4 days left in baseball season

With 4 days left in the season,
NL already clinched:
Mets: Eastern div
Dodgers: Western div
Cardinals: Central div + 1st seed
Pirates/Cubs: Wild cards

Races:
Mets/Dodgers series homefield
Mets
Dodgers -1
(Mets hold tiebreaker: 4-3 season series)

NL Wild Card Game homefield
Pirates
Cubs -2.5
(Cubs hold tiebreaker: 11-8 season series)

AL already clinched:
Blue Jays: Eastern div
Royals: Central div

Races:
Homefield advantage throughout the playoffs
Blue Jays
Royals -1
(Blue Jays hold tiebreaker: 4-3 season series)

AL West:
Rangers
Astros -2.5
Angels -3

AL Wild Card:
Yankees +2.5
Astros
Angels -.5
Twins -1.5

Ranking Week 3, Week 4 NFL games

Week 3 games by level of excitement
16. Bears at Seahawks

15. Bills at Dolphins

14. 49ers at Cardinals

13. Jaguars at Patriots

12. Chargers at Vikings

11. Redskins at Giants

10. Buccaneers at Texans

9. Eagles at Jets

8. Chiefs at Packers

7. Steelers at Rams

6. Falcons at Cowboys

5. Broncos at Lions

4. Bengals at Ravens

3. Raiders at Browns

2. Saints at Panthers

1. Colts at Titans

Week 4 games by level of interest

15. Packers at 49ers (4:25)

14. Rams at Cardinals (4:25)

13. Chiefs at Bengals (1:00)

12. Raiders at Bears (1:00)

11. Panthers at Buccaneers (1:00)

10. Texans at Falcons (1:00)

9. Cowboys at Saints (8:30)

8. Lions at Seahawks (Monday)

7. Browns at Chargers (4:05)

6. Jaguars at Colts (1:00)

5. Eagles at Redskins (1:00)

4. Ravens at Steelers (Thursday)

3. Jets/Dolphins (9:30am)

2. Giants at Bills (1:00)

1. Vikings at Broncos (4:25)

Why isn't today the last day of baseball season?

I've heard some folks wondering why today isn't the last day of baseball season -- next week seems a bit too late, especially considering that World Series Game 7 is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4! We've only had November baseball twice ever - in 2001 and when Fox experimented one year with days off between games at the same location - so why are they now part of the regular schedule? On top of all that, with the regular season ending Sunday, September 28, last year, why not Sunday, September 27, this year?

The simple answer - as with all things, including awards shows and holidays, not just sports - is that last year was the earliest possible season schedule, and this year is the latest possible. For example, there have been years when the Oscars fall on Sunday, February 22, and then fall on Sunday, February 28, the next. When Thanksgiving falls on November 22, the most common result the following year is that the holiday falls on November 28, not November 21. Therefore, moving six days from one year to the next isn't necessarily a change in the scheduling format; it's most likely the earliest-ever/latest-ever in consecutive years.

Under this new schedule, which began last year with the World Series starting on a Tuesday and ending the following Wednesday (old schedule: Wednesday, Thursday respectively), let's take a look at key dates and their earliest and latest possibilities.

Opening Night/Opening Day (Sunday/Monday): Earliest March 30-31/Latest April 5-6

Last day of regular season (Sunday): Earliest September 28/Latest October 4

First day of postseason (Tuesday): Earliest September 30/Latest October 6

World Series Game 1 (Tuesday): Earliest October 21/Latest October 27

World Series Game 7 (Wednesday): Earliest October 29/Latest November 4

There appears to be no pattern here: why not start the season on March 29? Or April 6? (if those dates were on a Sunday of course)

The pattern appears in a date not listed above, and perhaps not thought about much. World Series Game 4!

World Series Game 4 (Saturday): Earliest October 25/Latest October 31

World Series Game 4 always lands on the last Saturday night in October! This guarantees that in any season, it's always possible for the season to end in October.

