Pass the ammo

For those of you who don't know Dave, he's the Crankshaft to my Pollyanna. I try to squeeze the lemonade out of life, he reminds me that citric acid causes canker sores.
Needless to say, we have differing viewpoints on the heaven-sent postseason the Chicago White Sox are experiencing.
I try to bring myself to dislike a team that crushed the Indians this season, winning 14 of 19 games. A team that, until this season, counted Dr. Dre's headwear in videos off "The Chronic" as its major contribution to pop culture in the past 50 years. But seeing their fans pinching themselves, in a state of euphoria brought about by success after years of non-contention, I am whisked back to that first-love feeling of 1995, and I can't stay bitter.
Dave, our resident Mr. Spock logician, wants none of that saccharine, sentimental crap. The White Sox are winning for one reason, and one reason only, he says: the umpires.
Either the umpires are particularly myopic this October, or it is part of a broader conspiracy to bring a baseball championship to Chicago, a city that has had two teams since 1901, but hasn't reached baseball's summit since 1917.
I have feelings to back my stand up. Dave has ammo, most notably the passed-ball strikeout controversy of the ALCS, during which A.J. Pierzynski reached first base on a swinging strike three in the dirt (or was it?), despite the home plate umpire's hand going up to signal strike three.
The umpire later said the hand-up signal is his call for strike three, but not necessarily an out, which is not recorded until the catcher either catches the ball or throws to first base. The Angels began to trot off the field, thinking an out had been called, allowing Pierzynski to reach first base without a throw. In the confusion, the White Sox rallied for a Game 2 win, then swept three straight in Anaheim for the pennant.
Now, Dave has more ammo. Sunday night, the Astros were trying to maintain a death grip on a 4-2 lead in Game 2 of the World Series. Jermaine Dye came up and jumped back from Dan Wheeler's inside pitch on a 3-2 count.
The ball deflected off something. Astros manager Phil Garner said it was Dye's bat, making it a foul ball. The video replay concurred. Unfortunately, the opinion that mattered the most -- that of home plate umpire Jeff Nelson -- said Dye had been hit by the pitch and should be awarded first base.
Chad Qualls relieved Wheeler and promptly coughed up a grand slam to Paul Konerko for a 6-4 Chicago lead.
Houston fought back to tie the game 6-6 in the top of the ninth, but the White Sox are apparetnly a team of destiny this year.
Scott Podsednik, he of zero home runs during the regular season, hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-6 Chicago win. Chicago leads the series 2-0 and has all the confidence in the world going into Tuesday's Game 3 in Houston.
Sure, Chicago has had a lot of miracle finishes this season, but the question remains: are the umpires' calls a cause or effect of Chicago's success?
Dave knows where he stands, and if he has anything to say about it, a bunch of umps should be getting Rolexes from Ozzie Guillen this Christmas.