The Fox television network got what it wanted, as the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants goes to a decisive 7th game tonight.
The Kansas City Royals won their only World Series title in 1985, going seven games. Their other previous World Series appearance resulted in a six game loss in 1980.
By contrast none of the Giants’ 7 World Series titles were achieved in a 7 game series, nor a six game one for that matter.
They did win a best of nine World Series in 8 games in 1921, but all six best of 7 World Series wins were in 5 games or less.
The Giants lost “winner take all,” games for the World Series title in 1912, 1924, 1962 and 2002.
If the field goal plus favorite Denver Broncos win at New England vs the Patriots in the late Sunday afternoon tilt this week, they will be a near certain AFC one seed for the third straight season.
The Broncos are now three to two favorites to win a second straight AFC crown. They are beyond prohibitive favorites to win the AFC West for the fourth straight season.
The 16 team AFC includes 4 teams (the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders) which have virtually no chance to make the playoffs.
The other 12, three quarters of the conference’s teams, have legitimate chances to make the playoffs.
At this near halfway point in the season, I will predict the playoff teams.
Though there are many contenders only the AFC North is without a prohibitive favorite. My predictions for the division winners are all favorites: New England in the AFC East, Cincinnati Bengals in the North, Indianapolis Colts in the South and the Broncos in the West.
The wild card situation is far more cloudy. My predictions are the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins to make it.
The other six contenders are the Buffalo Bills (quite a story to this point), Cleveland Browns (also a bit of a surprise), Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans and already slumping as usual, San Diego Chargers.
The San Francisco Giants, bidding to win a third consecutive “even year World Series,” have a three games to two lead in the 2014 World Series.
“SF” won games one and five behind the brilliant pitching of Madison Bumgarner, who has a (4-0) career record in the World Series.
The Royals though trailing (1-0) in game 2, never trailed after a full inning in either of their wins in games 2 and 3.
The Giants never trailed in either “Bumgarner win” and only after the first inning last night in game 5, did not lead after a full inning in either of those games.
Thus to me, it is clear that to this point, and surely “KC” has both the ability and the historical precedent to go home and win the last two games and the title, that the Giants coming back from a (4-1) deficit in game four is this World Series’ defining game.
Analysts in defending Royals’ manager Ned Yost’s decision not to use his vaunted bullpen earlier, actually talked of it not being that important a game for the Royals.
Their reasoning was that the Royals had a (2-1) World Series lead. I counter that ridiculous thinking, by saying this is THE WORLD SERIES, not a spring training game in Arizona.
Regardless of the winners and losers, and infuriating announcer’s mistakes, we must all remember to put things in the proper perspective. The fact is, 22 year old Oscar Taveras of the St.Louis Cardinals, died in a car crash Sunday.
We should all reflect on Taveras’ death, and remember that baseball is only a game, and even a World Series game is not that consequential.
Oscar Taveras
RIP
Going into the college football week, four teams from the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division were ranked in the top five.
Three likely will remain in the top five with victories, however, one team lost and none of the four exceeded the point spread.
LSU handed Mississippi University aka “Ole Miss” their first defeat.
In the CBS national game, Mississippi State, over a two touchdown favorite, won by two touchdowns, at an inspired University of Kentucky team.
At night, Auburn nearly a three touchdown favorite, struggled winning by one touchdown, vs the Steve Spurrier coached, South Carolina team.
Alabama, also nearly a three touchdown favorite, won by two touchdowns at the University of Tennessee.
The monolith NFL doesn’t need my help, but here is a partial rundown of Sunday’s action.
The day starts in London, England with a game between the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons. The game is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am Eastern time.
An attractive 1 pm Eastern Time game is the battle for the AFC North lead, with the slumping Cincinnati Bengals hosting the hot Baltimore Ravens.
In the 4:15 or so time slot, a 2008 NFC title game rematch between the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles is featured.
At night the New Orleans Saints host the Green Bay Packers. Each team features a Super Bowl winning quarterback, Aaron Rodgers of the Packers and Drew Brees of the Saints.
With game 5 of the World Series also scheduled at night, it is a full, 14 plus hours of sports. Try to get away from it for a bit, as difficult for some, that might be.
There are so many ridiculous comments being made about the World Series across the Sports media. I have singled out two of the bigger stars remarks for closer examination.
