[editor's note, by Randy Booth] Meant to have this up before yesterday's game, but lack of time prevented me. Angels take game one!
There are four teams left: the Angels, White Sox, Astros and Cardinals. Now that the Red Sox are out of it, I need to find myself a new team to root for. Who will it be? Well, oddly enough, it's a hard choice.
One thing I know for sure is that I don't want the Chicago White Sox to win. A lot of people say that they want them to win because they beat Boston. Not me, though. I want them to be swept by the Angels. I want Vladimir Guerrero and the Angels to annihilate Chicago, and send them home with their uncorked champagne.
Clear American League winner for me: Angels.
I'm not a big fan of the Angels, but they have some players that I like watching, for example, the best defensive shortstop in all of baseball, Orlando Cabrera. How can you not like to watch a guy like O-Cab? He may not hit the ball well, but he's a joy to watch with the glove.
I hate when he faces Boston, but I also love to watch Francisco Rodriguez. I knew the ballgame was over yesterday when K-Rod took the mound. He took that whacky, perplexing windup with him and made the Yankees look pretty foolish. He is the next Mariano Rivera - but soon will be better.
Let's transition over to the National League. I must admit that I like both of these teams, but it will be hard for the Astros to win this series unless they get some great performances by their starters. The Cardinals are too strong in all facets of the game. The Cardinals are strong in hitting, pitching and defense. They are, in my opinion, the best team in the league and will show that against the Astros.
For the Astros to be successful, though, they'll need great pitching from their whole staff, not just Roger Clemens. Brad Lidge will need to cut down the walks, and just get the outs. If he's walking batters in the 9th inning in attempt of a save, the Cardinals will take advantage of his mistakes.
My final vote goes to ... dun dun dun ... the Astros. I won't be made if the Cardinals win, because I like them too, but just to change things up and see some different faces, an Angels/Astros World Series would be a fun one to watch. Wouldn't everyone else want to see pitch a couple of games in the World Series? He's been the best pitcher all season long, so why not reward him with a World Series appearance.
Go Halos! Go `Stros!