OK, so here's where we stand after one day:
Texas leads Tampa Bay 1-0
Minnesota leads Toronto 1-0
Arizona leads Milwaukee 1-0
Philadelphia leads Miami 1-0
Since this round is best two out of three, we will probably see some teams eliminated today. But for today, we are on the same schedule as yesterday. I'll be mainly focused on Twins/Blue Jays and Phillies/Marlins.
By the way, there only 19,704 fans at the Devil Rays/Rangers game yesterday. I have never understood why there's an MLB franchise in Tampa Bay, and now I understand it less than ever. The Rays have made the playoffs five years in a row, won the pennant in 2020, and have virtually no fans. They should move this franchise. I'd move it to Montreal. Or Buffalo. But it should go somewhere else.
Today the UK basketball media is worked up about the fact that Zvonimir Ivisic has finally been admitted to the University of Kentucky. I will be stunned if this ends up making a difference to UK's basketball team. It seems to me like we always have some guys floating around on the edge of participation (hello, Enes Kanter), and they rarely end up contributing.
ReplyDeleteGunther Bienkhe
DeleteI found out recently that Brad Paisley did a cover of the old Tom T. Hall song, "Me and Jesus." I think it's a great cover, and I am enjoying it enormously.
ReplyDeleteThat Tom T. Hall can really write some lyrics.
DeleteHis is one of my three favorite books about writing--along with Stephen King's and Anne Lamott's.
DeleteI never knew he wrote a book. That sounds great!
DeleteMy favorite book on writing is "The Winning Brief," by Bryan Garner. It's a masterpiece.
DeleteI'm unaware of that one, but I'll check it out.
DeleteTom T. Hall taught a songwriting course at one of the Tennessee colleges in the 1980s. I think it was MTSU, but it might've been Tennessee Tech, actually. It was not Belmont, UT, Vandy or Memphis State. Maybe Martin. Anyway, the book looks like he wrote it as he taught the course and developed a curriculum. It is really good, and I actually used in my own work some of the exercises he suggested. I'll dig it out and give you more on it.
The Rangers lead 2-0 in the top of the 4th, and we may soon be done with the Rays until next season.
ReplyDeleteThe Rangers whack a two-run homer, and now they lead 4-0 in the top of the 4th.
ReplyDeleteMy go-to Ranger in Immaculate Grid is Jeff Burroughs.
ReplyDeleteBill Singer tends to be a dependable performer, too.
DeleteI cannot, of course, root for the Rangers, but I am not, at the same time, rooting for the Rays.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, any Rays supporters who exist would have been wise to skip these games. Texas leads 7-0 in the bottom of the 7th, and the Rays may be eliminated without scoring a post-season run.
ReplyDeleteThe Rays are eliminated 7-1 by Texas. No more games at the Trop until next year. 99 wins in the regular season, and one run in the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteBrutal.
DeleteSo the Rangers will advance to face the Orioles.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that yesterday, I thought it might be a jinx for Tampa Bay to show up in those Devil Ray uniforms, and in retrospect I think I correct.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, in the bottom of the 5th, Minnesota leads Toronto 2-0. Whoever wins this series will be the Champion in the North, and will move on to face the Astros.
ReplyDeleteI think of Minneapolis and Toronto as both being "in the North," but when I looked them up I learned that they are actually 824 miles apart. According to Google, it would take you 14 hours and 39 minutes to drive from Minneapolis to Toronto, and that includes a ferry trip across Lake Michigan.
ReplyDeleteOne of the really fun things on Tony Kornheiser's podcast in the last couple of years is that Michael Wilbon once identified Toronto as a "Midwestern city." Tony didn't dispute it at the time, but, of course, the emailers were all over it the next day (and continue to be here and there).
DeleteApparently there is a ferry from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Muskegon, Michigan. I had no idea.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Internet, the ferry ride takes two hours and 30 minutes. On the one hand, it sounds awesome. On the other, I'd spend the whole time thinking about the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. And yes, I know that's a different lake.
DeleteSo I would end up driving through Chicago and Detroit on my way from Minneapolis to Toronto.
DeleteAfter 5, Minnesota leads 2-0.
ReplyDeleteAfter 6, Minnesota leads 2-0.
ReplyDeleteAfter 7, Minnesota leads 2-0.
ReplyDeleteAfter 8, Minnesota leads 2-0.
ReplyDeleteMinnesota eliminates the Blue Jays 2-0. Like the Rays, Toronto scored one run in two games.
ReplyDeleteThe Twins advance to play Houston.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Milwaukee leads Arizona 2-0 in the top of the 2d.
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia 2 - 0 Miami (After 3)
ReplyDeleteMilwaukee 2 - 4 Arizona (Top 6)
Right now, we on pace to end the Wild Card Round tonight.
In the bottom of the 6th, Bryson Stott whacks a grand slam into the right field bleachers. The Phillies are up 7 to 0, and Miami is probably done for the year.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the D-Backs lead Milwaukee 5-2 after 8.
ReplyDeleteNo team from the NL Central has made the National League Championship Series since 2019, and it won't happen this year either. Arizona beats Milwaukee 5-2, and the Brewers are eliminated. Arizona moves on to face the Dodgers.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Philly is cruising, with a 7-0 lead and only six outs to go. Unless a miracle happens, they will move on to face the Braves, and the Wild Card Series will all be finished tonight.
ReplyDeleteHere will be the Divisional matchups:
ReplyDelete(1) Baltimore v. (5) Texas
(2) Houston v. (3) Minnesota
(1) Atlanta v. (4) Philadelphia
(2) Los Angeles v. (6) Arizona
Wouldn't it be great if the Orioles won the American League a month after Brooks Robinson died?
ReplyDelete