First of all, Phillies in 7. Game 7 ends with A-Rod hitting it to the fence with bases loaded, but is caught by Shane Victorino to end it.
Secondly, Bucco Fans has written an interesting article about how teams like the Pirates don’t really have a good chance to win or even play in the World Series. A lot of small market teams say they like what Oakland and Minnesota have done, but they haven’t been to the World Series since the early 90′s. Tampa Bay went to the fall classic last year when the Yankees had an off year. And Florida won one, but then traded away most of the team within a few years because they couldn’t afford the guys as they got older.
The real issue for future Pirates teams won’t be so much buying free agents as much as it will be keeping the team together if they’re a good or great team. Will the Pirates be able to keep McCutchen, Alvarez and Milledge or will they be gone as soon as they can leave through free agency or in tades? Unless the Pirates become a lot more popular team and start selling out every game at PNC Park, if the Pirates are successful, we’re going to see a few successful years with a few years of rebuilding bookending it.
Bud Selig talking about parity in baseball is absurd. The Yankees haven’t had a losing season since 1992. The Braves won 14 straight division titles. The Pirates have had 17 straight losing season. The Orioles have 12, the Reds have 9. The Royals have 14 of 15. The Nationals have lost 100+ games each of the last two years. You never see that kind of thing in the NFL or NBA or NHL. Those teams have taken steps to make every team a contender. Meanwhile, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and other rich teams are doing their best to stop true economic parity in Major League Baseball.