Will Another Chicago MLB Team Choke In the Postseason

The Chicago White Sox will host game 1 of the American League Championship series next week. The White Sox swept the Boston Red Sox in three games in the 1st round of the playoffs, the 1st time they had won a postseason series since they won the 1917 World Series. The White Sox had the best record in the American League in 2005 so it's no surprise they have come this far. What would be a surprise is if they went any farther, whether they play the Angels or the Yankees in the next round of the playoffs.

Neither Chicago team has made a World Series appearance since the White Sox lost to the Dodgers in 1959. That appearance in 1959 represents the only appearance by the White Sox in the World Series since the Black Sox scandal of 1919. Some great White Sox teams have fallen apart either at the tail end of the regular season or in the playoffs. The Sox of 1972 and 1977 looked destined for the playoffs, only to fold badly late. The playoff teams of 1983 and 2000 looked destined for the World Series but fell way short. Historically, both Chicago teams have choked badly in the postseason in the post-1917 era.

But the Red Sox lifted the curse of the Bambino in 2004. Maybe this is the year the White Sox lift the curse of the Black Sox. Or maybe not. One thing is for sure...at this point Cubs fans are dreading the possibility of a White Sox vs. Cardinals World Series.