After last night’s 11-0 drubbing of the Cubs by the Yankees, I’m not in a celebratory mood right now. However, this weekend is important for some baseball fans in the city and it might foreshadow things to come for the rest of us.
As someone who looks at other teams’ promotional schedules as soon as they are released, I’m always curious to see how other franchises commemorate landmark World Series celebrations. Teams with one-time victories have more to celebrate by and large.
This weekend the White Sox and their fans are gathering at the Rate to celebrate the 2005 World Series championship. Admittedly, I’m not jumping on the bandwagon, but rather am happy for my Sox fan friends and relatives. It’s good for the city and the fans. For years Chicago has been wallowing in the 1985 Bears SB victory and finally baseball fans can celebrate something beyond the 1969 who are more famous for falling short.
Most likely, the bigger (more recognizable) names will be in town for some of the festivities, but more importantly, the bit players those who might have made only a cameo appearance during the regular season, will be remembered and celebrated. I have no idea how up close and personal fans will be able to get with their favorite players and maybe that’s not important. The timing couldn’t be better or more ironic as the team is coming off the worst record in modern baseball history and the rebuild has been slow. But for eleven years the White Sox had something the Cubs lacked, a World Series title in the modern era.
Coincidentally, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Reds winning the first of their Big Red Machine titles. I didn’t bother looking at their schedule because the Reds are an outlier in this regard. This team has been celebrated to death and has never lacked recognition both in Cincy and nationally. The most important thing about the ’75 Reds in my world is how the Reds-Red Sox WS was the first watched by my cadre of young friends/fans. It was a big deal back then as far as staying up to watch baseball. I recall dribs and drabs of the ’70 Baltimore Orioles and their victory over the Reds. The first WS that I had a real rooting interest was in 1971 when the Pirates rebounded and beat Baltimore. I mistakenly believed that the team I rooted for would always win.
Getting back to Chicago sports, the Bears will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of their remarkable 1985 season. It’s hard to imagine what they have planned for a fanbase that has been reliving that season for the last 39 years. Until the Bears won in 1985, the ’63 Championship team was honored and beloved, but often discarded because some people didn’t equate Championship with Super Bowl. And unless someone can correct me, I don’t recall the Blackhawks doing anything to honor the 1961 Stanley Cup champions on any of their landmark anniversaries.
Other than having to deal with the natural aging process, I’m sure that for some of the players on the ’05 squad, it doesn’t seem that long ago, but for fans suffering through the past few years (especially), it must seem like a thousand years has passed.
As far as the 2016 Cubs team goes, I’m caught in between. Nine years seems like forever and yet it really was only just yesterday. If the Cubs fall short this year, it will be forever.
