Chicago White Sox... The thread.

[BobbyMac]

First of all, proud to see all the White Sox logos in the profiles fellas.

 

[BobbyMac]

Secondly...

The Shark is home with his FAVORITE team!

Chicago White Sox acquire Jeff Samardzija, David Robertson - ESPN Chicago

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[Southside Sully]

If I knew how to put it on my profile I would.. Love the moves they are making, hoping for another lefty bat to protect Abreu.. Still a lot of talk on Masterson and Melky. I interned at Sox in 04 and the guys I know who still work there say they are far from done.

 

[BobbyMac]

If I knew how to put it on my profile I would.. Love the moves they are making, hoping for another lefty bat to protect Abreu.. Still a lot of talk on Masterson and Melky. I interned at Sox in 04 and the guys I know who still work there say they are far from done.

I agree. PK, Dunn, Floyd and Danks ate a lot of funds for a long time. (PK earned his)

It's a new era finally and getting Samardzija will be a big boost. This is his favorite team since childhood and I'm sure that will rub off on the other players.

 

[BobbyMac]

If I knew how to put it on my profile I would.. Love the moves they are making, hoping for another lefty bat to protect Abreu.. Still a lot of talk on Masterson and Melky. I interned at Sox in 04 and the guys I know who still work there say they are far from done.

What part of the city you from Sully?

 

[Southside Sully]

What part of the city you from Sully?

I grew up in Orland Park, went to Marist (Weishars school) in Mt. Greenwood, and live in Lincoln Park now. How about you?

Pirates and NYY have been inquiring about Danks, Mariners about Viciedo.. They aren't done! Even though these signings have 29-30 years olds for most part.. Eaton, Abreu, Garcia, Sale, Quintana, Gillaspie are all 27 or under. they have a nice core.

 

[Irishnuke]

Kill this thread. Nobody gives a shit about the White Sox.

 

[pumpdog20]

It makes me very nervous about the Sox prospects of still being in Chicago if the fans don't start going to the games. Attendance figures has been downright pathetlic the last few years.

 

[BobbyMac]

I grew up in Orland Park, went to Marist (Weishars school) in Mt. Greenwood, and live in Lincoln Park now. How about you?

Pirates and NYY have been inquiring about Danks, Mariners about Viciedo.. They aren't done! Even though these signings have 29-30 years olds for most part.. Eaton, Abreu, Garcia, Sale, Quintana, Gillaspie are all 27 or under. they have a nice core.

Born in Gary. The Kittle's were my Grandparents next door neighbors in the 70's. Lived in Hinsdale and Plainfield after college before heading west. Now I get to see PK and the Chairman out and about in Scottsdale from time to time. Reinsdorf and Selig eat at a Jewish deli a block from my place so I literally see them every time I eat lunch there in the off season.

Danks is cursed... can't wait till he's burning gas on his way to anywhere. Plus, we have enough lefties and need room to add Buerhle whenever the opportunity arises. ;-)

Tank... I don't know. Can he take the next step? Is he worth that money when it comes? If this is all he is, should we be happy if arbitration isn't too high? He's gonna get more $$$ obviously so I'm ok with moving him to get something else.

Out here in LA... the big talk from the Dodgers is getting Alexi. The rumors are Greinke wants to go and the Sox are interested. Can you imagine? I'll just leave it at that.

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[BobbyMac]

Kill this thread. Nobody gives a shit about the White Sox.

Nuke... If it wasn't for that beautiful Valpo logo in your profile, I'd fire up the lowrider, head over to RSM and steal your hubcaps.

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[Wild Bill]

Hawk is going to have a love affair with Samardzija.

It's early but does this make us a contender in the central?

I think we could be legit if Rodon is as good as advertised.

 

[BobbyMac]

It makes me very nervous about the Sox prospects of still being in Chicago if the fans don't start going to the games. Attendance figures has been downright pathetlic the last few years.

