Go Sox Go!
October 26, 2005 9:51 PM   Subscribe

88 years in the making. The Chicago White Sox have swept the series.
posted by wfrgms (74 comments total)
 
OK, that's good. Red Sox, White Sox. I'm holding out for the Cubbies.
posted by bigbigdog at 9:58 PM on October 26, 2005


.
posted by dersins at 9:58 PM on October 26, 2005


el duque owns face
posted by wakko at 9:59 PM on October 26, 2005


It's baseball season?
posted by bicyclingfool at 10:03 PM on October 26, 2005


Bah, I don't even WATCH hockey.
posted by Balisong at 10:08 PM on October 26, 2005


It's always so cool to feign ignorance when it comes to topics that aren't supposed to be cool anymore.
posted by setanor at 10:08 PM on October 26, 2005


soccer? who the hell follows that?
posted by wakko at 10:11 PM on October 26, 2005


congrats to the other sox.
missed the entire series.
posted by Busithoth at 10:12 PM on October 26, 2005


Fucking DOMINANT

8 straight wins in the post season?

Damn!
posted by stevejensen at 10:14 PM on October 26, 2005


yeah, but they still live in chicago
posted by pyramid termite at 10:15 PM on October 26, 2005


I was really expecting them to throw it.
posted by maryh at 10:16 PM on October 26, 2005


After the Sox won, my neighbor is in his backyard shooting his shotgun into the air. I go out on the porch and yell at him "Noel, what the fuck are you doing?" He looks at me with beer soaked eyes and says "It's OK, it's OK.....It's only a shotgun man. It's not like I'm shooting bullets. "

/urban pioneer
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 10:21 PM on October 26, 2005


Sox win!!! Sox win!!! Sox win!!! Without Eddie Gaedel, even!!!
posted by johneb at 10:27 PM on October 26, 2005


Speaking of links to the Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper has labored as a columnist there since the '80s. A South-sider, well a south suburbanite anyway, Roeper has always worn his White Sox on his sleeve. Today's column cherry-picks some of his best material from the past dozen years.
posted by SeeAych4 at 10:30 PM on October 26, 2005


The only thing better than winning the World Series is doing before the Cubs.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:35 PM on October 26, 2005


I used to work in Chicago.
posted by bardic at 10:43 PM on October 26, 2005


Man, all those guys who have played for the White Sox for 88 years must be REALLY pumped.

I watched most of the series -- the 'Stros had plenty of chances to win some games (especially the 14-inning game three) but just couldn't get the hits when they needed them. I didn't particularly care who won this year, but anything to make Cubs fans unhappy, I'm for.

And someone needs to take post-season baseball away from Fox. At gunpoint, if necessary. Tim McCarver is just the worst, worst, worst, and Fox's stupid talking cartoon baseball, and their habit of setting every single graphic on fire, and coming back from commercials two pitches into the inning... it makes it really hard to watch the games unless you have some investment in the teams playing.
posted by notmydesk at 10:48 PM on October 26, 2005


If the Cubs win next year it must be the end of the world.
posted by fshgrl at 10:50 PM on October 26, 2005


Is anyone rioting?
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 11:00 PM on October 26, 2005


I'm totally rioting through my underpants drawer as we speak.
posted by loquacious at 11:03 PM on October 26, 2005


Can you send me a pair? I'm behind on my wash.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 11:10 PM on October 26, 2005


yawn... yes, I'm cool because I don't care about baseball
posted by pmbuko at 11:31 PM on October 26, 2005


Woot!
posted by AllesKlar at 11:36 PM on October 26, 2005


Aside from the extra-innings game, did it ever really seem in question? I dunno. I don't think this was much of a series, honestly (though it's nice to see the Sox take one). Just like how last year all the real action was in the playoffs.
Maybe the Tigers next year, God?
posted by klangklangston at 11:36 PM on October 26, 2005


I used to work in Chicago.

I live in Chicago. Um. I guess that's all I have to say.

Ok, see ya.
posted by Jesse H Christ at 11:37 PM on October 26, 2005


Fucking DOMINANT

8 straight wins in the post season?

Damn!


Um...

Red Sox, last year, around the same time...
posted by SeizeTheDay at 11:40 PM on October 26, 2005


Geez, I missed all the games until tonight, when I went out of my way to catch some of the drama. A real snoozer, unfortunately. Oh well.

On another note, it's always strange watching a team win it all when they're playing away. "And the crowd goes . . . nowhere."

Anyway, congrats to the ChiToSoSiders. Now please don't go burning any cars, people.
posted by diastematic at 11:41 PM on October 26, 2005


SpoFi thread.

I am thrilled for the fans. I'm glad you are experiencing what we Red Sox fans did last year! Congratulations!

