On 9/1/2026 at 5:23 PM, WBWSF said:

If Amtrak isn't able to upgrade in Bridgeport what other location would be feasible for them?

JR

On 9/3/2026 at 2:37 PM, caulfield12 said:

Might need Psycho Sam to get involved with neighborhood negotiations lol.

Or Chairman of the Board Sammy to crack some skulls.

A new stadium could be quite far away and cost around $3B.

The first 27 minutes of this Sox Machine podcast discusses the new ballpark renderings. Josh does a pretty good job of laying out all the steps involved in this and the good (world-class ballpark) and bad (leaving Bridgeport behind) of this potential move.

Interestingly, he doesn't think this will take 8-10 years to get built as has been reported. He thinks this could be ready as early as 2031 and that the Sox definitely want this done by 2033 for the 100th anniversary All-Star Game.

11 hours ago, nitetrain8601 said:

Looked to see how pissed off Tray would be and it didn't disappoint.

He looked at the renderings with a much more critical eye than all of us amateurs

13 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

Honestly I figured that this would be one of JRs last acts, but apparently he couldn't handle it based on his humiliation with the 78 downstate. I also wonder if new ownership would rather own and control the park vs being obligated to the ISFA.

I wonder if JR even thought of pivoting to the "Rail Yard" as Plan B? Given his age I doubt it.

Ishbia otoh is playing the long game with owning the team and also building a new stadium. I would think he will want to own the park and not have the ISFA involved.

Even from a public relations angle Ishbia is showing his brilliance, Metra is building the new rail yard in Bridgeport. Federal money not State or City money will be spent on the rail transfer at 14th street.

20 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

Got a Shibe Park vibe, which is awesome.

5 minutes ago, Rusty_Kuntz said:

Got a Shibe Park vibe, which is awesome.

Gee, I hope not, I saw a game there in 1967 and the place was a dump, Comiskey was so much better and compared to Connie Mack Stadium /Shibe Park, Sox Park really was a palace.

Edited Sunday at 12:59 PM5 days by The Mighty Mite

16 minutes ago, Rusty_Kuntz said:

Got a Shibe Park vibe, which is awesome.

I love the wall on the river and the iron works look on the rest. It’s a long way from proof to the real thing but this would be an absolute gem in the city

7 hours ago, 77 Hitmen said:

The first 27 minutes of this Sox Machine podcast discusses the new ballpark renderings. Josh does a pretty good job of laying out all the steps involved in this and the good (world-class ballpark) and bad (leaving Bridgeport behind) of this potential move.

Interestingly, he doesn't think this will take 8-10 years to get built as has been reported. He thinks this could be ready as early as 2031 and that the Sox definitely want this done by 2033 for the 100th anniversary All-Star Game.

After listening to that I think the thread title needs changed. The 78 is dead but the railyard is alive. Boyer really has been pushing that they could put another stadium on the 78 but Ishbia has other plans close by. Ishbia seems to be moving fast as well. 2030 or 31 possibly as when it. Could be completed.

22 minutes ago, HoosierSox said:

After listening to that I think the thread title needs changed. The 78 is dead but the railyard is alive. Boyer really has been pushing that they could put another stadium on the 78 but Ishbia has other plans close by. Ishbia seems to be moving fast as well. 2030 or 31 possibly as when it. Could be completed.

Agree, The 78 is history, the Bears clown show deserves a separate thread, The Rail Yard also deserves a separate thread.

14 hours ago, The Mighty Mite said:

2 levels of suites and the club level did it, that was strictly JR greed.

JRs greed got the best of him. The 2nd level of suites are unsold/empty and the upper deck is rarely filled up. JR would have been better off money wise if he took the original design which didn't have the 2nd level of suites and the club level which created the miserable upper deck. More people would have bought tickets in the upper deck if it wasn't so high. I've always thought that JR meddling in the stadium design was his biggest mistake as an owner.

