Preview/Prediction

Former Yankees manager Casey Stengel was photographed holding a baseball and gazing at it, as if it were a crystal ball, right after he was hired in 1949. Many Yankee staffers winced when they saw the pictures, but whatever he saw, it must have been good, because not only did he win the World Series his first year on the job, but he won the next four after that.

Stengel would win a total of seven World Series titles in his 12 years with the Yankees.

The World Series kicks off Wednesday, and there are few people who would have guessed it would be the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants left standing when the season came down to its final series.

On one side, there is the offensive juggernaut that is the Rangers, a team that outscored the Yankees nearly 2-1 in knocking them off and advancing to their first World Series ever. Throw in the ace of all aces in Cliff Lee, and you see why the Rangers are favored to win it all.

The Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants both come into the 2010 World Series as having been heavy underdogs throughout their playoff runs.  Now, Texas is the favorite, even with starting the series in San Francisco.  

This should be a great series to follow when it commences Wednesday evening on FOX.  

Both teams are looking to prove that their respective Championship Series victories were no fluke.  Truth is though, both teams are capable of hoisting the World Series Trophy.  Only time will tell though, as always.  

NBC Sports Hardball Talk columnist Craig Calcaterra published a blurb asking if the idea of Derek Jeter leaving the Bronx for Boston would be such a bad thing. He even posted a picture of Jeter superimposed in a Red Sox uniform.

I can remember not long ago when a certain Giants fan voted against SF in the NLCS against the Phillies.

This Giants fan had lost his way, dazzled by the stats, highlights and in-depth commentary that pervaded his home before the series, all leading him to believe his beloved Giants would fight a good fight but ultimately crumble before the mighty two-time defending NL champs.

The world is going to end in 2012.

The world ending in 2012 is the only reason I can think of, that the Texas Rangers are in the World Series, while the Cowboys are 1-4, the Texas Longhorns are out of the Top 25, and TCU and Baylor are in the top 25.

The Rangers came into this season with three playoff appearances, and only having won one playoff game out of ten. This year, however, the Rangers changed all that. In the ALDS, the Rangers won games one and two, doubling their previous amount of postseason wins.

Tim Lincecum: the Most Important Player in The World Series

For the Giants, that is certainly true. But of all the 50 players that will be participating in the 2010 World Series—which begins Wednesday at 7:57 p.m. in the San Francisco's AT&T Park—"The Freak" is still the most important.

Here are 10 of the reasons why:

Begin Slideshow

The Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants will be competing in the 2010 World Series which commences on Wednesday night.  Okay, let me rephrase that.  The San Francisco Giants will do battle with the Texas Rangers in the 2010 World Series which gets underway on Wednesday in San Francisco.  Even reworded it has the same meaning and shock value too.  

Prior to 2010 many people thought Billy Butler could take the next step in his development.  People hoped that the power, which was the one true drawback, would finally come around.  He had hit 21 home runs in 2009, with 51 doubles, so there was reason to be optimistic.

Unfortunately, he fell flat, regressing in both numbers:

Just in case you didn’t know, a 2009 World Series rematch between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies is not happening.

To many baseball fans surprise, both powerhouse ballclubs lost in the Championship Series. Some might say the Phillies and Yankees lacked the heart, as making the postseason is basically part of the regular schedules.

Regardless of the reason, a loss is a loss no matter how it happened, who was injured, why so many players were slumping or if a team had too many days off.