5 minutes ago, 77 Hitmen said:

In that case, I wonder why Amtrak doesn't just release the environmental review they conducted. They said they need approval from the USDOT before they can do that. Is that forthcoming? Maybe that process does indeed take time.

Otherwise, it gives people the impression they're stonewalling and that's fueling this opposition.

Indeed. They currently are awaiting approval per the Crain’s article I just linked.

Amtrak has not released the full environmental studies backing the exclusion, saying today it is waiting on Federal Railroad Administration approval.

The findings in that study’s report, if accurate to Amtrak’s stance, should change the tune of this whole situation pretty quick.

Ald. Lee discusses the Amtrak proposal on Fox 32.

14 minutes ago, 77 Hitmen said:

Ald. Lee discusses the Amtrak proposal on Fox 32.

Pandering to the NIMBY crowd.

3 hours ago, BrittBurnsFan said:

I don't get the continued use of the word "arrogant"??? What is arrogant about it? Most would describe Ishbia's vision as "progress"!

3 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

I think because he is mad this board isn’t with him and he continues to try and get people to agree with him.

and when that doesn’t work, he goes into the comments of someone he doesn’t like (moi) and laughs at a comment made almost 2 months ago

There's a lot of bizarre gatekeeping going on over the course of this thread. Who qualifies as a real Sox fan? Someone who is South Side enough? Does that mean only people who live south of Cermak? Who should be the owner of the Sox after Jerry is gone? Certainly not a billionaire who wants to invest heavily on this team because that makes him arrogant.

Sure, people can honestly say that they like the current park and want the Sox to stay there (or at least at the site). But, from a business perspective, it shouldn't shock anyone that both Reinsdorf and Ishbia believe that the team has a higher ceiling and better ability to compete as a big market team at a South Loop ballpark. Just look at the economics around of teams around the league and why teams want stadium districts/downtown-adjacent ballparks instead of ballparks with acres of surface lots.

It would be very interesting to see some sort of survey of what most Sox fans/Chicagoland residents think of the South Loop proposal if the stadium is privately financed. I bet most people are generally in favor of the idea. Perhaps a better question would be "Would you be more likely or less likely (or no difference) to attend Sox games if they built a stadium in the South Loop."

4 minutes ago, 77 Hitmen said:

There's a lot of bizarre gatekeeping going on over the course of this thread. Who qualifies as a real Sox fan? Someone who is South Side enough? Does that mean only people who live south of Cermak? Who should be the owner of the Sox after Jerry is gone? Certainly not a billionaire who wants to invest heavily on this team because that makes him arrogant.

Sure, people can honestly say that they like the current park and want the Sox to stay there (or at least at the site). But, from a business perspective, it shouldn't shock anyone that both Reinsdorf and Ishbia believe that the team has a higher ceiling and better ability to compete as a big market team at a South Loop ballpark. Just look at the economics around of teams around the league and why teams want stadium districts/downtown-adjacent ballparks instead of ballparks with acres of surface lots.

It would be very interesting to see some sort of survey of what most Sox fans/Chicagoland residents think of the South Loop proposal if the stadium is privately financed. I bet most people are generally in favor of the idea. Perhaps a better question would be "Would you be more likely or less likely (or no difference) to attend Sox games if they built a stadium in the South Loop."

Soxtalk was about 85% for it, very unscientifically.

7 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Soxtalk was about 85% for it, very unscientifically.

Let’s face it, for various reasons the Sox have never been a huge draw at 35th and Shields though I’ve never had a problem with the location. The franchise is one of the few that has never drawn 3 million fans for a season though they came very close in 1991 and 2006. It’s time to look for greener pastures.

Edited yesterday at 06:48 PM1 day by The Mighty Mite

50 minutes ago, The Mighty Mite said:

Let’s face it, for various reasons the Sox have never been a huge draw at 35th and Shields though I’ve never had a problem with the location. The franchise is one of the few that has never drawn 3 million fans for a season though they came very close in 1991 and 2006. It’s time to look for greener pastures.

I think most people associated as Sox fans appreciate this as a once in a generational chance to grow the fanbase, which has been sorely lacking for decades now.

50 minutes ago, The Mighty Mite said:

Let’s face it, for various reasons the Sox have never been a huge draw at 35th and Shields though I’ve never had a problem with the location. The franchise is one of the few that has never drawn 3 million fans for a season though they came very close in 1991 and 2006. It’s time to look for greener pastures.

This stadium has been a great problem from the beginning. It was built in a location that isn't popular and secondly they built an upper deck (which originally was 45% of the seats in the stadium) which everybody has hated from the start.

Ishbia just bought some more land. Sorry if already posted.

Block Club Chicago

White Sox Minority Owner's Firm Buys Another Property Nea...

The $15 million purchase of The Maxwell shopping center by an affiliate of Justin Ishbia’s Shore Capital Partners adds to the footprint of his proposed Railyards development.

Guys and gals and otherwise, might I suggest treating tray’s posts as satire?

It keeps the conversation moving forward, the vibes lighter and friendlier, and it’s also just funny.

