I read Bob Vanderberg’s article with a great deal of interest. The only comment I agree with regards selling the team. Maybe the new owner will spend like he doesn’t care if he makes money on the team. Maybe the next owner will be rich enough to spend without caring about the bottom line. Maybe the next owner will spend an extra $30 million to bring in players who will help the team. But until that happens we have the current ownership.
Don’t blame Jerry Reinsdorf for being a businessperson. Don’t blame Reinsdorf for putting the Sox payroll at $58 million, which is just enough to break even. Where was Bob Vanderberg when the Sox gave Magglio Ordonez, Paul Konerko and Frank Thomas all that money? Was Bob up in arms over those contracts? I don’t think so. So why does Bob find it hard to swallow the fact that the Sox will only spend what they bring in?
Don’t blame Reinsdorf for the lack of fan support. The Sox have put together competitive teams for decades, and in the new ballpark they’ve had twice as many winning seasons as losing ones, something the Cubs can only dream about.
It’s not what the Sox put on the field, it’s the field, or more accurately the geography. If you want to blame someone, blame Mayor Daley for not insisting on having the new Bears stadium next to Sox Park. With the Sox and Bears playing ball from April through December, the area would have come to life with restaurants and bars. Young and old would have come early and stayed late. The area is to blame, not management
