Andy B Sports

There likely are no divisional races in the National League. Only one wild card berth appears up for grabs as the season heads into the final two plus weeks.

Though they were swept in a weekend series vs the 2nd place Atlanta Braves, the Washington Nationals still have a five and a half game lead in the N.L. East. The Nationals swept the New York Mets before being swept by the Braves. All six games were on the road.

The Cincinnati Reds have run away with the N.L. Central building up an eleven game lead over the defending World Champion, St. Louis Cardinals.

The San Francisco Giants have a seven and a half game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers and barring the unforeseen, will finish in first place for the 24th time which ties them with the Dodgers for the most such finishes in the National League.

While the Braves have a huge 7 game lead for the home wild card spot over the Cardinals, the Cardinals, in turn have just a one game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for playoff qualification.

One, two, three in the three American League divisions. Those are the respective division leads for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers with a little more than 2 weeks to play.

The Yankees had a (4-2) week winning 2 of 3 in Boston vs the Red Sox and then repeating that vs the Tampa Rays at home. In both instances, the Yankees bounced back to win the last two games of the series after falling in the series opener. The Baltimore Orioles remain one game back as they lost 2 of 3 vs the Oakland A’s at Oakland after sweeping the Rays at home. The Rays are now 5 games behind in the division and 4 games behind Baltimore for playoff qualification. In Game 5 of the 2008 ALCS Rays’ manager Joe Maddon, by all accounts a nice guy, let a right handed pitcher deliver pitches to left handed slugger David Ortiz of the Red Sox. This despite the fact Maddon had 3 left handers in his bullpen. Ortiz homered sparking a big Red Sox comeback win. The Red Sox eventually forced a 7th game before losing. However, the Phillies eased vs the Rays in the World Series. Maddon likely will fail to deliver the World Title again. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Lightning have league titles but not the more consistent Rays.

The Chicago White Sox took care of business winning all 3 games vs the Minnesota Twins on the road. Their lead was one and a half games when the 2nd place Detroit Tigers took a (6-5) lead to the bottom of the 9th at Cleveland vs the Indians. Then the Indians rallied for 2 runs to send the Tigers two games back. Carlos Santana had the key hit, a game tying, 1 out triple. Thus the Tigers travel to Chicago for a makeup game later today, 2 games out. The Tigers won 2 of 3 at Chicago last week before the series finale was rained out. They also won the first two games at Cleveland.

The Texas Rangers gained a big game on Sunday and lead the surprising Oakland Athletics by 3 games in the A.L. West. Texas won 2 of 3 vs the Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals at home while the A’s put a big crimp in the Angels’ wild card hopes by winning 3 of in Anaheim. The week before the Angels won all 3 in Oakland and in fact the road team won the first 6 games of the 2 series between the A’s and Angels.

The A’s, a truly great story, are still under General Manager Billy Beane. He achieved wide recognition as his story and philosophy were depicted in the movie, “Moneyball” (Brad Pitt portrayed Beane.) Oakland looks safe for at least a wild card berth with a 2 game lead over the Orioles for the home wild card and a four and a half game lead to qualify for the “tournament” ahead.

As we wait for another big weekend of “down the stretch” baseball and college and pro football some miscellaneous comments to follow.

On Thursday night, Rutgers University, just over a touchdown underdog, upset South Florida University. Rutgers lost its coach Greg Schiano to the southern Florida region as he now coaches the Dolphins but at least for a night Rutgers won against a team from the south Florida region.

Meanwhile the Green Bay Packers, who won it all in 2010, and then went (15-1) in the 2011 regular season had lost 2 straight meaningful games before a (23-10) win on Thursday night vs their old rivals, the Chicago Bears. The  Pack of course were beaten in the divisional round by the Giants last season. Then the San Francisco 49ers, who also were beaten at home by the Giants in the post season, won the season opener vs the Packers. Both losses and last night’s win were in games played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

A  fantastic celebration of “Broadway on Broadway’s” 20th anniversary was held in Duffy Square on Sunday September 9th. I am so glad that I attended both because it was a rousing musical festival with songs from myriad Broadway shows and it got me out and away from the first full day of the vastly over exposed NFL.

