My spite-y senses are tingling
I'm not too surprised the Yankees are gone; disappointed sure, but not surprised. Just seemed like a not-so-good matchup. Funny thing is that if Bernie Williams were in center, he probably wouldn't have made it to the gap as quickly as Bubba Crosby and Gary Sheffield catches that fly ball, instead of two-run triple. Also, it's interesting to see Darin Erstad make the final play with a nice stop on defense after his offense was absolutely trashed during the series (Al Leiter as the designated stopper for Erstad, are you kidding?)

But now that both the Yankees and Red Sox are gone, the main motivating force for many to watch the playoffs this year -- hate -- is gone. Since y'all can't be hypocrites anymore and actually root for someone to win the World Series, here's a little guide for who to root against the most for the rest of October (in rough order of most hateable to least, in my opinion):

1. White Sox: Hawk Harrelson isn't calling games in the playoffs, but if you're not a fan of the team, he's a big reason to root against them. If not now, but think of what he could be next season if they win it all. ... There's that "cursed" thing, which was annoying with the Red Sox last year (even among their own fans) and is just tired this year. ... The legions of Cubs fans still have many reasons to hate. (see below)
2. Astros: Haven't we had enough of wild-card teams winning it all? ... Depending on your political persuasion, there's that Texas thing. ... If you need your fix of Yankees hate, Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens are among Houston's best pitchers.
3. Angels: They won in 2003, too soon for another championship. ... The whole Los Angeles of Anaheim thing. Which reminds me, is the name of the city now "of Anaheim," given how many things in the city are named "of Anaheim" -- the hockey team, the baseball stadium, the baseball team. To go with the California theme, maybe the city should be called "de Anaheim." ... Rally monkey and thundersticks are back.
4. Cardinals: Best record in the majors. Default is to root against the favorite. ... The Cubs fan factor. What would happen to Cubs fans if the White Sox and Cardinals meet in the World Series? ... St. Louis fans often regarded as the nicest in the league. When we root out of spite, we just can't have that.