Ah, the playoffs! Every year my birthday comes right on the precipice of the baseball post-season. I was going to write my playoff predictions yesterday but, I had wanted to reference something and was unable to find it.

Twins - Yankees: toss up, on the one hand could be the Twins in 4 or the Yankees in 5.

The Yankees just aren’t invincible anymore.

As a matter of fact, this Yankee team reminds me very much of the ’95 Yankees who were knocked out by the Mariners (last year for Mattingly, Showalter and a bunch of other guys).

’95 was the last year I was a Yankee fan. After that season, I decided to become a Mets fan (which should make Yankee fans all over happy since they went on to win a bunch of World Series after I switched allegiances) as a consequence of Buck being fired and Dandy Don unceremoniously shown the door.

Anyway, the first game should tell who will win. Why you would ask? Maybe the Twins don’t have the starting pitching the Yankees have but, nobody has talked about the MetroDome factor. This was what I was trying to find reference yesterday.

I can’t think of a team that’s gone into the MetroDome in the post-season and done well. It’s one thing to play there when there are only 14,000 or so but, when the place is packed and the noise is deafening the Twins have a decided advantage over visiting teams. If the Twins can take one of the two games at Yankee stadium (and as I write this they are up 3 to 0 in the eighth), they very well could take both games at the MetroDome.

Oh, and Yankee fans, think Jason Giambi is going to lay claim to Dave Winfield’s title as Mr. May?

Anyway, if the Twins do manage to hold out and win today - it’s probably Twins in 4. Also note, if the Twins win, figure Joe Torre won’t be back next year (you think George made his life hell after last season? If they get knocked out by the Twins, Torre is smart enough to know what George will have waiting).

Watching the game now - where’s Jeffrey Maider when you need him.

Giants - Marlins: This one is easy, Giants in 3.

As much as I think it would be a great story if the Marlins made it out of the first round and also a tribute to Jack McKeon’s managerial genius, the Marlins are just in way over their head. I don’t think they have the horses to go deep into the playoffs. The Mets played them last weekend and scored 6 runs off the bullpen in a game the Marlins still wanted to win - not a good sign.

The Giants have an older team and some of them were there last year. That experience is going to help them at least make it out of the first round.

Braves - Cubs: I’m picking the Cubs in five.

I’m biased, I hate the Braves since they’re in the Mets division and the Cubs are a sentimental favorite of true baseball fans. I haven’t seen enough of the Cubs to really figure out what kind of team they are. I know they have decent pitching (and young pitching at that). Meanwhile, the Braves just club the ball. There’s no denying what an offensive force the Braves have been all season long. Good pitching is supposed to beat good hitting every time. I also figure Mike Hampton can easily have a meltdown in the post season and Greg Maddux while a terrific pitcher is just another year older. Smoltz is still coming back from his injury and Russ Ortiz can only pitch so many games.

Red Sox - A’s Another easy one, Sox in 4.

The A’s lost a key component in their rotation with the absence of Mark Mulder. Seattle actually came to town the last week of the season and gave the A’s a tough time. In the meantime, Boston has just been incredible. As tough as the Braves have been at the plate, the Red Sox make them look like little leaguers. The Sox have enough pitching to take them to the next round and their bats will do the job of carrying them there.

If I’m right, it means we’ll have Cubs-Giants/Red Sox-Twins. By next week we’ll know how good I am at this.