A radical Chicago sports reset: It’s OK to cheer for both baseball teams

The City Series is finally interesting again, at long last.

With the White Sox sweeping Kansas City to improve to 22-21, both the Cubs and Sox will have winning records when they play each other Friday at Rate Field.

The last time that happened was the final series of the 2020 season, one of the rare occasions when our local squads made the playoffs in the same year (and both lost in the first round). But those games were strange, with the stadium empty due to the pandemic.

When was the last time a Cubs-Sox game was played with both sides carrying winning records and with fans in the stands? The answer is June 29, 2008. How pathetic is that?

That '08 game on the South Side was a glorious time for Chicago baseball. The Cubs started the day 16 games above .500, the Sox were 46-36. Mark Buehrle outdueled Sean Marshall on the mound and the Sox won 5-1 behind home runs from Carlos Quentin, Jim Thome and Brian Anderson. Clearly a different era.

Don't think it's a hot take to suggest our country is in dire need of a reset. Economically, for sure. A political reset would help with the first problem. Banning all NFL schedule release videos is an idea worth exploring.

Sticking with that theme, it's time to stop calling Cubs vs. Sox a rivalry. They haven't played truly meaningful games against each other since 1906. Maybe if they face off in a couple World Series, we can consider it a rivalry. Right now, it's not and never has been.

So let's suggest a permanent baseball reset, one that young people from the suburbs and city can embrace: It's OK to root for both the Cubs and Sox.

Sure, everyone's going to have a favorite. But the long-accepted notion that you need to hate the team on the other side of town is sad, wrong and misguided.

I've known people who said their dislike was fueled by taunts heard in work or social settings. See, that's exactly the type of behavior that should stop. No room for it, and there are multiple reasons why rooting for both teams makes sense.

For starters, it's good for mental health. These teams have given us exactly two World Series titles in 109 years. The Sox and Cubs been two of worst franchises in American sports history. If one of these teams wins another championship someday, you’ll want to be happy, not ticked off. That process begins today.

Another reason, already highlighted above, is these games aren't that meaningful. They don't play in the same division, aren't battling for a playoff spot. These City Series games are just 6 of 162. No reason to throw punches in the stands. The recent trend at all Chicago sporting venues is to chant, “Green Bay sucks.” That's fine, keep doing that.

Finally, when one local baseball teams does well, it pushes the other to try harder. Look at the history. The Sox broke the city's long postseason drought in 1983, the Cubs made it the following season.

The Sox' World Series title in '05 sparked a brief Cubs revival under Lou Piniella. When that fizzled, Theo Epstein finally cobbled together a championship season in 2016.

This year, the Cubs seem like a serious National League contender. The White Sox are a fun story, making rapid progress with a nucleus of young players, and more are on the way.

So enjoy this historic Cubs-Sox weekend. But when it's over, maybe wish your neighbor well, and consider popping into both ballparks at some point this season. The White Sox have plenty of good seats available.