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.
For the first time in franchise history, the Cleveland Indians will open the ALCS at home, when they meet the Toronto Blue Jays in game 1 scheduled for Friday night. If they are fortunate enough to win the upcoming series, they would open the World Series at home for the first time.
Both teams swept their division series in three straight games.
Cleveland eliminated Boston (Red Sox) for a fourth time in either a division series (thrice) or an unscheduled playoff for the American League Pennant, which was the case in 1948, the last time the Indians won the World Series. Boston eliminated Cleveland one time, in a 1999 division series.
Meanwhile Toronto made it six straight division series game victories against the Texas Rangers, the first three coming last season, when they overcame a (2-0) series deficit and won the series.
I think the series will be considered virtually even, my first “notes,” if you will, are the consecutive letters of the alphabet “F,G,H” pertaining to the series.
The managers are “F,” Terry Francona and “G,” John Gibbons, and here’s a shocker coming from me, each team’s lead radio announcer is at least very good.
The Blue Jays’ Jerry “H”owarth is very good, while the Indians’ Tom “H”amilton is considered outstanding by both the great, great broadcaster Joe Tait and by me.
It is already pretty well publicized that Christopher Reeve was a truly good person, surely with faults as with all of us, and thus in light of his tragic demise, it might be difficult to watch him on a Dick Cavett Show, airing tonight at 8 p.m. on Decades.
Do not let that stop you, as it was a most revealing interview, conducted by a brilliant man with a near brilliant, so talented and knowledgeable interview subject.
Once when I was dating an outgoing woman, (call her “The Marching Girl,” which she did not like, but tolerated), she called to me from the top of a hill, with me sitting in my car, waiting for her seemingly endless shopping to cease (actually I did not mind it all that much then and certainly would not now, with that sentiment even more fervent, regarding my mother concerning that activity/sometimes necessity).
The “message” was that Christopher Reeve was at the top of that hill, and I should come meet him.
My comment to Mr. Reeve was not about his work, which I did admire so, but about the surprising 1989 Baltimore Orioles. He was so classy in responding in a positive way and so friendly to the people around him.
I do not know about “reasons” as in “I am sure God has them,” but Mr. Reeve’s intelligence, charm, insight and talent all on display, are all good reasons to watch The Dick Cavett Show, even if you stay up for the 2 a.m. airing of the show on Decades.
Christopher Reeve, pictured above.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the television show, “The Millionaire” which was featured on “The Decades Binge this past weekend.
The show starred “another” Marvin Miller and truly took a revealing look at people’s character and heart. Episodes started with a character receiving a cashier’s check for a million dollars, tax free, from an anonymous benefactor.
As the television audience we knew he was “John Beresford Tipton,” but never saw him, only hearing the voice of Paul Frees as “Tipton” in every episode.
During the course of the weekend, I saw David Janssen, Lee Meriwether and a truly fine performance by John Anderson.
An episode directed by Robert Altman, who went on to great success in film, also was shown. It was great to see the show, “The Millionaire” again.
Maybe someone will approach me with a cashier’s check for a million dollars, sure and I have swamp land….
Marvin Miller as “Michael Antony” gives the actress, Inger Stevens “Barbara Perkins” (I researched it) a check for one million dollars on the television show, “The Millionaire.”
Yesterday, the Washington Nationals managed by Dusty Baker, squared their division series vs the L.A. Dodgers at a game apiece. L.A. was a series favorite before it began, became prohibitive favorites up (1-0) with a road win and now I say, will still be over 2 to 1 favorites.
Baker is in his 18th post-season series, (10 as a manager, 8 as a player) and in only two of them was his team down (2-0), without winning the series.
Four times his team has been down (2-0), twice winning the series in 1981, his lone title, that as a player with the Dodgers, of course the team he is managing against in the current division series.
Only in a 1997 division series as Giants’ manager vs the eventual title winning, Marlins and as Cincinnati Reds’ manager in a 2010 division series vs the Phillies, was a Baker team either swept, or down (2-0) without coming back to win the series.
Dusty Baker, pictured above.
So far today “mucho” criticism of others, how about some for my (1-4) record on last week’s predictions, the take the loser/loser/underdog vs the winner/winner/favorite “system” (in a classic All in the Family Rafael Campos as “Little Emanuel asked Carroll O’Connor’s “Archie Bunker” “what is this SYSTEM?!”) going (0-4), three of those predictions, being ousted in the “teaser,” the Jets by a half point.
Despite that result, but with a still fine (11-5-1) record, I offer four predictions/suggestions all again going with the “system” cited above.
The (1-3) New York Jets have a (1-8) record all-time at Pittsburgh (that includes a loss in the 2010 season AFC title tilt) where today they are almost 10 point underdogs (likely will be 10 or more by game time) vs the (3-1) Steelers.
Pitts just routed the K.C. Chiefs in a nationally televised Sunday night tilt. It may not work today, but with all the “kids from Canarsie,” as the complicated “Howie Schtunk” called them, “predicting” Pittsburgh, I say Jets, at least to cover. (23-20) either way.
No comments but these predictions/suggestions.
7 point favorite tonight and in their most recent game, a 7 point win vs the Detroit Lions, so it is not a clear “system” game, Green Bay 29 “Hack” Giants 24.
I am high on the Oakland Raiders, my lone winner last week but will go with the “system.”
3 plus point favorite Oakland 24 San Diego Chargers 21 in overtime.
The last one, the above referenced Lions a 3 plus point “dog” to upset the Philly Eagles.
Rafael Campos, who played “Little Emanuel,” referenced above on “All in the Family,” pictured above was also in “Blackboard Jungle” and at one time married to the great singer, Dinah Washington.
Ms. Washington was also married to one of the greatest Detroit Lions’ players ever, arguably the best, Dick “Night Train” Lane.
