Who’d a thunk it? The White Sox and the Rays start an American League Divisional Series today. A lot of “experts” predicted a third- or fourth-place finish for Chicago coming into this year. And don’t even tell me anyone thought the Rays were going to win the AL East.

It came down to game No. 163 for the Sox, but a 1-0 win over those pesky Twins clinched the Central for the South Siders for the first time since 2005. It appeared that the Sox were done after being swept in Minnesota and losing the first two against Cleveland. But somehow, some way, the White Sox scrapped together three wins in three days against three division foes.

And they aren’t done.

Momentum is on the White Sox’s side. Their last three wins somewhat remind me of the run the ’05 squad made heading into the postseason. On the other hand, the Rays ended the season losing three of four to the last-place Tigers.

Is anyone else sick and tired of the AL East love-fest by ESPN? If they’re not gushing over the Nation (Red Sox), then they’re crying a river of tears because the Yankees didn’t make it this year. But now all I’ve been hearing is how great of a story it would be for the Rays to win it all because they’re a small-market team. NEWSFLASH! We’ve already seen that story before … in the same state … twice.

Here is the category breakdown for the White Sox/Rays series.

Starting pitching: Slight edge to the Rays.

I give the edge to Tampa Bay solely because White Sox starters have had to work on three days rest lately, so they might be tired heading into the series. A positive spin for the Sox is that Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks have all been in “win or go home” situations this week.

James Shields (14-8, 3.56 ERA) will pitch today in game one. Shields pitched 215 innings this season and recorded 160 strikeouts. The Rays think of him as their big-game pitcher. Shields will face off against Javier Vazquez (12-16, 4.67 ERA), whom Ozzie Guillen called out earlier this month for his inability to pitch well in big games. The Rays’ Scott Kazmir (12-8, 3.49 ERA) should pitch game two against Buehrle (15-12, 3.79 ERA) in a battle of lefties.

Hitting edge: White Sox.

I barely was able to give one team an edge over the other in this category. It’s like comparing apples to oranges. The Sox rely heavily on the home run. Chicago out-homered Tampa 235 to 180 this season. The Sox scored 811 runs this season, and the Rays plated 774. But the Rays play a Twins-esque offense where speed and base hits are valued higher than the long ball. However, Akinori Iwamura leads the Rays with a .274 batting average. Ouch.

Defensive edge: Rays.

The Sox committed 108 errors. The Rays only had 90. The turf will give the Sox a tough time. Chicago went 4-16 on artificial grass this season. Hopefully enough Sox fans trucked down to St. Petersburg so the Sox can match the number of Rays’ fans in the stands.

Bullpen edge: White Sox.

Yes, Chicago’s bullpen has been miserable down the stretch. But that’s because Ozzie has had to use Mike MacDougal (former Royal), Ehren Wassermann (garbage) and Horacio Ramirez (another former Royal). Those guys aren’t going to pitch in the playoffs. Ozzie will rely on Scott Linebrink, Octavio Dotel and Matt Thornton. Oh, and did anyone else see Bobby Jenks hit 100 mph on the radar gun Tuesday night? He’s pumped and ready to go.

Manager: Slight edge to the White Sox.

Love him or hate him, Ozzie Guillen knows what he’s doing. Now I know Rays’ manager Joe Maddon will probably win AL Manager of the Year, but Guillen’s been to the playoffs before, and with great success. The reality is that both men know their respective teams inside and out. This series will be about execution.

Now take everything I just said and forget it. Anything can happen in the playoffs. My gut tells me the Sox CAN win the series. But it won’t be a walk in the park. Tampa Bay will definitely benefit from earning the home-field advantage. Hopefully the “Blackout” surged the Sox into enough momentum to do some damage. But the Rays are a fearless, ignorant bunch. They don’t know what the playoffs are like, and that makes them a very dangerous team.

So as Hawk Harrelson would say, “Sit back, relax and strap it down.”

Mr. Fultz, my challenge is the following: Whomever’s team gets eliminated from the postseason first has to wear the opposing ball cap in the next column. So, when, I mean, if, the Cubs lose to the Dodgers, I would like to see you adorned in a White Sox cap. If both the Cubs and the Sox continue toward the World Series, then we should increase the stakes of the bet. The ball’s in your court.

Ryan Dixon is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected].