October is not just for football and hockey – the end of the baseball season is upon us with the World Series.

This year, the Texas Rangers face the St. Louis Cardinals. After one game, the Cards are ahead in the best of 7 series. So, how did we get to playing a “world” series to determine a champion?

According to Baseball Almanac, the first championship occurred in 1884. The National League’s Providence Grays met the American Association’s New York Metropolitan Club (the precursor to the Mets?) in a three-game series. The Grays prevailed in what was known at the time at the “Championship of the United States.”

When newspapers dubbed the Grays “world champions” the name stayed with the series. In 1894, the owner of Pittsburgh’s team, William C. Temple started the National League’s 7-game series and offered the winners 65% of the ticket sales and the losers 35% of the sales.

After some consolidation, rivalry and reorganizations, in 1903, the first “Fall Classic” was played between the two league’s best teams, Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates as the “World Series.”

In 1907, Detroit’s Hughie Jennings was the first person to be ejected from a World Series game after he argued being caught stealing a base.

The most recent ejection was Atlanta’s manager Bobby Cox in 1992 and 1996 for arguing.

The Chicago Cubs (yeah!) were the first team to sweep a series. In 1907, they beat the Detroit Tigers. The last sweep was by our own Colorado Rockies in 2007 against the Boston Red Sox. In the history of the series, it has happened only 20 times. The National League has swept 7 times and the American League has swept 13 times, of which 8 came from the New York Yankees.

The National League has won 43 times as of 2009 and the American League has won 62 times. October 10, 1920 in the 5^th inning, Bill Wambsganss had an unassisted triple play, possibly the most difficult feat in all of baseball.

As of 2007, there have been 108 shut outs, 11 times where a team came back from losing the first 2 games to win and only ONE perfect game.  What was that game? Please comment below if you know.

Marijo Tinlin is the editor in chief of Family First, one of the oldest family-oriented websites on the internet. She is also the author of the new book “How to Raise an American Patriot, Making it Okay for Our Kids to Be Proud to Be American” available at www.raisinganamericanpatriot.com.

CNET’s presentation is all things television. It is your online guide to what’s on tonight. Watch video previews of your favorite episodes, read comments and reviews by critics and plain old folks like yourself, and catch up on the news about your favorite stars and series.
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So for all things TV, visit today’s FamilyFirst site. And come back every day to see what’s on tonight!
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To put a few things in perspective about this humble gentleman, let’s make some comparisons.
He retired the year of the great stock market crash.
Like me, he first got into the World series at the age of eight. Unlike me, his first World series was the FIRST World Series.
When Jackie Robinson broke MLB’s color barrier, Si was 51 years old.
Silas was “discovered” at the age of 111 by a baseball historian who remembered seeing his name in some old box scores. He visited the retirement home where Si lived and confirmed that he was, indeed, the world’s oldest professional baseball player.
His birthday party made the national news. Two weeks later, Si told his caregiver that he felt his life had been fulfilled and that he was tired. He passed away peacefully in his sleep shortly after.
Silas had a good mind right up to the end. He was president of the resident council at his place of residence.
He told an interviewer that he got to see some amazing things in his life, like airplanes.
Here’s to you, Silas Simmons.
Click here

But only one team is MY team. Only one team hooked an eight-year-old kid in 1968, forced him to suffer through a LONG 1970′s era, and kept him an excited fan when they won it all in 1982 (after getting hosed by Bowie Kuhn in 1981).
It’s been an even longer drought since then, but it hasn’t seemed as long to this middle-aged adult.
But, as of last night, IT’S OVER! THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS ARE THE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!
This team has struggled hard for respect. Holding a big lead all season over the NL Central, they needed a last-day loss by Houston to clinch. Their opponents held home field advantage in all three post-season series. They played an exhausting seven game series against the Mets (many of whose fans seem to be unable to come terms with who won).
Through it all, ESPN, which I seldom watch anymore, predicted their defeat by each opponent.
USA Today predicted that the Tigers would win in three games.
Today’s FamilyFirst site is the Wikipedia entry on the Cardinals, already updated to show their world championship.
Go crazy, folks, go crazy!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Cardinals

The rivalry heated up considerably when the Birds traded someone by the name of Ernie Broglio to Chicago for a speedy but powerful hitter by the name of Brock, Lou Brock.
Of course, the rest is history.
The Cubs, masters of tough luck, have managed to fall just short of the World Series appearance (and victory) that they crave so deeply.
However, the Cards-Cubs rivalry stays hot despite the records of the combatants. And in fact, my Birds are going to have to rally today to avoid a sweep at the hands of the baby bears.
Today’s FamilyFirst site is the Wikipedia entry on the rivalry. It’s a bit on the short side, but still has lots of links to players that go into more depth.
And of course, being Wikipedia, you can expand the content yourself!
So here’s to the I-55 series. May it go on forever.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinals-Cubs_Series

