The reason that the four game series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees means so little, even in a baseball sense, is not that “Bost” just gained 3 games in 3 days to raise their “one eighth” div lead to five and a half games.
No, and MLB Network’s Bob Costas, likely there tonight for the series opener, knows it, having fought the wild card presence, the reason is there is a wild card presence.
One week shy of exactly 39 years ago, (1978 and 2017 have the same calendar), the Yankees walked into Boston 4 games out in a race for a legitimate, “you had to finish first” one quarter division.
Fours, fourths were operative and the Yankees won all four, essentially in routs, a fact that still haunts me.
However, as painful as that Yankees 1978 title season was to me and it devastated me, that is my problem/sickness.
The result was legitimate and dramatic and while I still have nightmares regarding it, the insane presence of a wild card, meaning there will never be a Bobby Thomson or dare I say Russell “Bucky” Dent game again, is everybody’s problem.
They ruined it! Costas knows it but goes on! I do not, my love for it so pure, my disgust with wild cards, no Pete but wild card creator Selig in the sham “Hall” so strong!!
Hair will grow on the palms of my hand before Yankees television (non) broadcaster, Michael Kay ever exhibits any play by play ability, any proper voice inflection, so here is a parking comment.
Kay once gave me good advice, regarding parking, so incensed at the juxtaposition of our respective talent and position, let’s talk parking.
Many times as I am about to move “mi carro” de un parking spot, a person driving the vehicle parked next to mine, is about to do the same.
Today both vehicles flanking me were about to be entered as I arrived near my car.
Kay once said on the air, the big yankees fan he was/is that “Great’s” hit ended the Yankees hopes in 1975. It was 1974 but he works, prospers even has kids while I sit alone and empty.
Even many Yankees’ fans suffering through his hideous effort today will agree. Yet he will be back there tomorrow and I will still be here.
I have to let this go. He won, I lost though there was never any real contest. Wolff told me talent was not enough!!
It was exactly fifty years ago today on Tuesday August 29, 1967 that the highly acclaimed and rated last episode of the television series, “The Fugitive” aired.
I did not watch the conclusion to that epic series starring David Janssen that night, but have seen many times, though not in a long while, after it aired, that night fifty years ago.
The conclusion and the series were fantastic. Kudos to Janssen, Barry Morse and the great Quinn Martin, among many others for providing some of the most riveting television in the medium’s (cue Fred Allen) history.
Looking for more, I have provided the “address” concerning Mike Phelps’ books and website.
davidjanssenfugitivedotcom.
David Janssen: Our Conversations: The Final Years by Michael …
The NFC North figures to be easy pickings for the Green Bay Packers.
Usually I do not go along with the crowd but I predict “GB” to win the division rather easily.
The Supe this year will be in Minnesota, no home team plays in that tilt, though “Batholon” Don Shula was correct in telling “Horse” and Bill Walsh, the ’84 season game was to be played in Bill Walsh’s 49ers backyard.
All that to tell you, Minne will not seriously contend in ’17.
Neither will Chi nor Det but each will improve.
Jerry Kramer leading Paul Hornung, Jerry is not in the Pro Hall. What a sham!!
Ten years ago, Bill Belichick, a truly great coach, (thankfully with three more Supe crowns than Bill “Willie Boy” Parcells, whose great fortune on FG’s in ’90, foreshadowed the insane luck of two more “Hack” Giants’ title teams, both vs Belichick and New England), violated NFL etiquette, not that he “rubbed it in,” but doing so vs Joe Gibbs, then back as “Wash” coach.
Look up the undefeated Pats record, vs the spread, after that occurrence.
Now, both the Pats and Giants go into the meaningless, (unless you bet on it), EXHIBITION finale vs each other, with both teams (0-3) vs the spread. Each won this past weekend, but failed to cover, causing excruciating losses for their fave betting backers (in the NE case, bettors moved NE from at most minus 1 to minus 3, they won by 2, which is eery, disgusting, typical, and hard to shake for those disease ridden.
Yet Manfred, Selig, and Giamati (spelling?) keep/kept Pete out of the not so hot Baseball “Hall,” punishing him and great fans like me, some disease ridden, who know how hard Pete tried and how much he loved baseball.
How much so many of us, who no longer do, did back when he ran to first base, after drawing walks.
Anyway NE went (16-3) vs the spread last season (here is a baseball/Pete reference in Pete’s rookie of the year ’63 season, Ron Perranoski of the eventual world champion Dodgers compiled a (16-3) mark as a relief pitcher), and will not come near that success this season.
However, try “stepping in,” especially if as is the case with me, you are not “off” (3-0) vs them, after their insane Supe cover/win, and fall.
