Are the White Sox becoming that band you loved (then hated) in the 90’s?

The 108 guys came to age in the 90’s. Back in the 90’s (and maybe it still exists today, we have no clue) we valued getting in on a band way early. It was cool to be the guy who was into Ween far before they had that wicked fun song “Push th’ Little Dasies“. My favorite thing about Ween was not the music, but rather the cover for Chocolate And Cheese.

Once a band you liked became more mainstream, well, we 90’s kids would push them off. Or, in some cases, we’d brag to our buddies or kids we just met that we liked them WAY before they got popular. It was a badge of honor. It made you seem slightly cooler. Now, my experience was way different than Loaf and Chorizy as we only had classic rock stations and limited access to new music back in the Sauk Valley. So to be the first guy in on Weezer just really meant you spent the cash on the record based on the “Undone – The Sweater Song” video you saw on MTV. I was proudly in that group, same with Pearl Jam. Go me.

As with most of my blogs, you are saying, “WTF Mate? What does this have to do with the White Sox?” Well folks, with all the recent pick ups the White Sox have been getting, our popularity (and expectations) continue to go up and up. People are talking, people are excited and this little indie band we have been following is getting national attention. No longer will it be like seeing a show at the Metro, we headed to the Aragon, maybe the United Center! And this is what we faced in the 90’s when the kids that were decidedly uncool started rocking out to “Rocket” by the Smashing Pumpkins and had no clue the song “Tristessa” even existed. Then they bought those fucking fashionable flannels from Unionbay or Arizona Jean Company and here we’ve been rocking Work & Sport from Farm & Fleet for fucking years! People gonna get in on our shit guys!

Yes, you are gonna see a huge influx of folks coming back to the stadium rocking their Crede or Scotty Pods jersey. Maybe a Garland! Which is 100% fine with me, but might get a little annoying if they legit have taken a break from the Sox in the last decade, which could be 100% possible. I ain’t gonna give a fan lesson here (I’ve always contended that despite attending 70+ games a year, blogging and podcasting, there are way bigger fans than me) as that isn’t the point. But the internal struggle that has existed with the Sox and their fans can be summed up like this – the Sox have stunk it up for the past decade and some of us stuck in there. We rode the shit like an aggressive wave pool in a Mexican water park. We had to sit thru some just bad, bad, bad baseball and now it’s starting to pay off. So, yes it’s ok to question a guy who is just now jumping back into the pool. But let’s be nice to him (or her) and just chuckle when they ask if Carlos Quentin is still on the team, or how Gordon Beckham is doing these days.

Are things, as we know it, gonna change? You bet your sweet ass they will! IF (they still gotta play the games) they start making waves on the field, there is gonna be some stuff that the Sox have been doing to attract your ass that will go right the fuck away. Do not expect to see Flash Sales for $4.15 tickets. No more BallPark Pass. Dollar Dog days? Well, T’s and P’s appreciated to make sure this stays around 4-EVA. We might have to wait to use the bathroom on Thursday nights without a killer promotion. Imagine that! More people will try to start the fucking wave as Luis Robert hits his 3rd homer in a game. But will this deter us from loving the success on the field?

I can only say, possibly. I hope for all that is holy, weekend games don’t turn into the Cubs vs Sox shit shows we see a couple times a year. I have faith they won’t, but things we have been taking for granted will become more of a rare thing. Like, say, no lines, anywhere, anytime. Plentiful beer vendors in the 108. Weekends with hot promos will be a bit fuller, no doubt, but we saw that starting last year. The nearly free tickets on StubHub will most likely go up in price. Games could possibly be MORE fun as I am guessing more will end in W’s, but the little things will become more of a pain in the ass.

Yes, I will miss walking into the Social Lounge with the fellas, no line to get my check-in gift and no line to buy a fresh-ass-hell Hazy IPA. But you know what I won’t miss as much? Watching Ryan Cordell try to hit or catch a baseball. I will gladly trade a few minutes in the bathroom line for a 40/40 season from Luis Robert. So while things will change with success, it will be fun to see the product we’ve been waiting almost a decade for become reality.

So much like all those Seattle bands that made it big we might wanna take a step back and appreciate the success we might or might not be bracing for. Let’s enjoy it as much with 35k as we would with 15k. We’ll always have weeknight games in April and May….let’s make them count.

-MSS