John Manuel and I made our picks for the Finals in a podcast this weekend (you can download that here). After we both went 7-6 in our picks through bracket play, we both took Arizona to win the Finals opener, but now our picks diverge.

John is taking Arizona to complete the sweep today; I'm going with South Carolina to win today and tomorrow, completing the three-peat. John thinks Roth angered the baseball gods by admitting that he doesn't really like baseball in the pre-Finals press conference; he expects karma to bite Roth and the Gamecocks tonight. I simply refuse to bet against Roth and Matt Price in the College World Series—those guys always come through when it matters most. I think it makes sense for Arizona to start James Farris today, giving ace Kurt Heyer an extra day of rest in case the series goes three games. But Farris hasn't pitched in three weeks, and Andy Lopez admitted yesterday he was somewhat concerned about Farris being rusty. The Wildcats figure to need their artichokes down in the bullpen at some point today.

If Arizona manages to beat Roth and/or Price to capture the national title, hats off to the Wildcats, because they will have earned the championship against the ultimate champions. But I can't see South Carolina going down without a serious fight.

John's Pick: Arizona

Aaron's Pick: South Carolina

Yesterday:
John: 1-0
Aaron: 1-0

Overall:
John: 8-6
Aaron: 8-6