Guaranteed Rate Field - Home of the Chicago White Sox
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Guaranteed Rate Field - Home of the Chicago White Sox
I ventured down to Guaranteed Rate Field over the Labor Day holiday weekend to watch the Chicago White Sox take on the Detroit Tigers.
While the plan was to see Miguel Cabrera play his final game in Chicago, the Tigers had other plans. After having a 4-hit day on September 2, they gave Miggy the day off on Sunday. Chicago saw temps into the low 90s so I can’t blame him for not playing on Sunday. In any event, I got there just in time to see them honor the Triple Crown winner and future Hall of Famer.
I had really good seats behind the dugout.
While the Tigers didn’t start Miggy let alone give him a PH opportunity, that didn’t stop me from getting my photo with the baseball legend. In fairness, he wasn’t looking at the camera but still!
After finding my seat, I made a quick loop around the stadium because I wanted to get my photos with the statues. The White Sox don’t currently offer tours but one would imagine that if they did, the statues would be one of the stops along the tour. There are two levels of club seating, which is why the upper deck is nose bleed level.
The outfield offers some nice views of the stadium before reaching the Batter’s Eye, which hides much of the the CIBC Fan Deck from view. Had I thought about it, I’d have taken photos of the retired numbers and zoomed in on the press box. Instead, I did that from my seat.
The White Sox have retired 12 jersey numbers, including the league-wide 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. Of the 11 former White Sox players with retired numbers, Luke Appling, Ted Lyons, and Mark Buehrle do not have any statues in the outfield. Additionally, Buehrle and Paul Konerko are the only players honored by the White Sox that are not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
One of the biggest flaws of the stadium is that the stands are not facing the beautiful Chicago skyline. You can view the skyline from a ramp as you enter or leave the park. It’s not even visible from the outfield! If I had given myself some more time, I would have found the plate from Old Comiskey. Speaking of, Last Comiskey is currently streaming on YouTube. Fittingly, I watched it in the morning before the game but my thoughts will be running later this week.
Outside the stadium, one can take in Champions Plaza, which honors the 2005 World Series championship.
There are a few plaques that honor the 1991 Opening Day dedication and the many unions that teamed up to build what was then New Comiskey Park. Next to two of the plaques is a bust of former Illinois Governor James R. Thompson. If the White Sox hadn’t secured funding, they’d have possibly moved to Florida. Interestingly, a similar conversation is happening right now. Will they stay, move elsewhere in Chicago or the suburbs, or leave for Nashville?