The name of the site is the free iPod book & back to school guide. It has been put together by iLounge, a user-operated website that rate high on my list of unofficial iPod sites. This free book is full of tutorials, accessory previews and reviews, contests, and more. The main contents are:
Sneak Peeks and Reviews: See seven new iPod accessories debuted exclusively in the Book, including Oregon Scientific�s iBall, JBL�s On Stage II, Blumac�s Cerulean, Belkin�s TuneFM, Sumo Cases� PlayThru Cases, plus Griffin Technology�s iRave and iTalk 2. Get quick reviews of the best iPod products released since their last Guide, as well as a ratings table for the 500 total iPods and accessories they have reviewed.
The 10+1 Step Guide to iPod Bliss: Your iPod, from cradle to grave and rebirth. No stone is left unturned in this colorful, easy-to-read guide to the life of an iPod.
Load Your iPod: A complete look at all of the different types of content you can load on your iPod – and how to get them – including music, podcasts, radio, photos, art, travel goodies, books, calendars, contacts, games and data.
Selling Your iPod: The value of new and used iPods, including elaborate pricing tables with recent Amazon.com, eBay, and used iPod retailer and parts store purchasing prices.
Changing and Maintaining Your iPod: A look at top customization and repair services for the iPod, as well as do-it-yourself options for keeping your iPod looking and running like brand-new.
Replacing Your iPod: A guide to picking the right iPod for you, with updated information on today�s iPod models.
Join the Community: Snapshots of 10 international iPod sites providing foreign-language iPod news to readers all over the world.
There is even a trivia contest, with a chance to win one of three Klipsch iFi speaker systems (retail value: $399.99 each).
There are two versions of the book available, one that is designed for viewing on the computer, and a second for printing out to hard copy. The information contained in the book is valuable, both to long time iPod owners or prospective buyers. The quality of the reviews is excellent, as is the subjects that are reivewed. So if you, or someone you know, is contemplating an iPod purchase, do them a favor and point them to this free book. There is a hypertext link in the review that makes it a simple process. It will help them to make an informed purchase.
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/download-now-the-free-ipod-book-and-back-to-school-guide/

Little League Online is more than just a site that tells how to play baseball. It covers all the divisions of the game, from T-Ball, through Junior League Baseball, up through Big League Baseball and Softball. There is information about the upcoming playoffs, history of the leagues, how they were formed, and the rules and regulation that govern them. There is news from all over the world about the sport, such as the first little leaguer ever elected President of the United States to throw out the first pitch at a Little League World Series game.
You may know someone who is involved in softball or baseball. If you do, you can do them a favor by pointing them to this site. It will be a pleasant way to spend some time and relive some old memories. Both of my daughters have played softball for years, and treasure the Little League teams they played on (including one that came within two wins of going to the World Series).
http://www.littleleague.org/

The site I am talking about is called iPodLounge. It is a user run site that highlights anything and everything about the iPods. Here you can find the latest user information, technical updates, reviews, accessories, and news. It is well designed, broken up into sections for the various models, such as the iPod mini, and all four generations of players. They currently are covering the newly discovered iPod Photo Diagnostic Mode, as well as other 4G iPod secrets. There are educational areas as well, teaching basic to advanced ways to use the device (such as copying music from the iPod to your computer and vice versa). There is an excellent forums area, where the true user interactions happen. If you have a question, ask it here, and you will most likely have an answer within a day (if not hours).
I find that using my iPod is not difficult. But sites like this one really enhance the enjoyment I get out of using it. Of all the sites I have visited, this one is the one that I kept coming back to. I hope you have the same experience.

http://www.ipodlounge.com/

The site is the offical Major League Baseball site for the World Series. MLB has a very well run website, utilizing the latest in internet technology to bring the game as close to the fans as possible. Each of the Major League teams have their own website here, as well as the World Series site, and one for the Major League Alumini. Here you can get latest statistics, schedules, highlights, coverage, wrap-ups, just about anything for a baseball junkie, or the most casual fan. You can buy latest souvineirs as well, from your favorite team. There is one interesting aspect to the World Series that makes it fun to watch. They are streaming the Fox Diamond Cam live for all games this year. For those who aren’t aware of it, the Diamond Cam is a small camera planted in the dirt in front of the home plate area of the field. It gives one a moles-eye view of the events. You also have the game commentary to listen to.
Baseball is known as the great American pastime. Now is the time to sit back and enjoy the end to what has been a long season. And remember, Yankee fans, only FOUR MONTH till spring training!!

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/ps/y2004/index.jsp

Little League Online is more than just a site that tells how to play baseball. It covers all the divisions of the game, from T-Ball, through Junior League Baseball, up through Big League Baseball and Softball. There is information about the upcoming playoffs, history of the leagues, how they were formed, and the rules and regulation that govern them. There is news from all over the world about the sport, such as the first little leaguer ever elected President of the United States will be throwing out the first pitch at the Little League World Series.

So if you, or someone you know is involved in softball or baseball, point them to this site. It will be a pleasant way to spend some time and relive some old memories. Enjoy your stop here today.

http://www.littleleague.org/