Among more important things, such as squaring their division series vs the Chicago Cubs, whom I have shortchanged, as they are classy, very good, and defending champions, yesterday’s Wash (6-3) win in #2 of its “quarter,” enhanced a pretty good note regarding their manager, Dusty Baker.
In 19 post season series, (8 as an L.A. player, 5 as the San Francisco Giants manager and 2 each as the manager of the Cubs, Reds and now the Nationals) only twice has a Baker team lost the first two games of the series and said series.
Those were in 1997 and 2010 “div” series vs the respective title winning, Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies, the latter team , losing to the eventual title winning S.F. Giants in the NLCS.
Baker’s teams, the ’97 Giants and ”10 Reds lost both the first two games and the series. Each time they were swept out in 3 games.
It is likely that for the first time in 14 post season series, the Houston Astros will win the entity, having gone up 2 games to none.
Houston opened a post season series in which they had home “ice,” at home, for just the third time, (’81 unscheduled, strike marred “div” series in which they went up (2-0) at home, but lost in 5 when L.A. “homed” them in games (3-5), ’86 NLCS because the Chi Bears “ruled” and the home advantage was not alternated, but the Mets sans it, clinched in 6, winning a classic 16 inning tilt at Houston and the ’98 “div” vs San Diego which S.D. took 3 games to 1 were the others) and scored 8 runs in both games 1 and 2 to hand the Boston Red Sox a fourth and then fifth straight post-season game loss.
Meanwhile, defending A.L. champion and current league top seed, Cleveland (Indians) also have a (2-0) best of five, “div” series lead, after overcoming an (8-3) deficit to win (9-8) in 13 innings vs the New York Yankees, in game 2, after “cruising” (4-0) in game 1.
Though each is now a big series favorite, let’s not “salivate” all that much regarding a potential, certainly likely Cleveland/Houston ALCS.
First off, the quarter’s venues are shifting, thus do not rule out either trailing team, but more so to me, it just “ain’t” what it used to be!!!
Remember nobody loved it the way I did and few revel in its history, as I do. Perhaps if in the mood and coordinating game results manifest, I will disseminate notes, you will not find any place else.
Click below to view Gary Puckett and The Union Gap perform “Lady Willpower”
Gary Puckett and the Union Gap – ‘Lady Willpower’ (1968) – HQ Video and Audio.
Congratulations to the Minnesota Lynx, under coach Cheryl Reeve, who covered and “all teased” the L.A. Sparks, winning by 9 points as a 5 point favorite, in the decisive WNBA game, to win their 4th WNBA crown in the past 7 seasons.
Last season L.A. won games 1, 3 and 5 to win the crown, the first and fifth at Minne.
This time the Lynx changed the script just in time and won the title. The series followed last year’s pattern until final series MVP Sylvia Fowles led the Lynx title clinching home win in #5, reversing last year’s tough home loss to the Sparks.
All 3 basketball title round/game losers in ’16 came back to “title” in ’17 as the Warriors, North Carolina and now the Lynx join another previous year’s runner-up, Clemson in college pig, as a current champion.
The genre airs on different channels, but one can also access some classic shows, on You Tube.
I truly like the old game/panel shows.
Toward that nice result, a link below to a great episode of “What’s My Line.”
Click the link below to see early Mantle with the great What’s My Line panelists and host.
What’s My Line? – Mickey Mantle (May 17, 1953)
What’s My Line? – Mickey Mantle (May 17, 1953)
Sixty two years have passed since John Podres pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to their lone title, a (2-0) victory on October 4, 1955.
The victory came at Yankee Stadium vs the vaunted Yankees, who had beaten Brooklyn in their first five World Series meetings, now tied as a baseball record for most consecutive post season entity victories (all were W.S. not these so much less meaningful extra rounds) at the time without a loss.
I am pretty sure counting last night as a post season entity, the Yankees (5-0) record vs the Minnesota Twins is the “percentage top record,” for one team vs another in baseball and perhaps any major North American sports league post season entity play.
I truly am not all that confident, the 102 win A.L. Central winning Indians will win the upcoming best of five, extra round vs the wild card New York Yankees.
Only the Kansas City Chiefs are (4-0), as upsets abounded in pro football’s fourth week.
(3-1) Buffalo went to Atlanta and upended the previously unbeaten Falcons.
This week’s Sunday night tilt, which will be aired opposite an American League divisional series game, matches (2-2) Houston and the (4-0) Chiefs.
K.C. was once the Dallas Texans, playing Houston in the six quarter, 1962 AFL title game.
That Houston team was the Oilers, this one is the 2002 expansion team, Texans.
Last week these Houston Texans ripped the Tennessee Titans, nee Houston Oilers (59-14).
The Jets, once the Titans, perceived as a 3 win team, took (2-2) Jacksonville (Jaguars), a team that routed the Texans in the first week of play in an unpredictable league.
Deshaun Watson, pictured above with Clemson University, whom he led to the ’16 college title, is playing great for the Texans.
The baseball tournament is upon us, with ten teams, six “original,” with four expansion teams, each from a different year of baseball expansion.
Six of the eight teams that made the 2007 ‘offs (there was no 4 seed vs 5 seed game) are in these playoffs, including a 2007 NLCS redux between the ’93 expansion Colorado Rockies and ’98 expansion team, Arizona Diamondbacks in Wednesday’s 4 vs 5 game to be played in Arizona.