The event was hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford (alas I loved the NFL when her husband Frank played and later did commentary on NFL games on CBS.) Now Kathie Lee’s numerous plugs for her upcoming show “Scandalous” are tame compared to the Sunday, Monday, Thursday NFL hype. Ms.Gifford kept a great pace introducing the numerous show songs. By the way, the preview number for “Scandalous” was fantastic. The event was introduced and “announced /voice over’d” by Valerie Smaldone. Her mellifluous tone was on display. Ms. Smaldone is attractive, pleasant (I talked with her after the show) and extremely talented. I saw her interview Tommy James (I believe a show about him is coming to Broadway) and it was most revealing.

The featured attraction was the music of many big time Broadway shows with cast members doing a number or in some cases, two numbers. Among the shows that had numbers with cast members performing were “Chicago,” “Newsies,” “Once,” and “Stomp.” A preview of the upcoming “Motown: The Musical” gave us 2 songs, I wish there were ten. I am really looking forward to seeing that show. It was quite a day as the sun was shining, the music was pumped out and the performers were sensational.

Finally, noting that the one and only Ed Asner came on stage to announce some of the great shows that are coming to Broadway in the new season. Included are David Mamet plays and Asner cracked “David Mamet you’ve heard of him.” Of course, most people there have seen and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Mamet’s work. I look forward to anything Mr. Mamet does. Mr. Asner is rehearsing for “Grace” with a cast that includes Paul Rudd. Broadway; much there and even more ahead.

A couple of questions from this weekend’s NFL games.

Why did the Browns coach, Pat Shurmur  kick the 1 point extra point up 15-10 with 14 minutes left in the eventual 17-16 Philadelphia Eagles win? Sure, a miss on the 2 point play would have meant 2 field goals beats you but not going for it meant one touchdown beats you and that is what happened.

Why did Bill Belichick, a coach I truly admire, have kicker Stephen Gostkowski kick what amounted to a “rub it in” field goal with 31 seconds left in a 34-13 win vs the Tennessee Titans?

During the incredible first half or so of their undefeated regular season in 2007, Belichick and the Pats clearly “tacked it on” most demonstrably vs venerable coach Joe Gibbs and the Washington Redskins. Maybe that bad karma or other more sinister forces manifested in the two Patriots’ Super Bowl losses to the New York Giants. In the first one following 18 straight wins, David Tyree made a miracle catch on the Giants’ winning drive. In the “Supe” last season, the usually “money in the bank” Tom Brady to Wes Welker combination failed to complete what very likely would have been a Super Bowl clinching first down pass late in the 4th quarter.

It was an exciting weekend of football and U.S. Open tennis. Some quick observations follow. See the previous two posts for our weekly American and National League review of baseball.

Andy Murray and Serena Williams repeated their Olympic tennis titles by winning the U.S. Open. Murray captured his first “Grand Slam” tennis victory, winning the first two sets, losing the next two sets, before prevailing in the decisive 5th set to capture the title. Murray was a 2 to 1 underdog vs Novak Djokovic in the final. For Ms. Williams, it was her 4th US Open title as she also needed a decisive set (in her case a 3rd and deciding set) to edge by 4 to 1 underdog, Victoria Azarenka.

In college football, neither Alabama nor the University of Southern California won by more than the “expected” margin, while Louisiana Monroe, a 30 point underdog, won outright vs 8th ranked Arkansas. Saying that the Arkansas team was looking ahead to a date this week with defending national champion Alabama is an understatement of exponential proportions. However, give Louisiana Monroe great credit for one of the bigger college football upsets.

In the first week of the season, NFL teams that are scheduled to grace the airwaves this Thanksgiving won all six games. It is early but network executives are already giving thanks. For the record, the Houston Texans are in Detroit to face the Lions and the Washington Redskins are visiting the Dallas Cowboys in the two traditional “Turkey Day” games while in the greed driven, “lets have 3rd’s” (please remember others are starving in this world when you waste food) night game, the New England Patriots visit the New York Jets. Dallas and Washington won as road underdogs. Only Detroit won by less than than the “expected” margin.

The Texas Rangers picked up a half game in the past week and lead the Oakland A’s by 3 and a half games in the AL West. Texas won 3 of 4 in Kansas City vs the Royals before losing 2 of 3 at Tampa vs the Rays. Oakland lost all 3 at home to the Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels before winning 3 in Seattle vs the Mariners. The Angels swept 3 games at home vs the Tigers to complete a (6-0) week that has them right in the middle of the wild card race.

