This morning marks the beginning of a new era for the Chicago White Sox, as the ballpark at 333 W. 35th Street once known as U.S. Cellular Field officially assumes its new namesake, Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Chicago White Sox have called U.S. Cellular Field home for the past 14 seasons, but after signing a deal with Chicago-based mortgage company Guaranteed Rate Mortgage this past August, U.S. Cellular Field is no more.
The ballpark shed its U.S. Cellular Field markings on Monday afternoon, replaced this morning by new Guaranteed Rate Field branding inside and outside of the stadium. Fans are not excited about the red downward arrow that comes with the new branding, and the White Sox understand. The White Sox attempted to have the mortgage company modify the arrow to appear to be a home plate for the purpose of the ballpark branding, and the company declined to oblige the request.
The Chicago White Sox agreed to a 13-year deal with the mortgage company that will have their home don the Guaranteed Rate Field namesake starting today. We have seen many excellent moments at U.S. Cellular Field over the years from hosting the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, to Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, and other memorable moments like Frank Thomas and Paul Konerko having their jersey numbers retired, no-hitters, fights, pennant races and milestone home runs by some of the best to ever wear a White Sox jersey.
But before we move on from “The Cell” for good, lets take a stroll down memory lane and look back at some of the best moments that the ballpark on 35th and Shields has witnessed while holding the U.S. Cellular Field name. These are the 10 most memorable moments in U.S. Cellular Field history.