A Heated season: Stick’s NBA Preview

October 26, 2010 3 Comments

We are entering the week that all sports fanatics have marked on their calendar. This “sports week” takes place in the heart of the NFL football season, the beginning of the World Series (Go Rangers!), and the start of the NBA later today. So whether you are a die-hard football fan, baseball fan, or basketball fan, there will be something to watch. And for those true sports fans that admire all of these sports, I would recommend clearing your schedule (I know I have). Not to mention we are rapidly approaching Halloween weekend and I have still yet to decide on a costume (suggestions?).

Did I mention the NBA starts tonight? It feels like just yesterday when Kobe shot 6-24 in the clinching win of the NBA Finals. With the addition of the two-month playoff period, the NBA now barely has an off-season. It sure feels like the NBA was a year round sport with all the crazy off-season moves and media coverage. Did you know that Lebron James now plays in Miami? Ever since “The Decision” (here), Lebron hasn’t caught a break. Cleveland this, Cleveland that. In the words of PTI co-host Michael Wilbon, “Get over it Cleveland. Its over.”

The formation of the Three Kings in Miami has led to the year of the Super Team, and quite possibly the most anticipated and best NBA season ever. I could take the simple route and preview every NBA team and make my playoff predictions but that’s rather…boring. Right? I can write forever about all 16 potential playoff teams, but at what point is it too much? 16 playoff teams out of 30 teams total? Reminds me of little league baseball, when no matter how bad or good your team was, you always received a trophy. Rather than discussing every single team, I’ve decided to give an NBA preview unlike the traditional.

The Rematch- Beginning with the Finals teams from last season, Lakers and Celtics. Dating back to the Magic-Bird days in the 80′s, Boston or LA won the title eight times in a nine-year span. Pretty ridiculous! Like any other sport, teams are like a roller coaster. They will have their ups and downs throughout the years. The question is: For how long? The Lakers are coming off their second consecutive championship, but the question remains, “Has Kobe and Artest lost a step?” I wasn’t impressed with their performance in the Finals and would be relatively shocked if they three-peat. As for the Celtics, Boston has all the pieces set to make another title run. But at what cost? I remember saying back in 2007, “This team is too old, I guess they just want to win now.” Well folks, that was three years ago. Do you think they have aged since then? Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are simply spot up shooters now, KG can score occasionally and play good post defense, but he still wasn’t half the KG of 2007. Do I need to mention the signing of the two O’Neal’s? A question I have for Jermaine O’Neal, “Haven’t you retired yet?” I’m not going to comment on the acquisition of Shaq Diesel (the man can do what he wants). This is the ABSOLUTE last year for this Boston lineup. I guess it’s up to Rondo to run this nursing home.

The Perennials- Every season, there are always those teams that fly under the radar and make the playoffs every year. For example, the two Texas teams, Dallas and San Antonio. STAT ALERT: The Mavericks and Spurs have made the playoffs 10 straight years while having 50+ wins each year. The Spurs remind me of the Indianapolis Colts. Battling injuries every year, Tim Duncan (like Peyton Manning) always keeps them in the hunt. As for the Mavericks (homer alert), this team seems to slightly improve each year, but no matter what, they somehow fail to pull through in the playoffs. Playing in the same conference as the Lakers, Dallas has a tough road to the Finals every year, but it’s still possible. The Texas Rangers beat the Yankees, did they not?

Other perennial playoff teams include the Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, and the Orlando Magic. The Jazz let Carlos Boozer go for Al Jefferson (love this move) as the Hawks and Magic seemed to stand their ground. Adding big-bodied Al Jefferson, Utah should improve upon their 53-win season last year. 6’9 Carlos Boozer just wasn’t cutting it in the “Big Man” western conference. The Hawks will do what they always do… have a decent season and choke in the playoffs. Message to Hawks fans: Mike Woodson isn’t the problem; Joe Johnson’s 6 year/$125 million contract is the problem (can’t help but think of a potential Gilbert Arenas bust.) And finally, Dwight Howard’s Orlando Magic. A lot was made about Hakeem mentoring Howard over the summer (maybe he can finally develop a low post game). But as the East Elite got stronger, the Magic stayed put. Orlando is built to be a top seed every year (great defensive team that shoots threes well) but they are still unable to matchup with the elites of the NBA.