Reinsdorf is too invested in Chicago with being the owner of the Bulls too and the revenue streams for baseball let you make money even when the stands are light. Sox fans are not different than Cubs fans, they go when they are winning. The only difference is the sports tourism that Wrigley enjoys because of the park, the area and the "party" brand. Every kid who graduates from a B1G school, moves to Chicago for a job becomes a Cubs fan overnight.

Comiskey is my favorite venue to watch any sporting event. It's really a great place with the latest round of renovations. Plus it's the only place in town to catch a game where a drunk kid wearing an Iowa or Wisconsin shirt isn't pissing on your foot between innings.

 

[pumpdog20]

Reinsdorf is too invested in Chicago with being the owner of the Bulls too and the revenue streams for baseball let you make money even when the stands are light. Sox fans are not different than Cubs fans, they go when they are winning. The only difference is the sports tourism that Wrigley enjoys because of the park, the area and the "party" brand. Every kid who graduates from a B1G school, moves to Chicago for a job becomes a Cubs fan overnight.

Comiskey is my favorite venue to watch any sporting event. It's really a great place with the latest round of renovations. Plus it's the only place in town to catch a game where a drunk kid wearing an Iowa or Wisconsin shirt isn't pissing on your foot between innings.

He's also advised his children to sell the team when he goes.

 

[ozzman]

Greetings fellow pale hose fans!

What a great start to the winter meetings. Best available free agent reliever, check. Best available right handed starting pitcher on the trade block, check. Now we need to shore up the hole in left field, but we're miles ahead of where we were yesterday. We can dream about being in the AL Central race again.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Reinsdorf is too invested in Chicago with being the owner of the Bulls too and the revenue streams for baseball let you make money even when the stands are light. Sox fans are not different than Cubs fans, they go when they are winning. The only difference is the sports tourism that Wrigley enjoys because of the park, the area and the "party" brand. Every kid who graduates from a B1G school, moves to Chicago for a job becomes a Cubs fan overnight.

Comiskey is my favorite venue to watch any sporting event. It's really a great place with the latest round of renovations. Plus it's the only place in town to catch a game where a drunk kid wearing an Iowa or Wisconsin shirt isn't pissing on your foot between innings.

That normally seems to be the case, but even when they were winning in 2012, they still didn't have good attendance numbers.

 

[BobbyMac]

He's also advised his children to sell the team when he goes.

I've always joked that the next time the Sox try to move, it will be to Indy so I can still remain a fan. If they would have gone to Tampa Bay, I would have become a Cub fan.

The question is: Does the revenue from being in a split market of 10 million top being the only game in town of Indy or maybe Charlotte, Orlando or Portland. Indy is the only geographical option that makes sense though...

 

[woolybug25]

Reinsdorf is too invested in Chicago with being the owner of the Bulls too and the revenue streams for baseball let you make money even when the stands are light. Sox fans are not different than Cubs fans, they go when they are winning. The only difference is the sports tourism that Wrigley enjoys because of the park, the area and the "party" brand. Every kid who graduates from a B1G school, moves to Chicago for a job becomes a Cubs fan overnight.

Comiskey is my favorite venue to watch any sporting event. It's really a great place with the latest round of renovations. Plus it's the only place in town to catch a game where a drunk kid wearing an Iowa or Wisconsin shirt isn't pissing on your foot between innings.

Fans go to Cubs games regardless of whether they are good or not. For the reasons you outline above. I would say this is a stark difference between the Cubs and Sox. People go to the games in Comiskey when they are good. People go to Cubs games just to drink and hang out in Wrigleyville.

I wouldn't want the team I follow ever being like the Cubs. Their "fans" are built up by a large group of people that don't even know the players on the team or give a crap about the game of baseball. The Sox don't have the brand that the Cubs do, but they are a real baseball team that is expected to win and compete. I'll take that over the historically worst team in baseball.

