Sarni's' Scrolls: Colorado Not in Prime Time's Window

The season and the post-season are completely different." -- Phillies OF Nick Castellanos

By Jim Sarni

The MLB playoffs is a tournament. Everyone starts 0-0. Let the best team win.

So we have the Texas Rangers (90-72) vs. the Houston Astros (90-72) in the ALCS... the Arizona Diamondbacks (84-78) vs. the Philadelphia Phillies (90-72) in the NLCS.

Gone are three 100-win teams -- the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles.

All three had first-round byes. And, some observers say, too much time off.

That's not the reason they lost.

"It's only Year 2 [of the Wild Card Series]," baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said before Game 4 of the Phillies-Braves Series on Thursday night.

"I'm sort of the view you need to give something a chance to work out. I know some of the higher-seeded teams didn't win. If you think about where some of those teams were, there are other explanations than a five-day layoff. But I think we'll reevaluate in the offseason like we always do and think about if we have the format right."

My solution: Expand the league to 32 teams (Nashville, Salt Lake City?) create a 16-team tournament, and every team plays in the first round.

DraftKings World Series Odds

Astros +185

Phillies +210

Rangers +295

Diamondbacks +475

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Colorado hosts Stanford at 10 p.m., EDT, on Friday (ESPN). Too late for Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders.

"Who makes these 8 o'clock games? Dumbest thing ever. Stupidest thing ever invented in life. Who wants to stay up until 8 o'clock for a darn game?" Sanders said Wednesday on "Buffs Prime Time."

"What about the East Coast -- do they even care about ratings? Is anyone watching it?"

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No baseball on Friday and Saturday, so viewers can focus on college football as it reaches the mid-season point.

Friday card

7 -- Tulane (4-1) at Memphis (4-1), ESPN

8 -- Fresno St. (5-1) at Utah St. (3-3), CBSSN

10 -- Stanford (1-4) at Colorado (4-2), ESPN

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The NFL home field is generally worth three points on the spread. These days, the betting advantage has dropped to 2.5 or fewer points.

That's because the home field is not as much of a factor.

Road teams are 41-37 through five weeks of the NFL season.

From a gambling perspective, road teams have long held an edge due to the point spread. Since 2004, road teams have had a winning record against the spread in 14 of 19 seasons.

This season, road teams are 41-32-5 (56.2%) against the spread. Road favorites are 17-12-2 (58.6%) and road underdogs are 24-20-3 (54.6%).

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The WNBA has a blowout problem.

The Las Vegas Aces routed the New York Liberty, 104-76, on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in the Finals. Game 3 of the best-of-five is Sunday (3 p.m., ABC)

That's two straight blowouts in this much-hyped clash of superteams, with Vegas winning Game 1 by 17 points and Game 2 by 28 points.

‌Furthermore, of the 18 games this postseason, 12 were won by double-digit points and five were won by 22 or more points.
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The Rugby World Cup is down to the quarterfinals, beginning Saturday in France.Wales vs. Argentina; Ireland vs. New Zealand; England vs. Fiji; France vs. South Africa.NBC and Peacock have the coverage.
***Taylor Swift was back at Arrowhead on Thursday night, cheering on Travis Kelce... Swift's "The Eras Tour" concert film debuts Friday, getting rave reviews: "A dazzling flex of musical muscle" (Screendaily).
Connor Bedard's NHL debut drew 1.43M on ESPN, making it the most-watched regular season NHL game ever on cable.
For the first time in NWSL history, the regular season will end on "Decision Day," with all 12 teams in action Sunday at the same time to maximize drama. (5 p.m., CBSSN). Two teams have clinched and two have been eliminated. That leaves eight clubs — all within just four points of each other — still in contention for the final four playoff spots.
Mets owner Steve Cohen hopes to construct a casino adjacent to Citi Field to attract people to the area.
The trio of Evan Cohen, Chris Canty and Michelle Smallmon has replaced Keyshawn Johnson, Jay Williams and Max Kellerman on ESPN Radio's morning show "Unsportsmanlike."
Nissan is reportedly attaching its name to the Tennessee Titans' new $2.1B stadium. Ready for 2027 season.
Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson are joining Reeboks basketball division as president and vice-president, respectively.
Pitbull has become a minority owner in the World Jai-Alai League, along with Udonis Haslem and Jorge Masvidal.
Grazer won Katmai's Fat Bear Week.
Travis Gienger won the 50th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, setting a world record for the heaviest pumpkin at 2,749 pounds (good for 687 pies) in Half-Moon Bay. Ca.
There's a "Ring of Fire" Solar Eclipse on Saturday.
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They Said It

"Hedgie, what's the number on your ass right now?" -- Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy inquiring about the post-season tally C Austin Hedges posts on his rear end.
"When you sign up for college football, this is what you sign up for." -- Notre Dame DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste on Saturday's ND-USC game.
"My dream is somebody says, 'Ah (expletive), I fell asleep. What did I miss?' " -- Amazon TNF senior coordinating producer Spoon Daftary, who likes a post-game show that breaks from the status quo.

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Jim Sarni, BC Class of '69, is a former sportswriter for The Boston Globe and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He resides in Fort Lauderdale and watches a lot of television.