It's Been a While...

Seriously... my blogging took a nose dive these last few months, but I hope that will change.  I'm going to put aside the White Sox for a moment, and talk about the LCS and my memories of the 2005 series between the White Sox and the Angels.

I was able to purchase tickets to all three games in Anaheim, and I was able to witness some White Sox history in the making.  I spoke about this before, but catching Paul Konerko's foul ball was a special moment for me.  The couple I was sitting next two were Angels fans, but we made a pact saying that if one of us would catch the opposite team's foul ball that we would give it to the respected person.  It was in the 6th inning if I recall, and the gentleman sitting next to me got up to get his wife something to eat since the White Sox were coming up to bat.  There wasn't a lot of people sitting around me between innings, and they weren't in a rush to get back to their seats when the White Sox were up to bat.  The ball flew a few rows above me, but people were fighting for it.  I was tracking the ball, and I raised my hand up and the ball magically appeared in my hand.  I was shocked at first, and then I errupted in celebration, sporting my new treasure for the world to see.  When the gentleman came back, I smiled and showed him the ball.  His wife was telling him the story, and he was upset that he missed it.

While catching the foul ball was a special moment for me personally, watching the White Sox advance to the World Series was mind blowing.  It was a cold day in Anaheim, and the rain made it hard to keep score.  It's a tradition I have when I attend ballgames that I keep score.  I had to shield my score card with my elbow to write, and as the game went on, the ink started to run as well as my hopes for the Sox to clinch.  Contreras was on the ropes, but Ozzie had faith in his right hander.  I think Contreras didn't want to be the starter that couldn't go the distance as the previous three starters were able to - Buehrle, Garland, and Garcia.  The rain was coming down faster, and I knew the Sox needed to step it up when the Angels took the lead in the bottom of the 5th.  The White Sox regained the lead in the 7th and never looked back.  I kept willing Contreras to throw first pitch strikes!  After the last out was recorded, I raced down to the White Sox dugout.  There was already a mass of White Sox fans gathered, and we all started chanting four more wins over and over.  It seemed that we were there for hours.  The security kicked us out around 9PM PST, and I remember calling everyone I knew to gloat!  lol

While the White Sox aren't in the playoffs this year, new memories for fans will be created, and I hope they will have special moments that they will continue to cherish for years to come.