A melancholy feeling as White Sox begin home schedule

Rate Field (Photo by Jason Bauman)

The White Sox were supposed to open the home portion of their schedule Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Somewhat fittingly after the team's 1-5 disaster of a road trip to start the year, the game was postponed until Friday because of the forecast of inclement weather.

When it rains, it pours.

For the fourth consecutive season, I am choosing not to attend Opening Day at Rate Field. In fact, I have not purchased tickets for one single game in Chicago, and I do not intend to do so this season.

It's a difficult decision, but the team the Sox are putting on the field and the lackluster ballpark experience are not worth my valuable time and money -- and it's been this way for a while now.

The first home game used to be one of my favorite days of the year. Now, it is one of my least favorite days. It brings me great sadness what has happened to my baseball team.

Here's what Opening Day means to me now: 

• It means once-great traditions that have turned sour. 
• It means friendships that are not being renewed because we can't in good conscious give Jerry Reinsdorf our money anymore. 
• It means a sense of dread for the coming year, wondering how many games the Sox are going to lose this time. 
• It means well-meaning people wishing us "Happy Opening Day," while not understanding that we are no longer excited about the possibilities of the baseball season.

It's terrible to feel this way, but that's how it is. We're reduced to dreaming of the day when the 90-year-old miser who hates his paying customers is no longer owner of the team. It's the only way this changes.