Championship preview: (1) Mike vs. (2) Shea

Records: Mike 15-7-1, Shea 13-10
Line: Mike -1.5
Season series: Shea 2-0 (Week 9: 12-7; Week 18 16-2)
Career playoff records: Mike 3-1, Shea 2-1
All-time head-to-head: Mike 5-4-1
Playoffs head-to-head: Never met


About the matchup
For just the second time in five seasons, we have the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 2 seed in the finals. In fact, that was the only time in league history the lower-seeded team in the championship has won.

Both Mike and Shea had to sweat out Sunday to get past Chris and Bob, respectively, in the semifinals; however, each was able to and now they are into the championship matchup.

"What a ride that semifinals was," Mike said. "I couldn't be any happier for the boys. We started off slow and we heard the negativity about our team. But (Ryan) Braun, being the captain that he is, kept them focused and preached to play our game and the win would come."

For Mike, it's his second appearance, losing to Rick in the league's inaugural season. And, for Shea, it's his first taste as possible title glory.

"We're happy, my Jewish commissioner," Shea said. "It was nice jumping out to a big lead and holding on for dear life. We're excited about moving on to the finals to take on Mike. We (had a) fun celebration ... but (now we) prepare for the battle to continue."

Shea has dominated Mike this season, beating him twice in convincing fashion. If Mike admits it or not, it's sure to play a role throughout the week -- whether it be from media questions, Mike's players saying "Here we go, again," or the confidence it could bring to Shea's players.

As far as the championship? Well, it's time. Now, let's get it on, boys...

In their own words
Mike, on facing Shea: "We are happy to be playing anyone in the finals, but a matchup with Shea is a great way to go out on top. His team beat us twice this year, and we have been waiting to get our redemption. He disrespects the league, disrespects our team, and now we will humiliate him in the big game."

Shea, on facing Mike: "Mike will be quite the opponent. He talks a big game, has the top team, and caught fire (over the) weekend. That being said, I took down Mike twice in the regular season, so I don't expect the finals to be any different."

Mike, on why he will win: "Why will we win? Why wouldn't we win? We are the class of the league, and we just showed we could win in any fashion. It's also an extended week, so multiple starts by Lester and Weaver equals obvious victory. And once again, Braun will show why he is the MVP. Madoff 11-8."

Shea, on why he will win: "TEAM OF DESTINY!!! We continue to make it interesting but do enough to move on. That's the way of the dizzy drunks!"

The Prediction
In my opinion, the best possible final we could have gotten. Really, did anyone want to see Bob or Chris back in the finals? Nope. Fresh blood. And, honestly, the two most consistent teams in their respective divisions. Mike has the better all-around team, but Shea has the scrappy, underdog attitude who has adapted the "Nobody believed is us" mentality. A very tough matchup to predict, but I'm going with Shea to get enough production from his pitching and ride his offense to a 10-8 championship win.
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Playoff preview: (2) Shea vs. (3) Bob

Records: Bob 15-8, Shea 12-10
Line: Bob -1.5
Season series: Tied 1-1 (Week 3: 13-6 Bob, Week 13: 9-8 Shea)
Career playoff records: Bob 5-2, Shea 1-1
All-time head-to-head: Bob 7-2-1
Playoffs head-to-head: Shea 1-0 (2008 quarterfinals)
Last playoff appearance: Bob 2010, Shea 2008


About the matchup
These playoffs have been full of spice, and this matchup certainly has some. Paprika, garlic, cinnamon, you name it and this has it.

On one hand, we have Bob, who thought he lost Sunday night but woke up to a win on Monday morning. On the other we have Shea, who has taken on the "nobody believes in us" mindset. In fact, it's probably true. The oddsmakers have instilled Bob as a 1.5-point favorite.

"I was pumped that I was given a 2nd life and I'm gonna make the most of it if it stands," Bob said following his 9-9 tiebreaker win over Joe. "It always feels good to beat (Joe), and I'm sure he feels the same way. We always seem to have tight matchups that go into the last day so it's always an adventure."

Bob has now won five straight playoff matchups and still is not dethroned as the two-time belt-holding champion. But Shea does own a postseason victory over the Cole Miners. Of course, that was way back in 2008 - the last time Shea has been here.

But this year's squad has a destiny feel to it, doesn't it? No one - and I mean, no one - expected Shea to win the division after the awful auto-draft he had. And he has battled adversity all season, especially late, to get to this point. Now he gets a chance to face Bob, whom Shea even publically rooted for because he wants to beat the champ.

