Another article about the sox and thier fans

[drowninginflame]

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago White Sox are the best team in the majors, with no idea what second place is like this year. They're a likable, entertaining bunch, and their manager is one of the most colorful in the game.

 

Anywhere else, they'd be the toast of the town, adored by casual fans and diehards alike. But the White Sox are the second team in the Second City, consistently underappreciated while their neighbors on the North Side are showered with love no matter how dismal their record.

 

``It's always been that way,'' said Bill Hyde, 68, a lifelong White Sox fan.

 

In Chicago, South Siders root for the White Sox, North Siders for the Cubs and that's all there is to it. Allegiances are handed down from generation to generation, and they aren't switched or shared, even when crosstown moves, marriages or politics are involved. Richard Daley may be mayor of all of Chicago, but his loyalties are on the South Side. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich remains a committed North Sider.

 

With more than 7 million people in the Chicago area, though, there should be more than enough fans to go around for both teams. Yet here the White Sox are, with a seven-game winning streak and a 49-22 record, and they're still trailing the Cubs in attendance.

 

The White Sox had drawn 885,906 through Tuesday night's game, an average of 24,609 per home game. The Cubs, who began the day just three games above .500 and 8 1/2 games behind St. Louis, have already drawn 1,354,376, an average of 37,622 per game.

 

``The Cubs, they draw regardless of what type of team they put on the field,'' said White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, who qualifies as an expert after spending his entire career on the South Side.

 

``It's always more of an event over there to see a ballgame,'' Thomas added. ``Over here, it's about winning. When we win here, we draw very, very well. When we don't play well over here, we don't draw well. That's just the way it's been.''

 

Attendance has picked up lately. The team averaged almost 31,000 fans over the last five games, and they're sure to get another bump with this weekend's visit from the Cubs.

 

But on a warm, sun-splashed afternoon, only 24,544 turned out for Wednesday's 5-1 victory over Kansas City. While that's the largest crowd the White Sox have drawn on a Wednesday this year, it's still well below the 39,000-plus who were at Wrigley a week ago.

 

``It's a shame, because they're in first place,'' said Lisa Lopiccolo, a longtime White Sox fan who goes to about a half-dozen games a year. ``I don't understand, because they pack them in at Wrigley.''

 

The reasons are varied, but lore and location can be blamed for most of the White Sox's attention deficits.

 

The White Sox have gone almost as long as the Cubs without a World Series title -- 1917 to 1908 -- but the Cubs were so inept for so many years that fans couldn't help but root for them. They weren't just losers, they were lovable losers, and the curse of the billy goat only adds to their folksy charm.

 

Bill Veeck tried all kinds of gimmicks to sell the White Sox -- remember those uniforms with the shorts? -- but their history isn't quite so endearing. There was the Black Sox Scandal, when Shoeless Joe Jackson and seven other players were suspended for throwing the 1919 World Series, and a near riot on the ill-fated Disco Demolition Night.

 

In 1994, Chicago had one of the best records in baseball when the strike occurred. Only Montreal was hurt worse by the work stoppage.

 

 

``The strike didn't help,'' said John Klepitch, who brought his 11-year-old daughter Shelly to a game earlier this week. ``It took me a few years to come back.''

 

It doesn't help that the Cubs play in a shrine, a must-see for fans of any team. Wrigley Field is the second-oldest ball park behind Boston's Fenway Park and still looks much as it did when it opened in 1914. The ivy on the outfield walls and picturesque upper-deck views of Lake Michigan give Wrigley a quaint, old-time feel, and the dozens of bars and restaurants nearby turn games into a daylong party.

 

``The Cell'' can't compare. When it opened in 1991, the topmost upper-deck seats were so dizzyingly steep they should have come with a Sherpa, and the outfield concourse was little more than a bland stretch of concrete. The view was of one of the city's meanest housing projects, and there were few bars or restaurants nearby to entice fans to come early and stay late.

 

``They have a unique thing going there, playing in a shrine, in a great neighborhood,'' said Brooks Boyer, vice president of marketing for the White Sox. ``But we think the experience we provide fans when they come here ... is second-to-none.''

