SouthSidePride05

Will ESPN break out of their regularly scheduled program to show Thome at bat when he's at 499?

What's everyone's prediction on when Thome will hit #500? My prediction: On Elvis Night, Friday August 10 vs Seattle. Will there be much hype, locally and nationally, leading up to #500, and will it be a big deal? Will it be like any other homerun or will it generate a sellout crowd (if it's at home) with a playoff type atmosphere? I can't wait for this.. it's something to really look forward to in the 2nd half!!

I don't care what anyone says, it's never cool to call your fans a bunch of idiots. We're paying for the tickets, we're supporting the team, and we have to hear some reliever with a bad attitude calling us fans idiots. I'm sure he's heard it all though, and I'm sure he's referring to the drunks sitting in the outfield behind the bullpen in section 158. The fans have had to witness the most disappointing season ever due to the mental weakness of the bullpen, so it's safe to assume he hasn't heard the nicest things coming from the stands while he's about to warm up. On the other hand, Sox fans are known for being knowledgeable compared to other fanbases, so to call the fans idiots is just.. well, idiotic!

It bugs me because these same people don't get it why I wouldn't cheer for the Cubs if they're in the hunt and the Sox aren't. When I was at that party the other day, they thought I was the strange one for sitting back and not joining in the celebration. They thought I had a bad attitute, and that I was too uptight for not cheering for a Chicago baseball team. It blew me away that so many people didn't get it. Thanks for that post, Drew. I guess it makes sense why they have such a national following. I came here with my family in the late 80's when I was a little kid, and I vaguely remember my family watching all the Cubs games on tv. I might've even been a fan back then and worn a Cubs hat/shirt. But then my parents starting getting into the Sox in the early 90's, went to the brand new ballpark, and I remember thinking the new logo was pretty cool. We'd watch all the games on cable and attend a few games throughout the year.. but still I wasn't that big of a fan because at the time I was a diehard Bulls fan, and baseball was a far 2nd. As the years went by, I became a bigger Sox fan, and then I was lucky enough to go to the '93 clincher, and from that moment on, I was hooked and became a HUGE Sox fan.. and hated everything Cubs.

Have you noticed all the casual baseball fans across the country seem to love the Cubs? I called a relative in DC yesterday, who I hadn't talked to in a couple years, and first thing he said was "How about the Cubbies; I bet Chicago's buzzing".. I can't tell you how many times something like this has happened. I also went to a party yesterday, and all these people were watching the Cubs game. I was literally the only one in the room not yelling and cheering. 3 of these guys were actually "Sox fans" in 2005 and did the same thing when the Sox would win, but not nearly as wild. It seems like no one has anything negative to say about the Cubs, unlike like the Sox, when it comes to folks outside of Illinois.

I saw the movie, "1408", last night. I won't go into whether I'd recommend it or not, or give away any spoilers, but there was something in one of the first scenes that surprised me. John Cusack walks into a motel room, puts his stuff onto his bed, throws his hat onto the bed, and the camera zooms in on the hat. Oddly enough, it was a Sox hat. Why they showed that, I have no idea. Isn't he a Cubs fan? While I was thinking about this during the movie, I thought to myself.. they should've renamed the movie to "1908".

I'll second the recommendation for the SeaDog tour. Take the Speedboat Lake Tour; it'll be nice and refreshing and a good view of the skyline. I'd also recommend purchasing a CTA Visitors Pass, since the hotel you're staying at is a bit of a hike to the major attractions, and of course you can take advantage of it when you go to the game. You can get a 3-day pass for $12, which includes unlimited rides. The Holiday Inn is connected to the gigantic Merchandise Mart, which is connected to the elevated Brown Line platform (no need to even walk outside). Check out the CTA Map and notice the Merchandise Mart Brown Line station just north of the Chicago River. http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/maps/2007D.html To get to Millennium Park, take the Brown Line towards the Loop and get off at Madison. To the Cell: get off at Adams and transfer to the southbound Green Line and get off at 35th. A CTA Vistiors Pass is definitely the way to go!

After watching that video, I did another search on youtube, "cubs fight", and came across this one: (Don't click on it if you're offended by profanity) WOW!! And they call our fans losers?

How do they count attendance for tomorrow? Do they always count paid attendance, or people in the seats?

Speaking of seeing Sox attire on tv, last Tuesday I was watching American Idol, and they showed some video of Simon Cowell at some company in LA where locals volunteer their time to stock food and goods together for the needy, and they kept showing one guy wearing a nice-looking Sox jersey.

He left the game yesterday after one swing. Hawk sounded really pessimistic after that. He should definitely stay home when the Sox go on this next road trip. Get healthy for the next homestand. After this upcoming road trip, the Sox will be in Chicago for 17 straight days.. I'm sure they're happy about that!

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Apr 13, 2007 -> 06:28 PM) Brandon Donnelly JT Snow (retired) Pudge Rodriguez Garrett Anderson David Eckstein (true story...I hated him in Anaheim...my fellow season seat holders in my section used to ask me all the time why I would consistently boo him every time he came to the plate and finally at the end of the season this old lady asked me how I could boo such a nice young man). Brandon Donnelly Sammy Sosa Scott Podsednik Kenny Rogers Why do you hate Podsednik? I hate a lot of players out there, but for some reason my top 2 are Justin Morneau and Bobby Howry.

