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10/28/2024

Yankees-Dodgers, Ohtani, Judge et al....

Add-on posted very early Tuesday a.m.., due to an early meeting this morning.

World Series

It’s over....Dodgers up 3-0 after Monday night’s 4-2 win over the Yankees at the Stadium, and the Yanks only two runs came on a virtually meaningless 2-out, 2-run homer in the bottom of the ninth by Alex Verdugo.

The Dodgers took an early 2-0 lead in the first on a Freddie Freeman 2-run homer off Yankee starter Clarke Schmidt and many of us had a sense it was already over.

Walker Buehler pitched five scoreless for the Dodgers and the bullpen did the rest.

If you paid as much as $2,000 for your ticket, today you feel like a chump, and Yankees fans will not be giving Aaron Judge a good reception tonight in what could easily be the finale.

Judge’s legacy is tarnished, bigly, having signed a nine-year, $360 million contract in 2022, terrific regular seasons, historic in nature, but then failing miserably in October. After going 0-for-3 with a walk, he is 6-for-43 in this postseason, a .140 batting average, with 20 strikeouts.

When he’s had a chance to impact the game, he is 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Judge’s career postseason BA is down to .196 in 214 at-bats, a .733 OPS.

Barring a miracle, it is going to be one long offseason for the slugger...and the rest of the team.

NFL

--In the late games, it was all about the Miracle in Landover, the Commanders and rising rookie star quarterback Jayden Daniels pulling off a 52-yard Hail Mary as time expired to Noah Brown.  As Jim Nantz said, the easiest Hail Mary completion ever, the Bears’ defenders tipping the ball backward into the end zone where Brown stood all alone, an easy grab.  Final 18-15.

The No. 1 overall pick in last spring’s draft, Caleb Willliams, was unimpressive, 10/24, 131, 0-0, 59.5, but D’Andre Swift rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown, while Williams did drive Chicago 62 yards for the seeming winning touchdown with just 0:23 left in the game.

But then Daniels, No. 2 overall in the draft, bad rib and all, engineered the finale, a game that will be remembered in Washington sports lore for at least a few decades.  Daniels was solid, 21/38, 326, 1-0, 92.7, plus he rushed for 52 yards.

The Commanders are a shocking 6-2, the Bears 4-3.

--In other late biggies, the Chiefs are 7-0, defeating the Raiders (2-6) in Vegas, Patrick Mahomes with his best game since the opener, 27/38, 262, 2-1, 96.6.  Travis Kelce had 10 catches for 90 yards.

And the 49ers evened their record at 4-4, 30-24 over the Cowboys (3-4), San Francisco outgaining Dallas 469-292.

Dak Prescott threw two picks for the Cowboys, and now has 10 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions, with a passer rating of 84.5, the worst stat line of his career...after he became the highest-paid player in the game, a 4-year, $240 million extension, a record $231 million guaranteed.

--One more from Sunday’s late contests (that I cared about), Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix continues to rapidly improve and take over as the face of the franchise, Nix 28/37, 284, 3-0, 124.2, plus a touchdown on the ground, his best outing yet, Denver, 5-3, now having won 5 of 6, as they defeated the Panthers (1-7) 28-14.

I said Nix would be good.  He’s going to be a fixture in the Mile High City for a long time to come.  Helluva rookie QB class, too, I think you’d agree.

--Last night, the Giants (2-6) lost another prime-time affair, 26-18 to the Steelers (6-2).

Quarterback Daniel Jones is now 1-15 in prime time starts, Jones 24/38, 264, 0-1, 72.7, plus a costly strip-sack fumble, T.J. Watt doing the honors during a late drive.

For Pittsburgh, they were aided mightily by a 73-yard Calvin Austin III punt return for the score that put the Steelers up 16-9 in the third.

The Giants wasted a 145-yard rushing effort by Tyrone Tracy.  Both Jets and Giants fans have had it, and we have nine games to go. Ugh.

--Back to the Jets’ depressing 25-22 loss to the Patriots, which officially put a fork in any postseason dreams, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was clearly shaken after the team’s fifth straight loss, dropping them to 2-6.  “It hurts.  And it’s hard.”

In his message to the team, Ulbrich said: “This is a moment of darkness.  And we understand that the outside world is going to get really loud right now.  And the only thing I know in life is that when it gets dark and it gets hard, that you work and you point the finger at yourself and you look inward and you figure out what can I do better from an individual standpoint.”

Aaron Rodgers, he of the infamous “darkness retreat” in Feb. of 2023, when he made the decision not to retire, but to join the Jets and try to turn their fortunes around, responded to a question about the “overcoming the darkness” message his coach presented.

“Yeah, I’ve been in the darkness,” Rodgers said.  “You’ve got to go in there, make peace with it.”

But the reality is the Jets are in the darkness for two major reasons.  Kicker Greg Zuerlein has been horrendous and cost us three games single-handedly, and Rodgers is easily having the worst season of his career.

The team has a quick turnaround, Thursday night at home against the Texans.

College Football

Conference Standings....

ACC

Clemson 5-0
Miami 4-0
SMU 4-0
Pitt 3-0

Big Ten

Indiana 5-0
Oregon 5-0
Penn State 4-0
Ohio State 3-1

SEC

Texas A&M 5-0
Georgia 4-1
Texas 3-1
Tennessee 3-1
LSU 3-1
Alabama 3-2

Big 12

BYU 5-0
Iowa State 4-0
Kansas State 4-1
Colorado 4-1

Reminder...winners of these four conference championship games are automatically into the CFP 12-team format.  But you gotta get be in the conference title game to be eligible, as they say in the ‘burbs.

Stuff

--The Knicks (1-2) have not had an easy schedule starting out the season and they lost to the Cavaliers (4-0) last night at the Garden, 110-104.  One culprit...Jalen Brunson was 8 for 24 from the field, 0 for 4 from downtown.

--At the Mexico City Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz won it in his Ferrari, beating Landon Norris and Charles Leclerc, the other two on the podium.

Max Verstappen’s winless streak is now 10, Verstappen finishing sixth after he received two 10-second time penalties for his battles with Norris; the second consecutive race weekend these two have been involved in incidents resulting in significant penalties.

With four races to go, Verstappen still has a significant lead over Norris, but Norris picked up ten points on the 3-time champion this weekend.

--NASCAR has two races to go in its season, and yesterday, Tyler Reddick punched his ticket into the final four for the last race with a spectacular last-lap pass to win the playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, beating reigning series champion Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin.

Reddick’s 23XI-Racing team co-owner Michael Jordan was rather psyched after Reddick took the checkered flag.

“Oh, man, he just let go. He just went for it and I’m glad,” Jordan said on pit road.  “We needed it. We needed it.”  [Hamlin is the other co-owner, but he drives for Joe Gibbs Racing.]

“Little kid drove his ass off,” Jordan said of Reddick.  “I’m proud of him.”

So Reddick is in the final four along with Joey Logano.  The remaining two berths for the Championship Race in Phoenix will be decided next Sunday at Martinsville.

Next Bar Chat Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., prior to late NFL games.]

NOTE: If you’ve been reading Bar Chat for years and years and never contributed, help me out.  Click on the gofundme link or send a check to PO Box 990, New Providence, NJ 07974.  It’s over 25 years, boys and girls.  I’m like a North Korean these days, eating my neighbors’ tree bark. 

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

World Series Pitching Quiz: 1) Post-1930, six pitchers have a career WS ERA of below 1.00, minimum 20 innings pitched.  I’ll give you the initials on three of them, C.O., H.B. and J.B. Name all six. 2) Name the only four to win seven World Series games.  All four pitched between 1924-1975.  Answers below.

World Series

--Major League Baseball and Fox Sports, and baseball fans the world over got what they wanted in Game 1 of the dream, Yankees-Dodgers matchup in Los Angeles.

Freddie Freeman hit the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history, with two outs in the bottom of the tenth to give L.A. a 6-3 victory, New York having taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the inning.

“Might be the greatest baseball moment I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve witnessed some great ones,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts marveled.

As all baseball fans know, Freeman has been hobbled by a badly sprained right ankle, but he homered on the first pitch he saw – a 92 mph inside fastball from Nestor Cortes – raising his bat high before beginning his home run trot before the delirious crowd of over 52,000, some of whom paid over $1,000 for their ticket.  Well, they got their monies worth...a Kirk Gibson moment, Gibson’s stunning homer on a bad leg that lifted the Dodgers over the Oakland A’s in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, also at Dodger Stadium – one of the most famous swings in the history of the game...and now add this one.  [Gibson’s Dodgers won the World Series that year.]

Freeman is headed to the Hall of Fame, but if there were any doubts, this cements it.

But prior to Freddie’s big swing, the Yanks had taken the lead in the top of the 10th, Anthony Volpe grounding into a fielder’s choice to shortstop, scoring Jazz Chisholm from third after he stole two bases, New York up 3-2.

In the bottom of the inning, Gavin Lux walked against losing pitcher Jake Cousins with one out and went to second on Tommy Edman’s infield single to second.

That brought up Shohei Ohtani, a left-handed hitter, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to his bullpen again for Cortes, a lefty starter who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 18 because of an elbow injury.

After missing the playoffs, Cortes had been added to the World Series roster Friday.

Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a running catch in foul territory to retire Ohtani on Cortes’ first pitch.  Verdugo’s momentum sent him tumbling over the low retaining wall, advancing both runners one base because by rule it became a dead ball when Verdugo wound up in the stands.

