Blog

It occurred to me recently it's almost time to think about scouring the Web for World Series tickets.

Wait a minute. Reality check. Sad to say, Chicago's two professional baseball teams -- the Cubs and the White Sox -- did not make this fall's Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs, scheduled to start soon. So I won't be on the hunt for playoffs or World Series tickets after all. (I won't rub it in by telling you just where our guys are in the standings.)

However as a longtime baseball fan from the south side of Chicago who appreciated the gritty charm of the old Comiskey Park, I likely will peruse books or DVDs from the Des Plaines Public Library -- or hop on the Web -- to look up terrific stories about the grand finale of the MLB season, also known as the "Fall Classic."  You or your kids -- large and small -- might want to do the same.

The World Series, now more than a century old, has a rich history; each year has featured truly unique postseason drama with an ample amount of surprise. The first World Series was held in 1903. The Chicago Cubs last captured this title in 1908, the Chicago White Sox in 2005.

Oh, and I have been wondering why it isn't called the "North American" series (Canada has one remaining team in the MLB, the Toronto Blue Jays) as opposed to "world." Or, something else. But I digress.

If you'd like to go online for World Series history, there's an abundance of information, including the following sites:

• http://m.mlb.com/postseason/history
• http://espn.go.com/mlb/worldseries/history/winners
• http://www.baseball-almanac.com

As far as a World Series in Chicago's future...maybe next year. Really. You never know. Really.

For now, feel free to whet your baseball appetite with some of the following:

World 05 Series. Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox

Engaging DVD chronicles the highlights of the heroes who propelled the Chicago White Sox through the postseason playoffs and to a World Series championship in 2005.

The World Series: History of the Fall Classic

"This is the definitive documentary on the World Series, the madness, triumphs, and exhilarating moments that will be remembered for the ages."

St. Louis Cardinals Championship Collection: Official World Series Films from the past eight decades

Longtime Chicago rival St. Louis Cardinals can be proud of the winningest postseason record in the National League.   

Glory in the Fall: The Greatest Moments in World Series History

edited by Peter Golenbock

Solid anthology features the baseball observations of such noted authors as Roger Angell, Stephen Jay Gould, David Halberstam and Stephen King.

When Chicago Ruled Baseball: The Cubs-White Sox World Series of 1906

by Bernard A. Weisberger

"Weisberger brings to life an unforgettable story of how a city that had rebuilt itself from the ashes of the Great Fire thirty-five years earlier became the focal point of an entire baseball-loving country, and one grand sporting contest staked its claim as one of the most remarkable and electrifying World Series ever to be played." 

An American Classic: The World Series at 100

By Ken Leiker

A kaleidoscope of World Series memories, including the all-Chicago contest in 1906 when the heavily favored Cubs lost to the White Sox in six games.