So here's the call I got from my little sister, Lauren last week.  We have a great relationship by the way.

Lauren:  I hate you!
Me:  What?
Lauren:  I hate you!
Me:  Why?
Lauren:  You picked against the Dodgers.  You have no faith.  You're not a real fan.
Me:  Um, ok.

That being said, I really did think the Dodgers were going to lose the last series, and in all honestly, I don't think we're going to beat the Phillies, and here's why:

10.  The Phillies play very well against us as witnessed in last year's NLCS. 

9.  Matt Stairs.  If Matt Stairs can beat us then I just don't know what to do with myself.

8.  Cole Hamels.  He's been a liability for the Phillies more than in any other season of his career.  Except for when he plays against the Dodgers that is.  He's pitching Game 1 and he has a great track record against us.

7.  Starting Pitching depth.  The Phillies have a solid rotation whereas the Dodgers are starting Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3, which I would normally love, but Kuroda is not necessarily healthy.  And it's either Kuroda or Padilla, and you know why?  Chad Billingsley lost his marbles more than Henry Winkler did in the Waterboy.  Not quite Rick Ankiel, the pitcher, bad.  But do you remember when Billingsley was clearly the Dodgers ace?  I do, and without him holding it down, I'm very hesitant once we get past Kershaw in a 7-game series.

6.  Utley and Howard are doing horribly against the boys in blue this year.  How long do you think that holds up?  And don't forget that both have a habit of coming on late in the season.

5.  The Phillies bullpen may have looked shaky at the end of the regular season but it's looked fine in the postseason.  Not that the Dodgers' pen has been bad, but I'm not sold on the untested bullpen that the Dodgers are sporting.

4.  Broxton's toe.

3.  Torre's nose.  I'm not sure how it affects things, but it can't be good.

2.  Manny.  I'm hoping that he comes through but I have no confidence.  If he has a good series, we have a chance, if he goes into post-female hormone medicine suspension mode, we're done.

1.  That feeling.  It's the feeling you get when things are going wrong.  And it has become the norm in Chavez Ravine in the past several years.  Home field is great, except for when your fans go into Chicago Cubs mode.  It affects the players and nothing goes right after it sinks in.  I've seen it when the Phillies have been in town and I'm afraid it may appear once again in a bad spot.

So there you have it.  The Dodgers have no shot.  Good news?  I couldn't have been more wrong with my Divisional Series picks.  Go Dodgers!