Bos v. Det
LA v. Stl
Good matchups.
Boston in 7, LA in 7..?
If LA holds up with great playing late in season through NLCS and WS then they are the ones to beat. If nobody steps up to the plate (or mound) and pulls off a team effort then Boston or St. Louis are the teams to beat.
Gone are the days where you will see a person hit 3 homers in a game or 8 homers in a WS. It's not the type of theme that has played all season. Like most seasons, it will be a pitching battle and low scoring all around with who is left. I expect a record number of shutouts and all four teams have lights out pitchers like Verlander or Kershaw peaking at the right time. It may not be exciting for fans of other teams to watch but any WS or championship series victory is a victory just as much.
If Boston pulls this off it will be 3 rings in 10 years and arguably a true dynasty for the city that has lately been the king of dynasties and rings, or at the very least a productive decade for David Ortiz with two WS and all time Red Sox home run record in 2006. It would be a great way to ride off into the sunset for a great player with those accolades plus 2000 plus hits and 431 home runs.
If St. Louis pulls this off, yawn, since they have more WS than anybody but Yankees and won here just two years ago. You can never count them out and they receive the indestructible cockroach moniker more deservedly than even the SF Giants.
If LA wins, it would have been a long time in the making but since they are by far the best when they are on, it's theirs to lose and many will root against them just for that. Kershaw's overall ERA is just plain stupid.
If Detroit wins, even though they faced my team last year in WS, I will be happy for them because it can't be that fun to be swept like that. It's a chance for them to make something out of the big stars they have on their team. I have a feeling they will be the overall favorite and no doubt the biggest chance for endorsements. Other than A's and Giants players doing commercials in the Bay Area, the only other players I see on national tv plugging products are either from Yankees or Tigers. It's not a new thing, either, and they are (for lack of a better name), true Hollywood teams. If Detroit wins, I can see Tom Selleck spinning this into a huge photo op. They are the showtime team here even though LA is owned by Magic Johnson, who has been largely unable to spread his magic of PR to the team. The only bright spot for national attention for LA has been the addition of Brian Wilson, who knows that PR is just as important as playing well. If LA wins and Brian is the last to pitch, then watch out!
No matter what any other player did this year, the postseason of 2013 will belong to him with an LA win.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvT2HlOw6Bs
