It’s Cubs vs. White Sox this weekend on the South Side, and you can cut the excitement with a plastic spoon.
Do we all agree the crosstown rivalry has lost some of its heft through the years? It seems indisputable. One reason is that the teams haven’t often been good at the same time, so the games haven’t been all that consequential. Another is that the novelty of interleague play, which started in 1997, is gone. Also, both teams finally ended their Homeric World Series droughts, introducing fans to a bigger picture.
But here’s one more reason: gambling.