Ray Sadecki, a 20 game winner for the 1964 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals passed away at the age of 73.
He also was the game one starter and winning pitcher for the Cards in the World Series opener in 1964 vs the New York Yankees.
Sadecki also pitched well for the New York Mets in the 1973 World Series. He notched a save in game four.
He pitched many innings and was against the “pitch count” mentality that prevails in today’s game.
Alas, the SF Giants and many of their fans regretted the trade that brought Sadecki to San Francisco, with Orlando Cepeda going to St. Louis.
Despite some tremendous teams SF failed to win a title in the 1960’s, as opposed to relatively mediocre teams winning three in the last five seasons.
Sadecki is part of history as an integral part of the glorious ’64 Cards, who staged a great regular season comeback. He truly helped the 1973 Mets do the same. There was no bogus wild card then. That is why those pennant and division races meant something and Ray Sadecki was a big part of them.
Though they have a tough schedule ahead, and have lost starting quarterback Carson Palmer, the (9-1) Arizona Cardinals are ahead in a bid to be the conference one seed for the first time.
Arizona with Drew Stanton connecting with Michael Floyd for two touchdown passes defeated the (7-3) Detroit Lions. That leaves the Lions tied with the (7-3) Green Bay Packers for the NFC North lead.
The Packers victory, (they ripped the 7-3 Philadelphia Eagles,) left the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys tied with (7-3) records atop the NFC East. The Dallas team was idle.
(4-6) is good enough for a share of the NFC South lead. The Atlanta Falcons won vs the (3-7-1) fellow NFC South team, the Carolina Panthers. After losing to the (6-3-1) Cincinnati Bengals, the New Orleans Saints are also (4-6).
With a 6th straight convincing victory, the New England Patriots are in the lead for the AFC one seed.
Their record is (8-2) which leads the AFC East. The Miami Dolphins are next with a (6-4) mark.
The (6-3-1) Cincinnati Bengals, after an upset win in New Orleans, coupled with the Houston Texans win at the (6-4) Cleveland Browns, lead the AFC North. It is still a division separated by a half game as the Pittsburgh Steelers are at (7-4) while the Baltimore Ravens are (6-4).
(6-4) Indianapolis'(Colts) lead in the AFC South is down to one game. The Houston Texans, with a (5-5) record are a game behind.
In the AFC West, both the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs lead with (7-3) records.
Only one team with title hopes is unbeaten and that team is Florida State, which won its 26th straight game (30-26) at Miami University. The Noles (FSU) were three point favorites.
Alabama University, seeking its fourth title during the O(BAMA) administration, won (25-20) as a ten point home favorite vs top ranked Mississippi State.
Both TCU and Ohio State won, but did not cover the spread. Each team is very much in the playoff race, as is Oregon which was idle.
One team not in the race, but unbeaten, is Marshall University. The past weekend marked the 44 year anniversary of a plane crash that wiped out the 1970 Marshall football team.
On the sad anniversary, Marshall raised its record to (10-0). Only one other team (Florida State) is still unbeaten and while they will not get to be in the 4 team playoff, Marshall, likely will play in a major bowl game.
Alvin Dark passed away this week at the age of 92. He certainly is a part of some major baseball history.
He participated in five World Series, winning two times. In 1954 Dark was the shortstop for the New York Giants when they won the championship. A remarkable twenty years later in 1974, this time as the manager of the Oakland A’s, he led them to a World Series victory.
Three other times Dark’s teams won the National League Pennant, but lost in the World Series. Those teams were the 1948 Boston Braves and 1951 New York Giants as a player. He managed the 1962 New York Giants.
A truly fond memory for Giants’ fans is Alvin Dark’s single, that started the rally that culminated with Bobby Thomson’s home run to win the 1951 National League Pennant.
Mike Francesa is a Sports Talk Radio host on WFAN, here in New York. He also does a Sports TV Show on the new FOX Sports Channel. He apparently is (24-15) on his NFL predictions against the point spread.
Having heard this and his “Top Three” picks for this week, even though his do not sound too bad, I will say go against his picks. Those will be my predictions.
Francesa is all about the chalk/favorite and he is giving points with the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.
Thus my picks are: the Houston Texans plus a field goal at Cleveland; a shaky nod to the Philadelphia Eagles plus 5 at the Packers in the game in which as always we must endure Joe Buck; and the Cincinnati Bengals at the New Orleans Saints.
Last week my only winner in three tries was the SF 49ers at New Orleans. That week, Francesa said the Saints NEVER lose at home. Never, was not very long as they lost their next game.
The sports media and in particular, “Sports Illustrated,” have routinely over rated LA Dodgers’ pitcher Clayton Kershaw. They are sorely lacking in perspective.
Sports Illustrated runs a “comments” section, but they do not print any that criticize their exalted treatment of Kershaw. Not one person disagrees with their gushing for Kershaw?
I am not one prone to criticizing athletes, as I cringe at the unfair criticism directed toward those who committed physical bad plays, even mental bad plays, at so called critical junctures of athletic contests.
Yet Kershaw, and especially his supporters, who dare compare him with previous pitching greats who pitched full games and excelled rather than failed in big games, can use some perspective.
Right now Kershaw is among the worst offenders of “regular season greatness” to post season failures in history.
We live in a world that has far bigger problems. One of the bigger problems is a media that is out of whack.
That carries over to the so called “toy department” of sports, the unfair, overwhelmingly positive perspective regarding Kershaw the latest example.
Another big weekend is ahead in College Football.
The last two major unbeaten teams, Mississippi State and Florida State, face big tests on the road.
Alabama, playing at home, is now an eight point favorite vs Mississippi State.
Meanwhile, defending champion and still unbeaten Florida State is now a three point favorite in its game at the University of Miami.
The battle between Miami and Florida State brings back memories of the two teams meeting in games with championship implications.
Florida State has never won at Miami en route to a national title. Their title years, 1993, 1999 and 2013 were all seasons in which Florida State hosted Miami.
The three best records in the NFC belong to teams that have never won a Super Bowl. Those three teams are the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Cardinals are (8-1) with the top record in the NFC. They have made but one Super Bowl appearance, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2008 season Super Bowl.
The Lions are (7-2). The franchise has never been to a Super Bowl.
The Eagles are (7-2). They lost in both their Super Bowl appearances. They lost in Super Bowl games following the 1980 and 2004 seasons.
Many people blame their coach Dick Vermeil for not allowing the Eagles out to enjoy the New Orleans nightlife before the 1980 Super Bowl.
Their opponents, the Oakland Raiders went out and enjoyed the city before the game and during the contest. Oakland won the game easily.
The New England Patriots defeated the Eagles in the 2004 season Super Bowl.
Do not look now, but the Cleveland Browns–their last title was 50 years ago in 1964–are in first place in the AFC North.
The (6-3) Browns’ lead is scant over the (5-3-1) Cincinnati Bengals, whom they defeated last Thursday. All four teams in the division are within a half game. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have (6-4) records.
Elsewhere the idle Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, who clash next Sunday night (maybe it will be a good game, unlike the incredible rash of “blowouts” thus far on the NBC package) each have at least a one and a fraction game lead in their divisions, the AFC South and East respectively.
Both the (7-2) Denver Broncos and the (6-3) Kansas City Chiefs won this past week. Denver ripped Oakland in a rematch of the 1977 AFC Title game also won by the Broncos. The Chiefs went to Buffalo and won as they did in the 1966 AFL title game to gain entry into the first Super Bowl.
Andy B Sports 