So I guess it is now cool to talk about the other team you aren't a fan of?

How about that genius move to intentionally walk the unstoppable force Kendry Morales. Gotta walk the hombre that hit .220 to get that sweet L vs L matchup.

Perhaps Cooper can add to all baseball decisions along with managing the pitching staff? Ventura can focus on this core strength of lighting up a room.

White Sox's poor spring finish addressed in meetings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chicago White Sox ended spring training with a thud, and manager Robin Ventura was not going to chalk it up simply to his club looking forward to the start of the season.

The White Sox not only lost their final Cactus League game 10-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, they then flew across the country and got thumped 10-2 again, this time by Triple-A Charlotte. That’s right, the players who were deemed not quite as good as the ones in the major leagues, made it a point to get themselves noticed.

The White Sox finished the spring 11-18-3, counting the game against Charlotte.
Robin Ventura expects the attitude and performance of his team will perk up now that the games will start counting.AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek

“We haven’t played as well as we would have liked at the end here,” Ventura said Sunday before the team’s final workout in advance of Monday’s opener. “You get to the point where it counts now and you can’t ever put it on the fact that nothing really counts in spring training and it doesn’t mean much. Now everything means something.”

While the scoreboard is the easiest element to look at, Ventura’s displeasure with the club went deeper than that.

“There was some sloppiness in there so we raised the subject and took care of it in some meetings,” Ventura said. “We need to play better. This is the major leagues. If you are not going to play clean baseball, you are not going to have a chance to win.”

Ventura does have seasoned veterans to work with, such as Melky Cabrera, Adam LaRoche and Alexei Ramirez, so their demeanor moving forward will be key. Then there is the professional approach from Jose Abreu, who looked like a seasoned veteran in his rookie year of 2014.

And Ventura has Jeff Samardzija on the mound on Opening Day. The right-hander wasn’t necessarily lights out this spring, allowing nine home runs, but he was able to control the action when throwing his offspeed pitches. Samardzija pitched in the past two openers for the Cubs and didn’t give up a run over 15 combined innings, facing the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road both times.

“I just think the attitude, the mentality changes on a lot of these guys once you leave Arizona and start getting ready for everything counting,” Ventura said. “So for these guys, it’s all about the execution of what you do. We need to be good at it. We need to take care of the baseball.”

Center fielder Adam Eaton echoed Ventura's comments.

“The lull of spring training really got to us toward the end,” Eaton said. “When games don't matter and kind of the vibe is a little different, it is difficult to come and perform well. But at the same time you know you're professional and it needs to be held at a little higher pace. With that being said, we'll have a little more adrenaline [on Monday] and hopefully it translates into some good, solid baseball.”

All eyes will be on the defense early, especially on the infield. Three of the four White Sox infielders -- Johnson, Abreu and Conor Gillaspie -- can be considered average at best on defense. Outfield defense gets a boost from Dayan Viciedo’s departure alone, but Cabrera and Avisail Garcia each went through rough patches in the spring.

“There are a lot of details that you need to be good at, and we need to be better at,” Ventura said.

10-1 loss- fire the manager! Is Joe Maddon available?

10-1 loss- fire the manager! Is Joe Maddon available?

Im pretty hammered right now.

Pretty sure that Ricky the savior is available!


9:04

How many dead ass efforts will be allowed before he gets bounced?

He gone May 17th after the Sox get swept by the Athletics to go 10 games under? Or do you have to wait until after Paul Konerko ceremony on the 23rd?

If Ozzie wants to come back you hire him. No questions.

I still want to believe Robin can get it done, but that walk against Morales was so typical and bad. Why would you load the bases for Alex Gordon? WHY?

is that what we are calling Boilermaker these days?

Im pretty hammered right now.

The Royals scored 10 runs. That has nothing to do with the manager.

I'm not a fan of Robin Ventura the manager, but I wouldn't fire him. Nor do I want Ozzie back.

I'd like them to get batters out and score runs. Manager has very little to do with that.

How many dead ass efforts will be allowed before he gets bounced?

He gone May 17th after the Sox get swept by the Athletics to go 10 games under? Or do you have to wait until after Paul Konerko ceremony on the 23rd?

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

I could honestly see the White Sox doing something close to what the Devils did this year, where Lou Lamoriello was the interim coach-emeritus and Scott Stevens and Adam Oates were the co-coaches, except here it would be Kenny Williams hanging out in the dugout, yelling at Don Cooper and, I dunno, that one other fat guy who got thrown out of a game just for being a prick when he turned in the lineup card. Maybe Paul Konerko figures in somewhere.

HUH?

meaning baseball managers are highly overrated. The players on the field will pitch, hit, and defend. This collection of White Sox players will either do that or not do that regardless of Robin Ventura.

Agreed. But it would be nice just one fucking time in my life to have a manager who isn't enamored with "small ball".

Les Grobstein's huge hog is proof that God has a sense of humor, isn't it?

10-1 loss- fire the manager! Is Joe Maddon available?

meaning baseball managers are highly overrated. The players on the field will pitch, hit, and defend. This collection of White Sox players will either do that or not do that regardless of Robin Ventura.

10-1 loss- fire the manager! Is Joe Maddon available?

The only and I said only team that would have Robin Ventura as a manager are your Chicago White Sox

The only and I said only team that would have Robin Ventura as a manager are your Chicago White Sox