World Series

Well, one of my two picks made it. This is an interesting series because it's the first time the Astros have been in the World Series (they were an expansion team in 1962 (as the Houston Colt .45s) so it's been quite awhile; not like the Marlins or Diamondbacks), and the White Sox are in it for the first time since 1959, and they haven't won since 1917, so we have two long-suffering franchises (or their fans, anyway). If the White Sox win, you have the added interesting factoid of the White Sox and Red Sox, after last winning the World Series in 1917 and 1918, respectively, ending their long droughts and winning back-to-back World Series, in reverse order.

This series promises some quality pitching, as the Astros top three starters were all in the top seven in the National League in ERA (top nine in the majors), and the White Sox starters, well, if you were following the last round, you saw them pitch four straight complete games (first time a team has done that since the 1956 World Series, I believe) and the one non-complete game, the starter went 8 1/3 innings. Also, neither offense is very impressive. The White Sox have a few bashers, so they can run up the score when they're on, but they're not very great hitters in the purer sense. The Astros had a lower team batting average during the season, but that is attributable to having the pitcher hit rather than a designated hitter, and despite the pitcher's spot in the batting order, the Astros managed an on-base percentage equal to the White Sox. I think the Astros will have a better time putting runners on base, but the White Sox will probably have a better time bringing them home.

Overall, I'm thinking Astros in 6ish. However, if it went seven, and we had another 18-inning series clincher, I would not complain. On the other hand, if the White Sox win, it would tick off Castro, which would be cool. Ticking off Castro is always cool. Two White Sox players are Cuban defectors, Jose Contreras and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, hence the whole ticking-off Castro thing (though Hernandez does not look to be starting during the series, but might do some long relief if called upon). Hernandez also called Castro "the devil" on national television. While broadcasts of Major League Baseball are banned in Cuba, there are ways of getting around it. So, while I'm rooting for the Astros, I'll have no complaints should the White Sox win.