Worst. Fans. Ever.

This video comes courtesy of Jimmy Traina's Twitter page. It's the top of the 8th inning of the Yankees-Rangers game in Arlington and we see a little kid crying. My first thought is the kid is hurt from a foul ball or something. Instead, we see something worse as he has the ball STOLEN from him. That's right. Just watch.

These two people are what I call the ultimate dickhead sports fan. I can't believe a little kid who's balling his eyes out can be ignored unintentionally, so they just didn't care. They probably didn't know the Rangers existed in the Dallas-Fort Worth area until 2010. There was a happy ending for the kid as he ended up getting a ball from someone in the Rangers bullpen, according to the YES telecast. However, since those two didn't give him the ball, they have to pay.

My punishment: they will always have the proverbial foul ball taken away from them for the rest of their lives. If they find a parking spot, I want someone to steal it. If they're in line at the grocery store, I hope the clerk closes his/her register when it's their turn. If they are in line for a movie, I hope the movie they want to see gets sold out. Anything to make the rest of their lives inconvenient. All I can think of George Constanza yelling "you know, we're living in a SOCIETY". Someone tell those two that.

Why Is A-Rod The Scapegoat?

I was at yesterday's Game 2 of Yankees-Tigers and it was a pretty ho-hum contest. The reason I'm writing is because in the 8th inning as everyone knows, Alex Rodriguez was booed after his popfly. If you are going to boo someone, it should have been Jeter, for his 0-5, the strikeout while the Yankees tried to rally in the ninth and the error in the sixth which helped the Tigers get two more runs in the inning. Otherwise, the entire Yankee team decided to allow Max Scherzer to pitch a no-hitter into the sixth inning and could have been booed as a unit, if possible.


I think it's absurd that I even have to write another post pointing out how unfair it is to boo A-Rod. We all know that he's playing hurt. He hasn't played much in the second half and is clearly not in rhythm. Plus, he's not making excuses, as evident by his postgame comments yesterday. So give him a break, that's what A.J. Burnett is for.


Some other thoughts from yesterday:

-My friend Justin who went to the game with me is calling Miguel Cabrera "The Monster". A fair and accurate statement.

-Girardi didn't help things by pinch-hitting Brett Gardner for Eric Chavez with two on in the 6th. Also, Luis Ayala is this year's Sergio Mitre, meaning when he comes in, the white flag is being waved.

-There were three Tigers near me in my row who I didn't know even where who they were until Detroit added that run in the 9th and they were brave enough to cheer aloud. Really wanted to say something to them if Jose Valverde blew the lead.

-Glad not to see Valverde get to do his celebration. Small victories.

-This was only my third ever Yankee playoff game I saw in person. The other two were 2000 ALCS Game 2 (the only time I sat in the Bleachers with the Creatures) which the Yankees put up seven runs in the eighth to salvage a split with the Mariners, turning around the series and 2001 ALDS Game 5 which was the first Jeter catch in the stands (and incidentally, the forgotten one after the one against Boston). Same we had the opposite type of game from Jeter yesterday.

-This Sabathia vs. Verlander matchup will decide the series. Don't want the season to hang on the arm of AJ Burnett. Enjoy the game everyone.

NLDS Preview

Yesterday, the ALDS was tackled. Yet, already the Yankees-Tigers series has taken a complete turn because of the rainout in Game 1, forcing CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander to lose their impact, going from in essence two starts to one. Buster Olney this morning had been tweeting like crazy about the potential of Sabathia convincing Joe Girardi to let him go in Game 2. I believe the chances of him pitching Game 2 hinge on how the rest of Game 1 plays out. If the Yanks lose, then I can see CC pitch, or be saved until Monday if the Yankees lead 1-0. Enough about this series, today the National League begins their round of playoffs.


Let's start with the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals, who like the Rays, surged their way into the playoffs, beating out the Red Sox brethren in the art of the collapse, the Atlanta Braves. It wasn't a good year for the Cardinals up until late August, then Albert Pujols turned around his year, and Tony La Russa started taking a firmer role with the pitching staff and bullpen once Dave Duncan left the team to be with his wife. It's been tough for the Redbirds without Adam Wainwright all year, and they have patched together a staff led by Chris Carpenter, and a bullpen that only recently started to gel. Carpenter, Kyle Lohse and Jaime Garcia have been decent, but will have to be extraordinary to match the Phillies arms. The Cardinals bats don't have as much to match; they still have Pujols, plus Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman. They arguably have the better lineup when compared to their opponents.


Meanwhile, the Phillies lineup continues to get older and less productive (aside from Shane Victorino). Jimmy Rollins is the NL-version of 2010 Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard is more and more becoming a feast of famine hitter and Chase Utley just can't stay healthy for a full year. You'd be more worried if not for the fact that the Phillies can trot out the best pitching rotation since the 90s era Braves. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt are as formidable a quartet of arms as any in history. I mean Hamels carried the Phillies to the title in 2008 and he's now the number 3 starter. Doc shows up in postseason play last year, and all he does is throw a no-hitter. Lee has swung the pennant for the last two years with his pitching, particularly last year. And everyone forgets Oswalt because his last postseason play before last year was in Houston back in 2004-05 as well as the fact he's struggled with injury this year. One last thing about the Phillies, the bullpen is not weak. Ryan Madson has filled the role of closer superbly and it appears the Brad Lidge is back as a setup man, which for some reason, I think can work out. If the Phillies go down, it won't be against the Cards. This should be like their series with the Reds last year and I see a sweep.

The final first round series is the one that's starting within an hour as the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks will take on the powerful Milwaukee Brewers. Power is the word for the Brewers in their approach to hitting and pitching. The Brewers three-headed monster of Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum are as good as any trio not named Halladay, Lee and Hamels. They are also supported with a vastly improved bullpen with Francisco Rodriguez as the setup man and John Axford as the closer, who's been a gem this season. We all know the Brewers lineup with Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder as the biggest threats, but once you start rattling names like Corey Hart and Rickie Weeks, then you have the most formidable lineup in the NL and one any team would be wary to face, especially at Miller Park, where the Brewers have a majors leading 57-24 record at home.

That's the challenge for the Diamondbacks, who seemed to win the NL West with ease after back-to-back losing seasons. The story most of the nation knows about Arizona is pitcher Ian Kennedy's breakout season which saw him win 20 and Justin Upton as the dominant bat in the lineup, but that's not fair to Kirk Gibson's team. They have Miguel Montero, who's just as much a run producer as Upton, despite lesser power. You also happen to be dealing with arguably the best fielding team in baseball, and just so happened to score more runs this year than Milwaukee. The pitching staff for the DBacks are solid behind Kennedy, with Daniel Hudson as the best of the rest. The real pitching story is the improved bullpen that they have. This team had the worst bullpen in baseball the last few years, but led by closer JJ Putz, David Hernandez and Brad Ziegler, they are impressive. Just not impressive enough to outlast the Brewers with home-field advantage, as Milwaukee will win a hard-fought 5 game series.

ALDS Preview

Today is the beginning of the American League playoffs and I'm absolutely certain the drama will not match that of the last day of the year. It can't, there won't be four must-win games going on at the same exact time in these playoffs. There will be a spacing of these games for television purposes, so it's not built to equal the excitement of the opening weekend of March Madness, which Wednesday night was (and will be next year now that Gus Johnson no longer will call that).

Now, we are down to 4 teams left in the AL and they are very similar to the teams last year as a result of the Tampa Bay Rays incredible comeback win Wednesday, giving the Red Sox the worst collapse in history, an 11 on the Choke-O-Meter. Now, they get their rematch with the Texas Rangers with two major differences. One, Texas has the home-field and last year, home-field meant nothing as the road team won each game. And two; no Cliff Lee, the main reason the Rangers won 2 games in Tampa. Instead, it's C.J. Wilson who heads the staff with Derek Holland pitching Game 2 and some combination of Matt Harrison and Colby Lewis in Tampa. The Rays might be a little stronger in their rotation, despite the struggles of David Price this year as James Shields is much improved and Jeremy Hellickson has been tremendous in his first year. However, the surprise is how Matt Moore will make his second career start later in Game 1. One thing's for sure, if all the managers in baseball dropped their pants, Joe Maddon I guarantee you will end up with the biggest set of balls. Bar none.

The lineups are a contrast, just like last year. The Rangers, led by Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Adrian Beltre can mash with anyone. Meanwhile the Rays have Evan Longoria as their biggest threat, with a lot of guys who can do anything and are opportunistic. This results in Matt Joyce and Dan Johnson with season saving home runs in back-to-back games. The Rangers have the clear edge in the bullpen because Neftali Feliz is a MAJOR upgrade at closer than Kyle Farnsworth. The Rays have been up and down with their relievers, only they are pitching very well as of late. Texas now will have Alexi Ogando in the bullpen, joining Mike Adams and Mike Gonzalez as quality arms in the bullpen (I don't care how good Darren Oliver is, I'll never trust him, though he could succeed against Tampa). It comes down to this, Tampa is hot, very hot in the past week, however, they might have better served playing Boston yesterday and keeping the momentum going. The day might kill it, like it did last week in NY and I think Texas wins this series in 4 games.

The other series is the Yankees once again, facing the lone newcomer in the AL, the Detroit Tigers. The script for this series could be the Game 1 matchup of CC Sabathia against Justin Verlander, the man who will win the Cy Young and dare I say, likely MVP winner. You'd think that the Game 1 winner sets everything up for the series, but the Yankees have Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia going in Games 2 and 3 and you won't know who either man will pitch. The Tigers trot Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello and that's not exactly a Phillies rotation full of arms either, though Fister has been very good and if Verlander should fall tonight, Fister is more than capable to winning Game 2 and getting a split.

