Hangar18's Chicago NewsMedia Watch Thread

[BigSqwert]

So what's the media watch count for today?

[Hangar18]

As a lifelong south sider, I know that Hangar isn't exaggerating about the media coverage of the two teams. It's about more than the baseball teams -- it's about race and class and the perceptions of both in Chicago. It ain't pretty.

 

I went on a Marlins website, and one marlin fan asked the other why SOX fans were so jealous of Cub fans (stereotype propogated by the Tribune-now widely believed myth). Another Marlin fan said it was because SOX fans were "poor" and the area around Comiskey is "rundown" and "desolate" and nobody wants to hang around the park because its "dangerous". Wow, bridgeport is home of gangs and crack houses apparently. Of course the Trib wont hurry anytime soon to quash that stereotype. I told him in no uncertain terms that Bridgeport, TheNearSouthside and Pilsen have been the HOTTEST realestate markets in Chicago Metro for years .........that million dollar homes are just in the shadows of the park, and that the area is actually one of the "safer" ones (compared to wrigleyville). SoxFan1 will say Who Cares what the Trib says, but this is what happens when people start believing Stereotypes. These are all perceptions put out by your Chicago Tribune, in order to make their product look better. Its a clear conflict of interest. Soxfan1 willsay "who cares, its their paper why should they cover the SOX?"

in 1981, when the Tribune shocked critics by announcing they were buying the Cubs, Critics said wont that cause a conflict of interest (reporting the news/sox) they said NO, we promise, we will provide unbiased coverage to both teams like we've always done. We see now that was a bunch of BS.

[greasywheels121]

I went on a Marlins website, and one marlin fan asked the other why SOX fans were so jealous of Cub fans (stereotype propogated by the Tribune-now widely believed myth). Another Marlin fan said it was because SOX fans were "poor" and the area around Comiskey is "rundown" and "desolate" and nobody wants to hang around the park because its "dangerous". Wow, bridgeport is home of gangs and crack houses apparently. Of course the Trib wont hurry anytime soon to quash that stereotype. I told him in no uncertain terms that Bridgeport, TheNearSouthside and Pilsen have been the HOTTEST realestate markets in Chicago Metro for years .........that million dollar homes are just in the shadows of the park, and that the area is actually one of the "safer" ones (compared to wrigleyville). SoxFan1 will say Who Cares what the Trib says, but this is what happens when people start believing Stereotypes. These are all perceptions put out by your Chicago Tribune, in order to make their product look better. Its a clear conflict of interest. Soxfan1 willsay "who cares, its their paper why should they cover the SOX?"

in 1981, when the Tribune shocked critics by announcing they were buying the Cubs, Critics said wont that cause a conflict of interest (reporting the news/sox) they said NO, we promise, we will provide unbiased coverage to both teams like we've always done. We see now that was a bunch of BS.

 

We're all new to this, but isn't that exactly what you're doing by doing a media count? There's certainly some jealousy involved with you counting/complaining about the coverage between the 2 teams. I'm very content with the amount of coverage the Sox get. All the papers do is repeat themselves anyways; there's only much you can say after one game.

[Steff]

I went on a Marlins website, and one marlin fan asked the other why SOX fans were so jealous of Cub fans (stereotype propogated by the Tribune-now widely believed myth). Another Marlin fan said it was because SOX fans were "poor" and the area around Comiskey is "rundown" and "desolate" and nobody wants to hang around the park because its "dangerous". Wow, bridgeport is home of gangs and crack houses apparently. Of course the Trib wont hurry anytime soon to quash that stereotype. I told him in no uncertain terms that Bridgeport, TheNearSouthside and Pilsen have been the HOTTEST realestate markets in Chicago Metro for years .........that million dollar homes are just in the shadows of the park, and that the area is actually one of the "safer" ones (compared to wrigleyville). SoxFan1 will say Who Cares what the Trib says, but this is what happens when people start believing Stereotypes. These are all perceptions put out by your Chicago Tribune, in order to make their product look better. Its a clear conflict of interest. Soxfan1 willsay "who cares, its their paper why should they cover the SOX?"

in 1981, when the Tribune shocked critics by announcing they were buying the Cubs, Critics said wont that cause a conflict of interest (reporting the news/sox) they said NO, we promise, we will provide unbiased coverage to both teams like we've always done. We see now that was a bunch of BS.

 

 

 

Henry.. I read the posts on their board. Very different from what you portray here. You got the s*** ripped out of you.

