Category: Sports

The Big Story – A Great World Series: It was two outs away from being the Manchester, N.H., World Series — manager John Schneider, pitching coach Pete Walker and eight players, led by Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, all spent time at Delta Dental Stadium with the Fisher Cats before ascending to Toronto. But thanks to Toronto’s answer to Bucky Dent, Miguel Rojas, tying it at 4-4 with a one-out ninth-inning homer followed by the winning run being scored in the 11th, L.A. became the first repeat series winner since the 2000 Yankees. And they actually played baseball as we once knew it with suicide squeezes, solid fielding, advancing runners to manufacture runs over relying on just homer balls, and they had the epic 18-inning Game 4. A great World Series that featured baseball as it ought to be.

Sports 101: Name the five winningest pitchers in World Series history.

News Item – Patriots Now 7-2: They say sometimes it’s better to be lucky than to be good. Which the Pats were in Sunday’s 24-23 win over Atlanta, where the margin of error was a missed extra point.

What’s To Like – Pop Douglas: The upward trend of the second-year receiver continued with four catches for 100 yards, and his TD came on a career-best 58-yard catch and run.

Key Stat: It’s now nine games in a row where the D has not allowed a runner to reach 50 yards, this time holding NFL per-game rushing leader Bijan Robinson to 46 yards.

Backslide: 1. The secondary gave up three TD catches to the same guy, Drake London. 2. In his worst game since Week 1, Drake Maye’s two TO’s led to the 10 Falcon points that let them back in the game. 3. The O-line gave up six more sacks.

Game Ball – Atlanta kicker Parker Romo: The kicker cut by the Pats in training camp missed the fourth-quarter extra point that gave the Patriots a lucky one-point win.

News Item – Epic WS Game 3: It went 18 innings in six hours and 39 minutes and was won on a walk-off homer by last year’s Series hero, Freddie Freeman.

The Numbers:

12 – strikeouts by rookie Trey Yesavage, who set a WS record of 23 swings and misses in Toronto’s 6-1 Game 6 win over L.A.

59 – million dollars owed in buyouts to football coach Brian Kelly ($53 million) and AD Scott Woodward at LSU athletics because their team is 5-3.

68 – yard FG by Jacksonville’s Cam Little to set the NFL’s all-time record for longest FG ever in their 30-29 win over Las Vegas.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Mookie Betts: Oh, great, another reason to mourn the Red Sox losing the greatest RF in team history, as he was named the 2025 winner of the Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award for helping communities in so many ways the list is too long to print here.

Thumbs Down – LSU Athletics: A 5-3 football program from the same state as U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson comes from, wasting $59 million in unnecessary payouts, on the same day the Speaker (and his colleagues) let food stamp payments stop helping feed needy families around that state and the country. Seems like we’ve lost perspective, don’t you think?

Hard To Believe Stat – Josh Allen: Recording the 79th rushing TD of his eight-year career to push a quarterback ahead of the great Earl Campbell for 25th place on the all-time TD rushing list during Buffalo’s win over KC.

Sports 101 Answer: 10 wins, Whitey Ford; seven wins, Red Ruffing, Allie Reynolds, Bob Gibson; six wins, Lefty Gomez, Waite Hoyte and Chief Bender. All Yankees except Gibson (Cardinals) and Bender (A’s).

Final Thought – Shohei Ohtani: It’s rare that I watch a game just to see one baseball player these days. But I did it for Ohtani in the WS. And he did not disappoint. In the epic 18-inning Game 3 marathon alone he reached base nine times via two homers, two doubles and five walks as he scored three times and knocked in three more, which tied the record for most extra-base hits in a WS game set in 1906 by some guy I never heard of and I’ve heard of everyone.

He also became the first to have three multi-homer games in the same post-season. Plus he pitched in the playoffs, where he was 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA, including a 10-K, six-inning effort in the NLCS.

It inspired ESPN’S Buster Olney to call him the greatest player ever. I say pump the brakes on that. He’s never going to catch any of the Babe’s major stats, including pitching, where at 39 to 94 he’s 55 wins behind the Babe. But that doesn’t mean he’s not the most exciting player to watch since at least Junior Griffey. Which is good enough for me.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

The Big Story – World Series? It takes a big story to bump the World Series from the front page. But the growing pro sports gambling problem did that with the arrest of ex-Celtics Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier in a nationwide gambling probe.

