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Monday meanderings: A pickoff of the National League team’s runner to end Game 4 of the World Series. An error and obstruction call against the American League team to end Game 3. Are we certain that commissioner Bud Selig didn’t slip in the Chicago Cubs and White Sox to participate over the weekend in the Fall Classic?
A photo of this lovely Red Sox fan or a Boston ballplayer? Decisions, decisions.
* The urge to make a pun with the name of the St. Louis Cardinals pinch-runner whose blunder Sunday cost the Cardinals a chance to rally with two outs and Carlos Beltran at the plate no doubt will be too great for too many. Kolten Wong. As in: If pinch-running for hobbling Allen Craig is Wong, then I don’t want to be right. Hey, no one said anyone around here would fight the urge.
* If you think Wong heard about his gaffe after the Cardinals’ 4-2 loss, we can only hope several people at Fox heard about theirs, too. Wong was picked off as Fox was showing another of its inane crowd shots. Because television viewers want to see fans in the stands rather than the action on the field.
* For those who enjoy watching baseball, the best thing about Boston’s Game 4 victory is knowing the World Series will go at least six games. For those who don’t enjoy watching baseball, they can continue to not watch it for three more games maximum this postseason.
* With the Chicago Bears enjoying a bye week, some of us watched the Detroit Lions play the visiting Dallas Cowboys. And Sunday night it was the Green Bay Packers at the Minnesota Vikings. Dallas’ defense dashed any Bears fans hopes for a Lions loss by giving up a touchdown with 12 second left for a 31-30 Detroit triumph. Green Bay prevailed 44-31. Which means the Bears (4-3) are third in the NFL North with the Packers (5-2) and Lions (5-3) ahead of them. Which means it was pretty much a lost weekend for the Bears without even suiting up. On the bright side, no Bears were injured Sunday — well, as far as anyone knows and as far as suffering a football injury at least.
* And, yes, based on Sunday’s showings (as if it wasn’t evident well before then), Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is third-best in the division. Unless someone is delusional enought o think he is better than Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and Lions QB Matthew Stafford. Stafford may make some dumb throws the way Cutler does, but someone who knows very little about judging NFL personnel (oh, yeah, that would be yours truly) thinks Stafford will enjoy more success than Cutler during their careers.
* Any comparison between Lions star Calvin Johnson and any Bears receiver is purely coincidental. He had 329 receiving yards Sunday — second-most all-time in the NFL for Flipper Anderson’s 336 for the Los Angeles Rams in 1989 — on 14 catches. Johnson also has five 200+ yardage games to tie Lance Alworth for the most in NFL history. The NFL has 16 teams that haven’t passed for 329 yards this season. The Bears’ leading receivers are Alshon Jeffery with 33 catches for 561 yards and Brandon Marshall 46 for 540. Johnson’s season totals are 47 receptions for 821 yards.
Remember those incessant self-promotional mentions of “Sports & Torts” and asking folks out there in cyberspace to nominate the interview show co-hosted by David Spada and Elliott Harris on Talkzone.com for a Podcast Award? Well, we did it. Or rather you did it. David and I received news Sunday that — thanks to our supporters in the audience here and on Facebook and Twitter — “Sports & Torts” has made the top 10 finals for best sports podcast in the Podcast Awards. So once again — beginning on Nov. 1 — we are asking once again for your support. All you have to do is go to podcastawards.com. Here is the link. And thank you in advance for your vote or votes. As with any election involving anything in the greater Chicago area, you are urged to vote early and often. The main difference between this and an actual Chicago election is multiple votes from a person is permitted for the Podcast Awards.
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