White Sox/Cubs series not worth the trouble

It's not quite on par with world rivalries like India v. Pakistan; England v. France; or US v. the parts of the World that refuse to embrace democracy. But when the White Sox and Cubs play each other on the field, it brings out the best and worst in fans and the teams from both sides.

As I write this post, White Sox and Cubs fans are arguing about who has the better team, which team will go all the way and which franchise is better than the other. It's happening in bars, in offices, on the streets, on the "L" trains and at the ballparks. Some of these arguments are friendly; some will end in fights and trips to the local city lockup.

The fighting, verbal or otherwise, is not left to the fans. In articles in recent days, White Sox starting P John Danks has referred to Wrigley Field as a "s--- hole" (which it kind of is) and White Sox GM has said that he would not work for the Cubs (and wished the Cubs franchise a "happy anniversary"). White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen echoed Williams' comments.

Of course, we can't forget the on-field fighting. Who can forget that Michael Barrett v. A.J. Pierzynski scrum of two years ago? Cubs fans won't because it's the only time anyone has been able to get a clean shot at A.J. I won't forget because of Tadihito Iguchi's grand slam a few batters later off of Cubs P Rich Hill that sunk the Cubs that afternoon.


A legendary Cubs moment.

So the questions are two-fold: why all the fighting, and why do we bother?

I don't have an answer for the first. I mean, there are answers, like living on opposite sides of the town and having different sets of values, but they don't really answer the question. I think the real answer is that for some strange, cosmic reason that Cubs and White Sox fans are meant to be rivals. Why would people who would otherwise have much in common come to fight each other?

The second question is a little more clear. MLB schedules the games because it's great entertainment. It gives the media something to cover, it gives Chicago a reason to get excited and creates good on-field theater for the nation.

But other than what I've mentioned above, the games serve no real purpose. Trophies aren't awarded to the series winner, and banners are not hung from the rafters. Winning the series isn't always a predictor of future success: the White Sox split the series with the Cubs in 2005, but won the World Series. The Cubs won 5 of 6 from the White Sox last year, but were swept in the National League Divisional Series by the Diamondbacks.

There are bragging rights on the line in this series, but I can't remember the last time I said to a Cubs fan "Ha ha! We won 4 out of 6 this year!". Even if we wanted to use the cumulative series record for bragging rights, we could not: the series is tied at 30-30. The real bragging rights between White Sox and Cubs fans are forged in October and not June. Unless you're a Cubs fan, which then bragging rights are forged when attendance records are broken and merchandise is sold.

Why bother? Sure, it's great entertainment, but the games ultimately cause more trouble than they're actually worth given how much the series excites and upsets both sides of town. The White Sox/Cubs rivalry is best saved for October when real bragging rights are on the line.