The Up-and-Comers- Starting with the obvious, the Oklahoma City Thunder. I don’t know if many of you watched the 2010 FIBA World Championships this summer, but it might as well have been the Thunder starting lineup. Westbrook emerged as one of the best guards in the game (and he’s only 21) and teammate Jeff Green made great strides as well. But we all know the story of the summer (other than Lebron) was Kevin Durant’s transformation into a NBA superstar. Not just any superstar, a top three player in the NBA. When we got word that Lebron, Howard, Kobe, Wade, Melo, and Paul weren’t participating on the USA World team, my expectations for gold were out the window. Kevin Durant (also only 21) proved me wrong. He took it upon himself to become the “Michael Jordan” of this team and lift them to gold once again. This put a smile on my face. It seems like just yesterday, I was moving into San Jacinto dorm my freshmen summer only to be a few doors down from the “Durantula.” Little did I know, in only four years he would be drawing comparisons to Kobe Bryant and Lebron James.

The Thunder isn’t the only team with young explosive talent. To all NBA fans: Derrick Rose is here and he’s here to stay. I’ve always been quick to write off the Bulls (simply because they have never been the same without Jordan). This past off-season (adding Boozer, Brewer, and Korver) they seem determined to challenge the powers of the East (maybe even finish as high as 2nd seed, who knows?)

One more team to watch: the Portland Trailblazers. I can sum up this team in only one sentence: Portland won 50 games last year having lost both starting centers (Pryzbilla and Oden) for the year, while their two best players (Roy and Aldridge) played through injury the entire season. Needless to say, this team is good and if healthy could be a top four seed in the West.

The Wild Cards- The Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, the New Orleans Hornets, and the Denver Nuggets. These teams have the ability to finish as high as a top four seed in the West or miss the playoffs altogether. Beginning with the Rockets and the Hornets. Both of these teams had their best player injured for the season (Chris Paul and Yao Ming), and both have acquired new talent. The past few seasons, the Rockets have shown that with a healthy Yao Ming, they are a shoe-in for a 50-win season. Disclaimer: that is a 100% healthy Yao Ming. I’m not even sure Yao himself knows if he is fully recovered. Just another reason to watch the upcoming NBA season. Across the gulf, New Orleans welcomes the return of NBA first-teamer Chris Paul to the roster. Like Yao, the Hornets with a healthy Chris Paul are a 50+-win team and a force to be reckoned with in the West (just ask Jason Kidd).

Two other wild cards are the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets. Yes, Phoenix lost All-star forward Amare Stoudemire to the Empire State, but they retained their true captain… Steve Nash. Those who know me are aware that I am a huge Nash fan ever since his days as a Maverick in the early 2000s. I believe that Nash can carry any team to the playoffs no matter the supporting cast… he is that good. So when the Suns signed Turkoglu, Warrick, and Josh Childress, this told me one thing: the Suns are sticking to their guns. This team doesn’t need a low post scorer to slow the game down. They were three seed in the West last year without any defense whatsoever. Head coach Alvin Gentry has not been shy about the Sun’s fast break lifestyle, and with the acquisition of 50 small forwards, it just might be crazy enough to work. The Nuggets however, don’t have near the upside as any of the previous playoff teams in the West. This team is great on paper and all, but they are one incident away from blowing up like Wylie Coyote. If you have been living under a rock this summer, let me refresh your memory. Carmelo Anthony recently married MTV host LaLa Vasquez and has requested a trade to a more prominent media market (given LaLa’s entertainment career). Watching the Heat form a super team didn’t help Denver’s chances either. This story has become so out of control, that Vegas now has odds on Carmelo Anthony’s chances to land as a Knick by the end of the season (2.5 to 1 to be exact). If Denver is somehow able to hold onto Carmelo for one more season, they will be a playoff team; if not… the wheels will begin to fall off.

