White Sox get a tainted win

SI.com - MLB - 2005 Postseason - White Sox even ALCS on controversial call - Thursday October 13, 2005 2:54AM

[First, about my POV. I live in Orange County, CA and have Angels pennants hanging in two of my apartment windows as I speak. But, I'm from the Chicago area and was a full-on White Sox fan as a child. So, while I was only too glad to see the wretched Yankees go down, my loyalties are a little more blurred this time around, as my old hometown team plays my "new" hometown team. So it doesn't matter as much to me who wins this series, not as much as it did to whupping those stuck-on-themselves damn Yankees.]

Okay, I agree with Angels Manager Mike S (excuse me while I don't even try to spell his last name) that if the Angels had played better last night that bizarre umpire call wouldn't have mattered. And I do believe that rookie Angels catcher Josh Paul didn't handle that play in the best manner possible. But, even so - what the heck was that? More than anything, IMHO: a case of umpire error. I am certainly not alone in that opinion.

Now, if the Angels go on to win the playoffs, it won't matter.

If the Sox go on to win the playoffs, it'll matter more.

If the Sox go on to win the playoffs, but lose the World Series, then it'll matter a little less.

However, if the Sox go on to win the World Series, then it will matter (in a baseball kind of way) hugely and will go down in Baseball History. Or, should I say, Infamy?

Yes, it will be interesting to see how the Angels fans (a huge, enthusiastic bunch) will response to the Sox as they take the field tomorrow in Anaheim.