Enjoying Chicago’s Civil War from a Sox Fan’s Perspective

The city of Chicago is one that is unified during the winter, for the most part. Not only unified in the universal complaining about the weather, but when it comes to sports. Sure, there is basketball and hockey for those fans, but everyone is a Chicago Bears fan. You get the odd Packers fan who wandered over the Wisconsin border but, thankfully, they are few and far between. This is entirely different in the summer.

There are two baseball teams in Chicago. Supposedly if you are from the North Side you are automatically a Cubs fan. If you are from the South Side, you are a Sox fan. Of course, I was born and raised on the north side and was surrounded by a family of Cubs fans and became a Sox fan at an early age and I still am. So, it really isn’t that easily defined.
At one time the two teams were not such bitter rivals. Back in 1908 when the Cubs were last in the World Series, the Sox players, once their season ended, were seen attending Cubs games and rooting for the Chicago team during the entire Series. That is not the case now. Now, the divisions are brutal and they are bitter and they seem to have gotten worse since 2005, when the Sox scored the ultimate victory and won the World Series.

Boson Red Sox fans and their whining was always amusing to us Chicago fans. Red Sox fans boo-hooed about how cursed they were because their team would routinely end up in the World Series and then lose. Hey, Boston, at least your team was routinely MAKING INTO TH E WORLD SERIES! Cubs fans have not had that luxury since 1945 and have not won since 1908. The White Sox had not even made an appearance, up until 2005, since 1959 and hadn’t won, up until 2005, since 1917! My father says he hopes to just see the Cubs in a World Series before he dies. So, Boston, get a real curse and shut-up. Although I guess since you’ve won two now, you don’t have much to say.

There are certain things you need to keep in mind this weekend as the “Crosstown Classic” starts up again. If you too want to enjoy the rivalry, you need to keep these things in mind and mind you, this is from a White Sox fan’s perspective:

The name White Sox came about in the early 20th century. The American League did not exist until 1901 (the White Sox won the league championship that year, by the way). Before that the Chicago team was just known as the Chicago team and went by many nicknames. In the late 1800s they were known, for a time, as the White Stockings. When Charlie Comiskey brought his team from St. Paul Minnesota to the south side of Chicago he took the discarded name. The press eventually shortened it to White Sox. So, yes, at one time the Cubs were actually the White Sox. Most Cubs fans go into fits when informed of this.

In 1906 both teams made it into the World Series. Baseball was a different animal then and the games went back and forth. Eventually, however, the White Sox managed to win over the highly favored Cubs and become the World Champs. This remains the only time both teams have made it into the Series.

1908 is the last time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. That means we are at the century mark, Cubs fans, since the team last won the big prize. They have since become known as “lovable losers” which is a term us Sox fans laugh at.

1919 is the year of the Black Sox. The year that eight White Sox players reportedly took money from gamblers to throw the World Series. Shoeless Joe Jackson was among them. Some of the players were railroaded. However, recent court transcripts show that rumors had circulated that the Cubs had thrown the Series in 1918 and that was part of the motivation for throwing it in 1919. Whether or not that is true has yet to be proven.

1945 was the last year that the Cubs made it into the World Series. It is also the year that the infamous “Curse of the Goat” happened. A guy who owned a restaurant got into the habit of bringing his pet billy goat to the park during the season to promote his restaurant. That was fine until the games were on the national stage in the Series. So, he and his goat were banned. He reportedly cursed the Cubs that they would not win another game in the Series until his goat was allowed back in. This is why, whenever the team starts to do well, some descendent of this man ends up at Wrigley traipsing a goat around the bases.

1959 was the year that the Go-Go White Sox made it into the World Series. Sadly, they lost to the Dodgers. When they made it into the Series the Mayor of Chicago set off the air raid sirens to celebrate and scared a good portion of the city.

1969 is the year of one of the greatest chokes in sports history. The Cubs were winning all season long and everyone thought it was “the year.” Then, near the end of the season, about August, the Cubs started losing and just kept losing and losing and losing. Meanwhile, in New York the ‘Mazing Mets kept winning and winning and winning and just kept doing that until they won the whole damn thing.

Harry Carray is the beloved Cubs announcer. However, most fans forget that he started out with the Cardinals until was literally run out of town (and run over by a car) and became an announcer for the Sox. He was that announcer on the south side for a long time. Yes, Cubs fans, he was drunkenly hanging out of the announcing booth in the south side singing “Take me Out to the Ball Game” long before he was on the north side doing it.

In 2003 the Cubs made their best run yet at ending the curse. They were very close to beating the Florida Marlins when the infamous “Bartman” incident happened. Cubs fans love a scapegoat and they blame a fan who simply reached up for a very foul ball, like anyone would, and they say it was a playable ball and he was the reason they ended up losing. They mention nothing about the all-star short stop booting the ball into the outfield on the next play or why the Cubs couldn’t act like pros and man up and play well the game the following night and win.

In 2005 the greatest moment in Chicago sports history happened. Glorious, glorious victory was had for the Chicago White Sox. They stormed out of the gate, quickly racked up the best record in baseball, stumbled a bit near the end and then tore through the post-season like a runaway train and brought baseball victory to Chicago again. It was, without exaggeration, the greatest thing ever. It insults Cubs fans who, for some reason, feel they were entitled to bring the championship back before the Sox. Until the Cubs do it, their division wins are “quaint” and “cute.”

With both teams currently leading their divisions, Chicago is buzzing. What this city would do if both teams made it into the series in this day and age is anyone’s guess.

So, pick a side and then kick back and enjoy. Just remember, black goes with everything and is a much cooler color than blue.

Bryan Alaspa is a featured writer for Xomba.com. Read the rest of his work here .