The Cleveland Indians scored only two runs in each game, however, with Francisco Lindor having the game winning hit in each and with dominant pitching, the “Lake Erie” team has a (2-0) lead in a series as late as the LCS, for the first time in their history.
It is the second straight season the Blue Jays are down (2-0) in the ALCS, after losing Friday night and late Saturday afternoon tilts, all completed before any game was played in the NLCS, both years involving the Chicago Cubs.
In 7 ALCS appearances, the Jays have played night and then day games within less than 24 hours, six times with either the Jays’ opponent (three times) or the Jays (twice) going up two games to none.
Toronto which won 5 of 6 ALCS road games, including all 3 at “Chi,” vs the White Sox in 1993, en route to 2 straight world series victories (’92 and ’93) has now lost 5 straight ALCS road games.
The operative word is nice, as in it would be nice to improve on my (13-6-2) record on my predictions, thus far this season. (One of my “ties” was on the second consecutive Green Bay “minus seven” win by 7, last week vs the “Hack” Giants, a team somehow with as many Supe wins as the Packers and Patriots).
However, it also applies to the nice weather, with a better goal for today to get out, and be somewhat active in that nice weather.
For the record, 6 games fit the “system.” I will suggest on all five. Just the lines and my scores as predictions. Of course I made some!!
New England favored by 8 points, wins (30-23) vs the Cincy Bengals.
I say the Cleveland Browns a touchdown plus underdog, win outright (20-19) at Tennessee vs the Titans.
The Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 7 plus, edge the Miami Dolphins (19-16).
Really shaky nod to the L.A. Rams, a 3 point underdog, at Detroit (Lions) buy, pay extra, plus three and a half, a field goal game either way, say (30-27).
It will be high scoring, “flag” football (pun intended), as Colin Kaepernick and S.F. will get you the cash, (really that is what counts most in this country, try saying you stood or did not stand for the national anthem as currency, next time you enter a financial institution, and you may be headed for another “institution”) as he starts at quarterback, vs the 9 point favorite, Buffalo Bills. My score: Bills 34 49ers 27.
If you think the above is out of line, I do not apologize, but will on the next one.
In 1992, luckily for me I missed the play on which Dennis Byrd, a New York Jets’ lineman was severely injured, having left the game, after interviewing Marty Glickman and others at the game. (I am still hurt by the arrogant Bill Parcells’ refusal to be interviewed concerning a Giants’ great, Marty Glickman. I also recall him saying that day (late November) the Buffalo Bills were 3 touchdowns better than any NFC team, maybe even specifying the Dallas Cowboys, (I will give him the benefit of the doubt, that he did not). That year’s Supe: Dallas 52 Buffalo 17.).
The next week the Jets ‘inspired” by the horrible circumstances concerning Byrd, upset, you guessed it the Buffalo Bills.
Today news came that Dennis Byrd died in an auto crash. I apologize for relating tragedy and football results, which itself, is near tragic.
No disrespect intended, the Jets fit the system. 7 plus point favorite, Arizona Cardinals 21 New York Jets 17.
William Daniels, pictured above as “Captain Nice.”
Tonight in Los Angeles, but unfortunately opposite game 2 of the NLCS, involving an L.A. team, the Dodgers vs the “deemed national team,” Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Sparks have a chance to win their first WNBA title since 2002, when they meet the defending league champion and top seed, Minnesota Lynx, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Alana Beard’s game winning 2 point shot as time expired, (called a 3 point shot on what sounded like the L.A. broadcast) lifted the Sparks to a 2 point road win in game 1.
The home teams, Minnesota in game 2 and “L.A.” in game 3 exchanged easy home wins, setting up the Sparks’ possible title clincher tonight.
If Minnesota wins, a decisive 5th game would be played after three days off, on Thursday night in Minnesota.
Despite being so far off in my college pig prediction, as Alabama routed Tennessee, there were at least two good things about the outcome.
First of all, my pick with the score, indicated over and for the 7th time in as many “Lundquist farewell” games thus far this season, the total points exceeded the “Las Vegas/other places,” projected points scored.
Additionally after the audience was subjected to “aw shucks,” Peyton Manning, openly rooting for Tennessee, the Tide routing them, was almost worth being wrong.
Manning was a “non winner” in SEC play,epitomized by his (0-4) record vs Florida.
Let’s put it this way, when a “would be” Alabama back named (Bo) Scarborough (the way “Bama” recruits, he probably will be the next Johnny Musso (there’s a name) or better, raced 85 yards for a touchdown, that put the combined score “over” the total, I rooted for it.
Below, and I will remind you where to click, will be “The O’Jays’ “Love Train” which talked of “getting aboard.” Alas I never seem to, but as “non reader” “Stone” often reminds me, “that man who took the train,” is not around any longer, has not been for a long time.
Again, best advice regarding “this,” DO NOT START, but if you do, please do so in moderation. Sure it hurts to see something like this “over” streak and have as Jackie Gleason’s “Ralph Kramden” might say, “a mere bag of shells,” but trust me it is better than the utter humiliation and despair of losing “big.”
Click below to view “The O’Jays” sing “Love Train” Alas do not get me started on “knowing,” regarding the Blue Jays, their game 2 loss at Cleveland (Indians), played simultaneously to Bama/Tennessee.
A much earlier version below.
Today is the exact 28 year anniversary of the Dodgers’ game 1 win in the 1988 World series.
