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Brief Add-on up top Tues. AM….
[Posted Sunday PM prior to late NFL action and the NLCS.]
Chicago Bears Quiz: In honor of Mike Ditka, and the 1985 Chicago Bears, winners of the Super Bowl and one of the greatest teams in NFL history, name the six on defense that season who were AP 1st or 2nd team All-Pro. Answer below.
MLB Postseason
Cleaning up the past week….
In the Division Series, Tuesday, the Dodgers beat the Braves 3-1, as Kike Hernandez hit his 17th postseason home run, a remarkable feat given his mediocre regular season record, Freddie Freeman homered, and the best modern-day postseason pitcher in the game, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitched 7 innings, 10 strikeouts, moving his playoff record to 8-1.
For Atlanta, Chris Sale yielded all three runs in five innings
The Padres staved off elimination, beating the Brewers 4-3, as Michael King had a six-out save after a strong starting performance just two days earlier.
Wednesday, the Rays completed a sweep of the Yankees at the Stadium, 4-3, Max Fried allowing all four runs in 5 2/3 for New York, while flamboyant Victor Mesa Jr. had the decisive 2-run homer for Tampa Bay.
Manager Aaron Boone was heavily criticized, rightfully so, for having bum Trent Grisham bat leadoff despite an atrocious regular season and a poor postseason record. Grisham went 0-for-5.
Will Boone be back? Eight playoff appearances in nine seasons, but the Yankees’ World Series drought is 17 years since they last won it.
And the injured Aaron Judge didn’t play in either the Wild Card or Division Series, so he wasn’t happy.
The White Sox, looking to sweep Guardians in Chicago, fell 9-3.
The Dodgers then moved on, beating the Braves 4-1 to win their series 3-1, as Andy Pages had the big blow, a 2-run single, Pages with a godawful 2025 postseason, 4-for-51. Edwin Diaz had his second consecutive save.
And the Brewers wrapped up their series with the Padres, 3-1in San Diego, taking the series by the same mark.
Thursday, that left Cleveland-Chicago, and the White Sox failed again, falling 9-5, setting up Game 5 in Cleveland, Saturday.
And the Guardians then got a 2-run homer from Jose Ramirez in the fourth-inning and that was all they needed, moving on to face the Rays for the ALCS with what ended up being a historic 2-0 win.
Cleveland starter Gavin Williams struck out 12 in just 5 2/3, and then the Guardians bullpen fanned another 9 the rest of the way for a record 21 strikeouts for the game.
Understand, this is the MLB record for a nine-inning postseason game and the most in any nine-inning regular or postseason game since at least 1900! Chicago put only nine balls in play, just three hits. [Murakami and Benintendi were 0-for-8, 8 strikeouts.]
The poor White Sox then learned Sunday that Pope Leo is being operated on “in the coming days” after a nodule was found on his lung during a medical checkup.
“The doctors found an early, well-localized nodule on my lung,” the Pope told the public during his weekly Sunday prayers in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
He reassured pilgrims that the mass was “well-contained” and caught “at an early stage.”
So, the League Championship Series were set….
Sunday night, the Dodgers go up against the Brewers in Milwaukee…Tarik Skubal vs. Jacob Misiorowski. A potential classic.
Monday, L.A. and Milwaukee play Game 2, while down in St. Petersburg, the Guardians open against the Rays, Cleveland still looking for its first World Series championship since 1948.
–Meanwhile, as we prepare for a bleak offseason, Major League Baseball wants to cut down the number of regular-season games from 162 to 154 starting in 2029, when it would also expand one round of the postseason. And starting next year, the league wants to introduce a form of re-seeding in the playoffs.
The Division Series would go from best-of-five to best-of seven, the league proposed Thursday in collective bargaining with the players’ union.
The league did not propose changing the number of playoff teams from the current 12. But it did propose that, beginning in 2027, the highest-seeded teams in the sport’s first two rounds, the Division Series and the Wild Card Series, could pick their opponents.
