What John Thinks...Will Happen in the Baseball League Divisional Series

I like playoff baseball a lot. I'd say that I love it, but it's still baseball, which means that at some point during the game I'll lose interest and wonder what's going on over on "The Singing Bee" (don't hate, that show is unfiltered fun!).

Something I DO love about baseball is the early round division series which feature games that start in the afternoon. This if before baseball loses its mind in the league championship series and World Series and decides that it would be a good idea to have baseball games starting at 9:00 p.m. eastern time where a good chunk of the country can't (or won't) stay up to watch the (often exciting) finishes of games.

Anyway, the ALDS and the NLDS start today, with the white-hot Rockies and the red-hot Phillies (white-hot is hotter than red-hot, right?) starting the playoffs at 3. Here are my predictions.

THE JV, I MEAN, NATIONAL LEAGUE

Phillies over Rockies in 3.

I WANT to root for the Rockies because I love the fact that they won 14 out of 15 to get into the playoffs and because it's just generally kinda cool that the Rockies are in the playoffs. Then there's the fact that the Phillies took the place of second-favorite-team-I-root-for, the Mets who, in all fairness, did sorta give the division away. Still, props to the Phillies for finishing strong.

I like the Rockies team, especially rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (watch this guy play), but the Phillies hitting is actually better and I think they'll outslug the Rockies in a high-scoring series (because the Phillies bullpen is AWFUL). Also, the way the Rockies celebrated their emotional tie-breaker win over the Padres made me believe they'd just won the World Series. I don't see them getting themselves up that high. I also don't like that they had a day off (when you're hot, you wanna keep playing!) Finally, though Matt Holliday was CLEARLY out (why would you slide headfirst into home?!), I don't wanna hear any whining from any Padres fans who might read this column because Pads couldn't hold a 2 run lead with the all-time saves leader on the mound.

Cubs over Diamondbacks in 4

You've heard the stats about how the D-backs had one of the worst batting averages in baseball and actually got outscored by opponents throughout the year, but SOMEHOW ended up with the best record in the JV League. I'm not going to pretend like I watch every Arizona game, but it's not magic, it's good managing. Bob Melvin probably used his relievers smartly when games were close and didn't give a crap if they were getting blown out.

The Diamondbacks have been overlooked most of the year, and I'm going to continue overlooking them because I think the Cubs have better pitching, better hitting and a pretty good manager. They also have just as many fans in Arizona as the Diamondbacks do. I like them to win, even though I did a little research and found out that they are, in fact, the Cubs and destined to blow it somehow.

THE AMERICAN LEAGUE

Red Sox over Angels in 4

I would've like the Angels over the Red Sox a LOT more about a month ago when the Angels were a lot hotter and a lot less beat up. I think the Red Sox will win both games at Fenway (or at least Game 1 because Angels starter John Lackey is TERRIBLE at Fenway), lose Game 3 in Anaheim and close out the series in four.

Although it pains me to pick the Sox to win anything, if you think I might be picking them to jinx them and have them suffer a first-round loss, then you know me too well.

Yankees over Indians in 5

I have no confidence in this pick despite the fact that the Yankees went 6-0 against the Tribe this year. Partly that's because the Yankees didn't face Cy Young favorite C.C. Sabathia, and the Yanks struggle against power lefties (as does pretty much everyone). Also, the playoffs are a completely different animal.

This series is incredibly even when you think about it. I know that good pitching beats good hitting and the Yankees starting pitching is shaky, at best. Still, I like the Yankees because I think Chien Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte match up well against Sabathia and Fausto Carmona of the Indians in the first two games (assuming Chien Ming Wang isn't randomly terrible as he sometimes can be — especially on the road). Both teams also have pretty good bullpens with the Yankees Joba Chamberlain improving the bullpen greatly toward the end of the season becoming a dominant of 7th and 8th inning guy before Mariano.

Since they're so even, the difference to me is the Yankees offense which can absolutely wear out opposing pitching. Cleveland's top two starters are young and they can be emotional and I'm looking for the Yankees to get under their skin and prevail in the end.

Of course, like I said, I have no confidence in this pick because Alex Rodriguez is an 0 for 4 with two strikeouts with men on base away from getting killed by the media for not coming through in the clutch. Nevermind that without A-Rod (pictured, in a sight I hope to see at some point during the playoffs...I'm thinking positive!) the Yankees wouldn't even be in the playoff preview and we wouldn't be talking about the possibility of him choking in said playoffs. I think he's going to come through this year. And if he doesn't, I seriously doubt it'll all be his fault. But if he decides to leave after this year — having won two league MVPs in four seasons — then it's your fault. Yes you, the one who ragged on the most talented baseball player on the planet and drove him out of town. It's a good thing that's not gonna happen because the Yankees are going to win and he's going to play well. Right?

What John Thinks...of Barry Bonds Breaking the All-Time Home Run Record

Well, it finally happened.

Much to the dismay of many baseball fans, Barry Bonds did not blow out his knee bumbling around in left field, nor did he retire at 755 career home runs, nor did he slip in the shower and hit his 'roided-up, oversized head on the side of the tub thereby putting him out for the rest of the season.

None of those things happened before he became the all-time home run king.

In a perfect world, Barry Bonds hitting career home run number 756 would be unanimously celebrated, as would be the man who achieved that titanic accomplishment. I always thought I'd remember where I was when someone broke the all-time home-run record.

Then again, we don't live in a perfect world, so I'm not really sure why everyone is so surprised/saddened that this record is clouded in controversy. In addition, I think I'll eventually forget that I was in my room in St. Pete JUST about to go to sleep a few minutes before midnight when the record-breaking home run happened.

I mean, even when my boy Alex Rodriguez breaks this record in the next decade, who knows what kind of allegations they'll be lobbing his way by that time. That and the fact that everyone (including a good portion of Yankee fans) hates the guy.

But nevermind that, we're talking about Bonds here. It's my first sports-related column in a long time, but I AM what you'd call a sports freak and I've been following the chase nearly every step of the way. As someone that REALLY hates cheaters, I have to say, I'm not nearly as outraged as I thought I would be.

Also, one-sentence paragraphs in sports columns are dramatic.

You see everyone's running around, being all outraged and saying that Bonds isn't the real home run champion, and that they should place an asterisk next to his name, and so on and so forth. Well, let's be realistic here, the asterisk thing isn't gonna happen. I mean it's just not. If you're gonna put an asterisk on Bonds, then you have to put an asterisk on nearly every significant player of this era who we're pretty sure have used steroids (Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, etc.) and some that, when you REALLY look at their situations, probably have (Roger Clemens).

Baseball will never do this because, well, they benefited greatly from the home run explosion in the mid-to-late-90's when the sport was hurting for fans following the strike. I would never say the steroid problem it was baseball's fault (or the media, or managers or owners) because that lets off the hook professional baseball players who are adults and made the decision to use a substance that, while it wasn't being tested for in the sport, was illegal and, you know, wrong. I can understand why players did it because they wanted a competitive advantage, but it's still, you know, wrong.

Then again, attendance at ballparks IS at an all-time high, TV ratings are healthy, and there were tens of thousands of (admittedly biased) fans in San Francisco that didn't seem to mind Barry breaking the record. I mean, hey...I like watching home runs, and so do a lot of other people. They're slightly more electrifying than a sacrifice fly or grounding to the right side of the infield when there's a man on second to move him over to third.

Still, the main reason I'm personally not outraged is because this is baseball — a sport more obsessed with numbers than any other. And the real records are there, and always will be there. To me, personally, Hank Aaron will still be the all-time home run king, the same way Roger Maris is still the single-season home run king with 61.

That being said, you can't completely discount what Bonds and other players of this era have done and will do. Bonds, specifically is just too great of a player...look at the numbers (2,900+ hits, 756HRs, 7 MVPs, almost 2,000RBI, etc). He's a brilliant player. He's not just some flash in the pan who bulked up and had three or four great seasons. You HAVE to be an all-time great to hit 756. This is not something you do by accident. You don't sneak up on 756! Also, while everyone wants to focus on the heavy hitters, there have been a fair share of pitchers who have been busted for using banned substances as well.

It's just that Bonds (and McGwire and Sosa and A-Rod and Albert Pujols, as well as several pitchers) will have done it all during an era where steroid use was rampant. They're all a product of their time, the same way certain pitchers back in the early 20th century racked up an insane number complete games and wins during the dead ball era when offensive production wasn't what it is today. They're a product of their time, the same way Babe Ruth was because he never had to contend against minority players during his career.

It's a different game now and, whether you like him or not (I personally don't like him because Bonds seems to be an egotistical and rude jackass), Bonds is the best player in baseball...or at least what's become of baseball.