All of the payouts from Saturday's EliteXC event, plus news on GSP's new running mates and where you can try out for The Ultimate Fighter's ninth season.

Sorry for the late post. Between staying up late to finish the Red Sox/Angels game, a day full of football and covering Kimbo Slice's loss for Ropes, Ring and Cage, it's been a busy 24 hours with a lot of written words. I need a nap.

>Los Angeles 5, Boston 4 (Red Sox lead series 2-1)
Next Game: Monday @ 8:37 pm

What Happened: Erick Aybar drove in the eventual game-winning single in the 12th inning as the Red Sox squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the 10th, helping the Angels beat the Red Sox for the first time in their last 12 postseason tries. It was quite a night for LA catcher Mike Napoli as he hit two home runs off Josh Beckett and went 3-for-5, scoring three runs and driving in three. Jon Lester and the Red Sox now will look to eliminate the Angels Monday night or risk sending this series back to Anaheim for Game 5.

Breakdown: With all of the hubbub surrounding the Sox' streak against the Angels, it was easy to forget that LA won 100 games this season. Eventually, they were going to get one and the combination of K-Rod and Jered Weaver were enough to hold off Boston's attack, combining for five strikeouts in three innings of work. Boston left 11 men on base and continue to get next-to-nothing out of David Ortiz (.231) while MVP candidate Dustin Pedroia and painful-to-watch Mike Lowell are still looking for their first hits of the postseason.

The Big Number: The official game time was 5:19.

>Chicago 5, Tampa Bay 3 (Rays lead series 2-1)
Next Game: Monday @ 5 pm

What Happened: John Danks continues to impress, yielding seven hits and three runs while striking out seven in 6.2 innings to give the ChiSox some life in this series. DeWayne Wise doubled in two runs as part of a three-run 4th inning. Ken Griffey Jr. and AJ Pierzynski each two hits for Chicago. Matt Garza struggled for the Rays, allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings. BJ Upton hit a 2-run homer for Tampa, as Akinori Iwamura, Carlos Pena and Dioner Navarro each had two hits.

Breakdown: Just when you thought the White Sox didn't have any life, Danks comes through again and is establishing himself as a clutch performer for the South Siders. Tampa didn't look bad, but suffered a combined 0-11 from Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and Willie Aybar. However, if Chicago is to tie this thing up Monday, Jim Thome (.167), Paul Konerko (.250) and Orlando Cabrera (.167) have to get going offensively. Gavin Floyd is getting the most important start of his career today...a city still reeling from the Cubs' latest collapse is hoping he's up to the task.

The Big Number: The White Sox have won four straight postseason games at home.

>Philadelphia 6, Milwaukee 2 (Phillies win series 3-1)
Next Game: Thursday @ Philly (Lowe vs. Hamels)

What Happened: Pat Burrell hit two long balls to pace a four home run attack as the Phillies ended the Brewers' fun season with a 6-2 win. Milwaukee starter Jeff Suppan never had a chance, getting run after three innings and five earned runs. Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth each hit homers for Philadelphia, while Prince Fielder hit a solo shot for Milwaukee in the 7th inning. Joe Blanton was fantastic, yielding just five hits and one run in six innings for the win.

Breakdown: The Brewers just plain ran out of starting pitching as Suppan was horrendous in this must-win game. When your cleanup hitter hits .071 and your leadoff man is batting .154, chances are you're not going to score many runs either, a combination for disaster. However, they made it to the postseason and if they're smart, should make a run after CC Sabathia. He brought a swagger to that club that needed it. If Fielder can figure out his diet, they have a chance to compete against next season. Philly now rolls onto to play the Dodgers in what will be a great matchup of two National League powers with plenty of history and star power. One spot of concern if I'm a Phillies fan? Chase Utley (.133) and Ryan Howard (.182). One spot of hope? Their starting pitching is unreal right now.

The Big Number: The Brewers played their first postseason game in 26 years last week.

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.

Take that, skeptical fan...me included.

