World Series promises history-making performances

The race will be over in just a matter of days. There have been favorites and some have dropped out, but in the end only one will remain.

The months and months of hard work will come down to these final days, with just two left to fight for the prize.

The whole world is watching, and Major League Baseball will crown a champion very soon.

As the highly-anticipated presidential election draws near, America's pastime will make history of its own.

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays represent the National and American Leagues as the only two teams standing at the end of a grueling summer-long season.

The Phillies clinched a post-season birth in the final week, leaving the Mets on the outside looking in after yet another late season collapse.

The Rays are baseball's best story in a long time, going from worst to first in a single season.

Both teams entered the seven game series hoping to claim sports' most storied prize.

Despite the rise in football's television ratings or basketball's global appeal, baseball has always been America's game.

Baseball was played in the 1880s before anyone even knew what football was. Babe Ruth is the most recognizable name in sports history.

For generations kids have organized games in the neighborhood sandlot, and boys playing catch with their fathers represent what baseball is all about. The game's culture and tradition are unmatched by any other of America's major sports. So when millions of fans tune in to watch this year's fall classic, they truly are witnessing history.

The Philadelphia franchise has lost over 10,000 games since their conception in 1883. The Rays have only been around for a little more than a decade, but this is their first winning season.

It could be heartbreak yet again for Philly fans, or the faithful could get their first championship in a quarter century.

The Rays are led by a cast of confident youngsters that do not yet know what a championship is all about. But sometimes ignorance is bliss, and it could be an advantage for the team from Tampa Bay.

Joe Carter, Don Larsen, Bill Mazeroski and Kirk Gibson have all cemented their names in baseball lore almost solely due to their performances in the World Series.

Those men began by playing catch and challenging their friends in the sandlot.

Now they have become the idols for the next generation. The radio calls and television images can be recalled scene by scene by sports fans of all ages.

Walk off homeruns and outstanding pitching performances will be remembered for the rest of time. The World Series presents a stage unlike any other, and this year is no exception.

Don't blink, something amazing might happen.