AL: 1st round playoffs (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

The AL playoffs are set:

Angels vs. Yankees
Twins vs. A's

Who's your pick in each series and why?

 

[Evan S]

A's over Twins in 4 games. Better and more consistent starting pitching and neither lineup is significantly better than the other. Also, Oakland has way more experience in this situation.

Yankees over Angels in 4 games also. NY's pitching has been coming on of late, especially Mussina and Pettitte. The Angels limped into the playoffs and have no experience in this situation. If they come out of NY after the first two games with a split, I will be very impressed. I think they have their best chance to win a game in game 1 as Washburn will be pitching and he is far away their best. Appier goes in game 2 and when Appier was with Oakland in 2000, he didn't start until game 4 (and got killed). I think you can expect a repeat there.

I would love to predict Oakland in the ALCS, but I have to go with the Yankees in 7, just due to playoff karma and happenstance. But even without Giambi, I think this is Oakland's best chance in the last three years. Zito has improved that much over prior years and the team believes in themselves. Any team that wins 20 in a row has the talent and makeup to win the whole thing. Still, Yankees are the AL champs and will remain so this year I believe. Road to the world series goes through NY.

 

[Lew Crippen]

My pick on the first match up is strictly emotional. As a lifelong, card-carrying member of the “Yankee Haters” club, I’m rooting for the Angels all the way.

As for Minnesota vs. Oakland, I’d like to see the A’s continue their season-ending flourish. What excitement as they drove to the wire.

 

[Mark Schermerhorn]

Right now I'll take Oakland over my twins as well, but I think it will go 5 games. The metrodome gives an amazing homefield advantage, although Oakland has had some sucess there. We'll see. I hope the twins pull it out, I have playoff tickets but i won't be it town for the first series!!

 

[Patrick Sun]

A's in 4 games
Angels in 5 games (I'm tired of seeing the Yankees going to the WS).

 

[Jason Seaver]

A's over the Twins, and I'll even say in three. They've got the second-best starting three in the AL [predictably frustrated Boston tangent deleted], and the Twins just aren't that good (the best of a weak division)

Yankees over the Angels in four. The Angels had an extremely good season, and have a good bullpen, but the Yankee offense can put games away early.

 

[Patrick_S]

I would like to see the A's in the World Series but I think the Yanks will once again be the AL Champs.

Interestingly if the A's do make the WS the Raiders/SD game will be moved to Monday night at 8pm west coast time.
That would be interesting in that I cannot remember there ever being two Monday night games.

 

[Rob Willey]

A's over the Twins in four. Minnesota is awful against left-handed pitching.

Yanks over an underrated Angels team in five based on post-season experience and nothing else.

Then we start the third annual A's/Yanks thread and the fur will fly again!

Rob

 

[jeff lam]

I hope the A's get revenge on the Yanks in the ALCS. I think it will be Anaheim over the Yanks though in the ALDS.
A's should beat the Twinkies.

Braves all the way in the NL!

 

[Adam Bluhm]

Oakland in 3.
New York in 4.
As an Oakland fan, I'm hoping for and looking forward to a wonderful ALCS!

 

[Brian Lawrence]

Yanks would rather see Angels win it, but those damn Yankees always seem to find a way :frowning:
Twins Actually I have no idea who will win this one, but I so badly want to see the Braves and Twins match-up again in the Championship.

 

[LewB]

Let me give this completely un-biased analytical evaluation of the American League Playoffs as I see them:
Y-A-N-K-E-E-S
By the way, I grew up in the Bronx. So I am completely impartial and am offering an opinion based only a thorough analysis of the facts and statistics.
October baseball in the Bronx, a beautiful thing !

 

[JoshF]

A's over Twins in 4. They have the experience and the deep pitching.

Yankees over Angels in 3. The Halos will crumble, and the Rally Monkey will be caged.

 

[Mitty]

Well, it took the Yankees 1/3 of an inning to get a bad call that went their way...
The fix is in!!!
Oh, c'mon, you knew someone was gonna say it.

 

[EricW]

Yankees and Angels: what a game!!!!!! this is what the playoffs is all about and i'm glad it's gotten off to such a good start. i'm a diehard Yankee fan but even if they'd lost this one game at the end it still would have a been great game. have to admit though, i was getting worried. the decision not to put Percival in will be second guessed of course, at the time even the announcers were split. and it's nowhere near as bad as NOT taking Leiter out in the NY/NY series a couple years ago.

 

[Brian Bunn]

I would have gone with Percival with 2 out in the 8th against Giambi...I was telling my TV that when Schoeneweis was coming in..."Oh I don't know about this Scioscia...better go with your horse here...gotta make moves earlier now...it's the playoffs". Scoiscia has done a heck of a job the last several years with the Angels but that was not the right call...obviously.

 

[Mark Schermerhorn]

How bout them twins! Resilient kids, they is. Dome field advantage, here we come. I'd be very worried if I were the A's, even with their left handers up in the next 2 games.

 

[JohnE]

How the hell do the Yank's manage it? These guys drive me nuts! And what in the world happened to Randy Johnson? Man he stunk tonight. Very uncharacteristic.

Personally in the West I'm rooting for either Oakland or the Twins. I'd like to see the Twins get there just on principle. Show you don't need a $100 million payroll to field a good team. Oh well looks to be fun.

 

[Patrick Sun]

The Cards are a hot team right now. They've peeled off 8 wins out of the last 10 regular season games, only the Giants are a "hotter" team going into the postseason.

 

[LewB]

One down, 10 to go. Bern, baby Bern !!!!
Now to switch the topic to Fox's coverage of the Angels, Yankees game. I thought it stunk !!!
Instead of seeing the player introductions, the first pitch and the national anthem I am subjected to 2 talking heads for about 20 minutes. Guess now that we are a year removed from 9/11/01, the national anthem can once again be ignored and replaced by blather and commercials.
Now to the game:
Is it necessary to inform me of the velocity of EVERY pitch ? While McCarver was going on about a pair of ripped pants on Jason Giambi, the camera was showing Mike Scioscia in the dugout. Behind Scioscia was what looked like a book of scouting info (the page I saw looked like it was on Clemens). How about some of that famous McCarver insight and get some details about scouting reports, which are quite important especially when 2 teams don't play each other much during the regular season. I usually like McCarver's work and respect his knowledge, either I'm getting old or they told him to dumb it down for the audience that might not be too baseball literate.