White Sox/Cubs

It’s easy for the Sox to dominate a postseason when the umps give them many games.  If Damon isn’t struck out by the umps, the Red Sox win Game 3,  Game 4 is at home, and we know what they did the year before vs. the Yankees (coming back after being down 3-0 in games) and  what they did this year.  They might have gone back to Chicago on a 2-game  winning streak, but we’ll never know thanks to the Sox getting this break.   The umps took away any chance Boston had.  If not for the Josh Paul call,  it’s 50/50 the Sox go to California for 3 games down 2-0.  The Sox’ only run to  that point in Game 2 was in the first inning when Podsednik hit a routine  one-hopper to the pitcher, who threw it into the stands.  So, you can say  they were 11-1, or you can say they were 11-1 due to bad call after bad  call.  Let’s not forget the catcher’s interference, etc.  I keep  hearing the Sox announcers (such as Farmer), coaches (Guillen and Cooper about a  week ago), and newspaper writers (Mariotti) talking about how lucky the Sox were in 20o5.

Say what you want about 99 years, but the Cubs won championships in 1969,  1970, 1973, and 2003.  I really don’t care what the newspapers say, as the  umps stole it from them these years.  I know the umps hated Leo Durocher, but to  steal games from his team is wrong.  The Cubs were a far better team than  Atlanta at that point in the season, and were the best team in baseball at that  point of the season, which was proved by them winning it all.  Prior and  Wood were unhittable.

You can say the Cubs were bad because they got swept, and the team that  swept them got swept.  If Piniella doesn’t take out Zambrano, Game 1 is  50/50 as to who wins.  And, if the Cubs didn’t go up looking for fastballs  when all that was thrown were offspeed pitches, they would have been fine.   I’m not saying the Cubs won the series, because this was their own doing and not  the umps’, but it’s why they looked so bad.  Colorado lost their last game  to Brandon Webb and didn’t look good, so in the playoffs, they said they were  patient and made him throw his offspeed pitches for strikes.  They looked a  lot better with this philosophy, and beat him.  This is why they  tanked–horrible strategy, which is their own fault.