Last year at just about this point in time, in a Thursday night tilt, the Cleveland Browns went into Cincinnati, won and actually stood atop the AFC North Division.

Of course the Browns faded while the Bengals made it to the playoffs, only to be ousted in the first round for the third straight season.

Tonight the undefeated Bengals are big favorites vs the visiting Browns. My prediction Bengals 22 Browns 14.

Switching to tonight’s college football, two more wins by the favorites, but also wins for underdog backers.

Powerful Baylor 30 Kansas State 20.

Appalachian State, a big favorite to win but by less than “expected.’

Prediction Appalachian State 24 Arkansas State 17.

The Browns at Bengals game is not on CBS but still on NFL Network. Unfortunately the game announcers are still Jim Nantz, Phil Simms  and the “garden variety” sideline reporter.

None are offensive as “give me the money,” Fox Network reporter, Erin Andrews.

Surely “Andys,” Rooney and “B” differed on many matters, but was he ever correct regarding sideline reporters, as being useless, offensive and I add in Ms. Andrews’ case, downright greedy.

I blame the copycat, cookie cutter, producers who almost literally have revived “The Stepford Wives” cramming these reporters and their utterly useless banter down our throats. Let me stop the vitriol there, but their presence as well as many other things in sports, sure makes me sick!

Oh for a pastrami sandwich! One overstuffed one is pictured above.

It is not really relevant or perhaps not important that I am so disappointed in all that the political process has become.

Yesterday I took some time to think about the right to vote.

Truly this is a wonderful privilege and at the same time responsibility that people have.

Maybe it will help one of you, hopefully many of you, not exercising this privilege/responsibility to change and do so.

I work at the polls and noticed in the roster books of the registered voters, that much information, likely too much is given.

However, the availability of information yielded a source of pride when I went to vote at a location other than where I was working.

I checked when I first registered to vote and ascertained it was my first possible chance to do so.

At most,  I have missed voting one time in all the years that have followed.

Trust me, there were times it was extremely difficult and inconvenient to do so, but if I can do it so can you. So can many of you. Please do so!!

In the recently completed World Series in which the 1969 expansion team, the Kansas City Royals defeated the 1969 World champions and fellow expansion team, New York Mets, some notes manifested.

The team opening the World Series at home is now (24-6) starting with the advent of the best of 7 LCS in each league in 1985.

The Royals won the first of those titles in 1985, the Mets followed winning in 1986. The 1969 Mets were the first expansion team to both make and win the World Series. The 1985 Royals were the next expansion team to do so.

The team opening the World Series at home with a win is now (19-1) since 1981 with the Minnesota Twins in 1987 being the first, the 1992 Atlanta Braves, who won the World Series opener but lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, being the lone exception.

The obscure, “only me” note is the team with the better record in the Saturday game(s) in the World Series is now (25-2) in World Series from (1983-2015).

The two exceptions were recent ones, the St. Louis Cardinals winning the Saturday game but losing to the Boston Red Sox in 2013, ditto the Texas Rangers, who lost the 2010 World Series to the S.F. Giants despite winning the lone Saturday game.

During that time the World Series opponents split two Saturday games five times while the eventual World Series winner also swept the two Saturday games seven times. With the Saturday night loss in the recently completed World Series, the Mets fell to (1-6) in Saturday World Series games.

Denied by one run, leaving the tying run at third in the seventh game of the World Series last year, the Kansas City Royals won it all this year.

Kansas City clinched their second world title, with a (7-2), 12 inning win over the Mets in game 5.

The Royals join the Pittsburgh Pirates, who 90 years ago in the seventh game of the World Series trailed (4-0) after one inning, as the only teams in baseball history to overcome as much as a 4 run  deficit in a  game in which they faced elimination, and go on to win the World Series.

On a Monday, three weeks ago (it seems like 3 months ago) K.C. trailed the Houston Astros (6-2) entering the top of the eighth inning in Houston, facing elimination.

They rallied for 5 runs in that eighth inning and won. In the just completed World Series, twice they trailed entering the ninth inning, but tied each game and eventually won in extra innings.

Eric Hosmer had a big go ahead two run single in game two and had a key double and great, daring base running to get the Royals two runs to tie last night’s clincher in the 9th inning. He, not Salvador Perez, should have been Series MVP.

My record is pretty bad, while WFAN radio host, Mike Francesa is clicking at a tremendous seventy percent, (14-6-1) through 7 weeks of NFL predictions.

HIS PICKS, (and mine), for this week follow:

The “chalk” pick that he has lost so much more often than not, is the St. Louis Rams minus 9 points vs the San Francisco 49ers.

I predict Rams 23, 49ers 20

Mr. (at 70 percent, he has earned being called Mister) Francesa picks the New Orleans Saints minus 3 vs the New York Giants. I am not crazy about going against this, as each team is coming off a cover/win, the Saints as underdogs, vs the Colts.

Primarily because I think Mr. Francesa has to start to lose (warning people have gone broke thinking like that. More important, please take this lightly and certainly do not bet any significant amounts, if you have to bet at all), Saints 28, Giants 26.

