Alan, I've often wondered how many countries actually take part in the world series ?

I'm ignorant of all sports, particularly non-UK ones, but i ask it as a sort of cosmopolitan curiosity.

OK, Chris Taylor, like we were saying. Bet Tigers win it tonight.

Hi Paul. It is unclear but there is a story which may be an urban myth that would be the series named after the "World" newspaper of New York City, as I understand it. Just to be clear for our non-North American pals, the Stanley Cup is not won by the best handy man or DYI home renovator.

I am not a follower of baseball. I watch the world series finals becuase of the drama of the situation. The pattern of baseball is different than that of other sports where multiple games are played to determine a winner (hockey, basketball). Baseball appears to have a much more random element to it. I suspect this is due to the overwhelming importance of the pitcher and the fact that each game gets a new pitcher and sometimes several relief pitchers.

Hockey fans know that a Stanley Cup cannot be won without an outstanding goalie. I expect that if hcokey teams had a bench of six goalies and rotated them around from game to game hockey game outcomes would become more random as well.

Not sure what all this means except that it must be hell on the odds makers.

For those without a dance card, that is first Paul in England and then Paul in Kingston.

And thus a new name was born.

I predict that the Americans will win the world series of baseball this year.

To UK Paul,

There is one team in major league baseball from Canada - the Toronto Blue Jays. There used to be two but the Expos of Montreal cashed in their chips and moved to Washington DC. I understand that Japan runs a professional baseball league that might be able to challenge in the spirit of a true "world series". The travel would be hell though.

Well I certainly hope the Tigers can tie it up tonight. =) I was at a lecture last night so I missed that game completely. I'm sad we lost, but the win looks good on Carpenter; that's why the guy was an All-Star and Cy Young winner last year. He was their most potent starter this year -- 221 IPs and still a very very respectable 3.09 ERA for 2006. If we were going to lose big to anybody it was going to be him.

So we've seen STL's top gun starter and one of DET's top gun's so far. Detroit still has a lot of good pitching depth (Bonderman, Verlander and yes, even Zumaya) so I'm still banking on them for better pitching into the long haul. Offensively they are not playing up to regular-season par; reg season OBP stalwarts like Rodriguez are just blowing in the postseason and I don't see any quick fixes to <i>that</i>.

I for one would like to see major league teams in Vancouver, Mexico City, Seoul, Tokyo, Havana, Rio etc, all these places where baseball is big and fans can support teams. Maybe that won't happen soon. BUT, the US pro leagues run teams all winter long in Puerto Rico, Mexico, other South American spots, some US players go to Japan for awhile, AND the sport is hardly made of American born players. An entirely international crowd.

Paul Kingston: I just checked something at the IMDB and realized that a guess of mine is true. I think you travel under another name sometimes, wink wink, nudge nudge.

I think you may being confounded by the scale of the group, Gary.

Next time I pour beers down Paul Kingston's throat I will grill him mercilously about secret lives.

I must say, paul k. is a very good sport when it comes to my teasing.

Ah I see. Sorry but I am not Muad dib - but for the right price I can tell you who is! I am surprised his/her true identity is not on his/her blog.

I saw Dune once but I didn't like it. At the time (maybe 1989) my buddies told me that you have to read the book to like the movie. One of these days I must learn how to read.

I'm so upset! Sorry I had you wrong. The profile doesn't tell much, really.

...but a little searching turns up GORTHOS. AhHA!
Whe the hell is Gorthos?

We know Gorthos.

'whe' My spelling is getting as bad as gordo's, not to be confused with gothos or paul, not any of the damn paul's. I feel like there is some kind of strange Kingston conspiracy going on here, with the mysterious KSPC IN THE MIDDLE, Masonic Temple style.

Yes you need to start checking for small crescent shaped scars in places that you can't reach and asking yourself "why am I so hungry for salt?".

Kingston Society for Pathological Commissions (whoops, I meant to say Playing Catch)

on All Hallow's Eve.

You see, in Dune, Paul becomes muad dib......
oh, forget about it. A case of mistaken identity.

There has been talk of the secret handshake for the KSPC. Something to do with tickling the inside wrist with a pinkie while pulling the middle finger. Do you people receive secret names while the sacred bat is waved over your head?

If we could just focus on the hat question it would be helpful.

ANd with rain delays everyone's pitching staff gets healthy. No games until Saturday is what I'm predicting.