No, Jonathan, you're not just bitter. This was an extremely underwhelming World Series. You can take a couple of things from it, but it did not make the Series compelling at all. I believe the "turning point" of the whole thing, the sort of symbolic series of events, was when the formidable Yanks tied Game 4 at 3-3 against Ugueth Urbina. Now, I have seen this Yankees team do this over and over, and I wondered how long it had been since this run that they had lost a game that they came back to tie (which usually goes into extra innings). It had been since THE SIXTIES that they had lost an extra-inning World Series game. Alex Gonzalez hits the HR, Marlins tie the Series...I knew it was over.

The other compelling aspect was Josh Beckett pitching a five-hit shutout at Yankee Stadium for the clincher. Beckett's going to be an interesting guy to follow in the next few years. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a letdown at the beginning of next year, but then pick it up again. Any case, we have lots of young pitchers to follow next year and it's kinda cool.

Joe Buck, an announcer I have loathed for years, have mentioned how grating he's been in the past (but also admitting he's a good football announcer), did some GREAT announcing in the playoffs. Unhindered by Fox's shameless self-promotion (the Simon Cowell call, during the stupid poll question about the hardest thrower of the past decade, was an all-time Series low) and Tim McCarver's worst color analysis ever, Buck during Game 6 pulled off some wizardry. On a play where the Marlins defense was set up as normal with Posada at 2nd and Giambi hitting a routine grounder to shortstop, McCarver makes the ridiculous point that had the Marlins played Giambi like the rest of the American League, it's a single for Giambi. Buck, not wanting to overstep McCarver's point, but also wanting to make the correct point, says in a straight voice, "Yes, normally that's a single, but the Marlins, trying to hold Posada at 2nd, play the defense normally." He made one other such tactful answer later, and I can't remember on what situation, but McCarver continued to make horrible comments--The Yankees, down 2-0 and with a man at first, the batter has a 3-2 count, McCarver says, "This would be a good time to send the runner," which I believe if you asked 99% of managers out there, they would disagree. The runner doesn't go, there's a fly ball to right, and McCarver takes the time to back up his non-essential point. "You see, he'd have been able to get back to first had he started running on that pitch, so you would have lost nothing," forgetting that the batter could have lined out into a double play and killed the rally.

Anyway, the Marlins were the most complete team, exposed the Yanks' homer-happy offense, played the most aggressive ball with the lead, and deserved to win. Good for them.