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.
There will be no mention of guns in this post, other than to say I have not changed my opinion on the matter.
Please do yourself a favor and tune into Decades tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern Time or 2 a.m. for the Dick Cavett Show with guest, the extremely entertaining and intelligent Charlton Heston.
In the first minutes of the show, Mr. Heston gives the audience so much information about the great Michelangelo that I thought my head would explode. It was riveting television.
Mr. Heston, who played so many historical figures and per Mr. Cavett’s introduction also “voiced” both God and FDR (thought of the 3 letter thing. FDR being Franklin Delano Roosevelt, this nation’s president for over 12 years), brilliantly portrayed Michelangelo in “The Agony and the Ectasy.”
Rex Harrison also brilliant on the left and Charlton Heston on the right dazzled in “The Agony and the Ectasy” a 1965 film.
Tonight the Baltimore Orioles face the Toronto Blue Jays in a Toronto based game, with the team emerging with more runs moving on to face the Texas Rangers in one of two American League division series. In the other, though sans home advantage, the Boston Red Sox are close to 8 to 5 favorites vs the Cleveland Indians.
Toronto and Baltimore, two of ten teams in the baseball tournament, have never clashed in this ridiculous spectacle and since they occupied the same, real, “you had to finish first” division/entity starting with the Jays’ first season in 1977 until true baseball ended with Joe Carter’s World Series sixth game ending home run, which propelled Toronto to a second straight title in 1993, and thus have never squared off in post-season play. I guess what transpires tonight passes for post-season play.
The teams battled for the one quarter A.L. East title until the next to last day of the 1989 season and I believe in a game, in which the broadcasters were the so called “B” team of Bob Costas and Tony Kubek and not Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola, Toronto prevailed vs what was an upstart O’s team, to clinch the “real division.”
That game was also the last regular season game in the 24 year history of the NBC “Baseball Game of the Week” coverage, which beamed baseball to a grateful audience, for many in that audience, their only televised baseball.
The great televised baseball, director, Harry Coyle, such an integral, if not the best part of NBC’s excellent baseball coverage back when it was well you know…..
I did start my “predictions post” by stating “it quite possibly would not be a good week regarding these predictions.” It was not as those predictions/selections were (1-4).
Perhaps the “gods” had their fill or is it “Phil” of the “Roll,” on which losers vs winners was on. All four such cases lost, the predictions are both “on file” and now (11-5-1) in pro and (0-2) in college football.
As stated above, it is early in the season but the 5 NFC playoff teams from the 1980 season (the NFL went to 6 teams per conference, in the playoffs in 1990) all are either ahead, tied or just behind another 1980 NFC playoff team in the 4 NFC divisions.
The Minnesota Vikings are (4-0), (4-0), have covered at least 7 straight games, including their heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Seahawks in a wild card round game last season, and lead the NFC North.
While the NFC East leading (3-0), (3-0) vs the spread, Philadelphia Eagles were idle, the (3-1) Dallas Cowboys won at (1-3) “S.F.” in a second “Emperor/Okman” tilt and first win in such a “presentation.” For the record, the “translation” (I hear Google, as Stephen King wrote our day’s “Big Brother,” has a new translation “computer talk” way of translating the English and some form of the Chinese language into the other) of “Emperor/Okman” is Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
The Atlanta Falcons’ Julio Jones is a great receiver, but statistics in football are almost meaningless, yet I will cite his 300 plus receiving yards as Atlanta is (3-1) after Jones and Company toppled (1-3) defending NFC champion, Carolina, with its supposed “best thing since sliced bread,” quarterback, Cam Newton.
In their return to Los Angeles, the Rams have started (3-1) (tied with Seattle atop the NFC West) and if one “parlayed” their 3 wins, (vs Seattle, at Tampa Bay and at Arizona) a 39 to 1 “payout” was the reward. Did anyone do so or come close to doing so?
All this information because in 1980, the Eagles won the NFC East, Minnesota won the then, NFC Central and the Atlanta Falcons won the NFC West (the lords of football were not the only sports “czars” in need of a geography lesson as Atlanta is pretty far east, not west. The baseball Braves were in the N.L. West, the real N.L. West in all 25 years of its existence. The basketball Hawks started their time in Atlanta, battling the L.A. Lakers unsuccessfully for NBA West honors. I believe the NHL had it “geographically correct,” regarding the Atlanta Flames, now the Calgary Flames.).
The (one) NFC wild card game opponents in 1980 were the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams.