 

The White Sox have taken fans' complaints to heart, starting with a wide-ranging makeover of The Cell. In the last five years, eight rows were taken off the upper deck, and the dated, slanting roof was replaced by a flat one, giving the park a more cozy feel. The bullpens also were moved so fans could see pitchers warming up; a multitiered batter's eye with a ``Fan Deck'' -- and ivy -- was added; and this year, the three-story ``FUNdamentals'' was put up in left field, complete with a child-sized diamond, batting and pitching cages.

 

The team has also tried to make games more affordable, with ticket deals most Mondays and Tuesdays.

 

``The ballpark right now is family friendly,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. ``That's how you create fans. Make sure the kids are White Sox fans.''

 

While the White Sox aren't about to replace the Cubs as the city's favored team just yet, there are signs they're gaining ground. With attendance up about 12 percent so far, the White Sox are on pace to have their best attendance since 1994, and Boyer said sponsorships are at an all-time high.

 

When the White Sox traveled to San Diego and Colorado earlier this month, left-hander Mark Buehrle was stunned at how many White Sox fans they saw -- and heard.

 

``We'd be coming around the bases and we'd be like, `Are we at home or on the road?''' Buehrle said. ``You're seeing more Sox gear, more stickers on cars, people wearing shirts and hats.''

 

But to win over a city like Chicago, the White Sox know their best bet is to just keep doing what they're doing.

 

``Our fans, much like us, we're tired of second place. We've got to prove to them they're coming out to a see a winner,'' general manager Kenny Williams said. ``That's something to aspire to.''

[greg775]

We got a great team and crowds have been good of late.

We should be drawing a minimum of 30,000 a game from now on in, but that

ain't gonna happen.

I have a question for those who have been going to games loyally the past 5 or so years.

With the renovations of the past couple summers ... is the park much more attractive than it was before the renovations? Just curious. I haven't been to a game since the renovations and was just wondering. Has the rooftop, etc. made it much better? Just asking.

[drowninginflame]

We got a great team and crowds have been good of late.

We should be drawing a minimum of 30,000 a game from now on in, but that

ain't gonna happen.

I have a question for those who have been going to games loyally the past 5 or so years.

With the renovations of the past couple summers ... is the park much more attractive than it was before the renovations? Just curious. I haven't been to a game since the renovations and was just wondering. Has the rooftop, etc. made it much better? Just asking.

 

 

The place gets better every year, get your ass in a seat dude.

[HighHeat45]

The place gets better every year, get your ass in a seat dude.

 

gregg775

From: lawrence, kansas

[Capn12]

:headshake

 

WHO

 

 

GIVES

 

 

A

 

 

f***

 

 

about attendance gripes from press who like to continue to harp on it? The attendance is up this year, and will continue to rise during the summer. Just another reporter writing about the passe thing to write about, when it comes to teh Sox.

[greg775]

I'd love to get to the yard on vacation this year.

I'd go to 20 or more a year when I lived in Chicago but that was right before new comiskey (Cell) was built.

I loved the old place. It rocked, literally shook, when there was 30,000 or more in there.

[DABearSoX]

we should start a contest to see who can be the first to post the next article about the SOX being the second team in the second city....

[Steve9347]

The park looks amazing since the renovations. Blue is no longer a main color in it... as it is mostly black and white. The awning makes it seem more old-time, and the ammenity's are first rate.

 

Get your ass there.

[Kalapse]

The park looks amazing since the renovations.  Blue is no longer a main color in it... as it is mostly black and white.  The awning makes it seem more old-time, and the ammenity's are first rate.

 

Get your ass there.

Hard to do that when you live in Kansas.

[HighHeat45]

Hard to do that when you live in Kansas.

Steve9347

From: Loves Park, IL

[Capn12]

Ya, and that kind of retort is uncalled for. We don't care much for personal insults on here. Consider it edited out.

[Steve9347]

sorry... anyway... let's go white sox.

[Steve9347]

i always forget how high the estrogen level is on this board.

 

[GoodAsGould]

I like this article, it shows that attendence is a problem but at the same time it really isnt calling out the fans...

[mreye]

This article has one thing ALL of the others did not. It finally mentions the increase of 12% so far this year. It also mentions that while Wednesday was only 24,000, it was the largest Wednesday attendance so far.

 

I'd like to see the place packed, but it's going to take time. SS2K5 said it best in a previous thread. If you missed it look for it yourself. I'm too lazy. Comiskey is one of the most fun places to be when it's packed. (The old Chicago Stadium was by far the best! Moment of silence for Chicago Stadium...thank you very much)

[tonyho7476]

This article has one thing ALL of the others did not. It finally mentions the increase of 12% so far this year. It also mentions that while Wednesday was only 24,000, it was the largest Wednesday attendance so far.

