2008 Baseball Playoffs Predictions Part 3-World Series Pick

This is the third post in a series of three. Check out the first one here and the second one here.

My World Series Pick

Philadelphia Phillies at Tampa Ray Bays [sic-as a shout-out to Mike Ditka when he was on Mike and Mike in the Morning]-Rays in 6. I think the Phillies will win the two games Cole Hamels pitches in, but otherwise they are over-matched and trying to fight fate. The only real questions about this series are 1) whether or not the City of Tampa can produce enough fans people to sell out the three games at the Trop and 2) how low the ratings will be since no one outside of Philadelphia and Tampa Bay (or most people living in Tampa Bay for that matter) really cares who wins or loses.

2008 Baseball Playoffs Predictions Part 2

Wow. My predictions got killed in the Division Series, only 1 right. Let’s see how well I do in the League Championship Series’. At least I can’t get 3 wrong this time.

Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays-Rays in 7. Conventional wisdom says the Sox should win this series because they have the playoff experience, but the Rays have home field advantage and only lost one game at home to the Sox all year. On the flip side of that coin, the Sox lost twice as many (yes I know that is only 2 games, but it sounds worse if I say twice as many) games at home to the Rays. I see every game in this series being won by the home team, which means the Rays will win.

LA Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies-Dodgers in 6. The Dodgers are this year’s 2006 St. Louis Cardinals. You know, the team that just barely makes it into the playoffs but then ends up winning it all. All facets of their game are coming together at just the right time. The Phillies, like the Cubs, aren’t going to know what hit them.

2008 Baseball Playoffs Predictions

Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim-Angels in 5. Not having a healthy Josh Beckett is gonna bite the Sox in the rear.

 

Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay Rays-Rays in a sweep. Ozzie Guillen burnt out the Sox pitching staff just to get them into the playoffs.

 

Milwaukee Brewers at Philadelphia Phillies-Brewers in 5. This series basically comes down to two questions: 1) Can the Phillies beat CC Sabathia? Answer: No and 2) Can the Brewers scrape together one win in the other three games CC doesn’t pitch? Answer: They wouldn’t have made the playoffs if they couldn’t get one of three without CC.

 

Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs-Cubs in 4. I really want to see all the Cubs fans get their hopes and dreams shattered for the 100th year in a row, but I would prefer it not to happen in the first round of the playoffs. Instead I would like to see them completely dominate the NL only to have the Rays or Angels sweep them, celebrating winning the World Series at Wrigley in front of a bunch of drunk Cubs fans.