Dimanche Gras

The Sunday sun rises slowly over Toronto...something to do with it being North, I suppose. Today was a simple day. Fat Sunday in the Great White North.

After some orange juice and a bit of reading, Tammy and I walked down to the beach, as the Weather Network (note: NOT Weather Channel) informed us that neither the sunshine nor the warmth (about 50 degrees F) would be lasting long.

Snow and ice run until the give way directly to sand and surf on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The wind was furious this morning. I assumed this blowing was the normal state of things in the city and possibly attributed to the poor state of the Maple Leafs over the last few years. Apparently, though, such a breeze is quite unusal in the area, causing accidents, bridge closings, and other assorted consequences.

It sure made the lake choppy, though. Not that it seemed to bother these ducks:

After the morning sojourn, it was time to prepare the Fat Sunday feast! A trip to the store yielded baked ravioli, maple baked beans, and piorges.

Football abounds with the last of the playoff positions decided (including a Philly-drubbing of the Cowboys, which made Fat very happy). Most importantly though, the streak ends and yours truly wraps up not one, but TWO fantasy football championships.

Beef stew simmers away in the kitchen as I write this, so I best get to it. Above, check out the dining room (unused thus far, as is customr on Fat Sunday), and the quaint front sitting room.

The preview of the house will continue tomorrow as I cover...well, whatever we end up doing tomorrow.

Tune in then and find out. Same Bat-Time. Same Bat-Channel.

Hockey Night in Canada

Day 1 is complete. Actually, Day 1 and day 2 are complete, in a disjointed half-assed sort of fashion. And we are in Toronto. And by "we" I mean Tammy, Fat, and myself. The other prospective Canada travelers all backed out. Not that we need them to have a good time. Just some Alexander Keith's and Hockey Night in Canada.

How did we get here? In two dstinct parts. First was the evening shift, last night's run for the border from Crestwood to Windsor, douchebag capital of North America. Seriously, Windsor is just a place for every college kid that isn't old enough to buy alcohol nor cool enough to join the Pikes to come get drunk and find chicks to get intimate with, where the definition of "get intimate" is take back to the room, get her blood-alcohol level higher than her IQ, and have your way. After all, it's not a mistake if she can't remember it, right? Not that the girls aren't doing their best to look like a

Boxing Day special walking down the street in mini-skirts and scoop-cut shirts in 40 degree (F) temperatures and rain.

But hey we made it a Boxing Day (they celebrate that up here) to remember, with the Hawks on the TV in a sports bar and a trip to the Aardvark, ending with a well-deserved night's sleep.

Picking up in the morning, we have breakfast at a McDonald's that doesn't have biscuits (at all, everything's a McMuffin or a bagel) and hit the road in FogRace '08. I never considered that rising temperatures could actually cause snow to porduce fog but, alas, there it is! A dicey drive across the piece of Ontario between lakes Huron and Ontario, and we finally reach Toronto, to find our beautiful house for the week, where we've settled down for that most sacred of Candian traditions, beer and Hockey Night in Canada.

O Canada, indeed.

More to come in the following days.

(Yep, I still remember the schedule)

This week, a special edition for a reverse birthday present kind of deal. For you, the reader...

The girl I loved
She made me muffins on my twentieth birthday.
Over a hot drink
And muffins
We laughed a bit
We talked a bit
But we did not kiss
We could not kiss for the world.
But we could dance.
Oh, how we danced!
With blueberries on our breath,
Butter on our lips,
Love in our eyes.
Would she dare to whisper a word to me?
With blueberries on her breath,
Butter on her lips,
Love in her eyes,
She would.
“I love you.” lost in a sigh.
What can I do but embrace,
Smile,
And return in kind.
And I did love her.
With blueberries on my breath,
Butter on my lips,
Love in my eyes,
Aye, I did love her.
But we did not,
Could not,
Would not kiss.

She made me muffins for my twentieth birthday,
The girl I loved.
The girl I love.

Ticket to ride...ticket to write?

Seeing how my proposed schedule has not taken flight this week, and I still haven't figured out how to transfer my poetic formatting to this text editor, I'll call an audible tonight. Hell, the World Series is playing 3 1/2 innings tonight. What a better time to do something unexpected? Tonight, I'll finally grant Travis's request and delve into politics.