 

[Southside Sully]

Fans go to Cubs games regardless of whether they are good or not. For the reasons you outline above. I would say this is a stark difference between the Cubs and Sox. People go to the games in Comiskey when they are good. People go to Cubs games just to drink and hang out in Wrigleyville.

I wouldn't want the team I follow ever being like the Cubs. Their "fans" are built up by a large group of people that don't even know the players on the team or give a crap about the game of baseball. The Sox don't have the brand that the Cubs do, but they are a real baseball team that is expected to win and compete. I'll take that over the historically worst team in baseball.

You said it best! I live about a mile south of Wrigley.. Anytime the Cubs look to be .500 there are signs in peoples windows that say its going to happen. It is the biggest bar in the city, and finally the last 2 years, fans have stopped going when they are losing because they are saying they don't agree with the product. My actual friends who care about the Cubs, hate the bandwagon, cheer for every routine flyball likes its a HR crowd that comes.

But I don't want to talk about the Cubs, because I don't care about them. The Redheaded step child of Chicago Sports WhiteSox is making a statement and creating a buzz in the national news and in the city. I reupped my companies season tickets today. They make moves to try to help the team win repeatedly and don't forget the 2005 WS Championship. Unless you are 107 or older its the only World Series this city has seen won.

Looking forward to the season!

 

[BobbyMac]

You said it best! I live about a mile south of Wrigley.. Anytime the Cubs look to be .500 there are signs in peoples windows that say its going to happen. It is the biggest bar in the city, and finally the last 2 years, fans have stopped going when they are losing because they are saying they don't agree with the product. My actual friends who care about the Cubs, hate the bandwagon, cheer for every routine flyball likes its a HR crowd that comes.

But I don't want to talk about the Cubs, because I don't care about them. The Redheaded step child of Chicago Sports WhiteSox is making a statement and creating a buzz in the national news and in the city. I reupped my companies season tickets today. They make moves to try to help the team win repeatedly and don't forget the 2005 WS Championship. Unless you are 107 or older its the only World Series this city has seen won.

Looking forward to the season!

That was my point... the stands have been thin at Wrigley, well, thin FOR WRIGLEY as of late and even when the house is full, there are only 12,000 REAL Cubs fans there. The rest are experience whores. It's basically a bad, small market team operating in a tourist trap. But as a business, it's the branding job of the century... actually, century +6 years.

 

[NDdomer2]

Fans go to Cubs games regardless of whether they are good or not. For the reasons you outline above. I would say this is a stark difference between the Cubs and Sox. People go to the games in Comiskey when they are good. People go to Cubs games just to drink and hang out in Wrigleyville.

I wouldn't want the team I follow ever being like the Cubs. Their "fans" are built up by a large group of people that don't even know the players on the team or give a crap about the game of baseball. The Sox don't have the brand that the Cubs do, but they are a real baseball team that is expected to win and compete. I'll take that over the historically worst team in baseball.

I will admit there are a lot of Cubs fans like you say. But teams that win have fans like that too, including your beloved cardinals. As I sit here in St. Louis, I have tried to have a couple baseball convos with "fans" because, well, I am not going to talk about ND football, or the bears, or lakers, or IU/ND basketball.

It's amazing how they sound like fans at the beginning of the convo, but when you start asking about this guy and that or free agency, etc. Most get real quiet.

Anywho, back to the sox. I will not troll this thread because I HATE when other clubs fans come the Cubs thread and say stupid shit.

Good for Sox and good for Jeff to be back close to his family and a city he enjoys. Might not be the franchise he really wants but it's good for all parties involved. Will be nice to see him back in the Chi.

 

[bkess8]

Wondering what your guys opinion of catcher Josh Phegley is and his future in the majors. I was sad to see him traded away but he wasn't getting the opportunity to play. I like that he is going to the A's where they develop their players. Thoughts?

 

[ozzman]

Wondering what your guys opinion of catcher Josh Phegley is and his future in the majors. I was sad to see him traded away but he wasn't getting the opportunity to play. I like that he is going to the A's where they develop their players. Thoughts?

backup potential at best.

