Playoff Previews
American League Division Series
Boston Red Sox v. Chicago White Sox
Game one: Boston at Chicago, Tuesday, October 4, 3 p.m., ESPN, Desipio GameCast
Game two: Boston at Chicago, Wednesday, October 5, 6 p.m., ESPN
Game three: Chicago at Boston, Friday, October 7, 3 p.m, ESPN2, Desipio GameCast
Game four: Chicago at Boston, TBD
Game five: Boston at Chicago, TBD
On Wednesday, Jay Mariotti put down the doughnut to declare that the White Sox would not win another game this season. They went 5-0. That same day, I decided to play along and said that the Indians wouldn’t lose another game. They went 1-4. See, I was much closer than Jay.
So the White Sox are armed with confidence, some momentum and the belief that there is no pressure on them now. No one expects them to win. Well, guess what? There is pressure. As soon as the first pitch flies tomorrow afternoon the pressure is right back on them.
What we do know is that the Sox feel pressure. From September 8 until the day they clinched they went 8-12. Then when the pressure was really off they won their final three.
The last time they played the Red Sox they lost two of three. The last time they played the Yankees they lost two of three. The last time they played the Angels they lost all three. That makes them 2-7 in their last nine games against the only other American League teams left.
In game one tomorrow they’ll get Matt Clement, who went 3-4 with a 5.72 ERA after the All-Star break. Before the break he was 10-2 with a 3.85 ERA.
This reminds Cubs’ fans a little of the way he started to wobble at the end of 2003, when he followed up a 7-4, 3.12 July-August with a 2-1, 4.45 September, highlighted by his first good start of the month in the Cubs’ clincher against Pissburgh in game two of that Saturday doubleheader.
He pitched poorly in his one NLDS start when he lost to the Braves and gave up four runs in 4 2/3 in game four. But he also won game four of the NLCS when he held the Marlins to three runs in 7 2/3. That’s the last time a Chicago team won a playoff game.
He’ll go up against Jose Contreras in game one, and Jose has spent his brief Major League career getting lit up by the Red Sox.
The reason the Sox have a better than average chance in this series is that they have almost no chance against a team with good pitching. They just don’t hit very well. But they do have a chance against a team with bad pitching, because their pitching will keep them in games. The Red Sox have bad pitching. They have the fourth worst ERA in the American League. They have a hole in their bullpen you could drive the bullpen car through (if anybody still had a bullpen car).
So all you have to do is get Johnny Damon, Big Papi and Manny Ramirez out, get into their bullpen before they can use Mike Timlin and you’ve got them. Sounds easy, right?
What you don’t want to do is lose game one or two, though. The Red Sox won’t lose at Fenway very often in the playoffs, if at all. Go up 2-0 you’ve got a shot. Go to Boston 1-1 and you’ll be home Saturday night.
Desipio Fearless Prediction: White Sox in five.
New York Yankees v. Anaheim Angels
Game one: New York at Anaheim, Tuesday, October 4, 7 p.m., Fox
Game two: New York at Anaheim, Wednesday, October 5, 9 p.m., ESPN
Game three: Anaheim at New York, Friday, October 7, 7 p.m, Fox
Game four: Anaheim at New York, Saturday, October 8, TBD
Game five: New York at Anaheim, Sunday, October 9, TBD
While all the talk about the Yankees has been how they seem to finally have the “real” Randy Johnson, and that Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon are playing well, and they’ve won 16 of their last 21, people seem to forget that Anaheim has won 14 of 16. These Angels are good.
They don’t hit as well as the ones who won the World Series (and oh, by the way, beat the Yankees in the ALDS), but they have something they didn’t have that year. Vlad Guerrero.
While it’s true that the Yankees have a ludicrously good and deep lineup, the Angels have a deeper bullpen, a leadoff guy who will run all over Jorge Posada and better starting pitchers.
This should be the best of the four first-round series. The question for the Angels will be if Garrett Anderson is healthy enough to contribute. If he is, they’ll win. The question for the Yankees is “What does Matt Lawton do?” No, wait, it’s can anybody other than Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera get somebody out from the bullpen. If somebody steps up, they’ll win.