With first base open, New York intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases and set up a lefty-on-lefty matchup of Cortes against Freeman.

“I was on time for the heater,” Freeman said.

Earlier, the Yankees Gerrit Cole, who came into the game with a 2.98 postseason ERA, threw six innings of one-run ball, while the Dodgers Jack Flaherty went 5 1/3, five hits, but one of them was a 2-run bomb from Mr. October, Giancarlo Stanton, that gave the Yanks a 2-1 lead at the time, his sixth homer in 11 postseason games.

But back to the decision to bring in Cortes, Aaron Boone could easily have opted for Tim Hill, another lefty.  Hill had a 2.05 ERA for the Yanks in 35 games and had allowed one earned in 5 2/3 in the playoffs.  Cortes hadn’t pitched in a month.

It was kind of shades of the Mets opting for little-used Kodai Senga to start Game 1 of the NLCS, a move that backfired badly, though the Mets in no way deserved to beat the Dodgers with the number of runs they would go on to give up.

As we headed to Game 2, Carlos Rodon for the Yanks (4.40 ERA in three postseason starts, with 22 strikeouts in 14 1/3), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (three postseason starts, 5.11 ERA in 12 1/3) for L.A., talk was of Aaron Judge, who went 1-for-5 Friday, three strikeouts, and is batting .167 this October, 6-for-36, 14 strikeouts.  He now has a career postseason batting average of .203 in 54 games.

Is he dropped in the order?

No...and Judge went 0-for-4, 3 strikeouts, as the Yanks fell 4-2.  They had the bases loaded, one out in the top of the ninth, a run in on a Stanton single, bringing home Juan Soto, who had homered for the other Yankee run in the 3rd.

But Anthony Volpe struck out against Blake Treinen, who was on the ropes, Alex Vesia replaced Treinen to face Jose Trevino (pinch-hitting for Austin Wells) and got Trevino to fly out to center, game over, Yankees down 2-0, series now heading to New York on Monday.  [Judge striking out after Soto reached base.]

For L.A., they hit three home runs for their four runs off Carlos Rodon...Tommy Edman, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez, the last one a 2-run shot in the third, Rodon exiting in the fourth.

Meanwhile, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was superb, yielding only one hit, the homer by Soto, in 6 1/3.  That’s what they paid $325 million for...games like this.

But in the bottom of the seventh, Shohei Ohtani suffered a partial dislocation of his shoulder while getting caught attempting to steal second base. It looked awful in the moment, but afterwards manager Dave Roberts said he’s “expecting” Ohtani to return during the series, adding he was “encouraged” by what he saw...Ohtani with full motion and strength.

As I go to post, however, Roberts just told ESPN Ohtani will be in the lineup Monday!

But back to Aaron Judge, now batting .150 in the postseason (.199 for his postseason career) he said after, “I’ve got to step up.  I’ve got to do my job. The guys around me are doing their job getting on base and I’m failing them backing them up.”

This is fascinating, and extremely painful for Yankees fans.

--By the way...the ratings for Game 1 were outstanding...15.2 million viewers, the largest Game 1 audience since the 2017 World Series between the Astros and Dodgers and a 62% increase over last year’s Diamondbacks-Rangers opener.  The audience peaked at 17.8 million from 11:30 p.m. ET to the end of the game.

And this doesn’t include the ratings from Japan!

--Prior to the Game 1, the Dodgers and the fans honored Fernando Valenzuela, the iconic lefty who died Tuesday at the age of 63, cause unknown.

After appearing in 10 games as a reliever in 1980 at the age of 19, Valenzuela burst on the scene in 1981, winning the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards (first to ever do so) based on his 13-7, 2.48, eight shoutout campaign, helping lead the Dodgers to the World Series, where they beat the Yankees. [This was a strike season, with a two-month-long players’ strike.]

Valenzuela would go on to post a 141-116, 3.31 mark in 11 seasons in L.A., and finished his MLB career 173-153, 3.54, a six-time All-Star with a 5-1, 1.98 postseason mark.

Nicknamed “El Toro” by the fans, Valenzuela had an unorthodox and memorable pitching motion that included looking skyward at the apex of each windup.  His repertoire included a screwball – making him one of the few pitchers of his era who threw that pitch regularly.

In 1986, he was 21-11, 3.14, finishing second in the Cy Young vote.  He threw a no-hitter in 1990 at Dodger Stadium, an emotional career highlight. “If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!” Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully exclaimed in his game call.

He was also a helluva hitter, for a pitcher, a career batting average of .200 with 10 home runs. 

But, of course, Fernando Valenzuela is so much more than this.  One of L.A.’s most beloved players, his impact on the game was gigantic.

“Fernandomania” swept Los Angeles in the early ‘80s, with the Mexico native’s breakthrough, background and overall aura captivating Southern California and beyond.  Heck, May 8, 1981 at Shea Stadium, I was there, Fernando shutting out the Mets 1-0 before 40,000, who virtually all turned out to see Fernandomania firsthand and he delivered.

He is regarded as the greatest Mexico-born player in MLB history, Commissioner Rob Manfred calling Valenzuela “one of the most impactful players of his generation.”

“He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” Stan Kasten, team president and CEO, said in a statement. “He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and he has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster.  He has left us all too soon.”

Fernando was a longtime color commentator on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcast, a job he left in September without explanation. He was reported to have been hospitalized earlier this month.

Valenzuela’s rise from humble beginnings as the youngest of 12 children in Mexico and his feats on the mound made him hugely popular in Los Angeles’ Latino community while helping attract new fans to MLB.

“63 is way too young...A piece of my childhood is gone,” actor and “Access Hollywood” co-host Mario Lopez posted on X.  “Growing up as a Mexican kid one of the main reasons I’m a Dodgers fan is because of Fernando. ...Not only a great player, but a great man to the community. What a legend.”

In 1981, Valenzuela became the Dodgers’ opening day starter as a rookie after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start.  He shut out the Astros 2-0 and began the season 8-0 with five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. 

“He’s Got the World on a String – And It’s 8-0,” a headline in the Los Angeles Times read.

Vin Scully told the LA Times in 1991:

“Fernandomania bordered on a religious experience.  Fernando being Mexican, coming from nowhere, it was as though Mexicans grabbed onto him with both hands to ride to the moon.”

Lastly, credit is due to Mike Brito, a Dodgers scout, who discovered Valenzuela by accident in 1978, when he was on a trip to Silao, Mexico, to watch a shortstop, Ali Uscanga, play in a Mexican rookie league game.  His attention was diverted to Valenzuela, who struck out 12 that day.

“I couldn’t believe he was only 17,” Brito later told Sports Illustrated.

The Dodgers signed Fernando the next year and the rest is history.

--The ball hit by Shohei Ohtani when he hit his 50th home run, thus making him baseball’s first 50/50 man, sold for a record $4.4 million at auction, breaking the $3 million paid in 1999 for Mark McGwire’s record-breaking ball from the 1998 season, when he hit 70 home runs, breaking Roger Maris’ record 61.

--The Mets said this week they want to keep Pete Alonso, according to president of baseball operations David Stearns, but “Pete deserves to go out into the free-agent market and see what’s out there and then ultimately make the best choice for him and his family.”

--Former pitcher Rudy May died at the age of 80.  May played 16 years in Major League Baseball, including seven with the Yankees over several stints.  For his career he went 152-156, a 3.46 ERA.  In 1980 he led the AL in ERA with a career-best 2.46 mark while in New York, where he was 54-46, a sterling 3.12.

College Football

Comments written prior to release of new AP Poll....

With 2 Georgia, 9 Clemson and 10 Iowa State idle....

No. 1 Oregon (8-0) had no problem right from the start with 20 Illinois (6-2) in Eugene, 35-3 at the half, 38-9 in the end, the Ducks outgaining the Illini 363-89 at the intermission.

Dillon Gabriel is still in the Heisman conversation, 16/20, 246, 3-0, plus a touchdown rushing.

3 Penn State (7-0) beat Wisconsin (5-3) in Madison, 28-13.  PSU QB Drew Allar went out with an injury late in the first half, but backup Beau Pribula rallied the Nittany Lions on two scoring drives and was 11/13, 98, 1-0, overall.  No word on the seriousness of Allar’s apparent knee issue.

4 Ohio State (6-1) was hardly impressive in holding off Nebraska (5-3) 21-17, outgaining the Cornhuskers 285-271, only running 47 plays overall, 64 yards rushing on 31 carries.

Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola threw a bad late interception costing his team a shot at an upset.

5 Texas (7-1) rebounded after its loss to Georgia with a 27-24 road win at 25 Vanderbilt (5-3), though this game wasn’t really as close as the final score makes it out to be.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers was 27/37, 288, 3-2, completing 17 straight passes at one point.

6 Miami (8-0) easily handled pathetic Florida State (1-7) 36-14, though Cam Ward didn’t do his Heisman Trophy campaign any good with a so-so, 22/35, 208, 0-0 effort.  Instead, Miami’s Damien Martinez rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries.

What an amazing comedown for the Seminoles, who were bitching up a storm at not being included in the CFP last year after going 13-0 in the regular season.  A rather historic collapse.

8 LSU (6-2) may have seen its CFP bid go up in flames, falling to 14 Texas A&M (7-1) 38-23 in College Station, as LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had a wild day, 25/50, 405, 2-3...focus on the three interceptions.

Quarterback Marcel Reed and Le’Veon Moss combined to rush for 145 yards and five touchdowns, Amari Daniels adding another 91 on the ground.

