Vince Marriott: Baseball playoff season is upon us, and once more I can't wait for having every night of the week occupied by closely contested playoff series. This week, I'll be keeping a close eye on the series between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, as this matchup is of near-historic significance. The Orioles have long been the bottom-dwellers of the AL East, and this series gives them the chance to prove once and for all that they can take on the best baseball team in history (in terms of championships won). Even though the Yankees took the division this year, I expect this series to last a while, and Game 3 will be pivotal. (Wednesday, TBS)
Jonathan Gault: Playoff rematches always make for great games. And when that playoff game went to overtime with a Super Bowl berth on the line, the rematch is certain to be worth watching. The New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers were so closely matched last season that the NFC Championship Game was settled by the 49ers' backup punt returner, Kyle Williams, whose pair of gaffes cost the 49ers their first Super Bowl berth since 1995. Now, the two teams will reunite in a pivotal Week 6 matchup in San Francisco's Candlestick Park. With so many good teams in the NFC this season, this game could have major implications for playoff seeding and the division title races. (Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX)
Dong Zhao: If there were a baseball god, he must be a St. Louis Cardinals fan. After a miraculous run to a World Series championship last year, the Cardinals are right back to making postseason magic this October. Sneaking into the playoffs as the second wild-card team with only 88 wins, the Cardinals got past the Braves in the new win-or-die wild card play-in game in dramatic and controversial fashion. In the middle of a Braves comeback attempt in the eighth inning, the infield fly rule was called on a fly ball hit to shallow left field, effectively killing the Braves rally and ending their season. The Cardinals hope that the baseball god stays on their side as they take on the Nationals in the National League Division Series. (Monday, 4:37 p.m., TBS)
