I would make predictions for the LCSs, but after my performance in the LDSs, I think we can all agree that my crystal ball is not just hazy, it’s flat out broken (except for my ability to predict the Bears at over 10 wins. I predicted them getting the bye week. No I wasn’t sucking up to Sir Eric, I was correct. I win and I rule.) I called exactly one of the four division series winners, and that was mostly picked out of bias and certainly called in the wrong number of games.
The thing that made me feel good about the Mets, finally, is they were able to switch the serious face back on when the playoffs started. Despite all the injuries they’ve suffered and all that’s gone on in the last month of the season, once game one started they were back to abusing pitchers, they seemed to have, at least, addressed some of their issues when it comes to batting lefties. It also makes me wonder what annoys Yankee fans more; the fact the Mets won their series the same day the Yankees got bounced out, or the fact the Yankees can’t even complain about losing to the “hot” wildcard team since the Mets beat the wildcard team.
I love October.
I’m going to pick the Tigers to go through the A’s here. I know it’s kind of cheating since there was already one game, but I was too busy writing something up about Heroes over on Primetime Pulse. I’m not really going to post some convoluted analysis to why I think this, I’m just going to point out how hot the tigers looked and the fact they bombed Zito last night. Also how hard it is, apparently, to beat them at home. Then again, I’ve been picking against Oakland all season and I’ve been wrong all season.
For the NLCS, I have to pick the Mets. They swept St Louis at Shea (4-2 total), including the best game of this season which included three jump-out-of-your-chair moments on August 22nd (Delgado grand slam to bring the game within one, Chad Bradford coming in to get Pujols out, and Beltran walking-off). They bombed Jeff Weaver and Mark Mulder on respective days. You can argue, really, that these two teams are a wash, but I think the Mets are playing with a little extra fire. St Louis is coming off of two difficult runs in the playoffs, they’re relying on a third string closer to get the job done, and regardless of what Jeff Weaver did in the DS, he’s still Jeff Weaver. The Mets, on the other hand, are playing out of the Yankee shadow for the first time this season. Lets Go Mets in six (or seven”¦ I have tickets to game 7).
