4 minutes ago, 77 Hitmen said:

The only place I have read any suggestion that Ishbia is a terrible, greedy, despicable human being on a different level than other billiionaire pro sports owners such that Sox fans should dread his potential ownership is one single poster on this site (now inducted as the sole member of my Soxtalk HoF) pushing this narrative ad nauseum. That's it. Can anyone find anyone anywhere who has intense reservations about Justin Ishbia buying the White Sox? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

The negatives I have heard about the Ishbias is that their throwing money at the Phoenix Suns hasn't turned them into a winning team and that's a cautionary tale about getting too excited about their ownership of the Sox. Also, disputes with his mansion in Winnetka. Both are valid complaints, but I don't see anything that would make Sox fans howl in protest at him being lined up as the team's next owner.

Are there really other Sox fans out there outraged at the idea that super-wealthy billionaire brothers with deep Chicago ties have emerged at the likely next Sox owner? I'm not seeing it anywhere.

Definitely fair.

Also who is thinking buying a sports team is a moneymaker? As a generality it's been like a crazyman's passion/ego/lego projects

40 minutes ago, BRayne said:

Also who is thinking buying a sports team is a moneymaker? As a generality it's been like a crazyman's passion/ego/lego projects

Depends on what you mean by "moneymaker". Not as much year to year profit, but this franchise cost $20 million in 1980. Today it is being sold for $1.8 billion. If JR hadn't run this like a rundown laundry mat, this could have had a valuation of something like double what is is worth currently.

Ishbia is free to underwrite a large contract extension for Mune. Apparently he is leaving that decision up to Reindorf, a cheap greedy owner according to numerous Sox fans. As far as Ishbia being greedy and manipulative, look no further than the shenanigans he and his wife pulled in Winnetka. I find those people to be rather despicable.

7 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Depends on what you mean by "moneymaker". Not as much year to year profit, but this franchise cost $20 million in 1980. Today it is being sold for $1.8 billion. If JR hadn't run this like a rundown laundry mat, this could have had a valuation of something like double what is is worth currently.

46 years ago. LOL.

question for people who are from Chicago or are in/near Bridgeport

are you glad they ditched Comiskey or do you think they should've just renovated and kept it?

8 minutes ago, tray said:

46 years ago. LOL.

You do understand the concept of investing, right?

5 minutes ago, joejoesox said:

question for people who are from Chicago or are in/near Bridgeport

are you glad they ditched Comiskey or do you think they should've just renovated and kept it?

Comiskey was falling apart. I loved that old park, but it wasn't practical to fix up. He was probably going to cost just as much to fix it, as it was to replace it.

11 minutes ago, joejoesox said:

question for people who are from Chicago or are in/near Bridgeport

are you glad they ditched Comiskey or do you think they should've just renovated and kept it?

Those were not the only options.

10 minutes ago, joejoesox said:

question for people who are from Chicago or are in/near Bridgeport

are you glad they ditched Comiskey or do you think they should've just renovated and kept it?

"Comiskey Park is not getting ready to fall down, but I would be very surprised if Comiskey Park, as we know it today, will exist in 25 years. We'll either need a new park or a Yankee Stadium-style renovation." –Jerry Reinsdorf to the Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan. August 5, 1985. 

"We've done what we can, but we can't do it forever. This place is a dinosaur. We can't afford old ballparks. We can't afford cheap bleacher seats. We can't afford double-headers. You need artificial turf so you can get games in. In between the white lines, baseball hasn't changed very much. The big change is outside the lines, and people must understand and this place has no role in the game as it is today. We've done all kinds of things to hang on, but there are no mirrors left."– Eddie Einhorn to the Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan. August 5, 1985.

35 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

You do understand the concept of investing, right?

My uncle that bought Apple stock in the 80s regrets it every day.

1 hour ago, BRayne said:

Also who is thinking buying a sports team is a moneymaker? As a generality it's been like a crazyman's passion/ego/lego projects

Agreed. If it was all about maximizing ways to grow their portfolio, there are better ways to invest than to buy a MLB team. The jump in value from when JR bought the team in 1981 sounds impressive, but I don't know that it's much different than if he and his partners had put $20M in the S&P500 45 years ago. Of course, it's a huge ego/passion project for a billionaire to buy a MLB team. As I said earlier, it's a very elite club.

As far as the Ishbias go, I'll also add that I don't see anyone suggesting that their eventual purchase of the Sox guarantees pennants. Look at how things have worked out so far for the Mets. Heck, even look at their own Phoenix Suns. But I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan that thinks having a team owner who is very wealthy and appears to be willing to pour a lot of money into a franchise and wants to try to win is a bad thing.

It's almost like a lot of people never learned the difference between opportunities and guarantees and simply cannot tell the difference between these two concepts.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by 77 Hitmen

5 minutes ago, 77 Hitmen said:

Agreed. If it was all about maximizing ways to grow their portfolio, there are better ways to invest than to buy a MLB team. The jump in value from when JR bought the team in 1981 sounds impressive, but I don't know that it's much different than if he and his partners had put $20M in the S&P500 45 years ago. Of course, it's a huge ego/passion project for a billionaire to buy a MLB team. As I said earlier, it's a very elite club.

