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The first time utility man Nicky Lopez played in the Crosstown Classic, it had a different feel than the rivalry he’d experienced as a kid.
“When I was younger, it was very hostile and a very big rivalry,” Lopez said in a conversation with the Sun-Times. “But everyone gets up for it, so you can see the fans getting into it.”
Lopez, the hometown kid, was with the White Sox last year. The franchises were on opposite trajectories – the White Sox rebuilding and the Cubs nursing playoff aspirations.