The Rest of the MLB Playoffs: League Division Series

You probably thought we wouldn’t tell you about the rest of the playoffs. You guessed wrong. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect in each series. And we let you know who wins.


-White Sox have good veteran presence in guys like Thome, Griffey, and Dye. They miss Carlos Quentin badly and it will show up in a long series.
-Tampa Bay might come out in the opening game and look flat. They’re young and they’ve came a long way. Don’t be surprised if they drop the first game at the Trop and come out looking much better from there on with their sea legs underneath them.
-There is no question that the starting pitching edge goes to Tampa Bay.
-We like Troy Percival better than Bobby Jenks if we’re selecting one of the two closers in this series.
-Joe Maddon and Ozzie Guillen are complete opposites. One is the guy you’d love to have a beer with and a great guy. The other is a guy you’d like to string to the back of your vehicle and go for a drive on the nearest freeway. That said, Maddon is overmatched here. Guillen has won a title.
-You think we’re pulling for the White Sox because of sentimentality with Griffey? Not a chance. This is without a doubt the last playoff series for Thome and Griffey. Boo hoo.

-Player who will have the biggest series impact: B.J. Upton

Prediction: Rays, 3 games to 2

-The lesser of two evils here. Neither of these teams excite us to watch.
-Cubs have the edge in arms and lineup. On paper Chicago is the better team by far.
-Two best managers in the playoffs: Piniella and Torre. If you don’t know what that means, it means you’re going to watch some fundamentally sound baseball the way it should be played this time of year. Each of these managers have won a World Series. Both were former players who had postseason success.
-The Dodgers lineup is not a threat overall, but Manny Ramirez will wow you with his bat and it should be remembered he is the primary reason the Dodgers made it here. They need to ride him if they’re going to win this. Set the table for Manny, good things will happen. I don’t care who is on the mound. Manny is one of those guys who shits on good pitching.
-The Cubs will need a big game from Ryan Dempster to take this series.
-Look for low scoring, close ballgames.
-Jim Edmonds looks like he is re-energized to win a World Series.
-That prediction that Dempster made at the beginning of the season looks awfully strong right now. The Cubs are the best team on paper in these playoffs. That doesn’t mean we have to like them.

-Player who will have the biggest series impact: call us crazy, but Aramis Ramirez

-Prediction: Chicago Cubs, 3 games to 1

–We owe you one, fuckers.
-Francona and Scioscia. Two great in-game managers. Whoever wins this series will have a huge edge in the ALCS because of it.
-Francisco Rodriguez has had a historic season. Papelbon will be Papelbon. If either of these teams enters the 9th inning with a lead that the game is over.
-It’s hard to bet against the Red Sox postseason experience, but the fact that they let Manny Ramirez go will show up in this series. It will show up double when they see what Manny does to good Cubs pitching in the other league.
-Vladimir Guerrero isn’t the same player you remember.
-Ervin Santana has arrived as a stud. Now it’s time to earn that contract kid.
-Dice-K throws game two on the road. If the Red Sox don’t win game 1 he will need to take this game or the series will end at Fenway.

-Player who will have the biggest series impact: Torii Hunter

Prediction: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 3 games to 1