What Goes Around Comes Around

A very long time ago, Jerry Reinsdorf huffed and puffed his way to a new stadium for the White Sox. Really, good times to be an owner. Fast-forward 35 years, and Reinsdorf can’t get anyone to fall for his antics. He’s hinted at selling and/or moving as part of his ploy to get money from the General Assembly to build at least part of another ball mall for him. Really, bad times to be an owner. Gone are the days of the public picking up the entire tab. Now, teams are expected to contribute. Part of Reinsdorf Ploy 1.0 was the threat to move into a domed stadium in St. Petersburg. In the greatest of all ironies, the Rays are desperate to leave the place, only nobody will build them a new home, and they really don’t have the money and/or the will to contribute to the cost of construction. The same with Reinsdorf. After getting the cold shoulder in Springfield, he made vague statements about sharing building costs without ever specifying how much. Right now, the Bears can’t get a dime from the General Assembly, and Ploy 2.0 just hangs there like a balloon caught in a tree, slowly deflating until it falls to the ground. If the Rays move, that’s one less place for Reinsdorf to threaten to go to. And, if he tries to move the Sox anytime soon, he may find his unpopularity will follow him. I mean, who wants a grumpy, 89-year owner whose track record consists of one World Series win in 44 seasons? Talk about karma. And now I see the A’s don’t have a finalized deal yet with Oakland. Truly, what goes around comes around, and I couldn’t be happier.