Brian Fuentes

I'm supposed to be working on a paper right now. I have this group project where we have to evaluate a process from beginning to end and calculate throughput times and such, and suggest ways to improve the current process. I'm responsible for consolidating the first draft of the paper that's due on Wednesday, and I've been working on it, but while I do, I like to have some background noise. Tonight, that background noise is Game Four of the 2007 World Series.

(An aside... I love these A&E World Series DVD sets - they really should release more of them. There have been some pretty good series in the last 20 years that they haven't released: 1991, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003... 1991 is especially perplexing since they released the Twins 1987 set, but 1991 is widely considered to be one of the best World Series ever. But I digress.)

So I'm almost done with this stupid paper, and I glance up at the TV for the start of the top of the 8th inning. The Rockies brought Brian Fuentes in to start the inning, and the Red Sox had the immortal Bobby Kielty hit for the pitcher to lead off the inning. First pitch, home run, making the score 4-1 in a game the Sox would eventually win 4-3. First pitch? Really, Brian? I know the odds were stacked against the Rockies coming back, being down 3-0 with Beckett scheduled to go in Game Five, but that was a complete "it's golf season" pitch.

Anyway, I guess I have three points: I love procrastination, I love nostalgia, and I hope - for Warren's sake - that the Mets don't sign Fuentes this off-season.

2-for-4

Well, that was easy. I feel guilty saying this, because I really do feel spoiled, but there was never really a doubt in my mind that the Red Sox were going all the way once Cleveland beat the Yankees. I even felt a little bad for Cleveland fans after the Sox beat the Indians, but I felt no such remorse for Anaheim and Colorado fans. At least the Angels fill the ballpark during the regular season, but Colorado... welcome the Major League Baseball, fellas! Don't forget, we doing this same thing - playing baseball games - from April through September every year. Feel free to show up.

The series itself went about how I thought it would. The Rockies' pitching finally hit the wall that we'd all been waiting for when opposed by a real offense, and the Red Sox pitching came as advertised. Beckett was money, Schilling showed his age but also some veteranosity to pitch out of some jams, Matsuzaka finished up a just-okay first season about as well as you could have expected, and the bullpen was as lock-down as it had been in the first two rounds. Lester was a great story, of course - so was Aaron Cook - and the Red Sox clearly made the right choice in going with him over Wakefield. I'm anxious to see what he can do with a full off-season of training under his belt. He could still be a valuable pitcher.

I probably would have picked Papelbon or Ellsbury as the MVP, but I have no problems with Lowell. Relievers generally get too much credit in the playoffs, I think, but Papelbon pitched in a few more-than-three-out situations, which I think counts for a little extra. As for Ellsbury... as soon as he scored after his lead-off double in Game Four, I found myself wondering whether I remembered to put the champagne in the fridge before we left for the bar. Good luck in Minnesota, Coco.

This is obviously not as exciting as 2004 - nothing will ever top that - but it's still amazing, and it might only get better. This year's World Series roster featured six home-grown players (I don't count the Japanese pitchers) who all played prominent roles, and it's not a stretch to think they could all be as good or even better next year, and the system still has more fruit to bear. I fully expect this team to make the playoffs for the next five years, which is something I never would have thought even three years ago.

I'll wrap this up because I'm sure you both don't really care, but I just want to say that the A-Rod thing didn't really bother me. Obviously, Boras should have known better, but I was just thrilled that he was off the Yankees. I hope the Red Sox don't sign him, though - he should go to the NL where he won't get booed regularly in four cities.

My Thoughts

1) How did the Cardinals ever win the World Series?

2) Joe Girardi was my first choice. Followed by Tony Pena, Larry Bowa, and Buck Showalter. Don Mattingly was not. I am one of the believers that you follow a calm players' manager with a fiery one and vice-versa. Don Mattingly will probably be just like Joe Torre, but with less experience.

3) They handled the Joe Torre thing the exact way I expected them too. People say the got bad publicity by handling it "wrong", but they don't realize they would have gotten much worse publicity if they had just fired him. The fact was they didn't want him back and they came up with the best offer that they knew he'd still turn down. It would have been much worse to fire one of if not the most popular manager in the team's history. Letting him make the decision to walk away (even if it was mostly forced) was the way to go.

