It will be stunning, really, if any team west of CST makes it past the Wild Card round of the playoffs this year. Truly, this is a safe prediction on my part; as of now, only Los Angeles and California qualifies among those who have clinched a playoff spot. Colorado is perilously close to missing the wildcard, thanks in no small part to a hard charge by the Atlanta Braves, a team that is moving quicker back to relevancy than General Sherman did to Atlanta itself. Should this happen, give all the credit in the world to that pitching staff. While Vazquez, Lowe, and Jurrjens shouldn't be confused with Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, their incredible (especially Vazquez) performances this year and of late are the reason Atlanta is making such a push to be part of the postseason. Let us also acknowledge the horse that is Tommy Hanson. It truly is a testament to the Bravos stubbornness/patience to wait until July to recall the kid, as Hanson has won slightly more than every other start since being recalled. He has enough confidence and enough stuff to be a potential 2003 Josh Beckett in the playoffs.
That being said, let us analyze my picks for the A/NLCS games in beer form.
Boston Red Sox & Samuel Adams Octoberfest - Half of America's forced favorite rivalry, the team seems to be getting hot at the right time. This, of course, assumes they clinch with a magic number of 1. If Lester and Beckett maintain their forms of late and Andrew Daisuke Matsuzaka shows the ability he often demonstrated in the Far East Ball, the team will knock off the Angels. The Angels have been vulnerable to the heater this year and, let's face it, are hexed against the Sox in the postseason.
New York Yankees & Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55 - You were expecting someone else? Right now, they'd have to be considered the favorites. The other half of America's forced favorite rivalry, what more really needs to be said about them?
Atlanta Braves and Sweetwater Blue 420 - Call me crazy. I think they not only make the wild
card, but also beat the Phillies! I have nothing to back this up, especially since it is possible they won't have a 100 RBI man (McCann is pretty close...), but that pitching staff is lighting it up. They seem to have a 2007 Rockies vibe about them, and that's good enough for me.St. Louis Cardinals and Busch - Surprised? Don't be. I picked Busch Heavy/Fat, depending on
your vernacular, because Fat Albert Pujols is showing all signs of being a robot or just flat-out superhuman. Carpenter and Wainwright, too, have been spectacular and conditions seem right for them to simply waltz back into the World Series.While I don't pretend to state this is what actually will happen, note that even replacing the Braves with the Rockies still leaves a preponderance of baseball to CST or east. Get ready West Coasters for World Series games at 5 PM.
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