 

And in case you weren't aware, the area around Comiskey Park DID used to be filled with whores and crack corners. It WAS run down and dangerous. There WERE bullet holes in the UD seats and lights shot out on a REGULAR basis. Things have changed - though not to the tune of million dollar houses. But I wouldn't expect a fan of another team living in another state to know this. It wasn't because of the trib they think this about the neighborhood. It's because it was true. As for the comments on the fan base... you don't set a very good example so I'm not all that shocked when boards you visit think we are all nuts.

[My Dixie Normus]

Homes and thier most recent sale prices around Comiskey.

 

3232 S NORMAL --- $200,000.00

522 W 32ND --- $300,000.00

544 W 32ND --- $245,000.00

524 W 33RD --- $280,000.00

3145 S NORMAL --- $315,000.00

3210 S WALLACE --- $338,000.00

3310 S PARNELL --- $230,000.00

3129 S PARNELL --- $260,000.00

3124 S WALLACE --- $260,000.00

3142 S UNION --- $345,000.00

3361 S LOWE --- $255,000.00

3110 S UNION --- $210,000.00

3344 S UNION --- $285,000.00

3334 S EMERALD --- $280,000.00

3437 S LOWE --- $295,000.00

821 W 33RD --- $190,000.00

3220 S GREEN --- $269,000.00

336 W 29TH --- $255,000.00

2940 S CANAL --- $260,000.00

2944 S LOWE --- $235,000.00

 

 

There WERE bullet holes in the UD seats and lights shot out on a REGULAR basis.

 

 

That is factual incorrect. There were NEVER bullet holes in the seats in the upper deck.

[Steff]

That is factual incorrect. There were NEVER bullet holes in the seats in the upper deck.

 

 

Whatever you say.

[retro1983hat]

after reading the first page of this thread...

I dont get why all the regulars have to team up and bash a guy making a point. I see this treatment more often than not. No one is going to have the same views all the time . I am tired of reading threads that have THE Regualrs vs The others. It's getting old and making my soxtalk experience less enjoyable. As long as the guy is not trolling, why have a 10-1 battle? If someone wants to talk about the media bias, so what? He has the facts and this is more than thread worthy for the fans who would like to talk about it.

 

 

Regulars vs. The Others.

Oh no! Did that Dharma Initative take over? And who is this Henry fellow? Is he Henry Gale? Is he the leader of the Others? What is the purpose for th Hatch? Can we send Jon Garland there? Perhaps he can push the button the rest of the year.

[My Dixie Normus]

Whatever you say.

 

It is impossible from a ballistics perspective to hit and make a hole in 3/8" plastic from 1.25 miles away without some serious weapons. It never happened. Urban legend propigated by racists.

[Steff]

It is impossible from a ballistics perspective to hit and make a hole in 3/8" plastic from 1.25 miles away without some serious weapons. It never happened. Urban legend propigated by racists.

 

 

THE RTH's (across the DR) and what's left of the section 8 homes (a block away) are not (were not) 1.25 miles away. I am not going to argue with you. It happened. Several times. The place was also broken into dozens of times, and several times there was evidence of violence (beatings, stabbings, etc) taking place IN the park over night.

[greasywheels121]

THE RTH's (across the DR) and what's left of the section 8 homes (a block away) are not (were not) 1.25 miles away. I am not going to argue with you. It happened. Several times. The place was also broken into dozens of times, and several times there was evidence of violence (beatings, stabbings, etc) taking place IN the park over night.

 

Just curious, was this all with the Old Comiskey, or even in the early 90s?

[Steff]

Just curious, was this all with the Old Comiskey, or even in the early 90s?

 

 

 

It was worse at Old Comiskey because that place was easier to break in, and on a daily basis bullets were pulled from the cinder blocks along 35th street.

[greasywheels121]

It was worse at Old Comiskey because that place was easier to break in, and on a daily basis bullets were pulled from the cinder blocks along 35th street.

 

Gotcha, gracias.

[henry wiggins]

I went on a Marlins website, and one marlin fan asked the other why SOX fans were so jealous of Cub fans (stereotype propogated by the Tribune-now widely believed myth). Another Marlin fan said it was because SOX fans were "poor" and the area around Comiskey is "rundown" and "desolate" and nobody wants to hang around the park because its "dangerous". Wow, bridgeport is home of gangs and crack houses apparently.

 

Not just Bridgeport-- the park is on the near south side, and to reach it you always have had to go through neighborhoods that are non-white. That freaks out a lot of people. And for decades, King Richard I's high-rises, the housing projects, stretched out along the Ryan expressway and gave a nice, sordid glow to the area.

 

If Wrigley Field had been located across the street from the old Cabrini-Green projects, their ambience, cachet, and attendance would be a whole different story.

