The Las Vegas Aces swept a first best of seven WNBA final series, (wrapping it in Phoenix vs the Mercury last night) that hardly registered, even with me a WNBA backer.
First of all, kudos to the Aces who won their third crown in four seasons, and their superb player, A’ja Wilson the final round MVP and both a champion and reg MVP for a third time in 4 seasons, something only the great Bill Russell accomplished in either WNBA or NBA annals.
Yet going vs the all powerful NFL and even long faded baseball, who watched and it was a sweep which had the Aces opponent been the top seed Lynx, almost surely would not have manifested.
A’ja Wilson, pictured above.
This is the sixth post-season clash between the L.A. Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies and the first such in a “div” series.
However, this is the fourth best of five entity, as their ’77,’78 and ’83 NLCS series were best of five, as is this one, which defending champion L.A. leads 2 games to 1, after the Phils were one of three teams to win must games yesterday.
The Detroit Tigers at home vs “Sea” (the Mariners) forced a decisive Friday tilt while the Cubs, also at home, get another “at Wrigley” tilt tonight, trailing 2 games to 1, vs the team which had baseball’s best “reg,” a nowhere near great (97-65), the Milwaukee Brewers.
One series ended with the Toronto Blue Jays advancing to their first ALCS since 2016 and eighth all-time, (2-5) in such, winning game 4 at Yankee Stadium vs the Yankees, whose history will remain baseball’s best, perhaps, for as long as the great, but largely ruined game is played, now for the first time, have just one title in any 25 completed or seasons period, time frame.
27 time World champions with 60 post-season appearances, that has those #’s, 9 and 11 in its math.
Back to L.A./Phil–all six series the ’08 and ’09 NLCS being best of 7 and eventually Philly’s in 5, stood/stand (2-1). The Previous 5 ended or “stood” (3-1), an occurrence L.A. hopes manifests today, in game 4 at Dodger Stadium.
The best, by far most compelling Phils/Dodgers “clash for advance,” though others with names such as Manny Mota, Vic Davalillo, Bill Russell, Gary Matthews and others provided “moments,” was the “reg” finale when the Phils up 1 game in the standings, won (4-1) in 10 innings at the Brooklyn Dodgers, to clinch the ’50 N.L. Pennant.
Above, click to view and hear what seems real play by play and excellent such, from Phils broadcaster Gene Kelly.
First view Rich Ashburn, an excellent and actual Hall of Fame player, sans a good throwing arm, easily nab Cal Abrams at home to keep the game going.
Next T/10 and I recall Dodgers rooter “Hockey” Bob Loebman recounting his meeting with Dick Sisler whose 3RHR and subsequent completion of the 10 innings tilt by the great pitcher, Robin Roberts gave the Phils just their second pennant.
He described Sisler as a tall, good looking man, the son of the truly great player, George Sisler and said to Dick, the homer was not hit very far and perhaps said it in a more disparaging, yet not too rude manner (manners, rude, oh my recall, a curse Mr. Cotten?).
“You had to buy a ticket to catch it” was Mr. Sisler’s apt reply. It was such a great game when there were true pennant, even “had to finish first” division races.
Three of the four baseball, best of five, division series yielded (2-0) leads/deficits.
In the N.L. , a third entity with the league pennant at stake between L.A. and Milwaukee is very likely, as both the Dodgers (5-3 down (3-0) in game 1 and holding on barely up (4-0), (4-3) in #2) and Brewers (up (9-1) in a game 1 (9-3) “ease” and (7-3) down (3-0) in #2), have (2-0) series leads.
L.A. won the first two at Philadelphia vs the Phillies while “Milw” tamed the Cubs in 2 home games.
In 1959, a best of 3 playoff, (technically regular season games), after the teams finished the “reg” tied manifested, in the L.A. Dodgers (in their second year after moving from Brooklyn, New York), winning 2 straight from the then Milwaukee Braves, who moved to Atlanta and began play there seven years later.
In 2018, the Dodgers in an NLCS, not “over the air’d” by Fox Network, (same this year, no matter the opponents), won in 7 vs the Brewers.
Meanwhile in the A.L. , the Toronto Blue Jays, afforded home advantage by virtue of a tiebreaker (having won the season series) routed the Yankees (11-1) and (13-7), up (11-0) in games 1 and 2, but beware the Yankees, who twice in their glorious history (still very good, but not that glorious after winning 4 titles, #’s (23-26) under Joe Torre from (’96-2000)– overcame (2-0) best of 5 series deficits, once after 2 home losses vs the then Oakland A’s in 2001 and in another Francona won/lost, in that case lost, 3 straight within a series vs Cleveland (then Indians) in 2017.
