After finishing with an MLB-best 103 wins, the Brewers have home-field advantage against the Dodgers, who swept Milwaukee at this stage last season en route to a second consecutive World Series title.
"You're playing for a chance to go to a World Series. You don't need much more motivation than that regardless of who you're playing," Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich said.
"Obviously we respect them. We respect everything they've done in the game, how they go about the game. You can't say enough great things about them, but at the same time, we're ready to compete with them."
Likely NL Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski (16-5, 1.80 ERA) takes the mound for the Brewers while trade deadline acquisition – and back-to-back Cy Young winner – Tarik Skubal (12-7, 2.73 ERA) starts for the Dodgers at American Family Field.
Where to watch Dodgers vs Brewers: TV channel, streaming
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Milwaukee, WI - October 10, 2026: Rookie Josue DePaula lines up at shortstop for infield drills as the LA Dodgers conduct an off day workout before game one of the National League Championship Series against the Brewers at American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Dodgers announced their roster for the National League Championship Series, which will include 13 pitchers and 13 position players against the Milwaukee Brewers. Justin Wrobleski is the extra bulk pitcher for this round, after the Dodgers carried 12 pitchers during the Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
“I think that length, having a guy that can go two or three, is something where you essentially protect downside on the pitching. As far as handedness, they’re pretty balanced. So that really doesn’t come into play,” manager Dave Roberts said during Saturday’s workout at American Family Field in Milwaukee. “I think for us it’s more of who can take down a couple innings if something in a medium to lower leverage situation.”
Wrobleski was an All-Star starting pitcher this season, but pitched in shorter, bulk outings during September as preparation for his likely October role.
“He’s been there, done that, and had a really good postseason for us last year. So to get him on some lefties in certain parts of the lineup, we feel good about,” Roberts added Sunday about Wrobleski. “I think at the end of the day we just trust him and felt like going 13 and 13 was the best way to do it.”
Hyeseong Kim is the roster casualty, not active for the NLCS after playing one game in the NLDS. Kim pinch-ran in Game 4 and played the final two innings at second base.
Miguel Rojas, who left Game 3 of the NLDS in Atlanta with back and hip soreness, got several days of treatment and is active for the NLCS against the Brewers.
Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon share nine wickets
As a fractured news environment demonstrates, observations can be made from just about any perspective. One view of Australia’s Test team could focus on age, with the principal bowlers all having more than 33 years to their names. Another could focus on them all having more than 300 wickets.
At the first Test in Durban, an unprecedented achievement by Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon is continuing, one that they began in Mackay two months ago: being the only quartet in history to walk on to Test fields as members of the 300 club. By the end of day three they had taken another nine, South Africa bowled out for 284, trailing by 139 runs by the time bad light stopped play with Australia 33 without loss.
It is fair to say Oliver Glasner has had more enjoyable afternoons. The Nottingham Forest head coach arrived in south London dressed like a bouncer from All Bar One in a black bomber jacket, as if he was anticipating trouble, but was instead given a rapturous reception by the home fans who used to worship him.
The generosity towards their former manager seemed to have extended to Palace’s players as Dan Ndoye was handed a goal in the third minute. Pierre Sage’s side were awful in the opening 40 minutes. Yet Forest could not find a way to beat Walter Benítez again as Liam Delap missed a golden chance to extend their lead and the Argentina goalkeeper’s heroics inspired a thrilling comeback that secured Sage’s first home victory in the Premier League since taking over from Glasner in the summer.
On Saturday, a promotion attempt went wild when an inflatable hot dog and bun went on to the ice at Bell Centre in Montreal during a TV timeout in the third period against the Red Wings.
Fans in the crowd worked together to try to place the large inflatable hot dog into the giant inflatable bun across the arena. Yet the dog, with “Go Habs Go!” on the side of it, went over the glass and onto the ice as fans clapped and cheered. The bun, which featured a Canadiens logo, shortly followed, just barely getting over the glass and the Canadiens’ bench.
As it came down, captain Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovský attempted to poke the bun with their hockey sticks.
It also hit Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc as it bounced onto the ice.
Despite some not-so-thrilled looks from players and officials, the fans cheered and seemed to have fun with the in-game antics.
The fan event is a new promotion at Canadiens games and Saturday was its first appearance at Bell Centre.