If noted of late a huge discrepency among the candidates. No, it's not a fundamental difference in their economic plans. And, no, it's not a core difference in their campaign platforms. It's not even a minute discrepency buried deep among their posted beliefs. As a matter of fact, the difference isn't directly tied to either campaign's message. And yet, it may be a driving force that could lead to an Obama victory, especially among the so-called swing voters.



This difference lies in the image projected by each candidate. Think of Obama the candidate. You can probably see him in your mind's eye. Kind of lanky; cool expression on his face; maybe talking with his hands; maybe sitting with relaxed posture, hands folded across a knee.



Now, think of McCain the candidate. You picture what? What has the McCain campaign left in your mind's eye? It would be nice to think of a war veteran standing with that crisp military posture, eyes to the future, comforting America while promising to lead them to the other side. More likely though, you see the scowl. Or, even more likely, you see Sarah Palin. Or, the worst case scenerio for the Republicans, sight of McCain simply makes you think of Obama. the worst part is, the campaign has allowed this to happen, encouraged it even. Who would you rather vote for, a man who is the face of his party, or the man who isn't even the face of his own ticket?



At this point, the Republican ticket has become just that, a Republican ticket. It's not McCain's ticket, which I admit is kind of disappointing to someone who was looking forward to having two strong, honorable cnadidates vie for the nation's highest office. With the GOP in control, voters seem to be left with two choices, vote for Barack Obama or vote against Barack Obama. Either way, where do McCain's beliefs come in?



This lack, I beleive, is in no small part responsible for the waning popularity of McCain the Candidate during the summer months. Opting for the short term shot in the arm, GOP officials (I would be pressed to say it was really McCain's call) decided that Sarah Palin should be McCain's running mate. While this did wonders to calm the conservative base of the Republican Party (though one has to wonder, who the hell else were they going to vote for anyway?), the novelty soon wore off and we were left with the GOP version of Good Conservative, Bad Conservative.



If the act wasn't so predictable, it might have even been effective. The Bulldog goes on the attack, while Papa McCain calls the troops off and convinces the country that we all just need to get along...just not under the watch of Barack Obama. While it gave McCain a chance to play the bi-partisan, peacemaking, progressive role he won the candicy on, it did had a side effect that wasn't so favorable: it made Sarah Palin a bigger star than he was.



The Republicans can say what they want, being a celebrity in America is not a bad thing (remember those ads?), especially when it comes to the presidency. Grant and Esienhower didn't win the presidency merely on account of their platforms. They were war heroes! Washington? Same thing. Many presidents were governors or mayors in very prolific places before becoming president. And let's not forget St. Ronald Reagan, rest his soul.



But Palin is now the face of the party. Even watching a Republican event, when you're not thinking of Palin, you're probably thinking of Obama (face it, even if you're thinking of him with devil horns, a hammer and sickle, or a turbin and WMD, you're still thinking of him). Likely, McCain is the THIRD person that comes to mind, if at all. Is this how we want to think of the leader of the free world? Especially considering the puppet-presidency that came before him?



Admittedly, this isn't totally McCain's fault. The GOP has much more to gain by setting up Sarah Palin as the face of the party. Sarah is the future. John is the past.



To be completely accurate, John has never been the face of the Republican Party, and they'd probably be happy if it stays that way. Maybe it's the conspiracy theorist in me, but it seems to me that this works out perfectly for the Republican Party. As I was saying just the other day, the Republican probably stand a better shot at winning the presidency in 2012 if they don't win this year. Wouldn't it be convenient to blame all fallout from our current situation on the sitting president (instead of sorting it all out correctly)? And any mistakes made in that process...magnified beyond all recognition.



In all, it seems John McCain never had an euqal shot in this election. To keep his party happy, he had to let them call the shots. By letting them call the shots, he had to sacrifice his present for the party's future. Doesn't sound very maverick-like to me.

So, next Tuesday, when you step into the voting booth, remember the important decision you have to make. Search your heart, your mind, and maybe your faith. Either vote Barack Obama, or vote...um...that other guy. You know: white hair, hockey mom. No wait, that's not right. Scary guy with the bad heart. Damn, that's not him either. Well, I'm pretty sure his name is Joe...and he does something that has to do with pipes.

It's Wednesday once again. And as I watch Scott Kazmir look increasingly uncomfortable on the mound in Game 1 of the World Series, I wonder if I can come up with a suitable drinking game playing on the universal distaste for Tim McCarver.

It's lit day again. I haven't had time to work out the formatting issues and I haven't written anything new of late, so I'll dip into the archives again, and see what I find.

