This Hurts

I haven't posted much since the Cubs lost game 2. It's been a rough week to be fair. Getting swept in the first round two years in a row is just unreal. Last season it was a bit of a surprise for the Cubs to even be there, nobody really thought it was going to happen. Even though we lost three straight, the signs were in place that the team was about to be really good. And this season they were. It was unlike any Cubs season I've ever seen. Never have they been hands-down the most dominant force in the league throughout a season. 97 wins? Unheard of in my lifetime.

I'm not going to go into a season recap. Everybody knows what happened all season, and everyone witnessed one of the biggest flop performances of my lifetime. With everybody getting ready for the NLCS to get going tomorrow night, the pain is really starting to sink in. The team announced they were picking up Rich Harden's option for next season, and it's just devastating to realize what happened. Literally as I write this, Stu Scott and John Anderson just made a mention of the Cubs incident (the poll of the night was who would win the World Series, and Anderson asked where the Cubs were and said people were probably still looking to pick them). The whole experience was a surreal, catastrophic embarrassment. The Dempster walks in game one, the infield errors in game two, and the brief appearance of Rich Harden in game three. That's what I have to remember what once was an incredible season.

Now the Cubs have to figure out what to do to fix the problem. I wish I had an answer, but I don't even know what to do. I have my doubts about the team's ability to respond to the choke job that was 2008. But how do you break up a team that just won 97 games? There clearly weren't any problems all season, and you can't trade players around based on perceived clutch ability. So we have to go into the season with the same team we have now, and we probably won't be able to go out and splash the market because of questions regarding ownership. But here's wishing for the dream situation. Mark Cuban comes in and rescues this franchise from itself.

Cuban could bring a new attitude to the team and the fans surrounding the team. Instead of waiting for the worst, he could bring the money and energy to a ball club desperately looking for a winning culture. At the end of the day, the Cubs just won back to back division titles, and that's something I never thought I'd say. If Cuban can close the sale in time for free agency, which is completely possible, the Cubs could make a splash. These are the small comforts I have to hold on to right now, as I still try and get my head around what happened.

The last thing I want to say on this topic, and I have no intentions to write about baseball for the next 3 weeks, is that I don't want to hear anything about a curse. Curses are for children and witches. Not baseball teams. The Cubs weren't cursed, they just choked. They were untalented, not unlucky. The whole city froze up, and it effected the team, and after that game one loss we came off the tracks. I don't want to talk about it anymore, I've spent enough time dwelling on it. For now, there's football.

Week 6 Upon Further Review...

Six weeks through the season, and there are two unbeaten teams remaining. At the start of the season nobody would have thought the Titans and Giants would be the longest to go without losing. They're being chased by the Colts and Cowboys, many pundits' picks for this season's Super Bowl. It totals up for what should be really compelling football over the season. I honestly don't remember the last time a season was so wide open. How many times have you looked at a scoreboard this season and asked yourself, "Wow I didn't see that going like that." It's all making for one of the more fun seasons to follow in a long time. There's no absolute, dominating force, and it breathes hope into a deep pool of top tier teams. I know for me, by the time Sunday Night Football is coming on, I'm already looking at next week's schedule and thinking point spreads and playoff implications. It's just nice having football (it also doesn't hurt when your team rattles off a 44-6 win, after your baseball team re-writes the book on choking).

The Best Team in Football?
I wrote a baseball article with that title about some other team a few months back. I'm concerned with my bold decision to do it right now about my New York Football Giants. The Giants are the most complete team in the league right now. Every player on the team buys into the system, and they know how to win. They protect the ball, they can stop the run game, they can pound the ball with the run, and Eli has quietly turned into one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Manning didn't even play in the fourth quarter yesterday, and went 19/25 with 265 yards and two touchdowns. He's thrown one interception this season, making him the best interception/pass attempt ratio after Jason Campbell. The three-headed monster combined for 241 yards yesterday on 33 carries. The Giants are third in the league in rushing yards after the Falcons and Redskins. The only difference is that the Falcons and Redskins have played five games to the Giants four. Everything is clicking for the Giants right now, but still, I await legitimate competition. It's nice to blowout the Rams and Seahawks, but I'm waiting for that stretch of games when we see the Steelers, Cowboys, and Eagles. The Redskins win looks a lot nicer these days, but aside from that game the schedule has been cupcake city.


