4 hours ago, tray said:

What did this billionaire do at the trade deadline to fund (in his way to borrow/finance) acquisition of two pitchers at the trade deadline to help this team?

This is ALL about the billionaire. Watch how much it costs to get to the train yard, buy tickets and concessions.

Ishbia isn’t the controlling owner you fucking lunatic.

48 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Ishbia isn’t the controlling owner you fucking lunatic.

You don't know anything about the issues. Pure vengeance.

It's telling that Ishbia did not seek community or fan input until long after Ishbia made the decisions and gone far down the road with his plan. So now what is the community meeting about? A taller fence between the Armor Park building and the rail yard ? Well OK, I noticed 87 million of the RR loan supposedly dedicated to "viaducts" in Bridgeport/Armor Park. That seems pretty light considering the poor condition of railroad bridges across the streets leading from the North to 35th street and beyond, and the storm sewers and streets in the viaducts.

Moving forward, what is Ishbia's plan, if any, to deal with Rate Field and to compensate the ISFA for demolishing it ?

At the end of the day, this is a move to convert public assets into private ones. The fans will pay the price for years to come.

Edited Saturday at 11:05 PM4 days by tray

4 hours ago, nrockway said:

For some unknown reason, liberals now hate zoning and love letting real estate developers do whatever they want, thinking it's like a 'progressive' point of view. Reagan and friends did a number on people's brains.

Boneheads like you will find any reason to complain about a development. You're never going to make everybody happy. They're replacing an industrial property with a similar industrial property. The pollution from it is literally a drop in the bucket compared to vehicular traffic from major streets.

It reminds me of the people that were furious about the Lincoln Yards development. The developers were remediating heavily contaminated former Final Steel + multiple other industrial properties and replacing it with commercial/residential, and possibly an entertainment venue, and people were bitching about it.

Edited Saturday at 11:18 PM4 days by ron883

1 hour ago, 77 Hitmen said:

But the Tampa City Council still has to vote on this, right? Since you live in the area, do you know if this is likely to pass the city council?

The word is it’s a done but……..

As it stands now, the earliest they would have a new stadium is probably 2031-32.

Would hardly call this whole thing "fast paced," except in comparison to the Bears maybe...

3 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

I have to give you this. If you don't have an argument, you sure can make up one to get mad about. Again, this isn't about zoning, planning, or anything else typical. This is property law as it applies to railroads, who have been granted near absolute power in this country by virtue of rewriting property law in the late 19th century to seize land to go cross continent and create company towns. You can turn it into a values judgment if you like, but I am stating facts and history here, from first hand experience. My hometown is on the tail end of almost 20 years of dealing with a railroad expansion where despite sitting through dozens of community meetings, studies, environmenal impact statements, etc, they were presented with much smaller impact alternatives, they went forward with exactly what they said they would seizing a few hundred houses and properties through a center swath of town, putting up hideous walls as a barrier along the route so they could increase speeds, closing off a couple of dozen crossings, including a few vital routes for fire and emergency response teams with no care for anything but their bottom line over any community concerns, including literal life and death ones. This wasn't a unique experience either. Towns all up and down this corridor saw the exact same thing play out, regardless of political affiliation, socioeconomic background, or anything other than being in the way of the ideal path.

You're mistaken about how these powers work in practice and it sounds like you're talking specifically about private railroad companies. Amtrak has certain legal authority but they can't just do whatever they want. Feds can make up reasons but they still need to hold up in court. The 14th st railyard sale and now this ordeal is not at all the political norm and I don't know why one would just roll over and take it. It's not like I'm the only person saying this, advocacy groups are too. Your personal experience sounds like defeatism to me, I can't really comment on an anecdote, but this is anything but 'business as usual' and it has little to do with baseball and more to do with this administration doing whatever it pleases to privatize public assets and throw bones to their oligarch wannabe buddies.

49 minutes ago, nrockway said:

You're mistaken about how these powers work in practice and it sounds like you're talking specifically about private railroad companies. Amtrak has certain legal authority but they can't just do whatever they want. Feds can make up reasons but they still need to hold up in court. The 14th st railyard sale and now this ordeal is not at all the political norm and I don't know why one would just roll over and take it. It's not like I'm the only person saying this, advocacy groups are too. Your personal experience sounds like defeatism to me, I can't really comment on an anecdote, but this is anything but 'business as usual' and it has little to do with baseball and more to do with this administration doing whatever it pleases to privatize public assets and throw bones to their oligarch wannabe buddies.

Come back to me in a decade.

S2K said:

"This is property law as it applies to railroads, who have been granted near absolute power in this country by virtue of rewriting property law in the late 19th century to seize land to go cross continent and create company towns. You can turn it into a values judgment if you like, but I am stating facts and history here, from first hand experience.

