The Big "Mo"

There's not a whole lot to write about in Twins-land, so I thought I'd just take a brief moment to write out some thoughts on the playoff picture. Last year, when the White Sox picked up steam in the ALDS and rolled through the postseason to a World Series victory, it seemed like momentum was the most important thing imaginable when it came to the playoffs.

One year later, that couldn't appear to be further from the truth. The Athletics whooped the Twins in a three-game sweep in which the A's played nearly flawless baseball, and then went on to the ALCS where they made countless mistakes and were pummeled in four-game sweep by the Tigers. Those Tigers? They couldn't win a single game at home against the Royals to clinch the division at the end of the season, which led one to believe this team would make a quick exit from the playoffs. Instead, they cruised past the Yankees and A's and are now enjoying a full week of rest before they open Game One of the World Series at home. The Cardinals had a similar path to the playoffs. They ended the season by nearly blowing a large lead in the NL Central to the Astros, and they staggered into the playoffs. Now, they're one game away from beating out the heavily-favored Mets for a trip to the World Series.

Now, the Tigers have won seven straight games and neither the Cards nor Mets have looked great, so momentum would seem to indicate that it will be a pretty easy World Series victory for Detroit. Then again, momentum doesn't seem to mean a whole lot this year, so I'm not going to make a bet one way or the other.