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“Baseball Playoffs-Bring Your Bats-Are There Enough Arms”

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We got a sneak preview the last two nights, about what we are going to see the next couple of weeks.

Baseball is headed towards the Fall Classic, and what a beginning.

The Yankees unleashing the modern day version of the “Bronx Bombers” with Aaron Judge leading the way with all those New York home runs. They trashed the Twins, and head into Cleveland with momentum, and 245-homers this season.

The Indians await with a cross section of guys who can hit home runs too, led by Edwin Encarnarcion and his friends. The Tribe have two frontline pitchers, but lots of Yankees can hit lots of home runs, and have this year. Can a divers-dangerous Cleveland lineup wear out New York’s staff?

1954 was a few curveballs ago, the last time the Indians won the World Series, but if the Curse of the Billy goat ended at Wrigley Field, and the Curse of the Bambino went away at Fenway Park, maybe the Mistake on the Lake might forever disappear go this fall.

What a matchup in Houston, where the Astros, who put a lot of homers into orbit, have George Springer and a lineup full of guys, who can rake, especially at Minute Maid Park.

This is not your typical Red Sox team, but they have a lineup full of hitters, who spray and occasionally can go yard. It is life after David Ortiz, and it is different.

Of course the matches on the mound in games one and two should be dazzling. You expect that with Justin Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, Chris Sale and Drew Pomeranz. But in modern day baseball, hitting seems to be outperforming pitching.

The Dodgers-Arizona matchup should ge a classic. LA with a loaded starting staff, but Arizona with home run hitters will likely be in attack mode too.

The Diamondbacks wear you out with a new look lineup that is dangerous everywhere, from JD Martinez to Paul Goldschmidt.

The win over Colorado was a war of attrition, that wore out both pitching staffs.

The Dodgers health is an issue, but no doubt that if healthy, Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Justin Turner and more, will put LA in position to keep playing, keep winning.

On paper, Kershaw to Darvish to Rich Hill to Alex Wood, looks awesome.. 1988 was a long time ago, when LA last won the World Series.

Washington and the Cubs present an impressive array of talent, from Bryce Harper to Anthony Rizzo, and some dominant starting pitcher, highlighted by Stephen Strasburg and a veteran Chicago staff that was in the World Series last fall.

Baseball in October is so very different. The final 4-in each league promises some tremendous matchups, on the mound, and at the plate.

If you thought the wildcard games were wild, wait till you take in beginning tonight, what is about to happen.

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Playoffs-No Place for the Timid”

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The Yankees bludgeoned the Minnesota Twins last night in the American League wildcard playoff game.

Aaron Judge hit his 53rd home run of the season, a screaming linedrive that drove home a couple of runs and led the Yankees to a lopsided win.

Tonight could be much of the same in the National League, as Colorado faces Arizona in their wildcard play-in game.

The Yankees dispatched the Twins for the fifth straight time in postseason play. Minnesota is just (1-14) vs the guys wearing Pinstripes in Octobers past..

The Rockies can hit, as witnessed by their wild statistics in home games at Coors Field. But that thin-air, humidor baseball.

Of course in the desert balls can fly too, as witnessed by the Diamondbacks stats.

The Rockies hit (.298) with 110-home runs in Denver. On the road, the marks are (.248-82HRs)

Arizona’s numbers are even stranger. At Chase Field (.274-122HR). Away from home (.235-98HR). Thank goodness this is a one game series, and it’s in Phoenix.

Arizona will start its ace, 17-game winner Zack Greinke, as elite a pitcher as there is, this side of Clayton Kershaw.

Sometimes you wonder if this 1-and-done concept is unfair. You grind thru 162-games of an elongated season, fight your way in, and then get done-in in one night.

MLB says only 33% of their teams reach post season And they say a best of 3-series would create scheduling issues. What if the Red Sox and Yankees had a tie breaking game, before you ever got to the wild card matchup? What if you had rainouts.

There’s no doubt the wildcard matches are intense, exciting, and electric.

Somebody wins and goes on, the other goes home, as a loser.

So tonight, t’s Paul Goldschmidt or JD Martinez turn to be a hero. Or maybe it is the night Nolan Arenado or Charley Blackmon have a game to remember.

You’d rather be the Dodgers, the Nationals, or the Indians, than the Padres or Marlins, or someone else.

Lots of talent, lots of intensity, and not a place for the timid, these wildcard play in-playoff games..

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“Time for Real Baseball”

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Here comes the most important time of the year..post season…baseball’s second season.

The Yankees host the Twins tonight in the American League wildcard series.

The Yankees with all those home run hitters…bashing balls everyday.

Aaron Judge with 52 coming out of nowhere. Gary Sanchez, the high draft pick catcher, hitting 33. Matt Holiliday, when healthy, with 21. Outfielder Brett Gardner with 21…Didi Gregoirus, the shortstop, with 25.

They may not have enough quality starting pitching for October but they’ve got bats.

The Twins don’t have enough arms, but they’re in a one game season. They’ve turned a 103-loss season into a wild card team in one year.

Joe Mauer and a bunch of young bats, and journeyman pitcher Ervin Santana posting a 16-win season.

On Wednesday…the Rockies meet Arizona in a matchup of bombers.

They can both hit. JD Martinez, a huge trading deadline acquisition, hit 29-homers in 62-games for the Snakes. And he’s not the only one, because if not him, then Paul Goldschmidt..AJ Pollock…Jake Lamb..David Peralta.

Lots of dangerous bats who can go boom, especially in that ballpark.

