National Baseball League

[jg2977]

COLIN COWHERD — “THE HERD” MONOLOGUE (July 1, 1929 NL Breakdown)
(signature cadence, analogies, smug certainty, pointless metaphors… full Cowherd mode)
“Let me start with this…”
There are fast cars…
there are luxury cars…
and then there’s whatever Milwaukee is driving.
Because the Brewers right now?
They’re the Bugatti of baseball.
You don’t see ’em often. You don’t understand how they work. They go zero to sixty before you finish blinking. And if you wanna race ’em? Good luck — bring a helmet and a will.
60–18.
This is not a baseball team. This is an industrial product.
You don’t compete with it — you endure it.
And by the way, all those people who said after last year’s playoff collapse that “Milwaukee was overrated”? Yeah, that take aged like milk in the sun. Because the Brewers have course-corrected so hard they’re basically breaking the curvature of space-time.
THE EAST — ATLANTA’S WORLD, EVERYONE ELSE JUST LIVES IN IT
Atlanta at 52–25 is doing what smart, well-run organizations do:
They win the division early, then spend the last two months tuning up the car for October.
Look, when an organization has star development, bullpen clarity, and lineup identity?
That’s the Holy Trinity in baseball.
Atlanta has all three. Has for years.
Philadelphia?
They’re the classic overachiever.
Fun. Energetic. Great home crowds.
But they’re the team that studies really hard and gets a B+.
Sorry, that doesn’t beat the kid who gets A’s without trying.
Washington at .500?
Perfectly symmetrical, perfectly average.
They’re a hotel breakfast waffle — not bad, not memorable.
The Mets and Marlins?
The Mets remain the Mets — talented chaos.
The Marlins continue to be the league’s version of cryptocurrency: lots of hype, no stability, and you never know what you’re getting week to week.
THE CENTRAL — A MONSTER AND A LOT OF TEAMS WATCHING IT EAT
Let’s talk about Pittsburgh.
Great story last year, magical October run, Pruneda turns into Paul Bunyan, swings a telephone pole instead of a bat… and they rode that wave all the way to the NL pennant.
But the hangover? Oh, it’s here.
And it’s not subtle.
42–36 is fine — it’s professional, it’s respectable — but in a division where the Brewers are basically a tornado made of baseball bats, “fine” is the same as “irrelevant.”
St. Louis?
Hey, love Mike Jankowski. Superstar. Future face of the sport.
But right now the Cardinals are that band with a brilliant lead singer and absolutely no drummer. There’s a rhythm problem.
Cubs, Reds?
One’s lost, the other’s buried.
And Cincinnati at 20–57 — I’m not saying they’re rebuilding, but I checked their depth chart and I’m pretty sure half the roster is just local students earning college credit.
THE WEST — THE MOST FUN CHAOS IN BASEBALL
Everybody in the world predicted the Dodgers would bounce back.
And listen — they’re fine. 40–37 is solid.
But the story isn’t L.A.
It’s Arizona.
The Diamondbacks are like that tech startup everyone ignores until suddenly they’ve bought half the city.
They’ve got a star at second base, they’ve got timely hitting, they play with an edge… and most importantly, they’re not scared of the Dodgers' brand.
44–36. First place.
Not flashy — just effective.
They’re the anti-Hollywood Dodgers.
San Diego?
They’re the mood ring of baseball. You check ’em every morning to see how the vibes are.
Sometimes you get a great color. Sometimes you get confusion.
Right now they’re hovering at 39–36, emotionally unstable but competitive.
San Francisco?
Edgar Perdomo continues to be an absolute unit in left field, but this team is a Jenga tower missing too many middle pieces.
Colorado?
In a league full of novels, they’re a rough draft.
Still trying to find the plot.
COWHERD’S BIG TAKE
There are three truths in the National League right now:
Milwaukee is inevitable.
Atlanta is the professional gold standard.
The West is a blender set to “puree.”
Everybody else?
They’re passengers. They’re spectators. They’re noise.
This league, right now, is about two superpowers and one division with a personality disorder.
The NL playoffs are going to be absurd — and the road goes straight through Milwaukee, Wisconsin, population: pain.

[jg2977]

