Postseason promise
Spy emailed me after lunch on Tuesday, absolutely giddy about the thought of leaving the office and watching playoff baseball in the daytime.
Trust me, kiddos, as The Mandalorian says, this is the way.
It was on the big screen at the 5-at-10 for pretty much all day.
Some macro takeaways from the Tigers, Cubs, Red Sox and Dodgers taking commanding 1–0 leads in their best-of-3 wildcard matchups over the Guardians, Padres, Yankees and Reds.
› How important was Tuesday? In the current format of the expanded playoffs non-COVID, the winner of Game 1 in the wildcard round has won every WC series. Read that again. Only two of those best-of-3s went to Game 3.
› Does Rob Lowe even age? The Dodgers’ Superman looks like he is five years older than the actor who played the screw-up in “St. Elmo’s Fire.” “St. Elmo’s Fire” was made with the “Brat Pack” (ask your parents) in … wait for it … June 28, 1985.
› Shohei Ohtani is the best MLB since (blank)? Is there even a comp? He homered twice in the Dodgers’ Game 1 win. Before the Game 1 W, he was warming up because he will start on the mound in Game 3. Forget calling him a unicorn. He is Sasquatch riding a unicorn that walks on water over Loch Ness to get on Pegasus to plunge into the under regions of the sea to have a meeting in Atlantis with a Martian.
› Analytics matter in the non-“er” months. Aces matter when we get here. Detroit’s Tarik Skubal was amazing, and he needed to be because Cleveland’s Gavin Williams was, too. Blake Snell was aces in L.A., and the biggest gaffe of Tuesday was Aaron Boone not trusting his ace Max Fried to go pitch for pitch with Boston lefty Garrett Crochet, who was simply sublime. The Yankees’ bullpen betrayed Fried, who pushed Boone into traffic by saying when he was pulled in the sixth, he still had some left in the tank. Conversely, Crochet told Boston manager Alex Cora the Sox skipper was only going to need to make one call to the bullpen. Cora laughed, and Crochet said, “No, I’m dead serious.” And he was, and he may have killed the Yankees’ postseason hopes because of it.
› Managing from your “Trapper Keeper” of stats is fine during the regular season because the sample size of six months balances out. This is three games, Aaron Boone. And when did the 100-pitch mark become 26.2 miles or an Ironman distance?
› Can we remember that bunts are legal?
Thoughts?
WNBA drama
This is not an entry about the WNBA Finals being set as Las Vegas outlasted the injury-riddled Indiana Fever.
It should be, but it’s not because Minnesota star Napheesa Collier took the podium for her after-season news conference and RIPPED WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert.
“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world,” Collier said in her lengthy remarks, “but right now we have the worst leadership in the world. The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings or even missed calls or even physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office.”
And that was just the tip of the iceberg from the vice-president of the WNBA players union.
The players understandably have rallied around Collier’s comments, which I understand considering the need for Ws in the court of public opinion with the CBA expiring this month and an almost certain labor stoppage on the horizon.
Here is more on Collier’s statements, which also included this rant:
“I sat across from Cathy (Engelbert) and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league. Her response was, ‘Well, only the losers complained about the refs.’
“We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn’t value us.
“I also asked how (Englebert) planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin (Clark), Angel (Reese) and Paige (Bueckers), who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years. Her response was, ‘Caitlin (Clark) should be grateful to make $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’
“In that same conversation, she told me players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them. That’s the mentality driving our league from the top … The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them.”
Some context that matter, at least to me.
› First, raise your hand if you completely saw the reversal of perspective from the rest of the players when the CBA negotiations really heated up on Clark. I am raising both of mine. After all the angst and calls of overrated and everything else about Clark’s game and popularity and even forming racial narratives about it, speaking Clark’s name in a recounted second-hand conversation feels mighty convenient. And predictable considering her popularity.
› Second, the timing of this is not based on emotion. It’s based on the looming negotiations. Plus, if Collier and Co. are not putting the need for good PR with the looming negotiations, why do it when the game — The Shield — and the playoff action should be the story, not the rants of a union rehab?
› Finally, and this has been way underreported, but Collier is the co-founder of Unrivaled, a women’s league that plays during the WNBA offseason and her husband runs that league. Hmmm.
Collier’s points could be 100% valid, but context matters.
QB carousel
To the surprise of no one — not even the Flacco family — the 1-3 Cleveland Browns are making a QB1 change.
This is the proper way to rebuild.
Stack picks.
Stink on ice.
Find out if any of your rookie QBs can play and could be him.
The Browns are turning to Dillon Gabriel, and all the questions are still about Shedeur Sanders.
If Gabriel can’t do it, the choice should be Sanders, but other than Sanders’ last name and Hall of Fame daddy, who in a million years would think a team that drafted two QBs in a draft would turn to the fifth-rounder before the third-rounder?
Cue ESPN’s talking heads and narratives in 3, 2, 1 …
This and that
› Mel Kiper Jr. loves Oregon QB1 Dante Moore and said he’s likely going to be atop his Big Board later this month.
› PA announcer Joe Bullard should have been among those who lost the weekend. Bullard called the Alabama State Honey Beez — the oversized dancing team of the famed ASU Marching Hornets — the “new face of Ozempic” over the loudspeaker during halftime of the Florida A&M game against ASU on Saturday.
› Rules, people. Here’s Paschall on UT’s RB DeSean Bishop embracing his late-game opportunity vs. MSU.
› Man, Dabo vs. Bill Belichick sounded great in August. Now in October, it feels headed to the ACC+ app.
› The Braves are done. That’s not breaking news unless this was posted July 29. If — IF — the Braves give Brian Snitker a 50th season with the organization, the only way I can endorse any part of that is if they bring Ron Washington back and put him on the path to be the skipper in 2027.
› “Wheel of Fortune” just had its single-biggest winner in its 50-year history. After winning more than $35K to get to the bonus round, Christian Derevjanik won the prize puzzle and landed on the $1 million wedge with her spin.
Today’s questions
Which Way Wednesday starts this way:
› Which MLB playoff story intrigues you most?
› Which word would you use to describe Napheesa Collier’s words against WNBA leadership?
› Which coach had a worse September, Dabo Swinney or Bill Belichick?
› Which job will Shedeur Sanders have in four years, NFL QB1, NFL QB2, Colorado OC?
As for today, October 1, let’s review:
“The Thrilla in MManila happened on this day 50 years ago.
“National Geographic” debuted on this day in 1888.
Jimmy Carter would have been 101 today.
Rod Carew is 80 today.
Does he make the Rushmore of contact hitters since 1970?
Go.