If I recall correctly, the Phillies and the Yankees were the chic pick for the World Series. Actually, I’m not sure if “chic” is the correct word since I may have been the only one to make that prediction.
As it turned out, both the Yankees and the Phillies went out of the playoffs in the first round. The Phillies met their demise when their powerful offense went cold, while the Yankees were attacked and done in by a swarm of gnats in Cleveland.
But isn't that always the way it turns out in Cleveland?
The truth is it takes a lot more than quiet bats and flying bugs to stop me. Rather, this year I'm going to put myself back out on that limb and make my picks. Just to make it a little more fun for everyone involved, I asked a bunch of my freaky friends about how they see things playing out.
Here it is:
John Finger - shepherd/CSN.com NLDS Phillies over Brewers in 4 Cubs over Dodgers in 4
ALDS Angels over Red Sox in 5 White Sox over Rays in 4
NLCS Cubs over Phillies in 6
ALCS White Sox over Angels in 7
World Series White Sox over Cubs in 7
I made these picks without irony though I see how funny it is that the Cubs could make it to the World Series for the first time in half a century only to lose to the team on the other side of town.
Laugh it up...
John Gonzalez - columnist/Philadelphia Inquirer NLDS Phils over Brewers Cubs over Dodgers
ALDS Rays over White Sox Angels over Red Sox
NLCS Phils over Cubs
ALCS Angels over Rays
World Series Angels over Phils
I really want to pick the WS the other way. Years of conditioning, I guess.
Kevin Horan - writer/Phillies.com NLDS Phillies over Brewers Dodgers over Cubs
ALDS Rays over White Sox Angels over Red Sox
NLCS Dodgers over Phillies
ALCS Angels over Rays
World Series: Dodgers over Angels
Bob Ford - the best sports columnist in America/Philadelphia Inquirer NLDS Phils over Brewers Dodgers over Cubs
ALDS Angels over Red Sox Chisox over Rays
NLCS Dodgers over Phillies
ALCS Angels over White Sox
World Series Angels over Dodgers
Stephen Miller - Phillies beat writer/Allentown Morning Call NLDS Phillies over Brewers in four games Cubs over Dodgers in four games
ALDS Angels over Red Sox in five games Rays over White Sox in four games
NLCS Cubs over Phillies in six games
ALCS Angels over Rays in six games
World Series Angels over Cubs in seven games
Just remember, I'm the guy who picked the Tigers to win the World Series before this season. Oh, wait. Let's just forget that.
Ryan Lawrence (a.k.a. RyLaw) - Phillies Beat writer/Delaware County Daily Times
NLDS Dodgers vs. Cubs Cubs in 5 Carlos Zambrano, not good. Everyone else on the Cubs, good. Manny is Manny and underrated Dodgers nearly get the Cubs' goat.
But the magic of Wrigley prevails, even if Captain Curt doesn't believe in those high class strippers Mystique and Aura. (Personally, I think they're kinda hot).
NLDS Phils vs. Brewers Phils in 4 Milwaukee's best look like Phils Version '07. Cole Hamels, good. Brett Myers, not so much - but Happ to the rescue. Joe Blanton, yikes. Phils bats, however, batter Brewers pitching staff that's 11 CCs short of respectable.
ALDS Red Sox vs. Angels Angels in 4 Boston too banged up for this prognosticator's liking. J.D. Drew is hurt, huh. Really? REALLY? I like the Sox pitching, but Delco's best manager (Scioscia) likes the idea of an all-LA World Series, so he can stick it to the Dodgers, who had zero interest in hiring him and have hired 43 managers since. Angels pitching, good.
ALDS White Sox vs Yankees...err...my bad, no New York teams made it this year. Sad. White Sox vs. Rays Sox in 3 I like the Rays, I really do. But can you pick against Jim Thome. He's a nice fella. I'm not picking against that guy. I'm watching him on TV now. He's just NICE. White Sox bullpen, good. Despite the play of the best third baseman in baseball, Evan Longoria, Rays are deer in headlights.
