Chicagoans can start the baseball season secure in the knowledge we will have two teams for the forseeable future.
The threat of a White Sox flight to Florida has passed. On the North Side, 71 blocks away, the Cubs are happily ensconced in a ballpark ringed with lights and skyboxes for the first time in their history.
Thus, Chicago remains the only city in America with original franchises in both the National and American leagues.
This means, of course, that we can return to some truly important questions and items that have divided this city`s baseball fans for decades. Here are 10.
Item: The Cubs draw more fans to the ballpark than the White Sox.
Depends on when you start counting. Since 1960, the Sox have outdrawn the Cubs 15 seasons to 14. In the 1980s, the Cubs have outdrawn the Sox 5-4. In 1985, the Cubs set their franchise record with 2,161,534-or slightly more than the Sox drew in 1984, when they drew 2,136,988.
Question: Which team wins more games?
Going into this season, the Sox`s record is 6,808-6,748 since 1901 for an average of 77 victories a season. Since 1900, the Cubs are 6,971-6,749 for an average of 78 wins a season.
Item: The Sox and Cubs never make trades with each other.
Ask announcer Steve Stone about this one. In 1973, Stone, Steve Swisher, Kenny Frailing and Jim Kremmel went from the Sox to the Cubs for Ron Santo.
Question: Which team has more representation in the Hall of Fame?
Counting players, owners, managers and other front-office employees-but excluding media-the Cubs claim 35 persons enshrined in Cooperstown. In 1987, Billy Williams was their last player to be so honored. The Sox list 24 Hall of Famers. Their last player was Hoyt Wilhelm in 1985.
Item: The trade of Lou Brock by the Cubs to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio is the city`s all-time worst trade.
How about Bill Veeck`s 1976 trade of Rich Gossage and Terry Forster for Richie Zisk, who played one season on the South Side, and Silvio Martinez? Or, how about the Sox`s swap in 1956 of George Kell, Bob Nieman, Connie Johnson and Mike Fornieles to Baltimore for Jim Wilson, 34, and Dave Philley, 36? Or, how about the ever-popular dealing by the Sox of relative unknown Johnny Callison in 1959 to the Phillies for veteran Gene Freese?
Question: Did the Sox Hit Men of 1977, led by Richie Zisk`s 30 home runs, set both a club and city record for a season with 192 round-trippers.
The `77 Sox set a team record, but the 1987 Cubs, topped by Andre Dawson`s 49, hit 209 homers to set a record for the city.
Item: Wrigley Field is more inviting to home-run hitters than Comiskey Park.
Not if you`re a dead pull hitter. The left- and right-field lines at Comiskey are 347 feet. At Wrigley, they are 355 in left and 353 in right. It is deeper to center field in Comiskey, 409-400, and the power alleys are more distant, but outfield walls on the South Side, rising from 9 feet 10 inches at the lines to 11 feet in center, are shorter. On the North Side, they are 11 1/ 2 feet high under the bleachers and 15 feet in the corners.
Question: Do White Sox games really take longer to play?
Based on last year`s statistics, fans attending Sox games could expect to be at the ballpark longer than Cub followers. The average time for all `88 contests played in Comiskey Park was 2 hours 56 minutes. At Wrigley Field, the average was 2:49.
Item: The White Sox historically have had better pitching and fielding than the Cubs.
Not really. The Sox have had two Cy Young winners-Early Wynn in 1959 and LaMarr Hoyt in 1983. They have had 10 different players win a total of 26 Gold Gloves. The Cubs have had 10 different players win 21 Gold Gloves, but they`ve had more Cy Young winners. They were Ferguson Jenkins in 1971, Bruce Sutter in 1979 and Rick Sutcliffe in 1984.
Question: Is either team likely to win its home opener?
How soon we forget. Last year, the Cubs and Rick Sutcliffe shut out Pittsburgh 6-0. The White Sox defeated California 8-5 with Rick Horton getting the victory. For all home openers, dating to 1900, the Cubs are 53-34-2. The Sox are 43-45 since 1901.
