WHITE SOX
If you’ve always resisted the urge to follow the masses, you may want to don the black and white paraphernalia this spring.
“If people want to jump on the baseball bandwagon and they really want to be hip and strut their stuff, they should tell people they are White Sox fans,” says George Bova, founder and Web master of www.whitesox interactive.com. (The site’s slogan: “Totally Biased.”)
“It’s more authentic. We’re the ones who get no respect and suffer in complete anonymity.”
Cubs fans might disagree with which team is “authentic” Chicago, but Bova stands by his claim. Here are his top reasons why being a Sox fan is better than being a Cubs fan:
– “The city’s last championship was on the South Side. The last pennant winner was on the South Side. And until last October, the last division winner was on the South Side.”
– “True baseball traditions are grounded in what Bill Veeck and Harry Caray created on the South Side–not the North Side.”
– “White Sox fans actually know their team’s history. Cubs fans have just bought into the myth that the Tribune and WGN have created that Chicago’s baseball traditions are associated with the Cubs.”
Whew. Tough talk. He’s got more where that came from:
– “Cubs fans are nice people, they’re just not too bright,” Bova says. “Going to Wrigley is like a summerlong Mardi Gras–you go to the Cubs game for everything but the Cubs game. You go to the White Sox game to watch the Sox.”
CUBS
“You can always tell a real Cubs fan when the cap isn’t new, and the jacket has holes,” says Jerry Pritikin (the name as published has been corrected in this text), also known as “The Bleacher Preacher” and who was the first inductee to the Fan Hall of Fame.
But if you still haven’t cut the tags off your hat, don’t fret.
The Bleacher Preacher says that as long as you aren’t talking on your cell phone during the game, it’s OK to jump on the bandwagon.
Here are his top reasons to choose Cubbie blue over the Sox:
– “The History of the ballpark and the neighborhood of Wrigleyville.”
– “The spirits of Pat Piper (the name as published has been corrected in this text), Jack Brickhouse, Vince Lloyd and Harry Caray.”
– “The Ivy and the scoreboard with a ‘W’ and ‘Cubs WIN! Cubs WIN!’ flashing on it.”
– “Batting practice and cheers like ‘Right field sucks! Left field sucks!’ “
– “A scoreboard that does not ask the fans to make noise. (A Cubs fan always knows when to make noise.)”
While The Bleacher Preacher would prefer you stick with the Cubs, he cares more that you aren’t an obnoxious fan.
“There are some bad Cubs fans, and there are bad Sox fans,” he says. “Whatever you do, just pay attention to the game.”
“Don’t be one of those people talking about the Dow Jones average and wearing a tie in the bleachers. Fans who earn respect will get respect.”
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10 things every Sox fan should do
1. Eat a brat: But there’s a catch. You have to eat it while tailgating at U.S. Cellular Field, and it has to come from your neighbor’s grill. Asking should work, but feel free to bring a pitchfork.
2. Drink a beer with Moose Skowron: Don’t try looking for him at his Cicero bar, he’s no longer affiliated with it. Chances are you can find him at the ballpark hanging out with cast members of “Bull Durham.”
3. Register with whitesoxinteractive.com: Here’s where you can meet the smartest and most bitter White Sox fans around. Be careful. Some of them bite.
4. Ride the Red Line: Work until 6 p.m., then hop on the Red Line and get to the ballpark in 12 minutes. Be sure to order a beer before the opening pitch, and for goodness sake, take off that tie!
5. Petition Bud Selig: Look up Shoeless Joe Jackson’s stats, then have your lawyer draft a memo to the baseball commissioner that reads: “How could Jackson help throw the 1919 World Series if he hit .375, didn’t make an error and hit the only homer? Tell me, how?”
6. Toast McCuddy’s: The bar known as McCuddy’s stood across the street from the old Comiskey Park for eight decades before it was torn down to make room for the new ballpark. Then-Gov. Jim Thompson promised it would be rebuilt. Sox fans are still waiting.
