Not So Similar

Note: I'm about to discuss something which I am forced to take a stance upon that some would say makes me come off as unappreciative and not happy for the Chicago White Sox. This is not the case. I am impressed with what the White Sox did to some extent, and am thouroughly happy for them. They were the best team this year in baseball (which is part of the problem). So once again, Congratulations.
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This seems like de ja vu. But somethings not right. This isn't the same.
It was harder. I swear. It meant more. It really did. This just isn't the same. While it is a tremendous feat for any team to win the World Series, the Chicago White Sox doing so this year just wasn't as impressive, important, meaningful, or groundbreaking as the Red Sox doing so the October past.

Perhaps my Red Sox bias is showing through here. But I am very serious in many ways.

This year the Chicago White Sox had a spectacular story. They started off in first place. Midway through the season they were in first place. And, Yes, at the end of the year they were in... first place. They had starting pitching in Contreras, Garland, and Burhle. Relief in Hermansen and Jenks. Speed in Podsednik and power in Konerko. Sure they did have the brief "struggle" with the Cleveland Indians for a month before firmly grasping the stranglehold on the AL central.

And with their World Series Victory the White Sox overcame an 88 year history of nothing. Yes, I do mean nothing. They had no fiasco, no real suffering besides that of mediocrity.

On October, 27th 2004, the Red Sox overcame much more than 86 years. The Red Sox, unlike the White Sox, held a rich history of great torment. That is, when they won, they overcame The Curse of the Babe, they overcame Dent, Buckner, and Boone. A year previous fans were wallowing in the spectacular fiasco that was the 2003 ALCS.

In 2004 the Red Sox got off to a hot start (15-6) before falling apart. Actually, "falling apart" is a gentle way to put it. They were a trainwreck. They traded the Icon the Nomar for two no-namers. They were 10.5 games back in AUGUST for crying out loud. It was absurd, but something happened. It all clicked. Funny hair, idiots, tessie, it all just came together. The lovable bunch of idiots trounced into the playoffs where they faced the greatest test: The New York Yankees. And they failed and failed and failed, before they turned the cards on the Yankees and history for the first time ever to win 8 games in a row taking the Yankees down and the Cardinals in a clean sweep in the World Series. For the first time in 86 years the Red Sox were champions.

While it was great the White Sox won overcoming an 88 year drought, it just wasn't as big. They didn't have handcuffs on besides handcuffs of 88 years of mediocrity.

I'm not saying that this victory ins't big for the White Sox, because it is big and it does mean the world to every single White Sox fan. However, when the Red Sox won the stars aligned. For the first time Ruth, Dent, Buckner, and Boone didn't matter. The Red Sox winning was so radical, so BIG, so above all power any of us can understand, that there was litterally an ECLIPSE when it happened. The stars aligned for the Red Sox. It was absolute magic:

Swing and a ground ball, stabbed by Foulke. He has it. He underhands to first. And the Boston Red Sox are the World Champions. For the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox have won baseball's World Championship. Can you believe it? – Joe Castiglione