Revamped SoxFest focuses on the future of the team ... while surrounded by the past

And Mark Buehrle finally gets a statue!

For the first time since 2020, the Chicago White Sox finally brought back SoxFest, and what used to be a massive event held at hotel convention centers with thousands of fans has been pared down into a much smaller space and a live-event format. It was held at the historic Ramova Theater in Bridgeport just blocks away from the ballpark, which was a nice touch to add some local flair to the weekend — although that still didn’t help the event sell out. Given the state of the team, many fans were averse to giving any more money to Jerry Reinsdorf, but the good news is that I was lucky to have the opportunity to attend so you didn’t have to!

The night kicked off with our beloved radio broadcaster Len Kasper and his band, the DIFF, performing on stage as fans trickled in. Now I knew that Len was a talented guy, but fun fact: He can also rock OUT on the bass.

Our ears continued to be blessed as the night shifted into the main event as the man, the myth, the legend himself — Gene Honda — announced the players and coaches in attendance for the evening. There were 2005 Champs including Mark Buehrle, Freddy García, and José Contreras, and plenty of new (or mostly-new) faces like Colson Montgomery and Brooks Baldwin, down to new draftee Hagen Smith and recent acquisition Braden Montgomery. And let’s not forget THE legend, Hall of Fame outfielder Harold Baines.

The first panel event was focused on the 20th anniversary of the 2005 World Series, with Chuck Garfien interviewing Baines and the World Champs.

There were plenty of old stories and lore from the playoff run, and Buehrle even bought the entire audience a beer — is there any further proof needed that he should be in the Hall of Fame?

During the panel, the Sox teased a trailer for an upcoming documentary about the 2005 team that is set to release this summer. Listen, I am all for it and will absolutely watch it because that team was glorious — but we’re approaching (or beyond?) 1985 Bears levels of needing to move on.

The 2005 celebration comes alongside the announcement that a statue of Mark Buehrle will be unveiled at Rate Field on July 11, which created plenty of buzz among fans and added some excitement and energy into the venue. Buehrle expressed shock and much appreciation, but it shouldn’t really be all that surprising for someone who gave so much to the organization — and baseball as a whole — and is universally loved by fans. This was an easy win for the Sox this weekend, since Buehrle and the rest of the 2005 guys were able to inject some positive vibes around a team that has had none.

Kasper made his way back to the stage for the final interview-style event, where he presented fan questions to GM Chris Getz and new manager Will Veneble. There were rumblings that Jerry Reinsdorf was in attendance, but he did not make an appearance, naturally. Getz tended to skirt around hard and direct questions, instead touting the future of the team and the young talent pool in the minor leagues. Fans were somewhat checked out during this time, as the promise of a rebuild and the amazing talent on the farm is one they have heard before — and not even that long ago. You could almost feel Rick Hahn in the building, standing next to you.

The rest of the event featured comedian Kevin Bozeman and a lot of fan engagement, bringing up various members of the crowd onto the stage to compete in small games with some of the players — including our very own Melissa Sage-Bollenbach and her son, Sage! Jonathan Cannon, Drew Thorpe, Korey Lee, and Gus Varland were the main men of the hour, and to be fair, it was fairly entertaining and was great to peek into their personalities and senses of humor.

Having some of the newer and talented guys accessible to fans is a great way to get them more ingrained in the “future” of the team and building excitement out of essentially nothing. The event is definitely a step in the right direction, but there is way more work for the White Sox to do to repair the broader relationship with their fans.