MLB Post Season Update: League Championship Series

The MLB Division Championship Series have come to an end and the NLCS and ALCS series are about to begin. This post will examine those match ups and unveil the Groundskeeper MLB League Championship series predictions.

ALCS

New York Yankees (95-67) vs. Texas Rangers (90-72)

This series will pit the defending World Series Champion New York Yankees against the American League West Champion Texas Rangers. The Yankees are coming off a series sweep of the Minnesota Twins, while the Rangers are riding the excitement surrounding their 3-2 series win over the AL East Champion Tampa Bay Rays; which culminated in their first ever ALDS series crown.

New York is heading into the series with fresh legs after receiving plenty of rest while waiting for the Rangers and Rays to battle it out. Their series against the Twins appeared as though it was a rejuvenation session conveniently planned for the post season. All of the question marks that they had going into the match up seem to have been erased. The Groundskeeper Series MVP award goes to Yankees Center Fielder Curtis Granderson who batted right around .455 with two 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 RBIs. Granderson also put himself in scoring position by recording both a double and a triple. The Groundskeeper Series CY Young award goes to New York Starting Pitcher Phil Hughes who pitched 7 scoreless innings with 6 strike outs and 1 walked batter in game 3 of the Yankees sweep over the Twins. If the Yankees can keep up the type of play they produced against Minnesota they will be in prime position to take the next series as well.

The Texas Rangers had never won a playoff series going into their match up against Tampa Bay. Incidentally their Ace Pitcher Cliff Lee had never lost a post season game. By the time the 5th game rolled around it became a certainty that one of those streaks was about to come to an end. Fortunately for Lee and the Rangers it was the streak that they were both playing to break. The Rangers left the series with some serious holes to fill, but they also proved that they are a dangerous team when firing on all cylinders. The Groundskeeper Series MVP goes to Rangers Second Baseman Ian Kinsler who produced an impressive stat sheet with 5 runs, 8 hits, 3HRs, and 6 RBIs. The Groundskeeper Series CY Young award goes to Texas Starting Pitcher Cliff Lee who posted an impressive 1.13 ERA with 21 strike outs and 2 walked batters over the course of 16 innings. If the Rangers can keep their bats alive and rally behind their bullpen, they should be in fantastic shape in their upcoming series against the Yanks.

The deciding factor in this series should be depth. While New York has struggled on the road against Texas, the struggle has not been what it appears to be at face value. In all of the games with the exception of their final meeting (with Lee at the helm) the Rangers have had to rally late and rely on relief pitching to win games. In their post season series that starts Friday, Cliff Lee will likely not be available to start until game 3 due to the series against the Rays going all 5 games. Look to the Yankees and their hot bats to take advantage of the Rangers lack of depth at the Starting Pitcher spot. While the regular season meetings between these two teams got split at 4 games a piece, the Groundskeeper prediction for this series is: New York over Texas 4-2.

NLCS

Philadelphia Phillies (97-65) vs. San Francisco Giants (92-70)

This series will feature the defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies against the National League West Champion San Francisco Giants. The Phillies are arriving in the NLCS after a 3 game sweep of the insurgent Cincinnati Reds, while the Giants are charging in after a dominating 3-1 series win over the Atlanta Braves.

The Phillies pitching absolutely dominated the Reds giving up only 4 runs the entire series; and did I mention that all of those came in one game? In game 1 of the series Phillies Pitcher Roy Halladay threw only the second no hitter in the history of post season baseball; and for the Reds it was all down hill from there. The Phillies bats however, were not particularly potent during the series. Only two players were batting above .300 and one of those players was Roy Halladay (.333). The Groundskeeper Series MVP award goes to Phillies Second Baseman Chase Utley who scored 3 runs on 3 hits with 1 HR and 4 RBI's. The Groundskeeper CY Young award goes to (no surprise here) Philadelphia Starting Pitcher Roy Halladay who pitched a complete game giving up zero hits, zero earned runs, 1 walked batter and 8 strike outs. If the Phillies can get more out of their bats, their pitching should easily be able to do the rest.

San Francisco's starting pitching was also quite spectacular in their meeting against the Atlanta Braves. Led by the arm of their 12 year old phenom... only kidding; led behind the fire ball hurling arm of the young Tim Lincecum the Giants easily moved past the Braves and into the ALCS. Much like the Phillies however, if not even more so, the Giants batting is suspect (to say the least). The Giants averaged under 3 runs a game against Atlanta with no one batter standing out from the rest. The Groundskeeper Series MVP award goes to San Francisco Catcher Buster Posey who in spite of not producing a single RBI was able to hit for a .375 average as well as score 3 runs on 6 at bats. The Groundskeeper Series CY Young was a gimmie; Giants Pitcher Tim Lincecum made the Braves look silly with just 2 hits given up, and 14 strike outs on top of a 0.00 ERA. If the Giants can do more at the plate they should have the pitching to match up well against the Phillies.