“Returning to a 154-game schedule would allow us to introduce a weekly off day, which is good for player health, while also creating a new national broadcast window to showcase our most exciting teams and players,” MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin said in a statement. “A shorter regular season unlocks making October even better for our fans – with fewer weekday afternoon games, a longer Division Series, and more opportunities to see the game’s best pitchers on the biggest stage.
“And allowing the top seeds to select their opponents in the first two rounds would create compelling storylines, intensify existing rivalries and create new ones.”
But nothing is going to be agreed to quickly. And in the past when the idea of a reduced schedule came up, the discussion between players and owners always turned to what effect it would have on player pay.
That the league wants to expand the Division Series and reduce the length of the season starting in 2029, specifically, is tied to that year being the first of what is expected to be under new national media contracts.
Regular-season inventory is not as valuable to broadcast partners as playoff games.
But at the same time, with Mondays becoming an off-day for most teams – you have the potential of one to two national broadcasts on that day.
However, at midnight entering Dec. 2, the lockout begins.
MLB will not try to stop players from playing in other professional sports leagues during a lockout, including for winter ball, which opens the door to players leaving for Japan or elsewhere.
–The Phillies lost out on Alex Cora to be their new manager for a second time in six months, Cora rejecting their overtures again.
So will they turn to interim manager Don Mattingly and give him a contract? Developing….
College Football Review
[Comments written prior to release of the new AP Poll…]
We will have a new No. 1 when the Poll is released later today, Georgia, as No. 1 Texas (4-1) lost in the Red River rivalry game to Oklahoma (3-2) 27-24.
Arch Manning was his usual mediocre self, hardly the No. 1 quarterback prospect in next spring’s NFL Draft, throwing two interceptions, including a pick-six, while the Sooners, who only had 238 yards of offense, also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown before winning it on a Tate Sandell 47-yard field goal as time expired.
So that left the door open for No. 2 Georgia (6-0), which won its biggie with 6 Alabama (5-1) 20-17, Bama making a huge mistake in the end, and not getting a critical flag on what seemed to clearly be pass interference.
First, sophomore cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. extended a Georgia drive and secured the Bulldogs’ victory when he shoved a receiver in the helmet after a 1-yard run that would have set up a third down. With a stop, Bama would have gotten the ball back on a punt with a chance to tie or take the lead late.
Instead, Lee was called for a personal foul enabling Georgia to run out the clock.
But on the possession prior, Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell threw a pass into the end zone to wide receiver Rico Scott, who was contacted by a Georgia D-back, yet no penalty was called after the incompletion on what clearly was pass interference, Bama coach Kalen DeBoer screaming at officials on the sidelines.
3 Notre Dame (6-0) will move up with a 58-7 shellacking of Stanford (2-4), which had lost to Wake Forest 57-3 the week before. Jonaz Walton had 181 yards on just 13 carries and two touchdowns for ND.
4 Miami was idle. Ditto 11 Texas Tech.
5 Ohio State (5-1) defeated lousy Maryland (2-4) 45-16, the Buckeyes outgaining the Terps 449-146.
7 Indiana (6-0) remained undefeated despite struggling at Nebraska (5-1). With the Hoosiers down 17-6 with 12:01 to play in the fourth quarter, IU QB Josh Hoover connected with Nate Marsh on a 75-yard touchdown, 17-13, just ten seconds later. And then Hoover and Marsh hooked up again from 44 yards and Indiana won it 20-17.
So the Cornhuskers can’t get over the hump and finally regain some past glory.
Friday night, 8 BYU (5-0) had a solid win over Iowa State (3-3) at home, 24-10, as it was the Bear Bachmeier Show, the quarterback with the finest game of his BYU career, 22/30, 329, 2-0, with 109 yards rushing on nine carries. And the Cougar defense did their part. I’ve been unimpressed by BYU thus far, but this was a good W.
