Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees

I have not been this excited for a World Series in a long time! There isn’t a baseball fan in the world that shouldn’t be excited for this Series. As a matter of fact, only Mets fans are allowed to not care since they hate both teams. Finally, for the first time in a long time (probably 1999) the two best teams in baseball are facing each other in the World Series, and what a Series it should be.

Baseball is a game that hinges on so many unforeseen things, more than any other sport. For example, who is better Cliff Lee or C.C. Sabathia? An argument can be made either way. Which offense is more powerful? Which team is more clutch? The only discernible difference between these two teams as I see it is their bullpens, more specifically their closers. Mariano Riveria is Mariano Riveria. He is legendary, has proven his worth and there isn’t much else to say about him. Except for this: Mo has shown that he does not field and throw bunts out very well. Perhaps statistically he is as good as any other pitcher performing that task, byt Mo threw away the 2001 World Series against the Diamondbacks, and he almost cost the Yankees the other night against the Angels. Brad Lidge meanwhile should be spoken about in terms of his dominance but because of his shaky regular season performance the topic concerning Lidge is, which one will show up? In the post-season he has been the Lidge of 2008, which is great but in this calendar year he has been more shaky than sturdy.

These two teams played this year in the Bronx with the Phillies taking 2 of 3. In my honest opinion, I wouldn’t blame anyone for placing money on either team, I think they match up that well. The only thing I am highly certain of is that neither team will sweep, and every game will be a dramatic, nail-biting game that comes down to the last pitch. That being the case, an argument could be made for the Yankees based on their experience in playoff and World Series games. The Phillies however are the team with the more recent World Series experience, and they are the defending champs.

So for whatever it is worth, I placed my money on the Yankees in 6. And I have not been this excited for the World Series in a long time!