The White Sox Report

So before things got underway on Friday, I asked a bunch of my friends to write why they hated the Cubs, and I posted it on my site. As one would expect from a bunch of college kids, each response was more immature than the last. But all of them made one thing clear: even though these were only three games in the middle of June, this weekend mattered to Sox fans. I'm sure Cubs fans felt the same way.

That's why writing this column now is pretty hard. The Sox just got pounded into the dirt. What else is there to really say? It doesn't mean the season is over, or that the Sox still can't win the division and make the playoffs. Really, nothing was decided but a few barroom arguments. Still, those games felt like something more, and the Sox blew it. I really thought a decisive six-game series win over the Cubbies could have propelled the Sox to big things this year. Now all they can hope for is to tie up the season series at home, something that is clearly easier said than done.

Did the Sox play all that bad this weekend? Eh, I don't really think so. They dominated most of the first game, got screwed out of an Orlando Cabrera home run, and their normally reliable bullpen failed them. Saturday featured whatever the hell you call that fourth inning - bloodbath? Let's go with bloodbath - but the rest of the game simply saw two good offenses smacking each other back and forth while the wind blew out at Wrigley. The final game was the least competitive of the series, and I doubt any Sox fans really expected a comeback with the team down late.

I'm not so sure we learned anything this weekend other than that my parents are going to kill me because I received roughly 8,000 text messages from Cub fans friends reading "Go Cubs Go." Also: Jim Edmonds still sucks.

Man, I hate the Cubs.

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Week in Review: 3-3 never seemed so terrible.

Week in Preview: It'll be fun to see Dodgers phenom Clayton Kershaw on Thursday. That's pretty much the highlight of the week. Oh wait . . . three more against the Cubbies are looming.

Fields on the Farm: Seriously, who cares?

The Missile Tracker: A pair of doubles against the Cubs was nice, it's just too bad his teammates never got him across home plate. I must say watching Alexei is infinitely more fun than watching Juan Uribe, so there's that.

Over/Under: 100: The number of times something like this has happened in Jay Mariotti's career. From the Trib's live blog:

"According to my spies in the press box: Sun-Times hero and fan favorite Jay Mariotti asked for a security presence to safeguard him from his colleagues.

Beachwood Sabermetrics: A complex algorithm performed by The White Sox Report staff using all historical data made available by Major League Baseball has determined that Mariotti asking for a bodyguard was clearly the highlight of the weekend.

Now go read The Cub Factor. Something tells me Marty will be a little more upbeat than me this week. Editor's Note: Nope!

The White Sox Report: Read 'em all.

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Ricky O'Donnell is the proprietor of Tremendous Upside Potential , a contributor to the Sun-Times's Full Court Press and a lot of other things.