“Really, this is your team?” I’m not going to waste my time breaking down the NBA lottery teams but here’s a list of teams that could lose 60 games this year without blinking twice: Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nets and 76ers are on the rise so I will give them a pass for now. The Minnesota Timberwolves are Vegas’ prediction to finish dead last in the NBA. David Kahn’s decision to give $20 million to Darko Milicic can’t be helping either. To quote Bill Simmons, “KAHNNNNNNN!” The most pathetic team award might have to go to the team across the border, the Toronto Raptors. As of now, here is their likely starting lineup: Jose Calderon, Demar DeRozan, Linas Kleiza, Reggie Evans, and Andrea Bargnani. Wow, that’s awful. Chris Bosh owes Toronto fans a nice care package to make up for this garbage. Cleveland can empathize with Toronto, being publicly humiliated in a one-hour special on ESPN. Much like the Raptors, I wouldn’t take my chances with Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison as the go-to scorers. But hey, (like 2003) at least you can get another high draft pick. I love my statistics so I could only imagine how the loss of Lebron James could leave the Cavs struggling to win 30 games. Speaking of Lebron…

The Chosen Team- The team you either love or hate: the Miami Heat. Starting with “The Decision” (here) Pat Riley pulled off the impossible. Despite all odds again, Miami managed to fill out their roster with decent role players to surround the big three of Lebron, Wade, and Bosh. Lebron sacrificed his beloved role of media darling in choosing winning over all else. On Lebron’s twitter he exclaimed, “Don’t think for one minute that I haven’t been taking mental notes of everyone taking shots at me this summer. And I mean everyone!” This is a new Lebron. This isn’t the Lebron who is going to go up by 20 points and then just mess around. Lebron is all business this year. He is going to beat teams and beat teams down. Expect upwards of 27 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 9.5 apg from Lebron this season. Not quite a triple double, but can you argue with those stats? If Lebron has any Jordan like-DNA then he will embrace this challenge and emerge better than ever before. ESPN has already began comparisons between the 2010 Miami Heat and the 1996 Chicago Bulls. Like Jordan did in 1996, 72-10 isn’t going to be easy. On that note, never have I seen a Vegas over/under of wins any higher that Miami’s 64.5. But make no mistake about it; I will be taking the over. Unlike other athletes with media disasters, Lebron lost none of his endorsements. In fact, Lebron may have increased his sponsors, given his great sudden awareness among the American public. Nike saw something in this kid at the tender age of 18, offering Lebron a $100 million contract and having never played an NBA game. Nike has marketed Lebron James better than any other, and like most big companies, they love a challenge. I will conclude with Nike’s new commercial I stumbled upon yesterday. Nike continues to do it well.

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After 39 Years, It’s Time!

October 23, 2010 4 Comments

That. Just. Happened. In April, if you told me the Rangers would be playing into November and eliminating the Yankees, I would have said you’re crazy. Even as big of a “homer” as I am, I’m still pinching myself to make sure this isn’t a dream. I just arrived back in Austin minutes ago, and wanted to share my experiences.

Those who read my MLB Playoff Picks (here), you’re welcome. We all know I pick the Dallas team to win it every year, and it never happens. As for the World Series, I don’t want to jinx the Rangers but you can guess which way I’m leaning. I was fortunate enough to attend the biggest game in Rangers franchise history, and like my great mentor Bill Simmons, I wanted to share my Game 6 photo diary.

It all began after Game 3 on the ALCS. Cliff Lee proved again that he is as much of a sure thing as the sun setting. After watching this historic 13-strikeout performance, the Yankees had little hope left. I was positive if somehow, Texas can bring it back to Arlington up three games to two, it was over.

I arrived to the game about 90 minutes before the first pitch, just in time to see the Yankees batting practice. My seats were down the 3rd base line pretty close to the field (for a hefty price).

