The 109th Fall Classic begins tomorrow night and as a baseball fan I am both excited and slightly disappointed. The Tigers and Giants was really the match-up no one was looking for, especially me. Despite both likely league MVPs (deserving or not) being involved in the series, there really isn't much buzz. America is always enticed by a young up and coming team such as Washington or Cincinnati but both were ousted in the first round. America would also have like the seen a Cindarella type team but the A's and O's both fell in the first round. The casual fan would of course like to see an old familiar, large market team with multiple recognizable players. Alas, the Cardinals and Yankees blew their shot at the pennant. But the series is not a total loss, there are a few bright spots for America to look forward to.
Star Power: As I mentioned before, both likely MVP's will face off in this series. Although we all know I'm not a supporter of Miguel Cabrera, he is one of the game's best power hitters and should play foil to the incredible Buster Posey. While neither of the two have shined in the post season thus far, both should be a force to be reckoned with on the game's biggest stage. Prince Fielder and Cabrera gives the Tigers the league's best power hitting duo but that's not who i'm most excited to see from this Tigers offense. Former Yankee prospect Austin Jackson has been tearing the cover off the ball and now has the chance to be introduced to mainstream America. Casual baseball fans, meet the guy who could cost Brian Cashman his job(kidding....I hope....), Jackson is maturing into one of the game's best young players.
From a pitching standpoint there is also a lot of star power. There are very few people in baseball who I'd want more on the mound if I needed to win one game than Matt Cain. As evidenced by his June perfect game and Game 7 NLCS shutout, Cain is pretty darn good. Vogelsong and Baumgardener are also more than solid starting pitchers and Barry Zito finally has to chance to be something other than a punchline. On the other hand, Tigers starting pitching is coming off an incredible ALCS (it was the pitching, not Yankee hiting...I swear...they'll be fine....shut up!). Porcello is more than servicable, Scherzer is a strike out maching and Fister is as good as any number two guy out there. Then there is the matter of that other fella, what's his name...oh right Mr. Verlander.
We are currently in the Justin Verlander era of baseball. He's coming off an MVP season and will likely win his second Cy Young in as many years. At the age of 29 he's starting his second World Series and is a few transcendent performances away from completely dominating baseball talk for an entire offseason.
Randomness: Ah, the best part of baseball, the complete random shit that happens in October. Let's take a look at the last few fall classics shall we? Hideki Matsui won series MVP in 2009 despite missing three games of the series due to his inability to field. In 2010 the decrepid Edgar Renteria took home the honors and was promptly cut in the offseason, never to be seen or heard from again. In 2011 David Freese came out of no-where to capture the attention of the nation and earned MVP honors. So who will win the honors this year? Cast offs like Marco Scutaro or Aubrey Huff? Sneaky good guys like Jhonny Peralta or Doug Fister? Jose Valverde? (haha it's funny because he's fat).
Another note on randomness...in 2010 the Giants only made the playoffs after a major collapse by division leading San Diego. In 2011 the Cardinals only did so after a collapse by the Braves. This pattern doesn't help us at all this year as neither team looked like they would make the playoffs. However, it really did take a Chicago collapse for these Tigers to make the playoffs so that's an advantage. And on the random nights of October, this may be the only advantage you need. Tigers in 7.
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