It's Gonna Happen! Chicago Cubbies Kick White Sox Back to Southside
YOU CAN FEEL IT IN THE AIR: THERE'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS YEAR ABOUT THE PERENNIAL LOSERS THAT ARE THE CHICAGO CUBS.
Living a mere three blocks from that sacred shrine to baseball Wrigley Field makes it hard to be indifferent to the madness that engulfs Chi-Town every summer. Typically, my only interest is preserving about six feet of cement in which to park my Subaru as legions of fans descend on the neighborhood to spill beer and pledge allegiance to the home team. And when they're not pissing in the bushes or yelling profanities in the wee hours, I can sometimes work up something close to sympathy for the sorry saps who've been waiting for 100 years for the team to win a World Series.
The last time the Cubbies won the championship was in 1908 against the Detroit Tigers. They've come close a couple times since, most recently in 2003 when I was paid to report on the frenzy from the street. I witnessed the grief of the fans when that cursed Steve Bartman earned the oppobrium of a city and an entry in Wikipedia. The Cubs were leading 3-0 during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series when Bartman tried to catch a foul ball with the team only five outs from reaching the Series since 1945. The Cubs argued for fan interference but umpire Mike Everitt rules against the call. And it was all downhill from there: The Florida Marlins
subsequently scored eight runs, forcing a 7th game that the Cubs lost.
But that was then and this is now, and Sunday night the Cubs wrapped up their 3-game sweep against the White Sox, the team that hails from Mayor Daley's side of town. As the Chicago Tribune reported today, "Ryan Dempster (9-2) remained perfect at Wrigley Field with eight-plus innings of one-run ball, improving to 9-0 while pitching the Cubs to their 14th straight home win, their longest streak since 1936. Dempster and the Cubs are traveling in a parallel universe, looking unbeatable at the corner of Clark and Addison Streets."
The crowd was rowdy as they made their way home through the neighborhood, passed pitcher Ted
Lilly's summer crash pad just around the corner from Dempster's digs. I guess I'm going to have to get used to the noise. For, as the true blue say, "It's gonna happen." So to Lilly, I say, "Sorry I wouldn't give up the parking spot." And to Dempster? I love dogs and thanks for the permanent souvenir! But a couple of tixs would have been classy!
Posted June 23, 2008
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