Of course last night’s advance by L.A. at the expense of “Wash,” marks another bitter end to a Dusty Baker managed season. His managed teams are now (1-11), the same abysmal record the Texas Rangers have in division series home games, in their last 12 games in which they had a chance to clinch a series.
Last season, when the Mets with Daniel Murphy playing a key, if not decisive role, defeated the Dodgers in a Thursday night game 5 of a division series, as I cited then, it ended a streak of 25 times that the game 4 winner of a Dodgers’ series won that series.
That was due to the fact L.A. with Clayton Kershaw pitching on 3 days rest (of course greats like Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, and yes Mickey Lolich pitched 7th game of the World Series wins on 2 days rest) won game 4.
Last night, with Kershaw getting Murphy out with 2 on and 1 out, and L.A. clinging to the one run lead the team eventually held to win, it marked the 9th time, the game 4 winner won the series in the 9 such Dodgers’ series involving Dusty Baker. The previous 8 were with Baker as a Dodgers’ player in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1983.
For the record, the 25 game streak, lasting over 60 years from October 4, 1955 until October 15, 2015, included 11 World Series (1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1988), 10 NLCS (1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 2008, 2009 and 2013) and 4 division series (1981, 2004, 2013 and 2014).
Before last year’s Mets win vs L.A. ended the streak, the last time the game 4 winner in a Dodgers’ post-season series lost that series was the 1953 World Series when the vaunted New York Yankees made it an incredible 5 straight titles, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers in six games, having lost game four.
The Dodgers’ (4-3) win in game 5 means among other things, the series followed the pattern of the L.A. win vs the Nationals/Expos franchise in the 1981 NLCS, with the Dodgers winning games one, four and five.
The 5th game again resulted in a one run Dodgers’ win on the road.
Also eerily similar, was the fact that the Nationals/Expos had runners at first and second with two outs, when a starting pitcher used in relief got the final out.
In 1981 it was Bob Welch. Last night it was Clayton Kershaw.
I am very interested in tonight’s game 5 of L.A./Wash, but I strongly suggest seeing another great Dick Cavett Show on Decades, airing from (8-9) Eastern Time.
Certainly watch or record it, if you miss it for the game, or any other reason. It also will be shown at 2 a.m. Friday morning.
The guest was Joseh L. Mankiewicz from the 1978 show.
His stories recalling his great career as a director and writer are fascinating.
Among the great performers discussed by Mr. Mankiewicz and Mr. Cavett, are W.C. fields, Marilyn Monroe and Bette Davis.
It was riveting television as Mr. Mankiewicz was not only brilliant, but also very candid.
Mr. Mankiewicz both wrote and directed the film “All About Eve” which was released on this date in 1950.
Thus far, the division series between the original favorite, three seed L.A. Dodgers and second seed Washington Nationals has produced the same winning teams in games, as the 1981 NLCS between the two franchises when the Nationals were the Montreal Expos.
In both series, 35 years apart, the Dodgers won games one and four, the Nationals/Expos won games two and three.
In 1981, the first two games were in Los Angeles with games three and four in Montreal. The opposite was true this year, the first two games in Washington and games three and four in L.A.
Both decisive 5th games are in the Nationals/Expos home, the Dodgers riding Rick Monday’s tie breaking ninth inning home run to victory in 1981, while tonight’s tilt is in Washington D.C.
Dusty Baker was an outfielder on the winning Dodgers in 1981, a team that staved off elimination 5 times en route to Baker’s only title as either a player or manager.
His fine managerial record also includes three horrible post-season losses in which his teams went (0-8) with a chance to clinch the series. Currently Baker’s teams, an impressive four different ones he has guided into the baseball tournament, the ’02 Giants (0-2), the ’03 Cubs (1-4, including 3 straight losses up 3 games to 1 in the NLCS, the 2012 Reds (0-3) and this year’s Nationals (0-1) are (1-10) with a chance to clinch a series.
This week’s other AFC West tilt, we cited Raiders/Chiefs, to be played tonight, matches the (4-1) defending champion, Denver Broncos against the (1-4) San Diego Chargers, in the beautiful California city, which has never housed a current major North American sports league champion. God compensates, I guess.
While the Broncos once (0-4) in Supes, have won three of the last four they have entered, the Chargers were soundly beaten by a great San Francisco 49ers team (the currently (1-4) Niners’ last of 5 Supe wins to this point) in their lone Super Bowl appearance after the 1994 regular season.
Additionally, Denver has picked up 2 NHL titles, the first in the 1996 NHL playoffs, the first year of the Colorado Avalanche after they moved from Quebec, where they were the Nordiques.
The Avs’ other Cup crown (they are (2-0) in NHL finals), was in Ray Bourque’s last season, giving him his only title, in the 2001 playoffs.
Conversely, San Diego’s other current major sorts team, the Padres are (0-2) in World Series play.
In disbanded leagues, at least ones that merged with current bigger, more established ones, San Diego has won a title and certainly fared better than Denver.
While both the Broncos and basketball Nuggets nee Rockets, failed to “title” in the combined 19 AFL (10) and ABA seasons, the 1963 San Diego Chargers led by Keith Lincoln’s brilliant title game won the AFL title.
