Baseball Fever in Chicago

[Lillian]

Many of us die hard Sox fans dread the upcoming fervor, we're convinced will be sweeping across the city, over the Cubs' quest for their first World Championship in over a Century. We're skeptical that the front office will take the necessary steps to complete revamping the pathetic offense, which wasted so many terrific starts by Sale and Quintana. So, some of us have already resigned ourselves to the inevitability of a 2016 Season, in which the North Side will capture all of the attention of the city, and maybe even the baseball world.

 

We might be a little premature in sinking into this gloomy defeatist mood. Chicago is a great baseball town, and baseball fever is contagious. When the buzz starts to capture everyone's attention, lots of casual fans, and even formerly uninterested by standers, will begin to feel the first symptoms of baseball fever. Picking up the paper every morning and reading about all of the excitement, listening to friends, family and co workers bantering back and forth about players, plays and stats, could all create an irresistible attraction to the sport we all love. Who knows better than we, how much fun and how addicting it can be to be a baseball fanatic?

 

Wrigley can only accommodate 42,000 fans. Where will the rest of the baseball fever struck fans go, for their baseball fix? Everyone in town knows a Sox fan, or two and with a little encouragement from them, the newbie just might be encouraged to buy a ticket and see just what all of the excitement is about. The Sox need only have a decent, competitive product on the field.

 

And if baseball fever is contagious, so is winning. Who knows, with a few more fans in the seats and some of the new personalities in the Sox clubhouse, these guys might just catch fire. If they could get off to a good start, the town could explode with enthusiasm for the game. Imagine the so longed for talk of a crosstown World Series. It wouldn't take much to set off this contagion.

 

We all have our own opinions about whom the front office should acquire, but let's just hope that Sox ownership has a little imagination and can see the opportunity that they would be missing if they don't at least try to make the team a legitimate contender. I'm not suggesting that we Sox fans should celebrate the emergence of the Cubs, but we shouldn't regard it as a negative for our fortunes. The Sox will decide their own destiny and the growing enthusiasm for their crosstown rivals may actually be a positive.

[iamshack]

Not sure I buy into the premise, but I was thinking about the upcoming season on my drive in this morning and was pretty excited.

[Bob Sacamano]

I actually have a Cubs fan friend who has been to more Sox games than Cubs games over the past 3-4 years due to just wanting to watch baseball. The Cell is also easier easier to get to and in and out of than Wrigley from where we live. Sox fans have no excuse for not going haha

[Dick Allen]

Except for 2011-2014, there has been Cubs "fever" since 1984. If there is spillover to the White Sox, it is minimal. I think if your kid wants to go to a Cubs game, but you get them Sox tickets, the look on their face would be the same as if the wanted an IPad, and you bought them a $75 piece of crap tablet. The Cubs bandwagon keeps growing.

 

Yes, the White Sox are going to be flying well under the radar in Chicago in 2016. That is not necessarily bad. Just win and everything will take care of itself. Make the Score talk about you. If they don't have to, they won't.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Dick Allen

[LDF]

i really don't buy what you are saying. don't get me wrong, it is a nice topic, but the whole things of the sox fans and with the northside resurgence, nah, that is utter crap.

 

not you, the idea of it. the sox fans i know wants nothing of the success the northside may get.

 

the only way for the fans of the sox to be happy, put the team out there that most sox fans can look and say, yes.... the owners did right, we, the sox fan will see anyone in the playoff, and that will include the northsiders.

[Dick Allen]

From a White Sox perspective, the one thing that is good about the Cubs being insanely popular again, is the profit at CSN goes higher, which theoretically gives the White Sox more money to play with.

[knightni]

https://cdn-webimages.wimages.net/05135706b...08e1e76b-wm.jpg

[caulfield12]

How did the Giants winning three titles affect the A's plight?

 

The Yankees helping or hurting the Mets, well that's hard to separate from Madoff/Wilpon.

 

The Angels are clearly a team that expanded their fanbase in competition with the Dodgers, but there are very few owners who will spend money and exhaust resources like Arte Moreno. They really set out to compete directly at a time when the Dodgers were in chaos with the McCourts.

 

Then Balt and Wash to a lesser extent.

 

The White Sox absolutely need some oxygen and column inches...85% of the media attention has been focused in the direction of Cubbieland. Without a colorful manager or the original Boy Wonder GM, it makes the challenge even more daunting, and Hahn's more likely to inspire a fiscal accounting seminar than excite the fanbase. Plus JR's health has him backing off a bit.

