With the World Series about to be decided, it occurs to us
that you could make a case that it features the most history-rich matchup
possible for a non-Yankees Fall Classic. The Cardinals have won the most titles
of any team other than the Yankees, and the Red Sox, believe it or not, have
won the next most of any team in a single city. They've won 7, albeit clustered
among just 3 decades. The Dodgers and the Giants probably have the strongest
case for intruding on this theory. However, when evaluating the matchup, it has
to be AL vs. NL, so those two are really competing against the Cardinals for
the vague and mythical title of "most historical."
Subjectivity runs rampant here. Do Rogers Hornsby, the Gashouse
Gang, Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, and Albert Pujols really outdo
Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, and Kirk Gibson? Or John McGraw, Christy
Mathewson, Bobby Thomson, Willie Mays, and Buster Posey? Yeah, who knows.
And on the AL side, we might feel Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Ted
Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, David Ortiz, and Mike Napoli (pictured in a less
bearded time) exude more romance than Connie Mack, Eddie Collins, Jimmie Foxx,
Reggie Jackson, Jose Canseco, and 9 combined Series titles in Philly and
Oakland, but if you preferred the Athletics, you'd have a case.
And, of course, if the Cubs ever make it back to the Series,
even if they're playing the Albuquerque Isotopes thanks to a recently implemented
promotion/relegation system, you could make a case for their presence being the
most historical happening of all.
Enjoy baseball.
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