33 minutes ago, Snopek said:

Guys and gals and otherwise, might I suggest treating tray’s posts as satire?

It keeps the conversation moving forward, the vibes lighter and friendlier, and it’s also just funny.

Not taking him seriously isn't a bad idea.

2 hours ago, The Mighty Mite said:

Let’s face it, for various reasons the Sox have never been a huge draw at 35th and Shields though I’ve never had a problem with the location. The franchise is one of the few that has never drawn 3 million fans for a season though they came very close in 1991 and 2006. It’s time to look for greener pastures.

2 hours ago, WBWSF said:

This stadium has been a great problem from the beginning. It was built in a location that isn't popular and secondly they built an upper deck (which originally was 45% of the seats in the stadium) which everybody has hated from the start.

Location and poor stadium design has always been a drag on attendance. Once the team gets popular enough to fill the lower bowl, the 500 level seats are a tough sell. Tailgating is cool....but that doesn't bring in more casual fans.

The proposed new location is only 2 miles and 2 red line stops away, is still on the south side of town, and as @southsider2k5 just said above, many people seem to agree it's a better location.

Really, the biggest objection since Jerry announced the 78 proposal almost 3 years ago is having taxpayers pay for yet another Sox stadium. But it looks like Ishbia is planning to privately-finance a ballpark if he builds one there - so that removes the biggest sticking point.

6 hours ago, 77 Hitmen said:

Location and poor stadium design has always been a drag on attendance. Once the team gets popular enough to fill the lower bowl, the 500 level seats are a tough sell. Tailgating is cool....but that doesn't bring in more casual fans.

The proposed new location is only 2 miles and 2 red line stops away, is still on the south side of town, and as @southsider2k5 just said above, many people seem to agree it's a better location.

Really, the biggest objection since Jerry announced the 78 proposal almost 3 years ago is having taxpayers pay for yet another Sox stadium. But it looks like Ishbia is planning to privately-finance a ballpark if he builds one there - so that removes the biggest sticking point.

Your posts indicate that you don't know much about the stadium other than the 500 level (the last time you attended a game?), that you are not familiar with the Southside, and have no respect for the history and traditions of the White Sox and their fan base. Your desire for Ishbia to move the stadium near a train station more accessible to "casual fans" like yourself is all about you, isn't it? How selfish.

Private financing? Oh, like the federally backed financing for moving an enormous railroad boneyard to the South side or the 134 Million he duked to Amtrak...which he gets back later? Ishbia doesn't spend personal money. Instead he manipulates debt to make money. That is what private equity investors do. There is no advantage to taxpayers if he abandons a stadium and acres of parking owned by the public. Ishbia's greed and avarice has now taken a back seat to his arrogance. You seem unable to understand what motivates the Ishbia clan - greed and avarice and a large helping of billionaire megalomania. Do your own research on them.

Donald Vilimas, a 6th grader at Bridgeport Catholic Academy is not a causal fan like those you envision taking a train from afar to go to an occasional game. That youngster goes to numerous games every season. He really captured a lot of what it means to be a South side White Sox fan, even in the dark shadow of two play-off losses when he stated that :

"“This just matters a lot to me—the White Sox are my team.”

https://www.nbcchicago.com/chicago-sports-bears-sox-cubs-bulls-blackhawks/bridgeport-students-gifted-tickets-to-see-white-sox-in-game-3-of-alds/3999272/

This kid is special and I hope the White Sox honor him and his classmates, especially if the Sox overcome all odds and play for the AL championship.

6 hours ago, tray said:

Your posts indicate that you don't know much about the stadium other than the 500 level (the last time you attended a game?), that you are not familiar with the Southside, and have no respect for the history and traditions of the White Sox and their fan base. Your desire for Ishbia to move the stadium near a train station more accessible to "casual fans" like yourself is all about you, isn't it? How selfish.

Private financing? Oh, like the federally backed financing for moving an enormous railroad boneyard to the South side or the 134 Million he duked to Amtrak...which he gets back later? Ishbia doesn't spend personal money. Instead he manipulates debt to make money. That is what private equity investors do. There is no advantage to taxpayers if he abandons a stadium and acres of parking owned by the public. Ishbia's greed and avarice has now taken a back seat to his arrogance. You seem unable to understand what motivates the Ishbia clan - greed and avarice and a large helping of billionaire megalomania. Do your own research on them.

Donald Vilimas, a 6th grader at Bridgeport Catholic Academy is not a causal fan like those you envision taking a train from afar to go to an occasional game. That youngster goes to numerous games every season. He really captured a lot of what it means to be a South side White Sox fan, even in the dark shadow of two play-off losses when he stated that :

"“This just matters a lot to me—the White Sox are my team.”

https://www.nbcchicago.com/chicago-sports-bears-sox-cubs-bulls-blackhawks/bridgeport-students-gifted-tickets-to-see-white-sox-in-game-3-of-alds/3999272/

This kid is special and I hope the White Sox honor him and his classmates, especially if the Sox overcome all odds and play for the AL championship.

