Rocky Mountain Upset

OK, so our original World Series matchup--Cleveland vs. Chicago Cubs--didn't pan out. But the teams that remain--Colorado Rockies vs. Boston Red Sox--are a study in contrasts.

The Red Sox are no longer the lovable underdogs who won the big prize in 2004. Instead, they spent billions of dollars to get practically any player they want (such as Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz) to play in that iconic ballpark on the Fens, just to compete with those better-known big spenders from New York. Nearly every game between the Sox and Yankees is on national TV and covered breathlessly by ESPN, whose headquarters in Conneticut puts them right in the crossfire.

In the playoffs, the American League East champions swept the Los Angeles Angels, then came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the ALCS in seven games as Cleveland's pitching fell apart.

The Yankees? The Indians took care of them in the first round. Then owner George Steinbrenner and sons allowed manager Joe Torre to twist in the wind until he rejected a one-year contract extension, saying goodbye after twelve seasons, ten division titles and four World Series championships. They haven't won a Series since 2000, and that's all that matters to Steinbrenner.

As for the Rockies, a franchise that's only been around since 1993, they appeared literally out of nowhere. After qualifying as the wild card in a controversial one-game playoff win over San Diego, they swept through Philadelphia and Arizona to get here. They are riding an incredible winning streak that dates back to September. Their lineup costs less than the salaries of the Yankees and Red Sox players, but aren't as well known outside Denver and the few folks who bothered to tune into TBS' playoff coverage.

Despite being the X-factor in this series and having to cool their heels for eight days, we think it's possible that the Rockies could pull off an upset, winning the World Series over the Red Sox in seven games. It should end sometime before Thanksgiving.