Down to Four

Here were my predictions for the Division Series (see below):

Cards over Padres (in 4)
Astros over Braves (in 4)

White Sox over Red Sox (in 5)
Angels over Yankees (in 4)

I did pretty well, although I missed on the length of some of them.

The League Championship Series are trickier, in a way; I think what we learned from the Division Series is that the AL East teams were too much like softball teams, relying on lots of offense and not caring enough about defense. Not a good strategy. I'm glad the teams in the AL that run well, play good defense and fundamental baseball, advanced.

We also learned that just because a game goes 18 innings doesn't make it a great game, or a "classic" to use ESPN's language. It was 9 more innings of offensive futility, and not nearly as riveting as the '86 Astros/Mets 16-inning bit of weirdness. Brian Giles, I thought, was a big disappointment, and had many opportunities. I wouldn't want to let him off the hook.

Two more things about the ALDS: 1) on the controversial play that Cano was called out on (the dropped third strike), he ran inside the baseline the entire time, giving him an advantage by making Molina's throw more difficult than it would have been had Cano been running where he should have been. I think that may have had something to do with Joe West's call; I think he made the right call, in spite of Joe Buck's repeated relativistic whining about how it could have gone either way. No one mentioned Adam Kennedy backing up that throw, by the way; the bases would have been loaded and no one would have scored, and I think on a number of teams Molina's throw would have ended up in right field, scoring at least one of the lumbering Yankee baserunners. 2) Matsui, who was a wreck at the plate (although A-Rod's double play in the ninth was, perhaps, the suicidal dagger), made a great catch going into the stands for a flyball. Fans need to figure this out, as I think they have in St. Louis: you don't (like the Yankee fans) reach out onto the field to interfere with the play [and the umpires miss this with some frequency], but if the ball is in the stands, it's yours (unless it is your team in the field). There should have been no way an Angels fan should have let Matsui get that ball; consider it an assist to prevent him from catching it, and all perfectly legal.

Predictions, which I make with a good deal of diffidence, especially in the NLCS:

Cardinals over Houston in 7
White Sox over Angels in 6

I don't think the Angels will roll over and die for the Sox, and they have some good hitters who have yet to show just how good they are (e.g. Guerrero). I expect it to be more of a battle than many of the experts seem to, but I do think there will be a psychological toll from having beaten the Yankees, with all that that means.

The Cards-Astros series is a tricky one, and made more difficult since I have tickets for game 7 of the NLCS (if necessary). The Cardinals offense has looked okay--not great--and the Astros have great starting pitching and a great closer. But deep down I think the Cards take it to the Astros, because they have this "mission" thing about getting back to the Series, and enough veteran players who know how to play the game. Also, LaRussa will keep them focused. If an Astros pitcher or two has some incredible game, then the Cards are in trouble. Keep your fingers crossed for a 7th game, so I can finally see a post-season game in person, and then hope, as mentioned before, that the mighty Redbirds win that 7th game 18-2.