In other games in the top 25....

11 BYU is 8-0, following a 37-24 win at UCF (3-5).

12 Notre Dame (7-1) took advantage of six Navy turnovers, blasting the Midshipmen 51-14, and handing 24 Navy (6-1) its first loss.  Disappointing show at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands...I expected better.

For ND, Riley Leonard continues to get better and better running the offense, which some games, like this one, is basically all him; Leonard 13/21, 178, 2-0, plus 83 yards on the ground.

13 Indiana (8-0) continues its Cinderella story before a packed house in Bloomington, defeating Washington (4-4) 31-17.

Former Wake Forest running back Justice Ellison was the key for IU, 29 carries, 123 yards and a touchdown.

For Washington, humorous social commentator Will Rogers, the former Mississippi State star, threw two interceptions. 

15 Alabama (6-2) shutout 21 Missouri (6-2) 34-0, the Bama defense holding Mizzou to just 239 yards of offense, former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne throwing three interceptions for the Tigers.

16 Kansas State (7-1) held on to defeat instate rival Kansas (2-6) 29-27.

Friday, 17 Boise State (6-1) remained the favorite for the Group of Five playoff bid, 29-24 at UNLV (6-2).  The Rebels are a good team, their only other loss by a field goal to Syracuse, and they held Heisman favorite Ashton Jeanty to 128 yards on 33 carries and a touchdown, his longest run just 16 yards.

18 Mississippi (6-2) beat Oklahoma (4-4) 26-14, Ole Miss playing without star receiver Tre Harris (59-987-6), but quarterback Jaxson Dart (22/30, 311, 1-0) has other options.

Thursday, 19 Pitt (7-0) beat Syracuse (5-2) in Pittsburgh, 41-13, despite only amassing 217 yards of offense.  How did they score 41 points then, you might ask yourself (channeling David Byrne)?

Try Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord throwing five interceptions, three returned for touchdowns in the first half, that’s how.

McCord, the Ohio State transfer, has put up some big numbers, but this marked the first time since 2005 that an FBS team returned three interceptions for scores in a half, and the first time since 2015 that a quarterback threw three pick sixes in a game.

22 SMU (7-1) kept its playoff hopes alive, barely, 28-27 in overtime at Duke (6-2).

What a bizarre game.  Duke had a game-winning 30-yard field goal attempt blocked as time expired in regulation, one of three missed kicks in the game, and the Mustangs committed six turnovers (to Duke’s zero).

Think about that.  I saw one stat that said teams with a six-turnover deficit this century are 1-124 before this one.

Elsewhere....

Rutgers (4-4) lost its fourth straight and its panic time inside RU Nation, falling 42-20 to USC (4-4) in Los Angles.

Making things worse for the Scarlet Knights, star running back Kyle Monangai, who had 86 yards on 18 carries, left the game in the third quarter with a head injury.

Colorado is bowl eligible at 6-2, following a 34-23 win over Cincinnati (5-3).  Shedeur Sanders was 25/30, 323,2-0, while superstar Travis Hunter caught nine passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns, and making two tackles and knocking down four passes.

Coach Prime said of Hunter, “Travis is the best player in the country. We all know that.  Why are we even deliberating over that?”

Michigan (5-3) defeated Michigan State (4-4) 24-17 in Ann Arbor, the two sides brawling as time expired.

Wake Forest is suddenly .500, 4-4, with a shot at a bowl game, kind of out of nowhere, following another road win, 27-24 at Stanford (2-6).

Star running back Demond Claiborne had 127 yards rushing and 62 receiving for the Deacs, who almost blew it.  With a 24-17 lead late in the third quarter, they eschewed a field goal from the 1-yard line that would have made it a two-score game and got stuffed.  Stanford then went 99 yards and tied it up, but Wake got a big punt return from Taylor Morin and converted it into the winning field goal.

Hank Bachmeier had a good game at QB for the Deacs, 20/30, 245, 3-1.

Wednesday night, Kennesaw State took on undefeated Liberty, attempting to win their first game at the FBS level, having lost their first six and ranked No. 133 out of 134 in many FBS rankings.

But they welcomed in Liberty to the Atlanta suburbs and made history.

The Owls, a 27-point underdog, beat the Flames 27-24, ending Liberty’s (5-1) chance at a Group of Five playoff bid.

The Owls fans literally didn’t know how to react as they stormed the field, it almost never having been done before.

--North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall announced he was retiring from football after his latest head injury, suffered in a loss to Wake Forest on Oct. 5.

The former Coastal Carolina star posted on Instagram: “I have battled injuries my whole career, but this is one that I cannot come back from.  Brain specialists, my family, and I have come to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to hang the cleats up.”

McCall has a history of concussions and suffered a serious head injury last season with Coastal Carolina, where he threw for 10,005 yards and 88 touchdowns over 42 games for the Chants before transferring to the Wolfpack.

--And now the new AP Poll!

1. Oregon 8-0 (61)
2. Georgia 6-1 (1)
3. Penn State 7-0
4. Ohio State 6-1
5. Miami (FL) 8-0
6. Texas 7-1
7. Tennessee 6-1
8. Notre Dame 7-1...up 4
9. BYU 8-0
10. Texas A&M 7-1...up 4
T-11. Clemson 6-1
T-11. Iowa State 7-0
13. Indiana 8-0
14. Alabama 6-2
15. Boise State 6-1
16. LSU 6-2
17. Kansas State 7-1
18. Pittsburgh 7-0
19. Ole Miss 6-2
20. SMU 7-1
21. Army 7-0
22. Washington State 7-1
23. Colorado 6-2
24. Illinois 6-2
25. Missouri 6-2

Miami is in the top five for the first time since 2017.

Next week, Ohio State at Penn State; Pitt at SMU in an ACC biggie.

NFL

--In today’s early games...I watched the entire New York Jets-Patriots contest, and there will be some fans throwing themselves off the Whitestone Bridge tonight, the Jets falling to the Pats 25-22, after New York took a 22-17 lead with 2:57 to play.

The ‘vaunted’ Jets ‘D’, however, then allowed the Pats to go 70 yards for the score, and I’ll just say for starters, if cornerback Sauce Gardner is an All-Pro this season, it’s a travesty.

Pats win, both teams 2-6, Jets officially done...toast.

But, in all honesty, New York should be 5-3.  Kicker Greg ‘The Leg’ Zuerlein has cost them three games!  Missing a 44-yarder at a critical moment, his fifth miss of the year, and an extra point!  Last year the guy was 35-of-38, 5-of-6 from 50+!

I mean this sucks...bigly...why did I ever become a Jets fan...and Mets.  I started following sports in an earnest way in 1966, age 8, and the Mets and Jets have given me three championships in that time.  [The Knicks and Rangers just three, themselves.]  But at least the Mets gave us an exciting season, and the Knicks are back, and the Rangers always good for some fun in April and May, sometimes into June.

--The Browns (2-6) shocked the Ravens (5-3) 29-24 in Cleveland.  Who needs Deshaun Watson (we know the answer to that, no one).  Jameis Winston was 27/41, 334, 3-0, 115.3, and the Brownies pull off the upset.  Huge.

--The Lions (6-1) whipped the Titans (1-6) 52-14, as Jared Goff had a bizarre game...12/15, just 85 yards, 3-0, 129.9.

It was all about the Lions’ return game.  Khalil Dorsey had a 72-yard kick return, and Khalif Raymond five punt returns for 190 yards, including a 90-yarder for a score.

--The Eagles (5-2) beat the Bengals (3-5) 37-17, Jalen Hurts with three touchdowns rushing, one passing.  Saquon Barkley with 108 yards on the ground.

--Atlanta is 5-3, beating the Bucs (4-4) on the road, 31-26, Kirk Cousins outstanding, 23/29, 276, 4-0, 145.9.  Baker Mayfield was his usual heroic self in defeat, 37/50, 330, 3-2.

--Tua Tagovailoa returned and was solid, 28/38, 234, 1-0, but the Dolphins (2-5) lost to the Cardinals (4-4), Kyler Murray rallying Arizona from a 27-18 deficit in the fourth quarter to pull it out 28-27 on a Chad Ryland 34-yard field goal as time expired.

--Green Bay (6-2) defeated Jacksonville (2-6) 30-27 on a 24-yard Brandon McManus field goal as time expired.  Steve G., I feel your pain.

--Thursday night, the Rams got a much-needed win, now 3-4, after a 30-20 victory over the visiting Vikings (5-2), as Matthew Stafford threw for four touchdowns.

For Minnesota, Sam Darnold was solid, 18/25, 240, 2-0, 128.8, but it wasn’t enough.  The referees also missed an egregious facemask as Darnold was in the endzone late, instead ruling it a safety for the final margin, and preventing the QB from attempting to engineer a game-tying drive.

--Patrick Mahomes got a new toy to play with, a 3-time All-Pro receiver in 32-year-old DeAndre Hopkins, acquired for a conditional draft pick from the Titans.  Hopkins, while not the player he was earlier in his career, nonetheless gives the Chiefs offense a much-needed boost having lost receiver Rashee Rice for the season.

--Monday night, the Giants take on the Steelers.  Giants owner John Mara during the week gave a vote of confidence for GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, despite the 2-5 start and lack of offense.

“Obviously we’re all very disappointed with where we are right now,” Mara said. “But I’m not gonna dissect individual players’ performance or the offense vs. the defense or anything like that.  I just wanted to make the statement.

