Scott Cordischi On Sports: A Weekend Trifecta
Saturday, September 25, 2010
With the weekend upon us, here are some quick hits on some important sports topics:
The shame of it all is that these final six games between the Sox and Yankees have been rendered virtually meaningless. I say ”virtually” because Boston still can play the role of spoiler to a certain degree.
Last night’s Boston win over New York paired with Tampa’s victory over Seattle lifted the Rays back into first place in the American League east by a half game. To make matters worse for the Yankees, they now have a worse record than the Central Division-leading Minnesota Twins as well. This could mean that the Yankees might not have home field advantage in any round of the upcoming playoffs.
If the postseason were to start today, Minnesota would have the home field advantage in the ALDS against New York. If the Yankees were to win that series and meet Tampa in the ALCS, the Rays would have the luxury of home field advantage as well.
Also keep in mind that the National League won the All-Star game this year which means that they will have the home field advantage in this year’s World Series.
It’s amazing to think that the Yankees find themselves in such a precarious position given the fact that they have had the best record in all of Major League Baseball for almost the entire season.
Son of Bum – It never seems to be good news when an owner of a pro sports franchise comes out publicly with a vote of confidence for the head coach. That’s what happened in Dallas yesterday when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that Wade Phillips was not in danger of losing his job.
The fact that Jones is answering these questions is an indication that things are not well in Big D. The Cowboys are off to a disappointing 0-2 start and travel to 2-0 Houston on Sunday.
Phillips has led Dallas to two division crowns in three years as head coach but this year his team was anointed as the clear favorite to win the NFC East with McNabb out of Philly, the Redskins rebuilding and the Giants having taken a few steps back from their Super Bowl greatness of a few years ago.
To make matters worse for Phillips is the fact that the Super Bowl will be played in Jones’ new 1.2 billion dollar stadium next February which many believed would include the Dallas Cowboys.
Jones can say that Phillips is safe for now and he may be telling us the truth. And there may be some truth to the idea that this Cowboys team is a bit over rated. Still, I have long been one who has felt that Phillips is part of what is holding Dallas back from making that leap to a championship contender. For that reason, I’d think twice about pledging my allegiance to the “Son of Bum” if I were Jerry Jones.
No Tiger? No Interest – The PGA Tour’s Tour Championship is taking place this weekend at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta but there is absolutely no buzz for the event. Why? Good question.
This event theoretically features the best of the best as the top 30 in the Fed Ex Cup standings make up the field. Furthermore, it culminates the race for the Fed Ex Cup which hands out an additional 10 million dollars to its champion and a five year exemption to all PGA Tour events. What golf fan wouldn’t want to tune in to watch that, right?
There are three problems that exist here. First, not having Tiger Woods in the field is a disaster. Everyone realizes that Tiger in contention is the very best thing for the PGA Tour.
The next issue is the fact that sports fans turn their attention away from golf once the NFL kicks off its season. College football rules the tube on Saturdays in the fall starting in September and the NFL dominates the ratings on Sunday. This will never change.
Finally, the race for the Fed Ex Cup and all of its intricacies is lost on the average sports fan. I am an avid golfer and PGA Tour fan and I still couldn’t explain to you how the whole system works. It is a useless concoction which the PGA Tour thought would generate excitement in the sport once football season started but they were wrong.
Sorry, Tim Finchem!
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