This weekend in Major League Baseball brings back the beginning of interleague play. Until 1997 there was no such thing, and the only way American League and National League teams could meet was in exhibition games, All Star Game, Hall of Fame Game, then yes of course the World Series. So what interleague play brought about in 1997 was the emergence of some historic rivalries and the renewal of much anticipated series'. You have the Subway series in New York between the Mets and Yankees. The Freeway series between the Dodgers and Angels. You even have the Chi Town series between the North and South Siders of the Cubs and White Sox.
One thing they haven't had in almost one hundred years though is a series between two of the games most historic teams, the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. The last time the two met was in 1918. Both came close early in the 2000's with each losing in game 7 of their League Championships in 2003, so both fell a game short of meeting one another in the World Series. But that is as close as it had ever been, SINCE 1918!!!!! The world has saw the end of one World War and the start/finish of another since then. We have put people into space, tore down dictatorships, saw the rise of technology, had the first ever African American President, well we have saw just about everything since these two clubs have played one another, but this weekend we will get that chance.
As time has pushed forward and technology has ruled the last half century, a couple things have stayed the same. The friendly confines of Wrigley Field (Chicago) and Fenway Park in Boston, both respective homes of the Cubs and Sox. While other teams clamor for state of the art facilities, both teams have stayed true to their homes and I must say Thank God for that. Wrigley Field built in 1914 did not even have lights until 1988, even then Chicago fans still fought the idea. Up until that time all Cubs home games were played during the day, to this day most still are even though they now are able to play at night. Boston has called Fenway home since 1912, opened not even a week after the Titanic plunged into the Atlantic. So while other teams trade in their 30 year old stadiums for flashy high tech new ones, the Cubs and Sox stay true to everything that is historic in the both of them. It is this shared history that makes this matchup so delightful for all thoses who love baseball.
Apart from playing in the most recognizable historic parks of all time, the two also share a bit of bad history as well. Until 2004 the Red Sox had endured almost a centurys drought in winning a championship. Ironically with their defeat of the Cubs in 1918 the Sox did not win a title until their memorable 2004 run. Likewise the Cubs have not won a championship since 1908. Call it the curse of the Babe, curse of the goat, or just the curse, Boston broke theirs, and Cubs fans expect to do the same.
So much history, so much for a baseball fan to enjoy. So as you guys are planning your weekends be sure to keep in mind you can witness a little bit of baseball history this weekend in Boston. Two of sports most historic and enduring franshises doing battle for the first time since 1918. If thats not pure baseball, then I don't know what is. I'll be watching, will you?
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