MLB Playoff update

Ah, baseball season is finally getting started! If you don't like baseball then you don't care one way or the other. But real baseball fans know the secret of this game: the playoffs are totally different from the regular season. Every pitch matters, every at-bat must be maximized and every coaching decision will have an impact. Everyone is trying to win every game from here on out--and that doesn't really happen in the regular season. Coaches do a lot of experimenting over the course of 162 games, the players take days off, and the pitchers don't prepare quite like they will from here on out.

Phillies-Rockies is an interesting match-up because these are the two hottest teams going. Also, the potential home field advantages are a little backwards here: Philly fans are as likely to boo the home squad as the visitors and the thin air of Denver may benefit the visitors as much as the homers. (Honestly I can't think of any other home sites that are as potentially hospitable to the visitors in all of sports!) While the Rockies are hot and spunky, I think the Phillies are just a better team. Phillies in 5.

Diamondbacks-Cubs will be the one everyone's watching. There are Cubs fans all over the world and like Red Sox fans they're used to losing. But unlike Red Sox fans, they don't seem to give a shit. Red Sox fans walked around for almost a century lugging a cross upon which they could climb at a moment's notice; Cubs fans are much more laissez-faire about their favorite squad, the Cubs are just an opportunity to get drunk on a weekday afternoon. Also, I've long suspected that if the Cubs ever actually win they'll be the most popular thing on planet earth for 1 year, then they'll just be the Minnesota Twins. If they win the management will turn ruthless, the fans will become greedy, they won't be any fun any more--they'll probably play more night games! While we were all secretly rooting for the Red Sox (and the White Sox) to finally win one, deep down we're secretly hoping the Cubs curse continues. D-Backs in 4.

Indians-Yankees is close to home for me, I'm a lifelong Indians fan. This is one of those kooky sports years: while the Indians just missed having the best record in the Majors this year, in a lot of ways it was a disappointing season. Travis Hafner had a pretty mediocre year, Jhonny Peralta, Ryan Garko and Andy Marte didn't progress and Cliff Lee has virtually disappeared. But Victor Martinez had a great year, Fausto Carmona stepped forward into Cy Young territory and Joe Borowski had a marvelous year in the bullpen. These are two teams that can score a lot of runs but I think the Yankee pitching doesn't hold up. Indians in 3.

Red Sox-Angels might make for a classic. The Sox have the best everything in baseball--they had the best record in the league and Manny Ramirez and JD Drew never even got going! But they've been coasting lately, I'm not seeing the urgency you want from a playoff team. But the Angels are banged up and I still just don't see how they score all those runs. I'll take the Red Sox pitching to make the difference. Red Sox in 5.

For now I'm thinking Phillies-Red Sox but I'll revise in the next week or so.