I'll tell you one thing, it's definitely not getting boring. With one week of baseball postseason in our pockets, we have seen enough to keep us all piqued for more excitement in the remaining October weeks. We've witnessed an 18-inning marathon that saw Atlanta bow out when they should have won it 9 innings earlier; a Boston Red Sox team, victors of its last 8 playoff games, get swept by the White Sox --the next Curse-Burdened team looking to change the history books; and the Yankees getting their tickets handed to them by a gutsy, pitching-heavy Angels team that is playing so well they could hail from LA, Anaheim or Santa Cruz for all I care. Any squad that sends Steinbrenner's ballclub on its way deserves my undying love and respect. But I have some ALCS & NLCS predictions to make. If you took the time to consult my column from last week, you'll notice I was 3 -for- 4. I guessed right on that "close-call" Cards/ Padres nail-biter. I called the Astros series successfully. And I was spot-on with the Red Sox being outpitched and outhit by the fiery White Sox. I never saw the Yankees loss happening, but I should still have thrown down some money on this past week --I'd be typing this on a brand-new Sony Vaio laptop if that were true. The Division Series were not defined by the usual pitching guns firing their way to victory -- pitching duels were indeed hard to come by: Tim Hudson, Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Bartolo Colon, Roger Clemens were not the major factors in their teams' victories that we all expected. Smoltz was. Andy Pettitte was. But new names entered the mix this past week, refreshing additions like Chacon, Molina and Ervin Santana that give the MLB postseason just the right blend of old and new, young and ...not so young (that's for you Clemens). And it's starting to look lke the big wins may be decided by who's got more nerve, as well as who's got more fresh arms in the bullpen. And fresh minds and rested bodies. The Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinal have all of those, especially the last two. Rest will by no means be a deterrent for these ballclubs. I'm sure the Astros, who had to endure a tour of duty for 18 innings against the Braves the other day/night/morning, wouldn't mind extra days to eat well, and sleep in a bit. And don't think the Halos are delighting in the 3 game-days in a row they're battling through right now (in 3 cities, mind you!). New York weather made that snafu possible, and I'm sure they would love to be able to soothe their sore bodies in a regular bed as Chicago's boys have been enjoying for 4 days now. In the ALCS, we have two teams of similar molds: the White Sox and Angels have strong pitching all-around, but each with minor pitching weaknesses that may or may not come into play. They both play smart, solid defense, and have speed on the basepaths. The Angels play the small-ball to much better effect, something they put on display against the Yankees. And the White Sox's hitters are more fired-up right now, opportunistically jumping on a weak, under-manned Red Sox pitching staff for 3 straight games, in a big way finding the long ball they'd been missing for stretches of the season. But don't expect the Southsiders or the Angels to be able to send the ball out of the park like that against each other's pitching staffs. Both teams made it very, very hard for the two best representatives of the AL "Incendiary" East to score runs much at all. This series, like the one in the NL, will be about errors (physical and mental), clutch hits, and late-inning relief. And about who's been rested... Should be outstanding to watch, and even more satisfying for Chicagoans. MY PICK: White Sox in 7 In the NLCS, we have a rematch long-awaited by some, and not just by those who hail from the two teams' cities. That was flat-out great baseball, and great TV viewing --I can remember it clearly, and the Cardinals edged the Astros in Game 7, Roger Clemens taking the loss. I won't forget it, and I'm sure he hasn't either. But this series is tough to forecast. Naturally, one would lean the way of the Major League's most well-rounded, consistent team: St. Louis, who won 100 games not by accident, that's for certain. They bunt, hit doubles, hit homers, steal bases, can hit-and-run with the best of 'em, have terrific starting pitching, and the league's lowest overall ERA. BUT... but what? Well, Houston holds the best NL regular-season record since late-May, the only 1-2-3 starters to feasibly go toe-to-toe with those from St. Louis, have an almost sterling at-home W-L record, and finally, are super-confident and starting to hit waaaay more than they showed this whole year. And they showed they can last 18 innings of ball without passing out, which in itself is a major human fait accomplis. But when it's all said and done, it just won't be enough to beat St. Louis, whose bullpen is too crafty and experienced (Isringhausen trumps youngster Brad Lidge) to give up the leads their deep, deep line-up will give them over the next week. And, of course, the fatigue vs. rest factor resurfaces. And so do St. Louis popping their heads up for a second straight shot at the Title. It'll be fairly close, though. MY PICK: Cardinals in 6 The Cardinals said they had to fight hard to pin down a pesky, embattled San Diego team, but since that sweep, trust me they've been fighting hard not to allow themselves to get full-body massages more than twice a day by team trainers. They're rested, healthy and have a playoff rotation set just the way they like it from here on out. Same goes for the White Sox, and that's why we're going to seee these two traditional-style ballclubs on the same stage by the end of next week. As for rest, I'll be needing some soon, if I don't stop moving my fingers across this keyboard. Enjoy the games, set the VCR, and watch as my predictions ring true again. As always, keep your mind in the game, and the game on your mind.