The White Sox won their Opening Day game at Rate Field against the Los Angeles Angels Thursday, as Sean Burke pitched six sparkling innings and Will Venable got his first win as a big-league manager.The final score was 8-1.

For so many, being here is closer to a ritual than a choice. It’s not that they want to support their historically bad team. They need to.

Three and a half hours before first pitch, I got out of my car and spotted an army tailgating in Lot E. Not long after, my mind wandered back to better days for the Sox.