4) I'm definitely hoping jinxes are real with the departure of Don Mattingly. In the last 27 years Don Mattingly was in the Yankee orginzation for 18 of those seasons. Those 18 seasons the Yankees did not go to a World Series, even once. In the other 9 seasons the Yankees went to the World Series 7 times. 7 of the last 9 and 10 of the last 14 seasons without Don Mattingly the Yankees went to the World Series.

Since 1921, the Yankees have been in the World Series 57% of the time when Don Mattingly wasn't on the team as a player or coach. That's amazing.

5) ARod. I thought he was coming back. I assumed that when the Yankees talked to him they would convince him (with a huge deal to help) to stay. The Yankees were right, he would have. Boras knew it too. That's why Boras never let the Yankees talk with him.

6) I didn't mind watching Clemens in amazement after he left the Yankees. I never felt slighted with it. That won't be true with ARod.

7) How bad will ARod look if the Yankees do win the World Series next year? People may notice the Mattingly connection, but the talk will be ARod.

8) After the shock of the opt out was over, all I kept thinking was, that's a great salary slot for Johan Santana. I'm not expecting it this season (although I'm sure Cashman will call), but it's very rare that the best pitcher on the planet is a southpaw, and I can't imagine Santana's agent would let him sign anywhere (if there is a deadline deal somewhere else) without checking in on the Yankees' offer price.

9) You know Boras already has a deal in his pocket with another team that's $30 million a year, the questions are which team (probably the Angels) and can the Yankees proove it for tampering (probably not).

10) I would be shocked (and very upset) if Posada, Pettitte, or Rivera went anywhere. I wouldn't think the change to Girardi would not negatively impact their decision as Pettitte and Rivera finished 2-3 for the Cy Young the first year they pitched to him (their sophomore season) and Girardi mentored Posada.

11) Mattingly had to leave after Girardi got the job, as Girardi is younger than him. If Lou Piniella got the job, Mattingly could stay, and Mattingly could follow Torre to LA (especially with his son in their organization), and Torre's age means Mattingly would be his natural successor.

12) The Jitter Critters helped me a lot this year, as it allowed me to not pay attention too much to anything going on. And the kids loved the show on Saturday.

Congratulations...

... to the Rockies. That was one hell of a run, and the NL West is going to be great division in the next few years.

... to the Rangers. You just saved yourselves a chunk of cash. You have the second happiest fans in baseball.

... to the Red Sox. The best team in baseball won.

... to Sully. I hope you don't have anything important to do at work early tomorrow morning.

Less than four months until pitchers and catchers report. I can't wait.

Game Seven

I love Game Sevens. In any sport, they're fantastic, but there really is nothing better in sports than a Game Seven in baseball. I love the phrase "win or go home." I love the phrase "all hands on deck" even more. That's easily my favorite baseball saying, just ahead of "double-barreled action in the bullpen." And I love the anticipation - I have a paper to write today, and I'm blowing off the game of a historically good Patriots team to write it so I have all afternoon and evening free for Game Seven.

And how do I even count the ways that I love this Game Seven? I can't wait to see Jacoby Ellsbury get another start. I'm hoping I don't have to see him, but I want to know how John Lester can pitch on the grand stage when the Red Sox need him most. I want to see if something happens that I never thought possible: J.D. Drew getting a standing ovation, at Fenway Park, no less. I hope to see C.C. Sabathia being used as a situational lefty, although Eric Wedge will probably leave him in too long. I don't even know how this hilarious Paul Byrd business will affect the game, but there's a 100% chance that I will complain about it repeatedly if the Indians win tonight (will Ross join me?).

I hopeful, of course, because you have to be. I'm hopeful that Matsuzaka won't put too much pressure on himself, and will attack the strike zone and keep his pitch count manageable. I'm hopeful that the Red Sox can finally solve the Jake Westbrook knock-knock joke (he's not really a riddle, is he? He's Jake Westbrook!). I'm hopeful that Eric Wedge will continue to blow this series, after pushing Sabathia too hard in Game Five and using up most of his good relievers in Game Six (I finally know what it was like for Yankee fans playing against a Grady Little-managed team - it feels sweeeeeeeet). I'm hopeful that Troy O'Leary throws out the first pitch. I'm hopeful that the last few innings are rendered meaningless by a huge Red Sox lead, but if they're not, I hope for one or two things, or both: the prominent involvement of David Ortiz and the prominent involvement of Joe Borowski.

