The Chicago White Sox are coming off the worst season in AL/NL history. After a 41-win campaign, they traded their best pitcher, Garrett Crochet, this offseason. It will be hard for the Southsiders to get fans to the park this year to watch a team openly tanking. The White Sox are hoping to drum up interest for Opening Day by having Bulls legend Derrick Rose throw out the first pitch.
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The White Sox announced Rose's appearance in a social media video that made the rounds on Thursday. In the video, Rose is in full uniform warming up in the bullpen as an organ plays behind him. His jersey features his iconic number 1 and nickname “Pooh.”
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Maybe this will get White Sox fans to the park on Opening Day. Rose is an iconic Southsider, rising from the Englewood neighborhood to NBA MVP for the Bulls. If fans are not interested in supporting Jerry Reinsdorf and the team throughout the season, maybe they will support one of the city's most iconic athletes.
After Rose leaves the field on Opening Day, the White Sox will send out a similar lineup that lost 121 games last year. They start against the Angels, who also had a poor season last year. Getting started with a win would be huge, especially with Rose in the building.
Despite the low expectations for the White Sox this year, they are building for the future. Their trade of Crochet landed them four of the Red Sox's top 15 prospects. If any of them make their debut this season, they are going to bring fans to the park. But for the beginning of the season, it will be a tough scene at Rate Field. Maybe Rose can become a permanent stay as Reinsdorf looks to fill the stadium.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Christopher Hennessy is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints, with additional expertise in the NHL and golf. He graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022, and he has work experience at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders reporter.