There were low expectations for the 1991 World Series. The Atlanta Braves had averaged 65 victories in their previous six seasons and were long-shot winners of the National League. The Twins were in the Series for the second time in five seasons, yet it was a team coming off 74 victories and a seventh-place finish in 1990.

The Braves were carried by a collection of young, not-yet-famous starting pitchers. Ron Gant, David Justice and Terry Pendleton were Atlanta's version of star power in the lineup.

Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek remained familiar to the nation's casual baseball fans from the '87 Series, but prominent figures from that title team such as Frank Viola, Gary Gaetti, Bert Blyleven, Jeff Reardon and Tom Brunansky had moved on.

The Series opened with a 5-2 victory for the Twins on Oct. 19 in the Metrodome. The CBS rating for that game was a historical low. When the Series concluded eight nights later, in the same thunderous locale and with a 1-0, 10-inning victory for the Twins, the nation's sporting public had been sucked into the drama of the seven-game tournament and the CBS ratings were large.

The 106th World Series opens tonight in San Francisco, in an era when television ratings that were historically low 19 years ago would be considered outstanding today. The Grand Old Game has reached a point where its popularity is regional -- where fans will watch a successful home team in big numbers but don't care if it's a team from the Bay Area and or a team from north Texas that wins the World Series.

One frequent complaint from soft-core baseball fans is the domination of the Yankees, with their obscenely large payrolls. The paradox is that when the Yankees get bounced, those same people are less likely to watch the World Series.

MCT
Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton

The 2010 Yankees had their traditional first-round walkover against a team from the Midwest, then were outclassed in six games by the Rangers. That meant the Yankees' domination that turns off so many from baseball will be restricted to one championship (2009) in the current 10-year cycle.

The Giants' last title came in New York, when they swept the Indians in 1954. They moved to San Francisco in 1958 and are 0-for-3 in previous Series. They went to Anaheim with a 3-2 lead in 2002, then succumbed to the Rally Monkey in Game 6 and to strong Angels pitching in Game 7.

There wasn't much charm to those Giants, since Barry Bonds was an unlikable superstar, even in the months before the BALCO revelations.

This group of Giants is a complete opposite, from closer Brian Wilson and his Amish-style beard, to the clean-cut All-American rookie catcher, Buster Posey, to staff ace Tim Lincecum, who could be cast by HBO as a nerdy vampire in "True Blood."

The Giants' leadoff hitter is Andres Torres, a center fielder who spent his ninth season of pro ball with the Twins' Class AAA club in Rochester, N.Y., in 2006. He batted .236 with two home runs and 30 RBI. And now he's 32, in his first full season in the big leagues and offers the only speed in the Giants' lineup.

Juan Uribe is the game's thickest middle infielder, and Pablo Sandoval looks as though he could eat Uribe for a snack. Edgar Renteria is a former World Series hero -- from 1997.

It's easy to rally behind San Francisco's ragamuffins, except how can you not root for the Rangers' Josh Hamilton and his remarkable comeback story?

Hamilton was the first overall selection by Tampa Bay in 1999. Two years later, he was in rehab for drugs and alcohol. He got much worse before he got better. He was out of the game in 2004 and 2005, before resurfacing late in 2006 for 15 games in short-season Class A.

The Cubs selected Hamilton in the Rule 5 draft before the 2007 season, then almost immediately sold him to the Reds for $100,000. He showed promise but was often hurt. The Rangers took a greater risk, sending top pitching prospect Edinson Volquez to the Reds for Hamilton on Dec. 21, 2007.

Three years later, Hamilton is going to be the American League MVP, and he has led the Rangers to their first World Series.

As in 1991, there should be great stuff everywhere you look in this World Series -- if you're among the stout-hearted who plan to take a look.

Patrick Reusse can be heard noon-4 weekdays on 1500ESPN. • preusse@startribune.com