2007 World Series Preview

I guess since I don’t listen to anyone’s arguments but mine, its high time I got off the college football thought process (Which according to some, I know nothing about) and as promised preview the 103rd World Series. This is a series matchup that no one could have even forecasted in late March/Early April. A series pitting the youthful exuberance of the Colorado Rockies who in are in their first World Series in their brief 15 year history and the experience of the Boston Red Sox who are making their 11th series appearance and second in four years. As per my custom I’ll preview each team individually then breakdown the matchup

2007 World Series
Colorado Rockies vs. Boston Red Sox
All Times EDT and shown on FOX

Game 1 @ Boston Wed 8 p
Game 2 @ Boston Thu 8 p
Game 3 @ Colorado Sat 8 p
Game 4 @ Colorado Sun 8 p
If Needed
Game 5 @ Colorado Mon TBD
Game 6 @ Boston Wed 10/31 TBD
Game 7 @ Boston Thu 11/1 TBD


Colorado Rockies (National League Champions)
Manager-Clint Hurdle (5th Year 441-509; 7-0 Postseason)

How The Rockies Got to the World Series
Finished 2nd in NL West 90-73 record .5 game behind Arizona
NL Wild Card Winner by 1 game (163rd game 8-7 win over San Diego in 13 innings)
Won NLDS in 3 Game Sweep over NL East Champion Philadelphia (4-2, 10-5, 3-1)
Won NLCS in 4 game sweep over NL West Champion Arizona (6-1, 3-2 (11), 4-1, 6-4)

Key Players Matt Holiday hit .333 in the NLCS and Kaz Matsui had 6 RBI to key the Rockies sweep. The Rockies pitching staff had a ERA of 1.89 in the NLCS.

Fast Fact: The Rockies have had only four other winning seasons before this year (1995-97 & 2000)

Team Breakdown
The Rockies come into the Fall Classic nuclear hot, winners of 21 of the last 22. One has to wonder if the extended layoff will hurt them. The Rockies have the kind of fearless mentality of a team with nothing to lose and playing with the kind of lop-eared dog style of someone that is used to facing long odds. The pluck and grit of this team is a direct reflection of their gritty manager. The Rockies have long been knocked for their woeful pitching, but it has actually carried them to and through this postseason. Troy Tulowitzki is a bone-fide young superstar in the making, Matt Holiday give them a feared bat and Todd Helton is the grizzled and respected clubhouse leader. This team might be called a fluke but they are playing solid fundamental baseball and it has gotten them to the Series. You can’t knock that

Boston Red Sox (American League Champions)
Manager Terry Francona (4th Year 375-273, 18-6 Postseason; 8th overall 659-636)

How The Red Sox Got to the World Series
AL East Champions 96-66 record 2 games ahead of New York
Won ALDS in 3 game sweep over AL West Champion Los Angeles (4-0, 6-3, 9-4)
Won ALCS in 7 games oves AL Central Champion Cleveland (10-3, 6-13, 2-4, 3-7, 7-1, 12-2, 11-2)

Key Players Manny Ramirez hit .409 with 10 RBI’s in the ALCS David Ortiz has hit safely in each of the Red Sox postseason games

Fast Fact: Francona is the only the 2nd manager in Red Sox History to take his team to more than one World Series (Bill Carrigan took the Sox to the Series in 1915-16 winning both times)

Team Breakdown
The Red Sox are the heavy hitting veteran laden squad who just seem to keep coming at you from all directions. Yes, ManRam is a certified space cadet, but he delivers in the most crucial of situations. His relaxed and easygoing style belies his razor sharp focus at the plate. David “Big Papi” Ortiz is the soul of the team, he also may have the one bat in the lineup that is more feared than Ramirez’s. The Sox however have pop up and down their lineup and their pitching staff is playoff tested to the nth degree. Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling have both won World Series games and MVPs. Jonathan Papelbon is the heat throwing closer, the Sox have a solid team

Overall Analysis
On paper it could be labeled a mismatch,. The Sox have the clear edge in postseason experience. A good deal of the Rockies are making their first postseason appearance. But the Rockies have the “ain’t skeered” mentality and a team that gets on a roll like that is so hard to slow down. The Sox are the better team, but the Rocks won’t go away quietly. The Sox hold serve at home, the Rocks take the first in the mile high atmosphere, the Sox get their altitude legs and win game 4. The Rocks stave off elimination in an emotional game 5 and the Sox win it at home.
Pick-Red Sox in 6

You thought I forgot it, but of course here is the part that everyone will be talking about the Phat Dap/Head Slap of the week.

Phat Dap
To former Yankees manager Joe Torre who could have used the press confernence last week to blast the Yankees and the way they shabbily treated him. Including an ungrateful Steinbrenner boys who asked the rhetorical question “who was Joe Torre when we hired him in ‘95?” It seems that Torre was the classy addition that the Yanks needed to win a World Series. Torre has solidified his resume for the baseball hall of fame.

Head Slap
I’ve been a humongous critic of Skip Bayless, who whines on a daily basis on the ESPN2 morning show First Take and more often than not his wonking is more the stuff of headshakes. But his criticisms of kickers, in the wake of Rob Bironas’ NFL record 8 field goals was just plain stupid, even for him. His statement that teams should “be made to just go for it on 4th down and go for 2 every time after touchdowns” was the most inane I’ve ever seen. I didn’t see him lamabaste kickers when Nick Folk of the Pokes made a 55 yarder (twice) to win a game over the Bills. Bayless carps that kickers are not athletes. Hey Skippy, have you ever tried to kick a football? I’ll give you the entire contents of mine and my daughters bank account if you could kick a field goal of 30 yards. Hacks like this who criticize and carp about players but have never played the game are the most insipid of the bunch. You’ve never had to do but you criticize the ones that do.
I'll go back to reading the rants of those that so hated my college football playoff plan. It was an idea is all. Like I've said before the college presidents will never release control of the one thing that they have an iron lock on... Until Next Post Fellow Sports Fans