Your entire schtick here has been everything you are pretending to be against. You have been loud, arrogant, self-serving, selfish, misleading, and flat out lying at points. The fact you have the audacity to project on to someone else, exactly what YOU have been doing by polluting every single stand of remotely intelligent discussion in this thread with your propaganda, flat out lies, and even legally defined slander at multiple points, should disqualify you from ever speaking on this topic, and anyone else involved in it, EVER again. Your hypocrisy is only surpassed by the audacity of your agenda in assuming the complete and utter ignorance of your intended audience. You aren't bringing anyone to your side, but in fact turning anyone remotely on the fence against you with your insane fantasies and made up fugue states. It's bad enough you make up whatever you want about public figures, but I won't let you to do to other members of Soxtalk. Grow up and come back when you have a shred of intellectual integrity.

I am channeling Dan Aykroyd & John Cleese.

6 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

Your entire schtick here has been everything you are pretending to be against. You have been loud, arrogant, self-serving, selfish, misleading, and flat out lying at points. The fact you have the audacity to project on to someone else, exactly what YOU have been doing by polluting every single stand of remotely intelligent discussion in this thread with your propaganda, flat out lies, and even legally defined slander at multiple points, should disqualify you from ever speaking on this topic, and anyone else involved in it, EVER again. Your hypocrisy is only surpassed by the audacity of your agenda in assuming the complete and utter ignorance of your intended audience. You aren't bringing anyone to your side, but in fact turning anyone remotely on the fence against you with your insane fantasies and made up fugue states. It's bad enough you make up whatever you want about public figures, but I won't let you to do to other members of Soxtalk. Grow up and come back when you have a shred of intellectual integrity.

I was half expecting this to end with “I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

7 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

Your entire schtick here has been everything you are pretending to be against. You have been loud, arrogant, self-serving, selfish, misleading, and flat out lying at points. The fact you have the audacity to project on to someone else, exactly what YOU have been doing by polluting every single stand of remotely intelligent discussion in this thread with your propaganda, flat out lies, and even legally defined slander at multiple points, should disqualify you from ever speaking on this topic, and anyone else involved in it, EVER again. Your hypocrisy is only surpassed by the audacity of your agenda in assuming the complete and utter ignorance of your intended audience. You aren't bringing anyone to your side, but in fact turning anyone remotely on the fence against you with your insane fantasies and made up fugue states. It's bad enough you make up whatever you want about public figures, but I won't let you to do to other members of Soxtalk. Grow up and come back when you have a shred of intellectual integrity.

I thought "arrogant" was when someone proposes to invest heavily in this team to help make it more competitive in the future.

Reading your and other posters' responses to post after post full of Tirades, Rants, And Yelling without having to read the complete and utter nonsense myself reminds me of the old Neil Steinberg column "Bob Watch" where the motto was "we read him so you don't have to".

Here's an update on construction of the new A's stadium in Vegas.

https://www.fox5vegas.com

Look inside the future Athletics Ballpark in Las Vegas

FOX5 Sports got an inside look at the future Athletics Ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip.

1 hour ago, Snopek said:

I was half expecting this to end with “I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

Good call.

1 hour ago, 77 Hitmen said:

I thought "arrogant" was when someone proposes to invest heavily in this team to help make it more competitive in the future.

Reading your and other posters' responses to post after post full of Tirades, Rants, And Yelling without having to read the complete and utter nonsense myself reminds me of the old Neil Steinberg column "Bob Watch" where the motto was "we read him so you don't have to".

My guess is that you don't go to many if any White Sox games, probably never lived in Chicago or have much knowledge about the South side. Your pseudo-intellectual posts don't impress me. You choose to kiss Ishbia's ass and trust his motives, why.. because he is a billionaire and of course, billionaires never have self-interest at their core.

Meanwhile you fail to address the two main issues in any reasonable way and cite absurd facts like the distance by way of crow flight between Rate field and the Rail yard. You think that the industrial train yard in the South Loop is a residential neighborhood like the South side.

First, focus on moving an enormous rail yard between 22nd street and 39th street, a project that even White Sox ownership had no idea about its scope. Thousand of residents live within a short distance. This has become an area that has stabilized in large measure because of the White Sox and associated businesses. Many Chicago property owners have rehabbed or constructed new residences in an area that is not wealthy, but is pretty nice. Why should they have their property values, neighborhood and lifestyles impacted by the Winnetka billionaire? Look, Chicagoans have a good idea what these kind of rail yards look like. Look at CN Joliet or CN Markham, neither of which is located in a gentrified residential neighborhood. This is insane.

Second, study the proposed "railyard" stadium renderings. The parcel is not large enough for a conventional mlb stadium so a tall right field wall along the canal similar to the Green Monster will be required. On the East side of this stadium there are functioning rail road tracks and a street with elevated covered walkways attach to adjacent buildings.

This is what results from a flawed and rushed process and an intense, misguided ambition fueled by wealth and avarice.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by tray

Tray stop guessing about other peoples fandoms. You have no idea what any of us do, you are a terrible gatekeeper and your attitude sucks