Baseball really needs a seven-game Series

ST. LOUIS

Outside of this great baseball city and the rising giant that is the Dallas-Fort Worth area, they could fake the 2011 World Series on a sound stage and only a select few would notice.

There's only one chance for this matchup to transcend its underwhelming narrative and record-low television ratings. And that's why the Rangers weren't the only people thrilled by the results of Thursday night's Game 2.

We've got a great Fall Classic going on, after a ninth-inning comeback vaulted the Rangers to a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals, tying the series as the setting changes to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for tomorrow night's Game 3.

"It was almost a great story for us," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "It turned out to be a greater one for them."

The narrative has changed completely from the messy, reliever-dominated slugfests that colored the League Championship Series. In the wake of Wednesday's taut Game 1, a 3-2 Cardinals victory, we saw starters Colby Lewis and Jaime Garcia exchange zeroes through six innings before St. Louis broke through with a delightful touch of déjà vu: For the second straight night, the Cards' Allen Craig delivered a pinch-hit single against Alexi Ogando, this time in the seventh inning.

Just as it seemed that La Russa would drive his busy bullpen to a 2-0 Series lead, however, Texas struck back with a two-run ninth. It featured a callback to the legendary 2004 ALCS, as Ian Kinsler's risky steal of second (against the strong arm of Yadier Molina) evoked memories of Boston's Dave Roberts swiping second against the Yankees in the ninth inning of Game 4, setting in motion the Sawx's historic comeback.

We also enjoyed more managerial second-guessing. With Rangers on second and third and none out, should La Russa have left hard-throwing closer Jason Motte to go after Josh Hamilton, whose bat speed has been slowed by a groin strain? Or did he make the right call going to lefty Arthur Rhodes, who retired Hamilton on a fly to center in Game 1?

Hamilton stroked another fly ball, this one to rightfield, driving in Kinsler and advancing the potential lead run, Elvis Andrus, from second to third. Andrus subsequently scored the eventual game-winner on Michael Young's sacrifice fly to center off Lance Lynn.

"Well, from what I understand, Hamilton handles a fastball pretty well," La Russa said, in an apparent attempt at sarcasm, "and if [Andrus] hadn't gotten to second base, I probably would have left [Motte] in there. But if you're thinking about how can you get an out and maybe not have the guy go from second to third, I thought the lefthander had a better chance."

Neftali Feliz closed out the game, and somewhere in the ballpark, Bud Selig surely smiled. Baseball folks are tired of hearing how their game is losing ratings points, how young fans are looking elsewhere.

The best way to eliminate that chatter and draw eyeballs? A winner-take-all Game 7. Baseball hasn't enjoyed an absolutely final game since Barry Bonds' Giants dropped a full series to the Angels in 2002. Nothing would better cap what has been an exciting final week of the regular season and playoffs than a complete World Series.

"I think tonight was one of those great ballgames that I think you will continue to see [between] the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "That's what you're in for, so I've got to say to those of you that have bad hearts, watch yourself."

Selig would gladly accept some jumpy hearts in return for a continuation of what we've seen so far.