First Down: Finally, a World Series to savor

Finally, a World Series to savor

The defending champs, and the most decorated team in sports history.

The National League’s most dangerous lineup vs. the Bronx Bombers.

As the first two games showed, baseball is well on its way to the most delicious title matchup since…

Well, come to think of it, there hasn’t been a cancel-your-plans-and-find-a-TV Series in a long while. Eight years, to be exact — the final days of the ’90s Yankees dynasty.

Since the Diamondbacks stunned Mariano Rivera in Game 7 in 2001, nearly half the World Series have been sweeps. Several of them have featured teams whose entire fan bases could fit inside their stadiums. Last year’s offering, the Phillies vs. the Rays, challenged TV viewers like never before to find something else to watch.

But at long last, the Oughts or Ohs or whatever you want to call this decade finally has another must-see World Series. The first two games were about as good as any fan could ask for. In the first dish of what may be a seven-course feast, Cliff Lee carved up home plate with a fastball and dazzling array of off-speed pitches. The next night, Pedro Martinez silenced the Bronx cheers for six innings, but A.J. Burnett outdueled him and the Yanks evened the series.

As satisfying as the first two games were, they were but mere hors d’oeuvres. As the series shifts to the Red Sea of Citizens Bank Park, the next entree features last season’s World Series and NLCS MVP, Cole Hamels, and Andy Pettitte, who has started a season’s worth of postseason games in his career and has four rings to show for it. After that is the potential for a return visit to Yankee Stadium by Pedro (who appeared to say, “I’ll be back,” to the fans as he left Game 2) and another Lee-CC Sabathia duel for dessert in Game 7. And for extra flavor, the hearts of these two incendiary lineups — Ryan Howard and A-Rod — can heat up any day now and provide just the right kick.

It’s been a long time, far too long, since the World Series didn’t leave fans hungry for more. But whether the final course is cheesesteak or cheesecake, this is shaping up to be the most savory Series of the decade.

He said what?

“I don’t give a damn who’s played 20 years or 50 years and think they know. That’s not the right way to play the game.”

— Phillies manager Charlie Manuel on being criticized for not putting two runners in motion in the eighth inning of Game 2