LUY-Development

Category: Sports

  • Dodgers win World Series in 5 games, overcome 5-run deficit with help of errors to beat Yankees 7-6

    Dodgers win World Series in 5 games, overcome 5-run deficit with help of errors to beat Yankees 7-6

    NEW YORK (AP) — You gotta hand it to Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    And not just because the Yankees certainly did.

    When New York let LA back into World Series Game 5, the Dodgers did what they’ve done all year — kept on going.

    After taking advantage of three miscues to erase a five-run, fifth-inning deficit during one of the most memorable midgame meltdowns in baseball history, the Dodgers used eighth-inning sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts to beat New York 7-6 on Wednesday night.

    “In spring training this is what we said we were going to do and we did it,” Betts proclaimed, champagne stinging his eyes.

    Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning for New York. Alex Verdugo’s RBI single chased Jack Flaherty in the second, and Giancarlo Stanton’s third-inning homer against Ryan Brasier built a 5-0 Yankees lead.

    In the dugout, the Dodgers remained focused.

    “We were like just get one, chip away, chip away,” Freeman said.

    Errors by Judge in center and Anthony Volpe at shortstop, combined with pitcher Gerrit Cole failing to cover first on Betts’ grounder, helped Los Angeles score five unearned runs in the fifth.

    Of the 234 teams to trail by five or more runs in a Series game, the Dodgers became just the seventh to win.

    “This is going to sting forever,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I’m heartbroken.”

    After Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly put the Yankees back ahead 6-5, the Dodgers loaded the bases against losing pitcher Tommy Kahnle in the eighth before the sacrifice flies off Luke Weaver.

    Judge doubled off winner Blake Treinen with one out in the bottom half and Chisholm walked. Manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound with Treinen at 37 pitches.

    “I looked in his eyes. I said how you feeling? How much more you got?” Roberts recalled. “He said: `I want it.’ I trust him.”

    Treinen retired Stanton on a flyout and struck out Anthony Rizzo.

    Walker Buehler, making his first relief appearance since his rookie season in 2018, pitched a perfect ninth for his first major league save.

    When Buehler struck out Verdugo to end the game, the Dodgers poured onto the field to celebrate between the mound and first base, capping a season in which they led the big leagues with 98 wins.

    With several thousand Dodgers fans remaining in a mostly empty stadium, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred presented the trophy on a platform quickly erected over second base.

    Ohtani, the Dodgers’ record-setting $700 million signing and baseball’s first 50-homer, 50-steal player, went 2 for 19 with no RBIs and had one single after separating his left shoulder during a stolen base attempt in Game 2. Ohtani went through the clubhouse pouring champagne on teammates and having it sprayed on him

    “We were able to get through the regular season, I think, because of the strength of this team, this organization,” he said through a translator. “The success of the postseason is very similar.”

    Freeman hit a two-run single to tie the Series record of 12 RBIs, set by Bobby Richardson over seven games in 1960, and was voted Series MVP. With the Dodgers one out from losing Friday’s opener, Freeman hit a game-ending grand slam reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s homer off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in 1988’s Game 1 that sparked Los Angeles to the title.

    The Dodgers earned their eighth championship and seventh since leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles — their first in a non-shortened season since 1988. They won a neutral-site World Series against Tampa Bay in 2020 after a 60-game regular season and couldn’t have a parade because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    These Dodgers of Ohtani, Freeman and Betts joined the 1955 Duke Snider and Roy Campanella Boys of Summer, the Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale era that spanned the three titles from 1959-65, the Tommy Lasorda-led groups 1981 and ’88, and the Betts and Clayton Kershaw champions of 2020.

    Ending a season that started with a gambling scandal involving Ohtani’s interpreter during the opening series in South Korea, Roberts won his second championship in nine years as Dodgers manager, matching Lasorda and trailing the four of Walter Alston. The Dodgers won for the fourth time in 12 Series meetings with the Yankees.

    New York remained without a title since its record 27th in 2009. The Yankees acquired Juan Soto from San Diego in December knowing he would be eligible for free agency after the 2024 Series. The 26-year-old star went 5 for 16 with one RBI in the Series heading into what will be intensely followed bidding on the open market.

    “I’ll be open to listen to every single team,” Soto said. “I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that, so I’m going to be available to all 30 teams.”

    Judge finished 4 for 18 with three RBIs.

    “You can’t give a good team like that extra outs,” Judge said. “It starts with me there in the line drive coming in, misplay that. So that doesn’t happen then I think we got a different story tonight.”

    Cole didn’t allow a hit until Kiké Hernández singled leading off the fifth. Judge, who an inning earlier made a leaping catch at the left-center wall to deny Freeman an extra-base hit, dropped Tommy Edman’s fly to center. Volpe then bounced a throw to third on Will Smith’s grounder, allowing the Dodgers to load the bases with no outs.

    Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, and Betts hit a grounder to Rizzo — a slow grounder by a Mookie turned the 1986 World Series, by the Mets’ Mookie Wilson against Boston.