CHRIS “MAD DOG” RUSSO — WEEKLY POWER RANKINGS RANT
(Full decibels. Arms waving. Papers flying everywhere. A man dangerously close to popping a blood vessel.)
“HELLO EVERYBODY, AND A GOOD AFTERNOON TO YA!!! LET’S GET RIGHT TO IT — THE POWER RANKINGS FOR JULY 1st, 1929 — AND I GOTTA TELL YA, THEY ARE A DOOZY, AS MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD SAY!”
1) MILWAUKEE BREWERS (137.4)
“THEY’RE NUMBER ONE, AND THEY SHOULD BE NUMBER ONE! 60–18! I MEAN, WHAT ARE WE DOIN’!? They win EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. They should play blindfolded just to make it FAIR.”
2) HOUSTON ASTROS (136.6)
“OH MY GOODNESS, 56–23! That lineup! Josh Curtis! Van Cleve! If they played Milwaukee in a best-of-seven, the scoreboard operator would need medical attention.”
3) ATLANTA BRAVES (132.5)
“EXACTLY where they should be. Professional, consistent, well-run — AND THEY ACTUALLY PLAY DEFENSE, WHICH APPARENTLY IS ILLEGAL IN BASEBALL NOWADAYS!”
4) BOSTON RED SOX (128.1)
“OH HO HO, LOOK AT BOSTON! They win every close game, every extra-inning game, every Sunday doubleheader— I DON’T GET IT, I DON’T BELIEVE IT, BUT GOOD FOR THEM!”
5) DETROIT TIGERS (116.2)
“Detroit slips, and for once they look HUMAN. Pedraza isn’t Superman EVERY day, folks! But they’re still dangerous.”
6) TEXAS RANGERS (103.6)
“DOUBLE UP ARROWS! And ya know what? DESERVED. Texas suddenly acts like they want to be taken seriously. Great offense, decent pitching — WHO KNEW!?”
7) PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (102.9)
“Phillies fans, stop sending me telegrams. YOU’RE GOOD. YOU’RE NOT GREAT. LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT.”
8) ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (101.0)
“A scrappy, annoying team — like a mosquito in July — and they KEEP winning. First in the West! GOOD FOR THEM!”
9) SEATTLE MARINERS (100.6)
“Fallin’ a little. Not a disaster, but c’mon Seattle, you can’t live off 1927 forever!”
10) PITTSBURGH PIRATES (99.8)
“THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY’RE ALIVE! After that World Series beatdown last year I thought they were gonna go into witness protection!”
11) SAN DIEGO PADRES (98.6)
“They’re fine. Just FINE. San Diego fans thinking they’re winning a pennant — GET A GRIP!”
12) NEW YORK YANKEES (96.8)
“DOWN. DOWN. DOWN. Yankee fans, don’t yell at me — yell at your team! HALF THE LEAGUE IS PASSING YOU!”
13) LOS ANGELES DODGERS (94.4)
“+ ARROW! And yes, they’re finally looking like a ballclub again instead of a traveling circus act.”
14) CLEVELAND INDIANS (93.8)
“Decent! Not great! Not terrible! THE MOST MEDIOCRE TEAM IN AMERICA!”
15) ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (93.6)
“+ +! And it’s ALL JANKOWSKI! This kid is UNBELIEVABLE. Imagine if they had ANY pitching!”
16) WASHINGTON NATIONALS (89.0)
“.500 team, .500 ranking, .500 EVERYTHING. THEY’RE A HAM SANDWICH. TOTALLY FINE.”
17) TORONTO BLUE JAYS (88.9)
“DOWN AGAIN! BECAUSE THEY CAN’T PITCH! I’VE BEEN SAYING IT FOR TEN YEARS!”
18) NEW YORK METS (82.2)
“UP! GREAT! WE’LL THROW A PARADE FOR BEING 18th!”
19) MIAMI MARLINS (82.0)
“Whoever figured out how to get this offense going — GIVE THAT GUY A MEDAL.”
20) CHICAGO CUBS (80.9)
“Up arrows! GOOD! But you’re still the Cubs. And that’s all I need to say.”
21) OAKLAND ATHLETICS (80.5)
“They’re not GOOD, but they’re TRYING, and frankly that’s an improvement.”
22) SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (80.2)
“DOWN AGAIN. And Perdomo can’t do everything, folks!”
23) CHICAGO WHITE SOX (79.8)
“DOWN DOWN DOWN! They have no pitching, no hitting, no defense — WHAT EXACTLY DO THEY DO!?”
24) BALTIMORE ORIOLES (73.6)
“They win twice in a week and suddenly they’re ‘improving’ — LET’S CALM DOWN.”
25) MINNESOTA TWINS (68.1)
“++! Good for Minnesota! Not good ENOUGH, but good!”
26) KANSAS CITY ROYALS (67.1)
“DOWN, and Bass can’t save this train wreck! YOU NEED MORE THAN ONE SUPERSTAR!”
27) TAMPA BAY RAYS (63.9)
“Down. AGAIN. They should be paying ME to watch them.”
28) COLORADO ROCKIES (59.3)
“Down arrow — the only arrow Colorado knows.”
29) ANAHEIM ANGELS (38.9)
“++! And that’s the BEST NEWS THEY’VE HAD IN FIVE YEARS!”
30) CINCINNATI REDS (37.8)
“DISASTER. CATASTROPHE. A FIVE-ALARM FIRE. They couldn’t beat a local high school right now!”
“THERE YA GO! MAD DOG’S POWER RANKINGS FOR THE WEEK — AND IF YOU DISAGREE, WRITE A LETTER, I’LL THROW IT OUT!”

[jg2977]

1929 AL Final Standings

COLIN COWHERD — AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFF BREAKDOWN, OCTOBER 1929
Alright, listen up. This is the American League picture as it stands, and let me tell you, it is exactly the kind of storyline baseball needed.
Boston Red Sox in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. SEVENTEEN. That’s not a typo. Fenway Park in October? Baseball is better with them there. If you’re a neutral fan — if you actually like the sport — root for Boston. They’re going to the Wild Card round to face the Cleveland Indians, a team that was trying to keep pace with Detroit all season long. This is exactly the kind of matchup that makes October worth it: historic ballpark, talented roster, young stars, pressure, storylines.
Speaking of stories, the New York Yankees are in the playoffs too. They won their 18th AL East title. Yes, 18th. They’ll host the Texas Rangers in the other Wild Card matchup. If you like legends, history, and drama, the Yankees are here to deliver — but they better hope they’re not caught looking past Texas, because that team has more than enough weapons to pull off a shocker.
Now, let’s talk about the first-round byes, because this is where the league really separates the pretenders from the contenders. Houston and Detroit? Forget it. They don’t play in October — they dominate. Houston, 118 wins, .728 winning percentage. Detroit, 98 wins. Both teams are rested, both teams are loaded, and both teams are about to have their way with whoever survives the Wild Card. If you’re a fan of offense, pitching, or watching someone else lose in painful, historic blowouts — strap in.
Chastisement Corner
Now let’s get to the embarrassments, the teams that didn’t even sniff the postseason.
Toronto Blue Jays, 87–75. Good enough to be respectable… but in this league? You’re a mid-table tourist. You had talent, you had firepower, you just didn’t finish. That’s on you.
Seattle Mariners, 83–79. Above .500 and still irrelevant in October. That’s a failure. You can’t coast. You can’t just “be competitive.”
Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, White Sox, Twins, Angels, Orioles — all of you: 67 wins? 65 wins? 49 wins? 70 wins? Get out of here. Seriously. You’re not rebuilding. You’re embarrassing yourselves. This is professional baseball, not a summer camp game. Stop pretending you belong.
If you’re in Cleveland and Boston, or New York and Texas — congratulations, you earned this. Everyone else? Watch the games, take notes, and try not to get humiliated by Houston or Detroit in the next round.
Bottom line: October baseball in the AL is set up perfectly. Fenway is back. The Yankees are dangerous. The Astros and Tigers are resting and ready to crush. And if you’re on one of the 20+ teams that missed the playoffs… well, see you next year. And maybe bring a better team.

[jg2977]

1929 NL Final Standings

Bob Costas — 1929 National League Playoff Preview
Well, here we are at the cusp of October baseball in the National League, and it’s a fascinating mix of familiarity, dominance, and disappointment.
Let’s start with the Wild Card Series. The Pittsburgh Pirates will visit the Washington Nationals in what is, in many ways, a rematch of last year’s NLCS. Back then, the Pirates took the series in five games to earn their first-ever NL pennant, and they’ll be looking to prove it wasn’t a one-time fluke. Meanwhile, the Nationals have earned their way back into contention, posting a strong 92–70 record, and will be eager to demonstrate that they belong on this stage.
In the NL West, the Wild Card matchup features division rivals San Diego and Arizona. Two teams that battled for the division all year, now squaring off for a postseason berth — and if there’s one thing division rivals know, it’s how to make October tense.
Of course, Milwaukee and Atlanta stand head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Milwaukee, 116 wins, Atlanta, 111 — these are not teams likely to be intimidated by the rigors of postseason play. After last year’s NLDS disappointment, both organizations will come in with a focus on executing crisp, fundamental baseball. It’s not about flair; it’s about discipline, preparation, and consistency. If they both advance as expected, we could very well see a classic NLCS matchup between these two powerhouses.
And yet, for all the excellence at the top of the league, one has to ask: what’s wrong with so many of the teams that didn’t make the playoffs?
Take the Los Angeles Dodgers, for example. A franchise that captured the 1926 World Series, and now finds itself missing the postseason the last three years. For a team with that pedigree, that level of disappointment can only be described as puzzling. They have talent, history, and expectation — and yet they finish just two games behind Arizona and San Diego, barely in contention, and watch October from the sidelines.
The rest of the non-qualifiers offer similar questions. St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Colorado — all franchises with varying degrees of promise, yet none capable of sustaining a run into October. It’s a reminder, perhaps, of the mercurial nature of baseball, where consistency is elusive and dominance is hard-earned.
So as the postseason begins, the storylines are clear: Pittsburgh looking to repeat, Washington trying to prove themselves, Arizona and San Diego battling in a heated division rivalry, and the league’s elite — Milwaukee and Atlanta — poised to remind everyone why they have been the class of the NL all season.
And for the rest? They’ll be left with questions, reflections, and perhaps a reminder that in baseball, no amount of history can substitute for execution in the here and now.

[jg2977]

Final Power Rankings

1) Houston Astros (145 points)
Look, this is the real deal. 118–44, .728 winning percentage. Everything is clicking: offense, pitching, depth. They’re the team everyone else is chasing. Houston is going to be scary in October — and that’s not hype.
2) Milwaukee Brewers (138 points)
116–46. Second in the rankings but don’t underestimate them. Milwaukee is loaded, disciplined, and fundamentally sound. They’re right there with Houston, and they’ll remind the league why they dominated all season.
3) Atlanta Braves (126 points)
111 wins, consistent, balanced, and well-managed. They might not have the flashiest headlines, but they play crisp baseball, and that matters in October. They’re going to be a tough out.
4) Detroit Tigers (108 points)
98–64. Pedraza and the lineup carried them, pitching kept them in games. They earned the first-round bye, and they’re going to be dangerous in October. Don’t sleep on them.
5) Washington Nationals (107 points)
92–70. Solid all-around. Hosting Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round, and they’ll be looking to prove last year’s success wasn’t a fluke.
6) Cleveland Indians (105 points)
94–68. Hot at the right time, playing good baseball, and ready to take on Boston in the Wild Card. This team has the talent to make some noise.
7) Toronto Blue Jays (104 points)
They’ve been playing very well down the stretch, but it’s too little, too late. Peaking at the end of the season wasn’t enough to get into the postseason. This team could have done some real damage in October, and that makes it frustrating for fans.
8) Boston Red Sox (100 points)
92–70. Making the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Fenway in October — it doesn’t get any better. Dropped a bit in the rankings, but the storylines are gold. This is the stuff baseball is built on.
9) Texas Rangers (97 points)
91–71. Solid team, but they’re headed to Yankee Stadium for the Wild Card. They have the tools to win, but it’ll be an uphill battle.
10) Seattle Mariners (97 points)
83–79. Jumped in the rankings. Inconsistent all year, but capable of pulling off surprises. However, not enough to grab a wild card spot.
11) San Diego Padres (97 points)
85–77. Good team, competitive in the West, just barely squeaked into the postseason picture. They’ll need everything to go right in October.
12) New York Yankees (95 points)
93–69. Classic Yankees chaos: they won the AL East, but they’re not untouchable. High-powered lineup, but postseason pressure is a different animal.
13) Pittsburgh Pirates (95 points)
86–76. Ready for the Wild Card against Washington. After last year’s NLCS triumph, they know what it takes, but this is a new October — anything can happen.
14) Los Angeles Dodgers (94 points)
83–79. Three straight years missing the playoffs after winning in 1926. It’s a mix of disappointment and underperformance. They have talent, but can’t seem to put it together when it counts.
15) New York Mets (93 points)
83–79. Above .500, competitive, but still a middle-of-the-pack team. They’ll be watching October baseball from home, wondering how to take the next step.
16) Arizona Diamondbacks (91 points)
87–75. Solid team, made some noise in the West. Could be dangerous if they get hot, but consistency has been an issue.
17) Philadelphia Phillies (90 points)
80–82. Peaked late, showed flashes, but ultimately too inconsistent to matter in October.
18) San Francisco Giants (86 points)
72–90. Finally showing some fight, but not nearly enough. They’re still a rebuilding team.
19) St. Louis Cardinals (83 points)
74–88. Jankowski is amazing, but he can’t do it all. Weak supporting cast has kept them out of contention.
20) Miami Marlins (82 points)
81–81. Offense is good, pitching inconsistent. They’re a .500 team, and that’s where they’ll stay.
21) Baltimore Orioles (77 points)
70–92. Some bright spots, but overall, it’s a rough season. Watching from home isn’t fun.
22) Kansas City Royals (76 points)
67–95. David Bass is a superstar, but the rest of the roster is struggling. They can’t carry a season on one player.
23) Chicago White Sox (75 points)
70–92. Not competitive. Pitching and hitting both underperformed. Pathetic, really.
24) Minnesota Twins (71 points)
65–97. Played hard, but talent just isn’t there. Too many holes across the roster.
25) Chicago Cubs (68 points)
69–93. Classic Cubs mediocrity. Slight drop from last week, still irrelevant.
26) Oakland Athletics (68 points)
67–95. Bad season, no excuses. In the AL West basement, far from contention.
27) Colorado Rockies (61 points)
59–103. Offensive and pitching struggles all year. They’ll be looking to rebuild.
28) Anaheim Angels (58 points)
49–113. Historically bad. That’s all there is to say.
29) Cincinnati Reds (58 points)
48–114. Another disaster. They couldn’t win if the games were handed to them.
30) Tampa Bay Rays (58 points)
60–102. Slightly better than Anaheim or Cincinnati, but still completely irrelevant. They spent the season missing the mark in every way possible.