Hail to the Redskins
I feel dirty just writing that out. I love the fact that the Skins have beaten up on the Eagles and Cowboys already this season. Jason Campbell has arrived, evidenced by the stat shown above. The talent of this team comes down to the line. Their offensive line is a group of absolute manimals. The left side of that line features the closest thing to an immovable object I've ever seen. Chris Samuels is a complete beast, and sends I don't know how defensive players could get around him. Clinton Portis is running the ball like it's 2001 and he's in Miami. Whether you believe it or not, the Redskins are 4-1, and they're playing good football. The NFC East still has lost only one game outside of the division, Philadelphia's short-handed loss to the Bears last week. They've played all their road division games, beating the Eagles and the Cowboys. They're thinking division, not wildcard, in D.C.

The Single-Wing Formation
Is anybody else absolutely infuriated by the shenanigans in Miami? I'm desperate for a good defensive coordinator to get their hands on this team. Unfortunately for those who enjoy 21st century football, this pop warner formation is winning games for the Dolphins right now. With all that said, when I see Ronnie Brown run this garbage I can only think about Michael Vick's agent. I hope he is taping every one of these games, so that when Vick gets out of prison he can go from camp to camp and say, "Imagine running this formation with Mike Vick being the guy able to run it or throw it, along with a tailback, and your quarterback. " It's at least something to think about, right?
This was the picture that came up from Google when I typed in Single-Wing...

The Falcons Aren't So Bad
I'm ready to drink the Matt Ryan kool-aid. Not just a dixie cup either, I'm ready to chug the whole pitcher. He looks poised in the pocket, doesn't panic, never puts the ball into bad situations, and has a tremendous arm. He's surrounded by a good offensive line, a dynamic running back, and a good receiver in Roddy White. Out of nowhere, the situation in Atlanta doesn't look as poisoned as it once was. That was a quality win yesterday, in Green Bay, against a team that was once thought of as one of the better clubs in the NFC. I don't think they're going to be able to fight for a playoff spot in this year's stacked NFC, but they have a good foundation to build on for the next few years.

The Upper Class

1. New York Giants (4-0) They're doing it in dominant fashion too. They lead the league in point difference.

2. Tennessee Titans (5-0) Best record in football. Even if it wasn't pretty in Baltimore yesterday.

3. Washington Redskins (4-1) They beat the Eagles and Cowboys on the road, and that is impressive.

4. Carolina Panthers (4-1) Nobody is even paying attention to them do it either. Great run game, great defense, and Steve Smith is all the way back.

5. Dallas Cowboys (4-1) Still some turmoil in the Big D, but they have so many weapons down there it barely matters.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) Everyone of their games is leading the entire Pittsburgh into cardiac arrest. This team is desperate for their bye week. Big Ben Berger is sooooo good.

7. Denver Broncos (4-1) This is first team of the second tier really. All the teams above it have a legitimate chance to win the Super Bowl, I'm not feeling that with the Broncos.

8. New England Patriots (3-1) I was more impressed with the way they won. The bye week served them well, and they should return to their more dominant ways soon.

9. Buffalo Bills (4-1) I know it's a long way to drop, but it all depends on the health of Trent Edwards. Put JP Losman into the starting lineup, and this might be as high they get for the rest of the season.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) They came oh so close to beating the Broncos in Denver, keeping the high-flying Broncos to only 16 points. They're a good team, and that NFC South is looking good.

Battle of the MVP's
There's no doubting that right now Drew Brees is playing better than any other quarterback in the league right now. He is completing nearly 75% of his passes, and is fourth in the league in passing yards, after counting yesterday's games. Adrian Peterson is a horse and is fourth in the league in rushing yards, also after yesterday's games. It's run the ball and play defense against air the ball out and play absolutely no defense. They're both incomplete teams, but it should make for a tremendously interesting game. I like the Vikings to start turning their ship around. They're better than that 1-3 record, and they make their push on the extremely winnable NFC North starting tonight.

