Twenty five years ago, I had to be drug kicking and screaming into the Wild Card era for baseball.
As a kid, I loved what separated Major League Baseball from every other sport: no room for second place. Either you won your division, or you sat at home in October and watched the playoffs from your couch, like us fans did.
But somewhere along the way, my resistance to the Wild Card completely evaporated. Which is probably a good thing, because this year, not only do every second place squad get in, four third place teams are in as well. We've got a sixteen game playoff tournament, just like the NBA and NHL (and give the NFL another year or two -- now that they've moved from twelve to fourteen playoff teams, it's only a matter of when they'll expand to sixteen playoff teams as well).
The playoffs start today. Here then are my picks:
In the Wild Card Round, I can see six of the eight series going either way. I think Tampa is a near lock to advance, and I see no way the Brew Crew can upset the Dodgers. (That one actually would be a bigger upset than UMBC over Virginia three years ago in the NCAA Tournament.)
I picked the Yankees over the Indians because I think they're the better overall team, and opening with Gerret Cole won't suck for Yankees fans. (Especially in a best of three -- grab the quick 1-0 lead and then you can pick and play with how you try to close it out on the mound.) I'm not as sold on the Twins as most -- I've long argued there is no worse opponent to face in any sport than a proven, veteran team with its' back to the wall, which is the (astro the dog voice) Rastros predicament -- but the Rastros couldn't even manage to go .500. Not a good sign. And I love the White Sox against the A's -- honestly, this is the second most anticipated Wild Card series for me. Two great young teams loaded with talent going at it. And you don't have to stay up to midnight to enjoy this one -- both Game One and Game Two are scheduled for an afternoon first pitch!
In the senior circuit, I like the Marlins to upset the Cubs (another team that, like the Rastros, is on its' last gasp), and I really love this Reds team. Cincy / Atlanta is gonna be one hell of a three game series that I like the Reds to pull out. But the NL series I am most anticipating is the Cardinals and Padres. You can credibly argue the Padres are the second best team in the sport (note: they aren't ... but they're close), but has any team faced more adversity to get to the postseason than our "good friends" three hours east of Kansas City? I'm taking the Padres but man, I can see the Cardinals eeking this one out in three.
In the Divisional Round (which are all best of five), I like the Yankees to outlast the Rays. I know the Rays went 8-2 against the Yankees this year, but two of those wins were extra inning walk offs, and two other games were decided by one run. A break here, a break there, and things are intriguingly different, which I think is what will happen here. Yankees in four. I also like the White Sox in five over the Twins, although I'm not sure it's really the upset a 7 over 3 represents.
In the National League, Dodgers / Padres might be one of those "whoever wins this is winning it all" matchups you see a lot in other leagues, but rarely in baseball. This one is going the distance, and in the end, I think the Dodgers pitching is too much. Dodgers in five. I also think the Reds pitching is way too much for the Marlins to combat. Reds in three.
In the Championship Series, Yankees / White Sox would be really fun. I mean, really fun. My good buddy Sir Thomas will be sweating bullets in this one. But in the end, I'll take the Yankees in six. They're the best team in the American League. That fact will show through by the time late October arrives. And in the National League, Reds / Dodgers would be a fascinating matchup. The Reds are far better than their record indicates; the Dodgers consistently post the best record in the sport, but haven't won a World Series since Tommy Lasorda was pimping Weight Watchers and Kirk Gibson was limping around the bases. I really wanted to pick the Reds here ... but I can't. Dodgers in seven.
Giving us a World Series matchup that should have any fan of the sport drooling with anticipation. Dodgers / Yankees. East Coast / West Coast. Kershaw v Cole at least twice, and possibly three times. Two epic franchises, two rock solid teams, giving us hopefully a matchup worthy of the hype. I'll take the Yankees in seven, meaning I'm taking the Yankees to win it all.
Enjoy the games everyone!
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