Yankees/Twins:
The Yankees are very good, but I think they can be turned over. Their starters will have to go 7 innings to get to Rivera, as the rest of the bullpen has been shaky. Torre may be tempted to use Jose Contreras as a set-up guy because he's hotter than the other choices! Giambi has been up and down, and Bernie Williams hasn't put up his usual numbers. A lot depends on Jeter, Posada and Matsui coming through with clutch hits.
The Twins have been one of the hottest AL teams in the second half. They have pitched much better - moving Johan Santan into the rotation really paid off. Kenny Rogers and Brad Radke are veteran guys, and Eric Milton (just back from injury) could have an impact out of a decent bullpen (Hawkins and Guardado). Shannon Stewart has been a key guy on offense, but he'll need Torii Hunter, Corey Koskie etc. to step up too.
The Yankees to go through, because of superior offense, but it might be a lot tighter than most people think.
A's/Red Sox:
The A's are an exciting team, and with Hudson and Zito on form, they have a decent chance. They have got by without Mulder, but I think they may miss him vs. a great hitting team. Ted Lilly has been pitching well - he'll have to keep it up for Oakland to do well. Keith Foulke has been the best closer in the AL this year. On offense, there are a lot of decent hitters - chances are that one of Tejada, Chavez, Durazo, Guillen, Dye will get hot at a good time.
I like this Boston team a lot. There will be shaky moments with the bullpen, but I think the Red Sox have the offense and the depth to out-hit the A's. Their line-up is stacked with guys having career years, and it'll take something special to keep them quiet. And they have Pedro!
Boston to win, with Kevin Millar and David Ortiz leading the way with key RBIs.
Giants/Marlins:
The Giants have the huge advantage of having Barry Bonds, plus guys like Ray Durham and Marquis Grissom have had good years. If Alfonzo, Aurilia and Snow pick it up, they'll be tough to pitch to. Schmidt leads the rotation, but Ponson hasn't been doing that well since arriving, and has no previous play-off experience. Kirk Reuter has struggled recently too. Tim Worrell has been great as stand-in closer, but for me the key pitcher could be Joe Nathan, who won 12 games as a reliever with an astronomical strikeout total as well.
The Marlins are the most in-form team right now. Conine has been great in clutch situations for them, plus the speed of Pierre and Castillo will cause havoc if they can get on base. Lowell's limited role might hurt them (how about a dramatic Gibson-like pinch HR?!), but they still have Pudge Rodriguez and Derrek Lee in the middle of the order. If Josh Beckett can stay away from blisters and Dontrelle Willis doesn't get nervous, they could be a real handful.
It'll be a match-up of two wise managers in Felipe Alou and Jack McKeon. I think the Giants' experience and home field advantage will tell in the end, although it would be great to see the Marlins advance.
Braves/Cubs:
The Braves have had a superb offensive year, with Sheffield, the two Jones boys and Javy Lopez putting up big numbers. Russ Ortiz led the league in wins, but his ERA was average, and he allowed a lot of walks. Hampton is still a little inconsistent, and Maddux will have a tough time facing Mark Prior! I'm concerned about the health of Smoltz, and whether Maddux will perform when throwing to Lopez, and not a "personal catcher". The Braves are good, but the most likely team to be upset in the first round.
The Cubs have the most dominating rotation, with Wood, Zambrano and Prior giving Cub fans reason for optimism. The bullpen is shaky - look for veteran lefty Mike Remlinger to get the call as primary set-up guy before Borowski closes. Sammy poses a big threat, and Aramis Ramirez has had some crucial homers since coming over from the Pirates. Moises Alou tends to heat up around play-off time too. Good luck to Karros and Grud!
The Cubs will win this series if their starters can pitch like we know they can. Right now, it's hard to imagine anyone beating Mark Prior.
ALCS:
Red Sox over Yankees. It's about time! How about Kim burying his Yankee Stadium demons with a crucial save?
NLCS:
Cubs over Giants. This Cubs rotation would have their work cut out against Barry, but I really believe this Cubs team can make it vs. the rest of the Giants' hitters. Dusty Baker would like to put one over on his old employers!
World Series:
Red Sox/Cubs. If it came to this match-up, I really wouldn't mind who won!
It would be delight for one team's fans, agony for the other. I'll go for the Red Sox hitters to do better, and win it in seven games - how about a Pedro/Prior match-up along the way for good measure!
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the play-off games!