Was the ESPN.com worker getting a sandwich and “div” series notes

It was at least 10 minutes after Mr. Alvarez (Yordan) hit a game ending 3RHR lifting Houston (Astros) (8-7) in game 1, before ESPN.com took off “Mariners retain lead in division series opener.” 

All of which after 2 minutes, was under the score given that Houston, which won 16 more games to easily outdistance “Sea” in their “div,” had won the tilt (8-7).

 

Two of the 8 div series participants, the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners (Sea is the only one of the 30 major league teams to have never qualified for the World Series) have never won the World Series. Two original teams, the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Guardians have only 2 titles, while 1962 expansion team, Houston (Astros) has only the 2017 title.

The other 3 teams the Yankees (27), Dodgers (7) and Braves (4) have 38 of the 43 crowns, however the Dodgers have only the somewhat bogus 50 game season, 2020 title since ’88.

The Braves, who by the way lost their series opener vs the Phillies by one run as they did in the ’93 NLCS opener at Philly in the only other post-season clash between the teams, are defending champions but have only 2 Atlanta titles despite years of excellence.

Meanwhile, even the mighty Yankees have just one title since winning 4 in 5 seasons under the great Joe Torre (1996-2000) and only in that ’09 title season have they won a pennant since 2003.

Of course U.S. presidential elections are held every 4 years. This is not one of those years.

All 4 Cleveland and Phillies titles were in presidential election years, Cleveland in 1920 and 1948, the Phillies in 1980 and 2008. The Yankees won 7 of their 27 titles in presidential election years (’28,’32,’36, ’52,’56,’96 and 2000).

The Dodgers first 5 titles were in odd years hence not presidential election years. A pair of B’s, G.W. Bush and current president Joe Biden won presidential elections in the last 2 L.A. title years of 1988 and 2020.

None of the 4 Braves and lone ‘Stros crowns, respectively in 1914, 1957, 1995 and 2021 and 2017 were attained in U.S. presidential election years.

After this year these 8 teams will have won 44 titles, 13, which is 2 more than one quarter (presidential elections are held every 4 years), in U.S. presidential election years.

 

Del Unser, pictured above delivered at least 3 crucial hits as the Phillies won dramatic games and the ’80 crown, their first. 

Somehow I cited and connect the bad headlines of ESPN.com and MSN.com (MSN.com, which unlike ESPN or ESPN.com I think is good) was worse today. “Dow surges 350 points left up long after it fell into the negative, before ending barely ahead and still in a Gil Hodges 1952 World Series slump) with the most famous false headline and do so having cited presidential election year baseball title winners.

Hope you all know that in ’48 when “Cleve” last won, “Dewey (did not) defeat Truman.”