My4Albany

The MLB Post-Season gets underway later today...so let's get right to the picks.

It's interesting that the two teams in each league that most people feel are the best two teams will be playing eacg other in the first round. And I believe that will give the winners of the other series a distinct advantage in the League Championship Series.

Cubs-Dodgers

The trendy pick here is LA...becuase of the Joe Torre / Manny factors. But "Sweet Lou" is no stranger to these spots...and the Cubbies have the best record in the NL for a reason. Chicago will win...but not before giving their long-sufferring fans a few tense moments.

Phillies-Brewers

This one looks too easy...which is scary...especially in baseball...where the unexpected happens on a regular basis in the post-season. However...the Phils are simply too strong to lose to a Brewers team that needed another Mets collapse just to get in. Philadelphia's experience from being in this same spot last season will pay huge dividends...while Milwaukee's 26 year absence from the playoffs will show.

Angels-Red Sox 

The other first-round marquee match-up. Experience could play a major role in this series as well. Both teams have it...it's just that the Angels is mostly bad...while the Sox have won it all two of the past three years. Not having a healthy Josh Beckett will hurt Boston tremendously...especially in a short series. I'll take the Angels...though a Sox win wouldn't shock me.

Rays-White Sox

This one is the toughest to handicap. Sure, you can simply say the Rays have had a great season and Chicago needed two extra games just to get in. But the Sox have to feel like their playing with house money. And...at some point...the reality of what Tampa Bay has done this season will begin to hit these players. The potential for the Rays to tighten-up in this spot...to me...is greater than the chance that the Sox will simply pack-it-in and go through the motions. In a shocking upset...I'll take the White Sox.

And if you think I'm a little senile for making that pick...remember...if Al Davis is still allowed to own an NFL franchise...anything is possible in sports.