The joys of the Cubs and White Sox

For the critics among us, there is much to be said about the myriad nonsense of professional sports.

Little of it is real, after all. It's only entertainment, a game expanded to a great degree by artful self-promotion and played by overpaid mercenaries who almost all live somewhere else. It's underwritten by taxpayers, plagued by scandals and supported by outrageous ticket prices that put a game beyond the reach of an average fan.

Yes, that's what the critics and cynics might say. And there would be a lot of truth in their saying it.

And yet...

And yet, isn't it glorious to live here in the Chicago area on this summer day, July 16, 2008?

With the All Star Game concluded, the stage is set for the second half (actually, the last two fifths) of the baseball season.

And where do we find Chicago's Cubs? A convincing first place with the best record in the National League and a threat to run away with the division championship.

Where do we find the Chicago White Sox? Also in first place, although by a more tenuous margin and with more obvious holes in an inconsistent lineup. But still, with impressive pitching and home-run power, first place.

Two teams in first place in mid-July.

That's a wonder seldom seen in Chicago, and so help us, yes indeed, a pleasure to behold.

Admittedly, it's altogether true that the success of a pro sports team doesn't say much of anything about who we are or what our community is; it's accidental to where we live, actually, not a reflection of us.

And yet...

And yet, it provides a passion, an outlet for our emotions, a bounce to our steps.

It gives us something to look forward to each day, a reason to check the box scores and the standings. Through it, we bask in the day's hero or decry the day's goat. The pennant races provide a topic of conversation we use to engage not just friends but also strangers, and an opportunity for an intimate and enduring connection with our kids.

Who knows how these races will end, but they are a blessing to cherish this year.

And the age-old question. Can a Sox fan root for the Cubs or a Cubs fan root for the Sox? Or must they forever live in the depths of deep-seated rivalry?

You know what? There is no right or wrong answer to that. It's not politics or religion, so let it go! Feel the way you feel and don't apologize for the feeling.

In 1906, the Cubs and the White Sox met in the World Series. That was 102 years ago.

Could it happen again?

Could both the Cubs and Sox get into the World Series this year?

Tradition and the odds all argue against it.

And yet...

Who knows how these pennant races will end, but they provide a blessing to cherish this year.