The Bears had no no no no no business winning tonight, but I'll tell you this: an hour ago, I turned the sound way down and started reading. In the last twenty minutes, I've jumped out of my chair three separate times.
Watching the Bears clock the Seahawks was fun, but this was the best football game I've seen in a long time.
Someone there is who roots against the Tigers?
Not 'round these parts. Of course, it's hard for me to think of Tigers baseball, and their last World Series in 1984, without also looking back fondly on how MLB screwed the Cubs out of what should have been a date with the Tigs. In the annals of Cub futility, 1984 looms pretty large. The Cubs should have had home field advantage in the NLCS (back in the days of no NLDSs), but because they hadn't yet caught on to the idea of rewarding the team with the best record, the Cubs only hosted the first two games (because, you know, it was an even numbered year). They won both handily, whereupon they flew out to San Diego and received a nifty three-game trouncing. Thanks, MLB.
You know I'm getting old when I remember (a) when the leagues only had two divisions and (b) when the NLCS was only five games. Wow. That was Ryne Sandberg's rookie year, and I surprised a co-worker by being able to name 7 of the 8 everyday players (missed Jody Davis), 4 starters (Trout, Sanderson, Sutcliffe, and the pre-closing Eckersley) and the closer (Lee Smith, of course).
Obviously, for the things that matter, I've got a mind like a steel trap.
Go Tigers!!
The only real downside to the Yankees' unceremonious exit from the MLB playoffs is that someone, somewhere, will think that there is no problem with one team being allowed to spend as much money as 7 other teams combined on its roster.
Because the fact of the matter is that they just did it badly. They assembled perhaps the most fearsome lineup in the history of the sport, and coupled it with a truly mediocre pitching staff, only two or three of which they should probably keep for next year.
Okay, the second downside is that we'll be treated to two weeks of "should we watch?" bullshit from the talking heads, since there's no NY team in the ALCS. I hope and pray that Tommy Lasorda is busy filming one of those "to the TV!" commercials that features Yankees fans now. And I hope that's the tack they'll take on ESPN, although I doubt it.
Okay, the third downside is that now ESPN will have no reason to cover actual sports when it comes to the Yankees--it'll be all-gossip all the time. As for me, if that gossip doesn't involve a straight up trade, Alex Rodriguez for Aramis Ramirez, I don't want to hear it. When my team is done, as they were in July this year, I become a baseball fan. Well, and a Bears fan.
Dad: We had to come all the way out to Syracuse to watch Iowa suck?!
Me: Count your blessings. This is the second time this season I've had to be in Syracuse and watched them suck.
Or something like that. They're passing through town en route to Vermont for some cycling, and it was coincidence both that Iowa was playing (losing) on national tv last night and that it's Parents' Weekend here at SU.
