Fans pay $1 to bid farewell to the ‘just horrible, a disaster of a season’ White Sox

CHICAGO — Sharing in the collective misery of a nightmare season may have cost White Sox fans sleep, joy and even dignity.

But at the team’s fourth-to-last home game Thursday, it at least didn’t cost much money.

The ballclub offered tickets for 89 cents — $1 with taxes — for its matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks. And for the thousands of fans who came to cheer and grieve, the opportunity to bid farewell at a bargain was much needed.

The year started with high expectations, Chuck Binelli, 61, said as he drank a Miller High Life leaning on his white Chevrolet SUV before the game. “Just horrible. A disaster of a season,” the Orland Park resident said.

But at least the parking was free for the day, he added.

The lifelong fan feared an apparently impending rebuild. He also wants owner Jerry Reinsdorf to sell the team. And miraculously, he even wanted his beloved Sox to lose.

“I want the D-Backs to win so they screw the Cubs,” Binelli said. The North Siders are in a tight race for a playoff spot with the Arizona team.

But Jared Peréz and Gerald Dalton said they always wanted their Sox to win as they grilled bone-in rib-eyes and filets behind their car. The self-described “100 percent die-hard” fans shared few complaints as their team, in fact, died hard.

Dalton, a nonbeliever in analytics, had lost $2,000 betting on Tim Anderson parlays this year, he said.

“And I still believe in him,” he added. “I would never root for another team.”

The 45-year-old said the only time he’s ever shed tears was for the team. He’s tried, unsuccessfully, to name two of his sons after players, he added. The Berwyn resident, who works at Munster’s Rosebud Steakhouse, likened his $1 ticket to a restaurant giving diners a dessert after a mishap.

Anthony Rivera saw crowds start the season with high hopes. But as losses mounted, attendance dwindled, said the vendor who sells shirts, hats and bobbleheads. It was bad for business, and it was bad for the heart.

The number of people drawn in by the game-day discount was lower than Rivera expected, the 36-year-old from Lakeview said before the game. A friend came by and offered him a ticket.

“Yeah, I’ll probably go in, if you’re not going to use ’em,” he told her.

Near Guaranteed Rate’s entrance, Joe Valentino was trying to decide if he should put on a White Sox jersey. He was rooting for the South Siders to win and give his Cubs a playoff bump, but was struggling to bring himself to put on the jersey over his blue shirt.

“I’m not sure if these things should intermingle,” he said.

But the White Sox fan who Valentino had met for the first time in the parking lot, Shawn Pardieck, was indifferent about the game’s outcome as they tailgated on his black pickup.

“At this point, they’re so bad I don’t really care,” said Pardieck, who drove over three hours from Ellisville.

Despite the team losing every time he came to a game this season, he liked coming to Guaranteed Rate Field, especially for $1, he said. He’s been a fan since he was 12, Pardieck said, and his son is one too.

“I did that to him,” he said.

Inside the ballpark, the stands were noticeably empty before the first pitch for a game with near-free admission. The entire upper deck was empty, and the rest of the stadium seemed to be predominantly unfilled.

As the home team’s players were introduced, scattered applause erupted, reminiscent of a junior varsity high school sports game attended almost exclusively by the players’ parents. More fans were crowded around the Diamondbacks bullpen than the White Sox’s.

“Sox fans, get on your feet for your 2023 White Sox,” the announcer exclaimed as the team took the field. Few fans obliged.

For the scoreless first inning, an awkward silence filled the ballpark. The loudest noise was the incessant hum of the Dan Ryan Expressway. A few people tried to pierce the quiet with cheers. Their excitement didn’t stick.

Suddenly, White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn hit a ball high and deep toward left field. Rick Gonka saw the ball wiggle in the air as it came toward his front row seat in Section 161.

The fan from Arlington Heights tried to catch the home run ball. It hit his hand, bounced up and slapped the right temple of his wife, Susanne Gonka. It then landed in the seat behind him, where he grabbed it. The White Sox scored two runs. The crowd erupted.

It had been a tough season of baseball-watching for the Gonka family. “Last year was a disappointment, this year was a catastrophe,” son Austin Gonka, 24, said.

“It feels disrespectful, really,” Susanne Gonka added.

So the ball, added to the cheap ticket and free parking, helped the Gonkas feel a bit better about their team.

“It’s just a little sweetener on top,” Austin Gonka said. “To only pay $1 to be disappointed, it’s a lot better than $20.”

The White Sox clung to a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning when the Diamondbacks had the bases loaded with two outs.

As the visiting team’s Geraldo Perdomo stepped up to the plate, Tammy Anderson willed center field Section 102 to life. The 55-year-old, who had been dancing for most of the earlier innings, is known for her enthusiasm as a crossing guard at Washington Park’s Beasley Academic Center.

“Yeah! Let’s go,” she shouted.

White Sox pitcher Touki Toussaint struck the batter out looking with his sixth ball.

The big moment made Anderson’s visit to the ballpark even better. It was her first time coming to a game, the Hyde Park resident said.

“Easy-peasy, free parking, this is off the chain today,” she said. “We hit the jackpot.”

It didn’t faze her when her favorite player, all-star shortstop Tim Anderson, struck out swinging an inning later.

“That’s all right, my love. That’s all right,” she said, clapping.

At the top of the ninth inning, the White Sox still led, now up 3-1 after a Yoán Moncada homer. The game was set to end if the troubled team could hold on for three more outs.

Sitting a few rows back near home plate, Ron Zoibi flinched when a Diamondback player hit a ball deep. It sailed toward the outfield fence.

“Oh, that’s out of here,” the 58-year-old Little Italy resident said, seeming to accept things would go badly for the White Sox at some point.

But the ball was caught by an outfielder. The next batter struck out, ending the game. For a day, the team flirting with a 100-loss season were winners.

“It doesn’t make me feel any better, but it’s nice to be out here instead of working,” said Zoibi, who paid $9 for his ticket and hoped the extra $8 would help the team next year.

Dannie and Camille Lee of Dolton got their seats for $1, allowing them to spend $50 on food. For the retired couple who traveled across the country to watch the White Sox play, the affordable win helped make amends for the “maximum rebuilding season.”

“What more can you ask for?” Camille Lee said.

After posing for a photo near the field, Dannie Lee joked that he forgot to bring a paper bag to wear. The team needs to get better, he said with a smile.