Cubs - Sox Preview

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jun 20, 2008 3:10PM

Are you excited for this weekend, baseball fans? Chicagoist is! This afternoon, the Cubs and White Sox play the first of three games at Wrigley Field, and fans across our fine city are showing their team pride -- no bandwagon jumpers here. And for the first time since interleague play began, both of our teams enter the Red Line rivalry in first place in their respective divisions. Will we be watching a preview of October? With both teams atop the standings, we can all dream for now...

The Cubs, who recently lost Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano to injury, were just swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in a three game set. The White Sox, meanwhile, rediscovered their offense and scored 37 runs in a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Leading up to the on-field clash, Tribune baseball writer Phil Rogers compiled his annual All-City team, naming the best player at each position. The Cubs get the nod at five of the eight position players, while the Sox outnumber the Cubs in the starting rotation three to two. Cubs closer Kerry Wood was selected over Bobby Jenks, and Ozzie won out over Sweet Lou. The teams split the two bench players and two relief pitchers. That's an overall 10-9 advantage to the Cubs.

But it's not just about the teams and players. Both of our local papers have taken the opportunity to dissect the fans of the Cubs and Sox to see how they stack up. The Sun-Times Hottest Fans Contest we mentioned a couple weeks ago? The Cubs are leading with 61 percent of the vote but they've decided to continue the voting for the rest of the season. This morning, the Trib's John Kass asks another riveting question -- whose fans are fatter? He even has a video documentary of his quest for the answer.

For those who just can't get enough coverage -- the Trib and Sun-Times each offer extended looks at the crosstown battle.