ALDS PREVIEW

Red Sox vs. Angels... again. Just like 1986, 2004, 2007, 2008. This is the 5th time these two teams have met in the postseason, and the Red Sox have won all 4 previous series. The Sox are 13-4 against the Angels in the playoffs.

But that's small comfort to me.

Here are the pitching matchups for this series:

Game 1: Jon Lester vs. John Lackey
Game 2: Josh Beckett vs. Jared Weaver
Game 3: Clay Buchholz vs. Scott Kazmir
Game 4: TBD vs. TBD
Game 5: TBD vs. TBD

Game 1 looks like an offensive shootout in disguise. The Sox hit Lackey well. The Angels hit Lester really well. Victor Martinez is 10/21 against Lackey. Vlad Guerrero is 4/10 against Lester. This game will surpass 10 total runs and will be determined by the bullpens. The Angels' pen isn't as deep as the Sox, so Game 1 will go to the good guys.



Game 2 worries me. Josh Beckett worries me. He had 20 Quality Starts, but a 3.86 ERA. He's been up and down all season. I really hope I'm wrong, and that 2007's Josh Beckett comes out to shine in the 2009 postseason, but I think we'll see what we saw in the '08 LCS against Tampa. The Sox hit Weaver well, so it'll be close, but I have to give the Angels the edge in Game 2.

Splitting two games in Anaheim would be a fantastic result for the Sox, who have the 2nd best home record in all of baseball. But the Angels have a secret weapon in Scott Kazmir. V-Mart, Ellsbury, and Pedroia will be able to hit Kazmir. The rest of the lineup will be lulled to sleep. I'm looking forward to seeing Buchholz in the playoffs. I think he'll do fine. But Kazmir will be lights out. Angels in Game 3.

This means Game 4 will be crazy. Matsuzaka is the likeliest candidate to start, but if the Sox are down 2-1, Lester might get the nod on short rest. Either way, I have little faith. Matsuzaka is a ticking timebomb waiting to implode. Lester's a lot like Pedro Martinez in that he needs his 4 days rest, and is a great pitcher for 100 pitches. But mess with that, and you're playing with fire. Angels win Game 4.

I really really hope I'm wrong. But I can't shake the feeling that the Angels will win this series in 4. Maybe it's just my late 90s pessimism reemerging. I certainly hope so.



And if the Angels do win, it won't be because of Mike Scioscia's managerial style. It won't be because of stolen bases. It will all come down to pitching. As great as the Sox starters can be, they can be equally as bad.

TODAY'S PLAYOFF GAMES

Last night was a great way to kick off the postseason. An epic 12 inning clash between the Twins and Tigers. And the people who enjoyed the game the most were the New York Yankees, watching both teams drain themselves before having to travel to New York tonight.

2:37 PM - TBS
Colorado Rockies @ Philadelphia Phillies
Ubaldo Jimenez vs. Cliff Lee
The Phillies won the season series 4-2, but Jimenez is no slouch. Then again, the Phillies have had success against Jimenez in the past. Cliff Lee was a huge pick-up for the Phillies, who will win this game 5-3.



6:07 PM - TBS
Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees
Brian Duensing vs. CC Sabathia
The Yankees may have made a mistake in allowing Sabathia to pitch 230 innings this season. Although it's a bit lower than last year (253), or the year before (241), he still tends to wear out at the 240ish inning mark. Unfortunately for Minnesota, that means CC has at least 7 strong innings left in him. Duensing, the 26 year old rookie will get smoked. Joe Mauer is 5 for 22 (.217) in his career against Sabathia.

Yannkees 6, Twins 2



9:37 PM - TBS
St. Louis Cardinals @ LA Dodgers
Chris Carpenter vs. Randy Wolf
This might be one of the more exciting series to watch. I think with Carpenter, the Cardinals have an advantage in Game 1. Although neither lineup has found much success against either of these guys in the past. The Dodgers are the better team overall, but tonight Carpenter will propel the Cards to a 1-0 series lead. Cardinals 4, Dodgers 1.

BRUINS SIGN LUCIC :-)

The Bruins didn't wait for Milan Lucic to hit restricted free agency. They signed the 21 year old to a 3 year extension worth $12.25 million. Lucic is now locked into the Bruins roster until the 2012-13 season.

This is just exciting news! Lucic is the kind of guy that can flip a playoff series on its head. He's got the hockey skills to score 20 goals, and the toughness to knock out 20 teeth. It's hard not to compare him to Cam Neely.

