World Series: Champions On The Potomac

The last time a Washington, D.C.-based baseball team won a World Series was in 1924, when Walter Johnson pitched the Senators to the title.  Almost a century later, after two different Senators teams left town (one to Minnesota in 1961, another to Texas in 1972), a 33-year gap of no baseball, and the arrival of the Montreal Expos to the nation's Capital in 2005, the Washington Nationals are the new champions of baseball.

The Nationals defeated the Astros 6-2 in Game 7 at Houston, in a series where the road team won every game--something that has never happened in pro sports championships.  Howie Kendrick and Anthony Rendon hit home runs in the seventh inning to take the lead and never looked back.  Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg were the pitching aces that brought the Nationals back from a 3-2 deficit in games.

This was an eventful series all right, and sometimes for the wrong reasons:

• The Astros fired their assistant general manager Brandon Taubman for being a little too exuberant in his praise of closer Roberto Osuna toward a group of female reporters following the team winning the American League Championship Series.  Osuna, you see, had been suspended by Major League Baseball for 75 games for violating its domestic abuse policy.

• President Donald Trump attended Game 5 at Nationals Park in Washington, only to find that the reception he got when his face was shown on the Jumbotron was anything but the kind he usually gets at his rallies.  In fact, he was booed unmercifully.  Under normal circumstances, a President should be greeted with respectful applause by friend and foe alike.  This President, however, hasn't done much to earn the respect of his constituents outside of his loyal base.  As for those who exercised their First Amendment right to make a sound associated at this time of year with ghosts, we're reminded of something Trump's predecessor Barack Obama once said:  Don't boo. Vote.

In the two decades since the 21st century began, the Chicago White Sox, Cubs and Boston Red Sox were baseball teams that have had long histories of being lovable losers before finally winning the Big One.  Now it's the city named for George Washington's turn.  First in war.  First in peace.  First in Major League Baseball. 

The NBA in China: Air Ball

American corporations have kowtowed to them.  President Donald Trump started a trade war against them.  Now it's the National Basketball Association's turn to deal with the most lucrative and sensitive country on the planet, which happens to be China.

Before we get to that. a little background.  Chins has had a Communist dictatorship  for the past 70 years, longer than the Soviet Union was in existence. Since 1997, when China acquired the city and region of Hong Kong from Great Britain, they have somehow kept their hands off of the Western-style economy and democracy that made it run for well over a century. 

Recently, protesters have been turning Hong Kong into a referendum of sorts over the future of China, opposing plans to permit local law enforcement to arrest those who have been accused of committing crimes in China.   The Beijing government considers the demonstrators to be dangerous enough to warrant placing tanks outside town, inviting comparisons to what happened at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Where the NBA comes in is a tweet from Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, in support of the protesters. (Which is more than what the Trump administration was willing to do.) After China voiced its objections, NBA commissioner Adam Silver voiced his support for Morey as an act of free speech.   It became apparent he didn't know who he was dealing with. 

As it happened, the league sent two of its teams--the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets--on a goodwill tour of mainland China. It must have been real uncomfortable for players and team officials to step into a situation where they have to answer for their league's international spat with a country they're just visiting.  A country where some of these players have business connections (sneakers or otherwise) that force them to toe the line. And how awkward players like Lebron James appear when they try to explain themselves while wearing a businessman's hat. 

So where are we now?  While there isn't a real rift between the NBA and Beijing at this point, China has blacked out TV broadcasts of games and told Silver to fire Morey--which he can't legally do.  But they need each other.  The NBA can't turn it's back on the marketing opportunities afforded by the huge Chinese market, and the government can't afford to alienate its basketball followers. 

In other words, if you want to make nice with a dictatorship started by revolutionaries who disliked capitalism and who now dabbles in it, it's best not to bring up politics. 

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Meanwhile back in North America, the NBA season has already begun.   Our Top Eight teams that we think will make the playoffs are like this:

Western Conference:  Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs. 

Eastern Conference:  Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers. 

