Congrats to the Sox! Great plays by Uribe. Probably the most exciting sweep I've ever seen, it was a lot closer than 4-0.

Congratulations to the White Sox. They played excellent baseball across the board in the playoffs. A pleasure to watch. Would have been nice to see the series go 6 or 7 games, but as sweeps go, it was definitely entertaining, with none of the games decided by more than 2 runs.

Good for Chicago!

Also, am I the only one who noticed that the Houston fans let Uribe have a clean shot at that foul ball he followed into the stands?

Congrats Sox. Though I live in Chicago and where is the MANIA? I agree that this is probably the most even-matched sweep I've ever seen. It seems like almost all the innings were 1-2 runs apart, except what, maybe 3 innings?

Regarding the polite Houston fans, I think the sensation of two ballplayers charging at you, one (Uribe) standing six-foot two-hundred-plus pounds, might be a little distracting from the notion of going for the ball.

Uribe looked like a man on a mission and these fans seemed suddenly to remember they left their helmets and shoulder pads at home.

Tuesday, fans had no problem getting in the way of Konerko going after a foul fly, but in that case he wasn't running toward the ball--he was more like waiting with them for it to come down (just like the '03 NLCS Bartman incident, ironically enough).

It is probably too late to post this and expect a response, and in the event it didn't turn out to matter, but why wasn't Lane awarded third on Uribe's catch? My 13 year old son sure thought this rule should apply:

7.04
Each runner, other than the batter, may without liability to be put out, advance one base when_(c) A fielder, after catching a fly ball, falls into a bench or stand, or falls across ropes into a crowd when spectators are on the field . . . ; If the fielder or catcher, after having made a legal catch, should fall into a stand or among spectators or into the dugout after making a legal catch, or fall while in the dugout after making a legal catch, the ball is dead and runners advance one base without liability to be put out.

I believe that rule applies when the fielder can't extricate himself from the stands. Uribe came right out of the stands with the ball. If he were knocked out or tangled, I think the rule would have applied.

I always understood the rule to apply when a fielder went into the stands fully, with both feet. Perhaps the ruling was that his feet dangled over the field still, or perhaps your understanding is correct, although the rule certainly doesn't mention the need for the fielder to get stuck (as the rules do in places when talking about the ball.)

In any case, thanks for responding.

I couldn't agree more.