Congratulations To The Chicago Cubs

This is a picture of me from October 1984. Notice something odd? Obscured by the pillow I'm holding is a NL Eastern Division Champion Chicago Cubs shirt. So, yes, there is thirty-two year old proof that I can enjoy the Cubs too and I do wish them well. I just prefer the White Sox.

Let this be a congratulations off to the Cubs and their fan base. We White Sox fans know about long suffering World Series droughts. Ours lasted eighty-eight years. Only one score off of the Cubs. "Score" being a term that means twenty years, that was more common closer to the last time that the Cubs won a World Series.

I have lots of friends and family who are die hard Cubs fans, including my beautiful wife. I enjoy the Cubs as I enjoy all of baseball. There is no hatred there. Only admiration and respect.

The only problem I have with the Cubs is not their team or their park. I don't even have a problem with most of their fans. I do have a problem with about .01% of the Cubs fans. I also have problem with .01% of White Sox fans. It the obnoxious fans that go to extremes that really cause the division in among fans. Cubs fans are portrayed as beer swilling, bandwagon party yuppies who don't pay attention to the game and just show up to the park to say they've been there. White Sox fans are portrayed as drunk suburban trash, who storm the field, the few times that they actually show up to the park. I'm here to tell you that neither of these portrayals represent 99.99% of each team's fans. The bad acts of the few should not represent the majority.

I can still cheer on the Cubs and not have to turn my White Sox card in. And the same is true for the Cubs fans. We all love the game of baseball. Shouldn't that be enough? It is in my book. Most fans just want to see a good game and if their team wins that game, it just makes it better.

So cherish this special team Cubs fans. It can be done. This team has proven it. From this moment forward, there will be no more excuses. No goats. No black cats. No Gatorade. No more "lovable losers". You guys are winners. It may require a completely different mindset for some of you, but know it's true.

If you would have asked me back in October 1984, if I would see a Chicago championship in my lifetime, I might have been optimistic, but I would probably have said no. Since that picture was taken, I have seen championships by the Bears, the Bulls, the White Sox, the Blackhawks and now the Cubs. I am simply amazed! It can be done.

Enjoy this moment Cubs fans. Cherish it. Relish in it. You deserve it. May you not have to wait another 108 years for another championship... unless you're playing the White Sox in that championship game, then, I'm sorry, I have to go with the White Sox. It's nothing personal and I hope we can still watch the game together.

Jon, Paul, Geoff & Shingo?

Jon, Paul, Geoff & Shingo. No, it's not anything close to the Beatles. It's a group I like to call the UnBeatables. They were all part of the 2005 World Series Team at some point during the season. As of this writing, only Paul remains.

I still say this would have made a brilliant marketing campaign. So, what if the Sox didn't have a George or a Jorge on the team. They had a Geoff and that's close looking to George. OK, the fact that Geoff didn't get onto the team until July 31st and Shingo was released the next day didn't offer a lot of time. But that never stopped a good marketing campaign. Oh well... missed opportunities.

Shingo appeared in 31 games and saved 8. Those are decent numbers on an average team. The problem was that Shingo was the Opening Day closer. Those are great numbers for middle relief, not so great for your closer. Shingo started out great, but a couple of blown saves in the first couple of weeks rattled him beyond fixing. After that, the Sox cringed whenever Shingo was called upon. I still say Shingo was a main reason that Tadahito Iguchi came to the South Side, and for that and his 2004 season, Shingo is OK in my book.

Geoff Blum was a utility extraordinaire. He didn't get into games that much, but when he did, good things happened. He also appeared in 31 games and batted a cold .200. Geoff wasn't there for his bat, he was there for defense and to give the regulars a rest. By a stroke of luck, Geoff will always be remembered for his bat. His home run in the top of the 14th inning broke the 5-5 tie in the third game of the World Series. Essentially, Geoff won the game with a home run in his only World Series plate appearance. He replaced Bobby Jenks in the batting lineup and played second base in the bottom of the 13th inning.

Jon Garland had his best season, so far, in 2005. He won 18 games during the regular season, made the All-Star team, and was "on" for most of the postseason. The entire pitching staff kept the White Sox in every game. Jon Garland was no exception. While most of the drama of the game he started in the World Series (game 3) happened well after he was out of the game, Jon kept the Sox in the game while he was out there. Plus, nothing could top his performance in the 2005 ALCS, where he pitched a complete game. One of four consecutive complete games that the Sox threw in the ALCS.

Paul Konerko was the glue that held together the 2005 team. He never wanted to be a captain, but that's exactly what happened. With Frank Thomas being hurt most of the year, the players looked to Paulie for the leadership and guidance. Paul is a soft-spoken player who leads by example, like Carlton Fisk, but without the attitude. He was voted the 2005 ALCS MVP and was strongly in the running for World Series MVP. Paul's steady hand caught the last out of the World Series and the White Sox fans rejoiced. 88 years of "almost" vanished the second Konerko caught the ball at first.

The Joe Buck call will always be famous because it was on television. The call I prefer, came on the radio by broadcaster John Rooney. "A ground ball past Jenks up the middle of the infield, Uribe has it, he throws... OUT, OUT!!! A White Sox winner and a World Championship!!! The White Sox have won the World Series, and they're mobbing each other on the field!!!"