Even if the White Sox end their curse in much the same way that the Red Sox ended theirs, in a four-game sweep and on the road, history should note that despite the lowest ratings in World Series history, these games have been fantastic. The largest margin of victory so far has been two runs. When was the last time that happened? Even when the Reds stunned the world by sweeping the A’s in 1990, at least one of those games was a bona fide blowout.
Not these games. They’ve been hard fought defensive gems, with the meanest relief pitching you’re ever likely to see. Bobby Jenks is just ridiculous, with a near unhittable fastball and a curve ball that makes batters curl up in the fetal position. It’s just a pity that they end at 2:20 in the morning.
People can talk all they want about why this Series is getting such low ratings, since New York and Boston aren’t involved. But Houston and Chicago are currently duking it out over which city is the third largest in the country, which means the other city is the fourth largest. That’s not big enough? No, that’s not the reason these games are rated so low; it’s because they’re all lasting until midnight, and in the case of last night, well beyond midnight. The kids are all in bed well before these games are halfway finished. How is the next generation supposed to get into baseball when it’s never on when they’re awake?
The Series likely ends tonight. Freddy Garcia against Brandon Backe? Advantage: Sox. But hey, what do I know? I thought that Oswalt would shut them down last night. It’ll be a great night for Chicago, but a bad 20 years for Cubs fans, since they’ll have to endure the vicious taunts of the Sox faithful. Then again, maybe a Sox Series will finally motivate the Tribune Company to do something about their pathetic team. After all, they’re about to start losing money, when ticket jersey sales all tilt the Sox’s way. And nothing is a faster motivator than the loss of money.
