The 2011 World Series Preview- 7/31/11 - After 13 weeks of hype, hits, and heartbreak there remains only two teams left standing; the Cardinals and the Braves. I don't have to go into the teams histories, everyone knows what happened the last time the Braves were in a World Series, and no one will ever forget the great run the No Names made in 2007. This series isn't about a clash of storied franchises, it's about the here and now, the only games that matter are the next ones. The Braves don't care that the Cardinals have more wins than any team over the past 2 seasons, and the Cardinals don't care that the Braves are 3 for 3 in the World Series.

Although both teams won a lot of regular season games, and their leagues, their journey through the playoffs in making the World Series has been very different. The Cardinals battled the Mets in their first round best-of-three series and got everything they could handle from them. In game one, they were tied as late as the 5th inning before C.Horwedel put the game out of reach. The Braves on the other hand, walked right through their first round opponent in two games, outscoring the Blue Jays 34-0. Although the Cards eventually swept the Mets, like their counterparts the Braves did to the Jays, the second round is where things went in completely different directions. Not only did the Braves sweep while the Cardinals went five grueling games with the Sox' but it was the fashion in which the games were played that was so drastically different. For instance if you were to look just at the total runs scored in each series you will find two very different stories.

The Cardinals and Red sox which went the maximum games allowed totaled 16 runs scored while the Braves and Tigers which only went three games totaled 60. Except for a few innings in game one the Braves game's were non-stop action, their bats were constantly at work and in many cases they had to be in order to keep the lead. The Cardinals went through inning after inning of not scoring and not allowing their opponent to score either. The Cards/Sox series at times was a battle to see who could get a hit while the Braves and Tigers were trading home runs, 12 to be exact, which was 10 more than in the Cardinals series. In poker they say 'it isn't how you drive, it's how you arrive', and I think that applies here very much. It really doesn't matter what you had to do in order to make the World Series, it doesn't matter what good calls you got or bad calls you got, what injuries your team has, when you played your games, or how you got your wins. All that matters is that you're here, and you make no apologies for it. Now, lets break down this series...

With J.Longo being the crafty veteran that he is I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some big managerial moves. The Cardinals could in theory give up game two, even with a 1-0 series lead and there ace on the mound, to burn Hess's game three or four eligibility. This is because game 3 scheduled starter Zach Popp is hurt, and I would put him at no more than 75% for a game 3 start and thats being very optimistic. In my opinion Tierney or Jesse Horwedel would roll through the Braves in game three, which if you follow my theory gives them a 2-1 lead and puts Chris Horwedel on the mound in game four against Giordano. It is of course only a theory, there are many ways the series could play out which is what brings so much excitement to this years World Series.

There are three players making their World Series debut; Tom Tierney, Aussy, and Zach Popp. Although none of them had experienced much of any post season success before this year, they are all important players for their team and certainly wont be content just to be there. Chris Hess, Strang, Stegmann and Giordano are out to leave a legacy, a legacy that includes another world championship. The Horwedel brothers and Zac Longo are out to redeem themselves after last years collapse. And Josh Longo is simply out for blood. The undertone to the entire series is Scotia vs. Rotterdam, but the players involved have developed enough of a true rivalry on the field not to need the weight of a town to get them motivated. There is enough drama and history between the teams to write a short story, but on behalf of the fans we hope it isn't short at all. We hope it's a long, knock-down drag out war, because thats how both teams play, they show us everything and leave nothing. These players and teams are the best of the best and now it's time to show us why. The game is on...