Monday, October 03, 2005

The Division Series

Four division series, so let's break 'em down by who I'm rooting for and who I think will win.

NL:
Braves and Astros
Who I'm rooting for:
This is tough as I don't particularly like Clemens at all, but I do absolutely loathe the Braves. And Phil Garner is a good guy and an ex-Bucco. And yes, some part of me that endured endless Sunday afternoons at 3 Rivers in the early 90s watching Biggio and Bagwell beat up on our hapless teams wants to see them win a ring.
Who will win: Clemens, Pettite, and Oswalt, oh my! The Braves have too many rookies and too many questions in the pen (and maybe in the rotation if Smoltz isn't healthy). Astros win this one in 4.

Cards and Padres
Who I'm rooting for:
The Padres? Why? Well, they aren't the Cards and I'd like to see the media eat a giant shitburger on this one.
Who will win: Cards, probably in three. Because they're a lot better than the Padres.

AL:
Red Sox and White Sox
Who I'm rooting for:
As much as I want to see the Ozzie Guillen meltdown (which is going to be classic when it happens) I can't root for the Red Sox again. I've had it up to here with Boston sports fans.
Who will win: The White Sox have been playing well lately and the Red Sox pitching staff has to terrify their fans. I mean, Tim Wakefield has been their ace this year, more or less. Still, they'll probably score lots of runs, because that's what they do. And that White Sox pitching staff hasn't been very good lately, either. Still, there's something different about this year's Red Sox. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and go ChiSox in 5

Yankees and Angels
Who I'm rooting for:
Not the Yankees, that's for damn sure. Actually, I've always been a big fan of Vlad, I'm amused by big ol' Bartolo, and how can I not root for John Lackey? That just makes things easier/
Who will win: Wow, this is a tough one. This is probably the best series of all four divisional matchups. Both teams are red hot right now and playing like the big market giants that they are. I'll go with the Angels for their pitching staff (pen especially), home field advantage, and the Vlad factor. But it'll probably take 5.