Friday: Brooms and boos
THE TIGERS COMPLETE THE SWEEP of the Yankees with an 8-1 victory. The lead in the New York Post: Ninety-five wins, an AL East title and an ALDS victory never looked this empty. Last night in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Tigers at Comerica Park, the last shred of baseball dignity belonging to the Yankees was stripped away via an 8-1 pounding that completed an embarrassing sweep and sent the Yankees into the offseason stunned.
-From Mitch Albom’s column in the Detroit Free Press: Sweeping Beauty. That was more than a victory, folks, that was a runway strut. A home run. Another home run. Great starting pitching. Great relief pitching. The Tigers kept coming, posing, displaying this, displaying that, the whole arsenal of a complete baseball team, until the final popout of this 8-1 clincher Thursday at Comerica Park.
-If you want to see who Yankees fans (or at least those that visit the Post’s site) want to bring back and who they don’t, check out this nifty player-by-player poll.
-Happy for O.J. and other Tigers fans like my grandfather, but that had to be the least interesting league championship series I’ve ever seen (on the field). No drama, very little atmosphere. The Yankees were striking out more than overmatched high school softball players. Just hope the World Series can bring some juice back.
THE CARDINALS MOVE ONE STEP CLOSER to meeting the Tigers by defeating the Giants 8-3 to take a 3-1 series lead in the NLCS. Game 5 is 8 tonight on WFXR, with Barry Zito scheduled to oppose Lance Lynn.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
-Offensive guard David Wang is listed as probable for the Hokies against Clemson.
-No. 2 Oregon rips Arizona State 43-21.
-Tonight’s TV game is UConn at Syracuse (8 p.m., ESPN).
-Your Saturday TV/internet games of note: Virginia Tech at Clemson (noon, WSET), LSU at Texas A&M (noon, ESPN), Wake Forest at Virginia (12:30 p.m., WDBJ), Stanford at Cal (3 p.m., WFXR), BC at Georgia Tech (3 p.m., ESPN3), Texas Tech at TCU (3:30 p.m., WSET), South Carolina at Florida (3:30 p.m., WDBJ), BYU at Notre Dame (3:30 p.m., WSLS), N.C. State at Maryland (3:30 p.m., ESPNU), Alabama at Tennessee (7 p.m., EESPN), Kansas State at West Virginia (7 p.m., WFXR), North Carolina at Duke (7 p.m., ESPNU), Florida State at Miami (8 p.m., WSET).
HIGH SCHOOLS
-Matt Culicerto has gone from water boy at William Byrd to player at Northside. Along the way, he overcame a frightening bout with viral meningitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.
-Here are Robert’s predictions for tonight.
NFL
-The 49ers beat the Seahawks 13-6.
NAME THAT TUNE
It feels so good in my hood tonight
The summertime skirts and the guys in Kani
All the gang bangers forgot about the drive-by
You gotta get your groove on, before you go get paid
So tip up your cup and throw your hands up
And let me hear the party say…
October 19, 2012 - 9:04 AM
I must be old. I can remember when a Miami-F$U game was the game of the week across the nation, and not just in Florida.
Is there not anybody in sports media who is willing to criticize Joe Girardi for being a poor manager? Billy Martin would have been walking on hot coals by now. Girardi? Eh, no big deal…
I heard a really good argument made yesterday about the Yankees. Anyone remember the criticism the Atlanta Braves took for making it to the playoffs so much, but only winning one World Series in 14 years? They won 14 straight division titles, played in 5 World Series, and won one. They were labeled as chokers.
Since 2001, the Yankees have won 7 division titles, played in 3 World Series & only won once. Highest payroll every season (except Boston a couple of times) and only won one World Series in the last dozen years. All that money & only played in 3 World Series? Wow.
This is how we do it? Montell Jordan I think.
The Yankees are proof that you still cannot buy a world series.
TGIF
Interesting that the FSU-Miami game has the 8 p.m. time slot all to itself. If it stays close the ACC might get some eyeballs when Alabama-Tennessee and Kansas State-WVU are over or get outta whack.
Agree with you on Girardi, CR. Your one job as Yankees manager is to create an atmosphere for your superstars to feel relaxed and confident so their talents can shine through. Joe failed miserably on that when it mattered most.
All I can say about the Yankees, “The Free World rejoices!”
Another week and another win for the Hokies. Everyone at work is talking how the Clemson Kittens are so tough and will not lose to the Hokies. We have all been down this road so many times a quick winning streak solves all of our problems and we control our fate for defending our ACC championship. I look back to last year and all the Clemson/Fla st talk and think it was just all talk. We are going to stomp those kittens in the dreaded Death Valley and we might even take that little rock at the foot of the hill smash it and out it in our lunchpail. This team is primed to show the ACC who is the boss. Duke learned last week they are who we thought they were. Clemson your next!
It will be interesting to see if people have learned their lesson with these long mega-contracts. I think Josh Hamilton will get 7 or 8 years and at least 22 million per. This is an awful prediction but I predict the Yankess will be the ones to sign him and then he will implode in spotlight of the New York media and the nightlife there. The story on Culicerto is a good one. I hate he lost his job but for anyone who hasn’t seen him Dom Dunnaville is a really dynamic player and if Northside ran a spread offense to show off more of his talent everyone on this side of the state would know who he is. Those Oregon Ducks still looking good. 43 points by mid 2nd quarter and then pulling the starters they cruise. I hope they make it to the title game because I would love to see Oregon’s offense against Alabama’s defense.
