10:45pm: In an updated version of his story, Nightengale reports that talks have yet to begin, but the Sox would like Ventura to return in 2017 so long as he has a desire to return to his post. He adds that Sox decision-makers believe in Ventura and place the team’s failures on ownership and the front office as opposed to the manager. Ultimately, Nightengale conveys that the ball is in Ventura’s court when it comes to a 2017 return.
2:43pm: Ventura has not been offered a new contract, a source tells Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago (via Twitter). This new report seemingly suggests that Nightengale’s report is not accurate, though the original report did not suggest the team had actually yet made an offer to the embattled skipper.
1:08pm: The White Sox expect to retain manager Robin Ventura, so long as they are able to work out a new contract with him, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Discussions on a new deal have yet to begin, per the report, but Ventura’s current pact expires at the end of the season.
It’s not clear at present whether Chicago is willing to offer more than a single-season arrangement to the embattled skipper, who many expected would be allowed to walk this winter. Ventura has suggested publicly that he’d like to stay in his role, Nightengale says, but has yet to definitely inform the White Sox front office of his intentions.
The 49-year-old Ventura, an excellent ballplayer during his playing days, has overseen just one winning campaign since taking over the South Siders’ dugout in 2012 and has yet to lead his charges to the postseason. Overall, he carries a 373-432 record as a skipper.
As with any team, only so much blame can lie at the feet of the manager in this case. But the fact remains that the roster compiled by president Kenny Williams and GM Rick Hahn has yet to come anywhere near realizing its potential. The last two seasons, in particular, represent major disappointments after the organization made several major acquisitions before the 2015 campaign.
I applaud Jerry and Kenny for their stupidity!
As a Cubs fan, just another reason to laugh at the south siders. Poorly run team and they stink from the head down.
As a cubs fan this means nothing to me, just like most of what happens on the South Side.
At least White Sox fans can fall back on their recent WS ring.
That trumps everything.
Not anymore
Until the Cubs win one…yeah, it does.
And yet they have won more WS than the Cubs in 25 less years too.
If they do this, they will have nobody at the games. My god, make a change!! So ridiculous!!
BREAKING: White Sox also extend James Shields for 8/$200M.
No way!!! Wouldn’t surprise me though
BREAKING NEWS: Cubs give 8-yrs, $184MM contract to hit 7 HRs and 2 outfield assists per season. More news at 9.
That’s a good one to hang your hat on. It’s only year 1 of an 8 year deal. Meanwhile the farm system has produced an MVP candidate, a gold glove shortstop (only in the system for about a year to be fair), and several other high upside players making less than a million.
I think they’ll be able to stomach that deal. Oh yeah, there’s also the playoffs. Enjoy watching your team next April.
Yeah, but what have they won?
And yet still have the best record in baseball and manage to not be 26th in MLB in attendance.
Jason Heyward has been an awful hitter in year 1, there is no way around that. It’s actually infuriating to watch him come up with anyone on base because you know he’s gonna roll over on it to the 2nd basemen or pop it up in the infield. But he is still useful on defense because there is more that goes into being a good outfielder than the number of assists that you have per season.
Unless Cubs win WS its all for naught. 109 years and counting.
The world series doesn’t crown the best team. It’s talent, luck, and timing that wins a world series.
If you wanna go ahead and keep reliving 2005 and endure a terrible team each year, that’s your prerogative. I will take and enjoy a team that is competitive year in and year out for the foreseeable future, whether they win a ws or not.
truuu
Typical White Sox hating on the Cubs. Is that the best you got? Best record in baseball even with Jay Hey not hitting. We shall see how he does in post season. I would comment on the White Sox roster …. if I actually cared about it.
Also have Cy Young and MVP Award winners making a combined less than a $1M. Way to cherry pick something. John Danks is making what? Jimmy Rollins? Mat Latos? James Shields? If the teams were close in terms of wins, you may have a point…but 101 to 76 is a huge, huge difference. That’s about a month of games. Not BREAKING NEWS….one team is really good and the other is really bad.
They do not have an MVP award winner and Jake Arrieta is making $10.7m.
I think he meant after Bryant and Hendricks win the awards this year
Bryant probably will, but thinking Hendricks is gonna get the cy young is rather presumptive.
And 1 team has gone 71 years without playing for a championship, and 108 years without winning one. Now THAT there is a real joke, what with their gobs of $ and their laughable popularity.
Exactly
I will be very surprised if this happens, not because I believe that Robin Ventura is a poor manager but because of the public relations backlash from the majority of White Sox fans who believe that he is.
I hope you are right, but it would not shock me to see it happen. If there is a team desperate for a change, this is the one. Just afraid they will be stupid.
Robin Ventura is a VERY poor manager, and they’ll get exactly what they deserve if they give him a new contract. Absolutely ridiculous.
If true, I’ll need a billion people to each donate $2-$3 to my fund to buy both of Jerry’s teams to save their respective fandoms from this idiocy.
Oh it so easy to delude yourself (and the ownership appears deluded). The White Sox need a major shakeup or they will be stuck in mediocrity for quite awhile.
