CHICAGO WHITE SOX: 2005 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
The above sentence is the greatest thing I've ever typed. Since 1998, when the Chicago Bulls won their 6th NBA Championship, I said that I'd trade them all for 1 World Series, and now I've got it! Well, the White Sox have it. It needs to go on record that as I write this, I am not an aspiring sports journalist.
I am a proud fan of the Chicago White Sox organization, as I have been since I was old enough to understand baseball. I fell in love with the 1993 team that came close to the World Series but never got there. I was a fan through all the heartache and sorrow that typically comes with being a White Sox fan. I defended them until I could no longer talk to many Cubs fans who, for reasons I'll never understand, insist that the pathetic franchise up North is better. And, I'm not embarrassed to admit, I cried at some point from Wednesday thru Saturday, letting out 21 years of emotion as my team etched their names into baseball history.
Before I get into the real emotional part of this article, the historical aspect of the 2005 White Sox needs to be accurately displayed. ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons said immediately following game 4 that the 2005 Sox need to be talked about as one of the top 3 teams in the HISTORY of baseball. I didn't occur to me why this was until recently, but consider these stats:
* The 2005 White Sox set a record for leading at some point in 37 straight games to start a season. That means not a single team was capable of beating the Sox for an entire 9 innings until game number 38. Nearly a quarter of the season had elapsed.
* The 2005 White Sox went 99-63 and 52-29 on the road. Both dominating records. They might not have come close to the Mariners record-setting 116 wins, but 99 isn't too shabby. They were also 35-19 in one-run games, which paid big dividends later.
* The 2005 White Sox only had one month below the .500 mark (August). And really, when you look back at the schedule, this team only had one bad week ALL SEASON. It was a really bad one, when they lost seven straight. But it was never their poor play that was the reason that a 15-game lead shrunk faster than the children in the disney classic, "Honey, I shrunk the kids." It was the Indians amazing sprint to the finish that made things close.
* The 2005 White Sox, including the playoffs, went 16-1 in their last 17 games and 19-3 in their last 22 games. All 3 losses came by a combined 3 runs. When you stop to think about that, they were merely 3 runs shy of winning 22 straight games to end the season.
* The 2005 White Sox dominated their opposition in the playoffs, which is the place where the truly great teams make a name for themselves. They swept the defending World Series champion, Boston Red Sox. They beat the Angels 4-1 behind four straight complete games. They then swept the Houston Astros to win it all. Their 11-1 record in the playoffs is eqaled only by the 1998 Yankees.
* Finally, the 2005 White Sox are one of only 3 teams in MLB history to be in first place wire-to-wire during the regular season and then sweep a World Series. The other two being the 1970 Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" and the immortal 1927 Yankees. Now, that's some nice company.
Baseball is America's Pastime. A game passed down from generation to generation. A game, where the best moments come with a good game of catch with your father as seen in "Field of Dreams." There's nothing sweeter than the feeling in your hands when the bat makes solid contact with the ball. There's nothing like standing on the mound, by yourself, and pumping strikes down the heart of the plate. There's nothing like sliding for a groundball, jumping to your feet and gunning the runner down at first. That's why there's nothing sweeter than becoming the World Series champions and that's why many in Chicago started to wonder if the city would ever get to see the accompishment take place.
When GM Ken Williams made it known that the makeup of the team would change, everyone had questions. But all Williams kept talking about was 1917 (the last year the Sox won a World Series). He never lost focus on what that number meant. He knew that turning games into homerun derby had to stop and real baseball had to take place.
For the last 10 years, whether it be due to steroids or not, baseball fans across America fell in love with watching the ball fly over the fence 325-400 feet away from home plate. They forgot that baseball wasn't meant to be a homerun hitters game.
Real baseball, true baseball was meant to be played with great pitching, great defense, great baserunning and timely hitting. That's why the 2005 White Sox are World Series champions. They played the game the right way. The pitchers would keep the team in the game and manufactured runs would keep it close until the offense could come through with the big hit.
But playing that type of baseball can't be done unless the team is as selfless as these Sox were. They had no superstars, no Alex Rodriguez or Barry Bonds, but that is okay. Their guys played as one, sacrificing themselves for the better good of the team. Why was Tadahito Iguchi team-MVP? Because he would stand at the plate and take strikes that he was capable of hitting hard, but waited for Scott Podsednik to steal second base and maybe even third. Then he'd drop down a bunt or hit a roller to the right side to advance the runner.
