No better birthday gift for White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf than a season of improvement
PEORIA, Ariz. — White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf turns 90 on Wednesday, and those close to him say he’s aging well.
“I’d like to sign up right now for the mental acuity he has at 90,” remarked Sox broadcaster Steve Stone, 78.
There’s nothing sharp, however, about the identity of Reinsdorf’s team, which has lost 100 or more games in each of the last three seasons, including a record 121 in 2024. That level of futility guarantees disillusionment and hostility from any knowledgeable fans.
“Having been in Chicago since 1973 [as a pitcher] with the White Sox, they’re one of the most educated fan bases around,” Stone told the Sun-Times. “Some people don’t like it that they boo or don’t show up in a losing streak, but the fan can express his feelings as he wants. There’s nothing wrong with booing. If you’re going to be in line for the cheers, you have to be for the boos. The fans know what is good baseball and what is bad.”
Reinsdorf has seen good and bad both on and off the field since he arrived on the scene in 1981. Much of the booing in the last three years has been directed at him, but Stone, having seen the Sox turn enough corners on the field in the second half of last season, suggests that will quiet down. He expects more cheerful results in 2026 and is bullish about general manager Chris Getz’s road map for success — Getz’s embarrassingly incorrect description of newly acquired Luisangel Acuna as a switch-hitter notwithstanding.
“The fans saw we didn’t have a lot of offense, and the pitching was spotty in the first half, but the team showed in the second half that the rebuilding of Chris Getz and his front office is finally showing dividends — a structure of a pretty competent baseball team,” Stone said.
Other reasons for optimism: rookie shortstop Colson Montgomery’s power stroke and defense, the Sox’ young catching depth and — on paper — an improved bullpen with free-agent acquisition Seranthony Dominguez and added power from Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami.
A return to respectability seems possible.
“Not saying print the playoff tickets, but to judge a general manager is to look at who he has surrounded himself with,” Stone said, referring to assistant GMs Josh Barfield, Jin Wong and Carlos Rodriguez, pitching director Brian Bannister and player personnel director Gene Watson. Barfield will be a general manager one day, Stone predicted, and Rodriguez “worked with a successful Rays organization for 16 years, looked at everything going on here and said ‘I’d like to be there.’ ”
“The front office right now is the strongest we’ve had in a long time,” Stone said. “Chris has done a great job reconfiguring it with a lot of guys from various places who can blend their experience to reformulate the White Sox organization. That part is exciting to me.”
It’s spring training, a time when everyone is excited, including Stone, who’s entering the second year of a five-year contract in the TV broadcast booth, as well as his third year with play-by-play voice John Schriffen. Stone’s deal came courtesy of Reinsdorf, so his glass-half-full portrayal of the Sox’ operations is no shocker. That said, Stone is not the only one envisioning better days ahead, perhaps before billionaire private equity investor Justin Ishbia takes ownership of the Sox in the next few years.
Meanwhile, Reinsdorf remains respected by those who work for him. They also know his disdain for birthday mentions, so expect no fanfare Wednesday at Camelback Ranch.
“He’s one of those guys who, if he tells you something, you don’t have to wonder if it’s the truth,” Stone said. “He’s incredibly loyal and respects loyalty, which is lost in this new society. A lot of the younger people don’t understand loyalty, nor do they care about it much. That’s a problem. Not a problem that Jerry has, though.”