World Series Preview, by a Cubs fan
The Top 5 Reasons the White Sox will WIN the World Series.
5. Excellent pitching. The Sox big four (Contreras, Buerhle, Garcia, Garland) match up with anybody. And they've got El Duque and McCarthy available as emergency starters. In the pen, they've got five guys with sub 3.00 ERAs. To top it off, Ozzie knows how to use them and has done so brilliantly all season.
4. Good defense. Every position is adequate (Konerko, Podsednik, Pierzynski), if not better (Uribe, Dye, Iguchi), if not excellent (Rowand, Crede).
3. Clutch Hitting. The Sox got some pop in their bats, but the main reason they score runs is because they rarely let chances slip away. They execute when they need to.
1. To make my life as a Cubs fan miserable. Not that I wouldn't be happy for the Sox, but there's a number of Sox fans that will never let me hear the end of it. And I won't be able to say a thing till we get a title of our own. That kind of sucks.
Top 5 Reasons the White Sox will LOSE the World Series
5. The Astros pitching is nothing to sneeze at either. They've got three of the top five NL ERA leaders in their rotation, and they aren't afraid of anybody. Oswalt especially.
4. No experience. Both Clemens and Petitte have been there before with great success. Only Hernandez of the Sox has been there, and he's not even gauranteed to pitch in this series.
3. No Proven Closer. Guillen turned to Bobby Jenks down the stretch, and he's performed admirably. He's no Brad Lidge, though.
2. Too much Small Ball. Bunting a runner to 2nd and thus sacrificing an out in the first inning simply does not make sense. Sure, they've been successful thus far in the postseason, but if Game One of the ALCS is any indication, its far from a foolproof plan.
1. They're from Chicago.
Listen, the Sox have a great team. I sincerely hope they exorcise their demons and bring a championship to the city of Chicago. I'd especially like to see them beat those damn Astros. I hate them almost as much (if not slightly more) than I hate the Cardinals. So, for all practical purposes, my mantra for the week is “Go Sox.” I'm not going crazy about this, though. If they win, I'll be happy for about five minutes and then I'll move on with my life. If they lose, I'll be upset for about thirty seconds and then I'll move on with my life. Bottom line is, I'm a Cubs fan. What the Sox do has little effect on me. I'll be happy for a few of my Sox fan friends, but ultimately I'll still be a Cubs fan that lives and dies with every pitch. Ivy is in my blood. A championship on the South Side will do nothing to change that.
White Sox in Seven.