An untitled bit this evening...


Pinks and purples
Hang
Suspended
In the air around,
Against the canvas of the night.
From which comes a laugh
(A giggle? A chuckle?)
Certainly not a chuckle.
Neither.
A throw your head back
Let your hair fall
Eyes closed,
Throat open,
Sky swirling,
Skirt twirling,
Angels singing,
Trumpets ringing,
Music-to-my-ears laugh.
Somebody is happy.
Someone is smiling.
A lady is dancing.
And she is loved.

Series Spectacles

Well, I missed Monday again.



So Sports comes to you on Tuesday again this week. We'll chalk it up to another win by I (heart) Hefeweizen, which is now leading Livin' La Vida Other Cat. Technically, I'm tied for record but leading on points.



As a matter of fact, I'm tied with Gerald who made a trade with me a couple of weeks ago. In a league where trades are rarer than bigfoot sightings in Meijer, the two guys bold enough to pull one off reign supreme.



But that's not what I'm here to discuss today. With the World Series starting tomorrow, I thought I'd put out one more prediction blog. Before we get to predictions, though, I want to take a look back. I was reading an article earlier that was discussing recent World Series and it got me thinking of my favorite Fall Classics. My memory of the Series goes back to about 1987. I remember bits and pieces of games before that, but not entire series. Including that year there have been 20 World Series. Of these, the ones that follow were the 5 best in my opinion.



Honorable Mention: 1990: Reds 4, A's 0

It's not in the top 5, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention Cincy manhandling the A's. An

artificial, selfish mention, yes, but it's about all we've had in the last 20 years.



5) 1993: Blue Jays 4, Phillies 2

A very exciting, highly unpredictible series on the surface. A series that ended with a walk-

off homer. I remember being glued to the TV for this one. The only thing that holds this one

back a bit was a subtle feeling I had all along that the Jays were going to win. Not a

predicition-like feeling. Not a gut feeling. The knowledge like it had already happened.

Personally, it took a little bit out of it for me.



4) 2001: Diamondbacks 4, Yankees 3

Many people look back on this fondly as the end of the Yankees' dynasty. Others remember

it as the crowning of Mr. November. Of all of the World Series that happened while I was in

college, this is the one I remember most. This is probably in no small part thanks to the

Yankees for domilishing their opponents in the other 3. (I particularly remember going on a

band trip to Tampa in 1998 and missing nearly the entire series). Anyhow, back to 2001. A

seven game series that came down to the most improbable finish I've seen: Porfessional

shitstain Craig Counsell getting hit by a pitch to bring up Luis Gonzalez with bases full to

stirke a bloop hit off the best closer the game has ever seen. Unbelievable. Jeter's game 4

homer, equally so. And let's not forget everyman Scott Brosius having hsi day.



3) 2002: Angles 4, Giants 3

Another 7 game series. After 2001 reinvigorated my passion for the series, 2002 did not

disappoint. I remember being drawn into Rally Monkey mania and rooting hard for the

Angels to take it. An Angels team that, mind you, I couldn't have cared less about two

months before. The postseason makes strange fans sometimes. Close games, not-so-close

games. High scoring games, low-scoring games. It was a roller coaster of a series with the

Angels down 3-2 coming back home to the Monkey. I also remember the emergence of

Francisco Rodriguez, which was a thing to see in and of itself.



(Random Fact: David Justice played for 14 seasons. 13 of those had a World Series. He played in the World Series 7 times. (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001) Not the postseason mind you. the WORLD F'N SERIES. Now that's a career. )



2) 1996: Yankees 4, Braves 2

I don't know if this series just hit at the right time in my life, but few sports events have

enthralled me more than this series did. So many moments stick out. Leyritz's series-

changing shot in Game 4. John Wetteland's perpetually dirty cap. Wade Boggs on that damn

horse. And Charlie Hayes still haunts my nightmares. For me, though, the signature moment

of this series is a popout caught by Paul O'Neill in right to end the bottom of the ninth,

wrapping up one of the finest pitching duals ever seen in the Series or any game for that

matter. Pettitte/Smoltz. Eight innings apiece (8 1/3) for Pettite. Golden Boy Chipper Jones

on third after a leadoff double and a groundout (with his hot wife getting plenty of camera

time in the stands). And Wetteland...and that cap...put the game away. I stayed up late for

this one. Simply one of the best games I've ever seen, though it often seems overlooked by

"experts" in this category.



