I'll come right out and say it. Chicago is the greatest baseball city in the world. Bar none. New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and St. Louis (argued as the best baseball cities) can't light a candle to the fan support Chicago gives their baseball teams. Instead of typically breaking into why Chicago is so fantastic for baseball, I think it'd be a nice idea to start off with why the aforementioned other cities do not have what Chicago has.
New York - Sports politics are awful. Hank Steinbrenner disgracefully allowing Joe Torre to leave the Yankees, and telling Joe Girardi how to manage his team by having Joba Chamberlain start (which I think is still a bad idea). The Mets firing Willie Randolph the way they did was shameful, and the soap opera that Jerry Manuel caused in the process is no better. The Mets appear to have bandwagoners anyway.
Los Angeles - There doesn't seem to be the same passion in their baseball teams, even though they have the Dodgers and Angels, who typically seem consistent in their winning. Don't know how they can ever be considered one of baseball's most passionate cities, really.
Boston - May very well be the most arrogant and obnoxious fans ever, and jumped the bandwagon in 2003 when the Sox were in the ALCS and almost made the Series. They never had so much support until the team suddenly started winning. But then again, the same can be said for all New England sports, no?
St. Louis - They come second in arrogant and obnoxious fans. They have a genius for a manager in Tony LaRussa, but he's the biggest prick among Major League Faculty, if you will. His World Series team was subpar in 2006 and while the team has always been talented, their fans and manager seem to give them a bad name among sports.
So what does Chicago have that these other "baseball cities" don't? They have the most supportive fans in the world, and come close to what the Green Bay Packers have in the NFL as perhaps the greatest fan following in sports history. I'm a bleed-Cubbie-blue Cubs fan since I was four years old and will be until the day I die. That can't be changed. But there's no denying that both the Cubs and White Sox have an extreme and passionate following that no other Major League and possibly sports team could have.
I'll often criticize the arrogance and cockiness of Sox fans and some players, but in the end it's no secret Cubs fans are no better or worse. It's not really arrogance or cockiness at all. It's passion, just shown in different ways. I try to be a realist and open-minded as a Cubs fan, and when the Sox impress me, I won't be afraid to admit it. I won't make excuses and say they're winning cheaply, either, unless I see it that way. If my Cubs are sucking, I won't be afraid to admit it. I won't make excuses, either. If my Cubs are dominating and the Sox are sucking, you better believe I'll rub it in their faces. That's the mentality of the rivalry, and it's why I love the rivalry so much.
At this point, no team is better than the other. The overall series is tied 33-33 between the two, the 2008 season series was split 3-3, and the split had an even distribution of runs at 32-32. Right now, no team is better than the other, no matter what the record is. Because when faced against each other, they're about as even as even can get. And if you can deny that, you're delusional and stupid.
Yeah, the Sox have had bandwagoners. Those will be the same people who will jump the Cubs ship if they ever win the World Series, too. Those aren't the real fans. I always say that if a person cannot name five players on the roster of the team they support, they aren't a real fan. They just say they are because that's what's cool. I know a passionate Sox fan when I see one, as I lived on the South Side for twelve years. So I can tell a fake when I see one, too. As a die-hard Cubs fan, it's easier to spot. I have a much greater respect for Sox fans who say "Cubs suck!" that watch the games, go to the games, and know the team they represent. To me, they have room to talk, just like I'd assume I do as well. That's different than the ones who make the same remarks only because they feel it's what they should do, which is just pathetic.
You look at each of the team's playoff appearances since the Cubs did it in 1989. Since 1989, the Cubs have appeared in the playoffs four times (1989, 1998, 2003, 2007) and the Sox three times (1993, 2000, 2005). So that's pretty even, too. And when this happens, you see a lot of the fan support start to increase, and fans who know their baseball and typically lurked in the shadows all season start to come out, as well as the aforementioned bandwagoners who deem it necessary to cheer on the winning side of Chicago. Even though the latter is pathetic and I don't like it, it's support nonetheless. The Cubs of 1989 and 2003 and the Sox of 1993 and 2005 being the greatest examples. Never in my life had I seen so much support over sports teams in my life. Ever. And that's pretty admirable.
