The Angels...for 2 reasons:

1) I STILL hate the freakin' bitch sox. Division pride my ass...I want to see them beat down like a lazy house elf at a slytherin renunion.

B) The Angels (as much as I hate to admit it) play baseball like it should be played. They play hard all the time. They don’t mouth off. They don’t give up. I love the way they play the game. It’s hard for me to say that considering how long I’ve dislike the franchise but facts are facts…they really play the game.

III) The team has some great baseball people: Scioscia is a hell of a manager; Erstad plays the game with reckless abandon, respect and a sense of complete glee; Guerrero is a stud; Garrett Anderson is seriously underrated, Figgins is going to be a talent we will marvel at for years to come; and the pitching staff is just simply solid.

I think the California Los Angeles Anaheim Walt Disney Might Duck Angels in the Outfield just might win it all this year! I can't say I'll be rooting against them.

SDave

I am in agreement with SDave. All of the above reasons. Plus, quite frankly, I revel in the misfortune of Bitch Sox fans.

You mistook Garrison Keillor for Frazier Crane.

It's just one game, but LAAAAAA sure looked like the better team tonight.

I'm also in agreement with SDave, especially because I'm so grateful to LAAAAA for saving me from the horror of a Yankees-Bitch Sox series.

The LAAoAOCCAUSA deserve to be beaten for having the most ridiculous name in baseball, but I can't cheer for that Bitch Sox. That would be silly.

Can't cheer for Scioscia. Can cheer for Pierzynski. Didn't need to check either spelling.

Thanks for the grudging support. People who don't follow the team always focus on the name. Ho hum. Biiig deeeal. People can't even SPELL Minneapolis, for God's sake.

You're just jealous cuz we can go to Downtown Disney after the game in our BMW convertibles and drink champagne and shop and admire each other. Aaaah, life is good.

Anyway, I *knew* I could count on Team BatGirl to come down on the Red side of the Angels/White Sox series. We're pretty fond of our good-natured, scrappy boys. =)

And woo hoo!!! It's hockey season! How 'bout them Wild?

-LA Lurkers

Bitch Sox=Yankees=bad, hate, evil.

The LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA are just annoying.

annoying

(continued)
is less than bad, hate, evil.

But in the end, go Cards and Albert "please StL and come join Johan here in MN so we can have the best pitcher AND the best hitter in baseball on the same team" Pujols.

ok, sorry for the third consecutive post, but it should say "please LEAVE StL".

The fact it ate half my post the first time threw me off.

While the LAAAAAAAAAAA name may be a little annoying, I still will root for them for a handful of reasons.

1)ITS THE BITCH SOX! I dont root for them ever, even if theyre playing the damn yankees. Those games, I root for a meteor.

2)I can't bring myself to root for a team that wears one of theose godawful vest jerseys like the bitch sox do. Those things are just hideous.

3)The Black Sox. Any franchise that throws another WS should never win one again, no matter what.

4)You know that if they win, the bitch sox trolls will never shut up about it here. I really dont want to deal with that.

One reason that I would, in a different time, root for the bitch sox to win it all though...

It would make it that much sweeter when we win the division over them next year.

You know, I thought I couldn't possibly root for the White Sox. And then I watched them sweep the Red Sox. I like their team. They got a lot of good players that I enjoy watching (Urbie, Iguchi, Rowand, Jenks, AJ). I like the Angles too. They have a lot of good players that I enjoy watching (Vlad, Figgins, Erstad, Molina, KRod). So I guess it comes down to the managers and Ozzie's a character. The guy cracks me up. The Twins should try to steal him. I'm a bit more laissez-faire when it comes to these issues though.

The Angels have to be running on empty right now, and I think the Whox were just shaking off the rust and will now win 3 or 4 straight. But I don't care who wins at this point. When you set aside the bitterness and vitriol against the Twins' AL competitors, it's been a pretty good post-season.

I just hope Steve Bartman makes an appearance in game 2.

I'll be the first one to openly endorse the White Sox. They were my first baseball team, Darth Thomas was my first boyfriend. Have I since seen the light and come over to the Twins side? Hell yes! However, I'm feeling a little nostalgic. I love the memory I have of going to Kauffman as a kid to see, not the Royals, but Frank and Bo as teammates. Plus Ozzie's kinda hot.

