brett05
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Have you a favorite team in Chicago? I am sure most of you do. And no, I am not talking about those that live in Chicago but root for a non-Chicago team. I am talking about those that root for Cubbie Blue or Good Guys Wear Black. To those that loved the sound of "Hey, Hey" or "Yes!" after homeruns.
At some point, most rooted for one team or the other. Perhaps it was their grandfather that rooted for one team, perhaps it was the ability to listen to day baseball on the transistor radio (if you don't know what a transistor radio is, I suggest you use the internet a bit less). In any event, you were presented with a team and more then likely you followed that team. At times, following them with blind passion. And the by-product of being loyal to your team was a dislike of the other team in Chicago. The question really is "Why?"
Why do we not root for both teams? Why is it an "either or" proposition? I don't understand. They both play the game we all love, baseball. They both sell food we like and drinks we sample. They both wear uniforms most of us wish we could fit in let alone play in. For some reason it is taboo to root for the two teams that play baseball in Chicago.
I was one of them. My father and grandfather took me to my first baseball game. It could have just as easily been to Wrigley Field instead of Comiskey Park. After I ate my hot dog, I was ready to go home. But I was told that the fireworks hadn't happened yet. So I took my coloring book with crayons (the night's giveaway) and turned my seat into a desk. When I heard the scoreboard go off, I looked at them and said can we go now? (It was only a home run.) I never did see the fireworks that night. I fell asleep changing the aformentioned desk to a bed. But a White Sox fan was born.
I remember visiting my grandparents and laying next to my grandfather on a pillow. We were watching a barely qualifying color television listening to the voices of the White Sox - Harry Carry and Jimmy Piersall. Rides home from the games with my Dad was another relaxing time listening to Piersall do wrap up. I never did follow the Cubs. I even disliked them.
The Cubs played the White Sox every year in an exhibition game. One year at Wrigley Field, the next at Comiskey Park. And that game meant a lot to Cubs and Sox fans. Neighbors would talk up a storm a week or two out and then the victor (usually the White Sox) would brag for another year. The White Sox would go to the playoffs in 1983, followed by the Cubs in 1984. (Side Note: I made my first bet in 1984 after the Cubs were up 2-0 against the Padres. I bet twenty five cents with my fifth grade teacher. He still owes me a quarter.) The Cubs would go in 1989 and the White Sox would go in 1993. The White Sox should have gone in 1994, but baseball needed time off to regroup. The battle raged on. The Cubs went again in 1998 and then in 2003. Still it wasn't until 2005 that a Chicago squad won a World Series in more then 85 years.
That should end the debate right? The White Sox won the World Series. But it doesn't. In reality, the debate never should have started.
Do you not follow your son in little league because you are a Cub fan? Of course not. Do you stop following the White Sox because you have a strong interest in your old high school's baseball team? Absolutely not. Most cities have more then one team in them. It's ok to root for teams in the same city, especially when they aren't even in the same league. And that's exactly what I am doing now. I root for both the Cubs and the White Sox. I can remember a promotion several years ago about a billboard that overlooked Lake Shore Drive when you were headed south. It simply read 10.4 miles to major league baseball. How true that sign was.
The Chicago Cubs aren't a major league team and thus it's ok to root for them. You can't have as many years of failures as they have and still be taken seriously. You can't have a stadium full of fans and only 50 of them know that the guy that played second base for them for most of the 80's was a man named Ryne Sandberg. You can't keep treading out announcers that are oblivious to the action on the field due to their drinking (Harry Carry) or their eyesight (Ron Santo). You can't have fans that say our team is better 'cause we have better attendance. Heck, Cubs fans would go out in December and comment that the game was great. You can for a non major league team though. So Chicagoans, there's nothing wrong with rooting for both teams. They play the same game, just one team plays it at a different level then the other.
At some point, most rooted for one team or the other. Perhaps it was their grandfather that rooted for one team, perhaps it was the ability to listen to day baseball on the transistor radio (if you don't know what a transistor radio is, I suggest you use the internet a bit less). In any event, you were presented with a team and more then likely you followed that team. At times, following them with blind passion. And the by-product of being loyal to your team was a dislike of the other team in Chicago. The question really is "Why?"
Why do we not root for both teams? Why is it an "either or" proposition? I don't understand. They both play the game we all love, baseball. They both sell food we like and drinks we sample. They both wear uniforms most of us wish we could fit in let alone play in. For some reason it is taboo to root for the two teams that play baseball in Chicago.
I was one of them. My father and grandfather took me to my first baseball game. It could have just as easily been to Wrigley Field instead of Comiskey Park. After I ate my hot dog, I was ready to go home. But I was told that the fireworks hadn't happened yet. So I took my coloring book with crayons (the night's giveaway) and turned my seat into a desk. When I heard the scoreboard go off, I looked at them and said can we go now? (It was only a home run.) I never did see the fireworks that night. I fell asleep changing the aformentioned desk to a bed. But a White Sox fan was born.
I remember visiting my grandparents and laying next to my grandfather on a pillow. We were watching a barely qualifying color television listening to the voices of the White Sox - Harry Carry and Jimmy Piersall. Rides home from the games with my Dad was another relaxing time listening to Piersall do wrap up. I never did follow the Cubs. I even disliked them.
The Cubs played the White Sox every year in an exhibition game. One year at Wrigley Field, the next at Comiskey Park. And that game meant a lot to Cubs and Sox fans. Neighbors would talk up a storm a week or two out and then the victor (usually the White Sox) would brag for another year. The White Sox would go to the playoffs in 1983, followed by the Cubs in 1984. (Side Note: I made my first bet in 1984 after the Cubs were up 2-0 against the Padres. I bet twenty five cents with my fifth grade teacher. He still owes me a quarter.) The Cubs would go in 1989 and the White Sox would go in 1993. The White Sox should have gone in 1994, but baseball needed time off to regroup. The battle raged on. The Cubs went again in 1998 and then in 2003. Still it wasn't until 2005 that a Chicago squad won a World Series in more then 85 years.
That should end the debate right? The White Sox won the World Series. But it doesn't. In reality, the debate never should have started.
Do you not follow your son in little league because you are a Cub fan? Of course not. Do you stop following the White Sox because you have a strong interest in your old high school's baseball team? Absolutely not. Most cities have more then one team in them. It's ok to root for teams in the same city, especially when they aren't even in the same league. And that's exactly what I am doing now. I root for both the Cubs and the White Sox. I can remember a promotion several years ago about a billboard that overlooked Lake Shore Drive when you were headed south. It simply read 10.4 miles to major league baseball. How true that sign was.
The Chicago Cubs aren't a major league team and thus it's ok to root for them. You can't have as many years of failures as they have and still be taken seriously. You can't have a stadium full of fans and only 50 of them know that the guy that played second base for them for most of the 80's was a man named Ryne Sandberg. You can't keep treading out announcers that are oblivious to the action on the field due to their drinking (Harry Carry) or their eyesight (Ron Santo). You can't have fans that say our team is better 'cause we have better attendance. Heck, Cubs fans would go out in December and comment that the game was great. You can for a non major league team though. So Chicagoans, there's nothing wrong with rooting for both teams. They play the same game, just one team plays it at a different level then the other.
