The Lunatic Fringe

It’s going to be a mess out there this weekend…but it’ll be worth it.  PLAYOFFS!

Now if only we didn’t have to wait until the end of tonight to know when the Sunday game would be.

On that note…it’s time for some predictions.  Because I’m on the internet, and I have a keyboard and a site on which to pretend I know what I’m talking about.  So here goes nothing.

WILD CARD:

NL: Atlanta over St. Louis

AL: Texas over Baltimore

DIVISIONAL SERIES

NL: San Francisco over Cincinnati in 4; Washington over Atlanta in 5.

AL: Texas over New York in 4; Oakland over Detroit in 4.

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

NL: San Francisco over Washington in 6.

AL: Texas over Oakland in 5.

WORLD SERIES:

San Francisco over Texas in 6.

It’s kind of hard to do predictions when your team is in it.  It’s especially hard this year.  The truth is, there’s four NL teams that can win it all (and then there’s St. Louis).  I would not be surprised by any of them going the distance.  Cincinnati has the best pitching, especially the bullpen, but the hitting is a little shallow.  Atlanta has a fairly consistent pitching staff and perhaps the most consistent offense, plus the emotional “Win one for the Chipper” thing.  Washington has had one of the best pitchers in the league, and a surprisingly dangerous lineup.  San Francisco has the deepest starting staff, the MVP-to-be, and a lineup that has gotten hot in September.  Any of those four could win it all.

The AL isn’t as strong to me.  Texas feels like it’s coming apart at the seams, and they could easily lose in the Wild Card, even though they are the AL’s most talented team.  The Yankees are old, and even more vulnerable than the last couple of years.  The Tigers have a Triple Crown winner and a Cy Young pitcher, but an inconsistent team behind them.  The Orioles and A’s have played above their heads.  Don’t get me wrong, they have some good talent, but they aren’t teams that I’d look at on paper and bet on in the postseason.

For what it’s worth, five of 29 ESPN writers picked the Giants, including my favorite, Jayson Stark.  But there was no overwhelming pick.  Six people picked the Tigers, and six picked the Yankees (of course).  Five picked the Nationals, and four picked the Reds.  The Braves, A’s and Rangers each got one scattered pick.  So yea, there’s no consensus this year.

This will be a fun postseason to watch…or, it will be if the Giants win.