White Sox fans outnumbered at Camelback Ranch

Remember last year’s “blackout” tiebreaker game, when White Sox fans clad in black made the Cell look like Goth night at the movie theater?

This wasn’t that.

This was a blueout. Well, it would have been a blueout if about 2,000 additional Dodgers fans had shown up Sunday. But as it was, the ratio of Dodgers fans to Sox fans for the unveiling of the Ballpark at Camelback Ranch was about 10-1.

The Sox knew it was going to be this way when they agreed to share this training facility with the Dodgers. They knew it when the Dodgers were designated the home team for this game. But they officially knew it when “American Idol” star Jordin Sparks, who sang the national anthem, wore a Dodgers cap.

It’s enough to give an organization feelings of inadequacy. In fact, our old friend Mike Downey suggested the place should be called the “Sox Inferiority Complex.” But the White Sox are used to this sort of thing, having fought an uphill battle in Chicago for years against that other team in blue, the mega-popular Cubs.

It’s probably better this way. The Sox wouldn’t have known what to do with themselves if their fans had outnumbered fans of the Dodgers, who, like the Cubs, have a national following. The Sox have always done better with their back against the wall, a chip on their shoulder and any other cliché that might suggest a struggle.

And the Sox were able to do Sunday what the Cubs weren’t able to do in October: beat the Dodgers.

Let the record show that the first home run in the new ballpark came off the bat of 22-year-old Gordon Beckham, taking part in his first spring training.

And let the record show that attendance was a predominantly blue 11,280 for the Sox’s 3-2 victory.

“It’s like we’re playing in L.A.,” Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle said. “It’s kind of their home field.”

This might be the new Dodgertown, but it figures to better for the Sox than Tucson, where they had trained since 1998. They were isolated from many other teams near Phoenix, and they faced two-hour bus rides to some away games.

So they’re not going to complain about black losing out to blue as a style statement.

“There’s no question that when we play the Dodgers there are going to be Dodger fans,” first baseman Paul Konerko said. “There are so many that relocate from L.A. to the Valley here, and this is kind of one of the first stops, the west side here.

“It was to be expected, but it wasn’t much better when we played the Diamondbacks down in Tucson. … But there are still way more White Sox fans [in the stands] than in Tucson.”

This facility is huge. It’s as endless as the line for reality show tryouts. The Dodgers’ facilities are bigger than the Sox’s facilities, and the Sox’s facilities are big. It’s enough to turn manager Ozzie Guillen into a Glendale Chamber of Commerce ambassador.

“I don’t think any one is going to be better than this one,” he said. “It’s like a real Arizona ballpark. It’s not all a bunch of concrete. This is pretty unique. I tell you what, fans should come here and take a look at it. … We’re spoiled here.”

There are a few problems. Construction around the park is ongoing, and it has the feel of a highway project. The background above the center-field wall that batters look into is small and meshlike. Not very good for picking up pitches.

“I don’t know if that was the one they were supposed to send to Williamsport or what,” Konerko said. “The infield was a little firm. But believe me, when it comes to spring training and the fact that I’m living at home [in north Scottsdale], you won’t really hear me complain.”

It was something of a surprise that on a sunny, 80-degree day, the 13,000-capacity ballpark was not filled. It could be the stupid economy. Attendance appears to be down all over the Cactus League. When the Cubs opened their spring schedule against the Dodgers in Mesa last week, 7,916 people attended.

But it’s still baseball in Arizona during the winter, and it’s very, very hard to beat.

The Dodgers finally got on board after 61 springs in Vero Beach, Fla. They received a better deal here, while being closer to their fan base. And they drew huge crowds in Florida.

“It was the only show in town,” said Konerko, whose first organization was the Dodgers. “You could be doing bunt drills, and there’d be 500 people.”

This should end up being like that for the Dodgers. Glendale is a five-hour drive from Los Angeles.

It’s a 31/2-hour flight from Chicago. The Sox wouldn’t mind a few visitors.

 rmorrissey@tribune.com