With everything that’s been going on in the sports world, from the NFL kicking off to Major League Baseball pennant races, it’s been a busy couple of weeks to be a fan. And rather than try to tackle just one of newsworthy stories worth following, I figured I would touch on as many as I could, roundup-style. So here goes.
Race to the finish line. Colleague Danny Lanzetta handicapped baseball’s pennant races in full a few weeks ago, but with only a few days left in the regular season, a number of battles are still up in the air. The NL wild card fight will go down to the wire, and with the way the once-favored Mets have played over the last month, no team is a sure thing in the National League. Right now, as ridiculous as it sounds, the Chicago Cubs are playing the best ball in the NL, although with their checkered past (don’t use the word curse!), they’re definitely no sure thing in the playoffs.
Over in the AL, the top teams far outclass their National League competition, but only one of the four (the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians and Angels) can make it to the World Series. Things are shaking out well for the Yankees, who will probably get the Cleveland Indians in the first round. If the Yankees survive, that leaves two ALCS matchups with juicy storylines: Yankees vs. Red Sox (no explanation needed) or Yankees vs. Angels (who’ve tormented them over the last couple of seasons). Either way, it looks like the “real” World Series (between baseball’s two best teams) will be played well before the end of October. Remember, though: that’s what we thought last year, too, when the superior AL team (the Tigers) faced the Cardinals. Don’t forget how that turned out. The Cards won, in case you did.
The real race to the finish line. C’mon, you didn’t think I’d use a phrase like that and not even talk about the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship, which is shaping up as its closest finish since its inception in 2004. For those not in the know, NASCAR takes the top 12 drivers after 26 races and re-orders their points, placing them in the Chase for the Championship (also just called the “Chase”) in order to ramp up the excitement for the season’s final 10 races. So far, it’s worked, as the top six drivers in the standings are separated by just 18 points and any setback – a blown engine, wreck or poor pit stop – could potentially sabotage a driver’s season. NASCAR gets a bad rap for featuring “drivers going around in circles,” but the end-of-season drama here is just as good as any pennant race or playoff game (sacrilege, I know – sorry, Danny).
Another season on ice. Lost amid the action mentioned above, not to mention the start of the NFL season, is the National Hockey League, which closed its exhibition schedule this week. And if early returns are any indication, the league and its players are already in midseason form (minus star Sidney Crosby, who’s currently sidelined with a sore groin). The Islanders and Rangers played a brawl-marred exhibition game on Monday, carrying over much of the bad blood they spilled during several tense games last season. Rising young stars like Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin and Ottawa’s Jason Spezza are already racking up points, and for the first time, the league will open its schedule overseas, as the Kings and Ducks are scheduled to play two games in London this Saturday and Sunday. Ingredients for a successful season? They could be, as long as the NHL continues to regain some of its lost national prominence.
How the favorites have fallen. For more on the NFL, check out Audibles this week, but for a condensed version of my state of the league, what’s wrong with the Chargers and Saints? Two of the most widely picked preseason favorites in the league, both teams are off to horrible starts (San Diego is 1-2 and New Orleans is a dismal 0-3) and need to seriously improve parts of their game before they can even think about contending. For the Chargers, a bigger commitment to the run would help. LaDanian Tomlinson is the best running back in the league, but he’s simply not getting enough carries in coach Norv Turner’s offense. Once the ground game is firmed up, that should take some pressure off the defense and get the Chargers back into the AFC West race.
In New Orleans, the problem is a little more complicated. Reggie Bush has yet to prove that he is an impact running back in the National Football League, and Drew Brees has made far too many mistakes with the ball. Both the offensive and defensive lines have been porous, as well, and news broke this week that Deuce McAllister will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. The team will need to take its bye week now to get things straightened out, simplify the offense for Bush and Brees and focus on defensive pressure. If they do that, they have a shot to turn it around.
The Women’s World Cup – why no love? The U.S. is through to the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup (and due to play Brazil on Thursday, after the Beat’s press time), but we’ve heard little about their accomplishments. After a rough start against North Korea (a 2-2 tie against a not-highly regarded squad), the women turned it around, shutting out Sweden and Nigeria to advance to the quarterfinals and then blanking a game England squad 3-0 to earn the right to play Brazil, who knocked out Norway in the last round. The four teams remaining (including defending champion Germany and Norway) have all played at an extremely high level over the past few weeks, and with the final match set for Sunday morning, expect some beautiful soccer over the next few days.