https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6645928/2025/09/20/white-sox-padres-losing-season-column/?source=user_shared_article

Boy do I love perspective 😂

Fair.

Where's Fegan Athletic!? Where's Fegan string!? Huh? Where's Fegan!?

1 hour ago, Kyyle23 said:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6645928/2025/09/20/white-sox-padres-losing-season-column/?source=user_shared_article

Boy do I love perspective 😂

Talk about some praise for the team.  🤣🤣🤣

BREAKING NEWS: "The Chicago White Sox are a baseball team" sources say. Subscribe to learn more. 

yet there will be more awful ahead, they are not alone

If by that they mean its less awful than the worst season in baseball history, sure Ill agree with that.

2 hours ago, T R U said:

If by that they mean its less awful than the worst season in baseball history, sure Ill agree with that.

I have no idea if this is a hot take, but all things considered I think this season has been significantly "less awful" than the 2022 season.

That year, they finished 81-81. It was the year of fully squandering whatever potential was left and coming to the realization that the core they spent years rebuilding was not going to lead them to success. 

Your 2025 Chicago White Sox....we are less awful than you thought we'd be

11 minutes ago, wegner said:

Your 2025 Chicago White Sox....we are less awful than you thought we'd be

I totally get why attendance was up so much 

1 minute ago, southsider2k5 said:

I totally get why attendance was up so much 

Totally due to my endless marketing of the Cuban Comet Sandwich....I talked at least 2 people in to going to a game this year totally based on that....3 if you count the one my wife ate at the Banana Ball game.

16 minutes ago, wegner said:

Totally due to my endless marketing of the Cuban Comet Sandwich....I talked at least 2 people in to going to a game this year totally based on that....3 if you count the one my wife ate at the Banana Ball game.

At this rate payroll will be like 60 million next year, he'll maybe 65.

16 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

At this rate payroll will be like 60 million next year, he'll maybe 65.

Should be an uninteresting off season to say the least. I was actually looking forward to spring training a couple of weeks ago but they are looking as bad as ever now,,,,but I guess that counts as "less awful"?

18 hours ago, Snopek said:

I have no idea if this is a hot take, but all things considered I think this season has been significantly "less awful" than the 2022 season.

That year, they finished 81-81. It was the year of fully squandering whatever potential was left and coming to the realization that the core they spent years rebuilding was not going to lead them to success. 

I wouldn't call it a hot take, but this season was largely filled with awful baseball. 

The realization of the core failing did suck, but ill take watching an 81-81 team over a 100+ loss team every time. That's playoff race territory.

32 minutes ago, T R U said:

The realization of the core failing did suck, but ill take watching an 81-81 team over a 100+ loss team every time. That's playoff race territory.

Yeah that’s fair. In a vacuum, the 81-81 season is obviously easier to watch.

Taking context into consideration, this season felt like watching a toddler trip over itself while learning to walk, while the 2022 season felt like watching a runner trip over themselves while trying to cross the finish line.

14 minutes ago, Snopek said:

Yeah that’s fair. In a vacuum, the 81-81 season is obviously easier to watch.

Taking context into consideration, this season felt like watching a toddler trip over itself while learning to walk, while the 2022 season felt like watching a runner trip over themselves while trying to cross the finish line.

I get what you mean.  I'd say the 2022 season was much more frustrating to watch....and that made the Sox more difficult to watch in a way.

This year, I had pretty much zero expectations for this team.   That's still completely unacceptable.  But I've moved on from frustration and anger in 2022 to resignation and disinterest now.  This organization is a total disgrace to let us get to this point where we see up to 104 losses as a big step forward.

Edited September 24, 2025Sep 24 by 77 Hitmen

I just think they have been so bad, people are numb. Most likely 100 losses. Even when they cherry pick the All Star break as the new starting point, they have played  at a  70-92 pace. Still horrid. Hopefully something changes nexr year. When they pitch well, they can't hit, or when they pitch and hit well, they can't field, or when they hit well, they can't pitch...It's always something.

6 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

I just think they have been so bad, people are numb. Most likely 100 losses. Even when they cherry pick the All Star break as the new starting point, they have played  at a  70-92 pace. Still horrid. Hopefully something changes nexr year. When they pitch well, they can't hit, or when they pitch and hit well, they can't field, or when they hit well, they can't pitch...It's always something.

Before 2018 the White Sox had 3 100 losses season in their history.  They are now going to be at 4 in their last 8 seasons.  Insane   

20 hours ago, Snopek said:

I have no idea if this is a hot take, but all things considered I think this season has been significantly "less awful" than the 2022 season.

That year, they finished 81-81. It was the year of fully squandering whatever potential was left and coming to the realization that the core they spent years rebuilding was not going to lead them to success. 

