Series Should Be Heavy on Pitching, Not Ratings

A Houston Astros-Chicago White Sox World Series is a great thing for Houston -- a valuable diversion from the unholy wretchedness of Texan football -- but only a partial blessing for Chicago, a city with a split personality when it comes to baseball and World Series droughts.

Every White Sox run, every Astro out will be rued by Cub fans who used to think April through September were the cruelest months of the year, but now are convinced that October has it in for them.

October 2003: The Night of the Bartman.

October 2004: The Red Sox reversed their curse first ... against the Cubs’ most hated rival, the Cardinals.

October 2005: The White Sox are four victories away from winning their first World Series since 1917.

Cub fans can barely stand to watch, but like it or not, the White Sox will play host to Game 1 of another Cub-free World Series today at 4:30 p.m., with Fox equipped with 85 microphones and 26 camera angles at U.S. Cellular Field, just ready to pour it on.

Joe Buck calls this a “throwback World Series,” which is what Cub supporters would most like to do with it. Throw it back.

“I don’t know how far I’m throwing it back,” Buck said during a Thursday conference call. “It’s a series that should be pitching-heavy [with] two teams that know how to move runners along and scrap to get runs in.

“I would say the White Sox probably have a little more pop in their lineup, but not a ton more pop. I see this as a pretty even series going in. This, to me, looks like a long series, and it’s going to be one of those matchups that might be won or lost on the basepaths, or [by] somebody stepping up and getting a key hit at the right time. I don’t see the offense going nuts for either side.”

Notably, it is a World Series without participation by the Red Sox or the New York Yankees, only the second of that species since 1997. The last World Series played without the Yankees or Red Sox -- the Angels versus the San Francisco Giants in 2002 -- drew record-low TV ratings, so Buck did what he could to pump up a confrontation between the White Sox (last World Series appearance: 1959) and the Astros (last World Series appearance: never).

“I think the two best teams are meeting in this World Series,” Buck said. “I think the best team from the National League is playing the best team from the American League. And I don’t know if every year you can say that.”

I don’t know if you can say that this year. A quick review of the 2005 NL Central Standings:

St. Louis 100-62.

Houston 89-73.

Buck later clarified his opinion, saying, “I think the Cardinals have been built, the last two years, to be a very good team over 162 games. Just like the Braves were all those years, and still are, under Bobby Cox.

“But what you see in the postseason -- and it’s something we talked about during the playoffs from Lou Piniella -- [is] power pitching, and what power pitching can do for you....

“I was at [Game 6 of the NLCS]. That thing was over in the second inning. I saw a couple players down below who were talking about [Houston starter Roy] Oswalt during the game and they said, ‘My god, he’s throwing the ball, it looks like it’s 110 and it’s rising when it comes to the plate.’ And from him to [Roger] Clemens, [Andy] Pettitte, with all his postseason experience, what you get out of [Brad] Lidge in the bullpen, [Chad] Qualls, they’ve got power pitching. And I think power pitching trumps anything else....

“And that’s the same for the White Sox in the ALCS. That’s why I look at this as the two best teams hooking up and the potential of having a heck of a World Series, with the kind of power pitching that these guys throw at you.”

Power pitching does not necessarily translate into powerful TV ratings.

However, on the plus side, a lot of ex-Yankees are pitching in this World Series. One of them, Clemens, who is Houston’s Game 1 starter, also pitched for the Red Sox and, well, maybe that will pull in the East Coast audience for at least a look-see.

Also available for viewing this weekend:

TODAY

* USC at Washington

(Channel 7, 12:30 p.m.)

So, Trojans, you just finished sneaking past Notre Dame in the college football game of a) the year; b) the decade; c) our lifetime (answer dependent on which breathless sportswriter you happened to be reading the next day). Where are you off to next?

To Seattle, to recharge the emotional batteries against the 1-5 Huskies, currently coached by Tyrone Willingham, whose firing at Notre Dame last year helped make last Saturday’s game of the year/decade/our lifetime possible.

* Oregon State at UCLA

(TBS, 4 p.m.)

The Angels’ playoff run is over, the Lakers haven’t yet opened their regular season, USC should be done with Washington by 4:30. This, then, is UCLA’s small window of opportunity to grab an audience and show how and why the Bruins are 6-0 and ranked ninth in the bowl championship series standings.

SUNDAY

* San Diego Chargers at Philadelphia Eagles (Channel 2, 10 a.m.)

A potential Super Bowl preview. Give or take, of course, the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and every part of Donovan McNabb’s body that hurts. Which is most of them.

* San Jose Earthquakes at Galaxy

(ESPN2, noon)

Sigi Schmid was hired Thursday to coach the Columbus Crew in 2006. How many Galaxy fans -- and Galaxy players -- will be wistfully mulling that news as they endure this first-round playoff uphill battle?