I nailed the Divisional Round of the playoffs with stunning accuracy (for me). I then struck out looking, like Ryan Howard in my LCS predictions. So take this World Series primer with either a grain of salt, or as scripture.

Game 1: Cliff Lee v. Tim Lincecum
Advantage: Rangers. I like the Rangers to win Game 1 easily. I see no reason why Cliff Lee, pitching in an expansive park, against a bunch of free swinging hitters, can’t replicate his playoff success. Lincecum, on the other hand, has the real difficult task of facing the best lineup he’s seen all year. Even the bottom of Texas’ lineup (save for Cliff Lee of course) is hitting over .300 this postseason. It’s a real marquee matchup, but Lee’s track record combined with the lineup he’s facing, wins out. Texas wins 3-0.

Game 2: CJ Wilson v. Matt Cain
Advantage: Rangers. Cain, on the surface, is the logical choice. No one walked more batters in baseball this year than did CJ Wilson. However, the Giants aren’t exactly a bunch of patient hitters. I think Wilson can pitch effectively against the Giants lineup. Cain was phenomenal in his only LCS start against Philadelphia, which will be 9 days ago by the time he toes the rubber. Cain also walks a lot of batters. This Rangers lineup will make him pay for that in a way that San Francisco’s won’t to Wilson. Texas wins 5-3.

Game 3: Jonathan Sanchez v. Colby Lewis
Advantage: Rangers. I don’t expect Colby Lewis to pitch in Game 3 of the World Series like he did in Game 6 of the ALCS, even against the Giants. And I think that Sanchez won’t pitch as poorly in Game 3 of the World Series as he did in Game 6 of the NLCS. This is a really interesting matchup. Two completely dissimilar pitchers facing two dissimilar lineups. The Rangers trot out a lot of right-handed batters and I think that could be an issue for Sanchez, who also gives up a ton of walks and is facing a patient lineup. Texas wins, on a hunch, 7-3.

Game 4: Madison Bumgarner v. Tommy Hunter
Advantage: Giants. Not even close. Giants stay alive 6-2.

Game 5: Tim Lincecum v. Cliff Lee
Advantage: Giants. This is where I think the luster starts to wear off a bit on the Cliff Lee playoff mystique. Again, a hunch, but that’s what all of this stuff is. Lee has always pitched in the postseason under some sort of pressure (Game 1s, a big swing Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, a huge Game 5 at Tampa). Here he is coming in up 3-1, after having shut down the Giants in Game 1. Maybe the fire isn’t there. It will be there for Lincecum. Giants win 3-1.

Game 6: CJ Wilson v. Matt Cain
Advantage: Rangers. Barely. I was very tempted to force this to a seventh game. I didn’t. Rangers win 6-5.

Final Prediction: Rangers win 4-2.

Some Thoughts:

-Any talk about how Texas’ hitters are 0-19 against Giants closer Brian Wilson (I’m looking your way Buster Olney) seems foolish to me. That is not an x-factor statistic. No one is expecting Brian Wilson to be the x-factor here. He’s not going to blow saves like he’s Byung Hyun-Kim here. He’s an elite closer, so it’s no surprise the Rangers have struggled to hit him. If the Giants can get it to B-dub, with the lead, I expect them to win. However, there are 8 innings with which they’ll have to find a way to take a lead in to get the ball to their closer.

-I expect Buster Posey to slump horribly in this series. But for one solid game against the Phillies, Posey has been disappointing thus far in his first playoff adventure. Yes, he’s a rookie with a lot of weight on his shoulders, but that’s no reason to just say, “Oh, well it’s not his fault.” It is. He’s in the #4 hole for a reason, people. The pressure is there. The Giants need a good series from Posey to beat the Rangers.

-Vlad Guerrero playing in RF isn’t really that big of a deal. We (and by “we” I mean the media, of which I am not a member) make a big deal about DHs having to play in the field in the World Series. Tell me the last time it’s truly affected the outcome of a game.

-The Giants have the bullpen edge. Big time.

