Into the Championships!
My post-season predictions are only half working out! I really though the Phillies were going to put up more of a fight. The Cubs were also strangely impotent. Neither team gave me much of anything to cheer for, so in the case of the NL, the victories were earned.
The NLCS will be a very interesting series. The Diamondbacks certainly have the pitching edge, with arms like Webb, Davis and Livan. They're also a scrappy team, manufacturing runs by doing the little things. The Rockies however, have the big bats of Helton and Holliday, the rookie-flavored leadership of Tulowitzki, and some serious mojo. The Rockies were in the driver's seat playing against the Padres, and it will be interesting to see if they pull off a similarly aggressive game plan. Dave Pinto thinks the Rockies' bats will send Colorado to the World Series. Either way, this is a series that will have positive impact with baseball fans everywhere, as it furthers the notion that "baseball has become a general manager's game, where wits outweigh deep pockets." Sox1fan has a nice analysis of the NLCS teams and shares why he too thinks the Rockies will move on.
I lucked into getting the Rockies as my pick in Championship Series. This is especially pleasing since it allows me to wear the free Rockies t-shirt I recently picked up at my local Free Store.
My AL picks fared better. Initially, I had a hard time deciding between the Red Sox and the Angels, but I ultimately chose the Sox. I was surprised that the Angels weren't more aggressive, but they were broken down by the time the post-season started, injury ridden and fading–not at all the same team that so many were picking in early September to win it all. The Red Sox, especially the tandem boppers Big Papi and Manny, were awesome. At the beginning of this season, I chose Boston for my pool, but I actually thought they might be on the decline in 2007. I'm very glad to see I was wrong. Pound for pound, these guys probably have the best fundamental baseball team on the field right now.
The New York loss was joyous for me. Was there anyone who actually thought that Wang would pitch well on three days rest? Apparently so–but not Joe Torre. Cleveland was wonderful–at the plate, on the bags and on the mound. I like Ryan Garko's comments about the bugs on his playoff blog!
Here I am writing about baseball while the Rockies/D-Backs game is into the second inning! Into the Championships we go! Go Rockies! Go Red Sox!
