Ready For October

Dan:

Here it is again: the most wonderful time of the year. October playoff baseball is upon us, and our beloved Sox are back in the mix. We almost take that for granted now. But we shouldn't.

I don't know why I have such a bad feeling about this series with the Angels. I shouldn't. The Sox have the edge in almost every aspect of the game, and they man-handled the Angels last month. Still, it's almost like the Angels are due, which scares me.

Anyway, here are my playoff picks:

American League:

Red Sox def. Angels - The Angels will run like crazy, but you can't steal first. The Sox rotation and bullpen are insanely deep, and their bats are stacked. I'd pick the Sox to sweep, but my heart says in four.

Yankees def. Twins - The Twins have a ton of momentum, but they could sure use Justin Morneau right now. They haven't won a game in New York since July of 2007, which means they could be due. But I think the Yankees are too much and should sweep them.

Red Sox def. Yankees - Of course. The playoffs usually come down to pitching, and the Sox have a deeper rotation and bullpen. I think they win in six.

National League:

Phillies def. Rockies - This is BY FAR the toughest series to call. I went back and forth on this several times. I like the Rockies, and they've been so strong in the second half. I also think Ubaldo Jimenez is a great up-and-coming ace. But the Phillies are very well-rounded. Ultimately, I think whoever wins this series wins the National League, and I don't want to see the Sox and Rockies in the Series again. So I picked the Phils in who knows how many, although I'm leaning toward 4.

Cardinals def. Dodgers - I'm not terribly impressed with either of these teams, and the Dodgers really struggled down the stretch. Cards should win in 4.

Phillies def. Cardinals - I haven't been a believer in the Cardinals all season, and even though they'll make it to the NLCS, I still am not a believer. The NL Central was a HORRIBLE division this year. Phils in 5.

WORLD SERIES:

Red Sox def. Phillies - Sure, call me a homer. But the fact is the Sox are the most well-rounded team in baseball. And the National League is the junior division. Sox take it in 5 games.

(MVP - Jason Bay)