The deciding factor in this game should be the utter lack of batting. The pitching in this game from both clubs should be sensational. The key to winning will belong to which ever team can spur their team into production at bat first. This conundrum really benefits the Phillies more than it does the Giants in that their (Philadelphia) lineup is stockpiled with postseason vets and a good record of production at the plate. The Groundskeeper prediction for this series is: Philadelphia over San Francisco 4-1.

MLB Post Season Preview

The MLB post season gets underway today at 1:37 ET time with the Texas Rangers facing off against the Tampa Bay Rays. The crackerjacks have been popped, the fields have been groomed, and Derek Jeter has studied all the necessary film (the stylings of various Hollywood A listers).

So without further ado I present: The Groundskeeper MLB Post Season Preview

NLDS


Philadelphia Phillies (97-65) vs. Cincinnati Reds (91-71)

The 2009 NLCS Champions Phillies feature this year what could quite possibly be considered the most potent starting rotation in the MLB. They lead the MLB in innings pitched and their ERA was in the top 5. The Phils starting rotation also sports one of the lowest walk rates in the league. The team's bats are not to be over looked either. Howard, Utley and Rollins have not posted the same numbers this season as in years past, but there should be no doubt that the Reds fielders will need to be on their toes.

The Reds have not seen the post season in 15 years. They are certainly the dark horse team coming into the series and should not be underrated. Joey Votto is their main man. The guy was so unknown that he didn't even make the all-star team during the first round of voting in spite of his stellar numbers. If there were concerns about his ability to stay consistent, he put them to rest and is now the odds on favorite to win the NL MVP. The Reds can also lay claim to a potent Pitching rotation of their own. Led by Edinson Volquez on the mound the Reds are hungry and ready to make a statement.

The deciding factor in this game should be the Reds bats getting swing happy against the lethally accurate Phils pitching. The Groundskeeper prediction for this series is: Philadelphia over Cincinnati 3-2.


San Francisco Giants (92-70) vs. Atlanta Braves (91-71)

The San Francisco Giants are your prototypical National League team. They rely on pitching and small ball to capture wins. Their pitching rotation is consistent and deep; both the starting rotation and the bullpen bear pitchers with grade A stats and large repertoires. They rank in the top 5 in almost every major stat category. This is a much different team than the Giants of last decade and it seems to be working for them.

The Atlanta Braves seem to keep winning when it counts. When you look at the statistical panorama the Braves struggle to break into the top 10 in any category. The have a string of players with a lot of upside to their potential. But they lack consistent production from both their bats and their arms. If the Braves can get their players in sync the Giants are in for a nasty surprise.

The deciding factor in this game should be power hitting. The Braves lack it; and are also especially susceptible to giving up the long ball this year. The Groundskeeper prediction for this series is: San Francisco over Atlanta 3-1.


ALDS

Minnesota Twins (94-68) vs. New York Yankees (95-67)

The Minnesota Twins began to open up their NL Central lead over the White Sox in mid September and did not look back. Behind the heavy bat of Joe Mauer the Twins look to move deep into the post season in familiar style. Minnesota's offense ranks high enough to be in the top ten in every major stat category; including coming in second in On Base Percentage and third in Batting Average. If the Twins can fill the hole left by Justin Morneau look to them to swing those big bats with no regard for the fans sitting behind center.

The Yankees seemingly limped into the post season at the hand of inconsistent pitching and lackluster performances in big games. Yankee fans have got to hope that this is all just a big Jeter like charade. The stat line however, provides hope for the Yankees who ranked first in Runs and On Base Percentage at seasons end. Batting has gotten the Yankees through the postseason before but against teams like the Rays, Twins and Reds the Bronx Bombers had better hope that their pitching staff can pull it together. If C.C Sabathia and Andy Pettitte show up to take pressure off the Yankees bats, look to the bats to come alive in a reciprocal fashion.

The deciding factor in this game should be injuries. Both the Yankees and the Twins have suffered their fair share of hurt coming into the post season, but in what looks to be a high scoring season the Twins loss of Morneau will really hurt. The Groundskeeper prediction for this series is: New York over Minnesota 3-2.


Tampa Bay Rays (96-66) vs. Texas Rangers (90-72)

The Tampa Bay Rays looked to be the team to beat for a good portion of the season. They started out strong, relinquished their lead to the Yankees for a few months and then stormed back to a strong finish. The Rays arguably have the most balanced lineup in all of baseball. While they are not feared as power hitters they can certainly jack one up. Their speed is phenomenal and their pitching overpowering. They have been strong contenders for the past few years and have no doubts about it, the Rays have their eyes focused on the World Series.

Arlington, Texas has for a long time now seen its fair share of ups and
downs. They have been consistent at one thing- compiling great teams and then tearing them apart. This year needs to be the year that they actually do something with their star studded team. Hamilton, Guerrero and Young will lead the charge on offense; while Cliff Lee and the pitching staff look to dominate the Rays lineup. The Rangers have been silently lurking in the shadows all year and now that the post season is here, it is time to pounce.

