The Pantheon of Pain

In my two previous baseball-related posts, I focused first on the World Series Era history of the game and its franchises...

A Brief History of Baseball

Next, I examined the teams that have gone the longest without realizing a Championship or even a trip to the World Series, with a focus on ongoing or very recently ended streaks and an emphasis on Chicago's two hapless teams...

The Frustration Factor

A comment from John Ruberry of Marathon Pundit about the historic plights of some other teams led me back to my lists for some further research. I now present an all-time comprehensive list of the most frustrating teams in Major League Baseball's Modern Era.

I drew a line at 30 years and took a look back at all who dared to cross it. Lo and behold, absolutely no surprise at all, look at which two teams are still kings of the wasted seasons. My White Sox even manage to make the second list twice among the top seven. Disgusting, but true. To all of you who have lived through at least 30 years worth of the following streaks, only you can claim to know real pain...

All-Time Longest Waits for World Series Titles (Min. 30 Yrs.):

97* - Chicago Cubs (1908 - Present)
88* - Chicago White Sox (1917 - Present)
86 - Boston Red Sox (1918 - 2004)
77 - Philadelphia Phillies (1903^ - 1980)
57* - Cleveland Indians (1948 - Present)
52 - Brooklyn Dodgers (1903^ - 1955)
50** - St. Louis Browns (1903^ - 1953^^)
47* - San Francisco Giants (1958^ - Present)
47** - Washington Senators*** (1924 - 1971^^)
43* - Houston Astros (1962^ - Present)
41 - Anaheim Angels (1961^ - 2002)
38** - Boston Braves (1914 - 1952^^)
36* - San Diego Padres (1969^ - Present)
35* - Milwaukee Brewers (1970^ - Present)
35** - Montreal Expos (1969^ - 2004^^)
35 - Cincinnati Reds (1940 -1975)
35 - Pittsburgh Pirates (1925 - 1960)
33* - Texas Rangers (1972^ - Present)
32 - Detroit Tigers (1903^ - 1935)

All-Time Longest Waits for League Championships/World Series Appearances (Min. 30 Yrs.):

60* - Chicago Cubs (1945 - Present)
46* - Chicago White Sox (1959 - Present)
43* - Houston Astros (1962^ - Present)
41 - Anaheim Angels (1961^ - 2002)
41 - Cleveland Indians (1954 - 1995)
41 - St. Louis Browns (1903^ - 1944)
40 - Chicago White Sox (1919 - 1959)
38** - Washington Senators*** (1933 - 1971^^)
35** - Montreal Expos (1969^ - 2004^^)
35 - Philadelphia Phillies (1915 - 1950)
34 - Boston Braves (1914 - 1948)
33* - Texas Rangers (1972^ - Present)
33 - Pittsburgh Pirates (1927 - 1960)
30 - Philadelphia Phillies (1950 - 1980)

*Ongoing streak. The Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, and Texas Rangers did not qualify for the 2005 post-season and will all add at least one year to their streaks. The Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres have made the 2005 playoffs and only time will tell if they win or even make it to the World Series this year.

**Streak ended only by the moving of a franchise to a new market with a different fan base. The St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles in 1954; the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953; the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005; See note below about the Washington Senators.

***Combined streak. The original Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins in 1961, but were simultaneously replaced by an identically named franchise which shared the same essential fan base. The second incarnation of the Senators became the Texas Rangers in 1972.

^First year of streak is not a Championship. In these instances, the first year listed is the beginning of Major League Baseball's Modern Era of Post-Season Play in 1903, the year of the creation of the franchise in question, or the year it began playing for that particular fan base after moving from a different market.

^^Last year of streak is not a Championship. In these instances, the streak was stopped only due to the team moving to a new market with a different fan base.

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For the best White Sox coverage in the blogosphere, be sure to check in frequently with die-hard Sox fan Rick Moran at Right Wing Nut House.

For a regularly updated list of which teams numerous bloggers are backing in this year's post-season struggles, check out Laurence Simon's This Blog Is Full of Crap.

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Thanks for the link!

Pat Curley at Brainster's Blog who gives us a similar look into the history of various football franchises' success/failure in the NFL's Super Bowl Era.