BASEBALL
	Pennant Predictions 10.9.02 Ok, so my predictions for the first round of the playoffs sucked.  The only team I predicted to advance that actually did advance was the St. Louis Cardinals.  That?s just fine with me.  That is the only one that really matters to me anyway.  Now, with no further ado, here are my picks for the pennants. National League Cardinals vs. Giants ? I am sitting and watching the first game of this series right now and the Cardinals are getting ripped 5-0 in the second inning.  Regardless, I believe the Cardinals will be the eventual winner of this series.  The Giants will have Kirk Rueter, Jason Schmidt, and Livan Hernandez as their starters (they will probably use four pitchers, but I don?t know who their fourth will be).  The Cardinals will counter with Matt Morris, Woody Williams, Andy Benes, and Chuck Finley.  [It?s now 5-1 in the second inning].  Before this game I would have said that the difference between the pitching staffs is Matt Morris.  The Giants three guys are all solid, but they don?t really have an ace.  The Cardinals have Morris as an ace (although he?s proving me wrong tonight) and three solid starters behind him.  I have to give starting pitching advantage to St. Louis. In the pen, the Giants have Rob Nenn, one of the most dominant closers in all of baseball.  The rest of the Giants bullpen is adequate but not outstanding.  The Cardinals have Isringhausen as their closer.  He has been good, but not great and has even had some injury problems late this year.  The rest of the Cardinals bullpen is deep and talented with Veres, Kline, Fassero and White.  I would probably give the bullpens a push. The offenses are tough to call.  The Giants have the most dominating single hitter in all of baseball with Barry Bonds.  Having Bonds in the middle of the lineup changes the way the Cardinals treat the rest of the Giants lineup.  [It?s now 6-1 in the third inning].  Kenny Lofton at the top of the lineup gives the Giants good speed to get on base before the mashers (he?s torching the Cardinals even as I write).  Then they also have run producers in Aurilia and Kent to bat in front of Bonds.  After Bonds the lineup gets a little weak.  Santiago is past his prime, as is J.T. Snow and Reggie Sanders.  The Cardinals, on the other hand have one of the most potent lineups in the game if Scott Rolen gets healthy.  Unfortunately, he?s not healthy right now.  Hopefully, Edmonds, Pujols, Drew, and Martinez can provide enough pop while he is out of the lineup.  Renteria was possibly the most productive hitter in all of baseball in the second half of the season and Fernando Vina is always a pest at the top of the lineup.  The Cardinals secret weapon is Eli Marrero, who can catch, play right or left field and play first base.  He also has decent speed and is a good hitter in the clutch.  I think the Cardinals lineup is more balanced than the Giants, but Bonds makes up for quite a bit.  I would have to give the offenses a push as well. In the end, I think this series is going to be tight; if Bonds explodes and pummels the Cardinals the Giants will pull it off, but I predict the Cards will keep him relatively in check and will win the series in seven. American League Angels vs. Twins ? I know that Game 1 is already in the books, with the Twins winning at home.  But I can still make this prediction in good conscience because I?m picking the Angels.  I will be rooting for the Twins, but I think the Angels win this one.  They are riding high after knocking off the Yankees and their offense is on fire.  The pitching staffs are fairly even, with the Angels having Washburn and Appier and the Twins having Milton, Mays and Radke.  The offenses are very similar, in my mind.  They both have exciting players that give everything they have and maximize their ability (I am tempted to reference Eckstein here only to piss Drew off, but I myself am sick of hearing about the ?Ecks-factor?). I could and probably should write a lot more about this series, but I just don?t care as much about it as I do about the St. Louis series.  So anyway, I?m taking Anaheim in six.
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