HATE Mike Scioscia, but go LAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

I just can't imagine the paraphenilia that will be up all season next year at US Bitchular for our poor eyes to see if they win.

Gotta root for LA.

1) The World Series has gone through the Bronx every year for the last 10 years except 1997 (Cleveland beat the Yanks and lost the WS to Florida in 7 games). That's a cool streak to keep alive.

2) Guerrero

Now remember, I dislike Anderson more than perhaps any other player in the game. He purposely dissed my 3 year old neice when they were at the Stadium in April.

But can't root for the Chicago team for several reasons:

1) I could never (except in cases where the amnesty clause of 1986 is invoked) root for a division rival -- that goes for the Red Sox as well as the White Sox and Cardinals (Go Cubbies!)

2) As a fan of the Cubs (my NL team) I could no more root for the White Sox than I could for the Mets (unless they were playing the Cardinals -- see amnesty clause of 1986).

YankeeFan

I think all those rooting for the LAAAAAAAA said my thoughts. 'Cept for the guy from LA--no one can spell Minneapolis, true enough, but it's also not our team name so no one has to. ;)

I just wish LAAAAAAA and Sox could trade managers. I am not a fan of Scioscia after the Boo incident in May, but I am very much a fan of Guillen.

I enjoyed Game 1. AJ gets a clutch, but ultimately meaningless, RBI single and the Angels win.

Best of both worlds for an AJ-liking, Bitch Sox-hating, Erstad-is-my-nonsexual-mancrush/North Dakota homeboy, playoff bandwagon rider like me.

Pass the rally monkey. I'm SO on the Angels bandwagon.

I would totally be rooting for the Bitch Sox if they weren't the Bitch Sox. Five years ago? Yeah, if the White Sox had been in the ALCS, I would have cheered for them. AL Central, midwestern city (and my kind of town, Chicago is), scrappy bunch from a less large market than their postseason opponents...

Then there came all the bitching when they weren't granted a postseason berth just because they thought they were more talented than the Twins, even though they couldn't win more games than them. And their hopes of us going one-and-done in the postseason. It'll be a while, I think, before I can root for a team whose players and fans are such poor losers. Ask me again in another five years.

I love it all. Vlad Guererro has an excellent swing, and he's a great outfielder, and the way he chews reminds me of The Original Rod (Carew). Erstad is top notch, too, and Anderson.

Gotta go with the Sox, though, even though I loved beating them very much, though Mark Buerhle is a punk, and even though I will be depressed to see A.J. jumping around, especially 1 year after Ortiz and Dougie D. were hugging on the mound in St. Louis.

My reasons are: (1) I always find myself rooting for the team that, in the end, will make the Twins look better (A.L., A.L. Central...), (2) the team is not filled so much with overpaid crybabies as in years past, (3) the White Sox are an ancient team with a cool uniform and a hard luck story even better than the stupid Bambino tale - was their last win the Black Sox year? (4) and they're the poor brother of Chicago teams, hated by the north side power yuppies, (5) I like my playoff weather cold, I like to see jackets and players' breath, (6) the Sox play in a stadium nicknamed The Cell, which is very nice, despite its reputation (7) I visited last year and was treated well, even in my Twins garb, even though Torii Hunter hit two homers and I was standing and cheering by the end, (8) I got more than enough of the L.A. fans, their sticks, and their dorky monkey in '02, (9) not having been kicked in the balls by him, I personally think A.J. is a hoot, and I miss him as much as any former Twin.

Gotta go with the Halos. Aside from Scioscia, there doesn't seem to be any brats on that team. Whereas, the B-Sox are full of them. I have brats at home, but they're young so I forgive them. I don't need to read about full-grown brats.

k-bro

LAAAAAAAAAAAA all the way. They are a bunch of talented albeit goofy-named kids who are just simply playing better ball than anyone else right now.
And I could never in my f-ing life root for the BitchSox. They have AJ, their city has a foul odor about it, and they do not look good in pinstripes.
Go Rally Monkey.

The LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA's playing better ball then anyone?? - well I have to disagree - No not cheering for the Bitch Sox - but still don't agree with the statement - I'm sure Redbird would agree and say the Cards are playing some pretty damn good baseball -

So I'm hope for another all red World Series
with the Cards winning the whole damn thing

WW

Two words: Steve Finley.