"This team is something special," Shea said. "All year we battled and it paid off with a division crown and bye week. We played Cole well this season and having "The King" and "Cy Young to Be" go twice this week puts us in good position to succeed. Bob lost $40 because of my fantasy team this year (during a sidebet). We'll tack on another $50 after Sunday is over."

Spice, baby, spice!

In their own words
Shea, on facing Bob: "I'm very suprised to be up against Bob. His team showed great perseverance and came out with a tie, which somehow equated into a win. With that being said, I'm happy to take him on and win in Joe's honor."

Bob, on facing Shea: "I would expect Shea to want to face me, in order to be the best you gotta beat the best and I won two straight titles so I still believe I am the best manager. I'm sure anyone in the league would like the opportunity to take me down, and I don't think it's because of the construction of my team; I think it's purely because of my past and I have embraced becoming pubic enemy number 1, so bring it on! I like my chances against Shea. I think I got him in pitching and I think I can take enough hitting categories to pull it out. According to the blog, I'm 7-2-1 against him so I definitely have the track record."

Shea, on why he will win: "We're moving on because there's something special about this team. The Commish Jew snubbed us at the draft, our division was snubbed all year, and we've been taking cheapshots from the donks in the playoffs. Bring it on baby!!!"

Bob, on why he will win: "The Miners will move on because they were given a second chance at life and they will not take it for granted.  They will prevail and they will take down the Bernies, mark it down. (if the results stand ha)."

The prediction
Shea has been overlooked for a lot of this year, and even in this matchup as he is a 1.5-point underdog. But, not this time. We're going with Shea to keep up with Bob's pitching and squeak out just enough on offense for a 11-9 victory.
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Playoff preview: (1) Mike vs. (5) Chris

Records: Mike 14-7-1, Chris 13-10
Line: Mike -2
Season series: Mike 2-0 (Week 4: 13-6; Week 14 10-8)
Career playoff records: Mike 2-1, Chris 4-2
All-time head-to-head: Tied 5-5
Playoffs head-to-head: Never met
Last playoff appearance: Mike 2007, Chris 2010


About the matchup
Yes, believe it or not, this is Mike's first playoff appearance since 2007. Back then, in the league's inaugural year, Mike made it all the way to the finals as a No. 5 seed.

Chris is halfway there as a No. 5 seed after an, in his words, "extremely gut-wrenching" win last week vs. Jack.

Now the two friends - known to some as Hammer and Screw(ball) - meet in the semifinals.

"Chris and I have become tight this year, but once the matchup starts, he is my enemy," Mike said. "As I said earlier in year, Chris is a great manager and we look forward to squaring up with him in these semifinals."

Chris is now 4-0 in quarterfinal or semifinal matchups, but to improve to 5-0, he'll have to beat a team coming off a bye. And Mike's bye week and the chance to set up his lineup for this matchup could play a crucial part.

"Not only do I only have five moves left," Chris said, "but I am stuck with two pitchers this week (Miguel Batista and Jake Westbrook) that I normally would not have on my team and can't just cut right away either."

In their own words
Mike, on facing Chris: "We are excited to face Chris. We have been waiting for this matchup for a week now, and the boys are ready to go. Mental edge, physical edge any edge you can think of, we have it over Chris. We didn't go 2-0 vs the Twins by accident; we are the better team and we will prove it once again.

Chris, on facing Mike: "Very tough matchup. I struggled against Mike this season, as my record indicates, and I anticipate this match being an uphill battle as well. Mike has a very good offense and has the upper hand in pitching as well."

Mike, on why he will win: "We are the better team. Top to bottom, there is no team that has the balance that we have. We don't put up the big power numbers, but our boys know how to hit. Our hitters always come out strong and give our pitchers a nice lead to work with. As long as we can win saves, I don't see losing as a possibility. Madoff 12-7."

Chris, on why he will win: "Again, the Twins will move on by winning the majority of the hitting categories. That has been what carried us during the season, in the first round and what must happen in order to make our third championship game.

The Prediction
Mike, with a week to rest, gets off to a good start and barely holds on come Sunday. He escapes with a 10-9 win and advances to the championship.
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Playoff preview: (3) Bob vs. (6) Joe

Records: Bob 14-8, Joe 11-10-1
Line: Bob -3
Season series: Tied 1-1 (Week 10: 14-5 Joe, Week 22: 11-9 Bob)
Career playoff records: Bob 4-2, Joe 4-2
All-time head-to-head: Bob 6-4
Playoffs head-to-head: Bob 1-0 (2009 Finals)
Last playoff appearance: Bob 2010, Joe 2010


About the matchup
Bob and Joe are quite familiar with each other's teams, having just squared off in Week 22. It was a matchup won by Bob, handing Joe his fifth straight loss heading into the playoffs.

