Giant World Series Preview

This should be an interesting World Series, played by two outsider teams in the Rangers and the Giants.

But before looking at the Series, how great is it to NOT have the Yankees or the Phillies in the Fall Classic?  It actually would have been a pretty good match up - in spite of the two most obnoxious fan bases this side of Durham or the Tea Party - like last year's was.  

But who wants a rerun? Reruns are for the summer, both in terms of TV shows and the NBA finals, which always feature the Celtics and/or the Lakers.

How unappealing are the Yankees? It made folks like me fans of a team: once owned by George Bush; based in a state that is barely civilized (first in executions, last in citizens with health insurance - per capita - and test scores); that plays in a metropolitan area dominated by SUVs and highways; based in a state that declared it's independence from Mexico so it could preserve slavery, then joined the US and later the Confederacy for the same reason.

I was also happy to root for fellow North Carolinian Josh Hamilton.  Most folks know his story; a former number one pick whose career was nearly undone by drugs, alcohol and too much free time.  I appreciate the way he says his religion changed and saved his life and Jesus saved his soul, and to my knowledge Hamilton has never claimed that Jesus helps him hit a baseball or the Rangers win. When you sink to the depths Hamilton did you probably realize the limitations of religion. Jesus can save your soul but it's up to you to do something with it once he does.

Nolan Ryan's philosophy of letting starting pitchers figure out how to get out of jams without looking to the bull pen is also admirable.  And Ryan has maintained his cool, Gary Cooper-like image.  

But it's easy to root for the Giants.  Tim Lincecum and Buster Posey are compelling players, and Madison Baumgarner, a country boy with a country club name, is also from North Cack.  The Giants play in a beautiful - and privately funded (check out this blog post on AT&T Park) - stadium and represent one of the world's greatest and most liberal cities, a city that is also Sierra Club's home town.

And bottom line, they represent the National League.  Got to stick with the NL (unless Tony LaRussa is managing).

One reason it should be an interesting Series is that both teams have huge holes. After Cliff Lee I'm not that impressed with Texas' starting pitching.  And the bottom third of their line up is more like a National League team, full of outs, than an American League one.

The Giants have even more holes in their line up. They have Posey and Aubrey Huff on offense, get a little from Freddie Sanchez, and that's it. Their line ups - in the playoffs! - have had a spring training-like quality: let's give Uribe some innings at short today;  Torres has a sore back so let's have him play center today at home rather than bus to Peoria tomorrow; Cody Ross is looking for a job and at bats, we should give him a look, etc.

But the Giants have lots of starting pitching, led by Lincecum - who has looked nervous in the post season - and Matt Cain is almost as good.  Third and fourth starters Jonathan Sanchez and Baumgarner have pitched big down the stretch and in the playoffs.  

I'm rooting for both the Giants but also for a seven-game Series.  We haven't had a really good World Series in a while, since the Angels-Giants maybe, or Marlins over the Yankees?  Last year's was pretty good but had a terrible ending.

This year the Series will have an interesting ending.  Either way it will be the first World Series title for each respective city. The Rangers (Dallas, Fort Worth?) have never been in a World Series, and the baseball Giants have not won a championship since moving from New York in the late 50s.  

And for a sport that is supposedly top heavy it will be the 10th different champion in the last 11 seasons (only the Red Sox of all people have repeated in the last Spinal Tap-decade).

So I'll take the Giants in seven, with Aubrey Huff as MVP. 

Good Problem to Have

Unlike last year, were I mainly found myself listening to singles - "Handlebars" by the Flobots, "100 Yard Dash" by Rafael Saadiq, or "Golden Age" by TV on the Radio - lately I've had lots of good albums (as archaic as both of those terms - singles and albums - sound) to choose from on my daily commute. In no particular order, I've enjoyed listening to the following:

"It's Blitz" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Actually, this list IS in some order since this record has been my favorite since it came out over the summer. This band gets better and better on every record.

"Wilco (the album)" by Wilco. This disc sounds like a greatest hits album made up of all new material. There are songs that sound like Summerteeth, YHF, Sky Blue Sky, even a little A.M. in there.

"No Line on the Horizon" by U2. This record has grown on me quite a bit. There are still a few weak songs on here but tunes like 'Magnificent' and "Breathe' make up for them.

"21st Century Breakdown" by Green Day. Sounds and feels a lot like 'American Idiot' but that's like saying he plays a lot like Albert Pujols.

'Santogold' by Santogold. Not that new, but this album full of great singles such as "LES Artistes' and 'Lights Out' has been in my heavy rotation for a long time.

"Townes" by Steve Earle. A little self indulgent if you ask me, and not as strong as some of his stuff was 5 years ago, but always good to listen to Steve Earle.

"Back from the Dead" by Spinal Tap. England's loudest band keeps milking their 1983 mockumentary with this record. There is not much new material but there are reworked versions of "Listen to the Flower People" and "Sex Farm" and it's still Spinal Tap. But for the first time on record you do get THREE versions of 'Jazz Odyssey'!