Yes, the upstarts, Texas and San Francisco, vanquished heavily favored foes and the league’s two hottest teams embark on a tight matchup tonight. Here are our thoughts:

Rich:
Rangers in seven

Usually you can predict the winner of the World Series by asking a simple question, “Who’s happy to be there, and who wants to win?” That isn’t the case this year because frankly, neither team was supposed to be here. With that said, this should be a phenomenal series.  The matchup is perfect. San Francisco has great pitching and adequate hitting.  The starting rotation is outstanding, and the bullpen is deep. With all due respect Mr. Halladay, Tim Lincecum has become the best big game pitcher in the National League, and if Brian Wilson isn’t the best closer, he’s certainly a fair representation.

The Giants lineup doesn’t feature one great hitter, but there isn’t an easy out 1-8 in that lineup either. They also have in Pablo Sandoval a rare luxury for any NL team heading to an AL park: a designated hitter. Texas is the exact opposite, great hitting and adequate pitching. Cliff Lee is the best player in the Series, but the rotation drops off some after that. With Josh Hamilton, Vlad Guerrero, Ian Kinsler , Michael Young, etc., etc., the Rangers will show the Giants the strongest lineup they’ve seen all year. Neither team plays brick wall defense, but both feature some great players in the field.

So call it a toss-up.

I’m a Giants fan for two decades, so I really want to pick them to win. However, I think the Rangers have so much momentum heading into this series, along with Lee, I have to go with the Rangers in 7. I guess.

Andy:
Rangers in six

The pitching matchups will be fantastic. Offense will be scarce. But I think the Rangers have the potential to put up a few more runs than the Giants do.

Plus, the momentum garnered by taking out the heavily favored Yankees will keep them hot. Games will be low scoring and close. But the Rangers will prevail.

Tony:
Giants in six

Well, pretty clear whoever I pick will lose. I pick the Giants.

Pitching and homefield advantage. Should be a good series.

All three of the Brushbackpitch writers correctly predicted two of four Divisional series. Rich missed on the American League but nailed both National League series right on the nose. Andy hit Texas winning in five and Philadelphia sweeping the Reds but missed on Philadelphia’s win over Atlanta and the Yankees whitewashing of the Twins.

Tony hit the Texas and Philadelphia series but didn’t hit them squarely on the correct number of games. So … who cares? Yeah, you’re probably right.

Anyway, here are our picks for the League Championships:

Rich:
New York over Texas, six games
Philadelphia over San Francisco, five games

Tony:
New York over Texas, six games
Philadelphia over San Francisco, five games

Andy:
Texas over New York, six games
Philadelphia over San Francisco, six games

I thought the series was over after Tampa manager Joe Maddon was ejected following Michael Young’s three-run homer, a shot that should never have happened because Young’s check swing on the previous pitch should have been strike three.

But the Rays collected themselves and continued battling, eventually earning the right to come back home for gave five after winning both games in Texas.

Watching the seesaw battle between these two clubs was a pretty dramatic contrast to the other AL series, which was won in dominating fashion by the New York Yankees over the Minnesota Twins, who despite a narrowed talent gap in 2010 could not come close to getting past their playoff nemesis of recent times.

I thought heading into this year’s series that things might be different. Early on it looked like there was a chance I could be right. The Twins led 3-0 in game one heading into the sixth inning.

But then things fell apart.

As has happened so many times in the last 20 years, the Yankees rose up when it mattered and seized control of the game, stealing a win and then carrying their momentum over to the final two games as well.

As I look back over this series, I think these teams are more closely matched in terms of physical talent than they have been in quite awhile.

But there still are a couple holes I think the Twins need to fill before they can beat the Yankees – and that’s important because as the old saying goes, the Yankees are the best and to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.

The Twins have narrowed the talent gap between themselves and the Yankees. No longer do the Twins go into a playoff series with a Matt Tolbert, who is a solid utility player but not a starting corner infielder, playing third base and batting ninth in the order.

No longer is Nick Punto, another solid role player, also in the starting lineup alongside Tolbert, providing teams with at least two spots in the order where pitchers can say with relative confidence “I can challenge this guy, he’s unlikely to damage me greatly.”