9 Ole Miss (4-1) whipped Vanderbilt (3-3) 52-17.
But 10 LSU (4-2) lost to Kentucky (5-1) 35-34 in overtime, the Wildcats converting on a 2-point conversion for the huge win for the program, and at home.
In other games of note….
12 Utah (5-0) won its game against Kansas (2-3) 41-24 as Wayshawn Parker rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns, his second straight 170+ game. Pretty, pretty good….
21 UCLA (5-0) will move up bigly with a terrific win against 13 Oregon (3-2) in Eugene, 17-15.
With Ducks quarterback Dante Moore still in concussion protocol, backup Dylan Raiola, unlike his stirring performance in place of Moore last week against USC, coughed it up three times before replaced by Brock Thomas, the third-string QB, who was solid, but Oregon would turn it over a startling 7 times in all!
Bruin quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who had three turnovers of his own, left with an injury, but UCLA pulled it out.
14 Missouri (5-1) beat Texas A&M (3-3) 27-6.
16 Florida (4-2) was upset at home by South Carolina (3-3), 38-19, LaNorris Sellers with four touchdown passes and another TD on the ground. With two straight losses after its big win against Ole Miss, the Gators really should fall out of the Top 25.
18 Oklahoma State (4-1) got it done against UCF (3-3) 42-28.
19 USC (6-1) regained a bit of stature for coach Lincoln Riley, 31-23 at Penn State (3-3).
Duke (4-1) suffered its first loss at Georgia Tech (2-3) 28-25…not good for Blue Devils fans.
And then there’s Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were trailing North Carolina State in Raleigh, 14-7, and then scored 31 unanswered points, Wake (5-1) winning another biggie, 38-14.
Quarterback Gio Lopez will deserve some Heisman Trophy votes (really) if both he and the Deacs can keep it going because, as I’ve written, he is playing as well as any QB in the nation; Lopez 26/33, 203, 3-0 through the air, with another TD rushing.
Wake had two receivers with 100 yards…Carlos Hernandez (12-112-1) and Jack Foley (8-156-1).
Will Wake crack the Top 25? They were 27th in the poll last week and No. 25 Pitt (5-1) lost at home to North Carolina (3-2) 21-17. But 26 Kentucky had that big win against LSU.
And now the new AP Poll!
1 Georgia 6-0 (66)
2 Notre Dame 6-0 (1)
3 Miami (FL) 5-0 (2)
4 Ohio State 5-1
5 Indiana 6-0 (1)
6 Alabama 5-1
7 Texas 4-1
8 BYU 5-0
9 Ol Miss 4-1
10 Texas Tech 5-0
11 Utah 5-0
12 UCLA 5-0…up 9…
13 Missouri 5-1
14 Tennessee 5-1
15 Kentucky 5-1…up 11…
16 Mississippi State 4-1
17 Iowa 5-1
18 Oklahoma State 4-1
19 USC 6-1
20 Houston 5-1
21 Wake Forest 5-1…GO DEACS! Thank you for your attention to this matter….
22 LSU 4-2…down 12…
23 Boise State 5-1
24 SMU 4-1
25 Northwestern 4-1
Oregon has fallen to 27, if you carry out the votes.
Next week the schedule is highlighted by Indiana at Ohio State, and Notre Dame at BYU.
NFL
–Thursday night in Dallas, the Buccaneers (1-4), sans Baker Mayfield a second straight week with a dislocated thumb, upset the heavily-favored Cowboys (2-3) 24-16.
Bucs undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels was solid (19/25, 189, 1-0, 110.2), and Bucky Irving rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
For Dallas, QB Dak Prescott, who was off to a good start this season, threw two picks and didn’t get the job done.
Pathetic loss for Jerry Jones and Co.
—Sunday, my Jets (2-3) had a good win at rainy MetLife Stadium, 17-12 over the Browns (3-2).
It was 12-10 Cleveland, 6:15 left in the game, after a Deshaun Watson 29-yard touchdown pass to Denzel Boston, but the kicker missed the extra point in the awful conditions.
