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“A FALL CLASSIC LIKE NO ONE EXPECTED”
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It starts tonight, the World Series, Texas vs Arizona.

What?  No Yankees nor Mets.  The Dodges MIA after 100-wins.

Atlanta’s record setting season didn’t mean much.

Baltimore had a fabulous 100-wins season and did not get there.

Tampa Bay’s 99-win season was triggered by a (20-3) start, and didn’t survive the first weekend

Houston, with its history of post season success. could not get thru.

Phillies fans booed their team in the final game they lost, ending their season.

Even more staggering is the fact the Rangers and Diamondbacks, two summers ago, lost 100-plus games, and now have arrived back playing in late October.

The Diamondbacks had a 110-loss season in 2021.  They rallied back with a cast of young players almost arriving simultaneously,

Texas came back from a 101-loss season two summers ago, and spent (513M) in free agency over two winters to storm back to get to the World Series.

Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and Corbin Carroll are the young studs who had great seasons.  Veteran rentals like Lourdes Gurriell and Tommy Pham have been key contributors for Arizona’s success.

A 30-year old journeyman, twice released, has had a spectacular fall.  Adolis Garcia had a grat season and a greater playoff.  Corey Seager took big free agent money to leave the Dodgers and brought big stats to Texas.  They make the Rangers season go.

Add in Evan Carter, a rookie, and a transported free agent Mitch Garver, who  have been surprise additions.

Arizona’s starting rotation does not have nationwide credentials. The four deep bullpen has wicked stuff. Texas survived the losses of Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi early and came up with enough arms to get there.

And of course the bench bosses have impacted everything.  Bruce Bochy’s resume with all those World Series appearances with the Padres and the 3-rings with the Giants speaks volumes.  And Torrey Lovullo survived the rebuild and rallied his young team emotionally.

Meanwhile the Padres and their (253M) payroll never got there.  The legendary Dodgers got there and saw their big bats hit (.177) in getting wiped out.

The Phillies scored 3-runs in 18-innings and guys like Castellanos, Turner, Schwarber and Harper had stats like (0-23)..(1-12)…(1-15).

Atlanta, with 307-home runs during the year, had only 3-in 4-games, and Ronald Acuna (.143), Michael Harris (0-13) and Marcel Ozuna (2-13) never got the Braves going.

Houston’s big pitchers had a (5.89-ERA) wasting some great hitting by Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez.

They all could have been there, never got there.

So instead we get the Grand Canyon State-vs-Lone Star State.  I don’t know if the rest of the country will watch this Southwest matchup.

They earned it, they get to play in it.  Lots of teams will be like you and me, sitting at home watching it on TV.

A fall classic no one expected.
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‘NL WEST-TRUTH VS FICTION’
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Life is about to go on in the National League West.

The Padres have begun their new managerial search.
The Giants have their new manager
The Arizona Diamondbacks are headed to the World Series
The Dodgers have significant pitching problems

So depending who you listen to and who you believe, there’s some truth and some fiction out there.

PADRES…AJ Preller’s press conference was full of direct-hard hitting questions and lots of philosophical answers.  Preller denied again all the evidence out there about constant friction with since departed manager Bob Melvin.  Who knows what is true,mnot true, or changed over a 24-months span, where the Padres had two winning seasons, one exciting pennant race into post season and a summer of struggles.

Preller says he will interview a number of candidates, starting with the former manager of the Cardinals, a bench coach, and the manager in Miami.  I am enthralled with Skip Schumacher, who evidently wants out of Miami, a year after he was hired, because owner Bruce Sherman cut loose GM-Kim Ng, who had helped guide the team into the playoffs.

Mike Schildt learned alot from his ouster in St Louis where he drove that team hard.  Maybe that’s what’s needed in the Padres clubhouse, a change in the handling of the independent contractor roster Preller put together.

Tell me Ryan Flaherty would not become AJ Preller’s yes man or Manny Machado’s bobo.

Preller remains adamant that he is open to ‘ideas’ on how to run the front office but the feeling is you can offer ideas, but you better do what he wants, or you get moved out.

I give him credit, he took alot of tough questions at his Zoom call.  I just don’t believe everything that came out of his mouth about rules, relationships etc.  At the end of the day, a respected manager with a good track record, left, and left behind is a GM who is almost 100-games under .500 over 9-years despite being given every resource to build a World Series team.

GIANTS..Bob Melvin got a 3-year deal to go home to San Francisco.  He didn’t want to talk much about San Diego except for use of the phrase  ‘narrative’ multiple times.  That he did not want to work for the Padres in 2024-because the narrative would not change.  Who knows if he was referencing Preller’s hands on approach to running the team-clubhouse-dugout, or the storylines the players don’t listen to the manager or the manager was limited in how to control his players.  He’s gone.  San Francisco’s gain.  Waiting to see what new direction San Diego’s new manager takes an underachieving team.