The early ratings for Saturday's EliteXC bout were released by CBS Senior Executive VP Kelley Kahl and the death knell a majority of us sounded for the promotion might need to be put off by a bit. The numbers don't take the final 20 minutes of the event into account, because they were expected to be the highest-rated portion of the night, thus giving a better true sampling of what happened...

Didn't you LOVE that Patriots column I did? Thought-provoking, witty, one commenter even described how life-altering it was. The story about how it cured his alcoholism was especially touching.

Or perhaps I went completely Web AWOL. One of those two things happened. My bad. Did you miss me?

After five-and-a-half hours of Sox/Halos, I'm too worn out emotionally to be sane in my thoughts RE: the Playoff BBQ de Naz, so I'll reserve comments and allow proper time to reflect. Instead, let's go all the way back to...

Saturday. Nearly a lost day for me sports-wise, due to the nuptials of my friend Ian and his lovely Nicole (congrats, and do what she says, Ian), but I did remember to DVR this weekend's COLOSSAL MMA showdown between Kimbo and Ken Shamr...Huh? What's he doing taking a headbutt on Fight Night?! Considering the way the evening went down, I'm positive I was right to say on my show that Shamrock would have taken this one...

Elite XC has an interesting month or so coming up...Kimbo, who has now been proven to be the all-sizzle no-steak heavy-punching hack many proclaimed him to be, can no longer be the centerpiece of their promotion. Seth Petruzelli is NOT elite. They can ride this story for a month or so, but not beyond unless HE gets fed a beatable "name" fighter who's willing to take a shot at a guy who CAN mix it up a little. I doubt, however that you'd find such a fighter, even Shamrock, who wants a guy like Petruzelli.

On this front, I'll let former co-worker (codename: J-Rod) put the icing on it via email: "Which was better? Kimbo getting knocked out in under 15 seconds by a guy who was 30 pounds lighter, or Gus Johnson going beyond DEFCON 1 into full nuclear play-by-play explosion which included a Rocky drop? In fact I think Gus Johnson's call of the KO was longer then the fight and more energy was exerted..." Yep. We "heart" Gus, by the way.

So what to do now? Though clearly not what the sponsors or organizers wanted when Elite XC came into being, I think it's worth a shot to put the focus on their NEW "most marketable": the lovely Gina Carano. She's 2-0 on free TV, adorable, fights a TV-friendly style, hot, young (that means SHELF LIFE!), and did I mention she looks GOOD to most sane hetero men?

Not to mention she took Kelly Kobold (her "toughest challenge to date") apart for three rounds. And how is there NOT a single bootleg video of her weigh-in striptease? Hasn't technology come far enough? (Ed Note: Uhhh Pat? Here's one. Here's another. You just gotta look under the right rock, my friend.)

I'll pause slightly to see the ratings, but I think that CBS' foray into free MMA is not going well and I'm not sure where else they could turn to keep interest up (if that's even a concern). They need to get creative to avoid becoming Affliction's B-show, which this month's partnership and the supposed talent gap between the two organizations might logically lead to.

Or maybe that's not a bad idea...

Thoughts on Cassel, the Playoffs, and why ESPN Classic prevented me from commenting on the rest of the XC card coming soon...

Pat Spekhardt co-hosts The Shoot Around on Bangor, ME, all-sports leader WZON. In order to get a column on this site, he had to defeat three men in one night, compete against Warren Sapp in a dance-off and admit that Dirty Dancing is one of his favorite movies of all time.

The WWE pulled off what some are calling one of their best ppv efforts in years with Sunday's No Mercy. Here are all the results including the Chris Jericho/Shawn Michaels ladder match and Triple H's WWE title defense against Jeff Hardy.

So who is this guy that knocked out Kimbo Slice anyway?

So who is this guy that knocked out Kimbo Slice anyway?

So who is this guy that knocked out Kimbo Slice anyway?

So who is this guy that knocked out Kimbo Slice anyway?

>Los Angeles 3, Chicago 1 (Dodgers win series 3-0)

Next Game: TBD

What Happened: James Loney's two-run double in the first inning was all the Dodgers would need to sweep the Cubs and win their first playoff series since 1988. Russell Martin added an RBI for LA, who were led by Hiroki Kuroda's 6.1 inning, six-hit performance. Rich Harden was ineffective for the Cubs, managing just 4.1 innings of work, allowing three runs on five hits. The real story was Chicago's woeful offense, who left nine men on base and could only drive in one off the bat of pinch-hitter Daryle Ward.

