The National League didn’t hesitate to wrap up its divisional series this past weekend. The American League, however, wanted to take its time and start the second round of the playoffs later on. This is due, in part, to the Boston Red Sox finally remembering how to compete and actually look like a team of professional ball players, forcing Monday’s fifth game in Oakland.

Since the Twins have been eliminated and two coastal teams are vying for the last American League Championship Series spot, my focus shifts to the National League. Thanks to a most surprising effort, the underdog Florida Marlins beat the San Francisco Giants (who had the second-best record in the league) three games to one. The Marlins’ opponent in the National League Championship Series is another team that wasn’t supposed to pass the initial round, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs threw off 95 years of monkeys on their backs (the last time the Cubs won a playoff series was in 1908) and beat the team with the best record in the NL, the Atlanta Braves. The Marlins and Cubs begin their best-of-seven series in Chicago Tuesday.

The phrase “lovable losers” that the Cubs have worn for a majority of a decade can now be thrown away. On the same token, the Marlins have also proven many of the experts, including all of the “expert” writers at ESPN, wrong with their win. Now, a team that once had a better chance at being in Hawaii vacationing in the offseason is playing the Cubs.

The speedy Marlins have a team made up of players who aren’t superstars — in fact, one of them could sit by you in class and you wouldn’t give it a second thought. Maybe it’s this element of the unknown that is the allure for the Marlins in the playoffs. Not many people know the Marlins led the majors in stolen bases — Juan Pierre led the league with 65, and Luis Castillo has had as many as 62 steals in a season, although he dropped to 21 this season. Neither do most realize that the Fighting Fish were third in the NL in triples. Speed is vital for this team, and it’s sparked by the Marlins’ youthful players. The average age of Florida’s lineup is about 27 (including a starting shortstop who can’t legally drink yet).

Even though the Marlins have the speed to run around the base paths all day long, it won’t do them any good when facing the Cubs’ pitching staff, unless the Marlins come to the plate with flame-retardant bats. The Cubs’ pitchers throw nothing but the heat, the smoke, the gas … whatever you want to call it, a batter can’t swing at it in time and when he finally does make up his mind to swing, the ball’s already in the catcher’s mitt. The Cubs’ pitchers have been making the league’s best look silly on numerous occasions. In the series vs. the Braves, Andruw Jones and Gary Sheffield batted a combined 3-31 and had two RBIs in the five games. This was after Jones had 116 RBIs during the regular season and Sheffield was fourth in the league in batting average. Chicago’s pitching staff has more aces in it than the World Series of Poker: Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Matt Clement and Carlos Zambrano.

Chicago has the edge in pitching, but that doesn’t mean the Marlins’ staff is something to be ashamed of. Two young guns, Dontrelle Willis and Josh Beckett, provide the excitement of Florida’s pitching. After almost pitching a no-hitter against the Mets on June 16, the 21-year-old has been the buzz around the league.

Since then, he has been given respect around the league, demonstrated by his selection to the All-Star Game. His teammate, Beckett, isn’t one who should be overlooked either. He has also shown signs of becoming a great pitcher. His 3.04 ERA would have placed him sixth in the league had he pitched more than the minimum required innings before being injured.

The Cubs’ offense is commanded by Sammy Sosa. This is his team. He is the foundation of the Cubs’ lineup. Although Sosa has compiled sky-high home run and Ruthian RBI totals during the regular season, in the playoffs he has struggled thus far. Picking up the slack for Sosa have been some streaky batters that are picking the right times to shine in the post-season. Lesser-known players such as Aramis Ramirez, Moises Alou, Eric Karros and Kenny Lofton are making sure the Cubs are within striking distance in every game.

The Marlins and Cubs are pretty much even when it comes to hitting. Since the Marlins have a better team batting average and more runs scored, I’d give the edge to them on offense. The pitching for both clubs may be above average, but Chicago sets the bar high for pitching (setting the record for most strikeouts for a team in a season in history). Hitting grabs the spotlight, but pitching is what wins ballgames. The Cubs have enough to last them for not only this postseason, but also for many to come.