The New York Yankees did not trail in 2 wins at Baltimore vs the Orioles and split 4 games there. Earlier in the week, the Yankees salvaged one of 3 games vs the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles won 2 of 3 games at Toronto vs the Blue Jays. All of this left the Yankees one game up on the Orioles and 2 games ahead of the Rays.

Despite losing 2 of 3 games at home to the lowly Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox have a 2 game lead over the Detroit Tigers. No, I will not call the Tigers over rated as these standings change and teams get hot and cold. However, losing 2 of 3 at home vs the lowly Cleveland Indians after sweeping the White Sox and being swept by the hot Angels left Detroit behind in both the division and wild card race. Luckily for them, the White Sox only went (3-3) at home vs 2 lower teams, the Royals and Minnesota Twins.

The A’s three and a half games out in the divisional race, have a 2 game lead over the Orioles for the top wild card spot and a 3 game lead over both the Rays and Angels for playoff qualification. The Tigers 2 games out in the division are 4 and a half games behind the Orioles in the wild card race.

On the day that another National Football League season opened, Art Modell ,a man very instrumental in the enormous growth of the league, died at the age of 87. Modell did so much in helping the NFL become a great attraction and an enormously compensated one on television. He negotiated many of the league’s important television contracts and favored Monday night football games. Those games have been a regular occurrence since September 21, 1970 When Modell’s Browns were victorious in the first regular Monday night game winning (31-21) vs the New York Jets. (That same day here in New York, music station WMCA switched to a talk radio format).

On the day Modell died, I happened to speak briefly with Ernie Accorsi, a truly bright man who among other things in a distinguished football career worked for Modell and the Cleveland Browns. Ernie mentioned that he left the Browns when he was 51 years old. They were still the Browns of Otto Graham, Jim Brown and Lou Groza; a proud franchise that I rooted for despite living in New York for 11 seasons (1963-1973) and did so with much intensity, too much at times.

Of course those Browns became the Baltimore Ravens with Modell as the owner and he was persona non grata after that in Cleveland. The Ravens handed the Giants their only Super Bowl loss. An expansion franchise team was awarded to Cleveland that has the Browns’ colors and their records. Cleveland got a new stadium but a great franchise left and there is no continuity. Blame can be dispensed by others but the franchise that won 3 NFL titles in the ’50’s and dominated the old All American Football Conference moved to Baltimore.

One great day December 27, 1964: (Oprah Winfrey calls it her most important day seeing Diana Ross perform on the Ed Sullivan show) and for me the Browns’ (27-0) Title game win vs the favored Baltimore Colts. Frank Ryan threw 3 touchdown passes to Gary Collins (once I heard Mr. Accorsi, a genuine historian, talk of the irony that the Browns with the great Jim Brown as a running back scored all their touchdowns via the pass that day.) Jim Brown had a big run to set up the first score. Lou Groza kicked 2 field goals, the defense which included Jim Kanicki, shutout the great John Unitas and the Colts. Blanton Collier was the coach. An upstart, (he supplanted the legendary Paul Brown to take over the team named for Brown) impeccably dressed, Art Modell was the owner. Memories!

The spectacle that is the National Football League was on display in a Wednesday night opener with the Dallas Cowboys, who failed when it really mattered in the last game of last season, won vs the defending champion New York/New Jersey Giants. Last season, the Giants won when it mattered and won the title despite a (9-7) record.

I have mixed feelings about the Mara family (co-owners of the Giants) but certainly the late Wellington Mara deserves credit along with George Halas (owner of Chicago Bears) and I believe Dan Reeves (owner of the Los Angeles Rams) for sharing the awesome television revenue throughout the league which created the marriage of television and football. Another time, there will be talk of not  a “mistress” but an equal even a more important third entity in the “marriage;” and that is gambling.

Many things go through my mind including an excitement that football season has arrived. This has been the case for me and millions of others for a long time. I can separate myself from that excitement, to a degree. I know the NFL is a big, big business with at best, a history that has coincided with greed. I can address the current situation with the officials or the fact that players like John Unitas and Jim Otto had trouble even walking due to their years in football. Their pensions and “thanks” for the years of toil more resembled Otto’s “double zero” than any significant financial compensation. Hopefully the millions who will mainly “tune in” but also attend, drink, eat, root, and wager all in fierce connection with football will have some perspective. It is a perspective that I am still learning and to which as Mildred Dunnock said in both the movie and stage version of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” “attention must be paid.”