In the 2003 NLCS, the then Florida Marlins staged a great comeback in the series down 3 games to 1, and specifically in game 6, down 3 runs in the eighth inning, and denied the Chicago Cubs their first National League pennant in 58 years.
Maybe this year, now 71 years later, the N.L. top ranked Chicago Cubs will win the pennant.
That will be determined in an essentially unfair baseball tournament, beginning around October and the only thing fairly certain is the “Emperor” Joe Buck will preside at the NLCS.
Not really caring about the Olympics and at least once loving baseball, and loving it far more with Bob Costas “presiding,” I ask can’t we send Buck to Rio for the Olympics and have Costas, perhaps at Wrigley Field, for the NLCS?!
In addition to it being a great photo of the gorgeous Elizabeth Taylor, there is a somewhat even very cryptic reason for its placement in this post. Tune or check in 2 days hence and I will reveal all, likely with some vitorol and surely regret.
For now, have fun with this mystery. Big clue? Ms. Taylor is presenting an Academy Award for best picture.
Yesterday the Cleveland Indians salvaged one game of their 4 game series at home vs the last place Minnesota Twins.
Meanwhile the Chicago White Sox won in Detroit ending the Tigers’ 8 game win skein.
Thus Cleveland goes into this weekend which finds the two A.L. Central teams facing the New York teams, who just split a 4 game home and home series, with a 3 game lead.
Cleveland visits the Yankees while the Mets, despite mediocre, at best, play just one game out of tournament qualification, visit Detroit.
Of course now that I am doing so far too early this 4th day of August, there will be twists in the opposite direction, but it is extremely likely the Dusty Baker managed Washington Nationals will bring at least a one eighth divisional crown to the nation’s capital this season.
Their current lead is 7 games over the Don “Seems to always find the losing dugout in the most important games,” Mattingly managed Miami Marlins and eight and a half over the New York Mets.
If Baker and the Nationals go on to finish first, I believe Baker would become the first manager to finish first, albeit one eighth not even one quarter titles, with four different teams/franchises.
Disputing But Posting David Schoenfeld’s Claim That Carlos Beltran Is A Hall Of Fame Baseball Player
In my not so humble opinion Carlos Beltran is not that close to being a Hall of Fame player. Yet I will copy Mr. Schoenfeld’s opinion that he is.
I truly believe one can write or report the era of baseball in which Beltran has played, to this point, continually leaving just before or arriving just after said teams win World Series crowns, without citing Carlos Beltran.
Beltran is a fine player but again in my opinion not even close to being as good as say Vada Pinson and Minnie Minoso, two who will never even be considered for “Hall” status.
Throw in Dwight Evans for sure and damn well better believe Bill Buckner was a better hitter. Anyway here is Schoenfeld’s version and by the way, Beltran traded from the unlikely post season entrant, New york Yankees to the very likely playoff entrant, Texas Rangers likely does get another chance for a title this season.
The words below calling Beltran a Hall of Fame player.
David SchoenfieldESPN Senior Writer
With his home run tonight, Carlos Beltran reached 1,500 career runs, to go with 1,508 career RBIs. He’s one of just 37 players to reach both milestones. He’s been a Gold Glove center fielder. He’s been one of the most efficient basestealers (311 SB, 49 CS). He’s been great in the postseason. Sounds like a Hall of Famer to me.
Minnie Minoso, pictured above.
Perhaps a review of past Cleveland sports titles, (there have been 7 including the current NBA champion Cavaliers), will brighten the scene in that city, whose 2016 Indians’ A.L. Central lead has shrunk to 2 games.
Some of the greatest players in their sports, Otto Graham, Tris Speaker and LeBron James (memo to Jim Brown is your number active?) to name three really four, were on Cleveland championship teams.
The Graham led Browns with the great coach Paul Brown and runner Marion Motley among the team’s Hall of Fame players, were easily the best Cleveland team and one of the best non dynasty/glory teams ever.
In fact those Browns, who also won all four All American Football Conference crowns from (1946-1949), are an all-time team, which won conference titles in their first 6 NFL seasons and NFL titles on half (3) those occasions.