The first thing I see as I get to my seats is the Great Yankees Captain, Derek Jeter. I don’t care who you are, but Jeter deserves respect. Yes, he is the captain of the Yankees’ “Evil Empire”, but he is also the best shortstop of all time (not up for debate). Anyway, unlike most star players Jeter is a very nice guy. His happy go-lucky attitude makes him a fan favorite wherever he goes. He smiles at the crowd during warm-ups, and will even respond to the chants of “JETER!” (Trust me I know)

As for his counterpart A-Rod, I can’t say the same. Watching the game on TV, it is easy to hear the loud boo’s of A-Rod. At the game, it is a whole different beast. I have never seen so much hatred for one player at any stadium in my life. This would be as good a time as any to mention I was wearing my A-Rod Rangers jersey to the game (given it is the only Texas jersey I have that isn’t a youth large). By some amazement, I somehow avoided being heckled. Either the fans behind me thought I was wearing a Pudge Rodriguez jersey, or were just too drunk to put two and two together.

Then all of a sudden, rain began pouring down in Arlington. I kept thinking to myself, “Please, please don’t be a delay!” When are they going to tarp the field? I wasn’t worried. Nobody knows the weather better than a major league grounds crew. Having interned with the Astros grounds crew team last summer, no one knows what the weather is going to do better than the crew. About mid-way through the National Anthem, a quick thunderstorm stopped by, and the field was tarped. For some strange reason, this lasted all but 5 minutes and it never came back again. The baseball gods wanted to see some baseball.

On to the game… never have I seen the Ballpark this full or this loud. I had a feeling it was going to be one of those games where you really didn’t even need a seat as everyone around me was standing throughout the whole game. The game wasn’t a huge marquee pitching matchup (Hughes vs. Lewis) at the start but Colby Lewis pitched the game of his life.

Beginning in the first inning, the Rangers started their journey. Here’s an interesting tidbit: the Rangers have scored in the first inning in three of the five games this series thus far. That didn’t change Friday night. After hits by Elvis and Hamilton, things were looking good. Little did I know this was the only at-bat Hamilton was going to get. After a Guerrero RBI on a fielder’s choice, the Rangers were on the board.

Then began the pitching duel. For the next four innings, both bats were silenced until the Yankees got their first hit by A-rod into the gap. Then the baseball gods showed up. On a fluke wild pitch that grazed Nick Swisher’s shin, A-Rod scored on the “passed ball.” I remember seeing Bengie Molina furious. Quite a rare sight, I must say. If you upset our 37-year old catcher, then something must be wrong. As usual, the Ballpark replay officials were on break only for that play so I had to make a few texts to see what truly happened. Unfortunately, the umpires were unable to solve wild-pitchgate, and the game was tied going into the bottom of the fifth.

At this point. I called my shot. That is, after a few innings of knocking on the door, I had that gut feeling that the Ranger’s bats would break through. Was I wrong? Of course not. Starting off with a tough grounder in the hole overthrown by Cano, Mitch Moreland was on base to start the Rangers rally. Very similar to the eighth inning of Game 1 when Bret Gardner beat CJ Wilson to first base prompting a Yankees comeback for the ages. After a well executed hit-and-run by Elvis Andrus, the Rangers were once again in scoring position. A quick out by Young and up came MVP Josh Hamilton. Throughout this series, Girardi has made it quite clear that he wants no part of Hamilton and issued him his second free base of the game (somewhere Barry Bonds is laughing).

The stadium was deafening with Boo’s as we could only hope Vlad finally comes through. All of a sudden Vlad blasts a lined shot into deep center and BOOM!! The stadium erupted. Chants of “Vladdy,Vladdy, Vladdy swept Arlington. (I can’t feel my legs). The Rangers were up 3-1 and bye bye Phil Hughes. Up comes David Robertson (on the record, I questioned this move immediately but I’ll go ahead and continue) to face the powerful Nelson Cruz. With a 1-2 count, Nelson hits a moonshot into deep left center: it’s going, going, GONE! Cue the home run music!

O My, THIS is why you go the game. Texas didn’t stop there, scoring Cruz on a double by Kinsler down the line. And before you knew it, the Rangers were up 6-1 on THE YANKEES. This marked the first time I realized, WOW, Could we actually win the Pennant? Up by five runs, I saw what happened in Game 1, and wasn’t calling it yet. 12 outs left.

