The Sandspur

Issue date: 11/4/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Louis Deluca/ KRT Campus ANOTHER CURSE BROKEN: The Chicago White Sox celebrate after winning the World Series.

On September 19th, Ozzie Guillen and the Chicago White Sox were left for dead. They had seen their lead dwindle from 15 games on July 1st to 2 games on September 19. They were facing the prospect of blowing the biggest division lead in baseball history to their division rival Cleveland Indians who at the time was the hottest team in baseball.

On the last two weeks of the season, they were able to clinch the AL Central by sweeping Cleveland on the last week of the season. It was their first playoff berth since 2000, and everyone (including myself) was counting them out of their first round playoff series against the Boston Red Sox.

A little over the month ago, the White Sox faced the very distinct possibility of becoming dramatic chokers. Now they are histrionic champions. After surviving that late season scare, the White Sox pulled the Red Sox script from last season and "reversed a curse."

They won their first postseason since 1917, when there were no radio stations to listen to the World Series on, a postage stamp cost 3 cents and when Babe Ruth still played for the Boston Red Sox.

For 88 years, Chicago's southside had languished in anger and frustrations as the White Sox were unable to win a postseason series much less win a World Series. But the White Sox wouldn't have won the championship without capitalizing off other teams' misfortunes.

Entering the postseason, the White Sox had won five in a row. Most of their everyday players were rested. The Red Sox meanwhile had to wait until the last day to clinch a postseason berth and didn't have their world championship swagger.

The White Sox took the first game 14-2. In the fifth inning of the second game, Red Sox second baseman Tony Graffanino committed an error that could send the Red Sox into 86 more years of peril. With a runner on first, Graffanino had a ball roll through his legs; much like Bill Buckner did in the 1986 World Series.

With runners on first and third, Japanese import, Tadahito Iguchi, smashed a 3 run homer into the left field seats which gave the White Sox a 2-0 series lead. In the seventh inning of Game 3, with the Red Sox down a run, they loaded the bases with nobody out. Manager Ozzie Guillen called on playoff veteran Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. El Duque was able to force two pop ups and a strike out and the White Sox were on their way to face the Angles in the American League Championship Series.

Continued...

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