One of the most exciting post seasons in history, the first World Series to go the distance since the Angels beat the Giants in 2002. Game 6 alone will go down in history as one of the greatest, with David Freese writing his name among other legendary moments (Carlton Fisk Home run for example). A leadoff home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to tie the series and give us a game 7.
There’s been much talk all year about how America is turning away from Baseball. How preferring football is signifying the change of the nation, preferring the fast and easily digestible to the finesse and slowness, more intellectual play of baseball. Hell, we even got angry because of some long games, after a Red Sox – Yankees Borefest in August. Long games suck when their long, uneventful, with no peak moments. Game six, this series and this post-season are something totally different.
Rating? This is the lowest rated world series in history, or around that ranking. Hey, small markets do that to you. But ratings don’t mean people don’t care. More and more people watch games on their computers, laptops, Smartphones and what not. They don’t count when the ratings come up. Ratings don’t matter as much on TV shows as well, but lets not get into that. Rating, above all else, don’t tell the story of how good this post season was.
No dominant starting pitching most of the time. Upsets. It didn’t start out that way. The Yankees – Tigers series got ruined from the get go, dismembering game 1 in the midst of it, ruining a great (potentially) pitching duel between Verlander and Sabathia. But it got better. And the World Series, with two fantastic bullpens and heroes on both sides.
Mike Napoli coming through for the Rangers all along, while the Cardinals will now have two historic performances – One by Albert Pujols, hitting three home runs, and now Freese joining immortality with his extra innings bingo. Tony La Russa’s dugout to bullpen phone miscommunication mishap won’t be forgotten pretty soon as well.
The Cardinals have home advantage for tonight, whatever that means (not a lot), and have Chris Carpenter. He has a win in this postseason, and going against Matt Harrison definitely gives him and the Cardinals the edge. Harrison simply melted down in the Cardinals’ 16-7 win in Game 3, giving up five runs and was out before the end of the fourth inning.
When Baseball’s this good, or this exciting (which doesn’t always mean the same thing to the more avid fans), it can go on for ages and we won’t care. Too bad it all has to end tonight. Unless it rains…