Clearly, it would be a miracle for Joe to win this championship. Vegas has him listed at 22/1 to win the title - easily the highest odds of all the playoff teams. When asked about this losing streak, Joe ranted about injuries.

"Injuries have hurt," he said. "Boesch doesnt play, A-Rod barely played. Hanson on the DL. It's been a rough stretch. Some bad breaks, too. A-Rod coming back is like making a trade for a big bat. Only difference is we didn't have to give anything up. We got in (the playoffs). Anything can happen at this point."

Frankly, I didn't hear any confidence in the words of Joe. His opponent, Bob, on the other hand, was full of confidence.

And that's despite entering the playoffs as a wild-card team for the first time in three years. Going for his third-straight title, Bob has the same mindset as the past couple seasons.

"It's not that new territory," Bob said. "Before I won back-to-back titles, I was a wild-card team. I don't think my mindset will be any different, however. The playoffs are the playoffs, and once you get in, you have a shot to win a title. The hot team wins the title, and if my team can ignite, I think I'll have just as good a chance as any team to take home the title."

In their own words
Bob, on facing Joe: "Well, I think I have a pretty good shot against Joe. I'm 6-4 in the regular season against him and 1-0 in the playoffs, so I have history on my side. I think we have a good rivalry going and our matchups are always close. I definitely expect this one to be close, and I expect my bats to wake up this week after a horrendous week last week. With my pitching, I think I'll just need to take a few hitting categories to win, so I predict a 11-9 victory."

Joe, on facing Bob: "It's a matchup that used to decide the division or league final. Now, it's a first-round playoff matchup. Clearly both teams aren't having their best years."

Bob, on why he will win: "I'll advance to the next round because my team knows what it takes to win. We are built a bit differently this year, going more for dominant pitching than dominant hitting, but the manager is still the same and I think my team is good enough to advance this round, and we'll see what happens from there, but I am very confident. PS for Mike - I'm coming for you."

Joe, on why he will win: "As long as we keep getting extra-base hits, running the bases and we don't have a starter blow up in our face, we have a shot. The team has been pretty banged up the past month."

The prediction
I mean, really, go back and read Joe's quotes. Does it sound like he thinks he has ANY chance of winning? He is beaten up, knocked down, and doesn't seem confident one bit. No reason to think Bob gets upset by Joe in this matchup. 12-7 Bob.
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Playoff preview: (4) Jack vs. (5) Chris

Records: Jack 12-8-2, Chris 12-10
Line: Jack -1
Season series: Tied 1-1 (Week 3: 14-4 Jack; Week 13: 13-6 Chris)
Career playoff records: Jack 0-2, Chris 3-2
All-time head-to-head: Chris 5-4-1
Playoffs head-to-head: Never met
Last playoff appearance: Jack 2009, Chris 2010


About the matchup
These teams head into the playoffs on a bit of a downer after disappointing Week 22 results: Jack's offense disappearing Sunday in a loss to Mike with the division on the line; Chris blowing a big lead vs. Ken heading into the weekend with a chance to win his division.

So now instead of a bye and rest, they get each other in the first round, and one of them will be going home earlier than anticipated.

"(Last week is) already in the rear view mirror," Jack said. "We live in the present with an eye towards the future. The past is the past. Our eyes are on the front of our head for a reason."

And with those eyes in the front of their head, team Billy Ball will see a tough first-round and lower-seeded opponent in Chris, who has playoff experience and has had success as an underdog.

Last year, Chris was a No. 6 seed and made it all the way to the finals. He'll have to duplicate that success to make it back this year with Jack and then a potential matchup with top-seeded Mike up next.

"My team has gone through a rough patch late in the season when it needs to be playing its best," Chris said. "I hope to be able to rally them and not let them (keep) continuing this disastrous play lately."

In their own words
Jack, on facing Chris: "Chris is a tough and worthy opponent, great manager with a solid team. We will have our hands full and then some. "

Chris, on facing Jack: "The matchup vs. Jack is a tough one. Jack has a real solid offense that when it's on, is possibly the best in the league. I anticipate this matchup coming down to Sunday."

Jack, on why he will win: "Not gonna comment on that one. Just gonna do our best each day - see how that stacks up by Sunday night."

Chris, on why he will win: "The Twins will move on because my offense will return this week and that will win the matchup for me."

The Prediction
Chris wins 11-9 in a close matchup that does indeed come down to Sunday. Chris finds ways to win in the playoffs, and that will be the case again as he takes just enough pitching and most of the offensive categories.
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