All that cheering and yelling sure does make you hungry. After a quick consumption of Nachos, two hot dogs, and chips I was ready to go.

Fast forward to the eighth. A quick glance over at the Rangers scoreboard to see Colby Lewis with only 86 pitches. Can he finish the game? Literally seconds later, Lewis strikes out the side in dominant fashion, and THREE OUTS LEFT. Cliff who? No, but seriously. Many people wondered why Ron Washington wouldn’t throw Lee on short rest. Answer: Colby Lewis. Plus, it is going to be very handy having Cliff Lee at our disposal in games 1 and 5 of the World Series.

Disclaimer to Nolan Ryan, Chuck Greenberg, and Jon Daniels: get that checkbook ready because Cliff Lee isn’t going to be cheap (around 4 yrs/ $100 million).

In came Mariano Rivera and for some strange reason, the crowd of 51,000+ was silenced. Forget about the five run lead, this was the best closer of all time (aka the “Hammer of God”). I never understood why it became so silent, but you have to respect Mo. Even the stadium stopped playing music… it was uncomfortably quiet compared to the craziness moments before.

On to the Ninth. My video camera was ready and prepared to see what nobody has seen… a Rangers pennant. The young fireballer Neftali Feliz came in to shut the door.

Granderson out, Cano out, ONE MORE OUT! And who was it going to be? None other than Alex Rodriguez. You can’t script this any better. To this day, I still don’t understand the utter hatred Texas fans have for A-Rod but who knows. Is it A: his move to New York, B: his failure to deliver on a $250 million contract, C: his steroid era in Texas, D: his talent, or E: All of the above.

A perfect ending to a perfect ALCS. In order to get to your first World Series, you must beat your arch-nemesis (sounds like a Star Wars movie). Thoughts immediately began swarming through my head: Do I rush the field? This idea was quickly shut down when the PA announcer said, “All unauthorized persons who enter the playing surface are subject for arrest.” Aw, shucks. Then it began: Strike one, Strike two… Get your popcorn ready. Then time froze as Feliz delivered a slider on the black outside edge of the plate. STRIKE THREE!

RANGERS WIN THE PENNANT! RANGERS WIN THE PENNANT!

From the verge of bankruptcy to American League Champions! It can’t get any better than this!

I will conclude with this video I took at the end:

And folks, it’s not over yet!

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Tis the Season: Stick’s MLB Playoff Picks

October 5, 2010 3 Comments

The Rangers playoff success rests on the arm of Cliff Lee

Well, it’s been awhile but maybe just maybe, baseball is back in the spotlight. The initial surge of the start of football has slowly faded away, and now it is time for America’s true pastime to shine. As seen in my mid-season baseball picks (here), I shied away from making playoff predictions (too soon to call). But in fact, my picks haven’t changed so, without further adieu, my 2010 MLB playoff picks:

Division Series
Cincinnati vs. Philadelphia- Ok, I was right about the Phillies winning the division, but I will admit the Reds surprised me. The Reds are a team on the rise with Joey Votto entering his prime, former Longhorn Drew Stubbs holding down Center field, and a young pitching staff with a pool of prospects (most notably Cuban phenom Aroldis Chapman). To Dusty Baker and the entire Reds organization, pat yourselves on the back. This is a team that will be playing into October for the next few years. Unfortunately, they have been matched up with the National League Juggernaut… the Philadelphia Phillies. Without even barking on the fact that the Phillies are two-time defending National League Champions, this team is one of the most talented teams in the past decade…on paper. Not many teams can say their playoff starters include World Series MVP Cole Hamels, Cy Young winner and seven-time All-Star Roy Halladay, and three-time All-Star Roy Oswalt. The best teams are the ones who make the best moves, and acquiring Astros legend Roy Oswalt  is what makes World Series Champions. For you statistics junkies out there, here are some numbers to throw around:
Cole Hamels (career) vs. Reds 6-0, 1.07 ERA
Roy Oswalt (career) vs. Reds 23-3, 2.81 ERA
Roy Halladay (career) vs. Reds 1-1 2.84 ERA
So with that in mind: Do I need to say any more?