Doubted all season by local and national media, the Sox seemed to play with a chip on their shoulder. They were picked to finish third in their own division, their hot start was considered a fluke, they were called chokers in September, they were never given a chance to do any damage in the playoffs. Yet, when the dust settled and out No. 27 was recorded in game No. 174... it was the White Sox as the last team standing, mobbing one another in the middle of the field.
The Sox epitomized Chicago, especially the South Side. They were a group of hard working guys that other teams didn't want, didn't NEED. They came together to prove that they were capable of standing at the top of the world. The single element that defines this team is HEART. Like the Journey song, "Don't stop believin'" it was hard to not believe that something special as in the air during the summer of 2005. The Sox just never knew how to quit. No matter what the situation and how many runs they trailed by, no one would ever leave U.S. Cellular field early or turn off a road game before the final out. It was always a sense of belief that they could squeak out a win.
This team gave 110 percent every game because that's what manager Ozzie Guillen demanded of them. And they always followed one simple rule: It doesn't matter what happened yesterday, win or lose, go out there today and play to WIN that game.
I will never forget the summer and playoff run of 2005. I have never been happier as a sports fan or felt so fulfilled by a team. The season is over and I am still upset. Upset because I know I may never see this particular group doing such fantastic things again. But the memories I will forever have of this team can last me a lifetime.
No longer will the preseason question of "Dude, what if we win the World Series?" be answered with a laugh and a sarcastic comment such as "Yeah right, maybe sometime in during our lives but not this year."
As Sox fans rushed to the U.S. Cellular field parking lot hugging one another regardless of race or religion, and danced their emotion away, they waved White Sox banners high into the sky. The Chicago baseball Civil War had been won and all suffering Sox fans, ridiculed by Cubs fans for decades proclaimed Chicago to be their own. It's now a White Sox city, as they have found the Holy Grail.
No author, movie producer or sports journalist could have made the story of the 2005 White Sox any better than it was. It was a story for the youth of the country who want to learn how to play TEAM baseball. It was a story for our country and how the melting pot of Asians, Americans from all different backgrounds, Latinos and African-Americans can unite for a common goal.
Ozzie is now the King of Chicago and the White Sox are the toast of the town. So much more can be said, so much more will be said. White Sox fans young and old have seen the unbelievable, have seen their dream come true. The baseball part of their lives is now complete and all of those who couldn't live to see it can now rest peacefully.
For the first time in 88 long years, 2006 will have a simple goal in mind: to defend the WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP!!!
I am a proud fan of the Chicago White Sox organization, as I have been since I was old enough to understand baseball. I fell in love with the 1993 team that came close to the World Series but never got there. I was a fan through all the heartache and sorrow that typically comes with being a White Sox fan. I defended them until I could no longer talk to many Cubs fans who, for reasons I'll never understand, insist that the pathetic franchise up North is better. And, I'm not embarrassed to admit, I cried at some point from Wednesday thru Saturday, letting out 21 years of emotion as my team etched their names into baseball history.
Before I get into the real emotional part of this article, the historical aspect of the 2005 White Sox needs to be accurately displayed. ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons said immediately following game 4 that the 2005 Sox need to be talked about as one of the top 3 teams in the HISTORY of baseball. I didn't occur to me why this was until recently, but consider these stats:
* The 2005 White Sox set a record for leading at some point in 37 straight games to start a season. That means not a single team was capable of beating the Sox for an entire 9 innings until game number 38. Nearly a quarter of the season had elapsed.
* The 2005 White Sox went 99-63 and 52-29 on the road. Both dominating records. They might not have come close to the Mariners record-setting 116 wins, but 99 isn't too shabby. They were also 35-19 in one-run games, which paid big dividends later.
* The 2005 White Sox only had one month below the .500 mark (August). And really, when you look back at the schedule, this team only had one bad week ALL SEASON. It was a really bad one, when they lost seven straight. But it was never their poor play that was the reason that a 15-game lead shrunk faster than the children in the disney classic, "Honey, I shrunk the kids." It was the Indians amazing sprint to the finish that made things close.
* The 2005 White Sox, including the playoffs, went 16-1 in their last 17 games and 19-3 in their last 22 games. All 3 losses came by a combined 3 runs. When you stop to think about that, they were merely 3 runs shy of winning 22 straight games to end the season.
* The 2005 White Sox dominated their opposition in the playoffs, which is the place where the truly great teams make a name for themselves. They swept the defending World Series champion, Boston Red Sox. They beat the Angels 4-1 behind four straight complete games. They then swept the Houston Astros to win it all. Their 11-1 record in the playoffs is eqaled only by the 1998 Yankees.
