77 Hitmen

If there's one sport that has nostalgia woven into its fabric, it's baseball. That's something that I never thought Jerry and Eddie really appreciated after they bought the White Sox. Its stadiums are rather unique among major sports too as the dimensions of each ballpark is different and you potentially have an impressive backdrop that can be viewed from many of the seats and even from the playing field.

When I say Wrigley is overrated, I admit that it's my Sox fan bias showing. I realized long ago that most people outside of our fan base think seeing a game at Wrigley is a great experience, especially after the Ricketts renovated the place.....and that the "we Sox fans are right and the rest of the world is wrong" and the "people hate Rate Field because the world is against the White Sox" point of view isn't very sensible or realistic. If Ishbia does pay to get a new ballpark built, and does it right, can you imagine Chicago having both a Petco-like or PNC-like ballpark with the skyline as a backdrop as well as the iconic ballpark on the North Side both within the city limits? That would be great for the city. It might even help take some of the sting of the Bears moving to Arlington Heights.

I used to say JR was running the Sox like they were the Pittsburgh Pirates. I guess I was giving Jerry too much credit.

I agree about Fenway. Wrigley is highly overrated, too. But it is what it is - most people outside the White Sox fan base overlook their faults and consider going to those 2 ballparks a must-see, bucket list experience. We Sox fans have been saying for years that those places are overrated, but it's like trying to shout something right next to a huge waterfall. As much as we hate it, it's obvious that most paying customers these days will take those faults in exchange for a ballpark with lots of character in an area with lots of nightlife.

Right by the bidet?

Last time I saw him on TV, he looked like someone who was around 75 to 80. He looks very good for a 90-year old man. More power to him if he can stay healthy into his 90s and make it to the century mark. I just wish he decided that he wants to spend the last decade of his life as Chairman Emeritus of the White Sox and hand over control to the Ishbias once the upcoming labor dispute is settled.

Which team is #30?

Here's an interview with state rep Kam Buckner from a few days ago that suggests that progress is being made with the Bears stadium legislation.

For a franchise that desperately needs to win back fans they've alienated and attract new fans, Schriffen is yet one more obstacle to getting anyone to want to watch the Sox. Sure, he's a minor problem compared to the pathetic product they're putting on the field, but he's so bad at announcing baseball games that he's yet one more strike against anyone giving a **** about this team. What makes matters worse is the spotlight and (well-deserved) praise that Benetti is getting this week as he begins his national NBC gig. Man, Jerry Reinsdorf has really made it hard for people to give a damn about the Sox, especially over the last 15 years.

What this tells me is that we don't need to wish for another Skenes to fall into our laps, what we need is for the Sox to be an organization that doesn't trade away all-star or, worse yet, generational pitching talent when they either get too expensive to keep or it's time for another rebuild. Until ownership changes, no matter how successful our draft pick is, he will just become trade bait in a few years.

It's not like his job will be on the line as long as JR is owner of this team, which could be for another 8(!) years. All he needs to do until Ishbia takes over is do a good job of bullshitting to the press about how great things are going for this franchise and how their plan is coming together just like Hahn did for many years. I don't see Getz being under much pressure for the next few years....until 2029 at the earliest. If any prospects turn out to be a huge success, just flip him for some decent prospects and point to that as proof that he has skills as a GM just like they did with Crochet.

Is that the target date for starting the next "rebuild"?

STEP 1: find out how Jerry Reinsdorf would approach this project and do the exact opposite. The challenge with that, of course, is that Jerry is still team owner and will very much be involved in this. The good news here is that, if true, it's yet another sign that Ishbia really is serious about building a new stadium. Not that the news about him working on buying the Amtrak maintenance yard across the river from the 78 wasn't a strong indication of his intentions.

James Tolkan, who played Strickland in Back to the Future, has died at 94. https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/28/entertainment/james-tolkan-actor-obit-hnk

Looking at the 3 ballparks that rank lower on that list: the A's are getting a new stadium in 2028, Chase Field is about to get $750M in renovations, and the Rays new ownership is working on getting a new stadium in Tampa. Rate Field could drop to #30 in some stadium rankings in a few years. We'll see about the Rays new stadium, though. I'll believe it when they actually secure funding at start breaking ground. Sounds like they might be asking around $1B in public funding for that new ballpark.

We have several threads going or recently going (Fire Getz, Crochet Tracker, Benetti, Thomas Sues Sox) that all tie back to one thing: Jerry Reinsdorf is the controlling owner of this franchise. Until he's no longer owner of this team, this franchise will be a total joke and one of the worst operated in MLB. They'll continue to hire incompetent people, trade away All-Star talent, and alienate people who have been faces of the franchise. I'm just so sick and tired of this crap. None of this nightmare is going to end for Sox fans until Jerry relinquishes control of this team. I just hope our upcoming #1 pick pans out AND that JR is no longer owner by the time we get to the point where it's time to trade him away for some more prospects. I hope there will be enough of a fanbase left to salvage this franchise if he really hangs on to ownership until 2034.

Too bad I can't like this post more than once.

That's why he was pushing hard to get the state to build him a new stadium with taxpayer money. His incompetence failed to grow the value of the franchise, but a $1B in taxpayer money would.

He's not going anywhere unless he a) commits a felony or b) breaks the 11th Commandment: Thou Shall Not Speak Ill of Any Part of the Sox Organization

South Side, Stand Up!!!!!

USA Today has issued their MLB ballpark rankings for 2026. We're #27! Take that, Chase Field! https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2026/03/25/best-mlb-stadiums-ranking-2026-edition-baseball-ballparks/89304877007/

When is Gordon going to sue the Sox?

This article is paywalled, but it's about plans for the empty piece of land just north of the 78 between Wells St and the river. It's not stadium-related, but some may be wondering about that empty land just west of the Roosevelt Collection. South Loop developer lands $83 million construction loan...The financing kicks off construction on what appears to be the first phase of the long-planned Riverline residential development in the South Loop.

Here's an interview with the Crain's reporters who broke the news about Ishbia's intention to buy the Amtrak yard. The discussion is in the first 18:40 of this link. I don't think it's paywalled. Sox owner-to-be lines up possible stadium site: Crain’s D...Justin Ishbia is set to buy a massive South Loop rail yard for a potential White Sox stadium site. Crain’s reporters Danny Ecker and Justin Laurence discuss with host Amy Guth.

Baby Boomers start turning 80 this year, Gen Xers (my age group) started turning 60 last year, and even Millennials start turning 45 this year. Let that sink in for a minute - by the time the lease is up at Rate Field, Millennials will be pushing 50. The Sox can't just rely on legacy fans to start filling the ballpark again when they finally find some success on the field. Maybe if they rattled off a bunch of WS titles in quick succession like the Dodgers, but that's a VERY tall order even if Ishbia opens up his wallet (just ask Mets fans). Most younger fans aren't going to devote a lot of time and money to see the Sox if all they get to do is drive to the park, see the game, and drive back home. Relying on "That's all that I've personally wanted for the last 50 years" fans isn't a winning business model going forward.