What Is A Successful Season?

by Landfill on Oct 6, 2008 7:48 PM CDT Comment 38 comments

My dad grew up a Brooklyn Dodger fan, so he knows something about disappointment and protective amnesia. He always says that its been a good year if your team is within five games of the playoffs in September. Five games is manageable. If you're within five games that late, it means you've had a competitive Summer and been entertained. You've had hope. That's enough pleasure to justify all the countless hours, cold night games and bad food that we invest in our team. I agree with him and its what I try to teach my girls as the standard for identifying with a team. My question to you all is, what constitutes a successful season by your standards?

I guess the macho Ricky Bobby answer would be that coming in second just makes you the first loser so the only successful year is one where you win the World Series. Yankees fans have this attitude which is why its been so pleasant to be around them this decade. I don't buy that but that's just me. Anyway, as of right now, what do the Sox have to do in order for you to look back in November and say "that was a decent season"?

(Just to play around with the new stuff, I'll even try to attach a poll to this.)

[Update by The Cheat, 10/06/08 7:48 PM CDT ]: This was originally posted on March 27th. I've bumped it for effect. Comments reopened.

Poll

What is the minimum result you would consider a successful season for the 2008 White Sox?

World Series Champoions or nothing, baby.

27 votes

AL Pennant

11 votes

Make the playoffs

165 votes

Meaninfully contend for the playoffs (within 5 games of a spot in September).

206 votes

A .500 record

31 votes

Improve on last year's disaster.

16 votes

Have a better record than, or win the season series against, the Cubs.

13 votes

Acquire or develop players who you think will make the team appreciably better in 2009-11.

57 votes

526 votes | Poll has closed

SouthSideSox is a community driven site. As such, users are able to express their thoughts and opinions in a FanPost, such as this one, which represents the views of this particular fan, but not necessarily the entire community or SouthSideSox editors.

1 recs | Comment 38 comments

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I'll certainly be excited if the

Sox exceed their expectations. However, more important for me is the development of Richar, Quentin, Fields, Danks, Floyd. If they can prove to me valuable major league players, it won't bother me as much to see a losing season due to the continued declining production from our aging vets.

If the big three rebound from last year but we don't see much production out of the majority of the above mentioned players, I'd see this season as a failure, regardless of the record.

by chrome on Mar 27, 2008 11:11 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i agree

When I know my team isn't a WS contender, I just want to see development and improvement. Thats why last year was so frustrating.

MrROFL.com

by shaftr on Mar 27, 2008 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey Landfill

Did you save this post as a draft last night? I saw the title of poll in the backend, but I couldn't find it anywhere on the site.

So did you start writing it last night, and posted it this morning? And how did that work for you?

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Mar 27, 2008 12:29 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yep.

I was messing around with this yesterday, including the poll, then just saved it and went to bed. When the deathless prose of my riveting fanpost on run differentials failed to generate much discussion, I pulled the draft up this morning. The text and poll were still there and I posted it. Seems to work just fine. Given my penchant for long-winded, over-thought musings, the save draft feature is a good thing for me.

I would like to renew my plug for moving the Fanpost summaries higher up on the first page. My concern is that lots of people just look at the top of the first page and naturally pay attention to the discussion on the most recent central posting. Personally, I'd rather have several parallel discrete conversations than have everything thrown into one pot. But that's just me.

by Landfill on Mar 27, 2008 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

the "views" -- while not entirely accurate, because they count registered users only once -- on the FanPosts have been truly illuminating.

Keith's NCAA Post got bumped to near the top at 3PM yesterday. It's gained about 20 views in 24 hours. That's a shockingly low number to me.

I think that tells me that I have to start upgrading more stuff to the FP. Just because I read all the content on the sidebar doesn't mean everyone does. In fact, it appears than most don't...

Consider yourself upgraded.

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Mar 27, 2008 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gee, Thanks.

I appreciate the plug.

Is there any way to swap the Recent Fanposts summary for the Recent Posts on the front page? I think that might help get some more interest in the Fanposts.

by Landfill on Mar 27, 2008 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not right now

The recent headlines is a common internet convention (check most major news-type sites) that the dev team stole in an effort to draw users deeper into the content. At the very least, I think they'll want to get all the blogs moved over and some data on how the blogs are being used before making that change.

I'm sure they'll take it under advisement, as they have all the feedback we've given. I just wouldn't expect any swift action in this case.

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Mar 27, 2008 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also

once we go live with our new gamethreads, I'm pretty sure those won't be displayed in the recent posts.

So using my current frontpage as an example. I've got the setting tuned to display 15 posts in the middle column. Of those 15 items displayed, only 2 our stories that I've written -- which has been the signature content of the site in the past... The way I've utilized the site since the move, I've deemphasized my posts. While putting more emphasis on news bits.

I'll also put more focus on the content you guys create, being much more likely to upgrade a post to the FP, because as you point out, it seems to have been deemphasized slightly in the move. (or at the very least it's less utilized that I ever imagined)

I'd be in favor of shortening the recent posts list. Making it display no stagnant content by limiting it to only posts made in the last week. 5 post minimum, 10 post maximum. Something like that...

