There were two shocking, all time type upsets, one in college and one in pro football, the last two days.
On Saturday, unheralded Old Dominion, an underdog of over 40 points, defeated 13th ranked Virginia Tech.
Yesterday the Buffalo Bills, a 17 point underdog, not only beat the Minnesota Vikings in Minne, but did so easily, building a (27-0) lead, en route to a (27-6) win.
Again, a special category, these regarding upsets.
Twenty seven years later, the Atlanta Braves have again stunned the baseball world, with a division title.
This one is not as shocking nor as great as the One quarter” N.L. East title Atlanta won in 1991.
That year they went from last place in a six team N.L. East the season before.
However, this “one eighth” title for the “fourth choice,” Braves is truly a fine feat.
Even though on Thursday night, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, having pitched 7 innings and leaving the game trailing vs the New York Mets, did not get the loss, he did not win.
Additionally, the Mets won the game in 12 innings.
Last night Jacob deGrom was the winning pitcher as the Mets “doubled” the Nationals (4-2).
Thus over this weekend, deGrom has gained in his presumed battle with Scherzer for the Cy Young Award.
The great pitcher, “Cy” Young pictured above.
It is almost certain that the top seeds in baseball 2018 will be the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs.
Perhaps these venerable, historic franchises with their iconic playing venues, Boston’s Fenway Park and Chicago’s Wrigley Field, will clash in a World Series 100 years after they last met in one, that in 1918.
It is noteworthy that all 5 American League playoffs qualifiers will have a better record than any National League team and hence will have the home advantage in the World Series.
Additionally I note the ’18 World Series, a Red Sox win, their last such win for 86 years (it was the tenth of what would be 108 seasons sans a World Series title for the Cubs) ended on September 11th, due to World War 1.
It is tragic that the Armistice two months later, supposedly signaling the end of the last war, was dwarfed in length by the title droughts of two baseball teams.
This week, the L.A. football teams clash as the (1-1) Chargers visit the (2-0) Rams.
Los Angeles has the N.L. West leader in the Dodgers and the Lakers annexed the triple moving teams man, LeBron James, an obviously gifted basketball player.
The city’s last two titles were won by the NHL Kings, not that long ago in 2014 and 2012.
This season as was the case in 1973, the Minnesota Vikings opened their season with a (24-16) victory.
In 1973 the win was against the Oakland Raiders while this year Minne (24-16)’d, another Bay area team, the S.F. 49ers.
In that 1973 season, a great Miami Dolphins team also opened its season with an 8 point win vs the 49ers, that one (21-13). I still recall and until recently had Brad Weiner’s letter to me at college, “talking” about “his” Dolphins.
This season Miami won its first game, a greatly interrupted marathon with Sam Rosen there, by 7 points, before winning its second straight, that one by 8 points.
Meanwhile Minnesota trailed by 8 in the waning seconds but tied Green Bay, the eventual outcome after a 10 minute overtime and field goal attempts gone awry.
In ’73, the Dolphins and Vikings met in the Supe, Miami easing to a (24-7) victory.
While looking over notes from the 1975 baseball season, the fact Billy Williams finally made post-season play came back to mind.
He came to the Oakland A’s in 1975 after they had won 3 straight World Series titles.
In ’75 they won a 5th straight division title but lost in 3 straight games to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.
A 108 win Cincinnati Reds team won a great W.S. from the Red Sox.
Williams was best known as a Chicago Cubs outfielder and hit 426 home runs.
Billy is a Hall of Fame player and I remember his/my great “2 column” in Strat-O- Matic Baseball.
As with Mark Twain, Billy Williams’ death has been greatly exaggerated as he is alive and certainly did not die in 1973.
Billy Williams
Billy Leo Williams is a retired American baseball left fielder who played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and two seasons for the Oakland Athletics. Williams was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1999…
- Born: Jun 15, 1938 · Whistler, AL
- Died: Nov 04, 1973 · Manchester, England——–A MISTAKE Billy Is Alive and certainly did not die in 1973!!!
- Height: 6′ 1″
- Nationality: American
- Awards: National League Rookie of the Year
- Team: Chicago Cubs
