David Blitstein’s father has held White Sox season tickets since the 1950s, and over the years, he figures they went to about 30 home openers together.
Now, Blitstein, who lives in Roscoe Park, is continuing the tradition with his kids. He and his wife, Lena Blitstein, brought their children Ella, 11, and Isaac, 9, to their third Sox home opener as a family, as the team faced the San Francisco Giants. Isaac brought a baseball and a Sharpie in hopes of scoring Tim Anderson’s autograph.
White Sox baseball means “everything” to her husband, Lena said.
Even as the sky threatened rain, the Guaranteed Rate Field parking lots filled with the smoke from tailgaters’ grills and the sound of cornhole games hours before the game began.
Plenty of other families in the parking lot were observing similar traditions.
Jackie Walsko teared up as she remembered going to Sox games with her dad. The friends she tailgated with on Monday called her “one of the biggest Sox fans on Earth.”
“It’s my favorite thing to do,” Walsko said.
She said her father’s health is deteriorating, but she hopes to bring him to one more game.
The home opener brought Ron Klemme and his son Ean Klemme all the way from Winona, Minnesota to celebrate Ean’s birthday. He turned 20 on Monday, and Ron Klemme figures they’ve celebrated about 10 of his birthdays this way.
Alex Moody, a self-described “Sox fanatic” from Frankfort, Illinois, said he’s been a diehard fan since the 2005 World Series. As someone who grew up on the South Side, being a Sox fan is part of his family lineage, he said.
“Everyone in my family is a Sox fan,” Moody said. He added, laughing: “If you’re from the South Side and you root for the Cubs, you are an absolute disgrace.”
Fans were optimistic about the upcoming season, and seeing the White Sox split their weekend series with the Houston Astros, the defending World Series champions, didn’t hurt.
“They could have probably won all four games, so I think they’re looking pretty good this year,” said Ron Durr, who lives in Bolingbrook. Durr cheered the Sox on with his wife, Alenda Durr and Diego, their son.
Durr also said he is hopeful about the change in Sox leadership, with Pedro Grifol taking over as manager this season.