    Cole didn’t cover first, pointing at Rizzo, who didn’t charge because he was afraid the spinning ball might get past him. Betts outraced Rizzo to the bag.

    “I took a bad angle to the ball,” Cole said. “I wasn’t sure really off the bat how hard he hit it. … By the time the ball got by me, I was not in a position to cover first.”

    Freeman followed with a two-run single and Teoscar Hernández hit a tying two-run double.

    “When you’re given extra outs and you capitalize in that kind of game, that’s huge,” Freeman said. “For us to get it back to even, you could just feel the momentum just coming along.”

    Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly off Brusdar Graterol put the Yankees ahead 6-5, but the Dodgers rallied one last time in the eighth after Kiké Hernández singled off Kahnle leading off, Edman followed with an infield hit, and Smith walked on four pitches.

    “We faced every adversity possible and we overcame every single one,” Freeman said, who won his second title after 2021 with Atlanta, and rebounded from a sprained ankle to homer in each of the first four Series games.

    Purchased by Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012, the Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman from Tampa Bay to head their baseball operations two years later. He boosted the front office with a multitude of analytics and performance science staff, and ownership supplied the cash.

    Los Angeles went on an unprecedented $1.25 billion spending spree last offseason on deals with Ohtani, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton, and outfielder Teoscar Hernández. Much of the money was future obligations that raised the Dodgers’ deferred compensation to $915.5 million owed from 2028-44.

    Faced with injuries, the Dodgers acquired Flaherty, Edman and reliever Michael Kopech ahead of the trade deadline, and all became important cogs in the title run. The additions boosted payroll to $266 million, third behind the Mets and the Yankees, plus a projected $43 million luxury tax.

    Los Angeles will celebrate with a parade Friday on what would have been the 64th birthday for Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela, who died three days before the Series opener.

    “It’s going to be emotional for all of us,” Roberts said.

    UP NEXT

    Los Angeles opens its spring schedule on Feb. 20 against the Chicago Cubs at Camelback Ranch, and the Yankees start the next day against Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida.

  • Yankee Stadium fans ejected after one pries ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove at World Series

    Yankee Stadium fans ejected after one pries ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove at World Series

    NEW YORK (AP) — Two fans at Yankee Stadium were ejected from Game 4 of the World Series after one pried a foul ball out of the glove of Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts on Tuesday night.

    Betts leaped at the wall in foul territory and initially caught Gleyber Torres’ pop up in the first inning, but a fan in the first row with a gray Yankees’ road jersey grabbed Betts’ glove with both hands and pulled the ball out. Another fan grabbed Betts’ non-glove hand.

    Betts reacted angrily, and Torres was immediately called out on fan interference.

    “When it comes to the person in play, it doesn’t matter,” Betts said. “We lost. It’s irrelevant. I’m fine. He’s fine. Everything’s cool. We lost the game and that’s what I’m kind of focused on. We got to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.”

    The Dodgers had a two-run lead at the time on Freddie Freeman’s two-run homer, but the Dodgers were unable to complete a sweep and took an 11-4 loss to the Yankees.

    “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Dodgers rookie pitcher Ben Casparius. “It’s pretty interesting. It was obviously very early in the game so I think it kind of set the tone.”

    It was the second time Torres had an at-bat impacted by fan interference this World Series. With two outs in the ninth inning of Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, Torres hit a fly ball to left field, and a fan reached over and caught the ball. Torres was awarded a double.

    Torres later hit a three-run homer to right field for New York’s final runs.

  • ‘The Simpsons’ will be part of Monday Night Football alternate broadcast on Dec. 9

    ‘The Simpsons’ will be part of Monday Night Football alternate broadcast on Dec. 9

    BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Ay, Caramba! Bart and Homer Simpson, meet “Monday Night Football.”

    The Dec. 9 Monday night game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys will also air from Atoms Stadium in Springfield as part of an alternate telecast.

    “The Simpsons Funday Football” telecast will be streamed on ESPN+ and Disney+ while the game airs on ESPN and ABC.

    This is the second year ESPN has done an alternate broadcast for an NFL game. It used the characters from “Toy Story” for last year’s Sunday morning game from London between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars.

    In this iteration, Bart will team up with the Bengals while Homer joins the Cowboys. Others Simpsons characters, including Marge, Lisa and Maggie, will also be featured.

    Producers for “The Simpsons” will also have original content for the telecast that will be utilized before, during and after the game.

    ESPN has been successful with alternate broadcasts of NFL games, including the “ManningCast” during “Monday Night Football” and playoff games.

    The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players’ movements in sync with what is happening in real time on the field. That’s done through player-tracking data enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats system and Beyond Sports.

  • Freeman and Buehler lead Dodgers past slumping Yankees 4-2 for 3-0 advantage in World Series

    Freeman and Buehler lead Dodgers past slumping Yankees 4-2 for 3-0 advantage in World Series

    NEW YORK (AP) — After all that buildup, it’s been all Dodgers so far.