The Rockies are not quite what they were a couple of years back, but Charley Blackmon is a batting title guy; Mark Reynolds can slug. Nolan Arenado is a star.

The difference maker is that the Rockies have young pitching star Jon Gray, but that is about all.

The real difference maker is Zack Greinke, the 17-game winner, who can win the game by himself with little run support.

Bud Black managed the psyche of his team to get them into postseason despite what Coors Field is all about.

I would normally say the Rockies are a different team in Denver, than on the road. Stats bear that out, a (.298) average at home, to (.248) on the road.

But this is the desert and balls get out of the stadium in Arizona just like they do in Coors Field.

Looks at the splits for the D-backs, (.274-122HR) at Chase Field….(.235) away.

Shall be fund, because the survivors get to move on to play in AL-NL-DS starting on Fridays.

Then, here come the big boys…Dodgers-Indians-Astros-Red Sox.

We can dream that two years from today, the Padres might get to experience the second season, the real season.

But the Tuesday-Wednesday matches are ‘stop one’ on the toll road to what should be a dandy of a Fall Classic.

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****Program Note*****…Hacksaw is back…Join me beginning Monday 5pm each weeknite…Hacksaw’s Headlines and Best 15 Minutes in Sports with Scott and BR on the Mighty 1090.

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“Monday Morning Quarterbacking”

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What a great Sunday it was. Sunny and cool in San Diego, and Dean Spanos’ LA Chargers lost again, to go (0-4).

Shellshocked is the only way to describe Coach Anthony Lynn, whose team has yet to play anywhere near four quarters of quality football in any game. And this is a group that has been together since the minicamps, OTAs and training camp that started back in May hasn’t it?

He looks ‘in over his head’ as a head coach. You can glare and stare, talk tough and all that, but if you cannot put a good game plan together, if you cannot teach, you cannot win, even with Philip Rivers at quarterback.

If you subtract the 3-big plays Rivers had, the 30-49-and 75 yard pass plays, there was no offense the rest of the day.

There is no. run game because Melvin Gordon is playing on an ailing knee. The run blocking has been horrible all year long.

The defense cannot stop the run. The linebackers cannot cover receivers. And the secondary has been shaky.

A myriad of questions worth asking.

Matt Slauson has not played well at guard. Might he be better going back to center with Spencer Tulley flipping to guard?

This is not Ken Whisenhunt’s first rodeo. How come there have been no passes targeted to Antonio Gates nor Hunter Henry early in three of the four games?

If Melvin Gordon has no burst because of this bone bruise in his knee, would it not be better to sit him a week to get him healthy?

Where is the blitz package to compliment Joey Boss and Melvin Ingram, who cannot do all this by themselves?

Is Gus Bradley the new defensive coordinator trying to pound square pegs (3-4) players, into round holes (4-3) defense?

Is there a solution to 42-missed tackles in 4-games so far?

There’s no flow to the offense, so why not some no-huddle series early in the game?

I counted 7-tarps on different sections of the upper deck at Stub Hub Center on Sunday and weren’t these games sellouts?

Could you believe the color green everywhere in the stands?

And then there was the FAA issue-refusing to grant Dean Spanos a “TFR”…temporary flight restriction to prevent planes, towing those critical banners from flying over Stub Hub Center. Dean can’t take it can he?

And how brazen is the owner for saying people and media in San Diego have not been loyal…asking who moved from San Diego, us or them?

Is the NFL about to announce the Chargers will become the first franchise in history to play 16-road games this year, since they seem to have no home field advantage with visitors taking over the stadium?

Was that an all time worst Fox TV-network broadcast with Dick Stockton and Mark Schlereth-they referred to the San Diego Chargers 8-times during the broadcast and were never corrected by producers in their headsets?

And if you are keeping score at home, the Chargers are (0-4) with Anthony Lynn as head coach….actually (1-7) including preseason….Team Spanos has now lost 9-in a row….and the Chargers have now lost 29-of-39-games going back to the tail end of 2014.

How’s that Fight for LA going?

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“Lakers-Lonzo Ball-ball has arrived”

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They the roll the ball out onto the floor tomorrow night…the ball for Lonzo Ball and his Lakers teammates to play win.

The Lakers unveil the much-awited debut of the UCLA one and done guard, whom many think is the next coming of Magic Johnson.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be in town to face the Lakers in a preseason game at the Staples Center.

Ball is coming off quite a week, of interviews, camera shoots, press conference, already anointed the next one, without having played a game yet in the NBA.

To me, a bit of a reach to already compare him to the last one, Earvin Johnson.

But when you are the Lakers, and you have strung together four horrid seasons in a row, you grasp on any shooting comet in the sky.

Yes Ball was named MVP in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Yes, he led UCLA to the NCAA tournament.

Yes, he is as gifted a passer as we have seen in ages.

Yes, he runs the floor, and has size, and can go rebound.

But now he starts playing against real players. The Timberwolves come to town with hot shooting Ricky Rubio. They have budding superstar Andrew Wiggins too.

While all eyes will be on Ball playing ball, the Lakers need to also see the growth of 18M free agent G-Kantavious Pope, whom they signed out of Detroit.

And there will be a sighting of young guns Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kouzma, another year of Julius Randle, and even NBA-D-League shooter Evander Blue.

It will be fascinating to see how well this very young team plays together.

The hype will be about Ball more than anything else.

On paper, this would be a pretty good team in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Only time will tell what kind of team it will be in the NBA.

Ball-ball, and his father LaVar, about to descend in Tinseltown.

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