 

[Southside Sully]

backup potential at best.

agree but like the hardnosed way he played the game, I will miss him and his sick mullet as well. If Flowers can actually keep the bat consistent it will be a welcome addition to the lineup. Staff likes the way he calls a game, and hes got a plus arm compared to AJ. Catcher is definitely a need going forward near future.

 

[BobbyMac]

I will admit there are a lot of Cubs fans like you say. But teams that win have fans like that too, including your beloved cardinals. As I sit here in St. Louis, I have tried to have a couple baseball convos with "fans" because, well, I am not going to talk about ND football, or the bears, or lakers, or IU/ND basketball.

It's amazing how they sound like fans at the beginning of the convo, but when you start asking about this guy and that or free agency, etc. Most get real quiet.

Anywho, back to the sox. I will not troll this thread because I HATE when other clubs fans come the Cubs thread and say stupid shit.

Good for Sox and good for Jeff to be back close to his family and a city he enjoys. Might not be the franchise he really wants but it's good for all parties involved. Will be nice to see him back in the Chi.

1. In my near 50 years on this planet, I will put St. Louis Cardinal fans up at the top of the list of educated fans. I'm talking pre-Kane/Toews Hawks level of educated. I grew up with them and lived with them and I give them all the respect in the world.

2. How does a guy from Indiana become a Laker fan when the rest of your logo line-up is understandable and impressive. You've grown up in the shadow of the Pacers, the Bulls and Larry Legend. What gives?

3. "Might not be the franchise he really wants?" Shark grew up a Sox fan and hates the day time grind of Wrigley baseball, like MANY players do. He's where he wanted to be all along and he obviously buried the hatchet with Kenny Williams for not drafting him when he wanted

4. If only the Hoosiers had a couple of 6-10 defenders to go with these shooters. They may break every 3 point record not held by LMU this year.

Wondering what your guys opinion of catcher Josh Phegley is and his future in the majors. I was sad to see him traded away but he wasn't getting the opportunity to play. I like that he is going to the A's where they develop their players. Thoughts?

This was a bummer for me. My college buddy was his coach at IU and I followed his career since Bloomington. We really thought the kid was going to tear it up but he was behind AJ and then was diagnosed with a rather serious blood disorder that held him back for a long time. I wish him all the best with the A's. I hope he and Semien have Gio Gonzalez like A's careers

I'll never forget his call up against the Ray's. He hit a homer against David Price in one game and a grand slam against Annibel Sanchez in the last game. Left that series batting something like .667 with 10 RBI's.

backup potential at best.

agree but like the hardnosed way he played the game, I will miss him and his sick mullet as well. If Flowers can actually keep the bat consistent it will be a welcome addition to the lineup. Staff likes the way he calls a game, and hes got a plus arm compared to AJ. Catcher is definitely a need going forward near future.

Phegley can certainly catch lightning in a bottle in Oakland. I'm not a Flowers fan but Coop likes how he handles the staff so that's all that matters. If Flowers could just be a .230 20HR guy while taking care of the base paths, I'd be thrilled.

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[IrishSteelhead]

Great thread. Go Sox, and my two favorite baseball players from childhood are Ron Kittle and Harold Baines. Went to dozens of games at Old Comiskey, and always loved going even more on Firework Night.

 

[BobbyMac]

Great thread. Go Sox, and my two favorite baseball players from childhood are Ron Kittle and Harold Baines. Went to dozens of games at Old Comiskey, and always loved going even more on Firework Night.

Trick statement there IrishSkamania! EVERY night was fireworks night when Kitty, Bull, Pudge and the greatest statistical player not currently in the HOF (who wasn't on juice or a bookie's sped dial) Harold Baines took the field. That was a magical year.

