Colin Robinson has entered the thread

2 hours ago, fathom said:

Every rumor suggests they will never stay at the current site

I haven’t seen reports about anything other than the South Loop. It seems Ishbia’s been hunting this spot since he made that deal with Reinsdorf. It’s very likely all or nothing, and both Ishbia and Amtrak (as well as countless Sox fans) would not be happy with the latter.

3 hours ago, 77 Hitmen said:

IMO, if the South Loop stadium plan totally collapses, I don't think there's a better alternate location than just remaining at the current location. Not Michael Reese, not Solider Field and not the suburbs and certainly not NW Indiana.

If they ended up staying at 35th St forever, then maybe Ishbia would try to redevelop the parking lots around Rate Field as a stadium district. But, I have my doubts that enough people are going to go out of their way to 35th & Shields on the 260 days a year the Sox aren't playing at home to keep a Ballpark Village full of bars and restaurants economically viable there.

3 hours ago, 77 Hitmen said:

IMO, if the South Loop stadium plan totally collapses, I don't think there's a better alternate location than just remaining at the current location. Not Michael Reese, not Solider Field and not the suburbs and certainly not NW Indiana.

If they ended up staying at 35th St forever, then maybe Ishbia would try to redevelop the parking lots around Rate Field as a stadium district. But, I have my doubts that enough people are going to go out of their way to 35th & Shields on the 260 days a year the Sox aren't playing at home to keep a Ballpark Village full of bars and restaurants economically viable if the South Loop stadium doesn't work out if Ishbia backs out of buying the team.

3 hours ago, 77 Hitmen said:

IMO, if the South Loop stadium plan totally collapses, I don't think there's a better alternate location than just remaining at the current location. Not Michael Reese, not Solider Field and not the suburbs and certainly not NW Indiana.

If they ended up staying at 35th St forever, then maybe Ishbia would try to redevelop the parking lots around Rate Field as a stadium district. But, I have my doubts that enough people are going to go out of their way to 35th & Shields on the 260 days a year the Sox aren't playing at home to keep a Ballpark Village full of bars and restaurants economically viable there.

If the South Loop Stadium site doesn't work out I wonder if Ishbia backs out of the deal in buying the team.

Maybe they'll find some human bones during excavation and they can name it "The Boneyard". That would be a cool stadium name.

I don't see how it DOESN'T happen at this point. Massive if Ishbia really got crushed with his brothers company losing so much value? A big time recession? Otherwise, it's going to happen. Amtrak is basically a lock to move by all reports. The city and state are on board with it. It's going to happen.

One important point I haven't heard much about is the BNSF property. I can't tell if the renderings show them building completely above that or not. Is imagine they'll need to acquire some of the BNSF property.

35 minutes ago, WBWSF said:

If the South Loop Stadium site doesn't work out I wonder if Ishbia backs out of the deal in buying the team.

Only you WBWSF...only you.

How much money has he already invested again? How much has he given to Reinsdorf?

I can only assume you are trolling now because this makes absolutely zero sense.

32 minutes ago, ron883 said:

I don't see how it DOESN'T happen at this point. Massive if Ishbia really got crushed with his brothers company losing so much value? A big time recession? Otherwise, it's going to happen. Amtrak is basically a lock to move by all reports. The city and state are on board with it. It's going to happen.

One important point I haven't heard much about is the BNSF property. I can't tell if the renderings show them building completely above that or not. Is imagine they'll need to acquire some of the BNSF property.

Crain’s has reported Ishbia to be in “advanced talks” with BNSF regarding their yard. I’d pencil it in as happening.

59 minutes ago, ron883 said:

I don't see how it DOESN'T happen at this point. Massive if Ishbia really got crushed with his brothers company losing so much value? A big time recession? Otherwise, it's going to happen. Amtrak is basically a lock to move by all reports. The city and state are on board with it. It's going to happen.

One important point I haven't heard much about is the BNSF property. I can't tell if the renderings show them building completely above that or not. Is imagine they'll need to acquire some of the BNSF property.

23 minutes ago, Mouthsider said:

Crain’s has reported Ishbia to be in “advanced talks” with BNSF regarding their yard. I’d pencil it in as happening.

Yep, according to Crain's, Ishbia intends to buy the entire 20-acre BNSF yard. I read somewhere that BNSF would likely move their maintenance yard to a currently-vacant rail yard at Western Ave. along the BNSF Metra line.

The active train lines for Metra and Amtrak that run through that property would have to remain. Since those train lines run through the middle of the entire property, perhaps those can be shifted slightly to the west to provide enough room to fit in a ballpark.