And after an exchange of possessions, the Browns, looking to punt, muffed the snap and the Jets and running back Brailon Allen converted the short drive, 17-12, and that’s how it ended.
The Jets had eight sacks, three by rookie first-rounder David Bailey, and at least for a few days, Jets Nation can feel better about itself.
–The Giants were down 27-13, 11:05 remaining in Washington, when Jameis Winston engineered two scoring drives of 75 and 72 yards to tie it at 27-27 and send it into overtime.
The teams then exchanged possessions and the Giants were driving for the winning score, thanks to the running of Cam Skattebo, when he fumbled in field goal range.
The Commanders were then driving for the winning field goal, when quarterback Jayden Daniels, totally oblivious to the play clock and the time out situation, decided to do his best CJ Bailey imitation (NC State against Vanderbilt), and the clock ran out…a 27-27 tie!
The Giants (3-1-1) take something positive out of this (sort of), and Washington (1-4) is totally devastated.
Absolutely the very worst of football on display the last few minutes…but entertaining, if you weren’t a fan of either!
–The Patriots and Drake Maye have gotten their act back together the last two weeks, beating the Raiders (3-2) today at Foxborough, 45-17, as Maye was spectacular, 26/34, 374, 4-0, 150.9!
–The Jags (4-1) beat the struggling Eagles (2-3), playing without the injured Saquon Barkley, 19-17.
–The Packers (3-2) won an important NFC North contest against the Bears (3-2) 31-17.
–The Texans finally picked up their first win (1-4), 26-3 over the winless Titans (0-5).
–And the Steelers are 3-2, beating the Colts (2-3) 34-22, Aaron Rodgers 22/31, 235, 4-0, 125.1, though it was really the Jaylen Warren Show…15-104-1 rushing, 6-87-1 receiving.
–The NFL mourned the passing of Pro Football Hall of Famer and true legend of the game, Mike Ditka, who died Friday at the age of 86.
Ditka rose to national prominence coaching the 1985 Chicago Bears, a team that boasted arguably the greatest defense in NFL history, to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title.
But along with native and fellow Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, Ditka epitomized “Chicago.”
Known for his fiery temper, Ditka often clashed with members of the 1985 team, including quarterback Jim McMahon and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, but the Bears cruised to a 15-1 regular-season record and easily defeated the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.
Hired by his former coach and Bears founder George Halas in 1982, Ditka led the Bears to the playoffs seven times in his 11 seasons and reached the NFC Championship game on three occasions.
Born in hardscrabble Carnegie, PA (a town named after Andrew Carnegie and a suburb of Pittsburgh), where the steel mills were the big employers back in the day, Ditka was an All-American at the University of Pittsburgh and the fifth overall pick in the 1961 NFL draft by the Bears.
Ditka would make an immediate impact at tight end, becoming NFL Rookie of the Year and the first tight end to have 1,000 receiving yards (56-1,076-19.2-12 TDs). He helped lead the Bears to the 1963 NFL title.
After six years in Chicago, Ditka played two in Philadelphia and then finished up his career with four seasons in Dallas, where he helped win a Super Bowl in 1971. For his career he had 427 receptions for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns.
But he really became Mr. Chicago when he returned as head coach and after that magical ’85 season, he had become a national icon, and the source of a regular bit on Saturday Night Live with actor George Wendt (Bill Swerski) and crew, who sat around drinking beer and eating brats while celebrating “Da Bears.”
“Mike’s impact on the Chicago Bears organization, over decades as a player, coach, and proud icon and ambassador for the organization, is immeasurable,” the team said in a statement. “His integral role in bringing world championships to our city and our franchise, both as a player and as our coach, established prominence and excellence at a world-class level, but also created a lifetime of cherished memories in the hearts and minds of Bears fans that will last for generations.
“We extend our love, prayers, and heartfelt condolences to the Ditka family, and join all Bears fans in deep sadness and reverence as we remember and honor Mike Ditka.”
