I must agree with the side of speculators that says this series won't be nearly as fun to watch as it would have been with either the Sox or Dodgers (or both) in it from an objective standpoint. The teams just don't have the kind of drawing power and appeal that either Boston or LA enjoy. Anyway, in spite of the relative lack of interest with which this series is bound to be met, I'll still be watching every game, and due to my strong affinity for all things sports gambling, I figured I'd offer my take on how the thing will play out.

Everyone's jumping on this Rays bandwagon pretty hard, but I refuse to do so. I'll admit, they took the ALCS fair and square and clearly were the better team in the seven-game set, but at the same time I don't think any of us should sleep on the Phillies. Here's my take on the key areas of each team:

Rotation
You really have to worry about Hamels if you're Tampa Bay; he's arguably the top pitcher on either club. Myers can be exceptional, but you never really know which version's gonna show up. Plus, we don't advocate domestic violence typically, so we're not big Brett fans in the first place. Blanton had one excellent start against the Brewers, but he came back down to earth against the Dodgers. Oh yeah, and Moyer's like 67 years old or something. One-through-four, the Rays are better with Kazmir, Shields, Garza and Sonnanstine. Plus, the prospect of the trio of Kazmir, Shields and Garza all getting two starts should strike fear in the Phillies hitters. Advantage: Rays

Lineup
I'm definitely gonna catch some shit for this one, but in my humble opinion, the Phils are better top-to-bottom. They have an excellent mix of pure power bats (Howard and Burrell), speedy lead-off types (Rollins, Victorino), one of the biggest all-around threats in the game (Utley), and a bunch of excellent role-players and bench guys (Werth, Jenkins, Stairs, Feliz, etc... Werth is especially underrated - he has to have had the quietest 20-20 season of all time). They also have an advantage in that their pitchers are used to hitting during the regular season, and if you don't think that matters, just take a look at Myers' three-hit game last series. The Rays showed the Sox they're more than capable of putting up big numbers to win games, but the Phillies have one of the deepest, most well-rounded lineups in the game. Advantage: Phillies

Bullpen
Two words: Brad Lidge. Boy, that Albert Pujols playoff homer is far in his rear-view mirror. The Rays' bullpen was solid all season, but showed some vulnerability against our beloved Sox in the ALCS. The Phillies, meanwhile, were automatic (at least if you consider 79-0 automatic) in games they led entering the ninth inning. Advantage: Phillies

Coaching
Charlie Manuel's been in the game a long time and has the added motivation of winning it to commemorate his mother (who passed away earlier this month), but Joe Maddon's done some real special things with the Rays this season. He's the hands-down coach of the year and has led this overwhelmingly young and inexperienced Rays team to easily the best season they've ever had. A lot of people have ripped Maddon for his decision to rock the mohawk with his players, but if there's anything more symbolic of the unity of that team and the fun they've had all year long, I haven't seen it. Advantage: Rays

Well, we're deadlocked after four, but I believe the three roster-specific categories (rotation, lineup, bullpen) have a bit more significance than the coaching one, so I feel fairly confident with the prediction:

Phillies in 7