Mostly, I hope that the Red Sox finish off their 1986-esque ALCS comeback, and if it happens, I hope that I can get World Series tickets. Fenway is impossible, but the Rockies don't start selling until tomorrow morning, and I've got three other guys committed to a weekend trip to Denver.

I'm giddy. I'm nervous. I'm ready for Game Seven.

Down 3-1

Well, I'm not quite sure what to say at this point. Schilling, Matsuzaka, and Wakefield haven't given the Red Sox enough innings, the 6-1 hitters have been dreadful, and anytime you let the opponent score seven runs in an inning twice in three games, well, you're in trouble. Tonight, there were a few bad breaks to start the seven-run fifth which could have changed everything, but Wake and Delcarmen couldn't pitch around them. Sometimes you just get the feeling that it's not your year, or your series, or whatever, and it's hard for me to shake that feeling now.

Still, not to sound too much like Kevin Millar here, but they've got Beckett going Thursday (this off-day is going to be BRUTAL), and if he can get them back to Fenway, then anything can happen. But a lot of things need to go right for them to pick up the win in Game Five, not just getting a quality start. Pedroia, Varitek, and Lugo have to take some pitches and actually reach base every once in a while. Kielty (starting against Sabathia, although he should have started against Byrd), needs to prove he's worth the roster spot. And Crisp not only needs to prove that he's worth starting over Ellsbury for the rest of this series, but next year, too. It's quite literally a make-or-break game for three or four Red Sox hitters.

They hit Sabathia in Game One (and so did the Yankees in the ALDS), so if they're ever going to get the offense going again, this is the time. But they've had trouble with Byrd, Westbrook, and Borowksi already in this series, so my expectations are tempered. Honestly, at this point I'm just hoping that their season doesn't end - I'm not ready for anywhere from four to seven games of Rockies-Indians, followed by winter.

One more thing I need to get off my chest about these playoffs: I really wish Manny Ramirez would at least jog after he belts a no-doubter home run. It's one thing after you hit a walk-off to give your team a commanding 2-0 series lead; it's quite another when you're trailing two games to one and you hit a solo shot to cut the deficit to four runs in the sixth inning. Plenty of neutral fans have plenty of (good) reasons to hate the Red Sox already - they don't need another.

The ALCS

I'm trying to think rationally about this, but I just can't. Beckett vs. Sabathia is a push. Schilling vs. Carmona is a slight advantage to Cleveland. Matsuzaka vs. Westbrook could go either way, but is probably a push. Wakefield vs. Byrd could go either way, depending on Wakfield's health, so I'd call that a push, too. Cleveland has the better set-up guys, but Boston has the better closer.

Cleveland's offense might be deeper than Boston's, but the Red Sox have the better 3-4-5 heart of the order. I think Boston's defense is better, but I don't know a whole lot about Cleveland's D or platoon situations.

Just because I'm usually wrong and because I'm still surprisingly superstitious, I'm picking Cleveland in seven, if only because I'm not sure I trust Matsuzaka in a Game Seven at home. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if either team swept, but I think they're even enough where it should go six or seven games.

The NLCS

I'm watching Game One on TiVo right now (4-1 Rockies in the bottom of the 4th), and despite the fact that it's kinda late, I want to get my prediction on the record. I'm not going to go too in-depth, but I think the offense and starting rotations of each team are pretty much even. Colorado has the better defense, and Arizona has the better bullpen. It's close, but I think the Diamondbacks will take the series in seven.

The reason? Honestly, I can't get over the fact that the Rockies activated Willy Taveras and immediately installed him as the lead-off hitter, moving Tulowitzki down to seventh. Tulowitzki is one of their best hitters! Why are they moving him down??? Would it kill them to hit Taveras 8th or Matsui 7th? I just don't get that - it's crazy. Of course, it was crazy of Eric Wedge to use Paul Byrd and Joe Borowski in Yankee Stadium, and that worked out, but that was one game - this is, presumably, all seven. I don't get it.

