Good morning.
This is The Cheat Sheet.
I’m typing through a right thumb injury today, just so you folks know how much I care about you.
Parents dog bit me.
Went to get neosporin.
Dog had chewed up that tube too.
— Jay Rigdon (@jayrigdon5) October 20, 2016
The year of Cleveland?
Well, so that ALCS sure went by quick, huh? Cleveland won in five games, taking last night’s contest 3-0. That’s essentially representative of how they won the series, as they allowed 0, 1, 2, and 0 runs in their four victories. That’s the second consecutive video game lineup they’ve knocked out of the postseason, after sweeping Boston in the ALDS.
The final out:
Hammy calls the final out.#RallyTogether https://t.co/p0aaAsuQdH
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 19, 2016
Cleveland hasn’t won a World Series since 1948, (they haven’t appeared in one since 1997) and it’d be quite the year if they could follow in the footsteps of the Cavs and bring home another title.
They certainly appear to be rolling, but of course that would mean you have to believe in momentum, which I talked about yesterday.
Speaking of momentum and it not being real:
Cubs bats return as they shell Dodgers, NLCS tied 2-2
The Cubs blew open game 4 via homers from Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo, a few errors by the Dodgers, and even a relief pitcher single. Basically the whole package.
They knocked out 20 y/o Dodgers lefty Julio Urias in the fourth inning, getting into the middle of a Dodger bullpen that, while not terrible, is not as scary as the back end. (Which consists primarily of Kenley Jansen coming in as soon as the 7th inning and just throwing 97 MPH cutters right past you.)
The homers were big for both Rizzo and Russell; both had been struggling mightily in the postseason, with Russell being dropped to 8th in the lineup last night, and Rizzo trying everything, including borrowing the bat of teammate Matt Szczur.
Game 5 is tonight, with Jon Lester facing Kenta Maeda.
Sidenote, one of the more interesting parts of the broadcast came when microphones picked up a conversation between Rizzo and home plate umpire Angel Hernandez. The plate appearance prior, Rizzo thought he’d walked, dropping the bat and heading to first only to realize Hernandez had called the pitch a strike. It was nearly a carbon copy to an earlier moment featuring the Dodgers Justin Turner:
it's a tie pic.twitter.com/DlBr6KHrn6
— Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) October 20, 2016
Rizzo could be seen mouthing “Sorry” when he returned to the box, and the next time up, here was the conversation he had with Hernandez as he came to the plate during a Dodgers mound visit:
.@ARizzo44 – a guy you can take home to mom. pic.twitter.com/8YBgUS9Tdw
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 20, 2016
That’s actually really cool for both of them.
Quick hits
-Joe Maddon spent about an hour and a half yesterday on the phone with tech support, trying to figure out why his tablet wasn’t working properly. It’s believed to be an iPad, not a Surface like in the case of Bill Belichick, but either way it’s been a bad week for coach’s technology.
-A streaker got blown up in Toronto, which is always good fun for the whole family.
-New Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trailer. Yes, please:
-NCAA basketball is using an experimental replay rule wherein blocks and charges can be reviewed, which is just going to go so poorly.
-Jimmy Traina watched an ENTIRE DAY of sports debate television for us, so you don’t have to. He’s still in TV intensive care, but he’s hooked up to an IV of fluids and good television binging.
-Okay, this is probably the best thing I’ve seen recently:
Baby elephant rushes into river to rescue her trainer who she thought was drowning at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. pic.twitter.com/HaY9zfsNxn
— ABC News (@ABC) October 18, 2016
As always, elephants are absolutely awesome.
Fake news headline I wish was real
Office Golf Enthusiast Is Going To Break Down His Round Shot By Shot and There’s Nothing You Can Do About It
One final glorious moment of procrastination
Wait for it:
May we all solve our problems like that bulldog.
