It's World Series Time

  The World Series has begun. With two teams no one expected to be in the Fall Classic. 

Those two teams are the bottom Wild Card teams, the last ones to make the playoffs. Whether that is a systemic failure, Major League Baseball is going to have to examine. The top teams in each league—Baltimore in the American and Atlanta in the National—should have been prohibitive favorites to be playing now. 

For that matter, fans in Houston and Philadelphia were confident their teams would be the ones playing for the trophy. After all, they met in last year’s Series and were ahead in their respective playoffs with the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks. 

But this is why they play the games, some sage once opined. Because the survivors stormed back to punch their tickets to the big event by winning on the road. 

Before we totally bash the playoffs as a failure and conclude that this edition of baseball’s ultimate prize is unworthy of our attention, recognize this—these are two legitimately good teams that deserve to be here.

Yes, I know that the Rangers won 90 games and Arizona only 86. Not outstanding won-lost totals for the regular season. 

What must be recognized is that both teams spent considerable time leading their divisions. On July 1, both teams were sitting pretty. While they were n’t by any means considered to be the favorites to win a trip to the World Series, at least they were in the conversation. 

Yet the pundits had fancier notions of the Atlanta Braves or Los Angeles Dodgers winning the National League—they were the sexy teams in that league. Young Baltimore was a fun team to watch as it battled Tampa Bay, while the New York Yankees plummeted once Aaron Judge found that concrete strip below the bullpen door at Dodger Stadium. And of course, Houston was the defending champ and would eventually re-acquire future Hall of Fame pitcher Justin Verlander to bolster its starting staff. 

I saw the D-Backs in person this season. They handled the future NL Central-winning Milwaukee Brewers on a bright, sunny and warm Wisconsin afternoon, showing strong pitching and timely hitting. I thought they were a playoff team back then. 

Except that the team didn’t move forward much after the All-Star break, suffering a disastrous losing period which almost left them for dead in the NL West let alone in the playoff chase. Somehow, after a series in Chicago where they all but killed the Cubs’ chances to make the playoffs, the D-Backs arose from their slumber to make it to the Big Dance. 

Arizona has some really good young players along with a veteran or two. Remember this kid—Corbin Carroll. The 21 year old Seattle native can flat out play the game. He is almost certain to be named NL Rookie of the Year—a deserved honor. Pitcher and South Jersey native Zac Gallen, who has had some rough outings in the playoffs but was a force in the regular season including in that game I saw in Milwaukee, is definitely in the conversation for the NL Cy Young Award as the Senior Circuit’s top pitcher (I love his homage to fellow North Carolina Tar Heel Michael Jordan by wearing number 23). 

Go up and down the lineup and there are few holes. Defensively, the D-Backs (along with the Rangers) were tops in defense, although it was pointed out that the outfield arms are a little suspect. 

This is a good team which can manufacture runs playing small ball or produce with a big fly when needed. Check with the Brewers and Dodgers, who were swept by Arizona; and don’t bother asking the downcast Phillies after losing Game 7 at home. All would agree that the D-Backs belonged in the World Series.

Conversely, the Texas Rangers were big spenders to develop their lineup. The Rangers signed free agent Corey Seager to man shortstop; Seager was Dodgers mainstay and a champion while in LA. He won’t win AL M.V.P. because of Shohei Ohtani’s brilliance, but an argument clearly could be made how much more important he was to a team which made the playoffs and is now in the World Series. 

This is a team which spent big bucks to acquire pitching. Lest we forget Jason deGrom, the former Mets ace, was supposed to lead this team until he required surgery. Nonetheless, free agent Nathan Eovaldi came back from his in-season injury to lead the staff along with reclamation project Andrew Healey, who had cratered with the Yankees. Plus, to show how earnestly the Rangers management thought their chances were, the team acquired future Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer from the Mets to become even more formidable. 

