LEADING OFF WITH THOUGHTS ON THE YANKEES AT CLEVELAND SHOWDOWN
The season will end Wednesday night – weather permitting – for the New York Yankees or the host Cleveland Indians in Game 5 of the American League Division Series. Too bad it isn’t best-of-seven.
Three reasons to think the Yankees will win:
1-The bullpen is rested and ready to fire. It is baseball’s deepest and most overpowering crew of relief pitchers.
2-The lineup is solid top-to-bottom. Even No. 9 hitter former Red Wing Aaron Hicks has been producing.
3-Cleveland slugger Edwin Encarnacion (38 HRs, 107 RBI) has a very sore ankle and likely won’t be at his best even if he plays.
Three reasons to think the Indians will win:
1-They’re the slightly better all-around team.
2-Starting pitcher Corey Kluber won the AL 2014 Cy Young Award and is in his prime. He rates the edge over 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia, who is not in his prime.
The Yankees crushed Kluber Friday – 2 2/3 innings, 7 hits, 6 earned runs, 2 HRs. That isn’t likely to happen again. The likely AL Cy Young Award winner was 18-4 with a 2.25 ERA this regular season.
3-Yankees rookie star Aaron Judge appears to be in one of his cold streaks (1-for-15, 2 RBI, 12 strikeouts in 15 official at-bats in this ALDS). He’s more likely to whiff three times than to smash a home run.
The odds in Las Vegas: Cleveland -180 (bet $180 to win $100)...Yankees +165 (bet $100 to win $165).
IF THIS NFL PARITY OR MEDIOCRITY?
One reason to think the Buffalo Bills can break the franchises’ 17-year playoff drought: through five weeks of the season, there appears to be one clearly superior team (the Kansas City Chiefs if they stay healthy), a few really lousy teams and a whole lot of flawed but competitive teams.
Entering Week 6, 10 teams have 3-2 records, including Buffalo.
Only six teams have records better than 3-2. The Bills have defeated Denver (3-1) and Atlanta (3-1) and came within one errant pass or catch of beating Carolina (4-1).
No wonder so many NFL fans, including long-suffering Buffalo fans, have high hopes of making the playoffs at this stage of the season.
FIVETHIRTYEIGHT COMPUTER UPDATE ON THE AFC EAST
Entering NFL Week 6, here are the updated probabilities for the AFC East:
Victories – Patriots 10.6...Bills 8.7...Jets 7.2...Dolphins 6.7
Losses – Patriots 5.4...Bills 7.3...Jets 8.8...Dolphins 9.3
Point differential – Patriots +78.8...Bills +20.2...Jets -60.3...Dolphins -74.1
Make the playoffs – Patriots 79 percent...Bills 44...Jets 18...Dolphins 16
Win the division – Patriots 64 percent...Bills 23...Jets 7...Dolphins 6.
Win Super Bowl 52 – Chiefs 24 percent...Patriots 12...Packers 10...Falcons 9...Eagles 6...Seahawks 5...Panthers 4...Lions 3...Steelers 3...Bills 2...Cowboys 2...Vikings 2...Redskins 2...Ravens 2...Jaguars 2...Saints 2.
THURSDAY’S “BEST BET”: PANTHERS OVER EAGLES
The Carolina Panthers are favored by 3 ½ points at home Thursday over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is getting healthier every week and I expect him to be the difference in this game: CAROLINA 27, Philadelphia 20.
A TOUGH NIGHT FOR U.S. SOCCER FANS...EXCEPT FOR THOSE OF THE RHINOS
What did the Rochester Rhinos and the U.S. men’s national soccer team have in common Tuesday night?
They both played important matches before crowds in the 1,000 range.
What did the Rhinos and the U.S. men not have in common?
The Rhinos won and the U.S. men lost.
The Rhinos beat Bethlehem Steel FC 1-0 before 963 fans at Capelli Sports Stadium to take over fourth place in the USL Eastern Conference. A victory over New York Red Bulls II Saturday at home would clinch a home date in the playoffs. Presumably, the crowd for Rhinos Hall of Fame Night will be significantly larger than Tuesday night’s gathering.