Both teams lineups are good offensively, even though the number of household names is less on the Tigers. I will say that the most feared hitter on either team is Miguel Cabrera, yes, even more than Robinson Cano, though not by much. However, no team will have an easy time getting through Curtis Granderson, Cano, Alex Rodriguez (if he's healthy) and Mark Teixeira (if he finally can hit in the postseason). Lineup wise, A-Rod is the key, just like every other postseason the Yankees have been involved in since his arrival. It's funny that the one year A-Rod hit like he does in the regular season, the Yanks have won his lone World Series. Detroit has Victor Martinez alongside Cabrera, with Alex Avila and Jhonny Peralta also with terrific years. Looking at the bullpens, the Yankees have the advantage, but not by much since Jose Valverde is perfect in save opportunities. We all know Mo, that's the advantage, plus when you add the ridiculous year David Robertson posted. Tough series and if this goes 5, the Tigers win. I think it goes 4 and the Yankees take it, setting the rematch in the ALCS.

Worst Collapses Ever

As any baseball fan knows, the Boston Red Sox are in need of someone to give them the Heimlich. They have lost again tonight, leaving them a 2.5 game lead in the AL Wild Card over the LA Angels and the Tampa Bay Rays. They have company in the choking department as the Atlanta Braves now lead the St. Louis Cardinals by only 1.5 games, with the San Francisco Giants only down 3.5 games. As we watch both teams unravel and see if either of them can salvage their seasons' and reach postseason play, let's look back at all the history of collapses, with a twist. I'm going to measure all the times a team has blow a huge lead and determine how much of the loss was because of a comeback by 2nd place or a choke by 1st place. Let's get started.


1964 Philadelphia Phillies: Remains as the holy grail of baseball chokes. Up 6.5 games with 12 games to play, they lose 10 games in a row to cost themselves the pennant. It was that inexplicable, even the World Series programs for the 1964 World Series were set. Choke-O-Meter: 10

1951 Brooklyn Dodgers: I never blame the Dodgers for losing this one. The reason, if the Giants go 32-15 in their last 47 games, Brooklyn still makes the World Series easily. They were an ordinary 27-24 down the stretch, but not bad enough to lose, except the 2nd place Giants finished 39-8 to reach the World Series, including the win in the 3 game playoff. Choke-O-Meter: 4 (for giving up "The Shot Heard Round The World")

1962 Los Angeles Dodgers: Not nearly as famous as '51, but in my eyes, more of a choke by the Dodgers here. Leads to another 3 game playoff which they lose to the Giants. The reason why the 3 game playoff takes place is because the Dodgers finished the year 3-10 after a 7 game winning streak seemingly won the pennant for them. Choke-O-Meter: 7 (points taken off because their lead was only 4 games before the downturn).

1969 Chicago Cubs: The Cubs were up 9 on August 16 over the surprising Mets. Then, the Mets finished with a 36-11 surge, while the Cubs slumped to a 17-26 finish and is a symbol of the 100 years of futility of the franchise. Choke-O-Meter: 7 (yes, the Mets played great, but the Cubs could of at least stayed alive until the final weekend had they not choked).

1978 Boston Red Sox: Falls into the '51 Dodgers category as they were done in by a hard-charging team, rather than their own ineptitude. The thing no one remembers is that the Yankees were in 4th place when they were down by 14 games. Lost 14 of 17 to fall out of 1st place, then won 12 of 14 to force the famous one game playoff. Choke-O-Meter: 5

1987 Toronto Blue Jays: They were riding high after a 7 game winning streak, the last 3 against the 2nd-place Tigers to take a 3.5 game lead in the AL East. Then they lost all 7 of their final games, capped by a 3-game sweep by those very same Tigers. Combined with their loss in the 1985 ALCS after leading 3-1, they earned the label as "chokers" until they finally won in 1992. Choke-O-Meter: 8 (Loses 2 points because they never held a big lead, despite the epic finish).

1993 San Francisco Giants: Very much like the Red Sox in particular, because the Braves caught them and the Giants needed to rally. San Fran finished the year 38-27 after reaching a 10 game lead out West, while the Braves soared to 49-16 after trading for Fred McGriff. While they did play well, the Giants were hurt by an 8-game losing streak which knocked them out of 1st. Choke-O-Meter: 5 (followed the losing streak by winning 14 0f 17 at the end).

1995 California Angels: This team peaked with an 11 game lead on August 9th, then everything went wrong. The Angels slumped badly for a month and a half, finishing 18-31 and couldn't overcome the Mariners 30-19 finish and lost in a one game playoff. It never gets the attention of the Dodgers or Yankees, but this I believe is the worst of the mid-August collapses because bad play opened the door, not super play by 2nd place. Choke-O-Meter: 9 (avoids 10 because they won 5 of 6 to force that playoff).

2007 New York Mets: The Mets were swept in a memorable series to the Phillies that cut their NL East lead to 2 games on August 30th. They won 10 of their next 12 and brought their lead back to 7. Then, they proceed to finish 5-12, while the Phillies won 13 of 17 to win the East and signal a change in fortune in both teams. The Phillies suddenly became the class of the NL, while the Mets became the class clowns of the league. Choke-O-Meter: 9 (and the effects are still felt).

2009 Detroit Tigers: The Tigers were sailing to the playoffs, and led the AL Central by 7 games on Sept 6th. Then, the Twins rode a 18-8 finish into a one-game playoff, as the Tigers finished 11-15. What puts them here is they were up 3 games with 4 games left. They lose the final game of a series with the Twins, then lose the first two to the White Sox, before salvaging a playoff with a win on last day (a game which Justin Verlander needed to pitch because they were tied). Choke-O-Meter: 6


Just so you know, both the Red Sox and Braves easily reach a 7 on the choke scale, and the Red Sox scale might well be 9 if they finish this collapse through to the end. Should be a fun final week of baseball ahead, something I didn't think would happen.

Randomness In Between Looking At Scarlett Johansson

Seriously, here's Scarlett Johansson! Just remember that's NSFW.


Once again, the U.S. Open had to move the men's final to Monday afternoon. The matchup itself, also was like last year, a rematch between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Both men waged a war on the court, serving rallies rarely seen, with some of the best shot-making I've ever seen. It almost knocked out Djokovic with a back injury, until the greatest massage in sports history leads to an epic happy ending.


Djokovic's win caps off the best year in sport for any athlete and it's not even close. His record this year is 64-2, with one of those losses coming because of an injury. He won 3 of the 4 Grand Slams, first to do so since Mats Wilander in 1988. As for his competition; no one in baseball was particularly dominant, Dirk Nowitzki and Aaron Rodgers carried their teams, but weren't as consistently dominant. Tim Thomas was, but he can't score for his team. I guess Lionel Messi would qualify, but he does have great players around him, which Djokovic obviously isn't afforded.


We go from greatest in a calendar year to greatest over a period of years, as we congratulate Mariano Rivera for save number 600. It really doesn't matter how many saves Mo ends with; it's not like he's a greater pitcher because he picked up a save last night and the number at the end happens to be round. Still, a milestone like this gives us a reminder of his career and really shows how spoiled Yankee fans are (yes, I know how foreign a concept a "spoiled Yankee fan" is).


It was nice of the Red Sox and Braves to allow their playoff spot have the guise of a race. I'm still certain both will go, but it does give baseball some juice before October. Not to mention the AL West race.


If he has anything left, I love the signing of Brandon Stokley by the Giants. Give Eli Manning a safety blanket that they really don't have right now in the passing game. Now, if only they can block for him (not to mention a week without injuries).


NFL Picks will be up Saturday morning, with a twist. Until then, back to Scarlett.

MLB Preview

Earlier than normal and without the National Championship game as the finale of the day, the 2011 MLB season begins today. This season begins off the heels of an offseason which was crazier than expected. Particularly, the moves by the Red Sox and Cliff Lee and Zack Greinke moving were the biggest stories. However, the hot stove has been turned off and its back to diamond where every team (yes, even the Pirates) are in first place on Opening Day, and despite the bad weather here in NYC, you can feel grass is about to grow and spring is coming. It's also time for another preview post (I know it seems like all I do are preview posts anymore) so let's get to it before the first pitch.


We begin in the reigning toughest division in baseball, and the likely toughest for the rest of time in the AL East. You know a division is tough when the fifth-place team can realistically win another division. Baltimore and Toronto are interesting because they are up-and-coming; both teams can hit well and they have young pitching that if they reach potential, could win about 85-90 games. Even that, however, wouldn't mean the playoffs for both. Tampa lost Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano and many others, but they still have Evan Longoria and David Price and with good years from Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon and B.J. Upton, they can easily go back to the playoffs. However, I don't believe their bullpen without Soriano and Joaquin Benoit can establish themselves good enough to pass the Yankees and Red Sox. Both teams will make the playoffs, Josh Beckett would be the key if the Red Sox win the division or the Yankees. If Beckett's can bounce back to his best, then the Red Sox advantage in the rotation is pronounced over the Yankees. If not, then the rotations are a wash, with maybe a slight edge for Boston. I think the Red Sox win it, only because the Yankees might struggle early with the rotation and whatever trade they make won't swing the division, but solidify the wild card.


The AL Central once again has Minnesota, Detroit and Chicago as their contenders as Cleveland and Kansas City continue the rebuild. The Royals are really close to being a good team, as their best in baseball farm system continues to grow up. It won't be this year they compete for the playoffs, but in 2012 or 2013, they will. I think they hold off the Indians in the battle for last place, as Cleveland is a little behind the rebuild than the Royals (meaning Orlando Cabrera is traded to a contender by July 31). As for the contenders, I'm not sold on either the Tigers or White Sox to overtake the Twins. Chicago always seems to wear down over the year under Ozzie Guillen's managing, while the Tigers don't seem to have the rotation capable of winning the division. I know the Twins lost some major bullpen guys, but if Joe Nathan comes back to his All-Star form, that negates the loss. It also helps to have Justin Morneau back in the lineup, hopefully he can have a season which he's healthy enough for the playoffs, would be important if it's the Yankees they play again.


