The current ALCS between the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals, which “K.C.” leads (2-0), is the first time in 20 Orioles’ post season series, that they trail two games to none.
This is the third time in four Giants/Cardinals NLCS that the series is tied at one game apiece. “SF” may well rue its failed opportunities in game two, which ended on Kolten Wong’s solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning in St. Louis.
Only in 2000 vs the New York Mets and 2002 vs the Giants have the Cardinals trailed two games to none in any series that opened in St. Louis.
That includes World Series in 1931, 1942, 1944 (that one was an all St. Louis one with the Cardinals facing the St. Louis Browns, who are now the Baltimore Orioles) 1946, 1964, 1968, 1982, and 2011.
Kolten Wong
Both the (5-1) Dallas Cowboys and the (5-1) Philadelphia Eagles scored impressive victories in week six of the NFL season.
Dallas outplayed and beat the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, who were 8 point favorites.
At night, the Eagles won easily vs the now (3-3) New York Giants. This week in the NFC East, Dallas is a 6 point favorite at home vs the Giants.
The Arizona Cardinals at (4-1) lead the NFC West and are really a surprise. They won and covered the spread vs the (1-5) Washington Redskins, the latter “feat” accomplished on a late interception return for a touchdown.
The Super Bowl will be played on the Cards’ home field in Glendale, Arizona and will be the third “Supe” telecast by NBC as a neutral network (ie one without a conference affiliation). Arizona played in the first one, losing, but covering the spread (point spread, not the various food spreads seen in such great abundance on Super Bowl Sunday) vs the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2008 season game.
No team has ever played a Super Bowl game on its home field. I do not think the Cards will, but who thought they would be slightly ahead of (4-2) San Francisco (49ers) and (3-2) Seattle (Seahawks) in the very tough NFC West?!
Both of the top two AFC West teams, the (5-1) San Diego Chargers and (4-1) Denver Broncos won, and now have the top two records in the conference.
They won in different manners. The Chargers struggled to hold off the touchdown underdog, now (0-5) Oakland Raiders. While the Broncos win was not in doubt, but their bettors needed an interception touchdown return in the last seconds to exceed the spread vs the now (1-5) New York Jets.
By the way, the Jets and Raiders met for the penultimate AFL title in late December 1968 (not ’63 as The Four Seasons intoned). The Jets won that game and two weeks later shocked the football world by beating the NFL, Colts.
The Jets have not even been to a Super Bowl since that season, with 2014 exceedingly likely to be the 46th consecutive season without such an occurrence.
I will try one more time and predict the Jets to play well (they played fairly well yesterday), and lose by less than the 10 point margin by which the New England Patriots will be favored in the “Jim Nantz,” I mean Thursday night CBS tilt, a few days ahead.
The amazing Kansas City Royals, who have won all 6 of their post-season games, have taken a (2-0) lead in the ALCS by winning each of the first two games in Baltimore vs the favored Orioles.
All but one of the post season victories was in the 9th inning or later, four in extra innings. They are (4-0) on the road and are now 5 to 1 favorites to win their third pennant, their first since 1985.
Some of the heroes for Ned Yost’s team have been Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain and Mike “Moose” Moustakas.
In 9 previous ALCS involving the Orioles, the game two winner has won the series 8 times and very likely, but nowhere near definitely, will do so this time.
I am vehemently opposed to both the wild card presence and the three plus rounds of playoffs that diminish the importance of baseball’s 162 game regular season.
With that in mind, one must make some allowances for the Detroit Tigers’ failures in post season, they have nary a World title, and just one pennant to show for 4 straight AL Central titles.
However, their “measured” play in regular season, often struggling to win the mediocre AL Central, makes me feel less sympathy for this underachieving team.
Further, there are some annoying and vastly over rated current and former players/manager that also make it easier to swallow the slight injustice, that denies Detroit its first title since the “wire to wire,” 1984 Tigers won it all 30 years ago.
The annoying, and yes over rated players include Miguel Cabrera, the least of the offenders, but he was seen laughing in the dugout with his team still down (4-3) in game 1 of the division series vs Baltimore after he homered in the top of the eighth inning.
Would Joe DiMaggio have been laughing with his team behind late in the game, even if he had hit 3 home runs.
Also Cabrera, a great hitter, but not the deity all the “lazy, say what is easy commentators” make him out to be, has not exactly torn it up in post season play and certainly has failed in many clutch situations.
Others also annoying, include current pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Meanwhile ex Tigers Prince Fielder’s hitting woes and ex manager Jim Leyland’s really unforgivable, in baseball terms, decision to pitch to left handed slugger David Ortiz with a right-hander in game 2 of last year’s ALCS are well documented.
For the record, Verlander stuck it to the Yankees and their fans (that does not include me, by the way), by staying on for a full inning with TBS, which also should be ashamed, as Detroit scored runs while completing a sweep of the Yankees in the 2012 ALCS. The SF Giants then swept Detroit.
Scherzer thinks he is the greatest thing since “sliced bread,” is beyond mercenary, and what has he done in post season?!
