That makes me wonder. If the Bears end up passing on the Northwest Indiana site – I wonder if the Sox might be tempted to use it? Lots of Illinois folks have moved over that way and the South Shore has that new rail line extension. And... those tax breaks.
Chicago White Sox 2026
That makes me wonder. If the Bears end up passing on the Northwest Indiana site – I wonder if the Sox might be tempted to use it? Lots of Illinois folks have moved over that way and the South Shore has that new rail line extension. And... those tax breaks.
I hope not. I absolutely loathe the idea of the Bears playing Hammond, and I think I would hate the idea of the Sox playing there even more. I think even if it were solely Jerry's call (which it's not), he wouldn't even consider it which is saying something since I'm sure the land is cheap. "Southside" is probably the most significant part of our identity (even have it on our alternate uniforms), and you can't really use the Southside brand when you are in Indiana.
Former Sox shortstop Tim Anderson announced his retirement.
For a few years... Tim was something. Good hitter, good speed, had flair and excitement about him.
But his career was pretty much centered around a four year stretch from 2019 through 2022 when he batted .335, .322, .309, and .301 successively. It was all downhill for Tim after that.
As any Sox fan knows, the Sox have had some great shortstops over the years... the best of which being Number 11 (as well as Appling). Anderson was one of the best but it will always seem like he had lots more potential that we will never see developed.
But not a bad career. Thanks, Tim. But it could have been so much more.
For a few years... Tim was something. Good hitter, good speed, had flair and excitement about him.
But his career was pretty much centered around a four year stretch from 2019 through 2022 when he batted .335, .322, .309, and .301 successively. It was all downhill for Tim after that.
As any Sox fan knows, the Sox have had some great shortstops over the years... the best of which being Number 11 (as well as Appling). Anderson was one of the best but it will always seem like he had lots more potential that we will never see developed.
But not a bad career. Thanks, Tim. But it could have been so much more.
Illinell
'03 IMPE All Star
- Bridgeport, Chicago
Agreed. My gut (and nothing more) is Sox stay pat. It's a good and historical location, and there is soooo much land associated with the park.
Is all the old land still available? Last time around, they build New Comisky across the street from Old Comisky, then tore down Old Comisky. Maybe they could deja vu this thing all over again. And put the right name back on the building!
I think they would be foolish to build at 35th & Shields again
I believe the land at Block 78 is still available ( next to the new soccer stadium . imo , that will allow them to draw a younger more urban fan while not losing there existing fan who simply wants a park officially south of Madison
Illinell
'03 IMPE All Star
- Bridgeport, Chicago
This is all conjecture at this point, but my understanding is the 78 doesn't have the space for both.
The only rumor I heard at one point was the Sox could leave, and that would provide enough space for the Bears. I think the horse (or Bear) is out of the barn on that one.
I’ve since read up on it again
Sox are out of luck on the east side of river (78) but there is air rights to railroad track prooerty on the west side right there that Ishbia is pursuing at the moment
Sox ownership has wasted too much time on this. They should have identified a site and done their due-diligence on it and have put a solid plan in place by now.
The Chicago Fire sure has done all of that. And whether one likes the Indiana location or not... the Bears have been all over this in terms of looking at site options and making decisions. So the Sox are a distant third right now in a three-horse Chicago franchise relocation race. And locations are disappearing.
OR... the darker question is still whether all this delay was deliberate slow-walking and the Sox had their sites on Nashville or some other market all along. Don’t trust anything until the (South Side) property deed is signed and the permits have been issued and real money is changing hands.
The fact that the Sox came real close to moving twice already leaves one with questions that haven’t gone away.
I dont think Ishbia wants to move.
I would feel better about all things Sox if he were in control now. The current Sox owner just saw the staggering amount that the Lakers just sold for. Sure, that's the NBA but it's still a major sports franchise in a major city. The value of franchises in all sports is getting to unbelievable heights. That is going to limit the options for future ownership groups to buy franchises. Will the current Sox owner hold out for even more money than he might have sold before? That would just complicate things further.
I would think he would have to buy Ishbia out to do that with their current agreement. I don't think he has the desire or the money to pull that off. Now, if he has someone to buy the Sox that would pay off Ishbia and still pay him more, then maybe that could happen, but I'm not sure anyone would see the Sox as worth that much.
what I recall was Ishbia already has a purchase deal in place so I kind of doubt Reinsdorf can ask for more (or substantially more) at this point .
I don’t know why Jerry didnt just sell his portion already . must be some family or estate tax reason .
From what I read there is agreement in place for Ishbia to take over in a specific year but there are two different dates for that. There are things that if they happen in 1 way it is earlier if they happen in a different way it happens later. Ishbia is already part owner of the White Sox so I don't think Jerry can do anything without Ishbia being ok with it.
