Author: fartheroffthewall

What we really don’t know about how the 36th Breeders’ Cup, hosted by Santa Anita for the 10th time, will fall into place:
== 188 horses are pre-entered for 14 races, down from 221 last year at Churchill Downs.
== There are 11 so far the $6 million 1 ¼ mile Classic (Saturday, 5:44 p.m., Channel 4) that looks like a showdown between Bob Baffert-trained McKinzie, Code of Honor and Midnight Bisou, the filly that may instead run instead in the Distaff.
== Baffert, a 15-time winner at this event earning more than $28 million, says of the recent controversy about 34 horse fatalities at the track over the last 11 months: “It was tough on everybody … We changed some things here for the better. The surface — they are working on that. I think it was a wake-up moment for racing. We need to do a better job and I think trainers and everybody involved are being more conscientious than before. … Everything is going to be good. We’re going to get some good, positive vibes out of this whole thing.”
== How does NBC prepare for the broadcast and the track’s recent record of horses who have been euthanized? We asked.

== The two-day schedule:
Friday (all on NBCSN):
= $2 million Juvenile, 4:03 p.m.
= $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, 3:12 p.m.
= $2 million Juvenile Fillies, 2:32 p.m.
= $1 million Juvenile Turf, 1:52 p.m.
= $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, 1:12 p.m.
Saturday (all on NBCSN unless noted):
= $6 million Classic, 5:44 p.m., Channel 4
= $4 million Turf, 4:40 p.m.
= $2 million Distaff, 4 p.m.
= $2 million Mile, 3:20 p.m.
= $2 million Sprint, 2:36 p.m.
= $2 million Filly & Mare Turf, 1:54 p.m.
= $1 million Dirt Mile, 1:10 p.m. (Officially known as the Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile)
= $1 million Turf Sprint, 12:30 p.m.
= $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint, 11:55 a.m.

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What we know, and what we think we know, heading into College Football Week 10:
== Somehow, USC (5-3., 4-1) and UCLA (3-5, 3-2) control their own path toward a Pac-12 South title — win out, and they’re in the conference title game.
= For the Trojans, the critical match up against No. 7 Oregon (7-1, 5-0) (Coliseum, Saturday at 5 p.m., Channel 11, Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt) could be a preview of that Dec. 6 conference title matchup. The teams haven’t met since Sam Darnold led the Trojans to a45-20 win at the Coliseum in 2016, when Ronald Jones ran for four touchdowns.
= For the Bruins, a divisional matchup against Colorado (3-5, 1-4) (Rose Bowl, Saturday at 6 p.m., Pac 12 Network), after the Buffaloes had the Trojans on the ropes last Friday in Boulder, Colo.

Also this week in the Pac 12:
Utah at Washington, Saturday at 1 p.m., Channel 11
Oregon State at Arizona, Saturday at 1:30 p.m., Pac 12 Network
Bye: Arizona State, Cal, Stanford, Washington State

Also this week of national interest:
Thursday:
West Virginia at Baylor, 5 p.m., ESPN
Georgia Southern at Appalachian State, 5 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday:
SMU at Memphis, 4:30 p.m., Channel 7
Cincinnati at East Carolina, 4 p.m., CBSSN
Michigan at Maryland, 9 a.m., Channel 7
Virginia Tech at Notre Dame, 11:30 a.m., Channel 4
Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., 12:30 p.m., Channel 2
Army at Air Force, 12:30 p.m., CBSSN
Mississippi at Auburn, 4 p.m., ESPN
Boise State at San Jose State, 7:30 p.m., CBSSN
Miami at Florida State, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7
Bye weeks: LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State

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What we know, and what we think we know, and what the NBA season is already about just one week into it:
== The Clippers are first in the ESPN Power Rankings Week 2 and the Lakers are ranked No. 5 …
== LeBron James may have other stuff on his mind this week (see above).
== The Golden State Warriors (0-2) may not win a game all season.
== Atlanta’s Trae Young (38.5) may end up as the league’s top scorer, unless Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving (38.0) decides to score 50 or more a game every other night.