Jochen Graf scored his ninth goal of the season and Tomas Gomez had his 11th clean sheet (shutout) for coach Bob Lilley’s Rhinos (13 wins, only 7 losses, 11 draws).
The U.S. men needed only a tie against underdog Trinidad and Tobago in their final CONCACAF qualifying match to all but clinch a spot in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The USA entered the match with a 14-3-4 record all-time versus Trinidad and Tobago. FIFA’s latest world rankings have the United States 28th and Trinidad and Tobago 99th.
Soccer fans in Trinidad and Tobago had so little faith in the Soca Warriors entering this match than the attendance at Ato Bolden Stadium in the town of Couva was around 1,000.
Trinidad and Tobago won 2-1. The USA defeat coupled with victories by Panama (2-1 over Colombia) and Honduras (3-2 over Mexico) meant the American men failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
THE TOUGH IL NORTH WILL BE EVEN TOUGHER
News that the New York Mets have agreed to purchase the Syracuse Chiefs likely means the already rugged six-team International League North Division will be even better when the Mets start operating the Chiefs in 2019.
The Mets spent the past five seasons stocking Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League because no IL team wanted to be affiliated with the Mets, who have a history of weak IL teams. The Mets wanted to return to the IL to significantly reduce travel costs and slash the time required to shuttle players to-and-from New York.
The Mets figure to go the extra mile to give Syracuse a strong team. They want to erase their negative image in the IL. They bought the team because it was their best way to escape the PCL and return to the IL. And since the Mets will own the Chiefs, a winning team figures to boost attendance and reduce operating costs.
SHORT SHOTS
With a 0-2-1 record and starting a four-game trip West Thursday night in San Jose, the Buffalo Sabres are 2-for-13 on the power play (15.4 percent; 17th in the 30-team NHL) and 11-for-11 killing penalties (100.0 percent; tied for 1st in the league).
Las Vegas lists the NFC as the early 2 ½-point favorite over the AFC in Super Bowl LII. I have no idea why and I’m pretty sure the Kansas City Chiefs don’t either.
When this NFL season began, did anyone think that through five weeks, the New York Jets would be 3-2 and the New York Giants would be 0-5?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Wednesday, October 11
T.J. Watt (23)...Giovanny Urshela (26)...Michelle Wie (28)...Justin Falk (29)...Mike Conley Jr. (30)...Terrell Suggs (35)...Jason Arnott (43)...Dmitri Young (44)...Gregg Olson (51)...Chris Spielman (52)...Rikishi (52)...Martin Bayless (55)...Steve Young (56)...Norm Nixon (62)...ex-Red Wing slugger Mike Fiore (73)...Bobby Charlton (80). Luke Perry (50) and Daryl Hall (71) are invited to the birthday party.
Thursday, October 12
Ketel Marte (24)...Mike Green (32)...Jonathan Babineaux (36)...Ryan Clark (38)...Adrian Wilson (38)...Marion Jones (42)...Miroslav Satan (43)...Charlie Ward (47)...Nancy Kerrigan (48)...Leon Lett (49)...Chris Chandler (52)...Mike Zordich (54)...Sid Fernandez (55)...Sally Little (66)...Jack Marin (73)...Tony Kubek (81). Hugh Jackman (49) is invited to the birthday party.
Friday, October 13
Norris Cole (29)...Brian Hoyer (32)...Ian Thorpe (35)...Jermaine O’Neal (39)...Paul Pierce (40)...Brian Dawkins (44)...Sean O’Donnell (46)...Trevor Hoffman (50)...Jerry Rice (55)...Doc Rivers (56)...Derek Harper (56)...Reggie Theus (60)...Pat Day (64)...Jerry Jones (75). Tiffany Trump (24), Sasha Baron Cohen (46), Marie Osmond (58) and Paul Simon (76) are invited to the birthday party.