MY BEST MISS CLEO IMPRESSION

By: B -- 10/4/05

My own personal unqualified, uneducated predictions for the 2005 Division Series.

White Sox vs. Red Sox
I assume I’m not the only Minnesotan who was actually cheering for the White Sox to win this past weekend. Hold on, bear with me on this. You see, the White Sox were playing the Indians, and the Indians were battling the Red Sox for the final playoff spot, and if the Indians made the playoffs over Boston, Twins fans would have had zero teams to cheer for this postseason. We obviously aren’t going to root for teams in our division, nor will we root against the Angels (a team we’ve hated since knocking us out of the 2002 ALCS) or the Yankees (who are hated by everyone with a brain and/or heart).

Fortunately, the White Sox did prevail this weekend, as did the Red Sox, which is great news for Minnesota fans because we actually have a team for which to root. And, even better, we can go back to hating the White Sox.

A quick glance at each team’s final record and starting pitching statistics points to a competitive edge for the White Sox. They’ve had the best American League record all season long, and their starting pitchers -- Jon Garland, Mark Buehrle and Jose Contreras (I still hold the opinion that Contreras is the luckiest, most overrated pitcher in the league, but that’s neither here nor there) – are far superior to Boston’s staff.

Regular season evidence aside, I’m going with the Red Sox in four. The White Sox are famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) for their late-season woes, and Boston’s bats are, as Bobby Brown would say, too hot to handle, too cold to hold. And when was the last time Bobby Brown was wrong?

Angels vs. Yankees
Another small confession: I actually wanted the Yankees to make it into the postseason. I know, I know, I’m supposed to hate the Yankees, and they represent all that is wrong with professional sports, and rooting for the Yanks is like rooting for the house at blackjack… but I have to admit, I love hating the Yankees. My love for hating the Yankees is unsurpassed by any other team, and I just didn’t want that love for the hatred to end.

It will soon enough though, as I see the Angels winning this series in five. The formula for playoff success involves two quality pitchers, good defense and a strong bullpen. The Angels fit this formula more than any other team in the playoffs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win the whole thing. (I would love to see a New York-Boston ALCS however. Y’all know how much I enjoyed last season’s.)

Cardinals vs. Padres
I’ll admit it; I don’t follow the National League. I’d like to have paid attention this season, but there is a limited amount of free time available and we each have our unfortunate "if I only had more time..." casualties. The National League is one of those casualties.

I do know this: nearly every statistical measurement points to the Cardinals winning these series, and that’s good enough for me. Plus, I love their uniforms. Cards in three.

Astros vs. Braves
Similar to the Angels, these Astros are outfitted well to advance in the postseason. The three-headed pitching corps of Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt makes for a team most experts are penciling in as World Series attendees. I’m not convinced they’ve got the chops – after all, Clemens is notorious for his dismal postseason performances – but they should get by the sleep-inducing Braves. I say the ‘Stros win this in five .

More predictions after the Division Series.

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