World Series news and notes

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 27, 2007

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The more boys I meet

Country/pop singer Carrie Underwood would seem about as safe - and bland - a choice for tonight's national anthem duty as there could be.

But the Rockies might have a beef with MLB's selection.

Underwood has been honored twice by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as the "world's sexiest vegetarian" and has been a supporter of the Humane Society.

The Rockies' general partners, Dick and Charlie Monfort, made their living in the beef industry. According to Denver's Rocky Mountain News, their relatives formed Monfort Inc., which was one of the world's largest meat-packing companies.

Tough ticket

The first Series game in Denver is, no surprise, a popular and expensive attraction. As of 5 p.m. Friday, the cheapest ticket available on StubHub.com was $550 for an upper reserved seat down the leftfield line, and most expensive was $4,117 for an infield box behind third.

Terry time

Boston's Terry Francona is the first manager to go unbeaten through his first six Series games. Only four others, one that's awful familiar, won their first four:

Manager Year Team

George Stallings 1914 Braves

Hank Bauer 1966 Orioles

Lou Piniella 1990 Reds

Ozzie Guillen 2005 Chisox

Source: MLB