It's time for round one the 2009 edition of the Crosstown Classic, with the White Sox visiting the Cubs for a three game set at Wrigley Field tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday. For a variety of reasons, though, it just isn't as exciting as it used to be.
Reason #1: Both teams are pretty bad right now. The Cubs have the better upside, but right now, the Cubs come in 30-30, and the Sox 30-34. Neither team can hit much, so we'll be treated to some horrendous hitting. The pitching of both teams has been solid, so we will see good performances, but they just will be overmatching the hitters so much to where it's not fun.
Reason #2: It's not a weekend. No, days of the week don't really matter, but the series is a lot more fun when it's on the weekend, with two afternoon games in the sun and a night game on ESPN. It just doesn't seem as important when it's thrown in the middle of the week like is.
Reason #3: It's been done. This is the 11th year, to be exact. The series has lost its charm. The teams have proven to be about equal against each other regardless of their records (with some exceptions, of course). For a while, the Sox seemed to take at least 4 games per season, but lately, the Cubs have turned the tables. It has resulted in an even series between the teams. And sure, that's better than a one-sided rivalry, but they have simply played each other way too much. It's impossible for this year's series to live up to the hype of past years.
For this rivalry to regain a spark, both teams need to be good and in or near first place. If not, it will be like this year: a big meh of a series. Every year, the players say it's just another series. That's always been a cliche. But this year, it's true.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What if interleague was shuffled to later in the year to add some variety? Games in May and June are just games. Games in late July and August start to have some true meaning....
ReplyDeleteOr what if MLB takes the NFL approach where first plays first, 2nd plays 2nd, etc? That would likely guarantee some interleague titans going head to head.