A Look At the 2002 Playoffs

It's that time of year again, when a young man's fancy turns to the possibilities of the Yankees losing a playoff series. Before I go on and look at the upcoming playoff series, however, I'm going to reexamine my preseason predictions. Hey, I'm a big man and can admit when I was (in some cases, horribly, horribly) wrong.

My NL Central predictions were actually quite good. I picked St. Louis to win their division and for the Astros to place second, though I inexplicably chose the Cubs for a third place finish. At least the Brewers lived down to expectations.

My predictions in the NL East and West weren't so good. While the two division winners I selected are in the playoffs, the Diamondbacks rode their two-headed MVP to another divison title. I greatly underestimated the Dodgers, and greatly overrated the Padres and (here it comes) the Mets.

Look, the Mets were awful this year. But who could have predicted everything that went wrong? That Alomar would suddenly be an average second baseman? That Burnitz would have the worst season of his career? That Cedeno would forget how to play baseball?

Just the same, I see a lot of good things having come out of this year. Mo Vaughn, despite a slow start, wound up with approximately the numbers that were expected of him. Mike Piazza had another spectacular year. Edgardo Alfonzo came back to claim his title as one of the elite third basemen in the game. Jeromy Burnitz began to show signs of life in the last month of the season. And Rey Ordonez did his part (beyond playing like a corpse) to ensure that he won't be back next year. I know what it's like to have been a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, because I am familiar with the phrase "There's always next year." And ya gotta believe.

In the AL, I missed a lot. Sure, I picked the Yankees for a first place finish, but big fucking deal. How could I have possibly so overrated the White Sox, Blue Jays and Indians while underrating the Red Sox, Twins and Angels? Looking at those predictions really make me cringe.

But enough of dwelling in the past: onto the Playoffs!

Angels vs. Yankees

Wow. Who could possibly have guessed that the Angels would be facing the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs? Obviously not I. But though the Yankees look vulnerable this year (a hell of a lot more vulnerable than they did last year), I don't see them having a problem dropping Anaheim. The Angels have a good young core, though, and they'll be back for more next year.
Prediction: Yankees in three.

Oakland vs. Minnesota

This is what I'm talking about. Two "small market" teams battling for their lives, and one is guaranteed to prove Selig wrong. These are my two favorite AL teams, so I'll be happy either way it turns out, but Oakland's pitching is simply too strong and the Twins' staff has too many question marks. Remind me why Mays is getting the nod over Lohse? In any case, it'll be fun to watch the return of the Homer Hanky and await the monumental rematch between the Yankees and the A's in the ALCS.
Prediction: A's in three.

San Francisco vs. Atlanta

Ah, the Braves. There is no team I love to hate more than the Braves. Which is why there is nothing I will enjoy more this season than seeing their frighteningly bad offense get shut down against the Giants and negate another phenomenal regular season. Barry Bonds has just finished the greatest single offensive season of all time and it's time for him to shake off those postseason demons.
Prediction: Giants in four.

St. Louis vs. Arizona

The Cardinals are a team of destiny. In a season where they lost one of the greatest announcers of all time and their ace pitcher, there is no better story than the Cardinals'. Unfortunately for them, the road leads through Messrs. Johnson and Schilling. In a five game series, we can anticipate at least three starts between the two of them, which should seal the deal for the Diamondbacks. But it's about time that Bob Brenly's idiocy catches up with him, and, like I said, the Cardinals are a team of destiny.
Prediction: Cardinals in five.

October 01, 2002 - 09:11 AM

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