Easy picking: Yankees, Braves in the World Series

This just in -- the Kansas City Royals aren't going to the playoffs this year.

In fact, the Royals haven't been to the playoffs since they won the World Series in 1985. This is now the third or fourth longest current drought in Major League Baseball.

However, life goes on. And fortunately, so will the playoffs. That's because Major League Baseball players and owners made a wise decision not to inflict upon us another work stoppage.

I must mention that I have caused some alarm among my friends -- most notably my friends who are diehard New York Yankees fans -- who urged me not to make any playoff predictions.

They keep holding over my head (and beating me with it) my track record as a big jinx. After all, I picked the St. Louis Rams to win the Super Bowl and they're off to an 0-3 start.

I also picked the Kansas Jayhawks to win the NCAA Basketball Championship and Maryland won that.

To be fair, I got that Titanic thing right. I also said the market would crash in '29.

Ok here it goes.

The New York Yankees will play the Atlanta Braves in the World Series.

The Yankees have won four of the last five World Series and 26 altogether. The Braves have won 11 consecutive division titles (National League West and NL East combined). They have made several appearances in the World Series, but have one won just once in 1995.

The Yankees are bashing their way to the Series. It's a much different approach than the team has used the last few years to reach postseason.

New York has hit more than 200 home runs, led by free agent signee Jason Giambi with 40. Five players have more than 90 runs batted in and three have scored more than 100 runs.

Second baseman Alfonso Soriano needs one more homer to join the 40-40 club. Soriano also has 49 stolen bases and 39 homers, better than a .300 batting average and 51 doubles from the leadoff spot.

The Yankees go seven deep in starting pitching, led by Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte.

However, the Yankees are vulnerable in the bullpen. Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera, nicknamed the Hammer of God because of his postseason ability, has been on the disabled list three times. And he hasn't exactly looked like the Hammer of old.

I haven't even mentioned shortstop Derek Jeter.

The Braves are led by the outfield trio of Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones and Gary Sheffield. The catalyst for the Braves' offense is shortstop Rafael Furcal.

The Braves still have all of that starting pitching, led by future Hall of Famers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. Kevin Millwood is an 17-game winner and watch out for left-hander Damian Moss, a Glavine clone with a better fastball.

The Braves' usual weakness in postseason play in the past is their bullpen, but not this year. The set-up men are led by retreads Darren Holmes and Chris Hammond and veterans Kerry Ligtenberg and Mike Remlinger.

The Braves' biggest weakness has been closer, but former Cy Young Award starter John Smoltz has 53 saves and has laid that scouting report to rest.

The biggest threat to the Yankees return to the Series is the Oakland Athletics. The A's are led by starting pitchers Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson and Cory Lidle.

Shortstop Miguel Tejada will battle Texas Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees' Soriano for MVP honors.

The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals are standing in the Braves' way to the National League title.

The Giants have the combo of Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent. The Cardinals have Scott Rolen and will be inspired by the memories of the late Darryl Kile and Jack Buck.

Did you notice that I didn't mention the defending World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks?

The D-Backs will miss the services of infielder Greg Counsell and left fielder Luis Gonzalez, who are injured and will sit out the playoffs.

Once again, Arizona will have to ride the backs of Cy Young candidates Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who have 89 games between them the last two seasons and won nine postseason contests last year.

The D-Backs have too much to overcome this postseason. Counsell and Gonzalez will be missed.

Other teams in the playoffs such as Anaheim and Minnesota are nice stories, but those teams will likely be knocked out in the first round.

Anaheim finished 41 games behind last year's AL West champion Seattle Mariners (winners of 116 games) and had not been to the playoffs since 1986. Minnesota was targeted and later temporarily saved from contraction.

My World Series prediction: Braves over Yankees in seven games.

Sorry Atlanta.

John J. Mesh is the sports editor of the McCook (Neb.) Daily Gazette. He thinks the KC Royals, with their nucleus of batting title contender Mike Sweeney, Raul Ibaņez, Carlos Beltran, Joe Randa and Michael Tucker plus 2003 Rookie of the Year candidate shortstop Angel Berroa, will make some noise next year if any of the team's young pitching prospects step up.

E-mail John at sports@mccookgazette.com.