The 46-year itch

Four score and eight years ago, the Chicago White Sox last won a World’s Series. The Great War in Europe was in full swing. Woodrow Wilson was president. Russia had risen in revolution against the Tsar. The hit songs were “For Me and My Gal” and “Over There”.

It’s been 46 years since the Sox last won the American League pennant. Eisenhower was president. It was just becoming apparent that Castro, who had just seized power in Cuba, was a Communist. Bobby Darin’s rendition of “Mack the Knife” was a hit song.

The White Sox have won the American League pennant:

ANAHEIM — The White Sox are kings of the American League hill for the first time since 1959.

Led by their dominant pitching staff, the Sox completed their AL Championship Series conquest with a come-from-behind 6-3 victory Sunday night over the Los Angeles Angels that vaulted them to their fifth World Series appearance.

“It hasn’t sunk in,” Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said as he headed down the Angel Stadium stairs to join a wild celebration where the players hoisted the league trophy and showered it with champagne.

When the Sox won their series against the Los Angeles Angels last night, there were fireworks in my North Side neighborhood. If you don’t live in Chicago, you don’t know how remarkable that is. Northsiders are Cubs fans. Southsiders are Sox fans.

Although I’m not much of a sports fan, like most Chicagoans I’ve been following this series. To my unschooled eye it looked as though the Sox won through a combination of strong pitching and a remarkable series of favorable calls. Winning ugly, indeed.

The local TV news programs are carrying nothing but the White Sox. It’s been a long time between drinks.

UPDATE: Knowledgeable commentary from Baseball Crank.

Sour grapes from Angel’s fan xrlq.

4 comments… add one
  • First Boston, then the White Sox, maybe the Cubs will have a shot next year.

    It could happen.

  • I’m concerned about the public health ramifications of such an eventuality. Think of the heart attacks! 😉

  • As a former Bostonian, I know what you’ve been going through. Last year was my year. Here’s hoping that this year is yours!

  • My family has a special personal relationship to this. We’re from Chicago, of course, for starters. But it’s even closer to home than that: the White Sox last won a World Series in 1917, a few months before my father was born. They last were in a World Series in 1959, days before my youngest brother was born. (I think they actually won their last World Series game on the day of his birth, 10/6/59.)

    So naturally my whole family is going nuts, even considering spending north of $800 per person for tickets (!!!) because they’re pretty sure they won’t live to see this again. Here’s my brother’s take on it (with a comment from the other brother), and here’s my dad’s — a blogger at 87! — including some World Series memories across the decades of classic Cubs and other games he was actually at.

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