Fall Classic Forgetfulness

There are two baseball-related snubs that have been bothering me lately:

1) With all the hoopla around the agony of the Red Sox and Cubs franchises, I have not heard one mention of the Chicago White Sox. Boston fans act like their they're the neglected stepchild of the baseball world, since they haven't won a title since 1918. But the White Sox haven't won since 1917, and you never hear their fans complain. Sure, Boston fans have had to endure some tough losses, but White Sox fans had to endure their team's betrayal in the Black Sox scandal. Meanwhile, the media has been acting as if the entire city of Chicago got together for a Cubs love-in during the playoffs. This ignores the fact that the city has two long-suffering franchises. Wouldn't that aspect have made a better story?

2) The Arizona Diamondbacks' 2001 title has been completely forgotten. You hear about how the Marlins are a lucky bunch of undeserving tykes who don't deserve another title since they're still a young franchise. Well, the last time the Marlins won a title, the D 'Backs didn't even exist. When Arizona won in their fourth year of existence, little fuss was made about the youth of their franchise. And then there's the forgotten fact that it was Mariano "The Invincible" Rivera who blew the save that won the Diamondbacks title. Yet this week, all we've heard is that once Rivera takes the mound, the Yankees are unbeatable. Funny how people have such short, selective memories.