This is harder than I thought. It's like Superman without Lex Luthor, like Sherlock Holmes without Moriarty, like a Bush in the White House without Iraq. I can't believe there are 4 teams I don't hate in the MLB Championship Series.

The Braves, with their corporate blandness and despicable Tomahawk Chop, have submitted their annual postseason collapse and it was approved. The Yankees, on whom I believe my position is clear, were shown the door by a bunch of scrappy Angels who reminded New York of how they used to play the game back when they were $80 million poorer, 15 years younger, and (for David Wells) 265 pounds lighter.

So all that's left are four teams I respect, admire, and don't particularly have a lot of personal stake in. But one must form a fierce attachment to some team, musn't one? Let's consider the candidates, in alphabetical order.

Angels. Pros: Packed the Armani suitcases and loaded the Lear jets for the Yankees to start winter vacation early. That alone is worth years of goodwill in my book. They are the Patrriots of MLB; a moribund star-crossed franchise that suddenly and inexplicaby catch fire at just the right time. A scrappy bunch that kind of reminds me of the loveable '93 Phillies, except without the beer bellies and the aroma of spit, sweat, gallons of tobacco juice and unmistakable Eau de Kruk that wafted off the TV screen and right into the living room. Cons: They're owned by Disney, which theoretically has the resources to outspend Steinbrenner but just haven't.

Minnesota. Pros: Well, the fact that they weren't entirely expecting to play in April, let alone October. If you've seen the Vikings lately, you know folks up north need something to get excited about. The Selig-at-the-Metrodome factor has unlimited comedic potential. Cons: The fact that perhaps the 2 worst World Series-winning teams of my lifetime were Twins teams with home-field advantage, which the AL team would have again. The idea that Carl Pohlad might be able to accept a World Series trophy after he tried to dismantle the team.

St. Louis. Pros: Obviously, they're the emotional favorites after losing Jack Buck and Darryl Kile during the season. St. Louis is a great baseball town that seems to deserve a win slightly more than Anaheim. Tino Martinez can visit Yankee spring training next year and show off his newest ring. Cons: The loathsome J.D. Drew is still involved.

San Francisco. Pros: Dusty Baker can finally silence his critics. Barry Bonds can finally have a chance on the national stage. Cons: Barry Bonds can finally have a chance on the national stage.

So if you analyze it rationally, the team with the best pro/con balance is the Cardinals. But who ever said being a sports fan is rational? I'm pulling for the Angels in the ALCS, the Cards in the NL, and the AL team in the World Series. And the Sox beat the Dodgers in '03. You heard it here first.

Maybe you thought I pulled a Bison Dele and disappeared off the face of the earth. Well, not exactly. A combination of lack of time, lack of motivation, and the disappearance of any joy from the Red Sox season kept me from having too much to say. But the Angels gave me hope last night, so I'm ready to roll again. My intention is to update this page 3-4 times a week, as events warrant.

So how is everyone? How 'bout those Bengals? To catch you up on what I've been ranting about these last 2 months, here are my Top Nine Sports Stories of the Summer, in no particular order.

1. The Annual Disappointment. How does a team with the batting champ, the top 3 ERA pitchers in the league and 93 wins miss the playoffs? I don't even want to think about it. Let's chalk it up to pitiful 4 and 5 starters, a shaky bullpen, a complete and utter lack of situational hitting, and a general lackadaisacal attitiude that told the world "we can turn it on when we want to" right up until the moment when it was time to turn it on and they didn't. Wait till next year.

2. We Are All Monkeys. I'm not the first to suggest that the 2002 Angels are baseball's version of the 2001 Patriots. A team that, on paper, makes you think "there's no way these guys can beat anybody", yet leaves you after the game scratching your head and wondering just how on earth they embrassed you. The Rally Monkey is alive and well, showing teams like the Red Sox how a team approaches every game and every at-bat like it matters. I'll conclude by saying that the Yankees' $150 million payroll this season got them one more postseason win than the Expos.

3. Speaking of the Expos... Since the Expos and Twins are around for another year, MLB is discussing moving some home games from Montreal to Puerto Rico. Not to be outdone, the Mets are thinking of moving some games to Jamaica. What a banner year in Flushing Meadows. The Piazza is-he-or-isn't-he silliness, the beaning-Clemens madness, the 7-potheads brouhaha...the only thing the Mets forgot was putting a respectable product on the field. They can take solace in the fact that the '99 Red Sox and '02 Angels have 2 things in common: they got rid of Mo Vaughn, and they made the playoffs the next season.

4. Bison Dele. Tim Keown wrote a fantastic column on the quirky life and tragic end of the former Brian Williams. He always seemed like he was on another planet, let alone another court, from the rest of the NBA. When I heard he had been treated for depression and almost retired, I thought he was just a typical NBA head case. When I read he was missing and presumed dead in the Pacific, I wondered what had been going on in his mind since he retired. When I read Keown's column, I felt I really learned what he was all about. Too bad we can't read more stuff like this when people are alive, so we can appreciate them more. I guess Allen Iverson's runs-in with the law make easier articles for reporters to write.

5. Silence of the Rams. 0-4 and (as I write this) getting pasted by the 49ers, I can't help but chuckle at the fact that the Patriots sent the Greatest Show in Turf into a near-permanent hiatus. "Don't worry," Marshall Faulk told me. "In our minds, we're 4-0."

6. The Ryder Cup. Boy, that was something, huh? How about that? But back to me; I've played golf for the first real time this summer. Admittedly it's a Par-3, but I've hit par a couple times and actually hit a few tee shots that soared majestically. Almost as many as I've hit that were line drives that skipped majestically into the woods.

7. The Sale of the Celtics. Ebeneezer Gaston sold the Green Machine to two guys whose names I can't ever remember, but the word on the street is they have deep pockets and want to win badly. Awww yeah. Too bad they weren't on board before the roster was shaken by salary cap concerns. Also, rumor has it that the New Owners have an eye towards building a basketball-only building to get out from their one-sided lease with the Fleet Center and the Bruins. I like it.

8. The New AFC West. Watching the Patriots struggle to beat K.C. and lose to San Diego, I have a huge respect for these 2 teams. They're scary on offense, good on defense (well, San Diego, anyway) and just flat-out exciting. While the Broncos age and the Raiders still pout about last January, the two young teams are poised to take over. And it will be fun.

9. Career Counseling. Alex Rodriguez goes to Texas just in time to see the ship settle on the ocean floor. Roberto Alomar leaves Cleveland for New York and Team Turmoil. Jason Giambi leaves a good young Oakland team for the Yankees (the baseball equivalent of the Clash or the Smiths selling their music for car commercials). Total playoff series victories as a result: 0 and not counting.