Bandwagon Cubs Fans, Repent!

Posted on by mysoxsummer
Folks, its your old buddy BeefLoaf…………this is a special post, a playoff baseball post.  This is a post that should help you and more importantly, your Cubs fan friends, enjoy baseball this time of year.  A recent series of discussions between the 108ers helped us identify that most of OUR friends that claim their fandom to the Northside team, are very, very casual fans and few, if any, actually attended, or even so much as watched or listened to games during their extended hiatus from playoff baseball.  Now, this isn’t a sin in the biblical sense, but it is a sin of fandom if you intend to sport your Cubbie blue all over the goddamn place and choose to be obnoxious to your fellow Southsider that has been living and dying with an awful team for 8 years.  So upon further review (no worries, Mike Carey isn’t advising us), I decided to create a list of things that the bandwagon Cubs fans can do to repent and feel full enjoyment for this current playoff run.  White Sox fans, please pass this list on to your Cubs fan friends and together we can live in harmony, like ebony and ivory.
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– Re-embrace Sammy Sosa………..I’m tired of it, as Cubs fans, you love Sammy Sosa, so I want you to bring him back in to your life….I think hanging an 8×11 photo of him in your den should do the trick.  Extra credit for hanging a picture of “White” Sammy Sosa
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– Buy an old school shirsey………….I’d suggest EITHER something from your childhood, whatever era that might be (I’m in my late 30’s so a Manny Trillo shirsey might be fun)………..OR a guy that none of the other bandwagon fans know who the fuck they are…….like 2012 All Star Bryan LaHair
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– Drink nothing but Old Style for an entire playoff game.  It used to be the main beer at the park on Sheffield and Addison, so go nostalgic and knock back some Old Style
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– Rewatch Glenallen Hill’s May 11, 2000 monster fucking home run.  It’s seriously the longest fucking home run I have ever seen (I don’t care what the record books say).  And it’s so easy to find in the YouTube era, so go check it out.  If it is your first time viewing it, please watch it in private, because it’s NSFW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wDrw76ieTs
– Adopt some vintage Cubs styles to your personal ensemble……I’ll leave this to your imagination, but a couple of things that would really endear you to the hard core Cubs fans and your White Sox brethren as well would be getting a perm like 80’s closer Lee Smith, or possibly an I ❤️ Sandy Sandberg tattoo, you know, something really classy
– Say it out loud, so all can hear…”FUCK RYAN DEMPSTER AND HIS STUPID FUCKING IMPRESSION OF WILL FARRELL DOING HARRY CARAY!!!!” We all know this sucks, and I’m still not sure why this is allowed to be on TV.  You’ll be considered part of the die-hards if you say this blows

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– Make sure others know that you blame Alex Gonzalez and Dusty Baker’s over usage of Mark Prior in game 2, for the 2003 team’s NLCS collapse, and NOT Steve Bartman.
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– Create a macaroni statue of your favorite current player or coach, I’d suggest Chris Bosio as it would take the most possible macaroni of any person in the dugout.   Don’t let him near your statue though, I doubt he could resist, as it appears his self control around the table is in question.
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– Get into a bar fight with Kyle Farnsworth.  To be honest, most of you  have probably already done this, or if you are woman, you have been sloppily hit on by him, so this is probably the least necessary one on the list, but I’ll leave it on here for those that were incarcerated or underage during those years.

Godspeed.

 – BeefLoaf

The 5 – Players that RV will waste playing time on in a lost September

Posted on by mysoxsummer
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I don’t trust grown men who wear rubber bracelets.
When it gets to September the last several years, it is almost certain that our White Sox are just playing out the string.  That doesn’t mean that this time of year can’t be valuable in some way shape or form even if that doesn’t have anything to due with the Win/Loss columns in the 2016 standings.  Smarter writers than those here at the 108 have noted that PA (Plate Appearances) are a commodity to be used wisely.  Alas, we still have Robin Ventura at the helm and he’s guaranteed to hurt the White Sox down the stretch even when the standings don’t matter, by giving those valuable PA to players that don’t matter and leaving on the bench players we’d like to see, to determine if they can be someone on the big club……….the list below…in no particular order, will make me cry when it actually occurs.
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James, don’t go away mad. James, just go away. #crue #wallymoney
5. James Shields – Wasting even one more start this season on this dumpster fire is terrible team management top to bottom.   I understand he’s likely to exercise his option and be under contract for two more seasons, but running him out there as a starter in 2016 for the White Sox or Padres has been downright dreadful.  Alternative –  Carson Fulmer Anthony Raunado  I know Raunado hasn’t been too hot since his first start at Wrigley, but giving him a little run is worth a lot more than watching James Shields get to 20 losses (sorry Biguns). Other ideas – Bullpen game or use the Rays 5th starter idea (this is when the Rays would start a high leverage reliever for the 1st inning and then bring in a starter in the 2nd inning and have them face roughly 18 batters to avoid the 3rd time through the lineup penalty)
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Playing Edward Mc 40 Hands? F Yeah.
4. Brett Lawrie – If he recovers we don’t really need to see him again, we know what he is……………high energy, meh production, major injury risk.  Alternative – Carlos Sanchez I know his OPS is lower than the weight of some of our fellow Sox fans, but he’s still young, hasn’t had a lot of PA’s in MLB and could possibly show something that either the White Sox or some other team in trade may find valuable.  The glove has been there, but I’d like to see some more PA’s to determine if he can be passable with the bat.  Other ideas – Tyler Saladino is clearly still a bench player on this team next year so no harm in him getting the PAs
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Love my friend. Love his wife more.