DODGERS..So the big question, how much money are they willing to spend to fix what destroyed their playoff hopes this year.  Beneath the luxury tax, will they offer Shohei Ohtani a 50M a year deal to become their DH next year with the hope he can be a star pitcher in 2025?  How much money will they have left to go get another veteran arm, like Blake Snell, or Jared Montgomery or one of the other top free agent pitchers out there on the market.

Yes they have the kiddie korps group of Bobby Miller, Emmett Sheehan, Ryan Pepiot and a host of other young pitchers.  No one knows what Walker Beuhler and Dustin May will be like, coming off surgeries and how quickly Tony Gonsolin recovers from his knee issues.

ARIZONA…Who saw this coming, the Diamondbacks going from 102-losses two years ago, to the Fall Classic on Friday.  They did it by developing volumes of players from within, and it is impressive.  Texas went from 110-losses two summers back, spent 513M-in free agent contracts to get to the Series, with a cross section of players who came from lots of places.

It will be fun, but who can predict what happens starting this weekend, considering what happened to the Phillies-Astros-Braves-Dodgers, and the ones that did not make it, the Padres, Mets-Yankees-Orioles-Brewers etc.

“Truth-vs-Fiction, some of that scattered everywhere around the NL West basepaths right now.  The Postseason continues (World Series)..the Off season is beginning (Trades-Hirings-Firings)

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The Padres are back in the market for another manager, now that Bob Melvin has exited to take the San Francisco Giants manager’s job.

Part of me says this makes no sense, leaving a true pennant contender, with a 250M payroll and a plethora of stars to go to San Francisco.

Going to a Giants team that is devoid of any stars, has a non playoff roster, and little in the farm system.  Leaving San Diego for a substandard San Francisco team is weird.

But it also tells you alot about the depths of the dysfunction of the Padres organization, that Bob Melvin would walk away from a 4M-contract and a team that will bounce back and be in the playoffs next year, to go to San Francisco.

It tells you alot about deep the problems are with relationships going from the front office to the dugout to the clubhouse.

So AJ Preller, the architect of this roster, and architect of this mess, will now begin a search for ‘another manager’.

Under his reign Preller fired Bud Black, hired-interim failure Pat Murphy, then let him go.  Brought in Andy Green-fired him.  Hired Jayce Tinger-axed him after two years.  And then hit an apparent home run with the importation of 3-time Manager of the Year Bob Melvin, then let him walk.

Preller’s rosters haven’t won much, and failed to get to the promised land.

His managerial choices have been even worse.  So where do we go from here?

Mike Schildt did a good job for 3-years with the Cardinals but eventually clashed with then GM-John Mozeliak.  Since his dismissal, St Louis plunged into last place despite a big payroll and some real star power bats  in the lineup.  Schildt has a track record, but the big issue, would it be his team to manage, or would it be Preller’s team lock-stock-barrel.

Ryan Flaherty was bench coach, part time hitting coach, and prior to that in the front office working under Preller.  Big issue, another unproven manager who has never done it at the major league level.  See how that worked out last time with either Green or Tingler.   He has a relationship bond with Manny Machado, but Machado has been a leader of the clubhouse that witnessed two of the biggest collapses in Padres playoff race history.  So how does that play in an already split Padres clubhouse.  Flaherty is Preller’s boy and Machado’s buddy.

Ron Washington..Great success in other places, but left managerial jobs with personal problems and has been a longtime Braves coach since.  He is a poor man’s Dusty Baker, whom nobody has hired despite numerous interviews other places.  Lost his fastball?

AJ Ellis…long time major leaguer, who has worked in the front office of the Friars, but has not been a coach nor a manager.

Clayton McCullogh…a decade worth of work for the Dodgers and has interviewed with other teams last year and this year.  Maybe you strike gold with this, but no one really knows.

Oh I am sure the world will float names like Buck Showalter, or Gabe Kaplar, or Phil Nevin, but these guys have been hired then fired other places, and even with some record of leadership and success, what makes you believe Preller would let them run the clubhouse and dugouts without excessive front office interference.

But history should tell you, 3-time World Series ring manager Bruce Bochy was available and Preller didn’t want him.  And this GM never interviewed Dave Roberts, who has now won over 700-games managing the Dodgers to the World Series and the playoffs almost annually.

And you tell me you are trusting AJ Preller to get it right now after so many bad decisions prior?

