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!

Monday Morning Links (January 11th)

As I try to recover from the heartbreak of the Bengals loss this weekend, here's a batch of links for you to keep you up to date on the top stories in baseball:

-In a stunning bit of news, the Cincinnati Reds swept in and apparently won the bidding war for the services of Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman. I'm a Reds fan, and I didn't see this happening in a million years, so trust me when I tell you it is a great surprise to the people of Cincinnati.

-Vlad Guerrero has signed with the Texas Rangers. The last paragraph of the article linked here presents a very interesting stat.

-Derek Jeter is getting married. Clearly he learned nothing from Tiger Woods.

-Finally, Baseball America has the top 10 prospects for the Indians (who are now in the MWL with the addition of the Lake County Captains) and the Tigers (West Michigan Whitecaps)