Well, I got it half right. I said Angels in five, and that’s exactly what happened. Man, did the big shot hitters for the Yankees come up short. Two RBI’s from Sheff, A-Rod and Godzilla combined. This will cost either Cashman or Torre, and possibly both, his job. If that happens, it’s patently unfair. No one’s ripping Bobby Cox or John Schuerholz for coming up short in Game 5.
The part I got wrong, I got spectacularly wrong. The White Sox limped into the playoffs, wounded, gassed, and emotionally spent. They then proceeded to beat the ever living snot out of the world champion Red Sox. They’re now refreshed, confident, and have all their ducks in a row for tonight’s first game against the Anaheim Angels of Anaheim (indulge me, that joke just never gets old), who play ball just like the Sox do and have been their Kryptonite all season.
And the Sox are going to crush them.
Starting pitching: Chicago. The Angels are spent. Fatty Colon’s arm and back are killing him, and the rest of the rotation is just as exhausted. The White Sox have four well rested horses. No contest.
Relief pitching: Anaheim. There is no one in Chicago’s bullpen that even touches Scot Shields and K-Rod as a 1-2 punch.
Hitting: Chicago. Last week, I would have said Anaheim, but the guys at the top of the Angels’ lineup are not getting on base. Chone Figgins had a terrible ALDS, posting a .143 batting average and striking out way too much. The White Sox, by comparison, look extremely disciplined.
Manager: Anaheim, only because he’s been there. Ozzie Guillen is still very much the loose cannon. Let’s see what he does in a seven game series before handing him the keys to the kingdom.
Defense/Intangibles: Chicago. They both play the same game, so the edge goes to the team with the freshest legs.
My pick: White Sox in five. I would love nothing more than to see two snakebitten teams go to the World Series back to back.
