Cubs' Pathetic Performances vs. White Sox Making Mockery of Crosstown Classic

As the Cubs whimpered to the finish line at their home ballpark on Sunday, there was a feeling "sweeping" over the Northsiders that the annual series between the Chicago rivals has become a joke. The Sox have now beaten the Cubs 18 out of the last 24 games.

Some "classic," eh? A classic failure, maybe. Interleague play is annoying to begin with, but when even the best of the matchups—and the intracity rivalries are supposed to be just that—are this bad you have to wonder why they do it at all.

Sure, I'll admit it. If the Cubs were putting a big hurt on the Sox I would be singing a different tune about this series. But as it is, all it means to Cubs fans is more embarrassment and possible money loss (if any Cubs fan is dumb enough to bet the series, that is).

I realize the Cubs are a really bad baseball team again this year, but when these two teams go at it, the records are supposed to be thrown out the window. Pure emotion is supposed to take over with civic pride at stake.

Well, I guess the Sox have more pride than we do, because they beat on us like step children. They play harder than we do, and they play smarter than we do. In short, they seem to want this more than the Cubs do.

Gordon Beckham knocks David DeJesus off a base. A.J. Pierzynski hits a homer and waves to the crowd. The Sox keep rubbing it in our faces and we keep turning the other cheek.

Granted, Jeff Samardzija hit Paul Konerko in the face on Friday, but he didn't mean it. Of course not—the Cubs are nice guys while the Sox play to win.

All of this drama means little in the long run, I know. But dammit, it means something to me. If we're going to play this idiotic series, why not win once in awhile? Is it too much to ask for us to win more than 33 percent of the time?

Plus, it's not just that the Cubs are losing—it's the way we're losing. The Cubs scored in just three of the 27 innings the two teams played this weekend. Funny, the Sox can certainly hit homers in Wrigley Field, so apparently the wind isn't the problem.

Speaking of the supposed home-field advantage, the only team that Wrigley Field has been friendly confines to this year has been the opposition. The team is 9-15 at home.

Since the Cubs have moved into Wrigley Field, they have not won a World Series. It is time to move the team out of this crumbling, antiquated ballpark. It is not conducive to winning.

The park has no amenities for the players or the fans. The bathrooms are still a joke and it plays differently depending on how the wind blows. It's as if the front office has to build two distinct types of teams each year—one for home and another one for the road. That's just not possible.

Moving out of Wrigley won't happen, of course. The Ricketts, like all previous Cubs owners, know it is a cash cow. They don't have to field a competitive ballclub as long as they have Wrigley and the surrounding bars. That is enough for most Cubs fans.

Meanwhile, winning is an afterthought. If you don't believe me, then how do you explain 103 years without a championship? Even by accident it should have happened by now. It's quite amazing, really, when you stop to think about it.  

Then again, perhaps the Sox should play there. They seem to do just fine in our ballpark.