FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Fall, the leaves turn color, the air turns cooler and the Angels lose in the AL playoffs to the Red Sox, the Angels really need to win Game 2 or they might as well conceded the series and save the trip to Fenway for next year, as they will not win two or split in Fenway to keep the series alive.

All pregame factors are in the Angels favor, the extra game at home, healthy, rested, best record in MLB, Boston comes in with so many injuries you think they are the Patriots, not the NFL team, the three guys in the picture all banged up & bandaged, but still marching.  No Manny, a weaker Big Papi, yet they still win easily. 

Then you have the Angels, Vlad doing his best ARod & Bonds impression disappearing offensively as usual in the playoffs and then making a boneheaded running mistake on the base paths  It is beyond me how a player this dangerous in the regular season can be 0 for the playoffs in his career.  Before the excuse was he had no one to protect him in the lineup, now with Hunter and Texiara, that goes by the boards.  If Vlad does not wake up and start hitting, don't see how the Angels can get past the Red Sox. Red Sox in three (painful as this is for a Yankee fan to write). 

What irony that the White Sox meet the Rays in the Trop for the playoffs, for if it was not for weeny Reinsdorf threat to move the Sox out of Chicago unless he got a new stadium, the Trop would never have been built.  Then after building the Trop, the Chicago city fathers caved to give the white sox a new Comiskey.  If that threat had not existed, no Trop, no Trop no Rays and possibly no Marlins as MLB was not keen on only bringing one expansion team in.  Now after years of futility, the Rays make the playoffs, maybe even sell out the stadium for a game.  Key question will be if Ozzie's Santeria magic overcome the baseball Mojo of the Rays, I think so, White Sox in 5.

Next round the White Sox in 6 over the Red Sox as Ozzie will not let his team be intimidated by the Fenway crowd, the umpire bias for the Red Sox and AJ is just as "scrappy" (read dirty) as Varitek when it comes to protecting home plate.

 Phillies beat the CC's in four, unless CC Crew can figure out how to have CC pitch every inning of every game and the young Brewer hitters learn some patience at the plate.  Buyer beware for CC next year as he is going to leave everything on the field for the Brewers this year and his arm may be "tired" next year, especially after carrying all that new cash to the bank.

Cubs recover from last nights poor start to overtake the Dodgers in 5.  Part of this is a sentimental pick as the logical side of me thinks the Cubs once again bow to the pressure of the 100 year championship drought and tighten up too much to play effectively.  The baseball side of me thinks that Sweet Lou will somehow find the way to loosen up his team so they can take Game 2 and 3 to swing big Mo back in the Cubbies favor.  If not, the Cubs might have to start their planning for the next 100 years as money is on them to win the World Series in the 2108 series, lets hope for the Cubs fans they don't have to wait that long.  Also do you think somewhere Joe Torre is thumbing his nose at Hank and his Yanks sitting in the catbird seat of the dugout playoff team while Hank licks his wounds with his Yanks sitting at home.  While I think it was a good time for a change, am happy for Joe that he once again works his magic to get the Dodgers in the playoffs.  Also how stupid to you think Loria, David Sampson and Larry Beinfest feel watching Manny play in the playoffs when they got too full of themselves and asked Boston for more after Boston thought they had the deal done, so the Red Sox quickly shipped Manny to the Dodgers.  If Manny had come to the Marlins, they would have made the playoffs since all the teams in the two teams in front of them in the NL East were struggling in August.  Since the Marlins stiffed the Angels last year on Miguel Cabrera after the Angels thought they had the deal, you wonder if the other MLB teams will begin to wise up and back off some of the deals the Marlins might pitch this winter.

Cubs over the Phillies in 7, so we have the North Siders verus the South Siders for all the marbles.  Don't think there will be too much business being conducted in Chicago at the end of the month.

Finally Sweet Lou weaves his magic to overtake the Pale Hose and Cubs win the Series in 7, and all souls rejoice as Hell offically freezes over.