 

3. Avisail Garcia – He’s received nearly 1500 PA, for a slash line of .259/.310/.384, that’s right folks, he’s Dayan Viciedo with even less power.  Suffice to say, he shouldn’t be on this roster next year unless full scale rebuild is occurring and you are just looking for warm bodies to help you gather up a top 5 draft pick.  Alternatives – Jason Coats has done nothing but hit at the top levels of the minors, so there isn’t a good reason not to give him as many PA’s in September as possible.  Let’s see if he can actually hit in the majors and determine from there his best use (probably in a trade, or in LF after trading Melky).   Other Ideas – Tyler Saladino could get worked out in a corner OF spot just to give him reps for emergencies in the future.  Again, this isn’t a minors loaded with ready OF’s or hitters (RIP Charlie Tilson).  Other Other Ideas – Jacob May it truly could not hurt to see Jacob May man CF a few times during September, I just want to put an eye on him even if he’s not really a player.  If JB Shuck absorbs any of this playing time, you know we’re fucked.
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Might be the last time we ever post this picture. EL NINO!
2. Matt Albers – His career is probably over so there is no upside here other than tanking for a protected draft pick.  There was a time in April of this vary season (when the White Sox were the best team EVAR) that Albers was a fan favorite of the 108, El Nino…………now, he’s basically become Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja, once beloved, but now just playing out the string and close to the end.  Alternatives – Zach Burdi Anything Other Ideas – Release him tomorrow
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Dollar Shave Club brah. 
1.  Alex Avila – I see no point in playing anyone at catcher other than Omar Narvaez, with a sprinkling of Kevan Smith.     Let’s see an extended look and determine if Narvaez is your #1 catcher next year in a rebuild or your #2 catcher next year on a team making another (sigh) run.  Alternatives – Omar Narvaez  Other Ideas – Omar Narvaez………just fucking play him everyday and twice on Sunday!!!!

