October comes to an end, my love for the World Series returns

With just a few days remaining in my favorite month of the year, it's time to reflect back on what is typically my favorite month and look ahead to see what the rest of this year has in store for us. October presented me with (for the most part) great weather, decent grades, a great month of work at the MTC, a whole lot of wedding planning, a wonderful weekend trip to California, and of course, the MLB playoffs. It's been a great month, with the exception of the playoffs that had, up until now, had my interest in them die. But with the wild finishes of the last two games, the (potentially) final three World Series games will be can't-miss television.

After the first game of the World Series (which I did not watch, along with all 12 NLCS/ALCS games minus the last three innings to Game 1 of the ALCS but only because the Tigers had a no-hitter going), I was ready to throw in the towel. I was ready to give up on a baseball season that had so much promise going in to it's final month for fans like me that love to root for the underdog teams (Orioles, Royals, Pirates, Athletics, etc.), especially with the Yankees not making the playoffs. The underdogs all fell short and baseball's two superpowers this season, the Red Sox and Cardinals, were the last teams standing. I was ready to half-heartedly congratulate whoever won and get ready for next season, with plenty of football and basketball in between (especially with a huge Redskins victory over the Bears last week). But the wildly unpredictable finishes to Games 3 and 4 of the World Series have sucked me back in to the sport I love so much and, combined with the most depressing Redskins loss I've seen in a long time, thrust me back into baseball for a few more days. 

I had planned to blog about the upcoming NBA season tonight. To make predictions and to get exciting for opening night here in just two short days. However, there are still a few more baseball games to be played, and from the way this series has gone so far, I'm betting we'll see three of them. After rookie Kolten Wong got picked off with one of the best postseason hitters in baseball history (Carlos Beltran) standing in the batter's box with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, the Red Sox escaped Game 4 and tied up the series at two games apiece, with one more game left to be played in St. Louis. Originally I picked the Cardinals in 6, but with the way things are going I am no longer sticking to that prediction (I'll stay close to it though). With Game 3 ending on a wild obstruction call awarding Allen Craig and the Cardinals the victory and Game 4 ending on a pickoff, we have no idea what to expect from Game 5. What we do know is this: it will tomorrow night in St. Louis at 6:30 PM (local time) and that Adam Wainwright will start at home for the Cardinals against Jon Lester of the Red Sox. We know that in Game 1 Lester tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings against a powerful Cardinals offense and that Wainwright had possibly his worst career postseason start (although he did last longer and give up fewer runs than he did in Game 5 of last year's NLDS against the Nationals). We know that Wainwright will be pitching with a chip on his shoulder to bounce back after putting the Cards in an early hole in Game 1, and we know that Lester has dominated this Cardinals offense so far in the World Series. I see a pitching duel for the ages, possibly with both throwing near-complete games and possibly a 1-0, 2-0, or 2-1 game. I'm going with Wainwright and the Cards in Game 5 and then the Sox in Game 6.

So that leaves a Game 7 in Fenway.

A Game 7 in Fenway Park on October 31st, All Hallow's Eve - a night where anything can happen, a night that can be the only night of the 365-day calendar year in which there are MLB, NBA, and NFL games all played on the same night. A night that can go down into history as one of the best endings to a World Series in baseball history. I'm not going to make any specific predictions - I don't think anything can be predicted this series - but what I will say is that deep down I feel like the Red Sox will pull it out, but that's not what I will predict. Cardinals win the game 3-0 on the third-ever postseason no-hitter and the first to ever clinch a World Series, by Joe Kelly.

Because hey, the way this World Series is going, why the heck not?

World Series here we come

Since my last post, a lot has developed in the MLB playoffs, including something quite unexpected - my loss of interest in them. I told a few people when the playoffs began that there were just two teams that I would not like to win the World Series - the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. And alas, here we sit on October 20th, and the two remaining teams that will play for the Championship in Major League Baseball's 109th World Series.

The Red Sox beat the Tigers in an apparently classic (I hardly caught any of it) ALCS which featured them scoring over half of their runs in the series on two Grand Slam swings, with Shane Victorino's 7th inning slam in Game 6 giving them the lead for good in that series-ending game. The Cardinals managed to beat Clayton Kershaw twice en route to a six-game victory over the Dodgers in the NLCS. Despite the fact that I can't stand either team and that both have two World Series championships within the last 10 years, you have to give credit to the Red Sox and Cardinals for such tremendous seasons. Historically the Red Sox and Cardinals are two of baseball's best organizations, with the Cardinals owners of 11 World Series championships, second only to the New York Yankees. The Red Sox, winners in 2004 and 2007, have seven World Series Championships, which is fourth behind the Yankees, Cardinals, and Athletics.

The entire season comes down to the next seven (maximum) games, and I honestly don't know who to pick. The Red Sox have displayed the best offense in baseball all season long, but it was their pitching that helped them beat Detroit and advance to the World Series. However, the Cardinals may be baseball's best all-around team, and with so much postseason experience on their roster, I'm picking the St. Louis Cardinals in 6 games to hoist the trophy and win the 109th MLB World Series.