    Freddie Freeman homered for the third straight game and Walker Buehler pitched another World Series gem as Los Angeles beat the slumping New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night for a 3-0 lead in the Fall Classic.

    With superstar Shohei Ohtani playing despite a partially dislocated left shoulder, the Dodgers moved within one victory of a surprising sweep in this much-hyped matchup between traditional powers.

    “One more win. That’s all I care about right now,” Freeman said.

    Teoscar Hernández threw out a runner at home plate with a pinpoint peg from left field. Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández each delivered an RBI single, and the Dodgers chased Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt in the third inning.

    Buehler and six relievers combined on a five-hitter for Los Angeles, on the cusp of its second championship in five years and the eighth in franchise history.

    “Walker Buehler, he’s been doing this his whole career in big games, big moments,” Freeman said. “Steps up when you need him.”

    Freeman’s two-run shot three batters in gave him a home run in five consecutive World Series games dating to 2021 with Atlanta, matching a major league record set by George Springer with Houston.

    Looking much healthier after a sprained right ankle slowed him earlier this postseason, Freeman connected for the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history to win a dramatic opener in Los Angeles.

    Since then, it’s been a one-sided fight.

    Game 4 is Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Down to three healthy starters, the Dodgers plan their fourth bullpen game of this postseason. Rookie right-hander Luis Gil goes for New York.

    The only team in big league history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series was the Boston Red Sox against the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series.

    “Hopefully we can go be this amazing story and shock the world,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “But right now it’s about trying to get a lead, trying to grab a game, and force another one, and then on from there. But we’ve got to grab one first.”

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts helped spark that stunning Red Sox comeback with a pivotal stolen base.

    “Don’t talk about that. Wrong guy. Way too early,” he said. “I don’t want to divulge any secrets, but from the other side, I just think that we have got to stay focused, stay urgent.”

    In the 11 previous World Series meetings between these old October rivals, the lone sweep was by the Dodgers in 1963 behind Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.

    That was the only other time the Dodgers had a 3-0 lead in a World Series.

    New York hasn’t been swept in a Fall Classic since 1976 by the Cincinnati Reds. But on all five occasions they fell behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series, the Yankees lost Game 4.

    Los Angeles has won seven World Series games in a row against the Yankees dating to its 1981 crown.

    This one marked the first Series game at Yankee Stadium since New York clinched its 27th title in 2009 against Philadelphia. But a return home didn’t help skidding Aaron Judge and the punchless Bronx Bombers, held to four runs and nine hits in the past two games.

    New York didn’t score until Alex Verdugo’s two-run homer off Michael Kopech with two outs in the ninth inning. Kopech then retired Gleyber Torres on a grounder to end it.

    Buehler allowed two hits in five innings. His only previous win this year during an injury-interrupted season was May 18 against Cincinnati.

    The two-time All-Star improved to 4-4 in 18 career postseason starts, including a 2-0 record with a 0.50 ERA in three World Series outings. He has yielded one run and seven hits with 22 strikeouts over 18 innings in those assignments — Game 3s against Boston (2018), Tampa Bay (2020) and the Yankees.

    “It’s weird. For me, I think the playoffs, big games, that’s always been the only thing I really cared about,” Buehler said. “I was kind of awful all year. I think once you get to the playoffs, the adrenaline, I think whatever fear I had about my elbow or trying to throw a certain pitch or whatever goes away, because it’s all now, it’s all go. It’s helped me I think.”

    After the Yankees struggled at the plate during two losses in Los Angeles, Boone decided against any major changes to the lineup.

    New York players held a short meeting in the afternoon, and a recording from late Yankees public-address announcer Bob Sheppard introduced five-time World Series champion Derek Jeter when he threw out a ceremonial first pitch. Bronx-born rapper Fat Joe revved up the sold-out crowd of 49,368 with a pregame performance on the infield.

    But it was the Dodgers who started fast.

    Schmidt walked Ohtani on four pitches to begin the game. One out later, Freeman sent a 1-2 cutter 355 feet into the lower deck in right field for his 13th career postseason homer.

    He joined Yankees outfielder Hank Bauer (1958) and Giants slugger Barry Bonds (2002) as the only players to go deep in the first three games of a World Series.

    “When you come into a road park, you want to try to strike early and quiet the crowd, and we were able to do that in the first inning,” Freeman said.

    Ohtani finished 0 for 3 with that walk and was grazed on the foot by a pitch. He grimaced after several swings and clutched his collar with his left hand even when taking a lead off first base to protect his ailing shoulder.

    But he got through the game just fine.

    “The pain has subsided, so I felt pretty good about it,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I was told to wear a device that keeps my shoulder warm. So during the (pregame) ceremony and throughout the game, I was wearing that per recommended by the trainers. The reason why I was holding onto myself when I was running is to make sure that I wouldn’t use that same shoulder arm if I were to slide.”

