77 Hitmen

Yeah, speaking of Rick Bayless, there's a Frontera Grill stand at Terminal 3 at O'Hare......always a good option when looking for a meal there.

Excellent idea - especially with Chicago being so renowned for its restaurants. The food at Sox Park has been pretty good for years, but people who think it's top of the league need to get out and see more MLB ballparks outside of Chicago. Maybe this was true 30 years ago, but when you see concessions at other ballparks around the league these days, Rate Field really doesn't stand out. I also completely agree with the complaints with the slowness of the concessions at Sox Park. This has been a problem for years. Sooooo inefficient. But that's more of an operational problem than a structural problem with the design of the ballpark.

Two months isn't much time to rehabilitate this franchise's image. Sure, they're playing better now but there's still a long way to go to move the needle on this team's image. But that being said, he's NOT going to refuse to sign.

Offering those contracts didn't cost Jerry a dime.

....and my dream list for a new Sox ballpark itself: Again, many of @hogan873 's suggestions Exterior brickwork that harkens back to Old Comiskey Keep the lower box rows at 8 seats across like at Rate Field. This might not be realistic since that cuts into the number of prime seats in the lower level, but it is one of the great things about the lower box area now. Seats down the line that angle toward the infield. Entrance to the lower concourse at street level. Avoid the long ramps/escalator ride like now just to get to the lower deck.

Great question! Surrounding the ballpark: A ballpark village like @hogan873 described. Parking that is well distributed between both sides of the river so that drivers can come in from all directions to spread out the traffic. A decent amount of green space. With the total acreage of the 78 and the Amtrak yard being 62+47, there should be enough room to accommodate more than just the 2 stadiums, "ballpark village" retail, and parking garages. A pedestrian bridge somewhere connecting the two sites - not just the sidewalk on Roosevelt. Lower the grade of the Rock Island Metra tracks to open up access from Clark St. Game-day Metra stops for the Rock Island line to the east and the BNSF and SWS lines to the west (though proximity to Union and LaSalle St stations might not make that necessary) New Red Line stop at 15th & Clark

This is reality of today's economics in sports. Could the Sox do this at the current location.....build some sort of "Comiskeyville" entertainment district at 35th and Shields where businesses could thrive the 250 days a year the Sox aren't playing a home game? Like you said, they (JR and Ishbia) apparently feel that won't work there.

It can be both. It's JR's mishandling of the team and the location. If the Sox built the perfect stadium at the best location....but still ran the team Jerry's way, I totally agree that they'll have trouble drawing fans after a new ballpark "bounce" wears off. But 15th or worse in the league in attendance every year since 1995 except for the 1 time they were reigning WS champs - those are the numbers and they weren't losing 100 games all of those 30 years. Argue all you want, but those numbers are what they are. That includes all the Thomas, Konerko, Buehrle, AJ, Thome years when the team had players with lots name recognition and were pretty decent on the field. Yep, I've been to Milwaukee. I mentioned them above. They obviously succeed in drawing fans at a ballpark with nothing around it. They're also an outlier in MLB in making that work. Maybe someone here from Wisconsin can explain that because I can't. But the last thing I want the next Sox owners to do is look for single outliers and conclude that it obviously will work here.....even though it hasn't for 30+ years.

This must be why teams across MLB are falling all over themselves to follow the Sox successful stadium model - lots of parking lots and right off an expressway. Perfect. They're all jealous of the White Sox juggernaut. The area is safe, but it doesn't matter - people just aren't interesting in going to Bridgeport unless its for a Sox game. In the last 30 years, the Sox have been in the top half in MLB attendance only once (2006). That is it, even when they were fielding pretty good teams they were bottom half of the league. Anecdotal examples from individual fans doesn't change that reality.

Milwaukee, LA and Anaheim? Though, in Anaheim the Ducks are having a massive entertainment district built that'll be near Angel Stadium. The Dodgers can get away with it because they're the Dodgers. The White Sox can't just ride on the coattails of their brand's immense star power like the Dodgers can.

