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Japan Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Chicago has one burning question for Pope Leo XIV: Cubs or White Sox?
There is one question consuming Chicago baseball fans: What team does Pope Leo support? The Windy City is notoriously split between Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs supporters, a rivalry between the South and North sides. Father Gregory Sakowicz, rector of Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral, said he was in shock when Robert Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV, was named pope on Thursday. "He was not on my short, short list," he said. "I think he's going to be very strong on the immigrant, human rights and the care for the Earth." Sakowicz said one burning question was whether the pontiff was a fellow fan of the White Sox, as he grew up near the team's stadium on the city's South Side, or of their crosstown rivals, the Cubs. "I heard he's a Cubs fan," he said. "Well, God Bless him." The Cubs themselves claimed Leo as one of their own, posting on their X account congratulations and a photo of the iconic Wrigley Field sign with the words: "Hey, Chicago. He's a Cubs fan!" "Not only would we welcome Pope Leo XIV to Wrigley Field, he could sing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,'" Cubs Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement, referring to the song that fans belt out during the middle of the seventh inning. Ricketts also invited the pope to deliver a "Sermon on the Mound" at the ballpark. However, local television station WGN interviewed the pope's brother, John Prevost, on Thursday, and he cleared up the matter. Pope Leo is a fan of the White Sox, he said. "He was never, ever a Cubs fan, so I don't know where that came from," Prevost said in an excerpt of the interview shared by the White Sox on X. "He was always a Sox fan." The White Sox also claimed the pope as a fan. "Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV's lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields," the White Sox said in a statement, referencing the location of the team's ballpark, Rate Field. "Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case, we're glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. "A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark."
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
An Urgent Question for the Pope: Cubs or Sox?
In Chicago, a city where baseball allegiance has no middle ground, one of the first questions people asked was whether the Chicago-born pope cheered for the White Sox or the Cubs. The lines dividing Cubs and Sox fans are not always clear. Generally speaking, North Siders root for the Cubs, since Wrigley Field is on their side of the city. South Siders are usually loyal to the Sox, who play at Rate Field in Bridgeport, on the South Side. Suburbanites tend to follow the same geographical divisions, but are sometimes considered a gray area. Fans from both sides seemed to initially claim the new pope as their own. A spokeswoman for the Cubs first said that she could not confirm whether he was a fan, and issued a statement from Tom Ricketts, the executive chairman of the Cubs, assuring the new pope that he would be welcomed at Wrigley Field. 'Not only would we welcome Pope Leo XIV to Wrigley Field, he could sing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' or, since three of his predecessors visited Yankee Stadium, including Pope Paul VI who delivered the 1965 'Sermon on the Mound,' we would invite the pontiff to do the same at the Friendly Confines,' Mr. Ricketts said. By afternoon, the marquee at Wrigley Field declared that the new pope was a Cubs fan. But in suburban Chicago, the pope's brother John Prevost set the record straight to WGN, a television station that for decades broadcast Cubs games and helped create a fan base far beyond Chicago. 'He was never, ever a Cubs fan,' Mr. Prevost said. 'So I don't know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan.'
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
White Sox or Cubs? Pope's Chicago baseball allegiance debated
CHICAGO, May 8 (Reuters) - One question consuming Chicago baseball fans: What team does Pope Leo support? The Windy City is notoriously split between White Sox and Cubs supporters, a rivalry between the south and north sides. Father Gregory Sakowicz, rector of Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral, said he was in shock when Leo was named pope on Thursday. "He was not on my short, short list," he said. "I think he's going to be very strong on the immigrant, human rights and the care for the Earth." Sakowicz said one burning question was whether the pontiff was a fellow fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team, as he grew up near the team's stadium on the city's south side, or of their crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cubs. "I heard he's a Cubs fan," he said. "Well God Bless him." The Cubs themselves claimed Leo as one of their own, posting on their X account congratulations and a photo of the iconic Wrigley Field sign with the words: "Hey, Chicago. He's a Cubs fan!" "Not only would we welcome Pope Leo XIV to Wrigley Field, he could sing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,'" Cubs Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement, referring to the song that fans belt out during the middle of the seventh inning. Ricketts also invited the pope to deliver a "Sermon on the Mound" at the ballpark. However, Chicago's local television station WGN9 interviewed the pope's brother John Prevost, on Thursday, who cleared up the matter: Pope Leo is a fan of the White Sox, he said.
