If Boston holds on and wins the AL East, they will face the Cleveland Indians. There is good and bad news with this scenario. First of all, the Indians only claim to be from one city, which reduces confusion. Secondly, New York would end up playing the Angels, which could be really interesting.

The Yankees don’t match up well with the Angels. Here is an interesting fact: the Angels are the only team in the major leagues to have a winning record against the Yankees since Joe Torre became New York’s manager in 1996. Not to mention, it would be great to see the Yankees bust their asses to get into the playoffs only to lose in the first round.

Now the bad news. There are two things that scare me in a 5-game series against Cleveland.

1. C.C. Sabathia
2. Fausto Carmona

Both of these guys are legitimate #1 starters. They both have 18 wins and sub-3.20 ERAs. They challenge hitters and are fearless. Add Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, and Casey Blake, and you’ll see the Indians are for real. What Boston has going for them is they’ve been in the playoffs before and have big-game players in Big Papi, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling. The Indians’ lineup is young and untested. The playoffs are a whole new ball game. Teams that are great in the regular season sometimes crumble on the big stage. This could be a big opportunity for them to showcase their talent.

As a Red Sox fan, which scenario would you prefer?

The Red Sox have made the playoffs. Yippee. This is the extent of my excitement. Everyone knew they were going to make the playoffs. I really want to see them win the AL East for the first time since 1995.

But would it be better if Boston came in second and was the wild card? The way I understand it, if Boston wins the division, they play the Cleveland Indians in the first round. If Boston is the wild card, they would play the San Diego Angels of Oakland, or whatever their stupid name is these days.

Of these two scenarios, I think the Sox match up better with the Angels, even if the Angels have home field advantage. Boston always plays well against these guys. Remember the 2004 playoffs, when the Red Sox dominated them? Or even this year, when the Sox were on the verge of a series sweep until they put in Eric Gagne. The Angels have a good team that plays hard, steals bases, and is really good defensively. They have superstars in Vlad Guerrero and Garret Anderson, and quality starting pitching. But I think they all shrink in the clutch. Their superstars don’t step up and carry their team, and their pitching has the tendency to look ordinary. I know they’ve won their division three out of the last four years and won the World Series in 2002, but if they meet the Sox in the playoffs, they are going to get their butts kicked again.

Next up: The potential Red Sox/Cleveland Indians matchup.