Here we go - Postseason 2013 off and running

Despite the fact that the League Division Series' officially started yesterday, I needed to get on and make my predictions as to what the first round may entail. After the one-game playoffs Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, the field of the final eight MLB teams standings is finally set. As I accurately predicted, David Price led Tampa Bay to a win over Texas Monday night in Arlington, eliminating the Rangers from postseason contention. I also correctly called the outcome of Tuesday night's game in Pittsburgh, as the Pirates ousted the Reds and moved on to match up with the Cardinals in the NLDS. Wednesday night, however, was a different story, as the Indians failed to cash in on a number of great opportunities and were ultimately shut out by Alex Cobb and the Rays, eliminating Cleveland and advancing Tampa Bay to play the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS. So for the one-game playoffs I went 2/3, not too bad! Let's see how I can do in the Divison Series round.

ALDS - Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
This has been a great battle all season long between two division rivals, which saw the Red Sox win 12 out of the 19 games in which these teams faced each other during the regular seasons. Of course October is always a different story, as teams will just have five games to fight it out in the ALDS. The Rays pitching has carried the team through the season's final month and first two playoff games, and the Red Sox hitting has been the best in baseball. This series poises to be a classic matchup of great hitting versus great pitching. The old adage in baseball is that pitching will always win in the end, but I give the advantage in this series to the Red Sox, with how dominant their bats have been and how well they've handled the Rays. It will definitely be close, but my prediction is that the series goes back to Fenway Park for Game 5 and the Red Sox win on their home field. Red Sox in 5.

ALDS - Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics
A rematch of last year's ALDS pits the low-budget Athletics against the star-studded Tigers. The story of the season has been the dominance of the Tigers pitching, but the Athletics suprised many by winning a second consecutive division title. Last year's ALDS was full of drama, with both teams winning walk-off games and the series ultimately coming down to a decisive Game 5, with Justin Verlander shutting down the A's bats and leading Detroit to the ALCS. Despite the Tigers tremendous pitching, and Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder leading the offense, I believe that this has been and will continue to be a special season for the Athletics. With Verlander and the AL wins leader Max Scherzer scheduled to pitch the first two games for the Tigers in Oakland, I see the A's splitting the first two in Oakland, splitting two in Detroit, and coming home for a Game 5 for the ages and winning it in front of their home crowd. Athletics in 5, setting up a Red Sox-Athletics ALCS.

NLDS - Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
The Dodgers were a great story of 2013, coming back from a 9-game deficit in the NL West to win the division by 10 games. Carried by fantastic rookie seasons from the electric Yasiel Puig and Hyun-Jin Ryu, an incredible offensive comeback season by Hanley Ramirez, and Clayton Kershaw having one of the greatest pitching seasons in recent memory, the Dodgers are ready and loaded for playoff baseball. However, the Braves stand in their way, who exepectedly cruised to an easy division title in the NL East and have home-field advantage against LA. The Braves have had incredibly solid team play all season, with no real stars, other than the emerging Freddie Freeman and baseball's most dominanat closer, Craig Kimbrel. Despite the Braves having home field advantage, the Dodgers pitching staff led by Kershaw and Zach Greinke will be a nightmare for a team to beat in a 5 game series. Depending on how Don Mattingly sets up his rotation, in order to win you will have to beat Kershaw/Greinke at least once and possiby twice to win the series. I don't see that happening. Dodgers take care of business and send the Braves on a long flight home to Atlanta from L.A. after Game 4. Dodgers in 4.

NLDS - Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals
This sets up to be, in my opinion, the most interesting of the first-round series. The Pirates and Cardinals battled for the division title all season long, with the Cardinals ultimately coming out on top of the division despite the Pirates edging them in the season series 10-9. The Pirates unexpected season has been led by NL MVP-favorite Andrew McCutchen, slugging from NL home-run leader Pedro Alvarez, and great pitching performances, especially in the back end of the bullpen (aka the "Shark Tank"). The Cardinals continue their winning ways, as they put together one of baseball's most well-rounded teams season after season. The Pirates are back in the postseason for the first time in 21 years, and the city of Pittsburgh couldn't be more excited. Tuesday night's Wild Card game against the Reds was highlighted by an absolutely packed PNC Park decked out in black and loud as can be, which many believe got inside the heads of Johnny Cueto and other players on the Reds. If the Buccos can manage to split the first two games in Busch Stadium, I believe the atmosphere and momentum that they carry back to the 'Burgh just might be enough to pull off the upset at home. A packed PNC Park and the Pirates in 4, setting up a Dodgers-Pirates NLCS.


The picks are in. Now let's PLAY BALL!

(author's note: This post was written after the first 2 games of the NLDS series' and the first game of each ALDS series, however, all of my predictions were my original predictions from before the games began. Both NLDS series' are tied up, I picked the Cards and Pirates to split but did not think the Braves would beat Greinke, so that series definitely has a chance for an upset. I'm worried about the Athletics after a game one loss, they desperately need to beat Verlander tomorrow to stand a chance. The Red Sox look well on their way towards winning the series after a game one beatdown, they could easily do it in less games than my predicted 5. We'll see!!)