Texas spent much of the season in first place in the AL West. Suffering a small swoon and coupled with the torrid play by the Astros, the Rangers lost the first round bye in the final two days of the season. This was a legit squad built for the post-season and it showed in he way the team manhandled its opponents in the first two rounds, and demonstrated amazing resilience by winning out on the road in Houston. 

The Rangers have an emerging star on their team. Adolis Garcia may have hit for a low average during the regular season (.245), but his power numbers were higher (39 HR, 105 R.B.I.). What he has done during the playoffs is carry the Rangers to the World Series. He has driven in the most runs in any playoff series and winning ALCS M.V.P. honors with another-world numbers of 10 for 28 (.357) with 5 home runs and 15 R.B.I. in the seven games against the Astros. He is on pace to smash the all-time playoff R.B.I record held by David Freese of St. Louis in 2011 versus the Rangers, beginning play one behind Freese and tied with teammate Seager who had a monster playoffs while in LA. Garcia plays with intensity and fire—he may strike out a lot, but he will crush an opponent with his bat. 

So it was no surprise that in Game 1 that Seager and Garcia led a comeback that produced a 6-5 Texas win on a walk off home run by Garcia in the 11th inning. This is what the Rangers do—they will eventually bludgeon an opposing team if given the opportunity. 

Don’t sell this World Series short because the top teams in terms of wins in the regular season aren’t playing. FOX announcers Joe Davis and Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz hyped the series at the outset as having the potential to be one of the better ones. All the ingredients are there; it is a shame that much of America isn’t going to care to watch. 

Yeah, I know that there is a whole lot of sports besides baseball right now. That does not include Taylor Swift watching—she made it to Kansas City to watch her beau Travis Kelce and to celebrate the Chiefs win with Patrick Mahomes’ wife and then spend more private time afterwards with Travis. It was classic when CBS posted numbers on Kelce’s performance with and without Swift in the stands. 

Her tour starts up again at the beginning of November. That weekend Kelce and his mates will be in Europe playing the Miami Dolphins. I hope Kelce can remain competitive without her being in the stadium.

As for me—I’ll watch the Jets and Giants for much of Sunday’s game. I could not resist the chance to see the New Jersey Devils host the Minnesota Wild in a 5:00 start on Sunday. And possibly spare me the ignominy of watching the Jets lose to their local rivals. Arizona and Texas will have the day off after playing Game 2 on Saturday night, so there is no conflict for my TV viewing.

I’ll skip college football, the NBA and the rest of the NFL this week. I’m certain all will get my attention in the future. 

I am sure you will understand, It’s World Series time. 

The Eagles Were Grounded

  I haven’t been as euphoric as I was this weekend. For good reason—the Jets and Rutgers were subpar teams, Franklin and Marshall was a decided underdog to #10 Johns Hopkins and the Yankees still weren’t anywhere near the 2023 MLB Playoffs. Plus we had a wedding in nearby Florham Park for my neighbor’s daughter, and it was uncertain if my wife would be able to dance. Not a lot to look forward to. 

With all that, the only downers for the weekend were F&M losing to Hopkins, but not after giving the Blue Jays all they could handle, and the Yankees were still on self-imposed exile while the Phillies, D-backs, Astros and Rangers played on. And, as it turned out, the F&M loss wasn’t the end of the world for the Diplomats chances to make a Centennial Conference-MAC Bowl as possibly the second or third seed, depending on whether the NCAA once again takes both Hopkins and Muhlenberg into the Division III playoffs. It actually took a burst in the fourth quarter for the Jays to overcome the Dips. 

Rutgers awoke from a terrible slumber on Saturday against Homecoming opponent Michigan State. The Spartans were supposed to be easy pickings for the Scarlet Knights. The turmoil in the program extending from the in-season firing of Coach Mel Tucker and the resulting lawsuits was expected to create chaos.

Except on that rainy Saturday, nobody told the Spartan players or coaches. Michigan State jumped out to a 17-6 lead which they held onto at the end of three quarters. The soggy  fans at SHI Stadium sought warmer and drier places to complain about another Rutgers loss to a team the Knights should have easily handled. 

