Hawks parade may add something to Cub-Sox

MILWAUKEE - Can the Blackhawks bring White Sox and Cubs fans together?

Probably not, although it might be a nice thought. Cubs fans like their team. Sox fans like theirs. But fans of both teams were cheering on the Blackhawks as they won the Stanley Cup Wednesday night.

It will be a Chicago sports bonanza beginning Friday, as the Hawks have their parade downtown and the Cubs and Sox face off against each other at Wrigley Field.

Cubs pitcher Tom Gorzelanny is a south suburban guy, and he knows it will be sports-sensory overload for the city this weekend.

"It'll be a good weekend coming up here," he said. "Anytime the Cubs and the White Sox play, it's always out front in the city. People change their schedules to watch these games and go to the games. I think it'll be great, but I think it'll be better if the Hawks get everybody to kind of come together even if they're going to fight a couple innings later, to celebrate the Blackhawks."

Like a lot of Cubs, Gorzelanny got caught up in the success of the Hawks this spring. However, he did miss the Cubs' group outing to a playoff game because he was pitching the next day and didn't want to overdo the excitement.

But this former Pittsburgh Pirate has seen a little hockey mania in his day.

"I wasn't a huge hockey fan; I never played it," he said. "Ever since they've had them (the Hawks) on TV and people started going out, it's just been so much more fun. I experienced it in Pittsburgh with the Penguins, how much a city got behind their team. It's huge for Chicago - these guys are the best team in hockey.

"To have that kind of team in Chicago, you're going to make it Hockey Town. They did the right things over there with that team. They made the right decisions. It didn't take too long to hoist the Cup, and it's awesome for them."