But we’ll be total homers and go with the 6-2 Patriots start that no one saw coming after Sunday’s 32-13 win over Cleveland.

Sports 101: Who has the most career World Series hits, and most in a single series?

News Item – The World Series Games: With the series tied 1-1 on Monday morning, it could be over by the time you see this. So we’ll save the post mortem for next week.

Maye Day In October: The prodigy’s latest was 18-24 for 282, three TD’s and a pick. The 135.8 QB rating was the fifth time he’s been over 135.

Painful Lesson – Will Campbell: All five of his sacks didn’t come against him, but Myles Garrett gave the fourth overall pick a rough day Sunday.

Play of Game – Jaylinn Hawkins: For the reach back one-handed grab/pick.

Game Ball – The D: No one rushed for 50 yards against them for the eighth straight week.

News Item – Celtics Opener: They lost to Philly 117-116. Here’s what jumped off the box score: (1) They shot 25.3% on 3-balls as Payton Pritchard and Derrick White went 5 for 20. (2) The Sixers won while getting just four points from Joel Embiid. (3) Starting center Neemias Queta scored 17 on 7 of 8 shooting and had eight rebounds in 25 minutes before fouling out. (4) Pritchard joined White and Jaylen Brown in the revamped starting line-up.

News Item – NFL Trade Deadline is Nov. 4:

Top NE Target – Trey Hendrickson – Bengals: The free agent to be is dealing with a nagging hip issue. But they’re 28th in sacks, and adding an edge rusher who had 17.5 sacks in 2024 and ’25 would help the pass D immensely.

RB – Depth: With TreVeyon Henderson coming off his best game Sunday (despite a red zone fumble) they don’t need a name. A solid backup who does not fumble would provide the depth they need.

Wide Receiver: New Orleans’ three-time 1,000-yard receiver Chris Olave is available. But with the receiving room dramatically improved he’d be a luxury.

The Numbers:

40 & 15 – points and rebounds from Victor Wembanyama as San Antonio ruined the NBA debut of maniac Cooper Flagg in a 125-92 slaughter.

105 – after getting five on Sunday vs. NE, career sacks by Browns DE Myles Garrett to move past the great Reggie White on the all-time sack list.

111 – career rushing TD’s for Derrick Henry as he passed Walter Paytonfor fifth place on the all-time list. And to add insult to injury he did it playing against the Bears.

… Of the Week

Thumbs Down – Merch Sales: The Packers in all white and Steelers in all gold on SNF, give me a break. U-gly!

Worst Loss: Nope, notCoach B; UNC lost again 17-16 but it was in OT to a quality Virginia team.

Instead, Deion Sanders sees Colorado drop to 3-5 after a 53-7 toasting from Utah on Saturday in the worst loss of Coach Prime’s coaching career as his UC record dropped to 16-17.

Random Thought: John Smoltz is a great color analyst because he uses his experience to tell us what he would do facing the hitter at the plate before he throws the pitch, giving us something to look for on the next pitch.

Sports 101 Answer: With 71 the all-time WS hit leader is Yogi Berra. For one series it’s a tie with Bobby Richardson (64), Lou Brock (68) and Red Sox alum Marty Barrett (86).

Final Thought – Gambling Threat to Sports: It is a story that first came to light during the 1919 World Series and has reared its head many times in boxing, horse racing, college basketball and many other activities in the years since. The latest episode of Gambling And Sports Together Is A Disaster Waiting to Happen has come to the legal gambling industry in the last year or so.

First the interpreter for baseball’s biggest star goes to prison for embezzling money from him after getting in over his head to gamblers. Then last week the NBA had a head coach (Billups), of all things, and an assistant coach (Pitino-era Celtic Damon Jones) who is a confidant for their game’s biggest star, along with an active player (Rozier), indicted in a nationwide FBI-led gambling sting. The indictments say those mentioned either allegedly provided inside player info to bettors or were separately involved in a systematic way of cheating in high-stakes poker games that had ties to the mafia.