How the week unfolds for the Lakers  (2-1):
= Vs. Memphis, Staples Center, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Spectrum SportsNet
= At Dallas, Friday at 6:30 p.m., Spectrum SportsNet, ESPN
= At San Antonio, Sunday at 4 p.m., Spectrum SportsNet

How the week unfolds for the Clippers (2-1):
= Vs. Charlotte, Staples Center, Monday at 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
= At Utah, Wednesday at 7 p.m., Prime Ticket, ESPN
= Vs. San Antonio, Staples Center, Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
= Vs. Utah, Staples Center, Sunday at 6 p.m., Prime Ticket

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What we pretty much know for sure about the MLS playoffs:
== The LAFC’s journey to the Nov. 10 MLS Cup has one more hurdle — the Western Conference final against Seattle (Banc of California Stadium, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.,  ESPN). During the regular season, LAFC has never lost to Seattle in four meetings, going back to a 4-1 decision last April.  Sounders striker Raul Ruidiaz didn’t play in either match against LAFC this year due to a heel contusion, but is available now. Seattle pulled off a 1-1 draw in Seattle on April 28 as the Sounders played a man down for more than 70 minutes when midfielder Cristian Roldan got a red card.
Also this week:
Eastern Conference final: Toronto at Atlanta, Wednesday at 5 p.m., FS1

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https://twitter.com/PlanZ33/status/1187491236350853122?s=20

What we know, and what we think we know, heading into NFL Week 9:
= The Rams (5-3, winners of two in a row) get a bye week.
= The Chargers (3-5 after surviving in Chicago) have a decidedly non-home field advantage, in Carson, because Green Bay (6-1) comes into town (Sunday, 1:25 p.m., Channel 2). And the Associated Press’ Tim Dalberg has recently addressed it (see tweet above).

Finishing up Week 8:
Monday:
= Miami at Pittsburgh, 5:15 p.m., ESPN
Going into Week 9:
Thursday:
= San Francisco at Arizona, 5:20 p.m., Channel 11, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Sunday:
= Houston vs. Jacksonville at Wembley Stadium in London, 6:30 a.m., NFL Network
= In the Fox 10 a.m. window: Washington at Buffalo, Minnesota at Kansas City, Chicago at Philadelphia
= In the CBS 10 a.m. window: N.Y. Jets at Miami, Indianapolis at Pittsburgh
= In the Fox 1:05 p.m. window: Tampa Bay at Seattle
= In the CBS 1:25 p.m. window (blacked out in L.A.): Cleveland at Denver
= New England at Baltimore, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4
Also a bye week for: Atlanta, Cincinnati, New Orleans

What we know, and what we think we know, heading into the World Series crunch time with the Astros needing just one of two wins at home to wrap this up — a feat they couldn’t accomplish in Games 1 and 2:
= Game 6: Tuesday at Houston, 5:07 p.m., Channel 11
If necessary: Game 7: Tuesday at Houston, 5:08 p.m., Channel 11

How this week shapes up for the Kings (4-8-0):
= Vs. Vancouver, Staples Center, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., FSW
= Vs. Chicago, Staples Center, Saturday at 7:30 p.m., FSW
How this week shapes up for the Ducks (7-6-0):
= Vs. Winnipeg, Honda Center, Tuesday at 7 p.m., Prime Ticket
= Vs. Vancouver, Honda Center, Friday at 7 p.m., Prime Ticket
= Vs. Chicago, Honda Center, Sunday at 5 p.m., Fox Sports West

* PGA Champions Tour: $2 million Powershares QQQ Championship at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Friday-Sunday, Golf Channel. This leads into the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix (Nov. 7-10).

* Rugby World Cup final: England vs. Wales, Saturday morning at 2 a.m., Yokohama, Japan, NBCSN; replayed Saturday at 11 a.m., Channel 4

* The 49^th New York City Marathon, Sunday at 6 a.m., ESPN2
(highlights: 1 p.m. Channel 7)

* Formula One: U.S. Grand Prix, Austin, Tex. (Sunday, 11 a.m., Channel 7)

* UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday at 7 p.m., PPV: The welterweight main event is supposed to feature Nate Diaz (20-11-0) against Jorge Masvidal (34-13-0) with a middleweight co-main event with Kelvin Gastelum (15-4-0) vs. Darren Till (17-2-1).

What we know, and what we’re not sure we know, heading into NFL Week 7:
= The 3-3 Rams’ three-game losing skid – the first under head coach Sean McVay — smells bad, doesn’t it? So they head out for a month — first to Atlanta (Sunday, at 10 a.m., Channel 11), then keep on going to London (to meet the Bengals) then return and catch Pittsburgh heading west.
= The 2-4 Chargers have two roadies, starting in Tennessee (Sunday at 1:05 p.m., Channel 2), then to Chicago, before coming back to face Green Bay before what will end up as a packed house of Packers fans (see: Sunday night vs. Steelers).
= The Pope is officially pulling for the New Orleans Saints. Which makes sense. Really, it does.