Except that the Rutgers players awoke and played with a determination not seen in Piscataway versus a Big Ten opponent in a long time, or for that matter, any team of quality. With barely 5,000 survivors in the stands, Rutgers roared back to win 24-17. It wasn’t pretty, but the team stood tall on offense, defense and special teams, allowing the mantra of Head Coach Greg Schiano—“Keep on Chopp’in.” Schiano was described as teary-eyed as he left the field. 

Now the talk focuses on the trip to Indiana this weekend. This is another game RU is presumed to win. A victory here would ensure a 6-6 record making the Knights bowl eligible. 

But as ESPN’s sagacious college football coach turned analyst Lee Corso would say—“Not so fast!” No Big Ten road game is a gimme for Rutgers. I don’t care that the team hung in against #2 Michigan (embroiled in a sign-stealing fiasco under embattled Head Coach Jim Harbaugh) or at Wisconsin. Neither of those games resulted in wins and was a reminder of how far away RU stands from the big boys in the conference.

Sure a win in Bloomington would be a nice marker in the ascension of this program from its troubled past (started by Schiano when he unceremoniously bolted for the money in the NFL in Tampa). Left on the schedule after Indiana is a home game versus #3 Ohio State, then trips to Iowa and another ranked school in Penn State before ending the regular schedule with Maryland at home. 

I don’t see too many wins left for the Knights. It kind of looks like this Saturday is the defining moment for the 2023 team. Keep those thoughts of prime time going against the Buckeyes with a 6-2 record, or that a bowl game at Yankee Stadium hidden. Remember, this is Rutgers, and nothing is easy for the football team.

So, Saturday night turned out to be a very nice wedding and party. Copious amounts of food were ingested and my wife put aside her leg issues to very happily hit the dance floor with me. 

That blissful feeling carried over to Sunday. I lacked a little bit of sleep from getting in late. Fan X and I were headed to the Meadowlands in the early afternoon. The 2-3 New York Jets were hosting the 6-0 Philadelphia Eagles, a team with realistic Super Bowl aspirations. 

The parking lot was flooded in green. Much of it was from Eagles fans who had ventured to East Rutherford in anticipation of win number 7 over the offensively-challenged Jets. While it was an alive location where we parked (including the best corn hole players I have ever witnessed), the vibe from the New York faithful was that maybe the Jets could hang with the Eagles for a while before succumbing (I don’t think too many in the crowd might have known what that word meant).

A dire weather forecast of rain all weekend was wrong—only a mist for a second or two marred the sun-splashed start to the game. The crowd was raucous, yet there were almost no noticeable fights, which was remarkable given the notoriety of Eagles fans to resort to violence in the home stands. 

Many went into Met Life Stadium expecting a Philly onslaught. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was having a M.V.P. caliber season, while NYJ signal caller Zach Wilson had shown some signs of improvement in a loss to Kansas City and then in road win over a weak Denver team. 

As the first half progressed, it looked like the prognosticators were right—Philly was going to roll over the Jets. Still, the halftime score was 14-9 in favor of the Eagles and the Birds would get the ball to start the second half. Somehow, the Jets managed to control the Eagles offense and scored a field goal to head into the fourth quarter trailing only by 2. 

The New York defense continued to frustrate the Eagles offense. While Hurts threw for 280 yards and ran for 47 more and wide receiver A.J. Brown looked unstoppable, that Jets “D” contributed mightily to thwart the Philadelphians. 

Part of the problem for Philadelphia was that Hurts threw three interceptions and running back D’Andre Swift (no relation to Taylor) fumbled once. As proficient as the offense looked in the first half, the Eagles could not penetrate the end zone and missed a 34 yard field goal attempt. 