Two more Rockies observations: 1) I just can't bring myself to root or a team run by Dan O'Dowd, who should have been fired five years ago after the Hampton and Neagle contracts, and 2) I'm thrilled that they've decided to bury Chris Iannetta behind Yorvit Torrealba, if only because the Red Sox are desperate for a young catcher, and they can probably get Iannetta cheap in the off-season. He's had a rough season, after a slow start led to inconsistent playing time, but his PECOTA projection for this year was .290/.377/.476 in 496 at-bats. Not only is that line head and shoulders (and chest and waist) above what Mirabelli and Cash have done this year, it's better than what Varitek put up. If the Sox could get him for a Brandon Moss or Craig Hansen type (I don't know if they could, but he certainly seems unwanted), he could split time with Varitek on a 60/40 basis in 2008, then take over in 2009 after Varitek's contract runs out. Honestly, this might even be worth rooting for Colorado to go all the way.

So, Game One isn't over yet (at least, on my TiVo it isn't), and I'm already regretting this pick, just because I feel I've severely underrated Jeff Francis. Well, I've got to stick to my pick - I thought Arizona could beat Philly, I have to think they can still beat Colorado.

Josh Byrnes

Josh Byrnes, as most people know, was hired as the GM of the Diamondbacks in October of 2005. Before that, he was an assistant GM with the Red Sox for four years. From 1999-2001, he was the assistant GM of the Indians. And from the day he was hired as an intern in 1994 until then, he held various positions with the Colorado Rockies.

Why does this matter? Because Josh Byrnes has had a hand in building all four of the surviving playoff teams. I think this is pretty impressive, especially since all of them are fairly young teams with farm systems that have borne fruit over the last few years. Granted, he's had more influence on some teams than others, but it's still quite a résumé.

Short Rest

I think both Wang and Sabathia should be brought in on short rest tomorrow.

Wang is a pitcher that needs the downward motion, and having an arm a bit tired can help do that. Plus, his ERA is 2 runs less at Yankee Stadium than on the road.

That puts Pettitte in line on regular rest for game 5.

As far as the Indians, it's a bit risky because of the number of pitches Sabathia pitched in game 1, but quite frankly, Sabathia on short rest still has a better chance than Paul Byrd.

So does Sabatia on long rest have a better chance than Carmona on regular rest? Probably, but probably not enough to not take your chance to not have both Sabathia and Carmona get another start.

1-for-1

Diamondbacks win, and my record for playoff predictions this year is already better than last year. Woo hoo! The way it stands right now, I'll likely go 2-for-4 in the first round, and I'm fine with that. Baby steps.

By the way, I was at Fenway last night to see my fourth playoff walk-off. Here's how I rank them:

A distant # 4: Aaron Boone vs. Red Sox. On the one hand, this one still hurts. On the other hand, it made 2004 so much sweeter. Being there in person for this is the very definition of bittersweet. Forget about the fact that I'm a Red Sox fan... if I were even a neutral observer, this would rank as the best game I've ever seen. But I wasn't.

#3: Manny Ramirez vs. Angels. It was a tense game, but it wasn't a series clincher, an elimination game (for the home team), or even extra innings, so that costs it a little bit. However, that one swing by Manny gave me a much-needed reminder that he is still a force to be reckoned with. I'm roughly 15% more confident in the Red Sox' abilities to make a run now after last night's ninth inning.

#2: David Ortiz vs. Angels. A series-ending walk-off, after the Red Sox had already blown a 4-run lead on an opposite field Vlad Guerrero grand slam. The fact that the Sox were already up 2-0 in the series when it happened hurts it, but the fact that it clinched the series, and that the Sox were still chasing their elusive holy grail at the time, are huge... almost huge enough to finish it ahead of:

#1: David Ortiz vs. Yankees. This was the Game Five single in the 14th inning, not the Game Four home run in the 12th - the fact that I need to differentiate that still amazes me to this day. Here's what I remember vividly from this game: Ortiz cut a 4-2 deficit in half with a solo homer in the 8th inning, the Sox tied it up off of Rivera for the second time in 19 hours later that inning, my tickets were originally for Game Three, but a rainout postponed it, and the Astros-Cardinals game that night started three hours later than this game did... and it finished before this game. That was a crazy night.

