But Sean, Isn't Your Theory Obvious?

Thinking about things while Nelson Cruz renders my ALCS MVP prediction utterly moot, and the Tigers fight for their season...

For the 3rd game in a row, my NLCS theory has been *tentatively* proven correct. In the Cardinals' 4-3 Game 3 victory, these were the lineup stats minus Murderers' Row and the 1-2 Punch, respectively.

STL: 7-22 (.318), 2 runs, 2 RBIs (although Yadier Molina technically drove in a run on a double play)
MIL: 5-24 (.208), 3 runs, 3 RBIs

So actually, maybe it's better to say that in this case - because it was more or less even, with a better average and more hits for the Cards, but more production from the Brew Crew - my theory continues to not be proven wrong.

2.5 Outta 4 Ain't Bad

Well, I nailed the ALDS predictions exactly. Can't say the same about the NLDS. Correctly picked the Brewers to win, but the Dbacks took them one game further than I thought they would. And I was all kinds of wrong about the Phillies-Cardinals. But happily so - I like the Phillies, but I like the Cardinals too and was happy to see the underdog win. Bud Selig and his cronies must be simultaneously ecstatic and scared out of their minds. For as much as the final 4 teams prove all his arguments about parity...there are no East Coast teams left. The likely favorite to come out of the NL plays in the MLB's smallest market. The TV ratings from here on out, no matter the World Series matchup, might well reach historically bad levels. So as great as these matchups are in terms of competitive balance, they couldn't have turned out much worse from a business standpoint. Selig should at least be happy, however, that the Rangers managed to take care of the Rays - the Rays may be on the East Coast, but their own fans *generally* don't care about them.

Interesting note - the 4 teams left were the 4 middle playoff teams in terms of payroll. As a result, the average payroll of the remaining teams has dropped to $97.2 - which would have put them at 13th this year if they were a real team ($6 million behind the mediocre Dodgers and $5 million ahead of the Rangers). Just a nifty tidbit.