(Internet was down yesterday, so here I am today. I'm not about to rewrite the blog because there are a few changes. Most noteable, Randy Wolfe will not start the first game of the NLCS, but rather it will be Kerkshaw.)

     Its week two of the blog ladies and gentlemen! Thanks to all eight of you who read the blog, it is very much appreciated. As always, feedback is greatly encouraged as I’m always wondering what the readers are thinking. I’ll consider any suggestions, as I did last week with Quasi who suggested the blog be posted on Tuesdays. It made a lot of sense, so here we are. Also, I’m looking to give the blog a name. Comment with what you think it should be called, and I’ll post a poll as soon as I hit the level necessary to do so! Now, with that in mind, we move on to the business at hand.

     The American League and National League Divisional Series have come and gone, and most teams were swept clean. I’d like to send kudos out to the Colorado Rockies for being the only team to win a single game against a team with a better record. Not to say the other series were not competitive, because there were heroes in October such as Mark Teixeira, Vlad Guerrero, Alex Rodriguez and Matt Holliday (for the Dodgers that is). Regardless, the Angels, Yankees, Phillies and Dodgers rolled over their opponents and have earned themselves a bid to the ALCS and NLCS series, respectively.

Games of the Week:

National League Championship Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus Philadelphia Phillies

     The Dodgers host the Phillies starting on Thursday night on when L.A plans to send out former Phillie Randy Wolf to take on the young left handed stud from last year’s post season, Cole Hamels. Joe Torre looks to keep his youthful bats hot, and also hopes that Manny continues to be Manny. In addition to that, if the Dodgers are to beat the Phillies, the Dodgers are going to need Jonathan Broxton and Jeff Weavers to be consistently good coming out of the pen, and for 21 year old Clayton Kershaw and four year man Chad Billingsley to keep the Phillies bats in check. With no true ace of the staff, the Dodgers need to have a complete pitching staff if they are to pose a threat in this series.

     However, I don’t anticipate the Phillies rolling over for the Dodgers. Any lineup with Jimmy Rollins, Jason Werth, Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley has a shot at of taking a series, regardless of who is on the mound. The offense has never been the problem for this specific team, however. If the Phillies are going to win this series and advance to the World Series, it is going to be because their bullpen somehow managed to pull it together and save games for them. However, I don’t anticipate this happening. I think the Phillies will be able to hit the Dodgers, but I can’t see Brad Lidge finding his composure when it matters the most, and the bullpen just does not have enough depth at this point. The Dodgers have been getting timely hitting from Andre Ethier all year, and I don’t expect it to slow down now.

Prediction: Dodgers win in 7 games.

American League Championship Series:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim versus New York Yankees

     The Bronx Bombers have returned to the ALCS for the first time since their devastating loss to the Boston Red Sox in 2004. They are set to host the Angels in the New Yankee Stadium on Friday night, as C.C Sabathia faces off against John Lackey in a battle of the aces. The Yankees have not had much success against the Angels as of late, but in October, anything can change. The Yankees have their three starters pitching exactly the way they hoped, and if they decide to go with a three man rotation for the series, they still have the bridge of Chamberlain and Hughes to get to Rivera. Not only that, but there is one big difference in this series that the Yankees are not used to in October. That difference is Alex Rodriguez. He has had clutch hit after clutch hit thus far, and I don’t expect him to slow down now. Not only that, but I think Teixeira is going to absolutely destroy his old team. These two big hitters in this stacked lineup won’t even have all of the pressure on their shoulders. They’ve got Mr. November Derek Jeter, veteran catcher Jorge Posada, and Johnny Damon to support them.

In all honesty, I may be a bit (or extremely) biased in this series. But I’m picking the Yankees to win the series in five games, as they will get their hits off of Lackey, Kazmir, and Weaver with their potent offense. I also think the Yankees are going to win the series with their dominating pitching, keeping off those speedy guys on the base paths.There is a lot of talk if C.C would be able to pitch a game seven, but I don’t think it’ll be necessary.

College Football Game To Watch:

#25 Notre Dame versus #6 USC

     The Fighting Irish will host the Trojans in South Bend this Saturday at 3:30. I personally think that this will determine how long Charlie Weis will remain head coach of his football team. Jimmy Clausen has pressure on him as well, as not only is he facing a rival team that he has never beaten before, but a strong showing could make the junior quarterback a legitimate hopeful for the Heisman Trophy. Another key factor will be if the Irish are able to play some defense this week. Notre Dame will have to decide to make an effort in stopping the Trojan’s running game, and force Matt Barkley to win the game by himself. If they can win the turnover battle and make stops against the run, I think they can win the game. Unfortunately, despite great games offensively from Clausen, Golden Tate and Armando Allen, I’m predicting a victory for true freshman Matt Barkley. The Notre Dame defensive has been abysmal so far this year, getting torched by teams such as Michigan, Michigan State, and even Washington to an extent. Look for a complete shoot out this week between the two teams, but I think the Trojans will just be able to score more often on the Irish defense. The game will be closer then what most experts will predict, but the Irish will defense is just that bad.

Prediction: Notre Dame 38 vs. USC 44.

NFL Week 6 Picks: Getting right down to business, and not boasting about accurately picking the Broncos to beat the Patriots (Oh yeah, I guess I did!) here are my picks. My two upset picks this week are the Baltimore Ravens to defeat Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings, and also I’m taking the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals.

Rams @ Jaguars

Ravens @ Vikings

Lions @ Packers

Texans @ Bengals

Browns @ Steelers

Chiefs @ Redskins

Panthers @ Buccaneers

Giants @ Saints

Cardinals @ Seahawks 

Eagles @ Raiders

Bills @ Jets

Titans @ Patriots

Bears @ Falcons

Broncos @ Chargers

     Let me elaborate on my two upset picks. I think the Ravens defense is going to make that #4 guy look like an old geezer, and force him into making many mistakes. I still think Brett Favre is going to help the Vikings as a team in the long run, but that Ravens defense is going to come out bitter and nasty after blowing the lead against the Bengals last week. I'm predicting the Ravens to dominate the game and hand the Vikings their first loss of the season.

     As for the Cardinals losing to the Seahawks, its just a hunch I have. Look for the passing game to continue to be strong from Matt Hasselbeck connecting with a few of his weapons, inlcuding John Carlson, TJ Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson. Seatle routed the Jaguars defense last week, and I'm anticipating much of the same this week.

And In Case anyone was wondering:

It is hockey season already, and the Rangers are tied for first with the Pittsburgh Penguins right now, with both teams having ten points, and a record of 5-1. I’m going bold here, and picking the New York Rangers to end up in first place in the Atlantic Conference. I just have a good feeling in Henrik Lundqvist, Sean Avery, and Ryan Callahan leading the team to the post season this year.

     That’s it for this week. Let me know what you think, and check back next Tuesday for more sports here on Game Informer Online. Again, suggestions for a name and any feedback you want to give are great. Thanks!