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Bar Chat

10/10/2019

Astros Helping Yanks Bigly

[Posted early Wed. a.m.]

2005 Texas Longhorns Quiz: The 2005 edition won the BCS title behind quarterback Vince Young in dramatic fashion in the Rose Bowl against then-No. 1 USC, 41-38.  Name Texas’ top running back (behind Young himself), and name the team’s top receiver that season.  Both played in the NFL.  Answers below.

MLB Playoffs

Yankees-Twins

The streak is now 16...16 straight playoff losses for Minnesota, 13 of them to the Yankees who completed another ALDS sweep, 5-1, on Monday at Target Field.

Luis Severino looked solid, four scoreless innings, as he has proved he’ll be one of the arms in the next series, while the great Yankee bullpen allowed just one run in five.  22-year-old budding superstar Gleyber Torres had another big game, 3 hits and a home run.

Minnesota was 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, 3-for-28 for the series. 

I also have to note the performance of Didi Gregorious.  The Yankee shortstop had six RBIs in the three games, but is now 23 for 50 with 7 homers and a staggering 33 RBI in his last 14 games against the Twinkies.

Joel Sherman / New York Post

“The junior varsity portion of these playoffs ends now for the Yankees. This was supposed to be the year the Twins were better than that, what with their 300-plus homers and 100-plus wins.

“They were going to put up resistance, perhaps even a few wins.

“But on Elimination Monday – when four teams had a chance to advance to a championship series – only the Yankees moved forward.  The Minnesota Twins are the descendants of the Washington Senators.  When facing the Yankees, specifically in October, they are the Washington Generals.”

But as Sherman also pointed out, even as the Yankees swept, starters Severino, James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka, while pitching to a 2.63 ERA, recorded just 41 of the 81 outs, manager Aaron Boone relying heavily on his talented pen to do the rest.  It’s a bit of a crapshoot as to whether this strategy can generate eight more wins and the team’s first World Series title since 2009.

Dodgers-Nationals

Los Angeles could have wrapped it up Monday night in Washington and didn’t, falling 6-1 to Max Scherzer and the Nationals to even things up at 2-2. 

Scherzer was superb, willing himself, and the team, through seven innings of one-run ball, while all-time Nat Ryan Zimmerman, whose career has been riddled with endless stints on the injured list, crashed a dramatic three-run homer in the fifth to break the game open.

So after the Dodgers won a franchise-record 106 games, now it’s a Game 5, Walker Buehler vs. Stephen Strasburg.  As the L.A. Times’ Dylan Hernandez wrote, “The greatest regular-season team in Dodgers history is 27 outs from becoming the latest source of anguish for a city that has waited 31 years for its next World Series championship....

“The stakes are considerable. With a victory, the Dodgers will advance to their fourth consecutive NL Championship Series.  A defeat will brand them chokers by fans who are reluctant to give them a pass since they agreed to a disastrous television contract that has blacked out their regular-season games from the majority of the market.

“ ‘Win or go home,’ manager Dave Roberts said. 

“This wasn’t supposed to be the scenario at this stage of the postseason.  In the World Series, maybe.  But not in the first round, not against a wild-card team with an amateur bullpen.”

For the record, the Dodgers were 59-22 at Dodger Stadium, which was the best home record in the league.  [Houston was best in MLB at 60-21.]

Back to Scherzer, there’s nothing better than watching the greats come through, and there was Mad Max, with an un-Max-like 4.74 ERA down the stretch after his return from shoulder and back ailments, yet when it mattered most, including in his relief appearance in Game 2, he came up big.  As reported after, he was also “spent” after Monday night’s stirring performance.

But no one will be surprised to see him in the pen later today.

Braves-Cardinals

It’s 2-2 heading back to Atlanta, St. Louis pulling out game 4, 5-4 in ten innings, having tied the game in the bottom of the eighth.

Astros-Rays

A funny thing happened on the way to Astros-Yankees.  Tampa Bay decided to put the affair on hold for a day with a 10-3 pasting of Houston in Game 3 of their ALDS series.  Zack Greinke, the third member of the Big Three for the ‘Stros, was shelled...six runs in 3 2/3.

So Houston went with Justin Verlander on three days’ rest Tuesday in Game 4, the first time he had been asked to do so in his career after a full-length start, and it backfired, as he allowed four runs on seven hits, three walks, in just 3 2/3, the Astros falling 4-1 to set up a Game 5 in Houston on Thursday.  Tampa Bay went with an opener, five relievers following, to hold the Astros to just six hits.