Also, while tonight's game was a yawner, Game 3 was one of the best ever.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:10 AM on October 27, 2005


Also, Tim McCarver is a reason I don't watch the games with the sound on (and thus miss all the commercials). Grass does not grow where that man spits. His is a mind so dense that it has collapsed into a black hole sucking everything that is good and decent about baseball into its event horizon.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:13 AM on October 27, 2005


Aside from the extra-innings game, did it ever really seem in question? I dunno. I don't think this was much of a series

Two games decided by one run, two by two runs, one of those in 14 innings.

So other than those 4 games, you're correct, none were in question.
posted by justgary at 12:22 AM on October 27, 2005


omg, setanor is so cool and hip. he's totally on to all you guys with your jokes. he's the kind of apathetic cat who's seen it and done it, yo. don't try it with him, cause him? he's already tried it, fool.

I totally want to be so hip I'm bored of being hip like setanor.
posted by shmegegge at 12:23 AM on October 27, 2005


Congrats, White Sox fans!
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:23 AM on October 27, 2005


It's baseball season?

Not any more, no.
posted by jkilg at 12:29 AM on October 27, 2005


Woo! White Sox win the World Series and the boyfriend brings me flowers. Take note, fellas: it doesn't take much to make your ladies happy.
posted by scody at 12:40 AM on October 27, 2005


I guess it takes little more than engineering the victory of a pro-league sports team! Far too easy.
posted by Tikirific at 1:11 AM on October 27, 2005


Comiskey used to smell like piss.

Go Sox.
posted by dglynn at 1:12 AM on October 27, 2005


as a Cub fan I refuse to acknowledge this season even happened.

except for ryno getting into the hall

congrats, sox

posted by tsarfan at 1:13 AM on October 27, 2005



posted by tsarfan at 1:19 AM on October 27, 2005


After you win the World Series, you are allowed to kiss anybody you want. It is like a weekend in Vegas.
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:30 AM on October 27, 2005


This was already on BoingBoing. no offense.
posted by srboisvert at 1:37 AM on October 27, 2005


I moved to Dublin just as the regular season was finishing... And I've basically missed the entire World Series. It's astounding how little play ANY North American sports get over here. But you'll get a half hour of results from county hurling matches. Weird.

Hurling is a damn cool sport though.
posted by antifuse at 3:30 AM on October 27, 2005


Congrats, Chicago! As a Red Sox fan, I have nothing but joy for you.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:33 AM on October 27, 2005


Did anyone root for Houston?
posted by ParisParamus at 5:16 AM on October 27, 2005


How could Houston win? They had no black players.
posted by spock at 5:35 AM on October 27, 2005


Yes, PP, I did. And I'm happy for the Sox. They earned their title by crushing their opposition. We hung in there--none of the games were a blowout--but the Sox wanted it more and found ways to score runs where the Astros didn't. Hats off to the champs!

Why couldn't Neal Cotts have been in that kiss, dammit? I've got a serious crush.
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:37 AM on October 27, 2005


Tim McCarver is just the worst, worst, worst

What the hell is it with you McCarver haters? Do you really prefer simple-minded pabulum: "Whoa, lookit that baby go! Ya know, Al, that reminds me of when I blah blah blah..." One of the best things about being a Mets fan for many years was the privilege of having Tim McCarver explain what was going on, game after game; it's the best baseball education you could have. I got to where I took it for granted that when he said "That centerfielder is playing way over to the left and this guy can pull the ball the other way, if I were the manager I'd move him over," I'd either see the fielder drift back towards the middle or the batter would drop a ball right in the vacated space. The guy was a great catcher (the best-informed position on the field) and is one of the best announcers ever to call a game, certainly the best since Red Barber. I've swallowed a lot as a Mets fan over the years, but one of the times I swallowed hardest was when the fucking cowards who own the team fired him because they couldn't stand the fact that he wasn't a shill (like every Yankees announcer ever): if the Mets were playing badly, he said so. You want to watch with the sound off? Fine, your loss. Who cares about the intricacies of the game when you can wave a beer around and shout slogans, eh?

And congrats to the Sox. I was rooting for the Astros because I'm a NL fan and I thought Clemens deserved a last hurrah, but they wore me down with their inability to get runners home from third. Fuck 'em (sorry, 'Stros fans). The better team won.
posted by languagehat at 5:45 AM on October 27, 2005


Jesse H Christ: I live in Chicago.