They also lost 3 straight, up (2-0) vs the Seattle Mariners, the last 3 in “Sea,” as there was a 2-3 and not a 2-2-1 format in 1995.
Speaking of “Sea,” they lost #1 in a non Skubal start but won in such in #2 and are (1-1) with Detroit, as the series shifts to Detroit and I believe its threatening weather, late this afternoon.
The ’59 Dodgers, champions in their second L.A. year, juxtaposed with Brooklyn’s vesion, which needed 52, still had some glorious Brooklyn players on the roster, including Carl Furillo, pictured above, who entered the pennant clinching L.A. Coliseum game 2 vs the Milwaukee Braves (that ended a slightly underachieving 4 seasons for a pretty special Braves team that lost the pennant to a Brooklyn clincher vs the Pittsburgh Pirates, that was slightly referenced on the fine, but of course, canceled t.v. show, “Brooklyn Bridge,” in ’56– won it all in ’57 and dissipated a (3-1) W.S. lead, losing the last 2 at home vs the Yankees in ’58, (about 36 thousand attended in a still there edifice, which seats 90 thousand or so but oh how the Dodgers have “drawn” in their L.A. years) as a pinch hitter, went 2 for 2 including the pennant winning hit in the 12th inning, snapping a (5=5) tie.
The ’72 undefeated (17-0) Miami Dolphins (remember the (15-2), (15-1) in games that mattered, ’73 ‘Phins were in many people’s opinion, including many that great team’s players and mine, better) can, if they still do, get together and celebrate another season which will end with them the only undefeated NFL champion.
After (3-2) Denver (Broncos) “early gamed” the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles their first loss, at night, the New England Patriots, now (3-2) upset the Buffalo Bills, leaving no unbeaten NFL teams with still one game left in the 2025 NFL season’s fifth week.
By far it was the 2007 Patriots, who joined the ’72 Dolphins as “reg” season unbeatens, (Miami was (14-0), New England (16-0), that came closest to matching/surely topping the ’72 Phins, however, the New York Giants, a franchise that derailed one the two other NFL “reg” unbeatens, the 1934 Chicago Bears, ’34 Bears “reg’d” (13-0), another great Bears team the ’42 version and 2 time champions were (11-0) in the reg but denied by Wash in the title tilt) won the Super Bowl match, leaving “N.E.” (18-1) and in the third year of no crowns after winning 3 in 4 seasons.
The great Bronko Nagurski, a member of many great Chicago Bears teams, including title game winning ones in 1933 (year of the first NFL Title game, before that there were “reg” unbeatens, who did not have to play in a title game), and 1943 is pictured above.
Going “current,” next week it is Chi/Wash, with last season’s “Wash” “Hail Mary Game” win vs Chicago, a if not the key game in each team’s season–Wash being successful and not so ‘por’ Chi.
Evoking Diana Ross’ great “Touch Me In The Morning,” “Wasn’t it yesterday,” that I noted the sweeps past in the 3 previous years of a 12/8 baseball tournament round?!
Three of the four teams, down (1-0) first the Guardians at home vs the Tigers, next the Padres at Chi vs the Cubs and then the Yankees at home vs the Red Sox forced Yom Kippur day, decisive third games, the Yankees/Boston tilt on the 47 year anniversary of the Yankees 1 game playoff/163rd game win at Boston’s Fenway Park in 1978.
In yesterday’s final tilt, defending champion L.A. Dodgers trailed (2-0) but again doubled the Reds (10-5 in #1 and (8-4 ) last night and will now face the N.L. “2” seed, Philadelphia Phillies in what seems a compelling best of 5 “div” series, beginning in Philly on Saturday.
The “Francona thing” did manifest again as now 18 of his 20 post-season series resulted either in sweeps, some at most 3 in one game entities where such was assured or either his team or opponent winning at least 3 straight games within the series.
2 minutes in “Wasn’t It Yesterday (Bell?!!!) as all 3 “series squarers” never trailed in what were at least fairly competitive tilts.
Let’s start on this day of scheduled #2’s in the 12/8 baseball tournament round with the fact ten of the twelve such best of three/12/8 ‘offs series ended in 2 games with the game 1 winner advancing all twelve times.
Furthermore or “Furthermore to that”which Isabel Sanford’s character invoked to Sidney Poitier’s in “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner,” all sixteen non covid year best of 3 series went to the #1 winner.
All four and then the last ‘off or technically an extra regular season game (just1when Houston beat L.A. in ’80) involved the Dodgers, two best of 3’s while in Brooklyn (losses to the Cards in ’46 and famously to Bobby Thomson’s game ending home run in ’51) and two in L.A. (a 2 straight win vs the Braves in ’59 but another excruciating last inning, this time at home in L.A. on another October 3rd, 11 years after Thomson or what might be “A.T.” now year 74).