The Yankees are sitting back watching all this with glee as, assuming the Astros still take it tomorrow, they will have used Verlander and then Gerrit Cole, when had Houston completed the sweep in Game 3 with Zack Greinke, it would have been Verlander and Cole opening up the Yankees series.  Now it will be Greinke.

But Houston has to take care of business first!

--We note the passing of longtime Orioles catcher Andy Etchebarren, a key member of two World Series-winning teams (1966, 1970), who died at the age of 76.

Etchebarren played his first 12 of 15 seasons in Baltimore, making the All-Star team in 1966 and ’67.  He was the catcher for the final out of the Orioles’ victory over the Dodgers in 1966, famously joining pitcher Dave McNally and third baseman Brooks Robinson in an epic celebration after a surprising sweep of Los Angeles.

“He was a terrific teammate and a good friend of mine,” said Robinson, who last spoke with Etchebarren about a month ago.  “He loved the game, and he loved being an Oriole.”

But as noted in the Baltimore Sun:

“One of Etchebarren’s biggest contributions (in 1966) came off the field. At an August team party thrown by a booster in Towson, things got rowdy and players began pushing one another into a pool.  As his turn neared, Frank Robinson chose to jump.  No one knew he couldn’t swim. 

“ ‘I saw Frank at the bottom in the deep end, waving his arms,’ Etchebarren, who had been sitting poolside, said in a 2006 article in The Sun.  ‘I thought he was messing around, but I dived in and went down to get him.’

“When he reached Robinson, the catcher said, ‘he put such a strong grip on me I had to break free, come up for air and go back down again to get him.’

“Etchebarren dragged the slugger, gasping, from the water.

“Robinson recovered quickly; he hit two home runs the next game and won the American League and World Series Most Valuable Player awards.” [Ed. and the Triple Crown]

Etchebarren was known for his defensive abilities, compiling a .235 career batting average with 49 home runs and 309 RBIs.  1966 was his best when he hit 11 homers and drove in 50.

NFL

--Two big high-profile quarterbacks had their comeuppance Sunday and Monday nights.

Sunday night, the Colts (3-2) surprised the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, 19-13, handing Kansas City its first loss, now 4-1.

While Patrick Mahomes threw for 321 yards and a touchdown, he was left limping as the Chiefs’ offense struggled uncharacteristically against the rugged Indy ‘D’.

The Colts also masterfully controlled the clock with the running game, Marion Mack with 132 yards on 29 carries, while quarterback Jacoby Brissett did just enough to win.  Future Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri also shook off his early-season struggles to boot four field goals.

Then Monday night, San Francisco remained unbeaten, 4-0, as the 49ers blasted the visiting Browns (2-3) 31-3, Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield with an absolutely miserable evening, 8/22, 100, 0-2, with a passer rating of, get this, 13.4.  He was sacked four times and fumbled twice (losing one).  In a nutshell, he was godawful.

San Francisco outgained Cleveland 446-180 (275 on the ground), committing zero turnovers to the Browns’ four.  The tone of this one was set early when 49er running back Matt Breida went 83 yards on the first play from scrimmage.

--It was hardly a surprise that Washington Redskins Coach Jay Gruden was fired after a miserable 0-5 start, following Sunday’s 33-7 loss to the Patriots.

Gruden was the longest-tenured head coach in the two decades that Daniel Snyder has owned the franchise, but he was 35-49-1 in a little more than five seasons as the team made the playoffs just once, including back-to-back 7-9 seasons the last two years.

But to be fair to Gruden, his teams were always damaged by costly injuries, none more devastating than quarterback Alex Smith’s likely career-ending broken leg in November 2018.  At the time the Redskins were 6-3 and seemed headed to the playoffs.

Two games after Smith went down, backup quarterback Colt McCoy broke his leg as well.

His best playmaker on offense, tight end Jordan Reed, has missed large parts of several seasons with a variety of injuries including seven concussions, the last of which has kept him out all of this year.

And running back Derrius Guice, drafted in 2017 to be a key piece of the offense, tore his ACL in his first preseason game a year ago and injured his meniscus in this year’s season opener.

The Redskins finished the last two seasons with 23 players on injured reserve and already have 10 on this year’s list. [Les Carpenter / Washington Post]

Bill Callahan was named interim coach.

