WORLD SERIOUS: CARDS A WIN AWAY

Blame the rain for making Curtis Granderson is part of an eerie World Series symmetry.

Flash back to 1968, the last time the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals played in the World Series. In Game 7, bottom of the seventh inning, all zeroes on the scoreboard, Cardinals centre-fielder Curt Flood's misplay -- starting in on a Jim Northrup line drive instead moving back -- turned what should have been an out into a two-run triple that decided the Series.

Thirty-eight years later, Granderson, playing the same position at the same stage of the game, suffered a pratfall of his own, slipping on the slick outfield grass while chasing David Eckstein's flyball. Coupled with Detroit reliever Fernando Rodney throwing away a sac bunt on the next player, that ultimately turned a one-run Cardinals deficit into a one-run lead.

An inning later, with the score tied and two out, Eckstein doubled again, this time off the glove of Tigers left-fielder Craig Monroe, sending St. Louis on to a 5-4 win and a 3-1 lead in the World Series.

It's no consolation to a Tigers fan to hear that the final 2½ innings could be submitted as an argument for a neutral-site World Series. (It'd be a somewhat dumb argument, but at least people would hear you out after last night.)

On a field that was slippery due to nearly two days of rain -- not to mention the dew caused as the temperature dropped in the evening hours, first Granderson fell down to give Eckstein a gift double, leading to two Cardinals runs.

One inning later, after Brandon Inge doubled in Pudge Rodriguez to tie it 4-4 -- and Jim Edmonds, St. Louis' eight-time Gold Glove centre-fielder, appeared to go back rather gingerly on the fly ball -- Eckstein doubled off the diving Monroe's glove. It would have been a difficult catch under most circumstances, but the slick turf probably cost Monroe the extra half-step or so he needed to make the play and end the inning with the game still tied.

Again, that's no consolation to the Tigers, who didn't do themselves many favours. Eckstein, who was 4-for-5 with three doubles, got the chance to drive in the winning run because for the second straight night, Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya walked the first batter in the bottom of the eighth inningn. Everything Tigers manager Jim Leyland's team was able to get away with giving a lick and a polish over the marathon regular season -- so-so defence, an overly young pitching staff, lack of disciplined hitting, too much reliance on the home run -- seems to have come home to roost against the Redbirds.

Not to sound like a CD that's skipping, but more people should have seen this coming. Read into what you will, but when ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski quoted a well-known national baseball writer as saying after Game 3 that, "I can't believe the Cardinals are going to win the World Series," it's a little jarring. Shouldn't a guy with that kind of experience and platform been more open to the possibility Tony La Russa's Cardinals might pull this off, not the other way around, not less?

Post-season baseball is a series of percentage plays, and the Cardinals, 83-78 regular-season record or not, is better suited to this kind of game, since their lineup generally has more contact hitters and they play better defence. Throw in Detroit's now-evident flaws and some ice-cold hitters -- leadoff man Granderson is hitting .056 (1-for-18) and No. 3 hitter Magglio Ordoñez is batting .133 (2-for-15) -- and it's not surprising. Can't speak for everyone, but I know I didn't think this through, even after correctly calling the Cardinals to beat the Mets in the league playoffs.

One last thing. You've probably heard that old line about how the player who makes a big defensive play for the third out always leads off the next half-inning. Just to turn another baseball truth inside out, which seems to be a theme this October, after Monroe just missed robbing Eckstein in the bottom of the eighth, guess who was Detroit's first batter in the top of ninth?

It was Monroe, who struck out swinging against Adam Wainwright. The St. Louis closer then easily finished off the Tigers to preserve his own victory.

KEEP FIGHTING HAM!

The Nippon Ham Fighters won the Japan Series yesterday, beating the Chunichi Dragons 4-1 to wrap up a five-game victory. The score was tied in the sixth when former Ottawa Lynx and Montreal Expos player Fernando Seguignol hit his second homer of the series, a two-run job, to put the Ham Fighters ahead for good. Ex-Blue Jay Micheal Nakamura pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the championship-clinching save.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.