    No. 9 batter Tommy Edman drew another four-pitch walk from Schmidt leading off the third and scored on Betts’ bloop single. Kiké Hernández added an RBI single in the sixth.

    Schmidt walked four over 2 2/3 innings in his third postseason start. He lost his fifth consecutive decision dating to a May 16 win at Minnesota.

    New York nailed a runner at home plate when Edman attempted a safety squeeze in the fourth, but the Dodgers flashed some sensational defense to stomp out any Yankees momentum.

    Betts made a diving grab in right field after Giancarlo Stanton doubled with one out in the fourth. Teoscar Hernández then fired up all his teammates with a perfect 94 mph throw to the plate on Anthony Volpe’s single, cutting down Stanton to preserve a 3-0 cushion.

    UP NEXT

    Gil (15-7, 3.50 ERA) has made one postseason start, permitting two runs over four innings for a no-decision in Game 4 of the ALCS at Cleveland.

    He won seven straight starts before a no-decision against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium on June 9, when he gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-4 win by New York.

  • No. 18 Mississippi and Oklahoma meet with both slumping teams seeking rebound wins

    No. 18 Mississippi and Oklahoma meet with both slumping teams seeking rebound wins

    Mississippi and Oklahoma are both coming off frustrating losses, but they happened in much different fashion.

    The 18th-ranked Rebels (5-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) enter Saturday’s game having lost two of their last three games, by only a field goal apiece. The Sooners (4-3, 1-3) have dropped three of four, including two straight blowouts amid sputtering efforts that led to an offensive coordinator change.

    It’s Ole Miss that is still harboring hopes of making the newly expanded College Football Playoff, even if there’s no margin for error remaining after a 29-26 overtime loss to No. 8 LSU and a 20-17 defeat to Kentucky.

    “We’re just going to get ready to bounce back this week and go out there and play a dominant game against Oklahoma,” Rebels linebacker Chris Paul Jr. said.

    The Sooners are trying to get the offense jump-started with a second change at starting quarterback and an offensive coordinator switch. Coach Brent Venables fired Seth Littrell the day after a 35-9 loss to South Carolina with the offense ranking last in the SEC, averaging 288.1 yards per game.

    That followed a 34-3 loss to then-No. 1 Texas.

    Venables didn’t mince words, saying the Sooners have “been an abomination on offense this year.”

    Co-offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley will take over as the primary play caller and face a big challenge. The Rebels lead the nation in rush defense, giving up an average of 66.6 yards a game, and are second in scoring defense (10.6 points per game).

    “One of the most dominant defenses in all of college football this year,” Venables said, calling them “very disruptive, very well coached, disciplined.”

    Arnold’s second chance

    Quarterback Jackson Arnold is back as Oklahoma’s starter after Michael Hawkins Jr.’s turnover problems. Arnold was benched after starting the first four games and has 763 yards with eight touchdowns against three interceptions.

    “The quarterback can really sling the ball,” Paul said.

    Finley’s turn

    Finley has a brief history with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. Finley was the Rebels’ passing coordinator and tight ends coach in 2020.

    “When you have a play-caller, ultimately everything goes through him,” Venables said. “He makes those decisions on what we either are or aren’t going to do, but there will be a real strong collaboration.

    “Whatever we have been doing ain’t been working, so with a fresh start for everybody, we’re hopeful that we’ll get a little bit better.”

    Kiffin doesn’t expect wholesale changes in play calls. “You can’t reinvent the wheel in six days,” he said.

    Chasing win milestones

    Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart (23-9) could tie for the most wins by a starting Rebels passer in the modern era going back to 1968. Kiffin would become the fastest Ole Miss coach to reach 40 wins, beating John Vaught by two games if he wins.

    Turnover battle

    In the Sooners’ four wins this season, they have outscored opponents 56-6 off turnovers. In their three losses, they have been outscored 41-0 off turnovers. The Rebels are among five SEC teams tied for 28th nationally in turnover margin.

    Questionable receivers

    The teams’ leading receivers are both listed as questionable for the game on the SEC’s availability report.

    Oklahoma’s Deion Burks has been out for the past month with a soft tissue injury. The Purdue transfer still leads the team with 26 catches for 201 yards.

    The Rebels’ Tre Harris, who is the nation’s leading receiver, exited the last game two weeks ago against LSU with a lower-body injury.

  • No. 8 LSU visits No. 14 Texas A&M in a matchup of the last two teams undefeated in SEC play

    No. 8 LSU visits No. 14 Texas A&M in a matchup of the last two teams undefeated in SEC play

    COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — LSU coach Brian Kelly didn’t need to be reminded of how tough it is to play at Kyle Field as his eighth-ranked Tigers prepared for Saturday night’s visit to No. 14 Texas A&M in a matchup of the last teams unbeaten in Southeastern Conference play.

    He only had to think back two years to his first season with the Tigers when they were ranked No. 6 before the unranked Aggies upset them 38-23 in College Station to dash their College Football Playoff hopes.