I heard you just left.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 6:04 AM on October 27, 2005


Hell yes! I was going to mention this, but didn't know if MeFites would care. Lifelong White Sox fan here, much to the chagrin of my Cubs-oriented family. As a youngster I switched sides mostly because the Cubs, after selling the team to the Tribune, really had no commitment to winning. (Though I stand by Wrigley Field being one of the best bars in America) Kenny Williams, the Sox GM really desereves a ton of credit here (and Paulie K, the pitch staff, AJ, etc.)

On another note, I've had several conversations about how this White Sox club truly is a 'team' in the model of the 21st century champions like the Pistons and Patriots. Huge salary, star-driven enterprises are a thing of the past - you never knew who was going to step up with these guys.
posted by Sellersburg/Speed at 6:11 AM on October 27, 2005


At least it wasn't Washington.

/bitter, heart-broken Expos fan.
posted by docgonzo at 7:00 AM on October 27, 2005


I remember last year McCarver kept referring to Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo as Brandon, until Joe Buck finally corrected him. I heard him do it again this year. If I were a sportscaster, I would think it a good idea to learn the names of the people I was going to talk about. Such as White Sox manager Ozzie Osbourne.
posted by Man-Thing at 7:16 AM on October 27, 2005


/me slides on his tinfoil hat...

But really though, how many calls did the umpires/MLB blow in favor of Chicago? Starting with Josh Paul all the way through the roof forced into being open... there was no way Chicago wasn't going to win this.

/me takes off tinfoil hat and goes back to not caring about baseball anymore
posted by AspectRatio at 7:27 AM on October 27, 2005


One of the best things about being a Mets fan for many years was the privilege of having Tim McCarver

Yeah... it really sucks to be a mets fan.

My condolences.
posted by I Love Tacos at 7:32 AM on October 27, 2005


How could Houston win? They had no black players.

i was thinking that they should've heeded the words of the air force academy coach, b/c then they'd have gotten more people on base...but then i realized they didn't do anything with runners on base anyway.

actually, more so than having black players they need steve perry in the stands, on their side.

next year, 'stros, next year....
posted by lord_wolf at 7:37 AM on October 27, 2005


I was for Chicago, if only for a chance to see something from Texas lose. I got the best reward when right after the last out, the camera panned to Bush Sr and Barb. The Battle Axe looked like someone just told her they were going to bring more poor black people to Texas, then slumped over in her chair. Bush Sr, though, just sort of had an expression like someone had walked up and taken his hotdog without asking.

I do think its great that a team without any high paid "superstars" won the series.
posted by Atreides at 7:56 AM on October 27, 2005


shmegegge, it's more about the tired predictability about a comment in the first five of any sport thread that goes "it's (sport) season?" or "people still care about (sport)?"

it seems inherently obvious what the answers to both of those questions are.

also, geoff blum is going to have that smile on his face for years.
posted by setanor at 8:15 AM on October 27, 2005


languagehat: Ditto on McCarver, I find his voice and brainyness very soothing. Also, as all good fans know being a fan is more about hanging around for the losses than the wins, thus being a Mets fan is a special privledge.

Congrats to the Sox and all the nice fellers who shared their pitchers of beer last year and poured their hearts out about their team to me last year when I was in Chicago.
posted by Divine_Wino at 8:45 AM on October 27, 2005


Joe Morgan can give you a baseball education without coming across as a total tool. McCarver just grates.
posted by bigskyguy at 8:48 AM on October 27, 2005


Yeah, I enjoyed the Sox fans when I was in Chicago. Of course, that was in 1987, when Comiskey Park was still around. I don't think I'd want to visit the new monstrosity.
posted by languagehat at 8:49 AM on October 27, 2005


I never want to the new park, I just went into the first bar with screams and groans coming out it that wasn't called the Dungeon or the Man Hole.
posted by Divine_Wino at 8:57 AM on October 27, 2005


I'm a Mets fan, too. And McCarver IS great at describing a baseball game; unfortunately, it's a baseball game that is taking place in his fevered imagination and bears little resemblance to the game actually taking place on the field.

At best, McCarver is simply boring, at worst, he's completely and utterly wrong about whatever he's talking about. And it's amazing you can even make out what he's saying when he's calling a Yankee game, what the cock and balls of Derek "Past A Diving" Jeter so deep in his mouth. Seriously, Tim, just propose already.

Joe Morgan isn't quite as bad as McCarver, but only because they generally team him with wonderful Jon Miller, the best announcer in the game (in my opinion).
posted by notmydesk at 8:59 AM on October 27, 2005


You must have been watching a different Tim McCarver.
posted by languagehat at 9:12 AM on October 27, 2005


Every single quote on this I hate Tim McCarver page is actually proof of his genius.

Especially:
"A-Rod at the plate, K-Rod on the mound. I guess you can call this match-up Rod-Rod..."