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I feel that this is best decided on a point-by-point comparison:
Manager- I think we all agree. Ozzie is much classier. Edge: Sox of Excessive Bitchiness
Catcher- Juicebox, I still love you! Call me! Edge: Chicago Bitchmongers.
Fans- Tough call. Never been to U.S. Bitchular, but I have been to "Anaheim", where... *twitch* THEY HIT ME WITH THEIR THUNDERSTIX... THEY THREW THEIR DISGUSTING MONKEYS AT ME... *twitch*
But do they really bitch as much as the fans of the Sox of Incredible Bitchiness? And they don't hate us year-round like the Southsiders. I think. Edge: Blech. Even.
Closer- K-Rod with his silly glasses and Eddiesque entertainment value. Edge: LAAA983FN93GNV90
Superstar- Vladi-Daddy over anyone the Bitch Sox want to pretend is superstar-caliber. Especially Darth Thomas. Edge: LAAAOWEIRUOWVIEI.
Team attitude as a whole: Non-debatable. Edge: Over-Acronymed Angels.
The Ever-Important Cool Name Category: Chone "Shawn" Figgins (ick) and Ervin SANTANA (yay), vs. "Damn @$$hole" aka "Dumb@$$-o" Marte. Edge: Disney Conglomerates, I guess, since "ick" and "yay" cancel each other out.

Overall edge then: Halos over Hose 4-2-1.
But I shall never bang even one Thunderstick or waggle an infernal monkey. Never. Ever.

Dear BAT - bandwagoner -
"Two words: Steve Finley.
Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

I agree - I've like him forver -

WW

Voting Angels.

They have their own Santana!

And what Twins fan can ever cheer for the bitches?

But I'm voting Astros for the series.

I'm with Brian. Angels and Astros in the series.

It's a very easy pick for me. The local class A team here is an Angels affiliate so something like seven of the former local boys are playing in this series (including the big tub of Jenks who's now closing for the BitchSox).

I'll pass on the thunderstix though. But I don't go anywhere without my monkey.

just to be accurate, the Anaheiming Angels of Southern Los Angeles are not a Disney Conglomerate anymore. In 2003, "Disney sold the Angels to Angels Baseball, L.P., a group headed by advertising magnate Arturo "Arte" Moreno."

Ok, just sayin'..

I hate the Rally monkey ALMOST as much as the Bitch Sox... don't want him even if LAA does win.

I tryed to vote for the Angels, but it says I already voted in this poll. So, whoever voted for me, I hope you voted for the Angels.

My mom is a White Sox fan and has been for many of her 80 years. At her age we don't know if she can "wait till next year". For her sake, and as much as it pains me to do so, I'm pulling for the White Sox.

no matter what, I shall NEVER root for the Bitch Sox. never say never? well, I just did.

okay, I think the only circumstance in which I could root for the Bitch Sox would be if aliens came down to destroy the Earth, and they landed at US Bitchular Field during Bitch Sox batting practice, and the Bitch Sox had to fight them. then I would root for the Bitch Sox to kill all the aliens. however, I'm sure the Bitch Sox would all run and hide like the bitchy bitchy little Sox that they are before they'd do battle to save the planet... so...

go LAAAAAAAAAA!

WW-

Go "Fins!"

Go Cards!

(But hoping for lots of face/butt time for Mr. Hott Hott Brad Ausmus of Houston)

I'm surprised Brad Ausmus is still playing -for the longest time I swear all he did was get traded between the Astros and the Tigers!

He's got some good hair man well he did the a while ago =)

Oh maybe Batgirl can do a special edition of who's hot World Series 2005??
or The Hottest World Series chick of 2005

Hey who won our Hottest Chick??
Did Justina stop having Diva moments??

Wonder Woman

I don't really care what happens, but in the long run (and since the beginning) I've been going for the Cards, but since I have to pick one team out of these two evil teams, I'm picking LAAAAAAAAAA.

I can't stand the rally monkeys, the thundersticks, Mike Scoscia, I'm still bitter about 2002, but I like Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero. And the only person I can tolerate on Chicago is AJ, and besides, I will never ever ever root for Chicago. Never ever.

You guys are pretty funny.

I'm a Sox fan, life-long. But I do enjoy this site, it's postings, and especially BG herself. I've even posted once or twice. You guys are really a lot more entertaining than people I see on Sox boards.