Twins 2019: Still Not Ready for Prime Time

The Minnesota Twins won the American League Central division championship with 101 wins, the most since 1965.  They set several home run records in a season where just about half of all Major League Baseball teams set their own long ball records.  They also benefited from playing in a division where two of the four other teams (Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers) lost at least 100 games.  Which is where the Twins were a few years ago.

TV ratings on Fox Sports North (sold during the season from Disney to Sinclair, best known for using local news to spread right wing propaganda) went up 65%.  But most of America never got to see this team except for a couple of appearances on ESPN (against either the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox) and once on You Tube.

Now we know why network executives were reluctant to schedule the Twins, because once again they were swept by the Yankees in the American League Division Series.  The Yankees dominated with their own bats (they don't call them the Bronx Bombers for nothing), and had better pitching than the Twins could ever afford.  It was Minnesota's 16th consecutive playoff loss, an MLB record, tying them with the NHL Chicago Blackhawks of the 1970s for the pro sports mark.  Thirteen of those losses were to the Yankees  The Twins have not won a playoff game since 2004.

The Twins will probably get more network TV appearances in 2020, but by then they'll be back in the mediocrity from whence they came as MLB comes up with ways to deaden the ball a little.  Another reason why 2019 will always remain one for the record books.

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Our World Series match up:  New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Wild 2019-20: On Thin Ice

The Minnesota Wild failed to make the National Hockey League playoffs last spring for the first time since 2012, and general manager Paul Fenton took the fall for it.  In one season, he either made bad trades involving popular players such as Nico Niederriter and Charlie Coyle to playoff-bound teams, or none at all.  Jason Zucker remains in Minnesota in spite of Fenton's best efforts to trade him.

It took until after the NHL Draft and free agency (for which the Wild were non-factors) for team owner Craig Leipold to realize his mistake and fired Fenton after one season.  He was replaced by Bill Guerin, a former player who had been assistant general manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager for the Penguins' minor league affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA.

Guerin inherits a team that has had no real roster changes since Fenton left.  Matt Dumba and Mikko Koivu are both back from injuries that kept them from playing much of last season..  Jared Spurgeon (who just signed a seven-year contract extension), Ryan Donato and Mats Zuccarello are ready to contribute.  But the goaltending is a question mark with Devan Dubnyk and Alex Stalock trying to do what Minnesota's defense can't.

Coach Bruce Boudreau is in the last year of his contract, and on his third general manager.  What he has to do is clear:  Get the Wild in the playoffs, and maybe go past the first round.  Or else Guerin can start housecleaning.  That process might take years.  The NHL's Central Division is so tough that they might have a difficult time staying out of mediocrity.  Look for a second year of an early spring exit.
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Our Top 8 teams from each conference:

WEST:  Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators.

EAST:  Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins. Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning.

NFL at 100: From Leather Helmets to Plastic

The National Football League is celebrating its 100th anniversary season this year with an opening night game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, who were originally the Acme Packers and Decatur Staleys.  Back in that era, the big stars were Bronko Nagurski and Red Grange.  They and their teammates wore leather helmets, primitive shoulder pads, and had off-season jobs to supplement their income.

Today the NFL is one of the most successful professional sports enterprises on Earth, playing its games in packed stadiums with millions of TV viewers looking on.  The big stars now are quarterbacks Tom Brady, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.  They wear state-of-the-art helmets, shoulder pads and other body armor, and don't need off-season employment.

Then as now, what goes on out on the field tends to get a little rough.  Concussions are a major concern, as more and more players are leaving the game early due to the toll injuries and too many hits on the head are taking.  Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots and Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts recently retired rather than continue to subject themselves to the abuse they took on the field, not to mention sapping the joy they once had for playing football.  Others keep playing and risking injuries not so much for the love of the game, but because they are not as handsomely paid as Gronkowski and Luck were.

Not everyone is on board with the NFL's efforts to make football safer.  Antonio Brown of the Oakland Raiders declined to appear at training camp unless he could use a helmet he wore last season, which he thought was more comfortable than the new ones the NFL has mandated for this season.  Days before the start of the regular season, Brown finally broke down and chose the league-approved helmet that suited him.  The possibility of Antonio Brown leaving football in a helmet dispute has thankfully passed.

