Some housekeeping, if I may, before we get down to business. First: if you're interested in taking a peek at my growing collection of photos from The Baseball Road Trip Of A Lifetime, you now can, at: http://picasaweb.google.ca/vaswani.navin. While I'd love to post higher quality photos online, I am unfortunately shackled with bandwith restrictions.
Secondly: about halfway through this ridiculous journey, I have been left humbled by the many e-mails I have received from baseball strangers far and wide, who have taken the time and effort to be in touch. Some have shared their own personal baseball stories, while others have written that I have rekindled their love for the game. Each and every piece of correspondence has been appreciated. It's these e-mails, from people bound to me only by their passion for baseball, that make what I'm doing that much more worthwhile. Thank you. Stay in touch. You know where to find me: by email, at Sports And The City, and on Twitter.
Alright, let's do this; we're headed to the south side of Chicago.
Destined to Disappoint?
I'll be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about the Chicago White Sox experience. How could U.S. Cellular Field possibly top Wrigley Field? Especially considering Wrigley was arguably the most anticipated stop on #TBRTOAL. I was genuinely looking forward to watch the Cubs. The White Sox? Not so much. I knew it would be impossible to not compare Chicago's two ballparks, especially since I also knew that, in another life, if I hailed from Chicago, I'd have been a Cubs fan.
To make matters worse, annoying Canadian sensation Justin Bieber - he of the music that makes your ears bleed and the hairstyle that makes you worry about our society's future - was throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. A little payback from the baseball Gods, I imagine, in what has been a blessed trip so far. Fair enough.
I did have something to look forward to, though, as I headed south on Chicago's Red Line to Sox-35th station. A meeting with the man, the myth, and the legend known as @AnswerDave; Dave Brown, one of the contributors over at Yahoo! Sports' wildly popular baseball blog Big League Stew.
Schaller's Pump
At the recommendation of Mr. Brown, we met at Schaller's Pump, a few blocks southwest of U.S. Cellular Field, on South Halsted Street. Alright, wait a second. I've got to get something off my chest: U.S. Cellular Field is an awful name for a ballpark once fondly known as Comiskey Park. And I know Charles Comiskey was a real piece of work; a real jerk. But there really ought to be a moratorium on company-sponsored ballparks. God damn capitalism.
Where was I? Schaller's Pump, right. I'd suggest checking the place out. It's your local south side White Sox pub. And by local I mean really, truly old school. Schaller's Pump oozes character. And it should. It's been catering to White Sox fans for over 125 years; it's Chicago's oldest tavern, and opened its doors back in 1881.
Cheap homemade food (I went with the cheeseburger), Miller Lite in those red cups you play beer pong with, and baseball. What else could you ask for? I'd have never found the place if it wasn't for Dave, so, thank you, Dave. Was a pleasure talking baseball, Justin Bieber, and life with you at a historic place like the Pump. Thanks for making the trek to the south side to make it happen.
The Cell
From Schaller's Pump, it's a good 15-minute walk to the ballpark. Like Wrigley Field, the White Sox ply their trade in a residential neighbourhood; Bridgeport/Armour Square. Where Comiskey Park once stood, across the street from The Cell, you'll now find a parking lot. It's where White Sox faithful now practice the American art of tailgating. I picked up a seat in the bleachers for $17. On any other night, that ticket would have cost me $34. But I was in luck; it was half-price Mondays. A solid promotion, I must say. Because Mondays traditionally suck.
David and I strolled through the concourse, and headed for the outfield terrace, where you can walk around underneath the scoreboards and massive billboards. It's out there where you'll find Legends Plaza: sculptures of White Sox legends Carlton Fisk, and Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio turning two. There's also a sculpture of Harold Baines and, upon looking it, the awful memories came rushing back, and I remembered just how much I hate Harold Baines.
