I can't remember a postseason where there were so many possibilities. I look at the San Francisco Giants, with their post All-Star break record of 48-28 - not too shabby at all - and am hit with the realization that they are probably no more than the third hottest team heading into the playoffs. I think that they can win it all, but in order to do so, Tim Lincecum and Ryan Vogelsong are going to have to step it up.
You have the Cincinnati Reds, led by the erstwhile Dusty Baker (fellow alumnus of Del Campo High School), who seems to know how to do nothing as a manager but win (that's a compliment). You've got destiny's darlings, the Washington Nationals, hoping to put to rest generations of baseball demons that have taken root in our nation's capital. You've got the Atlanta Braves...the New York Yankees...teams with a long tradition of winning. You've got the amazing Baltimore Orioles, who really have no business being in the postseason, except for the fact that they kept winning all of those close games. The Detroit Tigers, with a late-season push to vault over the White Sox. The Texas Rangers, hoping to put their own demons to rest.
And then you've got the Oakland Athletics...and whether you're a fan or not, you have to love this team. The lowest payroll in baseball. The worst park in baseball. And a team so hot that they're setting new standards for the word. No one has ever heard of these guys, and that's why it would be so much fun to see them take out the AL royalty on their way to another Bay Bridge Series.
My friends and colleagues in L.A. would hate it, but hey...that's the way the ball bounces, right?
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