Only salvation for Sox: Next 3 on South Side
Fireworks are a Comiskey Park thing, but Sunday night a few Cubs fans thought it appropriate to set off firecrackers in Wrigley Field.
Why not?
Even Ozzie Guillen had to pay his respects after the Cubs beat his White Sox 7-1, completed a three-game weekend sweep and outscored the Sox 22-11.
"Three good games of baseball for the Cubs," manager Lou Piniella said of his team.
So good that Guillen, the Sox manager, even discussed the Cubs' chances of winning a World Series for the first time in 100 years.
Difficult, yes, Guillen acknowledged before adding that Piniella and a veteran coaching staff "can help just in case the players push the panic button."
It wasn't significant that Guillen discussed the subject. It was significant that the subject came up essentially because the Cubs were so good over the weekend.
The billboard atop the building across Sheffield Avenue declared, "Loser buys" and Ozzie and Co. had to pay up.
Let's see, Sunday night's announced crowd was 41,034. Figure maybe 30,000 were adults, about 10,000 kids and the rest billy goats and black cats.
At $6 a beer and $3.50 a soft drink, the tab would come to around $215,000, so we'll round it off to $200,000 with tip.
The money isn't the object, of course. Guillen can find that much in loose change under the driver's seat of his car.
It's the principle.
What started out as the Cross-town Showdown ended as Cubfest. What started out with Guillen and Sox general manager Kenny Williams chirping about their rivals ended in a whimper. What started out as two first-place teams ended with one team looking light years better.
My goodness, the Sox couldn't even get out Cubs left fielder Eric Patterson, who was recalled from the minor leagues to fill Carlos Zambrano's roster spot.
The carnage made you wonder how this one would be debated between Cubs and Sox fans on street corners, barstools and commuter trains.
You know, like at one time Sox fans argued Looie Aparicio was better than Ernie Banks and Cubs fans argued the Sox wouldn't survive in the National League.
Well, all the Sox can say this time is, "Wait'll next weekend."
The Cubs have won 14 straight games in Wrigley Field. They are 32-8 at home overall this season. They have the major leagues' best home record.
Ah, but next weekend the same teams will play three games at Comiskey Park, where the Sox' 24-11 record isn't too shabby.
"The White Sox will get a chance at their ballpark next weekend," Piniella said.
In the unlikely event the Sox sweep that series, they'll be the team with bragging rights, momentum and that feel-good feeling all over.
Unlikely, that is, because the Cubs looked so much like the superior team with more power, more pitching, more defense, more of this, more of that, and even more of everything.
Not even Guillen -- who came in spouting all sorts of negatives about Wrigley Field and the whole Cubs aura -- could find much fault with his intracity rivals.
"This is a real good team," Guillen had to concede about the Cubs. "This team can beat you in so many ways."
After seeing three of them, all the Sox could do was pay the tab and look forward to next weekend.
mimrem@dailyherald.com