World Series

Well, we officially have a World Series on our hands, folks, and it's going to be a good one. No one could've asked for a better pair of teams to play each other for the ultimate prize in baseball. The Astros and White Sox have the type of stories that sports writers salivate over, broadcasters waste their breath on, and fans whine about the entire series. Let me tell you now: After last year's Series, no one wants to hear another story about droughts thanks to the Red Sox, whose media coverage flooded all of us with stories of curses and dashed hopes.

Nonetheless, it's about time the Astros and White Sox got to the World Series. The pitching in this matchup forces baseball purists around the world to watch the series. I have to mention that the names of the Astros' pitchers outweigh the names of the White Sox staff, but don't sleep on the ol' Black Sox. The Sox feature four of the brightest young pitching stars in the world. As I'm sure everyone knows by now, they ripped off four straight complete games, and then had the whole week off to rest. The White Sox starting staff will be ready for Saturday.

The one thing I have trouble trusting, however, is the White Sox bullpen. Granted they were very good all season, they haven't pitched in at least a week and, beyond the 2/3 of an inning thrown by Bobby Jenks, maybe even longer. Neal Cotts, Bobby Jenks, Cliff Politte, Dustin Hermanson, and the long reliever Orlando Hernandez make this bullpen a nice combination of experience and young talent. If the White Sox starters can throw seven innings, which they are clearly capable of doing, then the bullpen will be relied on for only two innings, ideally. I like their chances if they can get the same quality starts out of the big four as they did in the ALCS. They are going to be pitching against a lineup that plays similar baseball to their own lineup. If runners can pin point when White Sox starters will throw their off-speed pitches, they might be able to get a good jump and put pressure on AJ Pierzynski to throw some of them out.

The same goes the White Sox lineup. If they can push the envelope as they proved they could all season, they can steal runs and force mistakes on the Astros. Now, Andy Pettitte has the best move to the first in the Majors, Clemens has been around forever, and Oswalt throws fastballs practically every pitch, so stealing will become an art for White Sox players. I think both ball clubs in the end will rely on the long ball. The White Sox hit 200 homers this season, and the Astros have been winning games all postseason off home runs. A glaring characteristic of both teams is that neither of them walk very much. Playing against the high octane pitching staffs that the opponent has to offer can't bode well for impatient hitters, especially against crafty guys like Clemens, Oswalt, Contreras, or Buehrle.

Patience is the key in this series. Finding good pitches to steal bases, moving runners up, working for walks, and swinging defensively to push pitch counts all need to be stressed for either team to win. It will be hard to shell any of the starters in this World Series, so if either team can steal runs, then they need to capitalize on their chances to do so. I think every game will be under a combined score of 7. I doubt that this series will last any shorter than six games, and I really hope it goes all seven. If you give me a moment to collect myself, I can show you the probable matchups:

Game 1- Roger Clemens-Jose Contreras
Game 2- Andy Pettitte-Mark Buehrle
Game 3- Roy Oswalt-Jon Garland
Game 4- Brandon Backe-Freddy Garcia
Game 5- Clemens-Contreras
Game 6- Pettitte-Buehrle
Game 7- Oswalt-Garland

Are you kidding me? Look at those matchups! I know I will be glued to every pitch. I hope all of you get a chance to watch this World Series, because it will be one of most competitive, well-played Series in the history of baseball, and that's saying a lot. Please, watch the games, they will be worth it.

I am going to pick the Astros. I really think the chances for both teams are very good. I would certainly not be surprised if the White Sox won the series. I like the Astros pitching experience in the postseason, as Oswalt is gaining ground as one of the premier postseason clutch pitchers in the game. But hey, maybe this series will bring forth a White Sox postseason stud that will be remembered for generations, who knows? All I know is that I've never been so excited about a playoff series that doesn't have the Red Sox before this one.