 

There's the theory the Cubs selling out games and devouring sponsorship opportunities will float the White Sox boat too as those left out are forced to go with the Sox or be shut out. We shall see...will those unallocated media rights dollars flow to the Southside in 2019, and how likely is CSN to double our deal unless someone else is bidding against them? At that time, we will probably own 50% of the station, with the Blackhawks and NBC/Universal the other 25% each.

Edited December 21, 2015 by caulfield12

[Dick Allen]

How did the Giants winning three titles affect the A's plight?

 

The Yankees helping or hurting the Mets, well that's hard to separate from Madoff/Wilpon.

 

The Angels are clearly a team that expanded their fanbase in competition with the Dodgers, but there are very few owners who will spend money and exhaust resources like Arte Moreno. They really set out to compete directly at a time when the Dodgers were in chaos with the McCourts.

 

Then Balt and Wash to a lesser extent.

 

The White Sox absolutely need some oxygen and column inches...85% of the media attention has been focused in their direction. Without a colorful manager or the original Boy Wonder GM, it makes the challenge even more daunting, and Hahn's more likely to inspire a fiscal accounting seminar than excite the fanbase. Plus JR's health has him backing off a bit.

 

There's the theory the Cubs selling out games and devouring sponsorship opportunities will float the White Sox boat too as those left out are forced to go with the Sox or be shut out. We shall see...will those unallocated media rights dollars flow to the Southside in 2019, and how likely is CSN to double our deal unless someone else is bidding against them? At that time, we will probably own 50% of the station, with the Blackhawks and NBC/Universal the other 25% each.

 

Actually, I really doubt you ever own any percentage of CSN.

 

[caulfield12]

You can make an argument that the JR share of the Cubs' exploding ad rates and tv ratings for the presumed 2016-2019 time frame will pay for Upton, Cespedes or Gordon alone...along with the value of each partnership share increasing in equity value as well.

[Lillian]

You can make an argument that the JR share of the Cubs' exploding ad rates and tv ratings for the presumed 2016-2019 time frame will pay for Upton, Cespedes or Gordon alone...along with the value of each partnership share increasing in equity value as well.

 

Good points, which I didn't mention. Thank you.

[Buehrle>Wood]

Sox have to be good for this to work. If not, it'll be a complete disaster for us.

[caulfield12]

Actually, I really doubt you ever own any percentage of CSN.

 

I have a feeling almost anyone who owns an index based mutual fund has General Electric as one of its components...certainly my Vanguard funds do. Guess who partially owns NBC Universal?

 

I would have to check on Vivendi.

 

Nice try though.

Edited December 21, 2015 by caulfield12

[Dick Allen]

I have a feeling almost anyone who owns an index based mutual fund has General Electric as one of its components...certainly my Vanguard funds do. Guess who partially owns NBC Universal?

 

I would have to check on Vivendi.

 

Nice try though.

Who is this "we" that supposedly will own 50%.

[Lillian]

Except for 2011-2014, there has been Cubs "fever" since 1984. If there is spillover to the White Sox, it is minimal. I think if your kid wants to go to a Cubs game, but you get them Sox tickets, the look on their face would be the same as if the wanted an IPad, and you bought them a $75 piece of crap tablet. The Cubs bandwagon keeps growing.

 

Yes, the White Sox are going to be flying well under the radar in Chicago in 2016. That is not necessarily bad. Just win and everything will take care of itself. Make the Score talk about you. If they don't have to, they won't.

 

I agree that Cubs fans are not suddenly going to go to Sox games, because they can't get a ticket to Wrigley. That was not my point. I'm focusing upon casual baseball fans, and potential fans, who have not yet caught baseball fever. You are absolutely correct in your assertion, it is just not relevant to mine. Not everyone is passionate about the game and a favorite team, as are we.

[Lillian]

Sox have to be good for this to work. If not, it'll be a complete disaster for us.

 

You are absolutely right. That's precisely my point. If the Sox are not good, they would be missing a great opportunity.

[caulfield12]

Who is this "we" that supposedly will own 50%.

 

You're sure you can't fight with Greensox or Thad Bosley over something more substantive?

 

Greg needs someone to argue with in the filibuster, as well.

 

 

[Dick Allen]

I agree that Cubs fans are not suddenly going to go to Sox games, because they can't get a ticket to Wrigley. That was not my point. I'm focusing upon casual baseball fans, and potential fans, who have not yet caught baseball fever. You are absolutely correct in your assertion, it is just not relevant to mine. Not everyone is passionate about the game and a favorite team, as are we.