    “Yeah, we learned a lot about the different venues in this league,” Kelly said. “I think when you go to A&M, a lot like coming to Tiger Stadium, they kind of separate themselves and you have to prepare for that kind of environment and block out those distractions because if you don’t they will affect the outcome of certain games.”

    Both teams have won six straight games after losing their openers and became the only undefeated teams in the SEC after Georgia’s win at Texas last Saturday. LSU is 3-0 in SEC play and Texas A&M is 4-0.

    The Aggies, who are in their first season under coach Mike Elko after Jimbo Fisher’s firing, are looking for a statement victory as they chase their first appearance in the SEC championship game.

    “It’s going to be an opportunity for us to go out there and show we belong on this stage and take this program where we all thought we wanted it to go,” Elko said. “They’re a great team. We’re a talented team. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

    The Aggies are expecting a crowd of more than 100,000 as they look for their second straight home win over a top 10 team after a 41-10 rout of then-No. 9 Missouri on Oct. 5.

    It will be LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s second trip to Kyle Field after visiting as the backup in that 2022 game. He’s trying to focus on his team and how the Tigers can get better this week.

    “Obviously we acknowledge it’s going to be a tough environment — a tough place to play,” he said. “It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be exciting … it’s real easy to get caught up in the extracurriculars of what this game means and all the different things that play into it. We can think about those all week and then lose the football game and it won’t matter.”

    No cupcakes

    Kelly warns against judging Nussmeier by his completion rate of about 55% (69 of 125) during the Tigers’ three SEC games.

    Kelly said LSU’s passing scheme this season tends to favor a progression of downfield reads, which can make the Tigers hard to defend even if some of those throws are harder to complete than shorter screen passes or checkdowns.

    “You’re not getting some of the cupcake throws that keep the chains moving in some other offenses,” Kelly said. “So, percentages tend to dip a little bit because of that. But we feel like that is a better fit for Garrett in terms of what he does. And it’s worked pretty good for our offense.”

    Indeed, Nussmeier’s 317.4 yards passing per game ranks seventh nationally and he leads the SEC with 18 touchdowns passes.

    Running Aggies

    The Aggies, led by Le’Veon Moss, rank 13th in the country by averaging 218.6 yards rushing. The LSU defense ranks 33rd in allowing just 114.9 yards rushing per game.

    The Tigers gave up just 38 yards rushing in last week’s win over Arkansas and held UCLA to a season low 14 on Sept. 21. Moss ranks second in the SEC by averaging 96.3 yards a game and has eight rushing touchdowns.

    Procedure penalties

    Knowing it will be playing in one of the tougher road venues in college football, LSU’s offense has been examining a slew of pre-snap penalties that occurred at Arkansas last week.

    “I don’t know that we have to freak out about it and act like this is some new thing that’s going to kill us,” Nussmeier said. “At the same time, it was unacceptable. So, we’ve got to fix it.”

    Tough running

    Freshman Caden Durham, LSU’s leading rusher, is not entirely healthy. He leads the Tigers with 382 yards rushing and eight total touchdowns in six games since not receiving a carry in a season-opening loss to Southern California.

    Kelly said Durham is “playing at about 80 to 85%” because of a foot injury during a victory over South Alabama on Sept. 28.

    “Injuries are hard to deal with at any position,” Kelly continued. “When you’re a running back and you’ve got an injury and you’re still fighting through it, I think it says a lot about the young man and I’m really proud of him.”

     

  • Yankees and Dodgers meet in World Series for 12th time in matchup of Broadway and Hollywood

    Yankees and Dodgers meet in World Series for 12th time in matchup of Broadway and Hollywood

    NEW YORK (AP) — Broadway vs. Hollywood. Subway vs. Freeway. Judge vs. Ohtani.

    New York neighbors who became cross-country rivals, the Yankees and Dodgers renew their starry struggle in the World Series for the first time in 43 years.

    “I’ve always had that sense being here that there’s that underlying, craving for that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday. “The stars will be out. The eyeballs will be watching and, hopefully, we can deliver on a great Series.”

    Two of baseball’s most successful teams face each other starting Friday at Dodger Stadium, the Yankees coming off their 41st American League pennant and the Dodgers their 25th National League championship. New York is seeking its 28th World Series title but first since 2009, the Dodgers their eighth and second in a five-year span.

    “When you’re playing for the Dodgers and playing for the Yankees, it better feel different,” LA manager Dave Roberts said at Yankee Stadium last June. “If not, you better do something different for a profession.”

    Yankees pinstripes vs. Dodgers Pantone 294. The Bronx Bombers vs. the Dem Bums’ descendants. The granite-and-limestone of new Yankee Stadium on chilly autumn nights vs. Dodger Stadium in sunny Chavez Ravine, with the San Gabriel Mountains beyond the pavilions.

    “It’s kind of what the people wanted, what we all wanted,” Dodgers star Mookie Betts said. “It’s going to be a battle of two good teams, a lot of long flights across the country.”

