I Guess It's Not Bad When Your Bullpen Is Rested
Knock-knock. Who's there? Houston Astros bullpen. Houston Astros bullpen who? What about the White Sox bullpen?

What we found out tonight is that the Cotts' and Jenks' of the world aren't bad, even when matched up with the Qualls' and the Lidges. It's kind of surprising that we were even given the opportunity to figure this out with our own eyeballs, considering Ozzie Guillen's recent history of letting his starting pitchers throw until they either won the game or were assassinated.

Also, while I'm here blogging for the first time in a while, I would like to say that my lovely and talented girlfriend Beth Carney, who finished WAAAYYY ahead of me in our fantasy baseball league this year - even though I'm her mentor - brought up an interesting point while we were watching Joe Crede get interviewed for his theatrically sound performance Saturday night. "Where did he come from?" she asked. EGGZACTLY. Where did Joe come from? It is refreshing to have a guy named Joe playing this well though, I must say.

But seriously, stay tuned, actually, for a guest blogging appearance by Beth in which she will tell you why the Yankees are far from a failure, even though they have not won a World Series since the last full year of the Clintonian era.

Boy Was I Wrong
Yeah, so those comments I made about the Red Sox, I'm sorry about that. Ozzie Guillen has a team in Chicago that does all the small stuff exquisitely. Middle relief from El Duque that will go down as one of the best pitching performances of the postseason, a squeeze play for the insurance run, some timely home run hitting: that's what good teams do in the playoffs. And while I'm here, that thing I said about Mike Mussina being the key to the Yankees because Randy Johnson is just fine. Yeah, um, I was just kidding. I know nothing. And by the way, per my prediction, yes I must wear a thong on my head during a trip to a Thai restaurant over the next three to five months.

A Quick Word on the Boston Red Sox
I'm not an insider, so I obviously am at a disadvantage when it comes to making predictions on this blog. But I need to get this off my chest. The Boston Red Sox will beat the Chicago White Sox and advance to the American League Championship Series. They might be down 0-2. I don't care. The Red Sox will not lose to the White Sox. Put that in your windshield washer fluid compartment and wipe it.

Random Funny Picture

One Sentence On Each Series

RED SOX VS. WHITE SOX
While Chicago's offensive showing was the most surprising event of Tuesday, remember that the Red Sox have a little bit of experience staging comebacks.

YANKEES VS. ANGELS
Now that Mussina won Game One, what looked like a dangerous series for the Yankees looks like a cakewalk in my book (not to put all my money on a team after one game or anything).

CARDINALS VS. PADRES
To have a chance, the Padres needed needed NEEDED to win the game that Peavy started, not lose him for the rest of the playoffs - two games - because his rib fell out.

ASTROS VS. BRAVES
At least the Braves didn't lose on Tuesday, like they will on Wednesday.

Who Would've Guessed It? Yanks and Sox BOTH in Playoffs-Shocker!
Okay, so after all the fuss and all the talk about the craziness of the American League in 2005, we’re back to where we’ve always been. The Central Division champion is made of Shop-Rite Scrunchy brand paper plates, the Western Division champion is the team that nobody is talking about, and, oh yeah, one other thing, the Yankees are the Eastern Division champ and the Red Sox are the Wild Card.

I said a few months ago that the World Series would be the Cardinals over the Red Sox. I have to stick by it, but I have some doubts about that. A few thoughts on the eve of the eve of the playoffs: and don’t worry, I’ll be blogging regularly during the postseason.

-The Angels might make the World Series again.

-The Astros, if they can get anyone to go pick up some bats from the Louisville Slugger factory, might have a shot at grabbing their first N.L. pennant.

-The Yankees will go as far as Mike Mussina takes them. Randy Johnson will be fine. If Mussina does well, the Yankees could win everything. If he does badly, especially at the start, they won’t even make it past the Angels.

-If the White Sox beat the Red Sox, I will wear a pair of women's thong underwear on my head at a Thai restaurant sometime in the next 3.5 months.