Okay, so you've seen the 2011 World Series schedule. You're all ready for play to begin - almost. But first, like any good American, you need to place some bets. Which means you need to look at the odds! Hit it, Bodog:

Rangers: -165
Cardinals: +145

All right, so that means...let me see if I've got this...if you bet $100 on the...Cardinals...then if the Cardinals win, you get $145. And with the Rangers, if you bet $165, you stand to get $100. Yeah, that's right. Thank you, convenient Bodog sidebar bet slip!

Why are the Rangers considered the World Series favorites, even though the Cardinals have home-field advantage? Well, the Rangers are probably the better baseball team, which seems like a pretty good reason. The Rangers won six more games during the season than the Cardinals did. The American League is still better than the National League. The Rangers' run differential was 108 runs better than the Cardinals' run differential. While the Cardinals hit well during the year, the Rangers hit well, pitched well, and fielded well. And so on. On stats and on talent, the Rangers look better than the Cardinals do.

Of course, the Rangers have only 4-7 games to prove that they're better on the field. Anybody can win a short series over anybody, so don't sit back and expect the Cardinals to roll over. They could win this thing, and they could win it without it being a complete shock.