This game was for the Jets to win. Hurts tossed a fatal interception late in the game and it was returned by Tony Adams to the three yard line. After penalty against the Jets, Philadelphia let NYJ RB Breece Hall score the go-ahead TD, hoping to get the ball back and drive for the win. 

Philadelphia failed on its final drive, and the crowd went wild—Jets fans being noisily celebratory while the moans of the Eagles faithful were loud and funereal. There were no more unbeaten teams in the NFL, as defense-oriented Cleveland survived a missed field goal attempt by San Francisco to beat the formerly 6-0 Niners. 

The win ended Philadelphia’s 12-0 record against the Jets. New York is now on a two game winning streak while the Eagles regroup for a showdown at the Linc with the potent offense of the Miami Dolphins in prime time on Sunday night. 

Don’t worry too much, Eagles fans. This was a trap game loss on the road and Hurts had his first off game of the season. Conversely, the Jets offense was anemic and it was a heroic effort from the defense, playing without the two gifted starting corner backs. 

Perhaps the greatest thing that Jets could have savored besides the win was the fact that Aaron Rodgers was throwing on the sidelines and hopes to be back by Week 17. The way the defense is performing, playoff hopes are not dimmed quite yet for Jets fans. 

The stunned crowd exited the stadium. Jets fans were ecstatic. 

What summed up the frustration of the Philly fans who had a long and not so pleasant two hour plus drive back home was that of a woman on the stairs exiting Met Life. She bumped me hard (I had on a Jets vest and hat, so I was easily identifiable as the enemy), trying to knock me forward, then glared at me when I didn’t fall. She had on a wedding ring and a diamond. Some guy is really lucky. 

A quick shot out to the Las Vegas Aces in coming back from nine down on the road to win Game 4 and take back-to-back WNBA titles. It was more impressive with three Aces stars sitting on the bench. Coach Becky Hammon is a scary looking woman, in the mold of her mentor, San Antonio head man Greg Popovich. She could win a title anywhere—college, WNBA or NBA. She’s that good.  

It was a fun weekend for me. I soared. The Eagles were grounded. 

Responding To Criticism

  I want to answer a critic. That individual likes to press my buttons on a range of sports.  But I am not that thin-skinned to not weather criticism. I actually welcome opposing or different opinions, as my take on sports-related issues may not be close to popular, let alone mainstream. 

His belief is that I don’t offer enough coverage to college sports and gymnastics, and way too much time is devoted to baseball and pro football—especially the Yankees and Jets. He is not wrong. 

I talk about my favorite sports because it is what I am most passionate and opinionated. Still, I sometimes don’t offer enough insight about a topic as I try to fit more news and discourse within my allotted a little over two plus pages of typed material. 

The latest blast from him regarded the paucity of my coverage of Simone Biles at the recent World Championships. He felt that I did not recognize what she has accomplished and how, comparatively, she ranks in her own sport let alone among other top performers in more mainstream sports. 

First, the fact that this blessed athlete has overcome some nasty mental issues which would paralyze a gymnast—whether it is a world class one like she is, or the myriad of youth gymnasts I watched regularly when my daughter competed in New Jersey—is absolutely amazing. And to return to elite status and look even better than when she left the world stage is even more remarkable. 

Her ability to weather the most difficult expectations and repeatedly turn in some incredible performances is astounding. The fact that she is the most decorated female gymnast in the sport is testimony to her fortitude and abilities. 

Biles reminds me of the top tier tennis players and boxers. Like the fighters, Biles is out there, alone, facing individual failure in a sport which is judged harshly by those who score the events. Yet seemingly she thrives on being in the spotlight. 

At a time when Mary Lou Retton, one of the more decorated American female gymnasts of our era struggles with her life while in an ICU battling pneumonia, it is certainly a time to reflect on how much the sport has improved from the days of Olga Korbut and Retton to the superiority of Simone Biles. With no better ambassador than Simone Biles.

