Obama shows Sox pride

President-elect Barack Obama is an avid Chicago White Sox fan, which means he has something in common with Cardinal Nation: He holds no love for the Cubs.

That was evident this week in Chicago, where during a press conference reporters were — in a quirk that heralds an interesting four years for the White House press corps — divided into sections named for the Windy City’s American and National League teams.

Obama, however, did not check reporters’ loyalties before assigning them a place in the “Cubs” or “White Sox” section, a misstep he answered for later when addressing McClatchy correspondent Steve Thomma, a die hard Southsider.

“I understand that as a lifelong White Sox fan, you were placed in the Cubs section yesterday,” Obama said during Tuesday’s press conference. “I want to apologize for that. This is also part of the new way of doing business. When we make mistakes we admit them.”

The Chicago Tribune reports that the seating assignments were arbitrary, and that reporters in each section received equal treatment.

Could Obama have been tempted, though, to make the Cubs section wait a hundred years before taking their questions?