'The Gambler' now 'The Cheater?'

In Game 2 of the World Series, the FOX cameras caught a shot of a foreign substance on Kenny Rogers' pitching hand in the first inning. From what I could see, it appeared to be a brownish-orange color on the left side of his palm. It looked like a mixture of dirt and resin, as Rogers claims it was, and I believe him. How else would you explain the next seven innings where he gave up only one hit to the Cardinals after washing off the gunk before the second inning?

In my opinion, it's sad to see such a big deal made out of this, especially when Rogers is having an incredible run in the postseason. After the Game 2 win, he is now 3-0 with 23 consecutive scoreless innings. Every time he goes out on the mound, he's fired up, unleashing primal screams on strikeouts and double plays successfully turned. Should the series reach Game 6 and Rogers pitches another gem, he would be my pick for World Series MVP.

Tigers vs. Cardinals: Round Three

Who would have ever thought that the two playoff teams that performed the worst down the stretch would wind up facing each other in the World Series?!

When Yadier Molina hit Aaron Heilman's hanging changeup out of the reach of Endy Chavez, who earlier made an outstanding, full-extension, over-the-wall catch to rob Scott Rolen of a two-run homer, everybody's World Series predictions went out the window.

Instead of a potential Subway Series, which many people, including yours truly, thought was a solid possibility heading into the playoffs, we will now see the Detroit Tigers (A.L. Wild Card) face off against the St. Louis Cardinals (N.L. Central) for the third time and first since 1968.

In the first matchup in 1934, the Cardinals won their third World Series title in seven games. With a rotation led by young brothers Dizzy (24 years old, 2.66 ERA, 30-7, 195 K in 311.2 IP) and Paul Dean (20 years old, 3.43 ERA, 19-11, 150 K in 233.1 IP), and an offense powered by an outstanding season from first baseman Ripper Collins (.333, 35 HR, 128 RBI, 2oo hits), the Cardinals battled the Tigers pretty evenly throughout the first six games, but came out and destroyed Detroit in Game 7 with an 11-0 shutout.

34 years later, the two teams went at it again, but this time around it was the Tigers who came out on top in Game 7. It was a battle of aces, Detroit's Mickey Lolich vs. Cardinals Hall-of-Famer Bob Gibson. Each won their first two games in the series - Lolich Games 2 and 5, Gibson Games 1 and 4 - but in the head-to-head matchup Lolich got the better of the 1.12 ERA man with a 4-1 complete game victory.

In the 2006 edition, I don't expect the series to be even close to seven games. The Tigers are by far a better team. They can hit, run, pitch, play defense and their bullpen is the best in the game. It's been a week since they've played, but instead of being rusty they should be well-rested and ready to dominate. Sean Casey and Joel Zumaya have had sufficient time to recover from their injuries and will be an important part of the Tigers' success. Casey is a great defender who has a great eye and can go gap-to-gap at the plate, while Zumaya is practically unhittable throwing his 103-MPH fastball.

Justin Verlander will start Game 1 against fellow rookie Anthony Reyes, and then it will be Kenny Rogers vs. Jeff Weaver in Game 2 followed by Nate Robertson vs. Chris Carpenter and Jeremy Bonderman vs. Jeff Suppan in Games 3 and 4.

I'll give St. Louis credit for getting to the Series, but I can't give them too much because the National League was so much weaker than the American League this year. Four A.L. teams - Toronto, Boston, Chicago and Anaheim - finished with better records than the Cards, and even the Phillies had a better mark, but none of them made the playoffs. The competition was much stiffer in the A.L. Detroit finished the season 11 1/2 games better than St. Louis and yet they played like a mediocre team throughout most of the second half.

The teams match up nicely, in terms of their makeup, but Detroit is just stronger all around. The Tigers outfielders have the speed to cover the spacious outfield in Comerica Park. Their infielders all have good range, soft hands and good arms, especially 11-time Gold Glove catcher Pudge Rodriguez and four-time winner Kenny Rogers. They are not the most patient bunch at the plate, but the Tigers bats worked hard and wore down the opposition's pitchers in the Division Series and the Championship Series. I expect to see them do the same in Games 1 and 2 against Reyes and Weaver, but if they are smart, they will be a bit more aggressive in Games 3 and 4 against Carpenter and Suppan who were throwing first-pitch strikes to almost every Mets hitter they faced in the NLCS.