They laughed at Galileo too, you know. But still, it moves!
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:19 AM on October 27, 2005


I used to work in chicago...
posted by jewzilla at 10:01 AM on October 27, 2005


I watched the game at 2:30 in the morning at an outdoor bar in West Jerusalem, surrounded by teenage American yeshiva students. Not my preferred crowd, but there you go. I'm half-delerious from having become nocturnal to catch the games. Part of me is afraid that, once I'm back on a normal sleep schedule, I'll wake up to find out this was all a dream. I've been waiting for years to move here, but for the last two months, all I've wanted was to be back on the South Side.

The amazing thing for me about this series was the way in which it highlighted the little guys and the second-stringers. The Sox themselves are a pretty humble team. No A-Rods or Damons, just a bunch of guys kicking as much ass as they can. Sure, they swept. But every game was literally down to the wire. And the clutch performances came from guys like Podsednik (his only 2 homers for the year in the postseason?!), Geoff Blum, and Willie Harris.

When Konerko had his grand slam in game 2, I thought back to a couple of seasons ago, when he was fighting his way through a half-season hitting slump and people were waiting to see him get traded away. A lot of those guys are in a similar position. Contreras, who everybody called washed-up when the Yankees let him go. Crede, who played the second half of the season with a back injury. Jenks, who the Angels sent down last season because of his elbow and his drinking. Every game was like watching the team battle their way to excellence. And don't even get me started on Ozzie...

So, I've got one more day of wishing I was somewhere else than Jerusalem. That'll be Monday, when the city gathers in Grant Park to salute the boys from the South Side. This season has been beautiful.
posted by felix betachat at 10:29 AM on October 27, 2005 [1 favorite]


Re: McCarver love: Amen, languagehat, amen.
posted by Opposite George at 10:33 AM on October 27, 2005


Looks grim for Houston right about now. No team has ever come back from a 4-game deficit in the World Series.

You can hope all you want, but this one's done, folks. With that shutout last night, the White Sox basically drove a stake into the Astros' heart. Phil Garner can talk positive all he wants, but the writing's on the wall. This series is in the bag. It won't be Houston's year.

In fact, the Astros' bats have been so quiet in key situations, I just can't picture them scoring any more runs this year.

You walk around Chicago, you can feel it. People are celebrating like the Sox have already won.

Congratulations in advance to the White Sox. Good show. It's all over but some dotting of the i's and crossing the t's.
posted by kurumi at 10:43 AM on October 27, 2005


kurumi: Word is that the Astros are so demoralized that they're not even planning to show up at the ballpark tomorrow.
posted by felix betachat at 10:46 AM on October 27, 2005


notmydesk: ...Jon Miller, the best announcer in the game (in my opinion).

I second that! Us Giants fans are lucky to have him for so many of the San Francisco games during the season.
posted by mach at 11:26 AM on October 27, 2005


OK, that made me laugh.

felix betachat: Thanks for the fan's view, which helps me appreciate the team's achievement; as a NL fan, I confess I haven't been following them.

I'm just glad they gave the MVP to Dye instead of the insufferable Crede, who I thought was a shoo-in.
posted by languagehat at 2:34 PM on October 27, 2005


Was it his great defensive plays at third or his clutch hitting that made him insufferable? 'Cause I thought he should've been the MVP. (Maybe he's a jerk; I don't care, because MVP is about what you do on the field.)
posted by kirkaracha at 3:57 PM on October 27, 2005


About announcers...Harry Caray. 'Nuff said.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 4:12 PM on October 27, 2005


Was it his great defensive plays at third or his clutch hitting that made him insufferable? 'Cause I thought he should've been the MVP. (Maybe he's a jerk; I don't care, because MVP is about what you do on the field.)

Oh, absolutely, that's why I thought he should have been MVP. Remember, I was rooting for the other team, but he just reminded me of Derek Jeter (another great player who rubs me the wrong way).
posted by languagehat at 4:55 PM on October 27, 2005


Wild. I am stunned to know that there are fans - clearly knowledgable (and otherwise sane) fans - that enjoy McCarver. To me, I feel like I could run a different set of announcers calling an entirely different game - perhaps even from a different sport - and have about as useful commentary about the current game as I get from McCarver.

Of course, he was a hell of a catcher. On the other hand, he has inspired at least one rather negative website. Also, his nickname is Buckethead. No, not that Buckethead. It is hard to truly dislike a man known as Buckethead.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:38 PM on October 27, 2005


yeah, but they still live in chicago
posted by pyramid termite at 10:15 PM PST on October 26


Wait. Don't you live in Kalamazoo? And you're disparaging Chicago? I'm a transplant and I can't imagine a better place to call home.
posted by Jesse H Christ at 1:12 PM on October 28, 2005


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