Don't be blue over Cubs -- focus on men in black
October 4, 2005
BY RICHARD ROEPER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Here we are on the verge of Game One of the [World Series], with a legitimate shot at [winning] the World Series, and the most popular slogan with White Sox fans the last few days hasn't been "Go go go!" or "Put it on the board!" or "Yes!" Here are the top three mantras of the White Sox fan:
1. "Cubs suck!"
2. "If the Cubs had won the division, there'd be WAY more coverage in the media."
3. "Cubs suck!"
Guys. We've gotta let it go.
It's always been this way. The relationship between Cubs fans and Sox fans is like the "relationship" between Jennifer Aniston and the stalker who showed up on her property a few weeks ago. Sox fans are the stalker, obsessed with the star. Cubs fans are Jennifer Aniston, saying, "Who is that, and why is he so consumed with me? I don't care anything about him. I don't even know who he IS."
Cubs fans are so wrapped up in their own lore, from Hack Wilson losing Mule Haas' line drive in the sun in the 1929 Series to Babe Ruth's called shot against Charlie Root in 1932 to the collapse of '69 to the Bartman incident, that they don't care about the 1919 Black Sox or the '59 World Series or the doubleheader loss to the Athletics in the final weekend of 1967, or the Dybber overrunning second against the Orioles in '83.
Is this a Cubs town? Absolutely and always. Last Friday, on the morning after the Sox had clinched the division (in typically anonymous fashion, on a weekday afternoon before a tiny crowd in Detroit), I visited a Chicago sports souvenir store on Michigan Avenue, fully expecting to see a window display of "American League Central Division Champion" hats and T-shirts in the window.
Nothing. And there was nothing new inside, either. In fact, there were a lot more Cubs and Bears souvenirs and apparel than White Sox merchandise on display.
You know that if the Cubs had won the division, the next day people would have been selling T-shirts and hats on the streets, let alone in the stores.
Among hard-core, real baseball fans -- the people who know the names Bee Bee Richard and Don Young and Bobby Molinaro and Tuffy Rhodes -- there's probably a 50-50 Cubs/Sox split. But, when we're talking about the casual fan -- not to mention the "I went to the game last night, and I had seven beers, and I met a real hottie, but don't ask me who won" fan -- about 90 percent are Cubbie supporters.
Bridgeport vs. Wrigleyville
Even in mid-September, when the Cubs were out of it and the Sox were fending off the Indians like a beleaguered boxer in the late rounds of a championship fight, if the teams were playing at the same time and you walked into a bar on almost any side of town, you'd find an equal number of televisions tuned to each game.
This isn't because the owners or the bartenders at these establishments prefer the Cubs; it's because most of their CUSTOMERS are Cubs fans.
Same thing with the media. Since the Sox clinched Thursday, the Sun-Times and the Tribune have kicked up their coverage with page after page of White Sox stories. It feels equal to what we saw in the papers when the Cubbies were the playoffs in 2003.
Is the local TV coverage just as strong for the Sox? Probably not. But, again, it's not because television newsrooms are populated with more Cubs fans than Sox fans (though I'm sure that's the case), it's because the news directors are in the business of attracting viewers -- and a Cubs division title is going to be of more interest overall in the Chicago area than a White Sox division title.
When the Cubs clinch a division title on the road, you get thousands of fans crowding the bars and spilling onto the streets outside Wrigley Field. Cops directing traffic, fans climbing up light poles, TV trucks lining the streets. It feels like New Year's Eve.
When the Cubs host a playoff game, of course, the game is sold out. But thousands of fans also gather outside the park, just to hear the roar of the crowd and soak up the atmosphere.
When the Sox clinch a division title on the road, it's quiet around the Cell, other than the celebrations in a few neighborhood bars. And when they play today, yes, the game will be sold out, but who's going to drive to 35th Street to hang around outside the park? There'll be maybe 100 tailgaters sipping Old Style and grilling brats and burgers in the parking lot during the game. Maybe.
And here's the thing about all that, my fellow White Sox fans:
Who cares. Let it go.
It's always been cooler, edgier and more interesting to be a Sox fan in this city. The Sox have almost always had a more diverse team on the field, and a more diverse fan base.
They're Range Rovers; we're Harleys. They're Jimmy Buffett; we're Black Sabbath. They wear that cutesy, pretty shade of blue; we're in black.
If the Sox actually win the World Series, it'll be huge for the city -- but not as huge as it would be if the Cubs won.
And that shouldn't matter one bit to real White Sox fans.
E-mail:
rroeper@suntimes.com
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