As far as the Ishbias go, I'll also add that I don't see anyone suggesting that their ultimate purchase of the Sox guarantees pennants. Look at how things have worked out so far for the Mets. Heck, even look at their own Phoenix Suns. But I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan that thinks having a team owner who is very wealthy and appears to be willing to pour a lot of money into a franchise and wants to try to win is a bad thing.

It's almost like a lot of people never learned the difference between opportunities and guarantees and simply cannot tell the difference between these two concepts.

I think the difference is that we have watched Jerry run the Sox as a for profit entity, keeping costs as low as possible, and it still 90 X'd over those 46 years. If he had done it right, this franchise is probably double that value, which far outpaces the SP500. I think people are ready for the latter, because this sure didn't work.

1 hour ago, tray said:

Ishbia is free to underwrite a large contract extension for Mune. Apparently he is leaving that decision up to Reindorf, a cheap greedy owner according to numerous Sox fans. As far as Ishbia being greedy and manipulative, look no further than the shenanigans he and his wife pulled in Winnetka. I find those people to be rather despicable.

Ishbia's main work so far has been bailing out Jerry's operating losses from his mismanagement.

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

Ishbia's main work so far has been bailing out Jerry's operating losses from his mismanagement.

Provide a link with some evidence to support your statement. While Ishbia, like any minority shareholder can invest or personally agree to take on debt (which ss a PEI, Ishbia is an expert at), I have not read that Ishbia is "bailing out Jerry." It sounds like another meme.

2 minutes ago, tray said:

Provide a link with some evidence to support your statement. While Ishbia, like any minority shareholder can invest or personally agree to take on debt (which ss a PEI, Ishbia is an expert at), I have not read that Ishbia is "bailing out Jerry." It sounds like another meme.

It was right there in the purchase announcement? How silo'd are you? The White Sox have been losing money this entire decade, and have been taking out loans to do it.

https://www.mlb.com/news/white-sox-announce-long-term-ownership-investment-agreement

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessesilvertown/2025/06/09/chicago-white-sox-transaction-is-a-dispute-in-waiting/

When you ask for proof and it is provided immediately

35 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

When you ask for proof and it is provided immediately

I mean none of this has been hidden. It is all out there.

54 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

When you ask for proof and it is provided immediately

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

It was right there in the purchase announcement? How silo'd are you? The White Sox have been losing money this entire decade, and have been taking out loans to do it.

https://www.mlb.com/news/white-sox-announce-long-term-ownership-investment-agreement

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessesilvertown/2025/06/09/chicago-white-sox-transaction-is-a-dispute-in-waiting/

LOL, his "contributions" will be exchanged for newly issues shares. LMFAO Classic PEI move making a leveraged buyout more likely even prior to the expected timetable. All of Ishbia's moves appear absolutely Trumpian. Maybe, as one poster suggests, he names the new stadium "Shore Capital Park". Gotta love that mansion he and his wife have on the North shore complete with horse stables. What a grifter.

The Bears are looking to getting a bill put together to present to the IL legislature. Here are links to the Crain's and Trib articles about this.

Pritzker offers up a playbook for a special session on a...

The governor says the Bears are assembling a hybrid stadium proposal from rival House and Senate plans but must build support in Springfield first.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/23/bears-stadium-pritzker/

“They’ve asked for advice, and so our staff, as well as legislators, have offered them that,” Pritzker said, speaking to reporters Tuesday in Chicago. “They’re looking at both of the bills that passed, the one in the House and the one in the Senate, hoping to put the provisions of each of those together in a form that they think will pass.”

“It’s one thing to articulate generally what you want. It’s another thing to actually say: We’d like a provision like this, a provision like that. And those are, many of them anyway, already written. They have lobbyists who could help them write those provisions. There are legislators who would help them write the bill. And again, then they need to go and talk to people about the various provisions to get support for it.”

Edited 42 minutes ago42 min by 77 Hitmen

5 minutes ago, tray said:

LOL, his "contributions" will be exchanged for newly issues shares. LMFAO Classic PEI move making a leveraged buyout more likely even prior to the expected timetable. All of Ishbia's moves appear absolutely Trumpian. Maybe, as one poster suggests, he names the new stadium "Shore Capital Park". Gotta love that mansion he and his wife have on the North shore complete with horse stables. What a grifter.

Wait, did you expect him to give Jerry $100 million dollars out of the kindness of his heart? Of course he is getting something in return. What world do you live in?

41 minutes ago, tray said:

LOL, his "contributions" will be exchanged for newly issues shares. LMFAO Classic PEI move making a leveraged buyout more likely even prior to the expected timetable. All of Ishbia's moves appear absolutely Trumpian. Maybe, as one poster suggests, he names the new stadium "Shore Capital Park". Gotta love that mansion he and his wife have on the North shore complete with horse stables. What a grifter.

Big mad. As always