The deciding factor in this game should be speed. The Rangers have a great team but lack the speed that the Rays have out in the open field. I look to this series to favor the Rays defensively. The Groundskeeper prediction for this series is: Tampa Bay over Texas 3-1.

The Ten Moments that Changed the NBA Forever: Part 3

Ten Moments that Changed the NBA Forever continued...

8. Make it rain (3's)!

The 1979-1980 NBA season sported many new and significant changes. The New Orleans Jazz had just made their move to Utah, the Indiana Pacers joined the league, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird both entered into their Rookie seasons, and the NBA contracted its first Cable television venture. The most significant change of all however, was the incorporation of the three point line into the professional game.

The three point line was not exactly new or unique to the game of basketball before the NBA adopted it. Both the short lived American Basketball League and the ABA had been using it for around a decade up to that point. The ABA in particular had been utilizing the shot as a marketing tool to compete with the league.

On October 12, 1979 Boston Celtics Guard Chris Ford made the first 3 point field goal in NBA history. Since then throwing the rock up from behind the arch has become a staple of the game. From spectacular clutch shots to last minute buzzer beaters the 3 point shot has provided a brilliant plot twist for each and every game played.


9. Leaping over the Great Wall.

The game of basketball and the popularity of the NBA has known no greater cross border success than within the walls of China. The NBA, per Shanghai native Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, has known its most significant short term growth through the 30 million viewers each week and an estimated 500 million active fans all across China.

China has produced many fantastic NBA stars. When the Dallas Mavericks 7'1 Wang made his debut in the NBA he became the first Chinese born player to step foot on the court. The popularity of Chinese stars such as Wang (Mavericks), Ming (Rockets), Jianlian (Wizards), and Bateer (Nuggets) cannot easily be realized through the scope of American viewership. When Bateer and Wang faced off in Bateer's second game in the league 400 million Chinese viewers tuned in to watch.

The popularity of the NBA and the sport of basketball should only continue to grow in China. The Dream Team may have introduced the high octane NBA game to the world. But it is players like Ming and Jianlian that are going to keep it relevant.

10. Supposed Indecision 2010

The summer of 2010 was a media circus to say the least. At no other time in NBA history had the league showcased so many high profile free agents. On the block were big names such as Dallas Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki along with Joe Johnson (G Atlanta Hawks), Carlos Boozer (F Utah Jazz), Paul Pierce (G Boston Celtics), Amar'e Stoudemire (F Phoenix Suns), Chris Bosh (F Toronto Raptors), Dwayne Wade (G Miami Heat) and of course the biggest name of them all- LeBron James (F Cleveland Cavaliers).

Speculation ran rampant over the course of the off-season; with many of the player's projected destinations changing by the hour. When the dust finally settled most teams were able to retain their superstars. Nowitzki, Johnson, Pierce and Wade all stayed with their respective franchises. However, Boozer, Stoudemire, Bosh and James had all decided to move on.

If 2010's free agency class were likened unto a lottery, LeBron James would qualify as the jackpot ticket. Practically every team with the available cap space took it upon themselves to lobby hard for LBJ; anything less would be considered a consolation prize. The Miami Heat won the day when they were able to obtain LeBron. Their spoils were in large part due to the efforts of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to lure their Olympic teammate to the roster.

The media coverage of LeBron's free agency has become a topic of much discussion and will undoubtedly remain so for some time to come. For many the coverage leading up to and including the 1 Hour ESPN special titled "The Decision" was completely over the top. In the wake of the 24 hour news fiasco LeBron endured accusations of self aggrandizement, as well as being branded as a narcissist. The once beloved King James was courted with so much enthusiasm one could have easily mistaken him for Disney's Princess Jasmine. But as is the story with the Princess (sorta), LeBron hopped on his magic carpet and took his talents to South Beach, leaving Agrabah behind.

For others, LeBron was the victim of an aggressive multi-party marketing strategy to fill the void left by Jordan. Will LeBron ever be Michael Jordan? The easy answer is no. Just like their will never be another Babe Ruth or Wayne Gretzky. But truth be told, he does not have to be. LeBron is still easily the most physically talented player in the game today. In spite of what your feelings may be about the man; the machine LeBron James is
now coupled with two other perennial all-stars and an
organization that features basketball wizard Pat Riley at the helm. I constantly hear the naysayers casting aspersions about the Heat and their ability to match up with the other top Franchises in the league. I simply submit the question: Who matches up well with the King and the Heat? I am looking forward to the 2010-2011 NBA season with much anticipation.

Happy trails and thanks for reading. Please remember to tune in for my MLB postseason preview as well as my soon to come NBA preseason power rankings and predictions.

-The Groundskeeper