Of course I would never give 13 to 5 odds that the (103-59) N.L. top seed, Chicago Cubs will win the upcoming best of five division series vs the ever dangerous, three straight even year titles (2016 is an even year) (87-75) S.F. Giants.
If S.F. gets as much as a split in “Chi” in the first two, they might become series favorites and certainly will be favorites in game 3, no matter how the series stands at that point, with Madison Bumgarner as their starting pitcher.
However with some historical precedent, and face it the Cubs should be decent sized favorites, I truly believe the Cubs will win this series.
I predict they will win the game 2 Bob Costas game (even Beano Cook,, who despised baseball after 1960, said hearing Costas in an old ballpark (surely Wrigley Field qualifies) was a delight), as they did with Costas filling in for Vin Scully, at Wrigley Field, against the Giants in game 2 of the 1989 NLCS.
Of course that was their only victory in that series.
I also believe the Cubs at (1-1) in the series, will win the Madison Bumgarner started game 3 tilt.
Do not “lay” it, maybe wait, if the Cubs are down (1-0) or even (1-1) and slight series “dogs” or slight favorites at (1-1), but I say the Cubs move on vs a great post-season team, but not a great team, the S.F. Giants.
Believe me, I could cite more mistakes and make comments, but today it is “Jack Webb time,” just the facts.
In the top of the 6th inning of the Giants/Mets wild card round game two days ago, broadcaster Howie Rose stated Roy Halladay of the TORONTO BLUE JAYS had pitched a post-season no hitter. There is one problem with that statement, Halladay “authored” his post-season no hitter, as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. (By the way tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of the only other post-season no hitter, Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.)
On the MLB Network show, “High Heat,” host Christopher Russo, more than once referred to the Giants/Mets wild card game’s losing pitcher Jeurys Familia’s outing as a “blown save.” The problem there, is the score was “zip-zip,” when Familia entered in the top of the ninth inning, thus it was not a blown save.
Maybe ESPN New York radio host Michael Kay had the famed professional “wrestling” matches of Bobo Brazil vs “Dr.” Bill Miller on his mind yesterday. Kay saw fit to rip into umpire Bill Miller, as undeserving of being assigned a wild card game tilt.
He seemed to have mistaken Giants/Mets game umpire Mike Winters for Miller. Having heard only a bit, I checked to see if Miller was involved in the A.L. wild card game the night before. He was not.
Maybe the umpires deserve criticism, but it is much tougher to umpire, a thankless but good pay job, than to sit and criticize them. Doing so without the facts correct, exacerbates Kay’s “people in glass houses should not throw stones” status on this matter.
The division series beginning today matching the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals is a redux of the 1981 NLCS when current Wash manager Dusty Baker played for L.A. and the Nationals were the Montreal Expos.
L.A. prevailed in the decisive 5th game in Montreal and went on to win the title, in what was a strike marred baseball season. It was the lone title Baker achieved as a player.
Washington is the fourth different team Baker has managed to a one eighth division title, something no other manager has accomplished.
If “Wash” is fortunate enough to advance, Baker will manage against a team he managed far into the post-season tournament, only to suffer an agonizing defeat.
In 2002 Baker’s S.F. Giants, who of course have won the last three “even year” titles and are facing the Chicago Cubs, a team sans a title in 108 years, so it is not just Baker, who failed, dissipated a 5 run lead in game 6 of the World Series and lost in 7 games to the Angels.
A year later, the Baker managed Chicago Cubs dissipated a (3-1) NLCS lead, which included losing despite a 3 run eighth inning lead, at home, in game 6.
Sixty five years and two days later in nowhere near as dramatic nor important situation, a baseball Giants player (this time Conor Gillaspie all these years after Bobby Thomson) hit a last inning New York area, three run home run in a Wednesday game, that enables the Giants to avoid elimination and advance in the baseball post-season.
After their (3-0) road win at Citi Field vs the Mets, the Giants will now face the Chicago Cubs, a team that finished 16 games ahead of them in the regular season.
