77 Hitmen

It looks like MLB has already reached the saturation point of # of teams making the playoffs. They can't "expand the playoffs" their way out of their problem. The difference in the other leagues is that it's not just the biggest markets that dominate. KC has a dynasty in the NFL and Green Bay is a perpetual powerhouse. The Bills might be the best team in the AFC. OKC beat Indiana for the NBA title. The Bucks won a few years ago. Look at the list of Stanley Cup champs over the last decade - no big market teams. Yeah, maybe we'll get a Brewers/Mariners WS this year, but let's face it - that'd be unusual and the top 10 big market teams are never far from pennant contention. So, you think it's by choice that all the major market MLB teams pay for superstars and all the small market MLB team chose not to? That's quite an incredible coincidence. Yeah, there are bad owners (JR, Moreno, Nutting), but it's pretty clear that MLB is dominated by major market teams and smaller market teams struggle to keep success going even when they have a well-run organization.

The team actually retired the number "455" to commemorate the record sellout streak, which ended in April 2001. https://www.mlb.com/video/indians-the-fans-no-455-c20096121 MLB should take note and be concerned about this. Half the league can only keep superstars until they reach free agency and they move on to the dozen or so top market teams. It's hard to sustain national interest in a sport when half the teams have to rebuild every few years - even well-run organizations like Cleveland. You don't see this in the other major sports. Also, pushing the smaller market teams into all workday day games in the first round or two of the playoffs makes it harder to get people to attend and watch those games.

But isn't it up to the Legislature and Governor to decide if public funds would be spent on a new stadium? Who are the Sox negotiating with?

Let's just hope that someone is Justin Ishbia.

But both Portland and Salt Lake City have both said they (or rather those states) would pay $800M and 900M in public money, respectively, for a MLB ballpark. I'm not saying this is the most likely scenario, but why wouldn't MLB just let the Sox move to Nashville and then award the 2 expansion teams to Portland and SLC? The league gets their expansion fees and 2 nice taxpayer-funded stadiums. Again, I'm not saying a Sox move is imminent. But I could see it playing out this way.

If true, it's probably a negotiating tactic and I'm hoping not a serious threat. If not for a new stadium then at least for the next stadium lease. Or maybe even development of the land (parking lots) ISFA owns around the current ballpark? It doesn't sound like Nashville is spending public money on a ballpark either, but crazier things have happened. One thing I'm pretty sure of - the Ishbias aren't spending close to $2B for a franchise only to keep the unsuccessful status quo with the current ballpark (without major renovations) surround by parking lots for the next 30 years when just about every other MLB team is moving away from that model and the Cubs are becoming more and more dominant in this market.

You bring up good points about Nashville, Lip. But with all do respect, I have found that it is out of state Sox fans who find it much easier to say it wouldn't bother them one bit if the Sox left town.

The new owners are going to have their work cut out for them to win over some younger fans who have grown up uninterested in the shoddy product the South Siders have put on the field. JR's plan to try to win on the cheap and with smoke and mirrors has been a failure. If the Cubs return to the World Series this year, the challenge to win over younger fans will be even greater. I don't think they can just rely on tribalism ("my mom/dad was a Sox fan!") to make the Sox relevant going forward.

If they're talented enough, the Sox will trade them at some point for more prospects and then they can join the long list of ex-players who say they were thankful to get out of that train wreck of an organization.

Maybe they believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, too.

The Bears are saying their new stadium at Arlington Park would have an infrastructure cost of $855M in public funds. They mention expressway entrance/exit ramps and upgrades to the Metra line that stops at the site as part of that cost. Also: "an estimated 370 events a year, with most of those dates being private events and tours, according to the village report. However, there are plans for 10 home Bears games, two college football showcases, two high school football games, one international soccer match, wrestling and boxing events, and eight concerts each year, generating an estimated 1.5 million visitors combined. The team also hopes to occasionally host major events such as the NCAA Final Four, Big Ten championships and a Super Bowl." https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/30/chicago-bears-stadium-arlington-heights-economic-activity/

If this were more than 15 years ago, I'd be totally pissed at that comment. Now? Explain to me why he isn't wrong.

It's a bit ironic for a Sox fan to say this about another sports team. As someone who has been hearing this crack about the Sox for the last 40 years, I'm not going to be the first one to cast a stone at another team's fan support.

