Sunday Sport: MLB Championships

The 30 modern teams of the Major League Baseball in the United States play a long season.  Lasting over six months the regular season consists of thousands of games, with each of the teams  playing almost every day, and sometimes twice a day.

But it all comes to this, the League Championships seasons, the last stop on the way to the World Series of Baseball.  This Autumn we see the boys of summer playing their hearts out as each of the four teams vies for a spot in the overall championship.  This Fall's American League Championship Series pits the Boston Red Sox against recent champs the Houston Astros.  In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers are combating the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot.  

Both championships will prove to be exciting as the teams are evenly matched. In both of the best of seven series the teams are tied one to one, with the Boston Red Sox winning their game just a few moments ago.    

Game three in the Brewers vs. Dodgers series will be played Monday night at Dodger Stadium.    Game three in the Astros vs. Red Sox series will be played Tuesday night in Houston.   

Saturday Sport

Like perhaps no other time in recent history, sports and politics are again at the crossroads this weekend. 

Pakistan has not hosted international cricket within the country since 2009.  In that year, the visiting Sri Lanka team fell under attack by rebels, losing 8 of their members, with another 8 escaping with serious injuries.  The Sri Lankans have decided to give it another go, on Sunday, when the blockade is broken...  Tens of thousands of security will be deployed in Lahore when Sri Lanka become the first major cricket team to visit Pakistan since that deadly ambush.  Some of the attack survivors will be among those returning to the scene.  

No one blames the several Sri Lankans who have opted out of this Twenty20 game, as security is not completely assured, given recent rebel attacks.  Asanka Gurusinha and Hashan Tillakaratne of Sri Lanka and Pakistan's Ahsan Raza, are among those returning to the field for this match.   Sunday's game will the third and final T20 - with the other two having been played in UAE, site of many of Pakistan's "home" games in recent years.  Pakistani's have a great passion for Cricket, so this step towards normalcy is greeted with great expectation.   Sunday's Twenty20 international is being hailed as a brave decision by Sri Lanka and a milestone for Pakistan as it attempts to end its sporting isolation. We wish all those involved the best this Sunday! 

Meanwhile back in Spain, the Catalans have declared independence. For some reason, though, their teams are still playing in the Spanish Liga.  This weekend should be interesting, in that Real Madrid are playing in the Catalan stronghold Girona, and Barcelona travels to Basque stronghold Bilbao.  Real Madrid is chasing Barcelona in the standings, whilst Bilbao has been scraping the bottom.  Fresh from picking up FIFA's award for the best player of 2017, Cristiano Ronaldo will be one of number of Madrid stars to return after being rested for Madrid's Copa del Rey last-32, first-leg at third-tier Fuenlabrada on Thursday. Gareth Bale once again misses out through injury, although there is hope the Welshman could return from a calf problem in time to face his old team the Tottenham Hotspur in their Champions League contest on Wednesday.

In England, the Premier League Season is heating up.  Defeat is not an option for Manchester United  or Tottenham Hotspur as their teams seek to keep pace with leaders Manchester City in the Premier League title race. The respective teams begin the weekend five points behind City as they face each other at Old Trafford in Saturday’s early kick-off. Man U has lost significant ground in the last two weekends. Coach Mourinho accused his players of a “poor attitude” after the Huddersfield reverse, and switched several of them out of starting spots.  United have won all four of their home league matches this season, scoring 14 goals and conceding none, and Mourinho is seeking to keep that sequence going.  "Tottenham are a direct rival every season," midfielder Ander Herrera said. "In the last two or three years they have improved a lot and they are contenders for everything. The Champions League, the Premier League and for both cups."  

That's right, Tottenham...  The same Tottenham who beat Liverpool last weekend 4-1. The same Tottenham who will meet Real Madrid next Wednesday in Champion's League action.  They would be clear favorites and full of confidence had they not lost to West Ham United during the week, 3-2.  ... and what of the Gunners?  Arsenal look prepared to field Chilean Alexis Sanchez, German Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette on Swansea City on Saturday after the trio all scored against Everton last weekend, this was the first time they had all played together.  Prospects are, apparently, looking up for the team as they face Saturday's contest.  At least the English Season gives  us a bit of a break from the politics/sports nexus

In the United States of America, hurricane ravaged Houston has recovered enough to cheer their home team, the Astros, along the way in the World Series of Baseball.  Los Angeles hosted the first two games, and won and lost one, and with Friday night's game, Houston has convincingly seized the home field advantage. Today's game promises even more excitement.  

