Oct. 19

ANAHEIM -- This has all the makings of great television theater.

Barry Bonds and the Williamsport enthusiasm of the Angels. Two former Dodgers, who are two of those rare managers who really make a difference. We have the best ballpark ever built, the Rally Monkey, rice and beans at Cha Chas.

All we ask is it goes the distance, preferably a tie ballgame going into the ninth inning of Game 7. And as the World Series starts tonight, here are 10 reasons why I can't wait:

10. John Lackey's batting practice
OK, now we know how he hit .428 leading Grayson County College to the 1999 Junior College Championship.

9. The F. Rodriguez factor
Francisco Rodriguez, who looks like he'd be offered the children's menu at TGI Friday's, has been the phenomenon of the postseason with four wins and a 1.80 ERA for the Angels. He is nasty against lefties because his 92-93 mph fastball cuts like a slider, and his breaking balls run away and dip down. The Giants' Felix Rodriguez came into the postseason as the best seventh-eighth inning reliever in the National League. His ERA after the All-Star break was 2.70, while his postseason ERA is 1.17. The pair's combined postseason stats: 17.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 8 BB, 19 K.

8. The Angels' personality
You've got Ben Weber, whose No. 77 signifies his two Game 7 starts in Taipei (for the Chiang Kai Chek Trophy), and Brendan Donnelly, whose independent league stops included Nashua, N.H. ("I was also the pitching coach") and Parkersburg, W.Va. ("That was the worst ... I didn't know if I was supposed to retire if I lost, or what"). Donnelly also claims that when he was in the minors -- last season -- his inspiration was Weber. Darin Erstad and Adam Kennedy both played for Falmouth in the Cape League, and when they heard that the team's longtime batboy Arnie was diagnosed with cancer, within 48 hours a signed bat and other memorabilia arrived in Falmouth. Tim Salmon has been as excited as a 9-year-old.

7. The defense
Joe Sheehan notes in his newsletter (Sheehan_newsletter@pacbell.net) that the Angels and Giants ranked first and fourth in the majors in defensive efficiency, and that this is the best defense the Angels have played in the postseason. What's interesting is that they are ranked so high yet they are not the classic tools defenders, but rather intelligent, situational players. In an era of splashmaster shortstops, David Eckstein and Rich Aurilia just play.

6. The matchups in Games 1-5
Take away a start against the Braves, and the Giants' Jason Schmidt has been one of the best pitchers in the game down the stretch. He's a Curt Schilling II, and if it's sunny at Edison and Pac Bell at game time, Schmidt could be unhittable for the first few innings. Anaheim's Jarrod Washburn has matched brilliant opposing performances all season, from Roy Halladay to Mark Mulder, but as Sheehan also points out, the Giants hammer lefties:

        BA    OB  SLUG
LHPs  .276  .356  .493
RHPs  .263  .341  .421

San Francisco's OPS against lefties in the postseason is .899. Atlanta's Tom Glavine made two starts and Chuck Finley one against them, and neither made it to the sixth inning.

5. Dusty Baker's ability to interact with his players
The Dusty vs. management drama is fascinating. It is testament to his value that one of the best general managers in the business (Brian Sabean) and a possible Hall of Fame second baseman (Jeff Kent) are also free agents and secondary subjects.

4. The decision
Whether or not to let Russ Ortiz bat in Game 2, since his .406 slugging percentage was higher than that of Tsuyoshi Shinjo, J.T. Snow, Tom Goodwin or Shawon Dunston.

3. The underappreciated Giants offense
They were the best offensive road team in the NL. And because Pac Bell is the toughest hitters' park in the league, the numbers are skewed, like Jeff Kent's 26/12 road/home home-run ratio and Bonds' 27 road homers. If you doubled the road games to 162, David Bell, Rich Aurilia, Benito Santiago and Reggie Sanders all would have more than 20 homers. How the Angels react to hitting rockets that die in Pac Bell might be a major factor in this series. "Our pitchers," says J.T. Snow, "really know how to pitch in our park."

2. Eckstein and Erstad at the top of the order
Manager Mike Scioscia says Eckstein is the smartest player he's known, and that Erstad is about the best big-game player he's seen. No stats apply.

1. Bonds
We finally have the privilege of seeing one of the greatest to ever play in the World Series.