And I wonder what lens-prism owner Peter Seidler is using to view Preller’s tenure in San Diego.  He must have a different look at the situation that we do.

Padres baseball, right now, lost and leaderless.  Bob Melvin’s decision to leave San Diego tells you lots about what’s going on at Petco Park.

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“NBA OPENING NIGHT”====================

The NBA season starts on Tuesday night.

In language NBA fans can identify with, the NBA is all about “3-on-3”.

If you have 3-Super stars you are an NBA championship team and everyone else is just playing out the schedule.

A look at storylines with top teams:

LAKERS…They won the off season summer, and for the third year in a row, they  are trying to find the right mix around their stars.  You remember the Carmelo Anthony experiment, followed by the arrival of the Russell Westbrook pickup?  The trade deadline brought them Rui Hachimura and others.  Now you add Christian Wood-Taurean Prince-Gabe Vincent-Cam Reddish-Jaxson Hayes and fast developing G-Max Christie.  This looks like an interesting chemistry mix-wrapped around LeBron-AD-De Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.

CLIPPERS..They are healthy, Kawhi Leonard-Paul George.  They played in every preseason game and held up.  They have 2-centers who pair together well.  Russell Wesbrook has accepted his new role.  Fascinated to see if Bones Hyland can lead the bench bunch scoring lots of points. Tyronne Lue carries great respect from his players.  Do they really need James Harden?  They look good if they can keep Kawhi and PG on the floor.

BOSTON…Here’s their version of 3-on-3…Jason Tatum-Jalen Brown-Kristaps Porzingas and the new add-on Jrue Holiday.  Beasts in the East.

BUCKS…That is Damian Lillard joining Giannis and Khris Middletwon.  They are right atop the standings  as a power franchise.

DENVER…They did it last year, won the trophy, so until somebody takes down Nikola Jokic-Jamall Murray-and Michael Porter-they are still the team to take out.

SUNS..Brad Beal joins Devin Booker-Kevin Durant and new post guy Josef Nurkic.  Interesting to see what they are like without DeAndre Ayton

GOLDEN STATE…Chris Paul’s role will be different but no doubt he can help Steph Curry-Klay Thompson-Draymond Green.  Keep an eye on fast developing Jon Kuminga.  Will there be fall off or will it be like other years, lots of wins

SAN ANTONIO…The losing ends this year with the debut of the French teenager Victor Wembanyama.

OKLAHOMA CITY…It took a year to get him on the floor-here comes big C-Chet Holmgren

MEMPHIS…No Ja Morant, no chance.  What terrible decisions he has made with his off-court life that has impaled his on-court career.

SACRAMENTO…They arrived last year, coach Mike Brown and his stars D’Aron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.  Can it grow?

DALLAS..Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving…is this going to fit?  Stay tuned.

MIAMI..They failed to get the deal done to get Lillard.  Same team back, now healthy, but will they have enough, they don’t look they can go 3-on-3

76ERS…So many different players have come and gone thru there, trying to find help for star Joel Embiid.  James Harden, the talent, has become toxic, so they have more problems to deal with.  This after the past Ben Simmons fiasco.  Players run the league.  Their players have ruined the team.

DETROIT..Lots of high draft picks, you think they will turn the corner and start to win  C-James Weisman and Marvin Bagley join Cade Cunningham and his young group of teammates, with this year’s high pick Ausar Thompson.  Maybe this is the year.

PORTLAND…Life after Dame Lillard begins.  They will be athletic.  They have Scootie Henderson and add DeAndre Ayton and Robert Williams.  A different team

MINNESOTA…Do they fit, Karl Anthony Towns-Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards.  Could be pretty explosive, but could implode too.

UTAH..Group of no names had a decent season last year and now you mix in ex Hawk-John Collins to Markinnen-Kessler-Horton Tucker-Clarkson  and others-could be a good team

NEW ORLEANS…Will Zion Williamson ever stay on the floor to see if he can be a star like Brandon Ingram

HOUSTON…Once a great franchise in the era of the Twin Towers and Clyde the Glide, they have been awful for a long time.  Here comes ex Celtic coach Ime Udoka, who should make a big impact in how they play.  Do they have enough.

NEW YORK KNICKS…Lots of individual talent  led by Julius Randle, but coach Tom Thibodeau has struggled to make it all fit.  And then you have crackpot owner James Dolan and his years of failure.

BROOKLYN NETS…Abject failure.  Look at the wreckage left behind by Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin Durant.

INDIANA..CHARLOTTE..CHICAGO..WASHINGTON.. and the rest are just playing out the schedule.

A look at top NBA storylines as we prepare to watch ‘3-on-3 basketball.

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