Predictions, Part 5. ESPN's staff picks are here. The relevant parts:

                World Series           AL East    Wild Card

Jayson Stark    Red Sox over Cubs      Red Sox    Yankees

Peter Gammons   Cubs over Red Sox      Yankees    Red Sox

Rob Neyer       A's over Phillies      Yankees    Red Sox

Buster Olney    Cubs over Angels       Yankees    Red Sox

Tim Kurkjian    Red Sox over Phillies  Red Sox    Yankees

Jerry Crasnick  Red Sox over Phillies  Red Sox    Yankees

Jim Caple       A's over Astros        Blue Jays  Angels

John Kruk       Angels over Phillies   Yankees    Red Sox

Tony Gwynn      Red Sox over Cubs      Red Sox    Yankees

Rob Dibble      Angels over Cubs       Yankees    Red Sox

Scott Ridge     Cubs over Red Sox      Red Sox    Yankees

Matt Szefc      Yankees over Cubs      Yankees    Red Sox

Eric Karabell   Yankees over Astros    Yankees    Red Sox

Bob Klapisch    Yankees over Astros    Yankees    Red Sox

Phil Rogers     Yankees over Cubs      Red Sox    Yankees

Alan Schwarz    Red Sox over Astros    Red Sox    Yankees

John Sickels    Red Sox over Cubs      Red Sox    Yankees

Total:
AL East: Red Sox 8, Yankees 8, Blue Jays 1
AL Wild Card: Red Sox 8, Yankees 8, Angels 1
World Series: Red Sox 6, Yankees 4, Cubs 3, A's 2, Angels 2

[By the way, what's up with Caple's picks?]

Jayson Stark asks: Can we even comprehend what life might be like if the Red Sox ever won the World Series?" David Ortiz: "I just don't want to be in the city when it happens. I'd be too afraid. If we win the World Series on the road, I'm flying straight from the World Series to the Dominican." [What? And miss the parade?] "I'd just say, 'Send me the tape.'" ... Stark: "Clear your calendar for Halloween week, because ... the Boston Red Sox are going to win the World Series. Really. ... [T]his year, there is no fatal flaw. Go ahead. Try to find one. Good luck."

T.R. Sullivan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "[T]he Red Sox are still loaded. They really need to win the World Series this year. They will."

Peter Gammons, ESPN.com:
AL/NLDS: Yankees over Minnesota, Boston over Anaheim, Houston over Philadelphia, Cubs over Arizona.
AL/NLCS: Cubs over Houston in 7, Boston over Yankees in 7.
World Series: Cubs over Boston in 7.
However, in his predictions for ESPN Magazine, Gammons picks Kansas City over Minnesota, Oakland as the wild card and says the Yankees will miss the playoffs. What's up with that?

Garry Brown, Springfield Republican; Guy Curtright, Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Gerry Fraley, Dallas Morning News all predict:

1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Tampa Bay Devil Rays

And Brown says: ALCS: Boston over New York in 6; NLCS: Cubs over Philadelphia in 7. World Series: Boston over Cubs in 6.

Boston over Cubs in 6. Just like in 1918. I like it.