[jg2977]

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[jg2977]

Colin Cowherd on Game 1: Pirates at Nationals — 1929 Wild Card Series
“You know, every October, there are a couple of truths in baseball.”
There’s talent, there’s experience…
…but there’s also identity.
And what Game 1 showed us is that Washington — unlike Pittsburgh — knows exactly who they are.
Washington wins it 6–4, and yes, the box score is nice, the homers are loud, the attendance is big — but let’s be honest, this was about Washington’s adults showing up, and Pittsburgh’s… didn’t.
Washington’s Identity: Aggressive, Athletic, No Ego
Octavio Flores?
This is what he is.
He’s one of those new-age hitters — disciplined, athletic, doesn’t try to be the hero, but looks like one anyway.
2-for-3.
A homer.
A walk.
Two runs.
Steals a bag.
Impacts every layer of the game.
It’s very “Nationals baseball”:
Smart. Efficient. No wasted motion.
They don’t win with hype; they win with execution.
They don’t give you drama; they give you answers.
And I always say this — momentum is great… but maturity wins in the postseason.
Character > chaos.
Pittsburgh? This has been their issue all year.
They’re talented.
They’re explosive.
They have guys like Isidro Pruneda who can change a game — big 2-run homer in the sixth, great instincts, great athlete.
But Pittsburgh is like a convertible sports car:
It looks fantastic when the weather’s perfect…
…but the moment the wind shifts, the whole thing rattles.
Tommy Loder?
This was classic Pirates pitching:
A little flash, a little fear, and then the big inning comes — and they don’t have the temperament to stop the bleeding.
Six runs allowed, two homers given up, never looked comfortable.
You can't win road playoff games like that.
You can survive the regular season with it — but October exposes you.
The Moment That Defined the Game: Quizhpe’s Double
Bottom of the fourth. Scoreless.
And Eddie Quizhpe — a guy who’s not going on billboards, not leading jersey sales — delivers the blow that Pittsburgh never emotionally recovered from.
A two-run double.
Right into the gap.
It’s surgical. It’s adult baseball.
Good teams get hits.
Great teams get hits that break you.
That’s Washington.
The Nationals’ Pitching: Not Spectacular. Just Solid.
Seth Jenkins?
He’s not flashy.
He’s not going to trend.
He’s not getting a shoe deal.
But he’s a stable, functional starter who gives you seven innings, eight hits, two earned, and walks off the mound saying:
“I did my job. You do yours.”
That’s playoff winning behavior.
That’s how managers sleep at night.
And then J. Clay comes in, two innings, no runs, no panic, ho-hum, game over.
Washington’s pitching doesn’t try to be cool — it tries to win.
That matters.
The Future of the Series
Look — Pittsburgh is fine.
They’re at home yelling about umpires and pitch selection, but deep down they know:
Washington won the maturity battle.
And in a short series?
That’s usually the whole thing.
Game 2 is tomorrow.
Pittsburgh is already in a hole and in their feelings.
Washington? They’re already over this game.
They’re thinking about the next pitch.
Because that’s their brand.
That’s their identity.
Final Thought
“Some teams play postseason baseball.
Some teams talk about postseason baseball.”
Washington plays it.
Pittsburgh talks it.
And in Game 1, that difference was very obvious.

[jg2977]

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[jg2977]

Colin Cowherd on Padres–Diamondbacks: “This is Chaosball… and Arizona Lives In It.”
You know…
People always think postseason baseball is about pitching, defense, the little things.
But every so often a game comes along that says:
“Nope. This is going to be complete, unapologetic chaos.”
And that was Padres–Diamondbacks, Game 1.
13–12.
20 hits for one team, 19 for the other.
Two blown leads.
A walk-off.
It was basically a four-hour trust fall — and guess what?
San Diego didn’t catch anybody.
San Diego: Great Talent, No Identity
Let’s start with the Padres.
And look — Mike Cook was unbelievable.
I mean, this guy wasn’t playing baseball; he was playing Home Run Derby on rookie mode.
4 for 4.
Two homers.
Two doubles.
A walk.
Five RBIs.
Twelve total bases.
This is what I always say:
Some guys are fireworks. Some guys are flashlights.
Cook? Fireworks.
You light the match, he explodes, everyone goes “Ooooh!”
But fireworks don’t light your house when the power goes out.
They don’t stabilize you.
They don’t give you structure.
San Diego scores 12 runs… and still loses.
Why?
Because their pitching staff is like a startup with no CEO:
Lots of energy, no leadership.
Ocana? Didn’t have it.
Berman? Rough.
Zeitlin? One batter, game over.
This has been their issue all year — fun, loud, athletic, but if the game gets weird, they fall apart emotionally.
Arizona: Imperfect, But They Thrive in the Mess
Arizona, meanwhile, is like that friend who thrives in dysfunction.
The one who says, “Yeah, the car engine’s smoking, but I know a shortcut.”
They give up:
• 12 runs
• 19 hits
• A two-homer performance to one guy
And they still win because this is what the Diamondbacks are:
Messy. Resilient. Self-aware.
They don’t pretend to be polished.
They know they’re going to give up big innings, commit errors, live a little dangerously.
But they also know this:
“When the game gets strange, we get stronger.”
The Turning Point: The Fourth Inning Avalanche
Seven runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Just a total avalanche — doubles, triples, everybody hitting.
Schleicher — great athlete, great instincts — four hits, four RBIs.
Armendariz — two doubles.
Silva — nine total bases and a homer.
Everything they hit had bad intentions.
This is what Arizona does:
They don’t chip away.
They don’t nibble.
They don’t wait.
They avalanche you.
But then — because it’s Arizona — they immediately give up six runs in the seventh.
Because of course they do.
That’s the brand.
That’s the identity.
They are the NFL team who goes up 14, gives up 21, wins 31–30.
They’re the Phoenix Suns with Steve Nash.
Chaosball.
Ryan Caraway: The Adult in the Room
Then… the moment.
Tenth inning.
Tie game.
Zero margin for error.
Ryan Caraway — who had done nothing all day — walks up, gets a pitch he likes, and ends it.
Boom.
Solo shot.
Ballgame.
1–0 series lead.
This is what grown-up teams have:
One guy who doesn’t need to win every inning… just the last one.
Caraway’s not flashy.
He’s not the superstar.
He’s not the guy kids imitate in the backyard.
But he’s the finisher.
He’s the closer.
He’s the one who says, “Everybody relax, I’ve got it.”
The Big Picture
Arizona wins because they’re comfortable in a world without rules.
San Diego loses because they need the game to go a certain way — and today, it absolutely did not.
And that’s postseason baseball.
You don’t win because you’re perfect.
You win because you survive your own mistakes better than the other guy survives his.
Arizona?
They survived.
San Diego?
They wilted.
Final Thought
“The playoffs reward teams who handle stress.”
Some teams crumble under pressure.
Some teams avoid it.
Arizona?
They invite it over for dinner.
Game 2 tomorrow.
San Diego better find their identity fast…
because Arizona already knows exactly what they are.

