October in the northeast brings up cold, gray sheet skies, clammy weather, dark, desperate mornings, and the promise of baseball being played at Fenway Park for the next few days or so. Man, what a difference a week makes 'round here.

Yes, the first round of the MLB playoffs went as well as could be expected for the Boston Red Sox. They swept three straight against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Orange County Choppers. Granted, I think by the third game there were contest winners getting the chance to hit fifth in the Angels' lineup. Yes, the Halos were rendered punchless by injuries, but they also dealt with Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling, two Boston pitchers who have proven they have the stones for October greatness.

This should be the part where I pat myself on the keister for picking all four Division Series correctly. But, thanks to the highest paid pinstriped disaster not named the New York Yankees, the Cubbies sent Chicagoans-ites to another lonely, windy winter.

Tell you the truth, the first live pitch I saw in the series, Arizona's Chris Young belted a healthy dinger off Chicago's Rich Hill in Game 3. Set. Match.

Anywho, the High Life Bottle came through in the other three series, correctly predicting sweeps by Boston and Colorado, but shocked at the ease in which Cleveland said na-nights to the Yankees. Seriously, I found myself wondering where my Yanks went. Where was Scotty Brosius with a clutch hit? Where was Paul O'Neill throwing a conniption fit on strike two, before another clutch hit? Where was Joe Torre sobbing delicately after another World Series triumph? Only thing remaining from those teams of yesterlore was a crying Torre left to flop around, while George Steinbrenner perfects cloning techniques and brings back Billy Martin to manage next year.

Look, now I'm all weepy. Those poor Yankees. So plucky all year long. Never say die. Staring last place in the eye and, through reasons I'll never know, igniting with winning baseball, come OH-so-close to winning another AL East title. Sports is funny sometimes. You get these kind of heartwarming underdog stories that come up just a sconch short in the end. Eh, I guess they can't all end like they do in them-thar Hollywood picture shows.

I know we're all emotional over the Yankees' tragic loss, but we have to do our best to focus on the future. That means peering into the High Life bottle one more time. On to the teams that aren't golfing this week:

National League Championship Series

Arizona Babysnakes vs. THE Colorado Steamroller

So, you saw Philly-Colorado and Chicago-Arizona as the division series matchups. You work at FOX Sports and are just itching at the thought of a Chicago-Philly championship series. You dust off the Bartman pictures. You scour the archives for Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowls, 76ers NBA Finals, and Mitch Williams. You give Tim McCarver his bubba and comfort him for not getting to announce in Yankee Stadium for the 32nd consecutive October. You giggle at being able to torture two cities for a week and a half.

Funny thing, this here baseball game is. Arizona and Colorado beat the hot snot out of their foes, setting up a star-less, plotline-less, torture-less series. FOX Sports execs grab the Glenlivet and wonder how to get McCarver's hyperbolic chamber to work in Denver's altitude. I have no idea on this one, though the thought of an All-Drew World Series with Stephen and J.D. is frightening and yet very intriguing (ever seen someone play in the World Series with the excitement of checking out a library book?), I find myself pulling for the Ray Bourque-Todd Helton angle. Aging star who never got close finally gets to the promised land. Plus, he's got a sick beard and looks like he'd kick butt in drinking games after a day of hunting moose barehanded. Rockies in six.

American League Championship Series

Bo$ton Red $ox vs. Cleveland Ricky Vaughns

As many of you, well, a few anyway, might have noticed, the High Life Bottle generally shies away from statistical analysis when it comes to postseason prognostications. Nothing happens in October the way it's supposed to. Who had St. Louis in last year's World Series? Who had the Sox coming back from 0-3 to completely humiliate the Yankees in the '04 ALCS?

Point is, the Indians have two flamethrowers in C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. They are rested and, in the case of Sabathia, getting ready for his off-season of being a linebacker for the Browns. Sabathia and Carmona went 1-1 against the Sox this season. Sabathia had a 1.29 ERA. Carmona checked in with a healthy 0.00 ERA. They will go in Games 1 and 2 at Fenway. This should scare the bowels of Sox Nation. Know what their Maalox is? Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling. They should seriously both change their names to Claude Lemieux when the playoffs start. They're that good.

I do expect the Indians to push the Sox. Once. After five games, however, the Sox will be going back to the Series. Check back in next week for totally thorough, in-depth, quality analysis of the Rockies-Red Sox World Series.