Reports from SoxFest, Day 1

by Jim Margalus on Jan 28, 2012 12:41 AM CST in Events

Kenny Williams heard some boos at the opening ceremonies of SoxFest at the Palmer House Hilton on Friday, but the acrimony ended shortly thereafter. For the rest of the evening, the White Sox were received with the enthusiasm that you'd expect from people who paid good money to attend because they're enthusiastic about the White Sox.

Basically, the counterculture at SoxFest was limited to our pal KenWo -- and even he's glad to be there. And why not? For a lot of people, it's the official start of the start-thinking-about-baseball season.

(And if you're on Twitter and not following him (@KenWo4LiFe) this weekend, you should be.)

A few stories outside of the open sessions:

Jake Peavy is 100 percent of what 100 percent is after surgery, whatever that may be. Also, he said his quotes about Ozzie Guillen were taken out of context, even though it was a radio broadcast.
Gordon Beckham thinks this is the year he stops slumping massively.
Jerry Reinsdorf has a job waiting for Jim Thome whenever he wants it.
Don Cooper doesn't have a favorite for closer, and Jesse Crain says he wouldn't mind taking a crack at it.

As for everything else, I've selected a healthy smattering of tweets and photos from fans, bloggers and media in attendance to capture the moods of the rooms (prepare for scrolling).

Tweet Comment 50 comments | 1 recs |

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Comments

The price tag on that Donny Lucy bat

was missing a few zeros.

by South Side Expat on Jan 28, 2012 1:07 AM CST reply actions

When I look forward to a Bulls game in a certain way...

it makes me want to replace Hawk Harrelson with AJ Pierzinsky. Because I think AJ would do for the White Sox what Stacey King has done for the Bulls.

I’m not sure why. But I think AJ would be a real pro.

And we all know it’s time for Hawk to go.

by PeejSox on Jan 28, 2012 2:45 AM CST reply actions

Hawk goes when he dies in the booth.

And I want it that way. He is absolutely the voice of the White Sox. Love him or hate him, he is part of the Palehose package. Even if you can’t stand the guy, you would miss him if the Sox replaced him with some bland POS who doesn’t seem to care and is there to do a job.

I do agree that AJ could have a great career as a broadcaster. IMHO, he did pretty well with the world series this past year (save whoever dressed him.) He’s got more than enough knowledge, experience, and base running smarts to be a great color guy. I’d actually love to see him bump Stoney when his time behind the plate is done.

Also- Stacey King hasn’t done shit for the Bulls that Rose hasn’t let him do. It’s insulting to the Bulls to say that their resurgence in ratings has anything to do with him.

by South Side Expat on Jan 28, 2012 3:25 AM CST up reply actions 4 recs

dude, just because other teams have bland announcers doesn't mean that if Hawk were to retire we would get one

Both Reinsdorf teams have never operated at the status quo for announcers. Someone needs to fashion a fake golf club head out of C4 and sneak it onto Hawks driver or go the Fidel Castro scubagear route and make a hawaiian shirt out of polonium-210. Very rarely would I not prefer a generic announcer who, well, just announces the game without insane and irrational emotion.

It came from afar and traveled sedately on, a shrug of eternity

by Rhubarb on Jan 28, 2012 8:45 AM CST up reply actions

Reporter- "Do you have any further comment SSE?"

SSE- “Nope.”

by South Side Expat on Jan 28, 2012 9:24 AM CST up reply actions

if anyone needs "forced removal" like you described, it's neil funk.

at least hawk has some redeeming qualities, comparatively.

by obnoxious american on Jan 28, 2012 10:33 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Funk

is an embarrassment.

"He's from Chicago!"

by southside3r on Jan 28, 2012 11:22 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Neil Funk is the worst thing in the universe.

by Ozzie Montana on Jan 28, 2012 11:32 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

neil funk is one of the most diabolical haters of all-time.

Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be.

by MarketMaker on Jan 28, 2012 11:41 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

i don't think he even does that with purpose,

i think he does it to create an illusion that he can see and knows whats happening in the game.

by obnoxious american on Jan 28, 2012 12:17 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

99% of being a baseball fan is insane, irrational emotion.

Have you looked around? Have you seen what we do here. It’s not logical. Every year we get overexcited, every year we get disappointed, every year we can’t wait to do it all again. It’s what we do. It’s who we are. And that’s why Hawk scares you- because he IS you. Look into your heart, you know it to be true.

The enhanced interrogation of metaphors.

by mechanical turk on Jan 28, 2012 12:19 PM CST up reply actions 4 recs

i already know all that but thanks for the refresher

I hate hawk because he makes everything worse than it already is.

It came from afar and traveled sedately on, a shrug of eternity

by Rhubarb on Jan 28, 2012 1:10 PM CST up reply actions

This self-loathing of yours really isn't healthy.

What you need is to start loving you.

The enhanced interrogation of metaphors.

by mechanical turk on Jan 28, 2012 1:26 PM CST up reply actions 4 recs

Drive the cop out of your head

The world doesn’t live on beaches.

It came from afar and traveled sedately on, a shrug of eternity

by Rhubarb on Jan 28, 2012 6:29 PM CST up reply actions

true, true. hes fucking miserable when the times are bad

but when they are good hes so god damn excitable. however, more often than not, the times are bad…

"Rhubarb, if you wouldn’t mind, ram your taint into your monitor as hard as you can." - joewho112

by BoeJouma on Jan 28, 2012 3:18 PM CST up reply actions

Dadgummit!

