It's 3-2 After Five

Wait, of course it is. That's the only way it could be without it being over. Fantastic. I told Frankie I'd post something tonight. So here's something.

The Cardinals, after scoring 16 runs in game 3, have scored two in the last 18 innings. Albert Pujols, after hitting three home runs in his last three at bats in game three, has gone hitless over the last two games. The Cardinals one and two hitters in this World Series: 3 for 37. So how are the Rangers and their vaunted offense winning this World Series? PITCHING.

After the game three debacle, the Rangers have given up only 2 runs, highlighted by Holland's eight and one third innings of scoreless ball. Why did the Rangers lose last year? Pitching. Derek Holland, in game two last year, threw thirteen balls in a row. That's right. Thirteen. He has gone from the goat to the stud.

Seriously, this guy is winning World Series games

The Rangers are still hitting, but not a ton, scoring eight runs in the last two games.

I mentioned to Frankie today that this was an interesting World Series in that the two teams earned their spot based on their superior hitting over the course of the year. But that's not what's happening in this fall classic. Except for the anomaly that was game three, this series has been all about pitching.

Yeah, we haven't had the Lee vs. Lincecum matchup, or the Sabathia v. Halladay matchup, or even the Verlander vs. Kennedy matchup. However, it is the Derek Hollands of the world that are keeping the likes of Pujols and Holliday at bay. It's not like the Cardinals are pitching that poorly. They are pitching to their potential. The Rangers have just shown up with the extra pitching boost a team needs to take home the glory.

However, we now return to St. Louis. The Rangers no longer have the DH. On paper, though the Cardinals are now on the ropes, they'll still have every opportunity to win, thanks to CJ Wilson giving up a bomb to Prince Fielder back in July. Home field advantage means a lot. Especially because they'll have a working bullpen phone.

Can we pause and think about that for a moment. The bullpen coach of the Cardinals heard "Lynn" when LaRussa supposedly said "Motte", leading to a parade of pitchers in the eighth inning. I find this misunderstanding hard to believe. This is not a situation like in Houston where they have 4 guys named Rodriguez. These are two completely different names, with different language origins. The great LaRussa mismanaged and won't bite a bullet. Whoops.

Game 6, Wednesday night, is going to be a boatload of fun. Jamie Garcia will square off against Colby Lewis once more. I think this series goes seven. There's no reason not to. Let's enjoy the last bit of baseball while we can, because if the Saints, Ravens, and Raiders games this weekend were any indication of what the rest of the NFL season is going to be, we're in for a long winter.

Screw it if I've already used this, it's a great song.

5 Reasons Why the Rangers Will Win the World Series

We apologize for abandoning you all the last two weeks. Things have been busy and hectic in our lives, and as much as we wanted to bring you the news, puns, and inanity you crave, we just weren't able to get the job done. We're sorry. We hope you come back for our regular posts this fall. Where we speak mostly of football and college sports. Things that make both Frankie and I pull our hair out. Oh what fun.

A great amount has happened over the past two weeks. I will not pretend to even begin glossing over it here. For now, all that matters is that the Cardinals and Rangers will square off the World Series that very few Bay Area people wanted to see. Still, it's the Fall Classic. So it's time to grab some beers, a couch, a pizza, and your best friend, and watch the culmination of the long, wacky, and wonderful 2011 Major League Baseball Season.

So, much like we did for the Superbowl last winter, Frankie and I will take opposing sides of this year's World Series. It has been left to me why the Texas Rangers, in their second consecutive appearance, will prove victorious over the Cardinals. And I will do so in five fun and easy steps. Kind of like AA, except without any problems. Because look, though Frankie is going to make valid arguments, let's be real, Texas has this one. Please, enjoy.

Stuck on Repeat / MLB Preview: San Francisco Giants

As Michael Jackson once said, this is it. The final team on the final day before the 2011 regular season.

Close your eyes and imagine you're in Heaven. What's it like? Who is there? How do you spend your time? How are you reading this if your eyes are closed? Are there any horse socks?

Ok, now open them. What did it look like to you?

When you Google image search "Heaven", you get some interesting results. My favorite was this:

For any fan of the San Francisco Giants, Heaven looked like November 1, 2010. It looked like Brian Wilson firing a 3-2 cutter past Nelson Cruz. It looked like the pandemonium outside AT&T Park, where fans gathered to light toiled paper on fire, throw corn tortillas in the air and other things celebratory mobs do. It looked like a million people packing Market St. and skipping an entire afternoon of work and not feeling an ounce of guilt. It looked like watching the World Series games on DVD so many times that your girlfriend thought a new baseball season had already started.