AN UPSET IN THE CARDS? NOT LIKELY.

Byline: DOUG KRIKORIAN

DETROIT - Welcome to Baseballtown, U.S.A.

Once a long time ago -- like, well, last spring -- a mecca for hockey and the Detroit Red Wings, this city suddenly has gone bonkers over the Tigers, recent conquerors of the New York Yankees and then the Oakland A's, recent losers of 119 games, recent widespread media targets for their traditionally inept play.

But no more.

Not at least in this magical season in which the Tigers have been the best team in baseball for most of it and slayed the mighty Yankees in the best-of-five division series in four games and then swept the A's in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series.

And now they find themselves overwhelming favorites to emerge victorious against the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series that commences this evening at Comerica Park if it doesn't rain, snow, sleet or become so cold that the ballplayers and patrons will be in danger of hypothermia.

The battered, tired Cardinals, who backed into the National League Central title on the final day of the season only because the Houston Astros lost, who won a mere 83 regular-season games, who had to go to the ninth inning of Game 7 against the pitching-depleted New York Mets before an implausible occurrence -- Yadier Molina hitting a home run -- gave them the NL pennant, seem to be in over their batting helmets.

No way a team that struggled against the likes of obscure Mets pitchers Oliver Perez and John Maine even with such distinguished batsmen in their lineup like Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, etc., will be able to cause trouble against Kenny Rogers, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander, this evening's starter.

No way a team that is worn out after an exhausting series against the Mets will be able to hold its own against a well-rested Tigers outfit on a torrid roll that seems to hold distinct edges in both starting and relief pitching, hitting, defense and seemingly every other category.

No way the Cardinals have even the faintest chance of upsetting the Tigers, and even those unfeeling gambling outfits are echoing such sentiments.

The biggest offshore sports betting one on the Internet, Pinnacle of Antigua, opened the Tigers as 2 to 1 favorites Friday, as one must put up $215 to win $100 if one is wagering on Detroit and $100 to win $190 if one thinks the Cardinals will emerge victorious.

Of course, on paper, the Tigers do seem more imposing with their conquest of the Yankees along with having competed in the supposedly superior AL, not to mention holding the home-field edge.

But who knows for sure what will happen?

After all, this is baseball, in which unforeseen developments unfold on a regular basis, in which an Oliver Perez can't pitching effectively throughout the regular season and becomes exceptional during the playoffs, in which the Yankees look so overwhelming during the regular season and come unraveled in October, in which the A's storm into the ALCS after a sweep of Minnesota only to get swept themselves by Detroit, in which a .216 hitting catcher named Yadier Molina vaults the Cardinals into the World Series with his late-game heroics.

Sure, the Tigers now seem unbeatable, but how unbeatable were they on the final weekend of the regular season when they dropped three straight to the lowly Kansas City Royals to give the Twins the AL Central title and assure themselves a first-round playoff date with the Yankees?

Who thought the Tigers would stun the Yankees?

That seemed like a far less likelihood than, well, the Cardinals being able to stun the Tigers.

I have no idea what will happen in the upcoming days between the Tigers and Cardinals, although I suspect that the Tigers' pitching might turn out to be simply too overpowering for the Cardinals.

It should be, but if I knew for sure I'd bet the house and live happily ever after with the proceeds from a rousing Tigers' triumph.

But there are no certainties when teams are competing at a championship level in athletics -- and never are there certainties in the notoriously fickle game that is baseball.

The Cardinals' pitching also has been impressive, as Jeff Weaver (Simi Valley), 2005 Cy Young-award winner Chris Carpenter and Jeff Suppan (Crespi) silenced the potent bats of the Mets, as did the team's bullpen led by closer Adam Wainwright.

Alas, the Cardinals are going with the inexperienced rookie Anthony Reyes (USC) tonight, and he doesn't figure to acquit himself admirably against the Tigers.

But who knows?

Who thought 3-13 Perez would acquit himself admirably against the Cardinals?

Those thinking this will be a short series probably will turn out wrong, as Tony La Russa's troops have proved, if nothing else, to be resilient and not intimidated by challenging circumstances, as they graphically demonstrated Thursday night in their stirring victory in hostile Shea Stadium in New York.

No doubt the Cardinals have holes in their lineup, and guys like Preston Wilson and Juan Encarnaction and even Rolen seemed overmatched much of the time against the Mets.

But when it counted, like in the final inning of the final game, Rolen came up with a one-out ninth inning single.

And, as we all know, the next batter, Molina, who hit a mere sixhomer during the regular season, deposited one over the left-field wall to put his team in the Fall Classic.

The Cardinals do have a pest at shortstop in David Eckstein, who continually gets on base and disrupts opposing pitchers.

And they do have Albert Pujols, perhaps the most feared batsman in the major leagues. And they do have momentum in the wake of their Game 7 victory over the Mets.

Still, they don't figure to eclipse the Tigers.

But the strong feeling here is that Detroit will find the Cardinals tougher to handle than they did the Yankees and A's.

This time they will be extended to seven games before they repulse a Cardinal team that will cause this baseball-crazed town many tense moments.

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