Here are some notes on the anticipated “play in” game on Wednesday October 7th, likely in Pittsburgh between the home team, Pirates and Chicago Cubs.
If the pirates host the game, it will be the third straight year they have done so. They beat the Cincinnati Reds in the 2013 game and lost to the eventual world champion S.F. Giants in last year’s game.
At the moment the Pirates World Series drought is 36 years. If, even likely, but far from definitely, when the Cubs are eliminated this season their title drought will be three times as long as 36, an incredible 108 years.
That is not a million and certainly not a billion but it is a long time. Speaking of “million” and “billion,” WFAN radio hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts each used those numbers numerous times in reference to results that at most happened, 10 times in recent games.
Unlike Mike Francesa, who often says “the quarterback,” (heaven forbid for 2 million dollars/yr, he should learn the names), Benigno and Roberts know some facts, but the million/billion thing is rank amateur, save the fact each of them receives a hefty salary.
I did not pick either the New York Mets nor the Houston Astros to win their divisions, though I came close to doing so. Each has a nice, albeit far from insurmountable lead, as time has marched to the precipice of September.
That is one reason I am picking the long shot Cleveland Browns to have a (9-7) record which somehow will enable them to win a three way tiebreaker and claim the AFC North crown.
Both the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals will also finish at (9-7).
The Pittsburgh Steelers will drop back and finish (7-9).
It would be so great if the Browns or Indians, for that matter and not LeBron James and the Cavaliers end the 51 year Cleveland sports championship drought, not saying either will (safe to say neither will) but I do think an improved Browns’ team will win a weak AFC North Division this season.
The New York Liberty now have a two and a half game lead in the WNBA East and a 2 game, loss column lead for the best record in the league.
The team will be making their first playoff appearance since 2012
They are coached by former NBA “bad boy,” but terrific player on two Detroit Pistons’ title teams, Bill Laimbeer.
He also coached the then Detroit Shock to three WNBA crowns. (That team is now in Tulsa and will move again next season to Dallas-Fort Worth).
Tina Charles and Epiphanny Prince have led the Liberty, who sport a (16-4) record since starting the season with a (4-4) mark. 5 of the six remaining regular season games for the Liberty are at home and I think they will get the top mark in the East and probably, far from definitely in the WNBA.
The Liberty scored an impressive win over the still WNBA favorite, Minnesota Lynx this past Friday, but still have a game at Minnesota. The Lynx also have all but one of their remaining regular season games at home. They have a good shot at still getting the top mark. It may come down to a tiebreaker.
Certainly the road will not be easy for the Liberty as they bid for their first WNBA crown. However, to this point, they are the big story in the WNBA, 20 to 1 shots at the start of the season and with a (20-8), best record in the WNBA.
Hopefully I have made it clear that it is as close to an absolute “sports disgrace,” (nothing is absolute and sports has limited, but valid importance) that Pete Rose is not in baseball’s Hall of Fame. At some point, I will address the issue in some detail, with personal insights and experiences involving Pete.
One for today and having reviewed my “notes,” it makes me both laugh and cry as time’s passage and life’s reality often does.
It is early in the 1976 baseball season, say early May and my team, at the time, the L.A. Dodgers are hot and ahead of the defending world champion Cincinnati Reds in the NL West “one quarter/no wild card” standings.
I call Pete at the New York Hotel at which he is staying. He is “dozing” and would have had every “courtesy right” to end our conversation immediately, perhaps without apology. He did not, despite my 20 year old arrogance regarding the rival Dodgers.
I said to Pete’s “dozing” answer as to what he was doing that “are you sure you are not tuning in for scores involving the Dodgers at Cubs afternoon tilt that day?
Pete politely answered “it was too early in the season for that.” Of course the Reds had beaten out a very good Dodgers’ team by 20 games the year before and would beat out another very good L.A. team by about 10 games in 1976.
In a polite conversation with a somewhat “pumped up” rival team, 20 year old Dodgers’ fan, Pete Rose had the proper perspective. Need I say the “proper perspective” is get Pete into the Hall of Fame where he belongs. Even more perspective, it is far from the most important thing, but I truly hope he does get the honor.
One of sports’ all-time great coaches and winners, Al Arbour, has passed on at the age of 82.
He guided the New York Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup victories from (1980-1983) and five straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances including the team’s finals loss in 1984.
Additionally, the Islanders made the NHL semi-finals in nine of ten seasons from 1975, just their third season, through 1984.
