Who will win the World Series?

[skudplayr]

On another note...people in Africa will be getting a shipment of "Boston Red Sox - 2008 AL Champs" shirts soon. Atleast that's what i've heard they do with the stuff; give it to goodwill.

I would like to get my hands on a "New York Yankees - 2004 AL champs" hat/shirt. That would be worth alot.

[skudplayr]

I recall the Tigers going from worst to first two years ago with everyone picking them to win...then...I think we recall what happened.

[KowboyKoop]

I recall the Tigers going from worst to first two years ago with everyone picking them to win...then...I think we recall what happened.

Tigers didn't win their division....

Cardinals just got lucky that year. Phillies could get lucky this year. The Rays remain the heavy favorites. The AL is just so superior to the NL, that's not debatable. It's gonna take an extraordinary effort for the Phillies and their one man pitching staff to win this series against SUCH a good team. Hamels is good, but Meyers and Blanton are question marks and Moyer looks like he could struggle to make it through the 2nd inning.

The Phillies could win, but the odds are not good.

[HoustonGM]

Rays.

[FRENCHREDSOX]

Lets look at the matchups:

Pitching
TB #1 Shields V PP #1 Hamels - Edge Hamels
TB #2 Kazmir V Myers - Edge Kazmir slightly (both were shaky in Playoffs)
TB #3 Garza V Blanton - Garza (eg Tonight)
TB #4 Sonnastine V Moyer - Sonnastine solid & Tampa LOVE hitting finess guys!

Pen

CL: Lidge over Wheeler/Blafour commitee
Rest : Even - neither dominant

Batting/Fielding
C Rays
1B Phillies
2B Phillies
3B Rays
SS Phillies
LF Even
CF Rays
RF Phillies

Bench/DH
Rays - so many options - Baldelli/Floyd/Zobrist/Perez v Jenkins/Bruntlett/Dobbs/Stairs !


seems to me Rays in 5 or 6

[Arctic Blast]

Rays in 6.

[filihok]

The Rays are better than the Phillies.

And I don't see Utley or Howard getting a hit off of Price in a clutch situation

[TheNamelessPoet]

Jets

[phightinphils]

I see everyone is jumping on the Tampa bandwagon. Don't get hurt jumping off when the Phillies win it.

Come on, seriously. The Rays psyche is really fragile. They were less than three out from the World Series and they lost that game and the next. It took them two full games to recover. I was hoping Boston would push them to seven.


But keep voting for the Rays. Look what happened to the Dodgers. And they are a tougher team than the Rays.

[phightinphils]

The Rays are the heavy, heavy favorite. There simply isn't an argument otherwise. The AL is so much stronger than the NL and the Phillies starting pitching could be in big, big trouble.

Did you even watch any of the Phillies playoff games? I guess you did not with that statement you made. Tampa is not great. They are good, but not great.

[Swampdog]

Lol. The Dodgers are tougher than the Rays? Did you hit your head this morning. The Dodgers would have finished 5'th in the AL East. I can only assume you are being facetious.

The Rays are a far, far better team than the Dodgers, and they are clearly better than the Phillies as well.

[TheNamelessPoet]

Lol. The Dodgers are tougher than the Rays? Did you hit your head this morning. The Dodgers would have finished 5'th in the AL East. I can only assume you are being facetious.

you type faster than me i was thinking the same thing

[justanewguy]

I see everyone is jumping on the Tampa bandwagon. Don't get hurt jumping off when the Phillies win it.

I don't think everyone is "jumping on the bandwagon" so much as picking them to win.

Come on, seriously. The Rays psyche is really fragile.

How can you possibly know this?

They were less than three out from the World Series and they lost that game and the next. It took them two full games to recover. I was hoping Boston would push them to seven.

Uh... they were playing a good Boston team.

But keep voting for the Rays. Look what happened to the Dodgers. And they are a tougher team than the Rays.

As a Dodger fan, I have to say this is one of the most incorrect statements I have ever heard. The Dodgers are by no means a tougher team than the Rays. Not even close...

[phightinphils]

Lol. The Dodgers are tougher than the Rays? Did you hit your head this morning. The Dodgers would have finished 5'th in the AL East. I can only assume you are being facetious.

The Rays are a far, far better team than the Dodgers, and they are clearly better than the Phillies as well.

you type faster than me i was thinking the same thing

Ahhh. Here come the haters.

The Rays basically have no playoff experience before this year. The Phils have guys who have been on playoff runs before. Mental edge is a serious advantage. Plus, they have been resting. They did not blow it like the Rays did in game 5.

[HoustonGM]

I see everyone is jumping on the Tampa bandwagon. Don't get hurt jumping off when the Phillies win it.

Gee, a Phillies fan is saying this? What a surprise.

Come on, seriously. The Rays psyche is really fragile. They were less than three out from the World Series and they lost that game and the next.

How about we stop attributing winning and losing to differences in "psyche", and just attribute it to who played better? How about that revolutionary idea?

Sorry, you don't win 97 games and make the World Series with a "fragile psyche." Frankly, you don't make the major leagues with a "fragile psyche."

But keep voting for the Rays. Look what happened to the Dodgers. And they are a tougher team than the Rays.

No, they're not.

Did you even watch any of the Phillies playoff games? I guess you did not with that statement you made. Tampa is not great. They are good, but not great.

Tampa is a great team. So are the Phillies, but they wouldn't be great in the American League, they'd be good.

But, frankly, debating the issue with you is probably worthless, considering you're a Phillies fan, and from what I've read of you, you're a fan that's not capable of looking at things objectively, and instead let your fandom be the focus of your "analysis."