The MLB playoffs loom right around the corner, so it is now time to speculate.

This is the final part of a three part series recounting my experience learning to like baseball.

Oftentimes, the year after losing in a championship, a team can suffer a post-defeat hangover of sorts. This idea has been on display over the last few years in baseball, as the 2007 Houston Astros, 2008 St. Louis Cardinals (sorry, folks) and the 2009 Tampa Bay Rays all missed the playoffs a year after falling in the World Series.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5paCSuRtsM httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xf5qfVlxM8 Sports reporters Kurt Rohrbeck and Daniel Kurzner talk about who will win the 2009 World Series in a discussion moderated by Steven Simon.

This year the defending champion, the NL Philadelphia Phillies will take on the AL New York Yankees in a World Series match-up of power. Both teams play classic American League style baseball; both have some speed and pitching, but will ultimately rely on home runs to secure their victory. Each team led their league in homeruns, total-bases, and runs scored in the 2009 season. However, compared to the Yankees the Phillies produced 100 RBIs and 100 runs less. The Yankees also have a higher on-base-percentage(.362 to the Phillies, .334).

The Phillies have arguably the best lineup, top to bottom, in Major League Baseball. But just as important as how good they are is how clutch they are: they can never be ruled out of any game. They took the lead in the ninth inning in three out of their seven wins this postseason and have clutch hitters up and down the lineup.