“There will be a time and a place after the season to talk about this in more detail.”

So, kind of a vote of confidence.  Mara isn’t making any changes the rest of the season, either on the sidelines or upstairs.

The Giants, though, are on their way to their eighth losing season in the last nine years – and the 10th losing season in the past 12 years.

Back to Monday night’s contest, get this.  The Giants and Jets are a combined 4-32 in primetime games since 2019.

NBA

--The Knicks opened the NBA’s season by getting blitzed by the Celtics in Boston, 132-109, as the Celts all received their world championship rings at TD Garden.

Boston hit 29 threes, tying an NBA record, as it was a pretty simple case of New York not playing defense.

But it’s a long season and watching as a Knicks fan I was like ‘whatever.’

Friday night, the Knicks then blasted the Pacers at MSG, 123-98, as four starters scored 20+, Karl Anthony Towns in his Knicks home debut had 21 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks. 

The defense was obviously better as well, the Knicks holding the Pacers to 3-of-30 shooting from three.

--The NBA is investigating Joel Embiid’s extended absence to start the season, seeing as he is not injured, ill or tending to a personal matter, which brings the league’s player participation policy into play.  Sixers coach Nick Nurse said the team simply feels like Embiid is not ready to play yet.

Charles Barkley didn’t hold back on the Sixers and the idea of load management on “Inside the NBA” on Thursday night.

“Man, I don’t have any idea what the Sixers are doing.  I don’t think it’s fair,” Barkley said.  “[Embiid] just signed for three years, $193 million.  Three years, $193 million to play basketball.  We’re not steelworkers, we’re not nurses, like people who’ve got real jobs who have to work 40-50 hours a week.  We’re playing basketball at the most four days a week.  Most of the time three days a week. He has the best backup in the league in [Andre] Drummond.

“If they had to say it – and Kenny [Smith] and Shaq know this – just say hey I’m going to play 25 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back.  Or then Drummond plays, but to come out and say it in advance was stupidity by the Sixers. Period.”

So Embiid didn’t play Wednesday in the opener against the Bucks, he didn’t play Friday against the Raptors, and he isn’t playing Sunday against the Pacers, the team calling it left knee management.  Embiid skipped all of the preseason.

The NBA’s player participation policy is such that the league investigates any time a superstar doesn’t partake in a nationally televised game.

--The Lakers announced Bronny James will begin splitting his time between the Lakers’ active roster and the franchise’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.

Bronny has embraced this move, following the Lakers’ upcoming road trip, as he knows he needs playing time to develop.

“His job is to put the work in and get better and better, just like the rest of us,” LeBron told reporters back in September.

Speaking of LeBron, he had a triple-double last night in L.A.’s 131-127 win over Sacramento, James 32-14-10.

College Basketball

--The College Hoops world was stunned by the death of South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, one of the brightest young coaches in the game, who died Thursday at the age of 43, following complications that arose during a medical procedure at a Tampa-area hospital.

Abdur-Rahim is the younger brother of former California star and NBA veteran Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is now president of the NBA G League.

Abdur-Rahim was a member of Tom Crean’s staff at Georgia, helping recruit star Anthony Edwards, who went on to become the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

He left Georgia for Kennesaw State, where in his fourth season he led the Owls to the NCAA tournament, and then went to South Florida, where they were AAC regular season champs at 25-8, but they were one of those snubbed for the Big Dance last year.

He was on a fast track to coaching stardom.  Very sad.

Golf Balls

--This week’s fall event on the PGA Tour was the Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan.  Actually, it was more an invitational, with only 78 teeing it up, and some big names playing (think appearance fees).

After three rounds....

Nico Echavarria -17
Justin Thomas -15
Max Greyserman -14

Everyone else was -11 or lower, Rickie Fowler at that number.  Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, and Collin Morikawa were also in the field, ditto native Hideki Matsuyama, who was only -2.

Well, the tournament ended while most of us were asleep last night, and Echavarria closed the deal, win No. 2 for him, at -20, one stroke over Thomas and Greyserman, and three over solo fourth Rickie Fowler...great tournament for Rickie.

Greyserman was born in next-door Short Hills, N.J., attending Duke for his college golf.

Just three more Fall events left for golfers to get in the top 125 and secure their full playing privileges for next year.  This week’s event wasn’t an ideal one for most of those struggling to stay in the hunt.

Premier League

Saturday, Manchester City edged Southampton 1-0, Erling Haaland with the lone score, his 11th goal in nine games.

Today, Tottenham suffered a bad loss on the road to Crystal Palace, 1-0.  And then in the biggie, Liverpool at Arsenal, Mohamed Salah got a late goal to allow Liverpool to pull out a draw, 2-2, but City is back on top after nine games.

1. Man City 23 points
2. Liverpool 22
3. Arsenal 18
4. Aston Villa 18

Stuff

--A surfer died last week after being impaled by a fish off Indonesia’s West Sumatra coast, leaving surfers and swimmers to wonder whether it’s not just sharks they need to fear in the ocean.

The woman, 36, was surfing in the Mentawai Islands the morning of Oct. 18 when she was speared in the chest by the fish, which may have been either a swordfish or a needlefish, according to various reports.  The resort where the incident occurred said it was a needlefish, while the islands’ Disaster Management Agency reported it was a swordfish, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

While injuries by these are rare, it does happen. Swordfish and needlefish can leap out of the water, and both have razor-sharp bills that can puncture the skin.

The swordfish lives at midlevel depths, while needlefish are found closer to the surface.  Needlefish are smaller, the largest growing to about 4 feet, while a swordfish, those commercially fished, is typically up to six feet long.  [But there are bigger ones out there that can grow to 12-14 feet and weigh more than 1,000 pounds.]

--Ron Ely, the actor best known for his role on the TV series “Tarzan,” died at the age of 86.  He was said to just be a great person, good family man, as noted by his children.

--Phil Lesh, a charter member of the Grateful Dead whose expansive approach to the bass made him one of the first performers on that instrument in a rock band to regularly play a lead role rather than a supporting one, died on Friday at the age of 84.

Lesh also sang high harmonies and provided the occasional lead vocal.  Most importantly, he co-wrote some of the band’s most noteworthy songs, including ones that inspired adventurous jams, like “St. Stephen” and “Dark Star,” as well as more conventional pieces, like “Cumberland Blues,” “Truckin’” and “Box of Rain.”

Lesh provided the ever-shifting counterpoints to the dancing lines of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, and the riffs of rhythm guitarist Bob Weir.  Add in drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, and, in the band’s first eight years, the organ work of Ron McKernan (Pigpen), and you had the unique sound of the legendary group.

Les played with the Dead for the band’s entire 30-year history, which formally ended in 1995 after the death of Garcia.  In 1994, he and the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

--Finally, one of my all-time favorite singers, Jack Jones, died at the age of 86.  He was a classic crooner, romantic ballads and gentle jazz tunes his thing, Jones also a celebrated nightclub performer.

His popularity peaked in the 1960s, when he was a staple on television variety shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Andy Williams, Carol Burnett, Dean Martin and Steve Allen.  And then from 1977 through 1985, millions more heard him when they tuned into “The Love Boat” on ABC.

I’ve told you of how I met him on the QE2, back in 2003, and had a chance to talk to him, sitting around the pool, the day after he performed for us.  A delightful man, and he was still a great entertainer then.

Some of us old-timers remember his commercial for Chrysler’s New Yorker... “What a beautiful New Yorrr-kerrr...it’s the talk of the town...elegance and grace, styling sets the pace...people stop and stare, Chrysler New Yorker’s there....”

He won two Grammy Awards for best solo male vocal performance for “Lollipops and Roses” in 1962, and “Wives and Lovers,” which peaked at #14 on the Billboard pop charts.

It’s this last one I love the most and I can’t help but give you a classic version of it, recognizing the times we lived in, and the importance of Bob Hope and his USO shows overseas, particularly in Vietnam, which were huge television specials.  [Hint: The nurse is beautiful.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyBmCASoJ64

Top 3 songs for the week 10/31/81: #1 “Arthur’s Theme” (Christopher Cross)  #2 “Start Me Up” (The Rolling Stones)  #3 “Private Eyes” (Daryl Hall & John Oates)...and...#4 “For Your Eyes Only” (Sheena Easton)  #5 “Endless Love” (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie)  #6 “Tryin’ To Live My Life Without You” (Bob Seger)  #7 “Hard To Say” (Dan Fogelberg)  #8 “The Night Owls” (Little River Band)  #9 “I’ve Done Everything For You” (Rick Springfield) #10 “Step By Step” (Eddie Rabbitt...C week...)

World Series Quiz Answers: 1) Post-1930, six with a Series ERA under 1.00, min. 20 innings pitched....

Madison Bumgarner, 0.25, 36 innings
Jack Billingham, 0.36, 25 1/3
Harry Brecheen, 0.83, 32 2/3
Claude Osteen, 0.86, 21
Sandy Koufax, 0.95, 57
Mariano Rivera, 0.99, 36 1/3

Babe Ruth, 0.87 in 31 innings, didn’t count for this one because his two World Series were 1916 and 1918.

2) Seven wins....

Whitey Ford, 10-8, 2.71
Red Ruffing, 7-2, 2.52, 10 starts, 8 complete games
Bob Gibson, 7-2, 1.89, 9 starts, 8 complete games...even hit two home runs
Allie Reynolds, 7-2, 2.79...hit .308 in WS play, 8-for-26

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.



