Breaking the Losing Streak: A Look at 'Schneid' ⚾

GET OFF THE SCHNEID:

To Break A Losing Streak

The Sartorial Secret Behind the 'Schneid'

How German tailors made it to American sportswriting

Oh, the unhappy state of a team on the schneid: its players are downtrodden, their spirits sinking lower as each game lost is followed by yet another game lost. But when the winds change, and a game is won, the joy of being off the schneid is a balm soothing to the soul. There is nothing so gladsome as the cessation of a schneid!

That opener may be a bit more flowery than the usual schneid-employing paragraph, but it does the job of showing the word in action. A schneid is, as the paragraph makes clear, a losing streak. What the paragraph doesn't make clear is that the word schneid is also slang. You can't say we didn't tell you.

As one might guess of a word that means "losing streak," schneid is primarily a sports term. But its origins lie in a realm emphatically less athletic than your average sport: the world of card games.

Before schneid referred to a losing streak (a use our current evidence dates to the late 1960s) the word was used to refer to a failure to score a point in gin rummy. It was short for schneider, which has been used with the same meaning but also has an earlier meaning from a different card game: in skat, schneider means (among quite a few other things—it's a complicated game) "having scored 30 or fewer points."

Skat is Germany's national card game. It was invented in the early 19th century and is very popular there and anywhere else Germans settle in any numbers. Schneider too is popular where Germans are—it's a common surname that has its origins in an occupation; in German Schneider means "tailor."

We don't know how or why, but a number of idioms relating to tailors came to settle into the language of the game of skat. The idiom aus dem Schneider sein is used to mean "to have scored more than 30 points"; it translates literally as "to be out of the tailor." Meanwhile (im) Schneider sein and Schneider werden in skat mean "to score less than 30 points," but translate literally "to be/become a tailor" and "to be in the tailor."

The tailor-related idioms in skat seem to allude to unflattering stereotypes of tailors in the German language. With apologies to anyone with the name Schneider, we report the following: (armer) Schneider is used to mean "poor wretch," but translates as "poor tailor"; er ist ein Schneider is used to mean "he looks very tired/sick," but translates as "he is a tailor"; and frieren wie ein Schneider is used to mean "to be cold to the bone," but translates as "freeze like a tailor." (It's worth noting that English has historically also been less than kind to tailors: an obsolete term for a member of that quite essential—especially before the mass production of clothing, which is when the term was in use—profession is, ahem pricklouse.)

Of course a word is not its etymology, and one need not feel bad for the tailors in one's life when using the term schneid. In English, it's a perfectly fine (slang) term for "losing streak." And when your favorite team is, heaven forbid, in the throes of a schneid perhaps having the history of the word at your disposal will serve as succor to your anguish (as they say on Monday Night Football).

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/where-does-get-off-the-schneid-come-from-history

(On opening day 2025, in present-day value as calculated by MLB)

New York Mets, $323,099,999
Los Angeles Dodgers, $321,287,291
New York Yankees, $293,488,972
Philadelphia Phillies, $284,210,820
Toronto Blue Jays, $239,642,532
Texas Rangers, $220,541,332
Houston Astros, $220,217,813
Atlanta Braves, $214,836,398
San Diego Padres, 208,909,333
Chicago Cubs, $196,288,250
Arizona Diamondbacks, $195,294,235
Boston Red Sox, $193,629,093
Los Angeles Angels, $190,508,096
San Francisco Giants, $173,019,524
Baltimore Orioles, $162,314,278
Seattle Mariners, $146,793,414
Detroit Tigers, $143,193,033
Minnesota Twins, $142,762,022
St. Louis Cardinals, $141,455,581
Kansas City Royals, $130,001,503
Colorado Rockies, $120,693,976
Cincinnati Reds, $115,466,833
Milwaukee Brewers, $115,136,227
Washington Nationals, $107,653,761
Cleveland Guardians, $100,522,729
Pittsburgh Pirates, $87,645,246
Chicago White Sox, $82,279,825
Tampa Bay Rays, $79,216,312
Athletics, $73,118,981
Miami Marlins, $67,412,619

