With my self-imposed article deadline of Thursday morning, sometimes something very important happens in the world of sports on a Thursday night, and I don't know what the result is yet. Such is the case with last night's Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.
On paper it sure looked like an even match-up, with experienced St. Louis starting pitcher Jeff Suppan having not allowed a run in Game 3, and the New York Mets owning the big advantage of playing at home. Hopefully it was as good of a game as it appeared it would be.
Still, as far as a World Series prediction goes, it really makes no difference who won last night's game. Detroit will win the title.
For an organization that hadn't seen the playoffs since 1987 or won a playoff series since 1984, these Tigers certainly have caught on quickly. Not only has Detroit reeled off seven straight wins, but the last six have all been by three runs or more, the first playoff team ever to do so. The Tigers own the best pitching staff in the entire league, and manager Jim Leyland has been a genius.
With Detroit now experiencing six days off before tomorrow night's Game 1, some will undoubtedly bring up the argument of rest vs rust. But it's hard to imagine how it couldn't be a luxury to be resting your players this late into a long season. The National League representative must travel to Detroit for Games 1 and 2, and that team should still be hungover from Thursday night's celebration. The only two teams ever to earn six days off, Atlanta in 1995 and the New York Yankees in 1996, both went on to capture the World Series.
The American League has ruled over the NL recently in the All-Star Game and interleague play. In the last two years this dominance has been displayed also during the World Series.
Boston and the Chicago White Sox both swept their opponents in four straight while exorcising their long-standing curses. This one has the possibility of being another sweep.
Predictions - It would be great to see a competitive series, but Detroit would have to actually lose games to make things interesting. The National League teams have enough pitching to hopefully do that much. Detroit in 6.
Bet on Detroit's revived 41-year-old starter Kenny Rogers whenever he pitches.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Commissioner Bud Selig made a stupid decision when he ended the 2002 All-Star Game in an 11-inning tie. He trumped that dumb move with another by making the All-Star Game winners the owners of home field advantage for the World Series.
Arguments could be made for each team as to who should get home field. New York could say it had a better record than Detroit. Detroit could say it owned a better record over St. Louis. St. Louis could say Detroit was just a wild card, not a division winner. Some people would like to honor the old tradition where home field alternated between leagues from year to year.
But the current All-Star Game idea really doesn't make any sense. Too many of the best players don't even participate in the exhibition contest. Just make things simple and let the team that finished with the best record have home field.