Edited Sunday at 01:24 PM5 days by WBWSF

1 minute ago, WBWSF said:

JRs greed got the best of him. The 2nd level of suites are unsold/empty and the upper deck is rarely filled up. JR would have been better off money wise if he took the original design which didn't have the 2nd level of suites and the miserable upper deck. More people would have bought tickets in the upper deck if it wasn't so high. I've always thought that JR meddling in the stadium design was his biggest mistake as an owner.

Let's hope JR stays out of this stadium design.

A forgotten part of White Sox history is when White Sox owner Art Allyn in 1967 wanted to build and pay for a new baseball stadium in Block 78. The City of Chicago wouldn't give him the permits to build the stadium. In the early 1960s he also wanted to purchase a AFL franchise for Chicago. It was going to happen but then the NFL + AFL merged and George Halas didn't want another NFL team in Chicago. He wanted to keep the Bears as the only team in Chicago.

4 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

He looked at the renderings with a much more critical eye than all of us amateurs

renderings in general are useless nonsense.

I think it would be really cool if they built/dedicated some sort of Sox history museum and also incorporated ballpark tours into the new stadium. There’s so much cool history about the team that could be shared with the public. I’ve found in my various ballpark visits that tours are my favorite way to learn about the teams. It helps you feel more connected.

Edited Sunday at 03:50 PM5 days by AntMan26

1 hour ago, WBWSF said:

A forgotten part of White Sox history is when White Sox owner Art Allyn in 1967 wanted to build and pay for a new baseball stadium in Block 78. The City of Chicago wouldn't give him the permits to build the stadium. In the early 1960s he also wanted to purchase a AFL franchise for Chicago. It was going to happen but then the NFL + AFL merged and George Halas didn't want another NFL team in Chicago. He wanted to keep the Bears as the only team in Chicago.

I question your comment about the AFL wanting to put a team in Chicago. Based on everything I've read about the AFL and I was a fan, I've never seen anything along those lines.

If you can provide some links sourcing this I'd appreciate it.

I've read that the stadium never got off the ground because then Mayor Daley actually wanted it built literally in Lake Michigan near where Meggs Field was and environmentalists objected plus the Bears said they did not want to share a stadium with anyone.

1 hour ago, Lip Man 1 said:

I question your comment about the AFL wanting to put a team in Chicago. Based on everything I've read about the AFL and I was a fan, I've never seen anything along those lines.

If you can provide some links sourcing this I'd appreciate it.

I've read that the stadium never got off the ground because then Mayor Daley actually wanted it built literally in Lake Michigan near where Meggs Field was and environmentalists objected plus the Bears said they did not want to share a stadium with anyone.

I’m pretty sure at one time LaMarr Hunt, one of the founders of the AFL tried to buy controlling interest of the Cardinals when they were in Chicago. He was rebuffed and that’s when he and a few others formed the AFL, Hunt was the owner of the Dallas Texans but moved the team to Kansas City and they became the Chiefs.

Edited Sunday at 05:55 PM5 days by The Mighty Mite

I wonder if there would be the possibility of a South shore train stop for those of us who live in NW IN or would that be on a different train line?

20 minutes ago, HoosierSox said:

I wonder if there would be the possibility of a South shore train stop for those of us who live in NW IN or would that be on a different train line?

Looks like you folk would be able to exit at the 11th/Museum Campus station and take a stroll down Roosevelt. A 15-20ish minute walk depending on how fast you walk. Not bad at all.

3 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

I question your comment about the AFL wanting to put a team in Chicago. Based on everything I've read about the AFL and I was a fan, I've never seen anything along those lines.

If you can provide some links sourcing this I'd appreciate it.

I've read that the stadium never got off the ground because then Mayor Daley actually wanted it built literally in Lake Michigan near where Meggs Field was and environmentalists objected plus the Bears said they did not want to share a stadium with anyone.

I don't have the links anymore but I have seen numerous photos with Art Allyn and then AFL Commisioner Joe Foss. If it would not have been for the merger of the NFL-AFL there would have been a AFL team in Chicago. I read also where Bill Veeck wanted to buy the Oakland Raiders after the 1960 football season and move them into Comiskey Park. It didn't happen. You could probably find this on the internet.

I've always found it interesting that the land on Block 78 has never been developed. There's all types of developement north of Roosevelt Road but nothing on Block 78. Was the land too expensive?

