AL EAST: Yanks-Sawx. Yanks-Sawx. Yanks-Sawx. Get the picture? But this should just be Yanks. Yanks. Yanks. Boston was great last year, but New York is done fooling around. Godzilla is going to trample everything in sight. Jeter won't stagger out of the blocks this year. And A-Rod is going to be the MVP. That doesn't even mention the rotation, where Kevin Brown is the No. 5 man. Look out. Boston's pitching will let it down. You can't expect David Wells to be an ace, and Bloody Sock Schilling can't do it all by himself -- even though he wants to. Try tennis or golf, Curt. The Orioles couldn't even keep the Nationals out of Washington, and Toronto should move to Vancouver and try to get into the NL West. Love those D-Rays, right up until they have to play New York and Boston.

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AL CENTRAL: Minnesota is the defending champ. Cleveland's on its heels. Detroit is even better, for crying out loud. But the pick here is Chicago. The Pale Hose have some pop in that offense, and their pitching is better than you think. It's dangerous to count out Minnesota, but it's time for someone else to win this. Oh, yeah, they still play baseball in Kansas City, don't they?

AL WEST: Texas almost won the West last year, and the Rangers will get it done this time. Their starting pitching is a little shaky, but oh, that bullpen. And these guys can mash. Sure, you have to love the Angels, if only because they are making the Dodgers so angry. And there is nothing better than watching Vlad the Impaler swing the bat. But K-Rod isn't a full-time closer yet, third base is a problem and Bartolo Colon needs to throttle back on the paella. Billy Beane is a genius, but his team is young enough to earn a spot in the Little League World Series, and the Mariners have enough offense to lose a bunch of 11-10 games.

POSTSEASON PICKS
AL: Yanks over White Sox; Sawx (wild card) over Rangers. Yanks over Sawx.
NL: Cards over Fish (wild card); Giants over Braves. Cards over Giants.
World Series: Yanks over Cards in five.

EL HOMBRE SEZ: Phil Jackson in Los Angeles? Phil Jackson in New York? Oh, the drama. But Mr. Ready-made Title won't go to either unless they have some serious personnel upgrades. He a closer, not a builder. The solution? Merge the teams. That should make Phil happy.

AND ANOTHER THING: The greatest dynasty in sports history is not the Wooden UCLA teams. It isn't the Russell Celtics. It's not even the Yankees. It's Title IX. The 1972 federal law that bars sex discrimination at institutions that receive federal funds continued its undefeated streak in the courts (Forever-and-0) Tuesday when the Supremes held that those who report potential violators are protected from retribution. It was a great win, particularly at a time when there are those out there in the stone-age sect who believe equality doesn't have a place in college athletics.

El Hombre's favorite "argument" comes from those who are upset when schools begin women's programs, even if there is no proof that there will be a stampede among current students to participate in said sport. It's called opportunity, geniuses. Nobody calls foul when a small school starts up a football team in the hopes of adding 100 new (male) students, even if nobody is clamoring to watch bad Division III ball and regardless of how much money the squad loses. (Lots.) Title IX critics had better keep their mouths shut, or someone's going to bring a suit that questions why schools can put 85 men on scholarship for football without a female equivalent. You don't mess with a 33-year winning streak.