America's Past Time

With April upon us that can only mean one thing for sports fans and that is that baseball is back.  America's Past time is back and it kicked off tonight with the Braves beating the defending World Series Champs the Phillies.  As all the "pros" pick what they think is going to happen and who is going to win the divisions, leagues and the whole thing I figured this schmuck might as well tell all of you what I think is going to happen.  So with out further wait here are my picks:

American League East

1. NY Yankees

2. Boston Red Sox

3. Tampa Bay Rays

4. Toronto Blue Jays

5. Baltimore Orioles

This will be a tight 3 team race all season, but the Yankees did too much good this offseason to not produce.  They get back on track this year and not only win the division they also win the outright American League.  

American League Central

1. Chicago White Sox

2. Cleveland Indians

3. Minnesota Twins

4. Kansas City Royals

5. Detroit Tigers

The White Sox pull the small upset in the central just beating out the Cleveland Indians.  The big surprise in the Central is how competitive the Royals are going to be this year.  It will not shock me if they finish in 2nd in this division.

American League West

1. LA Angels

2. Texas Rangers

3. Seattle Mariners 

4. Oakland Athletics

This division is just awful and the Angels are going to win it.  I do not think the Angels are anything special this year, but they do not have much competition.  

The wild card race in the American League is going to be tight and here is how it will finish:

1. Red Sox

2. Rays

3. Indians

There wont be more than a few games between these 3 teams, but the Bo Sox head to playoffs.

National League East

1. NY Mets

2. Philadelphia Phillies

3. Atlanta Braves

4. Florida Marlins

The Mets and Philies race will be tight once again this year, but finally the Mets get over the hump and do not collapse at the end of the season.

National League Central

1. Chicago Cubs

2. St. Louis Cardinals

3. Milwaukee Brewers

4. Houston Texans

5. Pittsburgh Pirates

6. Cincinnati Reds

The Cubbies are going to run away with this league, that is until the Cardinals decide to turn it on after the Allstar break.  Cubs will still win by a decent margin.  They also will win the National League regular season as well.

National League West

1. LA Dodgers

2. Arizona Diamondbacks

3. San Francisco Giants

4. Colorado Rockies

5. San Diego Padres

LA Dodgers will hold of the Diamondbacks and are going to be very tough in the playoffs.  Manny is signed and that will be able to push them over the top in this division.

The National League Wild Card will finish:

1. Philadelphia Phillies

2. Arizona Diamondbacks

3. St. Louis Cardinals

The Phillies might have an extra game to be played against the Diamondbacks to decide who heads into the playoffs.

Here is how the playoffs go:

American League

1. NY Yankees vs 3. Chicago White Sox

The Yankees are going to sweep this series as there pitching is too solid and their bats are going to be in full force.

2. LA Angels vs 4. Boston Red Sox

The Angels finally have to face a tough team after having a cake walk through the AL West.  The Sox are sweeping through this round to head to the always fun match up against the Yankees.

American League Championship

1. NY Yankees vs 4. Boston Red Sox

This one goes to 6 or 7 games where the Yankees will be heading back to the World Series after a few years off.  The series will be another classic Sox vs Yanks series.

National League

1. Chicago Cubs vs 4. Philadelphia Phillies

The defending champs make a good push to repeat as champs but it is not to be.  The Cubs are going to win a playoff series and head to the National League Championship.  The Cubs are a very solid overall team this year and are too much for the champs.

2. LA Dodgers vs 3. NY Mets

This series is going to be very entertaining, both teams are very solid and this will go the distance.  The Mets are just going to be a little to confident with an incredible season and are going to get past the solid Dodgers.  It wont be a shock if the Dodgers win this though.

National League Championship

1. Chicago Cubs vs 3. NY Mets

A series that everyone wants to see will not disappoint.  This will get to 6 games, but the Mets will just be worn down from their last series against the Dodgers and finally the Chicago Cubs are heading to the World Series.

World Series:

NY Yankees vs Chicago Cubs

Does it get any better than this, two of the best franchises in Sports go head to head for the title.  The Chicago Cubs trying to break a 101 year drought and the Yankees trying to make it #27 World Series Championships.  This incredible series will go the distance.  We will get a game 7 and it'll be CC or Burnett vs Peavy (that's right at one point this season the Cubs will get Peavy).  This series will have a chance to be ended by the Cubs in game 6 at the new Cathedral, Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees wont disappoint the home town fans and will force a game 7.  Wrigley will host the final game of the season this year and in a classic baseball game come the top of the 9th will have a chance to win their first championship in 101 years and as the fans rise to their feet thinking 3 more outs and believing that this is their year the unfortunate memories of billy goats, the Padres and Steve Bartman in their minds.  However, unlike all those other times this is the Cubbies year.  3 outs later and the city of Chicago will be champions.  The longest drought in Sports history will finally end and a city will be World Champs once again.  Cubs win the series 4-3.

Those are my picks, you heard it here first make your bets and cash in on the winning picks.  

Before I go:

Common Thread Answer:  Silence Of The Lambs:  Foster in Inside Man, Hopkins in Meet Joe Black and Scott Glenn in Training Day.  

New Movie Quote: "You shook Sinatra's hand. You should know better."  

Question of the Day:  What do you think the World Series will be and who is your winner?

GIDDY UP