Hating Harold Baines
It's true. I hate Harold Baines. Never liked him. And for good reason. In 221 career games against the Toronto Blue Jays, the most games he played versus any opponent, Baines's line reads: .298/.356/.493. An OPS of .849. At the SkyDome, Baines's line is even better: .325/.400/.482. An OPS of .882, in 58 games. Harold Baines hit more home runs - 38 - against the Blue Jays than he did against any other team, and I was always afraid when he came up to the plate. Baines feasted on Toronto Blue Jays pitching. And I haven't forgotten.
The South Siders
Chicago White Sox fans like to drink. That doesn't make them any different from any other city's baseball fans, but it seemed Dave and I were surrounded by a larger than usual contingent of drunken baseball fans in the bleachers. Beer prices vary: a small draft costs you $6.50, and a large draft goes for $7.50. A 16 oz bottle's in the middle, at $7; a bottle of Corona, $6.50. If it's a domestic can or premium bottle you want, that's $6.75; a premium can: $7.25. I know: it's all very confusing. Microbrews wise, The Cell is pretty weak. You can get a fine import at the "Beers of the World" stand, but baseball doesn't exactly scream Heineken to me.
A confession: the beer prices and the apparent overall lack of sobriety got me thinking. Since White Sox fans are allowed to tailgate, perhaps it makes sense to sell beer inside the ballpark for a little bit more. Perhaps a large draft at $9 will keep the moron who calls a grown woman a "stupid b*tch" because she's wearing a Chicago Cubs t-shirt from having large draft number three. I don't know. I'm confused. Did I just advocate for higher beer prices? I think I did. In Chicago, at least. Since we can't tailgate in Toronto, beer prices should be lower, and lowered as soon as possible, at the SkyDome. Yes. That makes sense.
Speaking of that woman in her Cubs t-shirt, there was another attention-seeker who decided to wear his Derek Lee jersey to the White Sox and Kansas City Royals game. He stood up, put his hands in the air, and saluted his enemies. He was plain old asking for it. The jeers rained down upon him, and morphed into chants of "F*ck the Cubbies! (clap clap clapclapclap)" and "Nineteen-Oh-Eight! (clap clap clapclapclap)." Dave mentioned that a lot of White Sox fans don't actually like the White Sox. They just hate the Cubs.
As for what makes a Chicagoan a Cubs or White Sox fan, not to get all Mos Def on you, but it's all geography. The north and south Chicago divide. And if your old man or your mom was a Cubs fan, or a Sox fan, that's what you'd be. Baseball tradition is a beautiful thing.
This and That
The Cell has got to be one of the easiest ballparks to sneak down into a better seat. After Dave departed for home around the 6th inning, I too left the bleachers, and toured the ballpark. I sat, well, all over the place. Behind home plate, in right field near first base, and in left field near third base. Nobody's checking stubs; meander around to your heart's content. While The Cell's upper deck is supposed to be legendary in its remoteness, I didn't venture up there ...
There's a ton of food options. Seriously. A ton. I'd go with the Comiskey Dog Chicago Style, for $5.50. There's even a Wow Bao where you can get, as their cart so proudly displays, "Hot Asian Buns" ...
White Sox fans love them some Paul Konerko. Especially when he hits 11 home runs in April. Chants of "Pauly! Pauly! Pauly!" filled the stadium when he came up to bat ...
Alex Rios went three-for-four Monday night, pushing his average up to .299. Today, he's batting .324, with a .965 OPS. Yes, this was bound to happen ...
Huge props have to go out to White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham. Why? Certainly not because of his .193 batting average. But because Your Love by The Outfield plays on the speakers when he strolls up to bat. And, yes, it's just as fantastic as you imagine ...
Absolutely zero props go out to Mark Teahen, who used Bieber's Baby as his entrance music Monday night. If it was a joke, it wasn't funny ...
During or after the game, head to The Miller Lite Bullpen Sports Bar, on the ground in right field. It's a great spot to have a drink. I visited once the Sox had finished off Kansas City, to catch the end of that night's Chicago Blackhawks game ...
Fireworks. After every home run, and every White Sox victory. A fitting way for the night to end, wouldn't you agree? Because only the terrorists hate fireworks ...
Chicago. All I can say is: helluva baseball town.