Oct 1, 2008 11:14 am US/Central
Baseball Fever Sweeps White Sox, Cubs Fans
Both Teams In Postseason For First Time Since 1906
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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There will be baseball in October at both Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field this year. The last time that happened, the 94-year-old Wrigley hadn't been built yet.
CBS
The last time both the Cubs and White Sox were in the postseason, Teddy Roosevelt was in his second term as president.
Now, for the first time in 102 years, it's happening again, and baseball fever is descending on every part of the city.
As CBS 2's Joanie Lum reports, to say fans of the Cubs and White Sox are infamous for their rivalry is the understatement of the century. But the good news about that is the home games do not compete against each other. The Cubs' first playoff game against the Los Angeles Dodgers is set for Wednesday at Wrigley Field, while the White Sox are traveling for their first game against the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday.
Near Wrigley Field, the neighborhood is getting prepped and ready for crowds, and fans are still trying to find a way to see it in person. Tickets for the playoff games Wednesday and Thursday are going for a premium, with standing room tickets selling for $96 at StubHub, 3759 N. Racine Ave.
Caryn Berman can't wait for the game.
"This is really for me a once in a lifetime thing to get to do, to see the Cubs play in a playoff game," Berman said.
Even some White Sox fans were pleased to see the Cubs in the playoffs.
"You've got too teams in the playoffs; nothing is more exciting than that," said Amy Lewis, who described herself as "definitely a White Sox fan."
But Cubs fans have waited a century for a World Series championship.
"Cub fans deserve this. They deserve to see it happen," said lifelong Cubs fan Kathy Kleisch.
She most wishes her late father could see the series.
"He watched Cub games religiously; as religiously as he went to church," Klesich said, "and he died last year, and if this is the year that they win it, I don't know what to do with that. I truly don't know what I'm going to do."
Kleisch was wiping her eyes as she spoke, and she's not alone. The hopes of a World Series victory for the first time in several generations are bound to make many Cubs fans emotional.
Down at U.S. Cellular Field, the AL Central tiebreaker game was both a nail-biter and a thrill. John Danks pitched eight innings of two-hit ball, Jim Thome came out of a batting slump and homered in the seventh, and Ken Griffey Jr. threw out a runner at the plate with a tough tag by A.J. Pierzynski, helping the Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 1-0.
Fans wore all black to support the team, and the White Sox celebrated with fans at U.S. Cellular Field afterward. Most said the win was never in doubt.
"I always knew they made it; they'll make it for sure," one fan said.
"I wasn't nervous. They were in our house! Our house is our house!" another fan said.
"Sox going all the way! Yeah!" a boy shouted joyfully in the stands.
Now the White Sox have a tough turnaround. Right after the game, they got in their cars and headed to Midway International Airport to fly directly to Florida for the series with Tampa Bay.
The Cubs clinched the NL Central Division back on Sept. 20, and back north, their focus has been on the series with the Dodgers. On Tuesday, the Cubs picked up their $4 million option on manager Lou Piniella's contract for 2010.
The 65-year-old Piniella guided the Cubs to a 97-64 record, the best mark in the league.
"I'm thankful and I look forward to a couple more years," he said on Tuesday. "I should be tired, but as long as I have the passion, why not?"
Excitement was running especially high when fans gathered in Daley Plaza Tuesday for a massive rally to honor the Cubs. Legends Ron Santo, Billy Williams and Ernie Banks made appearances, along with Mayor Richard M. Daley, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and several current players.
"Cubs fans, we just want to say to the best fans in the world, thank you for having our back and showing your support for the last six months," first baseman Derrek Lee said at the rally. "We need you guys for one more month – 11 more wins. So thank you very much and let's go Cubs!"
The famous White Sox fan Daley donned a Cubs hat for the occasion.
"You have made history here in Chicago. You are committed, you're passionate, you're excited about not only your team, but Chicago," Mayor Daley told the fans. "I present my hat to you, put it back on, and on to the World Series!"
On Tuesday, Daley also placed a bet on the Cubs-Dodgers Divisional Series with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa that pales by comparison.
Instead of ribs, steaks, Italian beef and deep-dish pizza, there were hot dogs, chips, nuts and pop from homegrown companies such as Vienna Beef, C.J. Vitnery, Ferrara Pan Candy and Pepsi Americas.
Wilson Sporting Goods, which supplies bats and gloves to Cubs stars Kerry Wood, Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot, also has agreed to donate enough baseball equipment to supply 150 young players in the winning city, at an estimated cost of $15,000.
If you didn't know any better, you'd think the mayor's heart wasn't in the Cubs breaking their 100-year drought between championships — that he was more preoccupied with his beloved Sox.
But, Daley insisted that he's got his fingers crossed for a crosstown World Series, telling reporters, "It would be unbelievable."
The Cubs' first playoff game against the Dodgers starts at 5:35 p.m. The Chicago Transit Authority is increasing service on the Red Line, as well as the Yellow Line, which runs until midnight Wednesday night from Skokie to Howard Street where passengers may transfer to the Red Line.
In addition, $6 parking will be available at the DeVry University parking lots, near Western Avenue and Addison Street, from which point shuttle buses will head to teh Wrigley Field. But parking will be banned on all of the major streets near the ballpark.
If you don't have tickets, don't go looking for them at the Wrigley Field box office. They're only available through the secondary market.
And CBS 2's Ed Curran says you should bring a jacket, because it will only be 56 degrees at game time.
When the Cubs and White Sox faced off in the 1906 World Series neither Wrigley Field nor even old Comiskey Park had been built yet. Instead, White Sox pitcher "Big" Ed Walsh and Cubs pitcher "Three-Finger" Mordecai Brown faced off at South Side Park at 39th Street and Wentworth Avenue, and West Side Grounds at Taylor and Wood streets. The White Sox took the series 4-2.
CBS 2's Joanie Lum, the STNG Wire and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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