World Series 2007

The 2007 Fall Classic is set to begin tomorrow evening at Fenway Park in Boston, with the Red Sox facing the Colorado Rockies.

So here it is. Wally the Green Monster v. Dinger. Soxtober v. Rocktober. AL. v. NL.
Personally I think the "Rocktober" slogan has a much better ring to it. Why does Boston have to copy?

As you may know by now, I am not a big fan of anything out of Boston. They have turned into monsters, not their players, but their fans (okay, some of their players).

Boston fans have essentially turned into what they hate, Yankees fans. But they have surpassed the Yankees fans in being more obnoxious, rude, and arrogant. Five years ago? I would have taken Red Sox fans over Yankees fans any day of the week.

Today, I would take Yankees and Dodgers fans in the same room with no way out, over three Red Sox fans in an empty stadium.

Oh yes, the World Series (I guess you can tell by now who I am rooting for).

The Rockies are coming off an eight-day layoff after their sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, while the Red Sox completed their series comeback versus the Cleveland Chokers Indians. Like I said in the past, I am not a fan of the long days off between games. I feel sorry for the Rockies.

The following are the pitching matchups for the first few games:

Josh Beckett v. Jeff Francis
Curt Schilling v. Ubaldo Jimenez
Daisuke Matsuzaka v. Josh Fogg
Josh Beckett v. Aaron Cook

The Red Sox have to love their chances with Beckett potentially starting three games in a seven game series (due to the fact that Tim Wakefield is not on the World Series roster). But I like the game 4 pitcher of Cook pitching against Beckett, saving Francis for game 5.

The sports nation outside of Colorado is giving the Rockies no chance at winning this series, and based on what we saw in last year's World Series I do not blame them. Let me say this though, this Rockies team is not the same as the Detroit Tigers of yesteryear that lost to the St. Louis Cardinals after their long layoff.

The Tigers were still the favorites going into the series even though they had a seven-day layoff. The Rockies would still be the underdogs even if they had won their NLCS matchup in seven games. It is always a dangerous thing to place a chip on the shoulder of a talented team.

These Rockies fought their way into the playoffs and they will be the first to tell you that they are not done.

Do not believe the hype, this series is going six or seven games.

My breakdowns:

Batting lineup
Boston has the two big bats of Ortiz and Ramirez, with Lowell capable of cleaning it up. And Colorado has five guys that hit 90+ RBIs during the season. The patience of the Red Sox gives them the edge. Red Sox.

Starting pitching
Boston has a veteran, playoff battled pitcher in Schilling, and a young playoff stud on a tear in Beckett. Colorado has a nifty lefthander in Francis and a hard-throwing young cat in Jimenez. It will be interesting to see how Aaron Cook pitches in his first postseason appearance this year. Based on the way Beckett is dealing I have to go with Boston. Red Sox

Bullpen
I know what you are thinking, Boston by far. But hold on Voltaire. The Rockies made their miraculous run into, and through the playoffs thanks to its bullpen play over the last month. As hot as they are, there is no denying their effectiveness. Rockies.

Intangibles
Yes, the Rockies are going in with eight days off, but like I said, they have a different makeup. Every night they have a new hero emerge during their current run. And that is a real intangible. Boston mystique, blah, blah. Rockies.

Mascots
On one hand you have a purple dinosaur representing the Rockies, and on the other you have a "Green Monster" representing a green monster wall. Although Dinger the dinosaur has a girlie purple color, I say he can beat up the Green Monster of Boston. Plus, Wally the Green Monster would not come down to my seats to face off against me when he was in Anaheim for game 3 of the ALDS. I called him down and he walked away. Coward. Rockies

With my heart I am picking the Rockies in seven.
With my head I am picking the Red Sox in six.

Normally I do not want the NL team to win it all unless there is a certain AL team in the World Series. Yes, you guessed it, that team is the Red Sox.

Go Rockies!

I Blame Red Sox Nation

Colorado Rockies fans are irate today over the internet sales of World Series tickets.

The ticket sales had to be suspended due a failure of the computer system. Many fans secured tickets in the system but were unable to go through the checkout process.

That has to be the worst feeling ever. Bad enough you have to sit on your computer in a panic; clicking away, heart pounding, and mind racing (I guess I have gone through it before). And it all comes crashing down when you get an "error" screen.

