Getting serious about World Series
Anybody out there still watching baseball?
If not, no apologies are necessary.
It was a miserable season on both sides of town this year, and it's spilling into the winter.
The Cubs still don't officially have a general manager. The White Sox have a new manager, Robin Ventura, but where is his bench coach, hitting coach and the third-base coach?
Maybe the Cubs and the Sox will tie up the loose ends shortly after the World Series ends.
Low rate:As the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers prepare to tangle for the trophy #8212; Game 1 is Wednesday night at Busch Stadium #8212; Major League Baseball has got to be pacing a bit.In the league championship series, TV ratings were down. Way down.Cardinals vs. Brewers in the NLCS was particularly shocking with a 2.9 rating. Pretty sure Judge Judy pulls down better numbers than that.The Rangers vs. Tigers wasn't much better.Prime players:The Cardinals have Albert Pujols, who is batting .419 with 2 home runs and 10 RBI through the first two rounds of the playoffs. They have David Freese, who is batting .425 with 4 homers and 14 RBI. And they Lance Berkman, who has 6 RBI in 11 postseason games.The Rangers have Nelson Cruz. After going 1-for-15 with 5 strikeouts in the opening round against Tampa Bay, the right fielder was 8-for-22 with 6 HRs and 13 RBI vs. the Tigers.Texas also has Michael Young, Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Ian Kinsler.Where's the pitching?The starters for both World Series teams were awful in the first two rounds of the postseason.St. Louis had just 3 quality starts in 11 playoff games, and Texas has just 1 in 10 games.Here's the hitting:The Rangers led the AL with a .283 batting average during the regular season. The Cardinals led the NL at .273.Both clubs have continued slugging their way through October, so you just know the World Series is going to be low scoring.Chicago hope:Octavio Dotel pitched for the White Sox in 2008-09, and he was OK. Nothing special, just OK.Now approaching his 38th birthday, the right-handed reliever has found himself a home in St. Louis.Acquired by the Cardinals in the same trade that landed Edwin Jackson from the White Sox via Toronto, Dotel has made 7 relief appearances for the Cardinals in the postseason and allowed 1 run in 6#8532; innings while limiting opposing hitters to an .087 batting average.In addition to Dotel and Jackson, St. Louis second baseman Ryan Theriot played for the Cubs.The Rangers have no players with Chicago ties.Just managing:Over the years, I've heard overwhelmingly negative comments in the White Sox' clubhouse when the topic turned to Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.But let's give the man his due.La Russa might be arrogant and quick to incite bench-clearing brawls, but he knows the game and he's a winner.As for Texas counterpart Ron Washington, I thought his career was over after he tested positive for cocaine use in 2009.Washington didn't hide from the serious charge. He stood up and admitted he was wrong and underwent nine months of counseling.Not only has he bounced back from an episode that would have destroyed many others, Washington has the Rangers in the World Series for the second straight season.Gregor's pick:Cardinals in 7. You have to respect St. Louis' strong play in September and its shocking win over the Phillies in the NLDS.sgregor@dailyherald.com