Happy Birthday, Drop Dead

What do I find in this morning’s Tribune but a story on the 30th anniversary of the opening of the place the White Sox now call home? What stuck out in particular was this sentence: “Even die-hard White Sox fans had to know Comiskey [Park, nicknamed Baseball Place of the World for a reason] was past its prime and that despite its historic moments—including four World Series, three All-Star Games [including the first-ever] and the East-West Negro League All-Star Game from 1933-60 [and Joe Louis winning his heavyweight title and the Beatles performing and…]—an upgrade was needed.” I guess that makes me something less than a die-hard fan because I fought for the renovation of the park. But that’s all water under the bridge. Happy birthday, mall. Congratulations, Jerry Reinsdorf, on getting just what you wanted and for listening to your pal, then-Gov. Jim Thompson, who advised you to threaten to move in order to get public funding for your “upgrade.” As soon as the COVID restrictions end, let’s have a parade! Oh, and let’s not forget the score of the first-ever game played at the mall, a 16-0 shellacking by the Tigers. A metaphor for the past thirty years, if there ever was one.