Last year was a change for the AL West as the Angels went by the wayside and the Rangers won the division and the league. This year, both team look to stagnate a little, opening the door for a surprise winner. Even though the Mariners seem to do good in odd numbered years, they won't win this year. They could settle for another Cy Young for King Felix (better than training him). I look to Oakland as the best team in the West as they have the best rotation (and had it last year) and with Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui signing there, they have a better offense (of course, who knows with that ballpark). Anaheim is lacking in both offense and pitching to compete, despite Mike Scioscia's ability to manage. As for Texas, they will compete with Oakland to the end, but I must say, not getting Cliff Lee to resign is the difference for this team.


On to the NL, starting in the East where the Philly Phour reside. Despite the early season injuries, the Phillies really shouldn't miss the playoffs; if they do, it's an embarrassment. Speaking of embarrassment, the Mets should be the worst team in the division. I don't see how they pitch well, even in Citi Field, which will also negate the offense. Washington will be fourth, but they won't be any good until we know how Stephen Strasburg responds to Tommy John surgery, as well as when Bryce Harper moves to the majors. Florida is probably a year away from being a legitimate contender as the pitching behind Josh Johnson continues to develop more consistency and the lineup does as well, probably a good year in the new ballpark for them in 2012. The Braves will win the wild card as they are improved from last year. The pitching is still there (unless Derek Lowe comes back down) and more importantly, they will hit better with Dan Uggla and potential Rookie of the Year Freddie Freeman.


Probably the division that has the most potential contenders is the NL Central with Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Chicago and yes, St. Louis who can realistically win. I always think the Cards can compete because of Tony La Russa, Dave Duncan and Albert Pujols (even with the impending free agency). The Cubs are improved with Matt Garza and hope to have a motivated Carlos Pena who's on a one-year deal. Add Starlin Castro, Aramis Ramirez and Marlon Byrd and the lineup is good. Still think they fall short of the division, trailing both the Brewers and Reds. The Reds still have the balanced offense from last year and a dominant bullpen with Aroldis Chapman and Francisco Cordero at the back end. The Brewers offense is better than Cincy's and with Greinke and Shaun Marcum, they should have enough to win the division (and they better, they put too much into this season). No need to discuss the Astros or the Pirates, both will struggle, though Houston's closer to contention because of pitching.


Last but not least, the division of the defending World Series winners, the Giants. The division won't be as difficult now that the Padres traded Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox, and will suffer a bad year because of it, though it might not be too long a dip. The Diamondbacks are still on the long road of rebuilding since the pitching is still porous and they still don't hit with any consistency, though they do have building blocks. The Dodgers are interesting with a solid rotation and a nice lineup, but they don't have the hitting Colorado has or the pitching San Francisco has as well. The Rockies are the contender in the division, but will need more pitching than Ubaldo Jimenez to overtake the Giants. San Francisco will struggle early, but the injuries they have seem short-term and they should tread water until healthy, then win the end.

World Series Pick: Braves over A's

MVP's: Ryan Braun and Robinson Cano

Cy Young's: Roy Halladay and Jon Lester

Rookies of the Year: Freddie Freeman and Jeremy Hellickson

Managers of the Year: Ron Roenicke and Bob Geren

Division Series Preview

Tomorrow is the start of the Division Series and it seems like while the NL favorite is clearly the Phillies, the AL is wide open, which is a reversal of recent years when the AL's favorite was defined and the NL had four potential winners. Of course, even in those years with a prohibitive favorite (usually the 02-07 Yankees), that team usually didn't win. That's usually because the crapshoot of the MLB playoffs is this round, due to the best of five. Let's take a brief look at each series.

Philadelphia Phillies-Cincinnati Reds

This is a series which the Reds will need to overachieve to beat the best team in the majors. They also will need to forget about their series from July which the Phillies had three straight walkoff wins, including one from a seven run deficit which Cody Ransom was a key player. The Reds are also facing a Phils team that has Roy Oswalt now and have Cole Hamels almost back to being the pitcher from 2008. The only chance I can see for the Reds is if Joey Votto explodes and/or Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto can outpitch the Phillies starters. Can't see that happening. Phillies win in 4.


San Francisco Giants-Atlanta Braves

Very interesting with a team that can pitch with anyone in the Giants, but have trouble hitting, while the Braves to a lot of things good, but nothing great. Lineups are basically a wash, including the dueling Rookie of the Year candidates and have very good managers in Bobby Cox and Bruce Bochy. The Braves have to pitch with the Giants and if Derek Lowe is on, they could with Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson. I think the deciding factor is that Hudson will only start Game 3, while the Giants will have Tim Lincecum for two starts, and a hot Lincecum at that. Giants will win in 5.


Tampa Bay Rays-Texas Rangers

Texas was going to be a sexy first round team because of Cliff Lee. However, looking at the starters, the Rangers don't have Lee going in Game 4, a huge disadvantage. Also, Lee hasn't been particularly effective against the Rays this year. So the Rangers will need to hit and after David Price, they'll have their chance to hit. The toughest issue for the Rays is that with Lee and C.J. Wilson, the Rays lefties will be neutralized, so Evan Longoria and B.J. Opton will have to step up. With Lee being saved for a Game 5, I happen to think the Rangers won't be able to win starts without Lee and with the Rays at home and able to use their awful stadium to success on the basepaths, Tampa should win. Rays will win in 4.


Minnesota Twins-New York Yankees

The biggest series of the round will involve the one AL team with no concerns over pitching in the Twins. The Yanks will need Andy Pettitte to be ready soon in order to not only pitch, but also pitch well enough to steal Game 2 in Minnesota. This series will be interesting to see outdoor baseball in October in Minneapolis and to see if the Yanks lefties can hit HR's to right, like they will in NY. Francisco Liriano had a strong year this year and deserved the top spot in the rotation, while Carl Pavano and Brian Duensing have complimented well. The Yanks will hope Phil Hughes pitches well and if so, the Yanks will win. I think the Twins have a better bullpen than we thought they would have when Joe Nathan got hurt. This helps the Twins (except Brian Fuentes) because their bullpen is better and might not have the fear when they come in. The keys for the Yanks are the same, hit, hit for power am? The Yankees should still be the favorites but they need to hit better which I'm sure they they can do, but dealing with a spacious stadium will hurt the Yanks, not to mention they have struggled in general since the All-Star break; don't think they can just flip a switch. Twins will win in 5.

Randomness That Doesn't Involve The Decision

The biggest sporting event of 2010 will take place today, when Spain and Netherlands will faceoff in the World Cup Final. The Dutch have quietly been the best team in the tournament, while the Spanish have hung around and reached the final. David Villa is the man I've found as the MVP of this tourney and the reason Spain is playing today. Prediction: Netherlands win 2-1 with Robin Van Persie scoring the winning goal.

The scariest story I've ever read, the Daily News reporting that Isiah Thomas could come back to the Knicks. If this was to happen, Isiah officially becomes the Freddy Kruger of sports. He killed the Knicks before, the lost draft pick this year was the sequel and a return would be in my mind, Nightmare on 33rd St III. News like this make me want to drink a Molotov cocktail.

Even worse, what does this mean for Rangers. Does Glen Sather ever leave? Did I just answer my own question?

The Ilya Kovalchuk saga continues in hiatus as almost no news has occurred since the Kings pulled out a second time. We're still waiting to see if he goes to the Devils, Kings, Russia or if there's another team out there (Rangers?) willing to make the move for the great scorer who doesn't play defense. Actually, he sounds like a fit for the Knicks. The Devils, according to Larry Brooks, have offered him 17 years/$100 million. That would be ridiculous and would in a way combine the bad contracts of Alexei Yashin and Rick DiPietro that the Islanders signed them to.

Two weeks until Mad Men is back on.

It's time to change the Home Run Derby. No longer do the top HR hitters participate and waters down the event. Everyone is scared of having a second half like Josh Hamilton had in 2008 which he didn't snap out of until this season. Robinson Cano was supposed to take part, but the Yankees told him not to do it and was replaced with Nick Swisher (so it's okay for Swish to do this?). He's the idea, make it either 6 or 8 contestants and the top two or three get to swing in the final and we go back to 5 outs in the final round. I don't know why they changed the final round to the full 10 outs, 5 was better and more dramatic. It's not that serious where a better HR hitter is really screwed out of victory.

Finally, it's a very sad day as longtime Yankees PA and NY Giants PA Bob Sheppard died at age 99. Let's find a place for him in heaven alongside John Facenda, Marty Glickman and Foster Hewitt, the voices of the NFL, NBA and NHL. Watch this tribute for the great man, the Voice of Yankee Stadium.

Babe of the Week and Week 9 Picks

In honor of the N.Y. Yankees World Series victory (and due to the fact that there isn't an alumnus from LSU or Alabama that belongs here), our Babe of the Week is the hottest of the Yanks long list of girlfriends/wives, Minka Kelly, Derek Jeter's main squeeze. Since I don't use this space to showcase a whole bunch of photos (unless I personally take them), here's a link that shows the Kate Hudson's and the Joanna Garcia's that date/married Yankees, plus other teams and sports. It's also the perfect opportunity to write my World Series review.


For the Phillies, this season will be remembered for one of the better title defenses in recent memory. Last year, Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge were the difference between them winning and losing; this year, both players had subpar years, yet still won the National League and took the Yankees six games. They were the first defending champ to return to the World Series since the 2001 Yankees, and despite suffering the same fate as the last dynasty team did, they have changed baseball in Philadelphia for the better. They will be back in contention in 2010 as they keep Cliff Lee and their vaunted 1-6 batting order and if they can get bounce back years from Hamels and/or Lidge, they will be the favorite to return to the World Series a third straight year. Kudos to the Phightins.


