JEFF'S CHICAGO SPORTS BLOG - THE CUBS AND SOX ARE NOT HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Well, we have had one terrific regular season for both Chicago baseball teams, but unfortunately, the postseason has been very disappointing.
Yes, there is the conventional argument that a series isn't over until it's over, however, neither the Cubs nor the White Sox look poised to win three consecutive games against two tough opponents.
The Cubs have let their loyal fans down but playing two terrible games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the confines of Wrigley Field.
It's hard to believe that the Cubs could play so poorly at Wrigley after having won 56 regular season games playing at home. As the regular season unfolded, it became clear that the Cubs would win their division.
Their next goal was to continue winning games to secure home field advantage. The Cubs did just that and now have lost both home playoff games giving the Dodgers the chance to advance to the National League Championship Series in front of their home crowd.
The White Sox fought extremely hard to even make it to the playoffs. They had to battle a tremendous amount of adversity to stay in their division race with the feisty Minnesota Twins.
Amazingly, the White Sox battled hard to beat the Indians in the last game of their last home series, then defeated the Detroit Tigers the next day which led to a one-game playoff with the Twins which the Sox won.
The Sox have lost both of their road playoff games but come home to play the Tampa Rays in front of their home crowd. This should prove beneficial as the Sox not only play well at home but also seem to respond to the fan support in a positive way.
I hope our teams can save face and at least make a good showing over the weekend.
Last year, the Cubs were swept in three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and with all the changes the Cubs made to correct the problems they encountered in last year's playoffs they might still wind up the same.
The White Sox have a strong amount of playoff experience that hopefully will benefit them as they battle back in their series. Let's hope this is a positive weekend for our two teams.
JEFF ARDITO & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