I have an idea on the difference between the Braves and the Yankees. The braves are a team that many people like due to the years they appeared on the Super Station. Some people watched them even though they didn’t care one way or the other about the Braves. The Braves are a team that not many people really hate. The Yankees however, people either really love them or really hate them. There is no middle ground. As an O’s fan you can put me in the latter category. There are some Yankee players I have admired though. Grew up watching Mickey Mantle, who didn’t love the Mick? Many others like Jeter, Mercer, Pepitone and Munson were personal favorites. No list of Yankee greats would be complete without mentioning Nappy’s favorite, Oscar Gamble. His afro needs to be in the hall of fame.
I never have thought it made sense to go beyond five years on a contract. When that happens, you almost guarantee that the club will get shorted on the backside. Too many possibilities of injury, too big a chance of complacency, too much chance the surrounding team members falter.
I mean, good for the players for getting what they can due to the organization’s overall demeanor towards players, but if you’re the team, I’d NEVER do it.
No discussion of LeBron going to the Lakers? Despite possibly being 4-6 NBA championships short of his prediction for Miami? Everybody is good with that?
The Yankees have the problem that results from buying a lot of high-priced talent, but not building a team. They can win, but when it gets to critical junctions, they are a collection of individuals who don’t function well as a cohesive unit. They flopped terribly this year again.
But I’m happy for Detroit and the Tigers, that they get to return to the World Series. I just hope the long layoff doesn’t cripple them like it did in 2006. So hopefully, the Cards finish off the Giants today so it’s a wash for both teams, and the Tigers win the rematch of the 2006 Series.
Well my Cardinals are still hanging on. Congrats to the Tiger fans, hopefully we can close the deal and face off in the WS. To me, the Yankees looked old and tired. That being said, nobody looks older or more tired than my Cards. Here we are one game away and just now got some help from our 2,3, & 4 hitters. We find a way. I’m thinking the parity is closer in the ACC than advertised. With the exception of WF and UVA, I think it can be a crapshoot. Just sayin.
Congrats to the Tigers. I just hope any time off doesn’t cool them off. I think a Cards-Tigers series would be great. I’d have mixed emotions about SF-Detroit becasue Richmond’s AA team is in the Giants organization and some guys who played here are now with SF. @ Trevor-Amen!
If George Steinbrenner were still alive, Girardi would have been fired before breakfast this morning. I said it earlier this week; the Yankees will look much different next year. CR, nice comparison to the Braves. The Yankees have long proven that payroll doesn’t guarantee a WS victory. If they played in any other city but NY, they would be subject to more criticism.
There is some good football to watch Saturday. The SC-Florida game may be one of the best.
OJ—did you catch the Herd today and hear the Tiger theme song that was played yesterday, their theme from the 1940′s? Colin didn’t like it but I think it was great!
Beamer-Best AT—you are positive about the Hokie’s chances on Saturday, I will give you credit for that. But this Hokie team is not as good as last year and with all of those good players they lost, I can’t see the game much better than Clemson 27 – Hokies 13..
Barry, I did hear that! It’s not a terrible tune, but I do kind of agree with Colin that baseball needs to get a little more modern to engage younger generations. I’m a big baseball fan because I grew up with it, watching Braves games on TBS, Cubs on WGN, and the Orioles on HTS. And, when the sun set, I could tune the AM radio to pick up the Tigers on WJR out of Detroit. Also made it to a number of Tides game between the old Met Park (now a parking lot for an office complex) and Harbor Park in downtown. Same reason I’m a big hockey fan…grew up watching it and going to Admirals games in Norfolk at the Scope (don’t get a Scope Dog…).
AM,
Was that the song?
Can’t wait to see K State vs. WVU with good ole’ Gus Johnson on the play-by-play.
Did any of you catch the Oregon game last night? Oregon was up 43-7 with 10 minutes to go in the SECOND QUARTER. They took their foot off the gas big-time after that…they easily could have hung a hundred on Arizona State if they felt like it, especially after ASU’s best 2 defenders went down early with injuries.
Beamers best has been in Jim beams best a little early. In death valley? C’mon man! Don’t forget to watch Rodriguez for Clemson carry the flag leading Clemson. That was tech’s walk on that the hokies sure could have used now in this sparkling season they have going on. Hello belk bowl!!!!
Take another pill BB!
———————–
Another week and another win for the Hokies. Everyone at work is talking how the Clemson Kittens are so tough and will not lose to the Hokies. We have all been down this road so many times a quick winning streak solves all of our problems and we control our fate for defending our ACC championship. I look back to last year and all the Clemson/Fla st talk and think it was just all talk. We are going to stomp those kittens in the dreaded Death Valley and we might even take that little rock at the foot of the hill smash it and out it in our lunchpail. This team is primed to show the ACC who is the boss. Duke learned last week they are who we thought they were. Clemson your next!
Comment by Beamer Best all-time — October 19, 2012 @ 10:13 am