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The school year is in full swing. The leaves are turning color, and four weeks have passed in the NFL season. As Brett Favre continues to dominate the sports headlines and his name is mentioned in every other sentence on ESPN, I have started watching the Oxygen channel to avoid it. Now that October is here, there is playoff baseball, and while my mother certainly likes the Oxygen channel, I am glad I can focus on baseball and not “The Tyra Banks Show.” I somehow watched a half-hour of that show while Brett Favre played against the Packers on Monday Night Football. With the playoffs beginning, I will take a stab — and probably a horrible one — at predicting the outcome.
American League
Division Series
Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees — I wrote this before Tuesday’s AL Central playoff even took place. It doesn’t really matter who the Bronx Bombers face because they are going to move on to the ALCS. They had the best offense in the league, now have an ace in CC Sabathia and have the best closer in the game in Mariano Rivera. Everyone in their lineup can hit a home run and with their offense, the Yankees are always going to be in it. I won’t even bother writing about their opponent, because if you combined the Detroit Tigers and Twins, they’d still lose to the Yankees.
Prediction: Yankees in three games
Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — It seems like this is a common occurrence in October as these teams will meet for the fourth time in the last six years, with the Red Sox winning the first three meetings. Both teams have battled through tough times this year with the Angels rebounding from the tragedy of young pitcher Nick Adenhart and Boston dealing with the struggles of David Ortiz early on. The offenses of both squads are very different with the Angels running every chance they get, while the Red Sox rely more on the big hit. The Red Sox starting rotation is the top in the American League, spearheaded by Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz, who all boast some of the most electric stuff in the majors. The powerful bullpen of Boston, led by closer Jonathan Papelbon and rookie Daniel Bard, is also one of the league’s best. For Anaheim to win, they must be able to get on base and steal at a high clip, something they have been able to do against the Red Sox and the rest of the league all season. However, they struggle to hit hard throwers, something the Red Sox are loaded with. The only chance the Angels have is to win one of the games in Anaheim. If not, the Red Sox will wrap this series up in three games.
Prediction: Red Sox in four games
Championship Series
Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees — Here we go again in what everyone deems as the rivalry of all rivalries. These two powerhouses are loaded all around the diamond and you can expect this game to once again go seven games because these two teams are just that even. The offensive edge goes to the Yankees because they have a better offense than everyone in the league, but the Red Sox have plenty of pop in the lineup with Ortiz, Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and J.D. Drew. However, what the Yankees don’t have that the Red Sox do is Jacoby Ellsbury, who had 70 stolen bases this season. If Clay Buchholz takes the next step in his career like Jon Lester did last season, the Red Sox have the edge with pitching. With Papelbon and Rivera both teams have premier closers to end it. It’s pretty much a toss-up but I’ll go with Buchholz and Ellsbury being the difference.
Prediction: Red Sox in seven games
National League
Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies — The defending World Series champion Phillies boast an American League-style lineup, with power and speed throughout. However, they have had their fair share of ups and downs with the struggles of young ace Cole Hamels and the catastrophic collapse of closer Brad Lidge. Colorado has been one of the hottest teams since manager Jim Tracy took over early in the season. The wildcard winners boast not only a powerful lineup, but a much-improved pitching staff that has led to their rise. Philadelphia better hope for the long ball and outscore the Rockies by a lot, or their bullpen will be put in close situations that they have struggled in all season.
Prediction: Rockies in four games
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers — This is definitely the most exciting series in the first round of the playoffs. It pits the Cardinals who have the best player in the game in Albert Pujols along with a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation that is as good as anyone in the league. The Dodgers have struggled since their torrid start to the season, but still end up with the best record in the NL. They have questions with their rotation, but are loaded on offense with emerging superstar Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez. They are also solid at the backend of the bullpen with hard-throwing closer Jonathan Broxton. Now that Pujols has protection in his lineup with Matt Holliday though, the Cardinals are a better bet to move on.
Prediction: Cardinals in five games
Championship Series
Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals — This is a matchup of two of the last three NL champions. After a hard-fought series against the Dodgers, the Cardinals pitching could be slightly worn down after having to use Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright twice. If that’s the case, then Colorado could snag a couple early games and take control of the series. I expect Pujols and that offense to pick up the slack if that takes place and that pitching is too solid to struggle for more than a couple games.
Prediction: Cardinals in six games
World Series
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox — A rematch of the 2004 World Series should not be a four-game sweep in favor of the Red Sox. The top two rotations in the league will be matching up so that’s a wash. The Cardinals have the best hitter in Pujols, but the Red Sox have a better lineup along with a better bullpen. Throw in the homefield advantage and the Red Sox will be winning their third World Series trophy in the decade. This time they will celebrate at home too.
Prediction: Red Sox in six games
Note: I will probably be way off in these predictions, and the Minnesota Twins will probably not lose a game in the playoffs and win the World Series.
Bangor Daily News