White Sox success

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

If the White Sox advance to the World Series, which looks likely, I may be rooting for the Astros or Cardinals for the first time in a long, long time.

[RockTheIvy]

If the White Sox advance to the World Series, which looks likely, I may be rooting for the Astros or Cardinals for the first time in a long, long time.

 

I agree. Gotta root against the DH, and against the team whose fans were pulling REALLY hard for the Marlins in 03. Some bars offered free beer for every Marlins home run...

[J.R.]

If the White Sox advance to the World Series, which looks likely, I may be rooting for the Astros or Cardinals for the first time in a long, long time.

 

I'll load up on apparel from either Houston or the Cards, depending on who advances - if I change my mind and watch the Series.

 

I can't express how distasteful the whole October experience has become because of Guillen and the White Sox. The game of baseball is stained more and more with every sunrise so long as they're still around.

[SouthSideRyan]

I admit to having caught a bit of Sox fever. I have grown weary of Dusty Baker's idiocy and bad moves by Hendry. Basically, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. For example, the 2003 NLCS was entertaining but also maddening even when the Cubs were ahead because I could see stupid and costly mistakes being made by Baker. Stuff like that has worn me down. Until the past week I'd forgotten how much fun it is to cheer a team when you're not expecting the manager to do something stunningly stupid

 

Yeah the White Sox haven't done anything stunningly stupid in this series. Making the first out at home is pure fundamental baseball. The Sox have played some mind-numbingly stupid baseball this series, moreso than I recall the Cubs doing in the 1st 4 games of the NLCS.

[IowaCubsFan]

The Tribune's priority isn't winning baseball games. It's maximizing shareholder value via increasing share prices and healthy dividends payouts. Winning a World Series isn't anywhere in the corporation's mission statement or strategic goals. They're a media conglomerate, and anything that helps them gain market share and increase profits in their core competency is what'll be important to them, not winning a World Series.

 

Right now all that matters is that the Cubs have set attendance records the past three seasons. If not for a rainout the last weekend of 2003, they'd have had three straight seasons of three million people walking through the turnstiles. All of that has occurred on Baker's watch. To the Trib, the wins and losses don't count; they've never counted. As long as people show up for the games or watch them on WGN, the Cubs are making money and represent a neat black line on the Tribune's income statement.

 

Sure, the Cubs got a bigger payroll the past couple of seasons, but cripes, the gate receipts alone amount to $90-$100 million annually. That doesn't count concessions, licensing revenues, or TV revenue. So we spent $90 million instead of $75 million on payroll. Big whoop.

 

It's my fear we're never going to see a World Series title on the North Side until this baseball team starts being run by baseball people, instead of Wall Street people.

[UK1679666180]

They're run by baseball people and have more than enough revenue, they just haven't done a good enough job, I don't think it based on effort either. You could've given the Cubs 20mil more in payroll and they probably would not have made the playoffs given how poorly they spent the other 100 mil.

 

Just a flawed philosophy.

Edited October 17, 2005 by UK

[nilodnayr]

They're run by baseball people and have more than enough revenue, they just doesn't done a good enough job, I don't think it based on effort either. You could've given the Cubs 20mil more in payroll and they probably would not have made the playoffs given how poorly they spent the other 100 mil.

 

Just a flawed philosophy.

 

The cubs spent just as much money in 2005 as the world champions in 2002 and 2003 spent combined.

[dbeider]

Think about this.

 

Sox vs Astros in the World Series.

 

Sox haven't been to the series since '59?

Astros never been to the Series.

 

That knocks off two more historic "losers" not just one, regardless who wins. I won't speak for the last 97 years, but just for the last 2. The Cubs should be embarrased for what has gone on in 04 & 05, and even moreso if the above is the case. In a time where parity appears to be showing, the Cubs can't get to the playoffs.

 

The good news to me is, yes I think this would light some sort of a fire under the entire organizations you know what's.

[RockTheIvy]

Here comes the 7th trumpet... :cry: :cry:

 

Go Astros!