PS– If Sam Rosen is the Fox broadcaster and I hope he is, as he is actually good, (more likely it is Kenny Albert, and at best he is mediocre, even his dad the great Marv Albert, did not excel at football. However, why oh why, is Marv, still so much better than just about any network football announcer out there, no longer on football telecasts?!) the Giants will win outright.

Last the WFAN host Mike Francesa picked the Minnesota Vikings minus one at Chicago vs the Bears. I believe the Vikings are better and could, even should, be a playoff team.

Yet again mainly to go vs Mr. Francesa, but also because the Bears, though they covered the spread, essentially were robbed of victory at Detroit vs the Lions in their last game two weeks ago, and that “Minne” is on a roll–Bears 17 Vikings 16.

After the New York Mets (9-3) victory in game 3 of a World Series the K.C. Royals now lead two games to one, some notes, as usual not found in too many, if any other outlets.

Maybe someone noted it, but incredibly, after the Mets’ second batter in game 3, David Wright hit a two run home run, the Mets have now hit a home run before making an out in four of their 5 games three of a World Series.

Tom Agee (1969), Wayne Garrett (1973) and Len Dykstra (1986) all hit lead off home runs in game three, Dykstra’s homer leading off the game on the road.

The Mets are now (4-1) in game three of the World Series while the Royals whose Friday night post-season record dropped to (8-2), lost for the first time in four games three of the World Series.

Among the 16 (more or less) original major league teams/franchises and the first four expansion teams that started play in 1961 and 1962, only the Mets have never been swept in a post season series.

David Wright pictured above.

In a great and visionary speech at Rice University in 1962, United States president John F. Kennedy talked of reaching higher and of giving a great effort. One of his goals was the space program and to get to the moon.

Yet the speech resonates on a far greater level, evoking past discovery and urging us to try harder and take on challenging goals.

Toward that end, he asked “why does Rice, (a vast underdog at that time and most every time),? play Texas?”

From the ashes of all that went wrong, culminating in tragedy in the same state of Texas when President Kennedy was tragically killed and all the horror since—on an exponentially lighter note, I ask why does Rice play Louisiana Tech tonight.

One reason is revenue, as in money not the people who stop alcohol production from stills, the other as part of another vice, is that the Rice Owls will cover the spread as ten and a half point underdogs tonight.

Nobody can know for sure but I believe fervently that the vast macro and micro slides relevant to me, began when the visionary John F. Kennedy was killed.

Click below for President Kennedy’s Speech at Rice University in 1962

JFK – We choose to go to the Moon, full length

The Kansas Royals, who lost a heartbreaking World Series to the San Francisco Giants last year, won the first two games at home vs the New York Mets in the current Fall (not so) Classic.

It is just the third time in ten post-season series the Royals have opened at home, in which they have led two games to none.

Additionally it is just the third time in twelve post-season series the Mets have opened on the road, in which they lost the first two games.

The Royals are in their fifteenth post-season series,  having opened at home ten times.

This is contrasted with the Mets, who have opened thirteen of their seventeen post-season series on the road.

Overall, this is the fifth time, fourth in the last two years, the Royals have been ahead two games to none in a series.

It is the fourth time the Mets have been down two games to none in a post season series.

I endured the entire 14 inning World Series opener won by the Kansas City Royals (5-4) over the New York Mets.

The Fox broadcast, interrupted briefly by a power failure in one of their generators, was better than those by TBS, but that is not saying much.

Why is Fox network “sideline reporter” Erin Andrews there? She can use a refresher course in English (so can most of us but SHE IS ON THE AIR). Essentially she uttered Eric Hosmer “HAD WROTE.”

The day/date free food is being given away by a sponsor was listed as November 5th, “this Thursday.” The next Thursday, tomorrow is October 29th.

Royals’ manager Ned Yost still has not learned and foolishly sacrificed twice. Once by doing so, he “lost” the opening game’s best hitter, Ben Zobrist. In the 14th even Yost knew to let Zobrist swing the bat and he delivered a big hit.

Last I saw a big mistake by ESPN.com by senior writer Jason Stark. It is shown below.

First of all, why not add that Babe Ruth did not just start the 14 inning World Series game in 1916, but pitched a 14 inning shutout and won the game. Pitchers today go 8 innings and it is front page news.

Next Mr. Blum’s home run was not a game ending home run as he played for the Chicago White Sox and the game 3 of the 2005 World Series Mr. Stark is citing, was in Houston vs the Astros.

Instead of using that horrible, ridiculous, term for a game ending play, I suggest you do your research, esteemed Mr. Stark, and get your facts correct.

A camera, a woman with poor English skills, a beyond over rated writer walk into a fast food place a week early for the free item. There has to be a joke somewhere and it is what ‘they’ have done to the once great game of baseball.

Click below for another performance of “Help” by The Beatles

The Beatles “Help” Live 1965 (Reelin’ In The Years Archives …

Click below for ESPN.com senior writer Jayson Stark’s factual error.

Senior Writer, ESPN.com

There have been two previous 14-inning games in World Series history. The first, in 1916, was started by Babe Ruth. The other, in 2005, was ended by a Geoff Blum walkoff HR. That’s your history update. For now.