The great Tris Speaker, pictured above, was the player manager of the 1920 Cleveland team, one of the two Cleveland World Series winning teams. The other, the 1948 team also had a player manager, Lou Boudreau.
In fact, the Chicago Cubs, the only team that has gone longer than the Indians sans a World Series victory, (40 years longer since 1908), has also never won a World Series sans having a player manager.
Frank Chance was the player manager on both Cubs’ World Series winners, in 1907 and 1908.
Finishing the Pittsburgh title history, that in addition to the Steelers’ 6 Super Bowl wins, I start with the baseball Pittsburgh Pirates.
They won World Series in 1909, 1925, 1960, 1971 and 1979.
Certainly performances by Pirates’ greats Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell in World Series victories in 1971 and 1979 respectively are treasured memories for “Buccos” fans.
The current NHL champions have won 4 titles, two each with greats Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby leading the way.
Suddenly as often happens in baseball races, the A.L. Central crown would seem up for grabs as the Detroit Tigers have closed to within 3 games of the front running Cleveland Indians.
Virtually coinciding with the final two wins that lifted the NBA Cavaliers to Cleveland’s first sports crown since Dr. Frank Ryan found Gary Collins for 3 touchdowns in the old Browns’ (27-0) 1964 title game win vs the Baltimore Colts, the Indians began a 14 game win skein in June and led the division by what seemed a comfortable margin at one point.
Now the Tigers are “streaking” and perhaps the Indians, sans a title since 1948 need David Niven to quash the action, as he did after another kind of “streaking” occurred at the 1974 Academy Awards.
I still say, perhaps finding the great Mr. Niven near “Wuthering Heights,” where he was a “heavy” to the great, star crossed lovers played by Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon, the Indians will stay ahead of the Tigers.
3, 5, 7, (three prime numbers, i.e. only divisible by one or itself) and 15, which is divisible by 3 and 5 and one more than two, multiplied by 7.
Why these numbers? They represent the total major North American sports league titles won by the four cities, which currently hold such “crowns.”
Those cities are Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Denver,/Colorado and Kansas City. Some of the history will follow in a number of posts.
Pittsburgh, the home of the current NHL champion Penguins, has 15 titles. Six have been won by the NFL Steelers, all since 1974.
This was after nary a playoff win from the first possible one in 1933, until Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception” gave them their first playoff win in 1972. The first Supe crown followed 2 years later.
The Steelers won the NFL title/Super Bowl four times in six seasons from (1974-1979), winning consecutive “Supes” in 1974 and 1975 and then 1978 and 1979.
The great coach Vince Lombardi won 5 titles with truly great Green Bay Packers’ teams.
Even the great teams usually need some good fortune to achieve lofty goals such as league titles.
Certainly Green Bay facing a Colts’ team forced to play running back Tom Matte at quarterback in the playoff game and in other stretch drive 1965 games, qualifies as one instance of good Pack fortune.
Additionally much controversy surrounds I believe the all important game tying field goal by Don Chandler.
More on that kick, subsequent changes and notes as Colts/Packers history is on its way in future posts.
I noticed that this year’s NFL Hall of Fame game (Sunday night) matches the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts evoking great memories of the team’s battling for NFL Western Conference supremacy in the mid 1960’s, most notably in an actual playoff for that title in 1965.
Green Bay won that day (13-10) in just the second NFL and third NFL or AFL game to go into overtime.
More on that game in the days to follow but I recall missing the first half of the tilt, even on radio only to be informed upon arrival at our destination that the game was being broadcast on WNEW, the long time home of New York Giants broadcasts, of course done best with Marty Glickman.
The great Mel Torme is pictured in the WNEW promo picture above.
The Pack/Colts playoff was played in Green Bay the day after Christmas. Surely if WNEW was not broadcasting football, the classic “The Christmas Song” co written by Mr. Torme and Robert Welles would have played on its airwaves.
Click below to hear it now. Nat King Cole is singing, need I say more.
Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song – Lyrics Below
Andy B Sports 