A big thanks to Michael for holding down the fort yesterday as I travelled home from Chicago and recovered from … well … we’ll call it “the long season” and not the season-ending reverse victory lap I took at a few favorite haunts on Thursday night after the NLCS concluded.
It’s good to be home, though I effectively tagged out The Wife, who left this morning for a work trip of her own. So my head has gone from spinning about the unpredictable baseball postseason to the unpredictable parenting of three kiddos. Thankfully, The Wife hooked me up with a schedule, detailed planning notes, and child care arrangements when necessary, so she’s basically being a star parent even when she’s out of town.
Thanks to the bats finally doing something and another dominating performance by Justin Verlander, the Astros beat the Yankees last night to force a Game Seven in the NLCS, tonight at 7pm CT. Given the snoozer that was the NLCS, I’m sure MLB is happy the Astros and Yankees are playing a long one.
The question is, “Will history repeat itself?!?!?!?” I have jokes:
#Yankees and #Astros poised to play their first Game 7s since the ALCS and NLCS, respectively, in 2004. (Both of them lost.) @MLB
Batting average, in isolation, only tells you so much, but it’s still ugly to see that the Cubs’ .156 average in the NLCS figures to stand up as the worst mark in any seven-game postseason series in history (NBC). Their .164 mark in the 2015 NLCS is in the top five, too. Without question, the Cubs faced stellar pitching in each of those series, and the rosters were slightly different, but still – power and walks are great, but you gotta get those hits, too.
Oh, and it wasn’t just the NLCS – the team’s overall .168 average this postseason was, by far, the worst among all teams that have played at least eight games in a given postseason (NBC). Oof. A total evaporation of the offense when they were most needed. It happens. But it stings.
The Cubs somehow did even worse when they managed to get a runner into scoring position:
Cubs join Dodgers in 1966 World Series as 2nd team to finish hitless with runners in scoring position in best-of-7 series (via @EliasSports)
Before the NLDS, all signs pointed to a happy marriage in Washington between the Nationals and manager Dusty Baker. Since the two are now parting ways, it’s fair to ask: did the Cubs kill Dusty Baker’s job?
A Washington Post columnist went out of his way to criticize Bryce Harper and compare him unflatteringly to Adam Lind. It’s just one uniformed piece in a sea of content, of course, but I’m going to take it as a TOTAL AND COMPLETE FACT that Washington no longer appreciates or wants Harper, who is a free agent after the 2018 season.
How about Cubs infield prospect David Bote crushing the ball in the Arizona Fall League:
Bote, 24, had a breakout offensive campaign at High-A in 2016, and followed it up with a solid, though unspectacular, 2017 season at AA. He currently leads the offense-friendly AFL with an LOL 1.490 OPS. It’s only been eight games, so, you know. But it’s still fun.
I never thought I could play professional baseball until I saw Todd Frazier try to hit this Justin Verlander pitch:
I am exactly as good at baseball as Todd Frazier facing Justin Verlander. https://t.co/gT4jhVWqdw
The Winter Meetings are over, and although that always means something of an exhale for me after four days of very late nights and trying to grind through the day, this year's installment doesn't have the benefit of ... anything...
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Robbie Gould, long held as the gold-standard of Chicago Bears kickers, announced his retirement from the NFL in social media posts via Instagram and The Players' Tribune. https://twitter.com/PlayersTribune/status/1732772131254014309 Gould dives deep in his retirement post at The Players' Tribune. And,...
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Will Giannis Antetokounmpo make just a single 3-pointer when the Milwaukee Bucks face the Indiana Pacers on Thursday at 5:00 PM ET? If so, he'll beat his prop for the game.Giannis Antetokounmpo's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PacersGiannis Antetokounmpo's over/under...
To beat his 3-point prop, Damian Lillard needs to make four from downtown on Thursday, when his Milwaukee Bucks meet the Indiana Pacers, starting at 5:00 PM ET.Damian Lillard's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PacersDamian Lillard's over/under for three-pointers in...