    New York is 8-3 against the Dodgers in the most frequent World Series matchup, including 6-1 against Brooklyn and 2-2 since the rivalry became Big Apple against Tinseltown.

    Mickey Owen, Al Gionfriddo, Cookie Lavagetto, Sandy Amoros, Johnny Podres, Don Larsen, Sandy Koufax and Reggie Jackson created indelible images in the matchup, which started in 1941 with one of the wackiest World Series turns.

    Trailing 2-1 in the Series, Brooklyn led 4-3 with two outs in the ninth inning at Ebbets Field when Tommy Henrich swung and missed at strike three from Hugh Casey. The ball bounced away from Owen and rolled toward the Dodgers dugout as Henrich reached on the dropped third strike. Joe DiMaggio singled, Charlie Keller hit a two-run double and Joe Gordon added another two-run double later in the inning as the Yankees won 7-4 and went on to win the title in five games.

    Lavagetto’s two-out, pinch walk-off double in the ninth ended Bill Bevens’ no-hit bid in 1947’s Game 4 and two games later Gionfriddo robbed DiMaggio of a tying three-run homer.

    New York beat the Dodgers again in 1949, 1952 and 1953, frustrating the fans in Flatbush, but Brooklyn finally won the title in 1955 when Podres pitched a Game 7 shutout at Yankee Stadium and Gil Hodges drove in both runs. Amoros preserved the lead when he made a running catch of Yogi Berra’s sixth-inning drive in the left-field corner with two on and relayed to shortstop Pee Wee Reese, who threw to Hodges at first and doubled up Gil McDougald. Those players were celebrated in Roger Kahn’s 1972 book “The Boys of Summer.”

    Larsen pitched the World Series’ only perfect game in 1956’s fifth game in the Bronx, Berra jumping into his arms after the final out, and the Yankees won Game 7 behind Johnny Kucks’ three-hit shutout in what turned out to be the last World Series game at Ebbets Field.

    Walter O’Malley moved the Dodgers to California after the 1957 season, and Koufax had an interlocking “LA” on his cap instead of a “B” when he struck out a then-Series record 15 in the 1963 opener at Yankee Stadium. The rivalry didn’t resume until 1977 with the first of three matchups in a five-year span.

    Jackson’s three home runs led the Yankees to a clinching win in 1977’s Game 6. The Yankees won another six-game Series the following year, highlighted by third baseman Graig Nettles’ diving stops on Reggie Smith, Steve Garvey and Davey Lopes.

    Los Angeles lost the first two games in the Bronx in 1981, and then won four in a row — capped by a 9-2 victory that had Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda dancing. The defeat prompted Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, his hand bandaged after an alleged fight with Dodgers fans in a hotel elevator, to issue a written apology “to the people of New York and to the fans of the New York Yankees everywhere.”

    Both teams feel the history created by their predecessors.

    “You put that jersey on and those pinstripes, it just feels different,” Yankees slugger Juan Soto said.

    Shohei Ohtani and Los Angeles took two of three when they met Aaron Judge and New York in a much-hyped series in June.

    Roberts is reminded of the history when he approaches Dodger Stadium.

    “I can’t believe I’m driving up Vin Scully Way, when I go to work,” he said. “It’s overwhelming, but I try not to let my head go there too often; I just try to do my job.”

  • Natchez High puts the ‘home’ in Homecoming as events generate more than $36K

     

    NATCHEZ — The homecoming game Natchez High School Bulldogs played last Friday against North Pike raked in more than $36,000 at the gate and filled Natchez with thousands of alumni from other states.

    Between homecoming parade entry, gate entry and “Tent City” entry where tailgating is held, the Friday activities generated $36,172.11.

    The Bulldogs entered the game with a 4-2 record, coming off a hard-fought win against Hazlehurst to end a two-game losing streak. The record-breaking attendance at Friday’s game saw the Bulldogs win 21-17 against the Jaguars.

    Last year, Natchez saw revenue of $29,659.50 for the entire football season and Friday’s game more than doubled the overall revenue this season, said Tony Fields, who is Natchez Adams School District’s public engagement coordinator and interim director of student affairs.

    So far with gate charges and tailgating fees, the district has seen $64,641.36 in revenue with one more home game left to play on Thursday, Nov. 7, against Brookhaven High School.

    “We did a great job as a team, as a district and as a community with homecoming,” Fields said.

    The success at last Friday’s game is largely due to the vast attendance at Tent City, where many alumni choose to celebrate their class reunions. This year marked a milestone for the Class of 1994, Fields’ graduating class, which celebrated its 30th class reunion during Natchez High’s homecoming celebration.

    “Not only did this impact us, but this impacted the entire community,” Fields said. “There was not a hotel room to be had in town, all of the restaurants the whole weekend were packed. They ran out of food. They ran out of all kinds of things everywhere.”

    However, Friday’s homecoming game attendance showed that no rounded number milestone is needed for many alumni to travel to Natchez to unite and have a good time.

