Octoberfest

Finally! After seven months of baseball, we finally know what eight teams will be competing for a world championship. 24 hours ago, we only knew seven teams. The Twins and Tigers played an unbelievable tiebreaker yesterday that had the Twins prevail as the 2009 AL Central champs after twelve innings of intense baseball. What an amazing way to start the playoffs! I said that if Minnesota could pull off this comeback and win the AL Central, Joe Mauer would be my pick for MVP. Mauer went 2-4 with a double in the big game last night, and I will definitely stick with my opinion from a few weeks ago. Now, it's time for teams to step up and show what they can really do. The Phillies-Rockies game is in progress now, but here are my picks for the matchups in the Divisional Round:

NL: Rockies vs. Phillies - Phillies
I picked the Phillies before today to move on, and they may even have a better team than last year. The Rockies really surprised me this year, but the Phillies have impressed me even more. They have an outstanding lineup on the hitting side and I think that Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels will be great in this series. Colorado will make it interesting, but the key for the Phillies is their starting pitching. Although the Rockies beat the Phillies in the 2007 NLDS, I think if Philadelphia can win that starting pitching battle, (the Rockies' Jorge De La Rosa was left off the NLDS roster with a groin injury), then the Phillies should go to their second straight NLCS. I pick them to win the series, 3-2.

NL: Cardinals vs. Dodgers - Cardinals
The Cardinals have who I think should be the NL MVP Albert Pujols, along with two of the league's best pitchers, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. The Dodgers are going to need good pitching from Clayton Kershaw and great hitting from Manny. The problem is that Manny simply hasn't been Manny recently. Matt Holliday may have been the best mid-season pickup this year, and he adds power and a threat to the Cardinals' lineup. With solid pitching and hitting from the Cardinals and not enough from Manny, I think the Cardinals will win the series in a close one, 3-2.

AL: Red Sox vs. Angels - Red Sox
Sorry Yankees fans. The Red Sox have proved me wrong since they were slumping in late July and early August, and David Ortiz finished with 28 home runs and 99 RBIs after just 1 home run and 18 RBIs in April and May. Also, Victor Martinez and Alex Gonzalez have been portentous additions for the team this year, and with a loaded lineup on the offensive side and good pitching for the duration of the season, I think they will be too much for Mike Scioscia and the Angels. I'm picking Boston, 3-1.

AL: Twins vs. Yankees - Yankees
Sorry Red Sox fans. As much as the Twins deserve the postseason birth, I see their run coming to a halt here. The Yankees were the only team in baseball to win 100 wins this year, and I think they will have three more by the time this series is over. New York has a great lineup, great pitching and home field advantage. The question for them will be AJ Burnett, but with A-Rod getting two home runs and seven RBIs in the season finale against Tampa Bay, the Yanks have momentum, just like the Twins. Rodriguez had his 12th 30 HR and 100 RBI season in a row despite missing over 25 games in the beginning of the year, and the addition of Mark Teixeira in the offseason was a huge help. I say the Yanks win the seris, 3-1.