---

Yea there could be some legal (and factual) arguments that can be made, i.e., whether or not the land to be acquired next to the Armor Field house is really for a railroad purpose or primarily for a private purpose. LOL. The motive behind this as clear as light...but who wants to pay attorneys to go up against silk stocking attorneys from Amtrak and Ishbia in Federal Court? Concerned Sox fans? Cork and Kerry? ISFA? The Chicago Park District? As I alluded to earlier, this guy is just another billionaire bully that will pay-off anything or anybody in his way. No reason for that meeting in Bridgeport. This thing is a done deal. So Ishbia sh1tcans Bridgeport, Armor Park and Rate Field easily with almost no opposition and apparently, no consideration of alternatives.

Edited Sunday at 03:23 AM4 days by tray

35 minutes ago, tray said:

S2K said:

"This is property law as it applies to railroads, who have been granted near absolute power in this country by virtue of rewriting property law in the late 19th century to seize land to go cross continent and create company towns. You can turn it into a values judgment if you like, but I am stating facts and history here, from first hand experience.

---

Yea there could be some legal (and factual) arguments that can be made, i.e., whether or not the land to be acquired next to the Armor Field house is really for a railroad purpose or primarily for a private purpose. LOL. The motive behind this as clear as light...but who wants to pay attorneys to go up against silk stocking attorneys from Amtrak and Ishbia in Federal Court? Concerned Sox fans? Cork and Kerry? ISFA? The Chicago Park District? As I alluded to earlier, this guy is just another billionaire bully that will pay-off anything or anybody in his way. No reason for that meeting in Bridgeport. This thing is a done deal. So Ishbia sh1tcans Bridgeport, Armor Park and Rate Field easily with almost no opposition and apparently, no consideration of alternatives.

It amazes me that you think everyone but Ishbia is a gullible idiot, just waiting to be taken advantage of by the greedy billionaire, including the greedy billionaire he is already in business with to get all of th8s done.

4 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

As it stands now, the earliest they would have a new stadium is probably 2031-32.

Would hardly call this whole thing "fast paced," except in comparison to the Bears maybe...

Considering all the hoops they need to go through to make a new stadium a reality, not to mention the ownership succession process that might not possibly happen until 2034.....honestly, if they get a new stadium opened in time for the 2033 All-Star Game, IMO that would be a huge success for Jerry and Ishbia.

A stadium isn't even the first thing slated for the Amtrak property - the Northwestern medical research campus is. We might not see a stadium open in the South Loop until 2035 or 2036.

Edited Sunday at 04:14 AM4 days by 77 Hitmen

Clever move sh1tcanning Armor Park and Rate Field without spending a dime of his own money. And, as SS2K pointed out, it would be difficult to stop Amtrak/Ishbia from doing this.

The agreement with Reinsdorf and Ishbia provided inter alia that " Ishbia will make capital infusions into the White Sox as a limited partner in 2025 and 2026 that will be used to pay down existing debt and support ongoing team operations."

Was there any infusion of capital that assisted or could have assisted the White Sox in 2025 or more importantly, in 2026? As an example, a relatively small amount of financial support may have made a big difference at the trade deadline. Instead Getz appeared to be cash strapped during a pennant race.

There are a lot of questions and it would be helpful to hear some answers from Ishbia himself rather than having to listen to his surrogates and attorneys.

Edited Monday at 03:31 AM3 days by tray

5 minutes ago, tray said:

Clever move sh1tcanning Armor Park and Rate Field without spending a dime of his own money. And, as SS2K pointed out, it would be difficult to stop Amtrak/Ishbia from doing this.

The agreement with Reinsdorf and Ishbia provided inter alia that " Ishbia will make capital infusions into the White Sox as a limited partner in 2025 and 2026 that will be used to pay down existing debt and support ongoing team operations."

Was there any infusion of capital that assisted or could have assisted the White Sox in 2025 or more importantly, in 2026? As an example, a relatively small amount of financial support may have made a big difference at the trade deadline. Instead Getz appeared to be cash strapped during a pennant race.

There are a lot of questions and it would be helpful to hear some answers from Ishbia himself rather than having to listen to his surrogates and attorneys.

The White Sox/Reinsdorf traded paying off $150-175 million in accrued debts largely caused by the 2020/Covid year, attendance collapse in 2022-23, bloated payrolls and broadcasting revenue shortfalls for an undisclosed percentage of minority shares in the team.

https://nypost.com/2026/08/23/sports/fan-leaps-down-to-stomp-fellow-spectator-in-wild-brawl-during-mets-white-sox-game/

Edited Monday at 03:39 AM3 days by caulfield12

On 8/22/2026 at 3:36 PM, The Mighty Mite said:

In other stadium news it looks like the Rays are finally going to get their new stadium in Tampa just south of Raymond James stadium.

https://www.mlb.com/news/rays-release-documents-outlining-agreement-with-city-of-tampa-for-proposed-stadium

On 8/22/2026 at 6:07 PM, The Mighty Mite said:

The word is it’s a done but……..