Finishing up Week 6:
Monday
= Detroit at Green Bay, 5:15 p.m., ESPN
Going into Week 7:
Thursday:
= Kansas City at Denver, 5:20 p.m., Channel 11, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Sunday:
= In the Fox 10 a.m. window (blacked out in L.A.): Minnesota at Detroit, Arizona at N.Y. Giants, San Francisco at Washington.
= In the CBS 10 a.m. window: Miami at Buffalo, Jacksonville at Cincinnati, Oakland at Green Bay, Houston at Indianapolis.
= In the Fox 1:25 p.m. window: New Orleans at Chicago, Baltimore at Seattle
= Philadelphia at Dallas, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4
Bye week: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Carolina

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What we will fully admit to not knowing about the 2019 MLS playoffs:
= 24 teams started, and 14 remain for this next phase, even though your LAFC has already won the Supporters Shield for best overall record:
= If the Galaxy, which lost its last two games of the regular season to non-playoff teams and thus couldn’t nab a home game, somehow can come out of Round 1 with a road win at No. 4 Minnesota (At Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn., Sunday, 5:30 p.m., ESPN), then it advances to the Western Conference semifinals against – wait for it – No. 1 seed LAFC at the Banc of California Stadium on Oct. 24. That’s also a single elimination.
Without an injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Galaxy has defeated the Loons, 3-2, back on March 16, in Carson, but then played to a scoreless tie in Minnesota on April 24 in a midweek contest.
= The conference finals are also single elimination. The West is decided on Oct. 29, and the East on Oct. 30.
= Which ever team is left as the highest seed – NYCFC has the No. 1 spot in the East – will host the MLS Cup on Nov. 10.
= Also this week in the Round 1 games:
West:
No. 6 Portland at No. 3 Salt Lake, Saturday at 7 p.m., ESPNEWS
No. 7 Dallas as No. 2 Seattle, Saturday at 12:30 p.m., Fox Sports
East:
No. 5 D.C. United at No. 4 Toronto, Saturday at 3 p.m., Telemundo (winner advances to play at NYCFC on Oct. 23)
No. 7 New England at No. 2 Atlanta, Saturday at 10 a.m., Univision/Telemundo
No. 6 N.Y. Red Bulls at No. 3 Philadelphia, Sunday at noon, FS1
The bracket: www.mlssoccer.com

*************** Continue reading “10.14.19: Five things for the week ahead, all based on unscientific evidence of guaranteed importance” →

What we know, and what we think we know, a week into the Major League Baseball playoffs:
= All four division series could end Monday.
= As long as the Washington Nationals have Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg as viable arms to throw considerable innings over Games 4 and possibly Game 5 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, they have a chance to erase a 2-1 deficit. Who you got Monday in a Scherzer-vs.-Rich Hill scenario? There you go …
Game 4 goes Monday at 3:40 p.m. on TBS, with Game 5 back at Dodger Stadium, if necessary, on Wednesday at 5:37 p.m.

= Atlanta’s comeback in Game 3 at St. Louis shows the Braves’ resilience. They haven’t even named a starter yet in their Game 4 matchup today against the Cardinals (noon, TBS).
A Dodgers-Braves NLCS would start Friday and Saturday at Dodgers Stadium (as would a Dodgers-Cardinals series, should that matchup occur. Or else, it’s Washington at Atlanta or St. Louis).
= After Houston used Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole go throw 14 2/3 innings, 23 strikeouts and no earned runs in Games 1 and 2 wins over Tampa Bay, the Astros dig deep to send out Zach Greinke out to possibly ends its ALDS on Monday, who has former Astros starter Charlie Morton on the mound (11 a.m., FS1). Greinke’s thoughts? He had a 67-word press conference that explains it all.
= The Yankees’ 2-0 lead over 101-win Minnesota is predictable. Their ALDS Game 3 bats cleanup in the four-game order Monday (5:40 p.m., FS1).
The ALCS then starts Saturday on FS1, TBA.