Full Circle

WE SHALL PREVAIL!

It's been about 24 hours since Game 1 started, and my emotions have really come full circle. It's just short of three hours until gametime, and I've decided I have to put last night behind me in the same way the players do. Everyone seems to be really positive today in CubbieLand, including the most important man of the night, Carlos Zambrano. He said he's feeling great, Soto says he looks great, and I believe them. Last time Carlos came into a game with this much rest, he ended up throwing a no-hitter.

I went back and read what I wrote last night, and I still agree with everything I said. Even though, when I said it, I didn't believe it at all. Last night, and most of today, I was inconsolable. But the more I read the Cubs blogs, and the articles, and the fanzines, and all that other stuff, the more I find myself agreeing with people who are saying, "it's only game 1." There's a reason they play these things out over a best of 5, so that the best team is most likely to come out on top. Only Cubs fans would sit here and beat themselves up for losing one game, like it's the end of the world. There's no reason we don't go out there tonight, and absolutely murder this Dodgers team. Again, I can't stress the importance of the crowd tonight. They have to be more lively this evening. If we have the regular Cubs crowd, the way they're supposed to be, and Z is throwing strikes, the Cubs will be fine. I'll be able to tell you from the first pitch how this game is going to turn out.

Just wanted to get all that off my chest. I hope to God this isn't the last meaningful game of the season, because it's really been too special a year to go down like that. Must keep the faith, this team is different, and tonight we prove it.

Cubs, Dodgers Game 1

I'm coming to grips with the loss. At first it was devastating, but I've allowed it to simmer in for a few hours now. The Cubs season hinges on this game tomorrow, and I'm ok with that. If they can win than it's quite possible that this loss was the worst it will be of the playoffs. A team responds to a loss like that in one of two ways. They turn in a dominant performance the following night and assert their superiority for the remainder of the playoffs. Or, more frequently, they go belly-up before they get out of the gate. I'm confident though, we find the answer tomorrow night.

The crowd knew it was coming from the first pitch. It was a weird overcast night, extra chilly in the air, and it didn't feel right from the beginning. To my dad's credit, he called Dempster being off from the first inning. My dad doesn't watch that much baseball anymore, but he still has an eye, and he was right last night. Dempster was all over the place, consistently missing spots. The Cub bats were actually alive and well. They just weren't hitting in the right spots. The Edmonds near homer in the 8th, what would have made the score 6-4, was painful because of the way the wind sucked it out of the air. And Alfonso Soriano's 0-5, 2 K'S, and 3 runners left on was no help either. Still, Lee, Ram-Ram, Edmonds, DeRosa, Theriot, Fontenot, and even Dempster got hits. The bats are healthy, and that's a very positive sign. On top of that, the Cubs' third best pitcher went tonight. As good as he is at home, we have Zambrano and Harden going the next two games. I love our chances with them on the mound.

Our work will be cut out for us tomorrow night. Chad Billingsley has been no push over this season. He's 5th in the league in strikeouts and 7th in the league in ERA, and wins. He's also 8th in the league in walks, and the Cubs got this far because of their ability to get on the bases, and gain walks from pitchers. It's his first playoff start, and it needs to be in a raucous Wrigley Field. I understand Cubs fans went into the game tonight a little jittery, and maybe expecting to just walk all over the Dodgers. Wrigley has to be the same place in the playoffs as it was during the season, a 56-win fortress. With a Big Z who's absolutely starving to get out there and dominate this game, I like our chances to even this series out. (read the interviews with him, he knows what people are saying, and he knows what's at stake. He has to be there tomorrow night, or he gets the bust label)

The key tomorrow night will be Big Z. I have extreme confidence that he will be in his top-of-the-line form for the game. I think Lou knows the right things to say to these guys, and I think the crowd at the stadium tomorrow night knows their part too. The worst is over, we've passed high tide. Either that, or the count goes to 101. Now I have to figure out how to sleep.