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Bar Chat

10/28/2024

Yankees-Dodgers, Ohtani, Judge et al....

Add-on posted very early Tuesday a.m.., due to an early meeting this morning.

World Series

It’s over....Dodgers up 3-0 after Monday night’s 4-2 win over the Yankees at the Stadium, and the Yanks only two runs came on a virtually meaningless 2-out, 2-run homer in the bottom of the ninth by Alex Verdugo.

The Dodgers took an early 2-0 lead in the first on a Freddie Freeman 2-run homer off Yankee starter Clarke Schmidt and many of us had a sense it was already over.

Walker Buehler pitched five scoreless for the Dodgers and the bullpen did the rest.

If you paid as much as $2,000 for your ticket, today you feel like a chump, and Yankees fans will not be giving Aaron Judge a good reception tonight in what could easily be the finale.

Judge’s legacy is tarnished, bigly, having signed a nine-year, $360 million contract in 2022, terrific regular seasons, historic in nature, but then failing miserably in October. After going 0-for-3 with a walk, he is 6-for-43 in this postseason, a .140 batting average, with 20 strikeouts.

When he’s had a chance to impact the game, he is 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Judge’s career postseason BA is down to .196 in 214 at-bats, a .733 OPS.

Barring a miracle, it is going to be one long offseason for the slugger...and the rest of the team.

NFL

--In the late games, it was all about the Miracle in Landover, the Commanders and rising rookie star quarterback Jayden Daniels pulling off a 52-yard Hail Mary as time expired to Noah Brown.  As Jim Nantz said, the easiest Hail Mary completion ever, the Bears’ defenders tipping the ball backward into the end zone where Brown stood all alone, an easy grab.  Final 18-15.

The No. 1 overall pick in last spring’s draft, Caleb Willliams, was unimpressive, 10/24, 131, 0-0, 59.5, but D’Andre Swift rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown, while Williams did drive Chicago 62 yards for the seeming winning touchdown with just 0:23 left in the game.

But then Daniels, No. 2 overall in the draft, bad rib and all, engineered the finale, a game that will be remembered in Washington sports lore for at least a few decades.  Daniels was solid, 21/38, 326, 1-0, 92.7, plus he rushed for 52 yards.

The Commanders are a shocking 6-2, the Bears 4-3.

--In other late biggies, the Chiefs are 7-0, defeating the Raiders (2-6) in Vegas, Patrick Mahomes with his best game since the opener, 27/38, 262, 2-1, 96.6.  Travis Kelce had 10 catches for 90 yards.

And the 49ers evened their record at 4-4, 30-24 over the Cowboys (3-4), San Francisco outgaining Dallas 469-292.

Dak Prescott threw two picks for the Cowboys, and now has 10 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions, with a passer rating of 84.5, the worst stat line of his career...after he became the highest-paid player in the game, a 4-year, $240 million extension, a record $231 million guaranteed.

--One more from Sunday’s late contests (that I cared about), Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix continues to rapidly improve and take over as the face of the franchise, Nix 28/37, 284, 3-0, 124.2, plus a touchdown on the ground, his best outing yet, Denver, 5-3, now having won 5 of 6, as they defeated the Panthers (1-7) 28-14.

I said Nix would be good.  He’s going to be a fixture in the Mile High City for a long time to come.  Helluva rookie QB class, too, I think you’d agree.

--Last night, the Giants (2-6) lost another prime-time affair, 26-18 to the Steelers (6-2).

Quarterback Daniel Jones is now 1-15 in prime time starts, Jones 24/38, 264, 0-1, 72.7, plus a costly strip-sack fumble, T.J. Watt doing the honors during a late drive.

For Pittsburgh, they were aided mightily by a 73-yard Calvin Austin III punt return for the score that put the Steelers up 16-9 in the third.

The Giants wasted a 145-yard rushing effort by Tyrone Tracy.  Both Jets and Giants fans have had it, and we have nine games to go. Ugh.

--Back to the Jets’ depressing 25-22 loss to the Patriots, which officially put a fork in any postseason dreams, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was clearly shaken after the team’s fifth straight loss, dropping them to 2-6.  “It hurts.  And it’s hard.”

In his message to the team, Ulbrich said: “This is a moment of darkness.  And we understand that the outside world is going to get really loud right now.  And the only thing I know in life is that when it gets dark and it gets hard, that you work and you point the finger at yourself and you look inward and you figure out what can I do better from an individual standpoint.”

Aaron Rodgers, he of the infamous “darkness retreat” in Feb. of 2023, when he made the decision not to retire, but to join the Jets and try to turn their fortunes around, responded to a question about the “overcoming the darkness” message his coach presented.

“Yeah, I’ve been in the darkness,” Rodgers said.  “You’ve got to go in there, make peace with it.”

But the reality is the Jets are in the darkness for two major reasons.  Kicker Greg Zuerlein has been horrendous and cost us three games single-handedly, and Rodgers is easily having the worst season of his career.

The team has a quick turnaround, Thursday night at home against the Texans.

College Football

Conference Standings....

ACC

Clemson 5-0
Miami 4-0
SMU 4-0
Pitt 3-0

Big Ten

Indiana 5-0
Oregon 5-0
Penn State 4-0
Ohio State 3-1

SEC

Texas A&M 5-0
Georgia 4-1
Texas 3-1
Tennessee 3-1
LSU 3-1
Alabama 3-2

Big 12

BYU 5-0
Iowa State 4-0
Kansas State 4-1
Colorado 4-1

Reminder...winners of these four conference championship games are automatically into the CFP 12-team format.  But you gotta get be in the conference title game to be eligible, as they say in the ‘burbs.

Stuff

--The Knicks (1-2) have not had an easy schedule starting out the season and they lost to the Cavaliers (4-0) last night at the Garden, 110-104.  One culprit...Jalen Brunson was 8 for 24 from the field, 0 for 4 from downtown.

--At the Mexico City Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz won it in his Ferrari, beating Landon Norris and Charles Leclerc, the other two on the podium.

Max Verstappen’s winless streak is now 10, Verstappen finishing sixth after he received two 10-second time penalties for his battles with Norris; the second consecutive race weekend these two have been involved in incidents resulting in significant penalties.

With four races to go, Verstappen still has a significant lead over Norris, but Norris picked up ten points on the 3-time champion this weekend.

--NASCAR has two races to go in its season, and yesterday, Tyler Reddick punched his ticket into the final four for the last race with a spectacular last-lap pass to win the playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, beating reigning series champion Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin.

Reddick’s 23XI-Racing team co-owner Michael Jordan was rather psyched after Reddick took the checkered flag.

“Oh, man, he just let go. He just went for it and I’m glad,” Jordan said on pit road.  “We needed it. We needed it.”  [Hamlin is the other co-owner, but he drives for Joe Gibbs Racing.]

“Little kid drove his ass off,” Jordan said of Reddick.  “I’m proud of him.”

So Reddick is in the final four along with Joey Logano.  The remaining two berths for the Championship Race in Phoenix will be decided next Sunday at Martinsville.

Next Bar Chat Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., prior to late NFL games.]

NOTE: If you’ve been reading Bar Chat for years and years and never contributed, help me out.  Click on the gofundme link or send a check to PO Box 990, New Providence, NJ 07974.  It’s over 25 years, boys and girls.  I’m like a North Korean these days, eating my neighbors’ tree bark. 

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

World Series Pitching Quiz: 1) Post-1930, six pitchers have a career WS ERA of below 1.00, minimum 20 innings pitched.  I’ll give you the initials on three of them, C.O., H.B. and J.B. Name all six. 2) Name the only four to win seven World Series games.  All four pitched between 1924-1975.  Answers below.

World Series

--Major League Baseball and Fox Sports, and baseball fans the world over got what they wanted in Game 1 of the dream, Yankees-Dodgers matchup in Los Angeles.

Freddie Freeman hit the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history, with two outs in the bottom of the tenth to give L.A. a 6-3 victory, New York having taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the inning.

“Might be the greatest baseball moment I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve witnessed some great ones,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts marveled.

As all baseball fans know, Freeman has been hobbled by a badly sprained right ankle, but he homered on the first pitch he saw – a 92 mph inside fastball from Nestor Cortes – raising his bat high before beginning his home run trot before the delirious crowd of over 52,000, some of whom paid over $1,000 for their ticket.  Well, they got their monies worth...a Kirk Gibson moment, Gibson’s stunning homer on a bad leg that lifted the Dodgers over the Oakland A’s in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, also at Dodger Stadium – one of the most famous swings in the history of the game...and now add this one.  [Gibson’s Dodgers won the World Series that year.]

Freeman is headed to the Hall of Fame, but if there were any doubts, this cements it.

But prior to Freddie’s big swing, the Yanks had taken the lead in the top of the 10th, Anthony Volpe grounding into a fielder’s choice to shortstop, scoring Jazz Chisholm from third after he stole two bases, New York up 3-2.

In the bottom of the inning, Gavin Lux walked against losing pitcher Jake Cousins with one out and went to second on Tommy Edman’s infield single to second.

That brought up Shohei Ohtani, a left-handed hitter, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to his bullpen again for Cortes, a lefty starter who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 18 because of an elbow injury.

After missing the playoffs, Cortes had been added to the World Series roster Friday.

Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a running catch in foul territory to retire Ohtani on Cortes’ first pitch.  Verdugo’s momentum sent him tumbling over the low retaining wall, advancing both runners one base because by rule it became a dead ball when Verdugo wound up in the stands.