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What we know, and what we think we know, about NFL Week 6:
The 2-3 Chargers’ ready-for-prime-time event comes in an NBC twilight visit to Carson’s Dignity Health Sports Park against Pittsburgh (Sunday, 5:20 p.m., Channel 4). It could have been flexed out by the network. But let’s save those cards until the end of the season. If not for that charity trip to Miami two weeks ago, the Chargers could be looking much worse in the AFC West.
Meanwhile, the 3-2 Rams, having played a Thursday after a Sunday and losing both, meet up with a San Francisco 49ers team that has a Monday night game leading into a Sunday 1 p.m. meeting at the Coliseum (Channel 11).
Finishing up Week 5:
Monday
= Cleveland at San Francisco, 5:15 p.m., ESPN
Going into Week 6:
Thursday:
= N.Y. Giants at New England, 5:20 p.m., Channel 11, NFL Network, Amazon Prime
Sunday:
Carolina vs. Tampa Bay at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, 6:30 a.m., NFL Network
In the Fox 10 a.m. window: Seattle at Cleveland, Washington at Miami, Philadelphia at Minnesota
In the CBS 10 a.m. window: Houston at Kansas City, New Orleans at Jacksonville, Cincinnati at Baltimore
In the Fox afternoon window (1:05 p.m., blacked out in LA): Atlanta at Arizona
In the CBS afternoon window (1:25 p.m.): Dallas at N.Y. Jets, Tennessee at Denver
Bye weeks: Chicago, Buffalo, Oakland, Indianapolis

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What we know, and what we think we know, about college football Week 7:
USC’s every-other-year trip to Notre Dame (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Channel 4) sets up as an unranked 3-2 Trojan team up against a No. 9 Irish squad sitting on 5-1 after a 52-0 home win against Bowling Green, the team’s 14th win in a row at home.
This is the 91st meeting, and USC has won 11 ofthe last 17 — but all six losses have been since 2010. The Trojans have won six of the last 11 in South Bend — but they’ve dropped the last three.
Notre Dame leads the series, 48-36-5, and a 26-13-1 mark in South Bend.
Also this week:
Pac-12 games:
Colorado at Oregon, Friday at 7 p.m., FS1
Washington at Arizona, Saturday at 8 p.m., ESPN
Utah at Oregon State, Saturday at 5 p.m. Pac-12 Network
Washington State at Arizona State, Saturday at 12:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network
Bye week: UCLA, Cal, Stanford
Also:
Saturday:
Penn State at Iowa, 4:30 p.m., Channel 7
Florida at LSU, 5 p.m., ESPN
Florida State at Clemson, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7
South Carolina at Georgia, 9 a.m., ESPN
Oklahoma vs. Texas in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, 9 a.m., Channel 11
Michigan at Illinois, 9 a.m., Channel 7
Alabama at Texas A&M, 12:30 p.m., Channel 2
Michigan State at Wisconsin, 12:30 p.m.
Hawaii at Boise State, 7:15 p.m., ESPN2
Wyoming at San Diego State, 7:30 p.m., CBSSN

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What we know, and what we think we know, a week into the NHL season:
After starting with three in a row on the road in Canada, including the bizarre 6-5 loss in Edmonton, the Kings come back for five home games in a stretch of eight days.
How this week shapes up for the Kings:
At Calgary, Tuesday at 6 p.m., Fox Sports West
At Vancouver, Wednesday at 7 p.m., NBCSN
Vs. Nashville at Staples Center, Saturday at 3 p.m., Fox Sports West
Vs. Vegas at Staples Center, Sunday at 7 p.m., Fox Sports West
How this week shapes up for the Ducks:
At Detroit, Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
At Pittsburgh, Thursday at 4 p.m., Prime Ticket
At Columbus, Friday at 4 p.m., Prime Ticket

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What we know, and what we think we know, about this Lakers trip to China:
The 13^th edition of the NBA China Games already has some unwanted, and unwarranted, publicity. It won’t end here, will it?
= Lakers vs. Brooklyn in Shanghai, Thursday at 4:30 p.m., Spectrum SportsNet
= Lakers vs. Brooklyn in Shenzhen, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Spectrum Sports Net
The Clippers this week:
= vs. Denver at Staples Center, Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
= vs. Melbourne United at Staples Center, Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (no TV)

Also:
= WNBA Finals Game 4: Washington at Connecticut, Tuesday at 5 p.m., ESPN (Washington leads series 2-1).