Jason Plautz

“Cleveland Rocks”

Jason’s picks

After a baseball season so good, the Padres and Rockies felt they had to extend it another game and then some, we’re looking at what’s shaping up to be one of the best postseasons in recent memory. This year saw the sport’s greatest record broken, an unthinkable number of teams in contention as late as last week, an influx of rookies with a scary-high talent ceiling, pitching that Cy Young would drool over, a team score 30 runs (the Texas Rangers, no less!), a team play home games in three cities (the Indians, playing in Cleveland, Milwaukee and Seattle) and a player join the goofy 20-20-20-20 club. You just know that bodes well for a great second season.

My picks:

Cubs-Diamondbacks: Neither of these teams really impresses me. Well, Arizona impresses me by managing to accrue the best record in the NL with a negative run differential and no marketable superstars. On paper, the Cubs win this series in a heartbeat, but the D-backs have shown time and time again just how surprisingly good they are. Plus, the Cubs are still cursed.
D-backs in 4

Phillies-Rockies: This match-up of the two hottest teams, who came out of nowhere to nab these spots, could be the marquee series of the postseason. They’ve both got a lot of fight and both have a lot of momentum going (especially the Rockies, who have won 14 out of 15). I basically just wrote Holliday and Rollins on two sides of a coin and flipped it for both my MVP and series pick.
Rockies in 5

Red Sox-Angels: Don’t let that ML-best record (tied with the Indians) fool you; the Red Sox aren’t coming into the postseason as the best team. They may not even be the best team in this series. The Angels have shown that they love to score runs any way they can, while Boston is hoping their pitchers (especially in the bullpen) remember how to stop giving them up.
Angels in 5

Indians-Yankees: I probably shouldn’t be predicting this series since I’ve considered more than once getting a Chief Wahoo tattoo, but I’ll be as objective as possible. The 1-2 punch of C(y).C(y). Sabathia and Fausto Carmona from Cleveland is enough to stop the fearsome Yankees lineup in its tracks. And after Chien-Ming Wang, who can the Yanks counter with? Well, that lineup is scary good. The AL’s two hottest teams down the stretch are sure to make this a series to remember.
Indians in 4

Aaron Morse

“Dead in the Water”

Aaron’s picks

Dane Cook just wasn’t doing it for me. My team (the Mariners, may they rest in peace) was fading fast and, quite frankly, I couldn’t care a lick about the upcoming postseason. That all changed when I sat down to check out the Colorado Rockies square-off with the San Diego Padres for the right to be named the National League’s Wild Card team. What I witnessed was the most exciting baseball game I’ve seen since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. It ranks up there in the top 10 games I’ve witnessed in my life that do not involve the Mariners. Who could have ever predicted they’d come back against the all-time saves leader? Incredible. I’m so pumped for the postseason and without further ado here are my first round predictions.

Angels-Red Sox. I’ve been real high on the Angels since I went to all three games of the Angels-Mariners series back in late August. That series announced the Angels’ arrival as the clear frontrunner to win the American League. On paper, their starting pitching cannot match what the Red Sox have, but the Angels have a superior bullpen and the Sox have JD Drew (which is NEVER a good thing). With the Sox’s best reliever in Okajima sidelined for exhaustion late in the season, Boston is fading fast and will hit rock bottom in this opening series. Angels will take it in four.

Indians-Yankees. I’ve been a big fan of the Indians all year long. The only problem for them is that New York absolutely owns them this year. The two teams have faced each other six times this year, the Yankees have yet to lose. If the Indians had any other first round opponent, I’d pick them to win. But the Yankees have the edge in this series. Yankees in three.

Diamondbacks-Cubs. Go Cubs Go! The Cubs are definitely winning this series. The Diamondbacks had no business winning the NL West. Their run differential is terrible and the Cubs have a better offense and better pitching. A lot of the Cubs players have great postseason experience as well (on other teams obviously). The Diamondbacks are too young, expect them to have an early exit in this postseason. Cubs in four.

