To What Degree Do the White Sox Need a COMPLETE Overhaul?

[kittle42]

Originally Posted by wassagstdu

A .500 team where nobody has any trade value and a dust bowl on the farm. Thanks, KW!

This is *exactly* what I feared before the season started - the result we have right now.

That is not to say that I would rather the team have tanked 2012, traded Peavy and AJ when they had a chance, and never had any "excitement," this year. But if you ask me next year or in a few years whether I would rather they had done that, I'd objectively say yes.

[October26]

Originally Posted by Frater Perdurabo

There are so many permutations of what KW/Hahn could do this offseason, so I'm just going to wait and see. But these are just a few suggestions: Our pitchers need to give up fewer walks. Continue taking infield practice regularly. Work with DeAza, Beckham, and Alexei on their hitting approaches - including bunting for hits - as well as their base running.

I would add that I would also like to see Manto work with Viciedo on his hitting approach. Next to his parents, I am sure that I am Dayan Viciedo’s Number 1 fan on the Planet, but as the season progressed, I was annoyed with Viciedo’s approach at the plate. Tank was swinging at everything and had no patience or discipline whatsoever.

I kept yelling at my TV when he was at bat (or at him when I was at the games):

Paciencia!
Paciencia!
Paciencia!

I guess he didn’t hear me, because the louder I yelled, the worse he looked. Overall, Viciedo had a good season but he needs to learn the strike zone and gain some discipline at the plate.

[kittle42]

Originally Posted by Golden Sox

I would not be surprised to see both Mark Buehrle and Bobby Jenks back on the White Sox in 2013. I'm under the impression Buehrle will definitely be moved from the Marlins. Now that Peavy won't be on the team the White Sox will probably use that money to bring back Buehrle. Jenks is a free agent and if he's healthy enough to pitch it wouldn't shock me to see him back with the White Sox. If Jenks is on the team Nate Jones could be moved into the starting rotation.

And I see we're starting with the more ludicrous of the offseason ideas before the season even ends.

[kittle42]

Originally Posted by voodoochile

640K fans over the course of a season isn't that much? Isn't that ~$24M gross revenue before counting parking?

Remind me not to let you anywhere any business I ever own...

I realized that as I was typing it, that it doesn't work that way, and that it's just perception on my end.

[SaltyPretzel]

Originally Posted by October26

I would add that I would also like to see Manto work with Viciedo on his hitting approach. Next his parents, I am sure that I am Dayan Viciedo’s Number 1 fan on the Planet, but as the season progressed, I was annoyed with Viciedo’s approach at the plate. Tank was swinging at everything and had no patience or discipline whatsoever.

I kept yelling at my TV when he was at bat (or at him when I was at the games):

Paciencia!
Paciencia!
Paciencia!

I guess he didn’t hear me, because the louder I yelled, the worse he looked. Overall, Viciedo had a good season but he needs to learn the strike zone and gain some discipline at the plate.

What does his mom and dad have to do with anything?

[SOXSINCE'70]

Originally Posted by soltrain21

Better pick up Dustin Hermanson, too.

Why?? Did he fall down??

[October26]

Originally Posted by SaltyPretzel

What does his mom and dad have to do with anything?

Thanks for correcting me. I meant to say, Next to his parents... or perhaps I meant to say, Besides his parents...this is what happens when you type fast.

[TaylorStSox]

Originally Posted by October26

I would add that I would also like to see Manto work with Viciedo on his hitting approach. Next to his parents, I am sure that I am Dayan Viciedo’s Number 1 fan on the Planet, but as the season progressed, I was annoyed with Viciedo’s approach at the plate. Tank was swinging at everything and had no patience or discipline whatsoever.

I kept yelling at my TV when he was at bat (or at him when I was at the games):

Paciencia!
Paciencia!
Paciencia!

I guess he didn’t hear me, because the louder I yelled, the worse he looked. Overall, Viciedo had a good season but he needs to learn the strike zone and gain some discipline at the plate.

He's corrected that on every level. He has Vlad Syndrome. He thinks he can hit everything because he has unreal plate coverage. It's not the smart approach though.

[WhiffleBall]

Next year should be interesting. The Tigers get Victor Martinez back and will have even more money to spend if they make a deep post season run. One good thing about the Tigers winning the WS is that maybe Ilitch will be satisfied and stop pouring so much money into the team. Who knows, KC may finally get over that hump. Cleveland probably won't improve that much but who knows what will happen if they hire Francona. Minnesota will probably suck again.

I think we will see a lot more of Dunn at 1B next year with Paulie DH'ing more often. Peavy will be gone. Youk and Floyd may be back. They won't rush anyone up from the minors and why would they, just to shed some salary, no way. Catcher might be the biggest question mark. AJ is so durable. Who else is out there that will outperform AJ for his $2-4 million asking price?

I don't think there will be a large dropoff in the season ticket holder base next year because the majority of ST holders probably opted to use their post season ticket money as a deposit for next year. The only other option was to get a refund and lose your seat location for next year. That playoff push or whatever it was called ticket plan will also lock in a few more season ticket holders which should more than offset the cancellations.