Hahn should step down and try to convince Falvey to give him a true shot at being a GM and stick it to the White Sox.
This has got to be a JOKE!!!! Ventura is easily the WORST manager in the history of this franchise.
REINSDORF SELL THIS TEAM!!!
kenny williams and robin ventura both need to go.
the sox are stuck in mediocracy.
If Nightengale’s report is accurate, the bigger story here might be that this indicates the front office will remain intact. Jerry Reinsdorf’s loyalty has historically been first and foremost with his upper management. Robin Ventura’s job as field manager would not be safe if Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn were not retained and on board with this decision.
Wow- this is just awful
This does not surprise me at all. Until Reinsdorf and his ownership group are gone mediocrity will rein on the Southside. Reinsdorf’s ego will not allow him to admit they have and continue to make monumental mistakes in running this franchise. This team need a complete overhaul from front office down. They need to bring in professional established baseball execs. But that costs money and Reinsdorf loaths to spend.
Ozzie is the man…
At least he could, from time to time, get his team to play with passion. Robin looks flat bored out there.
When players (Abreu) makes a comment that his team lacks the intensity that teams he is playing against, isn’t that a reflection of the manager?
Do you remember last year when they won something like seven out of eight just before the all star break and thought they were in it and didn’t sell? Seems like they’ve won four in a row at exactly the wrong time this year. They are going to win 8 of 9 to end the season and think they have momentum.
Right or wrong the get compared to the team eight miles away. Wrongly, because they are eight miles away. Rightly, because the Cubs seem to be the benchmark against which other teams should be measured, from the top down. The White Sox problems start at the top.
The Cubs now are the benchmark, but they had to tank for 3-4 years to become the benchmark. And they still have yet to win a darn thing.
The cubs didn’t tank, they were just awful.
They were awful because they tanked. Epstein was content with losing for 2-3 years to get high draft picks. I will give Epstein credit. He hit on his draft picks and hit on most of his trades. His free agents are TBD. But he has no doubt done a great job and has won in the past with Boston. Joe Maddon on the other hand has never won anything. He bailed on the sinking ship that was the Tampa Rays to join an organization that Epstein built. He is the Phil Jackson of MLB except with no championships to show for it.
Joe Maddon “never won anything”?
Maddon “won” a World Series ring in 2002 with the Angels as Mike Scioscia’s bench coach. He also “won” an A.L. championship with the Rays in 2008 before losing to the Phillies in the Word Series. Joe Maddon also “won” an additional division title in 2010 and two other wild card births in 2011 and 2013 with rosters that never had a payroll exceeding $73M in the competitive and big spending A.L. East.
In addition he also “won” another wild card appearance in his first season with the Cubs in the highly competitive N.L. Central last season, getting a talented but young team to the postseason sooner than most expected. He then “won” the wild card game and the subsequent NLDS before bowing out against the Mets in the N.L. championship series. Did I mention he has also “won” Manager of the Year honors three times?
In my opinion, Maddon is the best manager in MLB today. He will lead the 2016 Cubs to their first World Series appearance since 1945, “win” his first World Series ring as manager and bring the Cubs their first championship since 2008…the first of many more!
Every record book I look at shows Ozzie Guillen as WS winning manager. And no where do I find Joe Maddon. I’m not disputing he is one of the best managers. He is. But he certainly bailed on Tampa with the Cubs job in sight.
The good thing about this website is that is reports on rumors and speculation. The bad thing about this website is that it is pretty bloody accurate. D’oh!
If the management team stays together, Robin stays, and the club doesn’t either go all-in or trade off a bunch of assets for prospects, I think I’m done being a Sox fan, at least until there’s new blood at the top. Upper management is completely tone-deaf when it comes to either what their fans want or what will create a winning baseball team.
At least they arnt extending Hawk Harrelson
Until they have someone else in place and actively announcing, don’t count out the possibility.
They already do have someone else in place… He’s been actively announcing all the home games this year…
And Hawk still called games… but you already knew my point.
I’m definitely not a Hawk fan but I prefer him to the new guy calling home games. That guy (Jason Binetti) sounds like Joe Buck and other broadcasters that have nice deep voice but talk through the whole game about random things just to hear their own voice and avoid silence, instead of having a knack for talking about things that are relevant to the average baseball fan at that moment of the game. Tossing out random stats and pun jokes fills up air time but it drives me nuts. Good play-by-play guys talk throughout the game but the items they choose to talk about seem to flow naturally with the pace of the game and relate to the players involved in the play at hand. And a few special guys like Vin Scully do good play-by-play work but also have a knack for storytelling so when they are talking about irrelevant things its still entertaining. I live in Seattle now and they have a voice-only play by play guy (Rick Rizs) that drives me nuts just like Joe Buck and Jason Binetti. In my opinion, those guys have perfect voices to be PA Announcers but they talk too much and have poor style to be good play-by-play guys.
Sorry I’m just grumpy because I ordered MLB.tv for much of this season and at this point I don’t even watch Sox home games because I hate hearing that guy talk all game long. I just keep thinking he would be better suited as a gameshow host or a car dealership commercial voice-over guy, and it makes me even grumpier that I actually like Hawk in comparison.
