The Anything Goes World Series

When Ryan Howard went down looking to send the Giants to the World Series (notice how I assign agency to Howard's failure as opposed to Brian Wilson's success... that's no accident), it set up the kind of Fall Classic that I haven't seen since 2002.

What kind is that? The kind where I just honest to goodness do not care who wins.

In 2003, obviously, I rooted against the Yankees. In 2004, I rooted for the Red Sox; '05 the White Sox, '06 the Tigers (natch), '07 the Red Sox, '08 the Rays, and '09 (shudder) the Phillies.

This year is different. Why?

For one thing, both sides share the burden of history. The Rangers have never won the World Series, and the Giants haven't done so since moving to the Bay Area. Unlike the '05 White Sox, for example, neither of them has a superior claim on our sympathies in the feel-good-for-their-fans category.

For another thing I just happen to like a lot of the players on both sides. Josh Hamilton, Darren Oliver, Frenchy, even Ron Washington -- a few checkered pasts, sure, but they all seem like good enough guys now.

As for the Giants, I'm a big Tim Lincecum fan, so I'd be happy if he got a ring. I dislike Matt Cain for beaning David Wright and then tipping his cap to the crowd when he walked off the field, but it's not a dealbreaker for me. There's even a part of me that's happy for Pat Burrell for achieving post-Phillies success.

Ultimately I'll root for the Giants, but that's solely because they're the National League representative.

More than feeling empty or boring, this general sentiment of "anything goes" is really quite liberating. I'll watch the World Series and whatever happens, happens. I can't lose.

It's basically a complete 180 from the past two World Series'. After both of those contests ended badly from my perspective, that's just fine with me.

- A.F.O.M.G.