When Tim Lincecum winds up, stares at the sky and hides his intentions, then whips around and fires toward Elvis Andrus at around 4:57 p.m. local time, the 106th World Series will commence. And far too much attention will get paid to how many TV eyeballs are glued to the events at that gorgeous park in that gorgeous city by the Bay.
Really, who cares about the ratings? The Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants are here. The Yankees and Phillies are not. Get over it already.
This is the best possible thing for baseball, to see two relative have-nots go at it for the biggest prize of all. The Giants have never won a World Series since going west more than half a century ago. The Rangers have never even played in a Fall Classic. Someone’s long drought will end.
One absolute guarantee is that the fans in both San Francisco and Arlington will be loud and into it – every at-bat, every pitch, every key hit or great catch or managerial move. And the teams will be just as intense and passionate and hungry, which could make for a classic.
They got here vastly different ways. Texas, having done all the little things Ron Washington demanded them to do for three years, reverted to their old slugging selves in the ALCS and dominated the Yankees in every phase of the game. Power, speed, aggression, great pitching from Cliff Lee and Colby Lewis – you saw it all.
San Francisco, full of so many cast-offs and rejects that you’d think they were a bad VH1 reality show, lived up to their “Torture” moniker, stunning Philadelphia with lights-out pitching and well-timed big hits, from Cody Ross rendering Roy Halladay human (twice) to Juan Uribe’s Game 6 opposite-field job that turned into the pennant-winner. And all of it closed out by Brian Wilson. Fear the Beard.
Based on that, how will this World Series go? The Rangers have a big edge with the bats and more speed on the basepaths, but the Giants have a deeper rotation and more sound bullpen. In this year of pitching domination, that means San Francisco wins, right?
Well, not if Lee and Josh Hamilton have anything to say about it. Lee has maintained his Sandy Koufax imitation through two post-season round, and proved in last year’s World Series that he’s up to the toughest task. And the Giants have vowed that they’ll pitch to Hamilton all the way through. That could mean trouble.
How fitting and ironic that Hamilton could culminate his comeback from substance abuse in this World Series. Both the Giants and Rangers needed to shed the ghosts of PED-past and change their basic character to rise to this level. Some, no doubt, will use this to preach to us for the millionth time how bad those times were. Can’t you guys just move on? These teams did, and so can you.
So you want a prediction, right? Well, I can’t say for sure. Either the Giants drag this out, win all the close ones and prevail in a seven-game thriller, or the Rangers hit early and often, riding Lee and Lewis to a quick victory, maybe in five. Either way, it’s refreshing to have these new characters take part in baseball’s biggest drama.