Ooh, the intrigue.
Desipio Fearless Prediction: Angels in five.
National League Division Series
San Diego Padres v. St. Louis Cardinals
Game one: San Diego at St. Louis, Tuesday, October 4, noon, ESPN, Desipio GameCast
Game two: San Diego at St. Louis, Thursday, October 6, 3 p.m., ESPN2, Desipio GameCast
Game three: St. Louis at San Diego, Saturday, October 8, TBD
Game four: St. Louis at San Diego, Sunday, October 9, TBD
Game five: San Diego at St. Louis, Monday, October 10, TBD
This should be a whitewash. The Cardinals have the best record in the National League and the Padres tied the 1973 Mets for worst record for a postseason qualifier at 82-80. The Cardinals spent the last two months getting ready for the playoffs, the Padres spent them trying to get over .500.
It’s hard to remember that when the Cubs went into San Diego at the beginning of June that the Padres were red hot and had the second best record in baseball. The Cubs swept them, and the Padres went into a tailspin. It didn’t help that Jake Peavy was sick and missed a few starts then was weak in a couple more.
What’s interesting is that given the way this series is laid out, Peavy could be the difference. He’ll pitch game one tomorrow, then Wednesday is a day off, game two is Thursday, Friday is a day off and game three is Saturday. If needed, Peavy could pitch games one and three on three day’s rest. As it is, he’ll be able to pitch game four on regular rest.
San Diego won four of the seven matchups between the teams during the season. The Cardinals’ pitching has gone in the tank in September, their offense consists of Albert Pujols, a dwarf, a gay centerfielder, two injured corner outfielders and a bunch of guys who have never hit when it counts. The Genius loves his bullpen and right now he’s without Al Reyes who sprained his elbow yesterday, and Jason Isringhausen has been up and down all year.
Smells like an upset, right?
We’d love it to be true. But…
Desipio Fearless Prediction: Cardinals in four.
Houston Astros v. Atlanta Braves
Game one: Houston at Atlanta, Wednesday, October 5, 3 p.m., ESPN, Desipio GameCast
Game two: Houston at Atlanta, Thursday, October 6, 7 p.m., Fox
Game three: Atlanta at Houston, Saturday, October 8, TBD
Game four: Atlanta at Houston, Sunday, October 9, TBD
Game five: Houston at Atlanta, Monday, October 10, TBD
The Cubs, playing at about half power and as always at half speed just won four of the seven games they played against Houston in the last week. This is a Cubs’ team that can hardly get out of its own way against an Astros team that was playing for their lives. The only games the Astros won included a) Corey Patterson’s near drowning in centerfield on a “triple”, b) Bob Super Novoa crapping his pants on the mound and c) the Daily Double of Patterson-Macias.
Oh, and five of those seven games were pitched by guys named Pettitte (2), Oswalt (2), and Clemens (1). So just how much confidence are we supposed to have in the Astros now?
Actually, baseball’s a funny game. For whatever reason, the Cubs love to hit Brad Lidge. They got him on Friday and nearly got him again yesterday. This is a team that can’t hit Josh Fogg, but they can hit Brad Lidge.
It’s all about matchups. It’s why the Padres stand a chance in St. Louis.
It’s true that the starting pitching matchups look like they’ll be close. Pettitte versus John Smoltz. Clemens v. Tim Hudson. Roy Oswalt versus Jorge Sosa. OK, not that one.
For all of their in-season excellence the Braves have earned their reputation as post-season flops the hard way. This is a team who lost in the postseason in back-to-back seasons to teams managed by Dusty Baker. Even they can lose back-to-back series to Phil Garner.
Desipio Fearless Prediction: Astros in four.
Normal Team signings Cubs signings
MIllwood or AJ Burnett Al Leiter
Juan Pierre or Damon Patterson/Pie platoon
Try to trade for big name outfielder Talk Burnitz into less money
Rafeal Furcal Cedeno
I see you cant use spacings on the post, that post makes absolutely no sense. Im sure you can figure it out. The Cubs will do their usual offseason crap was the point.
#1. What the F*ck are you trying to say?
