Month of MLB: Day 17

Last night, the Dodgers got four scoreless innings from Walker Buehler, and proceeded to crush the Mets 8-0 -- the fourth Dodger shutout in the post-season.

So today we have a double header.  The Yankees roll into Cleveland at 4:08 P.M. Central.  The Dodgers and Mets play again at 7:08 P.M. Central.  After tonight, we should know a lot more about who's going to the World Series.

NFL Week 7

I just want to point out that after eliminating me in the first round of Survivor Pool, the Patriots have lost five games in a row.

Here are the top ten teams in the NFL, according to ESPN:

1.  Kansas City:  5-0

2.  Minnesota:  5-0

3.  Detroit:  4-1

4.  Houston:  5-1

5.  Baltimore:  4-2

6.  Buffalo:  4-2

7.  Tampa Bay:  4-2

8.  Green Bay:  4-2

9.  Washington:  4-2

10.  San Francisco:  3-3

This week's Game of the Week is a good one:  the Number-3 Lions traveling to Minnesota to face the Number-2 Vikings.  It's a noon Central game on Sunday, it's a rivalry that usually doesn't get much attention, it's two of the best teams in the league -- you can't ask for much more than that.  

But that's only the beginning.  Sunday afternoon, at 3:25 PM Central, we get the Number-10 Forty-Niners hosting the Number-1 Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowls LIV and LVIII.  On Sunday afternoon at noon Central, we have the Number-8 Packers hosting the Number-4 Oilers (I see no reason to keep referring to them as the Texans).  And on Sunday night, we have the Number-5 Ravens visiting the Number-7 Bucs.  That is four top ten games on one day.  I don't remember that ever happening before.  And that's after you get Tennessee/Alabama and Texas/Georgia on Saturday.  Honestly, just cancel your plans for the weekend and watch football instead.

Latest KHSAA Football Rankings

Here is the current top 20 football teams in KHSAA, according to MaxPreps:

1.  Boyle Co:  7-0

2.  Lou. Trinity:  6-2

3.  Cooper:  8-0

4.  Franklin Co:  7-0

5.  Lou. Manual:  6-1

6.  Lou. Male:  6-1

7.  Ryle:  5-2

8.  Lou. St. Xavier:  4-3

9.  Christian Academy-Louisville:  5-2

10.  Lex. Frederick Douglass:  4-3

11.  Paducah Tilghman:  7-0

12.  Lex. Christian:  5-2

13.  Ft. Thomas Highlands:  6-2

14.  Bowling Green:  6-1

15.  Corbin:  6-1

16.  Owensboro Catholic:  7-0

17.  Ashland Blazer:  7-1

18.  S. Warren:  6-1

19.  Lex. Bryan Station:  4-3

20.  Scott Co:  5-3

And here's the Power Eleven for Western Kentucky:

11.  Paducah Tilghman:  7-0

35.  Graves Co:  5-2

37.  Mayfield:  4-2

46.  Madisonville-N. Hopkins:  5-2

53.  Henderson Co:  2-5

55.  Murray:  6-1

63.  McCracken Co:  3-4

73.  Union Co:  5-2

93.  Hopkinsville:  2-5

97.  Marshall Co:  3-4

102.  Logan Co:  3-4

Month of MLB: Day 16

So here's where the League Championship Series stand after two games:

In the National League, the Dodgers and Mets are tied at one game apiece.

In the American League, the Yankees lead Cleveland two games to none.

Tonight, the Dodgers travel to Queens to begin a three-game set in New Shea Stadium, or whatever the Mets' ballpark is called.

The Yankees and Cleveland will resume in Cleveland on Thursday.

So far, the Yankees have looked much better than Cleveland, but it's really hard to know what will happen in the N.L.C.S.

Month of MLB: Day 15

So far, we've had three games in the League Championship Series.  In all three games, one team went with an odd pitching strategy.  In Game One of the N.L.C.S., the Mets used a starter who had been hurt most of the year and had very few innings pitched during the season.  Remarkably, Cleveland did the same thing in Game One of the A.L.C.S.  And in Game Two of the N.L.C.S., the Dodgers decided to have a bullpen game with no true starting pitcher.

These stratagems backfired.  The Dodgers jumped all over the Mets Game One starter and cruised to a 9-0 win.  The Yankees jumped out to an early lead on Cleveland, and rolled home as 5-2 winners.  And the Dodgers' bullpen blew up in the second inning, giving up six early runs in a 7-3 Mets victory.

So the Mets and Dodgers are tied, and the Yankees lead Cleveland 1-0.  Tonight the NL takes the day off and we get Game Two of the A.L.C.S. on TBS at 6:38 P.M. Central.  The Yankees will be starting Gerrit Cole, who went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts this year.  Cleveland will respond with Tanner Bibee -- who made 31 starts for Cleveland this year, going 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA.  So, for once, we'll get two normal starting pitchers -- and we'll see if that makes a difference.