 

As for the safety of the neighborhoods around 35th and Shields-- I've been going to games there since 1967, and for years I took public transit to get to the games. I've never had a problem. And I never saw bullet holes in the UD seats, and unless someone can present solid evidence of that, I am going to dismiss it as more neighborhood-bashing. I'm not so sure that the crime rate around the Confines is that of Mayberry, either.

[southsider2k5]

Regulars vs. The Others.

Oh no! Did that Dharma Initative take over? And who is this Henry fellow? Is he Henry Gale? Is he the leader of the Others? What is the purpose for th Hatch? Can we send Jon Garland there? Perhaps he can push the button the rest of the year.

 

I don't care who you are, that's just funny.

[My Dixie Normus]

THE RTH's (across the DR) and what's left of the section 8 homes (a block away) are not (were not) 1.25 miles away. I am not going to argue with you. It happened. Several times. The place was also broken into dozens of times, and several times there was evidence of violence (beatings, stabbings, etc) taking place IN the park over night.

 

Broken into, sure. Not unlike any other construction site in the city. But there was round the clock security and I have have never heard of any beatings or stabbings. Please show me one credible source about the bullet holes.

[Steff]

Broken into, sure. Not unlike any other construction site in the city. But there was round the clock security and I have have never heard of any beatings or stabbings. Please show me one credible source about the bullet holes.

 

 

 

My eyes. And from the mouth of the under cover cops that work (and worked) there.

[Hangar18]

The World Champion White Sox who played yesterday while the Cubs were off, still manage

to only get 6 stories while the other team got 7 stories. Not bad considering they didnt even play.

The big story in the Trib is by Paul Sullivan (hes the guy who got a Verbal Beatdown by Cub President Andy McPhail & GM Jim Hendry for not being "too negative") complete with cute graphic showing when their players will be back.

Despite Winning the World Series in 2005, the White Sox find themselves INEXPLICABLY lagging far behind in media coverage to a team that hasnt won anything since Ice was considered a luxury

Chicago Tribune:

4 cub stories

2 sox stories

Chicago SunTimes:

3 cub stories

4 sox stories

Story standings as of Friday June 2nd, 2006

Priviledged, Media Owned, Media Favored, 4th place in 2005 Cubs 514

Underdog, Media Maligned, Media Ignored, WS Champs in 05 SOX 420

[henry wiggins]

My eyes. And from the mouth of the under cover cops that work (and worked) there.

 

With all due respect, the words of undercover cops who worked there, reported 2nd or 3rd or 4th hand, are not credible evidence. http://www.geocities.com/inquisitive79/fal....html#authority

 

Cops in Chicago tend to not be very fond of certain neighborhoods, and cops may very well have personal views that color (no pun intended) what they relate.

 

Got any pics of bullet holes in UD seats? Got any news reports mentioning such bullet holes?

 

Another feature of the race/class aspect of all this is that we city residents tend to get really annoyed when the stereotypes, generalizations, and canards are put about by people who don't live in the city and have not spent any real time in the areas that they say are so horrible. I'm a lifelong resident of the south side, and I can't begin to explain the context and background for some of this to people who grew up in or live now in suburbs or outside of the Chicago area.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

With all due respect, the words of undercover cops who worked there, reported 2nd or 3rd or 4th hand, are not credible evidence. http://www.geocities.com/inquisitive79/fal....html#authority

 

Cops in Chicago tend to not be very fond of certain neighborhoods, and cops may very well have personal views that color (no pun intended) what they relate.

 

Got any pics of bullet holes in UD seats? Got any news reports mentioning such bullet holes?

 

Another feature of the race/class aspect of all this is that we city residents tend to get really annoyed when the stereotypes, generalizations, and canards are put about by people who don't live in the city and have not spent any real time in the areas that they say are so horrible. I'm a lifelong resident of the south side, and I can't begin to explain the context and background for some of this to people who grew up in or live now in suburbs or outside of the Chicago area.

 

 

Welcome and keep up the great posts.

 

You certainly can't believe everything you hear, and experience definitely trumps hearsay...

[Hangar18]

With all due respect, the words of undercover cops who worked there, reported 2nd or 3rd or 4th hand, are not credible evidence. http://www.geocities.com/inquisitive79/fal....html#authority

 

Cops in Chicago tend to not be very fond of certain neighborhoods, and cops may very well have personal views that color (no pun intended) what they relate.

 

Got any pics of bullet holes in UD seats? Got any news reports mentioning such bullet holes?

 

Another feature of the race/class aspect of all this is that we city residents tend to get really annoyed when the stereotypes, generalizations, and canards are put about by people who don't live in the city and have not spent any real time in the areas that they say are so horrible. I'm a lifelong resident of the south side, and I can't begin to explain the context and background for some of this to people who grew up in or live now in suburbs or outside of the Chicago area.

