https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2025/07/15/garrett-crochet-carlos-rodon-chris-sale-mlb-all-star-atlanta-chicago-white-sox

Look at all of the legends that wore an A;s uniform.

6 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2025/07/15/garrett-crochet-carlos-rodon-chris-sale-mlb-all-star-atlanta-chicago-white-sox

This was literally my post from the other day lol. They stole my idea 😉

Let’s see, Rodon didn’t get his s%*# together until what, 2021?

Meanwhile, Sale would have bounced the f*** out of Dodge after 2019 had he not been traded. Who knows If he has the same post TJ resurgence had he not been traded to ATL.

Does Crochet even get the chance to start with those two around?

Not that it really matters, as the Sox couldn’t put a competent team around a prime Sale and Quintana. 

Kiss the 2021 AL Central title goodbye as well. It would be Sale, Rodon, and a completely mid team chasing 3rd or 4th place.

There really isn’t a ‘what could have been’ scenario here for those 3 …

 

These three never would have overlapped. Expecting to keep elite SP past their arb years is silly for literally any org. Stupid mental exercise.

Add to the list of .....What might have been...  Denny McClain , the one that got away, duh!

For the past 60 years, it has been nothing but what might have beens.

21 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2025/07/15/garrett-crochet-carlos-rodon-chris-sale-mlb-all-star-atlanta-chicago-white-sox

When I saw the thread title, I honestly wondered if this was going to be about "what have been been" if DeBartolo bought the White Sox in 1981 (his purchase was blocked by MLB)  instead of Jerry and Eddie.   I guess I'm going back too far.  🤣

Edited July 16, 2025Jul 16 by 77 Hitmen

4 hours ago, Falstaff said:

Add to the list of .....What might have been...  Denny McClain , the one that got away, duh!

I asked former Sox broadcaster Milo Hamilton about him:

ML: One of the oddities about that season took place in spring training on April 8 when two youngsters, Bruce Howard and Denny McLain had a ‘pitch-off’ to determine who would stay in the organization and get promoted to Double-A. Do you remember anything about that game or about McLain in general when he was with the White Sox. (Author’s Note: Howard would win the game 2-1 and get promoted to Lynchburg, Virginia. Because of baseball rules at the time concerning bonus babies, McLain had to be released. He was claimed by the Tigers a week later.) 

MH: “Well the pitch-off was only part of the reason the Sox let him go. He was a cocky kid. His high school used to get tickets to Sox games and I can still remember him sitting by the dugout yelling “I can beat those guys.” He was hard to handle and his attitude was something that Al Lopez (Author’s Note: White Sox manager) and the organization just wasn’t going to put up with. In spring training he ran up a 700 hundred dollar phone bill talking to his girlfriend and he refused to pay it.”  

“Howard was a clean cut kid. Never gave anyone any trouble. Unfortunately he didn’t turn out to be much of a pitcher and in that respect you have to give McLain his due, he turned into a great pitcher. I mean he won 30 games one season.”  

lol long live the white Sox penchant to pick the lesser player for being a good kid instead of the cocky kid that told you he was better than everyone else(he was)

McClain married Lou Bodreau's daughter, drank a case of Pepsi a day, had gambling issues, but what a magical run in Detroit before he was pretty much finished at 26 years old.

That 1968 World Series was awesome.  Mickey Lolich was the star not McClain

 

Also had a side gig as an organist and was fairly popular in Detroit. 

On 7/15/2025 at 1:15 PM, Lip Man 1 said:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2025/07/15/garrett-crochet-carlos-rodon-chris-sale-mlb-all-star-atlanta-chicago-white-sox

Crochet, Rodon, Sale, oh. my. We traditionalists are crying. The tank/rebuilders shrug and dream about acquiring name draft picks like Vaughn, who stunk here. I do realize Jerry not willing to pay also has a bit to do with it but it's no fun to be a fan of an organization that can't keep good players and has to have a run of guys like Tauchman, Rojas, Taylor, Slater, DeJong, Lopez, those types.

1 hour ago, greg775 said:

Crochet, Rodon, Sale, oh. my. We traditionalists are crying. The tank/rebuilders shrug and dream about acquiring name draft picks like Vaughn, who stunk here. I do realize Jerry not willing to pay also has a bit to do with it but it's no fun to be a fan of an organization that can't keep good players and has to have a run of guys like Tauchman, Rojas, Taylor, Slater, DeJong, Lopez, those types.

We know.

2 hours ago, greg775 said:

Crochet, Rodon, Sale, oh. my. We traditionalists are crying. The tank/rebuilders shrug and dream about acquiring name draft picks like Vaughn, who stunk here. I do realize Jerry not willing to pay also has a bit to do with it but it's no fun to be a fan of an organization that can't keep good players and has to have a run of guys like Tauchman, Rojas, Taylor, Slater, DeJong, Lopez, those types.

A bit?

7 hours ago, Sleepy Harold said:

A bit?

Don't some of you fans of teardown/rebuilding long to have players for long Sox careers like Baines, Hurt, Robin, Ozzie, Shingo, Thiggy, Buehrle? Aren't you crying with us traditionalists? A city as big as Chicago should be embarrassed the Sox have no local heroes. Sox actually draw pretty well considering management has done all it can to disenfranchise. Jerry baby should be embarrassed his team is so far behind the other small market teams in baseball.

