Yankees spice up the postseason
Posted: Friday October 09, 1998 07:13 PM
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Giving Buckner company: Knoblauch was nearly crucified for his Game 2 faux pas AP |
By John Donovan, CNN/SI
Blauch-head. Chuck Brainlauch.
The best thing about having a New York team in the baseball postseason is watching the New York tabloids dueling each other for the best headline.
Now that we've swept those pesky wild-card teams under the rapidly dying playoff
turf -- thank the baseball gods there were no dome teams this year -- it's time
to turn our attention to the finer postseason points.
And what's a championship series, really, without the New York Yankees?
There are so many reasons to hate them: George Steinbrenner. All those pennants.
Jeffrey Maier. Those loud New Yawkers.
And when there's a colossal screwup such as the one Chuck Knoblauch pulled
on Wednesday ... well, it's almost too good to be true.
The Yankees, of course, also provide so many reasons to love them: All those
pennants. Jeffrey Maier. And those loud New Yawkers.
Like Bill Buckner's bowlegs, Knoblauch's fit of forgetfulness will be remembered
for years -- especially if the Yankees lose their series to the Cleveland
Indians.
Maybe it will turn out to be nothing, in the grand playoff scheme of things.
Maybe it will be the turning point of the American League championship series.
Maybe old Chuck will redeem himself with a clutch hit in the deciding game,
sending all of New York into a frenzy. That would be great.
A regular 'Blauch Party.
On the other side of the fence
The Atlanta Braves have been a World Series favorite for all of the '90s. With a
pitching staff of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux et al., it's no wonder.
But after Thursday night's three-hit masterpiece by Kevin Brown of the San Diego Padres, the Braves are threatening to become one of those so-called dynasties
that never quite were. The Oakland A's of the late '80s, the Pittsburgh Pirates
of the early '90s and the Los Angeles Dodgers of the mid-to-late '70s come to
mind.
The Braves are in their seventh straight National League championship series.
They've been to four World Series. They've won one, in 1995.
On the bright side: At this rate, at least the Braves won't lose another World
Series.
Gridiron gala
The best weekend of the college football season -- before late November, anyway
-- is coming up, with a couple games Saturday that may help decide who will
advance to the national championship Fiesta Bowl.
First off is UCLA vs. Arizona, a Pac-10 meeting of unbeatens. And then there's
Tennessee-Georgia, a Southeastern Conference meeting of unbeatens. And Kansas
State-Colorado, a Big 12 meeting of unbeatens.
The polls still say Ohio State and Nebraska are one-two, but the three teams
that win those games will have something to say about that.
Jive talking
This is hardly worth the space, but hey, this is the Internet. Space, we got.
This NBA lockout nonsense is dumb. Dumb. It's not just the idea of filthy rich
players and even filthier, richer owners fighting for the millions. It's the
total disregard for the people who are footing the bill -- the fans and the
networks who broadcast the games.
TNT and NBC are already paying the league millions, as per their contract, even though the chance of the NBA starting its season on time is about the same as Shaquille O'Neal making his first 20 free throws of the year.
Meanwhile, the posturing -- insulting to everybody -- goes on.
Dumb and Dumber.
A new league, a new year
The National Hockey League begins its run with a few key rule changes to the grand old game.
The league has added space behind the net, decreased the size of the crease and
added another referee to the ice, all in an effort to get more scoring than the
5.28 goals per game the league averaged last season.
Whether it works, whether the NHL can reverse the falling ratings on its
telecasts, will be one of the most closely watched aspects of the season.
By the way, Sports Illustrated picks the Dallas Stars over the
Philadelphia Flyers for the Stanley Cup.
The bottom lines
Attention, hoopheads: College basketball season is almost upon us. Midnight
Madness, when practice for the 1998-99 season officially begins, is next Friday
night ... Attention, hoopheads II: Michael Jordan's a big tease, and it's
getting more than a little tiresome. The guy obviously wants to play. But he
says he needs a challenge. Heck, what could be more challenging than trying to
win another ring, this time without Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen and with
Tim Floyd instead of Phil Jackson? ... One of the most overrated stories in the
NFL? The starting quarterback controversy. New York Jets coach Bill Parcells has
tabbed winless Glenn Foley over undefeated Vinny Testaverde this week. But do
you think he'll hesitate for a second in yanking Foley if he screws up? And
Philadelphia Eagles coach Ray Rhodes is going with Rodney Peete over Bobby
Hoying. Do you think anyone really cares? ... Finally, there's the strange case
of Carolina Panthers quarterback Kerry Collins, a one-time valuable commodity in
the NFL. After pulling himself out of the lineup this week, he's certainly
headed for the unemployment line, maybe for a long time. For a young guy not yet
in the prime of his career, you can't sink much lower.
Clips of the Week
 It takes a big man, Chuck Knoblauch, to admit a mistake.
If you ever find yourself in a friendly pickup soccer match
in London, John Hartson is a guy you don't want to upset.
The Lowdown is a look at the week in sports and a glance at the week to
come. It appears every Friday.
Comments? Criticisms? Just want to cry out about something in the
news? Here's your chance.
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