Fox TV executives must like Joe Buck, but to me he’s the modern day version of the “Emperor’s New Clothing.” Someone get those blind executives some glasses (and also some hearing aids).
Buck, after just 2 innings of game 2 of the World Series with the score already 2-1, gave the opinion that it was a well pitched game. What?
Chris Russo hosts the MLB Network TV show “High Heat.” On Tuesday’s show, he said that the Royals have been in Kansas City since 1954 or 1955. What? He obviously confused the 1969 expansion team Royals with the Kansas City A’s.
They are two separate franchises. The Royals have been in KC since their inception in 1969, while the A’s franchise started in Philadelphia as the A’s before moving to KC in 1955, and left KC moving to Oakland in 1968.
Joe Buck
Chris Russo
The 2014 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants is tied at one game each after the Royals followed SF’s 7-1 game 1 win with a 7-2 win in game 2.
The Royals were stymied by Madison Bumgarner in the opener. Remember Jack Nicholson’s “Randall” asking someone in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” who he liked in the opener of the ’63 World Series? That one matched true greats Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford as mound opponents.
In game two, Kansas City, bolstered by franchise great George Brett throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, eased after a 5 run 6th inning to win.
Only one of the Giants’ 7 World Series victories came in a (1-1) series and that was in 1905, when the great Christy Mathewson pitched three shutouts, a feat that is likely to never be matched again in World Series play.
This is the first time in 3 World Series that the Royals are involved in a (1-1) series. In 1980 KC lost the first 2 at Philadelphia vs the Phillies, won the first 2 at home but lost game 5 at home and #6 at Philly giving the Phils their first title in their long history.
In 1985, the Royals won their only World Series to date. This was accomplished despite falling down (2-0) and (3-1) in that Series.
It is amazing that 4 of the top 5 ranked teams in college football are not only from the Southeastern Conference, but from its Western Division.
Those teams, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn join defending champion Florida State in the top five.
There are intrastate clashes at the end of the year involving the two Mississippi teams as well as Auburn and Alabama, two Alabama teams.
Georgia University from the conference’s Eastern Division is also in the race to be one of four teams to take part, in this the first year of a 4 team college playoff.
The race to be one of the teams in that playoff is wide open and much figures to change, but 4 Southeastern Conference teams in the top 5, well into the season is quite a story.
The (5-1) Denver Broncos host the (5-2) San Diego Chargers in this week’s Thursday night game. Unless there is a very unlikely tie in the game, the winner will lead in the AFC West.
The (5-2) Indianapolis Colts are going places (a cynic would rehash their cold hearted move from Baltimore to Indy in the middle of the night 30 plus years ago) as they have won and covered the spread in 5 straight games. They are beyond prohibitive favorites to win the AFC South and a viable threat to make, or even win, the Super Bowl.
The New England Patriots escaped with a 2 point win vs the (1-6) New York Jets and are still big favorites to win the AFC East.
Suddenly the (5-2) Baltimore Ravens are in first place in the AFC North. The (3-2-1) Cincinnati Bengals have been awful since their (3-0) start. The Bengals host the Ravens this week.
The 2014 World Series, an all wild card one for the second time, both involving the San Francisco Giants (the Angels beat them in 7 games in 2002), begins tomorrow night with the Kansas City Royals hosting the Giants.
The series is considered even by the odds makers and I have no strong opinion as to which team will prevail.
However, I do have a strong opinion about the horrible wild card presence and the now evident absurdity of the second wild card team and the “play in” game.
This is to take nothing away from either the Royals or Giants, each of whom, won the necessary games under the baseball playoffs mandate to get to the Series.
Yet it must be noted that neither team won its division, thus over the course of the “true test,” 162 game season, came up short.
“Coming up short,” is not “stopping short” as was the case in a “Seinfeld” episode that irritated the Jerry Stiller played, “George Costanza.”
I try to diffuse with possible laughter, the honest, perhaps overblown rage I feel that baseball rewards 2 to 3 hot weeks of play and stops “way short” of honoring a 162 game season.
Further, the nature of baseball where just about any team could beat another in a short series, adds to the horrible decision, Bud Selig and baseball made in ever implementing this horror, called the wild card (ie your team does not have to win its 162 game regular season entity to qualify for the playoffs).
Click here for “Stopping Short” clip
Andy B Sports 