As if I needed to make this clear, I am exceedingly lucky to have seen all of these games in a four year-span. In this century, the Red Sox have been involved in seven walk-off playoff games (one of them in Oakland), and I've been to four of them. This is a great time to live a mile away from Fenway Park.

Irony

The first inning the Indians don't get a hit in (the 8th), is the first inning they score a run. If you're not watching, it's insane for Chamberlain right now. As he walked Sizemore, wild pitch, sac bunt, line out, wild pitch (run), hit batter, walk, he actually has bugs crawling all over his face and neck as he's pitching. They've sprayed him down with bug spray twice, nothing working. Strikeout, he's finally out of it.

Postseason Leaders

If Mariano Rivera pitches in 3 games this postseason (obviously I hope it's a lot more than that) he'll move into 10th place all-time (tied with Reggie Jackson) for postseason games played. He's already tied for 10th place in Division Series games played.

Quick Predictions

Since I had 5 of the 8 playoff teams correct in my preseason predictions, I'll just stick with those as much as I can.

Yankees over Indians in 5
Red Sox over Angels in 3
Diamondbacks over Cubs in 5
Phillies over Rockies in 5

Yankees over Red Sox in 7
Diamondbacks over Phillies in 6

Diamondbacks over Yankees in 7

Predictions

ALDS 1: Red Sox vs. Angels
This is a really hard one to pick. I don't trust the Red Sox starters. I think a lot of this series is going to come down to Jason Varitek, both offensively and defensively. The Angels will scrap and it will be up to Varitek to keep them in check. The other big factor of course is Manny Ramirez. I never bet against Manny hitting though, and I think Varitek will come through. In the end, I think the reason I don't trust the Red Sox starters is because of what I have seen of them. However, what I have seen of them is against a much better offense than the Angels, and an offense that has seen those starters a lot more than the Angels' offense has seen them.

Red Sox in 4

ALDS 2: Yankees vs. Indians
Obviously this is the matchup the Yankees wanted for the ALDS. Sabathia-Wang is a great Game 1 matchup. The Yankees have historically crushed Sabathia, but historically is an important word as they haven't faced him for 3 years. Sabathia is going to have to keep his cool and his pitch count down. He had only 37 walks this season, but if the playoffs get to him even a bit, the Yankees are going to force him into the strike zone. Wang doesn't need to outpitch Sabathia, just pitch with him. I'm confident with the Yankees going up against Carmona. Carmona has big splits as he's much better against righties than lefties. He will probably only get to face two righties in the Yankee lineup, and those guys are Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. The Yankees pound Joe Borowski. Every Yankee that is. So far this season the Yankees have had 2 three-game sweeps against the Indians, make it three.

Yankees in 3

NLDS 1: Rockies vs. Phillies
A great matchup in that both of these teams had to go on amazing runs to make the playoffs. One of them can't get past the first round. I just don't think I can ever trust Rockie pitching or the Rockies away from Coors Field.

Phillies in 5

NLDS 2: Diamondbacks vs. Cubs
I honestly don't know these teams that well, and don't feel like doing much research right now. I do know that the Cubs are the only NL team that I picked to make the playoffs in the NL that actually did.

Cubs in 5


ALCS: Yankees vs. Red Sox
The fact is, there are going to be runs scored in this series. The more hitters and pitchers face each other, the more the advantage goes to the hitters. It's why if Wang isn't on his game, he'll get hit, where other teams still might not get him. It's why the Red Sox are usually the ones who get to Rivera. It's why 2 of Jonathan Papelbon's 3 losses are to the Yankees. Both teams take tons of pitches, which means the starters are not getting the ball to the closers. In the end, the fact that the Yankees have a better offense, and Joba Chamberlain, I think is what will put them over the top against the Red Sox.

