Thursday, October 20, 2005

Don't mess with Texas

Whew! By the grace of Oswalt, the Astros have made it to the World Series! I was beginning to think that my own personal hell-a White Sox/Cardinals Fall Classic-was about to become a reality after Albert "freakin'" Pujols' homerun on Monday night. However, I can now enjoy the World Series and pray for Houston to defeat the evil White Sox. I don't care what Ryno says; I don't have to root for them just because they're a Chicago team. As a former Cubbie, he should know better...

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

"You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em..."

Well, I guess I won't be getting a job working for Miss Cleo since I only got 1 out of 4 playoff picks correct. That's what happens when you use your heart instead of your head (this is another reason why I'm not a gambler). I'm not going to predict the outcome of the NLCS or ALCS because I don't want to jinx the series. However, I think we all know that I will be an Astros and Angels fan this week. I would hate to have to boycott the World Series or be forced to root for either the Cardinals or White Sox. That would be like choosing between getting smacked upside the head or punched in the stomach. Neither is good and you don't want either one to happen... Please, baseball gods- help a Cubs fan out and let at least Houston or Los Angeles win their series so I can enjoy another week of baseball.

Monday, October 03, 2005

The Elite Eight: My 2005 MLB Playoff Picks

The regular season is over and all of the postseason slots have been filled. Here are my picks for each series:

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim- As much as it pains me to say it, I think that the Yankees will win this series. They got hot in September and would like nothing more than a chance to redeem themselves after last year's monumental collapse vs. Boston in the ALCS. Sorry, Rally Monkey- you just can't beat Mystique and Aura.

Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox- Even though you will probably think I am just biased against the South Siders, I believe that Boston will be victorious in this battle of the socks. Nothing on the planet can stop Big Papi from his late game heroics and there's still plenty of magic left on this team. Plus there's the added bonus of possibly getting an opportunity to eliminate the Yankees from the playoffs two years in a row. And I'm all for anything that makes Ozzie Guillen shut the hell up, so GO RED SOX!

San Diego Padres vs. St. Louis Cardinals- There's not a team in all of professional sports that I despise more than the Cardinals. However, I have to admit that St. Louis is much better than the Padres and should easily take this series. Actually, this is my least favorite matchup in this year's playoffs because I hate both franchises with a passion. I will never get over the Cubbies' heartbreaking loss to the Padres in the 1984 NLCS. Thanks for shattering all of my childhood dreams, Steve Garvey...

Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves- How many times have we seen this matchup the last few years? ZZZZZZ... Actually, the one selling point of this series for me is that there are some good looking pitchers on each team (Roger Clemens on the Astros and former Cub Kyle Farnsworth on the Braves are YUMMY). Even though Houston has an awesome starting rotation and a solid bullpen, I just have a feeling that Atlanta is going to win this series. The Astros even had a hard time beating the Cubbies this weekend, so I think they're going to struggle.

I'd like to send my condolences to the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies who had a good run but fell short. Poor Tribe- I haven't seen a collapse like that since...well, the 2004 Cubs. I have a feeling that these two teams will be in the running next postseason. Better luck next year, boys. Let the games begin!