WORLD SERIES: San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers

Alright, everyone who picked the Giants and Rangers to meet in the 2010 World Series, put your hands up.

....

I'll put my hand up, maybe not all the way, but partially, seeing as I did pick the Giants to get to the World Series, but to face the New York Yankees and lose in seven games.

But honestly, how many people would have picked the Rangers to dethrone the World Champions? Or for the team by the bay to defeat the greatest pitching rotation in postseason history from the Philadelphia Phillies?

Not many.

Perhaps what could be a downfall in TV ratings for Fox Network, due to this year's match-up, this could prove to be one of the more exciting series over the past few seasons.

For instance, the Texas Rangers have never, ever, in their team history, made it to the second round of the playoffs (the ALCS) or let alone make it to the World Series in their 50 year existence...

...until now.

The 2010 Rangers, armed with the veteran Michael Young, ace Cliff Lee, probable American League MVP, as well as ALCS MVP, Josh Hamilton, and a young core group that includes shortstop Elvis Andrus, are primed to make a battle for the World Series Trophy. A dominant offense, that which includes the likes of future Hall Of Famer Vladamir Guerrero and the dangerous Nelson Cruz, will look to send multiple baseballs into McCovey Cove and swamp the Giants' chances of securing a world title.

The Rangers definitely deserve to be in the World Series and are, without a doubt, the feel-good story of the 2010 season. Besides making the ALCS against New York a very one-sided affair, the Rangers have background stories on their team which further makes them the story of the year.

Consider the story of the Rangers' MVP candidate, Josh Hamilton.

Hamilton, the number one overall draft pick in the 1999 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil (at the time) Rays, has one of baseball's most remarkable stories. A chronic substance abuse early in his career, Hamilton was almost dismembered from the sport, and faced many setbacks in his career, initially spending his entire signing bonus from his draft on drugs and alcohol. However, rehab set Hamilton back on the track to baseball, as he was able to overcome his substance abuse to become sober and blossom into the All-Star he was hyped to be. Now a definite American League MVP candidate, and possible winner, Hamilton sported a .359 batting average to go along with 31 home runs this season, while battling injuries and carrying the Rangers to the playoffs, where he hit .350 with 4 home runs, and now the World Series. Almost five years ago, no one in baseball would have believed Hamilton would reach this point.

How about the story of Texas Manager Ron Washington? Washington, admittedly, tested positive for cocaine last season, and had to overcome scrutiny the entire season. However, Washington was backed by his players, Hamilton especially, seeing as he had dealt with the same situation as Washington early in his career. Now, he's managing the American League Champions in the World Series.

Last, there is the remarkable story of Michael Young. Young, although he is not "officially" the captain of the Rangers, carries himself as so. The veteran, who has spent his entire 11-year career, 1,508 games, with Texas, had never been to the postseason prior to this year. Young, 34, has been part of the lows of the Rangers' era. While playing the Alex Rodriguez era, Mark Teixeira era and now the Josh Hamilton era in Rangers' history, Young has been overlooked, if not underrated, in his career. Now, for the first time in his career, Young will be able to showcase his talent on the national stage and show why he is the heart and soul of the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers fought through thick and thin in the playoffs this season, dropping a 2-0 games lead to the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series, resulting in a nail-biting Game 5 victory, and of course, doing one of the most impossible playoff tasks: defeating the mighty Yankees, who, before this series loss, were 11-2 in ALCS play.

But what about the Rangers' new opponent?

The San Francisco Giants, since moving to San Francisco in 1958, have never won a championship since leaving New York.

They'll look to change that now.

The Giants did reach the World Series in 2002, but fell to the (at the time) Anaheim Angels in a heart-breaking seven games. For the first time 2003, they have made the playoffs.

A playoff afterthought at the beginning of the 2010 season, a pick to be more of a trouble-maker for the contending teams in the NL West (The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies), no one thought that the Giants had a chance to make the postseason. Their lineup was too weak, their rotation behind back-to-back Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum was questionable, and they were "a gang of misfits."

The first half of the Giants' season was a mess. Despite the emergence of catcher Buster Posey, the rookie who took the world by storm by hitting over .330 in the first half, Lincecum, who was coming off of his second-straight Cy Young Award, was struggling, Pablo Sandoval, the young third baseman who hit .330 the year prior was struggling to hit .270, and the Giants, overall, were at 41-40 by the end of the first half. The season looked like it would be similar to the one prior.

Not so much anymore.

Lincecum recovered, Posey continued to mash and make himself look like the eventual NL Rookie of the Year, closing pitcher Brian Wilson, first baseman Aubrey Huff, and starting pitchers Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez stepped up, resulting in a 51-30 second half of the season, en route to the club's National League West Division title in a dramatic end of the season showdown with the San Diego Padres.

While the Giants may not have the same feel-good story as the Rangers, they surely are not a team to be counted out. They defeated the Atlanta Braves and sent Bobby Cox to retirement, they overpowered the "Big 3" of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels in Philadelphia when everyone in the baseball world considered them left for dead at the hands of the Phillies.

Now, with one dramatic and gut-wrenching regular season over, the boys from the bay area find themselves in the World Series, armed with the task of making Josh Hamilton look lost, stealing the feel-good vibe that surrounds their opponent, and looking to make "Deep in the Heart of Texas" nothing more than a sob song for Rangers fans.

I like both of these teams a lot. I think they stack up well against each other in this series, and I like that both these teams play for the good of the game. These are two teams with players who gritty, gutty, grind-it-out type of players, and they will make it a hard-fought battle to win the crown. I do think that the Giants hold a tremendous advantage in the pitching department with shut-down guys like Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner and Wilson, compared to that of Texas' Lee (who is their only "shut-down" pitcher), C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis (who had a great DS & CS), Tommy Hunter and rookie-closer Neftali Feliz, but the Rangers' offense, led by Hamilton and Cruz, without a doubt overpowers that of the Giants' scrappy offense where the only real threat is NLCS MVP Cody Ross and Posey. I think that the Giants boast a better bullpen than Texas, especially having season-saves-leader (48 saves) Brian Wilson at the back to shut the door, as opposed to a rookie closer like Feliz.

That being said, I really like the pitching in this series and I think that will be the real factor in the winning team. I'm going to stick with my gut from the beginning of the season, but change the outcome.

Giants in 7.