[jg2977]

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[jg2977]

COLIN COWHERD–STYLE RECAP: RED SOX 7, INDIANS 1
You know, every year the playoffs give us a team that finally grows up.
A team that’s been wandering around the league for years — no identity, no big moments, no reason for anybody outside their ZIP code to care — and then one day they walk into October and suddenly look like they’ve been here forever.
This year? It’s Boston.
Seventeen years. SEVENTEEN.
That’s not a playoff drought, that’s a mortgage.
And Boston walks in, first postseason game since the Harding administration or whatever it feels like… and they don’t just win. They announce themselves.
7–1. Total control. Road game. Jacobs Field.
Cleveland had the home crowd, the momentum, the pitching plan, the weather…
Boston had John Jordan — who, I’m telling you right now, looks like the guy who goes to the gym at 5 AM, drinks black coffee, and takes everything personally.
Two homers, four RBI, scored twice.
He didn’t just play well — he owned the building.
And the quote afterward?
“I’ll let my guard down when there’s a ring on my finger.”
That’s not a baseball player.
That’s a Navy SEAL with batting gloves.
Meanwhile Cleveland… look, I like Cleveland. Great fans. They show up, they care, they try.
But this looked like one of those games where you can just tell — before they even break a sweat — who’s the challenger and who’s the contender.
Boston’s lineup? Efficient, patient, grown-up baseball.
Cleveland’s? Nine hits and one run — that’s like eating an entire pizza and still being hungry. A lot of activity, no payoff.
And let’s not ignore K. Simmons.
Seven and a third scoreless, on the road, first playoff start…
That’s adult behavior.
That’s the guy in the office who shows up 20 minutes early and doesn’t complain when the printer jams.
Folks…
Boston isn’t wide-eyed.
They aren’t happy-to-be-here.
They look like the guy who finally got invited to the party and immediately starts running the place.
They lead the series 1–0.
Cleveland’s got 24 hours to figure out how to stop a team that waited 17 years… and showed up with receipts.

[jg2977]

/

[jg2977]

COLIN COWHERD–STYLE RECAP: RANGERS 15, YANKEES 5
You know, every year the postseason reminds us of something very simple:
Some teams are built for October.
And some teams are built for… April.
And folks, the New York Yankees?
Right now, they feel like an April team.
Texas walks into Yankee Stadium — the cathedral, the brand, the mystique — and they don’t just win.
They don’t just quiet the crowd.
They walk in like they own the key to the front door and drop a 15–5 hammer on the Bronx.
Fifteen runs.
Twenty-one hits.
On the road.
In Game 1.
That’s not a win.
That’s a statement.
That’s a billboard.
And the face of it?
Ryan Merritt.
You know what Merritt is?
He’s the guy at the pickup game who doesn’t look flashy, doesn’t talk trash, doesn’t wear arm sleeves — and then casually goes 5-for-6 and steals a base just because he feels like it.
Five hits.
Three runs.
Two RBI.
A double.
A swipe.
And he’s smiling afterward like he just finished mowing the lawn.
But the hidden story here — and this is so typical of October — is that Texas isn’t relying on just one guy.
They’ve got a committee of grown-ups.
Danny Martinez? Three hits, bomb in the ninth, drives in three.
Tamayo? Two homers.
Fuentes? Homer.
Rosenthal? Homer.
Ruggeri? Homer.
Honestly, at one point it felt like Oprah:
“You get a home run! You get a home run! Everyone gets a home run!”
And look — I’m not trying to be harsh — but the Yankees’ pitching…
It looked like a rental car with the check-engine light flashing.
Barrios, Stapleton, Hivner — it didn’t matter.
Texas was teeing off like it was a charity scramble.
Meanwhile, Francis Tavarez…
Seven and a third, nine walks — NINE — and still wins by ten.
Only in baseball can you walk half a neighborhood and still drive home smiling.
This is what good teams do:
They absorb the chaos and win anyway.
And this is what bad postseason teams do:
They wait for somebody else to fix the mess.
Folks…
Texas isn’t afraid of the Yankees.
Texas isn’t intimidated by the venue, the name, the history.
Texas walked into Yankee Stadium and turned Game 1 into a midweek Cactus League tune-up.
The Rangers lead the series 1–0.
The Yankees?
They’re out of excuses, out of time, and — after 21 Texas hits — probably out of Advil.
Game 2 is tomorrow.
And New York better show up with something resembling resistance…
Because Texas looks like the team that packed for a long October.
And the Yankees?
They look like they left the luggage at home.

[jg2977]

COWHERD-STYLE RECAP: PIRATES 17, NATIONALS 16 — EXTRA INNINGS CHAOS
Folks… I don’t even know where to start with this one.
You want postseason madness? You want drama? You want baseball in its purest, chaotic, ridiculous form?
Look no further than Nationals Park, Game 2, extra innings, 17–16.
Seventeen runs.
Sixteen runs.
Forty-four combined hits.
Folks, that is not a game. That is a brawl in a box office, and somehow, the Pirates walked out smiling.
Darrell Verni — third baseman for Pittsburgh — basically had a cheat code.
Three hits. A double. A triple. A homer. A walk. Five RBIs. Two runs scored. The man did everything short of riding a unicorn across the diamond.
But let’s not ignore Jimmy Rawlings, the guy who had one at-bat in extra innings, and it’s a run-scoring single that wins the game.
He doesn’t even want to talk to the media. He just walks away, like he knows the performance matters more than the narrative. Classic postseason energy.
Now, let’s be honest — pitching? If you’re into the idea that pitching matters, you might have been a little disappointed.
M. Castro, M. Vanderhoff, S. Smith — by the fourth inning, folks, they looked like they were auditioning for a fireworks show. Washington? Same thing.
Every inning? Someone’s hitting. Someone’s scoring. Someone’s wondering why they even bought a ticket.
And yet… somehow… this is why we watch October baseball.
Because in the end, the team that absorbs the chaos and still finds a way to win? That’s who survives.
Right now, that’s Pittsburgh.
Folks, the takeaway is simple:
Verni and the Pirates just turned the Wild Card Series into a street fight.
Washington put up sixteen runs at home, and it still wasn’t enough.
Extra innings. Nail-biting. Jaw-dropping. Heart-attack inducing.
Game 3? Oh, it’s tomorrow.
And if you think either of these teams is done swinging, you are dead wrong.
This series isn’t about strategy. It’s not about rotations. It’s about sheer will.
And right now, Pittsburgh has momentum, swagger, and Verni in the lineup.
The Nationals? They’re still breathing, but they just got told — loudly — that postseason baseball doesn’t care about your stadium.
It doesn’t care about the fans.
It doesn’t even care if you scored sixteen runs.
It just cares about who can finish the fight.
And tomorrow, folks… one team walks out, the other goes home.
Welcome to October.