As for the Yankees, they won this World Series for five reasons. First, signing CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, two players in their prime and among the best at their positions was a change from recent Yankee spending (bonus points for swinging the AL East when it seemed Tex was headed to Boston). Put it this way, the Yankees passed on Vlad Guerrero for Gary Sheffield in 2003 and Carlos Beltran for Randy Johnson in 2004; this team didn't make Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez as their top two free agent choices (and if George Steinbrenner was still running things, I have to think the Yanks sign Manny, something that could have imploded the team). Second, none of their veteran players had extensive injury time. When you consider that A-Rod's hip injury in the first month was the longest injury to a major player, it's pretty remarkable; then add the fact that no player played like their age, even Matsui. Third, both the Twins and the Angels came into their series with the Yankees feeling like they needed to be both perfect and aggressive to beat them and turned out to be neither. The Twins had no chance, but blew every opportunity the Yanks gave them with boneheaded baserunning and a Joe Nathan meltdown. Meanwhile, the Angels committed errors (which they never do), couldn't hit consistently (which they usually do against New York) and had no pitching (at least no shutdown starter).


I'll use the last two for the actual series. The fourth reason was that the Phillies unfortunately were not much different than the Angels, except Cliff Lee was a legitimate starter who if he could of pitched Game 4, maybe we have a Game 7 and with Lee starting, who knows. Their bats never hit at the same time and while the Yanks didn't hit well statistically, they seemed to have at least one inning from Game 3 on that they did damage. Which brings us to number five, the turning points of this series. Pedro Martinez twice was left in too long as he should of never started the seventh in Game 2 (allowing the insurance run the Yanks needed to feel safe) and although Shane Victorino should have played Jeter's single into an out, Pedro should have never faced Matsui, the one man who was hitting him hard. Game 3 was Cole Hamels becoming a Section 8, giving up a 3-0 lead in a matter of two innings. If Hamels can get through the fifth still in front, perhaps the Phillies get some runs and change the outcome of the series. The last one was the Johnny Damon at bat against Lidge, who was dealing until Damon worked the count and got a hit. Then, in the overmanaging moment of the series, Charlie Manuel plays the shift against Tex and Damon steals two bases to get to third. We all know that Alex Rodriguez knocked the winning run in and we don't get to know if Phil Coke can keep that game tied in the bottom of the 9th.


The Yankees proved to be the best team in baseball, and earned this 27th World Championship, something I didn't think they were really close to last year (for the record, I believe the Yankees weren't overly concerned with making the playoffs a year ago, just so they could clear house). I should have known better, since the Yanks will spend their way to make a turnaround and because the Rays were destined to fall back after the high of 2008, opening the door for the Yanks and Sox to make the playoffs. Now, next season will be interesting because with the economy continuing to widen gaps between big-market and small-market, the Yankees will not only have it easier in the regular season to win, but I'd say a little more difficult since other big-market teams will gun for them.


Enough baseball, I'll write something about the hot stove soon, now let's do some football picks. Last week was a bloodbath and a reversal of fortune is needed. All of a sudden, a simple football season is turning upside down as teams I thought were among the best (Giants, Bears, Jets) have come down to earth. Fortunately, there still are a whole bunch of bad teams in this league and remember, whatever my Houston pick is, it means the other team will win, almost a lock (aside from the one push this season). As for college, I just haven't had any good weeks yet and I'll be happy when it's over (this has been a weak season anyway). Here are my picks; home team in CAPS.


Kansas City (+7) over JACKSONVILLE- Here's this weeks winner of "You Know You Have a Gambling Problem" Game. I think we have one for the rest of this year and another this week.
CINCINNATI (+3) over Baltimore- I don't think their Week 5 game was a fluke, the Bengals can run, they can pass and play defense despite the loss of Antwan Odom.
Houston (+9) over INDIANAPOLIS- This seems like the perfect week to play the Colts for the Texans, they are starting to gain steam for the playoffs and no Bob Sanders.
ATLANTA (-9) over Washington- After losses to the Cowboys and Saints, the perfect elixir is a visit from the Redskins, let's their defense puff its chest and their offense will too.
Green Bay (-10) over Tampa Bay- The Bucs have decided to wear their "creamsicle" uniforms this week, makes sense since the Bucs have been this bad since they wore them.
Arizona (+3) over CHICAGO- This is a week that I expect the Cardinals to lose, thus it makes sense to pick them here. They are the NFC version of the Texans.
Miami (+10.5) over NEW ENGLAND- The Pats should win, but a bye week and better competition than the Titans and Bucs will keep this closer than expected.
NEW ORLEANS (-13) over Carolina- Bad matchup for Jake, this is a ball-hawking, turnover-hungry defense, plus an offense that the Panthers must throw to keep up with.
SEATTLE (-10) over Detroit- Another game that show exactly how much you gamble, though I'm sure you know the Lions won't win a game in Qwest Field, too tough a home crowd.
SAN FRANCISCO (-4) over Tennessee- You have Vince Young on the road and a Niners team who should be encouraged and pissed off for losing by four up in Indy.
San Diego (+4.5) over GIANTS- Yes, I'm capable of picking against the Giants. This is a tough matchup for the G-Men; I expect Phil Rivers to throw five TD passes.
Dallas (+3) over PHILADELPHIA- Tony Romo gets his revenge at the Linc as he and Miles Austin combine for a couple of scores and the Dallas defense shuts down McNabb.
DENVER (+3) over Pittsburgh- I know the Broncos had trouble with the Ravens, but that was a flat performance against a desperate team after a bye. Plus, the home-field matters against the Steelers

NFL Record: 60-55-1


MICHIGAN (-6) over Purdue
South Carolina (+7) over ARKANSAS
Kansas (-2.5) over KANSAS STATE
STANFORD (+7) over Oregon
Florida State (+9) over CLEMSON
USC (-10) over ARIZONA STATE
CALIFORNIA (-7) over Oregon State
Oklahoma (-4.5) over NEBRASKA
PENN STATE (-5.5) over Ohio State
LSU (+7.5) over ALABAMA

College Record: 38-44-1

World Series Preview: The Turnpike Tussel

The World Series finally begins tonight and for the first time since 2001, you can say the best two teams in baseball are playing each other as the defending champ Philadelphia Phillies get ready for the many time defending payroll champ New York Yankees. Think about it, either there have been World Series that involved a less glamorous team (think '03 Marlins, '06 Cardinals) or the ALCS was the World Series that season ('04, '07). Now that we're all ready, let's breakdown the matchup.


1B: Mark Teixeria vs. Ryan Howard- This is probably the toughest matchup of all players and is seemingly a push because of Howard's power and Tex's defense. However, everyone overlooks that Howard is a better defensive first baseman than you think and I just can't ignore how hot he's been at the plate compared to Tex in these playoffs. Advantage Phillies


2B: Robinson Cano vs. Chase Utley- These two players are among the best second baseman in baseball. Utley hasn't been great in the playoffs, but he's not awful as well. Cano's in the same boat as Utley this postseason. Utley normally wins because he's a better hitter with runners on base, but the rumors of an injury are too great for me to ignore. Even


SS: Derek Jeter vs. Jimmy Rollins- If you look at the numbers, Jeter wins. However, Rollins is a clutch hitter and terrific fielder (probably the best fielding shortstop in baseball). In the big spot, both of these guys exude confidence that they will get the big hit. The one difference is that Jeter is more consistent in all situations and has played better defense this year. Advantage Yankees


3B: Alex Rodriguez vs. Pedro Feliz- The only way Feliz is even with A-Rod is that Feliz has a head, two arms and two legs. Other than that, nothing. Advantage Yankees


LF: Johnny Damon vs. Raul Ibanez- Tough matchup of aging hitters who still have a little left in the tank. Ibanez is the better fielder by default because I could run on Damon's arm. They have had similar postseasons, Damon I'd say is a little better. Ibanez also has rumors of an injury, but he's still dangerous at the plate. Even


CF: Melky Cabrera vs. Shane Victorino- Both players had terrific LCS' and can hit very well. Victorino has a slight fielding advantage and is more of an interesting cog in their offense than Cabrera is. Hey, Cabrera is a good hitter, but Victorino is much more dangerous at the plate and on the bases as well. Advantage Phillies
RF: Nick Swisher vs. Jayson Werth- Swisher has had some hitting troubles this postseason and I don't think Game 6 just magically means his slump is over. As for Werth, he's the reason you can't pitch around Ryan Howard because he's so dangerous at the plate. Add the fact he's the best outfield arm on either team and can steal a base and this is not even close. Advantage Phillies


Catcher: Jorge Posada vs. Carlos Ruiz- Ordinarily, this is an easy victory for Posada, but Chooch is a terrific catcher and a remarkably clutch hitter. I said it in the NLCS preview, but Ruiz is clearly the Pat Borders of the aughts, with his weak regular season, but strong postseason numbers. Let's also remember that Ruiz is a better fielding catcher than Posada and Jose Molina appears to be playing in a couple of games as well. Advantage Phillies


Starting pitching: It really depends on rain and if the Yankees use a three-man rotation. CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee are a complete wash and their starts could go either way. A.J. Burnett will face Pedro Martinez and anything can happen in their starts, except a complete game for Pedro. Andy Pettitte can handle Game 3, but I'm not sure about him in Game 6 on three days rest. Cole Hamels is the Phillies X-factor because if he can pitch like the ace who won all the awards last postseason, the Phillies will win. But I can't count on that. Even


Bullpen: Both bullpens have question marks. Can Ryan Madson be the setup man? Will we see continued struggles from Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes? Is Chan Ho Park the Phillies best reliever? One thing that you can't question is Mariano Rivera, while Brad Lidge is still a huge question mark, despite good play in the NL playoffs. Advantage Yankees


Bench: No DH matchup because the Phillies have none and Hideki Matsui won't play OF. The Yankees bench is better in this series as they have Eric Hinske instead of Freddy Guzman and particularly strong in Philly when Matsui comes off the bench. For the Phils, it's basically Ben Francisco and Matt Stairs as the major reserves, with a little Greg Dobbs to be sprinkled in for sure. Even.