St. Louis' offense revolves around Albert Pujols. But with Pujols trying to work through a hamstring injury, the Cards will need their supplementary parts to come through like they did against the Mets. Scott Spiezio, Chris Duncan, So Taguchi and Yadier Molina all came up with big hits in the NLCS, and if the Cardinals want to win their first World Series since 1982 - a seven-game win over the Milwaukee Brewers - they will need more of the same against Detroit's very potent pitching staff.

It would be great if they got solid production out of their big bats - Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds - but very often playoff series are decided by that role player who comes up with a career moment. Just look at Molina against the Mets. The catcher known for his defensive prowess batted a paltry .216 with six home runs and 49 RBI in 129 games in the regular season, but in the NLCS he torched the Mets with eight hits in 23 at-bats, two homers, and seven RBI, including the series-winning two-run shot.

The games should be fun to watch, but with no big market presence and no historical angle, unlike last year's White Sox winning for the first time in 88 years and the 2004 Red Sox winning for the first time in 86 years, this will be another poorly-rated series.

My prediction: Tigers in five.

Bronx bombed

The Yankees looked absolutely punchless and heartless after winning Game 1 against Detroit. There was no enthusiasm, no fire oozing out of the powerful lineup like it used back in the late 90s. Gone are the Scott Brosiuses, Paul O'Neills and David Cones. Their hard-working, blue-collar style has been eradicated by the multi-million dollar, white-collar attitude of mercenaries for hire, such as Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, and Alex Rodriguez. And as one might expect from such a change-over, the Yankees haven't won the World Series since they signed Mike Mussina in 2001.

I expect to see a major shakeup come 2007, and it should all start with A-Rod being shipped out. Whether they admit it or not, he has been a major distraction ever since he came over from Texas, and the bottom line is that he has not lived up to his billing when it counts - in the postseason. His intense levels of self-criticism and self-evaluation, what made him the great player he is, have been his downfall in pinstripes, and he seems to take every word printed or spoken about him to heart, very often overthinking during games instead of just playing the game on reactions and instinct.

The ideal partner for such a move would be the Angels, who could offer a package of Ervin Santana, Scot Shields and Chone Figgins. Santana is a young, hard-throwing starter who would instantly improve the Yankees' rotation. Shields is the best set-up man in the game, and he could easily step in as the new closer if Mariano Rivera's elbow gives him more serious trouble, or when Rivera decides it's time to hang up his jersey for good. And Figgins is a highly-talented, versatile speedster who could either take over the hot corner or be the ultimate backup for the Yankees' All-Star outfield.

Angels owner Arte Moreno would make the big splash he's been waiting for, adding tremendous support for Vladimir Guerrero. A-Rod would be free from the 24-hour media scrutiny he's been subject to since he first donned No. 13. And the Yankees would pick up three gamers. It's a win-win-win situation.

Upsets and surprises

Before I get started with my predictions for the AL and NLCS, I want to talk about how surprised I was to see the Twins and Dodgers out in three and the Padres and Yankees out in four. The common theme in all four series was desire; the team that wanted it more won. Oakland came out strong against the Twins at the Metrodome, riding Frank Thomas' powerful bat to a Game 1 win over the likely AL Cy Young Award winner, Johan Santana. In Game 2, a risky dive by Torii Hunter turned into a Mark Kotsay inside-the-park home run, which became the turning point of the series. After the inside-the-parker, the A's scored two more runs to win both road games, setting up a potential sweep at Network Associates Coliseum in Game 3. Upon their return to Oakland, the men in yellow and green took advantage of an ailing Brad Radke early on with home runs by Eric Chavez and Milton Bradley and got a strong performance out of Danny Haren to complete the sweep. Going in, I felt Minnesota was the most dangerous team in a five-game series, especially with the home field advantage of playing in the loud Metrodome and Santana potentially starting twice, but as everyone saw, that didn't matter. Now Oakland heads into their first ALCS appearance since they lost to the World Series champion Blue Jays in 1992, facing a rejuvenated Tigers team that is coming off three straight dominating wins over the Yankees. With an incredibly talented, yet young, starting staff and a superb bullpen, Detroit shut down the Yankees - heralded as the best lineup in baseball - in Games 2, 3 and 4, forcing their usually patient lineup to swing at pitcher's pitches. Likely A.L. Rookie of the Year, Justin Verlander, overpowered New York with a 100-mph fastball, then baffled them with a hard-bending curveball in the shadows of Game 2. Kenny Rogers pitched the game of his life in Game 3, making the Yankees look foolish with his slow, sweeping curveball and changeups away over 7 2/3, clearly his best postseason performance to date. And then in Game 4, Jeremy Bonderman carried a perfect game into the sixth inning when Robinson Cano broke it up with a single. The Detroit crowd was charged up, and the Yankees didn't stand a chance, especially when Jim Leyland brought Fernando Rodney, 103-mph man Joel Zumaya and closer Todd Jones out of the pen. I expect more of the same when the ALCS shifts back to Comerica Park with the Tigers holding a commanding 2-0 lead going into Game 3. With Rogers and Bonderman taking the mound in Games 3 and 4, Detroit has a legitimate chance to sweep the A's and get to their first World Series since 1984 when they beat the San Diego Padres in five. BIRD HUNTING The Mets made easy work of the Dodgers in their NLDS sweep, despite being without Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez, two key cogs in their rotation. But their absence could hurt them against the Cardinals. With Game 1 being rained out, Tom Glavine now faces more pressure to perform on less rest, starting the opener and being called upon to pitch on three days rest in Game 5. St. Louis got through their Division Series matchup with the Padres with relative ease. Tony LaRussa took no chances with equally weak rotation, pitching ace Chris Carpenter in Games 1 and 4. Thanks to the rain-out Carpenter will go in Game 2, instead of Game 3, which gives the Cards a chance to leave New York with at least one win, and gives them a better opportunity to get past the Mets and back into the World Series. As far as their offense is concerned, it lives and dies with Albert Pujols. Yes, they have Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and Preston Wilson, but Rolen's been banged up the whole year, Edmonds is now suffering from post-concussion syndrome and Wilson isn't a consistent offensive threat. So aside from Pujols, Juan Encarnacion and Chris Duncan are the other power threats with shortstop David Eckstein trying to set the table at the top of the order. Having said that, the Mets need to do whatever they can to keep Pujols at bay. I wouldn't be surprised if they walk him in most situations, just to avoid him doing damage with one swing of the bat. It could be a dangerous strategy, but it's not as dangerous as it would be if St. Louis had a stronger lineup. The Mets also have to hope for strong performances from John Maine, Steve Trachsel and a suspect Oliver Perez. I noticed a terrible flaw in Perez's mechanics when I watched his last start. Instead of coming all the way around with his front leg, having his foot point straight at home plate, Perez seems to stop short and his lead foot points somewhere between the dugout and home plate, which leaves his arm angle up and hinders his ability to snap his slider. He's a lot more hittable with these flawed mechanics, but if pitching coach Rick Peterson can fix the flaws, Perez has the talent to return to his 239-K season with Pittsburgh in 2004. I don't expect the lefty to get back in track in time for his Game 4 start, but with extensive work in the offseason, he could be a solid contributor in the Mets' 2007 rotation. When it comes to the bullpen, the Mets have a considerable edge and Willie Randolph will not be afraid to pull his starters early because he has that much confidence in his 'pen. Pedro Feliciano has been one of the best lefty relievers this season, Aaron Heilman is one of the better setup men in the game - and if he were on another team, he could be a starter - Guillermo Mota and Chad Bradford have been solid additions, and Billy Wagner can still bring it in the ninth inning. Aside from Jason Isringhausen, who had season-ending hip surgery in September, the Cardinals don't have many, if any, dominating parts in the bullpen. What they do have is plenty of inexperience: Tyler Johnson, Josh Kinney, and Adam Wainwright are rookies, while Brad Thompson is in his second season. Granted, they wouldn't be on the roster if they didn't have talent, but you don't want to rely on this much youth in a playoff atmosphere. So, I would look for the Mets' potent offense to try to get into St. Louis' bullpen as early as possible.