Disaster at The Friendly Confines

I go to school on the North Side of Chicago. I'm a rabid White Sox fan. This weekend was a travesty, a disaster with ramifications lasting until the Cubbies come down South during the summer's second round of interleague baseball.

Derrek Lee set me and millions of other fans of the Good Guys up for 6 weeks of disappointment, anticipation, angst, and irritation. Coworker a Cubs fan? It's going to be a long day at the office. Lovable Losers in the family? Stratch them off the list of guests to your next barbecue. Personally, I'm going to excommunicate any and all schoolmates from my life if they are Cubs fans. It's not personal or anything, it's just a way to cope with the pain. You know?

The Crosstown Classic, as the media has dubbed it, (as cliche as it sounds) is more than just baseball. Especially after my beloved White Sox won the World Series in 2005, the Cubs-Sox games are about regional pride, bragging rights, everything but baseball. In the inevitable arguments that North Siders and South Siders have, it's too easy to just say "2005" to a Cubs fan. That takes the fun out of it. This series is the catalyst for a year's worth of debate. Winning both of these series gives you hollow-point bullets for ammo - there's nothing a Cubs fan can say to counter.

Now the pressure is on the South Siders. Though they salvaged the series and avoided a catastrophic sweep, this weekend at Wrigley Field was indescribably painful. Boone Logan better lay low for a few days.