Dick Allen

This will be a state of IL play not Chicago. Last time, when they had a crumbling stadium and needed about a tenth of the funds they are now asking, and actually had an alternative to leave the state, the governor had to stop the clock and call in favors to get it done. This time? You really think people in central and southern IL are going to be onboard with this?

If it does, it won’t include JRs ask. They talk to the mayor and aldermen who may like it because apparently it transfers the responsibility of any shortage from the city to the state. Pritzker will be a brick wall.

I think JR has more than a couple of problems. First, office towers are not being built in Chicago anymore. One broke ground in 2023. None are scheduled this year. There are 9 projects with building cranes going on in Chicago, so not many high rise apartments being built either. That site alone, to get to what the renderings show, will probably need more than that. The state really isn’t in a position to give him a billion dollars. In fact, the only team who has ever received a subsidy of that amount is the Tennessee Titans, and they are the only game in town, and an indoor football facility. But I think his biggest problem is he has a state built park that appears to be in fine shape. He’s going to have to start telling everyone what is wrong with the park he basically chose. It will go on for years, but I bet the Sox wind up signing at least a short term extension to play at their current site. His best bet the next couple years is to make the team relevant. Ther looks to be over 20k tickets still available for opening day. People don’t care, and it’s all his fault.

Probably, but it's still Illinois.

They will be boring, but will win more games than last year. Not a lot, probably still over 90.

The benefit is minimal. Look at all the studies. What is spent there is not spent somewhere else. And if JR get what he wants, you will even get less as the sales tax there would go toward paying down the ballpark debt. The housing market is saturated, hence Lincoln Yards also at a standstill. Taxes are high enough. If you give the Sox what they want, you’ll have to give even more to the Bears. No way the hotel tax can cover it. Not even close. Related can more than fund the whole project with the TIFs. And if the White Sox park is the one thing that makes the rest go, THEY can give JR the sweetheart, near rent free deal he requires.

I’m glad the Sox got Moose. Can’t waste a year.

There are literally hundreds of companies in Chicago and IL that employ more people and produce more revenue , so make the state more money than the White Sox. I work for one of them. We rent a couple of floors in an office tower. Why doesn’t the state build us something nice and not charge rent? I really don’t think the White Sox have a leg to stand with MLB on moving out of town. It’s not like they have a crumbling stadium,. They have a viable home built to the current owners specifications which has had yearly updates. The South Loop site is better than their current home without a doubt. But for the state to build them another home is beyond silly. If Jerry wants the upgrade, he should pay for it himself.

They kind of have a point. The Sox and Relateds whole pitch is build the park and everyone will be so excited companies will line up to build apartment towers, office towers, restaurants, bars, retail…it’s kind of funny some actually believe it.

I don’t think it’s selective outrage. I think so,e are really concerned with how their tax dollars are spent, and are probably really skeptical a White Sox ballpark will bring all of the things they claim it will. Again Lincoln Yards would be a more desired spot to live, and they are dormant. They aren’t going to be building office towers. Restaurants? Bars? Maybe a couple, but if no one is living there, they have an 81 day year hike paying rent for 365. Only one team ever has been given what JR is asking for, and that is the Tennessee Titans, and football stadiums more expensive .

If you’re giving JR $1 billion plus the TIf, how much are you giving the Bears?

Like what? And you really think the White Sox will attravt all this? Why hasn't it happened yet? There's no market for office towers. Residential is saturated. The 78 isn't the only place hoping for some action. Lincoln Yards can't get anything built, and that's probably a more desirable place to live for people living in higher end units. The plan is all a pipe dream or they would finance it themselves. I wouldn't want to live too close to a ballpark. Too much noise and traffic. Look what's going on in Evanston and Wilmette over something lime 6 concerts a year. Plus is almost guaranteed to cost significantly more than they now claim. Who pays that?

Right and the 78 has 500 million TIF. JR wants 1 billion above that. Good luck.

Amazon creates jobs. How much greater of a head count would the White Sox have in the South Loop. Vs. Bridgeport?

But this deal doesn't do that. Taxpayers are on the hook for shortages. The debt is going to be well higher than before, and there were shortages. And the sales tax in the 78 pays off JRs Park. Those spots will take away sale from businesses not in the 78 where the sales tac theoretically goes to the greater good.

If this was several years ago when Wrigley was going through its reno and Ricketts determined Wrigley Field was not salvageable, and came up with the same plan. I’m guessing most of the people who think this a good idea for the state, and several of them don’t live in the state so couldn’t crare less how IL spends its tax dollars, would be up in arms. i am a White Sox fan. I think the site is better than the one they are at now. I go to games and this would be closer. I work in the loop, above Union Station and this would be very convenient during the week. Everything about it is great except who pays. It would be shameful to give JR this money with all the things that need fixing in Chicago alone, and while he already has a viable home that he helped design.

They will build office towers, which are now dinosaurs. Apartment buildings where most new apartment buildings are half full. And they will be high rent, so those renting in Linoiln Park, Streeterville, the Gold Coast, might move there. So those neighborhoods lose out. Build some bars and restaurants. If people go there, they will be spending money they would have spent elsewhere. Will they get a grocery store? That would be nice, but a good portion of the south side is currently a food desert, and apparently there are no public funds to build a few. jerry got a park built for him 35 years ago. To his speciations. Now he can’t make enough money, please build him another one. They offered him development in the GRF parking lots. He said no, He makes money on the parking spaces. The state did build him free of charge a team store and restaurant. And JR gets all the profit. Unfortunately that isn’t enough for JR to compete with the Clevelands , and Kansas Citys , and Detroits and Minnesotas. The economics part is all a play on words. No new tax, yet there is a new debt that has to be paid with tax money. Hotel tax, locals don’t have to worry about it. Except when there are shortflalls, and with bigger debt, potentially bigger shortfalls. Plus the sales tax there goes to paying down Jerry’s park? There goes the argument that the new neighborhood would be a boon for the city and state.Jr and the developer have many billions of dollars. They have the TIF money. Do the rest themselves.

I think it looks nice. But I’d only need it for baseball which is more than most Chicagoans and Illinoisan need it for, which clearly would be mediocre if ownership didn’t change. I don’t know why anyone would give him that money with how little effort he has but into being anything but mediocre for 43 seasons. But we let JR build a state of the art baseball facility, and look what we got? Letting him do it again would be like letting Rick Hahn generally manage a rebuild after he showed you he had no clue how to build a team. And the area would be mediocre for years. They are banking private business will want to build because the White Sox are there. So it will be a ghost town at worst, a construction site at best for the first several seasons after the park is built.

It’s a $1 billion ask on top of the $500 million TIF that covers the site. For more mediocrity.

If this thing is such a money maker why aren’t JR and Related building it themselves?

I wish someone from the state would tell JR that clearly we aren’t going to be subsidizing $1.7 billion ballparks. He should understand as he doesn’t play on high end free agents.

You have a 100 loss team , projected to be awful. You have very few young guys ready. Yet you sign a bunch off crappy players for clubhouse and leadership reasons. What does that say about your manager?

Eddie Jackson always talked a nice game, but man , he looked like he was afraid of people most of the time.

The Reds paid this guy $22 million last January not to play for them.

It's all year. I posted something about this a couple of months ago. Numbers and names are smaller. Teams with pipping in the front, the pipping will be much tighter. But if you want a jersey, they will have plenty of old ones discounted.