MLB Playoff Preview

If it's October, it must mean one thing: the MLB playoffs; aka the only time baseball is actually really fun to watch on TV. I came to one conclusion after watching the first round of the playoffs: each eliminated team could blame one player for their ousting. Here's the rundown:

Colorado Rockies: Huston Street
I've never had that much faith in Huston Street. Maybe it's because he battles stretches of extreme inconsistency where he's either unhittable, or he's so bad that he wouldn't be able to get your grandma out. Unfortunately for the Rockies, the latter was the case during the NLDS.

NLDS stat line: 2.2 IP, 6H, 4ER, 3BB, 2 losses, and 1 blown save.


St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Holliday
Dude, just catch the freaking ball and the game is yours. Just imagine if the Cards had won Game 2. The series goes back to St. Louis tied at one and probably ends up going the full five. Instead, the Dodgers take control and sweep. Think this might have an effect on Matt Holliday's contract offers next year? Yeah.. probably not. Some team will end up overpaying for him and he can bathe himself clean of that dropped flyball with his millions of dollars.

NLDS stat line: Worst time for a dropped flyball ever.

Minnesota Twins: Joe Nathan
One of the best closers in the game, Joe came undone in the ALDS. He was three outs from stealing Game 2 in the Bronx, and then melted down. (It also was probably a bad omen that the two guys he had to face first in that ninth inning were Tex and A-Rod who were lifetime .500 hitters against him.) At least it came during the playoffs and not during the regular season, so your fantasy team was safe.

ALDS stat line: 2 games, 2.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 1 blown save

Boston Red Sox: David Ortiz
I know Papelbon was the guy on the mound and allowed the Angels to comeback and eventually eliminate the Sox, but let's face it -- Ortiz pretty much brought down the Red Sox this year. His positive steroid test pretty much confirmed what Red Sox fans had been in denial of for years, and now that he's off the juice he's been exposed for what he really is: an overweight baseball player with mediocre skills. Papi needs a hug.

ALDS stat line: 3 games, 1-for-12, 4 strikeouts, 0 RBI

But like Mark McGwire, I'm not here to talk about the past. My team to beat? The Yankees. They look good. Real good. They're pitching well and coming up with timely hitting. But perhaps the most important thing? They seem loose and it looks like they're actually having fun playing. Also crucial: postseason A-Rod is hitting the ball like regular season A-Rod. If they end up winning the whole thing, Yankee fans need to line up for the next Kate Hudson movie the day after the World Series ends.

Anyway, we're down to four teams, so here's The Punch's Championship Series predictions.

ALCS
Yankees in 6.
MVP: Tex

NLCS:
Phillies in 7.
MVP: The temp aka Ryan Howard.

There's only one October! (Just like there's only one of every other month too....)