Assuming it unfolds thus;
* Anaheim at Yanks
* Minnesota at Oakland
* SF at Atlanta
* St Louis at Arizona

I'm taking the following -
Yanks over Halos in 5 brutal games
Oakland in 4 over the Twins
Atlanta in 4 over the Giants
Arizona sweeps the Cards (or 4 games, tops)

Historically, the Angels have played NYY very tough. I see the Angels giving a valiant, if denied, effort.

The Twins are the benificiaries of the worst division in MLB (after the NL East). They should get trounced by the overwhelming talent of the A's. This series should feature few to none 1-run games...a real dozer, unless you're an A's fan.

The Giants are a better matchup for the Braves than the Dodgers; pitching almost always beats heavy bats, and the Braves have a better 1-2-3 starting combo and a superior middle relief corp.

And the D-Backs are simply in a class apart from StL in talent at the starting positions, pitching not withstanding. Although I think the Cards are simply the best "feel good" team of 2002, they just do not have the talent to compete against a team like Arizona.

ALCS - Oakland finally exorcises serious demonic possessions by toppling the Yanks. OK, I'm kidding. Yanks in 6.

NLCS - If Atlanta has home field advantage, then the Bravos in 6. If Arizona has the home field, then my position is reversed. The reason? Shilling on the road - beatable. Shilling at home - unbeatable. If he gets the opportunity for 2 home starts, Braves cannot win.

WS - A rematch of either the 1999 or 2001 World Series. I have a strange sense that the team that lost the last matchup will win this go-round. So either Braves over Yanks, or Yanks over D-Backs.

I think I'll wait until the matchups are actually set. The D-backs just clinched their playoff spot despite their current 6-game losing streak. The Giants are only 2 in back of them. They're closer to first place than they are to the trailing Dodgers now.

(Edited to reflect Giants' win tonight)

[ September 25, 2002: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

I hate to speak up and then have my team not play up to expectations, but the Cards just whipped the D'backs three straight at Busch. This included today's dismissal of Mr. Schilling. The Cards and D'backs now have identical records with four games to go. I am not sure that I would expect a team that has won 18 of its last 21 to be "swept" by a team they just swept themselves.

In addition, the Cards have what is considered to be the best defensive infield in the game, and a gold-glove catcher and center-fielder. I am not sure anyone in Arizona would agree that they are a class apart from the St. Louis club. Arizona may still win, but the competitiveness of the series will be high. The Cardinals were picked to be one of the best teams in baseball, and despite their incredibly difficult year, they are.

Although I am not a Cards fan, I can't imagine the D-Backs sweeping them. The D-Backs just lost Gonzalez for the season and that pitching staff has looked rather ordinary lately. It would not surprise me to see the Cards advance unless Schilling and Johnson pitch up to their standards.

And now, almost everything is set. With the D-backs winning the West and the Giants clinching the wild card, we know the pairings. We still don't know who will have the home-field advantage between Arizona and St. Louis (or the Yankees and A's if they meet), but I'm now ready to make my picks....

ALDS
Oakland over Minnesota in 3
New York over Anaheim in 4

ALCS
Oakland over New York in 6

NLDS
Atlanta over San Francisco in 4
Arizona over St. Louis in 5

NLCS
Arizona over Atlanta in 7

World Series
Oakland over Arizona in 6

Well, the matcups are all set, so here's how I see it:

ALDS
- Yankees over Angels in 4 (Yanks are coming on strong, Angels look to be fading a bit)
- A's over Twins in 5 (Minny will come close to catching the A's napping)

NLDS
- Giants over Braves in 4 (Braves may have peaked too early, Giants are going on all cylinders right now)
- Cardinals over D-Backs in 5 (The loss of Gonzalez is the final nail in the coffin - the bench is thinner than Randy Johnson).


ALCS
- Yankees over A's in 6 (this may be one for the ages, but the Yankee tandem of Mussina, Pettitte and Wells has come on extremely strong in the past month and should match the A's trio of Zito, Mulder and Hudson. Yanks get the edge because they also have Clemens, Weaver and El Duque, as well as a superb bullpen).

NLCS
- Cardinals over Giants in 7 (This is as close to a tossup as it can get. Two wonderful teams that are well-managed and play fundamentally sound baseball. I could see it going either way, but I had to pick one....)

World Series
- Yankees over Cardinals in 5 (The NL has become noticeably inferior to the AL over the past decade (see Braves, Atlanta), and the Cards would lose even if they were playing the A's or Twins. The Yanks should make it mercifully quick for Tony LaRussa).

[ September 30, 2002: Message edited by: Munson Man ]

ALDS-Anaheim @ New York: Angels in 5 hard-fought games.

ALDS-Minnesota @ Oakland: As much as I would love to see Bud Selig hand the championship trophy to the Twins, A's in 5.

NLDS-San Francisco @ Atlanta: Atlanta in 3.

NLDS-St. Louis vs. Arizona: D-Backs in 4.

ALCS-Anaheim @ Oakland: The Angels are such a great story, and have played so well all year, I'd give 'em a shot. A's in 6, though.

NLCS-Arizona @ Atlanta: Schilling and Johnson won't be enough in a 7 game series, with Gonzo gone. Braves in 6.

World Series-Atlanta @ Oakland: This matchup, I think would be neck and neck right down to the last pitch. Based on the Big Three, I give it to Oakland in 7.


This, of course, is my attempt at predicting an unpredictable game.

Which basically means the walking wounded Yankees will sweep through and run a clinic through the playoffs.

Go A's!

D-Backs, Giants, A's, Yankees.

Of course I'll be rooting for the Angels ... but it'll probably be more fun to see the A's topple the Bombers of Evil!

Yankees in 4
A's in 4
Braves in 4
Diamondbacks in 5

Yankees in 6
Braves in 7

Yankees in 5

Our experts consults the 8-Ball and comes up with his selections.

Hi Pat125, You sure have a lot of confidence in the Yankees these days. I happen to think that the Halos will finally end their destruction once and for all! Then the World Series will be much more enjoyable.

Hi SeaMarFan. Yeah, I guess I do have a lot of confidence in the Yankees. Certainly much more than the Jets, but that's another story. The Yankees seem to turn it up a notch, get the breaks, whatever, it seems. But this seems to be a much more competitive playoff season this time. I wouldn't be surprised at all if all 4 of my predictions are wrong.

From CITT's playoff preview: [quote]Aaron Sele is the only key injury going into the playoffs, but given his post-season history, that may be a plus

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He won't be a factor at all--he was left off of the playoff roster.

The only thing I agree with on the Magic 8 Ball prediction list is that Javy Lopez is the hottest Brave.

Braves over Giants in 4.
Braves over Cardinals in 5.
Braves over Yankees in 5.

Go Braves!

Angels in 5
A's in 4
Braves in 5
DBacks in 4

A's in 6
Dbacks in 6

A's in 6

But what I hope for: Angels vs. Cards in 7, so I can see Scott Rolen as long as I can