Yankees in 6


NLCS: Cubs vs. Phillies
Okay, we have two of the original NL teams. In 257 seasons, they've combined to win 3 championships, and only 1 in the last 99 years. Is it possible that two years in a row, a pathetic NL Central team wins the pennant. Why not? It will really come down to if Carlos Zambrano's arm falls off or not. We know Piniella will keep going to it. So far it hasn't.

Cubs in 7

World Series: Yankees vs. Cubs
This is not an even matchup. I think that's enough of a reason. I'll give Lou Piniella the benefit of the doubt, he can steal one game.

Yankees in 5

Playoff Predictions

I've been dreading this. I've been thinking about making my predictions again, terrified of pulling off the impossible 0-for-7 two years in a row. It might be time to channel my inner Costanza and just do the opposite of my instincts, but that would probably make me the only person in the world to pick a Diamondbacks-Angels World Series, and I think I've gone out on enough limbs with 2007 predictions (see: 2007 Texas Rangers). So screw it, I'm going with my first instinct. But if I go 0-for-4 in the DS, then it's Costanza time.

One final thought before I get going - I think it's awesome that out of the eight playoff teams from last year, only one of them made it back this year. I think it's less awesome that the one repeat team is the Yankees, but that's beside the point. In two years, exactly half of the teams in MLB, and, in fact, half in each league, have made the playoffs. That's the wild card era in a nutshell, and I don't want to hear any more whining from Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Cincinnati, and the rest of the perennial doormats. It can be done.

ALDS:
The Red Sox have destroyed Lackey and Weaver this year; they haven't faced Escobar, but they killed him last year and beat him in the clinching third game in 2004. I like the Angels' pitching, but the Red Sox seem to have their number. Having Manny back in the lineup is huge, and if he and Youkilis can stay healthy, the offense will be much stronger than when it sputtered in September. I'm obviously worried about Drew and Lugo, but I think Ortiz, Manny, and Lowell can carry enough of the load on offense.

The pitching is another story, and of course I'm a little bit concerned about Matsuzaka (he should be pitching Game Three - he's much better on the road), but like I said, the Angels staff has its warts, too. The bullpens are similar: shut-down closers, set-up guys who were brutal down the stretch (Gagne's and Okajima's struggles have been well-documented, but here's Scot Shields since the all-star break: 7.36 ERA, 1.81 WHIP), and seventh inning guys who are lurking as stronger eighth inning options (Manny Delcarmen and Justin Speier).

I'd say Boston has a slight edge in the rotation, and the bullpen is a push. The Red Sox offense puts them over the top. The Pick: Red Sox in 4.

Everyone knows that the Yankees are the hottest team in the AL (I'd love to see them play a three-game series against Colorado or Philly right now), but something worries me about this Cleveland match-up. Last year, going into the playoffs, everyone and their grandmother was picking the Yankees to stomp on Detroit and go all the way, conveniently overlooking the fact that their pitching stunk. Well, what's changed? The Yankees have a high-powered offense that goes into the playoffs with a few guys banged up, and their opponent has a strong rotation, good middle relievers, and a closer who's a closer in name only. With home field and three potential starts from Sabathia and Carmona, why can't the Indians take this team down?

The answer? A-Rod. Maybe. If he has a big series, there's no way the Yankees can lose, unless the rest of the lineup goes 7-for-100, or something. But what if Sabathia and Carmona can shut him down, and he comes back to the Bronx 1-for-9 with no RsBI? Do the fans get on him if he pops up in his first at-bat against Jake Westbrook? If he hits into a double play off of Paul Byrd? Can he keep it together?

Personally, I don't know what to think. I've mocked the man enough that even after he came through in some huge spots against the Sox this year, I still expect him to fail with the game on the line and the leaves changing colors. Do I believe that he's un-clutch and a stat-padder and not a True YankeeTM? I don't think so. At least, I like to think I'm smart enough not to, but as a fan of the opposition, I just can't shake the feeling that he won't come through when it really matters, and that the negative karma from the New York fans and press could eat him up. Of course, this is the situation that I'm praying for, so that he opts out and leverages a gigantic offer from the Yankees into a bigger offer from the Cubs or Dodgers or Giants, but I think this year, finally, I'm not expecting it.