As far as the question as to why November baseball is now possible when it wasn't before: the season is 4 days longer due to three days at the beginning of the postseason (one bye day for tiebreakers and the two wild card games) and one extra day (Thursday) that has been added to the All-Star Break since the last CBA. This accounts for the four days that extend the season (in the worst case) to November 4.

How the NBA Finals schedule change will impact the Stanley Cup Finals

Thursday, the NBA announced a change to its Finals schedule. From now on, any travel period will contain two days between games, leaving the traditional Thursday-Sunday-Tuesday rotation. That rotation was in place to have three games a week while completely avoiding Friday and Saturday, the two lowest-rated nights of the week. Thus, the two-day breaks happened on weekends, and the one-day breaks happened on weekdays, regardless of travel. Sometimes, there was no travel on a two-day break, and other times teams had to travel on a one-day break.

ESPN

The only two-day break outside of a travel day is between Games 1 and 2, presumably to guarantee a game on a Sunday, the highest-rated night of the week. I assume the days of the week will stay the same in future seasons.

So how will this impact the schedule of the Stanley Cup Finals? As a reminder, in prior years, the Stanley Cup Finals started on a Wednesday, always the day before the NBA Finals, and the rotation was Wednesday-(Fri/Sat)-Monday-Wednesday-(Fri/Sat)-Monday-Wednesday.

On the Fri/Sat splits, it was Friday whenever the Belmont Stakes were not on that Saturday, and if the Belmont Stakes were on that Saturday, the game immediately followed the Belmont Stakes on NBC.

Here is how I believe the rotation will be in future years:

Game 1: Wednesday
Game 2: Fri/Sat (based on Belmont Stakes)

Game 3: Mon/Tue. Since neither of these days any longer has an NBA game, I think the NHL will place Game 3 three days after Game 2, to give an extra day for travel, just like the NBA.

Game 4: Thursday
Game 5: Sat/Sun (based on Belmont Stakes)
Game 6: Tuesday
Game 7: Friday

2016:
Game 1: Wednesday, June 1, 8:22 ET
Game 2: Friday, June 3, 8:22 ET
Game 3: Monday, June 6, 8:22 ET
Game 4: Thursday, June 9, 8:22 ET
Game 5: Saturday, June 11, 7:15 ET (after Belmont Stakes)
Game 6: Tuesday, June 14, 8:22 ET
Game 7: Friday, June 17, 8:22 ET

Remaining SEC undefeateds' games today

#7 Georgia (vs. Southern, noon ET, SEC Network, ESPN3)
#8 LSU (at Syracuse, noon ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Florida (vs. Tennessee, 3:30 ET, CBS)
#14 Texas A&M (Arkansas at AT&T Stadium, 6 CT, ESPN, ESPN3)
#3 Ole Miss (vs. Vanderbilt, 6 CT, ESPN U, ESPN3)
#25 Missouri (at Kentucky, 7:30 ET, SEC Network, ESPN3)

Baseball vs. college football decisions for Fox affiliates in Texas tomorrow

Saturday, Fox is scheduled to air three consecutive sporting events:

1:05 ET: MLB: Fox Saturday Baseball (regional action map below)

4:45 ET: Big 12: TCU at Texas Tech

8:30 ET: Pac-12: Utah at Oregon

the506.com

Both the 1:05 game (Rangers at Astros) and the 4:45 game (TCU at Texas Tech) are all-Texas affairs. How will Texas's Fox affiliates handle the situation if kickoff time arrives, and the baseball game isn't finished yet?

My prediction: Much to the disappointment of TCU and Texas Tech fans across the state, I predict that almost all Fox affiliates in Texas (except perhaps the Lubbock affiliate) will stay on the baseball game through to its conclusion, and perhaps kick TCU at Texas Tech on Fox Sports 2. Fox Sports 1 is not an option as it will be airing Maryland at West Virginia.

The Redskins were not blown out tonight

Had the pure luck tipped pass not ended up in Randle's hands for the touchdown, the Giants would have kicked a field goal on 4th down, and the Redskins would have begun their final drive down 21-28, and would have played differently, instead of starting it down 21-32.