New York Times
10-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How much does a beer and a hot dog cost you at Wrigley Field or the Rate? I did the math
CHICAGO — It was cold in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday night, and the stands at Wrigley Field were emptier than normal. But some diehards still stuck it out to see a pair of Cubs wins over the Texas Rangers. I'm guessing a few of them even drank a cold beer or five. But for those who wanted to warm up with a hot drink, let it be known they do sell hot chocolate at Wrigley Field. All it will cost you is … $11.99? No, that can't be right. Twelve bucks for a hot chocolate? Advertisement Ah, let me check my spreadsheet. Oh yeah, that doesn't include tax. So it's more like $13. (Not including tip if you're buying from a vendor.) But it's poured into a nice 16-ounce souvenir cup so you'll never forget that time you froze your tuchus off at a Cubs game in April. Now, if you go to a White Sox game on a cold night this month, you can get a smaller hot chocolate in a regular cup for just $4.99 (all prices are before tax, unless otherwise noted). They also have hot coffee for $4.99 at Rate Field, while at Wrigley Field, they only serve cold coffee in a can … for $9.99. So I guess it's better to be cold on the South Side. Less expensive, anyway. Just don't watch the actual baseball. It's not breaking news, but nothing is cheap at a professional sporting event, let alone Wrigley Field, where the Cubs pack 'em in, rain or shine, snow or sun. Starting with tickets, a parent taking a family of four to a game — or one person drinking for four — can experience losses of 'biblical' proportions in their bank account. That's why a sizable portion of Cubs fans are fed up with Tom Ricketts and all the talk about the team's budget constraints. A beer and a hot dog there could cost you $30. Meanwhile, White Sox tickets are fairly inexpensive, though if you want to eat or drink there, it'll cost you plenty and the baseball isn't exactly a bargain these days. (Levy Restaurants is the concessionaire at Wrigley Field, and shares concessionaire duty at the Rate with Delaware North.) After I did a story on the Bulls charging more for concessions than the Blackhawks at the United Center, I realized I didn't have up-to-date pricing on Chicago's baseball teams. So last week, I walked the concourses at Rate Field and Wrigley Field and put together a detailed spreadsheet of concession prices at both stadiums. Advertisement What I found isn't shocking, and high prices for ballpark food and drink aren't just a Chicago problem, of course. But while teams in other cities have begun to offer value menus, in Chicago, it's a battle between exorbitant and extortionate. (The White Sox do offer some half-price items on Tuesday games.) For years, I put together the Fan Cost Index surveys for Team Marketing Report. In our formula, we used the cheapest, widely available options for beer, soft drinks and hot dogs, etc. The one category that always went viral was the beer prices. At Wrigley Field, which is famous for beer in the bleachers, you're going to pay more than at the Rate for comparable beers. Most beers cost an extra $2 at Cubs games, some less, some more. Tack on a dollar and change for tax. For instance, a vended Miller Lite at a Sox game is $10.99, while a vended Bud Light at a Cubs game will run you $13.99. Before taxes, beer prices at Rate Field range from $10.99 for a 16-oz domestic can of beer for a 24-oz import beer can. At Wrigley Field, the cheapest beer is $12.99 for a 16-oz domestic can and the most expensive is $16.99 for a 20-oz 'Large American draft.' (At some stands, there are 24-oz souvenir beer cups for the same price.) The actual cheapest beer on the Wrigley campus is $11.99 for a domestic can of beer in Gallagher Way, the beer garden between the ballpark and Clark St. But you're not allowed to bring it back into the park — unless I guess you distract the person scanning your ticket with a clever 'Hey, is that Ronnie Woo Woo?' And the most expensive beer at Wrigley is the beer bat, which now retails for $34.99. (You can refill it for the price of a beer.) What about hot dogs, the other ballpark staple? The White Sox offer a simple $5.49 hot dog, a relative bargain these days. The Cubs' cheapest option is a Vienna beef hot dog at $8.99. That's more comparable with the White Sox's 'premium beef hot dog,' which at $7.99 is the same price as a Polish sausage on the South Side. Advertisement At Wrigley, a 'Maxwell