Cubs-Sox war more civil here

There is no convenient north side/south side geographical divide separating Sauk Valley Cubs and White Sox fans: Here they mix and mingle, usually in peaceful coexistence. Usually. At Verifacts in Sterling, as in most of the area, Cubs fans outnumber Sox fans. In this case, 15-2. Customer service representative Brie Bryant, 27, a White Sox fan, and her boss, Rebecca Garland, 29, a Cubs fan, often tease one another from across the hall. "All we do is banter, especially lately," Bryant said. "Who won the World Series last?" she taunts her Cub-loving co-workers, referring to the 2005 World Champion White Sox. Garland of Sterling, and fellow Cubs fan Stephanie Quimby of Rock Falls don't want an all-Chicago World Series. And they know who should be sent packing. "The Cubs had a better year, and the White Sox just barely made it in," said Quimby, 32, a Verifacts production manager. "One hundred years. It's time," Garland said. "What does everyone say? 'This is their year.'" Curse of the Billy Goat or Steve Bartman aside, Quimby, a fan since high school, has faith in her Cubbies. "I think they're going to do it." Speaking of faith, at Abiding Word Church, the Rev. Scott Porter, a Cubs fan, has learned to abide his associate pastor, Paul Sheley, a White Sox fan. Sheley's giving the weekend sermon, but he'll likely steer clear of the Sox-Cubs rivalry - only about 20 percent of the 500-person congregation are fellow Sox fans. "You don't like to tick off your audience," he said. The topic of the sermon will be why the church believes in children's ministry. Parents should raise their children to be Sox fans, Sheley joked. "If they would have done that, they would've seen a World Series in their lifetime." At his core, though, Sheley is a peacemaker. "I'm a Chicago fan," Sheley said. "I'm not a 'love the Sox, hate the Cubs' guy. I would love to see a Chicago World Series, with the White Sox winning it."