As the MLB season winds down...

the Sox are making a convincing push for the Series. Lets just forget about W/L records right now, we all know the Yankees are going to make the playoffs as well, and anything short of the World Series appearance(after finally winning their first AL East title since 1995), will be nothing short of failure after such a remarkable run this year. Since the Sox cannot open with the Yanks, that will leave the Indians and Angels. The Indians will be an intriguing match-up considering the Sox will have to face Sabathia & Carmona in a shortened series. I have total confidence in the Starting pitching of Schilling, Beckett and Wakefield. I would like to see Mats on a short leash and leave the rest to the bullpen. The bullpen has been incredible with Okajima, Delcarmen, Paps, Timlin and new edition Clay Buchholz. We can only hope Gagne can make it back to his 2004-2005 form. Is there any other bullpen in the league that can shorten the game like the Sox's.

So here is the situation. The Sox and the Yanks will square off in the ALCS. The Yanks are hungry, looking for redemption for 2004 and would love to stick it to Boston. On the flip side, the Sox want to keep the Yanks down, only to anger the Yankee fans, for an entirely too long off- season.

This will not be your typical match-up. Sure, all the names on the Yanks offense will be the same, but the pitching will be vastly different. The names the Yanks have pitched this year include Phillip Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Jeff Karstens, Tyler Clippard, Joba Chamberlin, etc...Some have played for in juries and others have played for ineffectiveness(Mussina and Kei Igawa).

The Sox will feature some new faces in Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, the seasoned veteran JD Drew, Dustin Pedroia & Hideki Okajima. So, even though the match up will be typical Yanks-Red Sox and the rivalry will be at a high level of enthusiasm on both ends, there will be plenty of new players at the table. I am excited and this is going to be great for baseball once again.

Where will you be in October?