Breakdown: Lou Pinella said it best post-game: "...you can play postseason baseball for now to another hundred years, but if you score six runs in three games, it's going to be another hundred years before we win." Give the Dodgers and especially Joe Torre credit as they gutted the Cubs at Wrigley in two straight games, completely taking the wind out of them and raising the dreaded curse questions all over again. Alfonso Soriano never showed up (0-5, .071 for series) and neither did Aramis Ramirez (.182) or Geovany Soto (.182). Derrek Lee was nearly invisible and Kosuke Fukdome didn't exactly cement his status in the Windy City with a terrible postseason. The Manny love story in the City of Angels rolls on, as the broken-hearted story in Chicago continues.

The Big Number: The Cubs last appeared in the World Series in 1945. Yikes.

>Milwaukee 4, Philadelphia 1 (Phillies lead series 2-1)
Next Game: Sunday @ 1 pm

What Happened: With their backs against the wall, the Brew Crew showed some heart in extending their series one more day. Dave Bush scattered five hits and allowed one run in 5.1 innings of work, while four relievers held the Phillies scoreless. JJ Hardy went 3-for-4 and Bill Hall added two hits to pace Milwaukee, who had four different players drive in a run. Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard each had two hits for Philadelphia. Jamie Moyer (4 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs) took the loss

Breakdown: You gotta give Milwaukee credit for showing some guts when this series was all but over. Philly should still finish this series off Sunday and yes, I'm as surprised as you are that CC Sabathia isn't starting. What's it been...a couple days? He can still go!

The Big Number: Chase Utley is hitting just .167 in the postseason.

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.

Embarrassing.

That is the sole word that comes to mind after the debacle that closed last night's EliteXC show on CBS. In case you missed it, Ken Shamrock decided to do some grappling Saturday morning (uncharacteristic if you listen to brother Frank) and got a cut over his eye that required stitches. That decision resulted in him pulling out of his much-hyped battle against mainstream star Kimbo Slice...you know, the match that EliteXC was counting on to pop a big rating and extend out this deal with CBS?

Two series went to 2-0 as both the White Sox and Angels moved one game closer to elimination. Near walk-off action coming...up...now!

>Boston 7, Los Angeles 5 (Red Sox lead series 2-0) Next Game: Sunday @ 7 pm (Saunders vs. Beckett)

What Happened: JD Drew hit a 9th-inning two-run homer off uber-closer Francisco Rodriguez and Jonathan Papelbon pitched two strong innings to get the win as the Red Sox got their 11th straight postseason win over the Angels. Despite being down 5-1, Los Angeles battled back all night and tied the game in the 8th after a Chone Figgins triple and Mark Teixiera sac fly. Both starters were ineffective as Daisuke Matsusaka (5 innings, eight hits, three earned runs) and Ervin Santana (5.1, eight hits, five earned runs) didn't hold up to their terrific regular seasons.

Breakdown: Normally, this would be a positive for the Angels as they were relentless in chipping away at the hole the Sox put them in. But when you have lost 11 straight against the same team and you're heading back to their home park to face their postseason ace, it's hard to find the sun behind the clouds. Boston overcame unsightly pitching struggles all night and had to turn it over to their closing ace to get a two-inning win. We're normally big Terry Francona fans, but he showed a bit too much restraint in leaving Hideki Okajima and Justin Masterson in a few batters too long. Los Angeles heads into Sunday needing to play with reckless abandon and with no fear in trying to break their postseason curse. Much like the Cubs though, it's a case of last year being just like this year.

The Big Number: JD Drew, Mark Kotsay and Jason Bay went a combined 8-for-15 with six RBI and two home runs.

