Major League Baseball LCS Preview

I know I'm a little bit late, but the second round of the playoffs is here (Colorado is leading Arizona 4-1 as I type). What can we expect and who will advance? Join me as I gaze into my Swarovski crystal ball.

Fox is Breathing a Sigh of Relief
It's only fitting that the inferior series ended up on the inferior telecast. I know TBS is new at baseball broadcasts, but they are the perfect fit for the NLCS. They're like peas and carrots (or Jenny and Forrest). Every year MLB holds its breath as a "Cinderella" team beats a more popular (read: larger market) team and advances. This year they get two, and they're playing each other. What a nightmare for ratings, even if it is a good series.

Who's going to win? Recent history says the Rockies. Every year is a different improbable team making it to the playoffs. Last year it was Detroit, the year before it was Houston. Before that, Boston. Of course, Boston was the only one of those three to actually win it all. You can expect the same results if either of the two National League teams advance, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Both teams are eerily similar. Neither team has a whole lot of postseason experience. In fact, neither team has more than a handful of guys who were alive during the Iran Contra affair. On paper the series looks pretty even. The edge would probably have to go to the Rockies. They have momentum on their side. And they may be like Ken Strout, just young enough and dumb enough to not realize the enormity of the situation.

Rockies in 6

Speaking of Enormous
Big Papi is back. Manny is having fun. Schilling is baseball's Vince Young (he just wins games). Josh Beckett is lights out. And Daisuke is the second best Japanese pitcher on the squad. Cleveland has Carmona and Sabathia, Hafner and Sizemore. And they just knocked off the big, bad Yankees. Don't hold your breath!

The only thing that would make this series better is if they shot Tim McCarver from a cannon during the singing of the national anthem before game one. Fox is always looking for a ratings boost. What better way to grab the nation's attention?

This series on paper looks pretty even, but I don't think it will be. There's something to be said for experience (at least the good kind). I think Fenway will be rocking and the Sox will be relaxed and having fun. Fausto and C.C. will keep it interesting, but I think in the end the Sox will just be too much for Cleveland. The good news is the Indians are young and have a bright future ahead of them.

Red Sox in 5