Don't Party Like It's 1991.

For the second year in a row, the New York Yankees have swept the Minnesota Twins in the AL Division Series and have guaranteed themselves a spot in the Championship Series. They now just await the winner of the Rangers/Rays matchup, a series that could have possibly been decided tonight if it weren't for the renewed energy of Tampa Bay's batting.

For the Yanks, it only gets more difficult from here. They'll either face the Rays, who won the regular series season 10-8 this year and seem to really dominate the Yanks lately, or the Rangers, who have Cliff Lee, the one pitcher who almost always beats them (I believe he's 6-1 against them in the past 2 seasons), which is a sign that they'll try their hardest to sign him in the offseason (and what a blog post I'll write THAT day). So, really, is the sweep cause for celebration? It's just like last year: they would have either faced the Red Sox, their biggest rival in history, or the Angels, this season's Rays' predecessors. Just because you sweep a good Minnesota team doesn't mean in the slightest that easier days are ahead of you. And if the Yanks do make it back, they'll have to contend with (let's face it) the Phillies, yet again. Even though that last matchup in October went in New York's favor, Roy Halladay was still offseason-ing it up in Toronto. This will not be the case this year.

As far as the other series, I still pick the Giants to take the NLCS over the Braves. One extra-innings walk-off win doesn't mean much, you still have to take 2 more, and dropping one on the road while the visiting team in every other series being played gets up 2-0 doesn't make me believe that the one that goes 1-1 has a great chance at advancing, but as I just told a friend who's a hardcore Atlanta fan, stranger things have certainly happened. I think the Phillies will ensure themselves of the same immediate fate as the Yanks in tomorrow's game in Cincy, although I will be sad to see Joey Votto, Scott Rolen, and Jay Bruce go without much of a fight (if you get no-hit in the regular season, no big deal; in the postseason, you're just not trying). As far as the other ALDS, I can only hope the Rangers take it, simply because I think the Yanks have a better chance of making it back to The Show if they play Texas, but as I stated above, it's still not a guarantee. And if New York is eliminated, I can only hope that Philadelphia makes short work of whichever AL team they face.

So, the Yanks sweep and move on, the Phils have a chance to follow suit tomorrow, the Rangers can still advance, and either San Fran or Atlanta can get a leg up on the other. Stay tuned, folks.