It should be a very interesting race in the National League Central Division this year.
Last year, the St. Louis Cardinals won the division title in a close race. Both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds from the NL Central made the playoffs as wild card teams.
The Pirates won four straight games from the Reds including the one game “play in” and advanced to the division round before losing to the Cardinals.
The Cards beat the Pirates and then the Dodgers to win the National League Pennant. Next the Boston Red Sox beat the Cardinals in the World Series.
I feel none of those three NL Central Playoff qualifiers (Cards, Pirates and Reds) from last year will be better. I think both the Milwaukee Brewers and yes, the Chicago Cubs, will improve. As I said an interesting race in the NL Central.
The Detroit Tigers have won three straight American League Central Division titles.
The Tigers lost in the ALCS twice and in the World Series once after those three division titles.
During the regular season, the loss of manager Jim Leyland and player, Prince Fielder, will be felt. Each certainly produced.
However, Fielder especially, and face it Leyland as well, have been big time post season failures.
Please check the many times Fielder has failed to produce in clutch hitting situations in the playoffs. I am not a “stats” person but surely his “numbers” are not good either.
Sadly, I will remember Leyland’s ridiculous decision not to have a left handed pitcher face David Ortiz in the bottom of the eighth inning of game 2 of last year’s ALCS.
Ortiz hit a tying grand slam home run which was the key to the ALCS.
The Red Sox went on to capture their third title in 10 seasons “outside at a ballpark,” in this case venerable Fenway Park, where such a thing had not happened in 95 years.
The Tigers, Leyland and Fielder got a “one way trip to” that sad, unfair position of playoff also ran, another reality in sports.
It was an upset filled Sunday in the NBA, as three teams that are contending for the best NBA record all lost their games.
First the Chicago Bulls won vs the Miami Heat. Next the Los Angeles Lakers won vs the Oklahoma City Thunder. Finally the Dallas Mavericks won vs the Indiana Pacers.
Some perspective on the upsets tempers the intensity. First off, all three produced victories by the home team.
Next, only the Lakers’ win vs Oklahoma City was a big upset. The Lakers were over seven to one underdogs.
It is an endless NBA regular season with five more regular season Sundays remaining. Luckily four will also have either NCAA tournament basketball or the start of baseball to watch.
So much happened in the world in 1968 including a great comeback win in the World Series by the Detroit Tigers.
Mickey Lolich won three games in that World Series including the deciding seventh game vs Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals. Gibson had won games one and four in the 1968 World Series.
The year before Gibson won three games including the deciding seventh game against Jim Lonborg, who had won two games in the series.
Lolich, like Lonborg the year before, started the seventh game on two days rest. However, he won (4-1). Jim Northrup had the big hit, a two run triple in the top of the seventh inning.
The 2013 Worlds Series combatants, the Red Sox and the Cardinals, have an interesting history playing against each there for the title.
Their first World Series matchup was in 1946, and they played again in 1967. The Cards won both of those World Series in the maximum seven games.
Bob Gibson won three games for St.Louis including the decisive seventh game in 1967.
Twice in the past ten seasons the Red Sox have defeated the Cardinals in World Series that did not go the limit.
In 2004, Boston ended an 86 year championship drought by sweeping the Redbirds in 4 straight games. Last year, Boston won the title with a six game World Series victory.
There are serious odds against a Red Sox/Cards redux this season. The last time there was a World Series repeat clash was 1977 and 1978. In both those World Series, the New York Yankees defeated the L.A. Dodgers in six games.
As the seemingly endless NBA season approaches its final month, four strong contenders for the title are in a close race for the best record in the league.
The home advantage in the playoffs goes to the team with the better record.
In the NBA East, the Indiana Pacers are (46-15) while the two time defending champion Miami Heat are two games behind with a (43-16) record.
In the NBA West, the Oklahoma City Thunder lead with a (46-16) record while last year’s Western Conference winner, the San Antonio Spurs are a half game back with a (45-16) record.
Last year, the Heat really took advantage of having the best record, by first winning the Eastern Conference title and then the NBA crown in home, decisive, 7th games.
Last year Miami won the Eastern final vs Indiana and then the NBA title against San Antonio.
One had the longest championship drought in NHL history, the other remains the team to have played the most seasons without ever winning that championship.
They are the New York Rangers (aka the Broadway Blueshirts) and St. Louis Blues respectively. Each team recently pulled off a big trade in the hope of winning the NHL’s big prize, the Stanley Cup.
The Blues are a viable contender, having the third most points in the league at the moment. They added an outstanding goaltender in Ryan Miller.
The Rangers are four points ahead for playoffs qualification. They traded for last year’s scoring leader, Martin St. Louis (Loo E).
Who knows maybe these trades will lead to “St. Louis vs St. Loo E” in the NHL Stanley Cup finals.
A young man did the right thing and I’m glad I witnessed it.
A vehicle trying to park at a local mall ran into a parked car. I thought the driver had driven away.
I soon discovered him walking with his female friend about to put a “contact” note on the windshield of the car his vehicle hit.
I told him that he was a good man, there is good karma in what he did and also there was little damage to the other car. The parked car was also a bit over the parking line.
It was nice to see such honesty as he easily could have driven off as someone, who once hit my car while I was driving, had done.
The honesty evoked memories of Jean Stapleton as “Edith Bunker,” on “All in the Family,” leaving a note on a car she damaged.
“Edith’s accident,” all stemmed, as she told us in her inimitable way, from peaches in some liquid form, as I recall.
Recently I had the privilege of seeing an incredible one woman show called “My Mother has Four Noses,” playing at The Duke Theater in New York City (229 West 42nd Street).
Jonatha Brooke, a gifted singer and songwriter, is the sole actor. She is accompanied by a small group of musicians, who add to this heartfelt look at Jonatha’s relationship with her mother.
It is a humorous and also poignant story of Ms. Brooke and times with her mother, especially in the last years of her mother’s life.
Her accounts of life with her mom “Stoney” are at once detailed, gripping, humorous and most of all a testament to their love.
Ms. Brooke is a gifted, attractive performer who touched a special chord in me as I have suffered the loss of my mother.
Her words should be a primer for all those who will one day face the problem of an aging, ill parent.
Ms. Brooke did so with support from her husband and his sister with grace and dignity. I am so glad she recalled the story in this tremendous performance.
The heavy favorites won the Academy Awards in the best acting and best picture categories.
Those awards went to Cate Blanchett in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine,” Matthew McConaughey for “Dallas Buyer’s Club” while “Twelve Years a Slave” took the best picture award.
There should be quotation marks around “best” because the awards are and always will be comparing apples and oranges.
I did see the three films referenced above and all three award winners were very good indeed.
Andy B Sports 