We sold 3,099,000 seats and spent $100,000,000? Without Sosa. Without Wood. Without Nomar. And without Ramirez and Prior for a while?
Time to cut the budget.
I heard those Orton pics are from a bar in Iowa. Anybody know where?
And another thing: D-Lee was running on fumes the past six weeks and looked bad the last 10-15 games. A guy who can give him a breather at 1B once or twice a month would be nice.
Thoz pig-churs are from alongtim-uh go… Uhh… My hair… it’s zo mush shorter in thoz pig-churs. I’ve got, like, longer bangs ‘n stuff now. And my mole is kinda smaller, but tha’ might be the glaze of my goo’ fren’ Jack Daniels on my chin.
I tried to send over some drinks to these, like, haaaahhhht chicks from the Univers’ty of Iowa, but the drinks were intercepteded ‘n stuff.
Kyle Orton has a mole? My life is over.
Well, Kyle, my guess is you were sloshed Thursday night. If you zoom in on the TV screen, you’ll see the Red Sox-Blue Jays game. On the score line, you can zoom in and see that I am credited with going 3-for-4 with a double and a 2-run homer. I did that Thursday night versus Tampa.
I heard they were taken at a bar somewhere in Iowa during the Bears; bye week.
Dave B. I agree with you. They sure did abuse the fuck out a D-Lee without giving him much time off. Were lucky he did not get hurt!
By the way. Those pictures of Kyle are recent. If you look at the TV screen on the pic of him flippin the foreign affairs symbol, you can see that it’s the Boston Yankee game on Thursday the 29th.
Wait a second…you mean having both the asstrolls and the cards clinch on us was painfull for you? Whatever, gotta 3:00pm tee-time, see you next year.
Correction. #8 is right. It was against the Blue Jays. My bad!
Dudes, I couldn’t take D. Lee out of any of them blowout wins or losses, dudes. He’s my big, black stallion, like the book dudes. Hank Aaron handed me that book one time, and told me to read it, in my day, you did what your elders told you to. No sass from me back then, dudes. I actually batted behind Hank…dudes, this sucks, in all my years I ain’t never missed the playoffs. No excuses this year dudes, although I did have dem rookies, injuries, bad calls…no excuses though, dudes…none, not the day games, not the travel schedule, no way dudes, I take responsibility for my teams. Gotta clean up your own mess…gonna be hard to do though, seeing as there aren’t any good free agents out there, dudes…zzzzzzzzzz…..
If Corey is not traded in the off season what happens. Will the Cubs shoot some low salary number for arbitration…what amount would he be due? I think he made 2.7 million this year. So Probably around 3.5 to 4. That would suck bad!!!
Andy,
I deserve at least one final tribute on my fanclub website.
Dontcha think?
Why would Kyle the O be in Iowa City? I thought he mastriculated from Purdue? Or is that his ancestral home?
Runnels, Iowa…ok, my ba-a-a-a-a-a-d
Kyle hails from Iowa.
It’sh jest Dave B. sayin’ I wuz in Iowa. Only thing I know aboud Iowa is “I owe a” ton of drinks to the Bengalsss for catchin’ alluh my passeses.
Dave B. jest wants to talk aboud Iowa again. It’sh like he’s the Iowa version of the Sports Guy with his Iowa hard-ons.
‘Scuse me, I gotta pass out. Hope that’s not intercepteded, too.
Korey Patterson + Todd Walker to the Dodgers for Milton Bradley + Hee Seop Choi. Choi can play some LF in addition to being your backup 1B for Lee (ironic), but mostly, I want him back as a quality LH bat off the bench. We might have had the worst bench in baseball this year. Bradley solves leadoff and is a good CF. I hate Baker, but he can tame Milton.
To complement Choi, I’d like to get Rob Mackowiak from Pissburgh as the RH bat on my bench. He’s a versatile guy, and if we can get him to keep knocking up his wife, he’d be a quality bat for the bench. Pissburgh needs starting pitching, so how about Jerome Williams and Roberto Novoa for Mike Gonzalez + Rob Mackowiak?