>Tampa Bay 6, Chicago 2 (Rays lead series 2-0)
Next Game: Sunday @ 4 pm (Garza vs. Danks)

What Happened: Four Rays pitchers combined to hold the White Sox to two runs as the expansion club moved one win away from their first ALCS visit in team history. Akinori Iwamura hit a 2-run homer and Dioner Navarro drove in a pair to pace Tampa. Chicago collected 12 hits, paced by Jermaine Dye's 4-for-5 effort, but left 12 men on base. Scott Kazmir got the win, going just 5.1 innings and striking out four, while counterpart Mark Buehrle gave up 10 hits and five runs in seven innings of work.

Breakdown: In a game that featured 24 hits, it came down to the White Sox' inability to drive anyone in that sunk them. Tampa has been relentless in sticking to the same plan that got them to this position in the first place and they stand one game away from sweeping the 2005 World Champs. Even with Carlos Pena out with an eye injury, substitute Willie Aybar didn't miss a beat with a pair of hits and a run scored. Chicago has a chance to win game 3 as play-in game stud John Danks will take the hill but they'll need timely hitting to take down this Rays machine.

The Big Number: Brian Anderson (0-3) was the only offensive starter for both teams who didn't get a hit.

Saturday Games:

-Philadelphia @ Milwaukee: 6 pm
-Chicago @ Los Angeles: 10 pm

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.

Tampa Bay in the playoffs for the first time....Chicago trying to hold on....Philly attempting to click the kill-switch on the Brew Crew? Yeah, that sounds like Day 2 of the 2008 MLB Playoffs.

>Los Angeles 10, Chicago 3 (Dodgers lead series 2-0)
Next Game: Saturday @ 10 pm (Harden vs. Kuroda)

What Happened: A potent offense complimented a great pitching performance as the Dodgers moved one win away from eliminating the pathetic Cubs. Rafael Furcal and Manny Ramirez drove in two apiece as Russell Martin added three RBI to pace the offense at the top of order, while Chad Billingsley fanned seven in 6.2 innings, yielding just five hits and one earned run to pick up the win. The Cubs defense let themselves down, committing four errors that led to four unearned runs.

Breakdown: The Cubs look awful, listless, horrendous. Where's the emotion? This is the same team that lost three straight to the D-Backs last season and they are one win away from doing the same this year. Even Carlos Zambrano (6.1, six hits, three earned runs, four unearned runs) couldn't stop the blood-letting for the Cubbies, who continue to get meaningless contributions offensively from Derrek Lee (2-4), Aramis Ramirez (1-4) and Alfonso Soriano (1-4). Mark DeRosa continues to impress, driving in two runs to match two hits. But who are we kidding? This series is DONE.

>Tampa Bay 6, Chicago 4 (Rays lead series 1-0)
Next Game: Friday @ 6 pm (Buerhle vs. Kazmir)

What Happened: Evan Longoria hit two solo homers and had three RBI in his playoff debut to pace the Rays, as Chicago starter Javier Vasquez blew up, letting up eight hits and six earned runs in just 4.1 innings. Akinori Iwamura and Jason Bartlett each had two hits for the Rays, who were led by James Shields' 6.2 innings of work. Shields let up six hits and three runs in his outing to get his first ever playoff victory.

Breakdown: Exactly what you'd expect from a first game between these two: lots of offense, average pitching and a win by the higher seed. This will be a slugfest of a series as they're about as evenly matched as you get. Yes, I understand the Rays' starters are slightly better but since it's their first time in the big dance, I'll slighly knock them down a peg or two. Friday's matchup will be more of the same, but when you see Buerhle vs. Kazmir on the marquee, you gotta think pitching will be the main course of the day. Chicago wins 4-3 to tie up the series.

>Philadelphia 5, Milwaukee 2 (Phillies lead series 2-0)
Next Game: Saturday @ 6:30 pm (Moyer vs. Bush)

What Happened: The Phils put up a five spot in the 2nd inning, which was all they needed in a big win against CC Sabathia and the Brewers. Shane Victorino was the man of the hour with a grand slam, part of his three-hit attack on the day. Jayson Werth and Jimmy Rollins also had two hits to pace Philadelphia. Sabathia went just 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out five.

