Chicago White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf made the second-most-popular determination he might make Tuesday in firing govt vp Ken WIlliams and basic supervisor Rick Hahn.
The solely factor higher, within the eyes of most White Sox followers, would’ve been for Reinsdorf to announce he was promoting the group.
But you may’t have all the pieces in life, and not less than, for one second, Sox followers might rejoice.
It was their victory, in spite of everything.
There’s no probability Reinsdorf would’ve fired two of the three males most liable for the downfall of the franchise (the opposite being himself) with out the nonstop protests of Sox followers who had sufficient of the shedding, the shortage of accountability and the sequence of public relations blunders, from hiring Tony La Russa (Reindorf’s fault) to canceling SoxFest to buying and selling in style third baseman Jake Burger.
But don’t cease now, Jerry. There are extra strikes to be made.
The advertising division led by Brooks Boyer has been a nightmare as properly. Check out the Sox attendance, and the insane obsession with selling hip-hop and ’90s pop stars for postgame concert events.
The communications division’s greatest contribution to the group has been a scarcity of communication. Star gamers speak after they really feel prefer it. The face of the franchise, Tim Anderson, has been avoiding reporters a lot of the season. Even potential lame-duck supervisor Pedro Grifol usually performs his press obligations like he’s pressured to, not as a result of he has any actual curiosity in giving followers any perception into his considering.
Reinsdorf wouldn’t converse to the media, naturally. He’s muted himself for the reason that ’90s, when somebody instructed him he talked an excessive amount of and solely acquired in bother for saying what he believed. That’s his prerogative, nevertheless it exhibits a scarcity of respect for followers who put down their hard-earned cash to look at his groups.
“Ultimately the well-worn cliché that professional sports is results-oriented is correct,” Reinsdorf revealed in an announcement.
True, nevertheless it was additionally appropriate final 12 months, when the transfer ought to’ve been made following the disastrous 2022 season.
“This led me to the conclusion that the best decision for the organization moving forward is to make a change in our baseball department leadership,” he added.
Well, not less than he’s awake.
It’s not surprising Hahn is out. He appeared like he was carrying a blindfold and asking for a cigarette at a latest information convention, the place he prompt out loud he won’t be again. He knew his time was up, and that the “parade” he mentioned would vindicate his plan was not going to occur.
But the firing of Williams, the architect of the 2005 championship, was a pleasing shock. Williams has been like a son to Reinsdorf and was given carte blanche to do no matter he noticed match, like holding pitching coach-for-life Don Cooper properly previous his expiration date. Williams’ most well-known line — “Stay out of White Sox business” — was an announcement that he was above all of it and nobody might dare query his decision-making.
Now he’s out of Sox enterprise, higher late than by no means.
Reinsdorf made it clear the search would start for a “single decision-maker” to steer the baseball operations division, which suggests he’s searching for somebody with the gravitas of a Theo Epstein to alter the tradition and convey some much-needed credibility again to the South Side.
Epstein could have higher issues to do than save the Sox for the South Side, nevertheless it wouldn’t damage to ask.
Going exterior the group is a should since selling somebody Williams or Hahn employed would lead to the identical, previous issues and the identical, previous fan resentment.
Scott Harris, the first-year President of the Detroit Tigers who hails from Epstein tree, together with Cubs President Jed Hoyer and a number of other different main league executives, spoke concerning the want for cultural modifications earlier than Tuesday’s recreation at Comerica Park.
“Culture matters in these organizations,” Harris mentioned. “You work so many hours in these jobs, that when you don’t create an atmosphere that individuals wish to be part of, the entire group suffers. Theo was the perfect I’d ever seen about making a tradition, constructing camaraderie across the group, and making the Cubs a spot you like to return to work.
“Not everything that is valuable is measurable. He taught me that, and taught me building that type of culture can help you put a better baseball team on the field, even if there is no direct relationship between those two things. He lived it in two different places — broke the curses — and those are the type of people you should have.”
Hovering over the hiring course of would be the Crain’s Chicago Business report of the Sox searching for a brand new stadium when their lease at Guaranteed Rate Field ends in six years. The precise ballpark design was one in all Reinsdorf’s greatest errors, however there’s nothing structurally unsuitable with Sox Park that might power the group to desert it for a brand new one.
The leaking of such a transfer suggests Reinsdorf actually desires to promote the group earlier than he dies, even when it means placing the screws to Sox followers by letting some group transfer it to Nashville. Once he’s gone, he received’t care about his legacy.
The Brooklyn Dodgers crushed him when proprietor Walter O’Malley up and left for Los Angeles in 1958, however so what? The O’Malley household that profited off the heartless transfer has by no means appeared again. None of Reinsdorf’s heirs will care concerning the Sox leaving city so long as the sale gives them with generational wealth.
South Siders have gone via the wringer over the previous few weeks, from watching Burger go away to listening to concerning the clubhouse chemistry points to listening to rumors concerning the group fleeing and eventually to listening to the information of the tip of the Williams-Hahn axis.
No one mentioned it was simple being a Sox fan.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com