World Series 2012 starts tomorrow night at AT&T Field in San Francisco, California. The Giants missed the playoffs last year after winning the World Series in 2010, the club's first since moving from Manhattan in 1958. Historically, the club is one of the most decorated in all of baseball. The team has won 22 National League pennants and appeared in 19 World Series, while sending more players to the Hall Of Fame than any other team. They also boast five World Series championships, tying them with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers for second in the National League behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who were just dispatched from this years playoffs by these very Giants. Great players have came and went, from player-manager John McGraw, superstar Willie Mays to Hall of Fame knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm. Then it happened. The end of the golden age of New York baseball, and New York was a one team town until 1962 when the Mets came in as an expansion franchise. Team owners were originally looking at moving to Bloomington, Minnesota, home of their farm team, but in favour of maintaining the rivalry with the Dodgers who were in the middle of negotiations at the same time to move to Los Angeles, the Giants announced they were relocating to the Bay Area. 
Things looked good early on in San Fran, with Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey winning back to back Rookie of the Year honours, a new field, Candlestick Park, opening up after two years playing in the home of the San Francisco Seals (a Red Sox PCL affiliate) and appearing in the 1962 World Series. It was after a great pennant race with the hated Dodgers, then they faced off against a familiar foe: the New York Yankees. The Yankees triumphed in seven games over their former neighbours and that would be that last time the Giants reached the World Series until 1989. The earthquake series. The 89 Giants had a powerful offence with the likes of Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell and Matt Williams but they had a patchwork pitching staff, using 15 different starters throughout the season. Manager Roger Craig led the team to their second World Series appearance since moving to California after dispatching the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS in five games. With their Bay Area rival Oakland A's taking the first two games in Oakland, the scene shifted to San Francisco. Then during the pre-game warmups, about a half hour before first pitch there was a major earthquake in the San Francisco area, making it the first major earthquake ever broadcast on television due to the telecast already on live for game 3. Houses were destroyed, highways and bridges collapsed and it took ten days for the World Series to continue, where the A's completed the sweep of the Giants. Here's the clip of the game 3 earthquake telecast:
They played another Cali rival their next World Series in 2002, the Anaheim Angels. This time the Giants beat the Mets in the LCS before ultimately falling to the Angels in 7 games. The Giants outscored the Angels in total runs over the series because of huge offensive numbers by Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent. Enter the 2010 team. A young pitching staff with some great veterans manning the positions. The staff was anchored by 2 time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Jonathan Sanchez (all but Sanchez remain with the team for this years run). Edgar Renteria, Cody Ross and Bengie Molina took care of enough offence for San Francisco to trump the Texas Rangers in five games for their first championship in San Francisco. The 2012 edition of the team boasts 12 (13 if you count the injured closer Brian Wilson) holdovers from the 2010 championship team, and should have enough pitching to defeat the Tigers in 7 games (although chalk up at least 2 wins for Detroit when Verlander is on the hill). GO GIANTS!
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Their American League counterpart Detroit Tigers had an easier road to the Series after sweeping the New York Yankees in their League Champioship Series. The Tigers have won the World Series 4 times, the most recently being in 1984. The Detroit Tigers were a charter member of the AL and along with the Red Sox, White Sox, and Indians they still are in their original city. The Tigers found success early on during the early 1900s with the fearless (and mean) Ty Cobb leading the Tigers to the World Series three straight seasons from 1907-1909. The Tigers ultimately lost all three series, two to the Cubs and one to the Pirates. The team played well through the remainder of Cobb's run as player and later as manager, including a 100 win second place campaign in 1915 to the 101 win Red Sox but a World Series championship still escaped them. After losing the 1934 Series to the Cardinals, the Tigers finally won it all in 1935 with a lineup that featured four future Hall Of Famers. They were world champions once again ten years later, 1945, when a World War II depleted lineup beat the Cubs (the last time they were in the World Series) in seven games. The Tigers suffered through many subpar years, then a heart breaking one game second place finish behind Boston again in 1967 before being crowned champs again in 1968. 
Then their last championship, the 'Roar Of 84' came about after destroying the competition in the AL East, finishing a remarkable 15 games ahead of the second place Toronto Blue Jays. The Tigers steam rolled over the Kansas City Royals in 3 games to advance to the World Series against the San Diego Padres, marking their franchises first appearance in the big dance. Tigers starter Jack Morris threw two complete games in games 1 and 4, and Alan Trammell and Krik Gibson each had two home run games to lead the charge in Detroits five game Series victory. Game 5 was the last World Series game played at that old nightmare Tiger Stadium and the Tigers last appearance in the Series until 2006 where the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Tigers 4 games to 1. 
The acquisition of Prince Fielder in the offseason made a team that already had reigning Cy Young Award Winner/MVP Justin Verlander and Triple Crown Winner Miguel Cabrera made them World Series contenders since Opening Day. They started off slow, with the White Sox leading the AL Central for most of the season, before playing hard down the stretch (coupled with a White Sox collapse) to win the Central by 3 games. The faced a tough Oakland team before dismantling the New York Yankees in the LCS. They will be facing the best pitching they have seen in the playoffs. This is the first time the Tigers and Giants have met in the playoffs, despite their lengthy baseball lineage, and I think we are in for a terrific Series!
GAME 1: OCT 24, 8 PM @ SAN FRANCISCO
GAME 2: OCT 25, 8 PM @ SAN FRANCISCO
GAME 3: OCT 27, 8 PM @ DETROIT
GAME 4: OCT 28, 8 PM @ DETROIT
GAME 5: OCT 29, 8 PM @ DETROIT (if necessary)
GAME 6: OCT 31, 8 PM @ SAN FRANCISCO (if necessary)
GAME 7: NOV 01, 8 PM @ SAN FRANCISCO (if necessary)
Nice write-up, Matty. I actually want the Tigers to win as my Dad's a Detroiter, and the team hasn't won since '84. Interesting watching the World Series earthquake video; I think God caused the earthquake because he hated listening to Tim McCarver.
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