* The Yankees tied their series with Cleveland last night, forcing a game 5 in Cleveland on Wednesday night. The Baby Bombers have a good, young team, but I thought they would wilt to the Indians' experience., but not so. Give New York credit for holding serve at home and taking the Tribe to the limit.
The pressure will squarely be on the Indians. They blew a 3-1 lead in the World series last fall, and now they are the verge of choking once again, up 2-0 over the Yanks, only to see the short series tied at 2 games apiece.
I didn't think Cleveland would gt back to the Series, despite their 22-game winning streak. I thought they would suffer a major letdown after they imploded to the Cubs.Meanwhile the Yankees may move on, but if not, they are showing their future promise. Wednesday night is do-or- die for both clubs, but even more so for Cleveland and their fans.
I'm rooting for Cleveland, which hasn't won a World Series since 1948. New York has won 27 world titles. They will get theirs soon ( I see them playing the Dodgers in time, if not this year). For now, I'm hoping for an Indian October.
* The Red Sox choked at home, losing their series to Houston, 3 games to 1.. The Astros have a good, young team, but I predicted Boston to move on. They held off the Yankees all summer, and now it's ironic the the Yanks are still alive and the Red Sox are eliminated.
* The Dodgers swept the Diamondbacks, as predicted. I'm disappointed in Arizona. They were the hot team going into the playoffs, but came up small. LA won 104 games during the season, despite hitting a snag after the all-star break. Now Los Angeles can sit back and watch the Cubs and Nationals kill each other. The Dodgers can set up their rotation, starting with Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.
* The Cubs went in front of Washington, 2 games to 1, winning last night at Wrigley Field. The Nats are in danger choking yet again in the playoffs. Chicago doesn't want to return to Washington for a game 5. t to close it out and move onto an epic battle with the Dodgers. I se ethe Cubbies winning tonight.
* Joel Embiid got a 5-year, $148 million contract extension last night from the Sixers. One can say that it was a bad business deal, that the 76'ers should've waited to see if Embiid is healthy to play this season, then match any offer once Embiid entered free agency. But it's not my money. I think the organization had to extend Embiid .They have invested so much in him already.Can't let him go and see him become a superstar elsewhere.
Hopefully Embiid is healthy and plays most of the games this year. He may push it now, playing back-to-back games ( if the Sixers' doctors let him) to earn the bonus money in his contract.
In the brief time he has played, Embiid has shown he has star potential. He's great on the court, plus he's got a terrific, funny, quirky personality. I think he is worth it. But now, will the Sixers follow that up with more free agent signings down the road to build around JoJo?
* Rumors are that rookie Markell Fultz has a sore shoulder, hence the reason he is shooting his free throws so awkwardly in the pre-season. Hopefully it's not a significant injury I can't wait til this Sixers squad is healthy and together on the court- Embiid, Simmons, Fultz and the rest.
* Another rumor: The November Eagles game against Denver, scheduled for 1:00 at the Linc, may be flexed to Sunday night at 8:30. It's great that, with the Birds' success. they will be getting more national attention. I have tickets for the November 7th Broncos game. I like the early time. Will it be a cold night in early November? A Sunday night game is exciting but, with all the TV commercials, it drags. The traffic is horrible getting out of the parking lot and on the roads. So I'm not happy that the game may be moved.
* I hate Thursday night football. . Not fair to the players, especially the visiting team ( this week, the Eagles) who have to travel on a short week.
Personally, I'm not into pro football on Thursday. Sunday it's all NFL football. Even Monday night is better than Thursday. Usually there are crappy teams playing on Thursday night. It's different this week, since both Philly and Carolina are 4-1. Still, it's not the same.
OK, so the Eagles will have 11 days off after the Panther game, as the Birds won't play again until a Monday night tilt vs. the Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field. Every team is required to play on Thursday. They won't do away with it because of money. As long as fans watch, Thursdays will stay football night.
Thursdays aren't good for the players nursing their bumps and bruises from the previous week. Thursdays aren't good for the coaches,w ho have to run different practices and draw up game plans in a limited amount of time. Really, Thursdays are only good for the owners, who continue to make tons of money and don't care.
* During the boring Vikings-Bears game last night, Minnesota QB Sam Bradford re-aggravated his knee injury and left the game in the first half. It looks like this will be a nagging problem all season, which means the Vikes won't contend.
* Offensive tackle Lane Johnson looks like he will miss the Carolina game with a concussion.The Panthers have a good pass rush, so his absence would hurt big-time. I get it, letting him rest the 11 days til the Washington game. He is currently on the concussion protocol. Even if he passes, is it enough time to clear the testing and play in 2 days?
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