Hello, professional sports, you have a problem! And guess what, I’m, ahhh, betting, a college scandal isn’t far off. I mean where else is a college kid gonna put all that NIL money? Bet on it.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

The Big Story – NBA Season Begins: It begins with a lot less enthusiasm than we’ve had in these parts for some time. But don’t blame GM Brad Stevens. It’s due to Jayson Tatum’s torn Achilles and the league’s destructive collective bargaining agreement, which forced a championship-level team to dump two terrific players for little return to avoid onerous financial and roster-building penalties. Boo, Adam Silver!

Sports 101: Name the guy who coached the most NBA teams and the nine he did it with.

News Item – Pats Win Fourth Straight: Yes, it was 1-6 Tennessee they beat 31-13. But they were (thanks to Joe Milton) just one game better than the Titans in 2024, so it was a benchmark of sorts to gauge their improvement.

Key Stat: Drake Maye going 21-23 for 222 yards with16 straight completions at one point as NE took control of the game.

Improvement – The D: They gave up just three points after allowing 10 on the first two possessions and had four sacks with two turnovers.

Kayshon Boutte: With his third LOUD TD in two games (fourth overall) and by averaging 17.8 per catch he’s become their first deep threat since Brandin Cooks in 2017. And he’s come from out of nowhere.

Observation: Is it my imagination or are the linebackers a lot faster than in 2024? None more so than K’Lavon Chaisson, who had three tackles and two sacks along with a scoop-and-score TD.

Backslide: The coverage teams gave up good starting field position all day.

Game Ball – Maye: He threw for those 222 yards with two TD’s and no TO’s and had 62 rushing yards on eight carries too.

News Item – Joe Mazzulla’s Top 3 Tasks: Given the dour forecast given in the Top Story here’s what the coach must do in 2025-26:

1 – Anfernee Simons: Get him to actually play defense, because he can score.

2 – Help Neemias Queta Find His Ceiling: He has likable attributes around the basket, but they need more than just that.

3 – Find A Way To Better Manage His Three-Ball Mania: His refusal, or was it his inability, to adjust as game conditions dictate cost them last year’s playoff series with NY. This year he’ll have to do it without bigs like Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, who could bomb threes.

Somehow I don’t think he will or can.

The Numbers:

21-42-1 – record of teams the Patriots will play in the last 10 games. Combined with the records (16-30) of those already played, it’s 37-72-1 overall to make it one of the easiest schedules in league history.

33 – after being shut out for three quarters, the most ever fourth-quarter points scored, as the Broncos handed the G-Men a devastating 33-32 loss, by a FG as time expired.

522 – rushing yards on just 20 carries by Curry College’s Montie Quinn in a 71-27 drubbing of rival Nichols (per the Boston Globe). Yes it’s D-3, but when you score seven TD’s on runs of 85, 84, 76, 64, 56, 30 and 2, that’s a great day for anyone at any level.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – For Retiring Malcolm Brogdon: Hehad a short but effective season in Boston, when he was Sixth Man of the Year.

Quote of the Week – Mookie Betts: Said after Shohei Ohtani sent L.A. to the World Series (again) with a 5-1 win over Milwaukee by astonishingly striking out 10 (in six innings) and hitting three homers, “It’s like we’re the Chicago Bulls and he’s Michael Jordan.”

Babe Ruth Award – Ohtani: While the Babe won games as a pitcher and hit three homers in post-season games twice, he never did it in the same one as the Eighth Wonder of the World did Friday.

Random Thought: How is it that a team with three Gold Glove finalists — Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Carlos Narvaez — can still lead the majors in errors with 116?

Sports 101 Answer: Larry Brown has coached the most NBA teams — Denver, NJ, San Antonio, Indiana, LA Clippers, Philadelphia, Detroit, New York and Charlotte.

A Little History – Larry Brown: He also took Kansas (won) and UCLA (runner-up) to the Final Four.

