While I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop with regards to the White Sox's potential plans for building a ballpark at The 78 site in Chicago's South Loop, it's maintaining momentum towards being A Thing, and maybe even gaining it.
(Unless you consider any meaningful amount of public funding the other shoe, which would mean this story opened with both feet firmly on the ground.)
The plan has Major League Baseball's support. Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to Crain's Chicago Business, and said the ballpark "could be a game changer." He also confirmed or reiterated some notions as to how this ballpark could be funded.
Manfred said he's not familiar with all the details of the proposed new facility, such as what sort of architectural era it might evoke, but said Reinsdorf has assured him it would require "no new taxes."
That appears to be a reference to what sources close to Reinsdorf said could involve shifting revenues from an existing 2% tax on Chicago hotel rooms to the new facility. Those tax revenues now are directing to paying debt for the construction of the Sox's current home, Guaranteed Rate Field, but all bonds will be retired by later this decade.
It goes on to say that Reinsdorf might also be able to take advantage of an existing tax-increment financing deal between the city and the developer that owns the property, which would cover the movement of Metra tracks an the construction of a CTA subway station. The Sox could also get some help from the league, as stadium development costs are deducted from a team's revenue-sharing payments.
All that stuff is less exciting to think about than the open-ended question of "architectural era," and based on all the wrong choices made in the construction of New Comiskey Park, Jerry Reinsdorf shouldn't be allowed to have a say in it.
While we're talking business of baseball, two other stories worth following:
The Baltimore Orioles have a buyer
The Orioles are in the middle of an exciting present and immediate future, but you'd never know it from John Angelos, because Baltimore's managing partner has spent most of the time complaining.
A couple of hedge fund billionaires are relieving him of his duties, as a group led by David Rubenstein is reportedly purchasing the Orioles for $1.725 billion.
It should be a big morale boost for Orioles fans whose enjoyment of the team required ignoring Angelos' carping about how they wouldn't be able to keep any of their good players. For White Sox fans, it's instructive for a couple other reasons:
No. 1: The Orioles haven't been the only team on the block. The Nationals and Angels have also looked for buyers in recent years, but the collapse of regional sports network threatens a huge component of a franchise's value. This would be the first MLB franchise sale since 2020, so it is possible to meet asking prices under these circumstances.
No. 2: The Orioles recently finalized a lease extension with the Maryland Stadium Authority to remain at Camden Yards for the next 15 to 30 years, so ballpark certainty helps a sales pitch.
The Las Vegas A's lack juice
I've never seen reason to fear a White Sox relocation because the league has seemingly understood that it's not easy to move any team, hence the eternal attempts to figure out (publicly financed) stadium deals in struggling markets like Oakland or St. Petersburg.
And although Major League Baseball approved the A's plan to explore a move to Las Vegas, there's no evidence of a sound plan in any regard. A's owner John Fisher generated no excitement at a Vegas Chamber of Commerce event ...
Chambers of Commerce LOVE sports. It's members are the fan cohort that buys premium season tickets. This should have been John Fisher's crowd. We may be witnessing the death throes of the deal. https://t.co/5s7lwayaEd
— J.C. Bradbury (@jc_bradbury) January 25, 2024
... partially because there still aren't any renderings of a ballpark that's supposed to be open by 2028. Also, the A's don't have a firm plan for how to proceed after their lease at the Coliseum ends following the 2024 season. Jeff Passan wrote an update about the A's situation, which involves possibly losing local TV money and debating between a temporary home at a Triple-A park in Sacramento or Salt Lake City, with the MLBPA on guard against a potentially nomadic situation.