Colorado, which had to win an unscheduled ‘offs tilt vs San Diego to make the quarters made it 8 of 8 in those ‘offs, sweeping ‘Zona in 4 straight games, made the World Series, but were swept by the current A.L. 3 seed, Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox, who were miracle A.L. pennant winners in 196SEVEN, titled in ’07, after beating the team that is the ’17 top seed, Indians in SEVEN.
Among their incredible twenty SEVEN titles, four of those won by the vaunted New York Yankees’ franchise, were won in years ending in SEVEN (’27, ’37, ’47 and ’77 also winning the pennant and losing in SEVEN games to the Milwaukee Braves in 1957).
In ’07, the Indians took the Yankees 3 games to 1 in the “div” series, repeating a triumph 10 years earlier in 1997. That series marked the end of Joe Torre’s incredible Yankees’ managerial career which resulted in 4 titles in 5 seasons (’96-’00), two other pennants and ‘offs appearances in all 12 seasons.
The current World champion and N.L. “3,” the Chicago Cubs, hoping to title 110 years after their first one in 1907, under Frank Chance, also were in the ’07 tournament and were swept by Arizona.
The two seed Houston Astros, five seed Minnesota Twins, overall top seed L.A. Dodgers and N.L. two seed, Washington Nationals were not in the ’07 baseball tournament.
The Astros, originally as the Colts or Colt 45’s “entered” (think “The Sunshine Boys” when Walter Matthau, who got the role after the great Jack Benny died, annoyed George Burns, in character of course, saying “ENTERRRR” and not “come in,” when they rehearsed the “doctor sketch.”) the NATIONAL LEAGUE in 1962, with the New York Mets.
Washington, as the Montreal Expos were one of 4 1969 expansion teams (the others were the San Diego Padres in the N.L. and K.C. Royals and Seattle Pilots (the team moved and became the Milwaukee Brewers after just one season).
Colorado joined the N.L. with the Florida Marlins in ’93 while Arizona “took off its rainbow shades” and began play in ’98, the same year as Tampa Bay.
N.L. only Games in the tournament will be on TBS.
Click below to see Mark Lindsay sing “Arizona.”
Mark Lindsay – Arizona (Live, 1990)
“Joe Hardy” will symbolically be in the Minnesota Twins, nee Washington Senators lineup against their tormentors, the New York Yankees in the bogus ‘offs game to be played at the moved Yankee Stadium, this Tuesday night, 66 years after a true playoff game, on October 3, 1951.
Paul Molitor is their manager and maybe, just maybe, they can avenge ‘offs defeats at the hands of the Yankees in ’03, ’04 and ’09.
If the Yankees prevail, it will mean an unprecedented, I believe in sports, certainly baseball history, situation in which teams clash for a third time, twice ten years apart in the same ‘offs round.
Cleveland, the team to face the Minne/Yankees winner, “div rd’d” the Yankees in both ’97 and ’07, each series ending on a Monday night.
That would be the most probable outcome should the A.L. one seed Indians and Yankees clash, but just as Minne has way more of a chance than perceived, to win Tuesday, the Yankees, whom I can clearly live without advancing, especially at this point in the (anti) “hunt,” and all that entails, have a way better chance than perceived should they advance to play the Indians.
If my father could or does see this continued “anti a team sickness,” he would not be pleased.
He would say speak out vs Hunt and the NFL Forced “Lockstep” Do Not Think, Do Not Protest Demand or he might say get well, take care of yourself and do better. Might I do both?!!
This is a tough one, in tough times!!
Mike Francesa of WFAN radio has a (7-2) record thus far this season, on his NFL predictions.
This week he “touts” the defending NFC champion, Atlanta Falcons minus 8 points vs the Buffalo Bills. “Buff” ridiculed by “Alfalfa” Michaels, who also erred concerning the number of years since the last K.C. Supe win or appearance on that opening telecast, is (3-0) vs the spread.
Next, he says the once L.A. then San Diego and now, L.A. again, Chargers, an (0-3) team, will cover a point and a fraction spread vs the Philly Eagles.
In a game in which I will predict vs Francesa, he thinks Dallas will cover a 6 point spread vs the once Cleveland, then L.A. then St. Louis (boy is St. Louis sports suffering as the Cubs on the Cards but alas Dusty’s Nats will “wash” the Cubs from the ‘offs, at least that is what I predict and most Cards’ fans hope) and now L.A. Rams.
I will add my usual losing prediction vs Alabama today and one pro prediction (it will be Oakland plus 3 at Denver) perhaps in an update post tomorrow.
Life is great for Francesa. Why him, I ask on this day? He played golf last Sunday. Tough life, but often others get to do it.
Last week, a rarity, if not unprecedented event took place in “big time” pro football when the previous year’s Supe and college title game, winning quarterbacks not only met, but performed in great fashion, in an exciting tilt.
The third week game manifested in 2 touchdown plus favorite New England, needing 5 time Super Bowl (including the most recent) winning quarterback, Tom Brady delivering a game winning touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks to overcome Houston (Texans) and their quarterback Deshaun Watson, who as was the case with Brady, led a championship winning touchdown drive.
Brady’s led drive officially ended the game, Watson’s left almost no time and chance to opposing, defending champion Alabama.
A “holy” pick, perhaps with many holes as New England is great but they will NOT win the title again this season.
The not as great Pens did but N.E. will not!!!
Of course the odds say N.E. will not “title” again this season, so I am not exactly on a “limb” here.
Andy B Sports 