College Football Pick 'Em! Week Two

I held my own in the first week of picks with a record of 16-2 (missed the OU/BYU game & UGA/OK. State game). Here are my picks for this week's Top 25 games!

#1 Florida vs. Troy: I love the fact that Troy isn't afraid to schedule games against the best teams in the country every year. Sadly, that doesn't change the fact that Florida is going to kill them.

#2 Texas vs. Wyoming: Interesting game for the Longhorns. They'll be travelling to Wyoming and it will probably be a crazy atmosphere. Still, I like Texas to win comfortably.

#3 USC vs. #8 Ohio State: Everyone seems to be making this out to be a battle of the QB's, and I would like Ohio State if that were the case. As for everyone else on the field, I think USC is stronger and I like them to get a big win in the Horseshoe.

#4 Alabama vs. Florida-International: The Tide will roll and I'll continue to be jealous of their style of play.

#5 Oklahoma State vs. Houston: I think this is a game that might be closer than people think. Oklahoma State is coming off a big win against Georgia and they could overlook the Cougars. Houston has the ability to put a ton of points on the scoreboard, but I don't have enough guts to call an upset. I'll still take the Cowboys.

#6 Ole Miss - Idle

#7 Penn State vs. Syracuse: Greg Paulus looked pretty good against the Minnesota defense last week, but I don't think he'll look so good this week. Penn State always has a great pass rush and they have much more speed than Minnesota. This game could get ugly for the Orange.

#9 Brigham Young vs. Tulane: Brigham Young pulled off the huge upset last week against Oklahoma. Now, can they march toward a perfect season and the BCS? I don't expect Tulane to get in their way.

#10 California vs. Eastern Washington: I'm going to continue to talk about him because no one else really is: Jahvid Best will deserve to be considered for the Heisman! California will win big and Best will put up more good numbers against E. Washington.

#11 LSU vs. Vanderbilt: I wouldn't be surprised if this game is close. Vanderbilt is known for playing with discipline and I don't know if LSU has found a killer instinct yet. I think LSU wins because they have more playmakers, but Vandy will put up a fight.

#12 Boise State vs. Miami (OH): I'd be more excited about this game if it was the other Miami team. Boise State wins big.

#13 Oklahoma vs. Idaho State: Even without Sam Bradford, the Sooners should win this game by no less than three touchdowns.

#14 Virginia Tech vs. Marshall: Virginia Tech might have been the most impressive team that lost last week. Their defense will be very strong, but they need Tyrod Taylor to step up. The Hokies will beat Marshall comfortably.

#15 Georgia Tech vs. Clemson: Ga. Tech defeated Clemson on Thursday night. And what a game it was!

#16 TCU vs. Virginia: This is an ugly beginning to the season for UVA. An opening loss to William & Mary and I expect them to lose to TCU. The Horned Frogs are nasty!

#17 Utah vs. San Jose State: San Jose State hung with Southern Cal. for about a quarter last week. I expect the same thing this week before Utah pulls away.

#18 Notre Dame vs. Michigan: I look at this game and have no idea who's going to win. I think Notre Dame has more talent, so I'll pick the Irish (with no confidence whatsoever)

#19 North Carolina vs. UConn: This matchup makes me wish it was basketball season. I like the Heels to get a good win on the road in Connecticut.

#20 Miami (FL) - Idle

#21 Georgia vs. South Carolina: I'm starting to think Logan Gray might be the starting quarterback for Georgia by the end of the season. Joe Cox struggled with the flu last week and now he's talking about an injured shoulder - bad news! I think the Dawgs will win this one only because their offense is not quite as bad as South Carolina's.

#22 Nebraska vs. Arkansas State: I'll take Nebraska by 40.

#23 Cincinnati vs. SE Missouri State: I wonder if the Bearcats will get tougher competition in this game than they did last week against Rutgers. Either way, they win by a ton.

#24 Kansas vs. UTEP: The Jayhawks have a cast of characters on offense who must all be getting their P.H.D's because they've been there FOREVER. Kansas wins this one.

#25 Missouri vs. Bowling Green: Missouri looked AWESOME last week against Illinois but they need to avoid a letdown in this game. I think they'll be focused and take care of business against Bowling Green.

College Football Pick 'Em!