-The Rangers have the offensive edge. Big time.

-The teams are closer in starting pitching than you’d think.

-Series MVP: Elvis Andrus.

-Oh, and Cliff Lee will sign with the Yankees for $140 million over 7 years.

Enjoy this World Series. I heard it said this week, don’t worry about the ratings. If you’re a baseball fan, this is a dream scenario. Ratings mean nothing to you. And it’s true. The crowds in San Francisco and Arlington will be electric. This will be a fun series, even if the Rangers sweep. Two teams that are easy to root for, with a lot of really good guys. This will be a nice end to a very good MLB season.

Quick. Find 21 friends. Okay, that’s not that easy for most people. So just find 21 people. Now, assign each of them and yourself a football position. Done? Good, now you’re a contender for the 2010 NFC championship.

The gods of baseball were very kind to us. We could have been staring down a two week relationship with the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves in the NL and the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL. Think about those ratings. I vividly remember reading, back in 1998, the notion that ABC executives would be flinging themselves off of headquarters if they were left with Kansas State in the national championship game that year. Thankfully for them, Texas A&M upset the Wildcats in the Big XII title game and instead, ABC executives were treated to Peyton Manning and the Tennessee Volunteers, beating Bobby Bowden’s Florida State Seminoles. I was upset though. I really enjoyed that year’s Kansas State team. As I’ve grown older though, I’ve learned to appreciate marquee matchups, even if I don’t have a true rooting interest. Because I can always develop one if it’s not already there. Because there’s something special about the marquee. And that’s what we’re getting this year in baseball. Not Kansas State and Tennessee. We’re getting the best pitchers in the game, historic blue-bloods, and easy-to-love up and comers from a major media market. So, rejoice Fox and TBS executives. The gods were kind to you, like they were to ABC in 1998.

Sadly, no commentary from me on the state of Brett Favre’s cell phone camera. Before I take inventory of the NFL through a power rankings type list, let’s take a quick look at the Major League Baseball playoffs. Not to toot my own horn (I’M AWESOME!!!!) but I’ve hit each series nearly dead on so far, as we head into Game 5 between Texas and Tampa Bay tonight at the Trop. I expect the Rangers to win this game thanks to another masterful playoff performance by Cliff Lee. David Price did not look good in Game 1. His pitch selection was awful (he threw 21 consecutive fastballs to start the game) and he got hit hard by everyone in Texas’ lineup. If I’m Texas, I’m nervous about this becoming a bullpen game because Neftali Feliz probably shouldn’t pitch in this game, considering how bad he’s looked in his first playoff go-round. My prediction: 5-1 win for Texas. Lee pitches 8 innings, striking out 8 and walking none. Someone (Darren O’Day perhaps) closes out the ninth for the Rangers, who move on to a seven game series with the Yankees, that likely won’t go seven games.

We’re heading into a separation Sunday sort of day for the NFL. A handful of teams will have their season made or broken this week. Here are the five most important matchups:

Baltimore @ New England- A huge test for both teams. New England needs to show some defensive growth. Baltimore needs to shred the Patriots’ young D.

Dallas @ Minnesota- The loser is done for the 2010 season, as they will fall to 1-4.

Philadelphia @ Atlanta- Are the Falcons for real? Can Kevin Kolb keep the Eagles afloat? And how awesome would it have been to have had Michael Vick starting this game?

Miami @ Green Bay- The Dolphins need a win against a good team to prove their worth. And Green Bay needs to show some life.

Indianapolis @ Washington- The Redskins can create a believer or two with a win over the Colts in front of a national audience.