Final Thought – L.A. Lakers Title Count: The Lakers will fittingly unveil a statue of Pat Riley when they play the Celtics next February. But this also brings into focus the LA Lakers’ hypocrisy in claiming they have won a second-most NBA titles at 17. Five of them came (in six seasons) in Minneapolis behind the game’s first truly dominant player, George Mikan, who was every bit as important to any title won by any Lakers team. But there’s no Mikan statue in L.A. because they have no real connection to Minneapolis — where there is one of Big George in front of the T-Wolves’ Target Center. So if they do it that way, then the total won by the LOS ANGELES Lakers is actually 12, to be six behind the Celtics, where all 18 were won in Boston. Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

The Big Story – Pats Are Back: The clearest sign they’re headed in the right direction is that the sense of anticipation has returned to game day.

And it’s going to be worse next week after another Drake Maye beauty in Sunday’s 25-19 win in New Orleans, one that included three long TD passes, two of which were dropped in so perfectly they made me say W-O-W!

Then, while it’s best to take it one game at a time, with the Titans (1-5) up next, followed by two at home vs. the Falcons (2-2) and Browns (1-5), it’s conceivable the Pats could be 7-3 when they meet Tampa Bay on Nov. 9.

That’s conceivable, not probable. It’ll be interesting to see if this young team can take advantage of that soft spot in their schedule. If they can, it’ll put them in solid playoff position after nine games.

Sports 101: Name the only person to win the MVP in his first two seasons in the NFL.

News Item – Patriots Game Ball: There were major contenders like Maye and Kayshon Boutte (six catches, 93 yards, two TDs) but it goes to HC Mike Vrabel, whose use of the replay challenge rule was better than anything I ever saw Coach B do. First by passing on a sure win based on game circumstances. He then turned a Saints reception into a key fumble recovery, and the other reversed that Boutte stepped out of bounds on a late reception to retain possession and let them run out of the clock. Excellent in-game coaching.

News Item – Hit of the Week: It wasn’t quite Bobby Thomson’s dramatic walk-off homer over arch-rival Brooklyn for the playoff win that gave the NY Giants the 1951 NL pennant and didn’t make big market-hungry TV execs happy. But it punched Jorge Polanco’s ticket to Seattle Mariners immortality with his RBI single to right in the epic winner-take-all 15-inning 3-2 instant classic over big-market Detroit, sending Seattle to their first ALCS since 2001.

The Numbers:

40 – tickets the New Orleans-bred Boutte had to buy for family for Sunday’s game at the Super Dome.

53 – second most NFL penalties, committed by your NE Patriots.

603 – after running for 123 in a 31-27 win over the Jacoby Brissett’s Cardinals, NFL-leading rushing yards for the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Drake Maye: He’s coming faster than most thought. He’s led the Pats to three straight wins by completing 73.9% of his passes with five TD passes and no picks. For the year it’s 73.2%, 1,522 passing yards, 10 TD passes, just two picks and a QB rating of 112.5.

A Little History – Tom Brady: Brady’s QB rating in his Year 2 was 86.5 and the only time in his 20 years here he exceeded a 112 QB rating was 117.2 when he threw 50 TD passes and was league MVP in the 16-0 season of 2007.

Thumbs Down – Mike Greenwell RIP: He was a collision waiting to happen on every fly ball toward left for sure, but he could hit, going over .300 in each of his first five seasons, seven times overall in a 12-year career, with the peak being his .325-22-118 submission in 1988, when he should have been MVP because he finished second to steroid-stained Jose Canseco. He sadly succumbed to pancreatic cancer last week at 62.

Feeling The Heat Quote of the Week – Jets HC Aaron Glenn: Said as the first-year coach scolded a reporter for having the audacity to ask if he was considering a change at QB: “…what kind of question is that?” Well, with his team 0-6 after his QB Justin Fields threw for a franchise worst ever -10 yards passing in a loss to Denver (yup, I said minus 10), it seems like a good one to me.

Sports 101 Answer: The great Jimmy Brown was MVP in his first NFL season of 1957 and then again in 1958.

Final Thought – NLCS Spending Disparity: Few local media folks will mention this because it conflicts with their “John Henry should spend, spend, spend” mantra. But in case you missed it, the NLCS is the ultimate “it’s not how much you spend, it’s how you spend it” series showcase. The Dodgers payroll is a highest-in-baseball $350 million with an astonishing $1 billion (with a b) in deferred payments owed. The Brewers on the other hand had the best record in the majors with just the 21st highest payroll at $121 million. Half of what the $246 million “cheap” Red Sox spent in 2025. Showing immense spending can be overcome, because it still comes down to judging talent and putting the pieces together.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

The Big Story – 2025 Ends for Sox: It ended in the worst place of all, at Yankee Stadium, where the Sox went out 1-2 in their Wild Card Series with the Yankees.