Again the #1 winner won all four and 16 of 16 non covid years and (22-8) all-time counting 2020 ‘el’ Covid year.
Tito Francona, the Reds manager is in a twentieth post season entity and 17 of the previous 19 manifested either in sweeps-{some automatic as they were one game} or either a Francona team win or loss skein of at least 3 games within the series, one and the only in baseball annals, 4 straight.
Defending champion, L.A. (Dodgers) are a pretty big favorite to make it 18 of 20 on that esoteric note, having doubled Francona’s Reds (10-5) in #1.
Best 2’s of 3’s have been bad for the game 1 losing team as noted above.
Enjoy the great song.
Six teams entered Pro Football’s fourth week with undefeated, (3-0) marks and a mere two won, to raise their respective records to (4-0).
Only the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, who beat now (3-1) Tampa Bay (Buccaneers) and the (0-4) in Supes, Buffalo Bills, who won by less than the over 2 touchdown perceived margin, vs the (0-4) New Orleans Saints, are (4-0).
Three other games manifested in a (3-0) team losing, one being the Jax Dart debut/first TD/pretty good performance, as the (1-3) N.Y. Giants upset the L.A. Chargers.
Next Dart an Ole Miss player, goes to New Orleans, hoping his Giants can duplicate the (5-0) Ole Miss
(Ole Miss won last week)
home win vs New Orleans related, now (4-1) L.S. U. on Saturday past. (Remember 12 in the college football ‘offs).
The other 2: The Rams now (3-1) by 7 on a late Matthew Stafford to Tu Tu Atwell (you/”tu” did well, real well, for “certain”), 88 yard first play of the possession, in the last 3 minutes, vs the now (3-1) Indianapolis Colts and (3-1) “Jax” (the Jacksonville Jaguars) upsetting the now (3-1) 49ers.
Both the Rams and Niners, who clash in the next Thursday tilt played at home, while the Giants scored a home win vs the Chargers. Buffalo was at home, Philly won at T.B. and there was a rare NFL tie, surely the first in NFL annals with a forty/forty (ode to Chet Forte and always the “reminder”) score, between (2-1-1) Green Bay and (1-2-1) Dallas.
If that had manifested in either the ’66 or ’67 title tilts between the two teams–then overtime, otherwise why not ties and a rare one occurred last night.
Almost surely too late and certainly unfair he was not acclaimed while walking the earth, I still elicit praise for the brilliant, unrecognized Vincent van Gogh, as below, view a Van Gogh tie.
It looks as if the Houston Astros, a team and franchise I truly like, will miss the ‘offs for the first time after eight “makes” and nine of ten.
Supposedly, the ‘Stros stole signs–(so what) however, the returning Carlos Correa, a truly fine player well past his prime, deserves criticism, as he agreed to be “mic’d” and talked on the field to the ESPN audience, with his team down (9-0) to Seattle, which ripped Houston in Houston, last week as “Sea” roared, to what almost certainly will be the A.L. “2” seed.
Forty years ago, on the reg’s penultimate day, in a real race, (the winner became 1 of 4, the one who did not was eliminated), the Blue Jays ripped the Yankees to clinch their first division crown/post-season “app,” as there was no bogus wild card presence.
Now those teams are tied in what seems and might be really important joust for being a “1” seed vs falling to a “4,” however, qualification is assured for both teams.
“Tor” up a half game, via another baseball blight, the tiebreaker, can clinch today, if they win and the Yankees lose.
Speaking of Forty Years!!
Quickly baseball to its final 3 “regs,” no playoff thus tiebreakers might decide. Holding my nose, N.L. for qualification, the Mets who last year surged and this year are “stumbling and likely to be in,” by a half game over Cincy and one plus over Arizona.
A.L. for qualification, Cleveland and Detroit (Cleve by a half for the div and its 3 seed manifestation) by one plus over the Astros.
While Seattle football Seahawks won Thursday night at now (2-2) Arizona Cards to go to (3-1), its baseball Mariners, the only one of the 30 baseball teams never to have even made the World Series (this season in which they are an almost certain 2 seed, trailing the Blue Jays and Yankees by one and a half-in turn Tor (the Blue Jays) lead the Yankees by a half for the very likely one seed), are into the tournament quarters, while Arizona’s baseball D/Backs, I believe tiebreakered out of last year’s tournie fell vs L.A.’s clinching its 12th div title in 13 seasons and as cited above are one plus behind the Mets and also a half behind the Reds.
No Bobby Thomson, Bucky Dent, Dick Sisler and others, just “stumblin in” to one of 12 (out of 30) berths.
Andy B Sports 