Damn you, Angel Pagan

Because of you, I'm hooked on Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos. 

You remember Free Taco Tuesday, right? 

Taco Bell ran a promotion during the World Series stating if any player stole a base during the series, the restaurant would give away a free Doritos Loco Taco. 

Sure enough, Pagan swiped second in Game 2, and I loaded my wife and kids and into the car and drove straight to Taco Bell on giveaway day. We weren't expecting much, but those things were/are delicious. Taco Bell gave away the regular Doritos Locos Tacos, but I recommend upgrading to the supreme. 

Should Taco Bell send me a check for this advertisement? Yes. Yes, it should.

Breaking Point

Isn't it a bit creepy having the ability to watch, in super-slow motion, at 5,000 frames per second, the very moment a ball player gets hit by a pitch and has his hand broken?

Of course, in the video above, you don't actually see the bone in Omar Infante's left hand breaking – that would be weird – and we didn't know in the moment that his bone broke, but now we know and that creeps me out just a little… just a little. I felt the same way watching Derek Jeter break his ankle early in the playoffs.

Seeing the pitch hit the Detroit Tigers' second baseman is painful, but seeing the ball-to-hand impact in super slow motion is all the more excruciating for a guy like me who once nearly passed out while giving blood.

As for Infante, the guy suffering the real agony here – not only did he break his hand, his team was swept in the World Series – John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press writes:

"Head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said Monday night that a hand specialist confirmed that Infante has a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal, the long bone below the little finger. Infante will wear a splint for four weeks and be re-evaluated, Rand said."

Season's Over… Put Another Log on the Fire

Photo: Associated Press

Man, was that great or what?  

What?

Ok, so it wasn't the most compelling World Series ever, but it was baseball in October and the series displayed a lot of reasons – a three-homer game, great plays in the field, a bang-bang play at the plate, sliding catches, solid pitching performances, sluggers named Panda, closers with intense facial hair, unlikely heros, ill-times slumps, great uniforms and cringe-worthy National Anthem renditions – why we love this game.

So take what you will from the Series. I really had no rooting interest (even though at the beginning of the season – yes, the season – I picked the Tigers over the Giants in the Series) and loved every minute of it.

Now, it's on to the off season and hot stove action, which is all the more appropriate given the Frankenstorm that bearing down on the East Coast. (See what happens when baseball season ends? The universe gets turned upside down, and the weather goes all to hell.)

I haven't counted the days yet, but it won't be long before we're getting excited for when – you know what I'm going to say… the four greatest words in February – pitchers and catcher report.

Today's Lineup – World Series Edition

…or nine stories from around the Majors you may have missed today.

Folks in San Francisco may read this article and start encouraging Jeremy Affeldt to spend more alone time with his wife.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News leads his World Series Game 1 story with this sentence: "In case Yankees fans forgot, this is what a power-hitting third baseman looks like." Dagger!

Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press – you know that guy – writes about the Giants' big inning that toppled the Tigers.

MLB will honor surviving World War II ballplayers tonight before Game 2. Great story, that's why it's in the clean-up spot on this lineup!

The Sporting News writer Anthony Witrado says the Giants should have added the Melk Man to their World Series roster.

This Associated Press article breaks down the hairiness of the World Series.

Detroit businesses are readying for World Series games at Comerica Park.

Among notes and "flukes" from the San Francisco Chronicle: Barry Zito is only the fourth pitcher to get a hit of Justin Verlander. Well, ok, but Verlander pitches mostly to American League teams, which, you know, has the designated hitter rule. Just sayin'.

Huffington Post has a collection of World Series quotes for ya.

Panda-monium

Photo: Associated Press

If you were one of those people who thought the Tigers and Justin Verlander would be too much to handle for the slightly light-hitting San Francisco Giants last night… well, I hate to say it, but I told you so.

Oh, wait. I didn't actually write on this blog that I thought the Giants had a great shot in Game 1 because that little-team-that-can from San Francisco is riding a big rail car of momentum.

I admit, I'm not entirely convinced that momentum exists in baseball, but it sure did look like it last night, with the Giants, fresh off dismantling the St. Louis Cardinals with a three-game winning streak… a dominating winning streak, at that.

And you also have to believe the Giants feed off that frenzied AT&T Park crowd, right?

 And if you don't think that's important, ask Justin Verlander, who during a visit to the mound from pitching coach Jeff Jones in the third inning, told Jones all he was doing was getting the "crowd all riled up."

And don't tell me those Tigers weren't rusty. It doesn't matter how many so-called games you play on off days against your instructional team, it's tough to roar like a tiger again after a long lay off. Six days, my friend. Six days!

And then there's Panda! Oh, what a night for Pablo Sandoval.

Three homers in one World Series game, and two off Verlander. Only Babe Ruth (twice), Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols, who did it last year, have pulled off such an accomplishment on the big stage.

Verlander may me dating Kate Upton, but the Panda may get the ring.

Tigers Can Rest After Sweeping, But Is That A Good Thing?

If the St. Louis Cardinals fail to wrap up the National League Championship Series in Game 5 tonight, making Sunday the latest the NLCS can end, the inevitable rest vs. rust questions will emerge.

The Detroit Tigers, having swept past the New York Yankees and their slumbering bats in four games, now have five days to wait and prepare for its next contest, Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday.

If the Cards can slay the Giants tonight, then there's no debate. Both teams will have, relatively, the same amount of rest.

However, if the Cardinals are stretched to Sunday, or even a Game 7 on Monday, I'm guessing it will be tough for the Tigers, with more rest than they may need, to re-ignite against the momentum-fueled defending World Series champions, on the road in Busch Stadium, no less.

In 2006, the last time the Tigers advanced to the World Series, they had to wait six games before playing the Cardinals in Fall Classic opener. And you remember what happened to the ferocious Tigers back then, right? That's right. They were ousted in five games.

UPDATE: I thought I heard Tigers' skipper Jim Leyland say in an interview last night that his team would not stay idle "this time" while waiting for the World Series to begin. I assumed he was talking about the long layover during the 2006 series. I tried to find the actual quote this morning, but this "real world" work thing I have going on Monday-Friday started kicking my pants.

Well, I just found out, through Hardballtalk.com, that Leyland was on ESPN Radio with Mike and Mike this morning discussing plans to keep his Tigers sharp.

Leyland said:

"We actually have our instructional league team coming to Detroit and we’re going to play a couple of actual games Sunday and Monday and have a workout Saturday as well. We’re going to have our pitchers throw to hitters and we’re going to have our hitters face live pitching. So hopefully we’ll be a little more prepared this time."

World Series Game 2 Could be a Soaker

It was a beautiful night for baseball in San Francisco last night, at least as far as I could observe by sitting on the comfy couch in my man cave.
Tonight’s Game Two of the World Series, however, may be a have a different feel to fans at AT&T Park – a wet feel.

According to the National Weather Service, a weather system will be approaching the ballpark from the north, just about the same time – 4:57 Pacific – Giants’ starter Matt Cain tosses the first pitch.

Chances of rain are at 30 percent – according to Weather.com – at game time, decreasing to about 10 percent as the game progresses. No heavy rain is expected, so the game should be completed tonight. Temperature at first pitch should be around 63 degrees.

Someone please inform Kristen Lee about the impending rain, so she won't think Giants fans are spitting on her. Thank you.