Phillies-Rockies. Both teams did the improbable this year. The Rockies were expected to finish last or next to last in the NL West this year and somehow won the wildcard. Meanwhile, the Mets appeared to have the NL East won until an epic collapse combined with a hot streak from the Phillies changed everything. Honestly, I thought the Mets were the best team in the National League on paper, but they quite simply blew it. Meanwhile, if the Rockies can beat Trevor Hoffman, they can beat anyone. Rockies in five in by far the most intriguing match-up of the first round.

Patrick St. Michel

“Asshole in the Outfield”

Patrick’s picks

I respect sportswriters who are truly objective in their craft, because I could never truly hide my sports biases from the public. Call me unprofessional, but I couldn’t get through a Green Bay – Minnesota game recap without writing “BRETT FAVRE PAWNS YOU SUCKAS” or a variant of said sentence every other sentence. I don’t even think I could hide my Northwestern pride, regardless of how often our team finds new ways to revolutionize choking.

So, I’ll be honest with you here, I love the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Regardless of how dumb their name is, no sports franchise gets my blood boiling like the Halos. Keep that in mind as I quickly preview the first round of the playoffs, and note I hate nearly every other team that wasn’t founded by a cowboy or owner of the world’s greatest primate.

Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The two hottest teams in the league right now meet in the toughest first-round series to pick. By now, you’ve heard about how the New York Mets emulated a student trying to pull an all-nighter, going strong for most of the time until crashing and burning at the last minute, allowing the surging Phils to take the NL East crowd. Meanwhile, the Rockies will be making only their second all-time playoff appearance after rallying against the San Diego Padres in a one-game playoff Monday night. Both teams are scorching right now, and I think the winner of this series is World Series bounds. The Rockies have a little more power, so I’m taking them in five.

Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

With the Cubs in the playoffs, you’re screwed in every conceivable way. If they do well, you’re not only gonna get all the local fans talking incessantly about “the Cubbies” but also all the bandwagon NU students trying to fit in getting behind the long-suffering team. Now, I want the Cubs to do well, as I do feel bad for their fans, but at the same time, if Chicago actually appears in the Fall Classic (a very real option in the Election 2004-aping NL, where the question is who sucks the least), they will lose some of their loveability. After the Red Sox won the World Series in ’04, they just became Yankee-juniors, but with even more annoying accents. I don’t think you want that, Chi-town.

Thankfully, the young-and-talented Arizona will dispose of the Cubs in five, so nature will remain consistent. Cheer up Chicago, you still have the Bear… oh shoot.

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians

Everyone usually hates the Yankees because they are so good. This year, everyone hates them just because they are the Yankees. True, the team has solid power and MVP-likely Alex Rodriguez, but on the pitching side of things….not so hot. Cleveland, meanwhile, is actually consistent, having both a good offense (if you don’t know who Grady Sizemore is by now, you don’t try hard enough) and pitching staff. Indians pull an Anaheim and wipe-out the Yanks in the first-round.

Los Angeles Angels of Awesome Anaheim vs. Boston Red Sox

Yeah, like I’m going to jinx my team and pick in this series. I’m just going to point out Boston doesn’t deserve anymore good fortune – the Celtics look dynamite, Boston College is tearing up the ACC and The Departed won the Oscar. I’m sick of “Beantown” and all the admiration heaped on it. And that’s why the Angels should win!

I’m a bit nervous heading into Wednesday, but will try my best to offer fair analysis for all the series. Except one. Oh, and Dropkick Murphy’s suck.

Mindy Zacharjasz

“Cheese-streak!”

Mindy’s picks

New York Yankees - So the Yankees made it to the playoffs. Again. We know they have more money than some small countries and make it their job to collect superstar players, but year after year, we’re still a little surprised (the New York Times sent out a news alert when they clinched).

The curse: “Reverse the Curse.” In 2005, the Red Sox won the World Series and the broke the “Curse of the Bambino.” They came from behind to beat the Yankees for the AL championship and since then, the Yankees haven’t won a World Series. No sympathies here.