--The Jets signed Le’Veon Bell to a four-year, $52.5 million deal, realistically hoping for just two big years, and yet here we are, the Jets 0-4, Bell averaging 2.9 yards per carry, though in no way is it his fault.  He’s played hard, but as one writer put it, it’s tough when Bell “has spent the majority of this year playing behind an offensive line made of silk and a quarterback (third-string Luke Falk) who began the season on the practice squad.”

The Jets have just two offensive touchdowns, and are last in offense in the NFL at just 179.5 yards per game.

Dallas comes in to MetLife Stadium Sunday afternoon and most folks expect the crowd to be at least half Cowboys fans.

Sam Darnold has been medically cleared to return after his bout with Mono and will start.  I wish the Jets would keep him out one more week.  I don’t have a good feeling about this.

--The Giants are likely going to be without star running back Saquon Barkley this Thursday night in New England, as well as without both fellow RB Wayne Gallman and receiver Sterling Shepard, both out with concussions, Shepard’s second in five weeks, which is scary.

Barkley continues to deal with his high-ankle sprain and it’s better for the Giants to just hold him out.

--Pittsburgh travels to Los Angeles to face the Chargers and with quarterback Mason Rudolph in concussion protocol, it seems unlikely he’ll be cleared to fly cross-country for this one.

--Huge game at 1:00 p.m. Sunday...Washington at Miami, or as we like to say, destination television.  Or maybe not.

College Football

As noted before, the two biggies this week are 6 Oklahoma and 11 Texas in their Red River showdown, the Sooners having to win this one to have a shot at the CFP, while Texas could work itself into the conversation with a triumph of its own.

And then we have 7 Florida at 5 LSU.  The Gators knocked out Auburn last week, and can do the same by taking out LSU.  LSU, on the other hand, can stamp itself as being in the conversation for the remainder of the season.

If 10 Penn State wants to remain in contention for a final four berth, they must win at 17 Iowa, and convincingly.

9 Notre Dame needs to dismantle USC at home.

And little ol’ Wake Forest is putting its 5-0 record on the line at home against Louisville.  Strangely, the Deacs are 0-6 following bye weeks under coach Dave Clawson.  Yikes.  I’m going to be fretting all Saturday night.  [7:30 p.m. start time]

NBA vs. China

Last Friday, Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted out the following:

“Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

It seemed pretty innocuous at the time and there was no talk in the U.S. over the weekend about the ramifications, but things were bubbling over on the mainland and Chinese fans lashed out at the GM, demanding he be fired.  Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta tried to distance himself from the tweet, saying his organization was “NOT political.”

But the Chinese Basketball Association, fronted by former Rocket all-star Yao Ming, Chinese media company Tencent and multiple Chinese sponsors, all quickly moved to sever ties with the team.

Morey – who reportedly has friends in Hong Kong – waded into the politically charged protests taking place in the city and the NBA suddenly found itself in a full-blown international crisis.

China is the NBA’s biggest international market and its games are viewed by more people in the country than in the U.S.

Sunday evening, the NBA released an official statement, acknowledging the political fallout but electing not to punish Morey.

“We recognize that the views expressed by [Morey] have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable. While Daryl has made it clear that this tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them. We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.”

Morey issued a statement, explaining that he was “voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event” and adding that “offending or misunderstanding was not my intention.”

But nothing from the NBA or Morey on support for the Hong Kong protesters.

The Brooklyn Nets, looking to further their image, traveled to China and saw their first event in Shanghai, part of a NBA Cares program, cancelled by the Chinese government in the wake of the controversy.

The Education Bureau shut down the event – a dedication ceremony for the new NBA Cares Learn and Play Center – with no explanation given to the media.

The Nets are to face the Lakers on Thursday in Shanghai and in Shenzhen two days later.

Nets owner Joe Tsai, executive chairman at Alibaba and a tool of the Chinese government, penned an open letter on Facebook, referring to the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong as a “separatist movement,” an echo of language from Beijing.

Tsai criticized Morey, calling his Twitter post “damaging to the relationship with our fans in China.”

He also laid out an historical perspective to explain why hundreds of millions of fans were upset with Morey, noting that all Chinese citizens stand united when it came to territorial integrity given their strong sense of shame and anger from their country’s history of foreign occupation. The Chinese psyche held ‘heavy baggage’ when it came to any threat, domestic or foreign, to carve up Chinese territory, he said.

