Playoff Notes: Day 4
Yeah, this is late.
Had it not been for a quick swing from Johnny Damon's bat, New York's vaunted lineup could be looking at 18 consecutive scoreless innings.
Instead, those of us who detest the Yankees and the endless hype bestowed upon them will have to take solace in the Tigers' 6-0 victory in Game 3, putting them one loss away from going home for the winter.
The hardest part of writing today's notes section, however, is writing something nice about Kenny Rogers. It was not that long ago he was a thug, taking his anger out on some unsuspecting cameramen.
Watching this man walk off the mound in the eighth inning getting applause from 43,000-plus is just a little hard to take, especially considering Rogers never really apologized for his actions.
Still, give the man credit: he was masterful tonight on the mound. Actually, don't give the man credit. Appreciate his performance. I always hate it when someone acts like play on the field could or should overshadow off the field issues.
Regardless, the Tigers can put the Yankees away with a win Thursday. If that happens, it will be 1972 revisited in the American League Championship Series.
&bull How can the Minnesota Twins scratch, claw, and work just to win the American League Central, then show up in the playoffs and make the equivalent of a Hitchcock cameo?
It's disappointing, especially since I thought Minnesota would make the World Series. If that doesn't look stupid enough, consider I also picked the Padres.
&bull In closing, I want to pass along condolences to the family and friends of Buck O'Neil, who died Friday. Some months ago, I wrote a column advocating O'Neil's enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I'm convinced the day will come for O'Neil. It's just too bad he will not be around to see it.
O'Neil was a great voice for baseball's past, and for baseball's future. He will be missed, but never forgotten.
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