I'm probably going to regret this, but I'm going to go through all the college football games featuring Top 25 teams and predict the winner. This week should be relatively easy because most teams schedule push-overs for their opener, but I'll try and keep this going throughout the year. Here we go!

#1 Florida vs. Charleston Southern: Florida wins huge in this game and it's a pathetic scheduling move by Urban Meyer and Co.

#2 Texas vs. Louisiana Monroe: Colt McCoy begins his heisman campaign in a Longhorns rout.

#3 Oklahoma vs. # 20 Brigham Young: I give Bob Stoops credit for scheduling non-conference games like this. Oklahoma proves they're nasty on defense this year and they'll shut down the BYU offense.

#4 USC vs. San Jose State: USC will roll in this one, but their biggest key is avoiding any injuries before heading to Ohio State next week.

#5 Alabama vs. #7 Virginia Tech: The primetime game of the weekend in the Georgia Dome. I like Alabama to win a low-scoring defensive battle. If I don't pick Alabama, I'm worried Terrence Cody would eat me.

#6 Ohio State vs. Navy: Interesting scheduling decision for Ohio State. The Buckeyes will win this one, but it could have lingering effects against USC.

#8 Mississippi vs. Memphis: Ole' Miss and Memphis always seem to play each other close, but it's time for Ole' Miss to live up to the hype. I like Ole' Miss to win big.

#9 Oklahoma State vs. #13 Georgia: Part of me is really worried about this game, but I like the Dawgs to pull off the upset in Stillwater. I think Georgia will be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and keep the explosive Cowboys' offense off the field.

#10 Penn State vs. Akron: Penn State should win comfortably.

#11 LSU vs. Washington: LSU should be more consistent this year with Jordan Jefferson at quarterback. The Huskies might hang around for a half, but LSU will have too much talent and depth.

#12 California vs. Maryland: California is looking for payback in this game and I expect them to get it. Jahvid Best could be a dark-horse heisman candidate for the Bears.

#14 Boise State vs. #16 Oregon: Played Thursday night.

#15 Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State: If Georgia Tech doesn't win, there should be an investigation.

#18 Florida State vs. Miami (FL): I'll take the 'Canes in the upset! Miami has a ton of talent and Florida State always seems to be dealing with distractions.

#19 Utah vs. Utah State: Played Thursday night.

#21 North Carolina vs. Citadel: UNC gets off to a good start in a season where I think they have a shot at winning the ACC.

#22 Iowa vs. Northern Iowa: Iowa wins, and no one cares.

#23 Notre Dame vs. Nevada: Round one of Murderer's Row for the Irish! I think they'llsqueak by Nevada.

#24 Nebraska vs. Florida Atlantic: Should be an interesting year for Nebraska. They have some talent and the Big 12 North is wide open. They'll beat Florida Atlantic.

#25 Kansas vs. Northern Colorado: The only question this game is how quickly Kansas will get to 50 points.

A Fresh Season

I haven't eaten at many new restaurants lately. My wife and I have tried to be really good about saving money and cooking at home and it's been fun, but it's been tough not getting to try new restaurants. And when we have gone out to eat, the past few times have been to places we know and like, so there's not too much exploration there. So when I get a chance to try somewhere new, I really get excited and hopeful about it; and the most recent location delivered! I had heard many good things about Seasons 52 and I'd seen locations all over the country, but I finally had lunch there this past week.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with Seasons 52, it's a contemporary (slightly) upscale restaurant that focuses on using seasonal ingredients to create healthy meals. The menu changes seasonally and they also have different weekly specials, which explains why the name is Seasons 52. They try to create entrees that are nutritious and balanced and less than 475 calories while bringing out the best flavor of the fresh seasonal ingredients. I'd looked at the menu before and it always seemed like a good place to try, so I was definitely excited when someone offered to take me there for lunch. Of course, when you get an upscale restaurant that uses fresh ingredients, it can tend to get rather expensive; but the lunch menu appeared to be very reasonable. Most entree items seemed to be in the $8-$15 range and they offered plenty of variety and unique combinations.

Always the food adventurist, I decided to go out on a limb and try something new, a buffalo burger. The Oak-Fired Western Buffalo Burger was topped with guacamole, spicy chili sour cream, and roasted red pepper salsa on a whole wheat bun with a side salad. It was delicious! Since I'd never ordered buffalo, I went with the waiter's recommendation of having it cooked to medium, which was good because it is a very lean cut of meat. I really liked the flavor of the meat with the combination of guacamole, sour cream, and salsa and the whole wheat bun brought it all together (and provided some good nutrition). The salad was fresh and had some sunflower kernels tossed in, which I really enjoyed. It wasn't a huge burger, but the fiber from the bun and the salad helps to make it a more filling dish than it appears to be. Not to mention, the presentation on the plate was very contemporary and cool looking.

Now, if the meal had been finished with the buffalo and salad, I

wouldn't have been disappointed, but we weren't done! After the entrees, the waiter brought out a beautiful dessert platter with a variety of mini-indulgences (small desserts in big shot glasses) we could choose from. I was torn between the Rocky Road or the Pecan Pie with Vanilla Mousse, but I eventually decided to go with the chocolate. The chocolate was creamy, the cake in the bottom of the glass was moist, and as one of the people I was with said, "This is just enough." Mini-desserts are a great option for getting the taste of something sweet without feeling the gluttony of ordering a massive dessert at a crazy price.

So what's my review of Seasons 52? I give it 52 thumbs up! The location was great (we had a table overlooking the InterCoastal Waterway), the service was EXCELLENT, the food was tasty and healthy, and the lunch prices were reasonable. It is a step up from the Applebee's and Chili's of the world and it appears to be a restaurant with a very unique and cool approach in designing their menu. While it may not be a restaurant for everyone, it's certainly a place I'd enjoy going back to.

The Big Three

The college football season is finally upon us! The anticipation of finding out where College Gameday will set up camp, the hope of watching the performance that defines a Heisman Trophy campaign, the upset of the year, the breakout team no one expected to be great, it's all here! Now, I'll confess I'm not one of the total diehards who lives for the beginning of college football. I AM a passionate college football fan and I try to keep up with what's going on around the country, but this isn't my favorite sport. Come talk to me in October for the beginning of college basketball or March for the beginning of the NCAA Tournament and I'll tell you all about why basketball is my favorite sport, but it doesn't mean I don't get excited about some college football!

Today, I want to look at three college football games I'm interested in this weekend. Two of these games are receiving a great deal of national attention and they feature possible Heisman trophy candidates and BCS bowl contenders. However, one game features two unranked teams who have no big stars, no big name coaches, and no expectations for making a BCS game in January. The games I'm most intrigued by are: Oregon vs. Boise State, Georgia vs. Oklahoma State, Minnesota vs. Syracuse. Let's take a look at the match-ups.

No. 16 Oregon vs. No. 14 Boise State

Boise, ID, Thursday, 10:15 PM Eastern (ESPN)

It's rare that we get to see a team play it's biggest game of the season in their opening game, but that's the case for Boise State. The Broncos are a popular pick to go undefeated and serve as the BCS-buster this season, but they face a tough task in their first game against the Oregon Ducks. I wonder if Boise State will feel any pressure playing in front of their home crowd at night in such a big game, or if they'll be able to feed off the crowd energy and enthusiasm. In redshirt sophomore quarterback, Kellen Moore, Boise State has a leader who has already played in big games and shown he can lead his team to victory, so we'll see how the rest of his teammates perform. And doesn't it seem like Oregon is a program that never really gets the respect they deserve going into a season? People rarely talk about the Ducks, but they consistently contend for Pac-10 titles and finish in the top 10-20 in the rankings every year. Mike Bellotti built a solid program in Eugene, but now we'll see if Chip Kelly, the new Oregon head coach, can continue that success. Also, I'll tune in to this game just to see what uniforms Oregon breaks out to start the season.

No. 13 Georgia vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State

Stillwater, OK, Saturday, 3:30 PM Eastern (ABC)

Whenever you get a game with Oklahoma State, there's the potential for a shoot-out. The Cowboys feature a three-headed monster on the offensive side of the ball in Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, and Dez Bryant; and coach Mike Gundy has shown plenty of offensive creativity in being able to put points on the board. After all, HE'S A MAN! HE'S 40! However, the Cowboys will be going up a Georgia defensive unit that is expected to be much improved from last season. The Bulldogs feature one of the premiere tandems of defensive tackles in the country in Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens, and Rennie Curran is being talked about as one of the best linebackers in college football. Will the Cowboys offensive line be able to protect Zac Robinson and give him time to find Dez Bryant? Or will the Bulldogs defensive line control the line of scrimmage and create blitzing opportunities for the linebackers and safeties? Another thing I'm interested to see in this game is whether or not Dez Bryant is really worth all the hype. He has great overall statistics, but he had a tendency to disappear in the big games for the Cowboys last season. In their four games against Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, & Texas Tech, Bryant never had 100 yards receiving and didn't record a touchdown in three of the four games. If Bryant is going to truly emerge as a Heisman Trophy candidate, he'll need to shine in the games where everyone is watching.