Is Katz the only person in the organization with a four-letter last name ending in "tz" being fired?

The Tribune published this from their editorial board today: Editorial: Finally, a Fired-up future for The 78 https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/29/editorial-joe-mansueto-chicago-fire-78-soccer-stadium/ From the article: "Chicago, as we’ve said before, has reason to be grateful to Mansueto — soccer fans in particular, given how much a bespoke stadium is likely to do for the popularity of the beautiful game in the city." and "The big question now is what happens on the rest of the land. We’ve been told by several folks not to “rule out” a move there by the Chicago White Sox in a second stadium, creating a sports complex that one could even imagine becoming a persuasive part of a future Olympic bid. Theoretically, there is room, although it sounds like Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, will take some convincing. Time will tell. For now, we’re just celebrating a privately funded project that looks set to score all kinds of goals for the city." I don't know about the future Olympic bid, though. We already dodged that bullet once.

Busted. You got me!

Bally's has announced plans for a hotel and entertainment district to be built around the A's new stadium in Vegas: https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/ballys-unveils-hotel-entertainment-complex-to-be-built-around-as-las-vegas-ballpark-3466824/amp/ https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/ballys-finally-shares-plans-for-retail-casino-outside-of-future-as-las-vegas-stadiumas-story-for-sunday

This is what I have learned from some posters on this site: 1. The technology to stack parking lots on top of each other to create so-called "garages" is too difficult and inconvenient to work for the Sox fanbase even though it works for countless other sports teams. 2. There's no practical way with today's engineering technology to adjust the grade of train tracks to separate them from pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Cutting-edge engineers call such a thing an "underpass" or "overpass", but it will never work. 3. There are no American cities that have built major structures on infill land reclaimed from water. Not Boston or New York City and certainly this hasn't been done anywhere in Chicago. 4. Sox fans simply will not go to games unless their team's stadium is located immediately next to an expressway and has acres of surface lots. The history of Sox fans packing the current stadium through thick and thin and the failure of the 20+ MLB teams that lack this arrangement to attract enough fans to keep up with the White Sox juggernaut proves this point.

But Jerry doesn't like deploying resources into the organization, either. So, we can't spend on MLB talent like the big boys and JR won't spend money on the organization or hire anyone but "yes men" to develop talent like Milwaukee and Cleveland are able to.

I give him zero points and may God have mercy on this soul. Seriously though, I voted "D", but it was between D+ and C- to me. Some successes, but not nearly enough to turn this team into a winner anytime in the foreseeable future. He didn't do enough at the trade deadline to help this team long-term. The whole Robert thing is puzzling and we'll have to see how that plays out this offseason. Crochet is so talented and valuable that even Getz couldn't screw up trading him. So, I'm not chalking up getting Teel to Getz's "genius".

Congratulations to him on his retirement. I caught one of his at bats on TV and it was nice to see that the Washington crowd gave him some cheers. This makes me wonder - what do players like him typically do after retirement since he's only 34? Not all of them can go into broadcasting or coaching.

I remember attending a Chicago Cardinals tribute day late in the 1990 season at Old Comiskey Park. It was kind of sad to me how few of the fans in attendance seemed to know or care who these guys were.

Failing upward - that's how Jerry runs this organization.

I would think the owners of the Cubs' division rivals would object to the Sox being contracted or moving. The Ricketts have already turned the Cubs into a financial juggernaut in a division full of smaller market teams. And this is with a quarter or a third of Chicagoland being Sox fans and hating the Cubs. Imagine how much more powerful the Cubs would be if they had the allegiance of essentially ALL of Chicagoland? Sure, Sox fans would never root for the Cubs if the Sox went away, but that'll change as we die off and a new generation grows up with only the Cubs. It didn't take long for the Bears to own all of Chicago after the Cardinals left except for a few old timer diehards.

The Fire's plan has nothing but surface lots on the part of the 78 that is south of the proposed soccer stadium, which is proposed to be placed between 13th and 14th St. Perhaps that's to keep the door open for the Sox for now. That doesn't mean the Sox WILL move there, but it does still appear to be an option for them if the new owners want to pay for a stadium there. And before anyone screams "Where Will People Park??!!", there is still space for parking garages no matter what is built there. No matter what happens, 10+ acres of surface lots doesn't seem to be an ideal use for such prime real estate in the heart of Chicago.