NLCS Cubs vs. Phillies Cubs in 7 I feverishly begin writing my Game 1 World Series preview - 'Say Hello to 17-game winner Gavin Floyd' - in hopes of a Phils-Sox series that would have more story lines than a soap opera starring Lindsay Lohan and Brett Favre. But the Cubbies send me to an early vacation, and I raise a few Old Style Lights in Wrigleyville. Brad Lidge blows Game 7 win by serving up walk-off homer to Alfonso Soriano.
ALCS White Sox vs. Angels Sox in 4 Sorry, Scoscia, Dodgers are dead. So is your team, which hasn't had much of a pulse since clinching the division in June. White Sox ride the Rockies-like wave, clinching at the very last moment and running off on a win parade, which is scaring the Bartmans out of the North Siders. Chants of "1908, 1908" begin as riots begin when Sox fans invade Wrigleyville. Phils beat writers watch as Ken gets bloodied in the battle. Fun times.
World Series Cubs vs. White Sox Sox in 7 The White Sox come in with a 10-game winning streak. While Fox is showing constant highlights of Bartman and the goat (the goat also likes Old Style Light, apparently), there is a growing group of among baseball fans that are suddenly sick of the idea of the Cubs collecting their first crown in 100 years. Jim Thome is a nice guy, damnit.... and this Griffey character also seems swell. Two Hall of Famers who don't need to go down like Ted Williams.
Sox win first game, sending the Cell's crowd in a frenzy. But Cubs take next two, ending the 11-game win streak and slowing the suicide rate on the North Side for a weekend. After Floyd evens the series up, Rich Harden fires a two-hit shutout - Cubs up 3-2 in the series.
But Jeanne Zelasko somehow allows the goat to escape in an exclusive pregame interview outside The Cell. The goat takes off, hops on the 'L' and gets off at the Addison stop.
Before Game 6, the goat slips a five-spot in the drunken security guard's hand (the guard thought the Cubs already won the whole shebang). The goat is on the field! The goat it on the field!
While the goat begins eating the ivy off Wrigley's hallowed walls (can walls be hallowed?), a sure-fire Jim Thome double-play ground ball goes right through Ryan Theriot's legs in the 7th inning. The Cubs 4-1 lead shrinks to 4-3.
The goat ate too much ivy. Not good. The goat leaves a special gift (it's browner and smellier than the remnants of that stuff Len Dykstra spit up here 15 years ago).
At the same time, Griffey takes Kerry Wood deep in the bottom of the ninth. White Sox win, 5-4.
In GAME 7, Cubs are lifeless after WGN airs news report on the goat defecating on their field. Gavin Floyd throws first career no-hitter as Sox clinch World Series title.
This is strictly for entertainment purposes.... please do not bet on the goat shitting. He might hurl instead.
Scott Lauber - Phillies beat writer/Wilmington News Journal NLDS Phillies-Brewers: Phillies in 4. CC can't start every game, right? Right? Cubs-Dodgers: Cubs in 5. Manny can't bat in every inning, right? Right?
ALDS Angels-Red Sox: Angels in 5. I love watching the Red Sox lose. Rays-White Sox: White Sox in 5. So many ex-Phillies (Gavin Floyd, Jim Thome), they can't lose.
NLCS Cubs-Phillies: Cubs in 7. At least the Phillies can drown their sorrows at The Lodge.
ALCS Angels-White Sox: Angels in 5. They're good. Real good.
World Series Cubs-Angels: Angels in 7. Neither Bartman nor the Billy Goat were there, so the Cubs blamed Brad Lidge.
Jason Weitzel - proprietor/Beerleaguer.com NLDS Phillies over Brewers in 5 Cubs over Dodgers in 4
ALCS Red Sox over Angels in 5 White Sox over Rays in 4
NLCS Cubs over Phillies in 6
ALCS Red Sox over White Sox in 7
World Series Red Sox over Cubs in 5