White Sox G.M. Kenny Williams tells the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley he’d have to be awfully desperate to consider taking a similar position on the North side of town. Luckily for all parties concerned, no such job is on offer (link swiped from Repoz and Baseball Think Factory).
Asked Wednesday about the different environments that surround the teams, Williams pulled no punches.
”It is so different,” Williams said. ”You might as well build a border, a Great Wall of China on Madison, because we are so different. We might as well be in two different cities.
”The unfortunate thing for me is it’s a shame that a certain segment of Chicago refused to enjoy a baseball championship being brought to their city. The only thing I can say is, ‘Happy anniversary.”’
Williams was referring, of course, to the 2005 World Series trophy prominently displayed at 333 W. 35th St., and the Cubs’ 100 years of futility across town.
Williams was asked — if the opportunity presented itself — if he could imagine ever being GM of the deep-pocketed, throw-money-at-every-hole Cubs.
”That would be a betrayal,” Williams said before a long pause. ”God, I would really, really have to need the job. Oh, wow, really need the job.”
Then he flipped things.
”Let me just throw out one question: What happens if we win another one before they win one?” he said.
Of embattled Mets assistant G.M. Tony Bernazard, Newsday’s Ken Davidoff writes “he hangs around the clubhouse more than any front-office person I’ve ever seen,” adding “when he’s not with the players, he can often be found with Mets COO Jeff Wilpon.” Bernazard is described by Davidoff as appearing “giddy as a schoolgirl with a new dress” this Tuesday morning as news of Willie Randolph’s firing circulated.
If Bernazard is indeed the Mets mole responsible for so many recent hits to Randolph’s professional reputation, his recent karmic payback has been severe. With the possible of exeption of Omar Minaya himself, when was the last time an assistant GM achieved such name recognition?
Pretty weak stuff from Kenny, and Cub fans have already considered building their own Great Wall of China in honor of Fukudome.
>‘’That would be a betrayal,’’ Williams said before a long pause. ‘’God, I would
> really, really have to need the job. Oh, wow, really need the job.Չ۪
Hey, please, Kenny, come on over. I’m not picky.
I like where the writer refers to the Cubs as the “throw-money-at-every-hole Cubs,” since that’s gone on about, oh, one season? And while the Cubs are benefiting for now, the Trib company is reportedly going to default by the end of the year. Kenny will be right at home this time in April.
This is Cowley’s way of prodding a story when there is none. Ask a vaguely provacative question and turn the respondents’ “well duh” answer into some kind of non-scoop. Actually, most of the Sun-Times sports reporting is like this, as though Kenny Wililams is so infuriated by the Cubs’ existence he’s going to storm the field and punch Carlos Marmol this weekend.
It’s not just the team. Any of Chicago’s exotic dancers will tell you that throwing money at holes is always high on the Cubs fan’s list of things to do while they run loose in the big scary city. For Biff and Tag, a trip “downtown” just isn’t complete without dropping a bunch of oil speculation cash on an eight-ball, strippers and capping off the evening by slurring mexicans while waiting in line at the 4AM burrito joint.
Happy anniversary indeed.
You know, I don’t actually want the Sox to lose, just their fans.
And why are you knocking downtown, Rob? Most Sox fans see it as a world of opportunity. For Sox fans, it’s a chance for good jobs at all-night burrito joints, meeting powerful and influential “business guys” while serving them malt liquor, and for the ladies of Cellular Field, a chance to express themselves culturally while making good money in “revue” work (please see Jason Cohen’s excellent article on this subject).
As for the racism thing, talk about glass houses … anyway, with the number of Cub injuries piling up, the Sox might have a chance to snap their losing ways.
[i]as though Kenny Wililams is so infuriated by the Cubs’ existence he’s going to storm the field and punch Carlos Marmol this weekend.[/i]
don’t they usually leave that to the fans?
I believe that was Michael Barret punching out JR Prszynski (Mxyzptlk?) at the plate.
Speaking of the Cubs, in a thread about the Cubs, the Cardinals just got swept at home by the Royals, and Los Cubanos finally have a shot at picking up a game on STL.
Ben, I wasn’t knocking downtown, just the retarded Cuburbanite habit of using the name incorrectly. Sox fans all know that downtown is where the buildings are tall and nobody hustles away the panhandlers.
I guarantee you that Northbrook’s Steve Bartman never took a trip to Lakeview, he went “downtown.”
Hey, Google the word “Cuburbanite” right now and see what I just did.
Check me out!
>>Hey, Google the word “Cuburbanite†right now and see what I just did.
I tried “Soxurbanite,” too. See what you get. Hint: it rhymes with “Cuburbanite.”
Ben
c’mon guys, feel the Chicago love- you can support both teams as they choke down the stretch. A drunken Cedric Benson will most likely figure out a way to get a car on the field and paralyze half of the rosters this weekend anyway.
This is why I don’t like the Sox. It has nothing to do with the players. But Williams, Ozzie, and Hawk all perpetuate this petty tribalism that keeps a lot of Sox fans from growing up.
[i]I guarantee you that Northbrook’s Steve Bartman never took a trip to Lakeview, he went “downtown.â€[/i]
which is worse, cubs fans from northbrook or teenaged sox fans from crete and monee? they’re both pretty much incapable of understanding how a public transit system works and determined, it seemed, to make me late for work.
let me say “mission accomplished” assholes. way to put aside your historic feud long enough to fuck me over.
and fuck, i keep using bbcode instead of html.