Anderson, White Sox letting the good times roll - imagine if fans were allowed

Since baseball fans can't attend games in person this season, watching on TV is the obvious option.

And they are tuning in for the short season, especially younger viewers.

According to Nielsen data MLB provided to the Los Angeles Times, ESPN national broadcasts are up 64% among men in the key 18-34 age group and up a whopping 83% among women in the same age group.

Baseball has long tried capturing a more youthful demographic, and this season has been a rousing success on that end so far.

It's looking like the White Sox - a fun young team on the rise - are in the right place at the right time.

In Monday night's win over the Tigers, the Sox were on full display and Guaranteed Rate Field would have been pulsating if there was a crowd.

Not only did the White Sox hit 6 more home runs against Detroit, left fielder Eloy Jimenez and center fielder Luis Robert yucked it up in the ninth inning.

With one out, the Tigers' Victor Reyes hit a flyball right at Jimenez, but the speedy Robert swooped in to make the catch. After picking up Robert's rapid path, Jimenez stood flat-footed and gave the White Sox's star rookie a humorous look of dismay.

"(Jimenez) didn't say anything," Robert said through a translator. "He just looked at me, like basically saying, 'Are you kidding me?' But it was fun. I like to have fun. He does, too."

Nobody gets the good times rolling for the Sox better than star shortstop Tim Anderson.

He led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run Tuesday night for the second straight game and had a blast watching the drive sail 422 feet over the left-field fence before circling the bases with his usual flair.

If there is one major-league player that is drawing younger fans to the game in droves, it's Anderson.

"We're actually real people," he said. "We're interacting on social media, we're posting things, being more relatable. We're giving them dope baseball content that they want to see. We're also doing things that are fun in between the lines, more so than just throwing and hitting. You've got guys that are just acting funny, just having fun.

"We're enjoying the game and I think that's something they need. You know the kids, nobody worries about stats when you're younger. You just worry about having fun and going out and playing. I think that's kind of what we're doing on the South Side, just go play, don't worry about your stats or your numbers. Just help the team win, that's the ultimate goal."

Anderson had a predictable reaction when asked about former Sox prospect Fernando Tatis Jr., who is now with the Padres.

On Monday night, Tatis came up with the bases loaded and San Diego holding a 7-run lead in the eighth inning at Texas. He missed a take sign on a 3-0 pitch and hit a grand slam.

New Padres manager Jayce Tingler was not happy with Tatis, calling it a "learning opportunity. He'll grow from it." Tatis apologized after the game, which stunned Anderson.

"Apologize for what?" Anderson said. "There's no need to apologize. You hit a home run, he hit a grand slam. What are you apologizing for? You know, the thing I found weird is that his manager didn't back him up, which was weird. And he did it in public. Even if you don't back me up, don't do it in public. We'll talk about it behind closed doors.

"(Tatis) plays with a lot of energy and I like it, I like to see it. That's the only way the game's going to change, allowing them to be themselves. If the pitchers don't like it, don't throw it in the zone."

Baseball's "old guard" had a much harsher reaction to Tatis. Too bad, according to Anderson, the American League's batting champion in 2019.

"We're on a new wave," Anderson said. "All the older guys that are really talking, they're not playing anymore. Much respect to them, but they're not stepping in between the lines. They don't know the path that guys took to get here. Every guy's path is different. And they don't know how guys like to go out and play, with a lot of energy.

"That's the way that you can be your best, if you're playing like that, at a high level with a lot of energy. We don't worry about them, the older guys. They're no longer playing. But much respect. Make sure you put that (in), much respect to the older guys."