QUOTE(zimne piwo @ Apr 10, 2007 -> 12:57 AM) Isn't Colin Cowchip the asshat who said that hardly anyone showed up for the White Sox victory parade in 2005? Did he ever acknowledge that he was wrong, because it's been documented everywhere that 1.75 - 2 million people showed up for that parade?

QUOTE(Sonik22 @ Mar 24, 2007 -> 05:44 PM) This is eerily similar to the Hitler Youth, just watch the trailer. I might pick this up, but this creeps me out. Ha ha Yeah, it creeps me out too. Sad thing is, my parents are just like that hefty preacher lady, just as religious, and today we have a very distant relationship. For some reason I wasn't brainwashed, like the rest of my family.. but I play along like I am.

Has anyone here seen the movie, Jesus Camp? Haven't seen it myself; only seen a few clips on YouTube. I might have to go out and rent this.. could be entertaining. Check out this clip: Jesus Camp

I know we shouldn't worry about attendance, and it's a tired subject, but I'm still interested to see what you all think the attendance will be like at USC in April. Unfortunately I'm stuck at a job with coworkers who happen to be Cub fans (only 2 other Sox fans in my department) and they always talk among themselves about Sox attendance.. and when it's high they turn it around with talk about bandwagoners. It's just fascinating how obsessed they are with all things Sox-related. I overhear them talk about the Cell all the time.. even more-so than Wrigley. With that being said, I have a feeling they're gonna have a lot to talk about in April. I wouldn't be surprised if most games in April are half-full with the outfield seats and upper deck seats completely empty. Checking w/ ticketmaster and calling for tickets yesterday, April games, like every year, are selling the slowest. I also noticed during the broadcast the other day, Hawk, DJ and Brooks were begging the fans to get their tickets early, particularly for April. Personally, I think they should have cut all April ticket prices in half for "fan appreciation month" (in honor of last year's highest attendance record) and promoted the hell out of it. Again, I know it's something we shouldn't worry about it, but it does put a little damper on the excitement when that's all you hear about it April.

I might be the only one here who gets bothered by this, but maybe there's some others out there just like me. For some reason, it really bugs me that the Cubs are so popular. It just boggles my mind. They seem to be especially popular among out-of-towners, people who fantasize about Chicago, or people who have this delusional obsession of the greatness of Wrigley Field. I was watching the Bulls game the other night on national tv, and Hubie Brown mentions something about short-sleeve t-shirts and spring-time, and then he says the first thing that comes to his mind: "The Cubbies, it's almost that time of year". I live in Chicago, but recently I've been traveling a lot, to and from other cities, and sometimes visiting hotels in Chicago for conventions. All these out of towners HAVE to bring something home from Chicago that says "Wrigley Field" or "Cubs" on it. I've noticed Chicagoans aren't quite that obsessive over the Cubs, but people everywhere else views "The Friendly Confines" as this holy shrine that has to be visited. A few days ago I walked in one of the hotel gift shops here in downtown, and 2 Sox hats sat atop a collection of generic "Chicago" t-shirts, and on the opposite side was an entire wall set up with Wrigley Field souvenirs, everything from postcards to those snow-dome souvenirs to magnets to baseball caps, and then there were Cubs tshirts of over a dozen designs, probably over a hundred different souvenirs for the Cubs, and only 2 Sox hats. And I've noticed this in other hotels too. I also get a ton of people talking about the Bears loss in the Super Bowl, since they know I'm from Chicago, and then the inevitable "Well now it's almost baseball season, Go Cubbies". WTF? It's as if the Sox never won the World Series, and the more years go by WITHOUT the Cubs winning a World Series, the more loveable and non-threatening their symbol becomes. The worst thing that gets to me is when people question why I'm a Sox fan. They ask why the White Sox are still ignored by Chicago and why their attendance is not high, and it's all negative stuff... negative stereotypes. Why does this bother me? Does it bother anyone else?

I have tickets for Tuesday Sept 19 vs the Tiggers, and I honestly believe we'll go ahead of them during that series. This is gonna be SWEEEEEEET!!!!!!!

Every game on this next homestand is sold out, expect for the last game on Thurs, Aug 17th. That means we're guaranteed 21 consecutive sellouts, and possibly more if that Thursday game vs KC sells out.

I missed this show last weekend on Comcast SportsNet where Chuck Garf***le, or whatever his name is, spent 2 days with Jim Thome, and a camera followed along. Did anyone else catch this show? I'd like to hear a review if anyone saw it. I was kinda bummed that I had to miss it. Thanks!

Oakland up 8-5 now. Come on A's!!

It started 2 weeks ago from tonight, with Buehrle on the mound vs Boston. It's been all downhill since then. This team is getting too down on themselves on the field... it's showing in their body language/swings/focus, and it just gets worst when we give up the lead. Same with the pitcher.. (except for Garland/Count).. gets down on himself and goes completely mental and can't throw a damn strike. It's all mental right now. Where's the freakin psychologist?!

After that bad inning by Buerhle, it was basically over.. again. That one bad inning is killing us, and it doesn't help when the lineup is in a mental slump. This sucks!

I wonder if they're still doing the wave. This is getting pathetic!

Just saw on the news that tonight is "Gay Games Night at the Ballpark" at US Cellular Field. I was wondering how tickets sold out so fast when last week I checked there was about 4000 tickets still available, and then within a few hours, it was sold out. The White Sox must have bought out all the tickets and handed them out free to all the participants. Mullet Night/Gay Games Night.. should be a colorful one.