World Series

Sometimes a single image just won't do. Printmakers often work in a series, enabling them to literally explore variations with their subject matter and technique. The Baltimore Museum of Art exhibit "Print By Print: Series from Durer to Lichtenstein" showcases such print series done between the 15th century and the present day. Whether lined up along the wall or arranged in grids, the 300 exhibited prints will keep your eyes moving along. The serial format is especially appropriate for printmakers who are visually interpreting Biblical or other literary source material.

Phillies will fight back Dan Connolly Baltimore Sun I know there are plenty of reasons to jump off the Phillies' bandwagon. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, relievers Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge and starter Roy Oswalt all may sign elsewhere, and Ryan Howard will miss a chunk of next season. And, of course, the Phillies have lost in the postseason for three consecutive years since winning it all in 2008. I don't care. There are three reasons the Phillies, who had the best record in baseball, should still be the favorite for 2012: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.

Cardinals in 7 Peter Schmuck Baltimore Sun History tells us that the World Series team that wins Game 5 to take a 3-2 advantage goes on to win the title 66 percent of the time. All Texas has to do is win one of the next two games against the team that had the worst regular-season record among this year's eight playoff teams. Except it isn't going to go down that way. Cardinals Game 6 starter Jaime Garcia is coming off a terrific seven-inning performance in Game 2. He'll drag the Cards into Game 7 and they'll have the home crowd behind them with all the candy on the line.

My, how the times have changed. When I was in my teens, I couldn't wait to rush home from school to watch the World Series. Going back 40-some years, most games were played in the afternoon (the way the game was originally meant to be played). The spectacle was especially enticing when our hometown Orioles were participating. My heart would pulsate wildly with high hopes of our boys bringing home another championship. Today, I find mostly indifference among friends and family when it comes to the World Series.

Two months ago, Michael Gonzalez stood at his stall in the Orioles clubhouse before a game against the Blue Jays. Having just found out that he had been traded to the Rangers, he packed his gear and changed into jeans and a pair of flip flops, but he was still wearing his Orioles undershirt when reporters surrounded his stall. "I'm excited. I'm going to go out there and I'm going to try to win a championship now," Gonzalez, who was traded for fellow reliever Pedro Strop , said at the time.

No one should be surprised that the Texas Rangers enter Game 1 of the 107th World Series on Wednesday night as medium favorites to win the first title by a franchise from the Lone Star State. They're the better team on paper and they actually won their division championship, so what else would you expect the oddsmakers to do when the other guys brought the worst regular-season record into the postseason? It's a fair question. The Rangers can do it all, and they've been doing it all year.

The 2011 Major League Baseball playoffs start at 5:07 p.m. on Friday night -- why wouldn't they start at 5:07 p.m. on a weekday? -- and I have a feeling that my preseason World Series pick isn't going to get it done this autumn. Semi-related question: Are golf courses in Boston still open in October? The Red Sox -- and the Atlanta Braves, too -- are out of the playoff picture after Wednesday night's MLB thrill ride, and if we're lucky, the postseason will be half as fun as the frantic final night of the regular season.

Enjoy the undercard. There is an abundance of intriguing storylines in baseball these days, and most of them will be like Matt Kemp's run at the Triple Crown — over and out of sight by the time the World Series rolls around. Justin Verlander could win 25 games. The Rays and Cardinals could force their way into the playoffs with dramatic victories down the stretch, and the Red Sox and Braves both could survive alarming collapses. Kirk Gibson could put himself on the playoff roster as a one-legged pinch hitter.

During last week's Cal Ripken Major/70 World Series at the Ripken Academy in Aberdeen, a few dozen disabled children were afforded the opportunity to play ball, a chance that might not have been there were it not for the League of Dreams program. Convening on the turf practice field on Saturday afternoon, the local children were treated to a baseball clinic, during which they were instructed on the hitting, fielding and throwing aspects of the game, and were supposed to take part in a scrimmage game, but that was canceled when a heavy rainstorm cut short the proceedings.

Cal Ripken World Series D.R. pitcher throws no-no; Md. team out In one of the all-time best pitching performances seen at the Cal Ripken World Series, the Dominican Republic's Leudy Santana struck out 14 batters en route to a no-hitter in his team's 1-0 victory over Mexico in Friday's International semifinal matchup at Cal Sr.'s Yard. The performance was validation for Santana, who struck out 16 hitters in the Dominican team's earlier pool play contest with Mexico on Monday but lost when the reigning champs scored four runs on three hits in a 4-0 victory.