7. Go to Tucson for Spring Training: Try to make it to at least four exhibition games, including one road trip to the Phoenix area, and dine each night at Daisy Mae’s Steak House to catch a glimpse of players with their families. Yeah, it’s too late for this year, but nobody said this would be easy.
8. Stand on home plate: No, not at the new park,
unless you want to get tossed. The home plate at old Comiskey Park is in a nondescript location in the north parking lot.
9. Go to a Stickfigure concert: It may be hard to find tour dates for former White Sox pitcher Jack McDowell’s band. Maybe they’ll be in Tucson next spring and you can make it a twin killing.
10. Go to Wrigley Field: Bear with us here. Win the admiration of all Sox fans by putting on your Dick Allen throwback jersey and parading around the concourse holding a sign reading “1908” on the front and “Never again” on the back.
Jimmy Greenfield.
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10 things every Cubs fan should do
1. See the Harry Caray statue: It’s at Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue. For the uninitiated, Caray is the late Cubs broadcaster who used to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”–long before the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Steve McMichael ripped it to shreds. Take a photo by the statue and use it for next year’s personalized Christmas cards. You want to be a fan? Make the commitment.
2. See “This Old Cub”: This documentary details Ron Santo, a fan favorite and former All-Star Cubs third baseman. Written and directed by his son, Jeff, and narrated by actor Joe Mantegna, the film highlights Santo’s career.
3. Hang out by the players’ parking lot: The cramped surroundings of Wrigley Field mean players park their cars immediately west of the ballpark. You can’t walk inside the lot, but you can wait outside and wave to players as they arrive before and depart after games.
4. Sit in the bleachers: Outsiders call it a place for posers, but insiders enjoy a great seat and the feel of attending a game at an old-time ballpark. Bonus points if you take your shirt off. Ladies, please wear ladies’ undergarments. Men, please do not wear ladies’ undergarments.
5. High-five Ronnie Woo Woo: Veteran fans can roll their eyes at the sight of the ever-present high-octave chanter, but newcomers still flock to the good-natured walking and singing legend. You’re a newcomer, so start flocking.
6. Go early, stay late: When the sun is shining and there is no work tomorrow, game days take on a life of their own. So hit Wrigleyville early for a pregame breakfast, take in the game, then spill out and have another meal.
7. Floppy hats: Not that Nos. 1 through 6 aren’t important, but this is crucial. There may be a day when you attend “Floppy Hat Day” or purchase one at any of the nearby stores. Congratulations. You are encouraged to wear this hat at that game, but at that game only.
8. Know your history: Find the video of the 1984 NLCS Game 5 and the 2003 NLCS Game 6. Close the blinds, light a candle, put the tape in and watch. Only then will you understand.
9. Batting practice: Stroll over to Waveland Avenue before the game and watch the ballhawks chase down batting practice balls that come over the wall. They even position a man in the bleachers to give them early warnings on direction and speed.You may want to participate, but the regular crew has elbows and they’re not afraid to use them.
10. Take the Red Line: Even if you live on the North Side, come downtown, turn around and join the masses headed north. When you get off at Addison, become one small wave in the ocean of Cubs fans spilling down the steps and into the street.
Chris Malcolm.
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NEXT WEEK
Check out our White Sox and Cubs previews and rosters, as well as baseball predictions from Whizzer, the prognosticating pooch, in the baseball special section in Tuesday’s RedEye.
Mark these dates
Sox first game: April 5 (at Kansas City)
Cubs first game: April 5 (at Cincinnati)
Cubs at Sox: June 25–27
All-Star Game: July 13 in Houston
Home opener: April 13 (vs. Kansas City)
Home opener: April 12 (vs. Pittsburgh)
Sox at Cubs: July 2–4
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Edited by Lara Weber (lweber@tribune.com) and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribune.com)