Shea Goodbye

I did not want to talk about this, but it was been with me since I saw the ball settle into Cameron Maybin’s glove around 5 o’clock on Sunday. For the 3^rd year in a row I saw my Mets lose an elimination game, only this year came with a little different emotion. In 2006 after the Mets lost a game 7 at home in the NLCS and last year after the epic collapse I felt angry. I was tired of rooting for teams that found a way to break my heart every season, and I did not recover until the beginning of this Baseball season.

In 2008, however, it was a very different feeling. Unlike most Met fans, I understood that the 07 collapse was a fluke thing and this version of the team, armed with Johan Santana, would surely make me forget about 2007. Looking back on April I don’t think I have ever been more excited or optimistic about the start of any of my teams seasons…boy am I a gullible idiot.

The season started off in disappointment with Pedro getting hurt in his first start and the team playing under .500 ball. David Wright and Ryan Church were the only ones hitting and Carlos Delgado was on the cusp of being released. The Mike Pelfry experiment looked as though it was a big mistake and he was about to be sent back down to the minors. Still the Mets did enough to float around the .500 mark and I was confident they just needed one little spark to get everything rolling.

Almost 3 months into the season, the Mets received that spark with the firing of their worthless manger Willie Randolph. Omar decided to go with the experience of bench coach Jerry Manuel and I was unsure about the choice, but willing to take anything that wasn’t Randolph. Sure enough things began to run on all cylinders as the Mets went into the All Star break riding a 10 game winning streak and a season high 7 games over .500.

Things were clicking under Manuel and the Mets looked poised to take the NL East crown. They stormed through August going 18-10 and saw themselves sitting atop the Division with a 2 game lead. The dreaded month on September had arrived and the only thing on everyone’s mind was shaking the ghosts of 2007. At the mark of 17 games left to play, where everything went wrong last year, the Mets were 82-64 with a 4 game lead in the loss column over the Phils.

Fast forward two weeks later to Friday September 26 and the Mets had let the division all but slip away. Entering the last weekend at Shea they sat 1 back with 3 to play and even in the Wild Card chase with the Brewers. To avoid making this a summary on the season, I will assume everyone knows how the weekend ended as all us Met fans got to Shea goodbye.

As the game ended, I sat speechless staring at the screen. I was not mad, I was not upset, I was stunned and disappointed. I know I should have expected this but 2008 was supposed to be different. Many want to sit and point fingers and say that Wright or Reyes did not hit in the clutch, or the bullpen blew it again, or the rotation other than Santana could not go deep into games, but the bottom line is something is just missing from this team.

I can say that if they had Jerry Manuel all year things would have been different, but that is not just another excuse. The bottom line is the team had a 4 game lead with 17 to play and a 2 game lead with 7 to play and ended up blowing both. I cannot tell you what caused this and what to do to fix it. I can list players they need to acquire and players they need to rid themselves of, but if bringing in Johan Santana did not do the job I cannot imagine what player will.

The whole last day of the season I was debating weather I would watch the closing ceremonies of Shea after the game if the Mets lost. Once the game ended I did not want anything to do with the Mets or sports in general. Somehow though in a room with a Yankee, Cub and Red Sox fan the post-game show was left on and I began to watch the ceremony.

After watching Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver walk out to Centerfield and shut the gates of Shea Stadium for the last time I was full of emotion. I was still disappointed and in shock from the loss, and all I could think about was how great it would have been for the 2008 team to be apart of that ceremony. On the other hand I had a tear in my eye because that same team that has disappointed me so many times would never play another game in the only place I knew them to play.

As the festivities ended I put all that disappointment behind me and said goodbye to Shea. After another tragic weekend and season I realized that there is nothing the Mets can do to make me stop caring. With tears in my eyes I sat there and got closure on the 2008 season and the last thing I can remember thinking was “I cannot wait until 2009.”

