Got a lot to get to, so pull up a chair.
From the "Talks too much" studios, let the games begin.
Andi Moriconi takes a selfie at Kauffman Stadium before Game 1 of the Major League Baseball World Series between the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/David Goldman) World-class opener
Well, it's tough to imagine a more unbelievable World Series opener, right?
We started with an inside the park homer. We got news that the Royals starting pitcher learned of his father's death on the way to the ballpark. We got back-and-forth in a tight game with an energetic crowd. We get a Bill Buckner-esque type moment when Eric Hosmer commits a late error. We get a ninth-inning game-tying homer from Alex Gordon that was the Mets closer Jeurys Familia's first blown save since July. Then we get Hosmer finding redemption by knocking in the game-winner in the 14th inning.
Wow.
Let's break that down.
Alcides Escobar hit the first inside-the-park homer https://sports.yahoo.com/video/escobars-inside-park-homer-063818652.html in the Series since 1929, when some guy named Mule Haas did it. That was before the stock market crashed, and if a guy named Mule or a lady named Gertrude are involved, you know it was a long time ago.
Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez's father Daniel was 63 when he died Tuesday. ESPN had reported that Edinson learned the news on his way to the park, but this report says http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/the-royals-didn-t-tell-edinson-volquez-his-dad-died--at-his-family-s-request-071228580.html that he learned the news after he pitched six strong innings at the request of his wife. A heart-warming and heart-breaking story to be sure.
Hosmer's error was very Buckner-like, and did we mention that Hosmer has won two gold gloves?
Gordon's homer was the first ninth-inning Series game-tying or winning homer since some guy named Kirk Gibson did it in 1988. It came on a 97-mph sinker and to think someone has a 97-mph sinker is amazing and to think Gordon hit it 400-plus feet is mind-blowing.
Hosmer's walk-off sacrifice fly that ended the longest World Series game at 5:09 - a number made even longer because of a delay when Fox had technical difficulties, and that prevented replay usage in New York - jump started a wild celebration and lifted everyone's hopes for an epic series.
And in the scheme of things there is no way to undervalue the meaning of winning Game 1. Did you know that the team that has won Game 1 has gone on to win 16 of the last 18 World Series
Side note: Royals second baseman Ben Zobrist had three hits, including a key single that moved Escobar to third to set up the game-winning run, may miss some of the World Series for the birth of his third childhttp://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/25355558/ben-zobrist-may-have-to-go-on-paternity-leave-during-world-series. We have to ask, would you miss a World Series game - what if it's Game 7 - for the birth of a child?
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Coaching moves
There are several big college football coaching jobs already open.
stepped down at Central Florida and Miami ran Al Golden.
That brought two interesting story lines to mind.
First, there are a couple of things about Miami. How good a job is the Hurricanes' gig right now? We think better than it's getting credit for because of the tradition and the the ability for the right guy to come in and get some real talent because of Da U's drawing card.
Secondly on Miami, we think there's no way for Miami back-up quarterback Mark Richt would ever leave Georgia for another gig but he was asked about it http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/25355553/mark-richt-loves-miami-but-theres-been-nobody-calling-about-job.
It also got us thinking - yes, we did a lot of thinking this morning (stop it Spy) - about how a lot of Georgia fans would react if Richt left for his alma mater.
The fact that Golden was run with a 32-25 record also brings up a big question in Blacksburg.
Frank Beamer, a legend who built Virginia Tech, is 25-22 since the start of the 2012 season - including a 30-20 loss to the now jobless Golden earlier this month.
This looks to be the biggest college football job fair in recent memory - there are already seven gigs open - so you have to wonder if its time for the Hokies to make a move.
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CORRECTS DAY OF WEEK TO TUESDAY NOT SATURDAY - President Barack Obama talks with fans during an NBA basketball game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls in Chicago on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes) NBA openers
Hey, it's the first night in a long season of NBA games.
But with the POTUS on hand for the opener between the Bulls and the Cavs and with a clear message sent in the night cap, there were three games with three clear takeaways last night.
Chicago looks like it will try to make one more run. And for all the talk about the Bulls' new offense under coach Fred Hoiberg, it was a defensive play - Pau Gasol blocking LeBron James - that sealed the win. (Side note: Nice job by the officials on that play, which was an excellent block.)
Next, the Hawks got pantsed by the Pistons. It's impossible to see this Atlanta team matching last year's 60 wins.
Finally, if you are going to be the man, well, the man may have something to say about that. Young upstart Anthony Davis and the Pelicans had little for defending MVP Steph Curry and the Warriors.
Curry poured in 24 first-quarter points and finished with 40 on 14-of-26 shooting.
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This and that
- Derek Jeter is reportedly getting hitched, ending one of the greatest runs in historyhttp://nesn.com/2015/10/report-derek-jeter-hannah-davis-set-to-get-married-after-proposal/. Jeter is the Roy Hobbs of dating: "There goes the best to ever play the game."
- According to this report http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/college/story/2015/oct/27/rocky-top-ranked-no-1-fight-song-america/332820/ Rocky Top was voted the best fight song in college football. OK, we know UTC once used it and a lot of Johnny Mocs Fans feel like UT stole it. And there are several other songs that have a valid beef as being a better fight song - Michigan's, USC's, Notre Dame's come quickly to mind. Now if the list is the most played fight songs, then Rocky Top is a clear winner.
- OK, file this under the Dr. Phil and CSI category http://throb.gizmodo.com/a-man-is-his-sons-uncle-thanks-to-a-vanished-twin-1738718524?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_twitter&utm_source=io9_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow. Yep, because of a vanished twin, and some DNA stuff this man is also his son's uncle. Mind. Blown.
- And then this happened http://www.thepostgame.com/heroes-villains/201510/former-mlb-star-i-used-private-investigators-blackmail-umps. Lenny Dykstra said he used $500,000 to hire a team of private investigators to dig up dirt on umpires so he would get better calls at the plate. Here's saying Dykstra is near the top of the list of former athletes you don't want as a babysitter.
- Good-bye to Abby Wambach http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/abby-wambach-retires-as-the-g-o-a-t/who retires as the female soccer GOAT.
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Today's question(s)
Man, there's a lot to discuss today. Feel free to sound off on the Ben Zobrist thing.
As for today, well, a ton of birthdays to be noted: Bill Gates (60), Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner (66), Julia Roberts (48), Brad Paisley (43), Charlie Daniels (79), local bigwig Zach Wamp (58) and Jonas Salk, who would have been 101.
On this day in 1886, the first ticker tape parade occurs spontaneously after president Grover Cleveland dedicates the Statue of Liberty.
In 1919 on this day, the Volstead Act was passed, paving the way for Prohibition the following January.
This was Black Monday in 1929 - a couple of weeks after our boy Mule Haas hit an inside-the-park homer in the World Series - that started the stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression.
In 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis ended on this day.
Basically we're dealing with a lot of stuff.
Did you know that 20 years ago today, the Braves won Game 6 1-0 to win Atlanta's only pro sports championship? Twenty years. It feels like forever and yesterday in a lot of ways, you know?
Would that push Tom Glavine toward a spot on the Atlanta pro sports Rushmore?
Whatcha' got?