Marathon Pundit: South Side rises again: White Sox take 3rd game of ALDS

When the Chicago White Sox are backed into a corner--they win. Last Sunday, the White Sox had to win so they could play a rain out game--which if they won--they'd then meet the Minnesota Twins in one-game playoff to determine the American League Central Division champion.

The White Sox won all three games.

That put them in the American League Division Series against the winner of the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays. The South Siders promptly dropped the first two games of the best-of-five series. Flying back to Chicago for a win-or-pack-it-up game, the Sox, led by the masterful pitching of lefty John Danks, topped the Rays 5-3 this afternoon.

Matt Garza was the losing pitcher.

The Chicago fans were enthusiastically cheering on their heroes throughout the game. Supporters were told to wear black, which when I first heard about it, didn't make sense. Why wear the darkest color? Some hockey teams--the old Winnipeg Jets started the trend I think--ask their fans to wear white at home playoff games.

But black worked, thanks to the white towels being waved around by Sox fans. It looked great on television, and was probably even more impressive inside US Cellular Field.

Akinori Iwamura, who put the Rays in front for good in game two, put the Rays in the lead in the 2nd inning this afternoon by hitting a single and driving in Rays catcher Dioner Navarro.

The Sox tied it in the third, and scored three runs in the next inning, highlighted by Dewayne Wise's double, which drove in two runs.

The South Siders never relinquished the lead. Bobby Jenks, as he did in on Tuesday against the Twins, relieved Jenks and picked up his first postseason save since 2005.

Building on its success in Tampa Bay, the TBS camera crew has done a superb job covering today's game.

When the media does things well, I like to commend them. Unfortunately, such opportunities don't often present themselves to me.

Last night, Chicago's other baseball team, the Cubs, were elimanated from the playoffs after getting swept by the surprising Los Angeles Dodgers. Well, somewhat suprising. The Dodgers were 17-8 in September, and are led by one of the best managers in the game, Joe Torre.

I really was pulling for the Cubs to make it to the World Series--and meet the White Sox for a rematch of the 1906 fall classic.

The Chicago sprawl reaches into southern Wisconsin--and I have to congratulate the Milwaukee Brewers--the poster child for small market teams--for making it into the playoffs for the first time since 1982. They were in the American League then, and they earned their only World Series appearance that year, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.

But the 2008 Brewers bowed out today, losing game four, and the series, to the Philadelphia Phillies. But the "Brew Crew" only has so much cash to spend, and Badger Blogger thinks that the Brewers "are just going to lose too much over the winter" to contend in 2009.

Sadly, that blogger is probably right.

The White Sox and Rays play again tomorrow afternoon. Chicago's Gavin Floyd (17-8), the hero of last Monday's game, faces Tampa Bay's Andy Sonnanstine (13-9). If the White Sox win, they fly back to St. Petersburg for the decisive game five.

If they lose, then it's decisive for the Rays.

Technorati tags: