Well the playoffs are less than twelve hours away, so what better time for me to write about it. Another last second preview for me. There has been some changes though, so this is pretty up to date. I'm going to stop trying to defend my laziness and give some baseball playoffs predictions.  

Tigers vs. Yankees  

This is an interesting series. The Tigers have a pretty good rotation for three games, sending three guys that sport an ERA under 4.00. Nate Robertson has done pretty well (13-13, 3.84 ERA) and Justin Verlander is a solid rookie of the year candidate. The lefty won 17 games, and can hit the high 90's and sometimes triple digits. The only problem is they all have to deal with that Yankee offense. Abreu has been the best thing for the Yankees since David Justice in 2000. Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield are both back in the lineup, and A-Rod may decide to show up for a series. I won't mention Johnny Damon because it will hurt too much, and there isn't much that can be said that you haven't heard about Derek Jeter in the postseason. An added bonus for the Yankees is Randy Johnson may pitch in game three. He is going up against another dinosaur in Kenny Rogers, so he may be able to live up to that ERA of 5.00 and still get the win. Rogers did give up two runs to the Royals on Sunday.  

Yankees in Four  

 Athletics vs. Twins  

Game One is going to be great. Cy Young Winner Johan Santana goes up against the A's ace lefty Barry Zito. Game Two isn't going to be as great when Esteban Loaiza takes on Boof Bonser. Talk about a drop off. The A's have been swinging the bat well lately. Frank Thomas has made a late season run at MVP (he won't win but he'll get some votes) and has got help from Milton Bradley and Nick Swisher. The Twins are doing better though. Joey Mauer won the batting title, Justin Morneau put up MVP numbers, and Torii Hunter had the best year of his career. The Twins win this because they have the best bullpen in baseball anchored by Joe Nathan, one of the best closers in the league.  

Twins in Four  

Cardinals vs. Padres  

The Cardinals are a threat because they have Albert Pujols. I can't believe he is only 26, and already has 250 homers. Petco Park isn't the friendliest to hitters, and the Padres have the pitching that will keep the Cards in the park anyways. They throw out Jake Peavy, hefty lefty David Wells, and Chris Young in the first three games, two of which are in San Diego. The Padres also have a solid bullpen, with Cle Meredith shutting people down, and Trevor Hoffman closing the door.  I also feel that anytime Jeff Weaver is involved in a series, that team will lose. The Cardinals also went 35-39 after the All-Star break and barely won the NL Central.  

Padres in Four  

Dodgers vs. Mets  

This is a tough one. I really like the Dodgers because most of them used to play for the Red Sox. Nomar had a great year, and Derek Lowe knows how to pitch in the post-season. He goes up against Orlando Hernandez. The Mets went from:

1. Getting Pedro back...
2. To having a less than par Pedro until the playoffs...
3. To no Pedro for the Playoffs...
4. To No Pedro until June...

See I even put it in chronological order. And now El Duque has to start in Game One. At least the offense is capable of carrying them. Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado both had monster years, driving in over 110 runs each. The Dodgers also have question marks at pitching though, with old and shaky Greg Maddux (who won't start in Game Two now) and Brad Penny has a back that flares up more than his temper. Grady Little does manage the team too.

Mets in Four (But go Dodgers)  

So those are the picks. I won't even bother with guessing the Championship series because I probably won't get this round right. Plus it will make me write another baseball preview. I guess I don't want to let go just yet, even though all I really have to look forward to is February. It's the first time in three years the playoffs won't directly be affecting me. Hopefully these games will be entertaining for everyone, since last years weren't exciting at all (even when my team was in it). If not there's always football.  

And Grady Little is still managing...  

• Now to my football picks. Had a solid week at 11-3, improving to 32-11. I also learned some interesting things about the NFL. For starters, I hate Daunte Culpepper. You would think a fantasy decision of Culpepper against Houston or Rex Grossman against Seattle would be easy. Well Culpepper sucked for the most part, and the Dolphins are the most overrated team out there. As for a team proving themselves, the Ravens did just that. Steve McNair is back to his old self, and the defense is as solid as ever. Another quarterback that impressed was Peyton Manning. He took over and led the Colts passed the Jets (who put up a pretty good fight). And of course, the Patriots looked awesome, and put a beating on the Bengals. Not much more I could ask for. Except something bad to happen to Daunte. 

• Vin Baker signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Timberwolves. Maybe he can teach Kevin Garnett a way to wipe away his losing sorrows. Just another reason I'm excited for the NBA (hmm, potential post?).

• Tiger Woods got his sixth straight tournament win Sunday. The record is 11 by the late great Byron Nelson. Still early, but just something to look out for. Unless of course my jinx kicks in.