Source:
The Canadian Press

SOX/ANGELS TO START THURSDAY NIGHT

As expected, the Yankees selected to begin their series with the Twins/Tigers on Wednesday night. This means that the Red Sox/Angels series will start on Thursday. Game 2 will be Friday. Both games will be on TBS, and both will start at 9:37 PM. Games 3 and 4 will be on Sunday and Monday, respectively. Game 5 (if necessary) will be next Wednesday.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY'S BRUINS GAME

It was a long time ago, but with no Bruins hockey until Thursday and (probably) no Sox baseball until Thursday, it's time to relive a nice 7-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Here are the goals:



And here are the fights:

BC HAD A BIG WIN TOO

With the ending of the MLB regular season, the Patriots beating the Ravens, and the Bruins rolling over the Hurricanes, BC's Saturday afternoon win over Florida State has gone a little unnoticed.

The Eagles tried their best to blow this one, just as they tried to blow last week's win over Wake Forest. BC was up 21-3 late in the 2nd quarter, and went into halftime with a 21-6 lead.

The score remained 21-6 for most of the 3rd quarter. BC only had to hang on for 16 more minutes, but allowed a pair of ultra-fast Florida State scoring drives. But that's when Jacksonville's Montel Harris exploded, rushing 42 yards for the game winning touchdown.

Harris rushed for 179 yards and 2 TDs. Harris has already matched his touchdown total from last season with 5.

Now this wasn't your older brother's Florida State Seminoles. They're 2-3. They barely beat Jacksonville State. Then again, they also beat BYU, and their two losses are against ranked teams (South Florida, Miami).

That being said, it was on national TV, with ESPN's College GameDay broadcasting on campus, and very few people thought the Eagles would get to 4 wins at all, let alone be 4-1. It was also a divisional win. The ACC Atlantic Division winner will probably have 5 conference wins, and BC already has 2.

The Eagles are also very close to bowl eligibility, which also seemed like a far-fetched dream in the preseason. They need 2 more wins in their remaining 7 games in order to achieve this.

Next week's task is a tall one. BC has to go down to Blacksburg and play the #5 Virginia Tech Hokies. It's a pipe dream, but a win there would be epic. I predict a BC loss, but that's to be expected.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

5 YARD PENALTY FOR PLEADING

We've all seen the replay a million times. Tom Brady turning to the refs and asking for a roughing the passer penalty.

Was it a good call? Yes. Is it a good rule? No. It needs to be expanded upon.

Rodney Harrison called out Brady for his lobbying. And rightfully so. Before Anti-Patriot Nation (also known as the USA southwest of Hartford) goes nuts about this, Harrison and Brady are friends. And Brady's not the only football player who's looked for a call.

But he should be the last.

It's bad enough the NFL makes these over-protective rules. What's worse is when players whine and moan after dropping a ball. The rules are lame, the whining is lame, it's just lame upon lame.

So make a new rule. Any player that gestures to an official, looking to get a call, will have his team penalized 5 yards. It'll be an after whistle kind of penalty, so plays won't be altered or called back because of it. A 50 yard pass won't be negated, it'll simply be 1st & 15 instead of 1st & 10.

Receivers flicking their wrist, pretending to throw the yellow flag: that's 5 yards. What Brady did: that's 5 yards. Defenders doing the holding sign with their hands: 5 yards.

LESTER, BECKETT, THEN BUCHHOLZ

That's the 1-2-3 the Sox rotation will be in to start the impending ALDS against the Angels. And I couldn't agree more with it. While Beckett is Beckett, and is capable of outstanding brilliance; it's been Lester who's truly been the rock of the rotation. Lester's reliable, Beckett hasn't been.

Then there's the decision to place Buchholz in front of Matsuzaka. And I like that call, as well. Buchholz is the more consistent of the two, and is the more likely to give 7+ innings.

In any Game 3, you'll either be up 2-0, down 2-0, or tied 1-1.

If up 2-0, you don't want to ease off, but it isn't imperative to win. You'll still have Game 4, which will also be at Fenway.

If down 2-0, it doesn't matter who starts because everyone with an arm is available to throw. You're desperate, and you want a guy like Buchholz who is more likely to go out there and give you a lights out performance.

Daisuke is the perfect guy to have in a Game 4. The Sox will either be up 2-1, or down 2-1. Down 2-1, Matsuzaka can have his token 5 innings, but guys like Lester and Beckett can help the bullpen and throw an inning of middle relief. Up 2-1 is a similarly precarious situation, because you don't want to lose and play a Game 5 on the road.

I think the Sox playoff rotation is set-up as best as it could be.