Why even bother playing: Dodgers, Angels are going to win the whole ball o' cotton candy -- at least in the West

The current Baseball Preview issue of Sports Illustrated has already jinxed predicted the Dodgers and Angels winning their respective divisions this year -- with the Angels (after defeating the Red Sox and Yankees in succession) advancing to the World Series to face the Mets (who'll knock out the Dodgers).

We won't give away the SI prediction, but they'll be flushing with pride on the East Coast.

Smarty man Bruce Bukiet, an associate professor of mathematical sciences and associate dean of the College of Science and Liberal Arts at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, has another way of figuring out the races almost the exact same way. He uses logic, numbers ... that kinda stuff that usually gets people in trouble.

When did baseball ever follow common sense? Maybe since Bukiet devised his devious formula back in 1998, that's when.

According to a story on the Miller-McClune magazine's website (linked here), Bukiet also has the Dodgers (91 wins, eight more than runner-up Arizona) and Angels (92 wins, 21 more than either Texas or Oakland) running off with their division titles.

The Red Sox are also his wildcard, behind the Yankees in the AL East.

The most bizarre conclusion -- and if this happens, you'll know where you read it first -- is the Mets, Phillies and Braves all tie for the NL East with 88 wins.

The Indians and Cubs win their respective Central Division titles.

"These results give a guide of how teams ought to perform during the season. But there are so many unknowns, especially concerning trades, injuries and how rookies will perform that cannot be taken into account," Bukiet said in the story. "However, over the years, the predictions using this mathematical model have been about as good as those of the so-called experts. It demonstrates how useful math can be in understanding so many aspects of the world around us."

Keep that in mind when you're watching the Dodgers and Angels face off tonight in the Freeway Series One Game exhibition.