‘Second holiest day’: Sox fans back for home opener

The old saying goes, “You can’t beat fun at the old ballpark.”

White Sox fans find fun where they can.

“Wreck-It” Ryan McCann of Geneva and his tailgating friends found it in a parking lot across the street from what is now Rate Field two hours before game time.

McCann was among the tens of thousands at Thursday’s opener hoping for better times. He attended four home games last year; the Sox lost all of them.

A Romeo y Julieta cigar jammed in his mouth and a Winning Ugly-era logo on his jersey, McCann grilled hot dogs, brats and burgers for the group. Nearby stood a container of pasta salad.

McCann and his friends gather every year in tribute to the memory of Steve Ulczak, a die-hard Sox fan, who passed away before the Sox won the World Series in 2005. He has a brick in his honor at the park that says, “The Sox won for you, Dad.”

Several years later, Ulczak’s daughter, Kim McBride, received a marriage proposal in front of the brick.

“I take a personal day from work because I say it's a family obligation,” said the late Steve Ulczak’s daughter-in-law, Megan Ulczak, who lives in Oak Park but hails from Lombard.

She not only married into the family. Raised a Cubs fan, she adopted its favorite baseball team.

“I’ve never had a better time and been around more real down-to-earth people than coming to (Rate Field),” she said.

Inside the park, in the patio area, Ron Caminiti of Palatine and John Pontikes of Des Plaines were enjoying a pregame meal.

“I always look forward to opening day. It's the second holiest day of the year,” said Caminiti, who attended his first opener in 1971.

While attending last year’s opener, he was impressed by what he saw on the field. Little did he know what was in store.

“We were leading 37 games and we lost them all after the seventh inning. That's what was the depressing thing,” said Caminiti, who attended 20 games in 2024, of which the team won four.

Pontikes said he would like to see an improvement of 25 games this year.

“I think they will definitely win 60,” he said. “I would like to keep the losses under 100.”

He said he is looking forward to seeing young talent brought up later in the year, including shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery.

“It’s a transition year. A transition to the better,” Pontikes said.

There was reason for optimism early in the game. Starter Sean Burke dominated Angels hitting, Michael A. Taylor made a spectacular catch in the outfield and Austin Slater lit up the overcast skies with fireworks after slugging a home run.

The Sox grabbed an early 3-0 lead. That’s three more runs than the team scored in last year’s opener.