A Long Time Coming

Though this year's World Series seems doomed to low ratings, and is surely making the executives at Fox gnash their teeth, I'm looking forward to it. The San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers are numbers three and four, respectively, in the list of teams that have gone the longest without winning it all. The Cubs and Indians are one and two, but the Giants have never won since moving to San Francisco in 1958 (they last won in 1954, sweeping the Indians, highlighted by Willie Mays' catch off of Vic Wertz) and the Rangers have never won at all. They began life in Washington in 1961, as a resurrected Senators team (the old Senators, which were on the cusp of being a good team, had decamped to Minnesota to be the Twins), and then moved to Arlington in 1972. In fact, the entire state of Texas has zero World Series titles, after seventy seasons of baseball.

So for those who root for the downtrodden, this Series will be a pleasure. In fact, it may be tough to know who to root for. I'm torn, and may end up rooting for the home team in each game (I feel bad for spectators who have paid exorbitant prices only to see their team lose). I have a gut feeling, though, that I'll end up rooting for the Giants.

Usually I root for the American League (unless it's the Yankees), but there's something about the Giants that are appealing. They remind me a lot of the '88 Dodgers, in that they have a lineup of banjo hitters, but a solid pitching staff. Unlike that Dodgers team, the Giants don't have an obnoxious manager. They also have an assortment of oddballs, led by hurler Tim Lincecum, who looks a lot like the character of the Little League pitcher in Dazed and Confused (and has a pot bust to go with it). Closer Brian Wilson has the same name as a Beach Boy and also wears a beard that looks like a bad disguise, and when he closes out wins makes hand gestures from mixed martial arts. They have a roly-poly third baseman with the nickname of Kung Fu Panda, and a rookie catcher named Buster. They also have a few players, like Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe, who have kicked around the majors for several years, and until seeing them in the playoffs wasn't sure I knew they were still in baseball.

The Rangers have good stories, too. Josh Hamilton is like Roy Hobbs, even though his Jesus stuff is a bit much. It's nice to see team president Nolan Ryan, who usually seems cranky, break into a smile, and I rooted for them despite their association with George W. Bush.

As far as predictions go, the Rangers have to be favored. They have a much more productive lineup, and though the Giants have a deeper starting rotation, Cliff Lee is going to get the ball twice. But I wouldn't be shocked to see the Giants eke this one out. They seem to have a lot of destiny in their favor.