Evolution - or why I'm a Sox fan

My last post on the Sox evoked an interesting reflection on the dynamics of Cubs-Sox allegiance in Chicago by my younger brother, who remains conflicted as to where his loyalties truly lie. As in many cities, one is meant to be a fan of only one of the two baseball teams in town, and your choice, in many ways, defines who you are.

Imran bemoans my defection to the Sox (I was a childhood Cubs fan) as a sign of bandwagon loyalty, making me just another fairweather fan chasing the winds of fortune.

But, of course, my defection to the ChiSox, while eased by their winning record, is more profound than that. It's about whether you wake up with a cup of joe or Starbuck's Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccino®. You see, once upon a time, the Cubs were the lovable losers, the guys you had to root for because their efforts always seemed foiled by some freakish accident, like a wild pitch with the bases loaded or an in-park home run. These types of mistakes were always forgiven, examples of mishaps that could happen to anyone. That they happened so consistently to the Cubs somehow added to their charm, along with a cast of characters that were hard to forget (Ryne Sandberg, Rick Sutcliffe, Andre Dawson, Mark Grace, among others).

But, somewhere along the line, the Cubs started to get good. Really good. And along with their rise to the top, they became less lovable and more corporate yuppie. The rooftop parties on neighboring buildings became the target of shameless profiteering (by both sides) and, in ways I can't define, the Cubs just seemed to become more "slick", less the lovable heroes of my youth and more the petulant Sosa and the enigmatic Dusty Baker...

Meanwhile, on the South Side, another team continued to toil away, almost unnoticed, with 11 seasons above the 500 mark since 1990 (compared to just 6 for the Cubbies), 3 division victories (just 1 for the Cubs) and players (Thomas, Konerko, Buehrle, Garland) who have risen to the occasion. This team won in spite of itself, in the face of poor management decisions, low home game turnouts, arguments between players and managers, through it all they play well. They may not have gone to the World Series, but they brought respect back to Chicago baseball.
So I may have left the Cubs behind, but for better, much better...the same reason why, despite growing up a fervent Bears fan, I eventually crossed over to the "dark side" and became a fan of the Packers...and, because, ultimately I still prefer a cup of coffee to a tall cappuccino...