“Yeah, that didn’t work out too good for them,” Suzuki said, per The Athletic.
“That was crazy,” Montreal’s Kaiden Guhle added. “I covered my mouth because I was laughing, and no one else was really laughing and it was just me. I’ve never seen that before. But the fans were having fun, so that’s good.”
An inflatable hot dog lands on the ice at Bell Centre on Saturday night during a game between the Canadiens and the Red Wings. X @NHLAn inflatable hot dog bun hits the Canadiens’ bench while falling onto the ice at Bell Centre on Saturday night. X @NHL
The hot dog activity was made popular starting at MLB games.
The Montreal Canadiens have had their fair share of injuries in this young season: Kaiden Guhle, Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov, and Samuel Montembeault have all missed time, but they’re still in much better shape than the New York Rangers. Jeff Gorton’s former team has lost its star goaltender, Igor Shesterkin, for the season thanks to a gruesome lower-body injury. To make matters worse, backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is also out for four weeks, leaving the Rangers with rookies Dylan Garland and Callum Tung as their netminder tandem. Together, they have five games of NHL experience.
Can they ride the storm with them? And even when Korpisalo is back, will they be comfortable with their tandem? In Montreal, the Canadiens barely bat an eyelid at the news that Montembeault would be unavailable for 10 to14 days, because they’ve got another NHL-ready goalie in Jacob Fowler. The Florida native had a statement game Saturday night, stopping 30 shots in 65 minutes and another six in the shootout. He was flawless, and he did it with poise. His positioning was on point, making the saves look easy. His performance reminded those in attendance of former franchise cornerstone Carey Price.
That was his second game in a row, and while he didn’t win his first outing, he played well enough to earn a second start and keep Jakub Dobes on the sideline. When Montembeault returns, the Canadiens will have no choice but to return him to the AHL. Kent Hughes has made it clear he doesn’t want another three-goalie carousel this season. Unless, of course, the Habs could find a landing spot for Montembeault, who’s in the last year of his contract, then they could keep Fowler in the NHL. According to Frank Seravalli, the Rangers have put Shesterkin on LTIR, but not season-ending LTIR; still, that gives them $3.97M in cap space, so New York could easily take on Montembeault’s $3.15M contract.
The Canadiens couldn’t find a trade partner for Montembeault this summer because they didn’t receive a good enough offer for the Becancour native, but the end justifies the means. Now that the Rangers find themselves in such a precarious position between the pipes, they may be willing to match the Canadiens’ ask.
While some thought it would be tricky for the Habs to make a deal with the organization that fired Jeff Gorton in 2021, a lot of water has run under the bridge since then, and the Habs traded with the Rangers this summer, sending William Trudeau back for Brett Berard. It was a minor league deal, but it’s still a deal.
Of course, Montembeault needs to be healthy to help the Rangers, but he’s expected to miss only 10 to 14 days. That’s not too long, and the rookie goalie tandem may be able to hold down the fort for the Rangers until then.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see what happens with the goaltending in Montreal now. Jakub Dobes finished training camp as the clear number one. He was instrumental in the Canadiens beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first game but then had a couple of tough outings against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes. After three games, it made sense to have the backup take on the Nashville Predators, and with Montembeault injured, Fowler stepped in.
Most expected Dobes back for game five, but Martin St-Louis chose to return to Fowler because the team hadn’t had a full practice in a couple of days. That’s an interesting move. Last season, the coach would have gone back to his number one. Does that mean Dobes doesn’t have as long a leash as Montembeault did? What will that do to Dobes’ confidence? Or does it simply mean that St-Louis has learned from last year’s goaltending woes and will go with the hot hand? If that’s the case and Fowler keeps up his play, the coach certainly won’t want to see him sent back down to the AHL.
There’s never a dull moment in Montreal, but finding a new home for Montembeault would allow the organization to keep its two young goaltenders in the NHL, where they belong.
Hull retained their unbeaten home record since returning to the Premier League with an entertaining draw against Everton at the MKM Stadium.