– BeefLoaf

MidSeason Grades from the 108

Posted on by mysoxsummer
Midseason Grades
A couple of footnotes to the grades, Chorizy-E went with Pass/Fail as he believes that is how everything should be graded.  MSS offered up an “Incomplete” for Twitter, as he doesn’t believe much in Twittering.
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Beer Vendors
Over in the 108, this is easily the most important grade. We got this shit on lockdown.  Hell, BeefLoaf and Slumpbuster have our regular beer guys on speed dial so they don’t waste their precious time coming by till be get there.  Brian, James and Richard are top notch and take great care of us.  However, if you are sitting in the upper deck…it is a bad area….a wasteland if you will.  Easily lost multiple sales because they NEVER come around.  Sometimes we save money on tickets to buy beer folks, but if we don’t have the opportunity to purchase, well, yeah.  So treat the “up high guys” the same as the lowers.
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Fans (in stadium)
Wow.  We went from selling 100k tickets in a week, to listing 1000 tickets a day on StubHub.  The fans were awesome when we were winning, not so much when the drecks of the bad losing streak hit.  We don’t expect full houses anytime soon.  White Sox fans in the stadium actually know the game better than you might think, we like to think 99% of fans are just there to eat hot dogs and drink beer, which is mostly correct, but the 108’ers tend to run into people who actually have a clue and who are very social.  Especially opposing team fans, which is always questionable………unfortunately, too many of you still engage in the wave, which is the equivalent of having AOL as your internet provider or  asking someone to fax you some information.  The wave may have been fun/cool at some point, but that point is 20 years in our rear view, now its equal parts obnoxious and pointless.  If you don’t believe me, watch our video here.  Overall, White Sox fans are generally friendly and conversational, with the occasional fall down drunk (more occasional in the 108).
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White Sox Twitter
I’m a big fan of the White Sox Twitter community.  They’re very active and unlike most social media, I see people actually asking questions and getting solid answers.  This builds a more informed, more cohesive fan base.  Of course there are some complete lunatics, but it’s the internet, so that’s gonna happen.  But, White Sox Twitter also clearly suffers from bipolar disorder…….one minute, Sox are the best team in baseball, the next, they should get contracted Expos style………Tyler Saladino is the equivalent of the Bears backup QB, everyone knows he isn’t very good, but they still want him in the lineup at all costs, even at DH………..the group is very split on JB Shuck, the sane folks know he really sucks and shouldn’t play everyday, the unsane would like him out there at all costs……..in fairness, this is what you have to work with when you watch 162 baseball games of a mediocre team.  White Sox Twitter has been really on point with the fans’ feelings of the team, they make the game viewing experience very fun, even when the team sucks.  I think collectively, as a group, we need to work in Crying Jordan more, but that is just me.
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Robin Ventura
Like a wet luke warm towel in a locker room, RV is still around.  Is it luke warm cause it was recently pissed on?  Maybe.  Cause it wasn’t fully dry when it came out of the dryer?  Maybe.  Why are we talking about towels?  Cause they are far more interesting than RV and his managing style.  Just read this article to get the unabridged version of what we think of RV.
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Rick Hahn
We are fans of Rick Hahn, but trying to figure out “the Plan” is sort of like following the plot of True Detective 2, you think you sort of almost have it and then Jimmy Rollins and Mat Latos die and you are back to square one.  To his credit he has discarded his old and broken toys for other people’s old and broken toys……..ah, who are we kidding, if it weren’t for Tim Anderson, this team would be trending down towards the Twins, which is possibly what they need, but right now, we want to watch them play well.  There is so little depth on this team, someone has to take the blame for that.  If you lose the CF you picked up 30 seconds before the season started, the whole team should not fall to pieces, and we certainly should not have to watch JB Shuck.  Not to mention you rostered Jerry Sands for what seemed to be forever.  We think Hahn was in a weird spot this year, between trying to compete and keep the White Sox 3 high draft picks………..think in that respect, he mostly did what he could, but again the team is in the dreggs of the middle class (we know, we know, the middle class is gone in the US).
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The Organization
Rough one.  They try so fucking hard. we are friends with many folks in the front office in all different areas. We would say overall, this year has been pretty smooth so far. We feel like they have had some solid giveaways.  The t-shirts have been bomb, wish it was a Monday not a Thursday, but whatevs.  Lots of folks are getting there to get them.  They have started doing special tickets for special bobbleheads too, which we love.  We also love that they discount the tickets.  We also love that MSS does make us go through the line a bunch of times to get extras. MSS really hope this continues and they offer this for the regular release bobbles too.  Even the red shirts have done a better job this year.   The organization hasn’t really pissed me off and they are clearly trying to make positive changes.
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Announcers
Jason Benetti is carrying this sorry group.  He is a breath of fresh air and he is already making the broadcast 100x better with new segments and fun interactive stuff for the fans (even if we realize that @ssspnoles and @cswear12 have the cheat code for #SoxMath).  He also allows Steve Stone to actually talk and they actually interact in a fun way.  Especially like the one inning a game where Jason really gets to break Stoney’s balls about how bad he did against certain hitters from his past.  We suspect that Benetti will get stolen by ESPN or MLB Network at some point, so we should really try to enjoy this while it lasts.  One negative point against Benetti, he dissed us with our welcome sign and never acknowledged it on TV.  That ain’t cool.
Steve Stone is still good, not as good as he used to be, but that is only because with the pervasiveness of advanced stats that help the average fan understand the game better.
Hawk is done, but we get so many insane quotes from him, we can deal with it for the rest of the year.  His main highlights of the year have been when he couldn’t see if a ground rule double (aka bounce home run) was a homer or a double and had to ask Stoney (mind you, he has a monitor 3 inches from him that he could look at) and when he left the booth for an inning to check on Todd Frazier when Frazier got hurt in Texas.  He’ll probably blame the umps for this bad rating we are giving him.
Farmio and DJ are a good listen if you think of them as an old married couple.  I think that’s what they’re going for, so I’ll pretend it’s on purpose……….however, if your intention was to actually know what is going on in the game they aren’t such a good listen………..when they actually do talk about the game, Farmio rarely knows wtf is going on and often gives incorrect information.  DJ would probably be better off with a better partner, because Farmio is slipping big time, but considering it is the White Sox, they’ll probably extend him for another 5 years.
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Technology
We love the ballpark app (except for the feature that allows you to order food, because that food shan’t arrive, EVAR). We love that they give you stuff for checking in.  Sadly, this year it has been mostly bullshit.  Last year we had free apps at ChiSox every weekend it seemed.  And those coupons were good till the end of the season.  Now they are only good for that game.  So if BigUns buys us all pretzels or something in the 8th, we still have to go get the free apps even if we aren’t that hungry for wings (which is rare, but can happen).  Yes, they lost a TON of money on that promo last year from the 108.  But guess what?  We also bought a TON of tall boy High Life’s at $7 each.  Seriously.  We can buy a case of High Life for $3 more.  A case! So give me some free fucking wings!
On another note, one of the goals of Ballpark App is at 50 check in’s, you get a Golden Chris Sale Bobblehead. Which is awesome.  What is not awesome is that they GAVE THE DAMN THINGS AWAY ON SOCIAL MEDIA NIGHT IN THE TWITTER VENDING MACHINE. So all the guys who have been going to every game  just got scooped by some douche that tweeted “Go Sox! 456789”  That was cold guys, especially since we are only in the 40’s for home games.  You could have waited, but in true Sox fashion, blew the load early.
New scoreboard is nice, but that’s about it.  They’re trying to do more with social media, but there is not much of interest there.  There is still not a way to use a credit card with vendors.  They do very little to go about seeing what their season ticket holders spend in the stadium or what they spend it on.  There are a lot of improvements to be made across the MLB in terms of in-stadium technology and you think they would lead the way since they have so many games as opposed to a sport like football.  But they do not.  Good news though, Comiskey Cash is still a thing, for some stupid reason.