Edited July 17, 2025Jul 17 by greg775

6 hours ago, greg775 said:

Don't some of you fans of teardown/rebuilding long to have players for long Sox careers like Baines, Hurt, Robin, Ozzie, Shingo, Thiggy, Buehrle? Aren't you crying with us traditionalists? A city as big as Chicago should be embarrassed the Sox have no local heroes. Sox actually draw pretty well considering management has done all it can to disenfranchise. Jerry baby should be embarrassed his team is so far behind the other small market teams in baseball.

None if this has anything to do with his reply.  Jerry has -everything- to do with why players aren’t paid after they reach everything, not “a bit”

6 hours ago, greg775 said:

Don't some of you fans of teardown/rebuilding long to have players for long Sox careers like Baines, Hurt, Robin, Ozzie, Shingo, Thiggy, Buehrle? Aren't you crying with us traditionalists? A city as big as Chicago should be embarrassed the Sox have no local heroes. Sox actually draw pretty well considering management has done all it can to disenfranchise. Jerry baby should be embarrassed his team is so far behind the other small market teams in baseball.

This is the biggest Cub fan post you have ever made.  You'd rather be the Cubs with Sammy Sosa and nothing else so you have someone to cheer for (aka a "local hero") vs understanding that the only chance you have at winning is to take pain now and invest in the future.  Enjoy your loveable losers.

55 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

This is the biggest Cub fan post you have ever made.  You'd rather be the Cubs with Sammy Sosa and nothing else so you have someone to cheer for (aka a "local hero") vs understanding that the only chance you have at winning is to take pain now and invest in the future.  Enjoy your loveable losers.

If only the Sox were like the Bulls. Then we would all be happy.

Trying to create a hypothetical team based on moves stretched out over that many seasons is crazy difficult. It's like when people say that if the Bulls had kept Aldridge instead of trading him, imagine pairing him with Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose.

They probably don't land Derrick Rose in that scenario.

If Sale was still around in 2020, Quintana and Eaton are probably still around.  When are the Sox drafting in this new timeline and is Crochet still around? Do they still whiff Wheeler or does he join them? Do they get 2020 Keuchel? 

If they keep Sale and Quintana, do they need Rodon as a starter in 2021, fueling his resurgence?

The butterfly effect on draft picks, trades and other moves is too strong to say that they'd have all three of Sale, Rodon and Crochet, even if Jerry was willing to shell out mega contracts.

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

This is the biggest Cub fan post you have ever made.  You'd rather be the Cubs with Sammy Sosa and nothing else so you have someone to cheer for (aka a "local hero") vs understanding that the only chance you have at winning is to take pain now and invest in the future.  Enjoy your loveable losers.

Not sure how his post related to the Cubs unless it was edited.

6 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

This is the biggest Cub fan post you have ever made.  You'd rather be the Cubs with Sammy Sosa and nothing else so you have someone to cheer for (aka a "local hero") vs understanding that the only chance you have at winning is to take pain now and invest in the future.  Enjoy your loveable losers.

Ugh. I guess my knowledge of past Sox and stories have gone unnoticed on here over 20 years or more. That's on me. If my posts have screamed "Cub fan" then it's on me as a very very very poor communicator. Before Jerry decided to hoard every single penny for whatever or whoever he gives his money to, I used to have epic meltdowns on here over losses against the Cubs and Royals especially. I bled game to game. But I am a Cub fan. Oh my gosh. Oh well, like I said it's on me if that is the impression. Yes I know of Tommie Agee and Tommy John and Dick Allen and do not know of any Cubs except those of my childhood when my grandfather took me to Cub games and dad to Sox games with that everyday group of Kessinger, Beckert, Williams, Santo, Banks, Hickman, Hundley, Rudolph/Qualls and Bill Hands. That same grandfather fell leaving a Sox game with me and Sox management was great getting us an ambulance. ... So in conclusion I am an utter failure of a communicator if anybody thinks I care about the Cub. I even know JC Martin was one of Harry's color announcers in a move that was a failure; as well as Lou Brock, but I love the Cubs, baby.

Edited July 17, 2025Jul 17 by greg775

20 hours ago, Sleepy Harold said:

A bit?

You must admit some of the Sox first round draft picks that folks were drooling over the possibilities via tanking have been crud. That's why I always laughed at those who were rooting for losses that one year in expectation of a better draft pick. I always wanted wins over our front office's choice for first round. 

1 hour ago, greg775 said:

You must admit some of the Sox first round draft picks that folks were drooling over the possibilities via tanking have been crud. That's why I always laughed at those who were rooting for losses that one year in expectation of a better draft pick. I always wanted wins over our front office's choice for first round. 

Don't you constantly say the Sox should have drafted someone like Bobby Witt, Jr.?

9 hours ago, Quin said:

Don't you constantly say the Sox should have drafted someone like Bobby Witt, Jr.?

I don't think so because I don't even know the particulars. I haven't talked about Witt at all on here. I rarely talk about the draft in any way on here. Except lately I've used Vaughn as ammo in arguing against salivating over draft picks and wanting to lose to get a top draft pick like Vaughn who stunk. ... To tell you the truth I've been busy and at this moment I don't know who we took in the recent MLB draft. I assume it's a pitcher or high school slugger, prolly a pitcher.