1: 1991: Twins 4, Braves 3

Generally considered one of the best World Series of all time, it's impossible to find anything to fault here. The worst-to-first storylines of the teams coming in (The young stars and pitching depth of today's Rays look so much like the 1991 Braves, every AL East team should sleep less easy tonight). Kirby Puckett looking like a superhero in game six, carrying his team on his back and back into the series. (I also remember Puckett crashing hitting the old plexiglass they used to keep up in above some of the walls to catch a flyball that might have been a homer. I remember he looked like a hockey player crashing the boards. I'm not crazy). The Metrodome going apeshit crazy. Hell, even Fulton County Stadium was lively. Seven games of ravenous fans that needed baseball success. However, the series can be summed up in a line:



10 7 0 0 2 8



Let's try that with labels: 10 ip 7 hits 0 runs 0 earned runs 2 walks 8 strikeouts



10 innings...no runs...7th game of the World Series. That's 10...T-E-N innings. That's clutch. That's Jack Morris. That was the 1991 World Series.



Alright. Now that I've gotten that out. A prediction. Hamels can make or break the Phillies. Game 1, after a week off, against Scott Kazmir. Now, I've had both of these guys on my fantasy team. I'll take Kazmir. Yeah, Hamels has the nasty stuff, but Kazmir is the better pitcher, I think. In the TropDome, I don't see pitchers making it through without freak homers. Hamels' fastballs put him at more risk. Game one, and momentum goes to the Rays. They'll continue through game 2. A well-seasoned Jamie Moyer will give Phillies fans hope in Game 3 before the Philly fans torch Citizen Bank Park. Balnton has been lights out and will continue to be so in Game 4. Game 5 could go either way, and will be the Phillies only chance at this series. For some reason, though, I see Mr. Cool Kazmir weaving his magic again. If the 'pen can hold together (and with Price emerging, I think it might happen), the Rays can take that one and send it back to Tampa where Big Game James can fianlly live up to his billing.

World Series Prediction: Rays 4, Phillies 2

See you at the ballpark tomorrow night!

Hiccups

Why is it that no one was talking about the ALCS until last night?

What a great story the Rays have been. Having never won anything, they sit in the big spotlight, pounding on the defending World Champions...and then three innnings go horribly, horribly wrong.

No the talking heads are running in full throttle. Good for baseball, I suppose, but something sticks in my crawl. Yes, it was a great comeback. Monumental even. And sure, the NLCS is finished now, leaving more attention to be shone on the AL. But something just seems fishy. The sports media seems excited now. This was already an exciting series to watch. Why the sudden extra bounce in the step?

It just seems that the media loves the baseball royalty, those teams that seem to pop up on ESPN on a weekly bases, whose hats are in every Wal-Mart regardless of region, who have fans in every pocket of the country?

These are immensely popular teams, which explain the facts above. But should this explain a different media attitude? Is it all in my head? Or is it that The Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Braves, Cardinals, and Dodgers just seem to get a different spotlight than others.

Maybe that comes with being a fan of the underdog.

I love ranting.

At long last...

It is Wednesday and, as promised, I strive to bring you new literature. I have a poetry project that I originally wrote a bit ago and have been editing down a bit. Alas, I'm running into trouble with blogger allowing me to present this piece in it's original formatting. Fonts and the like I can edure changes on, but word spacing is an essential element of this piece. So, until I can figure out a way to rectify this problem, I'll bring you some past work I haven't broken out in a while...

If I played piano

Would you climb upon the frame?

In this musky otherworld
Could you bring to us a beam?

Of hope?

Of faded sunshine

Kept inside your pocket for a darker day?

Do not be afraid to toss your hair

Your dress

Your indiscretions about the glowing air.

Open your soul

And give shelter to prying minds,

A place to rest our weary hearts.

At what point do you cease to play this game,

Look upon the lost faces,

The vague eyes,

Admit defeat,
And call it a day?
Or does she seek to write her own rules?

And If I should play through the night

And if the first stripes of dawn should fall

Upon your shoulders with your tresses.
Would you still be swaying with the riffs,
Or beside me giggling?
Perchance to be riding the waves of my mind
Over a sweet chardonnay at the bar

And talking of the day yet to come.