* Finally, the 2005 White Sox are one of only 3 teams in MLB history to be in first place wire-to-wire during the regular season and then sweep a World Series. The other two being the 1970 Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" and the immortal 1927 Yankees. Now, that's some nice company.
Baseball is America's Pastime. A game passed down from generation to generation. A game, where the best moments come with a good game of catch with your father as seen in "Field of Dreams." There's nothing sweeter than the feeling in your hands when the bat makes solid contact with the ball. There's nothing like standing on the mound, by yourself, and pumping strikes down the heart of the plate. There's nothing like sliding for a groundball, jumping to your feet and gunning the runner down at first. That's why there's nothing sweeter than becoming the World Series champions and that's why many in Chicago started to wonder if the city would ever get to see the accompishment take place.
When GM Ken Williams made it known that the makeup of the team would change, everyone had questions. But all Williams kept talking about was 1917 (the last year the Sox won a World Series). He never lost focus on what that number meant. He knew that turning games into homerun derby had to stop and real baseball had to take place.
For the last 10 years, whether it be due to steroids or not, baseball fans across America fell in love with watching the ball fly over the fence 325-400 feet away from home plate. They forgot that baseball wasn't meant to be a homerun hitters game.
Real baseball, true baseball was meant to be played with great pitching, great defense, great baserunning and timely hitting. That's why the 2005 White Sox are World Series champions. They played the game the right way. The pitchers would keep the team in the game and manufactured runs would keep it close until the offense could come through with the big hit.
But playing that type of baseball can't be done unless the team is as selfless as these Sox were. They had no superstars, no Alex Rodriguez or Barry Bonds, but that is okay. Their guys played as one, sacrificing themselves for the better good of the team. Why was Tadahito Iguchi team-MVP? Because he would stand at the plate and take strikes that he was capable of hitting hard, but waited for Scott Podsednik to steal second base and maybe even third. Then he'd drop down a bunt or hit a roller to the right side to advance the runner.
Doubted all season by local and national media, the Sox seemed to play with a chip on their shoulder. They were picked to finish third in their own division, their hot start was considered a fluke, they were called chokers in September, they were never given a chance to do any damage in the playoffs. Yet, when the dust settled and out No. 27 was recorded in game No. 174... it was the White Sox as the last team standing, mobbing one another in the middle of the field.
The Sox epitomized Chicago, especially the South Side. They were a group of hard working guys that other teams didn't want, didn't NEED. They came together to prove that they were capable of standing at the top of the world. The single element that defines this team is HEART. Like the Journey song, "Don't stop believin'" it was hard to not believe that something special as in the air during the summer of 2005. The Sox just never knew how to quit. No matter what the situation and how many runs they trailed by, no one would ever leave U.S. Cellular field early or turn off a road game before the final out. It was always a sense of belief that they could squeak out a win.
This team gave 110 percent every game because that's what manager Ozzie Guillen demanded of them. And they always followed one simple rule: It doesn't matter what happened yesterday, win or lose, go out there today and play to WIN that game.
I will never forget the summer and playoff run of 2005. I have never been happier as a sports fan or felt so fulfilled by a team. The season is over and I am still upset. Upset because I know I may never see this particular group doing such fantastic things again. But the memories I will forever have of this team can last me a lifetime.
No longer will the preseason question of "Dude, what if we win the World Series?" be answered with a laugh and a sarcastic comment such as "Yeah right, maybe sometime in during our lives but not this year."
As Sox fans rushed to the U.S. Cellular field parking lot hugging one another regardless of race or religion, and danced their emotion away, they waved White Sox banners high into the sky. The Chicago baseball Civil War had been won and all suffering Sox fans, ridiculed by Cubs fans for decades proclaimed Chicago to be their own. It's now a White Sox city, as they have found the Holy Grail.
No author, movie producer or sports journalist could have made the story of the 2005 White Sox any better than it was. It was a story for the youth of the country who want to learn how to play TEAM baseball. It was a story for our country and how the melting pot of Asians, Americans from all different backgrounds, Latinos and African-Americans can unite for a common goal.
Ozzie is now the King of Chicago and the White Sox are the toast of the town. So much more can be said, so much more will be said. White Sox fans young and old have seen the unbelievable, have seen their dream come true. The baseball part of their lives is now complete and all of those who couldn't live to see it can now rest peacefully.
For the first time in 88 long years, 2006 will have a simple goal in mind: to defend the WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP!!!
posted by Jeremy Lynn | 2:10 PM
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