NOT EVEN SELIG CAN RUIN THIS BASE HIT.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI

ANAHEIM - Things are looking so good for baseball as the Angels and the San Francisco Giants begin the World Series this evening, you figure it's time for Bud Selig to grab the microphone.

Any minute now, Selig is bound to announce a ban on pretty natural-grass fields, a price hike for hot dogs and cotton candy, or the elimination of the entire American League Central. Last year, Luis Gonzalez hardly had landed his last celebratory Salchows after the Arizona Diamondbacks' classic victory over the New York Yankees when Selig brought everybody's spirits crashing to earth with talk of canning a couple of franchises.

Why wait?

Oh, well, here's a guess that this time, not even the commissioner, the greatest rally killer since Devon White, can stop the roll his sport is on.

The Angels-Giants World Series, the product of an October of thrills and surprises, could be one of those image-bending events, showing off the flattering sides of baseball that haven't been promoted in years, continuing the healing that began with the summer's strike-saving agreement between players and owners.

It remains to be seen how this all-California, all-wild card, Eckstein vs. Bonds World Series will go over in, say, New York, where they think anything not involving the Yankees is Rookie League.

For the rest of us, it is figuratively, if only half literally, a Disney production, too sweet to be true.

Suddenly, Anaheim and San Francisco, which went into the playoffs with their respective leagues' third- and fourth-best records, carry the burden of expectations. They are being asked to refute 10 of the most damning charges made against baseball:

Only the rich clubs have a chance to win a title, that is, buy a pennant: The Giants began the season with the 10th-highest payroll in the major leagues, right between the Indians and Blue Jays, and the Angels the 15th highest, between the Astros and Orioles. Apparently, it's not how much you spend on players, it's which players you spend it on. The lone blockbuster free-agent signing on the Giants' playoff roster is Barry Bonds. The biggest free-agent signing on the Angels' playoff roster is Scott Speizio. The Giants built principally through trades. The Angels built mostly through the farm system. Old-school approaches on both sides.

To win a title, a team has to raid the less fortunate for star players in late-season trades: The Giants' big July acquisition was Kenny Lofton, whose .259 average with the White Sox put him on the way to a career low. The Angels' big July trade was for Alex Ochoa, batting .256 for Milwaukee. Hardly sure-fire quick fixes.

Impoverished franchises that will never, ever amount to anything are dragging down the sport: A decade ago, the Giants were a dying franchise; they almost retired to St. Petersburg. New ownership and a new ballpark rejuvenated them. For most of their existence, the Angels were the ``Don't Let This Happen to You'' chapter in ``How to Build a Baseball Contender.'' Smarter, more patient management rewrote their story. There's hope for everybody.

Players are mercenaries who will play anywhere for a buck, or a million, and who don't give a damn about the fans: Nearly one-third of both teams' rosters are California-born. Although it's not always by choice that those players wear the uniforms of California teams, they clearly do relate to Giants and Angels history, the Orange County natives expressing real delight in the end of the Angels drought. And both teams made a point of returning to the field after their pennant clinchings to thank, and celebrate with, their fans.

Since league expansion thinned the talent pool, teams are less deep and balanced: No. 8 hitter David Bell and pinch hitter Shawon Dunston started the two-out, ninth-inning rally that won the Giants the pennant Monday. No. 9 hitter Adam Kennedy hit the three home runs that won the Angels the pennant Sunday. Not many weak links in either lineup. The Giants had five pitchers with 12-plus victories this season; no National League team matched that. The Angels had three with 14-plus; only the A's matched that. Depth was rewarded.

Unlike, most notably, basketball, the best player in the sport often fails to even make the championship round: It's true, no league Most Valuable Player has played for a World Series winner since Kirk Gibson with the 1988 Dodgers. But Bonds, shoe-in for NL MVP this season, has a big chance to shine in the spotlight.

Highlights are dominated by the home-run swings of 'roided-up guys who'd be football players except they're lacking the gene for violence and following orders: Uh, who do you mean, David Eckstein? The Angels are the opposite of sit-back-and-wait-for-the-three-run-homer.

It's no longer the sport of acquired and polished skills, as it was in the old days when players served long minor-league apprenticeships: Um, to whom are you referring, Benito Santiago? The Giants, a bunch of mid- to late-30s veterans, have made up for diminished talent with improved gamesmanship.

It's no longer the sport where there's a ``right'' and a ``wrong'' way to do things: The Giants have spent the week praising the Angels because ``they play the game right.'' That speaks well of the Angels and the Giants.

Taking the family to the ballpark isn't as much fun as it used to be: Pac Bell Park and Edison Field are two places you can take non-baseball fans and they'll enjoy it. Any monkey knows that.

Commissioner?