25 minutes ago, WBWSF said:

I've always found it interesting that the land on Block 78 has never been developed. There's all types of developement north of Roosevelt Road but nothing on Block 78. Was the land too expensive?

It's a toxic, haunted, inoperable, inaccessible wasteland. Or so I'm told.

1 hour ago, HoosierSox said:

I wonder if there would be the possibility of a South shore train stop for those of us who live in NW IN or would that be on a different train line?

1 hour ago, Mouthsider said:

Looks like you folk would be able to exit at the 11th/Museum Campus station and take a stroll down Roosevelt. A 15-20ish minute walk depending on how fast you walk. Not bad at all.

That station is for the Metra Electric line too. I had actually wondered if they’d consider adding a Metra Rock Island line stop at the 78 if the entire rail yard /78 area gets built up. But the LaSalle St terminal for the RI is something like a 15 minute walk.

One thing they could (should) do if the Sox move to a ballpark there is offer shuttle service to all the downtown Metra terminals for people who don’t want to or can’t make the walk. It would be a short shuttle ride to get to all Metra (& South Shore) lines.

Edited Sunday at 09:03 PM5 days by 77 Hitmen

3 hours ago, The Mighty Mite said:

I’m pretty sure at one time LaMarr Hunt, one of the founders of the AFL tried to buy controlling interest of the Cardinals when they were in Chicago. He was rebuffed and that’s when he and a few others formed the AFL, Hunt was the owner of the Dallas Texans but moved the team to Kansas City and they became the Chiefs.

Hunt did try to get the Cardinals and when he was rebuffed had the idea of forming the AFL. If Hunt did get the Cardinals the thinking was that he was moving them to Dallas and no longer trying to go head to head against the Bears.

Edited Sunday at 09:10 PM5 days by Lip Man 1

52 minutes ago, WBWSF said:

I don't have the links anymore but I have seen numerous photos with Art Allyn and then AFL Commisioner Joe Foss. If it would not have been for the merger of the NFL-AFL there would have been a AFL team in Chicago. I read also where Bill Veeck wanted to buy the Oakland Raiders after the 1960 football season and move them into Comiskey Park. It didn't happen. You could probably find this on the internet.

You are correct:

In January 1965, Chicago White Sox owner Art Allyn met with American Football League (AFL) Commissioner Joe Foss to discuss placing a new professional football franchise in Chicago. [1, 2]

The details of their meeting and the surrounding context include:

• The Meeting Objective: Allyn met with Foss in Chicago to officially pitch securing an AFL expansion franchise that would play its home games at Comiskey Park, the home stadium of the White Sox. Allyn also advocated for a companion expansion team in Milwaukee to foster a natural regional rivalry. [1]

• The Problem for the AFL: The AFL desperately wanted a sports market presence in Chicago—the "Midwest heartland of football"—but venue options were highly limited. Northwestern's Dyche Stadium was unavailable and Soldier Field was deemed impractical at the time, making Allyn's Comiskey Park the only viable stadium option. [1]

• The Outcome: Although Foss confirmed he received the formal application from Allyn, the AFL ultimately chose to stand pat with eight teams for the 1965 season to focus on league parity. The league delayed expansion that year, and by 1966, Foss resigned as commissioner. Shortly thereafter, the historic AFL-NFL merger agreement ended the need for a separate AFL team in Chicago. [1, 2, 3, 4]

8 minutes ago, 77 Hitmen said:

That station is for the Metra Electric line too. I had actually wondered if they’d consider adding a Metra Rock Island line stop at the 78 if the entire rail yard /78 area gets built up. But the LaSalle St terminal for the RI is something like a 15 minute walk.

Though the LaSalle Street Station is close, I do hope for a Rock Island station at the 78. Getting off right next to McDonald’s Park and taking a short walk over the river to the Railyards would be delightful.

I‘d imagine a Rock Island stop is something Mansueto would be more involved with than Ishbia, similarly to how Ishbia would be more involved with a stop for the BNSF line than Mansueto. Hopefully those two put their heads together and encourage Metra to do this.