has always been maddening to me. 

To your point, they could have done themselves a lot of favors by coming out and saying "Listen, we had people here that quite frankly we're probably here too long. We can't do anything about that now, they're gone, and this isn't about putting a fresh coat of paint on things, this is about tearing it down to the studs and starting over. And I know Sox fans aren't going to love hearing that, I know the pain the fan base suffered through a rebuild that didn't result in what everyone wanted, but this organization needs an entirely new approach or we're going to all suffer similar results, and that's not acceptable to anyone. It's going to be painful, it's going to take time, but I am so committed to doing things the RIGHT way to build something that will have sustainable, long lasting success. It's all I care about."

You say that out of the gate, you buy yourself A LOT of good will. But they went...a different route. And it's on THEM for that, not the fans. 

[southsider2k5]

27 minutes ago, Tony said:

It's amazing how much damage Jerry caused from a PR perspective with his comments about "not wanting to waste a year"

And while there are MANY things to be frustrated about regarding this organization, their continued lack of media training and strategy has always been maddening to me. 

To your point, they could have done themselves a lot of favors by coming out and saying "Listen, we had people here that quite frankly we're probably here too long. We can't do anything about that now, they're gone, and this isn't about putting a fresh coat of paint on things, this is about tearing it down to the studs and starting over. And I know Sox fans aren't going to love hearing that, I know the pain the fan base suffered through a rebuild that didn't result in what everyone wanted, but this organization needs an entirely new approach or we're going to all suffer similar results, and that's not acceptable to anyone. It's going to be painful, it's going to take time, but I am so committed to doing things the RIGHT way to build something that will have sustainable, long lasting success. It's all I care about."

You say that out of the gate, you buy yourself A LOT of good will. But they went...a different route. And it's on THEM for that, not the fans. 

Instead they either lied to, or flat out insulted the fan base and set them out as enemies not to be believed.

[Y2Jimmy0]

12 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Instead they either lied to, or flat out insulted the fan base and set them out as enemies not to be believed.

Did they? I don't remember Chris Getz ever saying they were competing last year. They were always going to be awful and they got nothing from Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada or Eloy Jimenez. 

[southsider2k5]

5 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Did they? I don't remember Chris Getz ever saying they were competing last year. They were always going to be awful and they got nothing from Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada or Eloy Jimenez. 

Wasn't Chris Getz the one who spent time talking about how weak the AL Central was?

[MEANS]

6 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Did they? I don't remember Chris Getz ever saying they were competing last year. They were always going to be awful and they got nothing from Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada or Eloy Jimenez. 

OP pointing to JR's quote of not wanting to waste a year....not Getz.

[Y2Jimmy0]

10 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Wasn't Chris Getz the one who spent time talking about how weak the AL Central was?

Sure but I never had any delusions about this team winning anything last year and nobody paying attention should've either. This plan has seemed pretty clear. It's unfortunate that it's necessary but there's only one way out of this mess. 

[WhiteSox2023]

I remember some hype but it was backtracked on very quickly once the losses mounted up.  I don’t think Getz thought they would be a playoff contender necessarily but he definitely didn’t think that they would be as bad as they were.

Edited January 24 by WhiteSox2023

[Balta1701]

7 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

I remember some hype but it was backtracked on very quickly once the losses mounted up.  I don’t think Getz thought they would be a playoff contender necessarily but he definitely didn’t that they would be as bad as they were.

Let me know if you can tell which year this is about

Quote

“Yeah, it’s building, right?” White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield told MLB.com in a recent interview. “It’s laying the foundation of what we want to do and continue to build. I think we are going to be better.

“We are going to play a better brand of baseball next year, and those equate to wins. How many? We’ll see, but we are heading in the right direction. We want all these moves to continue to build not just to 202x, but the future, and I think so far that’s what we are doing.”

Bolded my emphasis because it sounds oddly familiar.

[Snopek]

46 minutes ago, Tony said:

It's amazing how much damage Jerry caused from a PR perspective with his comments about "not wanting to waste a year"

And while there are MANY things to be frustrated about regarding this organization, their continued lack of media training and strategy has always been maddening to me. 