Yep. They don't want to stay in the current ballpark long-term, either. The only lease extension would be for a few years to bridge the gap between the end of the current lease and when a new ballpark gets built since that apparently is 8-10 years down the road in Ishbia's plans for the Amtrak land redevelopment. Any new Sox ballpark, no matter where it's built, won't be owned by ISFA because we the IL taxpayers will NOT support paying for another ballpark.

As most Sox fan know, the New Comiskey renovations were paid for by selling the naming rights to the stadium. That's how "Comiskey Park" became "US Cellular Field". So I question the veracity of the statement that "all of it" was paid by the taxpayers. Also, while it's true that there's still a $45M debt on Sox Park, that'll likely be paid off by the time Ishbia moves the Sox to a new stadium. That amount is a fraction of what is still owed for Soldier Field. What's really outrageous about the current ballpark, which is not mentioned in the article, is the lease terms which incentivizes low attendance numbers for Jerry Reinsdorf.

The proposal published in Chicago Magazine looked more like a labor of love with no illusions that everything they imagined would end up in a new Sox Park. See the last 2 sentences in the Twitter post shared above: "It was a pleasure. We hope it makes a dent in the design." I'm very eager to see renderings of what Ishbia has planned for a ballpark and stadium district for the entire Amtrak site and how that would blend in the Fire stadium and whatever is built on the south half of the 78. But it might be at least a year before we see anything official like that since they're looking 8-10 years out for a ballpark. Between the Phoenix Suns & Mercury and now the Sox, the Ishbias probably will have spent close to $6B for those franchises. I can't imagine they'd then suddenly get frugal when it comes to a stadium development for the Sox. I agree that he's likely to spare no expense to get the next ballpark and its surroundings right. As far as a retractable roof goes. Who knows? Maybe they'll invest in that because, though it's very expensive, they can then use the facility year round for concerts and other events. But a retractable roof would either block the view of the skyline or block the view of the river even if it opens up to one of those views. I don't think it can totally open up to both. I've been to the stadium in Arizona and it has a warehouse feel to it in a way. I've heard people make the same complaints about the new Rangers stadium. That's a risk if the new Sox stadium also has a roof.

^ This. All the bellyaching over the years about how the current park "turned its back on the city" only to build a new one that faces the city, is closer to the skyscrapers....and blocks out the city view? Also, as @caulfield12 mentioned, it really adds to the price and then subsequent maintenance. Don't get me wrong, that roof in Milwaukee is great for those early season games where it's cold outside and nobody likes rain delays. But, it's not really needed most games during the season in Chicago.

So, after you carve out excuses for all the quality players the Sox traded away, your point stands? Come on.

If JR is in charge of designing a new ballpark, the name of the place will be the least of my worries. He already badly botched one new Sox stadium. If they do build another park, Ishbia is going to have to live with any design mistakes for decades to come. I wouldn't trust Jerry with decision making if I were the Ishbias. It'll certainly have a corporate name anyway since Ishbia would almost certainly have to privately finance the place. But, if they do build on the Amtrak rail yard, maybe they can call in [CORPORATE SPONSOR} Field at Comiskey Yards or something like that.

This looks pretty cool! I applaud them for obviously giving their vision for a new ballpark a lot of thought. It's a very interesting read. I like how they're being realistic and accepting that luxury suites are a financial necessity these days and including them in their plan. The exterior with the arches looks great. That being said, I have a few thoughts/critiques of what they layout: if the Sox are building a ballpark on the Amtrak site, then having a huge upper deck in RF as they propose would block off any view of the river and eliminate any chance of hitting HRs into the water. At the 78 site, this wouldn't be an issue. They seem to be building in one of Old Comiskey's biggest flaws - that lower deck seats continue to face straight ahead all the way done the line. It looks to me like they even have the seats at the corners pointing toward other seats! That was terrible at the old park and would be bad at a new park. I'm not a huge fan of lots of outfield upper deck seats like they're showing. I just think those aren't very good seats at ballparks. Some OF UP? Yes, but not a huge one that goes all the way to the CF scoreboard. They see having only 2 levels as ideal, but I actually like how some of the popular new parks have 3 or 4 levels. I'm not against a "club level" either - something that is more expensive w/ more amenities than most seats, but not priced out of reach of everyday fans like the luxury suites are. Again, I don't want this to come off as ripping on this proposal. It's just a few things that I disagree with. If the Sox ever do build a new stadium, I'd love it if they took some of the elements that are in this article.