 

 

Imagine sitting in a bar in DelMar CA, over 2,000 miles from Chicago, talking baseball with people.

One guy tells me he hasnt been to chicago since the 50's, another guy since the 70's. One guy mentions

his family went to Chicago on business and decided to go to a cub game. Are they cub fans I asked.

NO he said, they went because they heard it was the best ballpark in baseball. Other guy responds that hes heard that area was "dangerous" and was it really like that still, never hears anything good about

the area/the park. So yeah, when guys 2,000 miles away already have the perception that one area is dangerous and the other is great times and heaven, you can imagine why I would be annoyed.

 

Yeah, I keep hearing about the bullet holes, but have never seen pictures of it. Tribune never got around to that part. And my buddy worked that area also (cpd), he never heard of stabbings and beatings inside the Cell, so im not sure whats true or not

and when they hear Im from Chicago and a SOX fan

[Guest JimH]

It was worse at Old Comiskey because that place was easier to break in, and on a daily basis bullets were pulled from the cinder blocks along 35th street.

 

A few things to add on this discussion ...

 

1. I remember a media report, Sun Times I believe, in the mid 90's about bullet or pellet shots damaging some of the seats in the upper deck. There was speculation regarding the source. Some said it may have come from the Robert Taylor Homes and others said it may have been from people breaking into the ballpark and vandalizing. I don't know if it was ever proven one way or the other.

 

2. The Robert Taylor Homes were less than a mile from the new (and old) ballpark. Their addresses were on State St. and Federal St. roughly from 3800-4300 south. Some of the southernmost buildings would've been slightly more than a mile away, but most were 3/4 to one mile away.

 

3. I grew up in Bridgeport and never worried whatsoever about wandering north of the park. However I never went to 39th and Wentworth, 39th and Shields, etc. There was a currency exchange and liquor store there and it was rough ... really rough.

 

4. At old Comiskey it was not uncommon in the late 60's and early 70's for the security guys who came on duty to find drifters/homeless people sleeping in and under the stands. That is, if the stories of a couple of long time security guards who lived in Bridgeport were true. The old ballpark was fairly easy to get into, heck, my dad snuck into the 1947 Chicago Cardinals football championship game thru the back vendors gate. I remember driving with my mom to the McDonalds at 35th and Wabash around 1968 and we saw a couple of security guards and Chicago police escorting about 7-8 "bums" (as we used to call them) with their sleeping bags out of the front entrance of the ballpark at about 11:30 a.m. roughly. We presumed they'd slept in there and my mom mentioned she'd heard from people in the neighborhood it happened a lot.

[Hangar18]

Henry.. I read the posts on their board. Very different from what you portray here. You got the s*** ripped out of you.

 

It wasn't because of the trib they think this about the neighborhood. It's because it was true.

 

The area was "dangerous" a long time ago. By the time the Trib bought the other team, the area had already changed over again. They didnt see any reason to remark on that, and continued stereotyping

the area as Poor, uneducated and low class. I didnt get the stuff ripped out of me. I posted an article there about the Trixie throwing a baseball at a player, and wondered if theyd heard about it. they didnt.

A couple of them thought the reason we get mad at the other team is because were poor, uneducated and the area is full of gangs etc. I politely disagreed with him. I also posted a link showing how in recent times, the near southside, bronzeville, bridgport, pilsen (all areas by the ballpark) were some of the hottest properties in Chicago, dispelling the notion that nobody wants to be over there. Everybody kind of left it at that. How would that Marlin fan know, hes not from here, he only goes by what he hears (wgn/trib)

[My Dixie Normus]

The old ball park was broken into all the time, no doubt. But it is impossible to shoot even a high powered rifle from the RTHs into Comiskey park. The distance and wind would take all the velocity off any projectile so much so that it wouldn't even break the skin much less land with enough force to puncture a hole in a 3/8th inch thick plastic seat.

[longshot7]

Wow. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[henry wiggins]

 

Welcome and keep up the great posts.

 

You certainly can't believe everything you hear, and experience definitely trumps hearsay...

 

Thank you. I actually did not start posting just to disagree or stir things up.

 

I grew up in Burnside/Chatham, in Roseland, and in Beverly, where I now live. When I was in my 20's and 30's I lived for 7 years in various north side neighborhoods. I've been a Sox fan since 1967 and I followed Hangar18 here when he got tossed from WSI, because I don't think that his "media watch" is a Cubs obsession, I think it's a media watch.

 

I'm female, 40-never-mind, and spend my work life among futures traders, but in my real life I'm pretty sane. Nice board here.