“Same Calendar?” Notes

Calendars are fun. I still look at those calendars replete with gorgeous women and beautiful scenery or art, a different entity for all twelve months in the solar based year.

I also have recall of past dates and past games and find the repeat or non repeat of “history” interesting, if not fascinating.

Please bear with me as it (history) has repeated in “same calendar,” possible NLCS pairings but not regarding possible ALCS entrants.

Since 1969 and the advent of League Championship Series, this is the sixth calendar with this configuration (for example tragic November 22nd is again on a Friday). The other such years were 1974, 1985, 1991, 1996 and 2002.

The four National League teams (the Pirates, Cardinals, Dodgers and Braves) currently playing in the divisional series, comprised 9 of the 10 entrants in the NLCS in those same calendar years (’74, ’85, ’91, ’96,and 2002) as 2013.

Thus by definition, there will be a redux of one of those NLCS in the 2013 version. Oddly, all four possible match ups occurred once each in those years (’74 Dodgers/Pirates, ’85 Cardinals/Dodgers, ’91 Braves/Pirates and ’96 Braves/Cardinals). In 2002 the Giants beat the Cardinals in the NLCS. None of the five NLCS winners in those years won the World Series.

In the American League, only one of the ten slots in the “same calendar” ALCS was filled by a team playing at this point this season.

That team, the 1974 Oakland A’s did win the World Series, giving them three straight titles, a feat matched or topped only three other times in baseball history.

All three other times it was accomplished by the New York Yankees (5 straight titles (1949-1953), four straight (1936-1939) and three straight (1998-2000).