I stand corrected.

So the Tigers didn't quite live up to my expectations. I don't quite know what happened. They went from red-hot to downright terrible in a record time. Kenny Rogers had an amazing performance. That was the highlight. The Tigers' previously hot bats cooled off, and their infield apparently forgot the basics of minor things like catching and throwing. I (reluctantly) tip my hat to the Cardinals for coming in as the underdogs and making a statement. Too bad the Cubs are going to win it next year. And by "next year," I mean "hopefully sometime before I die." But who knows? Stranger things have happened...

TIGERS!

Yes, dear readers, it's time once again for the World Series. And this one has the makings of being a classic. The Tigers look to win their first series since '84, while the Cardinals look for their first under Tony LaRussa. My prediction: all Tigers. They have a great combination of lights-out pitching and big bats. Although the Cards have a good rotation, I'm much less impressed offensively. When you factor Albert Pujols out of the equation, there's not a lot left. Not to mention that the Tigers swept the A's in the ALCS, while the Cards squeaked one past the Mets in 7 games. I know some people might not like the analogy, but the Tigers are coming into this series looking a lot like the Red Sox in '04. I pick Detroit in six.

Things are looking up all over.

Well, once again, the New York Chokees (I'm sorry, I guess it's pronounced Yankees) have failed to get past the first round of the playoffs. And once again, I'm giddy like a schoolgirl. K-Rod proved again that he's entirely overpaid. It's nice that he can put up some good numbers in the regular season, but that doesn't matter at all if he can't hit in the postseason. Perhaps someone should give him a dictionary with the word "clutch" highlighted so he can see what it actually means. Here's my definition....Clutch. 1)The ability to achieve in high-pressure situations. 2)Big Papi (see also: David Ortiz). 3)Anyone but the Yankees.

The stomp heard 'round the world. And- don't let the door hit you...

What a couple of days it's been in the world of sports. Especially with two teams near and dear to me, the Titans and the Cubs. The bad news first. Albert Haynesworth stomped a man's face while he was helmetless on the ground. Inexcusable. We're the Titans, not the Raiders. Let's show some semblance of sportsmanship. I don't care how emotional you get, there's no reason for this. I hope Coach Fisher doubles whatever punishment the league hands out to Haynesworth. (I also hope we actually win a game this season, but I'm not holding my breath.)

Now onto the good news. Dusty Baker will not return next season as Cubs manager. This, my friends, has been a long time coming. If I were running the show, he would have been fired midway through the season. However, I'm just happy that it happened at all. Given the general laissez-faire attitude of the front office (and of the Tribune), a hare-brained move like a contract renewal wasn't out of the question. It's time for a fresh start. New president, new manager, and hopefully quite a few new players. We've been heading down that slippery slope from lovable losers to just plain sorry losers. That's a bridge too far. Even Cubs fans have a breaking point, and we were fast approaching it. But finishing at the bottom of the NL Central means we can only go up from here, right? I guess there's always next year...