Moving to just across the border in Indiana, probably not a big deal. Moving to Nashville probably would take some approval.
Being that Ishbia is centered in Chicago, I would think he would want to keep them Chicago adjacent.
That redirect is an article about the arrangement.
Ishbia backed out of buying the Twins for this agreement too.
I agree that things seem to look OK for now. But nothing is certain until it becomes so. And regardless of the ownership question – adding the stadium location question (whomever is owner) to the Sox situation does not make things comfortable for Sox fans.
The Sox could have moved quickly and sowed up The 78 long ago and then we’d have a clear direction here. But now we’ve got two big moving question-plates and it can make a person dizzy watching them.
As for the Lakers situation – the new owners just came out of nowhere to pull this off. That’s the kind of thing that any franchise has to look out for. Who is lurking out there and how much do they want to spend. Money always talks bigger than agreements or handshakes. And sometimes, when money talks -- franchises walk.
MustangWally
- Mayfield
My daughter went to the game last night. She said she thoroughly enjoyed the game (a 5-0 Sox win) and really liked the ballpark. It's been several years since her last visit. She walked around the entire park, and was impressed with all the food choices and other attractions, especially in the outfield area. Neither of us understand the need for a new park. She went to a game at Wrigley a few weeks ago. I think it was a Savannah Bananas game. Described the place as a dump.
Hell of a performance by Castillo last night. I don’t expect that every start, but good sign as far as Sox getting him back to previous seasons level. If they can do that, his contract for next season doesn’t look that bad. It will also help alleviate some of the angst tweets like this one will cause.
full disclosure: I am a rare Chicago Cubs fan who genuinely wants to see the Sox win. Nothing would make me happier than a Cubs Sox world series. You dont have to love one and hate the other. One of my sons turned 13 in 2005 and all his buddies in Clarendon Hills were Sox fans so he was too. my other son (younger) is a Cub fan. So I learned to appreciate the Sox due to the one boy
But the bolded is just typical Sox fan speak about Wrigley. They hate it mainly because the whole world loves it. Much of it is old, but its not a dump. No one goes to WF for the food. Sox food is better, but I dont eat there either. Everyone at WF either eats before or after in the neighborhood.
Rate Field is a decent ballpark once you are inside. They trouble is you cant go to a game and make a 8 hour day of it bar hopping and all. You drive to the lot 45 mins before first pitch. Walk right inside and stay until the last out and then walk right to your car and leave. Doesnt matter if its a 1:00 game or 7: 00 game. Its just a different deal than going to a game at Wrigley
I highly doubt the Sox are playing home games at Rate in 8 years.
They would be wise to find land in the South Loop.
But Illinois or City wont help, so maybe they go to Hammond too
MustangWally
- Mayfield
Ha ha. Full disclosure. My daughter is not a typical Sox fan. Baseball is rarely on her radar. Her father is a Sox fan, so she has a little interest in the team. We used to attend an occasional game together. She went to the game last night because she was interested in a promotion they were having. She doesn't know or care what the rest of the world thinks of Wrigley. Just calls it as she sees it.
I get it
WF is only a shrine to baseball fans
and baseball fans only care about what you experience in the seating areas taking in all you can see . baseball fans don’t care about the amenities underneath the stands .
there is a reason that ball players themselves and true baseball fans love it
- the neighborhood it’s in
- the outfield bleachers ,ivy, scoreboard & signage
- the intimacy of the whole deal .
- it’s age
you can go anywhere in the country or the world and people will bring up WF when they find out you’re a chicagoan.
the Wrigley & Fenway experiences are similar
I think you're on to something here. I think that the long-time Sox owner has always resented that the North Side ball club is the more popular ball club in the region. It wasn't always that way. For a long time the Sox were the top dogs in town. But they lost that spot ever since the Sox nearly moved away to Seattle or Milwaukee in 1969. The North Siders had a good club at that time and were on a roll. And the Sox were in real bad shape back then.
The Sox never got the higher ground in the Chicago region after that. And that has bugged The Owner all along (I think).
This is one reason that the Northwest Indiana site would help the franchise. A fresh start with a fan base that is more outside of the North Side dominance of the past many years. And with the South Shore it is a short ride for South Siders as well as anyone in the region with easy access to all the rail lines around the City.
New York teams play in New Jersey. The Kansas City Chiefs are moving from Missouri to Kansas.
And the future home for the Sox just might be across the State line but close enough to be South Side True. 'Cause the South Side doesn't have to stop at the State line.
Maybe not getting The 78 could turn into a blessing.
Ha! My middle son is the same age as your Sox fan son, grew up in Clarendon Hills and is and was (like everyone in his family) a rabid Sox fan. They probably know each other.
