Other Stuff I Missed While I Was on Vacation

Just catching up on a few things while I was gone last week...

-The Giants won the World Series in 5 games. I predicted Giants in 6. Close enough for me to brag about how much better I am than you!

-Sparky Anderson passed away. Sparky won his titles with the Reds before I was born, and his time with the Tigers came to an end while I was still in junior high. However, he clearly was a great manager and the first of just two managers (with Tony LaRussa) to win a World Series in both leagues. Remember when we were talking two weeks ago about no-name coaches vs. "famous" coaches. Sparky is the argument for the no-name guys, because when he was hired by the Reds, the newspaper in town ran the headline "Sparky Who?"

-Swoop went trick-or-treating with the Raabe family of South Bend. A good time was had by all.

-Finally, former Silver Hawks infielder Yunesky Sanchez was released by the Diamondbacks. He was 26 years old, but had been hitting the ball decently over the past four seasons. including a .284 mark with Reno in 2010. I'm sure Arizona has their reasons, but this one is a bit of a head-scratcher in that he seems like a guy that would be good to fill out a roster (if not in the majors, then certainly at AAA). Your guess is as good as mine.

My World Series Pick

I'm going on record with this, so I can either brag when it happens or be ridiculed when it doesn't.

As of 4 PM on Wednesday afternoon, I'm the one person in the poll to the right that has voted for the San Francisco Giants to win in six games.

I realize the Rangers are the popular pick (22 of 28 from ESPN.com took Texas), and can understand why. However, let me present just a few brief arguments as to why I like the Giants.

1) The Giants have home field advantage.

2) No one is giving the Giants a chance against Cliff Lee, but the last I checked, Tim Lincecum is the two-time defending Cy Young Award winner in the NL. Who's to say that the Rangers are going to beat up on him?

3) Speaking of pitching, while the Rangers pitching has been fantastic this postseason, if you go by full season numbers, you have to give the edge to the Giants. Plus, San Fran's bullpen has been better and their stadium is more of a pitcher's park.

4) The Giants seem to have home run power in every spot of their lineup. One mistake pitch, and they'll make you pay. The Rangers have a few guys you can pitch around if you have to, particularly when you have to bat the pitcher in the NL park.

5) It's just what my gut tells me.

So there you have it, I'll take the Giants in 6. Take it to Vegas baby!