I agree and this is why the Bulls are unwatchable to me. Bulls went "all in", only won 46 games (.56 win %), got bounced out of the first round 4-1. Haven't made the playoffs since, treadmilling to 40, 39, 39 wins (.48 win%). Not good enough to make the playoffs, not bad enough to get good draft positioning. 

Compare to the Pacers in the same time frame who won 25 games (.30 win%), then 35, then 47 then 50. Made the conference finals and the nba finals. Those "bad" seasons were necessary to build a winning team. Meanwhile the Bulls are stuck in NBA hell.

OKC Thunder is even more pronounced.

Blew up a 'good' team, fired their bad coach (who the Bulls keep extending for some reason), won 22 and 24 games. Went to 68 wins and won the championship. If it was the Bulls, Chris Paul and Paul George would still be on OKC making huge money and leading the team to 38 wins.

This is the way you build a professional sports team.

Edited September 24, 2025Sep 24 by nrockway

21 minutes ago, nrockway said:

I agree and this is why the Bulls are unwatchable to me. Bulls went "all in", only won 46 games (.56 win %), got bounced out of the first round 4-1. Haven't made the playoffs since, treadmilling to 40, 39, 39 wins (.48 win%). Not good enough to make the playoffs, not bad enough to get good draft positioning. 

Compare to the Pacers in the same time frame who won 25 games (.30 win%), then 35, then 47 then 50. Made the conference finals and the nba finals. Those "bad" seasons were necessary to build a winning team. Meanwhile the Bulls are stuck in NBA hell.

OKC Thunder is even more pronounced.

Blew up a 'good' team, fired their bad coach (who the Bulls keep extending for some reason), won 22 and 24 games. Went to 68 wins and won the championship. If it was the Bulls, Chris Paul and Paul George would still be on OKC making huge money and leading the team to 38 wins.

This is the way you build a professional sports team.

The Bulls are satisfied with what used to be called NBA hell. Not good enough to win it all, and not bad enough to draft high enough to get good enough. But this is money maker time. The still almost sell out. They could eek out a home playoff game or two, which is very lucrative, never get into luxury tax, which in the NBA means you get a cut of all who do, and count your millions.

13 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

The Bulls are satisfied with what used to be called NBA hell. Not good enough to win it all, and not bad enough to draft high enough to get good enough. But this is money maker time. The still almost sell out. They could eek out a home playoff game or two, which is very lucrative, never get into luxury tax, which in the NBA means you get a cut of all who do, and count your millions.

Precisely why they won't tank I think. The revenue for a consistently mediocre team is too much to pass up. People might actually stop showing up if they're a 20ish win team and considerably more people won't show up if they win 60 games (because they already lead the league in attendance every year somehow)...although what you say about the playoff revenue is very true. You'd think they'd be interested in that. The White Sox had to win a WS to eek into top 10 in attendance. I think that's the difference between the Bulls and Sox strategies...the Sox actually have to be good to get people to kinda show up...and being a bottomfeeder doesn't make a significant difference (what with the stadium contract).

Even when they were "good" 15ish years ago for the first time since MJ, they were an NBA hell team that lucked into D Rose and hired a great coach. But also added Rose to a reasonably good young core and made some FA moves. The last time that team was worth watching arguably. 

Edited September 24, 2025Sep 24 by nrockway

3 hours ago, Dick Allen said:

I just think they have been so bad, people are numb. Most likely 100 losses. Even when they cherry pick the All Star break as the new starting point, they have played  at a  70-92 pace. Still horrid. Hopefully something changes nexr year. When they pitch well, they can't hit, or when they pitch and hit well, they can't field, or when they hit well, they can't pitch...It's always something.

There's hope. That's the difference this year. The record doesn't matter - it's all about the progress of the younger talent and I think most people would say the Teel's, Quero's, Montgomery's, Vargas's, Meidroth's all showed promise and hope going forward that this lineup has the makings of a good lineup. The pitching lacks star power, but they have developed good overall depth and now it's about if the organization wants to start adding to the current talent.

Right now there's hope, but the problem is the ownership sentiment is anything but. These will eventually run up against one another.

20 hours ago, wegner said:

Totally due to my endless marketing of the Cuban Comet Sandwich....I talked at least 2 people in to going to a game this year totally based on that....3 if you count the one my wife ate at the Banana Ball game.

The Hog wild brisket nachos also improved as the year progressed.

57 minutes ago, ptatc said:

The Hog wild brisket nachos also improved as the year progressed.

That sounds delicious. I am BBQ starved in my region. 

2 hours ago, chitownsportsfan said:

That sounds delicious. I am BBQ starved in my region. 

Really good. The resteraunt is down here in New Lenox.