MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / October 14, 2000

Thoughts to ponder while waiting out a pitching change in the League Championship Series…Yo, Atlanta, nice postseason (all three days of it). No offense (althoughdefense was a bigger problem) but more was expected. Like maybe anotherWorld Series loss to the Yankees. Larry (Chipper) Jones may be the reigningNL MVP but the Braves need a bigger voice in the clubhouse. A John Smoltzand a Mike Hampton in the rotation would also be nice.

But Braves fans, it could be worse. You could live in Chicago. Seattle’s sweepof the White Sox means that tickertape parade can be put off for another year (the Windy City has been a cardholder of World Series-less teams since 1959).

A Yankees-Mets World Series may draw better ratings than a Seattle-St.

Louis one but which one do you think would be better for the overall health of the game?

So much for momentum. The four remaining teams in the baseball playoffsdidn’t exactly tear it up the last couple weeks of the season. And the rewardfor having the best record in the regular season? Forget about it. Both theteams who were the best in their respective leagues – Chicago and San Francisco – have already begun their fall vacations.

Managers of major league teams have as much job security as the head of Firestone. Oops, never mind.

Here’s another example of why the rankings of recruiting classes is overrated. Throughout the late 1990s, LSU’s classes were always rankedamong the best in the SEC while Mississippi State’s were ranked in the bottom half. The Tigers may be on their way to a third-straight losing seasonwhile the Bulldogs could wind up in the SEC Championship game for the second time in that time.

Do you think that maybe the next time Florida State plays Miami, Bobby Bowden will sneak out the night before and move the goal posts a few feet to the right? But don’t blame kicker Matt Munyon for the loss this time. A 49-yard field goal outside with the game on the line is quite a task on any level.

The blame should be placed on the shoulders of the Seminoles’ vaunted defense that allowed Miami to drive in the final minute for the winning score.

There are only seven undefeated teams left in Division I-A just seven weeks into the season. Surprisingly, none of those teams reside in the SEC or Pac-10. Perhaps even more surprisingly, three of them are in the Big 12. Thatnumber will be trimmed by at least one today as Kansas State and Oklahoma meet. Best bets to remain perfect throughout the season – Clemson andTCU. Bet that gets the hearts of the folks at the BCS a fluttering.

With the Olympics and baseball playoffs going on and college football and the NFL in full gear, did anybody notice that the NHL and NBA has gotten underway? What would be wrong with both basketball and hockey getting started in November and shortening their seasons? It works for the WNBA.

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