After the Sox won a surprising 89 games and went to the playoffs for the first time in three years, some in the fellowship of the miserable spent Friday looking under rocks to find the 2025 negatives. And the Boston Globe’s Prince of Darkness reverted to his classic 1990s “the sky is always falling” form by being bizarrely fixated on the Raffy Devers trade to say that’s why they lost to the Yanks. Except they weren’t headed to the playoffs with him.

Actually it was an entertaining year and a sign of things to come after the Devers nonsense ended when he got dumped to SF — who, oh by the way, tanked when he got there. The missing piece in the WCS was really losing the catalyst for their turnaround, Roman Anthony.

Sports 101: Name the two players whose NFL records for most receptions and receiving yards in a season are under threat this year.

News Item – Patriots Beat Buffalo 23-20:Key stat – Pats had 3-1 advantage in TO’s. Improvement by Andy Borregales: The guy everyone wanted to send packing after Game 1 gaffes won the game with a FG with 20 seconds left. Backslide: The offensive line was shaky as they rushed for just 71 yards and Maye was pressured all night. Game ball: Stefon Diggs (10 catches for 145 yards) was excellent, but it goes to the emerging Drake Maye (22-30 with no TO’s) for a mistake-free game, fighting off constant pass rush pressure and leading the game-winning drive with two minutes left.

News Item – 2025 Alumni News: Catching up with recent ex- Red Sox players who could have helped the cause in 2025.

Kyle Schwarber: NL MVP candidate thanks to hitting 56 homers and knocking in MLB-leading 132 RBI.

Nathan Eovaldi: FA passed on. 11-3 with a 1.73 ERA for mediocre Texas.

Nick Pivetta: Free agent. Was 13-5 for SD; ERA 2.87 over 181.2 innings. Seems like they could have used him in Game 3.

Quinn Priester: Dumped in spring trade to Milwaukee, which they now regret. Stats: 13-3, 3.32 ERA and 157.1 innings in 24 starts.

The Numbers:

6.5 – million dollars raised for The Willie Mays Foundation through an auction of memorabilia from his awesome career.

3:04, 2:50, 2:30 – times of the three WC games between the Yanks and the Sox.

119 – homers by Seattle bashers Cal Raleigh (60) and Eugenio Suarez (47), which kinda sorta is the second highest by teammates in history to Mickey Mantle (54) and Roger Maris (61) in 1961. Kinda sorta because Suarez actually only hit 13 for Seattle after being traded there in July.

… Of the Week

Thumbs Up – Impossible Feat of the Week: Helped by two Paul Goldschmidt base running blunders, Aroldis Chapman escaped a bottom of the ninth, no out, bases loaded jam without allowing any Yankee to score while saving Boston’s 3-1 WCS Game 1 win.

Who’s Hot – Puka Nacua: His 52 catches for 588 yards after five games puts him on pace for 170 catches for an even 2,000 yards, which would be all-time NFL records.

In Case You Missed It:

Ryan Day: His Ohio State Buckeyes stayed atop the college football rankings after stomping Minnesota 42-3. The defending national champs are 5-0 as they head to Indiana Saturday.

Mac Jones: He threw for a career high 342 yards, two TD’s and no picks while going 33-49 as his 49ers beat the Rams 25-23. He’s now 3-0 filling in for Brock Purdy with six TD passes, one pick and a 99.2 QB rating in Kyle Shanahan’s system. Makes you wonder what would have happened if (a real OC) Josh McDaniels had coached him for all three NE years.

UNC Update: Coach B got clocked again. This time 38-10 at Clemson when they allowed a most ever by a Bill Belichick team 28 first-quarter points. UNC dropped to 2-3 with the losses being by 34, 28 and 25.

Random Thought: Those NY-Boston game lengths are a long way from the five-hour marathons from the Tito–Torre era. Guess the 15-second clock is working.

Sports 101 Answer: The record for most receptions and receiving yards are 149 receptions by the Saints’ Mike Thomas (2019) and 1,964 yards by Detroit’s Calvin Johnson (2012).

