WSJ Reviews Sox-Tigers Finale

[JoeBatterz]

From the Wall Street Journal's Daily Fix

 

 

The defending-champion Chicago White Sox are often hailed as the best team in baseball -- but they're not leading their division. That honor belongs, for now, to the upstart Detroit Tigers.

 

On Tuesday the White Sox and Tigers played the first of 13 remaining games that could settle the division. The opener went to Chicago, 7-1; yesterday, the middle game of their series went to Detroit, thanks in large part to Craig Monroe, who smashed a grand slam off Javier Vazquez en route to a 5-2 win.

 

We should point out that it is only July, and it was only one game, and it won't win the pennant or cure cancer or help Ford turn a profit," writes Michael Rosenberg in the Detroit Free Press. "We should, but we won't. And here's why: As much as the Tigers downplay this series, they know how much it means. There is a reason [Tigers manager] Jim Leyland will use his full regular lineup in this afternoon's game, playing [ivan Rodriguez] in a day game after a night game instead of resting him like he usually would. This series means more than most. Monroe's swing meant so much. … If the Tigers are serious about winning a championship, they could not go on losing to the White Sox forever. And for five and a half innings Wednesday night ... well, it sure seemed like Chicago had signed a lease for forever, didn't it?"

 

In the Chicago Sun-Times, Chris De Luca focuses on Mr. Leyland, the one man who seems determined not to be excited by this July showdown.

 

"If we buy into the hype -- and from the looks of things, most of us have -- Game 7 of the World Series will be played today at Comerica Park," Mr. De Luca writes. "The series finale even features a pitchers' duel suited for October: White Sox ace Jose Contreras against Detroit Tigers veteran Kenny Rogers. If the leaves didn't know any better, they would start turning different colors. In reality, this little three-game block in the middle of the July schedule will decide very little, other than who gets the series victory. Still, most everyone can't resist the excitement. Most everyone except Tigers manager Jim Leyland -- the living, breathing definition of crusty."

 

Of his team, Mr. Leyland says: "They are caught up in it. They should be caught up in it because they're having the time of their lives. I just don't want them to get so caught up they lose focus."

[GoSox05]

Both are trying to be like "nah dude its cool". But we all know their both like "holy sh**t we gotta win!"