Two teams, one champion

Well, unless you've been living under a rock or are one of those people who doesn't even acknowledge the existence of professional sports, you know the World Series starts tomorrow. In Chicago.

You also know the White Sox are playing the team from Houston I've grown to despise. And, if you know me, you know I really, really want to see Astros fans suffer. I hope Paul Konerko hits five home runs over that goofy short porch in left field the way Lance Berkman has made his big postseason splash. I also hope Roger Clemens gets thrown out of a game based solely on his surliness and that Craig Biggio gets hit so hard by a pitched ball that he has to visit a reconstructive surgeon. But I digress.

Can the White Sox win this thing? Can Houston win this thing? This isn't exactly a match-up of teams that are so complete and dominant that everyone is anxiously awaiting the outcome. Of course, how many times has that happened in any pro sport in the last 25 years?

The point remains, the Astros have one hall-of-famer (Clemens), one tested but not necessarily dominant veteran (Andy Pettitte) and one young gun their fans revere like we Cub fans adore Mark Prior/Carlos Zambrano (Roy Oswalt). The White Sox are coming off what is pretty much the best postseason starting pitching performance in two generations, when the bullpen was used to record a total of two outs.

The Astros can hit a little, with young Chris Burke showing why Biggio needs to retire. Tavarez has a cannon in Center (he threw out three Cubs at home in three straight games this year). Morgan Ensberg hasn't been the same since getting hit by a pitch a few weeks ago, but Berkman is legit (short porch notwithstanding).

On the other hand, Konerko is a monster when he's hot (and he is smoking right now), Jermaine Dye had a 30-plus homer season, Pierzynski is the definition of an X-factor and hey -- that Tadahito Iguchi could very well win the World Series MVP. That is, of course, if Joe Crede (who many Sox fans wrote off for dead at least once in each of the past three seasons) suddenly stops his Mr. October act.

I think I'm just too familiar with both of these teams to have anything to predict. Nothing would surprise me, really, including a four game sweep by either team or a for-the-ages Game 7 next Sunday.

Like I said (or may have said -- I've certainly thought it) recently, the nicest part of the whole deal is having a fresh look (read: No Yankees) in the Series. It may not be good for Fox, but it's good for baseball. More teams each spring truly believe they can be World Series contenders, and Houston, Boston, Florida and Anaheim have shown why the Wild Card is so vital.

Also, if either one of these teams can win, then the Cubs can certainly blast the "Why not us" horn.

I'm always so excited for the World Series, even though it means we enter the dreaded three-month span with no baseball whatsoever. Who cares -- this is one of the best weeks of the year, and I'm excited for whatever plays out. Except the Astros winning. That might make me vomit.