Cinch it Up and Hunker Down

In every sports fan's lifetime, there are dates that are seared into the memory. Those dates mark the paths to elation and depression. Which path you are on is often determined by one crack of the bat, one swish of the net, one hard cut to the left or right.

For the Indignant Citizen, the first date was Oct. 12, 1986. That's when his team at the time, the California Angels, one strike away from the World Series, instead surrendered a 6-2 lead in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series to the Boston Red Sox. The Angels, of course, went on to collapse in a red, white and blue heap, handing Boston the AL Pennant. And a few years later Donnie Moore, the Angels relief pitcher who gave up a two-run home run to Dave Henderson in the top of the ninth, killed himself in part because of his despondency over blowing the save. Few remember the Angels rallied to tie in the ninth and had the bases loaded, but failed to score, losing in extra innings.

Every major sports date from then on that has involved a team the Indignant Citizen cheers for has been a variation of that one day, a seemingly endless procession of white flags marking a path to doom and failure on the playing field.

April 24, 1986. The Portland Trail Blazers lose Game 4 of a best of five series to the Denver Nuggets, ending a sub-.500 season. It is the last game coached by Jack Ramsey, who had coached the Blazers to their first and only championship nine years earlier. Yes, this happened earlier in the year than the Angels series, but the Blazers ended the regular season with a 40-42 record, 22 games behind the Lakers. Not much was expected. And they never led in the series.

June 4, 2000. Portland blows a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7 to lose in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. This one was particularly painful, as the Indignant Citizen had invited an apartment full of people to celebrate the pending trip to the Finals.

June 6, 1999. Portland loses 94-80, its fourth loss in four games to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. The sweep ended an improbable run in the playoffs for the upstart Blazers.

June 14, 1992. After splitting the first two games in Chicago, Portland loses two of three at home and eventually loses to the Bulls in the NBA Finals. Hey, at least they got there, right?

Wrong. June 14, 1990. After splitting the first two games in Detroit, Portland loses three straight games at home and loses to the Pistons in the NBA Finals. Portland becomes the first team in NBA Finals history to lose three straight games at home.

Oct. 2, 1995. The Angels complete one of the biggest regular season collapses in Major League history by losing a one-game playoff for the AL West title to the Seattle Mariners, 9-1. The Angels at one point had a 10.5-game lead in the division.

You get the picture. It is a trail of tears that has left the Indignant Citizen's feet tired and bloody. And so it is with Fear and Trepidation that the Indignant Citizen prepares himself for this year's baseball playoffs. His association with the Angels faded after he left the West Coast (which is of course when the Angels finally won the World Series, in 2002), and now the Indignant Citizen is a proud Chicago White Sox fan.

Generally the Indignant Citizen prefers to leave the Sox commentary to his good friend and former coworker Vince over at Exile in Wrigleyville. But this is the Playoffs and the Playoffs cry out for comment. So here it is. The White Sox will open today against the defending world champion Boston Red Sox. Here's what Boston has: playoff experience and hitting. Here's what our Sox have: pitching and a chip on their collective shoulders. The winner will play either the goddam Yankees or, of course, the Angels.

This is going to be a frightful, nail biting ride. Goats and heroes will emerge. The Indignant Citizen almost can't bear to watch. Hope is dangerous if not used in moderation, and there are hope pushers giving away massive quantities of the stuff on every street corner in Chicago right now. So far this season, the White Sox have shown an uncanny ability to respond to the full-throated roar of their crazed home fans by laying a giant turd on the U.S. Cellular Field grass. What will happen now, in the Playoffs? How will they respond to the hooting, hollering, arm-waving army of Sox fanatics descending on the South Side to cheer them on?

The Indignant Citizen prefers not to look to history as a guide. Instead, he hopes this season will plant a series of new markers along a new path, one leading to vicarious gratification, vindication, elation and maybe, just maybe, Playoff victories - preferably 11 of them.

The Indignant Citizen is nervous. He is excited. He wants it to all be over soon. He wants to savor every moment. Is it possible to both love and loathe hope? There is nothing left to do now but Get It On and find out.

As the Hawk says, it's time to Cinch it Up and Hunker Down.

Go White Sox.