Lee Lowenfish

This Oriole fan is not emotionally involved in 2025 post-season baseball. But I must say that the gripping 15-inning elimination game last Friday night (Oct 10) that eliminated the Tigers and propelled the Mariners to the ALCS caused me to post on Facebook: "It is sad that either team has to lose." Both teams, especially Seattle, had many chances to win in the first extra innings but failure to execute sacrifice bunts cost the Mariners two innings in a row.  Finally, former Minnesota Twin Jorge Polanco came through with the deciding single against well-traveled Tommy Kahnle.   It was a tough loss for the Tigers but they certainly bounced back from their astounding collapse in the last three months of the regular season.  (The Mets' decline started in mid-June and cost them a playoff spot entirely.)

 

From being booed in Seattle when not healthy in 2024, Jorge Polanco is now a household name. I recently learned that he hails from San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, the so-called cradle of shortstops going back almost 50 years when Toronto's standout the late Tony Fernandez emerged along with many others.  Polanco, 32, has now found a home at second base where his idol, countryman Robinson Cano, also made his mark.  Sadly, like Cano, Polanco a few years ago served a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs but nowhere near as long as Cano's whose career in MLB is long gone.   

 

Polanco continued to get big hits in the first two games of the ALCS at Toronto. But it looks like the old canard "Anything can happen in a short series" has come to fruition again as Toronto awakened in Game 3 at Seattle in a 13-4 rout silencing a Mariner crowd eager to root on their heroes to a World Series for the first time in its history - talk about a sentimental favorite, the Mariners are the only one of 30 MLB teams never to play in the World Series. 

 

I like both Toronto and Seattle as cities and as franchises that entered the AL as expansion teams in 1977.  Toronto became a contender quickly and within a decade were frequent playoff participants under manager Bobby Cox and general manager Pat Gillick.  By 1993 they won it all on Joe Carter's walk-off home run off Phillies closer Mitch Williams. The late Toronto broadcaster Tom Cheek delivered a memorable closing call: "Touch 'em all, Joe, you'll never hit a bigger home run in your life." 

 

Seattle has also enjoyed a memorable broadcaster in its history, the late Tom Niehaus whose "swung on and belted!" prepared listening audiences for good news. I''l never forget being allowed at a friend's wedding to relay news of the final game of the Mariners' division series against the Yankees in 1995.  Edgar Martinez's game-winning double drove in a flying Ken Griffey Jr. for a victory that in reality helped save the franchise because afterwards voters approved funding for a new stadium to replace the dreary indoor Kingdome. But the 1995 Mariners couldn't beat Cleveland in the 1995 ALCS.

 

In 2001, they won 116 games with two future Hall of Famers Ichiro (Suzuki) and DH Edgar Martinez. But they couldn't get past the Yankees in the ALCS. Now, 24 years later, they may have the good mix of pitching and defense and offense but I'm glad the Blue Jays, the team with the best regular season record in the AL, didn't roll over in Oct 15's Game 3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. awakened to go 4 for 4 as the Mariners absorbed a 13-4 loss.  Toronto manager John Schneider managed Guerrero in the minors and he obviously sensed that Vladdy didn't want to be remembered in 2025 mainly for his leading the team to its victory over the Yankees in the ALDS.  Afterwards, along with some of his teammates, Vladdy led a raucous singing of their version of Yankee announcer John Sterling's loud end-of-game call, "The Yankees winnnnn!" - they turned it into "The Blue Jays winnnnnnn!"   Kinda interesting that Guerrero and company didn't know that John Sterling retired a year ago, but after being dissed by still-active Yankee announcer Michael Kay as not being a real first-place team, these Blue Jays can be forgiven their exuberance.   

 

Milwaukee now faces the same pressure as Toronto, having to win two games in Los Angeles to bring the series back to Wisconsin.  Many times in this blog I have called the Dodgers the Evil Empire West for its huge payroll and advantage in market size including seemingly endless ability to sign the best Japanese players.  But i have to give credit to Dodger front office's evaluation of the lesser lights, the grinders like Kike (Enrique) Hernandez who has been a huge part of their rallies and playing capably all over the diamond.  Ditto Tommy Edman, one of the many Cardinals that outgoing St. Louis "president of baseball operations" John Mozeliak let get away.   It's also hard to root against Mookie Betts who, defying many critics, is playing a great shortstop and is a crucial part of the lineup because no opponent really wants to pitch to Shohei Ohtani batting leadoff in front of Betts.  

 

All I want is for Milwaukee to make a series out of the NLCS because they have a lot of grinders too and budding stars in their leadoff man 21-year-old outfielder Jackson Chourio and a gritty star catcher in William Contreras.  The Brewers did win the most games of any MLB team so would have home field advantage in the World Series.  Their route to the Series seems obviously threatened now, but here's to a comeback for them and a continued comeback for Toronto.  Then more elimination games to keep winter away!  

