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« Clark's Trial | Main | Damage Control Procedures » September 28, 2003Playoffs 2003With all the playoff matchups now set, let's see what the matchups look like. The AL has three out of four of last year's playoff teams back for an encore, while the NL has two old teams and two new teams. Minnesota will travel to New York for the ALDS because the wild card team is also from the AL East. New York has made a significant error in their choice of pitching staff, as Minnesota doesn't do well against southpaws, but the Yankees will only send Pettite and Wells against Minnesota once each. However, the Yankees are markedly better than the Twins, so I don't think that error will change the final outcome. Look for New York to win it in four games. Boston goes to Oakland for their first playoff series in four years. Oakland is better than Boston, but not by a lot. This series will be decided early. If the Red Sox can force a Game Five, they'll win. If Oakland can beat Pedro in Game One, look for them to win in three or four games. Unfortunately, I think that Oakland's superior pitching and defense will be more telling than Boston's awesome offense, so I look for Oakland to win in four. Nonetheless, this series is ripe for an upset. The Marlins pulled out an incredible close to their season with their run to the wild card. Look for the Giants to crush Cinderella early. The Giants are just too good, and emotion won't be enough for the Marlins to overcome the Giants' talent. Giants in four. The Cubs are in even worse shape. They were very lucky to make the playoffs, as Houston played absolutely dismal ball down the stretch to throw the division away. Atlanta should make short work of the Cubs. Atlanta in four. Now to review the bidding of my predictions. I batted precisely .500 in my end of year picks, although that's slightly inaccurate as I picked Oakland to take the wild card, not the AL West. I was correct on the easy picks, New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco. But Minnesota beat the White Sox, even though Chicago is the better team, and Seattle fell apart after the Red Sox swept them, knocking them out of not only the AL West lead, but the wild card. Philadelphia's Larry Bowa should be fired any day now, as his dismal managerial style has now cost Philadelphia not only one of the best third basemen in the game, but a wild card berth. And I've already discussed the Cubs, who got all the good luck the White Sox wasted. Now it's the playoffs, when luck holds an even greater role, so don't go making any bets based strictly on my predictions.Posted at September 28, 2003 11:55 AM
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