Manager: Joe Girardi vs. Charlie Manuel- Let's just say Yankee fans get scared when Girardi walks out on the field. There is a legitimate possibility that Girardi could lose a game on his own. I have no worries about Manuel, since he knows his ball club and the world championship from last year is always a positive. Advantage Phillies


Intangibles: For the Phillies, it's the championship pedigree, which aside from the Core Four, is an advantage over the Yankees. Home-field is a big deal for the Yankees as they have lost only eight games there since the All-Star break. Even


The Phillies will win if: Lee outduels Sabathia; Hamels pitches well; the bullpen turns into a strength; Philly's offense is better than New York's; Girardi has a bad series; Burnett and/or Pettitte struggle; Howard keeps up his great play.


The Yankees will win if: Sabathia outduels Lee; the Phillies bullpen is as expected, while the Yankees' revert to 2nd half form; Yankees hit better than the Phils; A-Rod continues his hot bat; Burnett is the good Burnett.


Prediction: The Phillies have had the strongest title defense since the '01 Yanks who went to Game 7 in Arizona before the great Mariano Rivera (sorry to sound like Jon Miller here) blew his first postseason save since 1997. Just like those Yankees, I think the Phillies as well. Yankees in 7 MVP: Robinson Cano

Randomness While I Apply For Umpire School

- It's official, I honestly believe I can do a better job being an umpire than the umps in baseball. I can never be an NHL ref since I can't skate and the NBA and NFL referees actually have a harder job than people think due to the speed of each game. Baseball umpires just stand there and can just wait until a play comes to them. Consider the following missed calls this postseason: The Brandon Inge ball hitting the jersey, the C.B. Bucknor performance at first base in Game 1 of the Red Sox-Angels series, Phil Cuzzi forgetting that the foul line is fair, and lastly the unforgettable performance as a crew Tuesday night (particularly Tim McClelland) that MLB would be in worse shape if not for CC Sabathia shutting down the Angels last night.


- While I'm giving benefit to the doubt to NFL referees, the best conference in college football, the SEC, all of a sudden have the worst group of officials in sports, even with the putrid baseball umpires effort. It's not just about the LSU/Georgia celebration penalties, but last weeks Arkansas/Florida game was almost fixed in the timing of the gift calls for Florida. First a weak pass interference call, then a simply wrong personal foul penalty ensured that almighty Tim Tebow would get to keep the Gators unbeaten. Good job by the SEC though for suspending those officials for the next few weeks, hopefully it sends a message, although a strong one would be firing them.


- This week has been full of weird stories. First the balloon boy mess that if we just realized the family was on WifeSwap and the kid's name is Falcon, we would of knew it was fake and no longer waste time on this (great work by the Huffington Post here). Next, talk about "What a moment", we have the Jim Nantz divorce proceedings where Nantz now is dating a 29-year old and the biggest issue of contention is the placement of a portrait of Nantz in a warehouse because the former Mrs. didn't want it hanging in the mansion. Finally, this story about Steve Phillips cheating on his wife with a 20-year old intern, who then goes Glenn Close on his wife, is funny on so many levels, 75 % of them because of the girl he chose. Based on that decision, I'm quite certain that Steve Phillips would have made the Scott Kazmir-Victor Zambrano trade, like his successor Jim Duquette did. Yesterday seemed like the start of a war with ESPN at Deadspin, as they have now been reporting outing all of ESPN's behind the scenes trysts (since it's not public, I won't name them on the site).


- I wanted to touch on the NY Rangers who lost the other night to end a seven game winning streak as it seemed like John Tortorella had Stephen Valiquette play in net to prove a point, that the last few wins were because of Henrik Lundqvist in net, not by their good play in those games. Hopefully, the players learned something, but a couple of shoutouts since I was at the game Monday night. The first goes to Jed Ortmeyer, the former Ranger and two-time Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner who returned to the Garden in a Sharks uniform and scored a goal and was making hits and flying all over the ice. My best memory of Ortmeyer was his first goal after a pulmonary embolism on a penalty shot against the Bruins, another game that I was there watching from the blue seats. The other shoutout goes to Michael Del Zotto, who despite the loss, scored another goal and is playing out of his mind. He's the best power play quarterback since Leetch and he's the next superstar in New York, mark my words.


- It's a good thing I didn't write a comprehensive NFL posts since Week 1 because it saved you from a bunch of "the Giants are great" columns and it saved me from the taunts of my readers who are at best non-Giants fans and at worst those who loathe the team (i.e. Eagles fans, Cowboys fans). I still like this team and I'm not going to overreact to the loss against the Saints, but for the Giants, the important thing to do is win the NFC East and the division is weaker this season. Washington's got this boulder of a situation with Jim Zorn and the Cowboys are in the third year under Wade Phillips who now you just can't even look at without thinking "This is my coach?" As for the Eagles, they are still good, but I always have the feeling they give away more regular season games than they should because the Donovan McNabb/Andy Reid tandem does cost them 2-4 games a year.


- So much for the Sanchise talk. It's not just that everyone's off the Mark Sanchez bandwagon, it's that Mark Sanchez was driving that bandwagon fine, then thought he could drive in oncoming traffic, then hit a guardrail and tumbled into a ditch. Now, I haven't declared this statement a failure, he's a rookie, he'll have bad games. However, it's time for me to officially tell Jets fans to settle down.


- After the Dez Bryant for Heisman campaign I ran ended like Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid, I have a new player that should be in front of every voters ballot, Mark Ingram of Alabama. First of all, the Crimson Tide are the best team in the nation right now, they have done better than Florida for much of this season and Ingram has been the main reason. The key stat is that he has 568 yards rushing against Virginia Tech, Mississippi and South Carolina. If the Tide end up finishing unbeaten, there's no better Heisman candidate, especially if Colt McCoy continues to play ordinary.


- Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies for repeating as National League champs. The Yankees should have joined them in the World Series, but they allowed the Angels to send this series back to New York. Here are four names I find responsible; Joe Girardi should have taken out A.J. Burnett to start the seventh inning and in a move that isn't being discussed, he should have pulled Phil Hughes after the game-tying single to Vladimir Guerrero for Phil Coke to face Kendry Morales and turn him right-handed (sidebar, how in the world do you pinch run A-Rod, there's no argument you can make that makes it a good move. At least it didn't bite the Yanks, it could have if the Yanks tie). Burnett deserves a lion's share of blame; he was terrible in the first inning and then couldn't handle the success of a Yankee comeback (second sidebar, that's it with the Burnett/Molina experiment, now it's Jorge Posada at catcher for good). I completely disregard the 2nd-6th innings because there's no pressure for A.J. and when the pressure is back, Burnett chokes. That's why you take him out, along with the long top of the 7th.


As far as Hughes, he angered me most of all. He had no command of his fastball when facing Torii Hunter and against Guerrero, he gets a 1-2 count with a curveball in the dirt. Then, Hughes shakes off Posada and throws a fastball that Hughes misses in the zone and Guerrero ties it. Now, come on Hughes YOU DON'T THROW A 1-2 FASTBALL TO GUERRERO!!!! You don't, make Guerrero chase a pitch outside or tail him inside. It's time for Girardi to move Dave Robertson into the setup role as Rivera's bridge because both Hughes and Chamberlain haven't been to put it lightly automatics; to put it blunt, they have been terrible. Finally, Nick Swisher, he may be a good clubhouse guy, but he's awful at the plate. He should of taken some pitches from Brian Fuentes, who was brutal in that ninth inning (third sidebar; Mike Scioscia was pulling a Girardi last night, first by taking out John Lackey, then by bringing in Jeppsen to face Cano in the seventh and by taking out Jered Weaver who was dealing for Fuentes, who is so nerve-wracking. Imagine Jim Leyland managing with Fuentes as his closer, he have to save a full pack of Marlboro Reds exclusively for his save attempts). Instead Swisher, swings at the first two pitches, somehow rallys back to 3-2 then a pop-up to lose it. The Yankees are lucky to have CC Sabathia ready for Game 7, which could kill them in the World Series if he has to pitch.


- Since this is coming out Friday afternoon, let's do some housekeeping. My NFL/College picks column will be out either later tonight or tomorrow morning. I will have an NBA preview, probably Monday, if not before the Tuesday openers. Finally, I will have a World Series preview on Wednesday.

Yankees-Angels ALCS Preview

After a wait that was longer than each team's series, the ALCS begins tonight with the Yankees and the Angels. Both teams swept their way into this series; the Yanks were expected while the Angels surprised by finally beating the Red Sox. The Yankees now try to do the same to their tormentors from Anaheim. Here's how they stack up:


Infield: I hate being forced to group together infield or outfield like I did for the Yankees and Phillies, but I can't make a case for any of the Angels infielders being better than the Yankees. Kendry Morales had a great season, but he's not in Mark Teixeria's league quite, even though their stats last series was about even. Howie Kendrick can hit for average with anyone, but Robinson Cano has the power and Kendrick is platooning with Maicer Izturis and only facing lefties (important for this series). Erick Aybar did very well against the Red Sox, starting off the rally in Game 3, but I lose all credibility if I have him even with Derek Jeter. Someone like Jimmy Rollins, yes, but not Aybar, not yet. As for third base, if the A-Rod from the Twins series shows up, there's no way Chone Figgins friskiness can match him. Advantage Yankees


LF: Juan Rivera vs. Johnny Damon- One of Jerome from Manhattan's favorite Yankee prospects finally realized his potential this season (though his 2006 was just as good). As for Damon, this space wrote of his September struggles in the Twins preview, and it continued in the Division Series. On paper, it should be Damon that's better because he's a proven playoff performer and Yankee Stadium is built for his swing; however, he needs to prove he can snap out of his slump and we haven't even referred to the fact the Angels will run on his arm throughout the series. Even


CF: Torii Hunter vs. Melky Cabrera- Here's another example of a Yankee who struggled in the Twins series in Cabrera, but at the same time, Hunter wasn't really at his best. The difference is the Game 1 home run that Hunter hit makes his series a little better. The thing to remember is Hunter was one of the top two players on this Angels team and possible MVP candidate if he was healthy all year. Advantage Angels


