White Sox in the World Series! You Heard Me...
Two nights ago, the Chicago White Sox - the team I adopted seven years ago after moving here - clinched a berth in the World Series. It's been 46 years - 1959 - since they last appeared. It's been 88 years - 1917 - since they won it all.
As a lifelong baseball fan, I can appreciate the history. My grandfather, Pa, watches the Cubs religiously and remembers the 1945 World Series, the last time the Cubs made it. They lost. They last won it all a few years before the White Sox last won it all. Together, the two teams are known as the biggest hard luck baseball franchises around. Even the Red Sox, a team that ended its own 88-year championship drought last year, had at least appeared in the World Series several times since then.
But back to the White Sox. They dominated the Red Sox in the first round, winning three games to zero. They then played the Los Angeles Angels and smoked them as well - four games to none. Not only that, their starting pitchers turned in the most dominating performances likely in baseball history. In Game One, the only loss, Jose Contreras pitched 8 2/3 innings. In the next four games, all four starters pitched complete games - from Mark Buehrle to Jon Garland to Freddy Garcia to Contreras again. It's mind-boggling in the annals of baseball history.
My point: Expectations for the World Series are high. It's not known right now whether the Sox will meet the Houston Astros or St. Louis Cardinals. Can the pitching staff keep it rolling after a six-day rest? Chances are they can match the AL pennant winning domination - because beating near-perfection isn't easy - but they'll surely match the level of intensity. This pitching staff is amazing.
I sure hope they can win it all. Just in case they don't make it this far again, it would be nice to be living in Chicago the year they did. On another note, Feisty and I were shut out in our quest for tickets online and via the phone. She's a doll for giving it a shot with me and increasing our chances. Alas, tickets sold out to all games in 18 minutes. It would have been cool of course, but part of me will be just as happy to sit at home and watch in peace with Feisty, or maybe we'll hit a nearby bar with a friend or two and watch with other true fans.
For now, it's just nice to see a Chicago team win when it counts - and convincingly so. The attitude for both the Cubs and Sox has been one of being cursed or some such nonsense. I got to go to a playoff game in 2000, when the Sox last made the playoffs. They stunk in that game - and the whole series. The Seattle Mariners swept them. It was a weak performance and all too typical - coming up small when it matters.
This year's version of the Sox are different. Win or lose in the next round, they've shaken loose that image. Now, here's hoping they've got four more wins in them.
Then next year, for Pa, would it kill the Cubs to follow suit?
As a lifelong baseball fan, I can appreciate the history. My grandfather, Pa, watches the Cubs religiously and remembers the 1945 World Series, the last time the Cubs made it. They lost. They last won it all a few years before the White Sox last won it all. Together, the two teams are known as the biggest hard luck baseball franchises around. Even the Red Sox, a team that ended its own 88-year championship drought last year, had at least appeared in the World Series several times since then.
But back to the White Sox. They dominated the Red Sox in the first round, winning three games to zero. They then played the Los Angeles Angels and smoked them as well - four games to none. Not only that, their starting pitchers turned in the most dominating performances likely in baseball history. In Game One, the only loss, Jose Contreras pitched 8 2/3 innings. In the next four games, all four starters pitched complete games - from Mark Buehrle to Jon Garland to Freddy Garcia to Contreras again. It's mind-boggling in the annals of baseball history.
My point: Expectations for the World Series are high. It's not known right now whether the Sox will meet the Houston Astros or St. Louis Cardinals. Can the pitching staff keep it rolling after a six-day rest? Chances are they can match the AL pennant winning domination - because beating near-perfection isn't easy - but they'll surely match the level of intensity. This pitching staff is amazing.
I sure hope they can win it all. Just in case they don't make it this far again, it would be nice to be living in Chicago the year they did. On another note, Feisty and I were shut out in our quest for tickets online and via the phone. She's a doll for giving it a shot with me and increasing our chances. Alas, tickets sold out to all games in 18 minutes. It would have been cool of course, but part of me will be just as happy to sit at home and watch in peace with Feisty, or maybe we'll hit a nearby bar with a friend or two and watch with other true fans.
For now, it's just nice to see a Chicago team win when it counts - and convincingly so. The attitude for both the Cubs and Sox has been one of being cursed or some such nonsense. I got to go to a playoff game in 2000, when the Sox last made the playoffs. They stunk in that game - and the whole series. The Seattle Mariners swept them. It was a weak performance and all too typical - coming up small when it matters.
This year's version of the Sox are different. Win or lose in the next round, they've shaken loose that image. Now, here's hoping they've got four more wins in them.
Then next year, for Pa, would it kill the Cubs to follow suit?
posted by fringe at 11:30 PM
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