White Sox 'in serious talks' about building stadium in South Loop

The White Sox are "in serious talks" to build a new ballpark in the South Loop on the site known as "The 78," according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.

You can read that report here.

The land in question runs from Roosevelt Road on the north, south to 16th Street. It's bordered by the Chicago River on the west, and Clark Street on the east. 

Picture, if you will, the Chicago skyline as the backdrop for Sox games. The stadium would be easily accessible from downtown. The site is close to the Kennedy and Eisenhower expressways. It's close to the Metra line -- as well as the Red, Orange and Green lines.

These renderings from NBC Sports Chicago are something else. If only we could count on this being true. I would love to see this plan come to fruition, but as always, there's the question, "Who pays for it?"

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker all will have a seat at the table in these negotiations. Do you trust a single one of them to get this done competently? 

Me neither. 

Reinsdorf's track record suggests he's going to want public money for this, and Pritzker's track record suggests he's not going to allow that. When negotiations stall because of that, where does that leave us? That's what I'm wondering when I'm thinking about this proposal.

The Sox have can renew their lease at Guaranteed Rate Field one more time for a period of four years, and that would take them through the 2029 season. Then what? I think the timing is correct to have this discussion, at least in terms of when that lease expires. The political timing and the current state of the economy in Illinois (it's not good) is another matter.

In modern society, a healthy dose of skepticism is often warranted. But when we're talking about the Chicago White Sox, Jerry Reinsdorf, and governance in the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois, skepticism is ALWAYS warranted.

There's no question this proposal is exciting one for fans. But remember, the Sox were "serious" about "competing for multiple championships" too, and we're still waiting for that to happen. 

I'll be delighted by this stadium if, and only if, shovels go in the ground.

This Week in White Sox Baseball!!!! (7th Sector of Hell Edition)

Guaranteed Rate Field

One thing that I've learned being a White Sox fan: Don't ever say it can't get worse. It probably will.

Last year at this time, we were ready for the season to be over. The team was mired in mediocrity, on its way to an 81-81 finish in a year that was supposed to conclude with playoff baseball. 

Those were the good ole days in comparison to this, and it goes far beyond the team's 52-79 record on the field. Here's a log of some of the things we've endured in recent days:

Aug. 21: White Sox announce plans to explore relocation, either within the city of Chicago and its suburbs, or possibly even Nashville.

Aug. 22: Senior vice president of baseball operations Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn are fired, after years of underachievement.

Aug. 23: Rumors circulate that owner Jerry Reinsdorf will promote farm director Chris Getz to the GM spot, and hire failed former Kansas City Royals GM Dayton Moore in some sort of role to assist Getz.

Aug. 25: Two fans are shot in the left-field bleachers at Guaranteed Rate Field, while watching the Sox get blown out by the league-worst Oakland Athletics. 

Aug. 27: Rumors circulate that the Sox are considering three places for relocation: near the United Center on the West Side, Soldier Field, or the Arlington Heights location the Chicago Bears recently purchased.

Aug. 28: Reports indicate the gunshots Friday night most likely did not come from outside the stadium, meaning that someone managed to sneak a gun past security at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Good grief, this is all crazy. Any one of these topics could be a blog post. But I'd like to just make a few quick reactions. I don't think these problems are going away.

On the GM search: I really wish the Sox would conduct an external search for the best possible candidate, instead of just promoting Getz and hiring Moore, who worked with Getz and manager Pedro Grifol in Kansas City. This is just more cronyism. Sure, Moore has a 2015 World Series title on his resume. That cannot be taken from him, but he also presided over 13 losing seasons in 17 years in Kansas City. Why are the Sox trying to emulate the Royals anyway? Kansas City is the one team in the AL Central that's even worse (at least on the field) than the Sox.

Further, if things have gotten so bad (and they have) that you need to fire the top two men in your baseball operations, why would you just promote the guy who is either third or fourth in command? Wouldn't it be both obvious and imperative that a new voice is needed?

On stadium relocation: The Soldier Field idea is absolutely awful. That place is a dump, and there's a reason the Bears are looking to get the hell out of there. Because of its status as a historical landmark, there are limits on what you can do architecturally. Not to mention, that place is impossible to get to. The traffic sucks. The parking sucks. All of it sucks. Romanticize the lakefront all you want, but nobody is going to care about the "beautiful view" or the "Chicago skyline in the distance" when there's only 4,000 people in the stands on weeknights, because fans have decided that it's too big of a pain in the ass to drive to Soldier Field after they get off work.

I'm open to the United Center neighborhood idea. I love going to Blackhawks games. I'll go to Sox games in that area, too. Great!

I'm open to the team staying at 35th and Shields. I've been going there for years. Great!

I'm open to the team moving to Arlington Heights. That location is 4.5 miles from my house. Now I can come on weeknights after work. Great!

Soldier Field? Screw that, and screw anyone who thinks that's a good idea.

On the safety issue: I attended Saturday night's game. I was undeterred by the incident Friday, although I acknowledge it's a terrible look for the Sox. If they want folks to feel comfortable going to these games, they might want to think about upgrading those metal detectors -- immediately. Judging by the looks of them, I don't think the Sox have the latest technology.

Me personally, I don't spend my life worrying about what could go wrong. Gun violence, allegedly deadly viruses, domestic terrorism, whatever. I'm not afraid of any of it. Whenever one leaves the house, there's always a chance that something could go wrong. Hell, you could get in a fatal car wreck on your way to the grocery store. Does that stop you from buying food? Of course not. 