Edited yesterday at 04:36 AM1 day by 77 Hitmen

4 hours ago, fathom said:

Every rumor suggests they will never stay at the current site

Wasn't there talks with the original plan to retrofit The Rate into a stadium for the Stars?

NBC Chicago

White Sox ‘completely unaware' of Amtrak plans for Bridge...

Amid withering criticism of a proposed Amtrak maintenance facility in Bridgeport, the White Sox said they were ‘completely unaware’ of the extent of the project

Why should the Sox care about what Amtrak does? Take care of yourself. Build your new stadium where you want with your money.

6 hours ago, Quin said:

Wasn't there talks with the original plan to retrofit The Rate into a stadium for the Stars?

Sox should just keep it and send the triple A team there. Call them the Windy City Sox lol

Won't this affect the parking lots for the next few years while they are constructing it?

14 hours ago, tray said:

It is obvious from a cursory examination of the subject AI rendering

A post with an intro like this is funny...especially when the content is not obvious at all!

39 minutes ago, BrittBurnsFan said:

A post with an intro like this is funny...especially when the content is not obvious at all!

It's a Whose Line is it Anyway episode.

Everything is made up and the points don't matter.

4 hours ago, HoosierSox said:

Won't this affect the parking lots for the next few years while they are constructing it?

Yeah, C & G. Would have to imagine that at a minimum portions of those lots would be closed off.

From Paul Sullivan's column today:

Bridgeport Blues

No one from Bridgeport wants the Sox to leave Bridgeport and turn it into a virtual ghost town. Unfortunately, Ishbia lives on the North Shore, not Bridgeport, and has no nostalgia for the neighborhood that’s been home to the Sox for 116 years. If the Sox and Illinois Sports Facilities Authority had allowed bars and restaurants to be built around the new ballpark 35 years ago, as late Gov. Jim Thompson originally promised at McCuddy’s, Bridgeport would now be like River North and the team wouldn’t have to move to draw more fans.

11 hours ago, Quin said:

Wasn't there talks with the original plan to retrofit The Rate into a stadium for the Stars?

Reinsdorf's original 78 plan renderings showed Rate Field being converted to a soccer stadium. It didn't mention any team by name but presumably it could have been for the Fire and/or Stars. This was before the Fire announced their own plans to build on the 78.

The Stars are still looking for a permanent home, so theoretically yes, that could happen. I don't know where the money would come from to turn it into a soccer stadium, though.

10 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

From Paul Sullivan's column today:

Bridgeport Blues

No one from Bridgeport wants the Sox to leave Bridgeport and turn it into a virtual ghost town. Unfortunately, Ishbia lives on the North Shore, not Bridgeport, and has no nostalgia for the neighborhood that’s been home to the Sox for 116 years. If the Sox and Illinois Sports Facilities Authority had allowed bars and restaurants to be built around the new ballpark 35 years ago, as late Gov. Jim Thompson originally promised at McCuddy’s, Bridgeport would now be like River North and the team wouldn’t have to move to draw more fans.

Can't a neighborhood stand on its own? I mean...there are plenty of neighborhoods in Chicago that don't have a professional sports team located in it...that are destinations for a night out or a place to hang! Sure I get nostalgic when I think of my grandfather taking me to games at 35th and Shields in the 70s-90s...but time marches on! Nostalgia is not going to slow Ishbia down...nor should it!

NOTE: Lip - those aren't questions aimed at you...more at the topic/feel of Sullivan's column.

Edited yesterday at 04:34 PM1 day by BrittBurnsFan

6 minutes ago, BrittBurnsFan said:

Can't a neighborhood stand on its own? I mean...there are plenty of neighborhoods in Chicago that don't have a professional sports team located in it...that are destinations for a night out or a place to hang! Sure I get nostalgic when I think of my grandfather taking me to games at 35th and Shields in the 70s-90s...but time marches on! Nostalgia is not going to slow Ishbia down...nor should it!

NOTE: Lip - those aren't questions aimed at you...more at the topic/feel of Sullivan's column.

I can't help but think, with as little stuff as there is around the baseball experience, what exactly are they losing? I mean if you work at the park, you can still work at the park 2.5 miles away. There isn't some big ballpark experience of shops that depend on the team, which is the whole point of trying to actually create a ballpark village. I know there are a few shops around the team, but it isn't anything like other teams, and I feel like they are trying to have two things be true at once, which can't.

