Hey, remember when about two weeks ago I was spouting off some amazing reasoning on why the World Series would be Los Angeles and Boston for the sole purpose of perpetuating a great storyline? Well, here’s a better one: two under-the-radar teams are the only squads remaining on the World Series Doppler. Philly’s series tickets already have dry, dry ink, but the American League had a conclusion to reach that lasted, for some inexplicable reason, far, far beyond Game 5.

(With David Price throwing heat, hell, who needs opposable thumbs?)

The big reason the Rays won 3-1 on Sunday night was Matt Garza lasting seven strong, allowing one run and two hits. That also gave him the ALCS MVP, and a blank check to swear on TBS. Said Garza on LIVE UNCENSORED television, when asked what he’d take, the MVP or the World Series: “Sh*t, I’ll take the World Series every time!”

Other MVPs of the game: Price, who got the final four outs of the game for his first major league save ever; Willy Aybar, who provided the team with a solo home run and scored another; Evan Longoria, who gave the world an RBI double; and Jason Varitek for striking out three times and finishing the series with an .050 average. Could the captain catcher be moving elsewhere next year?

Let’s go with the surprise motif — heck, it’s gotten us this far. The Romo-free Cowboys shouldn’t be a team that the St. Louis Rams — the freakin’ Rams — should boss around. But sure enough, the trap game for America’s team turned into a full-out massacre in a 34-14 win for the Fightin’ Hasletts. You can thank Steven Jackson for 160 yards and three touchdowns, although if I were to draw a pie chart breaking down the amount of people elated with this result:

Now then. What else, you ask, is going on, besides 83 season previews of every NBA team?

• The JOURNAL SENTINEL’ BREWERS BLOG handicaps the next Brewers manager, and if you’re a fan of recycled torn-asunder skippers, then you’re in luck!
• The INDIANAPOLIS STAR watches one of the Colts’ worst losses in quite some time…
• … while STAMPEDE BLUE is torn between two ways on how to handle the loss.
• The HONOLULU ADVERTISER fires back at PETA for trying to get native son Shane Victorino off his Spam musubi diet.
• THE FAST AND THE FABULOUS has ten companies that should sponsor a Sprint Cup team. I would pay good money to see an MLS-sponsored car.
• Greg Oden has so many expectations on him this year, that writers for THE OREGONIAN will even apologize to his face when they say they haven’t been impressed so far.
• WAS WATCHING notes how the last home run in Yankee Stadium, a blast by the famous Jose Molina (!?), was expected to sell for at least $200,000, but had absolutely no bidders. Time to bury it under the new stadium, I guess.
• Journeyman hockey player Brad Isbister is on his 13th team in as many years, NY TIMES’ SLAPSHOT BLOG notes. His current team? Switzerland’s EV Zug. All right then.
• CINCY JUNGLE goes deep, deep, deep on the Bengals’ 0-7 start.
• Ball State Cardinals watch: They’re up to 20th, and all they had to do was not play a football game.