Let's Count Our Chickens...After They Hatch

So, the little big man on the Phillies has decided to go public with his World Series prediction: Phillies over the Yankees in 5.

Woah, Jimmy. I love my Phils and everything, but even I'm not that optimistic.

The Yankees are currently showcasing the best team they've had since 2000. Despite what you may think of A-Rod personally (personally, I think he's a jackass), he's putting up some amazing postseason numbers. Jeter is on fire (in every way possible) and the pitching staff behind CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte is tougher than anything right now.

Still, we have a bigger shot than the head honchos of sports are giving us credit for.

First, we have Cliff Lee, who can go toe-to-toe with a CC Sabathia we had no trouble hitting in the regular season. We met the Yankees three times and took two games. Lee has proven himself a true postseason ace, with a 0.74 ERA that's lower than Sabathia's 1.12.

Second, the bats of Mark Texiera, Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui, and Nick Swisher (who I have trouble believing actually plays major league ball) have fallen significantly silent. They won their season-clinching game against the Angels thanks to numerous walks, hit batters, and errors.

I think we can play with that.

Ryan Howard has been on fire. Jimmy Rollins has been clutch, Werth is showcasing the dangerous player he truly is, and Carlos Ruiz is giving us a much-needed boost in the 8-spot. Both Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez are due, and if the last few games of the Dodgers series are any indiciation, they could get hot at the exact right moment.

Yes, Cole Hamels is in a funk. He had a pretty shotty regular season that hasn't been helped by his mediocre post-season starts. He's probably the most emotional pitcher I've ever watched, and someone needs to slap him around a few times. A base hit is not the equivilant to the apocalypse. He needs to keep his cool on the mound and not let the little things get to him. Cole needs to get back in this if we want to win the World Series. The Yankees will capitalize on bad pitching.

And possibly, just possibly, Brad Lidge may be returning to his old self. Now, after cursing out the very man who blew 11 save opportunities this year, I wasn't the first one to jump up and down in excitement over his postseason 0.00 ERA. But maybe Brad's sucky season truly testifies to this amazing Phillies team: last year, they probably wouldn't have made the postseason without Brad's perfect record, and this year, they're in the World Series in spite of his 11 blown saves. He looks more confident on the mound, and his command is back to a place that I haven't seen since last October. Baseball is a 99% head-game, and if Brad's head is where it should be, our "Lights Out Lidge" may be back.

Bottom line: This series is going to be epic. Positively epic. My family loves the Yankees, and I am the lone Phillies fan. I don't mind the holy war in my house, mainly because I have all the confidence in the world in my Phils. I'm not worried about their week-long break and the possibility of them falling out of their groove. I'm not worried about the Yankees' heralded pitching, just like I wasn't worried about the Dodger threat-that-never-was.

We're the World Champions. The World Phucking Champions. And if the Yankees think they're going to have an easy series, they better think again.