32 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

From Paul Sullivan's column today:

Bridgeport Blues

No one from Bridgeport wants the Sox to leave Bridgeport and turn it into a virtual ghost town. Unfortunately, Ishbia lives on the North Shore, not Bridgeport, and has no nostalgia for the neighborhood that’s been home to the Sox for 116 years. If the Sox and Illinois Sports Facilities Authority had allowed bars and restaurants to be built around the new ballpark 35 years ago, as late Gov. Jim Thompson originally promised at McCuddy’s, Bridgeport would now be like River North and the team wouldn’t have to move to draw more fans.

Tray is Paul Sullivan confirmed

15 minutes ago, BrittBurnsFan said:

Can't a neighborhood stand on its own? I mean...there are plenty of neighborhoods in Chicago that don't have a professional sports team located in it...that are destinations for a night out or a place to hang! Sure I get nostalgic when I think of my grandfather taking me to games at 35th and Shields in the 70s-90s...but time marches on! Nostalgia is not going to slow Ishbia down...nor should it!

NOTE: Lip - those aren't questions aimed at you...more at the topic/feel of Sullivan's column.

5 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

I can't help but think, with as little stuff as there is around the baseball experience, what exactly are they losing? I mean if you work at the park, you can still work at the park 2.5 miles away. There isn't some big ballpark experience of shops that depend on the team, which is the whole point of trying to actually create a ballpark village. I know there are a few shops around the team, but it isn't anything like other teams, and I feel like they are trying to have two things be true at once, which can't.

This is just NIMBY bullshit disguised as concern about losing the ballpark. They don't want the Amtrak facility there and that's really what this all boils down to.

ABC7 Chicago

Bridgeport residents, lawmakers oppose Amtrak facility, e...

Bridgeport residents and elected officials are voicing opposition to Amtrak's planned rail maintenance facility, arguing the project could disrupt the neighborhood and worsen concerns about the future

Sources involved in the discussions said efforts are underway to persuade Amtrak to consider other nonresidential sites, including an area near 47th Street and Western Avenue.

Someone will need to explain how the area around 47th and Western is "nonresidential" while the proposed area west of the ballpark is "residential". They look nearly identical to me.

Actually, no. You don't. f*** those poor people, basically.

It's hardly a surprise that many who grew up in Bridgeport with the White Sox as a defining part of their neighborhood will be sad to see them go (and sad to see the Tray effect clearly tainting any and all critical discussion of the move.) I do feel for the neighborhood and will be nostalgic myself when the eventually leave, just as I was nostalgic when they tore down Old Comiskey.

But the notion that their leaving will turn Bridgeport into a "ghost town" is way overblown for the reasons folks have mentioned. It will turn Bridgeport into...a neighborhood without a ballpark, like all but one of the other Chicago neighborhoods. Albeit a neighborhood with a big physical hole to fill.

On 9/9/2026 at 11:01 AM, nrockway said:

How about we just stop destroying perfectly fine and functional entertainment complexes so that a billionaire can make slightly more money by developing a redundant entertainment complex?

What a massive waste of resources and limited urban land, I’m surprised the perspective of this forum is so gung-ho about building yet another pointless stadium. Like have you guys been to Sox Park lately? It’s perfectly fine. They don’t need a new one. If they want to do something on the parking lots they already own, wonderful. This 78 s%*# is so annoying they should’ve just planted some trees 20 years ago and been done with it.

The lack of business acumen here is truly astounding. The simple reality is a better stadium will draw bigger crowds allowing for bigger payrolls and a more competitive team. A new stadium should also provide a better fan experience than the one we get today. Not sure why we should all settle for a “perfectly fine” stadium when our future owner is willing develop a better one on his own dime. The bulk of your concerns really make no sense and it feels like you are just trying to be contrarian for the sake of argument.

26 minutes ago, 35thstreetswarm said:

It's hardly a surprise that many who grew up in Bridgeport with the White Sox as a defining part of their neighborhood will be sad to see them go (and sad to see the Tray effect clearly tainting any and all critical discussion of the move.) I do feel for the neighborhood and will be nostalgic myself when the eventually leave, just as I was nostalgic when they tore down Old Comiskey.

But the notion that their leaving will turn Bridgeport into a "ghost town" is way overblown for the reasons folks have mentioned. It will turn Bridgeport into...a neighborhood without a ballpark, like all but one of the other Chicago neighborhoods. Albeit a neighborhood with a big physical hole to fill.

I mean I have no doubt that some businesses will suffer. There is Grandstand and a couple of bars that get mentioned for sure. But I do think things are being exaggerated too.