Mr. Arbour also played in the playoffs for three Stanley Cup winners, the 1961 Chicago Black Hawks and the 1962 and 1964 Toronto Maple Leafs.
Only a few days back, I commented in a nostalgic conversation that the New York Islanders had one of the greatest periods, certainly in hockey, if not North American sports history. Al Arbour, a true great was a big part of their greatness.
Yesterday I cited the fact that the four teams (Royals, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Dodgers) that won division titles thirty years ago in 1985, currently lead their divisions this year.
The other two division leaders and right now each has a significant lead, are the New York Mets and Houston Astros, who were opponents in the 1986 NLCS.
This is not the first time this year I have cited the Mets and Astros, the latter now in the American League, together in the same post.
First of all, each team is a surprise division leader, the Mets a 7:1 “surprise” and the Astros, an almost “Coupe De Ville” in a Cracker Jacks box,” 22:1 “surprise.”
The teams are each in their 54th season, having come into the National League as the league’s first expansion teams in 1962.
Their 1986 NLCS won by the Mets en route to their second World Title, was one of the best ever.
The Astros won their only pennant 10 years ago and have not been in the playoffs since that season, which ended in a four game World Series loss to the Chicago White Sox, a team that ended an 88 year World Series title drought by winning.
The next year, 2006, was the last time the Mets finished first or made the playoffs.
There is still plenty of regular season baseball remaining, but the Mets and Astros, two teams I almost picked to win their divisions, certainly should win them now.
Thirty years ago in the 1985 baseball post season, four division winners qualified and met in two different league championship series.
In the American League, the Kansas Royals met the Toronto Blue Jays while in the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals took on the L.A. Dodgers.
Do not look now, but thirty years later, those teams lead their divisions and if they hold on to the lead and win in separate division series, would meet in the league championship series.
While the Jays and Dodgers have slim leads, the Royals will win their division and the Cardinals very likely will win theirs.
Thirty years ago the Royals and Cardinals each sans home advantage won their LCS and met in the I 70 World Series won by the Royals in 7 games.
Certainly there is a long way to go, but 1985 scenarios are popping up including the race in the AL East again between the Blue Jays and Yankees. However it is for a 1/8 and not a 1/4 division and also unlike 1985, there is a wild card presence.
The Chicago Cubs head out west almost certain to at least be a playoff entrant in baseball 2015.
It is a horror to me that there is a wild card presence, no less two in each league.
As it happens, the three top teams in the NL Central (Cardinals, Pirates and Cubs) have the three best records in the league, at this point by a fairly significant margin.
Wild card supporters, with some justification, will point out how “unfair” it would be to have the teams with the second and third best records in the league fail to qualify for the ‘offs.
However, in my opinion that is more than offset by the realistic possibility that the first place Cardinals could win the division easily and be beaten by a team it beat out from its own division.
This has happened before and will happen again, maybe this year involving the NL Central. It diminishes the importance of the 162 game regular season and to me that is a great “baseball sin.”
Of course the fact different teams beat some teams and lose to others teams is inherent in sports, especially baseball. This year, one big reason the New York Mets have a 5 game lead over the Washington Nationals in the NL East is the play of the Colorado Rockies against both teams.
On one hand, the Rockies split 6 games with the Nationals, first winning 2 of 3 games in Washington before losing two of three games at home vs Washington last week.
Conversely, the Rockies have been awful vs the Mets as they are (0-7), first being swept in 4 games in New York and then in 3 games at home this past weekend.
It adds up to three and a half games in the Mets’ favor, certainly a big fraction of their lead in the NL East.
Both teams have finished play vs the Rockies this season, with the Mets gaining those aforementioned three and a half games.
Here are some thoughts after watching the fabulous movie, “Witness For The Prosecution” on TCM last night.
First off, continued kudos to hosts Robert Osborne and Sally Field in setting up the movies in “The Essentials” series on Saturday nights.
Field, whose mother studied with the fabulous Charles Laughton, cited Mr. Laughton as the best of all English speaking actors. In my opinion, if Mr. Laughton is not the best, it does not take much time to call his name.
In the film, actor John Williams is involved in a case involving a woman named “French” and years later played the other “Mr. French” on the television show, “Family Affair,” after Sebastian Cabot, the first “Mr.French” departed the show.
A stretch but here goes: Tyrone Power’s character in “Witness for the Prosecution,” remembers September 3rd as the day he was wed. Years later, “The Third of September” is a day “remembered” in “The Temptations” classic hit “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone.”
