Love them or hate them.  Giants fans from New York to San Francisco are happy to have a winner.  Since moving from New York to San Francisco in 1958 the Giants have had some talented teams.  From Mays and McCovey. To Will Clark and Matt Williams.  Then to Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent.  Anyone of those talented teams would have won a World Series. 

As the San Francisco Giants they made it to three World Series before this year.  They lost in seven games to the New York Yankees in 1962.  They were swept by their crosstown rivals the Oakland Athletics in 1989.  They blew a 5-0 lead in Game 6 of the 2002 World Series to the Anaheim Angels, who would go on to win Game 7.  It hasn’t been a great history in San Francisco, but at some point they were due.

In essence when you think about baseball, you can’t always assume the best teams on paper will be there in the end.  The Giants were an after thought during the regular season.  I had them finishing second, but not making the playoffs.  The main reason why I had them that high was because of their pitching.  That wasn’t overlooked by anyone I don’t believe.  That’s why they are champions today.

Not since the Florida Marlins championship team of 2003 has a World Series champion had so much home grown talent in the pitching staff.  Tim Lincecum is a legitimate big game pitcher.  Postseason experience has been thrown out the window as long as you have great pitching.  Matt Cain is finally getting the recognition he deserves.  Remember he was an established starter before Lincecum.  Jonathan Sanchez struggled late in the postseason, but he is a hard throwing left-hander that most teams covet.  Madison Bumgarner, another hard throwing left-hander, was phenomenal in the NLCS and World Series.

Hitting was their glaring weakness throughout the year, but it came together at the right time.  Aubrey Huff received no other offers in the off-season than the one from San Francisco.  He had never played in the postseason before and was playing like a savvy veteran.  Edgar Renteria, who was the hero of the Florida Marlins 1997 championship, had another fantastic World Series and was the MVP.  Cody Ross, who was waived by the Marlins during the regular season, was eagerly claimed by the Giants.  His impact was felt immediately down the stretch and when they played the Phillies in the NLCS. 

They had some characters on this team and none more crazy than their closer Brian Wilson.  Now you have to be a little crazy to be a closer in baseball.  Wilson takes it to a whole other level.  I like that though.  And so does their manager Bruce Bochy who is one of the most underrated managers in the game today.  I knew the San Diego Padres made a mistake letting him go, but the Giants were happy to bring him in after seeing the success he had with the Padres for over a decade. 

Say what you want about the 2010 San Francisco Giants, but you can’t deny that they beat the Atlanta Braves in four games during the Division Series.  They beat the two time National League champion Philadelphia Phillies in six games during the Championship Series.  Then topped it off by beating the offensive juggernaut the Texas Rangers in five games during the World Series.  They were underdogs throughout the playoffs.  But in the end they were the best team in baseball.

2010 World Series

Texas Rangers vs. San Francisco Giants

Hitting: There is a big margin between the Rangers hitting and the Giants.  Texas had a blast (pardon the pun) with the Yankees pitching and the Giants were in a battle with the Phillies.  Both teams had one hitter that set the tone for them in the Championship Series.  Texas has Josh Hamilton and San Francisco has Cody Ross.  Hamilton was given a free pass towards the end of the series against the Yankees and Ross was pitched to most of the time, but could have easily done more than he did.  Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler have been consistent forces throughout the postseason for Texas and Vladimir Guerrero and Bengie Molina’s bats were awoken late in the ALCS.  Elvis Andrus will have to continue to wreak havoc on the base paths as his 7 postseason steals prove that.
The Giants have only had Cody Ross provide the spark, but there are others who have provided big hits at key moments.  Juan Uribe had the game winning home run in Game 6 against Philadelphia.  Buster Posey had the key base hit to setup Uribe’s sac-fly to win Game 5.  Those two will need to continue to provide the big hits again for the Giants to pull off the dream season.  Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell can’t continue to stay quiet and Andres Torres was starting to get back on track late in the NLCS, but he has to get on base to disrupt the Rangers starting pitching.
Edge goes to Texas

