Who's it gonna be ... Phillies or Yankees?

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So instead of B-dubs or me writing 6,000 words on the Fall Classic (shouldn't that be the Winter Classic?), I took a sampling from a few people who know things.

First, some quick-hit thoughts ... Who will win the World Series?

Matt Brenner: Phillies, cuz the Yankees suck. 6 games.

Jordan Schelling: Yankees in 4

Michael Bleach: Yankees in 5 ... Cliff Lee will win a game for the Phillies

Dan Brenner: Well, I'm not a psychic or anything, but the Yankees will win in five games. But I'm rootin' for the Phillies.

Carlyn Burris: Where's the NL spirit?!? Phillies sweep. (Won't actually happen but one can hope)

Mike Lemar: Yankees because I said so. They'll probably win it 4-2.

Then, our good friend Joseph Rower chimes in with a little more...

Joseph Rower: Yankees in 7.

"When have we seen a postseason where no series had any sort of "do-or-die drama, game 7 winner moves on" magic? Well, it hasn't happened yet (I mean, you really thought the Angels were going to force game 7 against Andy Pettitte?), so I'm thinking now is the time.

"On paper, the teams are evenly matched. Lee vs CC, the great Pedro vs Burnett, Hamels vs Pettitte. If each of those pitchers pitches as they're capable, it is going to be a long series for the hitters. If they're a bit off, well, they're are enough hitters on both sides to make them pay. Who is more fearsome than Jeter, Damon, Tex, A-Rod ... only Rollins, the Flyin' Hawaiian, Utley, and the Big Dog Ryan Howard? You throw Matt Stairs into the mix in Yankee Stadium and the Phils lineup looks as good as any AL team's.

"Obviously the Yanks have a better 3B and catcher offensively, but the Phils OF is more dangerous than the Yanks. Phils win the managerial war, and I think that buys them an extra game. Girardi just isn't seasoned enough. Bullpen success will be dependent on the managers ... as Jim Tracy did so well this year, success is so often about putting your players in a position to succeed rather than fail. Lidge looks like October reminded him what he is capable of, and so the 9th inning looks solid for both clubs. I'm not sure which way to go in the intangibles ... both play in hitters' ballparks, both have rabid fans, Phils were here last year, Yanks act like this is their birthright. Each game is going to be competitive, close, and intense.

"I'm seeing game 7 coming down to a 2-1 Phils lead going into the bottom of the 8th against the top of the Yanks order...A-Rod hitting a bomb to put the Yanks in the lead and the great Mo coming in to close it out.

"In short:
The Phillies spend like few other NL teams, but the Yanks make them look like a cheapy market team. The offseason duo of CC and Tex come up big for the Yanks, and a close Series ends in a dramatic game 7 with the Yankees being given the title they paid for last winter."

Now, we've got two special guests with us today. The first is Stephen Watson, UW athletic communications extraordinaire and true-blooded Phillies fan.

S-dub writes the following:

"We have some big names, but we don't have bona fide superstars, or a special set of rules for certain players. Everyone here is the same, from Ryan Howard to Antonio Bastardo. Or they're treated the same. The expectations are the same. And because of that, you know where you stand every day."
-Jimmy Rollins

I think that speaks perfectly to the Phillies. They have a swagger about them that I just love and it makes them a threat. They are a team, not just an A-Rod or a Jeter or a Sabathia.

Also, the Phillies hit 10 homers by 6 different players against the Dodgers. They scored at least 8 runs in three of the five games (something they will need to do to beat the Yankees).

I know that CC is not pitching with the Brewers behind him anymore, but the Philles did a good job against him last postseason (5 runs in 3 innings). And lets be honest, the Phillies offense is exponentially better than last year.

CC has been Superman for the Yankees, but they are finally going to play a 7-game series in 9 days. They recently played 9 games in a span of 22 days, so I think that will wear down their pitching staff. The Phillies have been able to adjust to that schedule already.

As the Phillies proved in both series thus far, they can battle back from pretty much any series. Even if our starting pitching falls through, our offense can bounce back and get some runs late in games (ex. 3 runs in the 9th, 2 of which with 2 outs in game 4 of the NLCS).

So that's my argument. Am I nervous? Of course, it's the Yankees. With a payroll that high, they should be the best team. But I love this Philadelphia team and I think they have great charisma that could provide an upset.

Our second guest? My very own uncle, Dennis Rabida, who likes only a good horse race more than his beloved Yanks.

Yanks in 6. Three simple words: CC, A-Rod, and Mo.

Succinctly said, Uncle Buck.

Oh, wait, wanna know what I think? I'll channel my inner Rower and try to see my way through the series. I see Cliff Lee continuing his dominance in game 1, shocking the Yankees and triggering 58 hours of "uh oh, the Yanks might choke" programming on ESPN. Then NY will take game 2, showing Pedro once and for all who his daddy is. The Phillies will then proceed to take 2 out of 3 back in the CoBL, capped by one more dominating performance by Lee in game 5, making it look very much like we'll be seeing the rarest of rarities in a repeat champ.

And then the series will go back to New York, and their bevy of stars will show what they're made of. Which is more than just hundred-dollar bills.

The pick: Yankees in 7.

(Oh, yeah, and GO NUGGETS!!!!!!)

-AJ