The 5 – Early Season Happenings That Have “the ‘Loaf” Giddy

Posted on by beefloaf108

Afternoon folks, it’s the ‘Loaf……here is a quick 5 for that azz……

5. Adam Eaton is excellent in RF – On the broadcast Tuesday night Jason Benetti mentioned that Adam Eaton has saved more defensive runs than any player in baseball (ie, an average defender would save 0 runs and be perfectly even)…..8……put in context, saving 8 defensive runs in the current run enviroment is mathematically worth 1 win.  That’s a lot for less than a month of play…..oh and he’s knocking the crap out of the ball as well, notching his first HR on Tuesday as well.
4. The White Sox organizations treatment of fans – The highlight is the home date on April 9th in which not only did they allow all upper tank fans to sit in the lower tank (icy ramps), but they gave all fans a ticket voucher on the way out of the park to show their appreciation.  Well Done!
3. Jason Benetti – What I have seen of the Benetti/Stone broadcasts are tremendous……..I was fearful of Benetti being a cookie cutter snoozeville, Syracuse type, but he has a personality and more importantly he allows Stoney to be fun and weird as well……….it’s a much more relaxed and silly broadcast than the Hawk Show.  I especially love their little case of prizes that includes Stoney’s signed Altoids.
2. Matt Albers – The 108’s favorite player, aka “El Nino” has dominated on the field and has shown his fiery personality just immediately off of it.  He’s a treat to watch!
1. Twitter – Our twitter friends and followers make road games (or home games we aren’t attending) so much fucking fun to enjoy together.  Keep up all the craziness and we’ll get this division title together. (If you don’t see your pic, blame MSS (@mysoxsummer)tweet at him to complain)

– BeefLoaf

The 5 – Reasons NOT To Buy The Hype

Posted on by beefloaf108

It’s Early.

It’s way f’ing early.  Shit, the way the media is talking in Chicago, Cubs have the World Series berth locked up and maybe the Sox will compete with them in October.  Y’all are f’ing nuts.

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Crack pipe.  Yep.

John Danks. 

Yeah.  2 games, 2 losses.  Not even close.  I met John at SoxFest ’16, hell of a great guy.  Always looks really excited, possibly high, maybe it’s time to pack it up, take care of that smoking hot wife of yours and call it day.  Hell, go hang out with Dunn.  Maybe join LaRoche on one of his “missions”.  He’s not cutting it, maybe he’ll get hot later, but let’s bring him in if a young guy starts getting pounded.  He shouldn’t be starting.

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So high.

The teams we have played.

“We would have lost to the Twins last year”  – Friend in passing.

