I checked my Chicago Cubs allegiance at the door, at least for a few hours on a late September Tuesday afternoon.
A group of about 30 Chicago White Sox baseball fans, mostly Sun City residents, gathered at the Village Inn restaurant to witness a game few thought was possible six months ago.
The White Sox Fan Club was formed in 2019 by Glenn Groebli of Sun City and meets monthly, but this night was for a special occasion – a playoff season. The White Sox secured the third American League wild-card spot.
“It’s been great,” fan Chip Campbell said of the season. “I didn’t have any expectations for this season.”
But the fans watching the TV at the Village Inn shared highlights of this unlikely MLB Wild-card season, which led to the series opener Sept. 29 at Houston. They were thrilled with the Sox’s 5-0 lead early, then quieted with a comeback by the Astros. It was pins and needles time when the Sox tried to get the final out, which they did in a 6-3 decision.
“It’s been outstanding, unexpected, and I’ve been extremely happy,” Ed Fabro, attending with his wife Nellie, who wore a No.79 jersey, said. “I’ve been a Sox fan all my life. I’ll go with Miguel Vargas as my favorite player.”
Fabro gave a sigh of relief when relief pitcher Grant Taylor got the final out.
“We had to sweat it out the final two innings, but there was clutch hitting and clutch relief pitching,” he said.
“I’ve been a Sox fan for many years,” Don Engersiser, 91-years-young, said.
Fans wore jerseys with “I still call it Comiskey” and players’ names. They gave various responses to who their current favorite Sox player is. Some recalled the team’s prior glory days of the 2005 World Series championship.
“I like all the players,” Harlan Tiesman said. “I remember their World Series year of 1959, when I was 16-years-old. It was wonderful.”
The Sox lost that series to the Dodgers, 4 games to 2. They won it all in 2005, downing Houston and going 11-1 in the playoffs.
But this night, the 6-3 win at Houston meant the 84-78 regular season was one win away from advancing, and their magical season keeps going.
It was time for raffle drawings and more celebrating. For me, it was time to put my Cubs hat back on, (had my recent highlight of last week’s wild-card clincher win over Miami in person) then follow an 8-0 playoff loss in San Diego.
