Tag Archives: white sox

Chicago ≠ The Cubs

Really digging Mark Caro here:

Presenting sumptuous visions of Wrigley Field and Chicago itself, “We Believe” equates the team and city while tracing their parallel histories. But is that really how Chicago sees itself?

I don’t generally blow four-run leads. I try not to fall to pieces when the spotlight is brightest. 

I’d rather view us as the Michael Jordan-era Bulls: playing smart, working as a team, outhustling the other guys and hitting the clutch shot.

[snip]

I might even flirt with treason and suggest that we seek our collective reflection in the White Sox, who are scrappy, constantly rebuilding and perpetually overlooked. But most of us like to score on occasion.

Ooh, had me until the end. Because I’m pretty sure winning the World Series is like scoring with the hottest girl in school.

By the way, anyone know what the statute of limitations is on bragging about your most recent World Series win? Is it five years? That seems about right.

A.J. Pierzynski: Futurist

From this New York Times article:

Pierzynski said that when people asked him about a possible Chicago-Chicago finale, he advised caution.

“I’m like, ‘You don’t really want that to happen because the city would just probably explode,'” Pierzynski said. “And no one would be able to go to work. No one would be able to do anything because there would be fights every day at work, and just because it’s so passionate and the fans are so amazing.”

Smart and punchy, that’s our A.J.!

I have a copy of When Chicago Ruled Baseball on my shelf, so I took a quick look at the index to see if past performance might be indicative of future events. There isn’t anything in there about fights or other workplace incidents, but I don’t think for a minute that A.J. is wrong. If your workplace is anything like mine, the election is already putting a drag on productivity. If both teams – or, frankly, even just the Cubs – get into the playoffs and/or the World Series, I think Chicago’s going to see its own economic slowdown.