He’s right by the way.  Were the Twins better last year?  I HAVE NO F’ING IDEA.  I am a White Sox fan, I can barely keep up with them, I rely on the head nod and squinty eyes when I am asked in depth baseball questions.  Chorizy , Polish or ‘Loaf can handle your technical questions better, I rely on the ol’ eye test.  The Twins f’ing failed the eye test.  Badly.   When I see Oakland starting Phegley and Semien, I think to myself, “I know how good those guys are so you guys must really suck.”  I am sure they will come on later in the year to prove me wrong (Phegley Fever!) and I hope they do. Tribe sucks too, cause, well Cleveland.  Look what that city did to that find upstanding COLLEGE GRADUATE from Texas A&M, Johnny “Football” Manziel.  Cue Beastie Boys – Johnny Ryall.

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Jimmy Rollins.

Dude is old.  Like way old.  I am 1 year older than him. I am f’old too.  I don’t need to be on the softball field anymore, much less a MLB field.  I hope JRoll keeps not hurting himself.  I hope he continues to help us in the field and smack a hit here and there. What I am guessing will happen is one day his leg will just fall off.  You better be practicing Tyler, you let a 37 yr old guy beat you for your spot.  I met Tyler at SoxFest too, I asked him what the plans were, his handler said he was the starting SS for us.  Tyler responded with a “We’ll see”.  Yeah, cause goddamn, we’re gonna need ya son.

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Dude looks high too. I swear I bought weed from this guy several times in college.

 

Hitting.

Not long ago, Jose Abreu had to swing at anything close cause the dude wasn’t being protected by ANYONE. Now we have reigning home run champ Todd Frazier batting behind him and he still swings at junk.  Will he get more disciplined?  Maybe.  Hitting coach Todd Steverson is a hell of a nice guy too, I know he has worked hard with Jose, so I am hopeful.  But will Frazier start hitting?  Kinda a big component in the whole deal.  I hope as the weather warms up so will the bats.  Still not hitting good enough to get behind them yet.

MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago White Sox
Hit that ball buddy.

 

So alot of things that need to be fixed before I can even list these guys an contenders.  I thought this past weekend would be a good test, lost 2 of 3.  Hoping that they can split with the Angels and take the series vs the Rangers.  I will be at a few games this week, hope to see you guys there!

-MSS

Conspiracy Theory: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Posted on by chorizy
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Not pizza. Not even close. Insulting to other pizza.

Let me start by saying, I love that the Sox booted Digiorno and brought in Beggars.  I went to about 35 games last year and had about 70 slices of Beggars.  However, one of the items added to the food at the Cell this year is BBQ Chicken Pizza.  And much like Public Enemy told us years ago, Don’t Believe the Hype.  Now, I’m sure plenty of you enjoy this food, but I’ve got a lot of problems with BBQ Chicken Pizza and now you’re gonna hear em.

Not Pizza

Main ingredients: Dough, BBQ sauce, Chicken, Mozzarella Cheese.  That sounds like quite a nice sandwich you made for yourself.  What’s that?  It’s pizza? No it’s not.  I don’t care how you organize the sandwich, it’s not pizza.  You have to believe bagel pizza is a thing and cheese-less pizza is a thing if you want to believe this is pizza.  If I were to take two Vespas and put em right next to each other, it didn’t make it a car.  It’s two damn Vespas.  Laying these ingredients out in a pizza formation is just a lie and I won’t stand for it.

STP_Ingrdnts

Not Healthier

At some point, some ad-wizard convinced people that chicken was health food (no matter how it was prepared)!  Don’t believe me?  Remember KFC trying to call themselves Kitchen Fresh Chicken?  It’s not as bad as what they try with fish: I drove past Lawrence’s one day and saw a sign up that said “Get Fit, Eat More Fish.”  Holy shit, are you serious?  My cholesterol went up just reading that sign.

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But I digress.  The point is, getting this bbq chicken monstrosity is no healthier than getting pepperoni or sausage pizza, you know real pizza.  You’re not doing yourself any favors by choosing chicken.  You’re a slob like me and you’re probably gonna stop at Arby’s on your way home anyway.  I’ll see you there.

It’s blocking other pizza prospects

This is similar to the arguments I hear about steroids and Michael Jordan’s baseball career.  People who use steroids block other prospects from getting into pro baseball, Jordan was taking a spot from a kid committed to playing baseball.  I am finally on the cry-baby side of this argument and I love it.  BBQ Chicken Pizza takes a spot away from other possible delicious pizza options.  We probably all have different opinions on the varieties we would choose, but I would bet they don’t have BBQ sauce or chicken involved.

Question to the 3 people that read this

If a friend invited you over for pizza and you showed up to find BBQ Chicken Pizza, your disappointment would most likely be at the level of:

  • First time you got dumped?
  • Found out there was no Santa Claus?
  • Watched Big Frank hit his 500th HR in a different jersey?

-Chorizy-E

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Thursday (was supposed to be Monday) Review – Opening Weekend.

