Before the Yankee haters overplay the disparity of salaries between the teams, let’s put it out there….the Yankees pay about $88 million more in salary for their team then the Phillies. How much revenue do you think they’ve generated with the seven playoff games they’ve played so far? How about four to seven more? Do you think its feasible that the Yanks could make $10 million a night during the playoffs and series, what with gate, increased prices and ads? (Yes.) The network TV guys are just as happy as they could be with a World Series representing the first and fourth TV markets, without travel and a three-hour time change. This series could be a record-breaker in a down market.

The left coasters will have to get ready for 5 o’clock baseball and only dream about their “Freeway Series,” the youthful Dodgers, Manny being Manny, the sagatious Joe Torre, the Rally Monkey and Scott Boras being in on every pitch in Anaheim. It’s a World Series that will make Jim Rome’s skin crawl, further entrenching the East as the center of the sports universe.

Rome does have the Lakers opening their defense this week and USC football hoping to sneak into a title game. Oh yeah, he also has that argument with the Ohio State fan about Matt Barkley being better than Terrelle Pryor.

And while Rome and his staff search for sniper targets, the Yankees will host the Phillies in an old fashioned turnpike series that pits the best two teams in baseball, strength-to-strength. Connie Mack and The Babe are surely smiling.

So on a beautiful 60 degree and sunny Monday, the Yankees shake the cobwebs of celebration from their heads, while the Phillies work out at home trying to avoid getting stale after vanquishing the Dodgers last Wednesday. Cleveland Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro named a new manager (Manny Acta) who will try to figure out why his two best pitchers from 2008 are starting game 1 of the World Series in two days. Bud Selig is bound to make an appearance now that it his turn, and don’t expect much to be said about the umpiring, instant replay, steroids, Mark McGuire being named the Cardinals batting coach, November baseball, lost revenue, or anything else of consequence to the game.

Here’s what we will see….way too many Geico commercials; the St. Louey threesome of Buck (the talking head), McCarver (Mr. Obvious)and Rosenthal (who talks and says nothing); Ozzie Guillen; Victorino hitting a grand slam homer last year off Sabathia; Rollins and Jeter as friends and teammates on the U.S. WBC team; Pedro and Zimmer; Swisher, Posada, Texeira and Cabrera hitting righthanded; Ryan Howard and A-Rod being walked; Charlie and Joe; Bloomberg and Guiliani; Lidge and Rivera; Joba’s salty cap; skylines at night; weather shots; and a significant amount of hitting and home runs.

A special shout out to those from south New Jersey who happen to live too close to Philadelphia. May the outcome of the next two weeks not send you into identity shock when you realize that you’ve been pulling for the wrong team.