Minnesota vs. Syracuse

Syracuse, NY, Saturday, 12:00 PM Eastern (ESPN2)

I don't think I've ever been interested in a Minnesota football game in my life and they aren't really the reason I'm interested in this game. The Gophers were a feel-good story last year until they fell apart down the stretch and lost six straight games, but the program appears to be headed in the right direction; but does anyone outside the state of Minnesota actually care? Now, I'm not sure people around the country cared about Syracuse football (I know I didn't) until a couple weeks ago when they named Greg Paulus their starting quarterback. For those who don't know, Paulus spent the last four years playing basketball for Duke and he has been away from football since his senior year in high school. After graduating from Duke this past spring, Paulus pursued the possibility of joining a football program (Syracuse, because it's his hometown) and seeing if he could contribute as a quarterback for a season. I thought it would a good story and Greg might get to play in a couple games, but he's been named the starter and the team captain! The work ethic and commitment Paulus has displayed has been remarkable and I really hope he has a great season for the Orange. Unfortunately, he had trouble dealing with injuries in his four year career at Duke and he probably will not have a great deal of talent around him in Syracuse, so it could be a bumpy road for the little guy with the lion's heart.

Slick Rick

Although the beginning of college football is only a week away, we can't seem to get away from stories about the college basketball coaches in the state of Kentucky. In the past week, we've seen current Kentucky coach, John Calipari, be stripped of wins; former Kentucky coach, Billy Gillispie, get arrested for a DUI; and Louisville coach, Rick Pitino, give one whale of a press conference about his current legal situation. Pitino is currently involved in an investigation in an alleged extortion attempt against him by a woman who claims she was raped by Pitino on two different occassions.

Now, I don't intend to provide the entire story involving Pitino and the woman who is claiming she was raped by him, because I don't think I could get all the information out before college basketball season starts. However, the basic elements of the story are: Karen Sypher claims to have been raped by Pitino six years ago, Sypher claims Pitino paid one of the members of his staff to marry her in order to keep her quiet, Sypher claims Pitino paid her $3,000 to pay for an abortion after Pitino impregnanted her, Sypher tried to extort Pitino out of $10 million in order to keep quiet about his sexual encounters with her. And Karen Sypher is now being charged with extortion by the FBI and none of her claims against Pitino have been seen as credibile, so it doesn't appear any charges will be brought against him. Still, Pitino has admitted that he did have a sexual encounter with the woman in a Louisville restaurant, but he claims the encounter was consensual for both parties. Following this craziness?!

So the issue I want to get to is the decision of Rick Pitino to call a press conference on Wednesday about all these events and stories. Basically, it ended up being a six minute rant showing how Rick has gone off the deep end. Despite being discouraged by the University of Louisville and his lawyers, he came and out and talked about the hell his wife has been through in the past seven months while a woman tried to extort him during the tournament. Yes, it clearly must have bothered her that her cheating husband was being extorted during some basketball games. Also, he talks about how we need to get away from this story about his personal life and get onto more important things, like the economy and basketball. Sure Rick, people are losing their jobs all over the country but let's make sure we think about Louisville's chances without Terrence Williams and Earl Clark this year! (<-which aren't good, by the way). Pitino also mentions that he was told by the university, the authorities, and his attorney to keep quiet because it's an ongoing investigation, but he's tired of being quiet and he's decided to talk. So Rick, you're not following the advice of your own employer, attorneys, and the prosecutors of the case? Smart move!

There are a number of other ridiculous comments ("a long laundry list of people who passed away today") Pitino makes during his press conference, but I'll post the video here (courtesy of ESPN) so you can see it yourself. It's quite obvious to see that the situation at Louisville has turned into an absolute trainwreck for the university and for Rick Pitino. And although Pitino asks people to ignore the reports and stories that come out from now on, how can we turn away when people are having meltdowns like this?!

