Funny Little Fact About Sox/Cubs...

[WhiteSoxFan84]

It's funny how the Sox lose Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee and we are so much worse than last year.

The Cubs, meanwhile, lose Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, Matt Clement, and still have no closer, yet they're just a heavy favorite as they were last year.

The Sox go out and fill up their holes by picking up another starting pitcher, solidifying the bullpen, adding a legit leadoff man, picking up an offensive force behind the plate, and replacing Magglio with Jermaine Dye.

The Cubs go out and.... sign Jeromy Burnitez, Henry Blanco, and Chad Fox, suddenly all their holes are gone. You may bring up the closer situation, but that problem may not exist anymore as all of a sudden Joe Borowski is the man again. Are you kidding me?

The national and local media are telling us that the Cubs having Nomar Garciaparra for a whole year is an addition in it's own. Funny how no one mentions that the White Sox having Aaron Rowand all year will also be an addition in it's own. It's also funny how no one mentions that the Sox have legit replacements for Magglio and C-Lee and that the Sox will have their RF healthy all year along (hopefully) as well as their DH (Thomas might miss a few games, things are looking more and more likely that he maybe ready by mid-April, early-May).

Granted the Cubs were without Wood and Prior for a combined 20 starts or so and they're hopeful this year won't be the same. But it's funny how little mention is made of the Sox not having the circus in town every 5 days anymore as they now have a legit # 5 (Garland) who was their # 3 last year! Yes, Contreras and El Duque have healthy issues, but Wood and Prior are no sure-things either. It's also not being mentioned that the Cubs fifth spot maybe a huge problem without them knowing it. Yes Rusch had a very good 2004 (6-2, 3.47) but he had a horrendous 2003 (1-12, 6.42), a very bad 2002 (10-16, 4.70), and a bad 2001 (8-12, 4.63).

Sox starting staff's career high in wins....
Buehrle: 19 ion 2002, Garcia: 18 in 2001, Hernandez: 17 in 1999, Contreras: 13 in 2004, Garland: 12 in 2004.
Cubs starting staff's career high in wins...
Wood: 14 in 2003, Prior: 18 in 2003, Maddux: 20 in 1993, Zambrano: 16 in 2004, Rusch: 11 in 2000.

...the Sox are +1 when you compare the staff's. Yet the Cubs have a top 3 pitching staff while the Sox are lucky to get top 15 love. Some consider this a meaningless stat (career high in wins), but it's worth mentioning.

I know some of you may think of this as more Sox fans bitching and moaning about being underappreciated it. But it's just funny how somethings just go unnoticed while other's are just magnified repeatedly.

Being a long-time, loyal, and hardcore Sox fan, I don't get mad about this. This just goes into my collection box. The same collection box that is filled with all the Cub-loving/Sox-hating morons who couldn't stop with the insults in 2003. The same collection box that's filled with the national media doubting us over and over and over while giving the Cubs the benefit of the doubt constantly. The same collection box that I will be emptying out as I'm crying and celebrating a White Sox World Series Title. Oh it'll be so much sweeter than anybody can imagine. People ask me why am I a Sox fan and I tell them, "I can cheer for the Yankees and get a World Series every other year. I can cheer for the Cubs and keep saying 'wait til next year' while the rest of the world constantly thinks next year is here. Or I can cheer for a real team that I love which doesn't win too often. But when they finally win it, I can say, 'I was a Sox fan when the Sox were bad. I was a Sox fan when they had 6,000 people in attendence. And now I'm a Sox fan, now that the Sox are World Champions." I'm drunk, this one is from the bottom of my heart. Enjoy it.

[NonetheLoaiza]

All that matters is who is playing in October, and I have a feeling that it will not be a team that starts with a C and ends with an Ubs...

Originally Posted by WhiteSoxFan84

It's funny how the Sox lose Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee and we are so much worse than last year.

The Cubs, meanwhile, lose Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, Matt Clement, and still have no closer, yet they're just a h...eavy favorite as they were last year.

The Sox go out and fill up their holes by picking up another starting pitcher, solidifying the bullpen, adding a legit leadoff man, picking up an offensive force behind the plate, and replacing Magglio with Jermaine Dye.

