90

All good things must come to an end, and the White Sox finally lost on Sunday after winning 11 in a row.  For the first time in forever, a Sox starter didn't have it, and the Cubs took advantage, winning the final game of the City Series, 8-6.  The Good Guys won Friday's game 6-0 and Saturday's contest 3-2, to go along with the earlier Meat Loafing of the Cubs and deliver the inaugural BP Crosstown Cup to the South Side by a 4 games to 2 margin.  (The BP Cup is, of course, second only to the Stanley Cup in terms of importance, ranking just ahead of the cup in Ozzie's jock strap, the proverbial cup of coffee that career minor league players have in the Bigs, and the legendary Irv Kupcinet.)

Enough's been written and broadcast about this weekend that you don't need any more from me.  Suffice it to say that the Sox own the National League, posting a 15-3 record against the Senior Citizens.  That's 2-1 versus the Marlins, 3-0 sweeps of the Pirates, Nats, and Braves, and twice taking a series from the Cubs 2-1.  The Sox finished with the best interleague mark in the majors, and only one game off of the all-time best of 16-2.

The streak has allowed the Sox to climb back into the Central Division race and turn what was fast becoming a boring baseball season into one that deserves our attention.  The team is only 1.5 games behind Minnesota and a game behind Detroit.  The difference in Magic Numbers is manageable: 90 for the Sox; 87 for the Twins.  And the Good Guys play Kansas City, which is 8.0 games behind the Sox in the standings.  Go Sox!  Start a new streak!