    For the last two or three years, the homecoming game tailgate has grown in popularity and has become a celebration of coming home for Bulldog alumni from all over.

    The Class of 1990 — the first graduating class of Natchez High School when South Natchez and North Natchez combined schools because of a judge’s order to desegregate — reunited at Tent City and members reminisced the close-knit bonds they’ve forged as a class through the challenges of consolidating schools.

    “When the transition happened, I became friends with a lot of people I didn’t know. I didn’t think it would work, but it absolutely did,” said Dedrick Harris, Fields’ brother and a Class of 1990 graduate.

    Harris said the attendance at Friday’s game was unbelievable.

    “I haven’t seen anything like this in Natchez,” he said. “It’s an unbelievable turnout. I’m seeing folks I haven’t seen in 30 years — hundreds of them. When I was in school, they didn’t have things like this. I’d like to give a shoutout to my brother Tony Fields for putting this thing together. This is tremendous and is something, I think, that can grow legs and become bigger and bigger.”

    Delanius Trask, another 1990 graduate, said he drove to Natchez from Kansas for the homecoming celebration and met the younger classmen as one of the “original Bulldogs.”

    “Our year was based on the movie with Denzel Washington, Remember the Titans. When we merged, the two football teams, the two basketball teams, everyone who thought they had secured a starting position as a junior going into their senior year had to replan and reposition themselves to compete for the position we had. During those years, that was a big thing for us — to start over.”

    Though he was on the football team, Trask described this transition as “amazing.” 

    “My class was receptive to joining the other classes from South Natchez that we knew nothing about. As a former student of North Natchez, we invited our classmates from South Natchez here to celebrate in unity. It’s a great thing,” he said.

    Alumni and students filled the stadium hours before the 7 p.m. kick-off, Superintendent Zandra McDonald said Tuesday during the NASD school board meeting.

    “If you passed by the complex Friday, you saw that around 4 or 4:30 p.m. the entire complex was filled with alumni and community members,” McDonald said. “We had people here from the Class of 1984, North Natchez and South Natchez Rams, Colonels, Bulldogs and I think I even saw a Tiger in the crowd. Yes, Jefferson County joined the Bulldogs at the tailgate.”

    Homecoming itself also encouraged a wide attendance at Friday’s game, with an entire week of homecoming-related activities to hype it up. Throughout the week, students enjoyed themed dress-up days, pep rallies, battle of the classes and a coronation. Friday’s homecoming parade was at least “an hour and one-half long”— one of the largest ever — with a large number of cars and buses and floats showcasing the royal courts, homecoming courts, and alumni classes, McDonald said.

    “It was a wonderful week in Bulldog Country,” she said while thanking administrators “for creating a wonderful experience at Natchez High School, Natchez Middle School and Natchez Early College” for homecoming week.

    Planning for safe homecoming activities started in July, she added.

    “We have worked with Emergency Management, local law enforcement agencies and the mayor’s office to ensure that we were able to host a family-friendly, safe homecoming experience. … I can say unequivocally that is what occurred on campus. … It was a marvelous experience, not only for the adults but also for our students.”

    The post Natchez High puts the ‘home’ in Homecoming as events generate more than $36K appeared first on Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper.

    This article was written by The Natchez Democrat. To view the original article on the Natchez Democrat’s site, Click Here

  • Louisiana governor supports bringing back tradition of having a live tiger at LSU football games

    Louisiana governor supports bringing back tradition of having a live tiger at LSU football games

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. Jeff Landry confirmed his support on Tuesday of restarting the tradition of bringing Louisiana State University’s live tiger mascot onto the football field ahead of home games.

    It has been nearly a decade since a Bengal Tiger has been rolled out in a cage under the lights of Death Valley, LSU’s famed Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge where the school’s football team plays. University officials have not publicly said whether they are willing to revive the tradition, but that didn’t stop Landry from sharing his own opinion when asked by reporters.

    “I think the opportunity to bring our mascot back onto that field is an unbelievable opportunity,” Landry said during an unrelated news conference on Tuesday.

    People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has vehemently objected to the idea. In early September, the organization sent a letter to Landry urging against the tradition, describing it as cruel and dangerous to the mascot’s welfare and adding that tigers are “naturally solitary animals who don’t belong in rowdy football stadiums.”

    “Going back to the bad old days of using a wild animal as a sideline sideshow in 2024 is the last thing LSU should do, and PETA is appealing to Gov. Landry to drop this boneheaded idea,” the letter read.

    On Tuesday, Landry said that “everybody that has some anxiety over this needs to calm down.”

    The Associated Press emailed a spokesperson for LSU, the athletics department and the university’s School of Veterinary Medicine for a comment, but it did not receive an immediate response.

    For years, the school’s live mascot would ride through the stadium in a travel trailer “topped by the LSU cheerleaders” before home games, based on information about the mascot on the LSU Athletics’ webpage. Before entering the stadium, the cage, with the tiger nicknamed Mike in it, would be parked next to the opponent’s locker room — forcing the visiting team to pass it.