It has to be Red Sox nation hacking into the system and directing those from the Colorado area to the error screen. Expect to see 20,000 Red Sox fans at Coors Field when the series shifts to Colorado.

The Red Sox fans will no doubt get their tickets from season ticket holders of the Rockies. I saw this first hand with the Angels.

Outside the stadium a gentleman started talking to me and later revealed that he was a Red Sox fan. He was not wearing any Red Sox gear, saying he did not want to disrespect, so I just continued to talk to this man from Vegas. We talked for a few more minutes and told me he bought his tickets off of an Angels season ticket holder. He then had the audacity to ask if we had a good following here. Was that a real question, or sarcasm?

Poor Colorado, you do not know what you have to deal with. Good luck, do not take any crap.

The Angels playoff tickets were a mess as well. The computer systems did not crash, but you had to win in the "playoff lottery" for a chance to guy tickets. Luckily I had season tickets or else I would have flipped my noodle.

Go Dinger.

National League Championship Series Predictions

NLCS - Arizona Diamondbacks versus Colorado Rockies
Baxter the Bobcat vs. Dinger the Dinosaur
NL West vs. NL West

ESPN and other East Coast team lovers have to been kicking themselves right now. "You mean there are good teams on the West Coast?"

Brandon Webb v. Jeff Francis
Doug Davis v. Ubaldo Jimenez
Livan Hernandez v. Franklin Morales
(Rest of the rotations TBD)

Both teams are coming of a sweep of their respective victims. Colorado is extremely hot. Arizona has a killer ace.
The Rockies have won 17 of their past 18 games, with that loss coming at the hands of Brandon Webb and the Diamondbacks.

Many people are making a big deal about that loss, but what else should be known is that Colorado took the next two games against them.

The big bats for the Rockies: Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, and Matt Holliday, are all batting over .350 against Diamondback pitching this season. Webb may have not pitched well against the Rockies this season (5.77 ERA), but if he pitches like he did in game one in the NLDS then no one will be able to hit him. Hernandez had better success against the Rockies this season, allowing six runs in 35 innings.

Francis was brilliant against the Phillies in the NLDS, erasing the memory of two bad starts against them in the regular season.

I like the Rockies lineup better than the Diamondbacks because their players have essentially been in the playoffs for the past month fighting for a playoff spot. Each night they have a different hero come through in the clutch.

And Holliday is a beast. Rockies in SIX.

Game 1 tonight on TBS, 5:30 p.m. Uggh. I wonder what the broadcasters for TBS are going to talk about since they love the East Coast.

MLB Playoffs Day 2

Where has the Phillie Phanatic been? If Fox had been broadcasting the games I know for a fact that they would have shown him in the spotlight. Yet, that may not be entirely true, seeing to how the Phillies decided that winning the NL East was good enough for them.

The Phillies dropped their second game AT HOME to the scorching Colorado Rockies to fall to an 0-2 deficit in the best-of-five series, and now head to Colorado for two games (or so they hope). Now instead of the Phanatic, we have "Dinger" here for you.

What happened to the charging Phillies who gunned down the New York Mets? Did they forget that the World Series is not winning the NL East? This choke job may not be as bad as the New York Mets, but it will hurt just as much if they get swept. Just win at least one game Philllies.

Like predicted, hopeful Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia pitched a solid game against the New York Yankees in the 12-3 win for the Cleveland Indians. The best strikeout of Sabathia's may have been against Derek Jeter in the third inning, when Jeter had to stop himself from falling on his butt after missing badly on a slider.

I do not know why no one was giving Cleveland love before the playoffs. This team does it all: runs the bases well, pitching, big bats, defense, and the list goes on. I remember watching them against the Angels several times this year and thinking to myself, "this will be a dangerous team if the Angels have to face them in the playoffs."

Kenny Lofton hit the fountain of youth before the game, and then collected a career high in RBIs in a playoff game with four. Of the 84 games of playoff experience among the Indians players, Lofton played all of them.

I may have to change my playoff prediction for the series to: Cleveland in four.

NL series predictions? Forget about it.

Thanks Philadelphia, and now, thanks Chicago Cubs.

But, Chicago has something working for them that Philly does not, they have two games at home. The Cubs fell to an 0-2 deficit after losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-4, even though Cubs' pitcher Ted Lilly had a 9-1 record following a Cubs loss this season.

I still believe in the Cubbies. Two games at Wrigley Field, let me say it right this time, fuggetaboutit! Maybe Steve Bartman should show up?