Cross-Town Classic Gains More Incentive
by Adam Harris
As if this rivalry didn't have enough incentive, there will now be a trophy awarded to the winner of the Cubs/Sox interleague series.
The BP Crosstown Cup will be passed back and forth, year to year to the team who has more wins during the six game interleague series. In the event of a tie, the winner of the series' last game will receive the cup.
Players on both sides of town are eager to win this cup.
"Hell yea, I want that thing," Cubs Pitcher Randy Wells said. "I'm sure we'll share an adult beverage out of it or something. I told Tom Ricketts to make sure we can drink out of it. I'm sure both these teams will want to take a picture of it and send it across the clubhouse [across town] to rub it in."
Since its inaugural season in 1997, the Cross-Town Classic has had it's share of intense and memorable moments. Many that White Sox catcher AJ Pierzynski were involved in.
"This rivalry has a little bit of a special meaning to me," Pierzynski explains. "I've kind of been in the middle of a lot of things that have happened over the last five or six years. It'll be great to finally have something to play for, a nice trophy, a nice cup."
The cup's purpose is to give the Cubs/Sox series more than just bragging rights. The cup will give the players and fans something to physically fight for.
"The bragging rights will be put onto a trophy," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts says. "That trophy can go back and forth, and the two teams will have something to play for other than just those bragging rights."
The first opportunity the Cubs and White Sox have to compete for this cup is June 11-13 at Wrigley Field. Pending rain delays and game cancellations the cup will be awarded at US Cellular Field at the end of the June 25-27 weekend.
"It's going to be a very, very exciting season," Ricketts said, "a very exciting couple weekends and even more exciting because of what is at stake now."
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Chicago Trophy
Apr 26 2010, 07:46 AM