    Some of the live mascots even traveled with the team — brought to area games, the 1985 Sugar Bowl and the Superdome in New Orleans in 1991.

    Following the death of the school’s tiger, Mike VI, in 2016, LSU announced that future Mike the Tigers would no longer be brought onto the field. According to the school’s website, Mike VI, who died from a rare form of cancer, had attended 33 of 58 home between 2007 and 2015.

    While the university’s current live mascot, Mike VII — an 8-year-old and 345-pound tiger that was donated to the school from a sanctuary in 2017 — is not brought onto the field for games, visitors can still see the tiger in his 15,000-square-foot enclosure, which is on the campus and next to the stadium.

    In the past, animal rights groups have called on LSU to stop keeping live tiger mascots. The school says it is providing a home to a tiger that needs one while also working to educate people about “irresponsible breeding and the plight of tigers kept illegally and/or inappropriately in captivity in the U.S.,” according to the athletics’ website.

    Louisiana is not the only school that is home to a live mascot. Other examples include Yale University’s Handsome Dan, a bulldog; University of Texas at Austin’s Bevo the Longhorn, who appears on the field before football games; and University of Colorado’s Ralphie the Buffalo, who runs across the field with its handlers before kickoff.

  • Rookie Jayden Daniels nearly flawless for Commanders in 38-33 win over Bengals

    Rookie Jayden Daniels nearly flawless for Commanders in 38-33 win over Bengals

    CINCINNATI (AP) — Jayden Daniels stood in the pocket against an all-out blitz, took a hit from Bengals safety Geno Stone and launched a perfect ball toward Terry McLaurin in the corner of the end zone. McLaurin hauled it in and kept both feet in bounds while being tackled.

    In his third NFL game and first in prime time, Daniels couldn’t miss.

    The No. 2 overall draft pick threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score in a remarkably efficient performance, and the Commanders stunned Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals 38-33 on Monday night.

    “He’s a real cool customer, and he’s got a real poise about him,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said of his quarterback.

    Daniels finished 21 of 23 for 254 yards, setting an NFL rookie record for completion percentage at 91.3%. The Commanders (2-1) scored on every possession except for kneel-downs at the end of each half and have not punted or turned the ball over in their last two games.

    “That’s crazy,” Daniels said of the record. He said he couldn’t remember being that efficient in his passing at any level.

    Neither Washington nor Cincinnati punted or had a turnover, the first time that’s happened in a game in the Super Bowl era.

    Burrow threw for a season-best 324 yards and three scores, but the Bengals (0-3) simply couldn’t keep up. Cincinnati is off to its worst start since dropping its first 11 games on the way to a 2-14 finish in 2019.

    Daniels’ first career touchdown pass was a 1-yard toss to eligible tackle Trent Scott to start the second half, the second straight game in which the Bengals gave up a TD to a lineman.

    “They were all discombobulated on defense,” Daniels said. “We got a sneaky one.”

    The Commanders were clinging to a 31-26 lead when Daniels connected with McLaurin from 27 yards out with 2:10 remaining for the game-sealing score.

    “I put in the work,” said Daniels, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner at LSU. “What’s done in the dark will always come to light. I just know that I prepare for these moments week in and week out. I just have to go out there and play football and execute.”

    In the first half, Washington got rushing touchdowns from Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler and Daniels.

    McLaurin had four receptions for 100 yards.

    The Bengals couldn’t reach the end zone on three first-half drives, with Evan McPherson kicking two field goals and missing another.

    Meanwhile, Washington didn’t have a drive that fell short of the end zone until early in the fourth quarter, when Austin Seibert kicked a 42-yard field goal to make it 31-20.

    Cincinnati got within five points on Burrow’s second TD pass to Ja’Marr Chase, but the 2-point conversion failed.

    Daniels then led a drive that ate up 7 1/2 minutes and ended with the toss to McLaurin, which had a completion probability of 10.3%, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

    Cincinnati scored on a 1-yard run by Zack Moss to cut the deficit to 38-33 with 40 seconds left, but McPherson’s onside kick was unsuccessful.

    Chase had six receptions for 118 yards and two TDs for the Bengals, who also got a touchdown catch by Andrei Iosivas.

    “I knew that would be a difficult football team,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “They scored on every possession last week, and they scored on every possession this week. It was a dangerous team. They were ready for us. They dictated the flow of the game.”

    Daniels the competitor

    Daniels said he wanted to show his competitive spirit in his first prime-time game.

    “I want to compete on a high level,” he said. “I’m just blessed to go out there each and every Sunday and do things that a lot of people in the world can’t do. And Monday, or whenever we play.”

    Injuries

    Commanders RB Ekeler left in the second half with a concussion.

    Bengals OT Trent Brown was carted off the field with a right knee injury in the first half and didn’t return.

    Up next

    Commanders: At Arizona on Sunday.

    Bengals: At Carolina on Sunday.