Posted on by mysoxsummer

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Great weekend for the 108’ers. – Beef’s Friday. 

Friday was kicked off with the annual 108 opening day party at the home of the one and only BeefLoaf.  Big contingent of 108’ers hit the game as well, a staggering 60+ of us (at the party at least), including BeefLoaf, MySoxSummer, Chorizy-E, Polish w/Extra Onions, Biguns, SlumpBuster and others………..despite the White Sox loss (expected since John Danks was throwing),……………..a great time was had and much tequila was drunk (oh we had some beer too).

MSS Friday – Damn it feels good to be a gangster. Every damn year, BeefLoaf and Ms. Loaf throw the best damn party in the hood.  Alcohol, friends & family, more alcohol and local food (Punky’s Rocks) made right here in the hood!  I (@mysoxsummer) was digging on the Chicken Parm, drinking local beer and not hearing the Payton Manning singing that silly jingle.  My cousin came into town and my wife and I were trying to explain what opening day was like. It is a like a Super Bowl party with everyone cheering for the same team.  Then you go to the game and NOT watch commercials.  It’s the same but different.  Party was an A+++++++.  We didn’t take any pictures of people, just the snow.

Chorizy-E’s Friday:

Weather – It snowed.  It was cold.  But that didn’t stop the crowds from coming out and didn’t stop anyone from cheering for the Sox.  The Sox, however, did keep that from happening.

The Game – It was quite horrible.  John Danks made everyone in the park hope that the Miguel Gonzalez signing was made for a specific reason.

Drinks – We had a whole lot of them.  I tried to keep track using the Swig app, but after lucky number 13, I think I stopped being able to operate my phone.  Judging by the time I got home there were a lot more consumed between 13 and my uber ride.

Lines – The lines for getting in, using the bathroom, and getting concessions were long, but they were a noticeable improvement over last year.

Chorizy-E’s Saturday:

Weather – It was colder than the day before, causing a delay for people to get in.  What was different than most years was that the Sox recognized this in a few ways.  First, the ice on the ramps caused them to close the upper deck.  This actually made the small crowd look much better with everyone on the lower level.  They should keep this in mind for low attendance games.  Second, as a token of appreciation for coming out in the cold, everyone got a voucher for a free upper deck ticket on their way out.  I thought that was really great.

The Game – Much better than the day before.  Sale was Sale, the bats showed up, and Matt “El Niño” Albers was incredible.

Drinks – So it happened.  Two rounds in a row, they didn’t have enough Lite and Coors Light, so I got stuck with MGD.  In the defense of the vendors, we were rolling 7 deep, so the rounds were pretty big.

MGD #1
MGD #1 and #2

MSS Saturday – But Saturday was wonderful.  So many things happened on Saturday.  My fave was watching Chorizy-E get served 2 MGD’s BACK-TO-BACK. I even offered to take one so he didn’t have to drink it.  He declined.  What a badass.  Game was great.  Cheers to the Sox for keeping everyone safe and closing the uppers.  Made the lower bowl look great, still was a little sparse, but free tickets for everyone was a hell of a jester.  ChiSox Bar and Grill made some great wings for us and kept the beer cold.  Kudos!

We came up with a nickname for Matt Albers –

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Beef’s Friday – The Saturday Ice Bowl was fun in its own right, MySoxSummer had a sign to welcome Jason Benetti, but we did not get on TV, due to most of the WGN crew clearly being old friends of Hawk and not wanting to upset him that the fans are excited about the young buck.  The winter hat give away was one of the best in recent memory and served the group well as it was mighty cold.  Beer Vendor James remade our acquaintance and kept us in suds throughout the game.  Oh and a big White Sox win, including BeefLoaf triumphantly calling Avi Garcia’s 3 run shot (it was a Costanza call as he shouted it for all in 108 to hear and then trudged to the latrine).

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Chorizy-E’s Sunday:

Rained Out.  We were already down for the game, so we had a few pops at Beefloaf’s place and finished off the weekend

Beef’s Sunday:

The weekend tally, (which includes the 108 party on Friday), 2 handles of Tito’s, half gallon of Grey Goose, half gallon of Cazadores, fif’s of Bullitt  and Captain Morgan as well as 217 beers (2 MGD’s).

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MSS’s Sunday:

Sad that the jersey didn’t make it to it’s first game.  Sad.  Made me drink a few more pops than normal.

Was a great weekend had by all, best part was getting back together with all my 108’ers.