What would happen if the Rangers, Astros, Twins, and Angels all end up tied?

All times Eastern.

(Note: The assumption is that the Yankees/Blue Jays AL East division loser is the first wild card, and that these teams are competing for the second wild card.)

First, the three teams from the AL West would be assigned team designations of A, B, and C. The teams would get to choose which designation they wanted in the order based on their record against the other two teams. What the designations mean will be explained below when the actual tiebreaker games are described.

Current records against each other:
Rangers 17-14
Astros 14-21
Angels 19-15

The Rangers still have 3 games against the Astros this weekend and 4 games against the Angels next weekend to close out the season.

If two of these teams finish tied based on these records against the other two teams, then their season series will decide who picks their ABC designation first. The season series cannot be tied because teams in the same division play 19 games against each other.

The team with the best record against the other two teams isn't necessarily guaranteed designation A. The team is allowed to choose designation B or C instead. Then, the team with the second-best record picks between the two remaining designations, and the last team is assigned whichever of A, B, and C is left over.

On Monday, October 5, there would be two games: B@A and Twins@C. The scheduling is just speculation, but I think if the Angels hosted a game, the two games would be 6:38/10:08, and otherwise with both games in the Central Time Zone they would be 5:38/9:08.

If the Twins won, they would be declared the Wild Card team, and the winner of B@A would be the AL West division winner. The AL Wild Card Game would then still be played as scheduled on Tuesday, October 6, at 8:08. (The NL Wild Card Game also as scheduled: Wed 8:08)

If team C wins on Monday, then they will play at the winner of B@A on Tuesday, October 6, at 8:08, with the winner's winning the division, and the loser's receiving the wild card spot. The loser of this Tuesday game then plays its third consecutive one-game playoff on Wednesday in the AL Wild Card Game. The two wild card games would both be played on Wednesday, three-and-a-half hours apart, ranging anywhere from 5:08/8:38 to 6:38/10:08 based on time zones.

In any of the above scenarios, all tiebreaker games will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN, and Monday Night Football (DET@SEA) would be moved to ESPN2.

My source material for this article is http://m.mlb.com/news/article/59527184/playoff-tiebreaker-rules
This is a great source if you'd like to know about the other tiebreaking scenarios. What would happen if just the AL West teams were tied? What if just the Astros, Angels, and Twins? I only chose to explain the most complex one.

Ranking Week 2, Week 3 NFL games

Week 2 by level of excitement:
16. 49ers at Steelers

15. Cardinals at Bears

14. Lions at Vikings

13. Jets at Colts

12. Rams at Redskins

11. Cowboys at Eagles

10. Titans at Browns

9. Seahawks at Packers

8. Buccaneers at Saints

7. Chargers at Bengals

6. Patriots at Bills

5. Falcons at Giants

4. Dolphins at Jaguars

3. Ravens at Raiders

2. Texans at Panthers

1. Broncos at Chiefs

Week 3 by level of interest:

16. Redskins at Giants (Thursday)

15. Jaguars at Patriots (1:00)

14. Broncos at Lions (8:30)

13. Steelers at Rams (1:00)

12. Buccaneers at Texans (1:00)

11. Saints at Panthers (1:00)

10. Chargers at Vikings (1:00)

9. Raiders at Browns (1:00)

8. Bills at Dolphins (4:25)

7. 49ers at Cardinals (4:05)

6, 5, 4, 3 is the section where unexpected 0-2 teams might fall to 0-3!

6. Colts at Titans (1:00)

5. Eagles at Jets (1:00)

4. Bengals at Ravens (1:00)

3. Bears at Seahawks (4:25)

2. Chiefs at Packers (Monday)

Game of the Week: Falcons at Cowboys (1:00, only 2-0 vs. 2-0 game of the week)

SEC games of the week, Week 3

3. South Carolina at Georgia (6 ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Last year had a very controversial finish with the 4th and inches conversion that wasn't, but it only happened after that missed field goal that many forget.

Last year's game length: 5 hours and 11 minutes

2. Auburn at LSU (2:30 CT, CBS)
With three such huge games this week, CBS chose this one, perhaps because they had both of today's other two big games last year.

