World Series '09

Well, here we are at the start of the League Championship Series for each league. Hasn't time flown by? It just seems like yesterday that we as Blue Jays fans were starting the 2009 MLB season with all kinds of positive thinking. The Jays rewarded that positive thinking with a great April/May record, and we all started to dream of October baseball returning to Toronto for the first time since 1993. Alas, we were so very, very wrong. The season turned into a disaster, with injuries to key players and bad management happening at all the wrong times. Enough of Jays though- let's turn our focus to the Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees, and Angels.

The ALCS is quite simply going to be an absolute barn burner. The Yanks and Angels have been two of the best teams all year, and so it is only fitting that they will fight it out to determine who is going on to the AL representative in the World Series. The Yankees have bought themselves an impressive lineup this year that features A-Rod, Teixeira, CC Sabathia and Rivera. After finding their stride early in the year, they have been dominant and have looked like the team to beat. The Angels have stayed under the radar though, and don't get the credit that they deserve. Boasting a starting 9 that can all hit for a .300 or better average, the Halos are the team that you just don't want to face. They can steal bases, hit for average, hit the ball out of the park when needed, and most importantly can pitch out of a jam. There's no doubt in my mind that this series will go right down to the wire, but I see the Angels moving on to the World Series with a Game 7 victory.

The NLCS is a match up from last year's playoffs, and the sequel will be better the the original in my opinion. The Dodgers and Phillies have shown what can happen if you develop players through the minor league system, give them a chance at the major league level, and keep the team together for a few years. The Dodgers boast Game 1 starter Clayton Kershaw, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Russell Martin as just a few examples of homegrown talent. The Phillies boast players like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Game 1 starter Cole Hamels as their examples of players brought up through the system. This series will come down to clutch hitting in my opinion, and the Dodgers have the players to do just that. Manny will be Manny, Ethier and Kemp will become household names, and Russell Martin will be the next Canadian to play in a World Series. Dodgers in 6 games.