Somewhat incredibly, the Giants have won 9 straight so called “elimination” games, 6 en route to the 2012 title, 2 en route to the 2014, Madison Bumgarner led title in 2014 and another behind Mr. Bumgarner’s brilliant pitching last night.
Three time world champion pitcher, Madison Bumgarner pictured above.
The American League top seed Texas Rangers begin their 7th division series, hosting the Toronto Blue Jays in game 1, beginning at 4:30 P.M. Eastern time.
It is the second straight season in which the teams are clashing in the division series. Toronto won the decisive 5th game at home last year after the visiting team won each of the first four games.
Texas is a miserable (1-9) in home division series games, (1-10) in pre LCS home games, having lost at home to the Orioles in the first A.L. “play in” game in 2012.
The Rangers are (2-4) in previous division series winning vs Tampa (Bay Rays) in both 2010 and 2011 en route to World Series losses in both years.
The “Y” in the “TTY,” the New York “Y”ankees. The Yankees en route to World Series wins in each of those seasons beat Texas in the division series in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Texas won game 1 of the first such series in 1996 and the Yankees went (9-0) vs Texas in those 3 series, (6-0) in Texas after that game.
The Division Series matching the two seed, Cleveland Indians and the 8 to 5, favorites, despite being the three seed, Boston Red Sox, is the fourth between the teams.
They split the two played in back to back years in 1998 and 1999.The Indians won in four games in the also best of five, 1998 division series while the Red Sox came back from a (2-0) series deficit and won the decisive 5th game in Cleveland in 1999. Both series winners lost to the eventual World Series winning, New York Yankees in the A.L.C.S.
A (100-44) Cleveland team, in the “work stoppage” marred 1995 season, won vs Boston in three straight games, in that first year of this atrocious extra round of post-season games. After beating the Seattle Mariners in the A.L.C.S , the Atlanta Braves beat the Indians in the World Series.
The last Indians’ title was achieved against the Braves’ franchise, then the Boston Braves, in 1948. Since that time, the Braves have moved to Milwaukee and Atlanta. Before winning the World Series, the 1948 Indians won an unscheduled one game playoff at Boston’s Fenway Park, to claim the pennant.
The following will illustrate a healthy respect for the game tonight as I will disperse some slightly offbeat notes, you are not likely to find any other place.
Certainly it is worth noting that the two incredible Giants’ wins in third games of unscheduled best of three playoffs for the N.L. pennant vs first the Brooklyn and then L.A. Dodgers occurred exactly 11 years apart on a Wednesday.
Additionally, the Giants victory in this level game vs the Pittsburgh Pirates en route to an eventual third straight even year title, also was on a Wednesday at Pittsburgh vs the Pirates in 2014. The Giants also staved off elimination in a win at Cincinnati in game 4 of the division series, en route to the 2012 title. I do recall the eventual 1971 World champion Pittsburgh Pirates “Wednesdaying” the Giants out of the 1971 NLCS in a Wednesday game four.
Meanwhile their opponent in tonight’s game, the New York Mets are in a post-season or extra game entity for the 20th time. None of the previous 19 entities, one an unscheduled one game playoff win at Cincinnati in 1999, resulted in the Mets not winning at least one game in that entity and/or series.
Sixty five years ago to the day, not the date, the baseball Giants franchise was involved in a game, by plurality, if not consensus, the most famous of all baseball games, that decided the National League Pennant.
Please do not confuse tonight’s one game, winner to face a team with a 16 game better record, unfair division series, (S.F. Giants vs New York Mets) with the game October 3rd, 1951.
Then a sizzling pennant race culminated with a game ending, home run by Bobby Thomson.
The game tonight as with the one last night and the subsequent division series should not be played. That is not just my opinion, but also was the opinion of the late Bobby Thomson.
