And then there were Four

Now that Colorado has already taken Game 1 of the NLCS, it's a bit late to make my fearless predictions with much credibility. But seriously, I had planned to pick the Rockies all along.

NLCS

The Rockies have flown way under the radar for five-plus months of the six months this season, but their relative anonymity is over now. After winning 14 of their final 15 regular season games, Colorado has continued the streak in the postseason, sweeping through the Phillies and taking Game 1 of the NLCS.

The Rockies and Diamondbacks match up pretty well. They both have a solid group of young talent, strong front ends of their rotation with some question marks at back, and both teams have battled the underdog syndrome all season long. But as we've seen in the past, it's not always the best team that fares well in the postseason, but it often is the hottest. And no one is hotter than Colorado.

After beating Arizona ace Brandon Webb, the Rockies are in the driver's seat in this series. The Diamondbacks may rebound to win Game 2 at home, but Colorado will hold serve at Coors to advance to the World Series.

Pick: Colorado wins in 5

ALCS

If the NLCS is a curiosity, the ALCS is a must-watch for baseball fans. That's not to say that the ALCS will be more entertaining, but it will be a higher quality of baseball. (And, as we've seen in the past, it's also dumb to assume that the NLCS teams are just playing for the right to lose in the World Series.)

Anyway, the ALCS features the teams with the two best records in baseball, and both of them have had plenty of rest following their respective ALDS victories. The Indians will continue to be the secondary storyline (the Yankees may still get more airtime), but in my mind, they are the team to beat. The Tribe has a pesky lineup from top to bottom, and its bullpen pitching has been lights-out in the playoffs.

Boston needs Manny Ramirez to come up big against his former team, which he did during the regular season: .417 avg., 3 HR, 7 RBI. The Sox also need a resurgence from their bullpen, which was a strong point for most of the season but faltered at the end.

In the end, I think C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona make the difference in this series. If they can come up big in Games 1 and 2, Cleveland takes the whole thing.

Pick: Cleveland wins in 6