Sunday Cricket and Sports

Pakistan stretched their winning streak to eight matches in one-day internationals, and piled on more misery for Sri Lanka in the process, as they won by seven wickets in Sharjah on Friday.  Sri Lanka is currently in the midst of their tour of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, and the hosts have not been very hospitable!   The victory, secured with a convincing 11 overs to spare, gave Pakistan a 4-0 lead in the series with just Today’s final match still to play.  

Given they were on an unusual 10-match losing run of their own, Sri Lanka’s spirits were probably low enough, even before making the trip north-east up the coast from Abu Dhabi for the final phase of this series.  The loss for Sri Lanka was, perhaps, not surprising, as they have not won at Sharjah, the Emirates most historic cricket venue, since 2002.  Sri Lanka, embarrassingly, is amidst a rut of nearly a dozen losses.  The picture is not any rosier for the Sri Lankans, who return to Sharjah, to play Pakistan, in their fifth and final ODI of this series. tomorrow. in. Sharjah.  Also on tap for today is a test match between West Indies and Zimbabwe, and ODIs between India and New Zealand, and South Africa and Bangladesh.

In the USA, in MLB, the two teams contesting the World Series of Baseball have been decided.  The Los Angeles Dodgers, formerly of Brooklyn, had already beat the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS to become that league's contender.  Last night the seventh game of the seven game series was played between the perennial champions the New York Yankees, and the Houston Astros. The 'stros prevailed to take the American League title, and so will face the Dodgers in the World Series, which will start later this week.  The Los Angeles Dodgers are World Series favorites, but not by much. Their best-of-seven series begins Tuesday in Los Angeles.  The Dodgers are in the World Series for the first time since 1988 and will face a Houston team that rallied back from a 3-2 series deficit in the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. The Astros beat the Yankees 4-0 Saturday night in Game 7 of the ALCS to advance to the franchise's second World Series.  Neither team was considered favorites, even some time into the season. 

In the USA, in the football season, six weeks in, there's not a division leader with a lead of more than one game in the loss column, and the NFC West, NFC South, AFC East and NFC North all have at least two teams tied in the loss column sitting atop the division. Of the league's 32 teams, a whopping 25 have three or fewer losses and 23 have two or three defeats to their name.  Green Bay has lost tremendous Quarterback Aaron Rodgers to injury.  They host the Saints at Lambeau Field today, and will be testing the limits of their backup talent.

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Saturday Sport

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat last year's champions, the Chicago Cubs, in convincing fashion, and so advance to represent the National League in the World Series.  Major League Baseball's World Series will begin shortly, once it is decided whether the New York Yankees or the Houston Astros will represent the American League in this year's championship.  The American League Championship Series is tied at three games apiece, after the Astros came back convincingly in last night's sudden death (for them) game.  This afternoon's game will be sudden death for either of the two teams, as it will be the last game of the playoffs, and will show who will represent the American League in the series... 

American Football is reaching a do or die situation this weekend, with high school teams in some states involved in the last games of their regular season, and some of  whom are already engaged in elimination round play.  This afternoon features so many NCAA contests, that it is difficult to point out which will be the best...  This afternoon promises exciting action, when #2 Penn State, cross swords with  archrivals #19 Michigan.  The Nittany Lions are much higher ranked, but the afternoon should be filled with exciting action. 

In Spain, Barca’s most vocal fans held up a ‘Freedom for Catalonia’ flag on Wednesday, though which league the team will play in the event of independence is far from certain.

For now, Barcelona has been dealing with the "independence for Catalonia" question in a non convincing fashion.  Instead, they have been winning Soccer in a convincing fashion, and  are currently atop the table in the Primera Liga.  This afternoon they are expected to beat winless Malaga with ease. With friends like Malaga to play, who wants independence?   While expected magic moments from Lionel Messi and his teammates may very well go viral, the political angle remains acute, and very much a part of this year's season for Barcelona...

Baseball

Anthony Rizzo

Tim Tebow

Yadier Molina

What are your thoughts on this exciting end to regular season?

پاکِستانپاکِستان , Grand Final, Baseball: Sunday Sport

Congratulations to the Richmond Tigers for their win yesterday in the Australia Rules Football League Grand Final, their first since 1980.  The Adelaide Crows just could not keep up, in a game which was nonetheless hard fought.  The Melbourne club came back from an early deficit to win 108-60 in front of 100,000 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, traditional home of the Grand Final. Being at "home" had to help.  Readers will recall that this is the first Grand Final since the very first, of 12 decades ago, in which none of the 44 players, 22 per side, had any Grand Final experience at all. 