Tsai said freedom of expression is an inherent American value and the NBA has been very progressive in allowing players and other constituents a platform to speak out on issues.

But he said there are certain topics that are ‘third-rail issues’ in certain countries, societies and communities.

“Supporting a separatist movement in a Chinese territory is one of those third-rail issues, not only for the Chinese government, but also for all citizens in China,” he said.

“The one thing that is terribly misunderstood, and often ignored, by the western press and those critical of China is that 1.4 billion Chinese citizens stand united when it comes to the territorial integrity of China and the country’s sovereignty over her homeland.  This issue is no-negotiable....

“A student of history will understand that the Chinese psyche has heavy baggage when it comes to any threat, foreign or domestic, to carve up Chinese territories. When the topic of any separatist movement comes up, Chinese people feel a strong sense of shame and anger because of this history of foreign occupation,” he said.

As a team owner, Tsai has emphasized helping the NBA make inroads in China.  He came to the United States as a youth and attended the prestigious Lawrenceville School here in New Jersey, before attending Yale, where he also earned a law degree.

He eventually moved back to China to work with Jack Ma in Alibaba’s formative years, helping bring investors such as SoftBank and Goldman Sachs into the fold.  Technically, he holds the title of executive vice chairman, but is effectively CEO with the retirement of Ma.

Liz Granderson / Los Angeles Times

“This week marks the 50th anniversary of Curt Flood’s decision not to accept a trade from St. Louis to Philadelphia and instead challenge baseball’s ‘reserve clause’ in court.

“Prior to Flood’s move, players were bound to a single team with the only recourse being his original team releases him or he retires.  Simply put, Flood is the godfather of free agency and while his courage led to significant changes for professional athletes, Flood essentially lost his career in the process.  Such is the way for the athlete who dares to bite the hand that rations.

“Whether it’s Flood, Muhammad Ali or Colin Kaepernick, the library is full of biographies of those whose journey to the right side of history begins on the wrong side of the present.

“And so it seems apropos that the week in which we are acknowledging the heroism of Flood, who was born in Houston, we are reminded of just how difficult it is to stand up for what is right courtesy of a team from Houston.

“Seven words in a tweet – ‘Fight for Freedom.  Stand with Hong Kong.’ – that’s all it took for Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, to derail what was supposed to be a smooth Asian swing during the NBA’s preseason.

“Now instead of debating whether or not James Harden’s latest move is a travel, the league is debating whether or not to sacrifice one of its top executives to appease the Chinese government.

“A conversation that’s riddled with irony considering when President Bill Clinton advocated for China to enter the World Trade Organization, the prevailing thought was that trading with China would expose the Communist nation to democracy and encourage freedom.  Twenty years later it is clear trading with China also has exported censorship in exchange for doing business with the most populous country in the world.

“So while the NBA is often positioned as the most forward thinking of the pro leagues, it is clearly as money hungry as the much-maligned NFL.  And this isn’t just because of how it back pedaled away from Morey’s tweet, but also the fact it appeared comfortable with the relationship to begin with....

“Morey may not have fully understood the depth of the backlash, but he also knew it would not fall on deaf ears.  Still, he took a chance as a citizen of the most powerful democracy in the world to tweet seven words in support of democracy.  He may be excommunicated for it....

“LeBron James, who is set to play preseason games in Shanghai, has positioned himself as a social justice warrior.  He is going to be asked about the controversy.  He is going to offer an answer that is going to be unsatisfactory to someone, to some entity, to some country.  This is the part of his story in which the backlash can be far more damaging than unflattering remarks on TV or burned jerseys.  This is the part of the story in which ‘no comment’ says more than any comment ever could.

“Fifty years ago Flood made a decision that took almost everything from him, all for the greater good.  Such is the path for the athlete – or sports executive – who wants to be viewed as more than that.”

Jason Gay / Wall Street Journal

“It’s hard to think of an organization that’s enjoyed a run of attention as unabashedly positive as what the NBA has enjoyed over the past half-decade or so. This is the enlightened league that ‘gets it’; that allows its players and coaches to speak freely on matters both sporting and political; that is currently amid a ‘player empowerment’ era in which it’s the talent on the court, not the chair-bound executives, who are largely determining the future of the game.

