McGrath Spills His Bias

Tribune Sports Editor Dan McGrath, who has been known to insist his Sports Dept. is not biased against the White Sox, nonetheless included these lines in his predictions for 2008:

Story lines for '08
What will the Cubs look like under new ownership? Are the White Sox headed back toward irrelevance? Can the Blackhawks keep their momentum going? Whither Charlie Weis?

Now what would cause the sports editor to ask whether the White Sox are "headed back toward irrelevance?" The comment is relevant only to the commentator. The White Sox have never been irrelevant to their fans, and never been irrelevant to Chicago. The fact that attendance drops when the team loses is a sign not of irrelevance but of intelligence. Meanwhile, the Cubs managed to finish in last place in 2006 without being called irrelevant. Where can we find the irrelevance of which the sports editor speaks? Only inside the sports editor. That might explain the biased coverage.

Thanks to Brett Ballantini.