Certain groups of Chicago White Sox fans need to finally “get over it.”
It’s time to “move on,” because hey, you’ve “already got yours.”
The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox are not truly rivals. This faux rivalry exists only in the minds of a meathead subset of Chicago baseball fans, and there are way more of them on the Soxside than Cubs side. I spent the first 18 years of my life in Sox Country. Born and raised there. I’ve lived the last 14 years in hard core Cubs Nation.
I’ve been working in the Chicago sports media for about a decade, and I can tell you that the White Sox vs Cubs bloodfeud narrative is mostly a media contrived fallacy. Every summer when the two teams meet, the local media rehash the same pointless cliches, and unfortunately, make/keep baseball fans dumber than they should be.
Yes, there are some North-Sider team fans that do revel in hating the White Sox, but it’s minimal compared to the number of Pale Hose fans who just can’t let go of their acrimony for the Cubs.
What’s it all for?
Hey, your team won it all in 2005. Like I said, you’ve got yours. What does a Cubs loss in this World Series really do for you? How does their failure actually make your life better?
If you don’t want to follow my advice, then take your cue from Frank Thomas, arguably the greatest offensive player in club histry.
“The Cubs story is a story in it’s own, and I think the world is interested. Iโd love to see the Cubs win the World Series,” said Thomas today on the World Series press call. The Big Hurt is now a MLB Analyst for FOX, and he wishes only joy, and no hurt for the Cubs this fall classic.
When Thomas retired, he was tied for eighth in AL history in home runs, ninth in RBI and sixth in walks.ย With a .301 lifetime batting average, he is an extremely rarified air, 500 homers and .300+ batting average club.
If you don’t want to listen to Big Frank, then what about the official verified White Sox twitter account?
Congrats to the NL Champs pic.twitter.com/sbHuSJjtxX
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 23, 2016
If that isn’t enough to make you, the bitter disgruntled White Sox fan to embrace the Eamus Catuli! zeitgeist, then what about Ken “Hawk” Harrelson? He’sย been a White Sox broadcaster for 32 seasons, and he’s the most over-the-top homer of any announcer in baseball. The biggest White Sox partisan alive wants the Cubs to win the World Series, and picked them to do so.
I’m not saying that you have to go all in Flying the W, and watch every second of this World Series. If you’re apathetic and would spend your time doing something else, there’s nothing wrong with that at all.
If you don’t care about the Cubs, that’s fine, but passionately wanting them to fail (unless you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan) is just plain wrong, and there might be something off about you. Especially when you consider that the White Sox themselves are on board.
The leading figures of the White Sox community are encouraging you to pledge your support. Now on the other hand, I do understand the frustration with national media forgetting the White Sox and their ’05 World Series title existed. See ESPN SportsCenter and CBS This Morning; and how we called them out for that.
I’m with you, just don’t hold the media being dumb against the Cubs and their community.
Also, if you’re still not convinced you should join the bandwagon, then simply consider the gravity of this situation. Think about how history is happening right around us. Look around at how lucky we are to see this right now.
Joining the White Sox legend of all legends in doing the pre and post game analysis this series will be all time career hits leader Pete Rose and Alex Rodriguez.
“It isn’t just a baseball story or a sports story, the Cubs in the World Series is an โAmericaโ story,” said Rodriguez.ย
“I’ve met people who have said that I ‘haven’t watched the World series in over a decade, but I’m going to watch this one.”
“The Cubs are probably the greatest story in baseball in many many years,” added Rose.
You’ve got to appreciate the situation unfolding right before our eyes.
“The story lines in this series are as much about the fans as the players, on both sides,” said FOX Sports President John Entz.
“Many who were there last night (in Wrigley Field when the Cubs clinched the pennant) said they’ve felt a vibe like that at a sporting event.”
It should remind you about what it was like in 2005 when the White Sox triumphed. You remember how great you felt that night? Why wouldn’t you want other people to feel the shame?
Paul M. Banks runsย The Sports Bank.net, partnered withย FOX Sports Engage Network.ย andย News Now.ย Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEyeย publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country.ย Follow him onย Twitterย andย Instagramย and Sound Cloud.