I’ve never been a big fan of the power rankings you see published by national media outlets, where all 32 teams are measured against each other. So here are our divisional power rankings, after 5 weeks of the NFL season:

AFC East

1. New York Jets
2. New England Patriots
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Buffalo Bills

– The Jets have beaten the Patriots and the Dolphins, which lands them the top spot. For most people’s money, their biggest weakness is Quarterback. Mark Sanchez has a passer rtg. of 91.7 (higher than Aaron Rodgers) and is the only starting QB in the NFL without an interception thrown. He might not look like an elite quarterback all the time, but Sanchez is effective enough. As for the Patriots and Dolphins, I think they’re very close, but I give the Patriots the advantage because they beat Miami on the road. Buffalo will have the first pick in the draft and might go 0-16. Their only shot at a win comes in mid-November when Detroit comes to Buffalo.

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Cleveland Browns
4. Cincinnati Bengals

– Yes, Cincinnati beat Baltimore in Week 2, but that looks like the high point for the 2010 Bengals. Meanwhile, the Ravens have gotten better each week and have to be feeling great after Ray Rice had his best game of 2010. The Ravens are like the Jets, in that their perceived weakness is at the QB position. Joe Flacco though, unlike Mark Sanchez, has been awful thus far, which keeps the Ravens behind the Steelers. And while Baltimore beat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field in Week 4, the Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger, who comes back this week. The Steelers defense has been outstanding so far and I don’t see that stopping. I like Cleveland more than Cincinnati because the Bengals look like a team that is on the verge of quitting on their coach, while the Browns fight hard every week.

AFC South

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Tennessee Titans
3. Houston Texans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars

-I know that the Colts have already lost to both Houston and Jacksonville, but I would remind you that they’re still tied for first in this underratedly bad division. And who do you want quarterbacking your average team? Peyton Manning or David Garrard? I rest my case.

AFC West

1. San Diego Chargers
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Denver Broncos
4. Oakland Raiders

– Call me a non-believer in the Chiefs. Matt Cassel is not the quarterback of the future or the present for this team. His unsteady leadership is what is holding back Jamaal Charles from breaking out. Dexter McCluster should be touching the ball 20 times a game, but isn’t. And Dwayne Bowe has been more than awful at receiver. And it all goes back to Cassel’s play. The Chiefs don’t have a consistent enough passing game and that’s hurting everything else on offense. The Chargers, meanwhile, can score on anyone, but can’t stop anyone. Denver runs the ball like an Arena League team. And Oakland is hinging all of its hopes on Bruce Gradkowski staying healthy. This division is the NFL’s version of Jersey Shore. It’s painful to look at, but it sure is fun. For some people. Not me. I like real football. I’ll tip my cap towards the Chargers because they do what they do well the best of anyone here.

NFC East

1. New York Giants
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Washington Redskins
4. Dallas Cowboys

-Michael Vick’s health would push the Eagles to my number one spot, but in his absence, we’re going with the Giants and their improved defense and improving running game. Eli Manning, though, needs to be a lot more careful with the football. The Eagles just need Kevin Kolb to manage games until Vick returns. The defense isn’t good, but it’s good enough in the East. Washington is an enigma to me and not worth talking about. And Dallas just isn’t worth talking about.

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Chicago Bears
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Detroit Lions

-The Vikings are either going to be a hot rod that will race to the top of this division or the wheels will fall off. I don’t know why, but I’m leaning towards them coming from behind to win the race. They’ve only played one division game and they won it. They can do some damage. Chicago is playing well, but Mike Martz’s genius offense isn’t so smart in Chicago in November and December. They will collapse. And I don’t know what’s wrong with Green Bay, other than them clearly buying into the hype. Much like the Saints. Speaking of which….

NFC South

1. Atlanta Falcons
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Carolina Panthers

– The Falcons showed that they can beat New Orleans in Week 3. And I know they’re better than Tampa Bay. They should be able to win this division rather easily. They’re good everywhere, but not great. They’re solid, not sexy. I don’t see a Super Bowl run in them, but they’re a functional playoff team. You may be shocked by Tampa over New Orleans, but you’ll see this Sunday when these two teams play in Tampa that the Bucs are for real. Josh Freeman has progressed hugely in his second season and the young defense has done a good job so far in 2010. I know that Pittsburgh manhandled them in Week 3. But Pittsburgh is a lot better than every team in the South, including the Saints. I wasn’t high on New Orleans coming into the season and I’m still not sold on them. Drew Brees has been nothing short of mediocre thus far. The injury to Reggie Bush has hurt an already weak running game. And Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem have regressed this season. The offense is nowhere near as good as it was in 2010. And the defense was never that good to begin with. (See: Giving up 30 points to Max Hall and the Arizona Cardinals. And they should have lost to San Francisco too.)

