White Sox

Toronto Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas, 6-11, 240, Lithuania, center. A very fluid athlete for his size, the 19-year-old has a good wingspan, big hands and, like most European big men, a decent mid-range jumper. He's a solid shot-blocker but needs to put on weight and add strength. But in match-ups against Turkey native and highly regarded big man Enes Kanter, Valanciunas always held his own.

Hot dog maker Red Hot Chicago scored a victory in "the great Chicago wienie wars," in which Vienna Beef sued Red Hot alleging it either stole the Vienna hotd og recipe or was falsely claiming its dogs were the same thing.

White Sox fans hold up flags while Cubs' Carlos Pena prepares to bat in the ninth inning. (Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE, US PRESSWIRE / June 22, 2011)

Carlos Pena There was a successful suicide squeeze bunt by Brent Lillibridge that helped the White Sox win the rubber match Wednesday night. It scored A.J. Pierzynski, who had tripled, also a rare treat.

Paul Konerko homered in the first two games. Carlos Pena went deep in all three, including a three-run bomb off of a wobbly Gavin Floyd that was the difference in Monday's opener, a 6-3 Cubs win.

Sergio Santos looked like a bona fide closer again. Carlos Zambrano proved he could survive a rocky first, catch his breath and then throw seven scoreless innings.

We had a controversial call, which led to an Ozzie Guillen ejection. And nothing says White Sox more than a little in-fighting, so Pierzynski and Jake Peavy exchanged words during Game 3.

As much as anything, however, those three nights at U.S. Cellular Field served as a reminder of what this season has been for fans of both teams: Annoying.

The White Sox won their 17th straight interleague series, but they remain a team that hasn't sniffed the .500 mark since they were 7-7 on April 16. The standings show the third-place Sox just 41/2 games back, but it's tough to do handsprings over a club that's still break even in its own park.

As much as anything, that's on Adam Dunn, who was supposed to get home run silly in the cozy confines of a hitter's park. Dunn's getting worse instead of better. The boos are getting louder. They are deserved.

Depending on your perspective, it's either annoying or enormously entertaining when the White Sox have runners steal on them. One night after the Sox pitched out and still failed to nail a runner, Jesse Crain's pitch-out attempt sailed out of Pierzynski's grasp.

Then there's the incessant Guillen-Kenny Williams soap opera resurrected earlier in the week. Questioned about possible roster moves — specifically, the promotion of Dayan Viciedo, who's tearing it up at Triple-A Charlotte — both pushed the responsibility on the other.

Is that wilting relationship actually costing the Sox wins? Probably not, but that doesn't make it any less annoying. Like a blister on the roof of your mouth.

As for the Cubs, there were several reminders of why 2011 has been maddening. With the DH at his disposal, Mike Quade played Alfonso Soriano in left field in two games. Maybe some of the kids won't ever be difference-makers, but nobody expects Soriano ever to be a professional outfielder. Why would he start now?

Quade is trying to win this year, as is his boss, Jim Hendry. That means three more months of the Cubs resembling the Island of Misfit Toys instead of defining who they are — rebuilding — and committing to it.

With the Cubs needing a ground ball to tie Wednesday's game, Quade let light-hitting catcher Koyie Hill go to the plate against Crain. You can't help but think the rookie manager — as they all do — played percentages on righty-lefty.

The thing is, the right-handed Crain actually has been rougher on left-handed hitters. Hill failed and the Cubs didn't score. Didn't win.

I must give credit to the fans on both sides for not falling prey to the usual attendant Sox-Cubs nonsense this week. That point was made clear by the lowest attendance in a three-game series between the two since interleague play began in 1997.