There is no doubt the Chicago White Sox made a huge mistake when owner Jerry Reinsdorf more or less forced the State of Illinois to build a new stadium for his team, replacing historic Comiskey Park. It was built one year before Camden Yards opened in Baltimore, which ushered in a wave of new, retro, fan friendly ballparks, which Chicago's new stadium definitely wasn't. What was originally called The New Comiskey Park is considered the worst ballpark in baseball, seen in the photo on the left back when it was called U.S. Cellular Field. The first row of seats in the upper deck at what is now called Guaranteed Rate Field are farther away from the field than the last row of seats at the old Comiskey Park.
And now, at last, there is talk of building a new ballpark in the South Loop, along the Chicago River just south of Roosevelt Road, in a new neighborhood that will be called "The 78." If built, the White Sox will be leaving the Bridgeport neighborhood, their home since 1910, but they will at least still be on the South Side. Ironically, Richard M. Daley, the mayor of Chicago from 1989 to 2011, also moved from Bridgeport to the South Loop during his tenure, and took a lot of heat for it. But I digress. The big question is whether that new ballpark will become a reality and be ready for baseball in 2030. It all depends on financing, and who pays for what. It sounds to me like it will be a long, dragged out, contentious battle. And whatever the result, I personally believe that new ballpark will never be as nice as the original Comiskey Park, as seen in the photograph on the right, taken when it opened in 1910. But not by me. I'm old but not that old.
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