1. Ole Miss at Alabama (8:15 CT, ESPN, ESPN3)
Last year Katy Perry stole Lee Corso's elephant-head right off his head, but this year she wasn't there to do it, given that the game (and GameDay) is in Tuscaloosa. However, ESPN's Football Power Index, which is based off analytics and not votes, ranks Ole Miss as the #1 team in the country (Alabama - 7). Ole Miss has a 55% chance to win the game, which makes tonight Alabama's first ESPN-projected home loss since November 2007.

Last year's game length: 3 hours and 48 minutes

Ranking Week 1 and Week 2 NFL games

Week 1 games by level of excitement:
16. Titans at Buccaneers
15. Bengals at Raiders
14. Panthers at Jaguars
13. Browns at Jets
12. Saints at Cardinals
11. Colts at Bills
10. Chiefs at Texans
9. Steelers at Patriots
8. Vikings at 49ers
7. Dolphins at Redskins
6. Lions at Chargers
5. Packers at Bears
4. Eagles at Falcons
3. Ravens at Broncos
2. Giants at Cowboys
1. Seahawks at Rams

Week 2 games by level of interest:
16. Buccaneers at Saints (1:00)
15. Lions at Vikings (1:00)
14. Ravens at Raiders (4:05)
13. Titans at Browns (1:00)
12. Dolphins at Jaguars (4:05)
11. Rams at Redskins (1:00)
10. Texans at Panthers (1:00)
9. Cardinals at Bears (1:00)
8. Falcons at Giants (1:00)
7. Jets at Colts (Monday)
6. 49ers at Steelers (1:00)
5. Seahawks at Packers (8:30)
4. Chargers at Bengals (1:00)
3. Cowboys at Eagles (4:25)
2. Broncos at Chiefs (Thursday)
Game of the Week: Patriots at Bills (1:00)

Predicting order of highlights on Football Night in America, Week 1

7:20ish
Panthers at Jaguars
Browns at Jets
Chiefs at Texans

Right before 7:30
Seahawks at Rams
Colts at Bills

-Bob Costas interview #1-

7:40ish
Dolphins at Redskins
Packers at Bears

7:50ish, after Bob Costas talks about profootballtalk.com
Saints at Cardinals
Lions at Chargers

7:58ish, Hyundai Drive to Kickoff
Bengals at Raiders
Titans at Buccaneers

-Bob Costas interview #2-

8:05
Ravens at Broncos

U.S. Open Day 14 TV Schedule

Men's Singles Final: (1)Djokovic/(2)Federer (3:30 ET, ESPN, ESPN3)

Longest final ever: 4 hours and 54 minutes (1988, 2012)

SEC games of the week, Week 2

SEC conference games start this week. For the first time ever, CBS will be involved in Week 2 games because they are no longer airing the U.S. Open. Maybe that's why they got the short end of the stick because they have the worst SEC conference game of the week.

3. Georgia at Vanderbilt (2:30 CT, CBS)
This is such a bad game. It's only on this list because there are only 3 conference games this week. Vanderbilt lost to an FCS team last week.

2. Kentucky at South Carolina (7:30 ET, SEC Network, ESPN3)
Kentucky hasn't won in its last 21 SEC games, but it'll win today!

1. LSU at Mississippi State (8:15 CT, ESPN, ESPN3)
LSU is where Mississippi State's run to #1 started last year. LSU shouldn't overlook them because they're already thinking about hosting Auburn next week (2:30 CT, CBS). The cowbells will be out in full force.

