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7/24, 1:05 p.m.
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox, Comiskey Park
(Or, "My kind of town, but I'll take anything after Detroit.")


Box score | Recap
R H E
Twins
White Sox
0 2 0 1 5 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
8 13 0
1 9 0

Mentally recuperated from the horrors of Detroit but their voices hoarse from four innings worth of taunting Chuck Knoblauch, our heroes drove to Chicago for the first of two days of Windy City baseball fun. Those who know baseball history know that Chicago is the "Second City" in more ways than one. That was no exception today, as the Southsiders lost to the Twins 8-1 behind dismal pitching and a lineup that left 12 runners on base.

The storied rivalry between the White Sox and the Cubs (who play on the North Side) was apparent for the whole game, much to the delight of Steve and Jeff. Fans who decided to wear their Sosa jerseys to the game were mocked and taunted, ads in the program referenced the haplessness of their neighbors to the north, and the following exchange was overheard at a souvenir stand outside the park:


Souvenir guy: (unintelligible mumbling)

Customer: Man, why you be talking about Wrigley? I hate those [expletive deleted] Cubs!

Souvenir guy: (beaming) Me too! Why do you think I work here?

Of course, the White Sox - while they have won a few postseason series in

the last 50 years - haven't been too much better of late. Today, their pitchers were rocked by the Twins to the tune of 8 runs and 13 hits, including four homeruns. And who led the way for Minnesota? Why, Torii Hunter, of course! He must have known that Steve and Jeff were in attendance, because he followed up his great day against Cleveland in front of YB 2002 with another great day at Comiskey:
  • He played his usual flawless defense.
  • He went 3-5 with 3 runs scored.
  • He almost took Chicago reliever Keith Foulke's head off with a blazing line drive.
  • He missed a home run to dead center by two feet in his final at-bat.
He continues to push his case for YayBaseball2002.com's MVP award.

Comiskey Park is ok, but it's definitely the least impressive of the new wave of parks. It's adequate, but parts of it are a structural nightmare. The good: There's a great open-air concourse (a near fixture, it seems, in ballparks built after 1992) that runs the whole way behind the outfield and features dozens of vendors and a "rain room" where fans can cool off on a hot day. The concourses behind the infield seats are wide and spacious, though the ceilings are a little low. Its best feature is the "exploding scoreboard" in center that shoots small fireworks and lights up after homeruns and wins. Unfortunately, the White Sox didn't give it much cause to perform on this day.

Now, the bad: Getting from level to level is positively ludicrous. Sure, there are escalators, but they don't work and they aren't even open for walking. Sure, there are ramps, but they don't do much good since they only take you approximately nine feet up for every hundred feet you walk. Oh, and they're across the street from the park. Impossible to explain - Jeff and Steve were there, they experienced this architectural oddity, and they still can't figure it out.
Also, all the good-looking women in Chicago must be Cubs fans, because there weren't any out there. Jeff now believes that the White Sox are televised on PAX and Nickelodeon, because it seems that the only people who like the Sox are kids between the ages of 6 and 15 and adults between the ages of 55 and 85.

Steve and Jeff are both looking forward to tomorrow's game at Wrigley Field where they will join the Bleacher Bums and - hopefully - all of the pretty baseball fans in Chi-town. Sure, they haven't won since 1908, but the Cubs and Wrigley are definitely the bright spot of this town.

Legendary Chicago announcer Harry Carey.
Twins' outfielder Jacque Jones.

White Sox' outfielder Magglio Ordonez.


<-- Comerica Park, Detroit | Wrigley Field, Chicago -->


© 2002, Yay Baseball, Inc.