The title was Richmond's 11th Premiership title since they were founded in 1885.  "We did it," said coach Damien Hardwick, whose job was under threat last year after Richmond finished 13th in the 18-team competition.  "I've never seen a side like you," he told his players during the presentation ceremony,  "You're unique, an incredible team that's now a Premiership team."

For those of you have think that we have covered too much AFL of late:  good on ye, but you're mistaken.  Still, no more until next Spring/Autumn in the South.  We are about to enter a month of intense baseball coverage. 

In the United States, Major League Baseball standings have become even more complicated in the modern era of six divisions and Wild Cards.  In each of the two leagues, there are three divisions, each of which ends the season with a team who has clinched the division.  Each League has two Wild Card posts, for teams who finished well, but not at the top of their division.  Frequently at least one wild card team will have better records than most of the other teams who qualify, sometimes even non qualifiers have better records.  Those are the breaks of the modern era. 

Today is the last day of regulars season play.  The winners of their respective divisions are, in the  National League, The Washington Nationals, the Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in the American League, the Boston Red Sox, the Cleveland Indians, and the Houston Astros.  The American League Wild Card selections are the Minnesota Twins, and the New York Yankees.  In the National League, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies have clinched the Wild Card berths. 

It is interesting that in the American League, only the qualifiers have winning seasons.  All of the remaining teams have losing seasons.  In the National League, central division teams the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals had winning seasons, but did not qualify for the post season. 

Postseason games begin on Wednesday, with the Wild Card game between the Twins and the Yankees.  The winner of that game will play a series with Cleveland to see who advances. 

In International Test Cricket, there are two tests ongoing, both ending tomorrow.  In the Bangladesh Tour of South Africa, the first test continues at Senwes Park, Potchefstroom.  The hosts are currently leading.  Also in the 1st Test of Sri Lanka's tour of the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, the guests are currently leading Pakistan (پاکستان قومی کرکٹ ٹیم) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.  Today includes one ODI match, which matches Australia, who are currently touring India, with their hosts at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur in their fifth One Day International Competition. 

In Golf, the USA leads the International team in the President's Cup competition, the Americans are sitting on the cusp of victory.  Today at the Presidents Cup will be a competition in name only as the Americans all but sealed the deal before the final day of the tournament at the Liberty National Golf Club,  Jersey City, New Jersey.  In fact the Americans continued absolute domination at Presidents Cup.  Championship Golfer Phil Mickelson has set a Presidents Cup record with his 25th victory, passing Tiger Woods'  previous record.  Competition has been so lopsided that the Americans need only one point today to win the match.  Nonetheless, top level golf is always fun to watch, so today promises lots of excitement.  

Baseball update: Dodgers REALLY on top

While Baseball at the popular level has wound down, or is concluding, in youth or school leagues, Major League Baseball heats up during August.  When the All Star Break ends, excitement starts to build, growing to  a fever pitch by September 1st, as players and fans look toward each League's championship series, and the great World Series, seemingly played later in October, every year.  Baseball across the six divisions of the two major leagues, becomes highly contested, and rival fans also battle, sometimes in the streets, sometimes in their fantasy leagues.  

Ah to be a player in the National League East division.  The Washington Nationals are at .600, with all the rest of the teams with losing seasons.  The Nationals' closest rivals in their division, the Miami Marlins, are 14 games back and the Atlanta Braves are at 15 games back! National League central standings are much closer, with the Chicago Cubs leading the division, the Milwaukee Brewers at 1.5 game back, and the St. Louis Cardinals at 3.5 games back.  All three teams remain above 500.  National League West division is led by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lead the entirety of MLB with a record of .712 thus far, while their closest rivals, both above .500, are the Colorado Rockies at 15.5 games back, and the Arizona Diamondbacks at 16 games back.  

Only the Houston Astros hold such a commanding lead in the American League, with the Seattle Mariners being 15 games behind them  in the American League West division.  The Cleveland Indians are measuring up to their success of last year in the American League Central Division.  In the East, archrivals Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees continue to battle for first place, with the Sox currently ahead by three games.  

So, truly, August is NOT the doldrums for Major League Baseball.  The last two months of the season promise plenty of exciting action.