Sorry, this post is also about baseball

Well, the White Sox made the World Series. The interesting thing is that the total lack of hubbub seems to vindicate the inferiority complex of the Sox fans. If the Cubs were in the World Series right now, I have little doubt that this place would be going nuts, and so would the national media. The White Sox? Hey, good for them. And that seems to be the bulk of the reaction. If the Cubs had made the Series, I would have worn my jersey to work; all day today I saw just six people wearing anything Sox-related.

But I think I've figured out part of the problem. A lot of the issue seems to be that the White Sox are, historically, just as snakebit as the Cubs or Red Sox. (For example, the White Sox finished above .500 every year between 1951 and 1967 but only made the Series once because the Yankees and others were in the way - take 1964, in which the Sox won 98 games but still finished a game back of New York. In that same span the Cubs finished over .500 just twice, and neither time were they closer than 14 games of first.) So why don't they get the same press?

Two reasons. One is this: for better or for worse, I think journalists tend to subscribe to the "They threw the World Series so it's their own damn fault" theory. Is this fair? Of course not; why punish the son for the sins of the father? But insofar as people talk about "curses," this is definitely of the "brought it on yourself" variety. (So were selling Babe Ruth and rejecting a goat, but neither in the same violation-of-the-sanctity-of-the-game way.)

I think the other is simply a matter of rivalry. The Red Sox have had the Yankees to measure up against since the Ruth sale; the Cubs have the Cardinals, the Yankees of the NL. The White Sox have... well, quick, name the White Sox's biggest rival. Most Sox fans would probably tell you it was the Cubs. What about in the AL? I mean... the Twins? The Indians? Certainly the White Sox don't have a more successful counterpart in a Yankees or Cardinals vein. (No, the Cubs don't count.)

Having a rivalry is always a key to getting taken more seriously on the national stage. Name a team in any sport that makes headlines every time its coach sneezes and odds are they have a major rival about whom the same is true. The fact that the Sox are not really involved in any such situation helps to keep them out of the limelight.

Anyway, I think I may have come to an uneasy truce. Can I really root for the Sox? Probably not. And more importantly, Sox fans don't want Cubs fans on the bandwagon. (See: the Reinsdorf-Cusack feud.) What good does it do me to hop on when they'd just as soon throw me off? Still, I think I'd rather see them win than either the Cardinals or Astros - at least it's Chicago, and the mere fact that no one seems to be talking about them suggests to me that I'll probably be able to avoid most of the annoyance.

(For more on who Cubs fans should be pulling for, check out this article: who are Cubs fans supposed to choose between St. Louis and the Sox? Some say "St. Louis because it makes the NL Central look better," some say "Sox because it's a Chicago team." For me the most telling line is when the author wonders, "Sox fan, Cubs fan... can't someone be a plain old Chicago baseball fan?" Well, two questions regarding that. One, how many Sox fans do you think would be rooting for the Cubs if they were in the Series? I'd rather not extend them a courtesy they wouldn't return. And two, do you think anyone ever said "Giants fan, Dodgers fan... can't someone be a plain old New York baseball fan?" I'm betting not.)

Is there a point here? I guess not. I started to think maybe I wouldn't feel as bad if the Sox won, but having to hear that every year until the Cubs won? I don't plan on leaving this city any time soon, so I'd really have to hope that the Cubs won soon.

Ugh. This whole situation annoys me. Why couldn't one team I liked even a little bit get through?