In fact, while I still think New York has a talent advantage, I also think if the Twins had gotten the monkey of a long postseason losing streak off their collective backs by winning that first game, they might have had a chance to take the series by the throat considering the relative mediocrity of the Yankees’ starting rotation the last half of the regular season.

I think the biggest hurdles the Twins have to overcome now are the mental ones. Minnesota still lacks that Jack Morris-type starting pitcher who will come into the game, throw a pitch underneath a star player’s chin, and then grin at him as if to say “Yeah, motherf%$^&%, it’s on.” Morris pitched one of the all-time greatest World Series games in 1991, not just beating the Braves in game seven but absolutely willing the team to victory.

Francisco Liriano has that kind of stuff but he hasn’t been around the block enough yet. He was solid for five innings in game one this week but the Yankees got to him thereafter. He might develop into a Morris type player. But he isn’t yet.

Look no further than that Rays-Rangers game tonight to see how important such a pitcher can be. Cliff Lee was closing in on 100 pitches nearing the seventh inning. That seems to be a magic number for today’s Twins rotation. But Lee got stronger as the night went on and he managed to gut out a complete game to take the Rangers to the AL Championship Series.

Likewise, the Twins lack that Dan Gladden-like leader who would provide that Morris-like fire in the everyday lineup. Gladden was far from a great player. But he was a solid player who, if he had to, would chase down a deep fly ball, chop off his leg and use it as a club to knock the ball back into play, disinfect the wound and kill the pain with a shot of Jack Daniel’s and then use the empty bottle as a crutch to help him back to the dugout where he would have the injury sewn up.

The current Minnesota lineup is made up of some very good players. Joe Mauer is one of the best catchers in the game, and he might go down as possibly one of the best in the history of baseball.

Justin Morneau, when healthy, is a fantastic weapon. Jim Thome is a classy veteran who still packs punch. Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Denard Span – right on down the line this is as good a group of players as has been seen in Minnesota and as decent a group as you will find on and off the field. They represent Minnesota well.

But they are not fiery. And that’s fine. They don’t need to be. They should not be forced to lead in ways that don’t mesh with their personalities.

That said, the Yankees are a smug group. They’re the best lineup money can buy and they’ve been there before.

From top to bottom they are professionals. They aren’t going to be intimidated and they know that when push comes to shove, more often than not they are going to be the better team in the end.

In fact, they almost seem bored and disinterested as games unfold. They know they can turn it on when they need to and, in most cases, they do (see game one). That attitude showed through this entire series. The Yankees waited and waited and waited and when the opportunity arose, they pounced.

The Twins have been the Yankees’ punching bags for much of the last decade when it comes to the American League playoffs. I think the talent gap is as small as it has ever been.

But until the Twins show they are willing to punch them in the mouth – until the Twins grab the Yankees by the figurative throat and show they won’t be intimidated by the $200 million juggernaut from the east coast – I don’t think they’re going to get past New York and take it to the next level.

Bobby Cox is also leaving the Atlanta Braves. This retirement might be the biggest loss of all for the game.

Cox took an undermanned Braves team to the playoffs as a wild card despite losing Chipper Jones, Martin Prado and two key pitchers during the season. And he had the San Francisco Giants on the brink in the NL Divisonal Playoffs despite losing closer Billy Wagner and a bunch of errors by Brooks Conrad.

The better team won the series. But the Giants and their fans were classy about it, giving Cox a standing ovation for his years and contributions to the game.

Congratulations on your retirement, Mr. Cox. You’ve given Atlanta a heckuva ride.

Yes, the baseball playoffs begin Wednesday and we, like every other baseball fan, have opinions on who is going to take home the trophy. Here are our first round picks.

Rich:
Tampa Bay over Texas, four games
Minnesota over New York, four games (or Yankees in three)
Philadelphia over Cincinnati, three games
San Francisco over Atlanta, five games

Tony:
Texas over Tampa Bay, four games
Minnesota over New York, fie games
Philadelphia over Cincinnati, four games
Atlanta over San Francisco, three games

Andy:
Texas over Tampa Bay, five games
Minnesota over New York, four games (If it goes five, Twins lose)
Philadelphia over Cincinnati, three games
Atlanta over San Francisco, five games

I love even more that the Yankees were livid with the Mariners because they thought they had a deal and then Seattle pulled it away from them at the last minute.

