Hey there, baseball fans. Only a couple hours to go before game one of the 2005 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros. One of these teams’ destinies is going to change tonight, right here on ESPN Radio. And me and my broadcast partner Dan Schulman couldn’t be happier to bring it to you live in more than 130 countries around the globe.

So what else is there to say about this game? You’ve heard analysts talk about pitching and defense and baserunning and speed and low-scoring games. All that’s true. But I think you’ve got to admit that both teams have some great hitters out there – after all, you’ve got sure-fire Hall of Famers like Frank Thomas and Jeff Bagwell on either team, and there’s no telling when they could contribute in the clutch. You don’t get the big bucks without being a clutch hitter.

In other words, there are going to be some hits out there. And guys will get on base and score. But if there’s one thing that really separates the men from the boys, it’s how you prepare for those scenarios. You know at least a few times a game you’re going to have men on first and third, right? In that case, there’s only one thing you can do: the fake to third, fake to first.

Faking to third, faking to first keeps the runners honest. You can’t let them cheat off third too far, or a little slappy pop fly turns into a run. And since both these teams’ catchers are team leaders, you can’t let the guy get a big lead off first; A.J. Pierzynski’s going to be helping his team win by shaking off Jose Contreras at least four or five times every pitch, so he can’t keep an eye on both runners. A.J. doesn’t have eyes on either side of his head. He’s a catcher, not a flounder.

So what do the pitchers do? Well, you’ve got to make sure that runner knows his place. Say you’re in the stretch, and out of the corner of your eye you see Scott Podsednik tense up. You’ve got to whirl around, fake to third, and fake to first. No harm, no foul. And then you punch the guy out.

You’ve got to think of it like you’re Peyton Manning out there. When he’s marching down the field, he’s all about misdirection. He’s got to keep the defense on their toes. So he flaps his arms around and marches up and down the line and does the chicken dance. And because of that, he’s successful. You think of playoff heroes in this day and age, you have to think of Peyton Manning.

So when it comes right down to it, I think this Series is the Astros’ to lose, because they’re going to ride their horses right into the ground. And they’ve got one of the best in the game out there tonight, as far as the fake to third, throw to first is concerned, and that’s Roger Clemens. You see Roger out there, you keep an eye on him. As soon as he’s in trouble, he’ll start faking and juking out there like somebody gave him a hotfoot. But that’s why he led the league in ERA. In so many situations this year, Roger Clemens found himself throwing heat, but only after he reached toward third, reached toward first, and sent a message to the other team: that he’s Roger Clemens, master of the reach-around.

Former Astros infielder Dave “Soup” Campbell co-hosts the pre-game and post-game shows as part of ESPN Radio’s World Series coverage.