Laziness > Drive

That pretty much says it all. I back up last Wednesday's blisteringly optimistic blog (complete with schedule) with...nothing for almost a week. Now, I've promised that lit-loving bunch (I use that word lightly. At last review I have two followers to my blog) new material tomorrow.

I have a few sports observations to make, though, and I got lazy yesterday and missed the date. I don't want to multi-purpose tomorrow's blog, so I'll sneak in some random thoughts on Tuesday.

Leading off:
It wasn't merely laziness that led me to miss my time yesterday. It was the Hawks, baby! Blackhawks hockey on TV, at long last. Of course, I stayed up fighting off sleep only semi-successfully to watch them lose pitifully in shootout at 11:something. But it's hockey goodness. For those of you baseball fans out there, i can't stress how important it is that you discover this wonderful sport. The regular season trades off almost perfectly with baseball and the the playoffs of each just overlap that "warming-up" period at the beginning of the season. I fell in love with the sport watching live. This may not be a possibility for all (though if it is, jump on it). However, you can still adopt a team and join in the fun. Don't let your winters be sports-passion
free, eh! Open a a LeBatt and try oot some hockey this season.

High-average base-filler:
This does being my first gripe of the night. It was my understanding that the Hawks were supposed to be on WGN Satruday night. I was pumped. Then...nothing but a rerun of Boston Legal. Do the WGN games not apply to the cable feed? I mean, we get Cubs and Sox games. We get the local Chicago news, for Pete's sake! But no Hawks? Just another example of the man keepin' hockey down.

Patented slugger:
A barn burning season in the Other Cat fantasy football league this year. For those of you that aren't familiar, this is my #1 league, populated by basically the same guys for the last ten years. The league with a waiting list to get in. I've enjoyed having a part in a league that has pretty much unique scoring (we used a lot of trial and error on this), great desire from all 12 managers. But enough about the league itself. What matters is 11 teams within two games of first. We're almost halfway through the season! Only Seabold's Tom Brady Withdrawal All-Stars are further out.

Clean-up:
The Phillies continue to look strong. Going into the playoffs it was obvious they weren't the frauds they were last year. But why is it I'm still not sold on their pitching?

Sean Casey:
If you look around on the web, you can find several ideas for reallignment of the NHL to make it more viable. Almost all of them agree the NHL needs to be smaller. Barring major disaster, the powers that be won't let this happen. I was brainstorming the other day, though, and came up with what I feel would be an ideal 22-team league based on city size, desire of fans (read; more Canadian teams), and geography:
Northwest: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnepeg, Mnnesota
Northeast: Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Hamilton or London,
Southwest: Detroit, Chicago, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Buffalo,
Dallas (odd, I know, but good fans there)
Southeast: Boston, New York, New Jersey, Philly, Washington

The way I see it, North plays South for the cup each year. The Canadians are almost assured of playing for the cup each year (only Minnesota can douse their hopes, but they're practically Canadian anyway)

Aging slugger:
In my heart, I would prefer to have a team in Regina or Saksatoon. The logical side of me likes filling in that whole in the geography. the generous side of me wants to see Saskatchawon have at least 1 team. They would probably enjoy it more than Washington, but the geography's a bitch. (Put in Regina, move Minnesota to the southwest, move Pitt or Buffalo to the Southeast, but only one. Which one? Blah blah blah). Trust me, I spent 20 minutes here with an atlas trying to figure it out.

The newbie brought up for his glove:
Looks like AAA baseball will be shaken up again. I know Toronto is switching their affiliation from Syracuse for the first time in their history. Going west if I recall. Also, Cleveland is switching from Buffalo to in-state Columbus. And yet Toronto isn't taking uber-close Buffalo. Odd that. The Reds are going strong with the Bats though, which is a good thing, considering how often guys bo up and down there. I mean, gas is bad enough to cart those guys from Louisville to Cincy. Could you imagine airfare?

The catcher:
So I take a slight downgrade in backup QB to get Felix Jones as my 2nd RB. He gets hurt and Thomas Jones (the guy I took OUT of my lineup) cleans up. Maybe it is knid of funny when I suffer. As long as I get the W, that is.

The pitcher's spot (we don't need no stinkin' DH!)
Ironically, I'll use this spot to speak on the ALCS. I just turned it on to a 5-1 Ray lead in the top of the fourth. I thought Wakefield was going to be pitching. But unless he took 15 years or so off his face, droped the Knuckler, and picked up a sidearm delivery, this ain't him. So either Boston changed their mind on who to start or the Rays already ran him out. The Rays coming back to win after dropping the first game showed me a TON of heart. If they win the first two in Boston, how can I pick against them in this series? How can I pick against them in the World Series? This is big, folks. If revenue starts to come in to keep some of these players, you're looking at the Atlanta Braves circa 1991-1992. Look for big things.

