Dazed and Confused

Sox' trip to Series something for all of Chicago to celebrate

October 17, 2005
Pinch yourself if you must, or call your best friend for affirmation if seeing isn't instantly believing, but Chicago -- city of supposed curses, team of supposed chokers -- is going to the World Series! Following Sunday night's gutty defeat of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the drought is finally over for White Sox fans, who now can entertain the very real possibility that the boys of South Side summers, having made it to the fall classic for the first time since 1959, will win it all for the first time in nearly 90 years.



But let us repeat: After so many years of frustration, it's Chicago that's going to the World Series. You're allowed to smile, Cubs fans -- as unthinkable a proposition as this may be for the die-hardiest among you, there is no shame in suspending your animosity for your team's crosstown rivals to root the Sox on. This is a moment in our shared history that all of the city's huddled and unhuddled masses -- North and South Side, East and West -- should celebrate. We should celebrate it because of how hard-earned a feat it is and, let's face it, because it may never come again in our lifetime. The last time the Sox were in the Series, Dwight David Eisenhower was president, Hula Hoops were big and color TV was a rumor. The last time the Cubs played in the fall classic ... well, you know.

And we should celebrate this achievement not just for ourselves, but for all of our loyal rooting grandfathers and grandmothers, and great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, who dreamed all those years of the Pale Hose distinguishing themselves so mightily. The Go-Go Sox of '59 were a swell bunch -- God bless Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox and Billy Pierce and Early Wynn and all the rest. But they didn't have enough to get past that other Los Angeles team, the Dodgers. The way the 2005 Sox have played the last two weeks, it's going to take quite an effort by either the St. Louis Cardinals or Houston Astros to derail their October joy ride.

In recent years, in our opinion, the Sox haven't always been the most likable team, which is one reason they underachieved at the box office. But this year's squad has ingratiated itself with its coolness under pressure -- how about that Crede on Sunday night, how about that Contreras, how about that Konerko again? -- its resilience, its willingness to play unselfish team ball. It has no big-name superstars and a manager who redefines the meaning of loose cannon. But this is a club that is capable of small ball and big ball and all dimensions in between. To complete their conquest, they're going to have to continue playing at a high level -- and, perhaps, continue getting some of the, um, breaks they got against the Angels. But who can doubt their chances?

You don't have to be a Sox fan, or a baseball fan for that matter, to feel uplifted by these games, to be carried by every pitch. It's October, and they're still playing major league ball in Chicago. For once, the Halloween shopping can wait.