I really don't know what to make of this series, though. If the Yankees can steal one in Cleveland (which I think they can... probably Game Two), then I think the Indians are done. Westbrook and Byrd aren't holding down that offense in Yankee Stadium. The Pick: Yankees in 4.

I have to zip through the NL, because I should be studying for my accounting test...

NLDS:
Everyone's on the Cubs bandwagon, pretty much because they have a celebrity manager, play in a big market, and are playing against a team that was outscored by 20 runs this year. Well, for those people I offer two strong words: Ryan Dempster. The Pick: Diamondbacks in 5.

I'm trying to figure out whose rotation is worse in the Philly-Colorado series, and I just can't. They're both awful. Philly has a better ace and a better closer, in my opinion, so I probably give them the edge, and in a game five after what will likely be a series full of Broncos vs. Eagles scores, I think that's enough. The Pick: Phillies in 5.

ALCS: I hate making this pick. I don't want to jinx it, but I don't want to come off as a homer, either (Ross doesn't have this problem, by the way). I guess I should just look at the results in August/September. Bah. The Pick: Yankees in 6.

NLCS: The Phillies may be able to slug their way through Colorado, but in a seven-game series against a team with a better ace and a better bullpen, I think they'll need some help from the pitching, and I don't see it. Plus, Charlie Manuel is involved. The Pick: Diamondbacks in 6.

World Series: First of all, if this is really the World Series, I'm going to throw up. Second of all... actually, that's all I've got. The Pick: Yankees in 5.

Wait a second... did I just predict that Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi, Kyle Farnsworth, Alex Rodriguez, et al would win the World Series? That can't happen, can it? There's no chance, right? But who can beat them? The Red Sox and Indians could, I guess, but... damn it. I don't think rationally when the Red Sox are involved. I'm just going to leave it as is and hope that I go 1-for-7 this year. Hey, it would be an improvement...

AL and NL

It would be hard to be more different than the American League and the National League right now. In the AL, the true pennant race drama is over. With Cleveland's win over Detroit tongiht, coupled with a Yankee win, there is no longer any doubt to who the four playoff teams will be. The matchups are anybody's guess.

In the National League, nobody is close to being assured a playoff spot. There are 4 teams fighting for three spots, and 2 teams fighting for one spot. The two teams fighting for one spot are in a virtual tie. The other 4 teams, three have the same number of losses, with the Phillies having 2 more, but also playing much better baseball than the Mets ahead of them.

In the AL the four teams are also within 2 losses of each other, with the Yankees having two more losses than the other teams, but just caught up 3 losses in 3 days. While in the NL the Wild Card is not detracting from the excitment at all, in the AL, well, no '78 Bucky Dent drama possible. No matter if the Yankees catch the Red Sox or not, the Red Sox will be in the playoffs, as will the Yankees.

The other big difference between the leagues, is that every AL playoff team will have won at least 90 games. It is still very possible that no NL playoff team will win 90 games. Crazy. And the AL teams had to do it in a tougher league. The four AL playoff teams would probably all be 100-win teams in the NL.

My Yankee Postseason Roster

Well, the trading deadline has past, the Yankees are getting closer by the day to the Wild Card spot, so it made me think what I want the Yankee postseason roster to look like. I can pretty much guarantee, it won't look like this, but this is what I want it to be:

Lineup:
CF- Melky Cabrera
SS- Derek Jeter
RF- Bobby Abreu
3B- Alex Rodriguez
1B- Jason Giambi
C - Jorge Posada
LF- Hideki Matsui
2B- Robinson Cano
DH- Johnny Damon

Bench
C- Jose Molina
IN- Wilson Betemit
PR- Bret Gardner
PF- Doug Mientkiewicz

Starters
Chien-Ming Wang
Andy Pettitte
Roger Clemens
Phillip Hughes

Bullpen
Mariano Rivera
Joba Chamberlain
Luis Vizcaino
Mike Mussina
Ian Kennedy
Edwar Ramirez
Jeff Karstens
Ron Villone

Any thoughts yet on the Mets and Red Sox rosters, since they are actually sitting in postseason positions right now?