St. Polish' is $11.99. Yes, a $4 difference for a Polish sausage. I didn't taste-test them, but if you have, let me know if the Cubs' version is $4 better. Both parks are generally known to have good hot dogs/sausage options and have free-standing grill stands. Of the Sox's 12 price points for hot dogs, only the two foot-longs are more than $10. Meanwhile, the Cubs' 10 other options range from $10.99 to $13.99. What about peanuts and Cracker Jacks, you know, like the song? At the Rate, peanuts are $5.99, compared with $6.99 at Wrigley. Cracker Jacks are $4.49 at The Rate, compared with $5.99 at Wrigley. Other ballpark staples like soft pretzels, plain nachos and fries are about the same price at both parks. Pizza is hard to compare, because at the Rate you can get a slice of Beggars' cheese pizza for $7.99, while at Wrigley, they offer Home Run Inn personal pizzas for $13.49. At $7.99, both a bottle of water and a bottled soda are a buck more at Wrigley than at The Rate. You can get a Smart Water for $7.49 on the South Side, but at Wrigley, it's $8.99. Honestly, this is where I find the pricing offensive. Water shouldn't cost $7.99 (plus tax) anywhere. It shouldn't cost $6.99, either. The most expensive food items at each park are nachos with a giant pile of meat and toppings. At the White Sox, they sell a 'loaded nacho helmet' for $23.49, and in the Wrigley Field bleachers, they sell 'grand slam nachos' for $27.99. The White Sox are known for their food variety. This year, they've added Asian-themed stands like Fuku chicken and Lucky's Korean-themed food. A mainstay item, the Cuban sandwich, is $11.99, while a new dish, a veggie emparogi (it's Polish-Colombian fusion), is $16.99. You can get barbecue ($17.99 for a sandwich) in the outfield, and of course, there are $6 churro stands in the concourse. Advertisement The Cubs, with more limited space, are usually pretty basic. They have some interesting options but mostly put them in the bleachers, where the average fan can't get to. For instance, there's a Small Cheval in center field now, with double burgers going for $15.99. (Fries are $6.99.) There's also a Hot Doug's out there with three kinds of themed sausages for $12.99. Who doesn't want a sausage named after Shawn Boskie? One other area where the Sox clearly top the Cubs is in desserts. The Sox have a variety of ice-cream options in the main concourse, not to mention their gaudy, viral milkshakes. The new 'Celebration Milkshake' is $19, or $2 more than the Campfire shake that you can still find in the club section. To compete, the Cubs have added a 'baseball donut,' which comes with a tube filled with fruit-flavored frosting that you can 'inject' into the ball. The juiced donut costs $14.99. There's a 'Sammy Sosa really has been welcomed back' joke I could make here, but these days, the Cubs' big slugger is Kyle Tucker. You might have heard he's a future free agent and the Cubs are going to need to pony up, oh, a half-billion to keep him. So if you like watching Tucker hit, you might want to get to drinking and eating, Cubs fans. Signing an impact bat is going to cost a lot of beer-filled ones. (Photo of Wrigley Field concourse: Jon Greenberg / The Athletic)
New York Times
05-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Cubs return to Wrigley Field and give their fans some home-opening hope
CHICAGO — Looking down at the crush of fans jammed into the Wrigley Field concourse before Friday's home opener, I thought, you know what, the Cubs just might 'break even' this season. Looking at how the Cubs beat the San Diego Padres in a 3-1 matinee win, they might do better than break even … on the field. After two 83-win seasons and a too-long playoff drought, the Cubs look good enough to win 90 games, draw 3 million fans and win the NL Central. Advertisement Now, the Cubs haven't drawn 3 million fans to Wrigley Field since 2019, the year everything fell apart. They haven't won 90 games since 2018, when they choked down the stretch and lost a home wild-card game. They haven't won the NL Central (in a full season) since 2017, which is the last time they won a playoff series. As for the old saw about winning the World Series … in this economy? No, forget about that. The goals are modest and achievable in 2025. That means Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, he of the most cringeworthy quote of the offseason, can close up his open guitar case at the Addison stop. No need to sing the blues for tips. Not with the Cubs having some modest hope to peddle along with $90 bleacher tickets, $15 beers and $9 hot dogs. (Ricketts will be fine regardless. Only the Cubs fans will go broke trying to afford a day at the park.) After a quixotic start to the season that saw the Cubs go to Japan, come back to spring training, open the season a second time in Arizona and then travel to Sacramento, they finally returned home. 