A Classic Moment Between the Fans of Cross-Town Rivals

The rivalry between my beloved baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, and its cross-town foe, the Chicago White Sox, is a storied one. So storied, apparently, that it merits a Wikipedia entry all of its own!

After Sunday's White Sox game, we had the pleasure of witnessing the quintessential Cubs/Sox fan interaction moment. In search of sustenance (the chocolate-dipped banana had worn off by then), my Sox-fan beau introduced me to one of his favorite restaurants, Pompeii. Pompeii is on Taylor Street in the Little Italy neighborhood of Chicago. I loved the neighborhood on this inaugural visit, with its beautiful brick storefronts and wide sidewalks and random assortment of shops and restaurants (okay, so maybe I crave any city that is friendly and walkable and actually has live human beings out and about).

Anyway, while we were devouring our salad and calzone, we witnessed a very memorable interaction. Several Sox fans had stopped by after the game, and about 6 of them (three grown men and three boys around age 10 or so) were sitting at a table near us. They were all wearing White Sox clothing and various combinations of black and white, clearly revealing their affiliation. Just as they tore into their meals, a tall, lanky guy in a blue Cubs shirt sauntered up to the table next to them and, before sitting down, asked jauntily if it was okay for Cubs fans to sit so close to the Sox fans. We watched intently. I expected the Sox fans to pipe up with a friendly, "Sure, no problem," perhaps adding a jokingly taunting, "You need some happiness in your life because you were eliminated from playoff contention yesterday." That isn't what happened, however. Not at all.

What happened is that the Sox fans glared sullenly at the bubbly Cubs fan father, just as his young daughter (also clad head to toe in Cubs gear) approached the table; one of them may have grunted in response to his question. After which my beau turned to me and said something to the effect of, "That, my dear, is the difference between Cubs fans and Sox fans over the ages . . . that incident sums up the relationship perfectly."