STATE OF THE SOX ADDRESS
GM COLLINS: "Thank you for coming out tonight. First of all, I want to thank the dedicated Black Sox fans for their dedication to the city of Chicago and the excellence of their franchises. I have consistently said throughout my life that Chicago has some of the most dedicated and passionate fans. No other city contains fans that can rival the expectation of success that like the city of Chicago has. Lately, this expectation of success has been damaged. We are now a sub .500 team trailing Madison in the division by 9.5 games. The fans are not happy, I am not happy, the players are not happy, but we all consistently show up and expect changes. Today, I want to address the present status of the Black Sox franchise.
The past month has given rise to both positive and negative. Our very own, Michael Scott, has developed excellently and filled a massive gap in our depth chart when we lost Resurrection. The city of Chicago has been able to see the development and consistent play by the young and newly-acquired starter, Matt Drews. On the contrary, the Sox have been inundated with injuries and we have had a difficult time rebounding and winning amidst those injuries. Danny Donovan is still on the Disabled List (NOTE: I accidentally hit the 60-Day DL button instead of the 15-day, so he has a while to go without being injured. Haha). As the losses came to fruition because of the injuries, and Madison's divisional lead increased, I felt it necessary to begin INVESTING (haha..Obamalanguage) in our future.
In the first half of the season, we saw the departure of Jeff Kiplinger and the acquisition of young talent. We were able to acquire the young pitcher Howard Feldman who has impressed the organization in AAA and will continue to work on his skills to prepare himself for the next level.We also invested in the career of Norman Baker, a bullpen arm who will surely contribute in the near future. In my professional opinion, Norman is clearly ready to play at a major league level and will be wearing the Sox uniform shortly. Steve Faulkner, a young and speedy outfielder was also acquired. Faulkner has expressed his frustration with performance and his desire to play a major league level, but we are committed to the success of the organization and feel he is right where he needs to be. One of the biggest surprises of the Kiplinger trade was the acquisition of Matt Drews. He has been able to contribute to the success of the team. Though he holds a 3-4 record currently, his ERA is 3.55 and continues to improve each game. With the influx of injuries, his four losses have been disappointing with hardly any run support. Drews and the organization are hoping that with the return of Santos and Bockus to the lineup, the pitchers will once again have that support that is needed to achieve victory.
Many have criticized my dealings and the way I run a franchise. In fact, one critic have gone so far as to insult my competency to run a successful program and insists that I "trash" teams. Coincidentally, this General Manager came to me for help and was given Kiplinger, but sold his soul in the process. Furthermore, his team has suddenly decided to play for the General Manager who thinks he is the best manager in the MBBA solely because of his players' unusual performance. But let us not forget the state of his franchise just a season ago. When I came in to the MBBA as the GM of Louisville, General Manager Brad Browne was struggling to keep his finances in order in a big city like Austin. If his managerial skills warrant the garbage that has been spewing forth from his fingertips and mouth in the press, then why is his team playing for such a small market like Marquette? Had anyone, prior to the relocation of the franchise, heard of such a city? No. Instead of looking at his own shortcomings as a manager of a franchise and not a set of players during gametime, Browne chose to insult a GM who has not had a chance to formally work with a franchise yet kept his franchise's financials in order. You will not see any franchises relocating due to financial distress on my watch. I am committed to the success of the Chicago Black Sox organization in all facets of the word. The finances, the win/loss column, the Landis series, the success of our players both on the field and at home, I am here to invest in the city of Chicago and to invest in the players that give their all game in and game out for this great city. Will success come over night? No. Will the injuries ultimately hinder our chances of a successful season? Yes, but that is why I have chosen to invest in future young stars. If we have stars to back-up stars, then an unfortunate injury will not slow down our pursuit of victory.
Chicago, I vow that the second half of the season will be much better than the first. We should all be excited about the upcoming months in baseball and the off-season where we continue to work to achieve success. We will rebound from our slow start. I know that I do not need to ask the city to support the cause because such support is only natural in the great fans of Chicago. Tomorrow comes a new day in the Chicago Black Sox season. Will we win the division? I cannot guarantee that. What I can do is guarantee that the front office will do everything in its power to bring a Landis to the city and to continue to provide the best baseball in the MBBA. Is the division title out of our sight and goal? Absolutely not. We will fight to get there and we will go down swinging, if in fact we go down. I am confident that the Sox players will take heed of this battle cry and will perform to the best of their ability. I ask you, the fans, to stand by your team in this difficult time. Change is coming to the city of Chicago!"
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