We did it!

We’ve won the pennant!

Let me repeat that.

The White Sox have won the f’ing pennant!

I don’t believe it. My team has actually made the World Series. Within my lifetime. After forty six years of baseball we’ve actually been able to make it to the World Series. I can’t believe it. You have to understand, while most people would celebrate by screaming and cheering I basically broke out into laughter. That hysterical laughter when you’ve seen the most amazing, improbable event occur in front of your own eyes. It’s this feeling of “Oh my God, we actually did it.”

Thanks to WGN, I get to have the Chicago news on while I write this so I get to hear the celebrations in my home town. You’ve got to understand just what an event this is for the city. They’re showing the bars and you have people spraying beer and champagne on each other in the bars like they’ve won the playoffs themselves. It’s so tough to explain what this is like for people who aren’t from Chicago. You have to understand, we have two baseball teams and we have not won a pennant since 1959. I’ve seen someone put together the probability on that happening and it is basically impossible. At some point growing up you begin to feel that it will just never happen.

(The crowd in Anaheim is now chanting “Four More Wins”. This is nuts)

You’ve got to love the way this team is put together. Their marketing slogan is “Win or Die Trying.” They are the ultimate do the little things right and make your own luck. They’ll steal first, they’ll hustle out balls in the infield, they’ll pitch until their arms fall off. They are just a gutsy little team that gets hits when they need them and win the close games. If you are not cheering this team, you just don’t love baseball.

(Unless you are a Cubs fan. Then you are excused from cheering this team. But I just need to say, “When was the last time you made a World Series?”)

I am grinning from ear to ear right now. In six months I’ve gotten to see Illinois make the Final Four and the White Sox make the World Series. This is quickly becoming one of my best years as a sports fan in my life. I can’t wait for Saturday night. Bring it on.

The five random CDs for the week:
1) The Iguanas “Live at Wolf Trap”
2) Lucinda Williams “World Without Tears”
3) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack “Blink”
4) Josh Ritter “The Golden Age of Radio”
5) The Frames “Set List”