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Sunday, October 1:
Here's a prediction: The Detroit Tigers, so good for so long this season -- until the games started to mean something -- will host just one (1) playoff game. That will be their penalty for a five-game season-ending losing streak -- at home -- that cost them the American League Central Division crown and relegated them to wild-card status. Forty games over .500 on August 8, Detroit finished 19-and-31 and there were some long faces after blowing a 6-0 lead today against the Kansas City Royals of all people (they let a 5-0 lead get away against K.C. on Friday). Detroit's pitching staff is getting rocked, the Tigers have a home run-or-nothing offence and their defence has been abysmal in the last eight weeks. Now they have to play the New York Yankees in the Division Series, with games one and two in the Bronx. The Tigers used up all of their pitching, trying to win a single game against the lowly Royals this weekend. If you can't win a single game against the 100-loss Royals in a weekend series, then you really you have no business going to the playoffs. It will seem like it when the Yanks sweep Detroit in embarrassing fashion. A winning season makes it a successful season for the Tigers, but this collapse (assuming it continues in the playoffs) could have a lasting effect on this team's emotional make-up.
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Monday, October 2:
On this, the 28th anniversary of Bucky "Truckin'" Dent's (or something like that) screen shot and a day away from the 55th anniversary of Bobby Thomson's "shot heard 'round the world" -- two famous home runs by the way, that would not have left the yard in most of today's major league ballparks -- here are my first-round baseball predictions:
NATIONAL LEAGUE:
The Mets were the class of the National League from start to finish, but now have to win in the post-season without Pedro Martinez. Another old fossil, Greg Maddux, had a great second half with L.A. after coming over from the Cubs. Dodgers in 5 in a monumental upset.
For years, the Cardinals have been great in the regular season, weak in the playoffs. Despite San Diego having perhaps the healthiest pitching staff of the eight playoff teams, maybe this year the Cards reverse their trend, despite their weak finish. Cardinals in 4, in another stunner.
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
The Detroit Bambis have that deer-in-the headlights look of a not-ready-for-prime-time actress making her debut on Broadway. Never has a baseball team entered the playoffs on such an emotional low after blowing the division lead with five straight defeats. The powerful Yankees might as well have a bye to the ALCS. Yankees in 3 lopsided games.
The Minnesota Twins were the Tigers in reverse this season: A terrible spring start, followed by an unbelievable summer. This team has the goods to go all the way and should beat plucky-but-overmatched Oakland. Twins in 4 with the Metrodome crowd noise at ear-splitting levels.
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Thursday, October 5:
Twins in 4, eh? Shows what I know. Of course, there's still the chance of Twins in 5, as Oakland is 0-for-9 in series clinching attempts over the last number of years. But who would you rather be right now -- the Twins, who captured a division title on the final day of the regular season, or the Tigers, who blew that division with a long losing streak? Minnesota hits the road to Oakland, down 0-2 in their series, while Detroit heads home after splitting with the Yankees in New York. And by the way, here's to the Tiger cojones. I thought they'd pack up the tent and mail it in when Johnny Damon went deep for a 3-1 lead today. Instead, they chipped away and won. I still don't think there's any way they take the series, but sending it back to a fifth game in the Bronx would be pretty impressive.
In appears in baseball as well as religion, a cardinal ranks higher than a priest, or in this case, a padre. San Diego appears ready for yet another quick exit at the hands of St. Louis.
Hockey? Sorry, not ready yet. I know -- how un-Canadian. But this is the heart of football season for this gridiron lover and they're calling for perfect conditions Saturday when we trek to Ann Arbor for state bragging rights in Michigan.
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Sunday, October 8:
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Wrong, wrong, wrong. So incredibly, unbelievably wrong. Wrong on my prediction and wrong on my belief that the Detroit Tigers, with their disappointing play down the stretch, would roll over and ask the New York Yankees to rub their tummies. These Tigers have teeth. As for the Yanks, this is what a 200-plus-million dollar payroll buys you? Yikes! Goodbye, Joe Torre. You were the classiest Yankee manager of my lifetime, but I'm afraid you'll be walking the plank after this one. And the best thing about the Tigers beating the Yanks? Once again, no World Series ring for the prickly Mike Mussina, who threw away a 3-1 lead and lost game two, the turning point of the series. The Tigers may be "kids" in a baseball sense, but to come this far after losing 119 games just three seasons ago, they sure have some diamond street smarts.