Pitching: Cliff Lee is making his second World Series appearance in as many years and this time he hopes it results in a victory.  He is rested and ready to continue his amazing postseason run of 34 strikeouts to only 1 walk in his 3 postseason starts.  C.J. Wilson will have to repeat what he has going for the Rangers this postseason.  Many in the organization have said that he is their best pitcher even after acquiring Cliff Lee before the trade deadline.  Colby Lewis was the hero of the Game 6 victory over the Yankees.  He picks his spots in the strike zone and always keeps his defense in the game.  Neftali Feliz has had an easy ride so far, but he will need to continue his amazing rookie season as the closer.  He’s going against one of the best bullpens all year in San Francisco.
It’s no fluke that Tim Lincecum has won back-to-back Cy Young awards.  It’s also no fluke that the Giants are in the World Series.  Lincecum has exceeded expectations in his first postseason and with fellow starter Matt Cain the Giants have a great 1-2 punch to match what the Rangers will throw at them with Lee and Wilson.  Jonathan Sanchez struggled mightily in the NLCS, but he will have to shake that off and give the Giants at least 6 innings to provide the needed support.  Madison Bumgarner surprised in his only postseason start against the Philies.  Can he do it again?  The Giants strength is in their bullpen.  Brian Wilson has been excellent in save situations.  The guys in front of him Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt deserve just as much of the credit as Wilson does in getting the Giants where they are.
Edge goes to San Francisco

Outcome: I love the underdog story.  San Francisco has it.  I love the adversity story.  Texas has it with Hamilton.  Lincecum vs. Lee is probably the best World Series pitching duel in recent memory.  Bengie Molina was with the Giants in the beginning of the season and has helped the Rangers get to where they are.  Who is saying this will be an unwatchable World Series?  Baseball fans, writers and general managers will watch no matter what.  The only ones crying about it are the networks.  For shame.  A New York and Philadelphia re-match was predicted by so many, including myself.  However, the beauty of the game is seeing it all play out and being given a brand new matchup to debate over.  The two best teams are playing for the World Series.  That’s all that matters.

Texas in 6 games

American League Championship Series

New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers

Hitting: The Yankees looked pretty impressive in their sweep of the Minnesota Twins in the Division Series.  Only one starter batted under .250 and that was Brett Gardner (.200).  Curtis Granderson was everything the Yankees needed for the back end of their lineup batting .455 and driving in 3 runs.  The Yankees will need to get more production out of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez to move on.  Jeter (.286) and A-Rod (.273) had sub par averages and combined to drive in only 2 runs and struck out 5 times.  New York was fortunate that the Minnesota Twins didn’t put up much of a fight.
The Texas Rangers showed no signs of wilting under pressure in their series with Tampa Bay.  Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz provided the pop combining for 6 HR and 9 RBI against the Rays.  That helped a whole lot as Josh Hamilton struggled to find a groove.  Hamilton will need to wake up for the Championship Series if the Rangers are to have a more consistent attack against the Yankees.  Vlad Guerrero and Michael Young will need to be more active.  Elvis Andrus had a good start to the postseason, but will need to put even more pressure on the Yankees defense than he did with Tampa Bay.
Edge goes to New York

Pitching: It’s amazing that the Yankees can still get the kind of production out of Andy Pettitte year in and year out in the postseason.  Him and Phil Hughes went 7 innings in their starts and both were phenomenal.  C.C. Sabathia will have to earn his paycheck in the Championship Series against Texas.  He won’t have to face off against his former Cleveland Indians teammate Cliff Lee, but he will need to have a bounce back series.
Texas probably won’t have Cliff Lee pitch in three games if it goes seven games, but they will have a better chance knowing they have him in their rotation.  C.J. Wilson was brilliant in his only start against Tampa Bay.  He will have to continue that success and challenge the Yankees hitters.  The Rangers don’t have the strongest bullpen.  Considering they don’t have Mariano Rivera, but they have better setup options than the Yankees.
Edge goes to Texas

Outcome: Two of the best hitting teams all year will square off.  They both have some great pitchers as well.  Ultimately it will come down to who has the better starting pitching.  Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson vs. C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte.  That is where the eyes should be.  There is plenty to see with the offense, but who has the better pitching will be key.  The lower ERA goes to the victor.

