If you ever wonder what defines success in baseball, at least in the National League consider that the NL’s top five pitching staffs were the ones that made the playoffs. Conversely, only one of the top five offenses made it to October and that one—the Pittsburgh Pirates—is now home. So who survives the National League […]
The Kansas City Royals are the defending American League champs and hold the top seed in this year’s AL playoffs. The Toronto Blue Jays are scorching hot and the betting favorite to win the World Series entering the postseason. Both favorites take the field today against the underdogs from the Lone Star State, as the […]
Another wild-card night, another presumptive Cy Young Award winner throws a shutout on the road. Chicago’s Jake Arrieta follows in the footsteps of Houston’s Dallas Kuechel and turns in a dominant outing, Arrieta threw a complete game four-hitter in blanking the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 at PNC Park. It was a good night to be a […]
The NHL season starts tonight and the Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins are both teams in need of making up for disappointments. In 2014, the Kings won the Stanley Cup, while the Bruins won the President’s Trophy, as the league’s best regular season team. Neither one made the playoffs last year and both had […]
A few thoughts on the Astros 3-0 win over the Yankees last night in the Bronx, advancing Houston to the Division Series round… *Everything has to start with Dallas Keuchel. If the Astro lefty won the Cy Young Award voting that was held on Monday and will be announced in November, this game was a […]
Can any of the four wild-card teams in the baseball playoffs come out of the knockout games and make it all to the way to the World Series. Here’s a look at the chances for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros and New York Yankees. Please note these are not predictions regarding the wild-card […]
The voting for the MLB awards takes place today, even if we won’t know the answers until November. Here’s how TheSportsNotebook would vote if I had a ballot. The National League honors are as follow… MVP: Bryce Harper (Washington)—I looked for every reason I could not to vote for this guy, whom I basically I […]
The voting for the MLB awards takes place today, even if we won’t know the answers until November. Here’s how TheSportsNotebook would vote if I had a ballot. The American League honors are as follow… MVP: Mike Trout (CF, LA Angels)—I know Josh Donaldson is almost certainly going to win this award, but I find […]
Major league baseball is the only sport that doesn’t name an official All-Star team at season’s end. I’ve always felt that was a huge omission and it’s now a tradition here at TheSportsNotebook to fill that void every October before the playoffs start. Below are my picks for the best at each position. I require […]
Major league baseball is the only sport that doesn’t name an official All-Star team at season’s end. I’ve always felt that was a huge omission and it’s now a tradition here at TheSportsNotebook to fill that void every October before the playoffs start. Below are my picks for the best at each position. I require […]
Ohio State has spent the season looking surprisingly vulnerable, even as they hold the top spot in the polls. Michigan State barely got by Purdue last Saturday, the Spartans’ signature win over Oregon no longer looks quite so impressive and they were dropped from #2 to #4. That begs this question—is there room for a […]
The Boston Red Sox wrapped up what’s been an overwhelmingly disappointing season today in Cleveland. The Red Sox opened the year as the betting favorite to win the American League pennant, with the media infatuated by the signings of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. A terrible first half quickly took the Sox off the national […]