Who's Worth $400 Million And Likes The Feeling Of A Bat On Their Shoulder? Also, World Series Predictions!

The answer to the above question is...Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez!  Ha!  That's right!  The two highest paid douchebags on both the Phillies and the Yankees couldn't swing at 3-2 pitches to save their seasons!  What a bunch of losers. 

Seriously though, Ryan Howard, how do you not swing at that pitch?  Especially when you haven't been getting that call ALL SERIES?  Yeesh, way to be, Ry-Ry, way to fuckin' be.  Of course, it didn't help that the rest of your supposedly vaunted offense was hitting like a bunch of little leaguers.  That being said, at least your team competed in every game, which is something the Yankees couldn't quite grasp.  Along with A-Rod and Teixera the Yankees posted a sparkling .201 team batting average to go along with a combined 6.58 pitching staff ERA.  In case you were wondering, those are not good numbers, especially when the Rangers posted a .304 batting average and a 2.76 ERA to match them.  They just straight up got outplayed in every aspect.

The Giants and Phils, on the other hand, were very evenly matched, with the absence of the Philadelphia offense the only real difference maker outside of a gentleman I'll bring up in a bit.  The pitching was, as expected, amazing on both sides, with Jonathan Sanchez being the only exception.  The only man the Phillies pitching staff didn't have an answer for was...drum roll please...CODY ROSS!! I totally called that shit and I want recognition for it.  He earned every bit of that NLCS MVP trophy and was the main x-factor in the Giants making it to the World Series.

So, yeah, Rangers vs. Giants, the World Series that baseball fans wanted to see.  I would have shot myself if the Yankees and Phillies would have faced off again.  Just unwatchable dreck.  Now we get two hungry up and comers who are looking to win their first titles in franchise history.  Howabout that?

On to the prediction...

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Texas Rangers vs. San Francisco Giants

Did you know that one man has already won a World Series ring this year?  That man?  Bengie Molina.  Since he was traded to the Rangers from the Giants in the middle of the season, he will recieve a ring from whichever team takes the taco in the end.  What a lucky bastard.

The rest of these guys, however, will have to work for it.

The Texas Rangers will have the upper hand entering the the series based solely upon the fact that they have the much more potent offense.  They can, at any time, create runs up and down the lineup.  This is where the Giants having home field advantage comes into play, because at the very least they'll have four games where they can remove Vlad Guerrero from the DH spot and limit him to pinch hitting responsibilities.  Of course, you still have to face Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young and Bengie Molina, so good luck taking a gasp of relief.  The Giants are gonna have a lot of trouble keeping up on the scoreboard, considering the strength of the Rangers' pitching staff, which was led not by Cliff Lee in the ALCS, but by Colby Lewis, who pitched an absolute gem in game 6.  You'll also be seeing C.J. Lewis and Tommy Hunter, who at times made the mighty Yankees look meek and may make the Giants at times anemic offense look downright childish. 

However.

If there's a lesson that should have been learned by now, it's that you would be insane to count out these Giants in these playoffs.  They've been underdogs from the beginning and have somehow managed to pull out victory after victory by the skin of their teeth, winning 6 of 7 games this postseason by one run.  Their starting pitching has been the main reason behind their success, keeping them hanging around until somebody steps up into the hero role.  So far, that hero has been Cody Ross, but if anybody else finds their bat in the World Series, we could have ourselves a quality matchup. 

As far as predictions go, I hate having to make one.  Both of these teams deserve to be here and they both got here by plowing through teams that I hate.  In the end, however, good pitching always, always, always beats good hitting, and the Giants have a pitching staff that rivals no one in these playoffs.  On top of that, the Giants just faced the second best pitching staff in the playoffs in their last series.  They're on a roll, and they know how to scratch out runs in tough conditions.  I hate to see either team lose, but someone has gotta win. 

Giants in 7

Onward.

- Terrence Adams