Chicago White Sox fans mock VP Ken Williams’ assessment of early-season struggles: "Kenny should’ve been gone a decade ago"
These are not happy times for the Chicago White Sox. After struggling to get to .500 with a late-season surge in 2022, the team has fallen flat on its face in 2023.
A popular pick to win the American League Central last season and a dark-horse pick to take the division this year, the White Sox instead count themselves among the worst teams in MLB after three-plus weeks with a 7-16 record.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. The team made tweaks over the offseason that should have improved the defense while allowing the offense to retain its luster.
A geriatric manager in Tony LaRussa was cast off in favor of a younger leader with knowledge of modern baseball practices in Pedro Grifol. Yet, the favorite team of Chicago's south side enters Tuesday with the third-worst record in the majors.
Ken Williams on White Sox struggles: ‘I’m not in a good place right now’ chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2023…
One of the architects of the team, executive vice president Ken Williams, was interviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times about the White Sox turmoil. He told the newspaper:
"You have to know I’m not in a good place right now. I’d be lying if I said I weren’t concerned."
Williams is not alone, and he isn't getting much in the way of sympathy from the Chicago White Sox fanbase.
@CST_soxvan “Accountability around here is not a problem.” Blow me Kenny
@CST_soxvan This piece is insulting. Not the writing of it, but that the man interviewed is given a platform to bloviate and distract from his failures over 20 plus years.
@CST_soxvan I'll always love '05 but Kenny should've been gone a decade ago. The antiquated ideas that the Sox have about hitting and pitching fall on his decision-making. He's bad and has made the Sox bad.
The Chicago White Sox are mired in a five-game losing streak. Several of their top players – Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada and Liam Hendricks – are on the injured list. With the setbacks, Chicagoans are not happy – and neither is Williams. He told the Sun-Times:
"But this is where we are, and I’m not so pleasant to be around right now, but you try to gain perspective. We have (139) games and five-and-a-half months left to make up six games (behind AL Central leader Minnesota). If we are who we think we are, we’ll look back on this as a good test of character and drive."
However, White Sox fans have lost their faith in the team's braintrust that includes Williams and general manager Rick Hahn. All they want to hear from Williams is, "Goodbye."
@CST_soxvan Well then he should leave. Bye.
@CST_soxvan Not in a good place? Fire yourself
@CST_soxvan Maybe he needs to resign then
As far as Williams "not being in a good place," White Sox fans have little mercy.
@CST_soxvan Us fans haven't been in a good place for quite some time...no sympathy given here pal.
@CST_soxvan You weren’t in a good place during Free Agency - all your fans called you out on it and you didn’t act.
The place you’re in now was avoidable. You and Reinsdorf need to STEP DOWN / SELL THE TEAM.
@CST_soxvan You and Hahn put this team together no sympathy from me.
Williams, who played for the Chicago White Sox as part of a five-year MLB career, joined the team as a scout in 1992. He became GM in 2000 and was promoted to VP in 2012. It's been money awfully spent, according to a multitude of the team's fans.
@CST_soxvan Kenny still getting paid millions of dollars a year by the Sox is easily one of the biggest fleece jobs in current sports.
Chicago White Sox have made three playoff appearances since winning the 2005 World Series
In 2005, the White Sox won their first World Series since the "Black Sox" betting scandal in which eight players were thrown out of the league for conspiring with gamblers to lose the 1919 Fall Classic.
Since winning the MLB title, the team has been to the playoffs just three times, losing twice in the divisional round and once in the Wild Card series.