[jg2977]

COWHERD VS. RUSSO — PADRES AT DIAMONDBACKS, WILD CARD GAME 2 (1929)
Arizona 14, San Diego 6 — D-Backs Sweep

COWHERD (calm, polished, big-picture take):
“Folks… this wasn’t a baseball game. This was a statement.
Arizona didn’t just beat San Diego — they overwhelmed them.
Twenty hits. Fourteen runs. Triples, doubles, homers — they filled every statistical bucket available.
And Austin Montes…
Eleven total bases. Two triples. A homer. Six RBIs.
That’s not a stat line — that’s a superstar announcing himself to the National League.
And Steve Schleicher?
Series MVP hitting .800. Not .380. Not .480.
Point-eight-zero-zero.
I don’t care if it’s Little League — nobody does that by accident.
San Diego? Look, folks... good story early in the year, but by October, you need pitching.
The Padres rolled out J. Brown, S. Zeitlin, J. Smith — and it looked like three different versions of the same problem:
Can’t miss bats.
Can’t get out of innings.
Can’t stop momentum.
This series was over by the second inning today.
Arizona is deeper. They’re smarter. They’re more athletic.
And now they get Atlanta, the league’s gold standard.
Don’t be shocked if Arizona pushes them.
This team has juice. Real juice.”
-------------------------------------------
RUSSO (fired-up, incredulous, yelling three seconds in):
“HO-O-O-LY COW, ARIZONA!! FOURTEEN TO SIX?!
I MEAN WHAT ARE WE DOIN’ SAN DIEGO?! WHAT ARE WE DOIN’?!
I DON’T WANNA HEAR ABOUT J. BROWN, THIS GUY J. SMITH, ZEITLIN —
THEY COULDN’T GET ANYBODY OUT!!
THEY TURNED A DIAMONDBACKS BATTING PRACTICE SESSION INTO AN ACTUAL GAME!!
TWENTY HITS!! TWENTY!!
THEY GOT TRIPLES ALL OVER THE PLACE, MONTES LOOKS LIKE FRIGGIN’ WILLIE MAYS OUT THERE — TWO TRIPLES, A HOMER, SIX DRIVEN IN —
WHAT ARE WE DOIN’ PADRES?!
AND SCHLEICHER — I MEAN COME ON — .800 FOR THE SERIES?!?!
THAT’S A VIDEO GAME NUMBER!! THAT’S A TYPING ERROR!!
THE PADRES COULDN’T GET HIM OUT WITH A BUTTERFLY NET!!
AND LOOK — I DON’T WANNA HEAR THE EXCUSES ABOUT ‘OH WE HAD 13 HITS’ —
YOU SCORED SIX RUNS AND STILL GOT BLOWN OUT OF THE BUILDING!!
YOU CAN’T GIVE UP FIVE RUNS IN THE EIGHTH INNING OF AN ELIMINATION GAME!
CAN’T DO IT!!
ARIZONA — GOOD FOR THEM. THEY CAME TO PLAY. THEY SWEEP. THEY DESERVED IT.
BUT SAN DIEGO? EMBARRASSING. ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASSING.
ATLANTA’S NEXT. AND LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHIN’:
IF ARIZONA HITS LIKE THIS,
THE BRAVES BETTER WAKE UP, GET OUTTA BED, AND START PITCHIN’!”
----------------------------------------
COWHERD (closing thought):
“Arizona’s not perfect — but they’re confident, loose, and hot.
That combination can ruin someone’s October.”
---------------------------------------
RUSSO (closing thought):
“AND SAN DIEGO? PACK THE BAGS, GO HOME, SEE YA IN APRIL!”

[jg2977]

BNN POSTGAME ROUNDTABLE — RED SOX AT INDIANS, GAME 2

Bob Costas (host):
“Good evening from the BNN studios. The Cleveland Indians have answered Boston’s Game 1 punch with a resounding Game 2 win, 9–4, at Jacobs Field. Reynaldo Mendez and Jesus Satiago power the offense, the series is tied 1–1, and everything comes down to tomorrow. Let’s bring in the fellas.”

Colin Cowherd:
“THIS… is why I always say: playoff baseball is about traits, not just talent. Cleveland showed a trait today — resilience.
Boston came out hot again. Jordan’s hitting everything. Williams? Two bombs in two games. And Cleveland basically shrugged and said, ‘Cute. Anyway…’
Satiago: laser-focused. Mendez: big-game dude. Three hits, a bomb, four RBI. That’s what stars look like in October.
Boston? Philippon was a mess. He pitched like a guy who realized mid-inning, ‘Oh, this isn’t the regular season anymore.’ Cleveland pounced.
Tomorrow? Momentum is THIS building behind the Indians. And if I’m Boston? I’m nervous. REALLY nervous.”

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo:
“AHHHHH HERE WE GO! COLIN, STOP. STOP IT. You’re drivin’ me nuts.
This was NOT some big ‘Cleveland trait’ game — THIS WAS BOSTON HANDIN’ IT TO ‘EM LIKE HALLOWEEN CANDY!
Philippon? TERRIBLE. I mean TERRIBLE. He couldn’t get anybody out! Everything’s hittable! Satiago’s hittin’ balls 480 feet! Mendez is SMOKIN’ the ball! Campbell’s hittin’ doubles all over Ohio!
AND the defense from Boston — UMANA! WHAT ARE YA DOIN’ WITH THAT THROW?! You’re givin’ Cleveland extra outs in OCTOBER?!
Now listen — give Cleveland credit. They have some hitters. But let’s not pretend this is Murderers’ Row here! Boston pitched like absolute GARBAGE, and that’s the story! PERIOD!”

