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A confession of a Cubs fan...


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And you guys thought it was mine, didn't you? :D

 

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sox/cst-spt-sirott14.html

 

Why Sox are better: Cubs fan counts ways

 

October 14, 2005

 

BY BOB SIROTT

 

I admit it. The White Sox are superior to the Cubs in more categories than merely games won this season. While spending Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at Sox Park (I can't say U.S. Cellular Field without sounding like I have Tom Brokaw's speech impediment) so I could see the playoff games under the ruse of anchoring "Chicago Tonight'' from the ballpark for WTTW-Channel 11, many fine Sox fans took time out from rooting their team on to yell various versions of this line at me: "This must be killing a Cub fan like you.''

 

The truth is, it's not at all hard for me because lately I've become more a fan of the game than simply the team of my youth. And to me, there's no more exciting experience in all of sports than watching two great teams playing postseason baseball in the chill air of October -- right here in Chicago!

 

But aside from that, I have 10 reasons why the South Side baseball experience beats anything the Cubs offer. (Ten because that seems to be the ruling number when writing columns like this.) Make no mistake about it. I never will switch my allegiance to the Sox. The Cubs are my first and true baseball love.

 

But at the risk of having my Wrigley Field seventh-inning singing privileges permanently revoked, I concede to Sox supporters that they have the Cubs beat because of the following:

 

10. Ozzie Guillen is a lot more fun to watch than Dusty Baker. Dusty always has a toothpick in his mouth. Big deal. What comes out of Ozzie's mouth is always an adventure.

 

9. That "Sox Pride'' franchise history video they show on the scoreboard at the beginning of the game. Those images, along with dramatic music working the crowd into a frenzy, even gave this Cubs fan goosebumps.

 

8. The food at the park. My favorite is the corn stand where they remove the corn from the cob. I like it with just butter and salt. I've never seen that anywhere else, not even at Taste of Chicago. And naming concession stands after former players is a nice touch. The Cubs should open up a "Mick Kelleher -- I never hit one home run -- Powerade Drink Stand.''

 

7. Those black-and-tan Sox team jackets. Nicest in the majors.

 

6. The ghost of Bill Veeck. His great spirit is everywhere in the ballpark. The most powerful apparition at Wrigley is that of a goat.

 

5. It's nice to be supporting a franchise whose history requires you to go back only 88 years for World Series championship memories, instead of 97 years.

 

4. The striking southern view of our great city from the ramps on the north end of "The Cell.'' And that always reminds me of how close I am to Chinatown, and the great Italian restaurants of Taylor Street and Oakley Boulevard, when I'm at the game.

 

3. Nice to hear fans yelling "go, go, go'' inside the park, instead of motorists yelling "go, go, go'' to drivers in front of them circling Wrigleyville endlessly as they search for nonexistent North Side parking spaces.

 

2. The nonstop scoreboard videos, games and giveaways -- all accompanied by blaring, upbeat music between every inning. It's like the timeouts at Bulls games at the United Center.

 

1. I'm really only a half-hour from Wrigley Field, where I can go after a Sox playoff game to get relief from my pounding headache. Because lately you can count on peace, quiet, and solitude around that park in October.

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QUOTE(Reddy @ Oct 14, 2005 -> 01:01 PM)
yeah they're finally starting to get it.  we're just a lot cooler than the cubs. 

 

ps. i love how cubs fans hate Dusty now - wasnt he their savior not too long ago?

 

At one time, you couldn't touch Dusty with a mile-long pole!

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I've always loved Sirott, and that is a great piece. My love is the Sox, but in years past it was always so hard to get my wife to understand why I would be glued to the TV during the play-off's.

 

"Why are you watching every game, the Sox aren't in it?".

 

"But it's the game, the Sox are my favorite team in my favorite sport".

 

Nice to see Sirott just loves the game. I don't begrudge any Cub fan that is pulling for the Sox (or Angels) if they are a fan of the game. I begrudge the people who are here now but don't give a toss about baseball for the rest of the year. Those Cub fans who are true baseball fans, who happen to be pulling for the Sox, they have their reasons and they are NOT bandwagon fans. They are baseball fans with a reason. Hats off to people like Sirott who understand the love of the game is the main thing. :drink

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QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Oct 14, 2005 -> 01:19 PM)
They need new slogans:

 

"With Dusty we turn rusty".

 

"With Dusty we get dusty".

 

i gotta hand it to you that second one is really freakin clever.

 

how'd you come up with it?

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Bob Sirott wrote this? The guy from Fox News? My Mom's boss is his sister. I remember an article once or I can't remember where I heard this but Bob Sirott was talking with his nephew who was a cub fan and when his nephew said that he hopes the Sox lose to the indians, Bob started to defend us.

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