 

In closing, here are a couple of TCM tips, not from baseball but from the rich fountain of other vibrant aspects of American culture: 

Th Oct 16 530P "Harry Warren America's Foremost Composer" (1933) a 15-minute short about the man who wrote "I Only Have Eyes for You," "Jeepers Creepers" (Where Did You Get Those Peepers"), "I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo" and many other memorable tunes

F Oct 17 12N "The Big Lift" (1950) one of many Montgomery Clift films on TCM this day, with Paul Douglas as flyers in the aftermath of WW II

Sa Oct 18 430P "The World, The Flesh, & The Devil" (1959) I've mentioned this film before on this blog.  Harry Belafonte produced and stars in a film about a nuclear explosion

wipes out all of the US except seemingly Belafonte a steel worker in Penna. who was underground in a mine when the bomb went off.  He drives to an empty NYC and meets Mel Ferrer and then Inger Stevens and you can guess what happens next - a rivalry between two men and a woman.

Sa Oct 19 at midnight/repeated 10A Sun Oct 20. Noir Alley presents "Black Tuesday" (1954) Edward G. Robinson and Peter Graves break out of prison and plan a heist

 

That's all for now.  I repeat as always:  Take it easy but take it, and Stay Positive, Test Negative!

  

 

I don't have a vote in Baseball Writers Association of America awards, but everyone with a computer has an opinion so why not me? 

 

I can understand why Pirates wunderkind pitcher Paul Skenes won the NL award over everyday outfielders Jackson Chourio of Brewers and Jackson Merrill of Padres. Skenes possesses generational talent and he is out of central casting as a former pitcher at Air Force Academy who is thinking of Air Force career after baseball.  (Not even mentioning his girl friend Olivia "Livvy" Dunne the gymnast who he probably met at LSU where he finished his college pitching career).

 

But the vote should have been much closer. I would have voted for Jackson Merrill because from day one of the season, the converted shortstop had a sensational year in center field for San Diego as well as contributing big time with his bat. Chourio finished strongly after a slow start but I think consistency especially in the young and promising player should be rewarded. 

 

In the much closer AL vote, I would have picked Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser for the same reason of consistency although he endured some droughts at the plate. The winner, Yankee RHP Luis Gil, slumped badly in the latter part of season and was basically a non-factor in the Yankees' surge to the AL East title.  His teammate catcher Austin Wells proved to be a better receiver than advertised though he slumped badly at end of season.

 

There is always room for improvement in the infinitely hard sport of baseball so I hope that Cowser can now concentrate more on striking out less - 172 times is Aaron Judge country and Cowser only hit 24 HRs to Judge's 58 in 2024. 

 

The losers in this year's competitions can take heart that the ROY title doesn't guarantee a great career.  I did some checking and since both leagues started awarding a ROY in 1949 - Jackie Robinson was the first ROY in 1947 and his future NY Giants rival shortstop Alvin Dark won in 1948 as a Boston Brave - here are the names of people who were ROYs but didn't have memorable careers:

 

Starting with P Harry Byrd in 1952, it goes through P Bob Grim, P Don Schwall, OF Curt Blefary, OF Joe Charbonneau, OF Ron Kittle, SS Pat Listach, OF Bob Hamelin, OF Marty Cordova, OF Ben Grieve, SS Angel Berroa, SS Bobby Crosby, P Huston Street, P Neftali Feliz, OF Will Myers (2013), and P Michael Fulmer in 2016. 

 

AL future H of Fers who were ROYs in alphabetical order: Luis Aparicio, Rod Carew, Carlton Fisk, Derek Jeter, Eddie Murray, Tony Oliva, and Cal Ripken Jr.

I'm pretty sure that the list is shorter in the AL because its teams were late in racially integrating. 

 

Here's the larger list of NL future H of Famers in alphabetical order:  Jeff Bagwell, Johnny Bench, Orlando Cepeda, Andre Dawson, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey,

Frank Robinson, Jackie Robinson, Scott Rolen, Tom Seaver, and Billy Williams.   

 

There was no surprise in rookie Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt winning AL manager of the year in a landslide.  I think that the late season slump of the Royals cost Royals manager Matt Quatraro some votes.  I guess the consistent year of Pat Murphy's Brewers made him the NL choice but I certainly could argue for the Mets' Carlos Mendoza and the Padres' Mike Schildt. 

 

I wonder if it is time for two big awards to be given instead of one MVP.  Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani were unanimous MVPs in AL and NL but I'd call them

Players of the Year for their outstanding performances.  As for MVP, I think Juan Soto was just or more valuable to Yanks than Judge.  Ditto Teoscar Hernandez for the Dodgers.  Interestingly, both of them are free agents. 

 

We'll see how that plays out in this year's installment of the Scott Boras Media Show.  I don't doubt that he cares for his clients very much.  But the less I hear in the off-season about the tens of millions being thrown around at free agents, the better my psyche will be.  I like to believe I'm rooting for people who care about winning as much as I do!     

 

 AND NOW TURNING TO HOOPS . . . 

I always love it when my teams not predicted to do anything in a season surprise the pundits and elate their world-weary fans.  My undergraduate alma mater Columbia's basketball team, under veteran coach Jim Engles, has gotten off to a 5-0 start. 

