Time to bury good vibrations in this 'rivalry'

Over the weekend I took my first look at "Champions Plaza" located just outside Gate 4 at Comiskey Park.

White Sox fans were gawking at the shrine to their 2005 World Series champs, and entire families were photographed in front of it.

The only problem was nobody was worried that maybe a Cubs fan violated the monument. You know, like a Red Sox fan tried to curse the replacement Yankee Stadium under construction in the Bronx.

The rivalry between Cubs and Sox fans has been going soft for years. Some in Chicago believe it's all right to pull for both teams. Others support one but compromise their allegiance if the other makes the playoffs.

Ownership and management have much to do with this. They should curse the team on the other side of town but instead talk publicly as if they're partners instead of competitors.

The line between the two teams clearly is blurred. No other conclusion can be drawn after comparing what happened in the Bronx to what happens here.

Over there, a "Boston-loving boob," as a New York tabloid referred to him, buried a Red Sox uniform top 2 feet under the new Yankee Stadium.

I wondered what one Chicago man in a Sox jacket would suggest be done if Cubs laundry were planted beneath "Champions Plaza."

"Leave it there, because that's where it belongs," he said, meaning anything related to the Cubs belongs under ground.

A Geneva man had a different view: "They should (dig it up). It could be cursed."

Ah, there still is a bit of bite to the Sox-Cubs rivalry, but talk is about the only thing cheap at the ballpark these days. The problem is, this rivalry doesn't manifest itself the way other sports rivalries do.

In New York, jackhammering construction workers spent 5½ hours and the Yankees spent $50,000 to dig up the Red Sox jersey.

"Hammering the hex," the New York Post proclaimed.

Newsday quoted Yanks shortstop Derek Jeter as saying "for those who think there are jinxes, I'm happy" it was removed.

All in all this was good old, good-natured, good-time mischief that rivalries inspire.

Meanwhile, back here "Champions Plaza" and the Ernie Banks statue at Wrigley Field go unscathed.

Trust me, I'm not advocating vandalism and felonies. But aren't occasional pranks and misdemeanors all right to punctuate a friendly rivalry?

You know, like Packers fans leaving human waste outside the Bears' locker room door at Lambeau Field. Or like Navy kidnapping the Army mule and Army getting Navy's goat.

Imagine the comic fallout if a Cubs fan buried a Sammy Sosa corked bat under "Champions Plaza" or a Sox fan buried an A.J. Pierzynski catcher's mitt under the Banks statue.

Heck, if a college football fan can spray-paint his school's logo on a rival's field, shouldn't Cubs and Sox fans be able to think of tricks that irritate each other?

Apparently fans around here aren't as creative as Red Sox fans are. Either that or they crossbreed to the point the rivalry isn't nearly as passionate as it was.

Maybe it's just that fans here are content to let outsiders inflict curses, jinxes and hexes on Chicago sports teams.

The result is no one has to worry about the sweet sounds of a jackhammer at our ballparks anytime soon.

mimrem@dailyherald.com