World Serious
Cubs-Indians. Game 7.
Thank you baseball Gods.
Signed,
Everyone who is not an Indians fan (since they would have been tickled for this thing to have been finished Sunday or last night). And make no mistake the happiest people in the BID-ness are the executives at Fox.
Tonight's Game 7, which faces little competition on the sports dial will dominate the ratings unlike any baseball game in recent memory. Think of the reach this game has with casual fans and everyone in between.
Of course the diehards will be glued to every pitch.
But this one - with the historic storyline of long-time title struggles for each club - has the ultimate drama that brings attention from all corners. So sit back and enjoy.
Watch the young Cubs hitters, who have come alive in the last 15 innings - and man did Addison Russell crush that grand slam Tuesday - try to end the curse.
Watch Corey Kluber try to become the first pitcher in almost 50 years to win three games in the same World Series. If that happens, we think he could be the frontrunner for the series MVP. (Side note: If you are wondering only 13 pitchers have won three games in the same series, a feat most recently accomplished by Randy Johnson in 2001. The Big Unit won Games 6 and 7, with the last one coming in a relief appearance. Mickey Lolich of the Tigers in 1968 was the last to get three wins in three starts in the same series. And three of the 13 came in the years in which the World Series was the best of nine, including one pitcher from each team doing it in 1903, when Boston beta Pittsburgh 5-3.)]
Where were we? Oh yes. Game 7. Thanks and enjoy.
FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2016, file photo, Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight (8) celebrates with teammates after rushing for a touchdown against the Tennessee during the first half of an NCAA college football game in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M was ranked fourth behind Alabama, Clemson and Michigan in the season's first College Football Playoff rankings, announced Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) College football playoff
Because it's crazy. Because it defies explanation. Because it really can't be accurately forecast even if we all try to predict it.
College football. God bless you.
The first college football playoff ranking was released Tuesday night. Here is the top 10:
1. Alabama (8-0)
2. Clemson (8-0)
3. Michigan (8-0)
4. Texas A&M (7-1)
5. Washington (8-0)
6. Ohio State (7-1)
7. Louisville (7-1)
8. Wisconsin (6-2)
9. Auburn (6-2)
10. Nebraska (7-1)
Those are the numbers as presented by the committee for the unquestioned, unabashed and unconditional support of college football fans everywhere.
Or maybe not.
We can all agree with 1 and 2, right? Alabama is the best team in the country and Clemson - with wins at Auburn and at Florida State as well as a home victory over Louisville - has the best resume. In fact, if they are going to do it by accomplishments to this point, Clemson has a better statement of achievements than even Bama. But Clemson is not better than Bama, because, well we've all seen them play.
The biggest eye-popper, of course, is Texas A&M, which moved into the top four despite a loss. Washington is at 5 despite being 8-0.
This, in our view, is the committee's best and easiest chance to say, "Hey Washington, your out of conference schedule sucks rotten eggs. You need to fix that. Home games with Rutgers, Portland State and Idaho simply will not cut it when matters get tight."
It's also the best time for the committee - which has maintained from the beginning of this process two years ago that conference championships carry extra weight - to make that statement. (We also feel a little bad for Cal this weekend, since they are going to get a highly irritated and motivated bunch of Washington Huskies.)
In the end if all of the top five win out, we'll bet a mortgage payment that Washington would be No. 4.
The other interesting item here is that THE Ohio State is already ahead of Louisville, and since THE Ohio State has the much better stepping stone game - and controls its conference destiny, unlike the Cardinals or the Aggies - the Buckeyes are the one-less team most in the mix to get into the four. And in truth, second on that list could very well be Nebraska, which is 10th but has a chance to make quote the November statement with games against Ohio State and potentially in the Big Ten championship.
The poll is meaningless right now. That's true. But sometimes meaningless fun is pretty doggone enjoyable at times.
Tennessee's Jalen Hurd (1) is tackled by Shan Dion Hamilton (20). The top-ranked University of Alabama Crimson Tide visited the University of Tennessee Volunteers in SEC football action on October 15, 2016Hurd what
OK, the details coming out about Jalen Hurd and the split with the Vols are making this another he-said, he-said kind of thing.
On one hand, there's the whole team distraction part of this that has been echoed by a lot of folks we trust.
Then there's the video Hurd's step-dad put out there that includes some references to being concussed at Georgia, a game in which Hurd re-entered after the time of the alleged concussion. (This could be bad on a few fronts for UT.)
Facts are hard to come by. But realizations are pretty clear.
What was supposed to be a season of great expectations and great accomplishments for the Vols in general and Hurd in particular - remember he was on track to be slam dunk as the all-time UT leader in rushing yards - unraveled in Columbia, S. C.
Can it be salvaged for UT? Somewhat. Winning out and toppling a bowl foe would be a 10-win season, and those are not to scoff at for anyone this side of the uber-elite in college football. But that seemed like the very baseline at the beginning, and without a trip to Atlanta, it's not what it was supposed to be for anyone in orange. Especially Hurd.
This and that
- For the first time in four years the UConn Huskies women's basketball team is not ranked No. 1 in the country. That's fine. We get it. They lost the top three picks in the WNBA draft after all. That said, we'll take UConn and give you the field and feel pretty good come tournament time.
- This is an awful story. http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/01/us/slot-machine-winner-steak-dinner-trnd/index.html Women playing penny slots in a Jamaica, Queens casino thinks she hits a $43 million jackpot. Even takes a picture of the display screen. Slot machine prints out a $2.25 ticket. Casino says machine malfunctioned and rendered all play null and void. (Casino did offer the woman and her family a complimentary steak dinner, but still.)
- Man this is setting up to be a fun week in sports. We have Game 7 tonight. We have the Falcons on Thursday night football. We also have Thunder-Warriors on Thursday night. (Quick side question: If we set the numbers for Russell Westbrook in his first vengeance game against Kevin Durant and the Warriors at 35-10-15, you going over or under? Here's an interesting story with Durant walking back the reported animosity between the two former teammates.) Friday night is high school football playoffs in Tennessee. The the weekend. Good times.
- Here are some more details about the deal that sent former Pro Bowl linebacker from New England to Cleveland. Yes, Jamie Collins' pending free agency played a role. And the stories about his free-lancing on defense and his lack of preparation seem very anti-Belichick in every regard. The money may have dictated the trade. But the chance to send a message to the rest of the Patriots dictated the location. This was Belichick saying, "Do you job or I will send you to NFL purgatory."
- There are scenic tee shots, and then, depending on the folks in the pool on this hole at the Turkish Airways Open, there are scenic tee shots. Yep, that's a tee from atop a villa. Kudos. http://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/look-turkish-airlines-open-has-a-tee-box-on-top-of-a-villa-this-week/
Today's question
We like this one word Wednesday.
The college football playoff rankings were ___________.
Tonight's Game 7 winner will be ___________.
And the shining star will be ________.
Go and take a one-word question and feel free to leave a one-word question. Enjoy the day.