Wow...that was long.

Again, new lit tomorrow (first of a series!)

Part Two

Before I get to the obligatory baseball review and prognostication, let me say that one of my foremost goals for my fall break week (sometimes it pays to be a teacher) is to create a schedule to follow for this blog. That may sound a bit contrived, but I find it necessary to keep me a) writing on a variety of subjects, b) making sure I'm keeping this up-to-date in the To-do list world I live in, and c) Attracting the audience to each blog that actually cares about the contents there-in. The weekly schedule I'm currently considering looks something like this:

Monday--Sports (Mainly baseball or football when in season. Some hockey and college basketball. Also, gripes and gloats about my fantasy progress)

Wednesday--Literature (Posts of new and old pieces of poetry and prose...the original reason I started blogging in the first place)

Thursday--Current Events (Politics, Education, Economics, and other topics pertaining to the world at large. Maybe some religion thrown in there as well).

Saturday/Sunday--Potpurri (Anything that strikes my fancy. Including, but not limited to, music, books, televsion, snails, scrapbooking, aboriginese history, or anything else that strikes my fancy. Feel free to request topics. I don't mind doing requests).

Some weeks I might substitute in one thing ofr another if inspiration strikes, or a might miss a day if my schedule dictates (hello, AC/DC on 11/3!). I'll mostly try to stick to this schedule, though...


...with the exception of tonight (and other assorted nights throughout the baseball playoffs).

Let's see, where to begin:

So...the one team that gets swept in the first round is a team I picked to win. Excellent. My bad for actually thinking the Cubs would show up for this series. I don't know what I was thinking. I nailed Dempster right on. I should have foreseen that this would lead to a rip in Cubs fans' (and thus the Cubs') collective confidence. A small oversight on my part.

It was pretty much what I expected to see out of the Phillies/Brewers matchup. The Phillies pitching was better than I expected, though (and the hitting worse). CC's lucky his arm didn't fall off, and I was very happy that the people of Milwaukee got to see two home playoff games instead of one. We look forward to having you back in future years! Provided, of course, you build more than a one-man pitching staff. Actually, with Villanueva in the rotation, and Gallardo healthy, and Sheets not as banged up... QUICK! Throw money at CC, stat!

NLCS: This is going to be a hell of a matchup. Philly's bats have to recover a bit. L.A. will match them and then some in the pitching, (I see a big start for Maddux...not sure why). Manny will continue to be a monster. I think this one comes down to bullpens and coaching. The two best bullpens in the NL will not disappoint, though I think that the 'pen that is used to bending more (L.A.) will be the one that does not break. That, and how do you out-manage Joe Torre? I mean, really, how do you do it? You don't. Larry Bowa goes laughing all the way to Sunset Blvd. (Geographical note: this is actually right outside the stadium parking lot) and gets him a hooker to celebrate beating the Phils My Pick: Dodgers in 7

In the A.L., Tampa Bay took care of business in 4, as I predicted. It was kind of painful watching Junior Griffey strike out to end it, though. I hope he hangs on for another couple of years as a DH (Dammit, Seattle, get a clue! You suck and need a box-office draw. This is it!)

The Angels on the other hand, they sucked it up, again, with starting pitching as a major concern. I just can't shake the feeling that the Angels are a team built for the regular season, not the playoffs. The playoff are about star hitters and starting pitching (see: Dodgers, L.A.). Texiera was a nice start. Maybe the Angels should throw money at C.C. this off-season (and hope like hell it works out better than Bartolo Colon). that siad, the Red Sox are built wonderfully for the post-season, and it shows.

The ALCS looks like teams that are polar opposites: the perpetual competitor versus the upstart group of youngsters. However, the Red Sox aren't quite the Yankees of the early Oughts. They have young players in their own right. (MVP candidate Pedroia, for example). This has been a heated rivalry since even spring training. It's almost as if it was destined to come to this. I mean, Tampa Bay went into Fenway and successfully defneded their lead in September when everyone was predicting a collapse. Personally, I think starting pitching I far and away the key, here. These teams are very familiar with one another. For that reason, I don't think the Rays will be star-struck. They can focus in on a familiar opponent.