The recognition of her accomplishments is not unnoticed. Sure, there is the mania over Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce and the romance which is budding (she came to Kansas With for the Broncos-Chiefs game on Thursday night and the duet spent private time together afterwards). That pales (to some) in comparison to what Biles has done.

There is only one Simone Biles and she is the best. Period. I won’t get into his arguments about male gymnasts. 

I saw a note this week. With the start of the National Hockey League season, the Pittsburgh Penguins trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letting achieved the most number of years any three have been together on a team. The three have been playing together for 18 seasons, surpassing the 17 seasons the Yankees tiro of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera were together. That is quite an accomplishment and the winning that they have done has made it clear that each one will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

I did check in on Opening Night in Pittsburgh where number one overall draft choice Connor Bedard faced off against his idol Crosby. Crosby may have won the opening puck drop, but Bedard showed his quickness and skill in leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-2 win. The next night Bedard scored his first goal in Boston in a loss to the Bruins. The kid is good. But does he ever look young. 

Staying with hockey. The New Jersey Devils picked up a win and an overtime loss in their first two games. The expectations are high for this team. 

The team leader is Jack Hughes. He has two goals and three assists thus far—tops in scoring in the league. I know that there are a lot of very important players on the Devils; how Hughes goes will determine how the Devils fare. He is worth watching.

Baseball has reached the League Championships. Without a top team alive in the bracket. 

This is not to demean the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks. Each knocked off a division winner to get to where they are. 

Only Arizona is a real surprise— and when I saw the in Milwaukee in June, the team looked like a legitimate contender. A post-All-Star break swoon which had the team lose 25 games while winning only 6 had the team fall out of contention for the Wild Card. 

Led by probable NL Cy Young Award winner Zac Gallen and likely NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll, Arizona was resilient in the last part of the season, securing the final Wild Card spot, where the team took care of the Brewers and the Dodgers in sweeping each series. 

Arizona faces a Philadelphia team which may be better than last year’s group which made the World Series. I am picking the Phillies here, but don’t count out the D-backs quite yet. 

In the American League, two teams 250 miles apart which play in retractable roof stadiums and hate each other, get to lock horns. Texas led the AL West for most of the season, dropping the last game to Seattle to tumble from first to a Wild Card, while elevating Houston to a bye. 

It didn’t hurt the Rangers, which easily handled the top-seeded Baltimore Orioles to make it to the ALCS., after having dispatched Tampa Bay in the first round. No losses in either round. I like the team’s chances.

They face a formidable Astros team that has made the ALCS for the seventh straight year. Having re-acquired Justin Verlander, the suspect Houston pitching has gotten better. The hitting has never been a problem. 

Both series will be good watching for the baseball fan. And it is fans and players who have complained that the format in place for its second year has failed. 

Teams winning with over 100 victories—Baltimore, Atlanta and Los Angeles—all did not advance. It has happened twice to a very good Braves team. All receive bye and had to wait 5 days before beginning post-season play. Each looked like they had lost their rhythm, except for the Astros, a non-100 game winner, but nonetheless a veteran team which knew how to navigate the bye week. 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says it is too early to make a judgement about how the playoffs have worked. Fans are ecstatic in Phoenix, Arlington, Philadelphia and Houston. Not so in Atlanta, LA, Baltimore and Minnesota, the latter did play in the opening round but fell to Houston. 

I know what the obvious solution is—add another Wild Card team and reward the top teams with perhaps all home games. Baseball would love it—the coffers would be that much more enriched. The clamor will grow for changes. We shall see. 

College football has some dandy matchups on Saturday with USC and Notre Dame colliding while big time offenses for Oregon and Washington will meet. Oh, and once vaunted Colorado blew a 29 point halftime lead to Stanford at home. 

There is much more to discuss. I am seeing the Eagles and Jets on Sunday. Will Zach Wilson get better than he was versus moribund Denver? And we had to watch the Broncos twice within one week—oy! I don’t even have time to write about how good the 49’ers are.

This is what happens when you respond to criticism.