It was supposed to be an epic showdown between the hapless Chicago Cubs and the cursed Boston Red Sox in the one hundredth World Series. The stretch runs of both historic franchises captivated an audience that the sport of baseball had not seen since Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire battled their way to surpass Roger Maris’ single season home record in 1998.

But the dream came to an end last week, and the world is left with what is being generally referred to as a somewhat boring World Series between the Marlins and the Yankees.

Sure, the storylines aren’t there. It’s not a contest between two teams trying to end two of the three longest title droughts in baseball history. It’s far from the history that was inscribed in the American League Championship Series when Aaron Boone broke all of New England’s heart with one swing in the eleventh inning of game seven. But it is the World Series after all, and after two games it looks to be one that could go the distance.

The Yankees, with all 39 of their pennants and 26 World Series titles, slept through Game One as the Marlins used their speed and pitching to down New York 3-2 in the Bronx.

You can call the game a hangover for the Yanks, after such an emotional and hard-fought final game against the Red Sox, but it was the “Fighting Fish” that came to shine. Speed, in the form of center fielder Juan Pierre and second baseman Luis Castillo, has proved to be a catalyst for the Florida offense throughout the playoffs and the entire regular season. With these two track stars disguised as ballplayers, the series has found its most interesting sideline.

First there’s Pierre. The leadoff man of the two leadoff men, a 26-year-old native of Mobile, Ala., Pierre played his college ball at South Alabama and made the move north to Manitowoc, Wis. to play for the Skunks of the Northwoods league in the summer of 1996.

In 2000, Pierre made his major league debut with the Colorado Rockies, hitting .310 and scoring 26 runs in 51 games. He earned a full time spot with Colorado in 2001, going on to hit .327 with 46 stolen bases and 55 RBIs. In his first season with Florida, Pierre played in all 162 games, scoring 100 runs and stealing a major league high 62 stolen bases.

And it was Pierre’s fiery play that propelled the Fish to victory in Game One. The speedster scored the Marlins’ first run in inning number one of the series, beating out a bunt to reach first base, sprinting all the way to third on a bloop single from Castillo, before charging home on a sacrifice fly from Marlins’ heavy hitting catcher Pudge Rodriquez.

In the first frame of the series, Pierre had set the tone. The centerfielder went on to drive in the Marlins’ two other runs on a single in the game’s fifth inning.

While his bat was silenced in Game Two, a return to the large confines of Pro Player Stadium for the next three games will have Pierre comfortable with the surroundings and lines so he can lay down more slow rollers to confound and confuse the Yankees.

And then there’s Castillo, an eighth-year pro and Dominican native who was the talk of baseball early last season, hitting in a career-high 35 consecutive games, from May 8-June 21, the longest hitting streak in the majors since Milwaukee’s Paul Molitor found a hit in 39 games in a row. The streak is tied for the sixth longest in the National League and tied for the tenth longest in Major League history.

That late June night, when his streak was halted, Castillo was standing in the on deck circle, as veteran Tim Raines pleaded with Marlins’ management to lay down a bunt so Castillo could get one last shot at extending the streak, but Raines went up the plate and delivered a sacrifice fly to win the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Raines’ gesture speaks volumes about the regard the once great leadoff hitter has for his younger counterpart, who in turn has given up his leadoff duties without as much as a bark when the Marlins acquired Pierre last off-season.

As the series heads to Miami, the Yankees will again try to stop the Marlins’ dynamic duo from lighting the spark. And while the Yankees lineup may be as potent as ever, the Marlins aren’t too many steps behind, and their young pitching has continued to surprise throughout the playoffs.

Even the staunchest New York fan must admit that the 2003 Yanks don’t have the swagger and leadership they had before Paul O’Neil hung it up and before Tino Martinez was let go to make room for Jason Giambi.

That’s why I’m putting my chips on the Fish. Pierre and Castillo cause too many problems once they reach the base paths, and the Yankee rotation seems too far out of whack after using most of their staff in the final game against Boston. As long as the Marlin pitching stays consistent, Pierre and Castillo will be setting the table for Pudge and the rest of Florida’s lineup to find their way to a World Series championship.