On the one side, we have the Texas Rangers, a team that has never won the World Series in its 49 previous seasons. In fact, they'd never even won a postseason series before this year. On the other, we have the San Francisco Giants, a team that hasn't won the World Series since before the Rangers even existed as a franchise, since they made their home in New York and their star center fielder Willie Mays made the defensive play of the century. In short, it should be a great series and long-suffering fans will get to celebrate in one city or another.
This is no small matter in either city. Of all metro areas which host franchises for all four major professional leagues, the San Francisco Bay Area and Dallas-Fort Worth Area have the longest title droughts. The 49ers won the last title in the Bay Area with the 1994 Super Bowl. The Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999, the last major title for the Dallas-Fort Worth sports community.
I'm sticking with the Rangers for the World Series. I am particularly pleased by Josh Hamilton's MVP performance in the American League Championship Series. To be completely honest, I'm naturally biased towards whichever team takes out the Yankees.
I wonder if the fans in either city feel like Sox fans did in '04? It had taken so long to get back to the World Series but to get there we had to defeat the Yankees. That year the ALCS seemed like the BIG prize (not that the Series victory was anything but awesome!).
ReplyDeleteMaybe Texas has finally but their demons behind them (winning all games against the Devil Rays on the road and finally notching a win against the Yanks) and the Giants proved they are legit contenders by making it back again in less than ten years.
Either way, even if it is not the match up MLB wanted (and it is not), it is a good match up for any fan of the game...
Go Rangers!