I think it’s essential the Cubs spend some of their $40MM+ this offseason on AJ Burnett and Brian Giles, that’s a given.
Finally, how about Julio Lugo from Tampa? He should be available in trade, and frankly, I think he’s just as good if not better than Furcal at less money and less drunk tank bailouts. A Lugo/Cedeno middle infield sounds great.
Finally, Minnesota has way too many good relievers, but not much else other than Mauer and Santana. What trade could we offer them for one of JC Romero, Juan Rincon or Jesse Crain? Closer Joe Nathan is going nowhere. All of those relievers have first names that start with J, weird.
There’s a rich tradition of us.
I used to get the boys together to speed up to my summer home in Long Beach, Ind., get blitzed and then zip back to Rennssalaer before Halas woke up:
I was known to be a drunk and a jerk. Plus, the Bears sucked when I was their “quarterback”
I sucked as well, but I guess I helped the Bears to the playoffs in 1979. As a drunk, I have many DUIs in DuPage County to my credit (wouldn’t it have been great if Bob Thomas was my judge when he was still in the DuPage circuit courts?), plus I knocked out the big picture window at McGee’s on Webster with a golf club.
I won a Super Bowl, but I am always fully kreusened:
I don’t know if I ever got as drunk as Kyle Orton, but in my short tenure, I did more to encourage dangerous binge drinking among Bears fans than anyone else!
When I wasn’t applying for handicapped parking spaces, I could toss them back with the best of them!
Drunk? Oh, never mind. I was just punch drunk
And, c’mon! You think I wouldn’t throw a few back with my brother in law as we chase skanks around?
Ah, don’t worry, Kyle. I’ll keep a seat open for you at the next Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting at Maple School in Northbrook, my leafy, suburban paradise! Hey! Is my wife on the phone again, calling 9-1-1?
I’ll be a free agent. Sign me, Jim Hendry.
I don’t have an Iowa hard-on, Kyle. In fact, I haven’t been to an Iowa football game in over three years after not missing one from ’82 till ’98. I’m tired of fighting the crowds and the 11 a.m. starts. I would say my interest in Hawkeye sports is about 33% of what it used to be. I was just wondering if you were partying here in Iowa City because I could check some sources and get it confirmed.
I did attend the UNI-Western Illinois game in Macomb over the weekend. It was the drunkest I’ve ever seen that town. I think it should be called “Boob U’ the way most of the chicks looked.
Dude #20, I bat left-handed.
Don’t worry Hank, you’ll get a worthy offseason send off.
I’ll actually finish off “I resent the inference” too.
I’m looking forward to the playoff gamecasts. It’s going to be a great opportunity to get rid of all the frustration and anger that this Cubs season has been. It’s also a great chance to rip the asstros, the sux and the La rus-ass for one final time this season. I hope everybody here brings their A-game and let’s make this gamecasts the best ones of the year.
#20, I’m a free agent on a team that does not like me. Why are you trading for me? I would agree that I am good for the money, although I am a nut job. I would love to play next to Brian Giles.
What’s Milton Bradley got that I don’t?
Spelling.
I am OUTTA HERE!
And I’m taking my bum ticker with me.
#20, remember when I was cut by the Astros after I slammed my wife/girlfriend’s grill on the hood of a car? Team me with Milton Bradley, Raffy Furcal, Kenny Rogers, Kyle Farnsworth, and Julian Tavarez. F’ing with Dusty is fung, mang.
People actually want me at 2B next year? My offensive #s will probably be Neifi-like.
I walked five times in 80 at bats. Neifi walked 18 times in almost 600.
I hit .355 at AAA Iowa.
The tribune says that the white sox have more of me, than the red sox do!
I’ll take a chance on Cedeno beating Neifi’s pathetic #s….
He looked pretty good in a limited role this year.
Well I am pissed!
They were from a bar called the Stadium out at Univ. of Iowa
The bar that Kyle Orton was at is called The Union Bar. It is the biggest bar in the big ten and the best bar in Iowa City…A lot of professional athletes go there to cut loose
hey sloth kyle did not grow up in runnells, he grew up in altoona iowa.
Those pictures were taken at the Union bar in Iowa City.