Why They'll Win

Terry Foster 97.1 The Ticket CBS Detroit	Let's applaud the San Francisco Giants for rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. That is nice but that was their championship. The Giants won't have the energy or mental toughness to get through the Tigers. It is time to bring the chubby Panda and his teammates to their knees. The Tiger pitching staff is set. It is dominate and the Giants pitching is just so-so. It does not scare anybody any more. And it is also time for Miggy and Biggy to put some balls in the pond deep in right field. The ALCS and the New York Yankees belonged to Delmon Young. The World Series belongs to Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. It won't be close. Tigers in 5.
Tom Ackerman KMOX CBS St. Louis	I like the Tigers to beat the Giants in seven games. San Francisco's gritty team has pulled off two remarkable series wins and will make it tough on Detroit. But in the end, the Giants will have a hard time cracking the hard-throwing Justin Verlander in this set rotation. Miguel Cabrera, the game's best hitter in 2012, combines with a hungry Prince Fielder in a dangerous Tigers lineup. After missing a chance in 2006, I don't see Jim Leyland's team losing the World Series this time around.
Glenn Younes 105.7 The Fan CBS Baltimore	The 2012 World Series is set with two old school franchises and a pair of skippers that have earned the same moniker. Jim Leyland and his Tigers team waited 4 days till Bruce Bochy's San Fran bunch spoiled the Cardinals bid, for a second straight World Series appearance, in game 7. So it's set the Tigers (88-74) and the Giants (94-68), San Francisco has home field thanks to the ever important All-Star game. It's important to state the extremely obvious, this is going to come down to pitching. Huge names you know on both sides. The motor city brags with names like Verlander, Scherzer, Fister among the starters, while arms in any situation for San Fran could include Zito, Lincecum, Vogelsong, and Cain. The teams are oddly similar in numbers as well. Runs DET: 726 - SF: 718. ERA DET: 3.75 - SF: 3.68. Batting Ave DET: .268 SF: .269. It's hard to pick against Justin Verlander and the Tigers bats of Cabrera and Fielder, but momentum and home field is in the favor of the Giants. I'll go with "Uncle Mo". It's a hard thing to stop. FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @Gunitradio I'll pick San Francisco to win the World Series in 7 Games for the second time in three seasons.
Evan Roberts WFAN CBS New York	This is my type of World Series. Two original teams who have never played each other in a World Series! But more so than that, 2 teams build on big time pitching with super star players. My pick for NL MVP Buster Posey, my pick for AL MVP Miguel Cabrera and my pick for AL Cy Young Justin Verlander will all be involved. But the first big question about this series that needs to be answered is the time off issue. In 2006 after Detroit finished off a sweep of the Athletics, they had a long wait, to see who would win the Mets/Cardinals NLCS. When the World Series finally opened, the Tigers were clearly flat and their pitchers forgot how to field the position. In 2007, after the Colorado Rockies steamrolled everyone, they had to wait out a long 7-game Red Sox/Indian ALCS. The result? A sweep at the hands of Boston. Jimmy Leyland has tried playing scrimmages to keep his team fresh, but that to me will do nothing. The best way to cure the long lay off issue is to get a dominant start from their ace in Game 1. I don't care how flat the bats are, if Verlander can be Verlander, maybe the Tigers can steal a 1-0 or 2-1 Game 1 on the road. On paper the Tigers are the better team...but one area the Giants have a big edge in is the pen. Leyland was able to avoid using Jose Valverde in the ALCS after his implosion in Game 1. Well, I don't think he will be as fortunate in this series. Who closes? Does he play the matchups? I think the magic carpet Giants will win at least 1 of these games against whoever is pitching the Tigers 9th inning. Bruce Bochey also has to answer the rotation question. We all know Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong are locked into starts, but does Barry Zito deserve another shot after a dominating Game 5? Hell Yes! Should Madison Bumgarner get a chance to rebound? Ehhh. Should Tim Lincecum return to the rotation even though is best pitching has been out of the pen I'm going with the magic and the momentum. Giants in 6
Dennis O'Donnell KPIX CBS 5 CBSSF	When it comes to a World Series prediction most the prognosticators like to base their prognostications on tangibles. Things they know, see, and can understand. You know, put a number on? For instance, the Tigers roll out a four-man rotation which includes names like Verlander, Fister, Scherzer and Sanchez. As a foursome, the rotation has a 1.02 ERA in 62 innings in the post season. That's pretty tangible stuff, right? And pretty damn good, too. I'm just not a tangible kind of guy. Not for this series. In the aftermath of the Giants latest improbable series victory, several players I interviewed tried to rationalize what took place against Cincinnati and St. Louis. They'd give me the usual mumbo jumbo about "backs against the wall," or, "there's not quit in this team!" But by the end of the answer, they'd just start shaking their heads and admit the obvious. How do you outscore the Cardinals 20-1 over the final three games? Sometimes, you simply can't explain the unexplainable. And that, folks, is the intangible danger of the Giants you simply cannot measure, debate, or compare. Lets face it. The Giants didn't get bailed out by Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain. Their collective butts were saved by Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong. How did Zito become Zito again? How did Lance Lynn throw a double play ball straight in the second base bag igniting the game five rally? Why, in game seven, did the ball that shattered Hunter Pence's bat suddenly take a bizarre path, eluding Pete Kozma, and resulting in three runs scored? How did the Giants win a series with Buster Posey batting .154? Who turned Marco Scutaro into Ty Cobb? You can tell me all you want about Verlander getting two starts in the World Series. Or sluggers Cabrera, Fielder, Dirks and Jackson all being game-changers. And I'd agree with all of that. On paper, I'm all in on the Tigers. A rational man would bet his house on it. But honestly. Is there anything rational about the Giants anymore? Barry Zito versus Justin Verlander in game one. I know what you're thinking. But when the rain pours after game seven and the Giants are hoisting the trophy toward the baseball Gods above, don't try to rationalize what just happened. Just shake you head and enjoy it.