ALDS- Twins vs. Yankees: Okay, so the Twins don’t really stand a chance.  There was a time that I thought whoever came out of the Tigers Twins battle would give the Yankees a run because those two teams had been playing meaningful baseball, but that’s what I thought the Tigers would win.  The Twins did end the season on a 17-4 run, with three of those losses coming against the Tigers, but the Yankees are just too good.  I’m not nearly as impressed with Yankee pitching as everyone else, but whatever, Yanks in 3. 

ALDS- Angels vs. Sawx: Man, I hate the Red Sox.  The Sox have won 12 of the last 13 playoff games played between these two franchises and ended the Angels season three out of the last five years.  That’s crazy.  I want the Angels to win this series badly, but I think the Red Sox bullpen comes through and sets up an annoying series with the Yankees.  Red Sox in 4.

NLDS- Rockies vs. Phillies:  The Rockies are riding some of that magic from a couple years ago it seems like.  However, the Phillies pitching is just too good, not to mention their mashers can take advantage of the Rockies home stadium just as much as those purple clad world beaters.  Just after dealing with Cliff Lee they get Cole Hamels and this series will go 2-0.  I think the Rockies give the home crowd reason to cheer and take game three, but it’s Phils in 4. 

NLDS- Cardinals vs. Dodgers: One of the interesting things to watch in the first game of this series was how LA intentionally walked Pujols twice with men on base, showing they weren’t all that scared of Matt Holliday.  It definitely paid off last night and will be something to keep an eye on.  I still like the Cardinals to win this series, but it could very well go the distance.  Cards in 5.

ALCS- Yankees vs. Red Sox: Classic match-up, blah blah, first series between these teams all year that won’t have two games on ESPN.  If Favre played for the Yanks or Sox, I’d have to end my life.  Anyway, it’s been a while since the Yankees have won this battle, so I’ll take the hitting of the Yankees to overpower Boston.  Yankees in 6.

NLCS- Phillies vs. Cardinals: Now this is a great match-up.  Both teams have amazing top two pitchers, and dangerous hitters throughout the lineup.  Everyone seems to be picking Cards and Yanks in the World Series, but I really think the Phillies make it back.  This would be a great series though. Phillies in 7. 

World Series- Yankees vs. Phillies:  Could this be the year for the Yankees?  Honestly, I didn’t think I’d pick them to get this far.  I don’t think their pitching or their manager will be good enough to get the job done.  The Phillies can match the Yankees from the plate and have superior starting pitching.  I’ll take the Phils to repeat.  Phillies in 5.

Then he gives his playoff predictions.  That’s where the love gets a little bit much.  He picks the Vikings and Packers to both win Wild Card games, then the Packers to win their divisional round game while the Bears down the Vikings in theirs.  Then he has the dream matchup that we would all love to see, a Bears-Packers NFC Championship.  Who wins that?  The Bears of course.  Eventually whatever paint he was huffing must have run out, since he finally has the Bears choking in the Super Bowl to the Patriots.

While it seems like I’m hating on my beloved Bears a little bit, King’s predictions are a little over the top.  Cutler definitely makes this team better, but I think he might be blinding some analysts to the fact that our offensive line is average at best, our defensive line is a huge question mark, and our secondary has more holes than a slice of swiss cheese.  All that being said, the NFL is a crazy league with a lot of unpredictable runs by teams.  The Bears definitely have the talent on both sides of the ball to play deep into the playoffs.  Only time will tell if King was crazy or prophetic, but either way its good to see “experts” think the Bears are a legitimate contender this season.

I have a feeling that this season will be a wild ride one way or another, so hang on to your hats Bears fans.

h/t: Adam

Eastern Conference

#1 Boston Bruins vs. #8 Montreal Canadians- Bruins in 5

#2 Washington Capitals vs. #7 New York Rangers- Capitals in 6

#3 New Jersey Devils vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes-Hurricanes in 7

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers- Penguins in 5

Bruins over Hurricanes, Penguins over Capitals in the second round.

Western Conference

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #8 Anaheim Ducks- Sharks in 6

#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #7 Columbus Blue Jackets- Wings in 5

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 St. Louis Blues-  Blues in 6

#4 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #5 Calgary Flames- Hawks in 6

Sharks over Blues, Wings over Hawks.

Stanley Cup Finals:  I’ll take the Bruins to beat the Penguins in the East and the Wings over the Sharks in what could be a great Western Conference Finals.  Then for the Cup, I’ll go with the Boston Bruins in six games.  Despite picking them out in the second round, I like the Hawks chances of making a run. They could pretty much play anyone in the second round with the re-seeding format, and there is no team in the playoffs they aren’t capable of beating.

There are the predictions and now you know what isn’t going to happen.