I personally can’t believe you can even stand Hawk let alone like him in comparison. The problem with Hawk is that he’s WAY to much of a storyteller, and he’s hella bias to the ChiSox like no other. It’s like having a superfan in the box rather than a professional broadcaster which Hawk is the farthest from.
Hawks aneurysms (I know they are not called aneurysms, but they sound like them) or called Hawkisms are literally the most annoying things this side of south Chicago. They “You can put it on the board! YES! YES! YES!” Irks me to no end, it’s in no way a really original call, like I know you have to have a home run call as a broadcaster. (I.e “IT IS OUT OF HERE!” By the Giants commentator is actually entertaining, because he has a good voice for it, he gives the call emotion. When ever hawk says “YES!” It sounds like he’s having fun skinning a cat.
Also commentators can live without a home run call if their at least entertaining and tell decent story telling, Detroit’s announcers do it very well. Mario does the stats/gameplay while Rod/Kirk/Jack sprinkle in their views of how the game has changed over the years , and Craig Monroe tells the game how it is today. It’s entertaining on the changes of perspective of the game through generations. (Even though I hate Morris and Gibson’s voice, their annoying to all hell, at least they are entertaining.) All hawk does is reminisce on his days in the game when he batted like sub .230 and get pissy when the Sox get stuffed even in the most minor ways.
Which brings be to my next point, he’s kind of a whiny brat, well, no he is a whiny brat. I know I’m comparing a lot to the Detroit commentators (because it’s where I live so I have the most exposure to them.) but they complement a guy when he makes a decent catch, or when an opposing player hits a moon shot over the bullpen, it may not be as big as a home player but it’s should never be, but they complement a guy on it. Hawk nah, hawk don’t play that game, he usually just dogs the guy because it cost the sox a run or two, he’s so damn bias. Examples is the Todd Frazier and Kris Bryant thing “Kris may have hit 36 home runs, but he’s no Todd Frazier.”
Also he randomly screams and says what the hell a lot, especially to mark wegner, which I should remind you he got fined for, basically soft core cussing an ump out on live TV for tossing Quintata I think for purposely throwing at I think scooter gennett.
But hey I’m a Michigan guy who just hates Hawk with a passion, rant over, none of this is against you, it’s against Hawk mostly.
I know Hawk is past his prime and should retire, but I commend him for his many years of dedication and love of the White Sox. We cant take that away from him.
I don’t disagree with a lot of what you’re saying, but I must disagree with your point on Hawk not applauding good play of players on other teams. Hawk and Stone continuously applaud talent, both young and veteran. Nearly every game, he’s talking about how this shortstop or that backstop or this pitcher has such great range or agility or pure stuff; he’s talking about how the talent has spiked; he’s admiring a great play by another player. Is he bummed when it stops a rally or costs the White Sox a run? Absolutely. But, no more than you or I, if you are a true, through and through fan.
Is he a homer? Absolutely. Personally, I love it. The White Sox are traditionally so mediocre, and usually sub-par, and I think it’s nice to listen to someone who is as frustrated as me. My opinion, but I like Hawk and will definitely miss his personality and passion when he retires or passes away.
I LOL’d many times reading your reply, TheMichigan…you are hilariously correct about Hawk. Also, fwiw, I love the Tigers’ radio broadcast team–listen to them whenever the Sox aren’t playing just because they do such a great job calling the game and keeping things interesting without any narcissistic babble.
Yet.
The manager has been in over his head for five years, the coaching staff is just a bunch of nothing, the team is making the same mistakes over and over in all aspects of the game, why this bunch of zeroes would consider rehiring any of this staff tells us how inept they are.
From a 35 year season ticket holder.
IF THIS DOES HAPPEN A LOT OF FANS WILL TURN ON THE TEAM I WONT BE SURPRISE SALES ASKS FOR A TRADE OR EVEN ABREU BECAUSE THEIR TALENT IS GOING TO WASTE
(Deftly avoids reading others’ comments)
Robin is my all-time favorite player, so this news thrills me. I’ve been worrying about his job security for a year now.
Sox to offer Ventura a contract? Did I accidentally click on The Onion by mistake?
Haha. Nice.
Just… no.
This is the dumbest thread I’ve read in awhile. News like this piece-of-crap-decision leaks out and it goes from 30 posts of Sox vs. Cubs nonsense to complaints about the announcer, and then a poster can’t even get their best player’s name right.
Robin Ventura actually seems like the perfect ineffectual middle of the road manager for a middling team that can never pick a lane.
I wonder why I don’t like either Chicago team… then I read threads like this.
Robin Ventura would be totally wrong for a re build.
Ventura should be fired….And have Nolan Ryan do it!
That I’d pay to see.
Geez… another horrible, soul-smashing move from this ratchet front office.
Just put in a cutout in dugout it would be just as good… Save the payroll you could use it better for maybe fireworks.
Even if the Cubs win a WS, it doesn’t erase the 100 years of failure! That’s something a Cub fan will never wash off! Epic failure!