BPL Power Rankings: Round 6

Really quickly, no explanations, just the movers and shakers in this week's rankings. It'll probably be like this until the MLB Playoffs are done.

1. Chelsea- 14 Points
Last Week- 1

2. Aston Villa- 13 Points
Last Week- 3

3. Liverpool- 14 Points
Last Week- 4

4. Hull City- 11 Points
Last Week- 6

5. Arsenal- 12 Points
Last Week- 2

6. Manchester United- 8 Points
Last Week- 7

8. Blackburn Rovers- 10 Ponits
Last Week- 12

9. Manchester City- 9 Points
Last Week- 5

10. Portsmouth- 9 Points
Last Week- 15

11. Wigan Athletic- 8 Points
Last Week- 11

12. Sunderland- 7 Points
Last Week- 10

13. West Brom- 7 Points
Last Week- 18

14. Fulham- 6 Points
Last Week- 9

15. Everton- 7 Points
Last Week- 13

16. Middlesbrough- 6 Points
Last Week- 14

17. Stoke City- 4 Points
Last Week- 16

18. Bolton Wanderers- 4 Points
Last Week- 17

20. (tie) Newcastle United- 4 Points
Last Week- 20

20. (tie) Tottenham Hotspur- 2 Points
Last Week- 19

2008 MLB Playoff Preview

As much as this hurts, it is my duty as a PineRider to give comprehensive on major sporting events, no matter how badly my team tanks (Mets post also coming soon). So as we gear up for another October here is how everything is going to play out...

American League

Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox

The White Sox will come into this series with the momentum of winning three elimination games against three different teams in three days. They also come in as the only team where the majority of their own city will not be focused on them, but instead on the other team in town. With that being said I think it is important for them to keep the momentum up and get off to a quick start tomorrow in Tampa. The pitching staff is going to be the Sox keeping that momentum, but what could lead to their demise as well. They will be throwing Javier Vazquez in game 1, a guy that pitched to a 4.67 ERA and has his own manger tell the world he is not a big game pitcher. I have been saying all year that the Sox pitching is not going to hold up, and while they have proven me wrong so far I believe it will finally catch up to them. Another story for the White Sox will be the two future Hall of Famers in Thome and Griffey making one final run at a World Series. Both players were the stars of the show in yesterday's win over the Twins and will look to continue that heading into Tampa.

The only problem is the Rays will have something to say about that playing in their own park. I know that they may not sell out the place and there is actually a catwalk in play, but this team was dominant at the Trop in 08 winning a major league high 57 games at home. Couple the home dominance with a very strong top 3 in the rotation and you have a recipe for winning. They one question mark I have heading into October is the bullpen. With Troy Percival being banged up most of the second half, the Rays went with Dan Wheeler as their closer. While Wheeler had been very good as the setup man his performance as closer has been shaky at best. This would scare me in October if I were a Ray fan especially with the three other veteran teams with dominant bullpens in the AL.

The outcome of this series is going to come down to pitching, as most do. The Rays have a very strong staff and while most worry about their inexperience, I believe this team is well managed and that along with the home field advantage will be too much for the White Sox to handle.

Prediction: Rays in 4


Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Boston Red Sox

It really does not get any better than this as maybe the two best teams in Baseball will meet in the other ALDS series. The Sox have dominated the Angels in the post-season twice in the last 4 years, but the Angels have dominated the Sox so far in 2008 winning 8 of their 9 meetings.

The thing that is troubling to me is how long it has been since the Angels have played meaningful Baseball. I know that might not mean anything at the end of the day because this is a veteran club with a great manager, but it could cause a small let down in a short series. Other than that this team is absolutely stacked. The top 3 on the staff is as dominant as it gets and the lineup is put together with perfect balance. Of course what makes the Angels so dominant is the strength of the pen. If they have a lead going into the 8th inning pack your bags and get read for the next game. Scott Shields and K Rod are as unhittable as it gets at the back of the pen and Darren Oliver and Jose Arredondo have been very good in the middle innings. If they get off to a quick lead and get solid starting pitching they are almost impossible to beat.

