I guess WGN channel 9 were the only people who had Kenny on tape when he went off on Frank. ESPN and FOX 32 just showed the quotes from Kenny. Kudos to 9 then for being there. I haven't seen 2, 5, and 7 so we'll see later tonight.

Kenny was awsome. He held his tongue long enough on the Big Skirt. It's about time he lashed out. Frank's an ase hole.

For any of you guys who want to see the video of Kenny check out CLTV at 11:40 tonight when they replay "Instant Replay". Kenny has that angry look in his eyes. It's great TV.

ESPN took the channel 9 feed and showed it. Where were Levine and Offman during this.

This kind of response should be beneath the GM of the World Series Champions. It's like the CEO of a company responding to employee complaints about the kind of ketchup used in the cafeteria.

I think is is just fine. I like being a tough as nails, "don't F- with us" team.

You don't have to be professional if you kick ass, take names, and win it all.

Professional behavior is for when you have something that someone can take away if you do not act the way they want (i.e. a job, Medical/Law license, clientel/advertisers, etc.). For the White Sox, as long as JR and Big Bud are ok with it (and, after going to Jerry R's last backyard BBQ, I'm sure Big Bud is), noone has anything to take away.

Believe me, MOST Sox fans are from the South Side and celebrate the tough reputation.

For a while, Sox fans being called White Trash was hurtful and offensive, but after winning the World Series the haters can just SUCK IT.

I like being a Warrior a lot better than being a Beaurocrat, and the White Sox do too. GO, KENNY, GO!

This is exactly what I miss these days due to Corporate America taking over the teams & the announcers. You'll never hear Farmer or DJ or the new guy do a great rip on a player like this; you'll never hear Joniack or Thayer do this; you'll never hear the new Cubs announcers do this; etc., etc. LEE ELIA out.

I find it very interesting that Frank needed get a loan from Jerry Reinsdorf. Frank is a guy who's gonna need a job when he's done playing. He could have had one for life if he was better to the White Sox organization. He burned that bridge now.

Once you reach a certain level in any organization it is a sign of your superiority to not address the petty gripes of underlings. Your position may not require tact as a desirable skill. I assure you that Kenny Williams' does.

good dolphin, I have to disagree with you here.

What is it with people (and I'm not singling you out, dolphin, I'm saying in general) who just don't want to hear the truth? I wrote about this in a thread I started yesterday about Bruce Levine sucking up to management, and previous to that in a thread about Silvy and Carmen standing up to Levine.

There is a great, great difference between not having tact, airing dirty laundry, acting like a loser from Jerry Springer, etc. and simply having a spine.

Kenny Williams is well within his rights to stand up for himself and the organization, and to tell Frank Thomas to shut the hell up. Thomas, folks, is a grade-A pud. It's about time at least one person found the guts to talk him down.

People are so used to witnessing lying as an art form, that they now appreciate it, and actually prefer it to hearing the truth. That is regrettable.

People would rather hear Williams artfully say "Gee, we really appreciate Frank" rather than hearing the truth. People would rather hear Bruce Levine say "Gee the fans are unfair about the frequency of injuries of Prior and Wood," rather than hearing the truth.

Folks, stop seeking lies. Seek the truth.

I'll say one thing: If there's anything wrong with Williams's comments, it's that things shouldn't have gotten to the point where he felt the comments were necessary. In other words, when someone is a grade-A pud, DON'T loan him money, DON'T cover his ass, DON'T give him the World Series trophy, and DON'T let him throw out the first pitch. Then it wouldn't have escalated to this. Thomas should have been called out a long time ago, and if it were up to me, he would have been moved a long time ago.

Congratulations to Kenny Williams for having a spine. We need more people like that in this world.



p.s. What a couple of hypocrites Boers and Bernstein are. Calling out Thomas today, when a few months ago, they had him on their show and kissed his ass. I suppose that was "tact" as well?

Truth and honesty folks. It's a good thing.

I agree totally 24. Keep this in mind. Kenny has constantly took the high road when Frank has bitched about the organization. Finally he was but in a spot where he had to say something. I like Kenny Williams more and more every day. Everyone has suspected that Frank has been an ass wipe for years. It's about time someone frome the organization validated that claim.

Nas your point that Frank was a better baseball player then Kenny really doesn't matter in this argument. Plus who was more valuable in bringing the 2005 World Series to the Sox? Kenny or Frank. Obviously Kenny was.

I'm a big Sox fan too. But I've never hated Reinsdorf as much as everyone else has in the past. I loved Fisk as a player but I thought he was a bastard just like Frank too. Nobody is arguing that Frank wasn't a great player.

