Playoff Time

It's pretty easy to see why every season around week 4, Sunday football loses its luster and I can turn my full attention to NL baseball again. This year, I got the added bonus of having an AL race to follow, making today a very good sporting day. Coupled with the crazy college football and the typical drama of the NFL, the networks had a good weekend of TV.

C.C. Sabathia...err the Brewers, took care of the Cubs in the final game, coming back after everyone thought they had lost their steam just as the season was nearing an end. The Mets, meanwhile, were busy losing to home runs to pinch hitter Wes Helms (really bullpen?) and Dan Uggla as Delgado grounded into a DP with 2 on and 1 out in the bottom of the 8th. The faces of the fans at Shea stadium screamed "again!?" as the Mets managed to blow another late season lead, far less monumental than last year's historic collapse, but deflating all the same. I don't want to be at that Shea stadium memorial or at any bar in Queens tonight. The only question left unaswered is, if the Mets had won and forced a playoff tomorrow, would they have lost to C.C. on one night's rest?

Meanwhile in the AL, the Twins were finally able to take one over the mighty Royals to keep their lead in the AL Central. Lucky for them, the ChiSox were even more pathetic, going 5-5 in their last ten, not including a big loss of Javier Vazquez's psyche, forcing a makeup game in Detroit tomorrow. If they take care of the Tigers, a one game playoff awaits them against 'Sota on Tuesday. Yuck, talk about limping into the playoffs for both of these teams.

Predictions for the AL

Angels vs Red Sox
Sox in 4
I have to favor the Sox in this one with Beckett and two of the top 10 Cy Young candidates in Lester and Matsusaka going against the likes of Lackey, Jered Weaver and Ervin Santana/Joe Saunders. This presumes Beckett has been saving his arm (and fingers) for the playoffs and Matusaka doesn't lose the strike zone in his start. If this goes 5, I have to favor the home team and assume Beckett hasn't been Beckett, I'll take the Angels in that scenaro.

Twins/Sox vs Rays
Rays in 4
See above

Predictions for the NL

Phillies vs Brewers
Phillies in 4
-It took too much effort from the feel good Brew Crew. Sabathia's arm has to come undone sooner rather than later. Brewers will be scrappy and the longer this series go, the more they will believe it can be done. I think Cole Hamels and such an absurd lineup will take this one.

Dodgers vs Cubs
Dodgers in 5
-This is the hardest of the bunch to pick. There are simply too many factors to go into it. The Cubs, the best and most consistent team in the NL if not in all of baseball this season take on a rejunevated Dodgers team with Torre at the helm and Manny mashing at an MVP pace. Derek Lowe has been the best starter over the last couple of months but is countered by Big Z and Rich Harden. Despite a worse record, I think the Dodgers will upset the Cubs in the first round.