CHICAGO -- My goal seemed to be a doable one during the 3 hour, 20 minute rain delay Wednesday afternoon at Rate Field -- meet every fan who was in attendance for the series finale between the White Sox and Twins.
Let me add three caveats before moving forward with the story, taking place prior to Minnesota¡¯s 6-1 victory over the White Sox, leaving all five teams in the American League Central with a 2-4 record.
This tale isn¡¯t about attendance, especially with the White Sox fan base being tremendous during the first five games, captivated and engaged by manager Will Venable¡¯s crew. But for a midweek day game on April 2, with the forecast of rain and storms literally lasting the entire day, there just couldn¡¯t be that many people to find.
I did not include anybody sitting in the suites. I¡¯m sure they enjoyed their time waiting for baseball, but if you were out of the elements and got to pick from the dessert cart, then you are disqualified for the day. Also, there was no way I would meet everyone, but hey, let¡¯s see what I could do.
Thunder boomed loudly as I reached the concourse somewhere around 90 minutes into the delay, making me rethink my quest. But I quickly ran into a friend of mine, a season-ticket holder who seems to split her time between the South Side and watching the Blackhawks at the United Center.
I asked what she thought of the White Sox to date, and she spoke of wanting to see better baseball than in 2024, which already has been accomplished via a very small sample size. She also wanted excitement to return to Rate Field.
¡°Monday was great,¡± my friend said. ¡°Opening Day was great.¡±
Even the losses, she acknowledged, were competitive games.
I moved down the concourse toward the famous Section 108 when I ran into George and Becca, who were in attendance with their three children. Also at the game were Becca¡¯s parents, Kevin and Velma, who had traveled from southern Illinois (around 50 miles from St. Louis) and are usually stationed around a great deal of Cubs and Cardinals fans. George, Becca and their crew were on a spring break vacation, traveling from the East Bay area in California.
¡°So we are Giants and A¡¯s [fans],¡± said Becca with a smile. ¡°But we love baseball.¡±
Kevin spoke eloquently about his past connection to following the White Sox, while Becca proudly added her dad played baseball in college and umpired. She mentioned a running family conversation as to how her dad should come work at Rate Field in retirement.
¡°He¡¯d be in Kevin Heaven,¡± Becca said.
¡°I could be down the line with a glove, getting those foul balls,¡± a smiling Kevin added.
Maybe that employment opportunity can be arranged. Even in the pouring rain, Rate Field looked good to them.
My final encounter was with Rick and his son, Neil, who were on a baseball ballpark tour from their home in Tallahassee, Fla. The Rate officially became ballpark No. 27 for the duo, followed by a trip to Milwaukee on Thursday, Wrigley Field on Friday and then off to Minnesota to once again see Neil¡¯s favorite team -- hopefully, with no rain along the way.
¡°I¡¯m undercover watching the team,¡± said Neil, who was sporting a No. 50 Lenyn Sosa jersey, while his father wore a No. 7 Dominic Fletcher jersey.
¡°We always buy a jersey from the home team,¡± Rick said.
They were in Seattle on Tuesday, taking the redeye to Chicago, which I can attest is tough enough without sitting through a multihour delay. Their quest to hit all 30 ballparks began about a decade ago in Houston, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they didn¡¯t go anywhere for two years.
In regard to how long they were willing to wait, at around 2:45 p.m. CT, they were getting close to make the departure call.
¡°This might be our first one where we bail,¡± Rick said.
¡°As long as we take a picture showing that we are here,¡± Neil added.
Ultimately, I fell well short of getting to talk to everyone, which maybe seemed a bit more realistic as the sun made its way out around 3:45 p.m. But even with lightning flashing, thunder clapping and the rain pouring down, you can¡¯t beat fun at the old ballpark. It¡¯s clear everyone has specific reasons for why baseball is the best.