But there is at least one fan who’ll be playing on the South Side who is very familiar to Chicago baseball fans — from the other side of town.
Mike Tauchman has changed his stripes from Cubbie blue to South Side black. The Palatine native’s rebirth with the White Sox was spurred by staying close to home with a newborn at home.
“You know, we have a great support system at home. You know, all our parents are still close, and my sister and my wife’s sisters all live in the Chicago area. So just kind of having that community, especially with the little one — they’ve been great so far,” Tauchman said. “Baseball season is crazy, so sometimes you need an extra set of hands, and having somebody right down the road really helps.
Among the handful of 30-somethings on a young Sox roster, the 34-year-old Tauchman welcomes being the old man in the clubhouse.
“I was a young player once, and you know, this is my 11th spring training — getting a little bit older,” he said. “The opportunity to give a helpful piece of advice or let somebody vent or download something, you know, I had so many great role models in that way, and obviously, I love this game — and I’m looking forward to interacting with some of those guys.
Without risking getting him into trouble, Tauchman was asked what team he rooted for growing up in Chicago.
“I mean honestly, it’s a little bit of a cop out, but probably both. I was just such a huge baseball fan growing up,” he said, “and my mom is from the South Side, so she’s always been more of a Sox fan. Sox games were on at night when you were a kid. Dad would get home from work, and that’s what would be on at night before we went to bed.”
Tauchman said once he was a little older and had a driver’s license, he drove out to Wrigley Field to see Cubs games. But the first game he ever went to was a White Sox game.
Now, his mission is to raise White Sox fans’ expectations by playing good baseball.
“The Cubs have great fans, and the White Sox have great fans too. I’ve always said in this city it feels like if you’re a White Sox fan, you chose to be a White Sox fan — and you live and die with that team,” Tauchman said. “An extremely passionate fan bases, you know, and they deserve some quality baseball this year — and we’re going to try and give it to them.”
Tauchman says since it’s early in camp, he isn’t too concerned about his on-field role with the team. But the lefty does expect to get a decent number of at-bats either, platooning in right field or at DH.