Brennan Johnson found the net in the 34th minute but was denied a first Premier League goal for Everton following a video assistant referee check, leaving the sides to go in goalless at the break. The hosts wasted little time after the interval, however, as Joe Gelhardt opened the scoring in the 48th minute following an error by Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
SURPRISE, AZ - OCTOBER 04: Boston Baro #3 of the Surprise Saguaros bats during the game between the Salt River Rafters and the Surprise Saguaros at Surprise Stadium on Sunday, October 4, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
I can imagine some Guardians fans might have had a feeling of déjà vu Saturday night in Cleveland.
It’s the deciding game of a postseason series. The visiting team is from Chicago. And… it’s raining.
Well. It’s not the World Series and it’s not the Cubs in Cleveland, instead it’s an upstart White Sox team that had won the first two games of this Division Series at Progressive Field.
By the time the Guardians had dispatched the White Sox 2-0 in Game 5 and moved on to the ALCS, it was clear which was the better team. I’ve thought for a number of recent years that the Guardians always seem to find a way. They did it last year when they overcame a 12.5 game deficit to the Tigers and won the AL Central, although Detroit got revenge by defeating the Guards in a Wild Card Series. This year Cleveland trailed the White Sox by 4.5 games on Aug. 30, then finished the season on a 17-9 run to take the division title — which ultimately might have been the difference in this series.
Cleveland’s offense was missing in the first two games, in which they scored a total of two runs. A lot of that was on third baseman José Ramírez, who went 0-for-6 over those games. Ramírez had a rough year after breaking a hamate bone in his wrist in June. He missed a month and had one of the worst years of his career. Hamate injuries are known for long recovery times and Ramírez might not be 100 percent until next year.
But after those first two games, Ramírez put the Guardians on his back, going 5-for-12 with a double, triple, home run and seven RBI over the three games Cleveland won. That included this impossible home run Saturday [VIDEO].
Look where that pitch was! How on Earth do you hit a home run off this pitch?
Guardians pitchers struck out 21 White Sox to preserve that two-run homer as the only runs Cleveland would need. The 21 K’s are a record for any MLB nine-inning game, regular season or postseason. (The previous postseason record of 19 in a nine-inning game had been set by the Sox… on Wednesday.) The White Sox struck out 75 times in the five games, a 40.5 percent K rate. That’s just not going to get it done.
Congratulations to the White Sox on their fine season, though it didn’t end the way they’d have wanted it to. To win 84 games and make the postseason after three straight 100+ loss seasons (and one of those a record-setting 121 defeats) is quite the accomplishment. They have some very good young players, particularly Miguel Vargas, Chase Meidroth and Colson Montgomery, and Munetaka Murakami brought intangibles along with a big bat from Japan. They’re fun to watch. They’ll also need to do something about that pitching staff if they want to move forward and improve on this next year.
Congratulations to the Guardians for winning this series, the 11th team to overcome a 2-0 deficit in a postseason series. That team is also fun to watch and, while it doesn’t have the talent level of the Rays, they also seem to have intangibles that help them win. Ramírez might be the most underappreciated superstar in baseball today. He’s eventually going to be elected to the Hall of Fame, and hardly anyone outside Cleveland even knows who he is. And if he continues hitting the way he did in the Guardians’ three wins over the White Sox, the Rays will have their hands full in the ALCS.
I’ll be rooting for the Guardians as long as they’re in it this October. Their championship drought stands at 77 years. Consider this: When the Cubs’ World Series drought was at 77 years, it was… 1985. The Cubs had to wait 31 more years! All of us as Cubs fans know how this feels. I’d like to see a World Series title go to Cleveland this year.
This postseason has already created some great stories and had some compelling games. Let’s hope that continues through the next two rounds. We’ll have a game thread here for tonight’s NLCS Game 1 between the Brewers and Dodgers, game time 7 p.m. CT, thread posting time 6 p.m. CT.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Orlando Hernandez winds up in the first inning of the first game of the American League Division Series 05 October, 1999, at Yankee Stadium in New York. The New York Yankees face the Texas Rangers in the best-of-five series. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Don EMMERT (Photo by Don EMMERT / AFP) (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Over 40 years after fans of the “Boys of Summer” Brooklyn Dodgers sung the praises of Edwin Snider, another Duke took center stage in New York. This time, it was in the Bronx as one of the most celebrated Cuban players to take the field for his home country set his eyes on Yankee Stadium. A mysterious maestro on the mound, the man known as Orlando “El Duque” Hernández could seemingly do it all, quickly winning adoration for his poise in high-pressure moments while the Yankees won a trifecta of championships.