On Saturday October 15, 1988, the L.A. team rode the injured Kirk Gibson’s 2 out, 2 run home run to a series key (5-4) victory. They went on to upset the Oakland A’s, winning the title in 5 games.
Last Monday, Bob Costas, who was at the game doing “before and after” work cited the “great calls” by both Vin Scully and Jack Buck as network announcers.
Below listen to a truly great call by Don Drysdale on Dodgers’ radio. I have included one of just “Big D” audio, the second is video of the dramatic Gibson blast with bits of Scully and Buck after Drysdale. I also have included a comment from a “viewer,” with which I truly concur.
Many likened the home run by Gibson to the one in the movie, “The Natural.” Of course it was a different ending in the book.
Click below for audio and video of Gibson’s home run (#1,’88 W.S.)
Don Drysdale’s call of Gibson home run
This is audio of Don Drysdale’s radio broadcast of Kirk Gibson’s historic game winning home run. Vin Scully and Jack Buck both did the TV version for their respective networks. Both got rave reviews for their renditions, but I’m sure the masses never heard Drysdale’s, whose version IMO is as good as Scully’s and Buck’s.
As stated before, I agree with what is written above.
MLB Network’s Christopher Russo, again, someone to a degree, I have accepted, as an often needed, critical, albeit many times irresponsible, “voice” in sports, had just finished excoriating “Wash” pitcher Max Scherzer for not doing his job, when he reeled off three factual mistakes.
The mistakes were more offensive than usual (by the way, John Smoltz and Matt Vasgersian, the Fox Sports “talent” made more factual mistakes, than the Giants used pitchers in their fateful season ending 9th inning. Problem: While the Giants and even their 3 time title winning manager, Bruce Bochy get disproportionate criticism, little or none is leveled at Smoltz and Vasgersian, who are facing no “opposition,” i.e. the other team, save being unprepared or sloppy) as Russo said he would not be paid, if he did not do his job.
I will not comment on money given Scherzer or Russo save to say regarding Russo, and countless others in broadcasting, I paraphrase the great comedian Pat Cooper, and say I can be just as bad (actually far better, at least concerning facts) and would take “far, far” (Dickens again, and seeing/suffering through Russo and his ilk is Dickensian suffering) less money.
Anyway Mr. Russo the Dodgers were 8 to 5 favorites, you said the Nationals were pretty big favorites.
For years on the radio, I “suffered” as Russo reeled off factual mistake after factual mistake. Two more from yesterday, the O’s at Shea Stadium obviously tied game 4 (1969 W.S.) in the TOP, NOT the bottom of the ninth inning.
Additionally, Ron Swoboda’s great catch on which the O’s tied game 4 of the 1969 World Series, actually 47 years ago today, (maybe that is why I waited to point out Russo’s mistakes) was with Orioles’ (the O’s) runners on first and third, NOT the bases loaded, as Russo stated.
I also think Mr.Scherzer is vastly overpaid, but in my wildest dreams, I could not do what he does. That is not the case, concerning Mr. Russo.
I will make a college football prediction this week.
Tomorrow, likely I will have 5 predictions/suggestions coinciding with my “system” of a loser/loser/underdog vs a winner/winner/favorite, which “went” (2-1-1) last week.
Twice I have made college football predictions, both vs the great Alabama and their superb coach Nick Saban(0). Both times Alabama covered the spread, the second time by a fraction of a point.
“Three times a fool,” as “The Tide” (Alabama) are (6-0) (4-2), defending national champions, last year’s title one of four they have won under Saban, who also at least won a share of a 5th title, in the ’03 season title while coaching rival, L.S.U.
2 touchdown favorite, Alabama 36, Tennessee 27. tune in to CBS at 3:30 Eastern Time to watch the tilt.
The great Alabama football coach Nick Saban, pictured above has hoisted the above trophy 5 times, winning it 4 times with Alabama and once with L.S.U.
While Saban and L.S.U. claimed the then B.C.S. title, in ’03, U.S.C. won the Associated Press crown that season.
After stirring finishes in both N.L. division series which totaled 9 of a possible 10 games, game 1 of the American League Championship Series, at least initially, seems anticlimactic. Certainly their 2 division series, each a three game sweep offered little drama, the good news being only the minimum 6 games, for TBS.
Certainly it was no fault of the ALCS opponents, the two seed Cleveland Indians and the wild card, four seed but series over, seven to five favorites, the Toronto Blue Jays.
Victories totaling 5 by the two teams vs the Boston Red Sox, first forced Boston to open in Cleveland and then eliminated them in 3 straight games.
Three wins by the Indians at defending champion K.C. and three wins by the Jays over the top seed Rangers set up this ALCS.
The Indians, opening an ALCS at home for the first time, are (2-2) in previous ALCS and (0-4) in ALCS openers.
Toronto in its second straight ALCS, is (2-4) in previous ALCS, also going (2-4) in series openers.
I probably will not update this ALCS until Monday after two games, and the scheduled third game that night in Toronto.
Speaking of night, (I say) day. This will be the 6th time in the Jays’ 7 championship series appearances, that barring a postponement, game 1 is at night with game 2 beginning less than 24 hours later, during the day. In the previous 5, four times either the Jays or their opponent took a (2-0) series lead.
Conversely in the previous 4 Indians ALCS appearances, only once was there a night/day schedule for “one and two,” that in 1998 vs the Yankees. Additionally, also in contrast to the Jays’ ALCS history, all four previous Indians’ games one and two were split, the opponent winning game 1 and “Cleve” coming back to win game 2.
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.