NFC West

1. St. Louis Rams
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. San Francisco 49ers

-Here we have the worst team winning a division and the best team finishing in last. This describes the NFC very well. While Dallas, Minnesota, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Green Bay are all struggling to stay relevant, the St. Louis Rams (led by a rookie quarterback), the Arizona Cardinals (led by an undrafted rookie quarterback), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (led by a second year quarterback) are all playing above their heads. I like the energy in St. Louis. They’re by no means a good football team, but neither are the Cardinals, Seahawks, or Niners. Sam Bradford has shown flashes of greatness. As for Arizona, I have a very hard time buying into Max Hall as an NFL QB. And I still think Seattle is awful, but if their defense can continue playing well, led by NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite Earl Thomas, I might have to eat my crow. And for those who think San Francisco is still going to win this division, you clearly haven’t watched this team play.

At the start of the year, I predicted Green Bay and Baltimore would play in the Super Bowl. I’m changing my mind on both teams. Baltimore hasn’t gotten the QB play it needs and Ray Rice has been inconsistent. I like the Jets to win the AFC. I think Mark Sanchez can manage a game well enough to let the defense win almost every week. In the NFC, I cannot see Green Bay putting it together without any running game. Aaron Rodgers needs something. I’m not too concerned with his absence for a week or two with a concussion nearly as much as I am with the fact that when he returns, the team will likely be .500 and facing a Minnesota team that won’t have to plan for the run. In the NFC, you can a feather into a hurricane and see where it lands. For right now, I like the Giants or Eagles. I’ll be cute and take the Giants so that we have an all-New York Super Bowl, played in Dallas.

Early Season Awards:

NFL MVP: Michael Vick. The Eagles with Vick looked like an unstoppable force. If he returns soon and stays healthy, he’ll win this award. Peyton Manning also deserves so pub, except his team is 3-2 and 0-2 in the division. I’d put Phillip Rivers third on this list for now, with Tom Brady a distant 4th.

NFL Def. POY: Troy Polamalu. Not even close.

NFL Off. ROY: Jahvid Best. He gets the nod over Sam Bradford.

NFL Def. ROY: Earl Thomas. Game changing safety. Much better than I thought he’d be.

NFL Coach of the Year: Raheem Morris. Has turned Tampa from a joke to a tough, young football team. They’re the NFL’s Oklahoma City Thunder from two years ago.

(editor’s note: This was written on Monday October 4th)

As I write this, I’m watching the minor train wreck that is the New York Mets hold a press conference discussing the team’s future. Earlier today, they fired GM Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel, about two years too late. Minaya was an abhorrent failure in New York as GM. The Mets minor league system is in the bottom 1/3 of MLB and the Major League club isn’t exactly awash in great talent, outside of David Wright, Johan Santana, and amateur boxer Francisco Rodriguez. The Mets developed the nickname “The Mess” this year. And that shouldn’t change in 2011.

Also today, the Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager John Russell. I know nothing about John Russell, but here’s what I do know: Russell was given the “opportunity” to manage an overmatched group of top prospects (Pedro Alvarez), good young players (Andrew McCutchen), failed prospects (Lastings Milledge), and replacement players (Delwyn Young). And that was the good part. The bad part was the Pirates pitching. Zach Duke, Charlie Morton, Jeff Karstens, and Brian Burres all saw a little too much of the pitching mound. The lone bright spot from a pitching standpoint, to me, was James McDonald, who came over from the Dodgers and showed some promise for the future. Sadly, for James and the Pirates and their great fans, he’ll likely be the Opening Day starter in 2011.

