Hamels or Kazmir?

Game one of the World Series pits Cole Hamels against Scott Kazmir, 24-year-old left handers that can beat you with overpowering stuff, and with good pitching acumen.

Something tells me that Hamels will be tough to beat tonight, especially considering his postseason numbers to date (3-0, 1.23 ERA). Kazmir's 4.02 ERA in the postseason leaves something to be desired, although he's 1-0 against the Phils in his career, and he's tough against lefties. His .198 BAA from that side means he could neutralize Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

I'm taking the Rays tonight, although it's hard to pick against Hamels.

Canseco all over the place

Reading Jose Canseco's quotes on wishing he hadn't come forward to name steroid users is probably the lament of a broken man wishing he hadn't heaped some of his problems on others.

Canseco, however, did the right thing in helping to expose a major problem in baseball. If Canseco did one thing right in his drug-abused baseball life and career, it was coming forward when few others would. There's no denying that.

Taking Tampa

Just a hunch, but based on everything I've seen and heard, I'm taking the Rays to win the World Series in seven games.

Diamond rough estimates

Diamond Mind baseball predicts that the Tampa Bay Rays will win the World Series. Out of 2,000 simulations, the game predicts Tampa Bay to win 1,414 times. Good luck, Phillies.

Pay more for Cardinals baseball

Economic down turn affecting ticket prices? In St. Louis they're raising ticket prices, but say it has nothing to do with the economy.

"We are committed to using the same general pricing structure as in 2008, with only a few changes that reflect the dynamic nature of our seating mix," team president Bill DeWitt III said in a release. "We are being very sensitive to the trends in the general economy while also being faithful to our longtime season ticket holders."

Something tells me attendance will be down quite a bit this year, not just for the Cardinals.

Rays flash in the pan?

Are the Rays the next Florida Marlins, a good young team that wins a World Series but can't afford to keep its players?

For every projection of a Rays dynasty, the specter of the Marlins lurks. The Marlins, reminiscent of the old Montreal Expos, represent everything the Rays should fear: talent-rich, economically challenged, the team that develops winning ballplayers but is unable to keep them. Despite having won as many championships as the Red Sox over the past 12 years, the Marlins do not have any more solid a hold on their future. They are struggling with local politicians for a new ballpark and are flirting with that exotic baseball location -- San Antonio -- if negotiations crumble. A massive, publicly financed stadium during a national financial collapse is not an endeavor voters are likely to view enthusiastically.

It's not out of the realm of possibility, but the Rays were smart to lock up Evan Longoria this year. They have at least one piece to build around if, that is, they can afford to pay Longoria, too.