The World Series

… The guys on Sportscenter had a great line this week, a line that put it all in perspective. A notion I’d been sort of dreading in the days before it came true Sunday night …

“It’s the World Series matchup everyone wanted to see right? After Red Sox-Cubs. Or Cubs-White Sox. Or Red Sox-Dodgers. Or Angels-Dodgers. Or really any combination -- the Brewers, anybody -- than the one we have.”

Pretty much.

It might be the most boring World Series matchup ever for anyone living outside Philadelphia or Tampa Bay. Mark this down, this is probably the least interested I have ever been -- and might ever be -- in a World Series matchup.

Go Rays. I guess.

I shouldn’t be so harsh. But, gosh, I was drooling over the thought of Dodgers-Red Sox World Series.

Admittedly, I have been warming up to this scrappy bunch of Rays -- their tight defense, their strong hitting, their aggressive base-running. And B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria -- those kids can play …

And how can you not love the fact that they’ve been so bad for so long, and almost out of nowhere, here they are playing in a World Series. They’re like the Amazin’ Mets of the new millennium.

So I was right on the Rays advancing to the World Series, but wrong on my National League entry; I picked the Dodgers. That gives me a 3-3 record with my predictions this fall ... I need a World Series winner to get me over .500.

I'm picking the Rays in seven games for the reasons I mentioned above. No doubt, the Phillies will be tough, but I think the Rays' home field advantage puts them over the top.

Buckle your seat belts. It's going to be a good series.

Some good reads ...
a Hats Off to the Rays. Hair, Too.
a Phillies’ President Took Path From Upper Deck to the Owner’s Box
a Famished Philly wants to taste a championship
a Keeping it real: Baseball authenticators a tough team to beat

* * *

Let's applaud the Red Sox, though, too. They did put up a good fight that had me fearful of the Rays’ chances.

Mike Lupica had a good line of his own on Sunday morning’s “Sports Reporters,” saying if the Red Sox beat the Rays in that night’s Game 7, it would mark something like 10 straight ALCS games in which they faced a game-set-match situation and won. That, Lupica said, should be enough for Red Sox fans to change their rallying cry from “Wait ‘til next year” to “Wait ‘til this year!”

It was not to be, though. At least for this year, the Boston rallying cry is “Wait ‘til next year.”

Here's some good reads from the ALCS ...
a No return trip to World Series
a Just raise a toast to Tampa Bay
a It's tough to eliminate a number of thoughts
a One for the money