San Diego is without either a major sports league basketball or hockey team. As with Denver, they once had a team called the Rockets,(they are now the Houston Rockets). “S.D.” also housed the Clippers now in “L.A.” after they moved from Buffalo, where they were known as the Braves.
In the A.B.A. the city was home to the Conquistadors, later called the Sails, with the 1973-1974 Conquistadors’ team coached by the great Wilt Chamberlain, when he decided to show up, which certainly was not for every game.
Terrell Davis, NOT John Elway, led the way when the Broncos and the city of Denver finally won a title in the 1997 season Super Bowl.
Of course with a crown under his belt, after 3 miserable Supe failures, the great but over rated Elway led the Broncos to a repeat crown, beating the Atlanta Falcons in the 1998 season Supe.
Now he has a crown, the current one as an executive and is virtually “bullet proof” to criticism. Perhaps the team’s home loss last week at home to the Atlanta Falcons, is at least an indication the Broncos are not that great.
Oddly perhaps, a flight delay once caused me to spend a night in a Denver hotel and on the shuttle ride back to the airport, I took pride in seeing the “Bronco” statue and the team’s success. More than any one person but certainly with great help, John Elway is to be credited with that success.
Last night, the Chicago Cubs staged a 4 run rally in the top of the ninth inning to (6-5) the S.F. Giants and win just their third postseason series since last winning the World Series 108 years ago.
There is time to talk about the Cubs.
The Giants of this season and certainly this period, while not a great team, are first off, a team with 3 titles in the period (2010-2016) and certainly one of the great clutch teams of any era, in any sport as their 10 consecutive wins facing elimination in postseason play, before last night’s loss, illustrates.
“Check in” tomorrow for some interesting notes in that regard.
The great Oscar Robertson as a Cincinnati Royals player, pictured above. The picture is a clue to tomorrow’s notes.
Before continuing with the near “best of times, worst of times” status for the cities/areas which the Blue Jays and Rangers represent, it is a fun fact that Toronto has a pitcher on its staff named R.A. DICKEy, again a “not quite” but perhaps close enough, in this case, to the great writer Charles Dickens.
The Texas Rangers are now (2-5) in division series, while remaining (2-0) in ALCS play and here is the big one (0-2) in World Series play juxtaposed with the Jays (2-0) record in the no longer “vintage Thunderbird” Fall series that crowns major league baseball’s champion.
That difference is in a sports sense, unfairly sure close to a “best of time, worst of times” scenario.
Add Texas being (1-11) in home division series games and that they lost 3 straight games at one point of all five, best of five division series losses.
While Toronto still must win two best of seven rounds to achieve “best of times” baseball status, the sport in that Texas area, anywhere in Texas, is football and a team called the Dallas Cowboys are (4-1) meaning for now, despite the Rangers’ loss it is not quite “the worst of times” in the Dallas/Fort Worth market.
It (not quite) (is) the best of times. It (not quite) (is) the worst of times.
That measurement almost applies as “A Tale of Two Cities,” (areas in one case) in the sports realm, after the Toronto Blue Jays swept out the Texas Rangers, in their recently completed division series.
Toronto was once (2-11) in a post-season span (all in the ALCS, to dare approach Mr. Dickens again, compared to these times with the bogus wild card presence, “it was the best of times” for baseball fairness) after taking a (3-1) series lead vs the eventual World champion, K.C. Royals in 1985.
The Jays recorded a (16-8) record, winning all four series four games to two, en route to consecutive World Series wins, the only non Yankees’ team to achieve that lofty status since the truly great 1975 and 1976 Cincinnati Reds.
Last year the Jays returned to the baseball ‘offs and its extra round(s), overcoming a (2-0) best of five series deficit vs Texas, winning 3 straight games, before losing another ALCS to an eventual World Champion Royals team, thirty years later.
It is nice to see that when those two great AFL rivals, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs meet in K.C. this Sunday, it will be a game between viable contenders for the AFC West crown.
The surprising Raiders, who “no covered” the hard luck but also late game inept, “S.D.” Chargers are (4-1) tied with the defending Super Bowl champion, Denver Broncos for the AFC West lead.
K.C. now a city no longer housing the baseball World Series winner, has a (2-2) football team, having just been crushed by the now (4-1) Pittsburgh Steelers in the “Alfalfa” Michaels Sunday night tilt in the fourth week of play.
By the way, why was “Pitts” Ben Roethlisberger throwing the ball with his team ahead by 11 points in the waning moments last Sunday vs the New York Jets?
Alas neither of the CBS broadcasters assigned to the tilt, Dan Fouts nor Ian Eagle made mention of that “unusual activity.”
The WNBA finals continue tonight in Minnesota with the underdog Los Angeles Sparks holding a (1-0) series lead after their upset win in game 1 at Minnesota vs the defending champion and top seed, Lynx.
It is the second straight season the Lynx have lost a Sunday finals opener but this L.A. team is a far greater threat to actually win the series than the upstart Indiana Fever of a year ago.
Minnesota is again a 6 point home favorite, this time in a virtual must win game.
The road team has prevailed in all four meetings between these, the top two teams, in the WNBA this season.
Andy B Sports 