Lesson for Sox: 1984 Cubs' flop
Filled with overconfidence, the North Siders took a painful fall instead of a Fall Classic trip

By David Haugh
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 7, 2005, 12:19 AM CDT

BOSTON -- Every word that came out of White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen's mouth late Wednesday night stabbed Jim Frey in a heart that still has not mended 21 years later.

Frey sat at home in Baltimore watching television as the Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 to take a 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series when he heard Guillen speak about his comfort level.

"[Guillen] said if worse comes to worst and his team lost the next two games, they could always come back to Chicago on Sunday for Game 5," Frey said Thursday on the phone. "That's when I turned to my wife and said, 'He's right. We [didn't get] our home-field advantage.' I wish we could have been able to say that then."

FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reported that Manny Ramirez is looking to change agents in an effort to help engineer a trade. The Boston Globe's Gordon Edes follows up with more details.

I think this is a move the Cubs should strongly consider now that they are free of Sammy Sosa's salary. A Lee-Ramirez-Ramirez heart of the order would immediately become one of the best in baseball. Also, it would lessen the need for a Rafael Furcal acquisition at shortstop. With that kind of thunder, a good OBP-guy at the top would be the only requirement and Matt Murton playing in right field could fit that bill.