Yankees in 6 games

National League Championship Series

San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Hitting: Not surprisingly the Giants as a team batted .212.  But what was surprising is how clutch some of their hitters were against the Atlanta Braves.  Buster Posey, Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff will have to continue to show up in clutch situations for the Giants.  They didn’t get much out of Juan Uribe, Andres Torres and Pat Burrell.  All three were integral parts of the success during the season.  The Giants will have to score runs to help their pitching staff.
The Phillies hitting was a surprise batting only .212, the same as the Giants.  Chase Utley was the only one to hit a home run.  Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez along with Utley were the most consistent hitters.  They will have to continue that trend.  The magic needs to come from Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins in a big way.  Both set the tone on the base paths and put constant pressure on the defense.  The big key is Jayson Werth.  He will need let his presence show the rest of the postseason.
Edge goes to Philadelphia

Pitching: The Giants got a complete game two-hitter out of Tim Lincecum in his first postseason start.  He added 14 strikeouts in that start.  Matt Cain played up to par with 6 strikeouts in his only start.  Jonathan Sanchez struck out 11 and dismantled the Braves in his start in Game 3.  The Giants bullpen was superb with Brian Wilson doing his job and closing out the crucial wins.  All in all the Giants have the arms to shutdown the Phillies bats, but time will tell if they can sustain it for a 7-game series.
The Phillies had a no-hitter thrown by Roy Halladay in his first postseason start.  Only the second time that ever happened.  Roy Oswalt didn’t have a great start, but the Phillies bullpen backed him up.  Cole Hamels pitched a 5-hit shutout to complete the sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.  The Phillies still have Brad Lidge, who is second all time in postseason saves as their closer.  Should it come down to that the Phillies are in good shape.
Edge goes to Philadelphia

Outcome: While the American League will have a focus on the pitching staffs of both teams, the National League will have a focus on the hitting.  Both teams will have to bat better than .212 if they expect to win the World Series.  The Giants aren’t expected to have the big bats, but if they should have a better showing against the Phillies pitchers they will be the victors.  The same goes for Philadelphia’s bats if they can hit the Giants pitchers.  The highest batting average goes to the victor.

Phillies in 5 games

American League Division Series

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins

Hitting: The Yankees have an All-Star lineup to throw at the Twins.  Derek Jeter will be looking to create some more postseason magic in pinstripes for what could be his last season in New York.  Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are healthy and will be counted on solidifying the power for the middle of the lineup.  Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher have been spectacular for the Yankees all year long.  That trend should continue going forward.
The argument could be made for the Twins not winning this series with former AL MVP first baseman Justin Morneau out for the postseason, but the Twins have been winning without him most of this year.  Joe Mauer is fully healthy and ready to lead the way in the Twins new ballpark.  Orlando Hudson has been an important piece at the top of the order and must get on base.  Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young and Jason Kubel have picked up the slack with Morneau being out.  All three must be up to par to keep up with the Yankees.  Jim Thome has had a great season and must come up in clutch situations again for the Twins to get past the Yankees.
Edge goes to New York

Pitching: New York will go with a three man rotation that still has C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte.  However, A.J. Burnett has struggled too much this year.  Joe Girardi will go with Phil Hughes as the third starter.  Will it hurt them?  Probably not since Hughes is set up to pitch at Yankee Stadium, a comfort zone for him.  The key will be getting to Mariano Rivera and the Yankees have two capable arms to do that in Kerry Wood and Joba Chamberlain.  Both must not blow a lead when setting up for the best postseason pitcher ever in Rivera.
Francisco Liriano has been superb this season.  He seems to have returned to form before having Tommy John surgery.  Him and Carl Pavano have carried the starting rotation all year.  Pavano interestingly enough is going against the team that paid him nearly $50 million for five years once again in the postseason.  Brian Duensing will be given the ball in the third game and is the crafty left-hander who has to work the corners and rely on his defense to get through an inning.  Matt Capps has been nearly flawless since he was acquired from the Washington Nationals back in July.  With Jon Rauch and Brian Fuentes the Twins have three capable closers in their bullpen.  Minnesota prides themselves on their pen, but will it be enough?
Edge goes to New York