Sticks Pick: Phillies in 3

Atlanta vs. San Francisco: Does anyone really care about this series? Philadelphia will dismantle both of these teams, but I’ll go ahead and continue anyway. Sure, it is a feel good story to see Hall of Fame coach Bobby Cox go out on top, but the Braves days of National League dominance have been long over. Fortunately, they were rewarded with the offensively challenged San Francisco Giants in the first-round. Despite the Giants strong rotation, something tells me Atlanta will squeak by in the end. And that something is… experience. Chipper Jones, Tim Hudson, Troy Glaus, and Derek Lowe just to name a few. When in doubt, experience trumps talent. The Giants have the least runs scored by any current playoff team, but also the fewest runs allowed. What do I do? After months of research, I have made a scientific breakthrough: you MUST score runs to win games. The last playoff team to fall short of 700 runs scored for the season was the 2005 San Diego Padres (arguably the worst division winner ever). Led by ace pitcher Jake Peavy, they were quickly swept by the more experienced St Louis Cardinals. See a theme here? In a year where Tim Lincecum has shown signs of weakness, my gut is telling me to take the more playoff-experienced Atlanta Braves.

Stick’s Pick: Atlanta in 4

New York vs. Minnesota- Both of these teams have been flying under my radar. The Yankees backed their way into a wild-card spot, and the Twins have had their division clinched since the World Cup. Hard to believe the Yankees have been flying under my radar, but in only a best of five series, there really is nothing to look at except the pitching matchups. The Yankees have CC, Hughes, and Petitte vs. the Twins Liriano, Pavano, and Duensing (seriously, who is this guy?) I can’t say the Twins can beat CC and we all know what postseason wins leader Andy Petitte can do. So that leaves Hughes vs. Pavano. Hughes has come into his own this season but something tells me Pavano is going to bring it game two to get revenge on the team that got rid of him. I would say Yankees in three, but every now and then the Yankees take games off. The Twins don’t win but they break that awful run of 9 consecutive playoff games lost.

Stick’s Pick: Yankees in 4

Texas vs. Tampa Bay- Wow, as I’m writing this I still don’t know how this series will turn out, but I do know one thing… this is going five games. What many may not know, the Tampa Bay Rays’ only weakness, if any, is their inability to hit good left-handed pitching. The one thing Texas has plenty of… good left-handed pitching. Well, there you go I just might have made my decision. We all saw how Cliff Lee carried the Phillies within two games of consecutive World Series wins last postseason and nearly beat the Yankees by himself. The emergence of closer-turned-starter C.J. Wilson may be the X-factor in this playoff series. We all know Cliff Lee will bring his A game, but can CJ continue his dominance? Numbers don’t lie. We also know Cliff Lee will most likely pitch on a days rest if needed (trust me if Nolan Ryan tells him to, he will). Lee has started 13 games vs. the Rays in his career with an easy 2.87 ERA. Hold on, I’m not finished. The so-called Rays ace, David Price, doesn’t like playing the Rangers. Why you ask? It may have something to do with his 7.44 career ERA in four games started but who knows? My only worry about the Rays making a postseason run is the “Major League” factor. Recently, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said they can’t afford to keep a majority of their players for next season simply because “they can’t turn a profit next year.” Makes sense when WNBA teams have more attendance than your team (Ok, too far). If you have seen one of the best sports movies of all time “Major League” you might understand where I’m coming from. In the movie, the team is told this is their last season to play together, and as a result they….wait I can’t spoil it but you get the picture. Fortunately, I don’t see a Pedro Cerrano or Rick Vaughn on this Rays team. Like the Twins, the Rangers snap their 9 game consecutive playoff losing streak and take the series.

