OT: The Jints and the Strangers. Who would've thunk it.

[tbob]

Congrats to Texas who has never won a WS and the Giants who have never won one in SF and their last win was 56 years ago in NY. Matty and Mugsy must be smiling from above. Fox must be gnashing their teeth :D

[ethicsprof]

well put, ole buddy.
i think i'll watch this one this year in honor of Matty.

best,
barry

[thekingofclout]

Congrats to Texas who has never won a WS and the Giants who have never won one in SF and their last win was 56 years ago in NY. Matty and Mugsy must be smiling from above. Fox must be gnashing their teeth :D

I don't think FOX will be that upset about having teams from California & Texas with a combined population of almost 65 million people. Which by the way... is DOUBLE the pop of NY & PA.

[Kawika]

These Giants are not exactly a dynasty in the making. Pitching was spotty, clutch hitting was weak, fielding sometimes bordered on the comical (although it was occasionally brilliant, too). Philly should have killed them; Texas probably will. Anyway, this Giants fan will take whatever the baseball gods have to offer even if there isn't a Matty or a Master Melvin, a Say Hey Kid or even a Will the Thrill amongst them. Go Giants - Humm Baby!

http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_o_ka_pakipika/bbbofsfirstclass/holygrailcards/websize/Pins%20_NYG_.jpg

[Anthony S.]

Eh, we have quality pitching, although Sanchez is a headcase, as you saw tonight. Very little hitting and not much defense beyond Torres and Posey. And it's not like the Giants will make Cliff Lee work deep into counts, so he's probably good for 3 games in the series if it goes 7. But, you never know.

And the Giants are fearless. Like the mighty Doberman.

[mets41]

I'm glad the fillies didn't win. I hate the fillies. The last time I rooted for the fillies to win Kennedy was president and there were only 8 N.L. teams.

[Rickyy]

Glad to see this matchup - even if the rest of the country probably isn't..FOX network and ESPN is probably crying right about now..EasternSPN especially because they don't recognize anything west of the Mississippi. :D

Giants have been doing this all year...they win ugly.. Rangers knocked off the two best AL teams... sweet!

[Anthony S.]

Watching "Sarge" Matthews read the Phillies lineup last night reminded me of the first year I remember attending Giants games, 1974 (two years after Mays was traded -- dammit). I was six (I didn't get my driver's license until I was 5 and a half). We had Gary Matthews in left, Garry Maddox in center, and Bobby Bonds (the even dickier Bonds) in right. Within a year Maddox was a Philly -- the Giants traded him because they were concerned about his defense -- seriously (he won 8 consecutive Gold Gloves with the Phillies), and Matthews joined him in Philadelphia five or six years later. Anyway, all of this reminded me of the great Ralph Kiner quote about Garry Maddox:

"Two-thirds of earth is covered by water, the other third is covered by Garry Maddox."

[barrysloate]

I've been a Giants fan since 1962 with nothing to show for it. Could this be the year? I think their starting pitching is about as good as one could hope for, and their bullpen seems to get the job done for the most part. Their starting line up- well, I don't know what to say about that. They average about four hits a game so it's tough to find much there. But they win.

Giants in six.

[Rich Klein]

Just want to see good games!

Rich

[calvindog]

Glad to see this matchup - even if the rest of the country probably isn't..FOX network and ESPN is probably crying right about now..EasternSPN especially because they don't recognize anything west of the Mississippi. :D

Giants have been doing this all year...they win ugly.. Rangers knocked off the two best AL teams... sweet!

Fox is in mourning right now. This will be one of the lowest-rated World Series in a loooong time.

[barrysloate]

Texas- San Francisco is certainly not the match up the network wanted. But if they can play some great baseball the viewers will tune in.

[oldjudge]

I have not heard this said so far, but I think the difference in the series will be the Ranger's ability to steal bases. Rangers in 5.

[calvindog]

Rangers will be tough with a rested Cliff Lee. Not having to pitch against the Yankees in Game 7 was a huge help to them.

[nolemmings]

The ratings could surprise, although it won't matter much either way. TV ratings for the World Series have been bad for awhile, and the last 5 series have been the 5 lowest watched since 1968. By comparison, the ratings for the 1991 Twins-Braves Series were more than 2 1/2 times higher than last year's Yankees-Phils series.