The Cubs go out and.... sign Jeromy Burnitez, Henry Blanco, and Chad Fox, suddenly all their holes are gone. You may bring up the closer situation, but that problem may not exist anymore as all of a sudden Joe Borowski is the man again. Are you kidding me?

The national and local media are telling us that the Cubs having Nomar Garciaparra for a whole year is an addition in it's own. Funny how no one mentions that the White Sox having Aaron Rowand all year will also be an addition in it's own. It's also funny how no one mentions that the Sox have legit replacements for Magglio and C-Lee and that the Sox will have their RF healthy all year along (hopefully) as well as their DH (Thomas might miss a few games, things are looking more and more likely that he maybe ready by mid-April, early-May).

Granted the Cubs were without Wood and Prior for a combined 20 starts or so and they're hopeful this year won't be the same. But it's funny how little mention is made of the Sox not having the circus in town every 5 days anymore as they now have a legit # 5 (Garland) who was their # 3 last year! Yes, Contreras and El Duque have healthy issues, but Wood and Prior are no sure-things either. It's also not being mentioned that the Cubs fifth spot maybe a huge problem without them knowing it. Yes Rusch had a very good 2004 (6-2, 3.47) but he had a horrendous 2003 (1-12, 6.42), a very bad 2002 (10-16, 4.70), and a bad 2001 (8-12, 4.63).

Sox starting staff's career high in wins....
Buehrle: 19 ion 2002, Garcia: 18 in 2001, Hernandez: 17 in 1999, Contreras: 13 in 2004, Garland: 12 in 2004.
Cubs starting staff's career high in wins...
Wood: 14 in 2003, Prior: 18 in 2003, Maddux: 20 in 1993, Zambrano: 16 in 2004, Rusch: 11 in 2000.

...the Sox are +1 when you compare the staff's. Yet the Cubs have a top 3 pitching staff while the Sox are lucky to get top 15 love. Some consider this a meaningless stat (career high in wins), but it's worth mentioning.

I know some of you may think of this as more Sox fans bitching and moaning about being underappreciated it. But it's just funny how somethings just go unnoticed while other's are just magnified repeatedly.

Being a long-time, loyal, and hardcore Sox fan, I don't get mad about this. This just goes into my collection box. The same collection box that is filled with all the Cub-loving/Sox-hating morons who couldn't stop with the insults in 2003. The same collection box that's filled with the national media doubting us over and over and over while giving the Cubs the benefit of the doubt constantly. The same collection box that I will be emptying out as I'm crying and celebrating a White Sox World Series Title. Oh it'll be so much sweeter than anybody can imagine. People ask me why am I a Sox fan and I tell them, "I can cheer for the Yankees and get a World Series every other year. I can cheer for the Cubs and keep saying 'wait til next year' while the rest of the world constantly thinks next year is here. Or I can cheer for a real team that I love which doesn't win too often. But when they finally win it, I can say, 'I was a Sox fan when the Sox were bad. I was a Sox fan when they had 6,000 people in attendence. And now I'm a Sox fan, now that the Sox are World Champions." I'm drunk, this one is from the bottom of my heart. Enjoy it.

But Prior and Wood will be healthy the entire season! That's gotta count for something, right?!?

[SoxSpeed22]

Potential, shmotential!

[FightingBillini]

Good post. I think the most telling point about the media is as follows:

The Cubs had the worst offseason in all of baseball. They didn't address any of their holes (lead-off man, bullpen, bench), and they let three of their best players go, creating three more holes which weren't patched (LF, RF, and SP). Their bullpen is horrible, and they have arguably one of the worst starting outfields ever. Expectations were high in 04 because of the playoff run the previous year. The Cubs were slightly better than mediocre, and only made the playoffs because Houston choked the last weekend of the season. They only made it to the NLCS because the Braves always choke. They added little last offseason, but were expected to go from barely winning the then weakest division in baseball to being world champs. They finished in 3rd.

The Cardinals won 105 games in 04. The Cardinals improved, adding Mulder and Grudzielanek. They replaced Renteria with Eckstein, and although Eckstein isn't as good as Renteria, he is a very good player. Also, they will have Larry Walker for the entire season. At very least, they improved moderately.

The Astros had a poor offseason, though not nearly as bad as the Cubs. They lost Beltran, and Berkman will be out for a while, but they still have a much better pitching staff than the Cubs, and one of the best closers in the game.

