-So the unlikely World Series between the Tigers and Cardinals gets underway later tonight. In an interesting column by the outstanding Daily News baseball writer Bill Madden, he points out why this has been one of the most unpredictable Octobers in a while. Most of the so-called experts including Madden were anticipating a Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees. Both New York teams finished tied for the major league lead with 97 wins. But their top heavy lineups and having home field wasn’t enough to setup a rematch six years later. Madden makes some solid points about how unlikely it is that ex-Yankee starters Kenny Rogers and Jeff Weaver, who were postseason failures have been superb in helping get their teams to the World Series. And isn’t it ironic that they’ll be facing off in Game 2 tomorrow? Here’s an excerpt from Madden’s article on the amazing turnarounds of both World Series participants after limping to the finish line:

These Cardinals, went the argument, are no less flawed. Their lineup, other than Albert Pujols, features no one who scares you. What? Did somebody say Yadier Molina? Yadier Molina? The catcher who hit .216 during the regular season? That’s just what we’re talking about here. How in the name of Al Weis do the Mets get beaten out of the National League pennant by Yadier Bleepin’ Molina?

About the only thing more illogical about that is Carlos Beltran, the highest-paid player in the National League, averaging $17 million per year, watching the Mets’ season go by on three pitches from a rookie closer, Adam Wainwright, making the major-league minimum, $327,000. Wainwright, who had just loaded the bases, has been a closer barely five weeks after being forced into emergency duty due to a season-ending hip injury to Jason Isringhausen.

But as Brian Cashman could have told Omar Minaya a week earlier, money doesn’t necessarily buy pennants. And if there is one thing we’re learning from this postseason, it’s that heroics are far more likely to come from the guys barely making the minimum. Even Minaya would have to agree that the Mets would not have been in Game 7 were it not for gutsy pitching of John Maine.

It is interesting to note that Adam Wainwright made the league minimum and still calmly said good morning, good afternoon and good night to Carlos Beltran in perhaps the most pressure packed situation a rookie could be up against. Sometimes, young players have no fear and aren’t overwhelmed by the moment. That’s what happened here. Ditto for how Josh Beckett dominated the Yankees to help Florida win its second World Series at Yankee Stadium three years prior. To read the column in its entirety, here’s the link:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/463749p-390239c.html

Madden concluded that the Tigers with their stronger pitching should sweep the Cards. But he also joked that if logic doesn’t prevail and it hasn’t this Fall, it might be more wise to take the Cards in seven. We like Detroit too not due just to their solid starters and lights out bullpen but also a very underrated scrappy lineup which can take advantage of mistakes and take the extra base on you. Just ask Joe Torre. That said, the Cards will have Chris Carpenter and Jeff Suppan going in Games 3 and 4 when the series shifts back to St. Louis for the next three. I think they’re good enough to win a couple of games but am taking the Tigers to prevail in six and exact revenge for 1968 and 1934.

-Was anyone really shocked when Notre Dame cameback to pull out a last second 20-17 victory over UCLA in South Bend? The Bruins had their chance to put the Fighting Irish away but the playcalling was way too conservative. On 3rd and 7 with over 2:00 left, you can’t run a draw there. It gave the ball back to the desperate Irish with over a minute to go. Plenty of time for QB Brady Quinn to organize a gamewinning TD drive, needing just three completions including a 45-yard toss to Jeff Samardzija for the winning score with 27 seconds to spare. Just wondering. But where was the tackling by UCLA on that play?

-In our last entry, we noted how well things have been going for Buffalo’s Maxim Afinogenov. The budding Russian is leading the 7-0 Sabres in scoring with 12 points as they take on Boston tonight. He also is dating tennis star Elena Dementieva. Not bad: