Folinazzo

I actually shed a few tears when the White Sox won the World Series. I started tearing up when Joe Buck was talking about the Irish and Italian neighborhoods in Chicago that are filled with fire fighters and policemen. For that brief introduction to our city, I felt extremely proud to be a born and bred blue-collar Chicagoan. I thought about my parents’ friend Donald Masi who died last year and never got to see his beloved White Sox win the fall classic. I was emotional thinking about so many other die-hard Sox fans who died in the last 88 years who never saw their team go all the way. I thought about all of this even though it wasn’t my team that was one out away from winning the World Series.

And then the 2005 baseball season officially ended. And I got mad. And I asked “Why?”

“Why can’t it be my Chicago team winning the World Series?”
“Why do the Cubs continually have horrible managers?” Which lead to “Why is Dusty Baker still around?”
“Why don’t the Cubs have such team solidarity as the White Sox?”
“Why can’t the Cubs play small ball and smart ball?”
“Why will I be subjected to another year of horrible and heartbreaking Cubs baseball?”
“Why doesn’t the Tribune Company care about the Cubs and their fans the way the White Sox organization does for its team and their fans?” (By the by, is there any truth to Mark Cuban being interested in buying the Chicago Cubs? Please, please, puh-lease???)

This is one Cubs fan who can appreciate great baseball even if it means liking the team everyone says a Cubs fan should hate. But here’s the thing - I don’t hate the White Sox. I wish the Cubs were half the team the Sox were this year.

However, one pitfall for the White Sox - their fans. If one more Sox fan tries to make me feel bad because their team won the World Series, I swear, I’m gonna hit ‘em. Here’s what I’ve said from the beginning - what do the White Sox have to do with the Cubs, anyway? Absolutely nothing! Can’t you like your team and I’ll like mine? I can’t tell you how annoyed I was when I went to two postseason Sox games and saw their fans wearing anti-Cub shirts:

The Chicago Cubs symbol that said “Cork” instead of “Cub” - um, Sosa’s been off the team since last year, so get a new shirt!

“Wrigley Field is the world’s largest gay bar!” - um, huh? That’s just a little offensive, wouldn’t you say? Are you suggesting gay people don’t go to Sox games?

The shirt that says “Cubs Fan” and has a drawing depicting a man giving another man fellatio. Wow, that’s mature.

And all this brings me back to my original question - What do the White Sox have to do with the Cubs, anyway??? Instead of wearing anti-Cubs, how about pro-Sox? The throw-back jerseys and other gear are really popular right now. Why don’t you jump on that bandwagon?

Here’s what I propose - if you like baseball (like I do), then enjoy the baseball season. If you like the Cubs then support your team. If you like the White Sox then support your team and quit ragging on the Cubs and us fans. Don’t insult me because of the team I grew up watching. I can appreciate the great team that is the 2005 White Sox. Actually, I’m going to Sox Fest in January. And if one person says anything bad about the Cubs that weekend I may hit ‘em, or I may just ask them - can’t you just enjoy your team’s world championship?

We finally have a championship baseball team here in Chicago. It’s not the team I prefer - those North Side loveable losers - but it’s an event to relish nonetheless. Big congrats to the White Sox for a phenomenal season and an even more impressive post-season, and for sweeping those hated Houston Astros. With whichever Chicago team your loyalty lies, you have to admit it was near impossible not to get behind these White Sox. What a likeable group of guys. I even have a new favorite: Captain Clutch himself, Joe Crede.

The city has a big parade and party planned for tomorrow, October 28th. Details of the event are here. If things weren’t so hectic at work right now, I would probably be playing hooky to join the celebration.

On a more selfish note, I was not ready for baseball season to end. It is now time for me to slip into my annual deep, dark depression. How many days till Spring Training???