Chicago White Sox 2024

Bucktown · 2024-10-17T18:53:47-0500

Roundball Sage said:
I was glad when that referendum lost back then. The White Sox belong in the City of Chicago, period. Just like the Bears. For better or worse, the City (any City) always remains the heart of any unban area. It has the transit infrastructure -- the central region location -- the long history -- and is part of the City landscape itself as much as any skyscraper.

The Sox have been run like a second-rate outfit for far too long. But up until the late 1960s the White Sox were THE MLB team in Chicago. The Cubs were a silly afterthought and chonic losers while the Sox had 17 straight winning seasons and nearly won a couple of Pennants except for those damned Yankees.

It was a bad ownership situation back then and poor franchise management and decisions back then that sent the Sox on their downward cycle. And really they have never recovered from that.

If you have a Sox fan who is your grandfather... ask him about how exciting the Sox were back then with Luis and Nellie and the great pitching staffs and defense they played for 20 years. Younger Sox fans have no idea how good and much fun this team was.

If the Sox would have found good ownership in the late 60s... today they would be one of the elite MLB franchises. No thoughts ever of moving anywhere... no New York-Loving ownership... no 100-loss seasons. It all started back then.

I am a Cardinal fan so therefore a casual Sox fan. I think the proposed stadium as part of the 78 would be a home run for the City, the Sox and the Related who is developing the project. The anchor of 80+ baseball games in that location would be an economic development catalyst for housing and retail. I can't believe the financing can't get done without subsidy. Related certainly has access to capital also.

Also it is hard to really get to the real numbers, but it seems like the bond holders are only owed $50 million on Guaranteed Rate field. That is pittance compared to the cost of a new stadium. So that is certainly an asset that can be a part of any equation. Why isn't it a very viable option to just develop everyone one of the parking lots around Guaranteed Rate and extend the White Sox. Give the Sox another sweetheart deal as part of a plan to create a destination village around the stadium?

Roundball Sage · 2024-10-17T19:45:53-0500

Bucktown said:
I am a Cardinal fan so therefore a casual Sox fan. I think the proposed stadium as part of the 78 would be a home run for the City, the Sox and the Related who is developing the project.

As a legacy Sox fan... I would like to see the 78 Site deal get done and the Sox stay in town. I have always respected the Cardinals franchise and Cardinal fans as I see similarities between our two fan bases -- 'real' baseball fans who appreciate the Game at an adult level. I think the Sox-Redbird matchup can become a great rivalry. Of couse, you'd get a decent rivalty with the St. Louis vs. Nashville Sox, too, should that happen.

Bucktown said:
Why isn't it a very viable option to just develop everyone one of the parking lots around Guaranteed Rate and extend the White Sox. Give the Sox another sweetheart deal as part of a plan to create a destination village around the stadium?

It is my belief that the Big Wheels/Big Cheeses around Chicago have given up totally on the South Side. The City became North and Northwest Side centric once old Mayor Daley (who was a big Sox fan) and then his son passed out of the scene. The South Side used to be a huge economic engine for the City when the South Side was loaded with big factories and countless workers (and voters). All of that began to die off beginning in the 1960s -- just about the time the Sox as a franchise began to slide downward. So, the South Loop site is seen as the best option for keeping the franchise.

Plus, the South Side always gets lots of bad publicity while the North Side is always touted as the Cool and Hip Side of Town. And as you know as a Cardinals fan... those 'Lovables!' play on the North Side. No one ever calls the Sox that (thank God).