The key for the Sox will be the health of Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett. Lowell adds another right handed RBI bat in the lineup and takes some of the pressure off JD Drew who has disappeared in the second half. Even without Lowell this lineup is very strong. Ellsbury has proved to be a menace on the base paths and Papi and Youk are as good as it gets driving in runs in big spots. Of course I cannot leave out the play of second basemen Dustin Pedroia. In my mind Pedroia is the MVP of the AL and has already proven he can produce in October.

Even with the strength of the lineup however, none of that will matter if Josh Beckett is still bothered by his lingering injuries. Beckett has been the most dominant post season pitcher of this generation and if he is unable to go, or not effective the Sox are going to struggle to get out of Anaheim.

This should be a fun one as both lineups are very good and both teams are well managed veteran clubs. My brain tells me to take the Angels because on paper they are the best team in the game, but there is something about this Red Sox team that will not allow me to pick against them. Look for Beckett to be solid and the lineup and Papelbon to carry them to the ALCS.


Prediction: Red Sox in 5

National League

Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers

Besides meeting in the first round of the NL playoffs, these two teams have something else in common as well. They both played very well the last week of the season and showed my Mets what playoff teams do to win a race.

The biggest reason for the Brewers success down the stretch was obviously the work of their big lefty C.C. Sabathia. The last two weeks of the season C.C. pitched 28.2 innings allowing just 6 runs in just 12 days. Going into this series, there is not another pitcher playing that I would want on the mound over Sabathia (Beckett is not 100 percent) and he is dangerous in a 5 game series. The only problem is he has pitched so much on 3 days rest that the Brewers have to be careful he does not break down. He will be going again on short rest in game 2, and if this series goes 5 he will undoubtedly be seen in game 5. The problem will be getting to a game 5 for the rest of the staff.

On the other side there is not a hotter hitter in Baseball than Ryan Howard. He comes into October having the September from god and is one of the best clutch hitters in the game. If the top of the lineup continues to get on base Howard will continue to drive them in and the Phillies will continue to score tons of runs. What will give the Phils problems will be the pitching. I know they are well rested since the Mets didn't even make them work to win the East, but outside of Hamels there are many inconsistencies. Brett Myers had been pitching well since he came back from the minors, but his last two starts were a disaster.

The X factor for the series is Phillies closer Brad Lidge. Lidge has been perfect this year and will continue his dominance into the playoffs. Look for a lot of runs in some of these games and this series will definalely not be lacking in excitement.

Prediction: Phillies in 4


Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers

Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.

Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Those might be the words uttered by the other PineRider, but I certainly cannot deal with another title for Sami, epically a Cubs World Series. Yes I will be rooting against the Cubs all October, but it is going to be difficult because this team is very good. Like the Angels in the AL, the Cubs have a well balance team from pitching to defense to the bench. My only concern with them going deep into October is the bullpen. Carlos Marmol has been dominant all year and should continue that in the playoffs. I just am having a hard time having much confidence in Kerry Wood. I know he has been solid all year, but when it comes down a championship team I feel like you need a dominant closer to get you through October.

I am speaking long term, however, about the Cubs. As far as the NLDS I think they can beat the Dodgers if they started only half of their regulars. People are getting excited about this team because of the star power of Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez. I know Manny has had the best second half I probably have ever seen, but after him this does not really look like a playoff roster. Sure the likes of Kemp, Loney and Dewitt are very solid players, but to beat this Cubs team they are a few sluggers short. A lot of people are raving about the staff, but they are a bunch of number 2 or 3 guys missing an ace.

Let us not forget that the Dodgers won 84 games playing in the worst division in Baseball. If they beat the Cubs than I will finally concede that there is a bigger power out there causing curses and hexes over certain things. For now take your money to the bookie and put it on the Cubs.