To your point, they could have done themselves a lot of favors by coming out and saying "Listen, we had people here that quite frankly we're probably here too long. We can't do anything about that now, they're gone, and this isn't about putting a fresh coat of paint on things, this is about tearing it down to the studs and starting over. And I know Sox fans aren't going to love hearing that, I know the pain the fan base suffered through a rebuild that didn't result in what everyone wanted, but this organization needs an entirely new approach or we're going to all suffer similar results, and that's not acceptable to anyone. It's going to be painful, it's going to take time, but I am so committed to doing things the RIGHT way to build something that will have sustainable, long lasting success. It's all I care about."

You say that out of the gate, you buy yourself A LOT of good will. But they went...a different route. And it's on THEM for that, not the fans. 

Amazing how a fan on a message board can quickly whip up a statement that is infinitely better than what we heard from a professional, high profile organization who presumably has staff they pay to do this exact thing.

[southsider2k5]

11 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Sure but I never had any delusions about this team winning anything last year and nobody paying attention should've either. This plan has seemed pretty clear. It's unfortunate that it's necessary but there's only one way out of this mess. 

Sure.  Which is why guys like Jerry and Getz getting up and either lying to the public, or completely delusional, is a point.  They COULD have just gotten up and been honest from the beginning.  But they didn't.  They are the ones who should be shamed.

[southsider2k5]

11 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

I remember some hype but it was backtracked on very quickly once the losses mounted up.  I don’t think Getz thought they would be a playoff contender necessarily but he definitely didn’t that they would be as bad as they were.

The way they roster built and then massively churned the first half of the season told me they thought maybe they could luck their way into mediocrity.  The tone totally changed after the losses piled up.  Either they lied to us early, or late.

[WBWSF]

Getz mentioned he seems to think the 2 young lefty pitchers will be here sooner  rather than later which should make the team better. In the meantime whos's going to pitch in the bullpen who is any good? The team lacks hitting. Who's going to hit and drive in runs? This just looks to me like its going to be years before this thing ever gets turned around. Becoming the new version of the old St. Louis Browns doesn't appeal to most fans.

[southsider2k5]

5 minutes ago, WBWSF said:

Getz mentioned he seems to think the 2 young lefty pitchers will be here sooner  rather than later which should make the team better. In the meantime whos's going to pitch in the bullpen who is any good? The team lacks hitting. Who's going to hit and drive in runs? This just looks to me like its going to be years before this thing ever gets turned around. Becoming the new version of the old St. Louis Browns doesn't appeal to most fans.

I think you finally got it.

[WestEddy]

56 minutes ago, Tony said:

To your point, they could have done themselves a lot of favors by coming out and saying "Listen, we had people here that quite frankly we're probably here too long. We can't do anything about that now, they're gone, and this isn't about putting a fresh coat of paint on things, this is about tearing it down to the studs and starting over. And I know Sox fans aren't going to love hearing that, I know the pain the fan base suffered through a rebuild that didn't result in what everyone wanted, but this organization needs an entirely new approach or we're going to all suffer similar results, and that's not acceptable to anyone. It's going to be painful, it's going to take time, but I am so committed to doing things the RIGHT way to build something that will have sustainable, long lasting success. It's all I care about."

You say that out of the gate, you buy yourself A LOT of good will. But they went...a different route. And it's on THEM for that, not the fans. 

Actually, you say this out of the gate, and you probably outrage the entire industry. "Oh, now he's going to blame the guy who won the only World Series in the last 100+ years?!?!?" That's a whole lot of finger pointing. And you guys would all have jumped on that as finger-pointing. 

You're just illustrating how tiny a needle that had to be threaded at that press conference. 

[Tony]

29 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Did they? I don't remember Chris Getz ever saying they were competing last year. They were always going to be awful and they got nothing from Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada or Eloy Jimenez. 

“We have to make some adjustments to improve in 2024. … When I say I don’t like our team, we’ve got pieces that are talented and attractive and they can be part of a winning club, but obviously, we haven’t gone out there and performed. It’s not a well-rounded club right now. We have to find players to come in here and help get us in the right direction.”

“Yeah, we’re going to have to create runs,” Getz said. “We’re putting a lot on Marcus Thames and our hitting coaches to get the most out of these guys. But most importantly, I think these players are ready to go. They know the adjustments they need to make. It’s going to be a battle out there. And we’re gonna push these guys and we’re going to do everything we can to score runs.”

“The team does need to come together, they need to go out there and perform,” Getz said. “There’s no secret about that. But you know, that’s kind of the beauty of baseball, and there’s plenty of optimism going around with our club.”

 

I certainly don't think they were as forthcoming and transparent as they could have been...