Speaking of kids, I was a tad fearful knowing I was going to watching yesterday's Michigan State-Michigan football game from the middle of the student section at the Big House. I remember the college years, and the drunken zaniness that went on in the stands. I need not have feared. After apologizing right away to students on either side of me that they were stuck watching the game with an "old fogey," they quickly assured me that I was more than welcome. They were bright, funny, sober and merely high on college life and it was a wonderful experience to be a part of their day. Of course, I knew all the cheers and yelled and sang right along with them. If what I saw is a glimpse into our future, then we're gonna be just fine. The only tough part was this: There's no sitting in the student section -- they stand for the entire game. By the fourth quarter, these creaky 53-year-old knees were getting pretty achy, but there was no way I was going to give in to the temptation of sitting down. Admittedly, we're feeling the pain a bit today.
Have a great Thanksgiving weekend -- and to our American friends, a fantastic Columbus Day weekend!
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Tuesday, October 10:
Someone once said that if you fall of a horse, get right back on. So in the wake of my 1-and-3 record in baseball prognostications for round one, here we go again:
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
OK, I'm convinced. The Detroit Tigers are for real. Their wild-card status cost them the home field advantage against Oakland, but I still like their chances. Both clubs have superb pitching, but Jim Leyland is saving Kenny Rogers for a potential seventh game in Oakland, where he is virtually unbeatable. So, Detroit in 7.
NATIONAL LEAGUE:
The Cardinals provided me with my only round-one victory, so of course, I'll dump them now. The Mets were the class of the National League, and will show it again in the NLCS. New York in 5.
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Thursday, October 12:
OK, it is snowing outside this afternoon. I am so not ready for this.
Never met Cory Lidle, but certainly saw him pitch many times, especially in 2003 when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays. And it's unfair to judge his worth as a pitcher on that season, arguably his worst in the major leagues -- 12-and-15 with a 5.75 earned run average. His tragic death yesterday in a small plane crash in New York City brought to mind another New York Yankee who left the earth far too soon and by the same manner. The last two games I ever saw at Chicago's old Comiskey Park in 1979 were the last two Thurman Munson ever played. The next evening, I was in Milwaukee and hadn't heard the news of his death until they asked us to stand at County Stadium for a moment's silence in Munson's memory. By all accounts, Lidle was a good guy and interesting teammate. A terrible loss.
Two more wins in the books and two to go for a World Series berth for the improbable Detroit Tigers -- a team I believed had no business going to the playoffs a week ago Sunday. I've never seen an outfit so completely down and out as the Tigers were 11 days ago, rebound like this. Astonishing.
As for the theory that people mellow with age, I give you Exhibit 'A' , George Steinbrenner. In the late '70's, a collapse that the one his Yankees fashioned against Detroit in the ALDS would have seen Steinbrenner fire Joe Torre in the top of the ninth of game four. In 2006, Torre lives to manage another day. And that's as it should be. The Yanks have problems, but Torre is not one of them.
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Saturday, October 14:
In 1984, the Detroit Tigers went 7-and-1 in the playoffs and celebrated their championship 22 years ago tonight. Now, they've gone 7-and-1 in the post-season again, although in this day and age, that only gets you to the Fall Classic. But a sweep of Oakland, with a walk-off homer to win the pennant? Nothing this outfit does surprises me anymore.
Sixty centimetres of snow in Buffalo this week? 'Sup with THAT?! This is mid-October for cryin' out loud! We're supposed to have a mild winter, right? Thankfully, the storm missed us, but I don't think I'll be spending any of my retirement years in the Niagara peninsula, beautiful as it is.
It's been a rough season for the Stouffville Spirit so far, as they managed to break a five-game losing streak the other night. They're losing the way they were winning a year ago. Twice in the losing streak, they had twice the number of shots on goal as their opponents, only to fall short.
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Monday, October 16:
For this fan, it doesn't get any better than this past weekend. The Detroit Tigers reached the World Series, the Michigan Wolverines won a tough, gut-check game on the road at Penn State against a school that had been waiting a year for revenge. Manchester United scored a solid victory across the pond. In my home town, the London Knights went 3-and-0 and Western Ontario upset McMaster. Even the Detroit Lions won a football game, which might be the biggest miracle of them all.
If the NCAA had any teeth it would suspend the football programs at Miami and Florida International for the rest of the season after their despicable on-field brawl Saturday night. In a way, I feel a bit sorry for Miami coach Larry Coker, who has sacrificed championships in a bid to clean the program of its hooligans. Except "The U" now sucks and it's still full of goons.
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Friday, October 20:
My Brooklyn buddy might not agree today, but the game he saw last night at Shea Stadium was baseball at its best. A perfect example of why the sport, the oldest of the so-called major four, still thrives today. A die-hard Mets fan, he was planning the parade route back in April, and will now have to wait at least another year. But what a game! Hard to top it, when you throw in the fact that there was so much on the line.
So now we have the Cardinals and Tigers, four years late in their 34-year Halley's Comet-like appearaces In the Fall Classic. In 1934, it was the Tigers against Dizzy Dean and the Gashouse Gang, with St. Louis prevailing in seven games, and dodging thrown cabbage, vegetables and garbage from the Navin Field stands as they whipped the Tigers 11-0 in game seven. Thirty-four years later in 1968, Mickey Lolich beat Bob Gibson on two days rest at two-year-old Busch Stadium (now demolished), and Detroit won game seven 4-1 (all of which sent this baseball-mad teen into delerium). Hopefully, this series will match the last two in intensity and excitement.
They say you haven't seen a college football game until you've seen one at Notre Dame. So we'll find out tomorrow.
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Sunday, October 22:
SOUTH BEND, IN -- "They" were right. My first-ever visit to Notre Dame for a football game was outta this world. From the time the smilng parking lot attendant said, "Ontario, eh? Welcome to the Notre Dame football experience," to the friendly waves from state troopers, expertly escorting us out, it was an experience to remember. Michigan may pack in about 30-thousand more per game, but they make half as much noise as Irish supporters. And the game! Down by four, with no time outs, and starting from their own 20 with 62 seconds left, things looked pretty bleak for the home side. But I thought to myself -- honest -- if there's one school you never count out, it's Notre Dame. Three plays and half-a-minute later, Brady Quinn hooked up with Jeff Samardzija for the game-winning 45-yard touchdown pass, and South Bend went wacky. It sure made game one of the World Series bearable -- just. Cardinals 7, Tigers 2.
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Monday, October 23:
Funny stuff, this hero-worshipping. Fifteen months ago, Kenny Rogers, then of the Texas Rangers, was the starting pitcher for the host American League at the all-star game at Detroit. And he was booed lustily by the Motown patrons for an incident that saw Rogers push a TV cameraman. Today, Rogers could run for mayor, governor -- you name it -- and win handily. No matter what happens from here on in, he'll never have to pay for a meal in Detroit again. His performance in the playoffs, including last night's gem that evened the World Series at a game apiece, is the stuff of legends.
You think the Motor City is baseball-mad? A guy collecting tolls at the border Friday night told me that single tickets in the bleachers were going for $1,300 a pop. U-S. A luxury box seat? Try 30 grand. Ouch!
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Tuesday, October 24:
If you could hide from embarrassment, then I'd be invisible. Shift work is part of life in my job, and for part of this week, I'm on the morning run -- 5 a.m. until 12 noon. And what I generally do is split my sleep in half -- four hours in the afternoon and four more at night. Not what doctors recommend, I know, but it's my preference. So today, after the morning shift and my afternoon nap, I wake up at six o'clock -- in a panic. "What's wrong?" asked the bride. "I'm late for work," I screamed. "I'm already an hour late and I have a 40-minute drive ahead of me, and I gotta get dressed, and..." That's when she calmly informed me that it was 6:00 in the evening, and I had nothing to worry about. I turned about as red as a fiery October maple.
Kinda like T-O did last night in Dallas. My favourite Terrell Owens moment from the Giants-Cowboys game? When he dropped a sure fourth-down pass in the third quarter, turning the ball over to New York, and they promptly marched down the field and scored a touchdown. He didn't seem quite so quick to rip his teammates on the sidelines after that muff.
The World Series is a best-of-five now. If Detroit comes out of St. Louis with a win in the three games there, I like their chances back at home.