My point being, if they do, it will be to join the Cubs bandwagon, or the White Sox, if they are winners. Not just the sport. The Cubs bandwagon and Wrigley Field is full of people that have no idea what a balk is. There are now thousands of Blackhawks "fans" that couldn't name 5 players on the team. With the renovation at Wrigley, which will actually make it nice, the White Sox have very little chance competing with that particular bandwagon. Even if they win the WS 3 times the next 5 or 6 years and the Cubs fall short, the pendulum might slow, but it won't swing the other way. Except it and move on. The Cubs do their thing, the White Sox do theirs. Capturing the entire city isn't necessary. Even in 2005', when they never where not in first place, they drew a total of 50k for a 3 game series in September vs, KC with a team that at the time was 34 games over .500 and had a 9 1/2 game lead. They had 17 home games in September 2005, and only drew 30k six times.

 

To think they can overtake the Cubs by winning, is a nice theory, but most likely factually incorrect.

 

Like someone said in another thread, it is a Cubs town. It doesn't mean the White Sox can't be successful, but they aren't going to be as popular.

[caulfield12]

You are absolutely right. That's precisely my point. If the Sox are not good, they would be missing a great opportunity.

 

I feel like we've been saying this since 2005...especially that 2006 season and then trying to keep the veteran core together post-2008 and delaying the reboot button all the way to 2013 by adding Rios, Peavy and eventually Dunn to Buehrle, Konerko and AJ.

 

Of course yet another irony was jettisoning Thome and making him the key reason we lost to the Twins that year we had that 26-5 stretch.

[Swingandalongonetoleft]

Except for 2011-2014, there has been Cubs "fever" since 1984. If there is spillover to the White Sox, it is minimal. I think if your kid wants to go to a Cubs game, but you get them Sox tickets, the look on their face would be the same as if the wanted an IPad, and you bought them a $75 piece of crap tablet. The Cubs bandwagon keeps growing.

 

Yes, the White Sox are going to be flying well under the radar in Chicago in 2016. That is not necessarily bad. Just win and everything will take care of itself. Make the Score talk about you. If they don't have to, they won't.

Oh, they'll definitely talk about the Sox- Cubs have them on their schedule 4 times this year. Also, Baez & a bag of baseballs for Chris Sale trade proposals.

[caulfield12]

Or the JR, Hahn and KW Shakespearean drama worthy of a booth at the Renaissance Fair or Medieval Times at least.

[bmags]

I actually believed this, that the cubs tanking hurt the sox due to the lack of baseball interest in town. But last year proved me wrong, cubs were good, sox were bad - it was like the sox didn't exist.

[LDF]

From a White Sox perspective, the one thing that is good about the Cubs being insanely popular again, is the profit at CSN goes higher, which theoretically gives the White Sox more money to play with.

no it doesn't ..... the owners of that is a little different.

 

it like saying more fans comes out that mean more money for the sox to invest b/c of more money the vendors make.

[LDF]

How did the Giants winning three titles affect the A's plight?

 

The Yankees helping or hurting the Mets, well that's hard to separate from Madoff/Wilpon.

 

The Angels are clearly a team that expanded their fanbase in competition with the Dodgers, but there are very few owners who will spend money and exhaust resources like Arte Moreno. They really set out to compete directly at a time when the Dodgers were in chaos with the McCourts.

 

Then Balt and Wash to a lesser extent.

 

The White Sox absolutely need some oxygen and column inches...85% of the media attention has been focused in the direction of Cubbieland. Without a colorful manager or the original Boy Wonder GM, it makes the challenge even more daunting, and Hahn's more likely to inspire a fiscal accounting seminar than excite the fanbase. Plus JR's health has him backing off a bit.

 

There's the theory the Cubs selling out games and devouring sponsorship opportunities will float the White Sox boat too as those left out are forced to go with the Sox or be shut out. We shall see...will those unallocated media rights dollars flow to the Southside in 2019, and how likely is CSN to double our deal unless someone else is bidding against them? At that time, we will probably own 50% of the station, with the Blackhawks and NBC/Universal the other 25% each.

 

i am going to reach here, it does help the sox, b/c they are forcing the owners to s*** or get off the s***ter and put a product on the field where the fans will come out.

[LDF]

You are absolutely right. That's precisely my point. If the Sox are not good, they would be missing a great opportunity.

 

they have missed the boat some many times in the past and with better gm's at the helm. what make anyone think the sox owners will see the light now????