With first base open, New York intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases and set up a lefty-on-lefty matchup of Cortes against Freeman.

“I was on time for the heater,” Freeman said.

Earlier, the Yankees Gerrit Cole, who came into the game with a 2.98 postseason ERA, threw six innings of one-run ball, while the Dodgers Jack Flaherty went 5 1/3, five hits, but one of them was a 2-run bomb from Mr. October, Giancarlo Stanton, that gave the Yanks a 2-1 lead at the time, his sixth homer in 11 postseason games.

But back to the decision to bring in Cortes, Aaron Boone could easily have opted for Tim Hill, another lefty.  Hill had a 2.05 ERA for the Yanks in 35 games and had allowed one earned in 5 2/3 in the playoffs.  Cortes hadn’t pitched in a month.

It was kind of shades of the Mets opting for little-used Kodai Senga to start Game 1 of the NLCS, a move that backfired badly, though the Mets in no way deserved to beat the Dodgers with the number of runs they would go on to give up.

As we headed to Game 2, Carlos Rodon for the Yanks (4.40 ERA in three postseason starts, with 22 strikeouts in 14 1/3), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (three postseason starts, 5.11 ERA in 12 1/3) for L.A., talk was of Aaron Judge, who went 1-for-5 Friday, three strikeouts, and is batting .167 this October, 6-for-36, 14 strikeouts.  He now has a career postseason batting average of .203 in 54 games.

Is he dropped in the order?

No...and Judge went 0-for-4, 3 strikeouts, as the Yanks fell 4-2.  They had the bases loaded, one out in the top of the ninth, a run in on a Stanton single, bringing home Juan Soto, who had homered for the other Yankee run in the 3rd.

But Anthony Volpe struck out against Blake Treinen, who was on the ropes, Alex Vesia replaced Treinen to face Jose Trevino (pinch-hitting for Austin Wells) and got Trevino to fly out to center, game over, Yankees down 2-0, series now heading to New York on Monday.  [Judge striking out after Soto reached base.]

For L.A., they hit three home runs for their four runs off Carlos Rodon...Tommy Edman, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez, the last one a 2-run shot in the third, Rodon exiting in the fourth.

Meanwhile, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was superb, yielding only one hit, the homer by Soto, in 6 1/3.  That’s what they paid $325 million for...games like this.

But in the bottom of the seventh, Shohei Ohtani suffered a partial dislocation of his shoulder while getting caught attempting to steal second base. It looked awful in the moment, but afterwards manager Dave Roberts said he’s “expecting” Ohtani to return during the series, adding he was “encouraged” by what he saw...Ohtani with full motion and strength.

As I go to post, however, Roberts just told ESPN Ohtani will be in the lineup Monday!

But back to Aaron Judge, now batting .150 in the postseason (.199 for his postseason career) he said after, “I’ve got to step up.  I’ve got to do my job. The guys around me are doing their job getting on base and I’m failing them backing them up.”

This is fascinating, and extremely painful for Yankees fans.

--By the way...the ratings for Game 1 were outstanding...15.2 million viewers, the largest Game 1 audience since the 2017 World Series between the Astros and Dodgers and a 62% increase over last year’s Diamondbacks-Rangers opener.  The audience peaked at 17.8 million from 11:30 p.m. ET to the end of the game.

And this doesn’t include the ratings from Japan!

--Prior to the Game 1, the Dodgers and the fans honored Fernando Valenzuela, the iconic lefty who died Tuesday at the age of 63, cause unknown.

After appearing in 10 games as a reliever in 1980 at the age of 19, Valenzuela burst on the scene in 1981, winning the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards (first to ever do so) based on his 13-7, 2.48, eight shoutout campaign, helping lead the Dodgers to the World Series, where they beat the Yankees. [This was a strike season, with a two-month-long players’ strike.]

Valenzuela would go on to post a 141-116, 3.31 mark in 11 seasons in L.A., and finished his MLB career 173-153, 3.54, a six-time All-Star with a 5-1, 1.98 postseason mark.

Nicknamed “El Toro” by the fans, Valenzuela had an unorthodox and memorable pitching motion that included looking skyward at the apex of each windup.  His repertoire included a screwball – making him one of the few pitchers of his era who threw that pitch regularly.

In 1986, he was 21-11, 3.14, finishing second in the Cy Young vote.  He threw a no-hitter in 1990 at Dodger Stadium, an emotional career highlight. “If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!” Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully exclaimed in his game call.

He was also a helluva hitter, for a pitcher, a career batting average of .200 with 10 home runs. 

But, of course, Fernando Valenzuela is so much more than this.  One of L.A.’s most beloved players, his impact on the game was gigantic.

“Fernandomania” swept Los Angeles in the early ‘80s, with the Mexico native’s breakthrough, background and overall aura captivating Southern California and beyond.  Heck, May 8, 1981 at Shea Stadium, I was there, Fernando shutting out the Mets 1-0 before 40,000, who virtually all turned out to see Fernandomania firsthand and he delivered.

He is regarded as the greatest Mexico-born player in MLB history, Commissioner Rob Manfred calling Valenzuela “one of the most impactful players of his generation.”

“He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” Stan Kasten, team president and CEO, said in a statement. “He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and he has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster.  He has left us all too soon.”

Fernando was a longtime color commentator on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcast, a job he left in September without explanation. He was reported to have been hospitalized earlier this month.

Valenzuela’s rise from humble beginnings as the youngest of 12 children in Mexico and his feats on the mound made him hugely popular in Los Angeles’ Latino community while helping attract new fans to MLB.

“63 is way too young...A piece of my childhood is gone,” actor and “Access Hollywood” co-host Mario Lopez posted on X.  “Growing up as a Mexican kid one of the main reasons I’m a Dodgers fan is because of Fernando. ...Not only a great player, but a great man to the community. What a legend.”

In 1981, Valenzuela became the Dodgers’ opening day starter as a rookie after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start.  He shut out the Astros 2-0 and began the season 8-0 with five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. 

“He’s Got the World on a String – And It’s 8-0,” a headline in the Los Angeles Times read.

Vin Scully told the LA Times in 1991:

“Fernandomania bordered on a religious experience.  Fernando being Mexican, coming from nowhere, it was as though Mexicans grabbed onto him with both hands to ride to the moon.”

Lastly, credit is due to Mike Brito, a Dodgers scout, who discovered Valenzuela by accident in 1978, when he was on a trip to Silao, Mexico, to watch a shortstop, Ali Uscanga, play in a Mexican rookie league game.  His attention was diverted to Valenzuela, who struck out 12 that day.

“I couldn’t believe he was only 17,” Brito later told Sports Illustrated.

The Dodgers signed Fernando the next year and the rest is history.

--The ball hit by Shohei Ohtani when he hit his 50th home run, thus making him baseball’s first 50/50 man, sold for a record $4.4 million at auction, breaking the $3 million paid in 1999 for Mark McGwire’s record-breaking ball from the 1998 season, when he hit 70 home runs, breaking Roger Maris’ record 61.

--The Mets said this week they want to keep Pete Alonso, according to president of baseball operations David Stearns, but “Pete deserves to go out into the free-agent market and see what’s out there and then ultimately make the best choice for him and his family.”

--Former pitcher Rudy May died at the age of 80.  May played 16 years in Major League Baseball, including seven with the Yankees over several stints.  For his career he went 152-156, a 3.46 ERA.  In 1980 he led the AL in ERA with a career-best 2.46 mark while in New York, where he was 54-46, a sterling 3.12.

College Football

Comments written prior to release of new AP Poll....

With 2 Georgia, 9 Clemson and 10 Iowa State idle....

No. 1 Oregon (8-0) had no problem right from the start with 20 Illinois (6-2) in Eugene, 35-3 at the half, 38-9 in the end, the Ducks outgaining the Illini 363-89 at the intermission.

Dillon Gabriel is still in the Heisman conversation, 16/20, 246, 3-0, plus a touchdown rushing.

3 Penn State (7-0) beat Wisconsin (5-3) in Madison, 28-13.  PSU QB Drew Allar went out with an injury late in the first half, but backup Beau Pribula rallied the Nittany Lions on two scoring drives and was 11/13, 98, 1-0, overall.  No word on the seriousness of Allar’s apparent knee issue.

4 Ohio State (6-1) was hardly impressive in holding off Nebraska (5-3) 21-17, outgaining the Cornhuskers 285-271, only running 47 plays overall, 64 yards rushing on 31 carries.

Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola threw a bad late interception costing his team a shot at an upset.

5 Texas (7-1) rebounded after its loss to Georgia with a 27-24 road win at 25 Vanderbilt (5-3), though this game wasn’t really as close as the final score makes it out to be.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers was 27/37, 288, 3-2, completing 17 straight passes at one point.

6 Miami (8-0) easily handled pathetic Florida State (1-7) 36-14, though Cam Ward didn’t do his Heisman Trophy campaign any good with a so-so, 22/35, 208, 0-0 effort.  Instead, Miami’s Damien Martinez rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries.

What an amazing comedown for the Seminoles, who were bitching up a storm at not being included in the CFP last year after going 13-0 in the regular season.  A rather historic collapse.

8 LSU (6-2) may have seen its CFP bid go up in flames, falling to 14 Texas A&M (7-1) 38-23 in College Station, as LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had a wild day, 25/50, 405, 2-3...focus on the three interceptions.

Quarterback Marcel Reed and Le’Veon Moss combined to rush for 145 yards and five touchdowns, Amari Daniels adding another 91 on the ground.