Savory Snack

I wanted to take some time to introduce a wonderful new snack food I tried a few weeks ago, Alexia Onion Strips. I'd seen the commercials for the onion strips, and my wife and I had wanted to try them because it seemed interesting that the company prided itself on being able to put "real onions in their onion strips." So a couple weeks ago, during one of our many trips to Publix, we decided to give the onion strips a try as an afternoon snack. What a good decision that turned out to be! These things taste awesome!

First, they're not kidding about having real onions in their product. In the ingredients, it says they use spanish onions and there is no other mention of artificial onion flavoring or anything like that. You can really taste a difference in the real onions versus some onion flavoring, like you might get in a bag of Funyuns. However, the thing that puts the Alexia Onion Strips over the top for me, even more so than the real onions, is the crunchy outside surrounding the onion. It's like biting into a great tasting onion ring. The batter is seasoned and crispy and it doesn't flake apart as soon as you take a bite of it. If you're a fan of onion rings, this could quickly become an addictive snack for you, like it has for me.

Now, a couple issues with this product you might want to consider. One - this isn't exactly a healthy treat. The company advertises their products as being 100% All Natural (which means virtually nothing) and they boast about having no trans fat, which also isn't very relevant. The fact is, a serving size (which is very small) has 150 calories, and it offers no nutritional value. And with a food like this, it's very easy to eat the whole bag before you know it, and then you've downed almost 700 calories. Ouch! The other issue with these onion strips is that they aren't easy on the bank account. They usually cost about $3.50 and there's only 4.5 servings in an entire bag, so it's not best value. However, the Alexia website will occassionally give away some promotional coupons and sometimes they are BOGO at Publix, which makes it a much better deal.

Personally, Alexia has made me a believer. I've tried the Waffle Fry Snacks and haven't had as much success, but I am a HUGE fan of the Onion Strips and I'm looking forward to trying out some of the frozen products. So if you go to the grocery story and pick up a bag of these onion strips and become addicted, don't say I didn't warn you! (and send me a bag!)

Keys to Success: AL East

As we come to the end of this series about the contenders in baseball, we head to the division with the best winning percentage in the league, the American League East. This division seems to get the most coverage every year by the major media outlets, and it probably should since a team from the AL East has played in four of the last six World Series. It's the division with the two most recognized teams in baseball, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and one of the most exciting young teams in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays. And as we head towards the postseason, this looks like another year where a team from the AL East could be headed for the World Series.

New York Yankees: When the Yankees spent so much money on free agents in the offseason, many people speculated about how the organization was continuing to throw money at big name players without really addressing their problems. Well, it looks like it worked this time. The offseason signings of C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira have worked out brilliantly and the Yankees seem to be pulling away from everyone else in the American League East. As everyone around baseball knows, a World Series championship is the only standard of success for the Yankees, but this team certainly appears to have all the tools to accomplish that goal.

If I had a vote for the American League MVP award, it would go to Mark Teixeira. People can talk bad about his decision to take the money and play in New York, but Big Tex can flat out play. He's hitting .288 with 33 home runs and 93 RBI's, and he's probably going to win another gold glove at first base. He's been a consistent performer for this team and he's just what they needed, someone to come in and produce on the offensive and defensive end and lead by hustling on the field. Derek Jeter is the unquestioned leader of this team, but the addition of Teixeira has been key in taking the spotlight away from Alex Rodriguez and keeping distractions at a minimum. If Teixeira can continue his outstanding play in the postseason, the Yankees have a great chance at making it to another World Series. He has so much protection in that potent lineup that pitchers are forced to deal with him, or take their chances with the other dangerous hitters sitting behind him. He's done a great job of dealing with the pressure that comes with playing in New York during the regular season; let's see how he handles the postseason.

When I look at this team, the only potential weakness I see would be the starting pitching. C.C. Sabathia has been very good, with a 15-7 record and a 3.59 ERA, but the other starting pitchers haven't been quite as strong. A.J. Burnett and Joba Chamberlain have struggled at various times

during the season, and Andy Pettitte has provided consistency but nothing overwhelming. When the Yankees get to the playoffs, they'll need at least one of those three to step up and deliver a string of quality starts. Their offense will score runs, but probably not in the same way they have in the regular season, and quality pitching will become even more important. The starting pitchers need to be able to go deep into games and protect the bullpen, which will make Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera even more effective. And an effective Mariano Rivera usually means playoff success for the Yankees.

