Okay, so I lied. I made it almost two days without feeling the urge to do a SnakeBytes- well, almost 24 hours without the urge, but nearly two whole days before I gave in. But just because our boys are sitting at home doesn't mean we don't have baseball. Baseball, people! The playoffs! I can't just let that go! So here's a slew of links prepping you for the division series.
Playoff Previews:
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[SBNation.com] The 2010 MLB Playoffs Rootability Index: Helping You Decide Who To Root For In October - Still unsure who to root for? SBN has broken it down scientifically, and assigned each team a Rootability score.
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[si.com] 2010 Division Series Experts' Picks - What do they predict? Overall, Yankees-Rays in the ALCS, and they're unanimous is predicting a Giants-Phillies matchup in the National League.
Here's how we do it, folks- a link looking at the series, and then one from each team's home town press.
Rays-Rangers:
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[yahoo.com] 10 numbers for the ALDS: Rays vs. Rangers - The Diamondbacks had 86 stolen bases this season. In comparison, the Rays had 89 from Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton.
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[SBNation Tampa Bay] Top Five: Reasons The Rays Will Beat The Texas Rangers - Apparently, despite the best record in the AL, there's still some doubts about Tampa. SBN Tampa Bay give five reasons not to worry.
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[dallasnews.com] Grant: Yankees? Rays? Rangers have no reason to fear either squad - The main reason Ian Kinsler cared about who the Rangers are playing in the playoffs? "I wanted to know whether or not to pack a jacket."
Phillies-Reds:
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[yahoo.com] 10 numbers for the NLDS: Phillies vs. Reds - The Reds have some offensive firepower, but can their pitching do enough to keep them in the hunt?
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[cincinnati.com] Reds are grizzled newcomers - The Reds may not have much playoff experience- their first trip since 1995, while the Phillies have won the NL for the past two years. But they don't think that'll hold them back.
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[philly.com] Phil Sheridan: Different personas, same goal - The Phillies three big pitchers may have three very different personalities, but they might be the best starting rotation in the playoffs.
Twins-Yankees:
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[yahoo.com] 10 numbers for the ALDS: Twins vs. Yankees - Both teams put up some good offensive numbers, but the real question lies in Yankees starters not named Sabathia.
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[startribune.com] Bring it on already | StarTribune.com - I'm sure most fans feel like this.
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[nypost.com] Yankees no longer Series favorites as they open postseason - Dear Yankees- Shut up about pretending you're an underdog. No one cares.
Giants-Braves:
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[sportingnews.com] Braves-Giants NLDS matchup - The Braves had an impressive 56-25 home record this season, so a win in San Francisco could be all they need to move on to the NLCS.
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[sfexaminer.com] Giants stack up nicely against Braves - The Giants made a lot of midseason moves to get to where they are, but it's obviously paid off.
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[ajc.com] Do these Braves have any chance in the playoffs? Absolutely - Well, "Underwhelming teams can and do win" isn't really the greatest of rallying cries...
Around Baseball:
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[fanhouse.com] Jay Bell Back in Baseball With Team USA - The former Diamondbacks player and later bench coach has come out of a four year retirement to be an assistant coach for Team USA.
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[marketplace.org] Freakonomics Radio: Where are the home runs? - They say home runs in the headline, but really it's a story about why scoring is down in general.
Our first playoff game starts in about ten or fifteen minutes, so if you've got the afternoon free, or can hide it well enough from your boss, let's see some playoff baseball. Feel free to talk about the games, who you're cheering for, and who's playing well in the comments.
Unless you're cheering for the Yankees. Then just best to pretend otherwise.