We'll see on Thursday, but yeah....it sounds like the city council was part of the revised deal that has been announced. The Rays agreed to chip in more money to the project to get this agreement. Surely they wouldn't have the city council as part of this announcement if they didn't have the votes to approve it. Hopefully this will help address their attendance problems.

It also looks like the Royals are well on their way to getting new ballpark deal done. If both the Rays and the Royals get their stadium projects approved, does that leave only the White Sox in MLB with questions lingering about the future of their ballpark? I think everyone else is otherwise set for the foreseeable future. Maybe the Angels at some point.

6 hours ago, 77 Hitmen said:

We'll see on Thursday, but yeah....it sounds like the city council was part of the revised deal that has been announced. The Rays agreed to chip in more money to the project to get this agreement. Surely they wouldn't have the city council as part of this announcement if they didn't have the votes to approve it. Hopefully this will help address their attendance problems.

It also looks like the Royals are well on their way to getting new ballpark deal done. If both the Rays and the Royals get their stadium projects approved, does that leave only the White Sox in MLB with questions lingering about the future of their ballpark? I think everyone else is otherwise set for the foreseeable future. Maybe the Angels at some point.

Maybe the A's, since there's still a lot of questions about LV cost overruns and whether they can finish it on time as well.

Miami...maybe? but more franchise viability related

Nationals Park, but certainly not a critical situation, but more for 10-15 years down the road

LAA stadium definitely needs to be replaced

Edited Monday at 10:57 AM3 days by caulfield12

5 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Maybe the A's, since there's still a lot of questions about LV cost overruns and whether they can finish it on time as well.

Miami...maybe? but more franchise viability related

Nationals Park, but certainly not a critical situation, but more for 10-15 years down the road

LAA stadium definitely needs to be replaced

The A's stadium is already half built. I can't imagine it not being completed at this point. Whether they'll draw enough fans after the new stadium bounce wears off is another question.

Yeah, the situation in Miami looks pretty bad. They just spent $1B on a brand new stadium (2012) and they're still bottom of the league in attendance. Even when they made the playoffs in 2023, they only averaged 14k/game. But they have a lease until 2047.

I've been to Nationals Park and I think it's fine. It's no retro-era "classic" like Camden or PNC, but I don't see them begging for a new stadium for at least the next couple of decades.

The Angels are the ones to watch. Not right away, but when their lease runs out in the 2030s. At that point, the stadium will be approaching 70 years old, will be several decades removed from their 1990s renovations, and has not cemented itself as an "icon" like Dodger Stadium has. They have a terrible owner, but he's 80 and who knows if he'll still be around in 10 years. They have lots of surface lots around the stadium, so possibly a new stadium right next to the existing one? The owners of the Ducks are building a massive entertainment district next to the Honda Center just across the freeway.

Edited Monday at 04:35 PM3 days by 77 Hitmen

Goodell Signals Arlington Heights Still Alive in Bears Stadium Race.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/sports-recreation/ccb-bears-stadium-goodell-20260827/

from the Crain's article:

“There’s no specific timetable from my standpoint, other than we know that they are looking at the alternate groups, Indiana or Arlington Heights,” Goodell told reporters yesterday following an NFL owners meeting in Atlanta. “We want to make sure that Arlington Heights and Illinois have an opportunity, as well as Indiana, to put their best foot forward.”

Wait a minute, I thought the Bears said the NFL was pushing them to make a decision by this summer? Am I not remembering that correctly? McCaskey and Warren are so full of s%*# that it's hard to know what's really going on.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by 77 Hitmen

17 minutes ago, 77 Hitmen said:

from the Crain's article:

“There’s no specific timetable from my standpoint, other than we know that they are looking at the alternate groups, Indiana or Arlington Heights,” Goodell told reporters yesterday following an NFL owners meeting in Atlanta. “We want to make sure that Arlington Heights and Illinois have an opportunity, as well as Indiana, to put their best foot forward.”

Wait a minute, I thought the Bears said the NFL was pushing them to make a decision by this summer? Am I not remembering that correctly? McCaskey and Warren are so full of s%*# that it's hard to know what's really going on.

How many times have they settled the stadium issue? Sounds like something else in the news...

If Goodell is starting to be this publicly involved, then the NFL brain trust is collectively done with waiting for the Bears. They all know the business viability of both sides and they know which is better, they just need to Bears to pull up their big boy pants and cut a deal and get shovels in the fucking ground

Way back in wilder times the town of Cicero was always the last resort for getting a drink with some select bars open to 6:00 am. Looks like Hammond holds the title of last resort for the Bears.

On 8/22/2026 at 10:48 PM, southsider2k5 said:

It amazes me that you think everyone but Ishbia is a gullible idiot, just waiting to be taken advantage of by the greedy billionaire

Sounds like a large segment of the American people.