Cubs knock Sox out of Wrigley, take round one

There may not have been an American city energized with more buzz than Chicago on Friday afternoon, and that was before the first pitch was thrown between the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. This three game series marks the first time in history that the Cubs and White Sox will square off with both franchises leading their respective divisions at the same time. A long awaited bout made June feel like October and turned an already rabid fan base into a rowdy collection of Northside brothers.

It is only natural that speculation and anticipation are increased when two storied clubs like these two play such a hyped series in the media melting pot that is the Windy City. The Cubs haven't won a World Series in 100 hundred years, and the fans are craving the stinging sensation of champagne and the rising of a championship banner. There may not be another team that deserves a World Series title than the Cubs-- if that is worth anything in this game.

With Wrigley packed and loud for day baseball, the Cubs beat the White Sox 4-3 on the heels of a walkoff homerun by Aramis Ramirez. The game-ending homerun off of Scott Linebrink was Ramirez's second homerun of the game-- his first tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning. Derek Lee also homered in the seventh inning to begin the comeback for the Cubs and the heartache for the White Sox bullpen.

John Danks was superb, allowing 1 run over six innings with five strikeouts, but the last nine outs were as elusive as they come. Octavio Dotel couldn't hold down the fort with a two run lead, giving up the homeruns to Lee and Ramirez in consecutive at-bats and prompting the hometown crowd to roar back to life and thunder their club to victory.

Ted Lilly left the game on the losing end and although he pitched well enough to win the game-- 6.2 innings and three earned runs-- he did the job of a starting pitcher which is keeping your team in the game and giving them a chance to win. The Cubs are backed by their offense, but baseball proves time and again that any serious title contender must have pitching, namely starting pitching, as a team strength. Lilly's efforts are important now more than ever after ace Carlos Zambrano underwent an MRI on his arm on Friday and will skip his scheduled start next Tuesday.

But, for a day at least, the attention on the Cubs and White Sox was not on the negative and the woes, but rather the improvements and the potential. What should have been taken from Friday's ballgame was the electricity of the ballpark and the candid fervor that comes with this rivalry. This rivalry is often put on the backburner in baseball, but there may not be another series that divides a single one city more than this series divides Chicago.

Wrigley Field is always occupied with the best Cubs fans, filled to the brim on the hottest of humid summer days. Yet, there were plenty of White Sox fans who found their way into the ballgame on Friday, and the buzz was uprooting the ivy on the outfield walls before the game even started.

There were chants and cheers, boos and jeers, and not one inning was wasted with June baseball gloom. On June 20th, there are a number of ballparks that are scarcely filled and rather quiet, until the seventh inning when the home team is making some kind of run towards a victory. That is not baseball, and that is not sports.

The atmosphere at Wrigley Field summarizes everything that is good about this game. Two historic teams, two immensely passionate fanbases, and one 'W' to be had. After Aramis Ramirez blasted a 1-0 fastball over the centerfield fence to send Wrigley Field into a frenzy, nobody wanted to leave. I mean nobody. The entire stadium was bouncing up and down, boys and girls dancing in the street and waving their arms like the one hundred years of mourning had been ended.

But this is June. And crowds aren't supposed to get so excited about one win before we have even reached the All-Star break, are they? That is how most would play it, but that doesn't mean that is how it should be done. Chicago does it right. The ballpark was singing the chorus of their favorite song, and the joy dispursed throughout the park was being soaked up by every last ticket holder.

These are the things that make Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and other diehard cities so enjoyable for baseball fans and players. Too many times is the baseball season treated like what it truly is on paper-- a long, arduous grind. That is not the way it should be, and we have interleague play and the Cubs and White Sox to thank for that. If baseball wasn't meant to be savored, there would be a time limit. It is more than all right to live in the moment, enjoying June's walkoff wins like they are October's postseason glory. After all, haven't the Cubs waited long enough?