Mike Francesa:
“Alright, alright, alright… both of you are half right. Let me explain what actually happened.
This was a classic ‘home team down 0–1 with pride’ performance. You knew Cleveland wasn’t goin’ down without throwin’ some punches. You knew they were gonna hit tonight.
But here’s the real story: Boston’s pitching is not built for October.
Philippon? C’mon. That guy had nothin’. And Ramirez? You see him come in, you might as well start walkin’ to first base.
And by the way — Cleveland left NINE on base. This coulda been 14–4 easily.
Now listen: Cleveland’s lineup is deep. Satiago’s a star. Mendez had a monster game. But Boston? They still hit. They’ll score tomorrow.
The whole thing comes down to:
Can Cleveland get 5–6 innings from whoever they start?
If not? Jordan and Williams will bury ‘em. But if they do? Indians win the series. Simple.”

Bob Costas:
“Mike, I’ll give you this — Cleveland’s offensive depth absolutely showed tonight. Every inning felt like traffic on the bases.
But I want to highlight someone who won’t make the headlines: Mike Niccolai.
Six innings, four earned, but far more importantly: he didn’t break. He allowed Cleveland’s bats to work, never let Boston seize momentum, and turned a 9–4 game over to a bullpen that did its job.
The Indians displayed something essential in October:
A short memory.
After Game 1, they responded exactly how a home team must.”

Russo (interrupting):
“COSTAS, YOU CAN’T PRAISE A GUY WHO GAVE UP EIGHT HITS! HE WAS FINE, THAT’S IT!”

Cowherd:
“Mad Dog, he stabilized them. That matters.”

Francesa:
“Mad Dog just hates pitchers, that’s all it is.”

Russo:
“I LIKE PITCHERS WHO GET PEOPLE OUT! SUE ME!”

Costas:
“Gentlemen, as ever… spirited.
We have a winner-take-all Game 3 tomorrow at Jacobs Field. The Red Sox trying to keep their surprising season alive; the Indians looking to avoid what would feel like a devastating early exit after years of frustration.
For all of us at BNN, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

[jg2977]

BNN POSTGAME ROUNDTABLE — RANGERS 17, YANKEES 3 (Game 2)
Texas sweeps Wild Card Series, 2–0

Bob Costas (host):
“Good evening from New York, where something bordering on the unthinkable has just unfolded.
For the second straight game, the Texas Rangers didn’t just beat the New York Yankees — they obliterated them. Fifteen to five in Game 1. Seventeen to three in Game 2. Thirty-two runs allowed in forty-eight hours.
Ryan Merritt: the series MVP, hitting .750. Harrington, Martinez, Woodfin, Tamayo — all looked like mid-prime Babe Ruth tonight.
The Yankees exit the postseason in as lopsided a two-game sweep as the franchise has ever experienced. Let’s bring in the panel.”

Colin Cowherd:
“LET ME SAY THIS — this is the worst Yankee postseason performance I’ve ever seen in ANY universe.
What you just watched? That wasn’t a series. That was a reckoning.
Texas came in here with swagger, with identity, with dudes. The Yankees came in with hope and vibes. And in October? HOPE gets you massacred.
Here’s the truth nobody in New York wants to hear:
The Yankees are SOFT.
Soft rotation. Soft bullpen. Soft mentality. You don’t give up FIFTEEN and then SEVENTEEN unless something is fundamentally broken.
And Texas?
They’re a heavyweight. Merritt is a STAR. Harrington is a STAR. Martinez is a STAR.
The Yankees? They looked like a Triple-A team that got lost and wandered into the wrong stadium.”

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo:
“COLIN! COLIN! STOP IT! YOU’RE BEIN’ TOO NICE TO ‘EM!!
THE YANKEES WERE A DISGRACE! AN ABSOLUTE, UNMITIGATED DISASTER!
THIRTY-TWO RUNS! THIRTY-TWO!!
IN TWO GAMES!!
You can’t give up SEVEN RUNS in an inning EVERY SINGLE TIME the Rangers bat!! I mean my god — HARRINGTON is hittin’ two homers a night! MARTINEZ is hittin’ balls to ALBANY! TÁMAYO! MERRITT! WOODFIN!
Every guy in that lineup looked like the second coming of Lou Gehrig!
And the Yankees pitchers?! MESS! A TOTAL MESS! Madrigal, Ramirez, Matarazzo, Vadala — I wouldn’t trust these guys to pitch in a BEER LEAGUE GAME in BROOKLYN!
This is the most EMBARRASSING postseason exit in the HISTORY of the YANKEES!!”

Mike Francesa:
“Alright… Mad Dog, calm down. We get it. The Yankees were bad.
Now let me give you the actual truth, not the screaming version.
This is not complicated:
The Yankees never had the pitching. They didn’t have it all year. They weren’t gonna magically find it today.
Texas exposed what everyone with a brain already knew.
Madrigal? He doesn’t miss bats. Ramirez? Shouldn’t be on a postseason roster. Matarazzo? Please. And Vadala? That was a mercy appearance — the game was already over five times.
You give up 21 hits, let half the Rangers’ lineup chase pitching records, and you expect to win?
Texas was the better team. Significantly. Their lineup is loaded — Merritt had four hits, Harrington and Martinez combined for four HOME RUNS, Tamayo hits two…
But the Yankees didn’t compete. You cannot get outscored 32–8 at home. That’s not just losing. That’s waving the white flag.
Here’s the bottom line:
They weren’t a playoff team. They were a playoff participant. There’s a difference.”

Bob Costas:
“Texas played with purpose, with poise, and with power. New York played with confusion and fatigue.
What Ryan Merritt did over two games — nine total bases tonight, home run in each game, four RBI, four hits — was spectacular. This was a breakout performance on a national stage.
And the Rangers now move on to face World Series champion Detroit — a team that had the bye, that will be rested, but that will absolutely have their hands full with this Texas lineup.”

Russo (off-screen, still yelling):
“BOB THEY COULDN’T GET ANYBODY OUT! NOBODY! NOT ONE GUY COULD GET THREE OUTS WITHOUT GIVIN’ UP A HOMER!!”

Cowherd:
“And Mad Dog, that’s what happens when an organization lives off its brand instead of its reality.”

Francesa:
“He’s not wrong. The Yankees need pitching. Period.”

Costas (closing):
“A stunning, humbling conclusion to the Yankees’ season. The Rangers roll on.
For Colin, Chris, and Mike…
I’m Bob Costas.
We’ll see you next round.”

