The World Series starts tonight with the Detroit Tigers returning from a weeklong hiatus. Given that the Tigers and superior to the Cardinals at the plate and on the mound, some may say that the extended downtime might make them rusty and susceptible to a few quick losses in the World Series.

Personally, my prediction for the Series, to quote the estimable Mr. T, is "Pain." I think the Tigers will outclass the Cards so badly that they will cal the series after three games out of mercy. Then again, I picked the A's to win it all.

The only thing more distasteful in this series than having to survive McCarver's remembrances of the 1968 World Series is that I have to root for a wild card to beat the worst team in the Series since the 1973 Mets. I'm too young to remember that Mets team, but I remember the Kirby Puckett Twins team in 1987 (85-77), and I don't want to go through that again.

Anyway, as far as rustiness is concerned, I looked at all playoff teams that had at least a six-day break between series, and I don't think there's much of a concern. Here they are with the gap between each series and their playoff results:

Note that these teams have a .641 winning percentage in the postseason, they won three quarters of the playoff series they played, and 56% won the World Series.