The election has kept me busy, but I have not forgotten about Major League Baseball and my beloved Chicago White Sox. And yes, I am well aware that the Chicago Cubs clinched won the National League Central over a week ago. Congratulations--the Cubs have a had a great year, and no one can accuse them of backing into the playoffs.
Which brings us to the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins.
With six, maybe seven, games remaining for the White Sox travelled to Minneapolis on Tuesday with a 2 1/2 game lead over the Twins. Minnesota swept the South Siders, and limped down Interstate 94 to Chicago down a half-game. The Twins stayed in town and promptly dropped their first two games to the lowly Kansas City Royals. The White Sox, facing a Cleveland Indians team that they play well against in Chicago, dropped their first two games.
But the Sox won today, but so did the Twins.
The scheduled games are over, but the White Sox remain a half-game back. Two weeks ago, Friday and Saturday games between the White Sox and Detroit Tigers were rained out. One was made up in a Sunday night doubleheader, the other was held aside--in case its needed. Well it is.
Tomorrow the Tigers, whom the "experts" almost unaminously named the favorite to win the AL Central, travel to the South Side to play the now-needed game.
It will be broacast on WGN Chicago at 1:00pm Central. If the White Sox win, they face the Twins in Chicago for a one game playoff to determine the AL Central champ. If the Tigers win, the Twins are in, and the White Sox clean out their lockers.
Note to the Tigers--it's been a long and disappointing year. Now is the time to reflect on your failures and beging the rebuilding process.
Again, think of those setbacks...let them fester...For you, tomorrow's game is meaningless. Meaningless...
As for the Sox and Twins: Backing into the playoffs usually insures a quick exit from the MLB playoffs. But the St. Louis Cardinals played terrible baseball in September, losing nine of their last twelve games, and came close to missing the playoffs.
But the Redbirds righted their ship, and they went on to become the 2006 World Series champions.
Today's hero for the White Sox was Mark Buehrle, the winning pitcher who was working on three days rest. I was running errands and listened to the game on the radio. The atmosphere in the radio booth was tense.
UPDATE 6:00PM: The Milwaukee Brewers, another stumbler, have made the National Leauge playoffs.
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I was at Friday night's game, what a disappointment. At some point there was a standing-o for a strike, that was after the grand slam. I may be a Cub fan but I got down to Sox Park six or seven times this year, they have been playing very exciting and streaky ball. I agree, the way the Sox have played this year they could just as easily turn around and go on another tear in the playoffs, but they just looked beat Friday and during some of those games in Minnesota. I doubt that I'll go tomorrow but if the Sox play the Twins on Tuesday I'll be at that game - in addition to those two Dodger games, it should be another great baseball week here in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to see both the Cubs and Sox in the playoffs this year.
ReplyDeletePlaying contrarian, teams with the best records haven't always done well in the expanded (since 1995) playoffs.
ReplyDeleteSeattle won 116 games in 2001, and they didn't make it into the World Series.