The White Sox have an interesting history. Unlike the Red Sox they do not have a tremendous legacy of success that ended in them just falling short. There is not a lot of heartbreak. And the ChiSox are only the second most popular baseball team in their own city. listening to the announcers' calls, the baseball Tonight and Sortscenter guys, and reading the coverage, this year simply did not match the national story that was the Red Sox (then again, that comeback against the Yankees really helped make the Sox a great story in 2004).
Despite the uniqueness of the matchup, and the fact that Chicago and Houston are the third and fourth largest cities in the US, this World Series had record lows for viewership. I am sure this is made all the worse by the fact that the series ended in a sweep. On that front, however, this was the least lopsided sweep I have ever seen. last year, when THE Sox beat the Cards, they took the lead from the outset, never relinquished it, and at no time did it seem like they were in jeopardy of so much as losing a game. This year Houston had its chances but just could not pull any of those games out.
In any case, the White Sox were the best team and they proved as much when it counted. I miss baseball when it is gone, but it has the Hot Stove League, the best offseason of any sport. We have the free agent market, the pending MVP votes, and in the next few days the veins in my neck might pop out if the Red Sox do not sign Theo Epstein to a long-term deal.
1 comment:
Chris --
Although a team from Chicago has NO BUSINESS trying to play the salary card -- that Reinsdorf won't pay more does not mean that he can't, and Boston ought to be lamenting market size in comparison to Chi-Town, you have every reason to celebrate, and they certainly play in such a way to make repeating at least possible. I also agree that Konerko has the potential to be the biggest FA bust but I think he can continue to be an anchor if he remains in Chicago on the South Side.
I did not think it was a dull series -- it was as exciting as a sweep can be, and more importantly, the body of work in the playoffs that the ChiSox did was pretty impressive. And as you say, Your Sox are champs until someone wins 4 WS games next year.
dcat
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