By Sam Reeves

Dear White Sox Front Office,

This is the first time in a long time that my apathy for the White Sox has bordered on disdain and disgust. I always try to take an apathetic approach to all of my favorite sports teams, so I am not let down when they disappoint me. As of right now, you, the Chicago White Sox are at the top of the apathy list. You are a presently disastrous team with no bright outlook for the foreseeable future. Stuck in the mud, mired in mediocrity, led by the three blind mice. I never thought the joy of watching baseball could ever be taken away from me no matter the circumstances. However, it appears you, the White Sox, are really trying to test that theory.

Not only did you show your ignorance this past off-season, but you also showed you do not care for your fans. Signing Mike Clevinger, a man with not only what Rick Hahn referred to as “maturity issues” in his background, but glaring allegations of domestic and child abuse. Even before the allegations were brought to light, the signing was ridiculed and questioned by many people. You are supposed to be making moves to improve a team that underperformed yet here you are making moves to further downgrade your roster and make your fans despise you even more.

That signing was basically a foreshadowing of how things were going to be this season. Absolutely fucking miserable. I love watching White Sox baseball, and you were doing things that made us believe it could improve in the future. You brought in Jason Benetti, arguably the top announcer in the sport, as your everyday play-by-play announcer. White Sox charities have been doing incredible things. A young core with all this promise, a higher payroll, trying to shed players that were placeholders. What did that get you? A single playoff game win in 2021.

I know “West Side Berto” gave an incredibly passionate and thought-out grievance on ESPN 1000, and I am not trying to take away from that, but there is so much anger rooted so deeply in this fanbase. Rick Hahn is the face of your front office and everyone is sick and tired of looking at him and hearing from him. Every time he talks to the media everyone gets more upset and frustrated. Rick Hahn tells the media they only talk to the “most negative fans” out there. Do you want to know why that is Rick? That’s because those are the only type of fans that are left. There is no optimism from anyone out there that your team can win a World Series, let alone a division title, with what you have right now.

I haven’t stopped watching this team because I enjoy baseball, but also because I enjoy comedy. My mind always goes back to the stupid Rick Hahn quote after missing out on Bryce Harper and Manny Machado that “the money will be spent”. On WHAT?! The bottom of the barrel? The questionable characters? The high draft pick from 7 years ago? Extensions for over-the-hill players? I cannot believe that Jerry Reinsdorf opened his wallet for the first time, probably ever, just for your GM to royally fuck up everything. This is an embarrassment of a franchise. Eighteen(!) years since a playoff series victory, with absolutely no progress made in that time. Three rebuilds later and you have 2 playoff game wins to show for it.

Your organization is an absolute joke. You have the most unqualified people in charge of the most important things. You can’t develop players that you draft. Your scouts are either blind or absolutely hate you and want to see you fail. The ballpark experience has been dwindling for years. Your product on the field is deteriorating. None of the players can be consistently healthy. You spent all this money on the worst bullpen in baseball. How the hell do any of you sleep at night? Probably those ridiculous paychecks you get on top of the world’s best job security. I would say you are all highly paid adult film actors with how much you’ve fucked this team up.

The hiring of Tony La Russa set this team back at least 5 years. I know this has been harped on, but it should be because it was just so stupid to do. From the AJ Hinch signature debacle to falling asleep in the dugout, it was a disaster. You had to bring in a mostly new coaching staff, while still employing Daryl Boston. Pedro Grifol gave all the buzzwords in his opening press conference, and because the bar was so low for a new manager most fans ate that right up.

You put your new manager in a terrible spot by giving him an incomplete roster, then giving him unreasonable expectations of making the postseason. There is always a scapegoat for this team and absolutely zero accountability throughout the organization. Kenny Williams, I do not believe you. There is a giant problem with accountability in this organization. If your team is serious, there would be moves being made to better the future. This is a cowardice franchise with one of the worst front offices in all of sports.

Cancelling SoxFest, an event for fans, because you don’t want to hear about your failures. Eliminating an event because you can’t deal with the honesty of the fans who want this team to succeed is bullshit. Making excuses is incredibly immature and lazy. Your fans have sat through some absolutely horrific baseball, in hopes that one day it might pay off. Instead, you have decided to take that hope, put it in a time capsule, and shit all over it.

Your fanbase literally crowdfunded billboards, albeit small ones, telling the owner to sell the team. Fans are buying shirts with Jerry Reinsdorf wearing a clown nose, and making jokes about Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn daily. This organization is loyal to an absolute fault. Loyalty can only get you so far in this league. What has it gotten this organization? Nothing.

I know this letter probably won’t reach you, hell it may not even get 100 views. However, I had to put down my thoughts while I have some type of platform. When fans of other teams are no longer shit-talking and just feeling outright bad for you, that is rock bottom. Your team, your organization, and your owner have taken away the love of the game from too many people.

This isn’t just because of Tony, this isn’t because of the 2022 failure. This issue is rooted in so many bad things. Hiring Robin Ventura, Adam and Drake LaRoche, the Chris Sale jersey massacre, employing Omar Vizquel, Wes Helms covering up issues, signing Mike Clevinger, trading for Jake Diekman, failing to build around Jose Abreu, your color commentator telling a player to eat more salads while telling fans to shut up if they are mad about the team. Yes, this is an outside perspective, nobody knows what goes on in those clubhouses and offices. From the results though? It can’t be very good.

This whole organization needs an overhaul. You’ve been the second team in the 3rd largest city in the country for far too long. I know Jerry loves finishing in second place, so he probably doesn’t give a single fuck about that. It is an embarrassment to your fans, but you should be the ones embarrassed. We are tired of carrying the burden for you. Own up to your mistakes, clean up the pile of shit that you left on the carpet, and leave the White Sox to someone who will actually care.