It could arguably be a new low for JR's ownership (and that's saying something) if they traded Mune midseason this year if he actually stays on pace to hit 60 HRs. Okay, not as low at the 1994 strike, but it would be very pathetic and would certainly be on the JR low-lights reel when he finally relinquishes ownership. Just another nail in the coffin for the fanbase the Sox hope to retain. F*** the continuous quest for trading good players for more prospects. How well did the Chris Sale trade work out for us? The jury is still very much out on whether the Crochet trade will work out for us. I get why people are saying this, but come on. Can we at least make it through the end of APRIL of his first season before we talk about flipping him? Maybe JR could give him a backloaded long-term contract for 2028 and beyond since that might take them into the Isbhia era. Or maybe that's wishful thinking on my part.

Yes and no. Sure, it was all about Jason's network commitments that they didn't like. If he had zero other announcing job scheduling conflicts, we'd have never heard about his eating in the booth. But once the Sox brass soured on him, oh you better believe they let slip petty little pot shots like things about his eating habits. If you don't believe the Sox under Jerry Reinsdorf would do such a thing against someone who they've soured on, then you haven't been paying attention for the last 45 years. It's the White Sox way through and through - from Harry Caray and Bill Veeck down through Jason Benetti. I guess the joke's on the Tigers. They're now "stuck" with a PBP guy who also does network broadcasts and is getting national recognition. Suckers. Does anyone think that the Tigers would switch Benetti for Schriffen......or that they wouldn't burst out laughing at such a suggested swap?

Look at how Harry Caray helped turn the Cubs from the slightly more popular team in Chicago into a totally dominant juggernaut in this market within a few years. Having a good PBP guy vs. a bad or forgettable one DOES matter. To the Sox credit, they later had Hawk Harrelson as a very effective and extremely memorable voice of the Sox who definitely helped connect fans to the team. Jason Benetti isn't in the same league as Harry and Hawk as far as larger-than-life personality goes, but he was shaping up to be a very solid (and hometown) voice of the Sox for decades to come. But, you know, look at how he eats! And some curmudgeonly Sox fans hated Sox Math!!! Good riddance and bring on someone who doesn't know the nuances of baseball and can't pronounce Bill Veeck's last name to be our next PBP! Loyalty over competence - it's a recurring theme with this organization. It's very easy to see why the Sox are an afterthought in Chicago and #30, well below #29, in the league in revenue. But hey, at least a small segment of the Sox fan base is happy.

Yeah, but have you seen the way he eats?

It would be great if the Sox organization would take a serious look at why teams like the Guardians have been so successful over the last 3 decades at developing top-level talent over and over again while the White Sox have certainly not. Unfortunately, I suspect the powers that be at the White Sox have the same mindset as some Sox fans and just say "2005>1948". If that's really the case, it's no wonder this organization is a total clown show that has taken their advantage of being in the #3 market and turned this team into the one that is #30 in revenue.

So, he's a born and raised South Sider!

Here's a blog on a passenger rail advocacy group's website by one of its directors about Ishbia's efforts to by the Amtrak rail yard for a possible Sox stadium. There's no new information here, but it was a nice read from a life-long Sox fan who grew up a couple of blocks from Sox Park. Take Me Out to the Train Yard | Rail Passengers Association

As a Sox fan, it's more like 4 years of their life back.