I’ll admit Jim Tubridy tried really hard to get Sox fans all riled up, but in the end I couldn’t help laughing myself sick over his lame column. Perhaps he tried too hard.

Here are my Top Ten reasons why Sox fans shouldn’t get all worked up over Tubridy’s downright laughable column:

10. While the Sox may not have as many veterans as the Cubs, this is a solid team which can only get better with the additions of Tim Raines and Cory Snyder.

9. As far as the Sox having sub-par fielding during Spring Training, why do you think the rosters are trimmed to 25 when the teams head north? And why do you think there is a Spring Training in the first place?

If you really want to talk about something interesting that came out of Spring Training, how about the Cubs’ pitching?

8. All the Cubs needed to draw “faithful” fans was 1984, when thousands of yuppies and bandwagon jumpers came out of the woodwork and remained “faithful” ever since (remember 1983, when they barely broke one million?). Hell, even I know more about the Cubs and their history than most of these “die-hards!”

7. If the so-called “sniper fire” carries into the season, let’s just say that some of us would rather take a bullet at Comiskey Park than be seen at Wrigley Field!

6. Frank Thomas. Touche!

5. The new pinstripe uniforms are a variation of the uniform the Sox should have never left behind. (Remember 1959?) Besides, the uniforms weren’t unveiled until the final homestand last year, and the Sox were already drawing crowds with their outstanding play (so much for your argument there).

Just admit that the Sox’s new uniforms are the classiest in baseball and I’ll forget about dumping on those God-awful gray things the Cubs are wearing on the road.

4. This is Shawon Dunston’s seventh season with the Cubs. Don’t you think it’s about time the “Shawon-O-Meter” went up?

3. Go back to number 5. Study it very carefully.

2. I have a question: what is the Cubs front office going to do to prevent Ryne Sandberg from becoming a free agent when his contract is up? Last I heard the negotiations broke off.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

1. With Carney Lansford out for the entire season, Rickey Henderson in a snit because he is no longer one of the highest-paid players and management refuses to renegotiate his contract, and the continued collapse of Dave “They Can’t Hold My Jock” Stewart at the hands of the White Sox, the door to the A.L. West Championship is wide open for the Sox.

Raymond C. Ruether

Senior

Journalism