The Underdog Advantage

As the White Sox head to Tampa to face the Rays, no one seems to be predicting a victory for the White Sox. I can certainly understand that. With three wins over three different teams in three days, I would imagine that most people think the Sox will show up tired and lacking focus.

Factor in the Sox uncanny ability to fold when trapped indoors, and I would agree that on the surface the White Sox seem to be at a disadvantage.

No one that I remember picked the White Sox to win it all in 2005 either. I wouldn't underestimate the White Sox. They have a tendency to sneak up on teams that dismiss or count them out. When backed up against the wall this season, they have responded well.

Granted, they usually have to be on the brink of elimination to do so. That was also the regular season. Everything changes in the playoffs. Seasons are reborn. Teams have new life. The White Sox have been there before. They have learned from their mistakes in 1993 and 2000. They went 11-1 in the 2005 postseason by being underestimated. It wasn't always pretty, but sometimes baseball isn't.

Will there be drama this postseason? Most definitely! There isn't a postseason without tons of drama from one of the series. The White Sox have flaws, but so does every other team. It's a matter of exploiting those flaws on the other team and covering your own.

Every team deserves to be here. All eight. There were a handful of teams just as deserving, but lucked out in the final weeks of the season. This is where it gets interesting. This is where you throw the regular season out the window. This is where it counts. No team should be underestimated. No team should be given carte blanche. Every team starts at the beginning again. May the best team prevail!