“Here’s the thing about all that positivity: it’s pretty much deserved.  The NBA has shown it’s possible to run a large-scale professional operation – and grow a fan base – by putting trust in athletes, as opposed to policing them with draconian policies.  The NFL remains the country’s most popular sport, but, like a rowdy, rich uncle at Thanksgiving, the NFL is forever stepping in it on political/social issues.  The NBA, meanwhile, is seen as the sophisticated eldest child, with an empathetic commissioner in Adam Silver, and worldly superstars like LeBron James and Steph Curry.

“They’re the model.  It has to drive the other leagues nuts.

“So I’d be willing to bet there’s a bit of schadenfreude in rival league offices this week, as now it’s the NBA which has stepped in it – and stepped in it on a global scale....

“The NBA is not the first U.S. company to run afoul of China’s political sensitivities while attempting to grow its business there, of course.  Hong Kong, where street protests have raged for weeks amid a government crackdown, remains a volatile flashpoint.

“But the NBA is not supposed to be your average business.  Again: it’s supposed to be the league that gets it, that isn’t timid under pressure.  What Morey posted – no matter the reaction – is not out of sync with the league’s values.  Defending the Hong Kong protesters?  Come on.  It’s the definition of free speech....

“Morey himself has offered a subsequent comment in which he said he did not mean to cause offense, and that he has since ‘had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.’  Rockets superstar James Harden, thrust forward as an accidental diplomat, offered this on Monday: ‘We apologize.  We love China.’

“Oof.

“Meanwhile, Silver – who made his reputation with a swift expulsion of Donald Sterling after a racist recording of the former Clippers owner surfaced – gave an interview Monday in which he defended Morey’s right of expression (‘These are the values that have been part of this league from its earliest days’) but acknowledged ‘dramatic consequences from that tweet.’

“ ‘It will take some time to heal some of those issues,’ Silver said.

“The league is trying to thread a needle here, protecting its business interests while attempting to stay true to its self-touted principles. That has not gone well, because it seldom does – such ambitions aren’t always aligned, to say the least.  China does not appear impressed, and back home, the NBA is getting clobbered for what looks a lot like fealty.”

Golf Balls

--Kevin Na won the playoff at The Shriners Open in Las Vegas Sunday night over Patrick Cantlay, Na’s fourth career PGA Tour title, second at the Shriners.  He’s carving out a nice career.

--On the European Tour, Jon Rahm successfully defended his Spanish Open championship by five strokes over Rafa Cabrera-Bello.  Significantly, it was Rahm’s fifth European Tour victory in only his 39th start and he’s moved past Open champion Shane Lowry at the top of the Race to Dubai rankings.

It took Seve Ballesteros, whose 50 wins on his home circuit remains a record, 49 attempts to reach win No. 5.

Worldwide, Rahm has 15 top-15s in 23 events this year.

Stuff

--Men’s Division I Soccer Ranking / Coaches Poll (Oct. 7)

1. Virginia (25)
2. Washington
3. SMU (1)
4. Indiana (1)
5. Charlotte
6. Wake Forest...bad loss at Boston College last weekend
7. Stanford
8. Saint Mary’s
9. UCF
10. St. John’s

--We note the passing of comedian Rip Taylor, 84.  King earned the moniker the King of Confetti, as well as the Crying Comedian, later appearing in movies including “Wayne’s World 2” and the “Jackass” releases.

Taylor’s signature moves were by accident.

The Confetti King moniker grew out of a gig when he was “dying like hell” on Merv Griffin’s show.  Exasperated at his own jokes, he tore up his 5-by-8 cards, “threw them up in the air and it became confetti,” he told the blog Classic Television Showbiz, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“I knocked over his desk, walked up the aisle, went to Sardi’s and said, ‘Well, that’s the end of my television career,’ he told Showbiz.  ‘I went home that night.  Their switchboard had lit up. They said, ‘get the guy that went crazy!’  And that is how the confetti started.”

The confetti then became obligatory, with audience members expecting to be doused during a show.

The “crying comedian” act started when he was on the Ed Sullivan show, but “he forgot my name,” Taylor said.  “He couldn’t read the cue card.  And I pulled a hair from my nose, and the tears came down, they pushed me on, and he says, ‘The crying comedian.’...Then it became a tagline.  Everybody said, ‘get me the guy who cries.’”

I remember Rip Taylor most from “The Gong Show.”

--Sadly, five more Thai elephants were found dead at the dangerous waterfall where six others have perished, as it seems they were caught up trying to save a baby elephant that had slipped over the edge of Haew Narok, or “Hell’s Fall.”

