The Chicago Bears offseason has begun, the Bulls and Blackhawks are in a midseason malaise and the Cubs and White Sox seasons are just around the corner.
It’s a good time to tune out sports for a minute and check in on what’s happening in the real world.
Oh, wait. Never mind.
Instead, let’s think some warm thoughts while thawing out from the polar vortex.
White Sox manager Will Venable gets his first real opportunity to talk to fans this weekend at SoxFest Live, which has been downsized after a five-year absence and moved to the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport. This also will be Chris Getz’s first SoxFest as GM, putting him in the spotlight for angry fans, who loved to spar back in the day with Ken Williams and Rick Hahn.
The Sox are calling this a “reimagined” SoxFest, and I imagine if things get any worse they’ll be holding next year’s event at a smaller venue like the shuttered Schaller’s Pump, which was just down the street.
I’m not sure what Venable or Getz can say to convince Sox fans 2025 will be any different than 2024, the worst season in modern major-league history, but it’ll be interesting to find out.
The rebuild is off to a slow start in Year 2, assuming 2023 was actually Year 1.
The Sox made no significant signings this winter and traded off their best player in Garrett Crochet. Their payroll is at $61 million, according to spotrac.com, while the 2025 salaries of newcomers Martin Perez, Bryse Wilson, Josh Rojas, Michael Tauchman and Austin Slater add up to a combined $11.7 million.
All in all, it looks as if Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf knows Sox fans aren’t going to come out this year, so he already has punted on the season.
Of course, plenty of free agents are still available, so maybe the Sox are just waiting for prices to come down. Perhaps Tommy Pham can return on a one-year deal to help boost attendance.
Considering Chicago Sports Network still doesn’t have a deal with Comcast, chances are the Sox won’t be available to watch on TV for a million or so fans without antennas. That’s bad news for John Schriffen, the earnest announcer entering his second year of unapologetic boosterism.
Reinsdorf, who turns 89 next month, remains unaccountable, having sworn off the local media years ago on the advice of his advisers. It would be nice if he showed up at the Ramova, gave Sox fans an update on what he’s thinking and where the organization is headed and maybe listened to their complaints.
But Reinsdorf proved long ago he doesn’t really care what his customers think. If you want to reimagine a Sox organization without Reinsdorf, you’re probably in good company.
The Baseball Writers Association of America member who left Ichiro Suzuki off his Hall of Fame ballot should at least identify himself and give an explanation for the decision. Suzuki was gracious about it and invited the anonymous voter to his house for a drink and to “chat” about things. That’s why he was one of the coolest players of his era.
The lack of transparency is a black eye for the BBWAA, which really needs to change its rules and start revealing all HOF ballots. Currently voters have to check a box on the ballot to allow their votes to be made public 14 days after the results are announced.
It’s hard to imagine any team would want a selfish, self-absorbed, overpaid player like Heat veteran Jimmy Butler, who is trying to force his way out of Miami and has been suspended twice in the last month. Butler makes $48.8 million but can’t even fake being interested enough to help his team win, knowing he’s not going to be there much longer. And the NBA wonders why it’s losing fans?
Major League Baseball should pick a day this summer for every team to celebrate the life and legend of Bob Uecker, who died Jan. 16 at age 90. Few personalities made the game as fun as Uecker, the Brewers announcer who was also one of baseball’s greatest ambassadors since his first appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson in 1971.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who knew Uecker well from his days in Milwaukee, recalled driving home from games at Miller Park and laughing about something Uecker had said to him earlier in the day. “It was always great for me to see how excited players were to meet him, home players, visiting players, players’ parents,” Counsell said. “ ‘Can you come meet my parents?’ was a common line from players. That kind of tells you everything.”
The Brewers no doubt will celebrate Uecker all season. MLB can show its appreciation with a one-day tribute in ballparks everywhere. No one was as beloved as Ueck.
While 22.1 million viewers watched Ohio State beat Notre Dame on ESPN in the CFP national championship game, bettering the 18 million who tuned into Fox Sports for Los Angeles Dodgers’ Game 5 win over the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series, it was still the third-lowest audience of the 11 title games in the playoff era.
The CFP committee might want to rethink the decision to hold the championship game in the third week of January. Starting the playoffs earlier and having the semifinals on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day makes more sense, with the title game the next week. Stretching out the college season into late January makes for a long, long season, even for the most avid fans who have watched every week since late August.