In other games in the top 25....

11 BYU is 8-0, following a 37-24 win at UCF (3-5).

12 Notre Dame (7-1) took advantage of six Navy turnovers, blasting the Midshipmen 51-14, and handing 24 Navy (6-1) its first loss.  Disappointing show at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands...I expected better.

For ND, Riley Leonard continues to get better and better running the offense, which some games, like this one, is basically all him; Leonard 13/21, 178, 2-0, plus 83 yards on the ground.

13 Indiana (8-0) continues its Cinderella story before a packed house in Bloomington, defeating Washington (4-4) 31-17.

Former Wake Forest running back Justice Ellison was the key for IU, 29 carries, 123 yards and a touchdown.

For Washington, humorous social commentator Will Rogers, the former Mississippi State star, threw two interceptions. 

15 Alabama (6-2) shutout 21 Missouri (6-2) 34-0, the Bama defense holding Mizzou to just 239 yards of offense, former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne throwing three interceptions for the Tigers.

16 Kansas State (7-1) held on to defeat instate rival Kansas (2-6) 29-27.

Friday, 17 Boise State (6-1) remained the favorite for the Group of Five playoff bid, 29-24 at UNLV (6-2).  The Rebels are a good team, their only other loss by a field goal to Syracuse, and they held Heisman favorite Ashton Jeanty to 128 yards on 33 carries and a touchdown, his longest run just 16 yards.

18 Mississippi (6-2) beat Oklahoma (4-4) 26-14, Ole Miss playing without star receiver Tre Harris (59-987-6), but quarterback Jaxson Dart (22/30, 311, 1-0) has other options.

Thursday, 19 Pitt (7-0) beat Syracuse (5-2) in Pittsburgh, 41-13, despite only amassing 217 yards of offense.  How did they score 41 points then, you might ask yourself (channeling David Byrne)?

Try Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord throwing five interceptions, three returned for touchdowns in the first half, that’s how.

McCord, the Ohio State transfer, has put up some big numbers, but this marked the first time since 2005 that an FBS team returned three interceptions for scores in a half, and the first time since 2015 that a quarterback threw three pick sixes in a game.

22 SMU (7-1) kept its playoff hopes alive, barely, 28-27 in overtime at Duke (6-2).

What a bizarre game.  Duke had a game-winning 30-yard field goal attempt blocked as time expired in regulation, one of three missed kicks in the game, and the Mustangs committed six turnovers (to Duke’s zero).

Think about that.  I saw one stat that said teams with a six-turnover deficit this century are 1-124 before this one.

Elsewhere....

Rutgers (4-4) lost its fourth straight and its panic time inside RU Nation, falling 42-20 to USC (4-4) in Los Angles.

Making things worse for the Scarlet Knights, star running back Kyle Monangai, who had 86 yards on 18 carries, left the game in the third quarter with a head injury.

Colorado is bowl eligible at 6-2, following a 34-23 win over Cincinnati (5-3).  Shedeur Sanders was 25/30, 323,2-0, while superstar Travis Hunter caught nine passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns, and making two tackles and knocking down four passes.

Coach Prime said of Hunter, “Travis is the best player in the country. We all know that.  Why are we even deliberating over that?”

Michigan (5-3) defeated Michigan State (4-4) 24-17 in Ann Arbor, the two sides brawling as time expired.

Wake Forest is suddenly .500, 4-4, with a shot at a bowl game, kind of out of nowhere, following another road win, 27-24 at Stanford (2-6).

Star running back Demond Claiborne had 127 yards rushing and 62 receiving for the Deacs, who almost blew it.  With a 24-17 lead late in the third quarter, they eschewed a field goal from the 1-yard line that would have made it a two-score game and got stuffed.  Stanford then went 99 yards and tied it up, but Wake got a big punt return from Taylor Morin and converted it into the winning field goal.

Hank Bachmeier had a good game at QB for the Deacs, 20/30, 245, 3-1.

Wednesday night, Kennesaw State took on undefeated Liberty, attempting to win their first game at the FBS level, having lost their first six and ranked No. 133 out of 134 in many FBS rankings.

But they welcomed in Liberty to the Atlanta suburbs and made history.

The Owls, a 27-point underdog, beat the Flames 27-24, ending Liberty’s (5-1) chance at a Group of Five playoff bid.

The Owls fans literally didn’t know how to react as they stormed the field, it almost never having been done before.

--North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall announced he was retiring from football after his latest head injury, suffered in a loss to Wake Forest on Oct. 5.

The former Coastal Carolina star posted on Instagram: “I have battled injuries my whole career, but this is one that I cannot come back from.  Brain specialists, my family, and I have come to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to hang the cleats up.”

McCall has a history of concussions and suffered a serious head injury last season with Coastal Carolina, where he threw for 10,005 yards and 88 touchdowns over 42 games for the Chants before transferring to the Wolfpack.

--And now the new AP Poll!

1. Oregon 8-0 (61)
2. Georgia 6-1 (1)
3. Penn State 7-0
4. Ohio State 6-1
5. Miami (FL) 8-0
6. Texas 7-1
7. Tennessee 6-1
8. Notre Dame 7-1...up 4
9. BYU 8-0
10. Texas A&M 7-1...up 4
T-11. Clemson 6-1
T-11. Iowa State 7-0
13. Indiana 8-0
14. Alabama 6-2
15. Boise State 6-1
16. LSU 6-2
17. Kansas State 7-1
18. Pittsburgh 7-0
19. Ole Miss 6-2
20. SMU 7-1
21. Army 7-0
22. Washington State 7-1
23. Colorado 6-2
24. Illinois 6-2
25. Missouri 6-2

Miami is in the top five for the first time since 2017.

Next week, Ohio State at Penn State; Pitt at SMU in an ACC biggie.

NFL

--In today’s early games...I watched the entire New York Jets-Patriots contest, and there will be some fans throwing themselves off the Whitestone Bridge tonight, the Jets falling to the Pats 25-22, after New York took a 22-17 lead with 2:57 to play.

The ‘vaunted’ Jets ‘D’, however, then allowed the Pats to go 70 yards for the score, and I’ll just say for starters, if cornerback Sauce Gardner is an All-Pro this season, it’s a travesty.

Pats win, both teams 2-6, Jets officially done...toast.

But, in all honesty, New York should be 5-3.  Kicker Greg ‘The Leg’ Zuerlein has cost them three games!  Missing a 44-yarder at a critical moment, his fifth miss of the year, and an extra point!  Last year the guy was 35-of-38, 5-of-6 from 50+!

I mean this sucks...bigly...why did I ever become a Jets fan...and Mets.  I started following sports in an earnest way in 1966, age 8, and the Mets and Jets have given me three championships in that time.  [The Knicks and Rangers just three, themselves.]  But at least the Mets gave us an exciting season, and the Knicks are back, and the Rangers always good for some fun in April and May, sometimes into June.

--The Browns (2-6) shocked the Ravens (5-3) 29-24 in Cleveland.  Who needs Deshaun Watson (we know the answer to that, no one).  Jameis Winston was 27/41, 334, 3-0, 115.3, and the Brownies pull off the upset.  Huge.

--The Lions (6-1) whipped the Titans (1-6) 52-14, as Jared Goff had a bizarre game...12/15, just 85 yards, 3-0, 129.9.

It was all about the Lions’ return game.  Khalil Dorsey had a 72-yard kick return, and Khalif Raymond five punt returns for 190 yards, including a 90-yarder for a score.

--The Eagles (5-2) beat the Bengals (3-5) 37-17, Jalen Hurts with three touchdowns rushing, one passing.  Saquon Barkley with 108 yards on the ground.

--Atlanta is 5-3, beating the Bucs (4-4) on the road, 31-26, Kirk Cousins outstanding, 23/29, 276, 4-0, 145.9.  Baker Mayfield was his usual heroic self in defeat, 37/50, 330, 3-2.

--Tua Tagovailoa returned and was solid, 28/38, 234, 1-0, but the Dolphins (2-5) lost to the Cardinals (4-4), Kyler Murray rallying Arizona from a 27-18 deficit in the fourth quarter to pull it out 28-27 on a Chad Ryland 34-yard field goal as time expired.

--Green Bay (6-2) defeated Jacksonville (2-6) 30-27 on a 24-yard Brandon McManus field goal as time expired.  Steve G., I feel your pain.

--Thursday night, the Rams got a much-needed win, now 3-4, after a 30-20 victory over the visiting Vikings (5-2), as Matthew Stafford threw for four touchdowns.

For Minnesota, Sam Darnold was solid, 18/25, 240, 2-0, 128.8, but it wasn’t enough.  The referees also missed an egregious facemask as Darnold was in the endzone late, instead ruling it a safety for the final margin, and preventing the QB from attempting to engineer a game-tying drive.

--Patrick Mahomes got a new toy to play with, a 3-time All-Pro receiver in 32-year-old DeAndre Hopkins, acquired for a conditional draft pick from the Titans.  Hopkins, while not the player he was earlier in his career, nonetheless gives the Chiefs offense a much-needed boost having lost receiver Rashee Rice for the season.

--Monday night, the Giants take on the Steelers.  Giants owner John Mara during the week gave a vote of confidence for GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, despite the 2-5 start and lack of offense.

“Obviously we’re all very disappointed with where we are right now,” Mara said. “But I’m not gonna dissect individual players’ performance or the offense vs. the defense or anything like that.  I just wanted to make the statement.

