Back in Black

The team's nickname is the White Sox, but, at various times in their history, the Chicago White Sox have used black as an element in their uniform design.

For Tuesday night's one-game A.L. Central playoff with the Minnesota Twins, the management of the White Sox urged Sox fans to come to the ballpark wearing black to show their support for the team. It was dubbed a "blackout," in sports pages across the country.

Black may seem more suitable for funerals than baseball games, but, in this case, it was just right for the White Sox — although the Twins, who came up on the short end of a 1-0 stick, thanks to Jim Thome's solo home run, may have felt like they attended a funeral.

Their own.

The White Sox have had their backs against the wall twice this week. They responded by winning two must-win games to get into the divisional playoffs.

Now, they have today off before they begin their playoff series in Tampa Bay on Thursday.

The White Sox deserve to be praised for their tenacity. And I also think they deserve a one-day breather. In a best-of-five series, anything can happen. But the must-win games are behind the Sox — for now.

But I also think the suggestion in a Chicago Tribune editorial that the White Sox and Cubs could play each other in the World Series is still a bit premature.

Local pressure, more than anything else, has contributed to the Cubs' history of heartbreak in the postseason.

So let 'em play the games.

And, when the dust settles in each league, if it turns out that the Cubs and White Sox are destined to meet in a "subway series," let's talk about it at that time.

For now, Chicago baseball fans, enjoy the fact that both your teams are still standing.

Sox Live to Fight Another Day

In the do-or-die world of baseball in (nearly) October, the Chicago White Sox won their makeup game with Detroit on Monday, but the teams once again had to compete with the weather.

The game, as Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun-Times, had been postponed by rain several times since its original Aug. 12 playing date.

This time, though, the teams finally played the game, and the White Sox won, creating a tie atop the A.L. Central — and forcing tonight's one-game playoff between the White Sox and the Minnesota Twins.

During the season, each team was dominant against the other when playing at home so, in spite of the fact that Minnesota swept Chicago in a three-game series in Minneapolis last week, I predict the White Sox will beat the Twins tonight in Chicago.

As they say, there's nothing like home cookin'.

The winner will play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the divisional series that begins Thursday. The winner of that series will play the Los Angeles Angels-Boston Red Sox winner in the A.L. Championship series.

Almost Set Now

Sunday was the last day on the major league baseball schedule, and the initial pairings in the playoffs are almost set now.

It's a done deal in the National League.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will play the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the opener of their series on Wednesday. Milwaukee and Philadelphia will open their series that afternoon in Philadelphia.

Likewise, the American League's playoff schedule is almost complete now.

Today, the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers have to play a makeup game. If Chicago wins, the White Sox will be tied for the A.L. Central title and will play host to the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff tomorrow. If Chicago loses today, the Twins win the division and the final playoff berth.

The winner of the A.L. Central will travel to A.L. East champion Tampa Bay for the series opener on Thursday. Meanwhile, the other A.L. playoff series begins Wednesday when the Boston Red Sox travel to Los Angeles to take on the Angels.