Cleveland Indians - They ended their season tied with Boston for the best record in baseball. They are certainly among the hottest teams.

The curse: “The Curse of Rocky Colavito.” Just before the start of the 1960 season, the Indians infamously traded fan-favorite Rocky Colavito. From then until 1993, the only thing the team managed was one third-place finish and five fourth-place finishes. Since then, however, the Tribe has made two World Series appearances.

Chicago Cubs - It’s hard to be in Chicago and not love the Cubs. The team is balanced and has improved from last year – they have the biggest win increase from last season to this season (66 to 85.)

The curse: “The Curse of the Billy Goat.” The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908 or made there since 1945, the year Mr. Wrigley ejected Billy Sainis and his goat (both had tickets to the game) from game 4 of the World Series. Since then, no World Series appearances. Apparently, the only way to break the curse is for the Cubs organization to allow goats into Wrigley Field because they like them, not just for publicity.

Arizona Diamondbacks - The D-Back’s awesome pitching has gotten them through the season. They were outscored by 20 runs and still had the best record in the National League. Both the Cubs and Diamondbacks make a good case as underdogs in this one.

The curse: Poor bird.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - As a former softball player, I can always appreciate good small ball. It’s fun to watch, it’s good baseball and that’s what the Angels do best. Hopefully their strong pitching rotation can hold them up against a power team like Boston.

The curse: “The Big A.” Rumor has it (or had it until the Angels’ World Series win in 2002) that the team didn’t do well because The Big A was supposedly built on an ancient Native American burial ground. Though this has not been confirmed or denied by historians, players thought about getting an exorcist or priest to break the curse.

Boston Red Sox - They were the first to clinch. They tied for the best record in baseball. They’ve got three pitchers that most clubs would be happy to call their ace. During the 2004 playoffs, they became an easy team to love. Everyone loves a great underdog, but they have too much going for them to play the underdog card this year.

The curse: “The Curse of the Bambino.” In 1920, the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Prior to the trade, the Sox won five of the first 15 World Series and the Yankees none. After the trade, the Red Sox began an 84 year dry spell.

Colorado Rockies - The Rockies have only made one playoff appearance so far, but they should not be underestimated. Any team that wins 14 of their last 15 games had something going for them.

The controversy: “Christian rules controversy.” In 2006, USA Today reported that Rockies management enforced a “Christian code of conduct,” meaning no Maxim or Playboy and no sexually explicit music were allowed in the clubhouse. This caused controversy and many players said it was untrue.

Philadelphia Phillies - It’s all about the walk-off pie in the face. It’s a new Phillies tradition – you hit a walk-off homerun, and you get a pie in the face. Not only does this team have the physical talent to hit walk-offs again and again – between reigning MVP Ryan Howard, hopeful future MVP Jimmy Rollins, would-be-of injury-free MVP Chase Utley, the Phils are not short on talent – the Phils have the heart to take the pie. The Phillies led the majors in come-from-behind wins with 48. They were way down and almost out of playoff contention at points this season, but they came back and overtook the Mets to win the division. Taking it down to the wire makes for stressful but entertaining baseball and this year things are just clicking. It’s been 14 years since the World Series everyone from Philadelphia would like to forget, and there’s been a lot of rebuilding since then, but the city is ready and the energy is contagious.

The curse: “The Curse of William Penn.” A statue of William Penn stands on top of City Hall in Philadelphia and there was a “gentlemen’s agreement” that the statue would always be the tallest point in the skyline. In 1987, a new skyscraper, One Liberty Place, was built and reached higher than William Penn. According to the curse, no sports team in Philadelphia can win a championship if anything exceeds the height of the statue. And so, since then (well 1983) no Philadelphia major sports team has won a championship. But! This summer a new skyscraper, the highest in the city, was built. And who is on top? A statue of William Penn. Just to be safe, the builder said.