Officials, who had initially discovered six bodies, including a 3-year-old calf, found two who had survived.  Now they believe there were 13 elephants in the herd.

Elephants are known to help others in need.

Officials are looking at safety alternatives, such as building walkways over the area, as they try to prevent this tragedy from happening again.

--The Eagles are filling out their 2020 tour, with plans to perform the full “Hotel California” album, at least a full set, accompanied by orchestra and choir, followed by an additional set including their greatest hits.

On the tour will be Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, along with Deacon Frey, son of late founding member Glenn Frey, and country music star Vince Gill (who started his career as a rock musician; the lead singer for Pure Prairie League for a spell).  I love that Gill does stuff like this.   He’s a great American, by god!!!

Top 3 songs for the week 10/7/72:  #1 “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me” (Mac Davis)  #2 “Ben” (Michael Jackson)  #3 “Back Stabbers” (O’Jays)...and...#4 “Everybody Plays The Fool” (The Main Ingredient)  #5 “Go All The Way” (Raspberries)  #6 “Use Me” (Bill Withers)  #7 “Burning Love” (Elvis Presley)  #8 “Black & White” (Three Dog Night)  #9 “My Ding-A-Ling” (Chuck Berry)  #10 “Popcorn” (Hot Butter...absolutely godawful, takes week down to ‘B-’...)

2005 Texas Longhorns Quiz Answer:  Quarterback Vince Young rushed for 1,050 yards and 12 touchdowns as he did it all for Texas that season, but the top running back was Jamaal Charles, a freshman then, who rushed for 878 yards (7.4 avg. per carry) and 11 TDs.  Selvin Young (96-461-8), Henry Melton (87-432-10), and Ramonce Taylor (76-513-12) shared the duties in the backfield, Texas averaging 274.9 yards per game on the ground.

Tight end David Thomas was the top receiver with 50 catches for 613 yards and five touchdowns.  Limas Sweed was the top wide receiver, 36-545-5.

Charles of course went on to an outstanding NFL career, primarily with Kansas City, racking up 7,563 yards and a sterling 5.4 yard per carry average for his career, including a stunning 2010, when he rushed for 1,467 yards and a 6.4 avg.

David Thomas was a bit player for seven seasons in New England and New Orleans, catching 102 passes in his NFL career.

Limas Sweed played briefly with the Steelers.

Henry Melton played some in the NFL as a defensive end.

Selvin Young had a terrific rookie (2007) season with Denver, rushing for 729 yards, but lasted just one more season.

The Longhorns had a big Week 2 win at Columbus, beating then No. 4 Ohio State 25-22.  After that, Texas scored 40+ points in its next 11 games.

1969 Mets, cont’d....

On to the World Series, the first two games in Baltimore against the mighty 109-53 Orioles at Memorial Stadium.

The Orioles actually had a lower staff ERA, 2.83, than the Mets’ 2.99.

Baltimore had a .265 team batting average, 175 home runs, to the Mets’ .242, 109.

With Baltimore starting two lefties in the first two, Mets manager Gil Hodges announced he would go with his right-handed platoon:

Donn Clendenon at first base, Al Weis at second, Ed Charles at third, Ron Swoboda in right.

Game 1: Tom Seaver again struggles in the postseason for the Mets, yielding four runs in five innings, the Mets offense ineffective against Orioles starter Mike Cuellar, who goes all the way for the 4-1 opening win.

Don Buford led off the game with a home run off Seaver for Baltimore, Buford also doubling home a run in the three-run fourth.  Mark Belanger and pitcher Cuellar with RBI singles in the frame.

Brooks Robinson made six outstanding plays in the field for the O’s.

Game 2: If Mets fans were concerned after the first game, Jerry Koosman put us all at ease going 8 2/3, allowing just one run on two hits, taking a no-hitter into the seventh, Ron Taylor nailing it down by inducing Brooks Robinson to groundout to third after, with two outs, Koosman had walked Frank Robinson and Boog Powell to put the tying run on second.

Al Weis had singled in the lead run in the top of the ninth, scoring Ed Charles, after Donn Clendenon homered for the Mets’ first run in the fourth off Dave McNally, who went all the way for the Orioles in defeat.

So it’s on to Shea Stadium for three, the series even at 1-1.

Next Bar Chat, Monday.

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