Our risk calculation has gotten way out of whack in this society over the past three years. I'm not going to stop my life because of various things that could potentially kill me. Yes, I'm aware there is a non-zero chance that I could be gunned down inside or outside the ballpark. I just don't care, because that chance is so small that it isn't worth thinking about it. 

My advice: Continue living your life. Don't give up the things you enjoy out of fear. One day it will be over for all of us. That's a fact, but don't sweat it.

See you at the ballpark on the next homestand.

White Sox will have some fans in stands when season begins

The authoritarians in charge of Illinois have come down from on high and told us it's OK for Chicago's baseball teams to host fans at 20% capacity when the season starts in April.

Effectively, that means a little more than 8,000 people will be allowed into Guaranteed Rate Field when the home portion of the White Sox schedule begins April 8 against the Kansas City Royals.

Will I be among them? I don't know so, but I hope so. I immediately emailed my ticket rep to request information, but she didn't have much for me -- which I guess is understandable because 24 hours ago, I was figuring I would need to go on the road to see the Sox in person this summer.

In any case, I later received an email from Sox marketing guru Brooks Boyer, and priority is rightfully being given to Sox season-ticket holders, with type of plan and years of seniority determining the pecking order. That's the only fair way to do it. I've had a partial season-ticket plan for the past 16 years, so I'm guessing I'll be pretty close to the front of the line after the full season-ticket holders have been accommodated.

Frankly, I have no idea how many full season-ticket holders the Sox have, and given that they have first priority, it's very possible that they will snap up all 8,000-some seats available for the first game. If that's the case, yeah, I'll be disappointed to not go, but I get it. Or maybe enough of those folks will be scared of the virus that an opportunity will fall in my hands.

I'd like to believe that I'll be able to attend at least one home game on that first homestand with the seniority I have built up. We shall see, and something is better than nothing.

Grinder Bash 2019 at Guaranteed Rate Field: Let's kill the fun!

Remember my post about Grinder Bash 2018? More than a year later, it's still getting some web traffic. We had some fun visiting the home clubhouse at Guaranteed Rate Field and took a few pictures chronicling what we found.

Well, guess what? That's not allowed anymore. When I walked into the White Sox clubhouse Saturday for Grinder Bash 2019, I had at least two people telling me that no pictures would be allowed (even though I had neither camera nor smartphone in hand at the time).

So, the Gestapo has ruined another event that used to be fun for Sox fans, and I must say that wasn't the only disappointment we experienced at Grinder Bash this year.

The event was from 4 to 7 p.m., but we didn't get inside the stadium until about 4:45. The Sox only opened Gate 2, and they had only three people scanning fans in. Thus, the line was wrapped practically around the stadium. In previous years, they had at least two gates open, but I guess Jerry Reinsdorf didn't want to pay too many people to work an event that occurs while the Sox are on the road.

So, the three-hour event was basically cut to two hours for some people. Free food is offered, which is great, but unfortunately, they started closing the food stands at 5:45 p.m. Better eat quick, folks! And they started shooing people out of the stadium at 6:30. We were scolded for wanting to use the bathroom in the Craft Kave at 6:35 p.m. I thought the event went until 7, you know?

I got the impression the Sox wanted their employees to leave the stadium by 7 p.m. If that's the case, tell fans the event is from 4 to 6. And let everyone in on time. Grinder Bash is for season-ticket holders only -- these are the Sox's best customers. Why are we being hurried along and treated like this? Anything for Reinsdorf to save a buck, I guess. Those hourly employees need to go home.

So, no home clubhouse pictures this year, but here are some other notable moments from the day:

I did snap this picture in the tunnel leading from the clubhouse to the dugout, before the guards noticed. Although I agree with the message, the Sox obviously don't do a very good job of "ruthless execution of the basics," nor do they ever seem to improve at the basics. But at least it is emphasized, I guess.

I needed to get a new picture with the 2005 World Series trophy now that I'm a much older man. I look very young in the previous pictures I've taken with the trophy. Too bad it feels as though the Sox will never win another one.

This will probably be the only time I have the chance to sit in the CBIC Fan Box, so I figured I may as well take a picture of the view from there.

And, finally, Jen and I standing on the warning track in straightaway center field. This is probably the happiest we will be at Guaranteed Rate Field this season, because the Sox weren't there to lose another game!

Let's have some fun with small sample sizes (White Sox vs. Royals edition)

Matt Davidson

Sometimes, statistics can be funny in April. A few examples:

(All numbers are through games of April 26)

White Sox home runs this season: 30
White Sox home runs at Guaranteed Rate Field: 8
White Sox home runs at Kauffman Stadium: 12

White Sox wins this season: 6
White Sox wins at Guaranteed Rate Field: 2
White Sox wins at Kauffman Stadium: 3

Matt Davidson home runs this season: 7
Matt Davidson home runs at Guaranteed Rate Field: 1
Matt Davidson home runs at Kauffman Stadium: 5

White Sox runs scored this season: 83
White Sox runs scored at Guaranteed Rate Field: 34
White Sox runs scored at Kauffman Stadium: 24

Why is all this so ridiculous?

Well, the Sox have only played three games this season at Kauffman Stadium against the Royals, while they've played 12 games at Guaranteed Rate Field.

But the Sox have hit more home runs in Kansas City than they have in their home stadium; they've won more games in Kansas City than they have in their home stadium; and hell, almost all of Davidson's season production has occurred in the three games they've played in Kansas City.

Davidson hit three home runs in a 14-7 win on Opening Day, and he hit two more homers Thursday in a 6-3 Sox win.

Obviously, all of this will even out eventually. Perhaps the Royals will turn the tables on the Sox before the weekend is over, but for now, the whole thing is sort of amusing.