Breakdown: Brett Myers provided another strong start for the Phillies, going seven innings and allowing two runs on two hits. The Phillies have dominated Milwaukee the entire series, which is what I expected. The Brewers are emotionally overmatched and with their ace going down today, this series is 100% over. If was a Phillies fan, however, I'd be concerned with Chase Utley (0-4), Ryan Howard (0-3) and Pat Burrell (0-3) not getting it done. Philly will sweep the series, but Howard needs to pick it up.

On Friday:
-Chicago @ Tampa Bay: 6 pm
-Boston @ LAA: 9:30 pm


Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.

Three games as part of 2008's postseason Opening Day. You gotta love it!

>Boston 4, Anaheim 1 (Red Sox lead series 1-0)
Next Game: Friday @ 9:30 pm EST (Matsusaka vs. Santana)

What Happened: Jason Bay hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning and Jon Lester struck out seven in seven innings of work as the Red Sox continued their postseason dominance of the Angels. Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-5 and drove in a run, while David Ortiz singled home a run, both RBI coming in the 9th. Garrett Anderson, Mark Teixeria, Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter all had two hits apiece for the Angels.

Breakdown: This game really came down to two plays: the Bay homer and a bad baserunning play by Guerrero when the Angels were rallying in the bottom of the 8th. In case you missed it, Guerrero was attempted to run from 1st to 3rd on a Hunter single and looked like an old man in doing so. Kevin Youkilis fired in a strike to Mike Lowell after Hunter's single dropped behind him, allowing Lowell to tag Vlad out with ease. Why was Vlad still in there running? He clearly looks hurt, you're trying to tie the game up and that's a wise decision?

Now the Angels get to hear about losing 10 straight postseason games to the Sox until Friday night and wondering if Ervin Santana can stop this bleeding. Their only bit of solace? Ortiz didn't look good at the plate and the combination of Dustin Pedroia, JD Drew and Lowell went 0-11. A loss Friday and this series is done.

>Philadelphia 3, Milwaukee 1 (Phillies lead series 1-0)
Next Game: Thursday @ 6 pm EST (Sabathia vs. Myers)

What Happened: Cole Hamels threw eight innings of two-hit ball while striking out nine, while Chase Utley hit a two-run double in the third inning to pace the Fightin' Phils. Brad Lidge survived a shaky ninth inning, yielding one run on two hits, but still picked up the save. Five Brewers pitchers combined to give up just four hits to Philadelphia and four scoreless innings.

Breakdown: The Brewers were game, but couldn't get anything going offensively against Hamels who was dominant in his outing. However, the Phillies didn't exactly play at their best and were lucky Lidge didn't completely blow it in picking up the save. Ryan Howard was a non-factor, walking three times. Milwaukee will have their best chance to win Thursday as their three-day rest ace CC Sabathia will take the hill in yet another opportunity to cement his 2008 legacy.

>Los Angeles 7, Chicago 2 (Dodgers lead series 1-0)
Next Game: Thursday @ 9:30 pm

What Happened: James Loney hit a fifth-inning grand slam and Manny Ramirez and Russell Martin added solo blasts as the Dodgers ran over the Cubs to open up their series. Derek Lowe was effective in getting the win, yielding just two runs and seven hits while striking out six. On the flip side, Ryan Dempster was not good for Chicago, going just 4.2 innings and allowing four runs on four hits while walking seven. Mark DeRosa hit a two-run homer to pace the Cubs, while Ryan Theriot added two hits.

Breakdown: One team looked poised and prepared...and the other did not. Loney got things going in the fifth with a huge grand slam and the Dodgers never looked back, adding more power later on. A good sign for LA? Six different players scored runs, not hard to do when the opposing pitcher gives out seven free passes. Chicago's Game 1 offense looked eerily like last season's postseason offense with Alfonso Soriano going 0-5, Derrek Lee 1-3 and Aramis Ramirez 1-4. Even Koskuke Fukodome and Geovany Soto got into the act with a combined 0-7 performance. There is no more waiting for it: this Cubs offense HAS to explode in Game 2 or else you can add on another year to the World Series drought.

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.

