The lighter side of the World Series matchup
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – We've gone inside the numbers and outside the box.
We've broken it all down, 'til there's nothing left but dust and some old Sabermetric equation in which the answer was 42, remainder 3½.
We've asked all the important questions and learned that, yes, Phillies reliever Chad Durbin recently signed an autograph while buying ice cream at the grocery store.
And, so, who will win the 104th World Series? We'll all find out together.
With that, we take a look inside the critical matchups leading up to Game 1:
Managerial top-step signature move:
Phillies: Sloppy pants hoist
Rays: Reflective horned-rim adjustment
Edge: Rays
Turf:
Phillies: Natural grass
Rays: Old ski-lodge carpet
Edge: Phillies
Tourist must-see:
Phillies: Liberty Bell
Rays: Legends Field (Yankees spring training)
Edge: Phillies
Ballpark distraction:
Phillies: White hankies
Rays: Cowbells
Edge: Rays
Overhead distraction:
Phillies: Bleacher taunts
Rays: Catwalks
Edge: Phillies
Ownership background:
Phillies: David Montgomery, Phillies lifer
Rays: Stu Sternberg, Goldman Sachs partner
Edge: Phillies
Last big moment:
Phillies: Tug McGraw strikes out Willie Wilson, tosses glove
Rays: David Price gets Jed Lowrie, spikes glove
Edge: Phillies
Last heartbreak:
Phillies: Mitch Williams' pitch to Joe Carter
Rays: Ballpark pitch to city and county leaders
Edge: Phillies
Education standard:
Phillies: Eric Bruntlett, Stanford
Rays: Fernando Perez, Columbia
Edge: Rays
Honorary coach:
Phillies: VUK in heaven
Rays: Zim on bench
Edge: Rays
Way in:
Phillies: NL East, Brewers, Dodgers
Rays: AL East, White Sox, Red Sox
Edge: Rays
Old guy:
Phillies: Jamie Moyer, active
Rays: Troy Percival, inactive
Edge: Phillies
'Do statement:
Phillies: Matt Stairs' surrender
Rays: Jonny Gomes' Ray-hawk
Edge: Rays
Cool nickname:
Phillies: Flyin' Hawaiian, Shane Victorino
Rays: Pinot Maddonini, Joe Maddon
Edge: Phillies
Stress relief:
Phillies: Rubber duckies
Rays: No one saw this comin'
Edge: Rays
Motto:
Phillies: “Get the rubber duck out of your [rear end].”
Rays: 9=8
Edge: Rays
Historical tender moment:
Phillies: Rowand kisses outfield wall
Rays: Boggs kisses home plate
Edge: Rays
Accessories:
Phillies: Moyer's high stirrups
Rays: Matt Garza's ear plugs
Edge: Phillies
Ninth inning:
Phillies: Lights out
Rays: Whoever's nearest the phone
Edge: Phillies
History:
Phillies: Whiz Kids
Rays: Uh, Canseco? Naimoli? I'm at a loss here…
Edge: Phillies
Mascot:
Phillies: Phanatic
Rays: Vitale
Edge: Phillies
Crowd mood:
Phillies: Cranky
Rays: Bewildered
Edge: Rays
Vague ailments:
Phillies: Brett Myers' temper
Rays: Rocco Baldelli's mitochondrial disorder
Edge: Rays
Managerial hammer:
Phillies: Jimmy Rollins benched for dawdling, tardiness
Rays: B.J. Upton benched for dawdling, dawdling
Edge: Phillies
Dodgers throw-aways:
Phillies: Victorino (twice), Jayson Werth
Rays: Dioner Navarro, Willy Aybar
Edge: Phillies
Offseason move:
Phillies: Lidge
Rays: Garza, Jason Bartlett
Edge: Draw
Best pitch:
Phillies: Hamels' changeup
Rays: Please buy tickets
Edge: Phillies
Cinematic contribution:
Phillies: Rocky
Rays: Cocoon
Edge: Phillies