Boston Red Sox: Lately, all we hear about the Red Sox is how many problems they have. It says something about the standard of excellence you've set when everyone is criticizing your team and you're 18 games over .500 and have the fifth best record in baseball. However, this is certainly a different team in Boston than what we've become accustomed to seeing over the past few years and they don't appear to be nearly as dominant and playoff ready. They still have time to get some of their problems sorted out, but after losing two convincing series to the Yankees in the past three weeks, the folks in Fenway have reason to be concerned.

The biggest problem I see with this team is the depth of the pitching staff. After a rocky start to the season, Jon Lester has been great and I think he's become the anchor of that staff. And Josh Beckett has been very good, even though he got rocked by the Yankees this past weekend. But after those two guys, the Red Sox can't seem to find anyone to step up as a starter. Everyone thought the signing of John Smoltz would be a great fit in Boston, and it turned out to be a disaster. The signing of Brad Penny seemed questionable, and it hasn't turned out well either. Daisuke Matsuzaka has been rendered useless due to injury. Tim Wakefield was pitching wonderfully until an injury sidelined him for the past month. And Clay Buchholz shows signs of becoming a great pitcher, but can't seem to put it all together yet. So when people express concern about the Red Sox and their chances this season, it's because starting pitching is the one area where you can least afford to be struggling. Bad starting pitching gets you behind early in games, which takes you out of your gameplan, and it also eats into your bullpen, which makes those pitchers much less effective when they can't be brought in for particular situations or against certain batters. Still, the thing that makes this Boston team so dangerous is the fact that all of these guys have been here before. If they can create some momentum and get their starting pitching headed in the right direction, it seems like the Red Sox can take it to another level once they get to the postseason.

Tampa Bay Rays: I love how many of the early projections for this season had the Rays winning the World Series. For some reason, people think that if a young team has a great year and they don't lose many pieces from that team, then they'll be even better the next season; which, for the Rays, meant winning the whole thing. If everything were that simple. This is a team that caught everyone by surprise last year and they quickly became the feel good story in baseball. The unorthodox coaching methods of Joe Maddon and their incredible display of power and speed made them an exciting team to watch and an easy team to pull for. However, all the attention they received last season created enormous expectations for this season, and they're a team that will no longer sneak up on anyone.

Let's be honest, the Rays have had a good year. They have a 68-56 record, they had five players on the All-Star team (including the MVP), and they're only three games behind Boston for the Wild Card spot. But, by their own standards, they'd probably say they've underachieved. Their record on the road has been terrible at 26-35, and they're the one contending American League team with a losing record against left-handed pitching. After being quite lucky last season in not having to deal with major injuries, they've been forced to move players around this year and deal with season ending injuries. And, in my opinion, the bullpen hasn't been anywhere near as good as it was last year. Grant Balfour was much better last season as an 8th inning guy, and they were able to use J.P. Howell in particular situations before turning the game over to Troy Percival in the 9th. This season, Balfour has been marginally effective and Troy Percival has been awful, which meant moving J.P. Howell to the closer's role (where he's done very well) and leaving a void in their group of middle relievers. I think Chad Bradford and Dan Wheeler could be key pieces in strengthening the Rays bullpen, and that improvement in the bullpen could be the key to getting them back to the playoffs.

Prediction: I think the Rays will run out of magic and struggle against all the quality teams on the remainder of their schedule. I like the Red Sox to win the Wild Card, and we'll see what happens from there. If they get to play the Angels in the ALDS, it will be interesting to see if Los Angeles can get over the mental hump of beating Boston in the playoffs. And the Yankees are running away with this division. They'll win the American League East and I think they'll win the American League.

Recap: According to me, the American League playoff teams will be New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In the National league, we'll have Philadelphia, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Colorado. Certainly some proud franchises in both leagues! I'm taking the Yankees to be the representative from the American League and I'm going to take the Cardinals in the National League (but Philadelphia wouldn't surprise me at all). We'll see how good or how ridiculous my predictions look in a few weeks, and it should be an exciting end to the season. Feel free to leave your own predictions or offer any opinions about my own picks.