Don Mueller aka “Mandrake the Magician” for his hitting acumen, delivered a hit, as part of the Giants’ rally in the epic 1951 game. Brooklyn first baseman Gil Hodges was criticized for holding runner Alvin Dark on at first base. Mueller hit the ball for his ninth inning hit where Hodges, likely should have been playing.
50 years later, I stood interviewing Mr. Mueller and another interrupted but asked a good question regarding Hodges’ decision.
Mueller said “if he were playing there, I would have hit it some place else.” “Mandrake the Magician” indeed!
Former New York Giants football star Antonio Pierce will cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening of Hoops Cabaret and Sports Bar tomorrow night. The four day celebration continues through Sunday, October 9, 2016.
Hoops Cabaret is the ultimate in “fantasy sports” – the first venue of its kind in Manhattan to combine the fun of a sports bar with the excitement of a gentlemen’s club. At 48 W 33rd Street, it is a block from both Madison Square Garden and Penn Station and next door to Rick’s Cabaret New York, the No. 1 adult club in the city.
Pierce played linebacker 9 seasons in the NFL, with the Giants and Washington Redskins (2001-2009). He appeared in Super Bowl (XLII).
Club Highlights
· Beautiful ladies in sexy sports themed jerseys and cheerleading outfits
· Main floor designed like a basketball arena
· Second floor Skybox style VIP suites
· Large “Man Cave” party room available for events
· State-of-the-art video and sound systems for watching games on cable and broadcast TV
· Full service premium bar with extensive beer collection
· Lunch, dinner and late night menu
· Open 4 PM-4 AM weekdays and 12 PM-4 AM weekends
Definitely a fun event at what is sure to be a favorite place for sports fans.
For more info go to hoopscabaret.com
Before I react to overstated comments in the aftermath of a Toronto Blue Jays’ win vs Baltimore (Orioles) that sets up another Toronto/Texas (Rangers) division series, some facts.
Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter has now lost in 4 of 5 definite last games of a post-season entity, thrice on the road in the last inning of the game.
The great hitter, Edgar Martinez, (those of you, who think I am an old traditionalist might be surprised I think Edgar, essentially only a designated hitter, belongs in the Baseball Hall, certainly more so than some of the clutch hitting “dogs” already wagging their tails there–no names), transformed a one run Yankees’ lead into a decisive 5th game Seattle Mariners’ win with a “none out” double, in the first year of the “dreck” known as division series, in 1995.
The New York Mets’ Todd Pratt led off the bottom of the 9th inning, of game 4 of the 1999 division series vs Showalter’s Arizona Diamondbacks, with a home run that lifted the Mets (2-1) in the game and (3-1) in the series.
Last night Edwin Encarnacion hit a ONE OUT, three run home run with runners at first and THIRD to give the Jays a (5-2) win vs Showalter’s Orioles. The other Showalter loss in a definite last/decisive game of a post-season entity, was as O’s manager to the Yankees in the 2012 division series. Showalter and the O’s did win the “B.S.” game at Texas, vs the Rangers, to advance to that series.
It is absurd to even think of comparing Encarnacion’s game ending home run, (all he and “Tor” needed was say, a long fly ball) which makes Toronto one of eight teams in a baseball tournament, with Joe Carter’s epic 3RHR, which transformed a Jays’ one run deficit in game 6 of the 1993 World Series, into a second straight title. Additionally Carter batted with runners on first and SECOND BASE and one out, a much different situation in terms of what was needed, than first and third, one out.
Yet the hype by so many in the media is comparing the two without any or little perspective. Of course it was a big hit by Encarnacion, the fact it was a home run was meaningless, unless you bet the runs’ line either way, but not in the same stratosphere of importance, as Carter’s.
Finally, and on this I am far less knowledgeable, and do not feel as strong, but are not ‘they’ a little or even much too critical of Showalter not using ace relief pitcher Zach Britton (by the way, an unproven commodity in post-season) as his O’s were the road team?
Carter’s home run was the “real thing,” Encarnacion’s while nice, a “brand x,” by comparison.
Andy B Sports 