Outcome: Minnesota has been one of the best teams in baseball this year and it’s no fluke.  They play great defense and their pitching has been great.  Offensively they haven’t missed a beat playing in an outdoor stadium.  New York has been playing in the toughest division in baseball (AL East) and they are the defending champions.  When in doubt, look to your established veterans i.e., Jeter and Rivera.  That is very comforting for a Wild Card team like the Yankees.

Yankees in 4 games


Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Hitting: When in doubt, the Texas Rangers have turned to their offense to win games.  It resulted in their first division title since 1999.  Josh Hamilton is one of the favorites to win the AL MVP this year and it showed down the stretch when he missed some games that the Rangers need him in the middle of their lineup.  Vladimir Guerrero has exceeded all expectations and the Rangers hope it continues in the postseason.  Nelson Cruz and Michael Young have been the consistent force in the order.  Both are playing in October baseball for the first time.  Speedsters Elvis Andrus and Julio Borbon will have to get on base consistently to wreak havoc on the Rays pitching.
It starts with Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford.  If they’re on, the Rays are tough to beat.  Just look back at their run to the World Series in 2008.  Both were big parts of hitting onslaught that postseason.  B.J. Upton has been getting warmer in September and he could have a big October for Tampa Bay.  Carlos Pena and Dan Johnson are the big power bats that Texas will need to keep in check.  Super utility players Ben Zobrist and Sean Rodriguez are always ready to play at an instant and manager Joe Maddon will be doing that a lot this postseason.  It’s just his style.
Edge goes to Texas


Pitching: C.J. Wilson has been the Texas Rangers best pitcher all year long.  Had Cliff Lee not been acquired, the Rangers would still be in okay shape, but it just looks better with a former AL Cy Young winner.  Lee and Wilson form a nice 1-2 punch to start the series, but how is Texas going to finish it?  They will need to count on a bullpen that has a veteran left-hander in Darren Oliver and a rookie closer in Neftali Feliz to help seal the deal on their victories this series.  Lee can’t pitch every inning of every game and Wilson rarely goes past 7 innings.
Tampa Bay has their Cy Young candidate in David Price ready to go.  Funny how he was the secret weapon out of the bullpen two years ago and now he’s there ace on the staff.  James Shields and Matt Garza are still around and both are more than capable of getting the job done for the Rays.  One thing in Tampa Bay’s favor is their bullpen this year.  Rafael Soriano is a stud and will finish games.  Setting him up won’t be a problem either with Joaquin Benoit.  Who by the way was with the Texas Rangers for his first 8 seasons in the majors.  Interesting subplot for this series.
Edge goes to Tampa Bay

Outcome: Ultimately pitching wins in the postseason.  It’s a tired, but true cliche.  You have to have offense too, but Tampa Bay has it covered.  Sure they don’t have the potential to score 5 or more runs on you an inning like Texas does, but the Rays won the AL East.  The proclaimed toughest division in baseball.  Texas dealt with a sub-par AL West this year and had it in the bag pretty early.  The Rays have experience too.  It’s pretty much the same team from two years ago.  That counts for a lot in the postseason.  Just ask the Yankees.

Rays in 4 games

National League Division Series

Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Hitting: Cincinnati has had a great season and they deserve all the credit.  Unfortunately they start the postseason against the two time defending National League champions.  They are led by MVP candidate Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips.  Both are the unquestioned team leaders and they lead by what they do on the field.  Orlando Cabrera was a great pickup before the season and his leadership on the field has helped turn around the Reds defense and has helped the pitching staff gain confidence.  Scott Rolen has returned to his old ways and has been crushing the ball.  His glove hasn’t left him yet and teaming up with Cabrera on the left side of the infield has benefited both players.
The quartet of Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth are all healthy and ready for another postseason celebration.  That’s a scary thought for the other three playoff teams in the National League.  Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco have awoken their bats and the Phillies lineup is as balanced as ever.  You add Mike Sweeney to the mix during the season to be a pinch hitter at this time to go along with your top prospect Domonic Brown and you have yourself a lot of quality depth.
Edge goes to Philadelphia

