I am in no way qualified to make predictions but damnit…100 years already! This had better be the Cubs year! Of course it is the Cubs we are talking about. You could give them an all-star lineup of the giants in baseball from all of baseball history and the Cubs, if anyone would, can find a way to lose.
This town (I live in Chicago) will go stark, raving nuts if the Cubs are in the Series and especially if they win the series. If we get a crosstown classic, subway series with the White Sox this city will flat-out implode.
Could be awesome! Keeping my fingers crossed!
ALDS
Rays over Sox in 5
Angels over Sox in 4
NLDS
Cubs over Dodgers in 4
Brewers over Phillies in 5
ALCS
Angels over Rays in 6
NLCS
Cubs over Brewers in 4
WS
Angels over Cubs in 7 (sorry Cubsfan)
The above said, I’m taking my son to every game I can and hope the Rays can keep this thing going deep in. Hopefully we’ll at least win a few and have some great moments to remember.
Good luck to the everyone else who has a rooting interest.
DS:
Angels over Red Sox (4)
Rays over White Sox (3)
Cubs over Dodgers (5)
Phillies over Brewers (4)
CS:
Angels over Rays (5)
Phillies over Cubs (6)
World Series:
Phillies over Angels (7)
(OK, I’ll admit that I might be going a little overboard on the whole winning the World Series. But the Phillies will take care of both NL Central teams–just wait and see.)
Would you please stop saying shit like this. Fuck.
It’s OK, I am not a Cubs fan and I am not Sports Illustrated. My pick won’t jinx them if that is what you’re worried about.
Oh, go ahead and jinx away… 
I don’t mind.
What a thriller last night! A one-nil result complete with its own homer in the gloaming and Ken Griffey coming back from the dead with a bullet to the plate. Go Sox!
…Tampa scares the bejeezus outta me. They could… go… all… the… way.
Just found this table, which compares teams based on strength of schedule, similar to some of the college football indicies:
MLB RPI Rankings
RNK TEAM RPI W L PCT SOS PWR RS RA ExpW-L ExpWP
**1 Tampa Bay Rays .538 97 65 .599 .517 3 774 671 92-70 .571
2 Boston Red Sox .533 95 67 .586 .515 4 845 694 97-65 .597
3 Los Angeles Angels .531 100 62 .617 .502 2 765 697 89-73 .546
4 Chicago Cubs .525 97 64 .602 .499 1 855 671 100-61 .619**
5 New York Yankees .524 89 73 .549 .515 8 789 727 88-74 .541
6 Toronto Blue Jays .520 86 76 .531 .516 10 714 610 94-68 .578**
7 Chicago White Sox .518 89 74 .546 .509 12 811 729 90-73 .553**
8 Minnesota Twins .512 88 75 .540 .503 9 829 745 90-73 .553**
9 Milwaukee Brewers .512 90 72 .556 .498 7 750 689 88-74 .542
10 Philadelphia Phillies .512 92 70 .568 .493 5 799 680 94-68 .580**
11 Houston Astros .510 86 75 .534 .502 13 712 743 77-84 .479
12 St. Louis Cardinals .506 86 76 .531 .497 14 779 725 87-75 .536
13 New York Mets .505 89 73 .549 .490 6 799 715 90-72 .555
14 Cleveland Indians .501 81 81 .500 .502 16 805 761 86-76 .528
15 Texas Rangers .501 79 83 .488 .505 18 901 967 75-87 .465
16 Florida Marlins .500 84 77 .522 .493 15 770 767 81-80 .502
17 Oakland Athletics .496 75 86 .466 .506 19 646 690 75-86 .467**
18 Los Angeles Dodgers .495 84 78 .519 .487 11 700 648 87-75 .539**
19 Kansas City Royals .494 75 87 .463 .505 22 691 781 71-91 .439
20 Baltimore Orioles .492 68 93 .422 .515 26 782 869 72-89 .447
21 Detroit Tigers .491 74 88 .457 .502 23 821 857 78-84 .479
22 Cincinnati Reds .491 74 88 .457 .502 21 704 800 71-91 .436
23 Arizona Diamondbacks .490 82 80 .506 .485 17 720 706 83-79 .510
24 Pittsburgh Pirates .481 67 95 .414 .503 28 735 884 66-96 .409
25 Atlanta Braves .480 72 90 .444 .492 24 753 778 78-84 .484
26 Colorado Rockies .477 74 88 .457 .483 20 747 822 73-89 .452
27 San Francisco Giants .475 72 90 .444 .485 25 640 759 67-95 .416
28 Seattle Mariners .471 61 101 .377 .503 30 671 811 66-96 .406
29 Washington Nationals .462 59 102 .366 .494 29 641 825 61-100 .376
30 San Diego Padres .461 63 99 .389 .485 27 637 764 66-96 .410
Not necessarily predictive, but possibly indicative.
