The St. Louis Cardinals enter the final weekend of the baseball season with a one game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, there is little drama as both teams have already clinched playoffs spots.
The team that wins the NL Central will not have to face a one game “play in” game, but contrast that “incentive” with that of 40 years ago. Then the same two teams battled for the NL East title without the “safety net” of being a wild card team.
In 1974 the Pirates gained a game on the last day of the season and won the NL East title sending them to the NLCS. The Cardinals were eliminated from any post season play, that season was the closest Joe Torre came to post season as a player.
I truly long for the days when teams had to finish first to be in post season play. Sure there is some incentive for the Cards and Pirates this weekend, but it is not even close to the drama between the same two teams 40 years ago when one team advanced and the other was eliminated from any post season play.
Click here for 1974 All Star Game moments
For the second straight season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have won the NL west title.
Clayton Kershaw raised his record to (21-3) in the clinching victory at home vs the San Francisco Giants.
Kershaw will next pitch at home in game one of a division series, on a Friday night, likely vs the St. Louis Cardinals.
Last year on a Friday night in St. Louis (game six NLCS), Kershaw was “asked to leave early” as the Cards routed him to clinch the pennant.
Meanwhile the Giants almost certainly will face the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday October 1st, likely in Pittsburgh, with the winner facing the top ranked Washington Nationals in the other National League division series.
Clayton Kershaw
The two teams who met in the 2008 season NFC Championship game, the Arizona Cardinals and the Philadelphia are the only (3-0) teams in the NFC.
Of course it is early but the good starts have both teams, neither of whom has ever won a Super Bowl, at least increasing their chances to play in the Super Bowl which will be in the Cardinals’ home stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
There has never been a Super Bowl in which one of the teams was playing on its home field.
The Eagles are the favorites to win the NFC East while the Cardinals, whose projected wins total was only 7 despite success last season, are still long shots to make the Super Bowl.
Click for 2008 NFC Championship Game Winning Drive
2008 NFC Championship
Only one team in the AFC is undefeated after three games, while six teams have winning (2-1) records.
The undefeated team is AFC North leading Cincinnati Bengals while two other AFC North teams, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are (2-1).
The New England Patriots lead the AFC East with a (2-1) record.
The Houston Texans with a (2-1) record, are the only team in the AFC South with a winning record.
The AFC West sports two teams with (2-1) records, the defending AFC champion, Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers.
The National League playoffs, in my opinion, are all but set, with only the venue for the “play in game” up in the air, as the final week of the season begins.
What is a “play-in” game? It’s a game between the two wild card teams. The winner joins the three division winners in the divisional series. After the “play in” games in each league 4 teams remain in each league.
Alas, one can still make a case for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central, but I will “declare” the St. Louis Cardinals as very likely winners, as they take a two and a half game lead (but two in the loss column) into the final week.
The Washington Nationals have a three and a half game lead in the all important loss column for the National League top seed. (The half game, because they own the tiebreaker, which frankly is not reported by the many media outlets I have “encountered.”) They have clinched the NL East title for the second time in three seasons.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers are almost certain to be the two seed in the National League.
First off, they take a four and a half game divisional lead over the San Francisco Giants into the final week. They also enjoy a two and a half game lead, again the added half game due to the fact they own the tiebreaker, for higher seeding in relation to the Cardinals.
Last, due to the fact it involves the bogus wild card, going into the final week, the Pittsburgh Pirates own a half game lead (you guessed it, they own the tiebreaker with the S.F. Giants) over the Giants for the home advantage in the very likely one game “play in,” between the two teams to be played on October 1st.
Today in Cleveland, where the hometown Browns face the Baltimore Ravens, it will be a rematch involving the two cities (Cleveland and Baltimore) that met for the NFL championship 50 years ago.
The 1964 championship win was the last one not only for the Browns but for any major league Cleveland professional team.
The Browns also won the NFL title in 1954. There will be some ceremonies, honoring each of those great teams today.
1964 Cleveland Browns
Two teams, the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles went to (2-0) at my “expense” last week while the San Diego Chargers kept the defending champion Seattle Seahawks from that achievement for our lone “victory.”
Three predictions for the NFL’s third week of play follow.
The Washington Redskins will keep the game close, and perhaps pull an upset at Philadelphia, vs the (2-0) Eagles.
The (1-1) Detroit Lions will bounce back and win at home vs the (1-1) Green Bay Packers.
On Monday night the (1-1) New York Jets, who lost a tough game last week at Green Bay, will bounce back and win vs the (1-1) Chicago Bears. Last week the Bears had a great comeback win at San Francisco vs the 49ers.
By the way, and please do not make this the norm, I did not use the verb “beat” as a way of indicating a predicted result.
It was a great Thursday night at Madison Square Garden as the incredible group, “The Eagles,” performed as part of their “History” tour.
What a history they have and it manifested in a great show, as The Eagles performed for a Springsteen like, nearly three hours.
Both the crowd and surrounding atmosphere were great as Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Joe Walsh all performed in lead singer roles.
Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good,” complete with a camera on his person, led to humorous instructions for audience response, and was one of many highlights.
Another was “Take it to the Limit” dedicated to its writer, Randy Meisner, who originally performed that great hit song.
It was also great to see one time guitarist Bernie Leadon perform with the group, and I gained greater appreciation for Timothy J. Schmit, a member of the group since 1977.
The show closed with three great encores and I agree with the fan who said on his way out, “the three songs (Life in the Fast Lane, Hotel California and Desperado) were worth the price of admission.”
Yet, of course, the Eagles and their repertoire of so many great songs, gave so much more.
Each song is part of their great history and why seeing their “History of the Eagles Tour” is now, thankfully, a treasured memory.
It is almost certain that neither the New York Yankees nor the Atlanta Braves will be in post season play this baseball season.
It will be just the second time in 23 completed baseball seasons that this will occur. The other time was in 2008.
The Yankees will in all likelihood fail to make the post season in two consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992 and 1993. They made the post season 17 times in 18 seasons from (1995-2012.)
The Braves will miss the playoffs for just the 6th time in those 23 completed baseball seasons from (1991-2014.) They made post season play, winning at least a divisional title, in all 14 completed baseball seasons from (1991-2005.)
This week when a pair of (2-0) teams, the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills meet in Buffalo, it will be a rematch in the same city, as the AFL Championship Game 50 years ago.
In that 1964 AFL Championship Game, the Bills defeated the defending AFL champion Chargers and would do so in the 1965 AFL Championship Game as well.
The late Jack Kemp, who eventually was a nominee for Vice President and ran for the Presidency, was the Bills’ quarterback in both the 1964 and 1965 championship game victories.
Coincidentally, he was also the quarterback on earlier Chargers teams that played in and lost the first two AFL Championship games in 1960 and 1961.
The Chargers lost 4 of the 5 AFL Championship games in which they participated, and Kemp was involved in all four Chargers’ losses.
Twice as a Bills’ Quarterback (1964 and 1965) Kemp and his Bills defeated them. Also twice with Kemp as Chargers’ quarterback (1960 and 1961), the team lost the AFL championship game.
Andy B Sports 