Your point that Kenny put together his worst roster (on paper) last year goes to show what a great GM he was. That team won 99 games. I don't think that through the course of 162 you can be lucky if you win 99 games. The pitching staff that he put together was underated by everyone at the beginning of last season. Kenny had a vision. He spent most of his budget on pitching and less on the line up and it paid off. Frank is the greatest player in White Sox history. Very few will argue that. But he also is a whinny bitch.

True, but Fisk is very fortunate the Sox allowed him to play long enough to beat that record by one game. Think about it Nas, did any other team pick up Fisk after the Sox cut him. No.

Nas, the Sox cut Fisk in the 1993 season. So yes they did make the playoffs that year. Lost to Toronto. Reinsdorf has been criticized plenty in his career.

Why would it be necessary to have a "sign" of your superiority if, by your very position you are already undeniably superior?

Also, as to your assertion regarding myself - I assure you that my position is amongst the most respected on earth and requires nothing but the utmost tact and skill, regardless of my sports views or the opinions I express on this board, but back to the issue at hand.

Why would you wish for Kenny to not be free to define "tact" and "skill" as he sees fit? If he fails, he fails. I am sure he contemplates his every move with extreme care and takes only calculated risks.

A true leader and visionary must learn from past history, but the great and memorable ones often write their own by breaking with convention.

One of the "Media's" greatest methods of control is when they try to play moral police.

You see, most media figures are forced to live by a certain "PC Code", or they will not be media figures for long. I think this Code, and its ramifications, are derived from the following:

(1) like any restrained or captive being, if one cannot break free, the phrase "misery loves company" actually rings true in that such figures try to manipulate the world around them to conform to their "restrained" environment;

(2) They then pass off their clique-ish prison-like environment as being a higher form of civilization, often referring to such a way as the only acceptable alternative to neanderthalism;

(3) Their jealously over witnessing other people living "free-er" lives (without such concern for the constraints that bind them, which constraints thus function to give the Media members their individual identity and a feeling of superiority) comes across in their crusades, stories, opinions, and coverage (Bernstein is the poster boy for this phenomenon); and

(4) These observations are rarely, if ever, expressed or challenged, because - no forum exists outside of the ones that they control (besides VOILA! right here in forums like this board!). . . What other method might one use to bring such things to light? - The very methods that are bound by the above;

(5) Thus, with no checks and balances on the media, a kind of "Absolute" power results, which is almost always exploited and abused by its owners. To reprise an old cliche - "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Most media members are like the insecure guy you knew in high school that went on to become a cop - he just loves to bust people now to flex his only authority.

It takes BRASS BALLS to charge into the wilderness and carve your own path. NEVER let the media control you, Kenny! I say again, KUDOS TO THE REBEL!

Karkovice was not a great hitter. But he had a gun for an arm. He was certainly better then Fisk that year. Fisk shouldn't have made the roster that year. Maybe that bench guy that replaced Fisk helped them win a game or two that year to get into the playoffs. Whatever. Bottom line is the Sox let Fisk break the reccord when he was a liability to the team. That's a sighn of respect in my book.

Great post SouthSide!!

I saw the stats. Fisk batted 240 that year and only played 25 games. He couldn't throw out anybody. 1.5 million is nothing in baseball salary. That is about what Karko was worth. Fisk was probrally making more. I'm not saying Karco was great but we won the division with him that year. I think your missing the point of the whole argument. The Sox did Fisk a favor by letting him break the record.

All three of those back up catchers were still better then Fisk. I think that is proven by the fact that no other team picked up Fisk that year. He still wanted to play but said he got no offers.

There is so much here to comment on so let's start with the easist: Fisk chose not to play anymore. He certainly could have found himself another team. He had established a home here for over a decade with a family that had roots in the community and schools. I don't debate that he was done, but that has not stopped guys like Sandy Alomar from continuing to get work.

It cannot be debated that JR cutting Fisk on the road in Cleveland was a classless move. He followed that up by not allowing Fisk into the locker room to wish his teammates good luck before the playoffs.

Agreed 24_Guy, the only thing I would add is that the members of the press are also bitter because most everyone they cover makes more money than they do.

_________________
We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Since this is the eve of lent I will quote Pontius Pilate before he stuck it to Jesus "Truth. What is truth?"

There is KW's truth, which is that Frank was an idiot and selfish.

There is the media truth that Frank is a clubhouse cancer.

However, KW said "we" with the implication that Frank's team mates felt the same way. The only team member I have ever heard rip Frank as a bad team mate is Konerko. Alternatively, I have heard solid guys like Rowand speak Frank's praises. I have heard people like Danny Mac talk about his friends on the team all liking Thomas.