U.S. Open Day 13 TV Schedule

Women's Singles Final: Vinci/(26)Pennetta (3 ET, ESPN, ESPN3)

Differences in Australian Open/U.S. Open Day/Night scheduling in Week 2

The Australian Open and U.S. Open are the only two majors with night matches, and this allows them to hold all eight singles quarterfinals on the same court, unlike the French Open and Wimbledon, which use two courts in the quarterfinal round. For the Australian Open, this is Rod Laver Arena, and for the U.S. Open, this is Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Despite the two tournaments both having night sessions and both holding the last 14 singles matches of the tournament on one court, the schedules are very different. Here is a look:

	Australian Open	U.S. Open
Day 9: Tuesday	11am: women's qtr women's qtr men's qtr 7pm: men's qtr	noon: women's qtr men's qtr 7pm: women's qtr men's qtr
Day 10: Wednesday	11am: women's qtr women's qtr men's qtr 7:30pm: men's qtr	11am: women's qtr women's qtr men's qtr 8pm: men's qtr
Day 11: Thursday	1:30pm: women's semis 7:30pm: men's semi	7pm: women's semis
Day 12: Friday	7:30pm: men's semi	3pm*: men's semis
Day 13: Saturday	7:30pm: women's final	3pm: women's final
Day 14: Sunday	7:30pm: men's final	4pm: men's final

*first men's semi: day

second men's semi: night

Of the last 14 singles matches of the tournament, both the Australian Open and U.S. Open have 6 night matches. While the U.S. Open's 6 night matches are 3 women's and 3 men's, the Australian Open on the other hand shows a strong preference for men's night matches with 5 of the last 6 night matches of the tournament being men's.

Australian Open 6 night matches:

two men's qtrs

both men's semis

women's final

men's final

U.S. Open 6 night matches:

two men's qtrs

one women's qtr

both women's semis

one men's semi

Semifinals Day at the U.S. Open!

U.S. Open Day 12 (11 AM ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Semifinal: (26)Pennetta/(2)Halep
Women's Singles Semifinal: (1)S. Williams/Vinci
Men's Singles Semifinal: (1)Djokovic/(9)Cilic (not before: 5 ET)
Primetime at the U.S. Open: (5)Wawrinka/(2)Federer

U.S. Open Day 11 TV Schedule

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (7 ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Semifinal: (1)S. Williams/Vinci

Women's Singles Semifinal: (26)Pennetta/(2)Halep

U.S. Open Day 10 TV Schedule

Arthur Ashe Stadium (11 AM ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Quarterfinal: (5)Kvitova/(26)Pennetta
Women's Singles Quarterfinal: (20)Azarenka/(2)Halep

Men's Singles Quarterfinal: (5)Wawrinka/(15)Anderson

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (8 ET, ESPN2, ESPN3)
Men's Singles Quarterfinal: (12)Gasquet/(2)Federer

U.S. Open Day 9 TV Schedule

Arthur Ashe Stadium (noon ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Quarterfinal: Mladenovic/Vinci
Men's Singles Quarterfinal: (19)Tsonga/(9)Cilic

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (7 ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Quarterfinal: (1)S. Williams/(23)V. Williams

Men's Singles Quarterfinal: (1)Djokovic/(18)Lopez

U.S. Open Day 8 TV Schedule

Arthur Ashe Stadium (11 AM ET, ESPN2, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Round of 16: Lepchenko/(20)Azarenka
Men's Singles Round of 16: (5)Wawrinka/Young
Women's Singles Round of 16: (22)Stosur/(26)Pennetta

Louis Armstrong Stadium (12:30 ET, ESPN3, ESPN2)
2nd match: Women's Singles Round of 16: (24)Lisicki/(2)Halep (not before: 12:30 ET)
3rd match: Men's Singles Round of 16: (15)Anderson/(3)Murray
4th match: Men's Singles Round of 16: (6)Berdych/(12)Gasquet

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (7 ET, ESPN2, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Round of 16: (5)Kvitova/Konta
Men's Singles Round of 16: (13)Isner/(2)Federer

U.S. Open Day 7 TV Schedule

Arthur Ashe Stadium (11 AM ET, ESPN2, ESPN3)
Men's Singles Round of 16: (9)Cilic/(27)Chardy
Women's Singles Round of 16: (23)V. Williams/Kontaveit
Women's Singles Round of 16: (1)S. Williams/(19)Keys

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (7 ET, ESPN2, ESPN3)
Men's Singles Round of 16: (1)Djokovic/(23)Bautista Agut
Women's Singles Round of 16: Mladenovic/(13)Makarova