For quite awhile, El Duque’s actual birth year was not actually known for certain. When he first joined the Yankees, he said he was born in 1969, but later it became evident that he was, in fact, born in 1965 and thus didn’t become a Yankee until he turned 32. Regardless, he was born on October 11, 1965 to Cuban pitcher Arnaldo Hernandez and Maria Cruz. Although well known throughout the country, his dad (also nicknamed “El Duque”) did not play much of a role in El Duque’s upbringing. He did however, father another son a little over nine years later with another woman, Miriam Carreras. That son’s name was Livan Hernández, and El Duque would have a close relationship with his half-brother, who of course also became a pitching phenom.
Growing up with his older brother Arnaldo Jr. in a small home was not ideal for the future pitching great. There wasn’t much schooling in his childhood, but El Duque certainly learned the game of baseball. He was clearly an intelligent kid, as he developed and perfected a complex pitching motion while also adding a potent arsenal of pitches. Once his reputation spread, it did not take too long for El Duque to be added to the perennial powerhouse Cuban national baseball team.
El Duque won his first gold medal at age 22 with the victorious 1988 Baseball World Cup squad and gradually added several more golds in numerous competitions over the next seven years, highlighted by the Cuban national team winning the gold medal in baseball at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. As if that weren’t enough, El Duque was also prominent on the most successful Cuban league baseball team, the Havana Industriales. He was a star there too, as he was the team’s ace while also getting to play with his brothers Arnaldo and Livan.
Tragically, Orlando only had one season with Arnaldo, who passed away suddenly in 1994 as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage. El Duque’s life was further complicated when Livan defected from the Cuban national team late in 1995. As a result of his association with Livan, El Duque was suspended from Cuban ball, left off the ’96 Olympic roster, and eventually banned entirely from the Cuban National Series. With nowhere to play, El Duque now basically had just one choice–defect himself or never play organized ball again. After watching Livan triumph in 1997 with the Marlins while winning both the NLCS and World Series MVP, it removed any doubt as to El Duque’s future plans.
Through the assistance of some shady dealings with his agent, Joe Cubas, El Duque defected from Cuba two months after the World Series and eventually was granted residency in Costa Rica. Now free to negotiate with any team, the Yankees and newly-christened general manager Brian Cashman came calling. Following negotiations, El Duque and the Yankees agreed on a four-year, $6.6 million contract, one of the best free agent contracts of all-time. The Yankees sure received some incredible value from that deal.
On a pure value basis, few contracts have been better than the comparatively measly $6.6 million invested in El Duque back in 1998. Minor leaguers could do nothing with the 32-year-old rookie’s repertoire, and when David Cone had to miss a start due to a bite on the finger from his mother’s Jack Russell terrier, he got his shot. El Duque pitched so effectively that the Yankees couldn’t remove him from the rotation, and he recorded a 3.13 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and 131 strikeouts in 21 starts during his first season.
Although the ’98 Yankees romped to 114 victories, they trailed the ALCS two games to one to the defending AL champs, and they were forced to ask El Duque to come up big for them in Game 4 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. He did just that, twirling seven innings of shutout ball, the first of seven consecutive victories that the Yankees notched against Cleveland and San Diego, never losing another game en route to the World Series title.
El Duque was a fascinating addition to the rotation, dazzling hitters but also mystifying his manager and his teammates. On the day of that fateful Game 4, Joe Torre thought that he might be nervous, but in fact, El Duque was not at all afraid of the spotlight. Torre found him at a local Cleveland restaurant, pretending to serve dishes and humoring the patrons. On many occasions though, he bickered with his catcher, Jorge Posada, on his pitch selection, and once even cursed at Luis Sojo when Sojo asked him to stand during the National Anthem. Then, there were the times when he would absolutely baffle his teammates, like when he called all his infielders into the mound and said nothing, unless one counts stomping on the mound a few times as saying something.
Despite El Duque’s idiosyncrasies, he remained a steady presence in their rotation throughout the three-peat from 1998 through 2000. He was a fine pitcher in the regular season, but he seemed to be even better when the spotlight of the playoffs was on. The big start in Cleveland was just the beginning of his postseason excellence. The Padres had no answer for him in the World Series that year, nor did the Rangers in his Division Series start the next season. He dominated the Red Sox in the ’99 taking home ALCS MVP honors with 15 innings of 1.80 ERA ball, then outpitched Hall of Famer Greg Maddux in his World Series opener start against the Braves.
