[Posted Sunday p.m. prior to late NFL and MLB action.]
No Tuesday Add-on, at least that is the plan now, as I am taking a brief midweek break.
World Series Quiz: Name the ten franchises with four or more World Series championships. Answer below.
MLB Playoffs
–I was watching the Tigers and Mariners in Seattle Friday and called it a night after nine innings, score tied 2-2, because it was 11:00 p.m. on the east coast.
Well, as you know it didn’t end until after 1:00 a.m., Seattle’s Jorge Polanco with a game-winning single in the 15th inning, the Mariners advancing to the AL Championship Series with a 3-2 win in the longest winner-take-all postseason game in baseball history…4 hours, 58 minutes.
With one out and the bases loaded, Polanco drove in J.P. Crawford with a liner to right on a full-count changeup from Tommy Kahnle. It was the 472nd pitch of the game.
It was also the third one-run game – all with a 3-2 score – in this tightly contested ALDS.
For the Tigers, Tarik Skubal was masterful again, six innings, one run, and a record 13 strikeouts for a winner-take-all contest (besting Cam Schlittler’s recent 12 Ks for the Yanks against Boston).
–Speaking of the Yankees, Tuesday, they trailed the Blue Jays at the Stadium, 6-1, attempting to avoid a 3-game sweep, when New York staged an epic comeback, Aaron Judge tying it with a dramatic 3-run blast off the foul pole in the fourth inning (very much like “The Natural”), and then in the fifth, Jazz Chisholm launched a solo shot that gave the Yanks the lead and they would go on to win it 9-6.
Suddenly, New York had hope. Until they didn’t, because the next day, Wednesday, Chisholm went from hero to goat with a critical seventh inning error on what should have been an inning-ending double play, Toronto scoring two runs after on the way to a 5-2 series-clinching win. Another year without a championship for Yankees fans who haven’t won the title since 2009.
And it’s another season without a ring for Aaron Judge, the Yankees wasting his prime years.
Manager Aaron Boone was asked if he had any reason to believe he wouldn’t be managing the Yankees next year, and said he wasn’t worried.
“No, I’m under contract,” he said. “So, no, I don’t expect anything.”
—In the NL, the Cubs beat the Brewers at Wrigley in Games 3 and 4, 4-3 and 6-0, to set up Saturday’s dramatic Game 5 in Milwaukee.
And the Brewers did it in front of their adoring fans, in memory of Bob Uecker, 3-1…three solo home runs by Andrew Vaughn, William Contreras and Brice Turang, while the pitching staff held the Cubs to four hits, the lone run on a homer by Seiya Suzuki.
—In Los Angeles, the Phillies avoided a sweep on Wednesday, beating the Dodgers 8-2, Kyle Schwarber with two home runs, Clayton Kershaw getting shelled out of the bullpen.
Thursday, however, L.A. clinched the series with a dramatic 2-1 win in 11 innings. It was an epic pitching duel, but ended on perhaps the biggest blunder to end a postseason game since Bill Buckner’s gaffe in the 1986 World Series.
Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering, facing Andy Pages with two outs and the bases loaded in the 11th, appeared to get out of the jam when he induced a soft bouncer. Kerkering fumbled the ball but still had plenty of time to get Pages at first base.
But with Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto pointing to Kerkering to throw to first, Kerkering panicked and inexplicably threw home, the ball sailing over Realmuto’s head and rolling to the backstop…winning run scores.
Poor guy. Kerkering handled it as well as he could afterwards, saying: “This really f—ing sucks right now.” But he’s a good young pitcher.
Phillies fans now wait to see if management will sign free agent-to-be Kyle Schwarber.
The Dodgers head to Milwaukee for Game 1 of the NLCS on Monday night.
College Football
—No. 1 Ohio State (6-0) beat 17 Illinois (5-2) 34-16, despite only generating 272 yards of offense. The Illini had three turnovers.
—7 Indiana (6-0) got its big signature win for coach Curt Cignetti, 30-20 at 3 Oregon (5-1). The Hoosiers held the Ducks to just 287 yards, while IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza overcame a pick-six that tied it at 20-20 in the fourth quarter to take Indiana right back down the field for the decisive touchdown, with the Hoosiers then adding a field goal. Huge win.
—4 Ole Miss (6-0) held on to beat Washington State (3-3) 24-21.
—5 Texas A&M (6-0) whipped Florida (2-4) 34-17.
–Unranked Texas (4-2) will be ranked again, 23-6 victors over 6 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, Arch Manning just 21/27, 166, 1-0, but no mistakes, while the Longhorns ‘D’ held the Sooners to 48 yards rushing. OU QB John Mateer returned from hand surgery to threw three interceptions.
–I watched the entire 8 Alabama (5-1) game at 14 Missouri (5-1), the Crimson Tide emerging victorious 27-24 in an entertaining affair. Ty Simpson was solid again for Bama, 23/31, 200, 3-0, while Mizzou’s Beau Pribula frankly just isn’t good, missing countless throws down the stretch as the Tigers attempted to drive for the tie, Pribula finishing 16/28, 167, 2-2.
For those of you watching, there was a key fourth & 4 fake punt by Missouri in the fourth quarter that was ruled short of the first down on the run, yet I thought the guy made it. Guess I was the only who did, aside from Mizzou fans.
—9 Texas Tech (6-0) continues to roll, 42-7 over Kansas (4-3), as sophomore running back Cameron Dickey had a career day, 21 carries for 263 yards and two touchdowns…scoring runs of 71 and 55 yards.
—10 Georgia (5-1) got a huge play late in the second to seize momentum and go on to beat Auburn (3-3), 20-10.
Auburn was driving and seemed certain to go in for the score that would have made it 17-0 late in the first half, when Georgia’s CJ Allen knocked the ball out of Auburn’s Jackson Arnold at the goal line and the Bulldogs recovered. Georgia then drove 88 yards for the field goal and they dominated in the second half for the critical victory.
—11 LSU (5-1) beat South Carolina (3-3) 20-10.
—12 Tennessee (5-1) edged Arkansas (2-4) 34-31. It was 17-17 at the half before the Vols pulled away in the second, 34-17, and then held on as the Razorbacks staged a late rally.
—13 Georgia Tech (6-0) beat Virginia Tech (2-5) 35-20, as Haynes King was an efficient 20/24, 213, 1-0 at QB, the Yellow Jackets rushing for 268 yards.
—15 Michigan (4-2) doesn’t have to worry about the CFP, falling at USC (5-1) 31-13, King Miller with 158 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries for the Trojans.
—16 Notre Dame (4-2) got 342 yards passing and two touchdowns from CJ Carr in a 36-7 win over North Carolina State (4-3), the Wolfpack’s CJ Bailey throwing three interceptions.
—18 BYU (6-) beat Arizona (4-2) 33-27.
—21 Arizona State (4-2) got manhandled by Utah (5-1) 42-10.
—22 Iowa State (5-2) will be out of the top 25 after a 24-17 loss to Colorado (3-4).
—Pitt (4-2) beat 25 Florida State (3-3) 34-31, Panthers receiver Desmond Reid with eight receptions for 155 yards and two TDs.
–And Friday night, 24 South Florida (5-1) whipped North Texas (5-1) 63-36, the Bulls with 308 yards rushing, while the Mean Green turned it over five times.
—Rutgers (3-3) suffered a 38-19 road loss at Washington (5-1) Friday night, as Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. threw for 402 yards (on just 27 pass attempts) and rushed for 136 yards…two touchdowns passing, two rushing.
According to Washington, Williams became the 16th player in FBS history to throw for 400 yards and rush for at least 100 yards in a game.
–Three other games of note…Navy remained undefeated at 6-0, barely, with a 32-31 at Temple (3-3), as Navy QB Blake Horvath ran 51 yards for the decisive touchdown with just 0:39 to play, and then converted for the two points rather than risk OT.
Penn State’s (3-3) nightmare season continued, falling 22-21 to Northwestern (4-2), as the Nittany Lions’ Drew Allar, a preseason top five quarterback in next spring’s NFL draft, left the game late with a leg injury that coach James Franklin said after meant “Drew will be done for the year.”