But here I will list 5 good reasons why even a Twins fan should root for the Sox this year. I doubt this will work on anyone, but I feel obligated...

1. As SDave pointed out as a reason to support LAAAAAAA early on, it's good to see a team that plays baseball RIGHT. Sacrifice for the team, all-out effort, fundamentals, defense, leave it all on the field. The Sox do that as wel as any other team in MLB, as far as I can tell (even though they didn't execute well last night).

2. The Bitch Sox stopped bitching this year (aside from that one Buerhle episode with the blinky lights in Texas). Other than that exception, this team has played it's heart out, and expected no slack from anyone. Even the Big Skirt shut up and played, when he was healthy.

3. This is the Al Central. We were told that we were the weakest division in baseball the last few years. We proved them wrong. Support the ALC!

4. You have to love a team that hasn't won a World Series in 88 years, is looked at as second class in the local media (to the ridiculously pathetic Cubs), is treated like a road block by the national press (did you hear Berman do the games?), and whose manager and half the team are misfits (AJ, for example). If there is a team that has more appeal in the playoffs, show me.

5. Finally, and I am not kidding, if the Twins were in the position right now, I would be rooting for them. So would most Sox fans I know. That's because reasons 1 and 3 above apply very well to the Twins also. GO ALC! GO BASEBALL AS IT SHOULD BE PLAYED!

So there you have it. I doubt this appeal will get me anywhere, but what the heck. Go Sox!!!

YankeeFan,

The World series has not gone through New York every year for the past 10 years. Yes, the Indians and Florida played in 1997, but the Angels beat the Giants in 2002. And let's not even mention what happened to the Yankees in 2004, shall we? Well, OK, let's mention it!

As for me, I am rooting for the Angels. If you root for the White Sox, then the terrorists win.

Well done, Sox Matt, and nearly convincing. But Sacky really said it for me. It's going to take more than one season for the bad taste to leave my mouth.

Thanks to Aussie for the scientific approach. Right on all counts, I think, except, possibly, the Molina factor. A whole family of catchers, you gotta love that.

And kafumbly -- LOL! But now we know that Nomar would come running from the North Side to save U.S Bitchular and the world.

Props for Bitch Sox fan for making a case for his team. Sorry but as long as nasty don't use your Sox for that Bitch Sox fans out number the decent ones who post here I can not root for them.

What worries me is that if the Angels win it all they will become Evil Empire II throwing money at players just like the Yankees.

I'm with WW and the other Cards fans here. Since the Twins are not in it, I'm voting for the team that would help baseball the most by winning it all, St. Louie.

RD grew up in Chicago.

2 years ago. he was watching the Cubs-Marlins series when a friend called. He asked how RD was doing.

"The Cubs are 5 outs from the World Series," RD replied. "I don't know if my heart can take it, I'm so excited."

Then, you know what happened. The damn fan interfered with the foul ball, the team fell apart and the friggin' Marlins rallied to win the series.

So, with that in mind, you hafta understand: THERE IS NO WAY ON GOD'S OR GODDESS'S EARTH THAT RD WOULD ROOT FOR THE DAMN B-SOX. Anything south of downtown Chicago may as well be Missouri.

A Rally Monkey above my desk, acquired during the 2002 ALCS, is smiling.

Sox Matt, I now feel sympathy for you. however, I still cannot root for your team. just going by reason #4, alone... the Bitch Sox haven't won the World Series in 88 years because they threw it in 1917. now, I know that was a long time ago, and it's kind of silly to hold a grudge for so long. but gosh. it's the World Series, and they treated it as though it were the World Series of Poker.

I just can't forgive that kind of blatant disregard for this sport we all love.

but I am glad to know that yet another classy Bitch Sox fan exists in this crazy world of ours. Sox Matt, welcome to our home.

Much as I hate to admit it, I'm rooting for the Bitch Sox. But I do have my reasons:

1. AJ, despite the fact that he's rather a jerk, is still quite high on my totem pole.

2. The Sox haven't been to a World Series since 1959. They haven't won since 1917. The Angels won in 2002. (I'm rooting for the Astros for a similar reason: they've never been to the Series).

And if they win it all this year, shouldn't the Pink Sox win next year? After all, Red Sox + White Sox = Pink Sox, right?

BG: You're kidding right? Root for the GFWS?!

NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really it's mostly a coin-flip for me. I cheered last night as the Angels put the first run on the board, and felt bad that the White Sox couldn't make a comeback. During the season I cast my vote for the Angels, but that was when I was certain the Sox were going to hand the division to Cleveland which I was hoping for almost purely for the train-wreck appeal.

It's down to Anaheim and Chicago though, and I'd be happy to see either team representing the AL as long as Buerhle gets pounded like a railroad stake with every batter he faces and Sciosia makes a handful of simple but costly managerial mistakes.

It's actually pretty refreshing for once to be able to watch post-season baseball and not have to root for a team to lose, and instead be able to watch both with pretty even hopes for victory on either side.

But... there is no "It doesn't matter if you win or lose but how you play the game" choice on the poll, and I need to cast one way or the other. The tie-breaker, sad to say it, is 1917. A part of me thinks there should be a 100-year championship drought on the southside for that, and with that support for Anaheim is tipped to 51%.

Either way, I would love this series to go seven games and be a battle the whole way through to the last pitch.

Dear Batgirl,

Is there Legovision of the Vikings, ummmm, cruise?

Best, RD

I hate to break this to all of you, but the White Sox threw the 1919 World Series. How would a team throw a Series they won?

Okay, I'm clearly in the minority here, and honestly, letting go (temporarily) of all of my not-very-latent hostility on this Wox thing has felt odd, but there it is: I'm cheering for the Bitch Sox.

Reasons? SOX MATT gives some good ones, and that AL Central-bashing is a very real concern. Wouldn't it be nice if ESPN were shamed by good baseball into showing more games out of the Central next year? It might work.

And then there's the fact that there are some classy Wox fans (you know who you are), and I'd really like to see them win one. (In my experience, though, the Cell is not the place to meet these classy folk, and my experience as a Twins fan there was not like Nailbiter's. Fans at the Cell can be mean. Really mean.)

And AJ, god love him. My Sox-fan friend calls him their MVP, and I love that he found an appreciative home, rather than living with whatever was going on out in SF.

Don't worry, though, dear friends. Whatever happens, 5 minutes after they are out of this, I will return to my habitual disdain of our division rivals. I can't wait for '06.

I find that when I can't decide who to root for, I turn to Dr. Seuss.

Here's an easy game to play!
Here's an easy thing to say:

If Podsednik is a redneck who should be in Triple A
And that Crede's kinda seedy when he starts a double play
And Ozuna's like a tuna who is flopping in the air
And Konerko is a jerko who's got really stupid hair

But ol' Finley's rather thinly getting to the warning track
And Cabrera's got his share a' throwing over Erstad's back
And that Garrett's like a parrot as he's flapping off his beak
And Molina's a hyena as he tags you in the cheek,

We're not rooting for Chicago! But we hate the Angels too!
When you're faced with lousy choices, what's a baseball fan to do?
Let's ignore the whole caboodle, let's go out and have a beer,
And just hope and pray the local team can win it all next year.

Thanks to all for the courteous responses!

As JohnnyDamon correctly points out, we won the Series in 1917, and threw it in 1918. The infamous 8 men out were then banned starting with the 1919 season, I believe. It's been 88 years since 1917 when we last one a WS.

And Deanna, your Dr. Seuss is hilarious.

As Red Sox fans were sadly reminded, they faced and defeated the Chicago Cubs in the 1918 World Series. The White Sox threw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds and were actually in the pennant race in 1920 before the 8 men were indicted for throwing the Series. After that, the White Sox struggled for years, not winning a pennant for 40 years.

Now here's something to think about: if the Red Sox reversed their curse last year, and the White Sox reverse theirs this year, does that mean the Cubs will be going to the Series next year?

We can all agree that we are thankful it wasn't the Yankee-Red-Soxs this year. Let us all prey to Tony Gwen, one of the living saints of baseball in the BG world, that next year neither team makes it to the post season!

Secondly, I will be happy to see the White Sox win it because they have waited a great long time. The Astro's would be cool too because they have never won the WS.

Finally, I think it would do Baseball some good to have the post season filled with teams that haven't won the WS in a long time or haven't yet(i.e. my Seattle Mariner's... W.S.C. 2010? maybe will finally end the curse of the Kingdom!).

I'm rootin' for the Angels. Vlad is the man...