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Wednesday, October 25:
Calling all cars! Calling all cars! This is an All-Points-Bulletin on a missing person. If anyone has seen one Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, please contact a Mr. J. Leyland with the Detroit Baseball Club immediately. Subject was last seen a week ago in the vicinity of Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan, popping champagne corks and celebrating an American League pennant. Mr. Rodriguez is long overdue to return to his baseball club and to take part in the current World Series. His club has been forced to employ an imposter, who has gone 11 appearances at the plate without a sniff of first base. Mr. Rodriguez is believed to be unarmed and hardly dangerous. This is an urgent request. Calling all cars! Calling all cars...!
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Friday, October 27:
Christmas in October. And playing the part of old Saint Nick last night were the Detroit Tigers. Nine runners left on base -- many in scoring position, untimely walks and fielding that a high school team would be ashamed of. Yes, there were bad breaks, but good teams make their own breaks and that's what the St. Louis Cardinals have been doing. A solid, workmanlike effort has been displayed by the Cards since the series started and they're full value for their 3-1 World Series lead. The Tigers, on the other hand, have been nothing short of embarrassing. If you believe in karma, the 1968 Tigers were equally embarrassing against St. Louis after four games of that series, yet came back to win. But that outfit was a veteran team. These kids appear to be over their heads, in much the same way the Cardinals were two years ago against Boston.
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Saturday, October 28:
The first blog entry on the Detroit News' "Tiger Talk" after the final out of the World Series summed it up: "Pitchers and catchers report in 15 weeks. I can't wait." The Detroit Tigers played terrible, terrible baseball during the World Series, very similar to the meltdown they suffered the final weekend of the regular season against Kansas City. I'm disappointed in that, but in my wildest dreams, I never thought they'd get anywhere near the playoffs, let alone going to the championship. All I was hoping for was a winning season following a dozen years of futility, and it was all of that and more. Losing the World Series in five games is no shame. The one thing that does cast a pall is that the Tigers beat themselves as much as anything. Getting back there right away will be tough, as I think Detroit overachieved. But maybe these youngsters will learn from the experience, the way the Cardinals did two years ago when Boston swept them.
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Sunday, October 29:
Why do I love U.S. college football? Because, as they say, every game counts. And especially now, with the BCS standings sure to be in complete disarray after Southern California's stunning loss at Oregon State. Ohio State and Michigan are 1-2 of course, and unless one or the other suffers a shocking loss in the next two weeks, then the winner of their November 18th showdown in Columbus will go to the national championship game. But who might the winner play? Will this week's West Virginia-Louisville winner impress the voters/computers enough? Or would one of the one-loss teams -- Florida, Texas, USC, Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson, Cal, Notre Dame or Wisconsin -- move high enough to get in? Or what happens if either the Wolverines or Buckeyes lose in overtime at the Horseshoe? Might the loser still be in contention? Playoff, shmayoff. How can you beat this?
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Monday, October 30:
I've seen my share of "final games" in various arenas and stadia -- Maple Leaf Gardens, Tiger Stadium, among others. Some, like those, had elaborate ceremonies involved. The London Gardens closed with a Knights' playoff overtime loss to Erie, and all people did was sadly walk out. They did have a ceremony at an exhibition game the following season, but to me, the building closed with that playoff defeat. Because the G.M. Centre in Oshawa wasn't ready for the start of this season, the Generals were able to close the Oshawa Civic Auditorium with an outstanding ceremony last night. The home side beat Kingston 8-6, and more than 70 Gens' alumni were on hand and introduced, with some dating back to playing days in the 1930's. Of course, you would assume the last player introduced would be Bobby Orr, but he would have none of it. He came out with all of the other '60's-era Gens -- no special treatment. And folks, that's Bobby Orr in a nutshell. First class, all the way. All in all, a night to remember.
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Tuesday, October 31:
Here's another thing I greatly enjoyed from Sunday night's ceremony that closed the Oshawa Civic Auditorium. The Generals' bus driver, the P.A. announcer and the president of the booster club -- among others -- were all given the same introductions and afforded the same status as Bobby Orr and Dave Andreychuk. The club remembered the staffers who do the day-in, day-out grunt work, the folks who never get any recongnition. Nicely done, Gens. Nicely done.
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