RF: Bobby Abreu vs. Nick Swisher- Both men are responsible for changing their teams. Swisher lightened the clubhouse with his carefree attitude, while Abreu has brought his patience at the plate and has imparted that wisdom to the Angels who have increased their OBP this season. Abreu is a better hitter than Swisher and a better fielder except if the wall gets involved. Advantage Angels


Catcher: Napoli/Mathis vs. Posada/Molina- Here we have a couple of platoons based on the first round series. Of course, we saw Posada in Game 3 show why he should be the starter each day, but if Molina gives Burnett a better chance to win, that's fine (and if Burnett starts at home, Posada would only miss a couple at bats). The Mike Napoli/Jeff Mathis platoon puzzles me a little more since Napoli is such a good hitter for a catcher, perhaps the same reasons as the Yankees platoon except it's not focused by the media in L.A. This should be even, but I give Jorge the edge for his hitting can be devastating like in Game 3. Advantage Yankees


DH: Vlad Guerrero vs. Hideki Matsui- Here's a battle between a professional hitter who's fallen a bit and a Hall of Fame hitter who's fallen off as well. Both proved they can still hit with Matsui's HR in Game 1 of last series and Guerrero's 2-run hit to win the game and series for the Angels against Boston. However, Matsui did little else against the Twins, while Guerrero was impressive against the Red Sox, plus he's the better all-time hitter. Advantage Angels


Starting Pitching: One of the Yankees biggest question marks because of the weather. If both Games 1 and 2 go on Friday and Saturday, then CC Sabathia will start Game 4 on short rest and be ready for a Game 7. That means Chad Gaudin won't start in this series. If any game (likely Saturday) is rained out, then Gaudin will have to start a game. The Angels will have Joe Saunders in Game 2 start in New York while sitting Scott Kazmir, who's done well against the Yanks, to Game 4. The rest of the starts are as follows; Burnett-erratic; Lackey-pitching for money; Weaver-trying to avoid big bro Jeff's reputation; Pettitte-perhaps his last postseason. If Gaudin pitches, Even; if Sabathia pitches three games, Advantage Yankees.


Bullpen: Another one that's too easy with Mariano Rivera prominently involved. Mo won't implode like any other closer could. While the Yanks could be worried about the pedestrian performance by Phil Hughes and aren't sure yet how Joba Chamberlain will pitch in this series or if Damaso Marte is the mole; at least they know their closer will take care of business. As for the Angels, let's just say they haven't blow a save yet. Brian Fuentes was the AL's Brad Lidge with his blown saves and again, if the most reliable arm is Darren Oliver, then you know your bullpen is bad. Advantage Yankees


Bench: Both benches are overlooked because neither one has a big bat out from there, especially with Eric Hinske not on the ALCS roster for the Yankees. New York has speed with Brett Gardner (and possible LF starter) and Freddy Guzman and defensive help from Jerry Hairston Jr. The Angels will have Reggie Willits for speed and defense and Gary Matthews Jr., who doesn't scare me at all at the plate. Even


Manager: Mike Scioscia vs. Joe Girardi- I honestly believe that the Yankees are winning despite Joe Girardi. He was a little too crazy in that Twins series with Mo pitching after the Yanks gave up the lead in Game 2 and taking out Andy Pettitte after 81 pitches. Scioscia has been referred to as the best manager in baseball and it's a sentiment that I fully back. You have a style of play to prepare for against them, the only team you really have that is like that. Against the Red Sox, I'd worry about overmanaging for Scioscia (last year's failed suicide squeeze comes to mind), but against the Yankees, I don't think that will happen and that already started with Girardi. Advantage Angels


Intangibles: The only intangible I can think of for the Yanks is the cold-weather for the Angels and the Yanks comeback ability in late innings, shared by most teams. The Angels kill them here with the history of success against the Yankees to look at and the continued inspiration from Nick Adenhart's death. This series will say how much his death plays a role in a championship. Advantage Angels


The Angels will win if: The bullpen can finish games; the starters can match/exceed the Yanks starters; Guerrero hits like an all-star; Abreu gets vengence; Girardi ruins the Yankee bullpen; A-Rod plays like A-Fraud and the lineup continues Twins series struggles.


The Yankees will win if: A-Rod plays like YEA-Rod; the lineup can hit better outside of Jeter, Posada, Rodriguez; Yanks pitchers shut down the Angels lineup; Angels starters are ordinary; Angels bullpen plays like the Angels bullpen of the regular season; Girardi makes all of the right moves.


Prediction: Yankees in 7; ALCS MVP- CC Sabathia

Twins-Yankees Preview

The N.Y. Yankees finally have an opponent in the ALDS as they will face the Minnesota Twins who beat the Detroit Tigers in a crazy game that was a great game on the field and a terrible one from the broadcast booth. Unfortunately, Chip Caray follows the Twins to Yankee Stadium in a series that will make you glad to hear Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the ALCS. Let's preview:


Infield: Just like in the Phillies series, there an area that one team is better than the other. Now, the Twins have good infielders in Michael Cuddyer and Orlando Cabrera, but losing Justin Morneau makes this easy. Cuddyer isn't in Mark Teixeira's league where Morneau is a push, Derek Jeter has the advantage over Cabrera (though not in a romp) and Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano are enormous differences over Matt Tolbert and Nick Punto. Advantage Yankees


LF: Delmon Young vs. Johnny Damon- While the Yankees have an all-time great infield, the outfield is not as good and we start at left field. Damon has had a fine year and his swing is built for Yankee Stadium, however he has struggled in the last month and needs to bounce back. Meanwhile, Young had the exact opposite season, starting very slow, but has been hot for the past two months, getting big hits in lifting the Twins. If you ask me in July, it's advantage Yanks, but I can't ignore the fact that is seems like Young is starting to get it and realize his potential. Even


CF: Denard Span vs. Melky Cabrera- The interesting thing about both players is that they can be moved to left field for defensive purposes, not because either guy is poor, but because left field must be addressed late in games. Great bounce back year for Cabrera and he early on had a bunch of walkoff hits. Span is a very good ballplayer who can bring speed both with hitting and defense. These two really are the same player except for Span's speed and hitting, but Melky is the 8th man on the Yanks where Span is the 3rd or 4th guy on the Twins. Advantage Twins


RF: Jason Kubel vs. Nick Swisher- Swisher has been one of the catalysts in the loosening up of the mid-2000s Yankees as his personality is more like one of the Red Sox "Idiots" from the 2004 title team. Kubel has been clutch in the past month with big HR's, picking up the slack for Morneau's injury. While Swisher's role in the clubhouse is important, he hits just like Jason Giambi, has power and plate discipline, but can't hit for average. Hitting for average is overrated though as long as your on-base is good and that certainly applies for Swisher. Advantage Twins


Catcher: Joe Mauer vs. Jorge Posada/Jose Molina- The reason Molina is here is because of A.J. Burnett, otherwise he's on the bench group. While Molina turns the Yankees into a National League team, Posada can still rake if needed, though not the same degree. However, Molina controls the basepaths better than Posada can. Wait a minute, why am I spending time on this, Joe Mauer is the best player in the AL and only Pujols could be better in baseball. Advantage Twins


DH: Jose Morales vs. Hideki Matsui- This is another reason where losing Morneau hurts the Twins; before you have Cuddyer in right field and Kubel as DH. Morales just doesn't stack up when compared with Matsui, who has hit as well as he has since four years. Advantage Yankees


Starting pitching: The Yankees can pitch only three guys, the Twins need to pitch four. None of the Twins starters can dominate like CC Sabathia or even A.J. Burnett. Carl Pavano is prominently involved and is cited as a positive for the Twins. Burnett gets to use his personal catcher for his starts, so he better pitch well, since Andy Pettitte will only start one game. Advantage Yankees


Bullpen: Unlike the starters, the bullpens are much closer mainly because Joe Nathan is, if not as good as Mariano Rivera, he's at least one notch below. They also have four relievers in Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, Ron Mahay and Jose Mijares who have pitched very well on the Twins. Obviously, the Yanks have Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves and David Robertson who have done well and perhaps the Yanks will see the old Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen. Even


Bench: The Twins bench has more speed than power, and is more likely to steal a base than get a big hit with guys like Alexi Casilla and Carlos "Does my run last night even out the Johan Santana trade" Gomez. The Yankees I have to say have their best bench in years with Eric Hinske and Jerry Hairston Jr. and counter the speed with Brett Gardner. Advantage Yankees


Manager: Ron Gardenhire vs. Joe Girardi- Girardi to be fair has done a good job on this Yankees team, though I think he could have handled this Burnett-Posada situation better. Naturally, because I follow the Yankees all year and the Twins I barely watch, I will be picking more nits with Joe than Ron. I just watch the Twins year in and year out and they are just the same and that has to do with Gardenhire. Plus, he's managed in postseason, while Girardi is now in his first. Advantage Twins


Intangibles: The word intangibles in the dictionary has a picture of the Twins. The Yankees looseness is the best I can come up with. The Twins have the momentum of a 17-4 run that put them in the playoffs, while playing without Morneau. I said before how Morneau is a big loss; well the Twins don't realize that yet. Also, I know the Yankees have played well in the Metrodome, but right now, that place has a magic that's hard to just write off. Advantage Twins


The Twins will win if: Murphy's Law prevails for both teams. Unlike any other series, the Twins must have each of the following happen: CC continues postseason struggles; Burnett blows up in Game 2; each Yankee in the lineup goes on a slump, leading to more A-Rod in postseason talk; the Metrodome proves to be a huge home-field advantage; Mauer plays MVP-like and their hitters follow suit.


The Yankees will win if: Anything from the above doesn't happen. Let's put it this way, if the Yankees lose this series to the Twins, only the Red Sox in 2004 would be a worse loss. Almost every advantage belongs to the Yankees and they must win this series or people should be fired.


