88

Today (or yesterday, in some parts of the world) marks a single number for 2 very important coinciding things:

My 88th post, and,

88 years since the White Sox... heck, since the city of Chicago had a baseball team bring home the World Series trophy.

In the words of my friend Si,

"w00t! Just incredible. Go Sox, it's about time."

...Never mind that he was referring to the Red Sox last year (when he said that), i.e. the other Sox.

And I thanked God just recently for being able to celebrate with a friend in Thorson Hall, write the musical composition of my dreams, walk one of my several dream girls to the library, and chill with several music friends till the wee minutes of the morning talking about urinals.

Nothing like a little happiness now and then.

:-)

Pre-World Series Musings, 2005 edition

Well it's official: Chicago and Houston will face off in the ultimate championship series in sports for the first time in history of all four major sports. With the Astros' win yesterday, there will be some bragging rights within parts of my family (my grandpa lives in Houston) for claims to the baseball title. I recall during the Bulls' title run of 6 in 8 years how good the Rockets were (they won 2 in a row in between the two 3-peats), yet the two teams never faced in the Finals. Back then I actually liked the Rockets. We had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, et al. They countered with Hakeem Olajuwon, Robert Horry, Sam Cassell, et al. It would've been the perfect series, with the Bulls winning of course.

This isn't quite the same, as a Cubs fan who isn't much of a fan of the Astros as much as the Rockets, but hey, neither team has gone to the World Series in 46 years. (The Astros didn't even exist in 1959.) It should be fun. And I still hope the White Sox win it. After all, they are a Chicago team, too.

Quite a trip: 2 new T-shirts

Living in Chicago and going to school in Minnesota (and camp in northern Wisconsin, etc) has sent me through Milwaukee dozens of times. I can navigate a bunch of people who couldn't read a map on the main expressways and probably list all the street names that one could exit onto. I've even spent time staring at a street map of Milwaukee and could give a vague description of where the main roads are, and to a lesser extent describe how they run.

But I had never been to Milwaukee. Not that I ever really wanted to; it's a pretty junky city with tons of poverty and abandoned buildings, and other than the local brewery plants the city itself doesn't really have a lot of history. Add in the fact that once I got there, I watched the driver of my car get hopelessly lost in one of its suburbs, nearly hit a deer, miss a turn on an expressway junction, and nearly get hit by a pair of cars going 90 or higher (mph) in a 60 zone. So much for trying to sway my views of the town.

But a lot of good things happened. I banded with several friends from FCA to make the trek to serve God and the inhabitants of this blah city, ranging from helping a church store in a rundown neighborhood set up shop, to helping disabled kids in the Special Bowling Olympics, to visiting a homeless shelter and organize donated clothes that had just arrived at the shelter. I was able to not give in to material distractions such as computers and TVs (apparently the White Sox won the pennant while I was away). I spent a lazy afternoon in one of Milwaukee's beautiful downtown parks playing frisbee and sipping hot chocolate from a local coffee shop. I surprised several of my friends in Cantorei when several of my FCA chums made the trek to a suburb when the Cantorei people clearly weren't expecting any of us to show up. I made some new friends, as well as getting to know better several of the people I already knew. And I got a big reward at the end of helping with the Bowling Olympics: a hug from one of the kids who initially had trouble accepting that he wasn't going to succeed every time he bowled. Oh yeah, and 2 new T-shirts.

There were some frustrations as well, centered around trying to balance hanging out with my friends as well as knowing new people--we had a group of about 25--and feeling productive about what I did during the day. But playing Mafia, Sardines, (the piano) and learning how to jump-start a car (from a safe distance) helped tip the balance into agreeing that it was quite a trip.

End note: the first word out of my mouth when Justin's car finally started this morning (after going through 2 sets of jumper cables) was not, Yippee! or Woo hoo! or Hooray!. It was Hallelujah!. Hallelujah for spirituality of it all, I guess. Hallelujah for the fact that Chicago finally has a team in the World Series for the first time in my life. Hallelujah for the fact that we all arrived Milwaukee and returned at St. Olaf safely. Hallelujah for the fact that I didn't have to do homework for five days. Hallelujah for God. Booyah.

White Sox game addendum

The game wasn't going so well when I entered my previous post, and when I couldn't stand the Sox' inability to push a run across the plate in the 8th inning, I furiously turned off the TV, and let's just say I had a heart-to-heart talk with God. When I came back, the Sox won ["http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20051012&content_id=1247698&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws"] after a called third strike (that would've sent the game into extra innings) was controversially ruled as hitting the ground when it reached the catcher's glove. The Sox hitter took off for first base, reached safely, and after the pinch runner stole second, the next batter hit the game-winning double.

I just hope I didn't jinx it by writing about it in this post. But I still am thankful for that divine assist.

Playoff baseball musings

I'm sitting here watching the White Sox-Angels game (Game 2 of the ALCS), mostly because I don't really have any homework to speak of. Already I'm having some strange flashbacks to the Cubs' amazing playoff run that fell short just two years ago. This year's White Sox seem destined to win it all, and why not? Like the Cubs, they haven't won a World Series in over 80 years, won a pennant in almost as long a time, and have been IN the playoffs only a precious few times.

The Cubs' 2003 run was pretty miraculous in itself; they had a pretty miserable record the previous season, and they changed many of the personnel during the previous winter. They had a new manager, a new general manager, and several new players, and they were aiming for a .500 season, despite the new manager's so-called inspirational quote: "Why not us?" So their season ended on a 3-game losing streak in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Marlins, after defeating the Braves in the first round in 5 games. And, well we know what hasn't happened with the Cubs since that day they watched the Marlins celebrate at Wrigley Field en route to the World Series.

But what about the Sox? They haven't been in the playoffs since 2000, and they were out in 3 quick games as they were swept in the first round by the Mariners. This year, they did just the opposite, sweeping the other Sox out of the playoffs in 3 quick games. But now they are where the Cubs were two years ago, in the League Championship Series, with home field advantage, and the city of Chicago (the South Side anyway) going nuts, salivating over the chance to see one of its teams go to the World Series since 1959. Nineteen-fifty-nine. That's a pretty dang long time; approximately when my parents were born. Which means I'm a couple generations removed from the last time anyone's seen (and remembered) a Chicago team winning a league pennant.

I've been reserved about my excitement level (both internally and externally) this season. I kept hoping and believing that it would indeed be the Cubs' year, especially after the Red Sox won the World Series trophy for the first time in 86 years last year. After showing much excitement for the Cubs' possibilities both in '03 and '04, only to be sorely disappointed at the end, it hit me that it wouldn't be worth it to get my expectations up whenever any Chicago team actually makes the playoffs. The last time a Chicago team won anything significant (and as the Wolves are minor league, they don't exactly count) was the Bulls in 1998, clinched by Michael Jordan's famous "last shot." So while I feel optimistic about the White Sox' chance of going all the way, I am more adjusted to the fact that the Angels could defeat them in the ALCS. Or, even if the Sox make it to the World Series, they will undoubtedly face a tough opponent, who could make a strong case for taking the World Series championship.

Musings aside, I'm watching the game. Go (White) Sox!!

[Even though I'll always be a Cubs fan.]

***

I can't wait for the weekend. I will join roughly 25 other FCA friends (and people I don't know yet) on a trip to suburban Milwaukee for a short mission trip. The biggest perk is I'll be able to relax and hang out with people at the same time.