You'll never walk the streets of New York, Boston, L.A., or St. Louis seeing people wearing hats and jerseys of their favorite team and players like Chicago baseball fans (well, you may, just not as many). The fan support goes outside the ballpark and the home, and is taken around in casual situations. You'll often find out that Ryne Sandberg was my favorite baseball player of all-time, just like you'll see Mark DeRosa is my favorite current Cub. Just like you may see a friend of mine sporting a Joe Crede jersey someday down the line showing their support for their player, or just wearing a shirt to show off their pride. It's outstanding when you think of it.
The rivalry between both teams and their fans is so ridiculously intense. I personally hate the Crosstown Classic. Brings out the worst in both side, Sox fans and Cubs fans truly at wit's end. I think it's pointless, since by now after eleven years it's proven neither team is better than the other when faced against each other. I'd rather just see an exhibition game every season, a Mayor's Cup kinda thing, instead of the Crosstown Classic. Emotions not running insanely during a whole series, rather running high during one game that doesn't mean jack against the season. This season has proven it's a disadvantage against both teams to play in the other park, so why keep doing it? I guess it stems from my dislike towards interleague play, but whatever. That's Major League Baseball's problem, not mine.
I'll always speak negatively about the Chicago White Sox and their fans, but you know what? That's sports. I'm very passionate about my Cubs and it's just instinct to dislike a team we're rivals with so strongly. But if the White Sox get to the postseason--and deserve to be there--you may see me saying "Good for them, I hope they do well." Will I want them to win? Nah, but I'd at least wish them the best, which I will admit is more than what can be said for some Cubs fans I know. And I know some die-hard South Siders who've become my best friends who would do the same for the Cubs. Those are the fans I really like, because it's basically how I am.
Anyone willing to claim that Chicago isn't the greatest baseball city in the world is fucking delusional. Period. The atmosphere at the games of each team, the open fan support you see in the street, in the high school halls, in the bars, in the ballpark is outstanding. Take it from a guy who's been to both team's games enough in just a short amount of time. I've NEVER seen such a powerful fan following for any team, in any sport in my life (Except for, as I said, the Packers in the NFL. And I AM a Bears fan). It's so admirable that the fans in this city are so passionate. Jay Mariotti said it best when he said "Forget New York, forget Boston. Baseball's new home is Chicago." You know what, I think this has ALWAYS been baseball's home. There's nothing like walking into a Cubs or Sox game, ordering a big-ass slice of Connie's pizza (or two), getting a scorecard, keeping score, and watching two of sports' most storied franchises duke it out against whoever they're facing. The feeling is simply indescribable.
This may explain my deep passion for the sport. I grew up on the South Side, a fifteen minute train-ride to what was then Comiskey Park. I was surrounded by friends and their families who went to Sox games seemingly every single day (I have a best friend who goes on every opportunity). I had a grandfather who took the Cubs more passionately than anything else in his life. I started going to Sox games with friends and Cubs games with my grandpa, and soon I got caught up in the hype of Chicago baseball, and was soon seasoned as a general baseball fan. As a Cubs fan on the South Side, I took a lot of heat, but it helped me understand the difference between an honest, die-hard fan rivalry and a false one, the latter which I've seen more of ever since I left Chicago. I grew up in the right place at the right time in my life, and the passion I have for this game and the teams in Chicago will probably never die. Same goes for the people who grew up amidst that same background, I'd assume.
Chicago is the greatest city in the world, period. The fact that it has such passionate and respectable fans towards their baseball teams is, as I said before, truly admirable. I say what I do about Sox fans, and most die-hards know my feelings, but in the end, I have a strong level of respect for realistic fans who know when their team sucks, know when their team deserves to be praised, know the roster, and go to the games. It's just more hidden. Just like I respect Cubs fans by the same token as Sox fans. Essentially, if you can be a realistic and logical fan of your team, you got my respect. Simple as that.
*Raises glass* Here's to you, baseball fans of Chicago. You deserve the praise!
-Zach
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