Louis Armstrong Stadium (11 AM ET, ESPN3, ESPN2)
Men's Doubles 3rd Round: Haas/Stepanek//Inglot/Lindstedt
Men's Singles Round of 16: Paire/(19)Tsonga (not before: 12:30 ET)
Women's Doubles 3rd Round: (1)Hingis/Mirza//(13)Krajicek/Strycova
Men's Singles Round of 16: (18)Lopez/(32)Fognini (not before: 4 ET)
Primetime at the U.S. Open: Vinci/(25)Bouchard

U.S. Open Day 6 TV Schedule

3rd Round Day Session (11 AM ET, ESPN2, ESPN3)

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (7 ET, ESPN2, ESPN3)

Americans in action on Day 6!
Rogers vs. (2)Halep (Night session 1st match)
(13)Isner vs. Vesely (Day session 2nd match, not before: 12:30 ET)
Lepchenko vs. Barthel (Day session 3rd match)
Young vs. (22)Troicki (Day session 3rd match)

U.S. Open Day 5 TV Schedule

3rd Round Day Session (1 ET, ESPN)

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (6 ET, ESPN2)

Americans in action on Day 5!
(23)V. Williams vs. (12)Bencic (Day session 2nd match, not before: 1 ET)
(1)S. Williams vs. Mattek-Sands (Night session 1st match)

(19)Keys vs. (15)A. Radwanska (Day session 4th match)
Brengle vs. Kontaveit (Day session 3rd match)

U.S. Open Day 4 TV Schedule

2nd Round Day Session (1 ET, ESPN)

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (5 ET, ESPN2)

Americans in action on Day 4!
(13)Isner vs. Youzhny (Day session 3rd match)

Gibbs vs. (5)Kvitova (Day session 4th match)
(28)Sock vs. Bemelmans (Day session 2nd match, not before: 12:30 ET)
Young vs. Bedene (Day session 2nd match)
Rogers vs. Nara (Day session 3rd match)
Lepchenko vs. Tsurenko (Day session 1st match)
Ram vs. (22)Troicki (Day session 2nd match)
Krajicek vs. (15)Anderson (Day session 3rd match)

U.S. Open Day 3 TV Schedule

2nd Round Day Session (1 ET, ESPN)

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (6 ET, ESPN2)

Americans in action on Day 3!
(19)Keys vs. Smitkova (Day session 1st match)
(1)S. Williams vs. Bertens (Day session 3rd match)

Falconi vs. (23)V. Williams (Night session 1st match)
Fish vs. (18)F. Lopez (Day session 1st match)
Mattek-Sands vs. Vandeweghe (Day session 2nd match)
Brengle vs. Tatishvili (Day session 1st match)
Davis vs. (13)Makarova (Day session 4th match)
Pegula vs. Cibulkova (Day session 3rd match)

U.S. Open Day 2 TV Schedule

1st Round Day Session (1 ET, ESPN)

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (7 ET, ESPN)

Americans in action on Day 2!
Loeb vs. (4)Wozniacki (Day session 2nd match, not before: 1 ET)

(13)Isner vs. Jaziri (Day session 2nd match)
Fratangelo vs. (6)Berdych (Day session 2nd match)
(28)Sock vs. Estrella Burgos (Day session 4th match)
Young vs. (11)Simon (Day session 1st match)
Querrey vs. Mahut (Day session 3rd match)
Chirico vs. Conta (Day session 1st match)
Tiafoe vs. (22)Troicki (Day session 4th match)
Krajicek vs. Giraldo (Day session 1st match)
McHale vs. Cetkovska (Day session 2nd match)
Ram vs. Harrison (Day session 4th match)
Lepchenko vs. Flipkens (Day session 1st match)
Rogers vs. Vickery (Day session 4th match)
Kudla vs. Melzer (Day session 1st match)
Gibbs vs. Dominguez Lino (Day session 4th match)
Donaldson vs. Rosol (Day session 3rd match)