Pittsburgh Pirates
It has been some season for a team the has been, well, not dominant for a while. I know I didn't think the Bucs would be here. This last month though has made me wonder if they are really a good enough team. They've gone just 12-12, they've let an winnable NL Central slip away, they are in danger on losing home-field in the wild card game, they've hit just .232, their ERA has increased by 0.74, do I need to continue? I love the underdog, and would love to see the Pirates go deep, but it isn't happening. In a one-game playoff at home, I like their chances, on the road or in a best-of-five series against Atlanta or St. Louis, I don't like their chances.
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| Pirates after heartbreaking loss in 1992 NLCS, where Atlanta scored 3 runs in the 9th to win 3-2. This was the Pirates last playoff appearance before this year. |
Oakland Athletics
Anyone who has ever watched Moneyball would know how the A's and Billy Beane do it. They would also know that he would of thrown a chair at his TV when he saw them talking about the excellent power Coco Crisp has shown, and a desk across the hallway during each of the five times he has been caught stealing. None of this change the fact the A's could make a movie on how to only win two games every year they've played in the division series. In fact they've lost 3 games to 2 in the ALDS in five of their six tries. The other year? They got a sweep only to be swept in the League Championship Series. Here's a tip for your picks this year: pick the A's losing if 5, free points. There is no reason why that won't change this year. If you don't believe me here's a link:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/history/teams/_/team/oak
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