White Sox fans keep Opening Day traditions alive: 'Something that'll last me a lifetime'

The smoky aroma of hot dogs filled the air around Parking Lot A at Guaranteed Rate Field as beanbags thudded onto wooden boards and kids played catch with a tennis ball on a sunny but slightly chilly Thursday afternoon.

“I’m ready to get hurt again,” one fan said as he walked toward one of the parking lots near the stadium.

Expectations for the White Sox aren’t high this season, and the prospect of a new ballpark in the South Loop has some fans feeling low about the team leaving Bridgeport, its home for 114 years.

“I love the stadium, I was a kid when this one got built, so I’m kind of hoping they stay here,” Michael Torres, a 42-year-old lifelong Sox fan from West Town, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I have memories of when my dad brought me to games, so for me to bring my kids, share memories and make memories with them, that’s something that’ll last me a lifetime,” he added.

Ruth Guerra (left), 49, of Back of the Yards, tailgates with family Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side, Thursday, March 28, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Dan Kozlowski, 38, of Crown Point, Indiana, tailgates with other fans Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Fans play cornhole and tailgate Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Fans flock to the Chicago White Sox home opener game Thursday against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Jason Caprigno, 53, of Elk Grove Village, grills sausages as he tailgates with other fans Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Fans tailgate Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Fans play cornhole and tailgate Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Fans tailgate Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Fans tailgate before the Chicago White Sox home opener game Thursday against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Michael Torres, 42, grills while tailgating Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Fans tailgate Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Fans play cornhole and tailgate Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Fans tailgate Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Lindsay McAtee (left), 35, of Elgin, takes a selfie with her aunt, Sheila Ralston, 60, of Crystal Lake, as they prepare to head into the Chicago White Sox home opener game Thursday against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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A band performs as fans tailgate Thursday before the Chicago White Sox home opener game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Ruth Guerra was at Guaranteed Rate Field celebrating her 50th birthday a month early as her family continued their tradition of coming to Sox Opening Day games — a tradition they’ve mostly kept up for nearly 25 years.

If “there’s that one thing you have with your people, do it, don’t let it fade out,” Guerra said. “There was a lot of time we had to stay away from each other, and now that we get to be with each other, it’s amazing.”

Guerra grew up in the Back of the Yards and fondly remembers getting free Sox tickets and walking to games. She hopes the team doesn’t move to the South Loop because she feels it’ll “change the vibe.”

“It might change,” Guerra said. “It might not be as fun, it might not be as open. There might be a little bit more restrictions on that side of town, but we’ll see.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Jon Walker, 59, has been going to Sox games with his best friend for two decades after their wives gave them season tickets as Christmas gifts.

“It’s just a joy being here,” said Walker, who makes the trip to games from south suburban Crete. “Being a Sox fan and being at the park.”

Walker, who has been to “hundreds of games” and plans on going to 20 more this season, says he likes where the team is located but “wouldn’t have a problem if the Sox did something bigger and better.”

He says he’d vote for the stadium to be publicly funded because he’s a Sox fan who would attend games there.

“For North Siders, they might oppose it,” Walker said.

Jason Caprigno, 53, says he isn’t “totally against” the Sox making the move, though he thinks Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf should pay for the new stadium.

Caprigno, who says he’s been to “a couple hundred games,” came from suburban Elk Grove Village with his girlfriend, her daughter and nephew to enjoy the game.

Like many fans, he was excited to try the new Campfire Milkshake, a 16-ounce treat topped with graham crackers, marshmallows and pieces of chocolate. recently unveiled by the team.

“I want to get that chocolate shake,” Caprigno said with a smile. “And the Jack Daniels float for sure.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times