Inside Rate Field
Going to a White Sox game is distinctly different than going to a Cubs game, despite being 11 miles away from each other. The vibe is completely different, the organizations are vastly different and the ballpark experience is night and day different. That’s not to rip the White Sox, I promise. Wrigley opened in 1914. Rate Field opened in 1991. The Cubs play a ton of day games. The White Sox don’t. The Cubs were lovable losers who went 108 years between World Series titles. The White Sox won it all in 2005. Wrigley Field has the famous Ivy if you think it works for a Cubs interview on the White Sox page. No biggie if not.). Rate Field has replica pinwheels atop their scoreboard. Wrigley Field has Wrigleyville, full of bars, restaurants and fun all hours of the day! Rate Field does not have that. Again, this is not to “crush” the White Sox. It’s just different.
Speaking of those pinwheels….at the old Comiskey Park, the pinwheels were some of the most entertaining things you’d see around baseball. Bill Veeck was one of the most famous, and best in my opinion, owners in the history of baseball! Every night was a party at a White Sox game when he owned the team! The pinwheels have been recreated at Rate Field and the fireworks shoot off each time a Sox player homers and again when the Sox win a game. It’s a cool tradition that has been carried on for decades. In the late-50’s, Veeck was watching a movie where the main character played pinball. When the high score hits, all kinds of crazy things happen with the machine. Veeck basically wanted to take that to the baseball field. He had the “exploding scoreboard”, with fireworks coming out of each column behind each pinwheel. That still happens to this day – pretty neat. The story behind it is even neater!
The team has clearly had their struggles this decade, no doubt. But most teams ebb and flow with success. The made back-to-back playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021. It’s obviously been a struggle since then, but they have a new manager with a winning approach to baseball. Will Venable spent nine years in the big leagues as a player before moving onto his coaching career. Venable is one of the most well-liked and well-respected people around baseball. He coached for the Cubs, Red Sox and Rangers before getting the White Sox job. He won the World Series in 2023 with the Rangers as Bruce Bochy’s top lieutenant. While the Sox may have a mountain to climb to reach competitiveness again, they have the right guy at the helm to help turn it around! The man knows how to win, he has a ring and a wealth of knowledge in the game. Plus, his father, Max, played in the big leagues for 12 seasons! He grew up in baseball stadiums his entire life, went to Princeton and knows his shit. The Sox may be struggling right now, but if anyone can make them competitive again, it’s him!
The ballpark is located just steps off the train station in the South Side of Chicago. While it’s been a few years since my last trip there, the ChiSox Bar and Grill is located right across 35th Street from the ballpark and it’s a good pregame/postgame spot for food and drink. Similar to what I’ve said about Houston, I do not have a ton of recommendations around the ballpark, but once inside, the place is a nice mix of new meeting old!
Statues line the outfield concourse and some are a true blast from the past. The neatest one is double-play combo of Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox, who played together from 1956 to 1962. They also made four All-Star Games together. The newest one is Mark Buehrle’s, which was unveiled in July of 2025. You’ll also see statues of Hall of Famers like Harold Baines, Frank Thomas, Carlton Fisk and Minnie Minoso. Paul Konerko’s statue is really cool, too. His statue is a depiction of him rounding first base on his grand slam in Game Two of the 2005 World Series! Charles Comiskey has one, too. He played in the 1800’s and then became a manager, then owner. You will probably never see this ever again in baseball. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939.
If you’re a baseball fan trying to knock out all 30 ballparks, this is a relatively easy two-for-one with Wrigley Field and Rate Field. Stay downtown near Michigan Avenue and you have quick access to each park, plus you have all the action you’d need on a trip. You can walk Lakeshore Drive, you can catch some baseball and you can have some of the best food the country has to offer! Oh yeah, and make sure you hit The Lodge, one of the best stops in the circuit! Ask if the “bullpen” is open and walk back there. Many famous people have had fun times in that tiniest of areas of The Lodge!