El Duque wasn’t quite as overpowering in the 2000 playoffs, but the Yankees still won in four of the five games he made an appearance. Those three years cemented El Duque as a Yankees cult hero.
The ’01 campaign was a rockier one for El Duque, as a bad toe sprain kept him off the mound for several months and he struggled when he actually did make starts. He shook it off to pitch well in two of his three starts that postseason, most notably when he kept the Yankees in the game against Curt Schilling in Game 4 of the World Series, a contest they famously won thanks to late homer heroics from Tino Martinez and Derek Jeter.
Alas, that year didn’t end in a parade, and injuries limited him again in 2002. He was far more effective that year than in ’01, but a nightmare relief outing in the playoffs against the Angels haunted him as the Yankees fell in the first round. At first, it seemed that it would be his last start as a Yankee, as they sent him away to the Expos in a three-team deal during the 2002-03 offseason. A rotator cuff injury led to surgery, and he never threw a pitch for Montreal.
However, El Duque’s career was not at an end. He surprisingly returned to the Yankees in 2004 and after successfully rehabbing in the minors from his surgery, he re-joined the pitching staff in mid-July. He provided a boost to the rotation and the Yankees won their seventh consecutive AL East title. This time, a five-inning, three-run start in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Red Sox would be the last start he would make in pinstripes, as the Yankees blew the series and El Duque departed in free agency.
Having rejuvenated his career with a successful ’04 season, El Duque signed with the White Sox for the 2005 campaign. While Chicago got off to a fantastic start that they never looked back from, it wasn’t as good for El Duque. He had a 5.12 ERA in 24 games (22 starts) and was more hittable than ever, with a career-worst 9.6 H/9. The White Sox won the AL Central, but they left him out of the playoff rotation, one that featured another Cuban star who was previously a Yankee, José Contreras. Considering how dangerous the rotation of Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, and Jon Garland proved to be that postseason, it’s hard to blame the White Sox for slighting El Duque. It didn’t prevent him from coming up huge on the big stage one more time.
The White Sox were up two games to none on the defending champion Red Sox in the Division Series, and they led them 4-3 in the sixth inning of Game 3 at Fenway Park. However, the dangerous Boston lineup had knocked Garcia out and loaded the bases against reliever Damaso Marte. Chicago manager Ozzie Guillén called on El Duque to bail them out and stop the Red Sox from seizing any momentum to get back into the series. What followed was amazing and vintage El Duque: a Jason Varitek foul out, a Tony Graffanino pop-up, and a swing and a miss from Johnny Damon.
No runs scored, Chicago held the lead, and they went on to win the World Series.
El Duque hovered around the game for a few more years and even spent about two months with his brother Livan again pitching in the Diamondbacks rotation. However, despite some relatively effective pitching, it was clear that he was wearing down–hardly surprising for someone who pitched past age 40. After a year and a half with the Mets, El Duque’s career ended in 2007. He tried to recover from ’08 foot surgery to pitch again in the majors, but a couple minor league stints with various teams went in vain.
El Duque officially retired in 2011, and he’s since returned to Yankee Stadium for multiple Old-Timers’ Days and dynasty reunion events. He’ll always be welcomed back to the Bronx by the home crowd; El Duque was just one of those special pitchers and fan favorites who comes around every once in a while. Keep on doing the El Duque.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
On Saturday night, the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Carolina Hurricanes at the United Center. It was the second home game of the season for Chicago, but not nearly as successful as the first.
Now, following a lousy loss to the Hurricanes, the Blackhawks are 1-5-0 after six games. It is not where they wanted to be, despite having a very tough schedule to open up the year. The issue now is that it doesn't lighten up any time soon.
It is easy to understand why the Blackhawks players and coaches are frustrated following this one. They were run out of their own building early in a season that is already falling off the rails.
When asked, Patrick Kane said that the frustration level of the team was "very high". This, of course, came after a tough game, but it's a sign of the overall team outlook.
"D-zone and being better with the puck, whether it's living to fight another day sometimes or making better plays out there,” Kane said when asked about where the team needs to improve. “Supporting, demanding it, wanting it, those types of things."
