the world series

sports:  The World Series begins tonight between the San Fransisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers.  It looks to be a classic battle between two teams, one filled with star power, and power - the Tigers' Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder, and one being a host of players willing to step up in big moments thanks to depth and consistency.  What this series is also about is resiliency   This is something I have talked about throughout the postseason.  With underdog teams like the Athletics and Orioles, who spent their seasons constantly battling back from the brink of many defeats to get into the playoffs, and the Cardinals, after their run in last years playoffs (the multiple World Series game six comebacks) and the divisional series this year(being down 6-0 early and coming back to win 9-7 down 7-5 in the ninth inning of that game), being considered the best clutch team in baseball, capable of overcoming any deficit, this is a series between what may have been the two most resilient teams of the year.
The Tigers may have never been too far behind the White Sox, but were clearly the second best team in their division for most of the season.  But they managed to get hot and win most of their games down the stretch (7-3 in the final ten games) while their division rivals, the White Sox couldn't do the same (going 4-8 in that same calendar time).
The Giants resiliency has been found during the playoffs.  There is't much to say.  They are 6-0 in elimination games, most recently outscoring the Cardinals (supposedly the best clutch team in baseball) 20-1 in the three elimination games of their season.
This series presents a very interesting match-up.  Much like the Giants last series against the Cardinals, it is a series between the Giants, a team with remarkable depth both in their lineup (but no true stars or go-to power hitters) and in their pitching staff (this may be the best group of pitchers in baseball at holding a lead), against a team with great power in the middle of their lineup and a great ace heading their otherwise decent staff (I know the Tigers starters posted  a sub-1.00 era against the Yankees, but the way those two teams looked during that series, you have to put as much of the on the Yankees hitters as the Tigers pitchers).  The difference in this series is that the Tigers are like a bigger and badder version of the Cardinals.  Instead of Holliday and Friese, you have Fielder and Cabrera.  Instead of Kyle Losche, you have the best pitcher in baseball, Justin Verlander.  The keys for the Giants will be to keep the Tigers role players off the bases and not allow to the brutal middle of the Detroit lineup to drive them in.  The key for the Tigers will be to keep the Giants from spraying the ball around the field and building early leads that their fantastic bullpen are adept at holding.
The other key, and arguably the biggest of this series, is how the pitching rotations are set up.  With a sweep and four days of rest the Tigers have Verlander ready to go for games one and five, while in game one the Giants will be sending out Berry Zito.  Zito has rebounded in recent years to be a solid starter, maintaining that huge looping curve ball that is tough on hitters, but he still is not the ace he used to be, and facing the best ace in baseball could put the Giants behind the eight ball early.  Verlander will also be available for game five.  And knowing the Giants' propensity in these playoffs to dig a hole, if they get down 3-1, there maybe no coming back having to face him even once in an elimination game.  On the other hand, with the pitching rotations being off set by the League Championship Series, in the other games the Giants with being running their best pitchers, Ryan Vogelsong (1.42 era through three post season games) and Matt Cain (the Giants' undisputed ace and star of a shutout performance from the pitching staff in game 7 against the Cardinals.), against the bottom of the Tigers rotation.  And if the series would go long they would both be available for starts later in the series against the non-Verlander part of the Tigers rotation  The only detraction to this will be that those games, three and four, will be in Detroit and Vogelsong and Cain have actually hit well during their plate appearances in the playoffs, knocking in crucial runs in all of their outings.
All in all it should be a great series.  If I were going to Vegas I sure wouldn't want to have to pick a winner.  My heart says its got to be the never say die Giants and all the fun that they showed two years ago when they won.  My head is saying that Verlander and Cabrera just too tough.  I honestly don't think I know who's going to win this one (Not that predictions have been great this post season).  But I'll at least say this, if it is short series (five or less) the Tigers will take it.  If it goes long (six or seven and the San Fransisco withstanding two Verlander outings) the Giants will win.  It should be fun either way.