Those who think Chicago sports might have an inflated sense of itself may have a point. The following headline appears in today’s Sun-Times. While I think splitting a double-header with the Cards is noteworthy, and a Cub going 0-10 in DC is pretty bad, I’m not sure I’d equate them with one of the more graceful farewells in American history:

Gehrig’s lucky, but Lee’s not

July 4, 1939 | Lou Gehrig makes his famous ”Luckiest man on the face of the Earth” speech at Yankee Stadium, two months after his debilitating disease caused him to retire after playing a record 2,130 consecutive games. The Cubs split a doubleheader against St. Louis.

2007 | Cubs slugger Derrek Lee goes 0-for-4 in his final game at Washington’s RFK Stadium, making him 0-for-10 during the Cubs’ series there. ”I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten a hit here in Washington,” Lee says. He actually had one hit there in 2005 (1-for-28 lifetime). The Nationals moved to a new ballpark in 2008 (Lee went 3-for-9 there in April).