2006 MLB League Championship Series Playoff Picks
October 8, 2006 
The matchups are all set for what looks like a 80’s flashback group of teams for the League Championship Series. The Mets, Cardinals, Athletics, and Tigers all last won a world championship in the 1980s.
The Cardinals last won it all in 1982, the Tigers in 1984, the Mets in 1986 and the A’s in 1989.
Everything is still hazy for me after celebrating yesterday’s Mets sweep of the Division Series, which was the one and only pick I called correctly in my Division Series picks (1-3).
I’ll try to do better in my picks for the 2006 League Championship Series:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
* Tigers vs. Athletics
My pick: Tigers in 6.
My take: It turns out the actual teams I underestimated were the Tigers and Athletics. And that’s who made it to the ALCS afterall. The Tigers are an excellent ballclub this year that has played well throughout the season. The Athletics are a good team , too, but the Tigers have something more to prove coming off of their first postseason victory since 1984 and will hold off the A’s. Plus, after witnessing the surreal onfield postgame celebration with the Detroit fans, it would feel wrong to choose against the Tigers.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
* Mets vs. Cardinals
My pick: Mets in 6.
My take: While it would have been extra nice to see Mike Piazza and the Padres in the postseason, I’m sure the Mets aren’t complaining about facing the Redbirds in the NLCS. The Cardinals seem to be playing with the weakest postseason team they’ve had in recent years, if the end-of-the-season skid was any indication. The Mets, on the other hand, are a juggernaut that cannot be stopped — by injury or by facing the league’s powerhouse hitters. The Mets bullpen has been solid and the hitting combination of Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, David Wright, and Jose Reyes is red hot right now. They won’t sweep this series, but expect to see the Mets in their first World Series since 2000, the 20th anniversary of the last Mets championship. The Team. The Time. The Year. The Mets!
