Tonight the World Series that Fox TV didn’t want begins in San Francisco. I heard the network execs crying all the way here in Kansas City when both the Yankees and Phillies went down. All they could think about was all those TV households on the east coast that couldn’t care less about any team west of the Alleghenies.
Despite that, this works out to be a fascinating series. The undermanned, Giants against the upstart new kids on the block from Texas. A marquee pitching match-up to start things off, but featuring some other outstanding pitchers who are capable of great games in their own right. I’m expecting big things from Jonathan Sanchez.
On the surface, you have to go with the Rangers. They have the invincible Cliff Lee on the hill for three games if necessary, plus a powerful lineup led by Josh Hamilton. They also have the better defense going in, but the same could be said for the Phillies and look who’s home for the winter.
The Giants come at you with pitching depth, a versatile lineup that doesn’t scare you, but can hurt you in many ways and they’ve got the home field advantage. It’s not like the Rangers have been there before.
In the end, I think this series will go down to the bullpens. Brian Wilson can scare you to death as a closer and may blow one or two games under this kind of pressure, but the same could be said for rookie Neftali Feliz who really hasn’t been tested so far in the post season. If it comes down to bullpen depth, I like the Giants and don’t San Fran fans finally deserve a pennant of their own? I’ll take’em in seven.