Then, of course there is the fan truth. The man provided years of enjoyment and absolutely carried the Sox offense through many years of his career.

If KW said "I" then I would not have as much problem with what he said (although most of it's content would be improper for a man in his position). He would be speaking the truth as he saw it.

I am not concerned about hearing the truth. However, I don't want to hear an opinion that is presented as if it were truth.

The truth I really want to hear is why did KW come into this position 5 years ago intent on getting rid of Frank.

His family still could have stayed in Chicago if he went else where. He spends half the season on the road anyway. I recall him saying that he still wanted to play that year. He couldn't find a job. Guys he was a 44 year old catcher. There was nothing left in the tank. Do you think it was a coincidence that they cut him shortly after breaking the reccord for games caught? Guys, I liked him as a player. But he was a miserable bastard as a person. It was a bad move to cut him in Cleveland. Nobody argues that. But he shouldn't have been on the roster in the first place. The Sox allowed him to break the reccord.

Southside, two people complimented your post so maybe I am missing something. What exactly are you trying to say?

KW has been bold as a general manager in his acquisition of players. He deserves praise for the success it has brought the team.

The same is not true for the way he has comported himself, at times. Why would it be considered a good quality to say anything that pops into your mind at the time of anger. That is what a child does.

An adult thinks beyond the moment and looks at the wider impact his words have on the world. It is not a matter of political correctness. It is a matter of maturity.

You see making statements that are debatable in their truth as having "brass balls". I'd contend that it is better defined as ignorance.

GD, I am sure you would agree that discipline is part of any form of leadership. Like I said previously, I also think that KW knew what he was saying and what the ramifications would be.

But I do not think KW's actions are impulsive and childish.

I look at them in this perspective:

Sometimes giving a "time out" just doesn't do the trick and you have to get back to basics and SPANK a little brat.

Similar situation: I think Phil Jackson's last book spanked Kobe and accomplished something wonderful - it lifted the Wizard of Oz curtain that the player had created for his selfish and obnoxious acts and exposed him as a weak, frail fraud. Now look at Kobe - he is on the way to a complete overhaul of his public and private self.

Frank asked for and got the same.

If I were KW I would look at the bigger picture differently. This is spring training following the first world series in 88 years. The team has been restructured and is generally considered stronger. Over 2 million tickets have been sold. The Cubs are losing their grip on the city. This should be a spring of nothing but boquets.

Frank is chirping again from a remote location? So what. He has been doing that all winter. He has a bruised ego and always had a big mouth. No one is paying attention to any of his comments.

If KW says nothing this story lasts one day with no impact.

If KW says something it incites reporters to continue following the story. Furthermore, it does not even accomplish KW's stated goal of defending the team. It is unnecessary bad press that could have easily been avoided. That should be unacceptable from the team's perspective.

Exactly

My guess is that Kenny was just a mouthpiece for JR's feelings about Frank. After popping his tricep Frank hasn't been the same. On top of that he lost his dad and went through a big divorce, all in a very short period of time. Then JR pulls the trigger on the diminished skills clause dropping him from 10 mil/year, which he was unhappy about to begin with, to a much smaller salary amidst all the problems he was having (didn't he also have a record production biz that went bad?) I can see how Frank may have aired some sourness towards JR and how Kenny can be tired of it being as loyal to JR as he is.

All being said, KW should have tried to stay above all this as I don't believe he was giving a calculated tongue lashing on the camera. Quite the opposite, I think he didn't account for the fact that it could get inflated to the degree it did.

_________________
"It's not exactly a rocket surgery." D.J.

Once again I disagree.

With the championship in the trophy case, you have to agree that now is the time to build upon it. If you have a guy spewing venom about your organization, I think you must quickly controvert him in the interest of avoiding the proliferation of a negative stigma (i.e. the team craps all over you when it is done with you) in the minds of present players and future free agents.

As for the publicity argument, I also disagree - seeing this on Sportcenter, even if it is controversial, still gets the team out into the WORLD (not just local) spotlight that much more. I think that said publicity, even if considered negative by some, helps the White Sox to become more of a national phenomenon like the Cubs or 90's Bulls. A story is a story. How many people outside of Illinois did not even know who Kenny Williams was before last season? I bet a lot.

Lastly, as I said before, I like the strong stance and I think it does WELL for the team's image as underrated Warriors.

I met Carlton Fisk in 1978 at Comiskey when he was was still with Boston. He was a dick to me, so f uck him.

_________________
"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." ~ H.L. Mencken