Again, starting pitching will be key here. I am lucky to have the pitching matchups set as I write this, so let's look at a glimpse:

Game 1: Matszusaka v. Shields: Advantage Rays
Game 2: Beckett (less than 100%) v. Kazmir: Advantage Rays
Game 3: Lester v. Garza: (Money at home v. all or nothing): Advantage Sox
Game 4: Wakefield v. Sonnenstine (I spelled that wrong): Advantage Rays

In the last three, I think the Sox win to keep it from ending at home, then the Rays win it in 6 at a racous Tropicana Dome. Word. My pick: Rays in 6

Now, let's see if the Rays can keep from making a liar out of me like the Indians last season.

And you lit. lovers...tune in next Wednesday for guaranteed new material.

Getting Started...

And so it comes back to this...

Last year my blog really kicked into high gear as I watched the MLB playoffs. Now here I sit on a new site, a year removed, with at least a hundred different things I've thought about blogging about over the past year. And what brings me back out after all this time? You guessed it...the MLB playoffs.

Over the course of the next year, I plan on bring you (the few, the proud, my readers) additional topics. My goal is a 3-4 day per week blog. Sports one day, music the next, my own writing another day, and random thoughts thrown in wherever (educational philosophy anyone?), all meticulously scheduled to allow people to find what they want when they want.

But it all starts here...the playoffs.

Having just watched the White Sox finish off the Twins in an apparently splendid pitchers' duel that I managed to miss, I am again inspired to make predicitions for the first round of the playoffs. I'd like to remind you, I was 4-0 in first round predictions last year (and 0-2 in LCS predictions, but we'll forget that for now). Let's see how they match up.

Brewers v. Phillies: The Phillies definitely have the superior lineup here. And, without a doubt, the better bullpen. And, while we're at it, the better rotation. Really, the Phillies are the better team. The Brewers are tired and emotionally drained. However, CC Sabathia gets to pitch twice in this series if it goes to 5 games. That's a big if. The X-factor here is really Yavonni Gallardo...all four starts we've seen this year. If he comes out hot, I think an all-world CC can make us forget the playoff bust he was last year. Watch the first game carefully...it will set the tone for the series. Most likely, though, is a subpar pitching performance from a player coming off an injury...My Pick: Phillies in 4.

Dodgers v. Cubs: The Cubs are the class of the NL this season. As a Reds fan, I'm still not entirely convinced I'm in my own dimension when I see Ryan Dempster pitching game one of a playoff series. Something inside me still has a sinking feeling abot him. But I'm not writing a column to hate on Ryan Dempster. The Dodgers have a little more momentum (and the Manny factor), but the Cubs have the pitching (Zambrano, Harden, and Lilly after Dempster). The Cubs have faded during a couple of stretches during the season, and I think Lowe will better Dempster in game 1. Will this be enough to get the Cubs fans doubting again? That kind of doubt can be contagious. Zambrano and ahrden win games 2 and 3. The Dodgers win one for the home crowd in 4. Back in Wrigley, the Cubs eek one out to go to the next round. My Pick: Cubs in 5.

Red Sox v. Angels: Last year the Angels crapped their collective pants against the Sox. It was like they sensed that they didn't even belong on the same field, and played as such. This year, the Angels won't have that problem. If anything, I think the Sox sense that they are the ones playing on borrowed time, the benefactors of some stellar individual performances (Pedroia, Bay). We might see a little Beckett magic, but the stars are on the Angels' side this time. My Pick: Angels in 4

White Sox v. Rays: Isn't it great to see Ken Griffey Jr. back in the postseason? I wish that he could have done it with the Reds, but it wasn't to be (rebuilding again). Over the last 3 days, the White Sox have won 3 must-win games. Shades of the 2007 Rockies are dancing through our heads. Except, the White sox aren't the 2007 Rockies. Those Rockies were largely young, eager, and greater than the sum of their parts, which sounds more like the 2008 Rays than the aging 2008 White Sox. There's something to be said for playoff experience, which is definitely in favor of the White Sox. But there's even more to be said for spectacular pitching, which is the Rays' forte. Give my ice-cold pitching anyday. My Pick: Rays in 4.

So, I'll probably catch some flack for picking all favorites. To hell with the haters...I predicted the Rockies sweep of the Phillies last year, so don't paint me a chalk prognosticator! I calls 'em like I see 'em.