World Series

Unbelievable. How do those Red Sox do it? Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I got a feeling Bud Selig had something to do with it. Or maybe not - Boston did outscore Cleveland 30-5 over the last 3 games of the ALCS. I don't any umpire can affect the outcome of three games so blatantly.

So we move onto the World Series, between Boston and Colorado. The upstart (still expansion team to me) Rockies versus the juggernaut Red Sox. It's kinda funny - in the midst of all the Yankee spending spree bashing surrounding Major League Baseball, people seem to sometimes forget that in its own right, Boston exhibits the same spending attitude as their arch rivals in the Bronx. Payroll in Boston topped 180 million this year.

Oddsmakers have the Red Sox favored, and rightfully so. But they also had the Rockies as underdogs in their two previous playoff series. And no one can really tell what people in Vegas would have put the odds at for Colorado to win 21 of 22 games over the final weeks of the regular season just to sneak into the playoffs. I guess that's why they play the game.

Going into the series, I tend to think the BoSox will win in 5. They have a dominant bullpen, anchored by one of the big's best closers in Jonathan Papelbon. What will set the tone is the play of ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who has quietly become our generations best post season performer. Consider: he has 2 regular season shutouts in his regular season career. His post season? He's already racked up 3 in under 20 starts, including the dominating performances in this year's ALCS. Those with longer memory spans will recall his commanding performances in the 2003 World Series for the Florida Marlins (a performance which earned him his current job as the Red Sox ace). Tack on the offensive firepower of Manny and Big Papi, and I think the Rockies may have more than they bargained for.

Colorado will win one game in Denver, probably amidst thick snow flurries. But don't expect much more from the Rockies. The pick is Beantown in 5, with Beckett getting two more dominating postseason starts, a World Series MVP, and a spot in Red Sox history.