What a depressing place Unhappy Valley must be these days. PSU was preseason No. 2!
Finally, Wake Forest picked up its second straight road victory, 39-14 over winless (0-7) Oregon State. The Deacs (4-2) started Deshawn Purdie at quarterback in place of the injured Robby Ashford and Purdie and the Wake receivers had their way with the submissive Beavers’ secondary, four touchdowns, three of the long variety, while Demond Claiborne rushed for 144 yards, including a 66-yad touchdown scamper.
Wake receiver Chris Barnes had a line of 3-102-3. I’d say that’s efficient.
The Beavs are like really, really bad.
And today, Sunday, they fired coach Trent Bray. He had a 5-14 record after taking over in 2014.
—North Carolina had the week off as stories abound that Bill Belichick’s days are numbered in Chapel Hill.
247 Sports’ Andrew Jones reported that “potential exit strategy discussions” took place at North Carolina on Tuesday as the Belichick experiment goes off the rails.
The school has reportedly had “preliminary conversations” about firing the legendary football coach just five games into the new era, which has included the constant presence of Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson.
Complicating matters, Jones added, is Belichick’s massive $20 million buyout.
College football journalist Ollie Connolly reported that Belichick “has discussed buyout options with North Carolina’s hierarchy” and he “has signaled a willingness to trigger his own $1 million buyout if he can find a soft landing with another team or in the media.”
Connolly added that Belichick has reportedly been “weird” and “distant” with his staff and that some coaches were unable to get a hold of him during the team’s bye week.
Earlier this week, Tar Heels cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins was suspended for allegedly giving extra benefits to players, such as sideline passes to family members.
Last month, a lawsuit alleged that the UNC board hired Belichick illegally.
A source told Jones that “there are many other violations that have occurred, many on the recruiting front.”
The latest news comes after a report from WRAL News painted a picture of a dysfunctional program under Belichick, marred by a divided locker room and a disorganized coaching staff.
–And then this afternoon we learned Penn State had fired James Franklin.
“Penn States owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin, who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” athletic director Patrick Kraft said. “He won a Big Ten championship, led us to seven New Year’s Six bowl games and a College Football Playoff appearance last year. However, we hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships.”
Franklin, 53, signed a 10-year extension in November 2021. The new deal ran through the 2031 season and was worth $7.5 million per year, plus incentives and a $1 million annual life insurance loan.
He will be paid around $50 million for his buyout, barring a settlement for a different amount, as his contract is fully guaranteed. That would be the second-highest buyout paid in college football history, behind the $77 million owed to Jimbo Fisher through 2031.
Associate head coach Terry Smith will serve as interim coach the rest of the season, Penn State said.
—And now the new AP Poll!
- Ohio State (50) 6-0
2. Miami (13) 5-0
3. Indiana (3) 6-0…highest ranking in program history….
4. Texas A&M 6-0
5. Ole Miss 6-0
6. Alabama 5-1
7. Texas Tech 6-0
8. Oregon 5-1
9. Georgia 5-1
10. LSU 5-1
11. Tennessee 5-1
12. Georgia Tech 6-0
13. Notre Dame 4-2
14. Oklahoma 5-1
15. BYU 6-0
16. Missouri 5-1
17. Vanderbilt 5-1
18. Virginia 5-1
19. South Florida 5-1
20. USC 5-1
21. Texas 4-2
22. Memphis 6-0
23. Utah 5-1
24. Cincinnati 5-1
25. Nebraska 5-1…good for them….
Next weekend….
5 Ole Miss at 9 Georgia; 10 LSU at 17 Vanderbilt; 11 Tennessee at 6 Alabama; 20 USC at 13 Notre Dame (massive for the Fighting Irish and CFP hopes); 23 Utah at 15 BYU.