Kane knows what it’s like to be on a team as good as the Carolina Hurricanes. He spent the first half of his career almost exclusively on those types of teams. At least for now, he has incredible confidence that this current group will get there one day.
"I have a lot of confidence in the group," Kane said. "We definitely have enough talent, speed, and skill. What kind of team are we going to be? That's something we need to figure out."
Kane believes this young Blackhawks group has what it needs to "take a page" out of Carolina's book. If anyone on the team has an opinion worth trusting on this type of topic, it's Patrick Kane.
Roman Kantserov, who scored his first career NHL goal on Saturday, spoke about how it wasn't his plan to lose the game that he got his first, but he did admit that finally turning that 0 next to his goal total into a 1 will give him confidence going forward.
When Kantserov was leading the KHL in goals, it was obvious that this ability would translate to the NHL. It was just a matter of how long. He is still figuring things out, but getting that first will go a long way.
It wasn't only players trying to balance frustration with confidence following Saturday's loss. Head coach Jeff Blashill was not shy on either end of the conversation.
"Do I think frustration builds when you haven't won and you're not having enough success? Of course it does," Blashill said. "Those are the challenges we're going to have to face."
Coach Blashill often talks about process. He thinks that a team's process is more important than results because wins will come if you do things the right way. As of now, sitting in his coach's chair, he believes in this group.
"I'm going to tell you right now, I have absolute 100 percent belief in this group," Blashill continued. "This group is going to win. I can't tell if we're going to start winning Tuesday, next week, [or] a year from now. I have no idea when it's going to be, but this group is going to win, 100 percent."
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Max Verstappen led from start to finish, with Charles Leclerc second and Kimi Antonelli – who has an outside chance of clinching the title in the next race – third
Zak Brown of McLaren confirms he has had a stern one with his drivers after they go in each other’s way yesterday. “I didn’t say please,” he laughs. “It’s an order.”
Our race comprises 62 laps and the relatively long track means it’ll last roundabout two hours. It’s hot, too, meaning a proper physical struggle for our drivers.
Kimi Antonelli third and extends championship lead
Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix with a commanding run from pole to flag to take his first victory at the Marina Bay circuit on the occasion of his 250th race.
He comfortably beat the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc into second place with championship leader Kimi Antonelli third. Defending world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were fourth and fifth for McLaren and Lewis Hamilton sixth for Ferrari. Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell came through to take ninth place, having started 19th on the grid.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 30: Jalen Brunson #11 talks to OG Anunoby #8 and Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round 1 Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
No Knicks basketball on Sunday; what did you expect on the day we all have for resting and disconnecting? (As if I ever do lol)
However, New York folks keep logging practices and sending quotes out to the world for us to enjoy.
Here’s the latest from Tarrytown before Monday’s clash against the LaMelo-Ant Wolves.
"It's great that you're able to get vets like him into camp, because you get to know them. You never know what to expect if you don't really know somebody. You get to know their personalities just as much as you get to know their game. He's been doing a nice job."
On receiving an invitation from former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin:
“When he asked me to come by the event, I actually called my dad. I said, ‘Hey dad, I just spoke with Tom Coughlin and going to go do this and this,’ and my dad got excited, too.
“I’ve always been a fan of his from afar. … What he did was really, as a coach, was remarkable. And that’s what I knew him as back then. To go through a year at 9-7 [in 2011] and [10-6 in 2007], to me that’s what a season is about. You figure stuff out over the course of the year. You may not be in first place all the time, but you’re preparing for the postseason. And both those teams, in my opinion, they did it textbook.
“They took their lumps, they figured out how to get through the challenges and adversity throughout the course of the year and when it was time to go for it, they did it.”
On the differences between his personality and Tom Coughlin’s:
“His presence and demeanor were almost the opposite [of me]. I’m a little goofy, he’s more serious, he’s not goofy at all. And you can feel his presence.”
On Bruce Brown’s performance at camp and the effort he’s shown while competing for a roster spot:
“He’s been doing a nice job. He was with the group [against the Wizards on Thursday] — him, Jaden [Akins], Tyler Nickel, James Wiseman and [Pacôme Dadiet]. Those guys made a couple of mistakes, but man, they played hard. And I’m not just saying hard defensively. Even offensively, getting to their spots in transition, moving the basketball, touching the paint.