This one should be higher than the worst---2008 between Philly and Tampa. That was an established Eastern team that hadn't been there in 15 years vs. a Cinderella from a fairly populous Eastern state. Let's see how the people of California and Texas represent. If it goes 6 or 7 seven games, I think Fox will be pleasantly surprised.

[calvindog]

The ratings could surprise, although it won't matter much either way. TV ratings for the World Series have been bad for awhile, and the last 5 series have been the 5 lowest watched since 1968. By comparison, the ratings for the 1991 Twins-Braves Series were more than 2 1/2 times higher than last year's Yankees-Phils series.

This one should be higher than the worst---2008 between Philly and Tampa. That was an established Eastern team that hadn't been there in 15 years vs. a Cinderella from a fairly populous Eastern state. Let's see how the people of California and Texas represent. If it goes 6 or 7 seven games, I think Fox will be pleasantly surprised.

Todd, weather also screwed up any chances the Philly-TB series had. But true, there was just no interest there. And the Braves, due to TBS, were "America's Team." Can't say the same about the Giants and Rangers. Unless it's a blockbsuter Series, it doesn't bode well Fox.

[Leon]

Well, I think the ratings will be fine with the populations from both states watching more of the series than they normally would. As a tried and true fairweather fan, it's sunny here in Big D :). I will be one fan that is watching most, if not all games, and probably would have taken in about 3-6 total innings otherwise. regards

[mybuddyinc]

Was at game last night, had a great time, other than Phils losing and $7.50 beers :(

Love Ryan Howard, but he did squat.


Baseball wise, how great was it to see Wilson bat !!!

[HRBAKER]

I think that there is somethng to be said for not having the same old teams every year. It might get more eyes than we think. Sad part is that a Monday Night NFL game btw two winless teams would still probably pull a larger share than any one of these games will.

[jimm]

Anyone really give a crap what fox thinks? Didn't think so.... torture, win ugly, whatever, need 4 more of them :D

[pgellis]

Actually, I "bet" on both Texas & SF to win their series.....in a very good mood today.........obviously just bet Monopoly money;)

[tbob]

I don't think the Giants have enough pop in their bats. The Rangers are a typical AL team which can hit the ball hard 1-8 in the order plus this team has speed and a manager who loves the hit and run and to force the action. CJ Wilson is vastly underrated on the hill and Cliff Lee is the Man in postseason. Both bullpens are solid but the Giants are too one dimensional with their great pitching.
I think the Strangers win in 5.

[David W]

I wonder..... Does anybody actually know a Ranger fan?

[Bridwell]

Being a Texas resident, I'll be rooting for the Rangers and think they will do it.

The Rangers payroll is one of the lowest this year, 27th out of 30 teams. I love it when the lower payroll teams can win. Conversely, I have to chuckle when big-spending teams like New York, Boston and Philly strike out. Love it when team chemistry and baseball IQ wins out over big money.

[Mikehealer]

I wonder..... Does anybody actually know a Ranger fan?

I know quite a few.

[tbob]

I wonder..... Does anybody actually know a Ranger fan?

Football is king in Texas. Other than the hardcore fans of the UT baseball team, baseball plays second fiddle. They used to say there were two sports in Texas, College Football and Spring Football Practice. And of course there is "America's Team" the 'Boys. When I used to go to Rangers games to see the Twins play in Arlington the crowd was not what you would call the hardcore Reds, Cards, Cubs, Red Sox, Yanks, etc fans, it was more family outings, vacations for people who were going to Six Flags, etc. I think over the years the Strangers have developed more of a fan base but my take is other than the bandwaggoners this year, the real Rangers fan base is not that large.

[TexasLeaguer]

I remember as a kid, I was riding in the car with my Mom, Dad, and little brother, and we were following my uncle back from some family get-together. We were listening to the Rangers game on the radio, Mark Holtz doing play-by-play probably, when Ruben Sierra hit a clutch 2-run home run in the waning moments of a close game. We started going crazy in the car, and then we saw my uncle in the car in front of us flashing his lights like crazy and we all laughed because we knew he was listening to the game too. It was awesome and I'll never forget it. It's about damn time the Rangers got here and I sure hope to hell they can pull it off so we can say, "Hello Win Column!" in the last game of the year.

[cfc1909]

I'm glad the fillies didn't win. I hate the fillies. The last time I rooted for the fillies to win Kennedy was president and there were only 8 N.L. teams.


Dan you are classic. I learn something from you every time we talk in fillie..