MLB Division Series preview 2026

 Now, the fun really starts.

On Saturday, the Division Series begin in earnest, pulling viewers away from college football, to be sure. Momentum is on the side of the Wild Card winners, but it can also be a fickle mistress...........

American League:

Yankees @ Tampa Bay: The Rays won 7 of 13 from the Bombers in the regular season. While Tampa Bay has had 5 days rest, opposite the Yankees' 2, the Yanks are hot right now. Whether or not they'll get Aaron Judge back remains to be seen as of press time.

Still, it's a 5 game series instead of best of 3, and that will favor the Yankees.

Pick: Yankees in 5.

Chicago @ Cleveland: The Guardians & White Sox jockeyed for first place all summer before Cleveland claimed the division. And, then, there is that small matter of the White Sox getting some blessings from the Vatican, and......!

Pick: Chicago in 5.

National League:

San Diego @ Milwaukee: Can the Padres sustain their current hot streak? Milwaukee, like Tampa Bay & Cleveland, has had 5 days rest, and while I doubt very seriously manager Pat Murphy will win Manager of the Year again, he will have the Brewers ready. Besides, we do need some fresh blood come the LCS.

Pick: Milwaukee in 5.

Atlanta @ Los Angeles: The Braves dismissed Philadelphia on Thursday night, as the Phillies' attempt to have Zack Wheeler piggyback behind Aaron Nola failed spectacularly. Try to watch the highlight video on YouTube, and you'll have trouble hearing the commentary. Atlanta used their ace, Chris Sale, as a closer Thursday, which sealed the Phillies' fate.

But against the defending champs? It may not matter.

Pick: Los Angeles in 4.

Of course, I could be wrong. 

Wild Card record: 3-1.

Remember the Nestea Plunge? (1970's)

 Nestle found a novel way to promote Nestea back in the 70's.

The idea was for someone to take a sip, and then fall into the water. The gimmick was known as the Nestea plunge.

In this 1977 spot, Brodie Greer (CHiPs) and Barry Van Dyke take the plunge.

Thanks for coming: three wild card series end in sweeps

 Man, that was quick.

Boston, Houston, & the Chicago Cubs were all swept out of the playoffs Wednesday, leaving Atlanta & Philadelphia to decide who gets to play the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the division round.

The Phillies forced a deciding game with a late rally against the Braves' bullpen. Kyle Schwarber & Bryce Harper homered in the 8th, and Alec Bohm added an opposite field shot in the 10th, to give the "Fightin' Phils" a 4-3 win. Game 3 is tonight at 8 pm (NBC/Peacock).

The Chicago White Sox, blessed via a letter from Pope Leo, eliminated Houston,7-3. There are rumors the Astros could move on from manager Joe Espada after 3 seasons, including 2 division titles.

The Yankees dismissed Boston, 9-2, proving they can win without star slugger Aaron Judge.

San Diego downed the Cubs, 4-1, so if TBS & Fox were hoping to get big numbers if the Cubs and their MVP candidate, Pete Crow-Armstrong, advanced, it's not happening.

At least the Padres know where they're going. They'll play Milwaukee in the division round. In the AL, it'll be another East clash between the Yanks and Tampa Bay, while Chicago will play Central rival Cleveland.

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf joked that he might actually convert to Catholicism, amused by the letter from the Pope. Well, at least we know who they're rooting for at the Vatican.......

Wild West Wednesdays: The Vote (Trackdown, 1959)

 From season 2 of Trackdown:

We all know that women weren't granted the right to vote until the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920. In this episode, the rise of the women's rights movements are dividing couples. Ellen Corby guest stars.

More examples of GOP stupidity

 Meet Congress' new Duke of Dumb.

Eric Schmitt interrogated former special prosecutor Jack Smith, and tried to claim that Smith had attended an Atlanta Hawks game when in fact Smith was not in Atlanta at all, but attending a college women's basketball game between Iowa (w/Caitlin Clark) and Maryland. Schmitt tried to accuse Smith of perjury, but that didn't work. Minnesota's Amy Klobuchar called Schmitt out for his lies.

Schmitt conceded he was wrong, but won't apologize.

Utah's Mike Lee blocked a motion to block the demolition of the Kennedy Center. Now, why would he do that?

Because he's carrying water for president Trump, who has entertained the idea of demolishing the Center just because he can't have his name on it.

How about this? Stop catering to the whims of an 80 year old man with the impulse control of an undisciplined child!

Speaking of Dumb Donald, he launched an AI generated website, America.gov, thinking it'll work nicely for him.

However, if you ask who won the 2020 election, it'll tell you it was Joe Biden, not Trump, who, six years later, still cannot bring himself to admit publicly he lost the election fair & square. Still gotta work the marks, you know. Online commenters suggested the site may need to be retooled to do what Trump wants. I doubt that very seriously, and it'll be another "failure" in the eyes of Trump, whose history of bankrupting businesses will only grow.

And he only has himself to blame.

What Mght've Been: The Court of Last Resort (1957)

 Just weeks after Perry Mason premiered on CBS, Erle Stanley Gardner brought another of his creations to television, but with a twist.

Gardner launched The Court of Last Resort first as a magazine column in 1948, then published a book by that same name in 1952. Five years later, NBC bought Court as a weekly series in which Gardner, a member of the court, would be a character, played by Paul Birch. It was a different kind of crime drama, to be sure, but the cases were all real, dramatized for television.

Unfortunately, viewers rejected this Court, and it'd resurface on ABC in repeats in the 1959-60 season.

Following is "The John Smith Case":

A concept ahead of its time on TV.

And, so, baseball's silly season begins

 By that, of course, I mean the playoffs, which begin with the Wild Card round tomorrow. The Divisional round is set to start Saturday.

Let's take a look at the Wild Cards:

American League:

Chicago @ Houston (5 pm, NBC/Peacock): The Astros held off Texas to claim the AL West, while the resurgent White Sox led the Central for a good chunk of the year before losing the division to Cleveland. You would think the Astros' experience in the playoffs would be a factor in their favor, but  their time has passed. Chicago wants to prove they're not a flash in the pan.

Pick: Chicago in 3.

Boston @ Yankees (8 pm, NBC/Peacock): A rematch from last year's 1st round, won by the Yankees, who have proven they can win without Aaron Judge. Pitching will carry the Yankees, opposite a Red Sox team that got off the mat to make it this far after dumping Alex Cora early in the season. As was the case last year, all three games are at Yankee Stadium. Boston will be lucky to move on.

Pick: Yankees in 3.

National League:

Philadelphia @ Atlanta (2 pm, NBC/Peacock): The Phillies needed to beat Tampa Bay Sunday to just get in. Atlanta reclaimed its perch atop the NL East. Philadelphia will not have any home field advantage, as their rowdy fans will have to stay home or buy bus tickets. Aside from Zack Wheeler & Christopher Sanchez, the Phils' pitching has been spotty. And they have the albatross of having Bryce Harper, who's never won a World Series.

Pick: Atlanta in 3.

Chicago @ San Diego (10 pm, Peacock; NBC picks up the game after Yankees-Red Sox): The Cubs have become media darlings thanks to MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has had a breakout season. The 2nd City would love it if both of their teams get past the 1st round. Aside from their 1-2 punch of Fernando Tatis, Jr. & Manny Machado, the Padres have an underrated offense that can surprise.

Pick: Chicago in 3.

Of course, I could be wrong.