The WORLD SERIES

I won't lie, I'm excited about this series. I've watched a lot of both teams, and they were the teams I was rooting for in each league. Instead of big bats like last year, we get the big arms this year (which I actually prefer to watch). If we're talking who I'm rooting for here, it's close, but it's the Astros. They have Bagwell and Biggio, they're from the Central (and they aren't the Cards), and of course, they're managed by Ol' Scrap Iron himself, the 2005 incarnation of Chuck Tanner (at least as a manager). Still, the White Sox have Ozzie, and how can you root against Ozzie? And if the Sox win, it would really make Cubs fans angry, that's always fun too. Plus, does anyone really "like" Roger Clemens? Still, the tiebreaker has to go to Houston since their mayor proclaimed this weekend "No Socks Weekend" in which all residents are asked to not wear socks. Which is waaay better than making a stupid bet with the mayor of Chicago resulting in fat old Ed Rendell butchering the National Anthem before a Celtics/Sixers game in a Patriots jersey, of all things. And yeah, if you throw a World Series once, it should probably be at least a 100 year franchise penalty.

So I'm rooting for Houston, but who do I think will win? The two teams are almost carbon copies at this point. Each has a fearsome pitching staff. I know I picked Houston to beat St. Louis because of Pettite, Clemens, and Oswalt, but they aren't as impressive when they're matching up with Buehrle, Garland, Contreras, and Garcia (not to mention El Duque). The Sox pitching performance in the ALCS was something we might never see again, closing with 4 complete game wins. Still, they aren't overworked (I don't think any pitcher threw more than 116 pitches in those games) and they have time to rest up to face off against Houston's big three. But of the big three in the post-season, Oswalt has been fantasic, Clemens has been decent (as a starter), and Pettite hasn't been that great (they lost both of his starts against the Cards, though one of them had something to do with Lidge and that Pujols guy, see, I forget already, told you it wouldn't be the greatest ever if they lost). People have been making a big deal about the advantage Houston has in their ballpark, but honestly, it's a bandbox for both teams. Joe Crede and Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye will be able to hit it into that little box in left too, I swear. The simple fact is, the White Sox are playing practically perfect baseball right now. They closed out the season against an Indians team that HAD to win to get in. They swept them (with their reserves, nonetheless). They moved into the first round against the defending champs with the scariest lineup in baseball, bar none. They swept them too. They moved on to face off against a team that was the hottest team in baseball to close out the regular season (14-2 from September 16th on, then they beat the Yankees in the DS who were probably the second hottest team at that point in the season) and made short work of them too, completely dominating them in a five game series win that saw their pen throw about 8 pitches. That's 9-1 in their last 10 games, all against teams that HAD to win. Houston's pitching is good, and they're peaking at the right time, but I don't think it's enough. White Sox in 6.