Overall, i think the recent posts has to stay in some form, especially if stuff I've written only has 2 of 15 items on the FP. It's just a matter of finding what works best for everyone.

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Mar 27, 2008 1:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of game threads... isn't today a 205 start?

So instead of a big splash, there were ripples -- enough to change the tide, Williams believes

by Brush Back on Mar 27, 2008 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

probably because it's get away day

yep... 3 runs already

Go Masset Go!

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Mar 27, 2008 2:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

at least I won't have to listen to hawk and dj's lame excuses

it's stone and only stone!

by The Wizard on Mar 27, 2008 2:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

idea

Could you move recent posts to the leftside and move diaries up to the top right. Perhaps shorten the format a little, so it's listed.

ie.

What Is a Successful Season? - Landfill 7 / 2

With the 7 representing # of comments and the 2 is whatever is new.

MrROFL.com

by shaftr on Mar 27, 2008 1:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I will say...

that what I would consider a "successful season" for the 2008 White Sox is much different than what I would consider a "successful season" in a neutral context.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 27, 2008 1:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I Know What You Mean

This stuff can be highly contextual. A successful season for Tampa is very different than for Boston. As we've discussed ad infinitum, Kenny decided to push in all his chips and make one more push to contend with his aging core. You may not like it, but that's the hand we've been dealt. Given that the medium term future doesn't look very promising, I figure 2008 is our best (albeit slim) chance of contending until next decade. That's why my vote is "meaningfully contend."

What is your contextual adjustment?

by Landfill on Mar 27, 2008 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd be happy...

if Danks and Fields took meaningful steps forward in their development, Quentin fulfilled his promise, and Ramirez turned into an everyday ballplayer.

If someone out of the Richar/Bourgeois/Logan/Wassermann/Floyd group turned out to contribute at all, I'd be ecstatic.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Mar 27, 2008 1:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, four out of five ain't bad, ehh Jerry?

And hey, it might’ve been five if Fields would have had a healthy year. That’s one of the few organizational negatives of the year — Fields (basically) losing a year of development. Not that he was guaranteed to become a 30-homer guy but it would’ve been nice to have a healthy Fields once Crede went down (no knock on Profundo! — he filled in admirably).

by CWSKeith on Oct 6, 2008 8:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A lot of has to do with expectations, and how management sets those

You have this team with a $120mm payroll and KW and OG blabbering about how this is a pennant contender, they better contend. IMO this team does not look like a contender, and listening to all this spin about how good they're gonna be just pisses me off - I don't like being played for the fool, and IMO that's how they're treating the fans this year. I hope I'm wrong, but this just does not look like a contending team to me, I'd be shocked if they're within 5 games in September - very happy, but still shocked.

by ChicagoPete on Mar 27, 2008 1:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

well said

by The Wizard on Mar 27, 2008 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Writing with preposterous hindsight, months later,

“A successful season for Tampa is very different than for Boston” stings with irony.

by Dongfang Hong on Oct 6, 2008 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

aw, snap

wasserman pulls out the old "i have to get oral surgery" trick in order to heap the pressure on masset instead of himself - he's a clever mofo. face some minor league suckers and force masset to perform last. nice.

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2008/03/roster-update.html

by larry on Mar 27, 2008 2:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

masset is hurting himself

he's given up 2 runs so far in the 1st. its not yet over.

nevermind, 3 runs.

by hugh on Mar 27, 2008 2:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

should we expect anything different?

giving masset a ball to pitch in a game is like giving a 4 year old a loaded gun with a sensitive trigger to play with.

by larry on Mar 27, 2008 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

BTW..

the Z button is still giving me fits. It works maybe 60% of the time, even though I wait until it seems like the page is fully loaded before I touch anything.

Out-underacheiving the other guy.

by defensive indifference on Mar 27, 2008 2:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Not me

Maybe once have I had a problem with it.

I'll bring the awesome.

by Hazymania on Mar 27, 2008 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i have had the same sort of problem

by larry on Mar 27, 2008 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

when the Z doesn't work

do a left-click somewhere in the comments (somewhere without a link)

just to make sure you have the focus on your browser
then try the Z again

by The Wizard on Mar 27, 2008 2:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I do that.

I wait patiently, make sure I'm in this tab, smash the keyboard and monitor with my fist, and it STILL doesn't work. Right now, for instance, I can't unyellow 7 comments! They'll be marked as read when I come back in but I like having that nice auto-scroll for big comments sections.

Out-underacheiving the other guy.

by defensive indifference on Mar 27, 2008 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And, actually...

I don't think it has worked at all in the last two days, now that I think of it. I just tested it in a few different areas and it's obviously fully loaded but the Z still doesn't work.

Out-underacheiving the other guy.

by defensive indifference on Mar 27, 2008 2:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

My only advice then

is to sign out (maybe clear your cache) and sign back in...

The dev team is aware of your problem and I'm sure they're working on trying to replicate and fix it. But why not try one last possible fix yourself.

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Mar 27, 2008 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just got it to work...

in your post about what you like about the new format. I'm starting to think it's certain posts that don't work. For instance, it seems like older posts like your what I like and the NCAA thread seem to be working.

Out-underacheiving the other guy.

by defensive indifference on Mar 27, 2008 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs