By TwinsWin83
Two months of Spring Training, 162 regular season games and three rounds of playoff baseball all come down to this: the Colorado Rockies against the Boston Red Sox for the 2007 World Series title. If you had the Rockies as your pre-season pick to win the National League you’re probably out buying a new car or boat with your winnings. The Red Sox aren’t quite the Cinderella story that the Rockies are with their 143 million dollar payroll and World Series title three seasons ago but this squad has taken a much different path to reach baseball’s biggest stage this year then it did in 2004. Will nine days off between the NCLS and Wednesday nights World Series opener cool off the white-hot Rockies? Can Beckett continue his October mastery on the mound and does Schilling have enough left in the tank to recreate his 2004 magic? Stay tuned over the next week and half for the answers.
Rockies vs. Red Sox
Season Series: Rockies 2-1
What you should know: All bets are off. No matter what you might think about Colorado’s recent hot streak or Boston’s October-savvy starting pitchers it’s hard to peg this year’s World Series winner just by looking at the stats. The Red Sox are 2-1 favorites if you’re placing bets in Vegas but even that doesn’t necessarily make them the safe pick here. If you think the new-kids-on-the-block Rockies don’t have a shot against the October-tested Red Sox please see recent articles on 2001, 2003 and 2006 in your World Series guide.
Why the Rockies will win: Because there has never been a hotter team heading into a World Series then Colorado is right now. They have won 21 of their last 22 games and have been playing in playoff-like games for nearly a month and a half now. Just when everyone thinks they are about to return back to earth and fold to a team more experienced than them the Rockies simply bang out another win even more impressive the last. Their pitching staff has been great over the teams historic run, from 17-game winner Jeff Francis to the suddenly lights-out bullpen. The Rockies showed that they could play in Fenway Park earlier this season when they took two out of three games there in an interleague matchup. If Colorado can pull out at least one win in Boston before heading back to Denver for Game 3 they could grab the upper hand in the series. With a defense that doesn’t make mistakes, an offense that seems to manufacture runs every time it needs to and a pitching staff that has been the backbone of the team’s amazing run there is little reason to believe the Rockies can’t compete with the Red Sox in this World Series. I’ve said it before each round this October but it begs repeating: this team seems to have a bit of magic about them this postseason and that could mean trouble for the Sox just like it did for the Phillies and D-Backs.
Why the Red Sox will win: Boston has only seven players on their roster that won a title with the team in 2004 but that doesn’t mean they aren’t equipped for this Fall Classic. Ace Josh Beckett has a history of pitching his best games on the biggest stage and Curt Schilling already owns a place in playoff lure for his bloody sock masterpiece during the Bo Sox last postseason run. Daisuke Matsuzaka seems to have found his fastball again after a solid outing in Game 7 against the Indians and Tim Wakefield always seems ready for some big innings if called upon. The bullpen has been strong with rookie Hideki Okajima setting up Papelbon and fellow newcomers Dustin Pedrioa and Jacoby Ellsbury provided a spark for the offense late in the ACLS. Thanks to yet another All-Star Game win for American League Boston will begin the World Series in the friendly confines of Fenway Park which could play a big role if the series makes it to a sixth game and beyond. If Beckett can cool down the Rockies in the opener it could knock Colorado off Cloud 9 and set the tone for the series.
What to watch for: Rockies staff vs. Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox leadoff hitter finally got his bat going late in the series against the Indians and the rookie could be the wild card in the series if he can continue to get on base and set the stage for Boston’s powerful middle of the lineup.
Who will win: The Rockies are one of the best stories baseball has seen in a long time but nine days off is a long time to remain as hot as they were without playing an actual game. Colorado only had five days off total in over the previous month before the NLCS ended, and as last year’s Detroit team will tell them, the time off isn’t always a good thing. Beckett will be tough to beat and if Boston has to they can start him three times in the series. The Rockies should play well in Denver but will struggle out of the gates in Boston. The Red Sox use the home field advantage to their benefit one more time and win it all for the second time in four years, ending the Rockies magical and amazing run. Red Sox in 6.
My World Series Champion Pick: Boston
Your Pick?....
4 comments:
Rockies in 3 (yeah, that's right, THREE, wanna fight about it?)
AH! Stupid joke of the day.
A man walks into a bar with a dachshund under his arm. The dog is wearing a Royals jersey and KC cap and has a Royals pennant in his mouth.
The bartender says, "Hey, No pets are allowed in here! you will both have to leave!"
The man begs, "Look I'm desperate. We are both big Kansas City fans. My TV is broken, and this is the only place we can see the game!"
After securing a promise that the dog will behave and warning him that if there is any trouble they will both be thrown out, the bartender relents and allows them to stay in the bar and watch the game.
The game begins with the Roayls getting a couple of singles to start the inning. Later, with two outs the Royals get a bloop single scoring one run. With that the dog jumps up on the bar and begins walking up and down the bar giving everyone a high-five.
The bartender can't believe it and says, "Wow, that is the most amazing thing that I have ever seen! What does the dog do if the Royals win the game?"
"I don't know," replies the owner, "I've only had him for six years."
the rockies have won every post season game this season, so it would be stupid to pick against them, right?
red sox in 4
i hope im wrong. i'll be rooting hard for the rockies.
ohhh cheap shot at the royals.
daymonster:
Check out Mr. P's comment at the end of the last post on the LCS round scores. He picked the red sox in 6 games but was put down in the grid for picking them in 7 games instead.
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