For the first time since 1959, the Chicago White Sox are going to the World Series. Bully for them.

One of the things that I talk to my friends about is how much I hate the White Sox franchise. Not only did they try to ruin baseball through tight-fisted ownership, and actually throwing the World Series, but they have had an intensely boring franchise history, with very few players that can conjure up enough feeling to say “Man, I sure do want to hear more about them…” In fact, until this postseason, I would have said they were more pathetic than the cross town Cubs, because they hadn’t won a playoff series since 1917, and no one cares. Not even in home town Chicago.

Of course, the 2005 version of the White Sox have told me to shut up, and slapped me across my face. I have to say that this year, my feelings against the Pale Hose probably caused me to underrate them. Of the four American League teams in the playoffs this year, I would have given the White Sox the longest odds to capture the pennant. My bad…

Anyway, I am not writing to tell you all this. One thing that has annoyed me this offseason is that the Small Ball mantra has been beaten into the heads of the viewers by such intellects as Tim McCarver and Thom Brenneman. I wrote the following about the idea of White Sox small ball perception vs. the way the Angels actually play on the Blair Wasdin Project:

The White Sox hit 200 Hr, 5th most in baseball. The Angels were 21st, with 147.

Despite this, the Angels scored more runs in a pitchers park (760) than did the White Sox in a hitter’s park (741).

The LAA’s K’ed a scant 847 times in 2005, 29th most in baseball. The White Sox were higher…17th (1002). As a result, the K:BB for the hitters was 1.90 for the Angels, and 2.30 for the Pale Hose (comparison: Red Sox was 1.60 despite their take and rake approach. The Yankees were even better at 1.55)

The reason for this is that the Angels actually played small ball smartly. They sacrificed 4 times for every 600 PA’s, they gained 9 bases through SB this year (approximately worth 5 runs, or half a win) while running at a 74% clip. Because they make contact a lot, they can hit and run successfully. Basically, the Angels play smartball. They don’t go deep in to counts because they don’t walk or strike out a lot, but they put the ball in play enough that their “single, run and hold the line for Vlad” offense actually works.

The White Sox are credited for SmartBall, despite hitting and running with guys that aren’t equipped for it (such as game 1 when AJP was nailed at 2nd), running without rhyme or reason (67% steals…but because they ran 204 times, they lost a whopping 42 bases to being caught. That’s just over 23 runs, or about 2 wins). They bunt a lot…almost 5 times per 600 PA’s. That’s a lot of outs to give up to net 741 runs. In fact, adjusted for park’s the White Sox scored 4.5 runs a game. This is compared to the Angels 4.9. (This might seem like a small difference, but its 65 runs over the course of the season…the difference between having the Yankees offense and the Reds…or even more dramatically, the Braves vs. the Royals.)

Basically, saying the teams are similar is all kinds of lazy analysis with the bats.

With the arms, the White Sox have 4 “#1 level” pitchers (one of the top 30 starters in baseball)…the Angels have 2, with one of them not available for the season. The White Sox bullpen is full of guys having their best years…the Angels are full of guys that throw really, really hard with crazy movement.

Are the two teams alike? Kinda…

But the Angels actually play the White Sox game well. The White Sox just keep trying to beat themselves, and are bailed out by a very good pitching staff and a home run. The Angels are the team the White Sox get credit for being.

In the next week, expect more talk of the fraud of SmartBall. Rest assured that I will be adding this as another reason I hate the White Sox.