Halos And Villians

Today marks the beginning of the American League Championship Series in the new Yankee Stadium. That's what the title of this post pertains to. For the Yankees, it'll be CC Sabathia and for the Angels, John Lackey will take the hill. Sabathia is one tough customer but if Lackey can pitch the way he did against the Red Sox, well, anything can happen. Game two will be tomorrow and weather might be a factor for the first two games in the Big Apple. Maybe, maybe not.

Last night, the world champion Philadelphia Phillies, with a LOT of help from their bullpen, hung on to beat Joe Torre's LA Dodgers by a score of 8-6. They will play game two today on TBS and TBS HD with coverage beginning at 4:30pm EDT. The Yankee/Angels game will be televised on Fox and Fox HD. That coverage starts at 7:30pm EDT. My picks? The Phillies in six and the Yankees in five. That's just the way I feel...no mental research was done, believe me.

What will the Boston Red Sox do with the "old guard," guys like Big Papi, Mikey Lowell and the captain, Jason Varitek for the 2010 season? I'm fairly certain, almost positive, the 'Tek will be back as the back-up catcher, working behind the plate two, maybe three times a week. Victor Martinez will be our everyday catcher if everything works out JUST so. As for Big
Papi David Ortiz, after a hideous beginning last year, he came on strong and was a valuable hitter, the kind of basher we all know. I think he will be back as the Boston DH, although he will probably bat something like sixth. He'll be there...I know it.

Now we come to third baseman Mike Lowell, who was still a potent force at the plate but had a limited range in the field because of his sometimes sore hip. Unless the Sox corral a first baseman, moving Youk to third, or they get their hands on a new third baseman, expect Mikey to be back knocking in runs as he always does. 2010 WILL be his last year...that's for sure. Will the same be true for Papi and Varitek? We'll have to wait and see.

We all know that Boston has a gaping hole in leftfield if future free agent Jason Bay decides to go elsewhere. The Red Sox have no control over what will happen in this case, they can only prepare for any contingency. They will, that's for sure. Shortstop is another dilemna. Do we stick with Gonzo? That's for Theo & company to decide and for me to write about. Jacoby in center and JD in right are locks. So that's it. Tomorrow I'll address other this's and that's and all the goings on in the ALCS and the NLCS. For the one game that has been played, the Phillies have the victory. I'd like to see another team make it to the World Series in their place, and that would be the Dodgers. Tonight, the Phillies' Pedro "Petey" Martinez will face ex-Soxer and now Dodger Manny Ramirez. That's worth the price of admission alone. For complete coverage of last night's game, simply click on this post's title. You'll enjoy the SI playoff coverage. And remember, as always, BE WELL. Thank you for being here and your comments are always welcome and always answered. See ya. Go Halos (not villians).

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. BFW (BoSox Fan In Wichita), a faithful everyday reader and friend, scolded me for jesting about Ted Williams' head in yesterday's post, entitled YAH BOO. If I offended any of my Constant Readers or Constant Visitors, I sincerely apologise. I still think it was a legitimate news story and reported as such. Thanks, BFW.