Game 6: Diamondbacks 15, Yankees 2
There is banter in Boston about how this World Series carries the Red Sox factor. Although the Flops can never seem to win it all, perhaps Sox fans can find hope, solace (or maybe despair) in the fact that Sunday's game will assure that one of their former pitchers -- Roger Clemens or Curt Schilling -- will start in the Game 7 in which his team wins the World Series.

Kidding aside, facts are facts. And the fact is that the Diamondbacks starting pitching has been tremendous in this World Series. Sure, they got 15 runs in Game 6. But the Yankees have scored only six runs in six games off D-Back starters. Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Brian Anderson and Miguel Batista have all turned in amazing performances.

There is no question the Diamondback starters have been better than the Yankee starters. The difference in this Series, and the reason why it's going to a Game 7, has two names: Mariano Rivera, and unfortunately, Byung-Hyun Kim -- although I still defend Bob Brenly's decision to bring in Kim in Game 5.

This game brings to light a few things. First, it is amazing how different these two teams play in their two home ballparks. Second -- something that has been consistent throughout this postseason -- is the great job the D-Backs have done putting together their lineup. They have had the deepest team in terms of position players in baseball this year.

Danny Bautista has been a hero -- in Game 2 he got the double off Andy Pettitte to give the D-Backs the one-run lead and he got the two-out single to right before the Matt Williams home run to break the game open. In Game 5, he went in for Luis Gonzalez and made a tremendous defensive catch, and in Saturday's Game 6 he had three hits and five RBI. Greg Colbrunn smoked three hits Saturday, Erubiel Durazo has been an unbelievably pleasant surprise, including the big home run off Tom Glavine in the NLCS. And since Craig Counsell has struggled in the middle games of the World Series, Jay Bell was able to come up big in Game 6.

Another interesting thing that has shown up in this World Series is that the Yankees are sorely lacking one right-handed pitcher. They decided not to keep Ugueth Urbina -- which turned out to be a grave mistake. Instead they kept Jay Witasick, who, along with Mark Wohlers, has been next-to-useless in the postseason. They don't have that right-handed long man -- Mendoza is too important for the seventh and eighth innings -- and it has hurt them.

Andy Pettitte is typically a great big-game pitcher -- it was very surprising the wheels came off for him the way they did in Game 6. He didn't have command, he didn't have the same fastball he had in Game 2 and he was forced to go to his cutter early. Sometimes that's just the way this crazy game goes -- because with Pettitte, we know it wasn't nerves.

Curiously, no one asked Brenly about a lineup that he'd never used before, one that clobbered the Yankees. He's used five lineups in six games and those lineups have been one pitch away from five wins.

Brenly was right when he took out Schilling. He was right to bring back Kim against righties he'd fanned the night before, and as for the 61 pitches, in Korea Kim was raised to throw 150-plus pitches on consecutive nights as a starter, then work relief the next night or two.

Bob Dylan, in "Let's Keep it between Us," wrote the appropriate line: "Back-seat drivers don't know the feel of the wheel but they sure know how to make a fuss."

The important thing for the Yankees is that they didn't have to use Sterling Hitchcock, Ramiro Mendoza or Mariano Rivera in Game 6. Hitchcock is not someone who can go on back-to-back nights, and in the unlikely event that something happens to Roger Clemens early in Game 7, or if they go to extra innings, they'll be glad to have Hitchcock available. It's good to keep the wear and tear off Mendoza, and they'll want Rivera to be as dominating as possible. Mike Stanton, on the other hand, can pitch every day. Joe Torre has kept his bullpen intact.

Curt Schilling should be able to go six innings in Game 7. The D-Backs can pitch Anderson, Batista, or even Kim if they want to. And you better believe Randy Johnson will be out in that bullpen ready and willing to go -- no matter that he threw 104 pitches in Game 6. I saw in 1995 that he is one of the most ferocious competitors in the game, and he wants to prove to the world that he is. If they need him to come in in the ninth to face a guy like Tino Martinez, Johnson will be there.

At the same time, the Yankees are very resilient, and their bullpen ain't too shabby, either.

This is geared for the perfect ending. It has been such a mentally exhausting Series, let's just line it up for one more great game worth all the marbles and see what happens. And watch it go 13 innings.