While parking is priced way too high there is no reason to complain about ticket prices. The Sox lowered prices in 2012 for all but the best seats in the house plus there were discount codes for almost every game including games like Elvis night and the Yankees. The codes were very easy to find after a quick google search. The days of meaningful walk up sales are over. It's much easier and cheaper to buy tickets from home even a couple of hours before the game.

There should also be more high quality giveaways. Doing so will do nothing but increase the number of tickets sold guranteed.

The Sox need more ticket tiers. Those seats right behind the dugout should not cost the same as tickets in row 37 of sections 121 and 143. The back sections of the UD past the bases and last 10 rows of the outfield should be $10 seats for all games. The lower level corners should be $15, those are not good seats and empty for most games for a reason.

What is really going to hurt ticket sales next year, and has already been discussed is the terrible schedule:

April: 16 home games, no "premiere" matchups
May: 11 home games, 2 vs Cubs and 3 vs Boston (not really a premiere team anymore) and 3 vs Marlins
June: 11 home games, 2 weeknight games again NYM, big whoop
July: 13 home games, 3 vs Braves and only 6 against division rivals whose fans travel well in July
August: 15 home games, 3 vs NYY
September: 14 home games all against division rivals

Those 30 games in April and September will have brutal attendance, April because of school/weather and September because as we just went through even if we are in first place Sox fans do not show up in September. If we were totally out of it then you would have the 1 penny tickets on stubhub for most of the September games.

Marketing could bump it up a bit and McDonough coming over could not hurt but he has a nice job with the Hawks. Maybe he could take over the business side of the Sox with KW running the baseball side? Is Howard Pizer the current person in charge of the business side? I could see the chances of McDonough becoming a reality increase dramatically if there is no NHL season.

[Nellie_Fox]

Originally Posted by Frater Perdurabo

There are so many permutations of what KW/Hahn could do this offseason, so I'm just going to wait and see. But these are just a few suggestions:

Our pitchers need to give up fewer walks.

Continue taking infield practice regularly.

Work with DeAza, Beckham, and Alexei on their hitting approaches - including bunting for hits - as well as their base running.

You see those things as the responsibility of the front office? If your GM starts interfering with the field manager to that extent, you've really got problems.

[FielderJones]

Originally Posted by WhiffleBall

While parking is priced way too high there is no reason to complain about ticket prices. The Sox lowered prices in 2012 for all but the best seats in the house plus there were discount codes for almost every game including games like Elvis night and the Yankees. The codes were very easy to find after a quick google search. The days of meaningful walk up sales are over. It's much easier and cheaper to buy tickets from home even a couple of hours before the game.

I think you're giving the casual fan too much credit. Most people who aren't hard core fans like us aren't going to go looking around for discount codes and other gimmicks. Most people want to see, up front, what a ticket is going to cost. Not only is the "sticker" price of the average ticket too high at the beginning of the year, the ridiculous dynamic pricing just adds more uncertainty.

Originally Posted by WhiffleBall

The Sox need more ticket tiers. Those seats right behind the dugout should not cost the same as tickets in row 37 of sections 121 and 143. The back sections of the UD past the bases and last 10 rows of the outfield should be $10 seats for all games. The lower level corners should be $15, those are not good seats and empty for most games for a reason.

This. There needs to be a larger percentage difference between the top seats and the worst seats in the house, if you want to sell bargain seats.

[eriqjaffe]

Originally Posted by voodoochile

Sox went into a funk at the wrong time of the year that's why they are going to be watching from home

Going a combined 12-24 against Kansas City and Detroit didn't help. The Sox just flat out lost the division because they couldn't beat teams the needed to beat and one team in particularly that they should have beaten.

If the Sox had gone .500 against each team, they'd be 90-69 right now and would have clinched a few days ago.

[LITTLE NELL]

Originally Posted by eriqjaffe

Going a combined 12-24 against Kansas City and Detroit didn't help. The Sox just flat out lost the division because they couldn't beat teams the needed to beat and one team in particularly that they should have beaten.

If the Sox had gone .500 against each team, they'd be 90-69 right now and would have clinched a few days ago.

If,the largest word in the English language.

[kittle42]

Originally Posted by FielderJones

I think you're giving the casual fan too much credit. Most people who aren't hard core fans like us aren't going to go looking around for discount codes and other gimmicks. Most people want to see, up front, what a ticket is going to cost. Not only is the "sticker" price of the average ticket too high at the beginning of the year, the ridiculous dynamic pricing just adds more uncertainty.

Hell, even hardcore fans don't utilize codes and StubHub.

Regardless of how cheap we all know if might get to go to games, the great majority of the public doesn't know that. Thus, face value must be dropped.

[DeadMoney]

Originally Posted by kittle42

Hell, even hardcore fans don't utilize codes and StubHub.

Regardless of how cheap we all know if might get to go to games, the great majority of the public doesn't know that. Thus, face value must be dropped.

The ticket prices need to go through a careful reevaluation this off season followed by some change. And it needs to be done early on. Dropping prices 3-5 days (or in some cases, a week or so) before the games doesn't help, and it's showed. Attendance issues are solved and corrected in the off season, not in the middle of the year.