NFL
—Going back to Thursday night at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the Giants (2-4) had a stirring 34-17 win over the Eagles (4-2), as New York’s dynamic rookie duo of quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo led the way; Dart 17/25, 195, 1-0, 104.6, plus 58 rushing and a TD…Skattebo 19 carries for 98 yards and three touchdowns. Both are gritty players, perfect for New York, and instant fan favorites for sure and the Giants hope to continue the resurgence. They also have to keep Dart and Skattebo on the field, both being rather reckless with their bodies.
—This morning in London, Tottenham Stadium, the winless Jets took on the Broncos and it was another pathetic effort by my Jets (0-6), at least on offense, a 13-11 loss. The Justin Fields-led team generated a whopping 82 net yards, minus-10 net passing; 9 of 17 for 45 yards, sacked nine times for 55 yards. Minus-10 net passing is the fewest in franchise history, and the fewest in any NFL game since the Chargers had minus-19 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Ryan Leaf’s third career start in 1998.
The Jets defense held the Broncos (4-2) to only 246 yards, but when you can’t move the ball, it’s all for naught. With good reason the Jets’ star receiver Garrett Wilson (3 catches for 13 yards), was beyond frustrated.
And Jets coach Aaron Glenn will catch heat for his final decision…going for it on fourth down and 8 rather than have Nick Folk attempt a 62-yard field goal for the win with just about a minute to go. Of course, Fields was then sacked for the ninth time. [Former Demon Deacon Justin Strnad had 1 ½ sacks for Denver, I can’t help but add.]
–In the early games this afternoon, the Chargers (4-2) snapped a 2-game losing streak, barely, in Miami (1-5) 29-27 on Cameron Dicker’s fifth field goal with 0:05 to play. Tua was picked off three times, as the Dolphins wasted a big game from De’Von Archane, 16 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
The Colts (5-1) had a late come-from-behind home win against the Cardinals (2-4) 31-27, as Jonathan Taylor (21carries, 123 yards and the deciding touchdown) had a big game, while Daniel Jones (22/30, 212, 2-1, 101.0) continues to do enough at QB for Indy, one of the big surprises of the season thus far.
Along with the Patriots (4-2), 25-19 victors over the Saints (1-5) in New Orleans, as Drake Maye had another big day, 18/26, 261, 3-0, 140.1.
The Steelers are 4-1, 23-9 over the Browns (1-5), Aaron Rodgers doing what he was brought in to do…find a way to win, 21/30, 235, 2-0, 115.3. And the Pittsburgh ‘D’ has been stout. The Cleveland offense also blows.
The Panthers are a surprising 3-3, 30-27 over the Cowboys (2-3-1) on a last second field goal. Former Cowboy Rico Dowdle had 30 carries for 183 yards, while Bryce Young had three touchdown passes for Carolina, confirming the team’s patience with him and his development.
The Seahawks (4-2) had a nice road win against the Jaguars (4-2), 20-12, as Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught eight of Sam Darnold’s passes for 162 yards and a score…a 61-yard scoring strike from Darnold.
And the Rams (4-2) almost certainly ended the Ravens’ playoff hopes, now 1-5, with a 17-3 win in Baltimore as the Ravens again played without Lamar Jackson. It’s hopeless at this point…from preseason Super Bowl favorite to this. Send in the National Guard….
Golf Balls
—The PGA Tour’s Fall Season incorporates one event in Japan each year and this week we had the Baycurrent Classic in Yokohama, won by Xander Schauffele, his first win of the season, No. 10 for his PGA Tour career, and he did it in front of his maternal grandparents.
“It’s nice to know I’ve still got it,” Schauffele said. It was his first win since the 2024 British Open.
—Tiger Woods announced Friday he had undergone yet another back surgery, a lumbar disc replacement in his L4/5 Lumbar spine for lower back symptoms. [Your editor has ruptured L4/5 discs from 2018 he hasn’t done anything about…when there’s an issue, I just let it settle.]
The surgery was performed in New York. Woods’ post noted that he’s already happy with the decision:
“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted with Doctors and Surgeons to have tests taken. The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal. I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back.” – TW
Stuff
—The Las Vegas Aces captured their third WNBA championship in four years, Friday, with a 97-86 victory over the Phoenix Mercury to complete a 4-game sweep. They are now the seventh franchise to win at least three championships. The Houston Comets, Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm are the only franchises to win four.