 

Early in Nov the Lions won convincingly on the road at Villanova, still adjusting to life without stellar coach Jay Wright who left the profession (at least for the time being) not being able to adjust to the new world of NIL (Name Image Likeness) benefits for players and expanded transfer portal rights.

Columbia plays Stony Brook at home on Sa Nov 23 at 7P followed by New Hampshire on M Nov 25 also at 7P. 

 

The Columbia women's team are defending co-Ivy League champion women's team. Plagued by poor foul shooting, they suffered their first loss last Saturday at Villanova but they bounced back at home against the University of Pacific. They play some big teams in the Bahamas this weekend including Indiana. 

 

Then they go to Duke on Dec 1 and return for their last home game in 2024 on Tu Dec 4 at 11A against U of San Francisco. Coach Megan Griffith has done a wonderful job of building a winning culture and this game is the annual game played in memory of coach Kay Yow with hundreds of NYC area school kids filling the stands to near-capacity.  

 

Last Friday, my graduate alma mater Wisconsin's cagers knocked over #10-ranked Arizona, 103-88, on the night that former coach Bo Ryan's banner was hoisted to the Kohl Center roof after his induction a few weeks ago into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. 

 

Many of the players on Ryan's 2014-2015 back-to-back Final Four teams attended the game including 7 foot center Frank Kaminsky. Graduate transfer John Tongi threatened Kaminsky's school scoring record of 43, settling for 41 points in another all-around effort.  Picked for the middle of the Big Ten pack this year after the losses of point guard Chucky Hepburn to Louisville and peripatetic AJ Storr to Kansas, the Badgers are undefeated in the early going. 

 

The mosh pit that is the Big Ten regular season has yet to begin so I'm not getting too carried away with optimism.  Wisconsin started well last season too and then folded down the stretch and was knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament.  But there is some cautious hope that the current team has a workable mix of veterans and newcomers to make the season exciting. 

 

They need more consistency from the front court. Ah that word again. It was a sport psycholgist that Greg Gard hired to speak to one of his teams a few years ago that famously said:  "If consistency were an island, it would be lightly populated.   

 

In the early going neither Hepburn nor Storr are doing great things for their new teams, Lousiville and Kansas, respectively. When you go back to his high school years, Storr is now playing for his 7th team in the last 7 seasons. 

 

Like stratospheric salaries for pro players, I don't begrudge amateur players taking advantage of the long-delayed freedoms from NCAA control, but many should realize that there is some truth in the old adage: "The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence." 

 

On the distaff side in Madison, I'm happy to report that under former UConn star Marisa Moseley, Wisconsin women's basketball is off to a 4-1 start. It's the early going of course but they beat Georgetown on the road and so far are undefeated at home.

 

I root vigorously for my alma maters but it's nice to report that in a NYC area where the pro football teams are in dire shape, other college hoops programs are off to undefeated starts - Rutgers and St. John's high among them.  And the NYU women are starting the season obviously determined to successfully defend 

the school's first national basketball title.  They play Colby College from Maine on Su Nov 24 at 2P in the heart of Greenwich Village on Mercer Street one block north of Houston Street and one block west of Broadway.

 

AND ABOUT THE GRIDIRON . . . 

Columbia under first-year coach Jon Poppe enters the Sa Nov 23 noon matchup with Cornell with a chance to tie for their first Ivy League title since 1961 when your correspondent was a callow sophomore.  Yale must upset Harvard in The Game for the tie to happen.  Whatever, at 6-3 the Lions are assured of a winning

season.  

 

On Sat night Nov 16 before a national TV audience, Wisconsin Badger football almost pulled the major upset of the season, leading #1 in the country Oregon by 7 points going into the 4th quarter.  But the resourceful Ducks rallied for a tying touchdown not long after the sold-out crowd did the Jump-Around at the beginning of the final quarter.  Dan Lanning's team had prepared in practice by playing an approximation of the noise generated by the longtime Badger tradition. 

 

Once again Luke Fickell's team, especially the offense, proved not ready for prime time.  Firing his hand-picked offensive coordinator Phil Longo after the Oregon loss smacks of desperation.  We'll see how they do in their last games against Nebraska and Minnesota.  Their 22-year consecutive bowl streak is in jeopardy as if a program that dreamt of the college playoff should be satisfied with the sub-runnerup bowls. 

 

A last cultural note.  Went to my first NY Philharmonic concert of the season last week - Young Finnish conductor Matias Rouvali conducted a stirring version of his national hero Sibelius's Fifth Symphony which has opened new doors into my musical consciousness.  I am looking forward to the night before Thanksgiving when the program includes Chopin's Second Piano Concerto and one of my all time favorite pieces, Rachmaninoff's Symphony #2 with the lush and lyrical slow movement that inspired the popular song "I'll Never Love Again".  

 

Here's hoping you do love again, dear readers, and always remember:  Take it easy but take it! And still stay positive, test negative.