SSH2005 Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...t=.jsp&c_id=cws Sox-Cubs brings intensity to spring No matter what time of year, the rivalry never takes a break By Scott Merkin / MLB.com TUCSON, Ariz. -- If there is one member of the White Sox who could best understand the intense rivalry with the North Side baseball franchise, it would have to be Rob Mackowiak. Sure, there are veterans such as Paul Konerko, Mark Buehrle and Joe Crede, who have played in quite a few of these Interleague Windy City battles. And Mackowiak previously has played his entire career for the Pirates, meaning the games against the Cubs or the White Sox had a significantly lower level of meaning. But Mackowiak actually grew up in the Chicago area, in a city called Oak Lawn, just 15 minutes from U.S. Cellular Field. He has a family full of White Sox supporters, and can remember arguing with his friends as a kid as to who was the better team. With all that information processed, the newly acquired jack of all trades had to be a little bit excited about his first Cubs-White Sox clash Saturday at Tucson Electric Park -- even if it was a Cactus League contest. "Actually, I'm not scheduled to play in that game," said Mackowiak with a laugh. "I guess I'll have to wait until the regular season." While Mackowiak watched part of the game in street clothes, a number of his teammates took part in the 9-3 shellacking of the Cubs before a sellout crowd of 11,835. In a long and often times arduous spring schedule, playing in a game with an extra boost of intensity was a welcome change. "I love the Cubs-Sox games," said Brandon McCarthy, who made his spring relief debut Saturday, but also made his Major League debut last May 22 as a starter at Wrigley Field. "Everybody is talking on both sides and you can just tell there's something a little different in the park. "You kind of get more of a regular-season atmosphere out there, as opposed to Spring Training, where everything is kind of quiet. You get tired of playing the Diamondbacks over and over and over again here. "It's good to get a different team, especially a big rival like that where the fans are into it as much as you are," McCarthy added. Being that it is Spring Training, in mid-March, with the sun and 70-degree temperatures more of an issue for the fans than the game itself, there wasn't quite the rowdy interaction between the respective factions in the stands. Working on a tan in the left-field- or right-field berm was a more pressing concern than grabbing bragging rights on this particular day. For the record, Javier Vazquez looked strong for most of his 4 1/3 innings of work, mixing in all of his pitches as he struck out six. Joe Crede finished 4-for-4 with four RBIs, while Alex Cintron made an impressive debut with two hits and one RBI. Aramis Ramirez and Juan Pierre had two hits apiece for the Cubs, with Ramirez launching his fourth home run. This series moved from exhibition status to being counted in the standings back in 1997, and it couldn't have played out more evenly over the past nine years. Since 1999, the two teams have split the six games three times, with no team winning more than four in a given year. That parity intensifies the question of to which team does Chicago truly belong. Is it a Cubs town, with the national knowledge of their franchise through Superstation WGN and their cozy ballpark at Clark and Addison? Or is it a White Sox town, with the team having greater success overall and now playing in a renovated ballpark that truly has something for everyone? As far as the White Sox players are concerned, it doesn't really matter. Even with the electric atmosphere, they try to make it just another game -- a reasonably normal perspective with bigger baseball fish to fry on the horizon. "It's huge for the fans, but for the players, you want to beat them, simply because you want to beat them for the pride of the city but it's also another game," said catcher Chris Widger, who finished 0-for-3 Saturday. "It's a game you need to win, just like beating Cleveland or Minnesota. "If you have a mediocre season and finish .500 and have no chance of making the playoffs, then the rivalry is huge. That's your World Series. If your ultimate goal is to win your division, get to the playoffs and go to the World Series and win it, then that series doesn't mean so much. "Some times it hurts your feelings a little bit, to hear about the Cubs and other stuff," Widger added. "They are the high-profile team, the team that plays at Wrigley Field, where everyone loves to go. We are the White Sox and play on the South Side. That's the way it is and that's the way it's always going to be." Widger compared the rivalry to the Yankees-Mets situation in New York, with the Yankees almost always holding the greater focus. Of course, that focus would change if the Mets won another World Series, just as it gradually has in Chicago after the White Sox 2005 heroics. Located at Tucson Electric Park on Saturday was the great equalizer, the World Series trophy, which had fans lined up for another snapshot or two. Manager Ozzie Guillen said in 2005 that the White Sox needed to win a World Series and then win a second one in order to put the Chicago baseball playing field on more even footing. The White Sox have the chance to accomplish that goal in 2006 but have already reaped the benefits, with record season ticket sales on the books. On Saturday, the South Siders had to settle for a little fun in the sun. Cubs manager Dusty Baker said that he wants to beat the White Sox, whether it's in the World Series or in the Cactus League. Guillen acknowledged that you try to play better once taking the field against the Cubs, with his team showing its most spring intensity on Saturday. He added that he wants to beat the Brewers on Sunday in Maryvale just as much as he wanted to top the Cubs. New players, such as Vazquez and Cintron, have heard about the rivalry prior to Saturday. Other players, such as Minor League sensation Boone Logan, haven't quite comprehended the meaning. When asked about his first Cubs-White Sox experience, after throwing one scoreless inning, Logan replied that "it felt like any other game." If Logan breaks camp with the White Sox and stays with the team until May 19, he quickly will find out that assessment is a little off the mark. "Basically, it doesn't matter where we are record-wise," said White Sox center fielder Brian Anderson, who launched his first spring home run Saturday. "Everyone gets hyped up for these games." "It's ultimately about us playing for our organization, our people, the people in our clubhouse," Widger added. "It's about our loyal fans that are there day in and day out. That's all we can worry about." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 15 minutes from Oak Lawn to the Cell? LOL. Yeah, if you remove traffic, stoplights, and speed limits it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I am incredibly happy with the Vazquez trade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Pratt Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 PS: Dusty Baker should be more worried about his pitchers not being forced to make too many throws and with, you know, trying to beat the Brewers, than with playing the White Sox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayitaintso Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 19, 2006 -> 01:46 AM) 15 minutes from Oak Lawn to the Cell? LOL. Yeah, if you remove traffic, stoplights, and speed limits it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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