But we’re not hear to talk about 2011, are we? We’re here to look ahead to what should be a great postseason.

The American League gives us two interesting matchups. First, we’ve seen Minnesota play the New York Yankees quite a bit in the playoffs. In fact, they’ve met 4 times in the ALDS in the last ten years. But there’s something different about this matchup. First, the Twins have home field advantage. Second, the Yankees pitching is not very good. Third, the Twins have that really pretty new park, Target Field. You know what’s not different? The fact that the Yankees will win this series. Just like they have every other time they’ve played. The difference maker? Clearly the offense. The absence of Justin Morneau from Minnesota’s lineup will hurt them in a way that it didn’t during the regular season. The Yankees took 5 of 7 from the Twins during the regular season. If Minnesota can’t get to CC Sabathia in Game 1, the playoffs won’t be any different. The Yankees doubters will cite the fact that if the season started on August 1, New York would have finished last in the AL East. Those of us who aren’t trying to be contradictory will cite that these are the New York Yankees. Yankees win 3-1.

The other ALDS matchup is far more interesting, because we haven’t seen this one before. In my July “look-ahead” post, I talked about how much I was looking forward to this then potential matchup. “ I’m giddy at the possibility of this series,” I said. Well, I’m still giddy, especially for the first game which gives us the marquee pitching matchup of the DS games: Cliff Lee v. David Price. I expect the Rays to win Game 1. Game 2 is where it gets very interesting, with CJ Wilson facing James Shields and anything can happen from there. Back in July, I said that the Rays would win a very close 3-2 series. I’m going to flip-flop here and give this one to the Rangers, also 3-2. Tampa has struggled in Arlington, Texas over the past two season. If the Rays don’t win the first two at home, they won’t win the series. Rangers win 3-2.

In the National League, our first matchup pits the Phillies and Reds. This series will not be close. The Phillies pitching is way too good for Cincinnati to try to contend with and the Phillies offense is more stacked than the Reds. Philadelphia wins 3-0 in one of those series that is over before your realized it started.

On the other side, we have the Giants and Braves. The thing that jumps out at my first is that we’ll get to see Jason Heyward and Buster Posey square off on the biggest stage of their young, promising careers. I expect both to struggle a bit. I like the Giants in this series because they’re better stocked than Atlanta, who will have to win with an inferior pitching rotation and without Chipper Jones and, more importantly in this, the year 2010, Martin Prado. As always, this comes down to the ability of the road team (Atlanta) to steal a game on the road in the first two. I don’t think the Braves can do that, based on pitching matchups (Lincecum/Cain vs. Lowe/Hanson). Atlanta can take a game at home, but it ultimately won’t make a difference. Don’t expect a lot of runs (think a few 3-1 games). Do expect a Giants win 3-1.

Before I go, I’d like to weigh in on the MLB Regular Season awards.

AL MVP: Josh Hamilton (His numbers, even without the month of September, are the reason why this team is where it is right now.)
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez (It’s not even close. I don’t care about pitcher wins. It’s not 1978 anymore. Let’s take a look at the stats to the right of that pesky “W.” If we do, Hernandez blew away CC Sabathia and David Price).
AL Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz (I’d prefer Brian Matusz if this award was given away for performance in August and September, while ignoring May, June, and July. It isn’t, so Feliz’s solid year closing for Texas wins a cheapy).
AL Manager of the Year: Terry Francona (Maybe I’m biased, but he trotted out a AAA lineup every day and nearly snuck into the playoffs. Sorry Ron Washington.)

NL MVP: Joey Votto (I give it to Votto for his consistent year, leading a division winner, with great production).
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay (Adam Wainwright is closer than most are giving him credit for).
NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward (This is the most compelling of the awards. Posey and Heyward put up very similar numbers. Heyward’s WAR is 1.5 better than Posey’s and he played from Day 1, and so I lean him. But Posey is just as deserving. I tend to think they should split the award).
NL Manager of the Year: Bud Black (No contest).