Last week we made our picks for the Division Series, and I kind of didn’t pick the right, uhhh… see what had happened was that, uhhh… basically I didn’t do so well. Let’s just say that if this were an SAT question, you could say that I am to picking Division Series winners as George W. Bush is to picking countries to invade. But that’s all in the past, and anyone who’s ever seen me golf knows that I’m a quick learner, so on to my Championship Series predictions…

Rockies vs. Diamondbacks: Both of these teams surprised me last week with how well they played, but don’t look for a sweep here. The Rockies eked out the season series 10-8, and this battle should be full of fireworks, with so much on the line for these two young teams. With the extra rest, it’s possible that Arizona’s ace Brandon Webb will get three starts in this series, which is crucial because you don’t want to depend on Livan Hernandez and Doug Davis any more than you have to. The D-Backs also have a strong bullpen and some pretty good team speed which will be important as Yorvit Torrealba probably couldn’t even throw me out at this point (and I’m really slow). The Rockies counter with a lineup that is absolutely loaded and a young staff that has shown no intention of melting under the pressure of October baseball. Southpaw Jeff Francis might be the least well-known ace in baseball, and if he can steal a win from Webb in game one, this thing could be over in a hurry. The Rockies have won 17 of their last 18 games, and I don’t think the ride’s stopping anytime soon. The pick: Rockies in six.

Red Sox vs. Indians: The Red Sox dominated the Indians in the regular season, but hey, so did the Yankees, and we saw how that turned out. There’s a lot to like about this Cleveland team, from C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona at the top of the rotation, to Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez dominating out of the bullpen, to a lineup that doesn’t give the opposing pitcher any chances to catch his breath. Unfortunately for the Indians, however, the Red Sox might be a little better in every facet of the game. Josh Beckett is virtually unhittable in the playoffs, and for some reason, Curt Schilling continues to excel in the playoffs, despite the fact that there’s no visible blood on his socks anymore. Plus, there’s not another duo out there that’s as scary in big games as Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. Big Papi and Manny Being Manny live for this time of year, as evidenced by their combined four homers and seven RBI against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. This should be a close series, but I suspect that you’ll see Manny spraying his teammates with champagne when it’s all said and done, whether he realizes it or not. The pick: Red Sox in seven.