But I am confused about how the Texas Rangers, bankrupt and under the operation of Major League Baseball at the moment, can take on more than a million in salary for a pitcher they likely will not retain after the season while giving up rookie hitting phenom Justin Smoak as part of the deal.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand that Lee is an ace. And I understand that Texas is in first place.

He could push the Rangers, who started strong last year only to fade and barely miss the playoffs at the end of the season, into the postseason. But it’s the type of financial and personnel risk that teams not located in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and maybe Philadelphia are usually hesitant to make.

Smoak started slowly when he got the call to the Major Leagues early this season. But he’s picked it up of late and is considered a top prospect.

Allegedly, according to LaVelle E. Neal III during an interview on KFAN-AM this evening, the Rangers and Cincinnati Reds were the final two teams in the running for the rental services of Lee. Actually it surprises me a bit that either team was a finalist in this deal for the same reasons.

On the other hand, maybe I should just revel in the fact that the second half of the season, at least for now, still means something. The Yankees are still baseball’s best team. Had they acquired Lee they would have had a rotation of him, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Andy  Pettitte and Phil Hughes.

With Javier Vazquez in the rotation instead of Lee, it’s already one of baseball’s best bought rotations. Plug in Lee for Vazquez and, one through five, that rotation, matched with the offensive firepower that team always manages to buy for their lineup, and you could pretty much have handed them another World Series trophy this afternoon.

So thank you Seattle. And thank you Texas. Without having had a ton of time yet to study the rest of the players in this deal I am still confused that you both were willing and able to make this deal work.

But I do appreciate your keeping me interested in how the rest of the season will play out.

But the rookie who stole the show on Tuesday was the highly acclaimed franchise savior for the Washington Nationals, Stephen Strasburg.

The phenom, who entered professional baseball under controversial circumstances when his agent, Scott Boras, threatened to hold him out unless he got $50 million to sign, was every bit the stud he was advertised to be. He tossed seven innings, striking out 14 and walking none in getting his first MLB win.

The only blemish on his line was a homerun hit by Delwyn Young, who later made one of the few appearances he’ll ever make on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight to talk about how you approach hitting a rookie stud like Strasburg. Basically, from the looks of it, his answer should have been walk up to the plate, close your eyes and swing.

The coverage of the Strasburg event was a bit laughable. It was the first and probably last time this decade where the Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates achieved headliner status on the same day. Both ESPN and MLB Network, which interviewed Pirates rookie Neil Walker about facing the new hurler, did wall-to-wall coverage. It had to be the most publicized debut in ages.

But as I said, Strasburg proved worthy of the accolades. I didn’t get to watch the entire game, but the highlights were impressive. Even more to my liking was the postgame interview, during which Strasburg appeared calm, collected and reasonably humble. He talked about the adrenaline he felt and the support of the crowd, about how this was just one game and about how his goal this game, next game and down the line will be to keep his team in the game and give his teammates a chance to win.

It’s been the lifetime of the franchise since the Nationals have had a real chance to do so on any kind of regular basis. As skeptical as I was that Strasburg could live up to the hype he entered pro baseball with, he appeared Tuesday as though he will be up to the challenge.

Let’s keep in mind that he’s going to have to live up to these expectations for the next 10 to 15 seasons. But this was a very, very impressive debut.

Griffey had been brought back to Seattle last year as a veteran presence and stuck around for one final season this year as the Mariners made several aggressive moves in the offseason aimed at contending for a championship. But the Mariners got out of the gates slowly and one report indicated that he was going to retire or be released sometime last month.

He finishes 2010 with a .184 batting average and no homeruns. But he finishes his 22 year career with 630 homers and a .284 average to go along with the above-mentioned accolades. Throughout the 1990s he was regarded as one of the best – if not the best – players in the game, though his stats would undoubtedly have been even better if he had not spent most of 2002-2004 on the disabled list.

Griffey also was regarded as a truly decent guy. In one of the few controversies to arise during his career, two unnamed players told the Tacoma News Tribune that Griffey missed an opportunity to pinch hit earlier this year when he fell asleep in the clubhouse. His teammates defended him aggressively, locking out the reporter who broke that story for at least awhile.

