I wrote this “Mayor’s Message” in April last year to acknowledge the beginning of Spring and to speak to my love of baseball. This message also presented me with a chance to reflect upon my late son Jon and our shared love of baseball and the Chicago White Sox. I find it as meaningful today as I did last year, and thus, it is worthy of repeating.
The game begins in the spring when everything else begins again.” - Unknown
While I appreciate the beauty of each of the seasons, springtime is definitely my favorite time of the year. Why, you may ask? Well, springtime is a season of rebirth; have you noticed how the grass is turning greener, the buds on the trees just waiting to burst open, and shoots sprouting out of the ground as they prepare to bloom? Each of these, along with Mother Nature teasing us with the occasional warm spring day. Springtime is a season of rebirth, and is almost God’s way of saying, “One more time.”
For me, there is another reason that I love spring; it not only signifies a sense of rebirth, it brings with it the hopes and dreams of every true baseball fan that this season will bring with it the success of their favorite team. While I love sports in general, for me, as Babe Ruth said, “Baseball was, is and always will be, the best game in the world,” and for me, spring brings with it my hope that my White Sox will overcome a disastrous 2024 season and find their winning ways in 2025. I know that is wishful thinking, but with the spring comes the hope that, like the promise of rebirth, the Sox will experience a rebirth while rewarding their fans with an exciting baseball season.
There is another reason why this spring is so special for me; last fall I attended the last game of the home season with my favorite Sox fan, my son Jon. It was a beautiful September day, and the Sox provided us with a victory, and the hope of a better season in 2025. That was our last game together, we both realized that cancer would deprive us of another chance to once again visit the ballpark and cheer on our White Sox. We said goodbye to Jon in October, and while his passing has left us heartbroken, we know that he will always be with us in spirit. Last week saw opening day for the Sox, and the Marchese family was there at the ballpark cheering on our favorite team, and while he wasn’t with us physically, he was present in spirit, and we know that he was cheering his White Sox from his box seat in heaven.
Yes, springtime is special for my family; we will enjoy the beauty that nature brings us, and we will celebrate each White Sox victory, knowing that our favorite Sox fan will always be with us in spirit and in our hearts.
(We will again be attending Opening Day on April 2, and we know Jon will be with us in spirit.)