Prediction: Yankees in four

Football Friday and Angel Stadium Review

Before my review of Week 2 and Week 3 picks, here's Angel Stadium in a nutshell. When someone says the design of the stadium is similar to Yankee Stadium, their right, though also is a little Dodger Stadium-like in design. I'm glad the crowd wasn't into doing the wave, and only had bouncing beach balls as the distraction. I couldn't stand that Rally Monkey, just annoyed me how they constantly showed it batter after batter. Yankee fans I would say was 25-35% of the crowd Wednesday afternoon; for some reason, I believe if this was the Red Sox, it would be 35-45%. Other than that, it's not really a memorable stadium, in neither good nor bad way. Now let's look back at Week 2:

- I think we are looking at last year's Ravens with this year's Jets. Rex Ryan has them playing defense just like he had Baltimore a year ago, while Mark Sanchez is just playing smart, safe football at QB. Huge win against the Patriots, who for once seem vulnerable (where have we heard that before). Darrelle Revis is proving to be maybe the best CB in football after shuting down Andre Johnson and Randy Moss in back-to-back weeks. All these tools have Mark Sanchez smiling like he's still dating LA girls at USC (though there's very little dropoff in NY, ask Joe Namath). On the other hand, Matt Stafford shouldn't be confused with Matty Ice; the Lions are still bad and it's nice to see a QB struggle in his rookie year again.

- The brothers Manning continue to show their greatness last weekend with dueling game-winning drives to steal games their teams should have lost. Peyton didn't even have the ball for more than 15 minutes, a point hammered home by ESPN afterwards. As for Eli, he bailed out the Giants who couldn't run the football or stop it on the ground. I loved hearing all the praise Eli received last week, the way Eli handles himself in a two-minute drill is just perfect. I knew when there was 3:40 left to go that it was too much time for him and he proved it. Which is more than I can say for his opponent.

- All of a sudden Jake Delhomme has company in the maligned QB group now that Cowboys fans and alumni at leaping off the Tony Romo bandwagon. Romo was absolutely awful against the Giants and was the reason the Cowboys lost in the opener in the House that Jerry built. Apparently, Jerry Jones had a lot to do with Cowboys Stadium since NBC saw it fit to show him every two minutes (as if the network name is Jones Broadcasting Company). JBC cameras even found Jerry with a no-so great moment for him, but maybe the greatest moment for all Cowboy-haters when he went digging for oil after Bruce Johnson's pick six.

- The Dolphins were also on the wrong side of the a game they should of won, but this because of some awful coaching by Tony Sparano. He went for an inside draw on 3rd and 6 with the game tied and Miami in field goal range, taking the three points, even though Peyton Manning is the other QB. Then, they run as poor a two minute drill as Eli runs one good, burning a timeout when they waste the full play clock. The other two bad coaching performances of last week include Norv Turner and Todd Haley. Haley was killed by Jason Whitlock, Mike Lombardi and briefly by Bill Simmons for his overreacting on the sidelines and his bad playcalling. As for Norv, I watch the end of the Ravens-Chargers game and I was appalled by the play selection on 4th and 2 against a team like the Ravens. I don't bail on my picks too early, but if I did, I would immediately switch the Chargers with the Ravens. Baltimore is the best team in football now that Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense is able to put up points and the defense is still there.

- I continue to be impressed by Drew Brees on a week-by-week basis as the Saints are primed to challenge the Pats scoring record and Brady's touchdown record. Their competition in the Falcons has done well to win their first two and Tony Gonzalez seems to have completed that offense, which has seen no sophomore slump by Matt Ryan.

- The rest of the unbeatens in the league include the Vikings, Niners and Broncos. For Minnesota and San Francisco, it's because of Adrian Peterson and Frank Gore, respectively. For Denver, it's because of Brandon Stokely and the Cleveland Browns, respectively. The Browns are awful and I will continue to drive home the point that Eric Mangini is this decade's Rich Kotite; I still can't believe the Browns hired him.

- Kudos to the Texans, Bengals, Cardinals, Bills and Raiders for winning bounce back games after varying degrees of tough Week 1 losses. Houston puts their bandwagon on track, Arizona looked like last year; Cincy allowed Chad Ochocinco do his Lambeau Leap, TO finally did something productive and the Raiders won in spite of JaMarcus Russell's putrid passing because Todd Haley is proving to be a bad coach and the new frontrunner of the first year coach that's fired (for the record, no Raider coach is ever on the board, you can predict crazy/senile)

- The opposite of kudos goes to the Titans, Packers and most especially the Redskins. Anytime your fanbase is angry after a win, you get a negative kudo from me.


Now let's make Week 3 picks, as well as college. I apologize for finishing this late and I'm only going to show my picks for the 3:30 and later games today (Home team in CAPS):

Tennessee (+2.5) over JETS- Let down week for the Jets (Titans); Titans (Oilers) need this one.
HOUSTON (-3.5) over Jacksonville- Jaguars are awful, Texans probably are good.
Kansas City (+7.5) over PHILLY - Can't trust Kevin Kolb yet, reverses if McNabb somehow plays.
BALTIMORE (-13.5) over Cleveland- Ravens haven't had a blowout win yet, it's this week.
Giants (-6.5) over TAMPA BAY- Even hurt, the Giants should easily beat the Bucs.
DETROIT (+6.5) over Washington- Never again give a touchdown with this Redskins team.
Green Bay (-6.5) over ST. LOUIS- The Packers are better than last week; the Rams aren't.
San Fran (+7) over MINNESOTA- Let's just say I think the real Brett Favre will show up.
Atlanta (+4.5) over NEW ENGLAND- The wrong week for the Pats to play the Falcons.
Chicago (-2,5) over SEATTLE- Last week could start good things for the Bears, Seahawks will struggle with Wallace at QB.
New Orleans (-6) over BUFFALO- Don't overreact to the Bills win over Tampa, do with Brees.
SAN DIEGO (-5.5) over Miami- Battle of bad coaches, Norv's team is better than Tony's.
Pittsburgh (-3.5) over CINCINNATI- I just can't pick against Big Ben, not against an inferior team.
Denver (-1.5) over OAKLAND- The fact the Raiders were favored to start this week was laughable.
Indy (+2.5) over ARIZONA- Cards looked too good against a bad team, tougher against Peyton.
DALLAS (-8.5) over Carolina- Romo shouldn't disappoint two weeks in a row, easily should win.

NFL Record: 18-14 (Bears were underdogs last week, not favorites)

California (-5.5) over OREGON
VA TECH (+3.5) over Miami
TCU (+2.5) over CLEMSON
Pittsburgh (Pick'em) over NC STATE
Notre Dame (-6.5) over PURDUE
PENN STATE (-9) over Iowa
HOUSTON (+1.5) over Texas Tech
Washington (+9) over STANFORD

College Record: 13-20-1

The Yankees Mike Schmidt

Alex Rodriguez came up with runners on second and third in the seventh inning of today's Rangers-Yankees game, which the Yankees lost 7-2. He struck out and once again you can hear boos directed at A-Rod. In past years, perhaps the boos were warranted and in past playoffs, the boos were definitely warranted. However, booing Rodriguez is unfair for what he does at the plate and reminds me of Mike Schmidt's relationship in Philadelphia throughout his career.

The relationship between Yankees fans and Rodriguez have been very complex. It's full of highs and lows that I can't remember seeing with any player and his own fanbase. We have see the good times for A-Rod (his 3-HR game, 500th HR and plenty of clutch hits in 2007) and the bad ones(2004 ALCS, 2005 ALDS, 2006 season). It could have reached its lowest point after we found out that Rodriguez used steroids in Texas and the unintentional comedy of errors in judgement on how to explain it. However, A-Rod ended up getting credit (rightfully) for admitting to using, while so many others have not. It didn't hurt (no pun intended) that he needed hip surgery and missed the first month of the season. It's been his return that the Yankees were able to start this run of success that have them currently at 79-48, the best record in the league.

A-Rod's return showed us that he's needed in our lineup and he has, while not gaudy as he's accustomed to, been a clutch hitter for the Yankees, hitting big HR's in games such as the Phillies game and the 15th inning winner against the Red Sox. He also has been limited by the hip and clearly will need surgery to try and fix it in the offseason. It's unfair to expect Alex to get a big hit every time he comes up to bat because that is not how baseball works. You can only succeed 30 percent of the time to be considered good, 33 percent to be considered great. There always seems to be a clamoring by certain Yankee fans that A-Rod bat 1.000 when he has a chance to put runs on the board and anything less is a failure. That comes with the mentality that anything less than a World Series is a flat-out failure and a desire to be the first 162-0 team.

Don't get me wrong, if A-Rod chokes away in another postseason, you're jeers are on point and I will join you in that case. However, I believe it's time to listen to Subway Squawker Lisa. She has been defending A-Rod all year, not only against Red Sox fans who can't claim the PED argument anymore, but against Yankee fans who continue to be hard of him while he has hit more game-winning hits as a Yankee than Derek Jeter. The playoffs are one thing, but let's be fair during the regular season with A-Rod, especially with the big lead.

AL Power Poll

The dust has settled from the trade deadline, though I'm certain we will see a great deal of August trades this year. Even so, this is the perfect time to rank all of baseball from worst to first as a bit of a preview for the final two months and a more official prediction than you saw during my All-Star column. In fact, this should read more like my NBA Power Poll back in April. One little quirk: I will compare each team today and with the NL next week with the historical team they most resemble. Let's get started.

14. Kansas City- '97 Phillies: Like those Phillies, the Royals are terrible, but can trot Zack Greinke every fifth day, which is what the Phillies did with Curt Schilling. Unlike like those Phillies, the Royals did nothing at the trade deadline except take on Yuniesky Betancourt's awful (for them) contract. They should of dealt players away like the Pirates and Indians did, except Greinke. Instead, they continue to be a sad-sack franchise who's payroll is too high for a team that will be the worst in the AL.