Hawk stays. As someone who only gets to see/hear one or two games a week, it’s refreshing to hear Hawk’s homer-isms. I listen to other games and I find most other announcers very bland in comparison. For me, at this point, it’s less about his content and more about his style. Stoney’s there to keep the facts straight.

by ParisSox on Jan 28, 2012 5:28 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

stoney is more there to fill the space when hawk just decides to stop talking for 2 innings

"Rhubarb, if you wouldn’t mind, ram your taint into your monitor as hard as you can." - joewho112

by BoeJouma on Jan 28, 2012 12:40 PM CST up reply actions

I'm usually listening to Farmer and DJ

but I LOVE Hawk

by JPSoprano80 on Jan 28, 2012 5:16 PM CST up reply actions

*Pierzynski

by PeejSox on Jan 28, 2012 2:56 AM CST reply actions

Also, monster shout out to the intrepid reporter KenWo.

While I’m pissed that financial considerations kept me away this year, he has done a better job of painting the big picture than any of the mainstream ~~’tards~~ reporters ever could.

Seriously, He’s like an Onion sports reporter rolled up in an SCTV episode talking about actual White Sox related news. And I love it. Now we just gotta take that twitpic number and sign it up for catfacts.com.

by South Side Expat on Jan 28, 2012 6:13 AM CST reply actions

i love catfacts

/hawk

by obnoxious american on Jan 28, 2012 10:35 AM CST up reply actions

+1 to that, good stuff from Kenwo

by Grinder in Training on Jan 28, 2012 11:23 AM CST up reply actions

Addison Reed clearly does not have a closer mentality

White Sox 2012: Helplessly rebuilding?

by greenlight on Jan 28, 2012 9:27 AM CST reply actions

thanks kenwo

keep feeding those nuggets of info.

by ruffster on Jan 28, 2012 9:44 AM CST reply actions

who's Rob Warmowski?

by obnoxious american on Jan 28, 2012 10:36 AM CST reply actions

That would be...

…me.

by IceColdFalstaff on Jan 28, 2012 11:16 PM CST up reply actions

i have to tell you, that picture takes balls.

by obnoxious american on Jan 29, 2012 11:31 AM CST up reply actions

The women...

…don’t seem to mind.

by IceColdFalstaff on Jan 29, 2012 3:50 PM CST up reply actions

i think i see wut u did thar..

by obnoxious american on Jan 29, 2012 8:46 PM CST up reply actions

it's questions like these that confirm one is old.

http://punkdatabase.com/wiki/Rob_Warmowski

by larry on Jan 29, 2012 12:04 AM CST up reply actions

Eh? Can't hear ye.

I’m a little deef in the ear. What say? When’s bingo?

by IceColdFalstaff on Jan 29, 2012 3:51 PM CST up reply actions

whats the price tag just to get in to soxfest?

"Rhubarb, if you wouldn’t mind, ram your taint into your monitor as hard as you can." - joewho112

by BoeJouma on Jan 28, 2012 10:42 AM CST reply actions

Your baseball soul.

by FlyingSpaghettiMonster on Jan 28, 2012 3:26 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

to stay at the hotel 2 nights it was 315 bucks.

soxfest passes are 75 bucks a person on top of that. parking was 74 bucks for the 2 nights. its not cheap.

Kenwo4life=ratings. Just call me Mr. USA Today.

by KenWo4LiFe on Jan 30, 2012 12:56 AM CST up reply actions

Brent Lillibridge is hilarious.

"That baseball is the smartest thing out on that field." —Hawk Harrelson

by mikecws91 on Jan 28, 2012 10:56 AM CST reply actions

Agreed sir

by Captain_Wookie on Jan 28, 2012 11:57 AM CST up reply actions

My favorite bit so far:

When asked which guys from the 2005 team he keeps in touch with Pablo Ozuna said "I still talk with Uribe, Timo Perez, Damaso Marte, Freddy Garcia, Contreras." (To which Melton replied, "So all the Irish guys.")

The enhanced interrogation of metaphors.

by mechanical turk on Jan 28, 2012 12:21 PM CST reply actions 5 recs

haha thats awesome

"Rhubarb, if you wouldn’t mind, ram your taint into your monitor as hard as you can." - joewho112

by BoeJouma on Jan 28, 2012 12:41 PM CST up reply actions

Irish guys are the funniest.

Clearly.

Why buy the cow when the milk is kinda bitchy?

by SkanchoDanza on Jan 28, 2012 3:41 PM CST via iPhone app up reply actions

buy a camera neadly

or atleast get all the shit off the lens of the one you have.

by e-gus on Jan 28, 2012 6:38 PM CST reply actions

lol it was my phone.

pretty much a garbage camera… but it does the trick if you are like 3 feet away.

Kenwo4life=ratings. Just call me Mr. USA Today.

by KenWo4LiFe on Jan 30, 2012 12:57 AM CST up reply actions

Twinsfest: Just as white as you thought!

"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'"

by U-God on Jan 28, 2012 8:32 PM CST reply actions 2 recs

the guy on the right looks like al gore after having a stroke.

by craigws on Jan 28, 2012 10:35 PM CST up reply actions

yes

Packers Season

by OznCoop on Jan 28, 2012 11:47 PM CST up reply actions

you could have substituted Gore with any other semi-to-fully fledged celebrity

and I would have had a chuckle or six. The shared hatred for Jessy S at Twinktown is cathatrtic for the two fanbases. Keep your fellow community members close but keep your arch-blog-enemies closer. I almost forgot I hated Minnesota until the Northern Lollipop Playoffs began. I’m staying up, drinking western IPA’s, just to get the first glimpse at Game 3.

It came from afar and traveled sedately on, a shrug of eternity

by Rhubarb on Jan 29, 2012 1:07 AM CST up reply actions