White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf actually showed longtime front-office duo Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn the door. Can you believe it? At last, Sox fans’ unbearable nightmare is over.
Or is it?
In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the site formerly known as Twitter, we wanted to know how much faith you have in Reinsdorf to install new leaders of the front office who will — tricky little concept — perform better than their much-maligned predecessors. Because if Reinsdorf fails to do that, well, you know. More nightmare stuff.
“There is no hope until Jerry is gone,” @SultanofClout commented.
“As a Cubs fan,” @ChiFootballGuy chimed in, “Reinsdorf is exactly the man I want picking the new Sox front office.”
Also, we asked if rookie manager Pedro Grifol should get a second season to try to prove himself.
“The people who think Pedro should get a second chance obviously don’t have TV sets or streaming devices, right?” @eswillow72 offered.
Last, we asked if shortstop Tim Anderson will fully get his groove back while with the Sox.
“It seldom happens that the older you get, the fewer injuries you have,” @latsis7171 noted.
On to the polls:
Poll No. 1: How much faith do you have in Jerry Reinsdorf to improve the White Sox front office?
It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Saturday's paper.
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) August 24, 2023
Q1: How much faith do you have in Jerry Reinsdorf to improve the White Sox front office?
Upshot: Look on the bright side, Reinsdorf believers — you’re not alone. Not literally alone, anyway. It’s pretty dang close, though. “Very telling poll with how the fan base feels,” @LL_Kool_Jake commented. It is, indeed.
Poll No. 2: Should the Sox’ manager, Pedro Grifol, get a second chance next season?
Q2: Should the White Sox’ rookie manager, Pedro Grifol, get a second chance next season?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) August 24, 2023
Upshot: How much blame does Grifol deserve for this team’s massive, nonstop struggles? It can’t be all on the owner, the architects of the roster and the underperforming players, can it? This Sox team has been brutal in pretty much every department. Grifol has done nothing anyone could discern to stop that.
Poll No. 3: Will shortstop Tim Anderson return to All-Star form as a member of the Sox?
Q3: Will shortstop Tim Anderson return to All-Star form as a member of the White Sox?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) August 24, 2023
Upshot: It’s just not right, according to @mckinstrydavid, who wrote, “I’ll never understand the TA hate.” But is this hate or simply doubt that a talented player who performed like a minor leaguer most of the season — and looked miserable doing it — can turn it all the way around? Maybe it’s both.
