2008 Woodie Awards
White Sox are champs, could Cubs be next?
Cubs could be next in line to break long curse
Bill Zureikat
Issue date: 11/14/05 Section: Sports
After going 88 years between championships, the Chicago White Sox could win the World Series again just 12 months from now.
Why not? Their entire pitching staff - the backbone of the team, as illustrated one final time in last Wednesday's 1-0 Series-clinching victory over the Houston Astros - will be back. (Bonus: Brandon McCarthy.) Even if Paul Konerko takes the money and runs, most other important position players will return. And don't worry about Ozzie Guillen; the manager who made it work with his energy, wit and wacky wisdom will not be retiring anytime soon.
Yes, Chicago could be Titletown again ...
But maybe not because of the White Sox.
The Cubs are closer to being big-time winners than you might think. I wouldn't be shocked if Cubs president Andy MacPhail, soaked with champagne and smiling ear-to-ear, will be holding the commissioner's trophy next October.
Impossible? Wasn't that what people said about the 2004 Red Sox and the 2005 White Sox?
And now hold on tight, folks, because you're about to read the craziest thing ever written and dispensed to a mass audience:
Cubs vs. White Sox. 2006 World Series. It's possible. You read it here first.
It really could happen. Never has the baseball universe been better primed for such a cataclysmic event.
After the White Sox did what they did, anything is possible. I'm not talking about what they did on the field, either, although that was plenty impressive. I'm talking about the amazingly quick way Guillen and GM Ken Williams completely re-tooled the organizational philosophy.
One year, they were trying to beat everybody with three-run homers. The next, they brought in a slew of new players and "OzzieBall" was born. They were hit-and-running, base-stealing, suicide-squeezing fools, while still bashing 200 home runs, a total that doesn't include the huge shots they smashed during the postseason.
Scott Podsednik? Geoff Blum? I tell you: anything is possible.
If this White Sox title doesn't put pressure on the Tribune Co. to win - or, better yet, to sell the Cubs to someone who truly is committed to winning - nothing will. The Cubs are close to having the pitching they need in place.
If they can shore up the defense, improve the situational hitting (Rafael Furcal and Brian Giles would be a nice start), and add a few spare parts (mostly in the bullpen), they could be very dangerous next season.
I can practically hear you asking "what is Zureikat smoking?" Okay. Fine. Be my guest.
And this time a year ago, were you predicting a White Sox World Series sweep, or did you think they'd need five games to win the title?
Again, the White Sox are world champions. Anything is possible.
Why not? Their entire pitching staff - the backbone of the team, as illustrated one final time in last Wednesday's 1-0 Series-clinching victory over the Houston Astros - will be back. (Bonus: Brandon McCarthy.) Even if Paul Konerko takes the money and runs, most other important position players will return. And don't worry about Ozzie Guillen; the manager who made it work with his energy, wit and wacky wisdom will not be retiring anytime soon.
Yes, Chicago could be Titletown again ...
But maybe not because of the White Sox.
The Cubs are closer to being big-time winners than you might think. I wouldn't be shocked if Cubs president Andy MacPhail, soaked with champagne and smiling ear-to-ear, will be holding the commissioner's trophy next October.
Impossible? Wasn't that what people said about the 2004 Red Sox and the 2005 White Sox?
And now hold on tight, folks, because you're about to read the craziest thing ever written and dispensed to a mass audience:
Cubs vs. White Sox. 2006 World Series. It's possible. You read it here first.
It really could happen. Never has the baseball universe been better primed for such a cataclysmic event.
After the White Sox did what they did, anything is possible. I'm not talking about what they did on the field, either, although that was plenty impressive. I'm talking about the amazingly quick way Guillen and GM Ken Williams completely re-tooled the organizational philosophy.
One year, they were trying to beat everybody with three-run homers. The next, they brought in a slew of new players and "OzzieBall" was born. They were hit-and-running, base-stealing, suicide-squeezing fools, while still bashing 200 home runs, a total that doesn't include the huge shots they smashed during the postseason.
Scott Podsednik? Geoff Blum? I tell you: anything is possible.
If this White Sox title doesn't put pressure on the Tribune Co. to win - or, better yet, to sell the Cubs to someone who truly is committed to winning - nothing will. The Cubs are close to having the pitching they need in place.
If they can shore up the defense, improve the situational hitting (Rafael Furcal and Brian Giles would be a nice start), and add a few spare parts (mostly in the bullpen), they could be very dangerous next season.
I can practically hear you asking "what is Zureikat smoking?" Okay. Fine. Be my guest.
And this time a year ago, were you predicting a White Sox World Series sweep, or did you think they'd need five games to win the title?
Again, the White Sox are world champions. Anything is possible.