It’s always fun to go in as the underdog – I’m not scared. 
The Dodgers taken for the whole year are clearly the worst of the 8 teams. However, they have played so much better in the last 60 games since acquiring Manny that the chart ShibbOleth posted doesn’t seem to mean very much to me. I actually think they might be the second best NL team after the Cubs.
I want to predict the BoSox will beat the Angels, but I really don’t know that I can. The injuries are going to be a big hurdle to overcome. I’m going to Game 3 at Fenway and I really hope it’s not the last game of an Angels sweep.
Unless they are playing the Red Sox I’m rooting for Tampa in AL. They were impressive down the stretch and except for their awful stadium I like them.
In the NL I’m rooting for the Cubbies all the way. I really want the Dodgers to go down in flames for the way Manny treated the Red Sox, but I have to admit that he’s really helped that team.
Just chiming in to say the BrewCrew will beat the Phillies and there will be a Wrigley/Wrigley North matchup on the upcoming schedule.
Gallardo being the key. If he can pitch like he did last week and go an inning (or 20 pitches) deeper each game the Crew will be hard to stop. Between him and CC they make a mighty one-two punch. Forget Sheets, he can relief pitch if they can squeeze an inning or two out of him.
McClung and Parra, Suppan and Busch…you can squeeze some starting work out of those guys if needed, or long relief. Good thing for them there is a plethora of travel time during and between series.
Three days rest will be the term you hear most when referring to the Brewer’s pitching.
Batting Average:
Red Sox (3rd)
Cubs (5th)
Angels (10th)
Dodgers (14th)
White Sox (18th)
Rays (21st)
Phillies (23rd)
Brewers (25th)
**Home Runs: **
White Sox (1)
Phillies (2)
Brewers (5)
Cubs (8)
Rays (10)
Red Sox (12)
Angels (18)
Dodgers (22)
**Team Slugging: **
White Sox (2)
Red Sox (3)
Cubs (5)
Phillies (6)
Brewers (9)
Rays (13)
Angels (18)
Dodgers (23)
Stolen Bases
Rays (1)
Phillies (4)
Angels (5)
Dodgers (6)
Red Sox (7)
Brewers (11)
Cubs (15)
White Sox (25)
Runs Scored:
Cubs (2)
Red Sox (3)
White Sox (6)
Phillies (8)
Rays (13)
Angels (15)
Brewers (17)
Dodgers (24)
Runs Allowed:
Dodgers (2)
Cubs & Rays (3)
Phillies (5)
Brewers (6)
Red Sox (8)
Angels (9)
White Sox (14)
ERA:
Dodgers (2)
Rays (3)
Brewers (4)
Cubs (5)
Phillies (6)
Angels (8)
Red Sox (9)
White Sox (12)
**Opposing BA: **
Cubs (2)
Rays (3)
Red Sox (4)
Dodgers (5)
Brewers (8)
Phillies (12)
White Sox (13)
Angels (14)
Saves:
Angels (1)
Rays (2)
Phillies (4)
Red Sox (5)
Brewers (6)
Cubs (7)
Dodgers (21)
White Sox (26)
Just for poops and chuckles …
ShibbOleth’s rankings averaged out look like this:
Cubs: 5.78
Red Sox: 6.00
Rays: 7.67
Phillies: 7.78
Brewers: 10.11
Angels: 10.89
White Sox: 13.00
Dodgers: 13.22
Therefore:
American League
-Red Sox over Angels
-Rays over White Sox
-Red Sox over Rays
National League
-Cubs over Dodgers
-Phillies over Brewers
-Cubs over Brewers
And finally …
World Series
Red Sox over Cubs
…because even though the Cubs have a better average rating, they’re jinxed.