The linked Seattle Mariners press release includes several Mariners officials giving him his well-deserved due. There’s little to no question in my mind that he will be a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection in five years. He was untainted by the steroid allegations that have hampered his peers such as Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. And even with the injuries his numbers clearly put him among the all-time greats.

A discussion on one of the local sports radio talk shows raises a more interesting question: Is Griffey the best professional athlete to never win a championship? Karl Malone in the NBA, Dan Marino in the NFL and Bonds, among others, are under discussion as his competition from the other major sports.

But Griffey has to be right up there toward the top. Your thoughts?

Of course, since the game was in Florida, there were only just over 25,000 fans in attendance for the game–about 8,000 more than for an average Marlins home game.

So what to do with the other 13,000+ tickets that weren’t sold (and probably were never even printed)?

Well, if you’re the money grubbing Marlins, there’s only one logical solution–sell them. At face value.

That’s right, for between (based on published ticket prices) $12 and $300+, you to can claim that you were there to witness history.

Or turn around and try to resell the ticket on eBay–try to get a Halladay autograph, package it with a Halladay trading card, make a nice little plaque, and turn yourself a nice little profit.

  

    

    

      Roy Halladay Autographed Perfect Game Ticket - ONCE IN A LIFETIME PURCHASE

      US $123.50  (3 Bids)

      
 End Date: Wednesday Feb-08-2012 14:11:47 PST


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      Roy Halladay Autographed Perfect Game Ticket - ONCE IN A LIFETIME PURCHASE

      US $123.50  (3 Bids)

      
 End Date: Wednesday Feb-08-2012 14:14:42 PST


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      Roy Halladay signed REAL MLB Batting practice Hat w/COA  and PERFECT GAME TICKET

      US $99.99 

      
 End Date: Thursday Feb-09-2012 10:23:42 PST


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As an occasional collector of sports memorabilia, this seems…just dirty to me. As a fan, had I attended the game, I could see keeping that ticket stub, and making some sort of collectible. And I could see a truly passionate fan (of Halladay or the Phillies) buying some sort of memento. But in either case, having a ticket that was actually used would mean 100x more than having something printed after the fact.

What’s next, just print up an extra 50,000 tickets with May 29, 2010 on them, and sell them in the fan shop?  Maybe Commemorative Replica Tickets?

It would be slightly more palatable if the Marlins printed something extra on the ticket, indicating it was not used on game day–but the story makes no indication of that, and I doubt it would happen.

Which means, once again, the Marlins have found a way to sully MLB tradition, and the way the game should be conducted, in my eyes.

[Note: It's possible this is a regular thing with many teams in MLB, and I've just not heard of it before--if that's the case, just add it to the list of reasons for why I don't think MLB will ever reclaim the #1 spot in my heart for sports, even if the NFL does manage to screw things up by having a lockout/strike in the coming year.]

Halladay was on all night long, there was no question about that. He was really only challenged, according to the ESPN announcers, in one inning when the Braves had the bases loaded.

What impressed me even more was how the Phillies played around him in their 2-0 win.

I didn’t watch the whole game. But in the couple innings I did, second baseman Chase Utley made a fantastic diving stop of a hard ground ball. Had it squirted into centerfield the Braves would have scored at least two runs.

In the ninth inning, a slimmed down Ryan Howard dove to his right and snared another shot that appeared to be a base hit. He then flung the ball to Halladay covering first for yet another gem.

Earlier in the game Troy Glaus hit a deep fly to center that Shane Victorino timed, leaped for and caught with his glove over the fence, saving Halladay yet again.

The Phillies, the closest thing Major League Baseball has to a dynasty at the moment, and Halladay, probably the league’s best pitcher, appear to be made for each other at the moment. The pitcher is clearly motivated to take his game up another notch to make his first run into the playoffs.

And Philadelphia isn’t going to have to score many runs for him to win a heckuva lot of games if the team keeps playing defense for him like they did tonight.

So far he’s 4-0 with ERA and WHIP both below 0.90. He won’t be able to keep that up, but expect 22 or 23 wins for Halladay and something in the high 90s if not more for the Phightin’ Phills. It’s early and a lot could change, but I think that’s the best team I’ve seen so far in 2010.