“There will be a time and a place after the season to talk about this in more detail.”

So, kind of a vote of confidence.  Mara isn’t making any changes the rest of the season, either on the sidelines or upstairs.

The Giants, though, are on their way to their eighth losing season in the last nine years – and the 10th losing season in the past 12 years.

Back to Monday night’s contest, get this.  The Giants and Jets are a combined 4-32 in primetime games since 2019.

NBA

--The Knicks opened the NBA’s season by getting blitzed by the Celtics in Boston, 132-109, as the Celts all received their world championship rings at TD Garden.

Boston hit 29 threes, tying an NBA record, as it was a pretty simple case of New York not playing defense.

But it’s a long season and watching as a Knicks fan I was like ‘whatever.’

Friday night, the Knicks then blasted the Pacers at MSG, 123-98, as four starters scored 20+, Karl Anthony Towns in his Knicks home debut had 21 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks. 

The defense was obviously better as well, the Knicks holding the Pacers to 3-of-30 shooting from three.

--The NBA is investigating Joel Embiid’s extended absence to start the season, seeing as he is not injured, ill or tending to a personal matter, which brings the league’s player participation policy into play.  Sixers coach Nick Nurse said the team simply feels like Embiid is not ready to play yet.

Charles Barkley didn’t hold back on the Sixers and the idea of load management on “Inside the NBA” on Thursday night.

“Man, I don’t have any idea what the Sixers are doing.  I don’t think it’s fair,” Barkley said.  “[Embiid] just signed for three years, $193 million.  Three years, $193 million to play basketball.  We’re not steelworkers, we’re not nurses, like people who’ve got real jobs who have to work 40-50 hours a week.  We’re playing basketball at the most four days a week.  Most of the time three days a week. He has the best backup in the league in [Andre] Drummond.

“If they had to say it – and Kenny [Smith] and Shaq know this – just say hey I’m going to play 25 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back.  Or then Drummond plays, but to come out and say it in advance was stupidity by the Sixers. Period.”

So Embiid didn’t play Wednesday in the opener against the Bucks, he didn’t play Friday against the Raptors, and he isn’t playing Sunday against the Pacers, the team calling it left knee management.  Embiid skipped all of the preseason.

The NBA’s player participation policy is such that the league investigates any time a superstar doesn’t partake in a nationally televised game.

--The Lakers announced Bronny James will begin splitting his time between the Lakers’ active roster and the franchise’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.

Bronny has embraced this move, following the Lakers’ upcoming road trip, as he knows he needs playing time to develop.

“His job is to put the work in and get better and better, just like the rest of us,” LeBron told reporters back in September.

Speaking of LeBron, he had a triple-double last night in L.A.’s 131-127 win over Sacramento, James 32-14-10.

College Basketball

--The College Hoops world was stunned by the death of South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, one of the brightest young coaches in the game, who died Thursday at the age of 43, following complications that arose during a medical procedure at a Tampa-area hospital.

Abdur-Rahim is the younger brother of former California star and NBA veteran Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is now president of the NBA G League.

Abdur-Rahim was a member of Tom Crean’s staff at Georgia, helping recruit star Anthony Edwards, who went on to become the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

He left Georgia for Kennesaw State, where in his fourth season he led the Owls to the NCAA tournament, and then went to South Florida, where they were AAC regular season champs at 25-8, but they were one of those snubbed for the Big Dance last year.

He was on a fast track to coaching stardom.  Very sad.

Golf Balls

--This week’s fall event on the PGA Tour was the Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan.  Actually, it was more an invitational, with only 78 teeing it up, and some big names playing (think appearance fees).

After three rounds....

Nico Echavarria -17
Justin Thomas -15
Max Greyserman -14

Everyone else was -11 or lower, Rickie Fowler at that number.  Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, and Collin Morikawa were also in the field, ditto native Hideki Matsuyama, who was only -2.

Well, the tournament ended while most of us were asleep last night, and Echavarria closed the deal, win No. 2 for him, at -20, one stroke over Thomas and Greyserman, and three over solo fourth Rickie Fowler...great tournament for Rickie.

Greyserman was born in next-door Short Hills, N.J., attending Duke for his college golf.

Just three more Fall events left for golfers to get in the top 125 and secure their full playing privileges for next year.  This week’s event wasn’t an ideal one for most of those struggling to stay in the hunt.

Premier League

Saturday, Manchester City edged Southampton 1-0, Erling Haaland with the lone score, his 11th goal in nine games.

Today, Tottenham suffered a bad loss on the road to Crystal Palace, 1-0.  And then in the biggie, Liverpool at Arsenal, Mohamed Salah got a late goal to allow Liverpool to pull out a draw, 2-2, but City is back on top after nine games.

1. Man City 23 points
2. Liverpool 22
3. Arsenal 18
4. Aston Villa 18

Stuff

--A surfer died last week after being impaled by a fish off Indonesia’s West Sumatra coast, leaving surfers and swimmers to wonder whether it’s not just sharks they need to fear in the ocean.

The woman, 36, was surfing in the Mentawai Islands the morning of Oct. 18 when she was speared in the chest by the fish, which may have been either a swordfish or a needlefish, according to various reports.  The resort where the incident occurred said it was a needlefish, while the islands’ Disaster Management Agency reported it was a swordfish, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

While injuries by these are rare, it does happen. Swordfish and needlefish can leap out of the water, and both have razor-sharp bills that can puncture the skin.

The swordfish lives at midlevel depths, while needlefish are found closer to the surface.  Needlefish are smaller, the largest growing to about 4 feet, while a swordfish, those commercially fished, is typically up to six feet long.  [But there are bigger ones out there that can grow to 12-14 feet and weigh more than 1,000 pounds.]

--Ron Ely, the actor best known for his role on the TV series “Tarzan,” died at the age of 86.  He was said to just be a great person, good family man, as noted by his children.

--Phil Lesh, a charter member of the Grateful Dead whose expansive approach to the bass made him one of the first performers on that instrument in a rock band to regularly play a lead role rather than a supporting one, died on Friday at the age of 84.

Lesh also sang high harmonies and provided the occasional lead vocal.  Most importantly, he co-wrote some of the band’s most noteworthy songs, including ones that inspired adventurous jams, like “St. Stephen” and “Dark Star,” as well as more conventional pieces, like “Cumberland Blues,” “Truckin’” and “Box of Rain.”

Lesh provided the ever-shifting counterpoints to the dancing lines of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, and the riffs of rhythm guitarist Bob Weir.  Add in drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, and, in the band’s first eight years, the organ work of Ron McKernan (Pigpen), and you had the unique sound of the legendary group.

Les played with the Dead for the band’s entire 30-year history, which formally ended in 1995 after the death of Garcia.  In 1994, he and the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

--Finally, one of my all-time favorite singers, Jack Jones, died at the age of 86.  He was a classic crooner, romantic ballads and gentle jazz tunes his thing, Jones also a celebrated nightclub performer.

His popularity peaked in the 1960s, when he was a staple on television variety shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Andy Williams, Carol Burnett, Dean Martin and Steve Allen.  And then from 1977 through 1985, millions more heard him when they tuned into “The Love Boat” on ABC.

I’ve told you of how I met him on the QE2, back in 2003, and had a chance to talk to him, sitting around the pool, the day after he performed for us.  A delightful man, and he was still a great entertainer then.

Some of us old-timers remember his commercial for Chrysler’s New Yorker... “What a beautiful New Yorrr-kerrr...it’s the talk of the town...elegance and grace, styling sets the pace...people stop and stare, Chrysler New Yorker’s there....”

He won two Grammy Awards for best solo male vocal performance for “Lollipops and Roses” in 1962, and “Wives and Lovers,” which peaked at #14 on the Billboard pop charts.

It’s this last one I love the most and I can’t help but give you a classic version of it, recognizing the times we lived in, and the importance of Bob Hope and his USO shows overseas, particularly in Vietnam, which were huge television specials.  [Hint: The nurse is beautiful.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyBmCASoJ64

Top 3 songs for the week 10/31/81: #1 “Arthur’s Theme” (Christopher Cross)  #2 “Start Me Up” (The Rolling Stones)  #3 “Private Eyes” (Daryl Hall & John Oates)...and...#4 “For Your Eyes Only” (Sheena Easton)  #5 “Endless Love” (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie)  #6 “Tryin’ To Live My Life Without You” (Bob Seger)  #7 “Hard To Say” (Dan Fogelberg)  #8 “The Night Owls” (Little River Band)  #9 “I’ve Done Everything For You” (Rick Springfield) #10 “Step By Step” (Eddie Rabbitt...C week...)

World Series Quiz Answers: 1) Post-1930, six with a Series ERA under 1.00, min. 20 innings pitched....

Madison Bumgarner, 0.25, 36 innings
Jack Billingham, 0.36, 25 1/3
Harry Brecheen, 0.83, 32 2/3
Claude Osteen, 0.86, 21
Sandy Koufax, 0.95, 57
Mariano Rivera, 0.99, 36 1/3

Babe Ruth, 0.87 in 31 innings, didn’t count for this one because his two World Series were 1916 and 1918.

2) Seven wins....

Whitey Ford, 10-8, 2.71
Red Ruffing, 7-2, 2.52, 10 starts, 8 complete games
Bob Gibson, 7-2, 1.89, 9 starts, 8 complete games...even hit two home runs
Allie Reynolds, 7-2, 2.79...hit .308 in WS play, 8-for-26

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.