77 Hitmen

You could possibly include Oracle Park with that with its amazing view. Anyone who says it doesn't get cold there hasn't been to San Francisco in the summer.😉 There's some truth to what Mark Twain said about the summers there.

Does that literally make us "fair weather fans"?

It looks like Kroenke's people are tamping down the new stadium talk a bit. They're not saying it could never happen, but it's not at the top of their list. That makes sense since their current lease runs through 2032 and can be extended through 2038. Angel Stadium is bland, a bit dated, but serviceable in the short-term and the Angels draw well. If the Sox drew 2.5M a year when they were losing 90+ games multiple years in a row, they'd be thrilled. I still think Kroenke gets a new ballpark built for them in Anaheim eventually. As I mentioned earlier, with the A's new stadium under construction, the Rays looks like they'll break ground soon, and the Royals look like they're well on their way to a new stadium, that really only leaves the Angels and the White Sox without "forever homes" that would likely be around for another 20 years. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/angels/2026/09/03/los-angeles-angels-potential-new-stadium-anaheim/91584134007/

I'll also note that, based on some of the posts I've read since the South Loop ballpark was first proposed, White Sox fans apparently will only go to games in large numbers if: the team makes the playoffs multiple years in a row the temperature is above 50 degrees the temperature is lower than 90 degrees it's not too humid there isn't a threat of rain they do not have to use a parking garage they do not have to drive more than a couple of blocks off the expressway to get to the parking lot they do not have to use public transportation Geez, we must have one of the most fickle fan bases in the league.

This was discussed a while back, but a retractable roof could work IF it was a design that really opened up and felt open air when retracted. If we're talking about something that looks like the ballparks in Arizona and Texas - forget it. To play in something that looks like a warehouse during the 80% of games with good weather isn't worth it for the 20% of bad weather days and we'd end up with the same old conundrum of people complaining that the Sox stadium lacks charm. Houston's opens up to the skyline better, but they almost never open the roof even during early-season 75 degree days for some reason. In Chicago, the goal would be to provide cover when it rains and at least some relief from the cold during those early season 40 degree days (even if it's not a perfect 72 degrees inside). Perhaps today's stadium architects using cutting-edge design and materials could make that happen in a way that really makes the place look totally open air on beautiful spring/summer days. Of course, any retractable roof would add significantly to the cost of a stadium to the tune of hundreds of millions. Let's not all pretend that atmosphere, character, and even backdrop do not matter in the post-Camden era. During that time, the only ballpark built with a roof in a northern climate was Milwaukee. Seattle's roof is just to block the rain and the park isn't climate controlled and it really opens nicely. Would PNC Park and Oracle Park be top-rated if they looked like warehouses that only opened up to the sky directly above and blocked any exterior views except for some side panels? I doubt it. But the idea that Ishbia is the one that keeps pushing and pushing for an open air stadium and refusing to consider a roof when he has, in fact, said nothing at all about stadium design is just more of the same tired-old deranged rambling.

Yep, OC Vibe - a 100 acre entertainment district. It sounds bigger than the 1901 Project. It’s right across I-5 from Angel Stadium. Urbanize LAAnother batch of renderings revealed for the massive OC V...The slow trickle of eye candy continues for the sprawling OC Vibe development in Anaheim.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7557889/2026/09/02/ten-questions-los-angeles-angels-sale-moreno/?unlocked_article_code=1.-VA.KmZP.V-hqYogUbN8v&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta Ten Pressing Questions about the Angels Sale.

The Angels were drawing 3M a year before Covid. Post Covid, they’ve dropped to the 2.5M range, but they’ve also lost at least 89 games every year post covid and going for over 100 losses this year The location has worked well for them. The problem is an aging, bland ballpark that is surrounded by acres of surface lots. There’s probably enough room on those lots to build a new stadium next to the old one. As the article says, the city could sell the land, but the previous attempt with Moreno got stalled because of corruption charges. .

In other stadium news, it looks like the Angels will indeed get a new ballpark under the new ownership. I posted this in the Angels Sold thread, but posting it here for people who don’t look at the Diamond Club forum. Stan Kroenke Reportedly Plans to Build New $2.5B Angels S...Stan Kroenke reportedly isn't going to wait long to make significant changes surrounding the Los Angeles Angels after purchasing the team.