 

I'd like to see the place packed, but it's going to take time. SS2K5 said it best in a previous thread. If you missed it look for it yourself. I'm too lazy.    Comiskey is one of the most fun places to be when it's packed. (The old Chicago Stadium was by far the best!    Moment of silence for Chicago Stadium...thank you very much)

 

24,000 for a wednesday day game! I was floored when I heard that. The lower bowl was basically full. That shows we're getting people out there.

 

That being said, f*** this attendance talk.

[Steff]

We got a great team and crowds have been good of late.

We should be drawing a minimum of 30,000 a game from now on in, but that

ain't gonna happen.

I have a question for those who have been going to games loyally the past 5 or so years.

With the renovations of the past couple summers ... is the park much more attractive than it was before the renovations? Just curious. I haven't been to a game since the renovations and was just wondering. Has the rooftop, etc. made it much better? Just asking.

 

 

For those that care about how the park looks.. I guess.

[EvilMonkey]

Instead of wondering why The Cell wasn't sold out, the writer should have instead wondered why Wrigley WAS sold out when their team sucks ass.

 

I like this article, it shows that attendence is a problem but at the same time it really isnt calling out the fans...

It has increased stadily, and 24,000 for a WEDNESDAY DAY GAME is pretty good. It is only a problem when compared to the beer garden up north.

[southsider2k5]

This is the key comment and biggest trueism about the article

 

``The ballpark right now is family friendly,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. ``That's how you create fans. Make sure the kids are White Sox fans.''

 

The Sox even get the fact that a fan base isn't built in a day, or even a year. They are literally looking 10, 15, 20 years down the road, at literally growing White Sox fans from the womb. If the kids grow up going to Comiskey, they will keep wanting to go there. There is no doubt that the kids are the most important demographic, especially in this town, where you don't change the minds of older fans. You might pull in the casual fan, but if you are going to build the base, you have to do it on people you can win loyalty from.

[tonyho7476]

This is the key comment and biggest trueism about the article

The Sox even get the fact that a fan base isn't built in a day, or even a year.  They are literally looking 10, 15, 20 years down the road, at literally growing White Sox fans from the womb.  If the kids grow up going to Comiskey, they will keep wanting to go there.  There is no doubt that the kids are the most important demographic, especially in this town, where you don't change the minds of older fans.  You might pull in the casual fan, but if you are going to build the base, you have to do it on people you can win loyalty from.

 

I started going to sox games with my grandpa when I was a kid (we went from a bar in Berwyn in a bus with a keg)...and my dad had started going to games with his mother, when he was a kid....and I take my girlfriend, her kid, my dad, and my young cousins to games, to work on them...so this is obviously how things work...

 

My grandpa recently died and I still picture him and I walking through the park, hand in hand, everytime I go there...he was my buddy and I miss him...especially when I go to games and remember that this started with him.

[southsider2k5]

I started going to sox games with my grandpa when I was a kid (we went from a bar in Berwyn in a bus with a keg)...and my dad had started going to games with his mother, when he was a kid....and I take my girlfriend, her kid, my dad, and my young cousins to games, to work on them...so this is obviously how things work...

 

My grandpa recently died and I still picture him and I walking through the park, hand in hand, everytime I go there...he was my buddy and I miss him...especially when I go to games and remember that this started with him.

 

I'm a 3rd generation Sox fan as well. My Grandpa took my dad, my dad took me, and I am going to raise a 4th generation soon. Taking kids to game is the best way to make lifelong fans. That's why I love the "family" approach on the southside. You can do the samething up north.

[kapkomet]

...and I am going to raise a 4th generation soon. 

 

Lord help us all...

[moochpuppy]

Until US Cellular becomes a vacation destination for the out-of-towners, the Cubs will continually draw more "fans".

[southsider2k5]

Lord help us all...   

 

And the poor kid!!!!

[Queen Prawn]

I saw the title on Yahoo and didn't bother reading. If that is the best authors can come up with for a team with the record the Sox... Well, I put the same effort into reading it the author put into writing about the Sox, I read the title and didn't expend any energy on clicking the link for more.