At the time of writing this Missive, the Major League Baseball World Series winner has yet to be crowned (though my money is on Ohtani's Dodgers winning vs. Guerrero's Blue Jays). Since my beloved White Sox have yet to “Get Off the Schneid” with their third consecutive season of 100 losses, I was rooting for the Cubs in the postseason (alas, the Cubbies couldn't overcome the Brewers, who then got swept by the indomitable Dodgers). I hoped the Colorado Rockies would surpass the White Sox's 2024 single-season losing record of 121 games. As you can see, my “America's Past Time” season was tenuous at best. The cry of “Wait Til Next Year” reverberates throughout Chicago White Sox fandom (if there are any Pale Hose fans left). To make matters worse, the White Sox Managing General Partner (the team was purchased by a group of wealthy Chicagoans in 1981 for $20 million) agreed to sell the team. This “should” have sparked spontaneous celebrations on the South Side of Chicago, but no such events occurred when we learned the facts.

“The Chicago White Sox sale agreement is a long-term investment plan between owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Justin Ishbia to establish Ishbia's future controlling interest in the team. Under the deal, Ishbia will make capital infusions in 2025 and 2026 to support the team, with Reinsdorf retaining control for at least five more years. Reinsdorf has the option to sell his controlling stake to Ishbia between 2029 and 2033, and after the 2034 season, Ishbia will have the option to buy it outright”

One might notice that the two teams in this year's World Series are among the top 5 in player salaries. Now, this is not always the case, but it is generally the case. Unfortunately, for White Sox fans, our 91-year-old owner (Jerry Reinsdorf a.k.a. “The Chairman”) is known to be so cheap that he “Cracks Walnuts with His Anal Cavity." The Chairman is known throughout Chicago as one who negotiates “backroom deals,” distrusts the media, got a new stadium built (1991) with taxpayer money, and cut a “Sweet Heart Deal” with the Illinois Sports Authority (owner of said stadium) to play “rent free” if yearly home attendance fall below 1.7 million (2023-1.8 million/2024-1.45 million/2025-1.4 million). Thus, the man is ‘printing money" and will so for years to come. Grudgingly, I give him some credit for the 2005 World Series championship year, but spectacular pitching, timely hitting, and the brilliant managerial job of Ozzie Guillen were the real reasons. Reinsdorf’s latest gambit is to blame his Southside location for the fans not showing up. He is campaigning for a new “taxpayer-funded” stadium closer to Chicago's Loop to lure the fans back to the ballpark. God forbid; the team would reach the .500 level soon. Based on the current stance of Gov. Pritzker, it will be a “Cold Day in Hell” before that happens.

(NOTE: According to CNBC's official 2025 MLB valuations, the Chicago White Sox are valued at $2.05 billion. This places them as the 12th-most-valuable MLB franchise, with the average MLB team valued at $2.62 billion. As a side note, the same investor group with Reinsdorf as Managing Partner purchased the Chicago Bulls for $16 million in March of 1985. Yes, those Bulls with 6 World Championship rings powered by his “Airness," the one and only, Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Per CNBC, the Chicago Bulls are the 4th highest valued NBA team at $5.8 billion (2025).)

Sorry White Sox fans, but “You Got To Have Heart.”

In last month's Missive, I focused on the pros-cons of inflation. The average person on the street can relate and grumbled about higher prices for everything. The American consumer has been “Hard Wired” to the continual onslaught of inflationary pressures. The word “DEFLATION” is rarely uttered or understood by the masses. Economists will talk about it in white papers and Wall Street denizens warn of its possibilities but what is deflation?

Deflation Defined

You’re probably fairly familiar with how inflation works. There’s inflation whenever prices of goods and services are consistently rising. And as a result, consumers have less purchasing power, because their money isn’t worth as much as it once was.

Deflation is the opposite of inflation. To say that there’s deflation is to say that costs are falling across the board. It’s not the same as disinflation, which happens when inflation slows down but prices don’t drop.

There are multiple causes of deflation. Deflation can occur when the demand for goods and services decreases or when the money supply shrinks. There might be deflation when investors stop putting their money into the market or the government cuts back on spending.

Initially, deflation can be followed by an uptick in spending and trading. That can be positive. But if deflation continues, deflating prices can mean that trouble lies ahead.

Inflation vs. Deflation

As noted above, inflation and deflation are opposites. Inflation is when the prices of goods and services rise, rendering a single dollar less valuable. Deflation is the opposite, when the prices of goods and services goes down, rendering a single dollar more valuable.

