Normally, Wednesday is movie day, but with the MLB playoffs starting, I'm going to skip that this week and have a little polling exercise on the playoffs. Playoffs are a crapshoot, so no predictions from me, just 50 words or so on storylines.
Twins-Satan's Spawn
I'm pretty sure that the Twins are a big underdog (the line on tonight's game is -330, ferchrissakes). But, in my mind's eye, I can see Captain Cheeseburger blowing up, like he's done before. The Yankees starters aren't terrific, and maybe some bats will be quiet. This is a little engine that could, but Gardy's clubs have had a little, um, trouble with the Yanks. Then again, there's the curse of Ronan Tynan in play, so hope!
Torii Hunter/David Ortiz
Ortiz criticized the Twins for their coaching and when he was released by the Twins, he languished out on the free agent market until the Red Sox took a flier on him and taught him how to shoot up*. Hunter turned into a pretty darned good player in Minnesota -- the best player in Twins history that I absolutely could not stand. Then, he went to Cali, bought a Bentley, and put up some huge numbers at a point in his career when one would expect decline. Hmmm.
*Ortiz denies this.
World Champs/Rockpile
It's cool that the Phillies are World Champs and not the two behemoths from the East, although having the Rays win it would have been cool (Rays, D-Backs, and Marlins all winning the World Series more recently than the Yanquis?). If the Twins are somehow upset in the first round of the playoffs, I'm pulling for the Rockies to win it all and add their name to the list of expansion franchises that have won the World Series since the last time the New Yorkers won it.
Uncle Albert/Manny
One's a known cheat. The other is suspect. But the other guy appears to be a pretty decent human being. Manny Ramirez used to amuse me, but his act has grown old. Meanwhile, this story chokes me up. So, the mere site of Tony La Russa might make me want to hurl, but I'll not be too upset if Albert Pujols and Co. win it all, either.
Okay, vote. What do you think will happen?
Who Wins ALDS between Twins and Yanks
Total Voters: 100  Loading ... |
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Who Will Win the NLDS between Philadelphia and Colorado
Total Voters: 67 Loading ... |
Who Wins NLDS between Los Angeles and St. Louis
Total Voters: 78 Loading ... |
I didn't really sleep last night, I think I am still pretty jacked up from the win. Perhaps due to this, I chose the Twins in five.
I don't know how the pitching matchups are going to shake down this week but I will tell you what; there would be nothing more awesome than Carl Pavano marching into Yankee stadium and shutting that team down.
I would have confidence in the Twins, but they have to face three lefties. If the Yankees pitchers were all Burnett types...
Hopefully Gardy puts Cuddyer between Mauer and Kubel again against the LHP, like I believe he did against Robertson last time. Not having Morneau might actually not be all that bad given all these LHP. And maybe Gomez will get a start or two. Delmon playing in BEAST MODE some more would definitely help, too.
It's kind of a shame that we can't put Delmon in right for this series. Everything hit to that side of the field in NY is a HR anyway. Then we can have a solid defensive outfield with Gomez in center and Span in left.
I voted with my heart, not my head. I see from the results I was not alone.
My votes all happened to line up with the plurality picks (at the time I was voting): Yanks in 4, Angels and Phillies in 5, STL in 4.
err, Phillies and STL in 4, rather
Correct me if I'm wrong...but if the Twins manage to get past the Yankees, they would have home field if they face ze Sawx in the ALCS due to being a division winner, right? I'm trying to find reasons to root against the LAAofA that go beyond not wanting to have to see the stupid rally monkey.
Right!
Argh! The Rally Monkey. I wish I could change my vote.
But if the Twins survive to face the Angels in the ALCS, redemption could be at hand for 2002. How sweet would it be to knock i-i and the team he plays on out of the playoffs?
Plus, that would mean both the Sawx and Yanquis would be out of the playoffs, thereby eliminating the two most annoying fanbases in the sport.
the line on tonight's game is -330, ferchrissakes
This is definitely a case of a line being overpriced. For starters, Yankees lines tend to be overpriced in the first place because sports books always get a ton of money on them. Add in the fact that the Twins played 12 innings last night and have a nobody starting for them and nobody is giving them a chance in this game. The sports books will get a ton of money coming in on the yanks, and they're going to make people pay for that. If I were still a sports bettor, I would definitely pick the Twins for this one. Hell, I would probably bet on them for every game of the series.
Reasons why the Twins can win this series:
This team is playing MUCH better than they were the last time they faced the Yanks
In Yankee Stadium, all the games were close, one or two run games, three of them walk-offs. It's not like the Twins were blown out every time.
NO ONE is giving them a chance. As most folks here know, the Twins are much more dangerous when they're counted out.
While pitching isn't spectacular for this club, it's been much better down the stretch than it was in July or August. Blackburn has been stellar, and I can't wait to see him pitch against the Yankees.
In all honesty, I expect the Yankees to win this series. On paper, it's a no-brainer. However, it would not surprise me one bit if the Twins were able to pull off the upset of the decade right here. Heck, the Indians were 0-6 against NY in 2007.. and guess who won THAT divisional series.