Go, Josh, Go!

In case you haven't noticed (and, I'll admit, with it being baseball, I haven't really paid close attention), Raleigh's Josh Hamilton is back in the World Series for the second straight year. Hamilton's Texas Rangers will try to earn a ring this year when they face St. Louis. (First game is Wednesday night in St. Louis.)

"Consider this an old-school World Series: top names on both sides, many of them facing each other for the first time - the way it was before AL and NL clubs began playing each other all through the summer.

"Think of Ted Williams vs. Stan Musial, maybe," writes the AP.

Musial, in fact, might even be at the ballpark next week. The 90-year Hall of Famer who helped the Cardinals win three World Series crowns was at Busch Stadium during the playoffs for pregame ceremonies.

Stan the Man and the Cardinals beat Williams and the Red Sox in the 1946 Series. More than a quarter-century later, Williams became the first manager in Texas history after the franchise moved from Washington.

It took a lot longer for Texas to finally reach the Series. Hamilton, Cruz, Michael Young and the Rangers made their first appearance last year, only to get shut down by San Francisco's pitching in a five-game wipeout.