Superstar A’ja Wilson, who hit the game-winner in Game 3, scored 31 Friday.
Coach Becky Hammon left the NBA, where she was an assistant on the San Antonio Spurs’ staff, to take over the Aces in 2022. She won titles in her first two years and has taken them to the Finals in three of her four seasons.
Off the court, chaos. League officials are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with players…and it’s not going well. Star Napheesa Collier said last week the league has the “worst leadership in the world,” and multiple other WNBA stars have backed Collier’s opinion. A work stoppage appears possible, which could lead to a grim period.
As revenue and valuations explode, WNBA officials feel they have leverage to make a great deal for owners. The players feel the same way and want a bigger slice of the pie than they receive right now.
–No Premier League play this weekend due to World Cup qualifying matches.
—LeBron James has sciatica, the Lakers announced, and he’ll miss the team’s first 5 or 6 games it would appear. James, 40, will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks.
–We note the passing of Sister Jean, the longtime team chaplain for Loyola-Chicago. She died Thursday, the school announced. She was 106 years old.
As I’ve noted recently, the Catholic nun was thrust in the spotlight as the Ramblers staged their improbable run to the Final Four in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, becoming at the time just the fourth No. 11 seed to make it to college basketball’s grandest stage. Sister Jean became a huge fan favorite as the nation saw her praying for the team before every game – which became a made-for-TV moment before every upset victory. She also sent personalized emails to players, complimenting them after a good game, and encouraging them after a bad one.
–And actress Diane Keaton died, 79. The Oscar-winning actress, filmmaker and author was beloved for her movie roles in Annie Hall, the Godfather films and more recently the “Book Club” franchise.
Keaton first caught the public’s attention when she appeared in the original Broadway production of Hair in 1968. She next appeared on-stage in 1969’s Play It Again, Sam, a play written by and starring an up-and-coming young playwright named Woody Allen, which earned her a Tony Award nomination in 1970.
Keaton then scored the role of Kay Adams in The Godfather. She played the love interest of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone* in a film that was both a critical and commercial smash, earning three Oscars (among 11 total nominations), spawning two sequels, and earning recognition as one of the greatest works in all of cinema.
Keaton then renewed her partnership with Allen as his career transitioned from the Great White Way to Hollywood. She served as his muse and starred in films like Play It Again, Sam (1972), Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975) and Annie Hall (1977). All of these pictures were successful in their own right, but Annie Hall, in particular, captured the cultural zeitgeist in a massive fashion, along the way to becoming one of the most successful and well-regarded comedies of all time, due in large part to Keaton’s work, for which she was awarded a best actress Oscar in 1978.
“I wanted to be a movie star. I wanted people – lots of people I didn’t know – to love me,” Keaton wrote in her 2020 memoir “Brother & Sister.”
And Diane Keaton was loved. RIP.
*I YouTubed the moment when Michael Corleone and Kay are walking down the street after his long absence, as he tries to convince Kay to marry him. It is such great acting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1IXrOF5w3Y
Top 3 songs for the week 10/10/81: #1 “Endless Love” (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie) #2 “Arthur’s Theme” (Christopher Cross) #3 “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (Stevie Nicks (with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers))…and…#4 “Who’s Crying Now” (Journey) #5 “For Your Eyes Only” (Sheena Easton) #6 “Step By Step” (Eddie Rabbitt) #7 “Start Me Up” (The Rolling Stones) #8 “Private Eyes” (Daryl Hall & John Oates) #9 “Urgent” (Foreigner) #10 “Hold On Tight’ (ELO…C week…)
World Series Quiz Answer: Ten franchises with four or more WS championships….
New York Yankees 27
St. Louis Cardinals 11
Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland A’s 9
Boston Americans/Red Sox 9
Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers 8
New York/San Francisco 8
Cincinnati Reds 5
Pittsburgh Pirates 5
Detroit Tigers 4
Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves 4
No Bar Chat Add-on this week (at least for now), as I’m heading out of town for a brief spell.
Next Bar Chat next Sunday p.m.