Stan Kroenke Reportedly Plans to Build New $2.5B Angels S...Stan Kroenke reportedly isn't going to wait long to make significant changes surrounding the Los Angeles Angels after purchasing the team.

So, why in the world would Amtrak voluntarily submit to city zoning review when 1) they don’t have to and 2) Ald Lee has said she’ll block the project NO MATTER WHAT? Am I missing something? To avoid angering residents? The residents who are saying they just want this killed period no matter what? I think they’d be absolutely crazy to agree to voluntarily do this when the city official has said she’ll fight to kill this no matter what Amtrak might say about mitigation measures. So, Mayor Johnson basically killed the Bears stadium deal (likely sending them out of state) because he thinks the team should stay in Chicago even though the team doesn’t want to stay. Now Ald Lee wants to kill a Sox stadium plan because she thinks the team should stay in Bridgeport even though they don’t want to stay. The fact that the city is so willing to kill $700M in federal money and a chance to modernize Amtrak operations here really says a lot about why this city is in such a downward spiral and has trouble keeping businesses.

This is to temper the rage against the last post!

Sorry, guys. I just couldn’t resist.

Bill Veeck went out and signed some free agents in 1980 because he knew the next owner would be paying for it. I want to say Ron LeFlore and Jim Essian(?). A similar dynamic could be a factor in any long-term contracts handed out in 2027.

He also built a privately-financed stadium for the Rams. It wouldn't surprise me if he does the same with the Angels when their lease is up in the 2030s.

Your move, Jerry.

To clarify, the Illinois General Assembly veto session isn't scheduled to start until after the election. So, unless they call for a special session, they wouldn't be going out of their way to delay action until after the election.

Good point. That's a lot of private and federal investment for an upgrade that Amtrak has said they need to make. I suppose another potential point of failure is funding for the stadium itself. Surely Ishbia is well aware that the state (correctly) is saying No to taxpayer money going to building a stadium (not counting infrastructure) and that any new ballpark would need to be privately-financed (aside from infrastructure). But the only proposal that has gone public so far is JR's, which does ask for a substantial amount of taxpayer money.

Rumor has it that the Tribune only bought the Cubs because they were afraid the team would leave WGN to join the Sox in on cable TV. I don't know if there's any truth to that, but can you imagine an alternate reality where the Cubs leave Wrigley Field and WGN just as it was becoming a nationwide superstation?

Earlier I just replied that the Amtrak deal is unlikely to fall through. However, it's still a possibility. This is Chicago, after all. If the Amtrak land purchase effort fails, then perhaps the fallback option would be to build a new ballpark on the site of Old Comiskey and develop an entertainment district around it on the site of the current stadium and some of the parking lots. Then the question becomes whether such a district there would really draw enough people on non-game days to be financially viable.

Probably not. This might be why Reinsdorf and Ishbia agreed to such a long timeline for possible ownership transfer. It doesn't even start until the year the current ballpark lease expires and Reinsdorf's option to sell window of 2029-2033 seems to line up very closely to the timeline of when a new stadium might be constructed. I don't expect us to hear any stadium proposal from Ishbia until the Amtrak property sale is finalized....and probably sale of the BNSF yard too. Until that's all done, he probably doesn't see any benefit of getting too far ahead of himself.

Part of this was due to the CHSN broadcast for all 3 games being simulcast on free TV (WCIU).

Didn't the Astrodome run into problems with glass roof panels making it hard for outfields to track fly balls when that place first opened? I believe they had to paint over that glass. Wouldn't they have the same problem in Tampa?

Anything is possible, but I think there's too much involved here for the residents to be able to totally kill this project. It's not simply moving the Amtrak facility to make way for a new stadium. Amtrak has already said they need to move their facility to have more room to modernize their operations and there's the matter of this potentially killing the Northwestern medical research campus proposal if Amtrak's move is stopped. Part of the federal money is going to much-needed repairs on viaducts in the area, too. If anything, neighborhood and Ald. Lee's opposition could slow things down significantly. If Amtrak and Canal Edge want to head off that possibility, they'd be wise put some effort into coming up with ways to mitigate noise, light, air pollution impacts on the nearby residential areas. Those type of things should be feasible and not uncommon when addressing local concerns.

Sweet Swinging Robin Ventura! I'll never forget watching this walk off grand slam off of Goose Gossage on TV - 35 years ago last month.