Your favorite team didn't make the World Series? Here's whom you should root for

On Opening Day, 30 teams looked toward the end of October and penciled in a week or two in their calendars where they hoped they might be a bit busy. Now, we're here, and sadly, 28 of those teams are on vacation.

Suppose you cheer for one of those 28 teams? Which one of the remaining two should you cheer for: the Royals or the Giants?

We've prepared this handy guide to help you make your decision. Read on:

Angels: Thanks to the Royals, you can't root for Mike Trout for the rest of October, but at least Travis Ishikawa is wearing his sneakers. The Giants are your choice this autumn.

Astros: Ya still gotta be rooting for Hunter Pence, right? That guy is tough to forget about. Go for the Giants.

Athletics: The only thing that could make that sour taste in your mouth worse is getting stuck in Bay Area traffic during a Giants World Series parade. But hey, if the Royals win, at least your team lost to the eventual champs, right?

Mariners: Look at it this way: If a team that had suffered a long, long postseason drought had the chance to win the World Series, wouldn't you want that? Wouldn't you want to know that something like that was possible? Root for the Royals. You know, for a friend.

Rangers: You're already called the Rangers, so take the black (and the orange.) Plus, Buster Posey and Brandon Belt are native sons. Remember, cheering for the Giants is what your first base coach and former Giant Bengie Molina would want you to do.

Blue Jays: With the Royals playing October baseball for the first time since 1985, that now leaves the Blue Jays with the longest active postseason drought. Isn't it nice to know there's light at the end of the tunnel? And if the Royals can break the drought with a Fall Classic appearance, maybe the Jays can too.

Orioles: There's something to be said for rooting for the team that beat you, because at least that means you lost to the best. But O's fans are likely still bitter from being swept out of what was supposed to be your Cinderella year. Plus, orange and black teams have to stick together. Root for the Giants, O's fans.

Rays: They're not Rays anymore, but James Shields and Wade Davis gave Tampa Bay some good years. It's where Shields earned his "Big Game" nickname, after all. You have to be pulling for your former pitchers and the Royals in the World Series. 

Red Sox: The Red Sox have shared a surprising number of players with the Giants in the two teams' histories -- including Trade Deadline acquisition Jake Peavy. But two of the players to play for both clubs, Dave Roberts and Bill Mueller, combined to form one of the most memorable moments in Red Sox history. Go Giants.

Yankees: This weird Giants' pattern of a World Series win every other year is the closest thing we have to a dynasty in MLB since the Yankees' teams from the late '90s. They might not be your Bronx Bombers, but root for the Giants if only because they remind you of better days. Plus, the Giants used to be in New York. 

Indians: All this talk of postseason droughts is well and good, but maybe no city understands postseason pain quite like Cleveland. Sure, they're division rivals, but if it can't be the Indians, why not cheer for the Royals?

Tigers: You probably aren't going to be cheering for the Royals -- a team that nearly stole the division with their red-hot finish to the season. But if you needed another reason, their mascot is a lion, and cheering for a lion would run counter to a Tigers fan's very core. Go with the Giants.

Twins: Here's an interesting fact: Back in 2012, when we were all in the midst of Royal Baby-fever, there was the interesting question as to what might happen if Kate Middleton were, in fact, pregnant with twins. According to the official succession rules, the official heir to the throne would have been whichever twin happened to be born first. Wouldn't that have been crazy? Anyway, cheer for the Royals.

White Sox: White Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics in 1963 and played for the team for five seasons. So if you like Hawk, Hawk's calls and possess any amount of TWTW, you should probably root for the city and that first brought him to the Bigs: and thereby, the Royals. KC also has a budding techno scene, and Hawk knows a thing or two about techno … 

Braves: In 16 MLB seasons, Tim Hudson has been on as many 100-win teams as he has losing teams (2). Over nine years as a Brave, Hudson won 113 games and posted a 3.56 ERA. You're already pulling for the guy, make it official and pull for the Giants too.

Marlins: You've got to root for the Royals, because while Lou Seal may look friendly, in the natural world, he'd eat Billy the Marlin in a heartbeat.

Mets: That orange on your Mets cap? That's a tribute to the Giants, back when they played at the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan, so rooting for SF is just as New York as folding your pizza and complaining about the 7 train.

Nationals: Josh Willingham became the 13th player to hit two grand slams in one game when he played for your team, so if his Royals win, you can say you taught him everything he knew.

Phillies: First of all, it's easier to root for a fan base on the brink of a 30-year drought than it is to see Hunter Pence win a SECOND ring for another franchise. Oh, what might have been. Also, RAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUL should get a ring before he hangs 'em up. Go Royals.

Diamondbacks: There is nothing on this earth that Dodgers fans would rather see less than the Giants celebrating a third World Series in 5 years. Cheer for the Giants.

Dodgers: The Royals are such a wonderful story - they missed the playoffs every year after winning the World Series in 1985, and now, in their first trip back, they're in the Fall Classic. It's tough not to cheer for them. Oh, and there's that whole "The Giants are our NL West rivals" thing. That too.

Padres: Hall of Famers Gaylord Perry and Willie McCovey spent the majority of their careers with the Giants, but both played for the Padres at some point as well. Perry, in fact, won one of his two Cy Young Awards with the Padres in 1979. That said, Jeff Francoeur has played for the Padres, Giants AND Royals, so maybe just sit this one out and cheer for Frenchy to make a Major League roster in 2015 instead.

Rockies: Look at this!

I don't think Dinger realizes his team is down by 5.

- Sluggerrr (@Sluggerrr) August 20, 2014

No way you can support a team whose mascot trolled your own mascot like that. Go with the Giants and Lou Seal: the kinder, snazzier mascot.

Brewers: Doesn't Billy Butler just look like a guy who should be from Milwaukee? Yay Royals.

Cardinals: We understand that you must be torn, Cards fans. Forced to choose between the team that defeated you in the 1985 World Series and the team that just knocked you from the postseason. But time heals all wounds, and it might just be too soon to go for the Giants. Gotta go Royals all the way. 

Cubs: To make up for the years of watching Henry Rowengartner strike out Barry Bonds over ... and ... over .. and over ... you have to give your support to the Giants. 

Pirates: After following a team that went without postseason baseball for 20 years, you know how hard it is to weather a drought like that. The Royals, in their first postseason in 29 years, are your brethren. Support them.

Reds: Coming from the Queen City, you don't take kindly to imposters angling for the throne. So sorry Lorde and the Royals, but you gotta go Giants.