Pitching: The Reds have three quality starters to go against the Phillies order.  Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto.  The problem with all three is that if they get into a jam, it’s difficult to get them out of it.  It’s a lot to ask of Volquez and Cueto who both have no postseason experience to stop the Phillies lineup from scoring at least 4 runs in their respective starts.  The wild card in all this is Aroldis Chapman.  The 100mph phenom is going to have the entire world watching to see what he can to stifle the Phillies’ bats.  Francisco Cordero might not be seen much in this series, but if he does pitch he can save a game with the best of them.
The Phillies have without a doubt the best starting pitching of any team going into the postseason.  When you can throw out Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt in succession, you will not lose any sleep if you’re manager Charlie Manuel.  Halladay is the only one without any postseason experience.  Which in itself is amazing.  Hamels has a ring and Oswalt nearly received one with Houston.  All three complement each other well and the Phillies are blessed to have this staff.  Of course the question will be if Brad Lidge is right going into October.  He looked good down the stretch and with the three starters able to go the distance if need be, Philadelphia has nothing to worry about.
Edge goes to Philadelphia

Outcome: I would like to see Cincinnati in the NLCS, but alas it won’t happen.  They’re playing the Phillies.  It would be a great story if the Reds were able to knock out the defending National League champions, but I just don’t see how it will happen.  Unless one of the Phillies starters doesn’t pitch up to par, the hitting quartet doesn’t produce and Brad Lidge blows every single game he pitches in.  If just one of those scenarios happens, then the Reds do have a chance.

Phillies in 3 games

Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants

Hitting: Atlanta has been right at the top for most of the season, but struggled down the stretch and lost the division title and almost lost the wild card spot in the process.  Thankfully for them they get a chance to send manager Bobby Cox out on top and it starts with their infield.  Troy Glaus has been exactly what the Braves needed when he was signed.  He hasn’t been too bad either on defense.  Derek Lee struggled to get acclimated after he was acquired, but has found his niche at the right time.  Martin Prado has been one of the best hitters in the league this year and Alex Gonzalez was an instant spark when he was acquired from Toronto.  Jason Heyward was the overwhelming favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, but struggled during the summer.  Potentially he could be ready to breakout again in the postseason.
San Francisco waited til the last day of the season to clinch the NL West.  The San Diego Padres were leading the division throughout most of the year and the Giants held firm and caught up with them.  Waiver pickup Pat Burrell was a magnificent acquisition.  He has plenty of postseason experience.  He has a ring to prove it with the Phillies.  Like what Glaus is for the Braves the same goes for Aubrey Huff and the Giants.  They needed a consistent bat in the middle of their lineup and he provided that.  Juan Uribe provided a lot of power in crucial situations.  Andres Torres was the catalyst at the top of their lineup.  Buster Posey, their rookie catcher, is everything they expected from him and more.  He handles himself very well with the pitching staff and is the future cleanup hitter.
Edge goes to San Francisco

Pitching: The Braves are thankful that Tim Hudson has fully returned from Tommy John surgery to become the Braves ace once again.  He will be counted on to get the Braves through another tough stretch against an equally great pitching staff in San Francisco.  Hudson won’t be alone as Derek Lowe will be putting his stuff to the test and take another shot at a getting a second ring.  Atlanta’s bullpen is anchored by Billy Wagner who is pitching his final season and he hopes to go out with a ring too.  Setting up Wagner is side-winder Peter Moylan who is tough to hit on his bad days.
The Giants have a good rotation that starts with 2 time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum.  “The Freak” as they call him will get a chance to show his talents in the postseason for the first time.  The same goes for Matt Cain who has been in the shadow of Lincecum, but Cain has just as good if not better stuff than Lincecum when he’s at his best.  Jonathan Sanchez will be given the third spot over Barry Zito who is too inconsistent to warrant the chance.  Sanchez has filthy stuff, but must keep control in order to succeed.  Brian Wilson is no fluke.  He lead all of baseball in saves while striking out nearly 100 batters.  He is quite the character too, but you have to if you want to be the closer.
Edge goes to San Francisco