Small each game, a bit higher if they cover KC and Minne covers New Orleans, on the Saints plus, vs NE in the second Pooh/Romo game.
(3-0) “cheese” posted this not knowing/realizing 3 slices above, as NE (0-3) vs the spread was bet to minus 3.
A cheese for this, a cheese for that this “cheesing” the sick, violent, corrupt NFL, is not healthy, especially if you are gambling/pain of withdrawal/waste INTOLERANT!
Few people have annoyed me more than the talented writer, but not my “sports cup of tea,” than Mike Lupica.
I read his report on a “reg” game between the defending champion Celtics and contending Bullets in ’75 and praised him as a “cut above.”
Unfortunately his “shoot from the lip” style, so often heaping the wrong, and clearly disproportionate praise/criticism, has truly hurt and annoyed me.
Perhaps that is his job as a columnist and his compensation is incredible, not in a good way to me.
Anyway tonight/this weekend, I call it “The Lupica Bowl,” as two teams “touted” by Lupica on MLB.com, the Rays (he actually wrote of them as AL East contenders when they were hot) vs the Cardinals (since he waxed poetic, regarding them and touted St. Loo, the Red Birds are well below .500).
One other thing and remember Lupica is a power, while nobody knows me, but I speak the truth.
Lupica ripped into Hillary Clinton in 2008 which is his right. I doubt he supported Trump, but his views regarding Ms. Clinton, to which he is entitled, and those of others, normally intensely vs Trump or anything close, cost Clinton and in my opinion us/U.S..
Additionally, Lupica NEVER was friendly to me on the more than handful of occasions I met him in and around that “Frankenstein” show, “The Sports Reporters.”
Maybe it was the ungodly early Sunday morning time they tape the forerunner of the absolute nonsense now brought to us, by the likes of Stephen A. Smith.
Conversely, in 2001, then New York Senator, Hillary Clinton was most gracious to me, posing for a picture and telling me my recently departed mother’s praise of her, made her feel good.
The picture did not come out, (no flash for an inside photo but oh the punishment did not fit the “crime”) I am a good person, whose technical mistakes and other ones, leave me cold, bitter and alone.
Perhaps that bitterness toward Lupica and others far worse (Smith) and beyond even that (Trump), is a function of that bitterness.
Until it “boils over!”
Those of you in the Los Angeles area have a great opportunity to see the talented Kellyann Chippendale perform tonight.
Ms. Chippendale will be performing in The Original Room at The World Famous Comedy Store located at 8433 Sunset Boulevard.
The show will begin at 7 p.m. local time, with doors opening at 6:45
Kellyann is a wonderful, diversified performer, whose career is worth watching. Updates will follow.
A few notes on the juxtaposition between the great pitched losses by a pair of “H’s” (neither aces) Harvey Haddix in 1959 and Rich Hill last night.
Pirates’ pitcher, Haddix pitched an incredible 12 perfect innings, a feat not likely to ever be equaled–pitchers today leave with leads in the 6th inning—but lost to the then Milwaukee Braves, at “Milw,” in the 13th inning.
(89-36) L.A.’s Hill had a perfect game for 8 innings and a no hitter through 9, but lost at Pittsburgh, vs the Pirates, in the bottom of the 10th inning.
In the game over 58 years ago, Haddix’s perfect game ended when Felix Mantilla reached on Pirates’ third sacker, Don Hoak’s error to start B13.
Last night an error by the L.A. third sacker, Logan Forsythe, ended Hill’s bid for a perfect game in the bottom of the 8th.
I will probably have more notes and comments on the game, juxtaposition and the reporting on it, elsewhere in the next few days.
A year after the Haddix masterpiece loss, the Pirates won it all. The Dodgers are odds on to “pennant” and only slight underdogs to win it all this season.
They easily are considered the team with the best chance of winning. We shall see what transpires.
I will go a bit out on the proverbial limb, picking the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South in the 2017 season.
Another prediction is that they will play very well in their second game vs the defending Super Bowl champion, New England Patriots.
By the way, I certainly did not like Phil Simms as an analyst nor all that much as a quarterback, but who the expletive is Tony Romo?!–Pooh aka Jim Nantz’s new analyst.
You need only look around to know the lunatics are running the asylum, Tony Romo as a god, by the way one who never even MADE a title game in his “illustrious” career, the latest example.
“Sav” is dead, a kid died tragically and is buried in his Tony Romo uniform–what hath we wrought?!
I go to my first game in at least two years and someone named Chris Jackson sings the United States national anthem before the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets this night.
Look up Chris Jackson basketball and see the coincidence.
Jackson the singer, I think of Michael and Joe, others as well did a nice job.
Remember look it up.
