So, if you're a Yankees fan, go ahead and stop reading now. You won't like what I'm about to write, nor will it be new to you. It is something for me to rant about today, though, so the pinstripes are going to take a beating today.
Rangers at Giants. What a boring interleague series, huh? What? You say this is the World Series? Sweet!
Seriously, if this was an interleague series, I wouldn't do anything more than look at the box scores to see how my fantasy team did. Aubrey Huff went long? Great! (Yes, I did have Aubrey Huff on my team this year, which should garner me some credit!) Beyond that, who cares?
Yet, somehow since this is the World Series, I'm excited. More excited for a World Series than I've been in years! These are two franchises that have struggled for my entire life. Sure, the Giants have been in a handful of playoff series, and have even gotten to the World Series twice in my lifetime (who can forget the earthquake?) but they've never won it. Not since my uncle Howard, the only Giants fan I ever knew until he brainwashed his children, was "in diapers". The Rangers hadn't won a playoff series before this year. That's over 40 years of losing in Arlington.
America loves the underdog.....in everything except sports. In sports, America loves to watch the Lakers, Cowboys, Duke basketball, and yes, the dreaded Yankees. Well, I can't stand any of those teams. I love an underdog, which makes this series extremely fun for me. The Giants' pitching versus the Rangers' lineup. Classic series between two anything but classic teams. Perfect in my mind.
Yet, instead of the massive hype machine we've grown accustomed to, we're hearing very little about this series. Hell, had I not known it was starting tonight, no one would have told me! There's very little on ESPN. Our local stations, despite being a Rangers AAA affiliate for almost two decades, are saying nothing. The silence is deafening.
Can you imagine this silence if the Yankees or Red Sox were in the series? Nah, we'd be hearing all about how the *insert AL East team here* are the best team in history and there's no way that *insert team outside of the east coast* can win. The Yankees have the best lineup we've ever seen. The Red Sox pitching cannot be stopped. Then, the team headquartered west of the original 13 colonies pulls off some sort of a miracle win and the world comes to an end. Right? That's what we're supposed to think, right?
My guess is that this series will be billed as "bad for baseball". The ratings will be down (imagine that....no hype = lower ratings) and there will be a perceived lack of general interest. For baseball fans like myself, though, this is great! These two franchises have built from within. They haven't been tainted as most have with too many high priced free agents. They grow their players, then supplement with free agency to fill holes. This is the way it's supposed to work.
So forgive me if I laughed a bit when the Rangers clinched the series against the Yankees, and again when the Giants finished off the Phillies. I don't want to watch teams that are bought by the highest bidder. It's not good for the sport that Cliff Lee is "destined" for pinstripes because they can pay him the most. It's good for the league to have new winners. This year's series is good for the league.
So, instead of being hampered by excess hype and overblown expectations, sit back, relax and watch some really good baseball by organizations who are doing things the right way! Go Rangers! Go Giants! Whatever. Mostly, Go Baseball!
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