“And then defensively, speaking on Bruce, he was great on the ball. … Watching him still do those things, knowing that he’s fighting for a spot, with the success he’d had in a year, he’s still embracing his journey, is a lot of fun to see because he’s going about it the right way.”
"Everything's going to work out. I'm not really too stressed over it, putting too much into it. Obviously, we have high expectations. It's good we're able to just focus on the season and keeping it moving."
On the Knicks postponing contract extension negotiations:
“Everything is going to work out. I’m not really too stressed over it. I’m not putting too much into it. We have expectations, so it’s good we are able to focus on the season.”
On how contract uncertainty will affect him throughout the season:
“There will be days where we don’t think about it. There will be days where it’s top of the mind. We’re humans.”
On why he isn’t frustrated by the lack of a contract extension:
“No, because at the end of the day, I’m still under contract in New York. We have a hell of a team that’s going to try and repeat. [And] I’m in an amazing situation off the court, so it’s not frustrating.
“Obviously, you want to get some of those things done, but if it doesn’t, it’s nothing where you lose sleep over. We’re blessed to be out here playing basketball for a living.
“So, you know, it’s not frustrating. You just got to make sure you’re able to block out the noise and whatever rumors that whoever, a random person said, their sources said, et cetera, on Twitter. Just got to block that out and keep it moving.”
On the differences between Mitchell Robinson and Andre Drummond:
“It’s tough to replace someone like that. Obviously, an amazing rebounder, amazing defensive player. Drum, he gives you a different look. Offensively, a way better passer than I thought he was. He’s extremely light on his feet, obviously can knock down shots.”
"He's going to be professional. Not just him – everybody. Everyone's going to be professional and continue to do their jobs."
Jalen Brunson was asked how he expects Josh Hart to handle not getting an extension done with the Knicks before the start of the season: pic.twitter.com/RQmIDyFgze
On Josh Hart remaining professional despite his contract uncertainty:
“He’s gonna be a professional. Not just him — everybody. Everyone’s gonna be professional and continue to do their jobs. No matter what the situation is, things are gonna happen. There’s always gonna be a roller coaster every season. Ups and downs emotionally. No matter what, when we’re out there on the court, we’re gonna have each other’s backs.”
On preventing contract negotiations from becoming a distraction for the Knicks:
“There’s only potential distractions when you read and believe what people are saying. No matter what’s being said, no matter what’s being talked about consistently or not, you believe what you wanna believe, you hear what you wanna hear. It’s on us as teammates and individuals and professionals to understand what the nature of it is. People are gonna talk about it. So we gotta control what we can control and do our jobs.
“We’re gonna have each other’s back, regardless. We’re human, as well. There’s gonna be days we have good days, bad days, whatever. I think the way we won was just because of how connected we were as a group, so we gotta keep that.”
On when he realized Andre Drummond had long-range shooting skills:
“When he made three threes last year. I remember that. I was questioning myself, like ‘Where did this come from?’ That’s what happens when you work on your game.”
On Mike Brown’s personality:
“I think you’re always getting the real Mike Brown.”
Recent reports asserted that the second apron is hurting “lower” and “middle” class players. That’s untrue. Since the implementation of the second apron, the number of players on team rosters has remained the same and annual salaries have increased by nearly $1.3 billion…
On the NBA’s second apron hurting middle-class players:
“The new CBA is good for max guys, new free agents and rookie extension guys. The middle guys, it kind of sucks for us. There’s not a lot of people getting that full midlevel.”
Adam Silver
On reports and Bruce Brown’s claims that the second apron hurts lower- and middle-class players:
“Recent reports asserted that the second apron is hurting ‘lower’ and ‘middle’ class players. That’s untrue. Since the implementation of the second apron, the number of players on team rosters has remained the same and annual salaries have increased by nearly $1.3 billion resulting in pay increases of approximately 30% for all classes of players.”
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 6, 1974: Ron Cey #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers slides into second base against the Pittsburgh Pirates during Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on October 6, 1974 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Herb Scharfman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers on Sunday begin playing in their 18th National League Championship Series, a round that first began in 1969. The first NLCS for the Dodgers was in 1974, when Walt Alston’s Dodgers made their first postseason appearance since 1966.