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[GBdomer]

Kill this thread. Nobody gives a shit about the White Sox.

hahaha the Cubs

 

[NDdomer2]

1. In my near 50 years on this planet, I will put St. Louis Cardinal fans up at the top of the list of educated fans. I'm talking pre-Kane/Toews Hawks level of educated. I grew up with them and lived with them and I give them all the respect in the world.

2. How does a guy from Indiana become a Laker fan when the rest of your logo line-up is understandable and impressive. You've grown up in the shadow of the Pacers, the Bulls and Larry Legend. What gives?

3. "Might not be the franchise he really wants?" Shark grew up a Sox fan and hates the day time grind of Wrigley baseball, like MANY players do. He's where he wanted to be all along and he obviously buried the hatchet with Kenny Williams for not drafting him when he wanted

4. If only the Hoosiers had a couple of 6-10 defenders to go with these shooters. They may break every 3 point record not held by LMU this year.

1. I would agree with the overall population of cards fans being better than your average fan base. I used StL as an example for wooly (his favorite team) and the fact im currently here, just to point out every fan base has fans who dont know shit. And, while the cubs fans prolly have more than most, i dont like seeing guys like the few cubs fans on this site who do follow then intently good or bad being lumped into that.

2. You can only take so much larry legend loving fools in your household until you start rooting for the enemy. I really liked the pacers when they had reggie, smits, jackson, etc. but just werent my favorite team ever.

3. I will agree that no one likes the slew of day games (thankfully they are trying to get rid of SOME) and that he grew up a hawks fan. But he also said once upon a time that he would watch sox games as a kid because they were "good for a nap". I only said he might not really want to be there because I would imagine he would liek to finally sign a new deal and with a team thats ready to contend immediately. His prime is now imo.

4. yeah big man recruiting for crean has been feast or famine for sure. Hits on Zeller and Vonleh. misses on LOTS: Holloway, Hanner (can still redeem himself thru this year and next), Jobe, Jurkin, and im sure I am missing some. Next year adds two more top forwards. We'll see what happens.

 

[BobbyMac]

1. I would agree with the overall population of cards fans being better than your average fan base. I used StL as an example for wooly (his favorite team) and the fact im currently here, just to point out every fan base has fans who dont know shit. And, while the cubs fans prolly have more than most, i dont like seeing guys like the few cubs fans on this site who do follow then intently good or bad being lumped into that.

2. You can only take so much larry legend loving fools in your household until you start rooting for the enemy. I really liked the pacers when they had reggie, smits, jackson, etc. but just werent my favorite team ever.

3. I will agree that no one likes the slew of day games (thankfully they are trying to get rid of SOME) and that he grew up a hawks fan. But he also said once upon a time that he would watch sox games as a kid because they were "good for a nap". I only said he might not really want to be there because I would imagine he would liek to finally sign a new deal and with a team thats ready to contend immediately. His prime is now imo.

4. yeah big man recruiting for crean has been feast or famine for sure. Hits on Zeller and Vonleh. misses on LOTS: Holloway, Hanner (can still redeem himself thru this year and next), Jobe, Jurkin, and im sure I am missing some. Next year adds two more top forwards. We'll see what happens.

So you are in witness protection huh? lol You lose your Hoosier card hating on Bird... add to that you openly root for the antithesis of all things holy to our great state... the Lakers. Man, I'm gonna have to keep an eye on you!

The stuff Samardzija said about the Sox was for the media. He was a life long Sox fan until it became a business for him. Can't wait for him to readdress some of that, it's gonna be comical.

Indiana college basketball is back after the worst year ever. If you put Purdue's fronline with IU's backcourt, you could beat UK if you don't get in foul trouble. Butler's been fun to watch also. What's not enjoyable is watching Lyles at Kentucky, Bluiett at Xavier and half the Michigan / Michigan St rosters. Jalen Coleman going to Illinois next year is a bummer too. Thought he'd go to ND. He's the best shooter in the country this year, same as Blackmon and Bluiett were last year.

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[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

I was really hoping Shark would end up in Boston.