[jg2977]

⚾ ROUNDABLE REACTS — PIRATES 18, NATIONALS 6
“The Pirates showed us EXACTLY why they got to the World Series last year.”
🎙️ Mike Francesa
deadpan, arms folded, disgusted inhale through nose
“Look… this game was over in the third inning, alright? OVER. The Nationals jump out early, they’re feelin’ good, they’re up 4–2, home crowd buzzin’… and then the Pirates just say, ‘Okay, enough of this,’ and they put 18 on the board like it’s nothin’. You give up EIGHT runs in the sixth inning — EIGHT — season’s over, pack the bags.
Barros? Pruneda? Kaaz? Croke? The whole lineup hit like they were takin’ BP. That’s why this team went to the World Series last year. They know how to play these elimination games. This wasn’t competitive. Washington? Nice season, but they got absolutely run over today.”
🤪 Mad Dog Russo
arms waving, voice cracking into a high register
“MIKEY, THEY HIT SIX HOME RUNS BEFORE I EVEN SAT DOWN WITH MY LUNCH!! I MEAN GOOD GOLLY, WHAT ARE WE DOIN’ OUT THERE IF WE’RE THE NATIONALS?!?!
TAYLER DYE — DOESN’T RECORD A SINGLE OUT! GIVES UP FIVE RUNS!! ZERO OUTS, MIKE!!! I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYBODY GET KNOCKED OUT THAT FAST SINCE A TYSON FIGHT IN ’88!!
And how about Pruneda?! The guy hits TWO home runs like he’s Babe Ruth reincarnated! The Pirates — THEY’RE BUILT FOR OCTOBER! THEY SLAP YOU SILLY! AND WASHINGTON — GREAT STORY, NICE BALLCLUB — BUT THEY GOT BURIED AT HOME! BURIED! EIGHTEEN TO SIX! OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!”
🕊️ Bob Costas
calm, poetic, reverent tone
“In many ways, this game encapsulated the strange beauty of postseason baseball. Momentum is fragile; it can evaporate in an inning… or in this case, half an inning.
The Nationals, after a decade without October baseball, finally allowed their fans to dream again. But dreams can vanish quickly against a seasoned, battle-tested club like Pittsburgh. Pruneda, Verni, Barros — these aren’t household names across the nation, but they are the heartbeat of a Pirates team that continues to rise in big moments.
Washington’s faithful deserved a closer contest, but the Pirates reminded us: experience matters in October. And when they get rolling… they can overwhelm anyone.”
📺 Colin Cowherd
smirking, leaning back, ready to deliver a metaphor
“You know what this was? This was a grown-up team playing a young team. That’s it. Pittsburgh’s been here. They’ve done the awkward ‘we’re new to October’ phase. Washington? They’re still learning to drive.
The Pirates walked into Nationals Park like a Silicon Valley startup buying out a mom-and-pop shop. Ruthless. Efficient. No emotion.
And let’s be honest — the Nationals’ pitching? Total disaster. That was not playoff pitching. That was fourth-quarter prevent defense… in baseball form.
The Pirates are the team nobody wants to play right now. I guarantee you: Milwaukee saw this score and said, ‘Uhhh… great.’”

[jg2977]

⚾ ROUND TABLE REACTS — INDIANS 19, RED SOX 5
“Cleveland didn’t flinch. Boston barely had time to breathe.”
🎙️ Mike Francesa
deep inhale, eyes half-closed, steam building
“Look… this wasn’t a baseball game. This was a mismatch. The Red Sox? Great story. First postseason in seventeen years. All that excitement… and then Cleveland comes in and just absolutely demolishes them in Games 2 and 3.
Nineteen runs? Twenty-one hits? Everybody on Cleveland hit the ball hard. Campbell, Satiago, Hughes, Amero — they’re hittin’ home runs like it’s a Home Run Derby. Boston’s pitching? It was a disaster. Total meltdown. Every guy they brought in — Vargas, Carrillo, Diaz — they all got pummeled.
And listen… this is what real playoff teams do. You lose Game 1? You don’t panic. Cleveland didn’t blink. And now? Their reward is Houston. One hundred and eighteen wins. Good luck.”
🤪 Mad Dog Russo
yelling before Francesa even finishes, arms everywhere
“MIKEY, THE RED SOX GAVE UP TEN RUNS BY THE FOURTH INNING! TEN!! THE GAME WAS O–VER FIVE MINUTES AFTER IT STARTED!!
THE INDIANS — THEY JUST KEPT POUNDING, MIKE! CAMPBELL HITS TWO HOMERS! SATIAGO — WHAT A SERIES!! THREE HOMERS! SEVEN RBIS!! THE MAN HIT .545!! HE WAS TED WILLIAMS OUT THERE!! AND HOW ABOUT AMERO?! MENDEZ?! EVERYBODY’S HITTIN’ BOMBS!!
Boston? Great job getting back to October, but COME ON!! YOU CAN’T GIVE UP NINETEEN RUNS IN AN ELIMINATION GAME!! NOT NINETEEN!! I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS SINCE… SINCE… I DON’T EVEN KNOW, MIKE!!!”
pounds the desk
“And now Cleveland’s gotta play the 118-win Astros! OHHH HO HO, GOOD LUCK BOYS, BETTER BRING THE BATS!”
🕊️ Bob Costas
gentle, reflective, weaving the narrative
“Baseball can be unforgiving, especially in a short series. For Boston, returning to the postseason after 17 long, wandering years, there was hope — real, tangible hope — that this group could create something memorable.
But Cleveland showed what separates the merely excited from the truly composed. After dropping Game 1, they stayed poised. They trusted who they were. And in Games 2 and 3, they unleashed an offensive performance that bordered on breathtaking. Campbell, Satiago, Mendez — all delivering in ways that echo the great October moments of years past.
For Boston, this will sting. For Cleveland, it’s a statement. And in a matter of hours, they’ll shift from the thrill of victory to the enormous challenge of facing the 118-win Houston Astros — a team that has looked, at times, almost historically dominant.”
📺 Colin Cowherd
grinning, leaning back, dropping comparisons
“This is what I always say: there are levels in sports. Boston is a fun story — the plucky team finally back in the playoffs. Cleveland? That’s a grown-up ballclub.
Boston wins Game 1 and gets a little chest-puffy… Cleveland says, ‘Okay, nice little moment,’ and then detonates them. Nineteen runs? That’s not offense — that’s an audit. That’s a forensic teardown of your pitching staff.
And now Cleveland has to face Houston — a team with 118 wins, which is basically baseball’s version of Amazon. Efficient. Ruthless. Everywhere at once.
Cleveland earned it. But they’re walking into a buzzsaw.”

[jg2977]

1929 Major League Baseball LDS