The Anti-Selig Series

Tampa Bay and Philly is not a World Series matchup that is likely to get sub-casual baseball observers all that excited. The thing of it is, however, is that the first two games of the series, which is now tied at one game apiece, have been nothing short of spectacular -- and revolutionary in the most peculiar of ways.

What the Phillies and Rays are doing is playing throwback baseball. There are suicide squeezes, stolen base attempts galore, closers going more than one inning (here's lookin' at you, David Price), no-name managers, very few home runs, and even fewer spoiled free-agent brats. The Rays, and to a slightly lesser extent, the Phillies, are teams that have effectively been cultivated from the minors up. Better yet, the dollar-store Rays blew by a couple of teams in the playoffs whose wallets knew no limit.

It wouldn't surprise me if this World Series, which I'm convinced will go seven games, ends up being the least-watched in modern history. But if baseball is to regain any of the purity it lost duirng the steroid era, this series is the perfect tonic.