Originally a baseball-only blog, SWB has changed a lot since its inception but at the core, you'll find a piece of rawhide, wood and aluminum because, hey, that's what Little Leaguers use. Through the MLB postseason, you'll find game wraps, analysis and more here at the Ball. Long nights, sleepy mornings and some afternoon baseball with the opening rounds.

National League Divisional Series (best-of-five)

>Phillies over Brewers in three games: Almost every bit of my rationale of picking the Brewers to get swept was proven wrong by the Rockies last season, but I just can't see Milwaukee being able to keep up the emotional pace they've been on the last few weeks. Their manager was FIRED just weeks ago and now, they're in the postseason? I wish it could be different, but when you're throwing your ace out there every three days, the law of averages states that it has to catch up eventually. They would need near perfection in order to win this series and I just don't see how it can happen. Great story, but not this year.

For Philly, they need to erase the taste of last year's sweep by Colorado out of their mouths and get off to a hot start in the first few games. This team has the ability to be offensively dominant and Ryan Howard is hitting his stride at just the right time. It is going to come down to whether guys like Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer can get it done and whether closer Brad Lidge can continue his 2008 success or regress back to the end of his Houston days. They should have enough firepower to advance without issue.

>Cubs over Dodgers in five games: This one is a tough series to pick, but I'm going with Chicago in five games. This team just seems like they are built for short series play with offense ( Derrek Lee, the underrated Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto), pitching ( Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden) and bullpen arms. Forget all of that curse business: this team is really, really good. However, this will go all out the window if they lose the first game. Remember last season when they looked 100% lifeless against Arizona? This series will live and die with Lou Pinella's ability to get his squad motivated to meet the challenges that lie ahead.

I love this Dodgers squad and the fact that Derek Lowe has been blazing since Greg Maddux came aboard. Boston fans should always look favorably on D-Lo's 2004 postseason and that experience will come into play this season. Manny Ramirez is an awesome postseason performer (.269/24 HR/64 RBI career), but what about the rest of the gang? James Loney? Russell Martin? Matt Kemp? Jeff Kent? Thanks solely to Ramirez' bat, Joe Torre has another postseason performance but this one won't go past the first round.

American League Divisional Series (best-of-five)

>Rays over White Sox in five games: Sure, the White Sox did this same routine back in 2005 and ran the table, but this is a different time and place now. I don't trust that White Sox pitching staff one bit, even with John Danks' performance Tuesday night. The offense has too much of that feast-or-famine nature which will be a bit starving considering the Rays' starters are well-rested. Alexei Ramirez, however, is an offensive catalyst that is going to be a Top-5 SS in this league within the next few seasons and is loving this spotlight right now. I guess being stuck in Cuba for all those years will do that to a guy.

The Rays are a very, very potent team that has benefitted from having some rest this week. I like how they've been able to set up their starters for this first round with Shields, Kazmir and and Garza, despite Kazmir's struggles as of late. What this series will come down to is how being in the moment affects the Rays' young players that have never been in this position before like Upton, Longoria and Carlos Pena. I also am wondering why they decided to activate Carl Crawford for the ALDS considering he hasn't played regularly since early-August. The fact they won the AL East and made it this far means they're playing with house money at this point...we'll just see if more than 10,000 people show up to see them cash it in.

>Red Sox over Angels in five games: Anaheim's postseason struggles against Boston in recent postseason action has been well-documented and until the Angels manage to prove themselves, how can you pick against Boston? Veteran players that have won World Series titles, a pitching staff featuring three double-digit winners in Lester, Dice-K and Beckett and a history of postseason success? Yeah, I'll take that.

I don't think the Angels have a chance because of several reasons: not playing a meaningful games in weeks, a top closer in K-Rod that is waiting to see his arm fly off due to overuse and oh yeah, that woeful past against the Sox in postseason action. A very-wise World Champion once said that in order to be the man, you have to beat the man. While Anaheim's veteran-laden club, I need to see the man beaten to believe the hype.

ALCS: Red Sox over Rays in 6
NLCS: Phillies over Cubs in 7

World Series: Red Sox over Phillies in 6

Details on the Championship Series and World Series will come after the Divisional Series conclude.

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.