The sun was low... shadows stretched across the entire playing field... children were running the bases... Nancy Faust was playing Auld Lang Syne ...

That was my last memory of U.S. Cellular Field as baseball season ended on the South Side of Chicago.

Many fans would - and did - say "Thank God THAT's over".

The Sox ended the season 72-90 - 24 games behind the division leading Cleveland Indians in 4th place.

One year ago, we ended the season 90-72. Interesting symmetry. (and then there was 2005 when we finished 99-63... and WON THE WORLD SERIES...)

Such a PAINFUL season... seams like it was just yesterday, but it was about 25½ weeks ago, when the season started, starting the same pitcher as today - Jose Contreras... who lost that Opening Day 12-5 against the Indians... seamed a fitting way to "bookend" the Season - 5-12 & 13-3.

What a disaster. A season that started with pundits claiming we may have the best bullpen in the majors, only to find out we didn't have starters that were ready to play, we didn't have ANY bullpen... and NO ONE was hitting to provide run support for the lousy pitching.

And here it is... the end of the baseball season... the time where I have always said in this blog, that the clock that I measure my life against stops... and doesn't start again until spring...

...and here, in the City of Chicago, where we won over many of the hearts of baseball fans just two short years ago by bringing a world championship to the city... all of those fans we won over... all of the goodwill that we had made...

IS GONE

... all because the Chicago National League Ball Club, Inc. has made it to the post season... and dreams of winning the first World Series in 99 years swirl through their heads...

All I can think of are all of those fans that spewed their HATRED of White Sox fans, in the vilest of comments, even as we made it through the playoffs .. .and to the World Series.. AND WON THE DAMN THING... when the city should just rejoice and celebrate, those fans did not... as they spat upon the ticker tape parade... those who didn't have the sense of mind to just SHUT THE HELL UP because your team did NOTHING that year... it was THEN that I realized that I would NEVER support THAT team...

To them, I will live my life through the post season as they had lived through ours in 2005.

(Boxscore)