While inflation is often seen as a major struggle for a countries economy, deflation is actually considered a bigger threat by many economists. While inflation can certainly create hardships, especially if wages don’t rise in step with the costs of goods and services, deflation can actually cause recessions and depressions.

The reasons deflation is problematic might not be obvious. After all, why would anyone complain about falling prices? But it’s important to keep in mind that a general decline in prices over time can seriously weaken the economy.

Ultimately, deflation can lead to bankruptcies, rising unemployment rates and declines in wages, business profits and investment earnings. With more unemployment and less discretionary income, folks struggle to stay afloat and pay their bills on time. Debt becomes an even bigger burden for borrowers and shoppers may hold off on buying what they want, assuming that prices will fall again at some point in the future.

Trying to dig a country out of a deflationary hole can be quite difficult. Low prices leading to low demand, low wages and low profits can seem like a cycle that’s never going to end. You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that periods of deflation are often accompanied by recessions and depressions like the Great Depression of the 1930s.

https://smartasset.com/investing/what-is-deflation

Early retirement? Never heard of it– Stock-market valuations today are even higher than they were in 1968, one of the worst times in the past century to retire. After 1968, retirees faced more than a decade of weak returns and high inflation, and history suggests that those retiring now could be especially vulnerable if markets stumble in the coming years. On average, today’s key valuation indicators are at their most extreme levels in US history. (Source: MarketWatch)

We, at The Prizant Group, continually worry about the over-reliance of stock market gains on older Americans’ plans for a secure financial retirement. A sharp drop in stocks will likely prompt many people over 55 to quickly exit the market. And we aren't talking about some wimpy, limp-noodled 20-30% correction where the retail public “Buys the Dips.” No Siree! We expect a sharp decline of 50-70% is expected, followed by bear market rallies and further tests of new lows. And I don't want to hear about the $12 Trillion in money market funds, 50% publicly-traded companies (2025-4300 vs. 1990's- 7,000), a record of $942.5 Billion worth of shares were repurchased by their issuing entities in 2024-thereby continuing the “shrinkage” of available shares thus “driving up” the earnings per share (EPS), billions upon billions in capital expenditure in A.I. (and we are just in the 3rd Inning), Robinhood meme stock trading fanatics, free-falling interest rates, consumers on full-speed ahead, record earnings for companies that you have never heard of, stratospheric share prices for technology stocks that have NEVER MADE A DIME, the “smoking hot” IPO (Initial Public Offering) market or ridiculous revenue projections for the next 5-10 years. When it comes to the future of markets, 'NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING." All these well-paid analysts, TV investment personalities, and hedge fund wizards are no better at predicting the future than you or me.

We believe the stock market will take a nosedive as sure as a “Bear Defecates in the Woods" (Ahh, you knew I would sneak that one in). The psychological shock and decimation of investment portfolios will cause lasting harm. We have previously discussed that the “pain of losses” routinely overcomes the “joy of gains.” You can be sure that older investors will not remember the Bull Market and the riches it provided. Their short-term memories will be concentrated on the evaporation of their retirement nest eggs. Rest assured, a generation of American investors will stay away from the stock market, akin to burning towns infected with the bubonic plague during Medieval times. We stress to our participants that a historical rate of return of 3-4% above the inflation rate is acceptable. Of course, with the outsized returns on stocks in recent times, our advice is viewed as way too conservative. Alas, we have no chance of winning the “Fear and Greed” reality of investing. We promise to be there to “pick up the pieces” and do the best we can to “right the ship.”

Sanford Prizant (President) The Prizant Group, Ltd.

sanford@prizantgroup.com/847-208-7618

www.prizantgroup.com/@prizantgroup

Call, Email, Twitter, LinkedIn, Carrier Pigeon, Smoke Signals, Naval Flags

Advisory services offered through Capital Asset Advisory Services, LLC. A

Registered Investment Advisor.

"The opinions expressed in this material are subject to change without notice. Nothing contained herein is to be considered a solicitation, research material, an investment recommendation or advice of any kind. An investor should consult with their financial professional before making any investment decisions. Investing in securities involves the risk of loss."

39W849, Kellar Square
Geneva, IL 60134-5309, United States