Top ten reasons to be both a Cubs and White Sox fan

By: Danny Sheridan
Whether it’s getting criticized by co-workers and friends, or looked down upon by the general public, I get it from all over for being both a “die-hard” Cubs and White Sox fan. Sorry if this post upsets anyone, and if you want to dismiss everything I say here, go right ahead. Meanwhile, I’ll be the one rooting hard for the Sox to force a one-game playoff this afternoon, and come Wednesday, rooting just as hard for the Cubs against the Dodgers. By the way, I’m probably one of a very few that owns both a Carlos Zambrano and Mark Buehrle jersey.
10. Good broadcasters
Len and Bob work great together, and say what you will about Hawk, but I love the fact that he openly roots for the Sox on the air and sounds like he’s about to cry when things aren’t going well. Even though Hawk will get carried away many times, like when he tried to say last week that the Sox would have taken two of three from the Twins if not for better umpiring, he is a loyal and entertaining announcer who makes you feel good listening to him. Some of his sayings like “You can put it on the board, yeeeeeees,” “Get on back there, stretch,” “Time to cinch it up and honker down,” “This ballgame is ova,” and “He gone,” are classic.
9. Enjoy both ballparks
Wrigley has the ambiance and tradition, while the Cell has convenience and comfort. Plus, if you go to both ballparks frequently enough, you can decide for yourself which team has the better fans, and not go by what Barack Obama thinks. Although there’s nothing like seeing the Cubs win a day game at Wrigley, I’d give the advantage overall to the Cell for three main reasons: you actually have room to move around, the food is a lot better, and parking is way easier.
8. Crosstown Classic
While there’s not much likelihood it will happen this year, or probably any year for that matter, what if it did? To die hard Sox fans, losing to the Cubs would seem like the end of the world. There’d be no getting over it. Same goes for Cubs fans if they lost to the Sox. For someone like me, I’m covered either way. In fact, the big party would be the day both teams clinch spots in the World Series, because then I can’t lose. If I had to pick a side, I’d root slightly for the Cubs, but only because the Sox won it all just three years ago.

7. Screw loyalty
Why should I keep cheering for a team if they continually suck? So I’m a bigger bandwagon jumper than Boston Celtics fans. You know how many Sox or Cubs players I’ve ever spoken a word to or have gotten within 200 feet of? Zero, which is probably the same answer for most of you reading this. I have no connections or affiliations with one particular team. I don’t owe it to one particular team to remain loyal through the down times. At the end of the day, a good percentage of these same players we root for care more about how much money they make than what name is on the front of their jersey anyway. 6. No jealousy
It had to be very painful for Cubs fans to see the Sox go on their magical 11-1 run through the playoffs in 2005, just like it would be for Sox fans this year if the Cubs finally broke their curse. At the moment, Sox fans are able to laugh at Cubs fans because they have something the Cubs don’t, that being a recent championship. Once the Sox get eliminated, whether it’s today, tomorrow, or in the first round against the Rays, the entire South Side will be on the edge of their seats praying that the Cubs choke. Aren’t there more important things to be worrying about than something you have absolutely no control over? Rooting for both teams totally eliminates the jealousy factor.

5. Managers
Having Ozzie Guillen and Lou Piniella manage in the same city is awesome. There hasn’t been a better combination in Chicago since Jordan and Pippen. If I could sit down and meet any two current sports figures in Chicago, players included, I might choose these two, Guillen for sure. The day the Cubs signed Piniella, they became serious contenders. The day the Sox signed Guillen, they became relevant and fun to watch again.4. Have something to watch in the summer
From the end of the NBA Finals the first week in June to the start of the NFL season in early September, there’s nothing going on in that three month window besides baseball. So if the Cubs were 10 games out already by the time school let’s out, it’s going to be a pretty boring and depressing summer sports wise for Cubs fans. It makes for a lot better summer overall when your baseball team is in contention, and in most years, that’s only been the case for one of the two Chicago teams, this year obviously being an exception. Just look at the last couple years before this season. The Cubs were all but eliminated from contention by summer in 2005 and 2006, the Sox in 2003 and 2007.

3. Root for good stories on both sides
Geovany Soto, Mark DeRosa, Ryan Theriot, and Ryan Dempster have all been major surprises for the Cubs. Alexei Ramirez, Carlos Quentin, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks have been the same for the Sox. Cheering equally for both teams allows me to root for great stories on each side of town. Most Cubs fans really can’t appreciate or would even recognize how great Quentin was before he got injured because they’re too caught up in their own team, and possibly jealous that Kenny Williams stole him from Arizona. Likewise, a lot of Sox fans might not cheer for Dempster because he came out of nowhere to give the Cubs one of the best rotations in baseball, while the Sox staff has been terrible the last two months. 2. Double your chances
Okay, this one is pretty simple, even though I suck at math. If you root for two teams instead of one, you have a better chance each day of seeing at least one of them win a ballgame. Let’s say the Sox lose a heartbreaker, like last Thursday’s loss to Minnesota for example. Sox fans are going to be pissed off the rest of that night, and probably still thinking about it until the next day’s game. But, if the Cubs were to win on that day, well, you may get over the Sox quicker, and therefore have second thoughts about emailing Guillen (ozzieguillen13@hotmail.com) to tell him how much his team sucks.

1. Lack of success in Chicago sports
Since the Bulls dynasty ended in 1998, other than the White Sox World Series title and Bears trip to the Super Bowl, there hasn’t been much to get excited about from any of the city’s five professional sports teams. That’s a shame too, because Chicago is a huge sports market with some of the greatest fans in the world. Recently we’ve seen so many bad teams here, that when there finally is a year in which both baseball teams have a shot to reach the postseason for the first time since 1906, I’m sure going to be pulling hard for each. May I remind you also that the Cubs haven’t won a World Series in 100 years, and up until 2005, the Sox had gone 88 years without one. Not that you probably needed the reminder.