See … my original prognosis was correct all along.
(Strains to pull predictions from nether regions)
Actual predictions:
Cubs in four
Phillies in four
Red Sox in three
Rays in three
Cubs in six
Rays in seven
Cubs in seven
If I had my way:
Cubs in three
Phils/Crew: don’t really care. Five games, hopefully with the winning team sustaining multiple serious injuries.
Red Sox/Angels: meh
Rays in…oh, I’ll be generous. Four.
Cubs in four
Rays in seven
Cubs in four. Repeat next year.
The View from Vegas (sportsbook odds on winning the Series):
Cubs 3-1 (12-1 on Opening Day)
Angels 4-1
Rays 4-1 (200-1 on Opening Day! Wonder how much action that got)
Red Sox 4-1
Phillies 7-1
Dodgers 12-1
Brewers 15-1
White Sox 18-1
About an hour left before today’s first pitch is thrown, so I’ll get my predictions in:
OPENING ROUND
Red Sox are defending champs and also took ‘04 Series to bury “Curse of the Bambino”, while Angels’ only world title came seven years ago. I’ll go with Boston’s recent post-season success to continue.
Although having to play Monday and yesterday didn’t allow White Sox the luxury of setting up preferred rotation, I’ll go with experience again. Rays’ dream season ends as Chicago’s AL reps advance to LCS.
Windy City’s senior circuit representatives also move on. Cubs are the best team in the NL this year, and Dodgers’ lack of offense will be fatal.
Philadelphia-Milwaukee series will be the most interesting of the opening-round matchups. I’ll go with the Phillies, whose October record over the years is hardly stellar, but still outshines the Brew Crew’s.
LCS
Battle of Sox will be won by the “Carmines” (as Chicago broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson refers to Boston’s team) over the “Pale Hose”.
Meanwhile, the Wrigley faithful of the “Second City” get to keep singing Go Cubs Go as Lou Piniella’s squad knocks out Charlie Manuel’s Phillies.
FALL CLASSIC
It’s been 63 years since they even represented the NL in the World Series, and 100 since they won it all, but both droughts will finally end. On the North Side of Chicago, the Annus Catuli counter can finally be reset to straight zeroes as the Cubbies win the final game of 2008!
Phillies over Brewers 4 games
If the Brewers could get Sabathia to pitch every game I wouldn’t be as certain. As it is, I like the Phils chances. Good bullpen and a lot of bats.
Dodgers over Cubs 5 games
Dodgers have great pitching and Manny has been there before.
Rays over White Sox 4 games
Rays have played like a team with experience this year, and I expect them to keep it up in the playoffs.
Angels over Red Sox 5 games
Injuries will be too much for them to overcome.
Angels over Rays 7 games
Hard fought series that comes down to the last game.
Phillies over Dodgers 6 games
Phillies steal a game in LA to finish the series out in 6.
Phillies over Angels 6 Games
Of course bottom of the ninth in the 6th game Lidge gives up a homer to Joe Carter. Luckily, this time they pull it off anyway.
Brewers seem to be a little thin on starting pitching right now. Maybe CC Sabathia can start every other game?
Oh I swear to god…when I was six the Phillies made my cry with that ridiculous loss, convincing me that it’s arguably better to not get close at all than it is to watch victory slip through your fingers.
That said, the Phightin’ Phils are going to beat the crap of the Brewers (Sabathia cannot carry them against the Phillies), decimate the Cubs, and then own the Red Sox, winning their second World Series.
Then the city of Philadelphia will have the biggest damn party that the world has ever seen. I swear to god, if the Phillies win, we can go ahead and cancel every holiday for the rest of the year, because nothing in the world could possibly be better.
Well that was an exciting 9th inning.
**Congrats to Phillies as they go up 1-0. **