A surprisingly fun night with the White Sox

Caution: non-birding post ahead.

Editor’s Note: I don’t wish to alarm you, but today’s post doesn’t include a direct reference to birds.¹

Sox Park, with an empty upper seating bowl last Tuesday.

Last Tuesday was the steamiest day in a long string of steamy days. It was about 90 when Derek Trucks of the Tedeschi Trucks Band threw out the first pitch before the Chicago White Sox played the Kansas City Royals. The mood in the stadium was bright, even as the Sox were in the midst of a 16-game losing streak. This is a team that started last season as a World Series contender and is now possibly headed to the worst season in baseball history. Sox ownership has whipsawed its fan base—and really, the city—between talk of a new publicly financed stadium and a move to somewhere like Nashville. It’s a sad situation, and one I felt more tangibly while present Tuesday night. 

Let’s get back to the surprisingly positive mood. In addition to all of the above, the Sox traded four of their best players recently, including two—Paul DeJong and Eloy Jimenez—earlier in the day on Tuesday. So, here are three possible reasons for the general giddiness despite the grim situation facing the franchise:

1 ⚾️

Upon arrival, we learned our four super-cheap upper deck tickets would not be in the stratospheric 500 level but in the 100s—the lower deck. In fact, the upper deck was entirely closed for the game. So we ended up in darn good seats to watch an MLB game. I understand the economics of why it would be better to put everyone in the lower bowl, but this nonetheless was a bit surprising, a team in the majors shuttering the upper deck in mid-summer. Many other fans enjoyed this reversal of fortunes.

2 ⚾️

Tuesdays at new Comiskey² are $5 Tuesdays. So the nachos were flowing for an Abe, as were Modelo beers poured into overflowing small plastic cups. It was one of the few times in my life I thought to myself, “Thank you, Jerry Reinsdorf.” I have no doubt the many $5 purchases of a Mexican lager contributed to the ebullient mood among the game’s attendees. 

3 ⚾️

It’s baseball in mid-summer. Comiskey is a place to see baseball and be seen for an interesting cross-section of the South Side. The game was somewhat secondary to the social activity in the stands and on the concourse. The $5 beers no doubt attracted many a teen attempting to pass off their first fake ID. 

The Sox went down to the Royals, 4-3, predictably coughing up a late lead to a contending team. 

Really what came across was the commitment of the fans. The guy next to me keeping score of the game and listening to the radio feed. The burst of excitement when Andrew Vaughn went deep and fireworks shot out of the scoreboard. The handful of tailgaters lighting up hibachis in the parking lot.

I think of all the generations who grew up rooting for this franchise, through many hapless years. Most fans are turned off by the team’s play for a new taxpayer-financed stadium, including me. But the Sox leaving would be the end of an era. And that would be a very sad thing.

1. A Mourning Dove landed in right-field foul territory during pregame warm-ups.

2. I refuse to use the corporate name that has to do with mortgage lending. Another worthy alternative is simply calling it “Sox Park.”