Golf Balls
—The Fall Season of the PGA Tour moved to Japan, the Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club, a limited field of just 72 players, while ‘only’ an $8 million purse.
Because it is an official PGA Tour event, there is no appearance money, but there is also no cut, so all 72 received something.
After two rounds it was a good leaderboard.
Keith Mitchell -11
Jacob Bridgeman -11
Max Homa, among a group at -9
Justin Thomas -8
Michael Brennan -7
Brennan then held the third-round lead at -13, tied with Zach Bauchou and Bridgeman.
And Wake Forest’s Michael Brennan won it, at -16, by a stroke over Mitchell and Bridgeman.
It was Brennan’s second win of the year, third of his budding career (essentially three in 12 months), and what a weekend for the Deacs!
—Regarding LIV Golf’s future, not that anyone cares, Jon Rahm’s lawyer said his client will not be part of LIV Golf in 2027, which came up as part of LIV’s bankruptcy hearing Wednesday. Rahm is the largest creditor, and the two are working on a separation agreement and hope to have it completed by Oct. 15.
Sergio Garcia left LIV (talk about someone no one cares about), and Cam Smith and Joaquin Niemann have questioned whether they will be a part of the league moving forward.
Seeing as the PGA Tour won’t take back any LIV players in 2027, those who leave will be trying to play on the DP World Tour.
Which leaves LIV with Bryson DeChambeau. They need him to survive bankruptcy and whatever new format they agree to with their new investment partner(s).
Premier League
Back in action this weekend, and Arsenal defeated Leeds 2-1; Manchester United and Tottenham tied at 1-1; and today, Man City beat Liverpool 3-0, but all three goals were after Liverpool received a red card at 62’.
Stuff
—The Knicks said they have called off contract negotiations with Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart to focus on their title defense.
But this sets up an uncomfortable situation with two of their most important players.
“As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of. As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season,” according to a statement from a team spokesman.
Owner James Dolan is adamant the team would avoid spending enough to trigger the penalties that come when a team reaches the second apron of the salary cap. I don’t blame him.
—New York Rangers fans had their fingers crossed Friday night, after star goalie Igor Shesterkin was helped off the ice with a leg injury. He slammed his right leg against the post while skating back into the crease to defend the play in front of him. We then learned Saturday it was season-ending.
The team had gotten off to a very solid 4-2-0 start, but this really sucks.
—A man died after being attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, police confirmed.
The man was seen entering the tiger enclosure at the park near Doncaster just before police were called Saturday afternoon.
South Yorkshire Police said the tiger then attacked the man and he died at the scene. The animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident – but the park closed for the rest of the weekend.
The tiger retained counsel.
Top 3 songs for the week 10/13/73: #1 “Half-Breed” (Cher) #2 “Ramblin’ Man” (The Allman Brothers Band) #3 “Let’s Get It On” (Marvin Gaye)…and…#4 “Higher Ground” (Stevie Wonder) #5 “Angie” (The Rolling Stones) #6 “That Lady (Part 1)” (Isley Brothers) #7 “Loves Me Like A Rock” (Paul Simon) #8 “Midnight Train To Georgia” (Gladys Knight & The Pips) #9 “Keep On Truckin’” (Eddie Kendricks) #10 “We’re An American Band” (Grand Funk…B+ week…)
Chicago Bears Quiz Answers: The six AP All-Pros on defense for the 1985 Super Bowl Champs were Richard Dent (DE, 1st team), Steve McMichael (DT, 1st team), Dan Hampton (DT, 2nd team). Mike Singletary (MLB, 1st team), Otis Wilson (OLB, 2nd team) and Gary Fencik (S, 2nd team).
That 1985 season, the Bears were so dominant, at 15-1, they outscored their opponents 456-198, the defense allowing 10 or fewer points in 11 of the 16 games.
In the playoffs they then beat the Giants 21-0, the Rams 24-0, and won the Super Bowl 46-10 over the Patriots. Amazing dominance.
Brief Add-on up top Tues. AM….
