The Chicago White Sox Home Opener

I got home yesterday afternoon in time to watch the final innings of the White Sox Home Opener at Guaranteed Rate Field on Chicago's South Side. They were playing the Detroit Tigers, and Detroit was leading 1-0 when I tuned in. And that was how it ended. Later that night, I watched the WGN News at Nine, and they had several reporters at the game, interviewing the fans. The weather was sunny and pleasant, people were in a good mood, and even after the 1-0 loss, everyone was very optimistic about the season. Of course, last year, as I recall, the White Sox started the season giving up runs left and right (literally), and it only got worse from there, and so a well-played pitcher's duel was good to see, even if they did lose the game. And, of course, new play-by-play guy John Schriffin, on the left in the photograph on the left, and longtime announcer Steve Stone (on the right) were also very optimistic about this very young team.

White Sox management recently announced it wanted to build a new stadium in the South Loop, just south of Roosevelt Road along the Chicago River, to replace Guaranteed Rate Field, as seen in the photograph on the right. And watching that WGN news report, I was surprised to find that all of the fans interviewed wanted the team to stay exactly where they are. This when Guaranteed Rate Field is considered the third worst stadium in the major leagues, after ballparks in Oakland and Tampa Bay. The last White Sox game I saw before leaving Chicago was at the old Comiskey Park, and so maybe I should actually take in a game at Guaranteed Rate before I continue to condemn it. In any case, the Chicago Cubs, the team's North Side Rivals, opened the season on the road against the Texas Rangers, losing 3-2 in extra innings. They looked pretty good, too, so perhaps a subway series in Chicago might not be too far off. We can dream, can't we? It is Opening Day, after all. As for my adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they started the season in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. The Rockies were predicted to be one of the worst, if not THE worst, team in baseball this year. And how did they do, you ask? They lost 16-1, which is better than I thought they would do against the 2023 National League Champions. The sportscasters here in Denver stressed that no one was killed, which is indeed the most positive aspect of the game.