Stick’s Pick: Rangers in 5

Championship Series
Atlanta vs. Philadelphia- As I said earlier, the Phillies will continue their postseason run straight to a third consecutive World Series. You know about the Phillies three-headed monster (Halladay, Hamels, Oswalt) in their starting rotation, but let me take the time to tell you about the other side. Starting off with the core three: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins. Ryan Howard is the best second-half hitter I have seen in I’m not sure how long, Chase Utley is the true captain of this team, and we all know you can’t win games without a great leadoff man who can get on base (Rollins). Throw in Victorino, Jay Werth, and Placido Polanco and you got yourself a pretty potent lineup. I would easily go with Philadelphia in four here but we all know Lidge will probably blow a save, plus maybe Charlie Manuel will give Roy Halladay the day off if up three games to zero. As for the Braves, sorry Bobby (Cox) it’s been a good run, but the train stops here.

Stick’s Pick: Phillies in 5

Texas vs. New York: Ok, I knew this matchup was coming. Lets take a history lesson, shall we? What happened the last time the Rangers made the postseason in 1999? How about the time before that in 1998? What about 1996? If you have yet to come up with the answer, I’ll give you a hint, the Rangers won a combined one game these three playoff series. They were swept in 1998 and 1999, but managed to win their one and only franchise playoff win in 1996. Who did Texas play in all three series? The dreaded 27-time World Champion New York Yankees. The Yankees still have the core four (Posada, Jeter, Petitte, Posada) from those 90’s dynasty teams, plus maybe even better talent. In a best of seven series, you may even see Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia each pitch three times. During last year’s World Series, Lee developed the nickname: the Yankee killer. Game 1: W, 7 IP, 0 ER, 10 K, and 0 BB; Game 5: (on three days rest): W, 7 IP, 3 K, 5 ER, 3 BB. Ok, so maybe he should get some more rest before going out there again, but with this potent Rangers offense, five earned runs may be good enough. CC Sabathia may even cancel Cliff Lee out this series. That leaves the series tied at 2-2. So what it really comes down to is the play of Petitte and Hughes vs. Wilson and Lewis. As much as I would love to see the Rangers win this series, I am skeptical. Maybe it is because I am a Dallas sports fans. Every year, I expect the Mavs and Cowboys to over perform but am only left disappointed at the end. My gut feeling once again tells me the Yankees postseason “grit” will be just too much for the Rangers again. But lets applaud Texas for a second. If this prediction is even half true, the Rangers have come a long way, and depending on whether they can sign Cliff Lee next season will determine just how far they can keep going.

Stick’s Pick: Yankees in 7

World Series
New York vs. Philadelphia- Wait, what was that? This is the same World Series matchup from last year? You gotta be kidding me! After some statistical research and a few gut picks, I am back down to the same two teams that finished out the 2009 season. I will say I called this repeat World Series matchup back in April. Ok, so you have heard all my analyses about pitching matchups and playoff experience, but when it comes down to it, these teams are about as closely matched as you can get. The Yankees trimmed the fat by cutting Burnett out of the rotation for a better Phil Hughes; the Phillies swapped aces for one of the best pitchers this decade (Halladay) plus another ace in Roy Oswalt. The Yankees finished the season rather mediocre, opposed to the Phillies who won nearly 80% of their second half games. So, instinct would be to take the hot team right? Not in this case. Much like the 2010 Boston Celtics (a team of experienced veterans), they knew they could mail in the regular season and then turn it on in the playoffs. With that in mind, somehow I have gone these entire predictions without mentioning Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez. As I said in my earlier article (here), A-Rod received a letter from the late George Steinbrenner saying, “WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU.” Well, here it is. A-Rod can further cement his Hall of Fame resume with back-to-back World Series titles and another Yankees dynasty. Come on A-Rod, do it for the Boss! With the “core four” nearly in their forties, and Mariano Rivera entering his last few seasons, the window may be closing on these New York Yankees soon, but I believe it remains open this year.

Stick’s Pick: Yankees win their 28th World Series in 7 Games

On an unrelated note, how did TBS get the MLB playoffs again? I am not sure what I will see more, “Meet the Browns” or “House of Payne” promos.

Go Rangers!

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