'It feels like a bit of a journey to get here, right?' Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. 'And it has been.' The taverns were packed before the game as the schedule-makers doled out a gift to Wrigleyville with a Friday afternoon start. Warm bars and cold beers are always a winning combination when it's 45 degrees and overcast on the North Side. Wrigley Field and sunshine bring in a couple million fans no matter how the team is doing, but a winning Cubs team fills the bars and sells out the stadium when it's cold outside. That's how you become one of the top three revenue-producing teams in baseball, if not one of the top-eight payroll spenders. My colleagues covered the very real concerns about the Cubs' lack of top-tier spending on Friday. The team put itself in this awkward position by its obvious, self-imposed budgetary restrictions. That's why fans are already fretting about the Cubs not signing Kyle Tucker, a star hitter who just played his first game at Wrigley Field. Real Cubs fans, the kind that swear about the bullpen in December, have been frustrated for months by the mixed signals coming from the team. The team trades for Tucker, who turns free agent this offseason, but makes no other significant investments into the team. Ricketts shades people — at the team's fan convention, no less — who think they should spend like the teams in New York and Los Angeles. (He hasn't spoken to reporters since, skipping his usual spring training news conference, though he did an interview on CNBC.) The Cubs raise prices and lower the baseball budget. It would be head-scratching if it weren't so expected. Advertisement But while fans can complain and the media can point fingers, for the Cubs, it's time to produce. They might not have a team that can beat the Dodgers in a seven-game series, but they should be able to outlast the Brewers, Cardinals and the rest of the division. 'We're certainly a better team than we were last year, both on paper and in reality,' Cubs president Jed Hoyer said in his pregame Opening Day dugout news conference. 'Obviously, now it's about going out there and playing. I think that the offseason is for talking about the team on paper and the season is for going out and doing it. So now we have to go out and do it.' Before his 5th inning at-bat, Justin Turner walked up to the song "Danger Zone" – popular from the movie "Top Gun", to honor the late Val Kilmer ❤️ — Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 4, 2025 Which is what they did Friday. No one was talking about Crane Kenney's mythical wheelbarrow of money, Ricketts' empty wallet, Hoyer's future or where Tucker will play next year. As the song goes, baseball season was underway. Right here, in the present. A crowd of 40,244 cheered for Cubs ace Shōta Imanaga as he mostly rolled through the San Diego lineup, and booed Counsell when he pulled his starter with one out in the eighth inning. They bit their nails when this year's shaky closer, Ryan Pressly, pitched the ninth. They reveled in the Cubs' hitters taking advantage of shaky Padres pitching. What's the old Earl Weaver saying: pitching, defense and the three-run homer? The Cubs got that, but replace 'three-run homer' with 'bases-loaded walk, infield single and fielder's choice,' because that's how they scored all their runs. They failed to collect an extra-base hit (the Padres had three) and went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. On most days, that'll get you burned. But on Friday, their hustle on the bases helped them score enough runs. Advertisement In the end, Pressly got a game-ending called strike with runners on second and third, they played Steve Goodman and raised a W flag for the folks on the L. Everyone went home cold and happy. Just how you draw it up. You know, Cubs fans, as a whole, get a bad rap. Sure, the park draws scores of tourists and drunk goofballs from April through September, but hard-core baseball fans are packing the park and hanging on every Pat Hughes enunciated syllable. Those are the people who deserve a winner every year. And maybe this Cubs team will give them one. 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