After the passing of golfing great, but more important human great, Arnold Palmer at age 89 last week, it is noteworthy, albeit quite sobering, that not so arguably, the greatest performers/promoters/ambassadors and surely skilled in their 3 sports/games, have died in 2016.
Muhammad Ali, who died too soon at 72 and after enduring a sickness that squelched his bravado but not his spirit, was about the best heavyweight boxer ever (Ray Robinson, called “Sugar Ray,” is generally regarded as the best boxer period. That was also the opinion of Ali, whose “Georgeous George” (a famed professional wrestler) style of promoting, hid the fact he was a humble man) and certainly the best promoter/ambassador, the brutal sport of boxing has ever known.
Palmer (I can still hear a great voice, golfing commentator, sorry I do not know whom, not likely but possibly the great Jimmy Demerat, intoning “ARNEE PALMERR,” stretching out the great player and ambassador’s name, as he putted for victory in a famed 3 way playoff vs/with Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald in the 1962 Masters Tournament.
Arnie was my favorite, Player my Dad’s and somehow I remember it, Palmer’s third Masters title.
Gordie Howe, “Gord” Howe on a poster of sports greats which I believe included Ali and Palmer (wish I could find it and a famous one of the beautiful Farrah Fawcett), was a seminal great, arguably the greatest player in his sport of hockey. He was also a great ambassador of the sport.
The great Arnold Palmer, pictured above.
Cue the “Get Smart” theme, as Sunday was a victory for “CONTROL,” as baseball completely avoided any “KAOS,” (the non “Get Smart” spelling is chaos), as there will be no extra games this season.
The S.F. Giants jumped early and often, in Dodgers’ broadcasting legend’s Vin Scully’s last game, ripping L.A., rendering the St. Louis Cards’ win vs Pittsburgh meaningless and sending “S.F.” to Citi Field, for a game, at the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
The winner of that tilt will face the 104 win Chi Cubs, who “b’ teamed Cincy, with a 9th inning rally, to win a meaningless game, I believe a result, they will truly rue.
The Giants’ franchise on a Wednesday 65 years to the day, will face an elimination game in New York, as was the case 65 years and 2 days earlier, 65 years ago today (one day after the second day of Rosh Hashanah in 1951, which starts today this year, and whose 2 days in 1951 coincided/conflicted with the first two games of the Giants/Dodgers, unscheduled best 2 of 3, playoff for the National League Pennant) on October 3, 1951.
Then it capped an incredible pennant race and the Giants were home winners, vs the Brooklyn Dodgers, on Bobby Thomson’s three run home run, to gain World series entry.
Now the winner in a game between two wild card teams, albeit two dangerous ones, will be one of 8 teams, still remaining in the baseball tournament.
Both Baltimore (Orioles) and Toronto (Blue Jays) won on the final day of the regular season to set up a Baltimore at Toronto extra game, tomorrow night in Toronto.
Also on the final day, a Cleveland Indians win at K.C. vs the no longer World champion, Royals combined with the aforementioned Toronto win in Boston, means Cleveland is the A.L. “2” seed and will have the home advantage, vs the Boston Red Sox in the tournament quarterfinals.
The “Royals’ Reign” is over And their season actual number of wins (82) went UNDER the projected total of 84 and a half. Still a title last year and a 7 game W.S. loss in 2014 are two accomplishments that the Royals can take great pride in achieving.
This is especially so, as they are a so called “small market” team.
Next Sunday, it will be Boston vs Cleveland in 5th week NFL action and game 3 of an American League Division Series.
The (3-1) Patriots will be say, 10 point favorites (I hit the spread right on the money, but so what in that I was (1-3) on predictions/suggestions yesterday, but I do have talent) in Tom Brady’s return and after an embarrassing loss yesterday, to the (2-2) Buffalo Bills, even on the shores of Lake Erie, at the (0-4) Browns.
There will not be both football and baseball there, as the Indians have home advantage vs the Red Sox.
The Red Sox will play in Cleveland on Thursday and Friday and onto to Boston for game 3 next Sunday, of course weather permitting.
The last time the Cleveland Indians won the World Series was in 1948. They won a one game, unscheduled playoff game to get “there.”
“There” was the World Series and happened to be Boston vs the Braves, a baseball franchise since relocated to both Milwaukee and Atlanta.
The Indians stayed in Boston and lost the Series opener (1-0) (the famed safe call, likely incorrect on Bob Feller’s attempted pickoff play and subsequent rbi hit by Boston’s Tommy Holmes).
However, Cleveland got a split in “Beantown,” winning game 2, and eventually won it all there in game 6.
Andy B Sports 