>>However, because of my background, I couldn't "hate" the White Sox. In fact, I don't remember anyone on the South Side saying that they "hated the Cubs". That's something that came along later.
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>You are making me appreciate some of the bigger factors in the sports allegiances. Gentrification on the North side and expanding poverty on the South, even the relative decline in Chicago's national importance with the rise of teams in the south and west, the advantage the Cubs have because of their ownership by a media conglomerate. Given the chip on the shoulder that Chicagoan's have historically as the "second city" and the residual resentment that people of Irish (and other) backgrounds have as a reaction to always being dominated. Like nationalism, there is regional loyalty. It springs from wanting your area to be prosperous. So we go to a place where 40000 other people are cheering and yelling their lungs out and it is an expression of all our aspirations - us against them.
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>(My reference to the Cubs as the VB of baseball was meant to be followed by a smile -- but I errored on that typing chance.)
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Bill,

I think you're right on the money.

Let's see here...we've had the Red Sox, the White Sox, what's next? The Blue Sox? That's the color of the Cubs socks.:-)