5-Min Break: World Series Predictions

Gentlemen of Sports Taken Back,

The Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants have shocked the rest of the baseball world into submission — none of us predicted the Giants to advance to the World Series in our League Championship Series predictions!

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to predict who will win the World Series and why. And for bonus points, why not try to guess the World Series MVP for good measure…

-DSF

Dr. Sports Fan

I really have no clue which team will win, after all, I picked the Yankees and Phillies to win their respective LCS. Overall, I think the American League was better than the National League this year, but I think AT&T Park favors the pitching heavy Rangers. The only problem, Cliff Lee will be pitching one of those games. The problem for SF is that the Rangers offense is as good on the field as it is on paper (not mentioning any names on this one… COUGH-Phillies-COUGH). While I think the Giants have enough fight in them to take this one the distance, I don’t think it will be enough to finally end Frisco’s title drought.

So here goes nothing: Lee and the Rangers take game one, lose game 2, take 2-of-3 at home, and hold on for a win in either of the final two games in San Fran.

World Series Champion: Texas in 7

MVP: Why not? Cliff Lee

P.S. Even though the Giants beat my favorite team, I’m still excited to watch them (and the Rangers) play in the World Series. Am I alone?

Mr. Dude and Stuff

Man, some egg on our faces with our LCS picks, huh?  Even my MVP picks were duds with Teixeira pulling the hammy running to first and Howard caught looking to end the whole series.  Sheesh, did I call it wrong.

This could be a pretty epic World Series considering both teams played spoilers and upset elite defending champions who were all but shoe ins for a rematch.  Both teams played their asses off to get where they are so I tip my cap to both of them.

That being said, I like the Rangers in this series.  Granted, I could be totally wrong again so that bodes well for the Giants, but Texas has been playing with that magical winning run grit that stifled the Yankees.  At first I thought it was just pure luck (and some pretty questionable umpiring) with the Tampa Bay series, but after what they did to the Yankees, I’m sold.  Cliff Lee will very likely gun down these Giants hitters as well as a big series out of CJ Wilson I think as well.

World Series Champion: Rangers in 6 or 7.

MVP: Josh Hamilton if it’s in 6 or Cliff Lee if it’s in 7.  Sorry, I can’t decide.

Sports Drone

I have no interest in watching this World Series.  And it’s not because I’m not a baseball fan.  I will watch any team… any time.  I reserve the right to pull my “poor sport” card out at this moment.  I am so pissed off about the Phillies catastrophic failures at the plate that I don’t want to watch another game until April.  That being said… I probably will anyway and I’m going with Texas in 5.  Texas is batting something like .286 BAA as a team.  The Giants are batting .230 BAA.  Texas went through the Rays and the Yankees like a hot knife through butter and they’ll take down the pack of nobodies and journeymen that are the Giants.  The Giants went through a tired and depleted Braves team and a Phillies team that refused to play small ball and seemed content to stare at pitches down the heart of the plate and swing at balls that bounce on home plate.  The Giants could have rolled the ball from the mound and the Phillies players would have probably swung at it.  Plus… I want to see Cliff Lee win a World Series title.

World Series Champion: Texas Cliff Lee’s.
MVP: Oddly enough, not Cliff Lee.  I’m going with Nelly Cruz, he’s been a beast.

Interesting side note… Bengie Molina will get a World Series ring no matter which team wins since he played for the Giants earlier in the season.  Lucky him.

The Phoenix

Okay .. stop me when you’ve heard this one:

The Giants are going up against a team with a vastly superior offense…

“.. stop ..”

…their pitching as a team may be the difference in this series…

“.. please stop ..”

…and their inexperience in this situation may come back to haunt them at the wrong time.

“.. I beg you to stop because it still hurts ..”

In short, I’ve heard this argument before, and I’m not going to get fooled into thinking Texas can pull this off. Unless Cliff Lee is pitching nine innings in every game, the Giants are winning this series. Texas’s offense is just as good (if not better) than Philadelphia’s was. They may be swinging a bit hotter of a bat, but as we saw in the NLCS, Lincecum, Sanchez and Cain sprinkled with that re-donkulous bullpen was enough to keep CBP quiet until March — much to my chagrin.

World Series Champion: Giants in 6.

MVP: Tim Lincecum.

Jack Bauer of All Sports

World Series Champion: Rangers in 6

MVP: Josh Hamilton

Both teams are playing great, especially Texas. I think both teams are equal in pitching matchup, but offense slightly favors Texas. I know its a cliche argument, but I’m Jack Bauer of All Sports, and I approve this prediction