Outcome: As much as I respect and love how Bobby Cox has managed throughout his career.  I can’t see the Atlanta Braves winning this series.  Yes, they do have the right pieces together to beat the Giants.  Atlanta has the experience, which will go a long way.  They have the better story in Bobby Cox.  They just don’t have the youth factor.  If the Giants didn’t have the kind of pitching that they do, the Braves would win easily.  I just don’t see San Francisco losing to the Atlanta Braves especially with the kind of closer the Giants have.  The Braves, like the Reds are the better story, but I can’t go against my head

Giants in 5 games

There will always be rivalries between sports fans.  Boston vs. New York.  Los Angeles vs. San Francisco.  Chicago vs. St. Louis.  Those are just a few of the best in baseball.  Over the years though, it has become apparent that with free agency being the norm that the players no longer see it that way.  Guys have played with one another at one stop or another and they don’t have any animosity towards them.

Thankfully, Cincinnati Reds All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips doesn’t see it that way.  His comments Monday before their three game series against the St. Louis Cardinals has opened up a brand new can of worms during the pennant race in the National League Central Division.

“I’d play against these guys on one leg,” Phillips told a Dayton Daily News columnist “We have to beat these guys.  All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them.  They’re little bitches, all of them.  I really hate the Cardinals.  Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs.  Let me make this clear: I hate the Cardinals.”

If I didn’t know it, I’d thought Phillips hates the Cardinals.  I mean when you say, “compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs” you must really hate the Cardinals.

Anyway you just knew something was going to happen in this series.  And of course something did.  I figured it was going to be a beaning to Phillips that would get this going or some chin music.  Something to that nature.  It went completely the other way without a pitch even being thrown.

Phillips gets to the batters box and proceeds to tap the shin guard of Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.  Molina kicks at his bat to which Phillips pauses for a moment, then lightly taps his shin guard again.  Phillips steps out of the box, takes a practice swing and gets into his stance.  I should point out that this is in the bottom of the first inning.

Molina doesn’t let Phillips get in his stance and begins that trash talk.  As with every baseball brew-ha-ha no one really wants to fight.  Reds third baseman Scott Rolen was playing peacemaker calming down Molina while the managers Dusty Baker of Cincinnati and Tony LaRussa of St. Louis were talking with the umpires.

It was still pretty uneasy when Baker proceeded to walk back towards the dugout and Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter said something that apparently wasn’t taken too kindly by the Reds players.  A lot of pushing and shoving occurred at the back stop.  The Reds starting pitcher for that game Johnny Cueto was seen kicking, spikes up, at a Cardinals player or two.

After all was said and done, the umpires tossed both Baker and LaRussa.  With that there would be no chance of someone being pegged in the back with a fastball.  Yadier Molina, who helped start it all, answered with a solo HR in his first at bat to put the Cardinals up early.  Molina proceeded to imitate Phillips’ home run trout when he rounded second base.  Way to rub it in.

The Cardinals went on to win the game 8-4 and are looking for the sweep today.  After it’s all said and done, this is what I want to see more of.  Not bench clearing brawls, but players actually hating one another.  It adds to the intensity of the pennant race in baseball.  It would also add to the intensity of the NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup playoffs and for the NFL.  I want to those glory days to come back.

Phillips was given a chance to retract his statements earlier in the week, but he stuck to his words and added a little more to it.

“The comments I made yesterday, those are my comments,” Phillips said.  “I said those things and I really mean what I said.  The Cardinals, they’re a great team.  They’re the team to beat, like I’ve said a million times.  But we have to beat them.”

These are two of the best teams in the National League this year.  They don’t like each other and that’s good.  Phillips spoke the truth that you have to beat the best to be the best.  Fans will always hate their teams rivals, but the players should show a little more hatred too.