tray

I have enumerated facts supported by links why the 78 site makes no sense for the WSox, coupled with my own opinions and reasoning and no, it wasn't only about parking. However, it would be short sighted to discount that. I do not want to re-litigate the Related/78 proposal, but to highlight a few points. The 78 site is over a former river bed and dump site. Related is looking (once again) through rose colored glasses with their hands out after their prior proposals for that site (going back over 20 years) have failed. Reorienting streets, railroad tracks, and ingress/egress for the 78 would add tremendously to development costs for the City and State over developing other sites, including the Bridgeport or Bronzeville/M. Reese site. The 78 rendering of a nondescript baseball stadium within an office park was uninspiring. Related patronizing fans with a later version of their rendering painted green for St. Pat's day, was insulting.

I think the Bears may now shift focus to the Bronzeville Lakefront site, where Michael Reese hospital used to be. Sox might look at that area as well since it makes much more sense than the 78 nonsense.

WSox needed a power hitting RF I argued that the WSox should have outbid the Cubs by whatever was reasonably necessary to get Cody Bellinger. OK, I know that would have been a costly FA signing outside of the WSox typical framework, but it had the potential for being a real game changer. Now the Cubs feel invigorated by signing Bellinger and the WSox are left with the perennial hole in RF. Just great..Then there was Hahn and KW letting Burger go. You cannot continue to make foolish trades and fail to sign key FA when they are available. And you cannot make questionable Draft picks that end up as average or below major league talent.

The Related development 78 thing has been churning about since Rahm was Mayor and was set to go 4-5 years ago with a 10-20 year development window. It's worth reading some articles about that site and some of the comments made by readers. This isn't the first proposal pitched by 78 with their hand held out for Billions in tax payer backed as well as private financing. Here is one, but there are many others if you Google for them. https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/10/19/16503028/the-78-development-discovery-partners-institute

" Chicago’s office vacancy rate ticked slightly higher last quarter, setting another record and prolonging a slump that started when the pandemic hit. The vacancy rate reached 23.8 percent in the final months of 2023, up from 23.7 percent in the previous quarter, Crain’s reported, citing data from CBRE. Office vacancy records have been set in 11 of the last 13 quarters, highlighting the persisting challenges brought on by the remote-work era, which have prompted a slew of companies to undergo layoffs and reduce their footprint. " https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2024/01/11/chicago-office-vacancies-rise-to-another-record-high/

OK, but that not the best analogy. Different dynamic at play, i.e., the amount of starting players and the degree to which superstar talent impacts teams in the NBA. Anyway, something should be done to foster some degree of parity in mlb and frankly I don't know what the answer is.

I am against the tank and rebuild cycle. It wreaks havoc on the fan base and many times it just doesn't work. Also, not that excited by the wealthiest owners trying to buy championships with mega player contracts. Maybe the best way for the mlb is some form of salary cap arrangement so that fans of every team stay involved and every team shows up to compete in every game.

I liked Gio as a person and as a pitcher. Loved that high change-up and his competitive demeanor. I join with all other White Sox fans in wishing Gio the best.

OP is channeling Josh Donaldson. Not good.

For the umpteenth time, the 78 proposal was dreamed up and hyped by a developer that could not obtain financing or public funding for several past projects there. This things was NOT the WSox or Reinsdorf's idea. Related paid for a laughable rendering of a generic stadium that has absolutely no relationship to historical baseball architecture, including original Comiskey or Wrigley. There is nothing to make it a destination or a special experience like Fenway or even the more modern stadiums, including Three Rivers or Oracle Park. It is a POS. But, Related thnks that smacking a several story high lighted SOX logo on the side, a few whirlybirds with fireworks will be enough to impress some fans. LOL. A view of the Loop? So what, but even that looks like it is blocked by a huge scoreboard, a similar mistake that was made during the remodel of Wrigley where the neighborhood views from inside and outside the park were blocked off with scoreboards. So we have a greedy developer with a laughable plan to build as many buildings as they could draw in as small a space as possible, leaving WSox fans with no useful ingress/egress or provisions for reasonable parking. Oh, and Related wants Billions from IL taxpayers to develop that site? LOL. No matter what you think of Gov. Pritzker, he is right about this one. No public funds for stadiums or funds awarded to private developers to build more unnecessary office space or high end condos. The answer is no.

I would sign Eloy to a long term deal before his current contract expires. He is still young. You are not going to replace his bat (high BA and power) that easily or his Ernie Banks type demeanor, his personality and also, his good will towards WSox fans on and off the field. He likes playing here. I think most of his past injuries include flukes which can easily be avoided (celebrating a HR, reaching over a wall in ST to bring back a HR, stretching to beat out a single) and he is now being used as a DH.