13. Cleveland- '95 Expos: Just like Montreal, the Indians have torn apart a team that were very close to winning a World Series (certainly not the same scenario). Now, the Indians have traded two Cy Young winners and a couple of valuable hitters because of the awful contracts of Travis Hafner, Jake Westbrook and Kerry Wood. Those three contracts all are easily in the top-10 in worst contracts in baseball and you can't play in Cleveland and have three contracts that bad. Add the fact that the Indians are losing $16 million for next season, and we might have our next broke franchise, unless LeBron knows how to play baseball. Then again, if he did, he'd sign with the Yankees.

12. Oakland- '95 A's: This was the last year of Tony La Russa's nine-year run in Oakland, who by this time was losing his genius status as A's manager (though would retain it in St. Louis). Billy Beane this season has started to do the same as this A's team has no one besides a washed-up Nomar Garciaparra following the Matt Holliday trade. Maybe Brett Wallace will be good in the future, maybe Gio Gonzalez as well and maybe Beane will find some good draft picks in the next few years. However, his career could end up just like the movie about his and Michael Lewis' book, on the shelf.

11. Baltimore- '93 Indians: That Cleveland team was a year away from becoming one of the best teams during the '90s. They started playing Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton and Manny Ramirez with regularity. Now, the Orioles are about to be the same thing as the Indians, they will be the third team who could beat the Yanks and/or Red Sox in a given year once the Rays crumble under small-market tendencies. Baltimore has the offense of the future with Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters headlining a potent lineup and the pitching is on it's way in a few years. More importantly, this team is capable of sustaining success as long as Peter Angelos is willing to spend, which he's done before.

10. Toronto- '97 Expos: The situation the Blue Jays are about to go through already occurred with Montreal. The Expos never signed Pedro Martinez long-term and after his Cy Young season, had to trade him to Boston for the Carl Pavano pu-pu platter. Now, Roy Halladay wasn't dealt before the trade deadline at his highest value and now Toronto will receive much less than they should have if they weren't so steadfast to their price. However, if Alex Rios really was claimed, they should start doing cartwheels to be rid of his contract and be sure not to mess up and ask for a player.

9. Seattle- '02 Expos: Another team following the Expos playbook; this team straddled the fence between buyer and seller. No team ever did this as well as the Mariners this year. Two trades they will look back as either great or awful; the Jack Wilson/Ian Snell trade which they gave the Pirates five prospects and the Jarrod Washburn trade which is contingent on Luke French's success and Seattle's chance to resign Washburn in the offseason in a very hockey-like move (see Tkachuk, Keith).

8. Minnesota- '03 Cards: Now we finally get to the meat of the league. The Twins are always capable of making the playoffs, just like the Cardinals for the bulk of the Tony La Russa era. You can't write them off when Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau hit for you and Joe Nathan is as good a closer as there is in baseball. However, the rotation seems to be lacking (they traded for Carl Pavano today) and the rest of the lineup isn't any good. Honestly, by now the Twins should have started to see good things from the Johan Santana trade and obviously that's not the case. Of the eight playoff contenders, Minnesota is most likely to miss the playoffs.

7. Chicago- '89 Mets: It seems like the White Sox still have the reputation of a winning team, like those Mets did. They both also acquired a former Cy Young winner at the trade deadline, giving up pitchers in return. Those not as bad as the Mets in 1989, the White Sox offense has declined and the pitching is about even for both teams. Most importantly, the Mets were in contention for much of the year but fell short and I think that's what will happen for the White Sox with the AL Central becoming better as the season went on. Plus the Peavy trade won't make them better this year, and happens to make them worse because Clayton Richard is better than whomever they trot out in his place, while Peavy gets healthy. Also, if the White Sox decided to claim Alex Rios, they take on another $10 million+ contract without any guarantee of success.

6. Tampa Bay- '07 Tigers: Detroit seemed like they would be better after picking up Gary Sheffield in the offseason and maintained everyone else, until the pitching let them down. The Rays are about to fall victim the same way as their pitching hasn't returned to form at all, neutralizing a good offense. Their bullpen is still iffy and starters like Scott Kazmir and James Shields have been mediocre when we expected the rotation to continue improvement. It seems like their pitchers are feeling the effects of pitching through the World Series, like the Tigers before. Their offense has kept them in the hunt, like Detroit did, but it seems like now the World Series loser is becoming like the Super Bowl loser; they fall apart the year after. However, the wild card in the AL will have a flaw and they have the offense to steal the last spot in the playoffs.

5. Boston- '06 Red Sox: This Red Sox team reminds me so much of the Sox in 2006; won the title two years earlier, lost in the playoffs as a wild card and now seemingly falling apart. Kevin Youkilis has been huge for this team, Jason Bay started hotter than anyone and Dustin Pedroia has moved his average back to .308. Also, Josh Beckett is pitching is typically good odd-numbered year, Jon Lester has bounced back from early trouble and the bullpen has generally pitched as good as advertised.

However, this lineup is still weaker then normal since David Ortiz and Jason Varitek are automatic outs and they haven't been making clutch hits as of late. Also, they rotation, once thought to be as good as any in baseball, now is very weak as John Smoltz pitched like Chien-Ming Wang back in April, Tim Wakefield and Dice-K are hurt and Clay Bucholtz is a tweener; great in the minors, mediocre in the majors (like Kei Igawa) only the no-hitter he pitched still gets everyone thinking he can be good. If Boston makes the playoffs, they need to have Victor Martinez join Youkilis and Pedroia as the real hitting threats and they need to find an arm to acquire, maybe Jon Garland if the D-Backs make him available. I think of all the teams, they will be the ones to most regret not going all in for Roy Halladay.

4. Texas- '07 Rockies: Now while I do throw the label of the Rockies for this Rangers team, let's let it be known that no one has any idea if the Rangers can win 21 of 22 games to reach the World Series. In fact, the AL is too tough for anyone to do that in the playoffs. However, Texas if finally getting enough pitching to compete, like Colorado did that year, which is the real question for both teams annually. The real question left for Texas is can they survive the final month of summer and still have enough to continue through into September. One thing to remember, the Rangers have beaten the Angels eight of their ten games entering Saturday's game, just like the Red Sox against the Yankees.

The Rangers offense isn't as strong as it generally has been since Josh Hamilton has been hurt and ineffective when healthy. Their offense is on pace to score less than 100 runs from last year. They're winning because they're on pace to give up less than 250 runs, which is amazing to say the least. The bullpen has been great for the Rangers this year; hard throwers who have found control this year, while Kevin Millwood has been quietly effective and Scott Feldman and Tommy Hunter have stepped up as well. Michael Young, after the switch to 3B and his demand for a trade, is having an MVP-like season. They look like the wild card in this league.

3. Detroit- '87 Tigers & '91 Twins: Both teams fit for the Tigers mainly since the Doyle Alexander trade for John Smoltz might end up being the Jarrod Washburn for Luke French trade if French is great. Everyone forgets that Alexander went 9-0 during the stretch run as the Tigers returned to the playoffs. They compare with those Tigers also by having a strong rotation support a weak bullpen. They play more like the Twins though as the offense is above-average like Detroit's offense has become. Also, they have bounced back from worst-to-first like the Twins did, yet still had recent success to harp on during the dog days. Washburn joining Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and Rick Porcello for a fearsome foursome of starters for the playoffs.

This is the AL team you want to avoid in the Division Series because they can pitch as well as anyone. And if they play the series that skips a day, they would only need to use Verlander, Jackson and Washburn in a series, each of whom has pitched his team to the World Series. While the bullpen and lineup do leave something to be desired, Miguel Cabrera is having an MVP season and Fernando Rodney is a legit closer. Think of the Tigers as the top sleeper because of their starters.

2. New York- "93 Blue Jays : The lineup is just as stacked as the Blue Jays were during their second championship season, while the pitching was good, but can give up some runs. The major difference between those Jays and these Yankees is the fact that Toronto were the defending champs, but the free agent spending spree by both teams were similar as Toronto signed Paul Molitor and Dave Stewart. In the past few weeks, it's become obvious that the Yankees are headed to the playoffs and now we need to see where they end up. Ever since A-Rod has returned, the Yankees have gone 54-27; as Tim McCarver said, that's winning two out of every three games. The pitching has been good mostly, great at times (like last night), awful at others (last Saturday).

The biggest issue of this Yankees team is can they beat the Red Sox and/or Angels in a playoff series. Now the Yankees have took the last two games against the Red Sox, but if that's the Red Sox team that will continue this season, the Red Sox are a non-factor. The Angels are different, they were just swept in Anaheim before the All-Star break in almost every way you can lose a series. They should be worried about the White Sox and Detroit as well; if they lose one at Yankee Stadium, they could be beat on the road in Round 1.

1. Los Angeles- '02 Angels: This Angels team is the most like their one World Series winner. They have started to hit as well as they did back then and have done it without Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter for large stretches this year. The pitching has got better and I still think they will continue to improve from earlier this year when they lost three starters, one of which tragically in Nick Adenhart. However, this rotation is probably as thought of as the rotation was in 2002. They had guys like Ramon Ortiz and a past-his-prime Kevin Appier pitching in the playoffs. One thing to be aware, Mike Scioscia will always have the team ready to play everyday and that is something you don't overlook.

Honestly, if the Red Sox were doing better, I would of had them ahead of the Angels because they always beat them. However, the Angels always beat the Yankees; all they need is to win one at Yankee Stadium in any series it seems and they finish them at Angel Stadium. Also, I'm sure Bobby Abreu would love to beat his old team. Look at the Angels lineup and everyone is hitting above .290 except Howie Kendrick and Gary Matthews Jr. Matthews won't play once Hunter comes back and Kendrick is a Yankee-killer should they meet. As long as the Angels avoid the Red Sox in the Division Series, they should win the AL