Destiny changes her socks
CHICAGO -- OK, Boston baseball fans. You've seen this before. You know what this is about. The planets are aligned. The baseball gods are walking hand-in-hand with another team that hasn't won a World Series in a long, long while.
It's true. White is the new Red. The White Sox of 2005 are the Red Sox of 2004. They are diamond destiny's children.
The South Siders did it again last night, beating the Astros in Game 2, 7-6, on a walkoff homer by leadoff man Scott Podsednik, a guy who didn't hit a home run during the regular season.
Chi-town is bonkers and breathless as the Pale Hose creep closer to their first World Series victory since 1917. Getting all the breaks, winners of nine of 10 postseason games, the White Sox look like they are destined to bury the Black Sox scandal of 1919.
Ozzie Guillen's men trailed, 4-2, last night, then took the lead on a seventh-inning grand slam by Paul Konerko. After Big Country closer Bobby Jenks surrendered the lead in the top of the ninth, making it 6-6, Podsednik won the game with a one-out solo homer off Astros closer Brad Lidge.
This was right up there with Kirk Gibson in 1988 and Carlton Fisk in 1975. It was the 14th walkoff home run in World Series history. Podsednik's only other homer this year came against the Red Sox in the Division Series.
''This one came at a good time," said Podsednik. ''To go out and hit one out of the ballpark for a game-winner is pretty much indescribable. Luckily, I got in a good hitter's count [2 and 1]. It was a good pitch to hit and I was able to drive it out."
It was the second game-losing blast given up by Lidge in less than a week. St. Louis's Albert Pujols did the same thing to him in the fifth game of the NL Championship Series.
''We'll bounce back," said Astros manager Phil Garner. ''A lot of things are going their way right now."
That is for sure. The White Sox got the big break when they needed it in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Angels. The umpires blew a call in Chicago's favor and the call stood. In the ALCS clincher, the umps reversed a call (correctly) in Chicago's favor. And last night they made another mistake, awarding Jermaine Dye first base on a pitch that hit the outfielder's bat -- just before Konerko's grand slam.
Sometimes the larger forces are with you. That time is now in the South Side of Chicago.
Watching Jenks blow the lead in the ninth would have been deflating for most teams. No problem for the White Sox. They simply sat back and waited for another miracle. Podsednik delivered.
''That's the way we've been playing all year," said Guillen. ''We keep fighting. When somebody fails, somebody picks them up. This team has a lot of unity. Nobody points fingers. We told Jenks, 'Don't worry about it. We'll pick you up.' "
True seamheads are loving this fall classic featuring the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros. We've got teams loaded with pitching, speed, and defense. They know how to bunt and move the runner over. They play the game the way it is supposed to be played and both rosters are peppered with young stars on the rise. The first two games of this World Series were far better played than Games 1 and 2 at Fenway last year.
Guillen, Garner, Podsednik, and Jenks are good for baseball. They're just not good for television ratings. Game 1 Saturday, a well-played nine innings that featured Roger Clemens, the lone megastar of the event, pulled in a 9.5 rating, a full 31 percent behind last year's opener featuring the Red Sox and Cardinals. It was the second-lowest-rated Game 1 in history (2002 Giants-Angels was worse).
Commissioner Bud Selig loves to promote baseball's new parity and the 2005 Fall Classic makes his case. The Astros are the eighth different team to represent the National League in the last eight World Series. Overall, eight different teams have played in the last four World Series. Refuting the notion that you can buy a championship, the Yankees haven't won the World Series in five years and that's good for baseball.
With no Yankees, no Red Sox, no Cardinals, and no Dodgers, ratings suffer.
Sitting in a small room in the bowels of US Cellular Field before Game 2, the Commissioner said, ''I don't think it's a price of parity. The really important part of this sport is that on April 1 the great majority of our franchises have hope and faith. If you don't do that, you don't have a sport. I think that the fact that different teams are winning is good. Sure, those ratings are down compared with some spectacular Series we've had in the last couple of years. Do I think this will hurt us for the health of the sport? Absolutely not.
''Let's wait until it's over," cautioned Bud. ''Saturday night is the worst television night. People have said, 'Why do you play Saturday night?' and they're right. We may change that. That's something I haven't said before. But we've got the third-largest market against the fourth-largest market and that's not too bad. I think before the Series is over, you'll see it."
Does America care?
''I think they do," said the commish. ''And I think they'll care more as it goes on. World Series sometimes gather steam. It's a very fair question, but I think there's a lot of reasons why this is the best thing for us."
The 2005 World Series gathered a lot of steam last night.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is dshaughnessy@globe.com. 