Opening Day GRIPE Predictions. By My Sox Summer

Posted on by mysoxsummer

Sox fans like to complain.  Every year on a certain message board you’d see a thread the day after opening day about all the complaints. “They changed the music!”  “Beer price is higher than last year!” “Why did the guy from Journey throw the opening pitch?” “LINES” “WORKERS” “BATHROOMS” “BUN WAS STALE”. You get where I am going.  So I am gonna predict things that we all will be bitching about the Monday after opening weekend.

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1- WEATHER – Sox can’t control that, not yet anyways. We’re all in this together. Drink more and deal with it.  (That said weather might keep people away so maybe we won’t bitch about the next thing)

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2- LINES AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE – We all will bitch about the lines because we expect 40k people to stick to lines and to be ready when they get to the metal detectors.  So take you goddamn keys outta your pockets you drunk asses so we can watch the whole intro this year.  Guess what?  People are gonna want food and drinks too.  Guess what? They will all want them when the Sox are in the field.  Waiting till the 3rd, yeah, we all do that.  Drinking the amounts that we drink, we also piss.  A lot.  So expect lines.  Don’t go to the bathroom at the last minute, give yourself time.  And Sox, every year it seems like you forget that the game usually sells out for Opening Day.  Act like it.  SoxFest this year (opening ceremony on Friday) was a mess.  You can’t blame people for not following rules that you don’t enforce. You can’t blame the fans for lines (other than the jackwagons I mentioned above who ALWAYS forget their goddamn keys!).  I am hoping things go smooth, but expecting the worst.

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3- PRICES – Yep, it’s expensive to go to a game.  Nope, we don’t wanna hear about it.  I went to a movie, got some snacks, got a drink, I dropped $75 for the two of us.  Plus we paid $14 to park.  Tell me more about how it is unfair they charge $20 to park when you can get a ticket for under $10.  Especially if you come with a group.  $5 a person to park, $7 a ticket, $12 just to get in.  Seems like a swell deal to me. Plus the game might be better than the Steve Jobs Biopic that I am still pissed I spent actual money on.

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4- THE INTRO SUCKS – More than likely it will.  Guess what?  If you are reading this you are more than likely a fan, which is short for fanatic.  We are the die hards.  We will go to the game even when they suck.  WE ARE NOT THE TARGET AUDIENCE. Once we cross from “casual” fan to “reading (or writing) blogs about the team on a daily basis” fan they won.  They got us.  They switch shit up to attract a new fan base.  One that has other clothing besides Sox related items.  Hell, BeefLoaf has a shirt that no one outside of 35th and Shields would even understand.  I am a fan and I didn’t get it.  Dude is hardcore about his shirts.  We both live in the hood too, so like it or not we’ll be there till we die or move to the ‘burbs. So if a dumbass intro attracts a new base that will bring in more revenue and excitement, by all means play Fall Out Boy.

I see the Sox hired Chance The Rapper as a “consultant”, ABOUT F’N TIME. Dude is from here and rocks the Sox hat ALL THE F’N TIME. Plus he makes music that MILLIONS like.  Dude was on SNL, what TV show were you on?

Think of Opening Day like a first date for the Sox.  They pull out all the bells and whistles for that new girl. It’s only 3 months later that you realize that you got involved with a crazy person!  That is when you see the Sox true colors.  Hell, one Monday last year I was WAITING in a line with less than 10k at the game.  That is just pathetic.  But ya know what?  I like cheap tickets and I like cost effective food and drinks.  I will put up with a little hassle to keep that game going.  ONE TIP – If I see you yelling at staff for an issue that is beyond their control I will say something.  These people do a shit job, for shit pay and don’t need to take your shit too.  Take a boxing class to get out your aggression, don’t yell at a person making minimum wage, working far too hard for it,  especially when they aren’t given the tools to achieve perfection.  You do this to my favorite italian beef ladies (Evelyn and crew) I will smack ya.  Those ladies are lovely.

Here are the odd balls.

5- JOHN DANKS PITCHING – If he would have pitched in Oakland, and we got Sale on Friday, some would be happy.  Others would say that we should have used the actual rotation that we are gonna use for the whole year and F those guys who only show up on Opening Day expecting to see the best pitcher we have.  Look at it like this, John Danks will be gone someday.  Let the guy have his moment this year.  It’s just 1 of 162 games.  Come back Saturday to see Sale and get that sweet hat they are giving away.

6 – SCOREBOARD IS TOO BIG / TOO LOUD – For years we have bitched and bitched about the scoreboard screen being small.  Guess what?  THE WHOLE EFF’N THING IS A SCREEN NOW.  Guess what?  People are gonna miss the old school look.  It’s gonna happen.  We’ll complain because deep down we know we don’t deserve this marvel of electronics.  But we do friends, we do.  I am hoping for lasers.