Of those three teams, the Cubs were the worst last year. OF those three teams, the Cubs had the worst offseason by far. How can these 'experts' pick a third place team who got demonstrably worse to beat a first place team who undoubtedly improved?

'"So, we are going to catch up to them by going slower than them? Cukoo! Cukoo!"

[depy48]

it burns me to when i think about it.... but you gotta realize that the media wants the cubs to win so they can have another curse breaker story. the media wont make all the hoopala when the sox win in october. i'm choose not to worry about it because i'm a knowledgable fan, like all posters here, so i know what's been happening this off season. i also have 100% faith in our white sox!

[BRDSR]

Originally Posted by depy48

it burns me to when i think about it.... but you gotta realize that the media wants the cubs to win so they can have another curse breaker story. the media wont make all the hoopala when the sox win in october. i'm choose not to worry about it because i'm a knowledgable fan, like all posters here, so i know what's been happening this off season. i also have 100% faith in our white sox!

Speaking of curse breakers, lets imagine this time last year. You ask the average baseball fan around the country which NL team has gone the longest without a championship. Obvious, the Cubs. You ask the average baseball fan around the country which AL team has gone the longest without a championship. 90% believed it was the Red Sox, winless since 1918. I can't tell you how many times I surprised people last October when I informed them that the longest draught in the AL had not, in fact, been broken. I know as a Sox fan I don't want to identify with how long its been since a championship like the Cubs DO and the Red Sox DID. But my God, the national media can't even hate us right. It's fine, whatever. We'll fly under the radar. It's cool.

[Stroker Ace]

We'll see who finishes behind Cardinals, Reds, and Astros come October

[Cubbiesuck13]

Jim Hendry has about $30 mil more to spend this year than Williams but when he made two major moves (re-signing Nomar and getting Burnitz) people still think he is one of the top 5 GM's in the game. Hendry made some great trades the last couple of years no doubt, but he also has made the funniest trade I have heard of yet. As much as I hate ShamME (and this is what makes it better) he was traded for the proverbial 'bag 'o balls' (don't forget it was $15.5 million that went to O's way too) and people blessed him for getting rid of a cancer. Never mind that he is part of the reason ShaME-sorus-rex is a cancer. And of course failed to shore up the glaring holes that have all ready been mentioned.

I don't mind people not picking us to win but I do mind people ignoring us. KW filled holes, it isn't proven that he improved the lineup but he did make necessary moves to shore up our weaknesses. He made the rotation better, it isn't a lock but all ready a major upgrade because Garcia was added mid-season AND re-signed during the season (how come that doesn't count).

The Sox had a good off season for the middle market team that our payroll suggests. The cubs had a good off season if they were a small market team (see Pirates) but for the money they spend Hendry should be ripped apart.

[kittle42]

I hate the Cubs, too, but seriously.

[Cubbiesuck13]

Originally Posted by kittle42

I hate the Cubs, too, but seriously.

You honestly don't mind hearing how great the flubbies are when the reasons given are obviously not true? You must be pretty darn used to living on the North side.

[fquaye149]

pretty much. what can you do? would you listen to limbaugh expecting to hear him trash bush or air america and hear them trash...well whoever the left supports?

don't have unrealistic expectations.

[Cubbiesuck13]

Unrealistic expectations would be expecting the Cubune to report balanced, not the Cubtimes and ABC media outlets. They have no financial interest in the Flubs that I know of.

[fquaye149]

this is true - though i'm sure you have some understanding of the reasons behind it...and should be used to it by now

[batmanZoSo]

Great post 84, that says it all pretty well. I see the same thing going on with the Twins, who also had one of the lamest offseasons in baseball and still get picked to finish first by almost everyone. We go out and address every possible hole and all we hear about is how we lost 70 home runs and 200 rbi (as if the guys we added won't drive in any runs themselves).

We needed middle relief, we got it. We needed speed and a leadoff man, we got two. We needed a good replacement for Ordonez in right, we got it. We needed another starter, we got it. We needed a catcher, we got one of the best.

I find it strange that Sox fans are brimming with excitement over the offseason we had, while analysts have the idea that we had some kind of a fire sale. This is a far better team than we've had in years and much more fit to take on the Twins, win consistently and even score runs consistently. The experts must have a crystal ball and see everyone getting injured or something.