[WestEddy]

22 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Sure.  Which is why guys like Jerry and Getz getting up and either lying to the public, or completely delusional, is a point.  They COULD have just gotten up and been honest from the beginning.  But they didn't.  They are the ones who should be shamed.

It certainly was not my recollection last spring that this entire board was duped, and expecting a competitive team, based on Getz's and Reinsdorf's comments. 

Seriously, did anybody here buy season's tickets based on that?

[southsider2k5]

14 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Actually, you say this out of the gate, and you probably outrage the entire industry. "Oh, now he's going to blame the guy who won the only World Series in the last 100+ years?!?!?" That's a whole lot of finger pointing. And you guys would all have jumped on that as finger-pointing. 

You're just illustrating how tiny a needle that had to be threaded at that press conference. 

The entire rest of the world could see it. 

[southsider2k5]

4 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

It certainly was not my recollection last spring that this entire board was duped, and expecting a competitive team, based on Getz's and Reinsdorf's comments. 

Seriously, did anybody here buy season's tickets based on that?

Again, fans expectations aren't equal to what we were told by management.  The fact that fans already knew this team would suck (well most of us did anyway) and they STILL tried to feed us the company line is what makes it even worse, not better.  This excuse doesn't help at all.  It makes the insult even more grave.

[The Mighty Mite]

Duh.

[Tony]

9 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Actually, you say this out of the gate, and you probably outrage the entire industry. "Oh, now he's going to blame the guy who won the only World Series in the last 100+ years?!?!?" That's a whole lot of finger pointing. And you guys would all have jumped on that as finger-pointing. 

You're just illustrating how tiny a needle that had to be threaded at that press conference. 

1. I'm not exactly sure what industry you are referring to, I'm assuming you mean other GM's in the league, and if that's the case....um, so what? And also...no you wouldn't. Using your logic, because Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams were here in 2005, they have earned lifetime contracts? They can never be fired? The architects of 2005 went 655-802 from 2011-2019. That should absolutely be enough to get canned, but because they won in 2005, they get to be here forever? 

2. When Chris Getz, or any industry executive gets in front of a microphone, they aren't speaking to the media. They are speaking to the fans, the media are just the vehicle for that communication, and that role has been significantly diminished  with social media and teams controlling more of their own messaging. The point is, there was, in my opinion, a failure to set fan expectation and made the job and mission more difficult for the White Sox. And could have been solved with a simple change in messaging. 

You are free to make any excuse you would like for Getz and the White Sox. "Yeah, but..." is very easy to do. 

I happen to believe organizational transparency is important and in most cases is well received. The original tweet of this thread, the quote from Getz..I think is the right message. I think he's getting better with quotes. I also believe saying "We're committed to building from the ground up" is a year too late.

[WestEddy]

6 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Again, fans expectations aren't equal to what we were told by management.  The fact that fans already knew this team would suck (well most of us did anyway) and they STILL tried to feed us the company line is what makes it even worse, not better.  This excuse doesn't help at all.  It makes the insult even more grave.

I think the problem is that everybody hates corporate double-speak, which everybody engages in. Fans are mad, and will tee off on Good Morning. 

Any teams that hasn't made the playoffs for a couple of years endures "sell the team" chants, now. It's a fad. 

[southsider2k5]

4 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

I think the problem is that everybody hates corporate double-speak, which everybody engages in. Fans are mad, and will tee off on Good Morning. 

Any teams that hasn't made the playoffs for a couple of years endures "sell the team" chants, now. It's a fad. 

Look, you might like getting talked to like you are stupid, but most people don't.  If my kid gets up and lies to my face, I usually give them one chance to reconsider and offer them an out to stop digging the hole.  As often as this happens, they have either chose to keep lying to us, or were so completely disconnected from reality, they believed what they were saying.  Honestly, I am not even worse which is better, but neither is very good for a relationship with the fans.  Either get up and say you were wrong, or tell me the truth.

[T R U]

10 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

It certainly was not my recollection last spring that this entire board was duped, and expecting a competitive team, based on Getz's and Reinsdorf's comments. 

Seriously, did anybody here buy season's tickets based on that?

No one expected a competitive team, we expected an actual hiring process to fix this mess of an organization and we didn't get it because the owner claimed he couldn't waste a year when that's what happened anyways.

As a fan I would be much more at peace with this thing if JR had just fired everyone who had a hand in this and said "Sorry, we can do better than this" and made an effort.