Tigers On The Prowl/Moneybust.

At least one part of one prediction I made is still intact. The Detroit Tigers are heading to their second straight ALCS appearance, after knocking out the surprising Oakland Athletics in the first round. A result not completely unexpected, to be sure, but there's still something to be said for those A's.

Justin Verlander! Again?

Amazingly, signing first baseman Prince Fielder didn't automatically make the Tigers the favorites this offseason. The flurry of signings by the Angels and Marlins were considered more "sure-fire" kickstarters for a deep postseason run, but we all know how that's worked out for both franchises so far. Fielder's signing was more a move of necessity than luxury: designated hitter Victor Martinez went down for the season with a torn ACL back in February, and Prince miraculously hadn't found a new throne yet after abdicating his position in Milwaukee. So, the Tigers signed him to a 9-year pact worth $214 million, and thanks to his successful transition to the American League, Triple Crown winner and new third baseman Miguel Cabrera turning in one of the most spectacular offensive seasons since 1967, and reigning Cy Young/MVP/Best Pitcher On The Planet Justin "Credible" Verlander also following up his award-winning season with a solid year, a second straight ALCS appearance might have been in the stars from the beginning. Of course, just like in every good show, there's the supporting cast to thank as well: Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello auditioned wonderfully for the parts of "Best Tigers Starter Not Named Verlander"; Jose Valverde blew a few saves here and there but was rock steady for the most part; catcher Alex Avila and outfielders Austin Jackson and Quintin Berry helped keep the offense afloat when Cabrera and Fielder weren't crushing baseballs into the stands, along with the hopes and dreams of opposing pitchers. The Motown crew sang a pretty tune overall, notching no lower than 11th in any offensive stat and reaching 3rd in OBP (.335), while the rotation, surprisingly, ranked near the middle of the pack, between 9th (ERA, 3.75) and 19th (opponents' batting average, .256). Still, the team had to watch as the White Sox, and even the Indians for a few months, enjoyed higher rankings in the standings. But through hard work, perseverance, and having the best pitcher and corner infielders in the game, these Tigers will be in the hunt for at least one more series.

Josh Reddick and the A's fought off the inevitable for much longer than in the past few years, but it had to happen.

The last decade, like the two before it, haven't been particularly kind to the Athletics. Sure, they played in the postseason in 2001-2003, and made it to the ALCS in 2006 where they were beaten by, you guessed it, the Tigers. But "Moneyball", the system popularized by general manager Billy Beane's integration of advanced sabermetrics into player evaluations, has yet to pay dividends for the A's, aside from a bestselling novel and critically acclaimed movie on the matter. However, 2012 was a year to be proud of in Oakland no matter how it ended. Their biggest moves this offseason were signing a 33-year-old centerfielder who already spent the two proceeding seasons with them in Coco Crisp, a 39-year-old pitcher who had a year that was almost too good to be true in Bartolo Colon (later suspended for 50 games for usage of performance-enhancing drugs), gave a 4 year/$36 million contract to a 26-year-old Cuban defector who had never played a day of Major League Baseball in Yoenis Cespedes (who finished the year leading the team in both batting average and OPS), and trading away their two best pitchers (Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill), closer (Andrew Bailey), and letting their best hitter the year before (Josh Willingham) walk to Minnesota. What did they get in return? Two pitchers, a catcher, and two outfielders (Tommy Milone and Jarrod Parker, Derek Norris, Josh Reddick and Seth Smith) that would lead them to the most impressive contender in a season full of impressive contenders. They managed to knock the Rangers out of the top spot in the division on the last day of the season, the first time any team had been 5 games back with 9 to play and still win their division crown. Not bad for a team that was projected to lose 90 games. The team stats are nothing impressive; in fact, they were 28th in batting average (.238, the lowest for any posteason team...ever) and 24th in OBP (.310). Their pitching was much better, ranking between 5th and 10th in all defensive stats. It's a shame to see such a good story come to an end, but just like with the movie, Moneyball can always have a sequel next year.

One team has been scheduled for the League Championship Series in both leagues, the Giants and now the Tigers. They each await the winner of the two remaining Division Series: the Giants will either face the Cardinals or Nationals on Sunday, and the Tigers will play either the Yankees or the Orioles on Saturday. Stay tuned.