There are other safety measures the NFL has taken, such as penalizing heavy hits and making changes to kickoffs.  If the NFL wants to avoid becoming the National Flag Football League sometime in the next century, they'll have to make even more changes so (with apologies to Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson) mamas won't have to stop their babies from playing football.  It might cause Curley Lambeau and George Halas to spin in their graves, but the game might actually be for the better.

UPDATE (9/7/19):  Having successfully whined his way out of two NFL franchises , Antonio Brown is now on his third one in as many months.  He'll be playing for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.  Let's see how long this one lasts.

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Herewith, our picks for who will enter the Super Bowl tournament come January.  The big game this time is in Miami, and will be seen on Fox.

NFC
North      Green Bay Packers
South       New Orleans Saints
East         Dallas Cowboys
West        Los Angeles Rams
Wild Card   Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears

AFC
North       Pittsburgh Steelers
South       Houston Texans
East          New England Patriots
West         Kansas City Chiefs
Wild Card    Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers

Twins 2019: Leaders Under the Radar

To those of us who expected another lost season in a lost decade for the Minnesota Twins, there's something you should know:  As of July 10, the Twins are leading the American League Central division by 5 1/2 games over the Cleveland Indians.  They have one of the best records in Major League Baseball with 56 wins and 33 losses.  Suddenly the team is relevant again.

How did this happen, you ask?  First-year manager Rocco Baldelli has put together a lineup that so far has put the Twins on a home run pace not seen since the days of Harmon Killebrew, and a more competent pitching staff than anyone dared hope for.

The Twins' efforts haven't been noticed by the rest of baseball--yet--as the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers all lead their divisions at the All Star break.  Only pitcher Jose Berrios and shortstop Jorge Polanco were among the starters at the MLB All Star game in Cleveland, which was won by the American League 4-3.

How long the Twins can keep this up the rest of the season is anyone's guess.  Several key players, including Jake Odorizzi, Eddie Rosario, C.J. Cran, Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton are either (A) on the injured list, or (B) flirting with irrelevance and a one way ticket to Rochester, NY.

When it comes to picking up name-brand talent toward the trading deadline, the Twins are usually out of the conversation unless they're the ones selling.  This year could be different, but unless team owner Jim Pohlad could be persuaded to open his bank vault, they're more likely to wind up with small-name castoffs for the stretch run.

And then there's Cleveland, the defending division champion that's been getting its act together after a slow start.  Remember when we said the C's were trailing by 5 1/2 games?  It used to be around ten.

For the Twins to win its first division title since the year Target Field opened,they'll need a lot of things to go right.  If not, then it's what we expected all along.

USWNT: Groundbreaking Champions

The United States women's soccer team won its fourth World Cup Sunday in France, shutting out the Netherlands 2-0.

Megan Rapinoe, who had scored in nearly every game, made a penalty kick in the 61st minute.  Rose Lavelle scored another in the 69th minute to wrap up a championship the Americans were heavily favored to win.

Not only did the American women beat the Dutch, but they also got in Dutch on and off the pitch.

--In their opening match against Thailand,  they scored 13 goals against an obviously overmatched opponent.  The USA was ripped for celebrating a bit too much.   Although they toned it down in subsequent matches, Alex Morgan did pretend to sip tea after scoring against England.

--Rapinoe, the driving force behind this team, got into it with President Donald Trump over being invited to the White House should the U.S. win the World Cup. She wanted nothing to do with it, just like so many athletes of sex and color before her.  Rapinoe also wouldn't salute the flag during the "Star Spangled Banner" in the conventional manner, much like Colin Kaepernick.

Well, they're getting their due anyway.  A ticker tape parade in New York and a visit to the halls of Congress awaits, courtesy of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York.

--Earlier, several members of the women's soccer team sued the American governing body for not getting paid as much as the men's team.  You will recall that the men's team didn't qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and that they are on shaky ground for 2022.

This might be the most important and lasting victory the U.S. women's soccer team will ever have if the courts (and society) see things their way.  Women earn less in all walks of life, including sports.  When you win four World Cups in two decades, you deserve something more than the thanks of a grateful nation, right?