This was the first full season of The Infield for the Dodgers, with National League MVP Steve Garvey at first base, Davey Lopes at second base, Bill Russell at shortstop, and Ron Cey at third base. They won 102 games, which stood as the best record by a Los Angeles Dodgers team for 43 years, but even then it took until the penultimate day to finally clinch the NL West over the Cincinnati Reds.
Tuesday, October 1 was clinching day for the Dodgers, who were in Houston to play the Astros while the Reds were in Atlanta. Cincinnati’s game ended first, and when the Braves prevailed that clinched the division for the Dodgers. It took a few minutes before fans watching Dodgers-Astros on television could see the reaction from the visiting dugout, much to the chagrin of Paul Henninger of the Los Angeles Times:
It’s ironic that the tape-delay, which has plagued baseball fans all season long on Monday nights, had to figure one more time, and on a channel that proclaimed it would bring us LIVE coverage until the Dodgers clinched the division. Everybody could treasure the glorious moment when it happened — LIVE, that is.
Dodger fans were all geared for it last Tuesday night. Channel 11 was telecasting the Dodgers game from the Atrodome. They knew the Reds were trailing. Doggett as on TV when word came. The Reds lost! Quick, cut to the Dodgers’ dugout to see the players’ reactions LIVE when they heard. Hey! They got the news! Davey Lopes was seen leaping for joy and … Vin Scully turns up on the screen frying sausage. What’s happening? Hurry up, Vinnie, flip those (deleted) links over, get on with it.
Then to compound this awful boo-boo, after the taped commercial somehow got in the way, after the initial excitement subsided, KTTV put on a tape-delay of the dugout frolics we missed. It was like reading yesterday’s newspaper. For shame, KTTV.
A different time
In the first 16 years of the League Championship Series (1969-84), the series was best-of-5, and home-field advantage alternated by division each year. It worked out that 1974 was the NL West’s year for home-field advantage, which matched up with the records, as the Dodgers were 102-60 and the Pittsburgh Pirates were 88-74.
But home-field advantage back then meant the team with the supposed advantage would first play two games on the road before coming home to play up to three games. So the Dodgers had to go to Pittsburgh first to open their playoffs.
Night games weren’t as prevalent for the postseason back then, and every game of the NLCS and ALCS were played during the daytime. Also, the schedules weren’t staggered, with both the NL and AL playing games on the same days.
1974 LCS schedules
Saturday, October 5: Dodgers at Pirates, 10 a.m. PT; Orioles at A’s, 1 p.m.
Sunday, October 6: Dodgers at Pirates, 10 a.m.; Orioles at A’s, 1 p.m.
Monday, October 8: A’s at Orioles, 11 a.m. PT; Pirates at Dodgers, 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 9: A’s at Orioles, 11 a.m. PT; Pirates at Dodgers, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 10: A’s at Orioles, 11 a.m. PT; Pirates at Dodgers, 12:30 p.m.
Based on local newspapers at the time — Bob Cox in the San Pedro News-Pilot, Morton Moss in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, and Henninger of The Times — the television coverage of the postseason was also much different from today. All NLCS games were televised locally in the Los Angeles area by KTTV, with Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett on the call, using the NBC video feed.
The national NBC call of the NLCS, which was also available locally, had Jim Simpson and Maury Wills on the call. NBC also called the ALCS, which made for a baseball doubleheader on the network on Saturday, with the main NBC team of Curt Gowdy and Tony Kubek calling the ALCS. But on Sunday, NBC had NFL football with the Oakland Raiders playing the Cleveland Browns in the 10 a.m. PT slot so they didn’t show Game 2 of Dodgers-Pirates.
Games 3-5 of the LCS had the two games closer together, and NBC’s coverage plans were to televise the first game (A’s at Orioles) in full before joining Pirates at Dodgers in progress. But KTTV locally had every NLCS game live.
As it turned out, both the Dodgers and A’s closed out their LCS in four games, not needing to play Wednesday.
There would not be an NLCS MVP award until 1977, but two Dodgers stood out for a potential 1974 NLCS MVP. Don Sutton allowed one run in 17 innings in his two starts, both wins, with 13 strikeouts, and Garvey hit .389/.421/.778 with two home runs, a double, and five RBI in the four games.
