Hahn New G.M...

[Chez]

"Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."

[FielderJones]

Sox official announcement

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news...s_cws&c_id=cws

[russ99]

Kenny goes upstairs blaming the fans again. So predictable.

Hmmm. Maybe the reason we couldn't finish the deal could have something to do with poor talent evaluation (like the dollars wasted on Fukudome) and Jerry not wanting to spend?

[hawkjt]

Hahn giving an interview on McNeil and Speigs right now.

Hahn: Has not really sunk in yet...lifelong goal coming to fruition.

How will it change his days at the Sox?

Less detail,more setting the tone for the organization.

Will Hahn have the final say?

To an extent,yes. He already has been making decisions,with consultation from Kenny and Jerry.

Draft? Change of philosophy? Not really, best player on the board still.
HS or college? Again...open-minded,but best prospect rules.

More emphasis on analytics? A blend. Adding some sabermetrics guys,but still a blend.
Hahn admits he is more of a numbers guy than Kenny,tho.

Is Kenny going to leave him alone?

Yes...man of his word...have worked together for long time...and knows that Kenny appreciates the role of the GM,and the need for autonomy.
They have disagreed in the past,and Kenny made the call,but now he will make the call....

Has Hahn passed on job opportunities waiting for the Sox?

Yes...possible opportunities, but nothing concrete...
Chicago is hometown,and it needed to be special to leave.
Wanted the Sox job.
Relationship with Robin Ventura?
Good,strong dialogue, communication is solid. Treats Robin as a peer when meeting.
Payroll? Budget meetings are ongoing this week. It will not drop due to ticket pricing discounts...so will be at least at the same level,but could go higher.

Ticket revenue vs total revenue? Ticket revenue is significant,along with ancillary related revenue....TV is solid....we have more than enough to win right now,tho.

End of interview.

[SCCWS]

"while Kenny is allowed to focus even more on macro issues, talent evaluation and long-term planning for the organization."

I am not sure what "talent evaluation" means. I would think that is a GM responsibilty. If Hahn is in charge of scouting, what talent is Williams evaluating?

[hawkjt]

The GM does not do much personal scouting...too busy.
Kenny's roots were in scouting.
So now, with Hahn doing GM work, Kenny will do more personal scouting than when he was the GM.

Its not like Kenny does not know player evaluation.

[TheOldRoman]

Originally Posted by russ99

Kenny goes upstairs blaming the fans again. So predictable.

Hmmm. Maybe the reason we couldn't finish the deal could have something to do with poor talent evaluation (like the dollars wasted on Fukudome) and Jerry not wanting to spend?

Quote? Nothing in the article has him blaming fans or anything.

[russ99]

Originally Posted by TheOldRoman

Quote? Nothing in the article has him blaming fans or anything.

Sorry, picked that up via twitter. Other sources cut that part.

Linky

[Lip Man 1]

Gonzo's wrap story:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,4403572.story

Hahn talks about answering to JR and Kenny, also says he's not "overly optimistic" that Peavy and Youk will return or that the Sox will be big players in free agency.

It's going to be an interesting next few months.

Lip

[TheOldRoman]

Originally Posted by russ99

Sorry, picked that up via twitter. Other sources cut that part.

Linky

According to that article, thee only thing Williams said is that players maybe could have done a little better in August and September if the stadium was louder. He said "we tried" to build a level of fan energy and "we fell off". He goes on to say the Sox are looking for ways to increase the fan experience. There was no blaming the fans.

[SI1020]

Originally Posted by TheOldRoman

According to that article, thee only thing Williams said is that players maybe could have done a little better in August and September if the stadium was louder. He said "we tried" to build a level of fan energy and "we fell off". He goes on to say the Sox are looking for ways to increase the fan experience. There was no blaming the fans.

I took it that way. It won't be the first time this has happened and it's gotten oh so tiresome. There aren't as many Sox fans as Cub fans and you're not going to get guaranteed lemming like support from the ones you have. So just deal with that and do your best to build good teams.

[DrCrawdad]

Originally Posted by TheOldRoman

According to that article, thee only thing Williams said is that players maybe could have done a little better in August and September if the stadium was louder. He said "we tried" to build a level of fan energy and "we fell off". He goes on to say the Sox are looking for ways to increase the fan experience. There was no blaming the fans.

I don't disagree with what KW said. I don't blame myself or other Sox fans. Could a packed house have helped the Sox? Sure. But in the end I think who failed were the Sox. The better team won the AL Central.

[thomas35forever]

May the next era be as prosperous as the past one.

[Lip Man 1]

Thomas:

In some ways the past 12 years was very prosperous...in other ways it was very frustrating.

Lip

[Lip Man 1]

Just watched the tape of the press conference and I was struck by something Hahn said.

He was asked about the minor league system and acknowledged the reports on how 'bad' it was rated but then said (paraphrasing) that the Sox have spent money on it and it is doing the job that the Sox are expecting it do. He then talked about the function of the minor league operation in the Sox organization.

I'm guessing that if there's anyone out there who thinks the Sox are going to increase the number of teams, sign more scouts or increase the number of minor league players that's probably not going to be happening.

If my guess is true, I'm a little surprised. I just got the impression that Rick was more of a minor league / stat guy type than Kenny.

Also just FYI. Rick is going to be available on a conference call Tuesday to a select group of Sox web sites. I will be participating in the call and will have a report later that night.

I want to listen closely to what Rick has to say for the future and am going to ask him about the "second half blues" over the past decade...why he thinks this is continually happening and what he thinks is the solution.

Lip