The World Series

Two world wars. A Great Depression and a Great Recession. A decade that roared. A decade that depressed. Several more decades that stood somewhere in between. Nearly twenty different men passing through the Oval Office.

Since 1903, America has changed in countless ways. But one thing has remained a fixture during these past 110 years: the World Series.

With the exception of two years--the National League boycotted the Series in 1904 and a strike shortened the 1994 season--the World Series has been held every October, pitting the best of each league against one another. Two franchises, the Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals, have yet to make their series debuts, but nonetheless we have seen matchups ranging from downright odd (2003's Marlins-Yankees Series comes to mind) to undeniably classic (such as this year's Cardinals-Red Sox showdown). That being said, the Wild Card era has helped give rise to the "underdog" teams, teams that for the longest time stood no chance against the traditional big-market powers.

This year, however, looks to be somewhat of a throwback, as two storied franchises will go head to head in the first World Series since 1999 to feature the teams with the best regular-season records in their respective leagues.

Let's look at the Cardinals. Even-keeled, disciplined and highly respectable, this ballclub has proven hard to beat over the past five-plus years. Postseason veterans such as Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina have combined forces with some of the game's top pitchers, including rookies Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha and veteran Adam Wainwright, to make the Cards a force to be reckoned with. And all this just two years after former franchise icon and possible future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols left for the City of Angels.

The Red Sox, on the other hand, possess a fiery passion unlike any other seen in recent years. The Boston Marathon bombing tragedy on April 15 gave rise to the mantra "Boston Strong," creating a must-win atmosphere akin to that in New York after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Since the bombing, Jonny Gomes and Mike Napoli have taken up the tasks of flashing thick, Duck Dynasty-style beards, reminiscent of the frat party atmosphere of the 2004 world champs. Only one player, slugger David Ortiz,  remains from that curse-breaking ballclub, but Beantown stalwarts Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz are ready to help out.

Nine years ago, these two teams met on the same stage, with the Red Sox sweeping the Cardinals in four games. But this year, there is no curse at stake. Times and faces have changed. This will be a Series of good, old-fashioned baseball. This is the year that baseball legends will be overshadowed. Just days ago, 21-year-old shortstop Xander Bogaerts became the youngest Red Sox player to start a postseason game. The now second-youngest? George Herman Ruth. On the St. Louis side, the aforementioned five-time All-Star catcher Molina has reached the Fall Classic for the fourth time in his career. One other Cardinal to do so? Stan Musial.

Any way you slice it, this is a timeless matchup. The Red Sox are 112 years old. The Cardinals are 131. Each team's uniforms have remained largely unchanged. The centenary Fenway Park is the quintessential hitter's bandbox. Busch Stadium, though only seven years old, pays great homage to its classic ballpark predecessors and feels like a throwback to simpler times.

Starting tomorrow night in Boston, these two clubs will make baseball history. Two postseason veterans--Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals and Jon Lester for the Red Sox--will take the mound in a game for the ages. And from coast to coast, millions will be watching and listening as these heroes take baseball's biggest stage.

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"The best possible thing in baseball is winning the World Series. The second best thing is losing the World Series."

-Tommy Lasorda