Prediction: Cubs in 3

Predicting the Rest of October

ALCS- Red Sox over Rays in 6
The Sox sluggers will be too much and they will wrap it up before Tampa can get back home for a game 7.
ALCS MVP- David Ortiz


NLCS- Cubs over Phillies in 7
This will prove to be an exciting series with a lot of offense. In the end the Cubs are too good for anyone in the NL and will move to their first World Series since the summer W.W II ended.
NLCS MVP- Derrek Lee

World Series- Red Sox over Cubs in 6
I am going to stick to my original prediction of Sox over Cubs (heard on PineCast Vol. 1). In the end it will be another disappointment for the people from the Windy City and the PineRider from New Jersey.
World Series MVP- Jonathan Papelbon

Cubs CD, Expert Picks, and the Playoff Roster

This will be the last 'build-up' post about the Cubbies. After this it's all meat and potatoes, fellas. Three quick final notes, well kinda quick. First, this morning I chose my Cubs playoff cd. Last season, during the extremely brief Cubs 2007 run, I decided I would start selecting a cd whenever one of my teams started a playoff run. For the 2007 Cubs, it was Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". For the Giants Super Bowl 42 run it was U2's The Joshua Tree. For the 2008 Chicago Cubs, it's going to be Peter, Bjorn, and John's "Writer's Block." For some reason it jumped out at me, and that's really how I go about picking this thing. It's a cool way to tie a team to a certain musical memory, give the run a little more of an identity. Now whenever I hear songs off of those first two albums, I instantly jump back in memory to those two events. It's a cool idea, and I suggest it to anybody who's into music and sports.

The experts over on ESPN released their playoff predictions today. Nothing toooooo stunning, a few people picked the Dodgers to win it, and someone picked the Rays. For the most part everyone picked some sort of combination between Red Sox/Angels and Cubs for the World Series. Peter Gammonds, who is usually a Cubs supporter picked the Dodgers to win that series, as did Jim Caple. Consider yourselves to be on my crap list guys. The Cubs got the most picks for the win though. Here's a link to the espn picks, as usual copy and paste it into your browser,
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2008/news/story?id=3619261

If you look on the left hand side, under the ESPN headlines and the Baseball headlines, you can see a link to a Jayson Stark article where he picks the Chicago Cubs to win the Series. Check it out, pretty good stuff, even kind of funny.

The Cubs' playoff roster also came out this morning. I'm not completely sure with all of Lou's choices on the roster, but as usual, In Lou We Trust. Seriously though, I don't know about his choice to bring Bobby Howry, Sean Marshall, and Jason Marquis. I would've liked to have left one of them (Bobby Howry) at home in favor of another bat. Lou also picked Felix Pie over Micah Hoffpauir, I'm fine with that, but again we could've brought Hoffpauir instead of one of the pitchers that we probably won't be using. DeRosa and Soto are apparently 100% and ready to go, as is Z, who is refusing to talk to reporters right now. I love it. I'll see you guys later tonight, probably around 1030.

Playoff Preview

G hit the more in-depth preview. I'm too much of an emotional wreck right now to do anything to deep so here we go. Quick shots, as the Phillies are about throw out the first pitch.

National League Division Series

Brewers 3 Phillies 2
Assuming C.C. pitches twice, I think they can beat the Phillies in one of the other three games. Even though I think the Brewers stink.

Cubs 3 Dodgers 1
The Dodgers are good enough to win a game at least. I'm still scared of them winning the series. Logic tells me not to, though.

American League Division Series

Angels 3 Red Sox 2
Helluva series. I like the Angels as the best team in baseball though.

White Sox 3 Rays 2
As much as I love the Rays, I do believe in experience. White Sox have it in spades.

National League Championship Series

Cubs 4 Brewers 1
Don't forget Milwaukee is Chicago-2, so the Cubs will basically have 7 home games if necessaary. I've said all year I don't believe the Brewers are that good. No Sheets, a staggering C.C. (I hope), and a hot Cubs team, put the Brew-Crew to rest for another 26 years.

Angels 4 White Sox 0
Not even close.

2008 World Series

Yeah, right. Like I'm going to pick against the Cubs or jinx them by picking them? If it happens to be Angels Cubs I'll write something, if not, then I'll see you in April.