7 – INTRO SONGS IN SPANISH – Guess what?  Most of the guys on the field DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH. Take it easy Trump, they PAY THEIR TAXES, but they don’t know the language. I for one don’t give a shizz if they do or don’t, as long as they can hit the ball a country mile. The world extends beyond the suburbs, trust me.  Many people in the world don’t speak English, but they are really good blokes.  So enjoy the popular music of Cuba or the DR, and sip a Corona from a can.  It might warm ya up.  Who knows?

8 – SO AND SO DIDN’T SIGN MY BLAH, BLAH, BLAH – When the crowd is smaller on Sunday, you will have the autograph hounds out there.  You know, when I am trying to get focused at work, I love to sign multiple items for grown ass men and women who maybe in turn will sell it on Ebay.  That is how I get focused.  So give these guys a break, buy an autograph if you want one.

9- PEOPLE WILL JUST BITCH ABOUT HOW IT USED TO BE AND HOW IT WAS BETTER  – That’s it. Can’t argue with this people.

Nine is my favorite number so I am gonna end here. I could go for days, but I won’t bore you with my rants today, I will save them for a video some day.  See you Friday, Saturday AND Sunday.  Unless my wife goes into labor, then you will only see me Friday and Saturday. Can’t miss Sale’s first start.

– MSS #99

The 5 – Why can’t I get this in the park?

Posted on by chorizy
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MySoxSummer “enjoying” a BHB, with BH. Yes, MSS really is that fat.

1. Big Hurt Beer – I am not going to sit here and lie to you, it is not the best beer you’ll ever have.  However, one of the greatest players in the team’s history has their own beer, so I need to drink it while I watch the Sox.  If you disagree, feel free to buy a delicious MGD, there will be a vendor by in 5 seconds to sell you one.

Side note: I have no idea if this beer is still even sold, but if the world can bring back Crystal Pepsi, I see no reason why we can’t get this.

2. $1 Hot Dogs – These are around sometimes.  Last year they had them for the 4th of July weekend and they sold like crazy.  I’m not saying to replace the bigger, more expensive hot dogs, but let’s have some fun with this.  Have only one vendor sell these, so you have to track them down and hope they have some left.  Nightcrawler would be my pick for who that vendor should be.

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3. Rainbow Cone – I had to check the Sox concessions list a few times because I can’t believe this is not available at the park.  I don’t eat a ton of ice cream at the park, so hopefully I am wrong.  But if it is not available, it’s a damn travesty.  If it is available, we can add Lawrence’s shrimp into this spot.

4. The Tamale Guy – I am not asking for the Sox to sell tamales.  I want the Tamale Guy that shows up at bars at precisely the hungriest moment of your night.  Let that guy roam around the park in the 8th and 9th inning selling tamales.  At the very least, let him in Chi-Sox Bar.  And before you say it MySoxSummer, no he’s not related to me.

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5. Crafthouse Cocktails – These are made by a Sox fan, are single serve, and excellent.  There’s one called ‘Southside’, so I assume that would do ok at the park.  This is a “to be continued”, because we’ll discuss the non-beer options in the park later.

-Chorizy-E

OPENING WEEK! 2016 Predictions

Posted on by beefloaf108

These 2016 MLB projections by some of the folks at the 108 are for entertainment purposes only.  A few of the members of the group may have bet their mortgage payment on these picks but that doesn’t mean you need to.

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MySoxSummer

World Series Winner: Astros
AL Pennant: Astros
NL Pennant: Diamondbacks
AL Division Winners: Orioles, Tigers, Mariners
NL Division Winners: Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Mets
AL Wild Cards: White Sox, Royals
NL Wild Cards: Dodgers, Cubs

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Beefloaf

World Series Winner: Mariners
AL Pennant: Mariners
NL Pennant: Mets
AL Division Winners: Blue Jays, Mariners, White Sox
NL Division Winners: Mets, Pirates, Dodgers
AL Wild Cards: Rays, Indians
NL Wild Cards: Cubs, Giants

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Chorizy-E

World Series Winner: Rangers
AL Pennant: Rangers
NL Pennant: Dodgers
AL Division Winners: Rays, Rangers, Tigers
NL Division Winners: Dodgers, Cubs, Nationals
AL Wild Cards: White Sox, Blue Jays
NL Wild Cards: Mets, Giants

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Polish with Onions

World Series Winner: Cubs
AL Pennant: Rangers
NL Pennant: Cubs
AL Division Winners: Blue Jays, Royals, Rangers
NL Division Winners: Nationals, Cubs, Giants
AL Wild Cards: Astros, White Sox
NL Wild Cards: Mets, Dodgers