Only one team can win it all and the three (plus) tiered playoff rounds is horrible, but the failure of good, but measured Tigers’ teams
Annoying
(2011-2014) to win it all is not that great an injustice, if one at all.
After a week off last week, NFL predictions returns with three opinions all on tomorrow’s games, in this the 6th week of the 2014 season.
As stated in last week’s AFC update, I believe the Jets will play well vs the Denver Broncos, who are 9 point favorites. The Broncos will win in a close game.
In their last two games, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks have covered the spread with first an overtime touchdown vs the Broncos and then with a field goal, that likely should not have been attempted.
Said field goal made some happy and others not. Seattle, up 7 points with 25 seconds left at the Washington Redskins 25 did not have to kick the field goal. Washington had no timeouts remaining.
This week the surprising Dallas Cowboys, a nine point underdog, will keep it close at Seattle, vs the Seahawks.
The Buffalo Bills enter tomorrow’s game vs the New England Patriots tied for first with the Pats in the AFC East. Each team is (3-2). Buffalo needs this game desperately, as they have lost so often vs New England. I predict the Bills, a field goal underdog will get the big win.
So it is the Jets, Cowboys and Bills.
After last weekend’s astounding upsets, 5 of the top 8 teams in the Associated Press poll lost for just the second time in history. Two Mississippi teams and Notre Dame are all in the top six this week. Predictions on their games this week follows.
Mississippi State tied for the third spot with intrastate rival, the University of Mississippi, hosts second rated Auburn this week. Just under a field goal favorite, Auburn will win by a touchdown.
The University of Mississippi, after its win vs Alabama last week, is also an underdog this week, playing in College Station, Texas against Texas AM.
Normally I would pick Texas AM, but since New York Radio Station WFAN’s Mike “so often wrong” Francesa was pretty adamant they would win, I will pick Mississippi in a close game. Texas AM is also just under a field goal favorite.
Notre Dame is a 17 point favorite vs North Carolina. They will win, but not by more than 17, let’s say 10 as they look ahead to their visit to Tallahasse next week, where current number one and defending champion, Florida State will be waiting for them.
The predictions are Auburn, Mississippi and North Carolina to beat the spread.
Tomorrow night the American League Championship Series begins with the unlikely match-up of the Baltimore Orioles vs the Kansas City Royals.
As was the case in both National League Division Series, the series underdogs won in the American League Division Series.
The Orioles, who had home advantage, beat the underachieving Detroit Tigers, while “KC” with or without “The Sunshine Band,” took the top ranked Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Each team won in three straight games.
This will be the first post season clash between the Royals and Orioles, whose most telling association until now, was the difficulty in reading scores in games involving the two teams. For example “Royals 4, Orioles 3” is a bit of a “tongue twister.”
The Royals, in their 6th ALCS and first since 1985, once appeared in 4 in 5 seasons, all vs the New York Yankees from (1976-1980).
They are (2-3) in ALCS play having won their last two, in 1980 and 1985. They followed their 1985 ALCS win with a World Series triumph vs the St. Louis Cardinals, who of course, are a possible World Series opponent this year.
The Orioles, who were in the first 3 ALCS (1969-1971) and 5 of the first 6, are in one for the first time since 1997. Baltimore is (5-4) in previous ALCS.
If both the Orioles and Cardinals win their LCS, there would be a World Series battle between the two franchise that met in the all St. Louis World Series of 1944. The Orioles were once the St. Louis Browns, having moved to Baltimore in 1954. The Cardinals won that 1944 World Series in six games.
For the second time in three seasons, it will be the St. Louis Cardinals vs the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS.
Each team, the Cards vs the L.A. Dodgers and the Giants vs the N.L. one seed, Washington Nationals, won as significant series underdogs.
Additionally, both the Cards and Giants posted (3-2) wins in the 4th game clinchers as fairly significant, game underdogs.
The Cards and Giants are meeting for the fourth time in the NLCS with “SF” holding a 2-1 edge. St. Louis won in 1987, winning the last two games at home to win in seven games.
Two years ago, vs the Cardinals in the NLCS, the Giants also won the last two games at home and overcame a (3-1) series deficit to win in seven games.
Unlike the 1987 Cardinals, the Giants went on to win the World Series in that 2012 season.
Click here for some 1987 Cards vs Giants memories
This is a note that “nobody but me,” will convey. I do it largely from memory and please enjoy or cringe in the spirit of “did you know?”
Sunday’s Baltimore Orioles win to clinch their division series and move on to face the Kansas City Royals, who also completed a sweep in their division series, was the 16th time in 16 different post season series, that the Orioles played a Sunday post season game. All 16 times, the Sunday game winner was the series winner.
This includes two World Series clinchers for the Orioles in both 1966 and 1983 and the Pittsburgh Pirates 7th game win at Baltimore in 1971.
The Royals lone World Series triumph was secured with a Sunday game seven win in 1985. Unless there is a postponement on one of the scheduled game days in the upcoming Royals/Orioles ALCS, there will not be a Sunday game in the series.
Andy B Sports 