The much publicized 78 rendering of a high rise office development with a baseball stadium (using the White Sox name/logo) may have and possibly should have required White Sox authority prior to using it for purposes of exploring government/private financial assistance.... for Related to develop the entire 78 site. Meanwhile that rendering has been a distraction for the WSox ownership and the WSox fan base. Never forget, the idea was initiated by Related so that they could (finally) obtain enormous public/private funds for infrastructure improvements to enable construction of multiple high rise buildings. This is a semi-clever attempt at grift by Related. Governor Pritzker, among others, is not buying it.

Further, I did not understand fully why someone (I think Getz) stated some weeks ago that Colas will start the season in the minors.

Sorry, this was already posted here.

Poor use of resources (Bennintendi), foolish trades (James Shields) terrible Draft selections (Carson Fulmer, Zach Collins, Nick Madrigal, Courtney Hawkins...) and the last straw (for me at least) was letting Jake Burger go. Then the acquisition of over-the-hill veterans like Shields, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Mazara, Grandal.. You can't complain about Owners failure to commit more resources when money is being thrown in the garbage can by management without anything to show for it. Owners are not worth billions because they just throw good money after bad money. Good riddance to KW and Hahn. I wonder what the final straw was that caused them to be dismissed summarily with a brief notice advising them to clear out their desks and not return to the field. We have not heard from those two since.

JR has never said that or implied that. Never forget, this all started with Related after they failed when trying to develop that property previously, even with TIF tax incentives. JR was virtually dragged into this by an over zealous developer. Of course he would build in Timbuktu with 2 Billion in public funding, but this whole thing was not his idea. At this point he would be wise to shut this nonsense down because it has been creating uncertainty out of thin air and depressing fans.

Related isn't scraping developing their land, they are just looking to develop it with other peoples' money as they have been doing for several years. They were pretty far down the road 5 years ago and something made them scrap that plan.

Don't lose hope. The 78 chatter has been a distraction created by the developer who stands to gain millions on that project, not the White Sox. Related already had TIF funding approval about 5 years ago for the 78 but did not proceed for some reason. Instead, they somehow came up with a revised plan to stuff a baseball stadium inside a high rise office park, ostensibly to secure more private/public funding and/or more tax breaks.

GRF is in great shape down to the blades of grass that Bossard manicures. No reason to move to a stadium without parking. There will be other alternatives in the future that will keep the White Sox in Chicago at a new stadium when that becomes necessary. The hype surrounding a simple rendering from a developer, the one Billion dollar ask, and the asinine talk on sports radio is a joke. Most of them have no idea what they are talking about. See you on Opening day at the park. I'm out on this thread.

You have no idea what you are talking about.

IMO ,JR and perhaps the ISFA would have more credibility if the Sox ownership group (or possible ISFA) acquired the 78 parcel to get Related the he11 out of there. The Sox could then develop their own plans and avoid some of the developer greed shown in the density of buildings and the site plan. If the Sox owns the whole parcel, now you are talking about something that could make more sense.

I think Sheets might have some trade value, perhaps as a throw in to a possible Baltimore trade, if that is at all possible at some point....since his father played for the O's. He is faster than I thought in RF and has a decent arm. He can also platoon at 1B and DH or pinch hit late in games when the only hope left lies with a HR to tie or win. Moose has a shot in ST though. It will be fun to watch all of the competition for getting on the roster.

Don't change the topic.

Maybe start selling gold painted White Sox cleats and other paraphernalia, or open a Go Fund Me site to help finance this albatross.

Wut? I have not mentioned you or attacked anyone personally., yet you come out of left field with a personal accusation, wishing me ill..over what? All I have done is to elevate the conversation with facts about the history of the subject land, the attempted and failed developments there, environmental, excavation and construction issues unique to that site, ingress/egress/parking issues, the nondescript design proposed and further, to be positive, the value of staying on 35th street for the South side fan base and the neighborhood where the Sox have been for over 100 years. You call that trolling? I also suggested some ideas for a new stadium across 35th Street. There are proponents for the developer of that site. A search on You Tube for 78 developments will reveal how that site has been pushed for years ending up in one failure after another. Not all posters who oppose 1 Billion dollars in State money to subsidize this plan are trolls either. The State is still burdened with paying pensions that it can no longer afford but cannot avoid because State law prohibits them from declaring Bankruptcy to restructure that debt. Governor Pritzker is against this so I doubt this is going anywhere unless he. the Mayor and other legislators change their mind. The Governor and Mayor are trying to be fiscally responsible. Nothing wrong with that....or with staying on 35th street. Let it go.