Final Thought – Who Brought 2025 Red Sox to Fenway:

Dave Dombrowski: Drafted– Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran.

Chaim Bloom: Trade – Wilyer Abreu. FA – Trevor Story. Drafted– Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell and Kyle Teel, who was used in the Crochet trade.

Craig Breslow: Trade– Garrett Crochet and Carlos Narvaez. FA – Chapman and Alex Bregman.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

The Big Story – Baseball Playoffs Begin: There was a lot to choose from, between the Europeans holding off a furious USA final day rally to win the Ryder Cup 15-13 at Long Island’s famed Bethpage Black; the Red Sox clinching their playoff spot in 1967 Yaz-like fashion via Ceddanne Rafaela’s clutch walk-off triple on Friday; and the first Patriots trouncing of an opponent since the Brady administration left town in a 42-13 thumping of hapless Carolina.

But the Big Story goes to baseball’s playoffs starting Tuesday when the Sox face the Yanks at the Stadium. The other series are Cleveland-Detroit, L.A. (Dodgers)-Cincy and Cubs-Padres.

Sports 101: Name the five winningest pitchers in postseason history.

News Item – Patriots Observations: (1) Player of the game is Marcus Jones for sparking the team with an 87-yard punt return for their first TD and a 61-yarder that put them inside their 20 to set up their third score. (2) Drake Maye’s 14 for 17 for 203 yards, two TD passes, no turnovers and a 155.6 QB rating day shows he is maturing in front of our eyes. (3) FA newcomer Milton Williams is earning his big paycheck. (4) Still too many penalties — 7 for 54 yards during the first half. (5) I like that Mike Vrabel didn’t bury Rhamondre Stevenson as Coach B would have after Week 3’s fumble-itis game, ’cause they need him.

News Item – Clayton Kershaw to Retire: He takes three impressive feats into retirement. He passed Yankees great Whitey Ford (.690) to finish with the highest winning percentage (.699) of anyone with at least 200 wins (222-96) His 2.54 career ERA is the lowest since the dead ball era ended in 1920. And his 18 years with the Dodgers ties him with Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the most seasons in franchise history.

News Item – Cal Raleigh’s Sensational Year: His 60 homers and 125 RBI (.247 BA) as Seattle came out of nowhere to win the AL West is arguably the best season of any catcher in history.

The contenders: (1)1970, Johnny Bench, .283-45-148. (2) 1953, Roy Campanella, .312-42-141. (3) 1950, Yogi Berra,.322-28-124.

The Numbers:

4 – times Aaron Judge has hit 50+ homers ìn a season to match Babe Ruth as the only other to do it outside of the steroid era.

6 – catches for 101 yards in Stefon Diggs’ first “that’s more like it” game for the Pats in Sunday’s win.

30 – number of doubles, homers and stolen bases by the Cubs’ Pete Crow–Armstrong to become just the sixth person ever to do that.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Garrett Crochet: The Sox paid a big price for him to be THE MAN. And in going 18-6 with an ERA of 2.59 along with 255 strikeouts and just 46 walks he was. Most notably by pitching eight shutout innings in the year’s biggest game to get Tuesday’s 7-1 win in Toronto.

Thumbs Down – NY Fans: Their behavior toward the Europeans at the Ryder Cup was appalling. Booooo!!!

Fiscal Sanity Award: To Milwaukee, who had baseball’sbest record at 97-55 despite spending a meager $120 million on payroll compared to the 93-59 Dodgers, who’ve racked up a billion dollars in deferred player payments, or the $323 million Mets, who didn’t even make the playoff, showing it’s not how much you spend, but how you spend it.

Random Thoughts: Hey Robert Saleh, what does “legally” stealing signs mean as you claimed before Sunday’s SF-Jacksonville game? Doesn’t legal mean it’s OK to do? That led to a near brawl between the 49ers DC and Jax head coach Liam Coen, who, oh by the way, beat out Saleh for Jax’s HC job last spring.

Sports 101 Answer: With 19, Andy Pettitte has the most postseason wins, followed by Justin Verlander (17), John Smoltz (15), Tom Glavine (14) and Kershaw (13).

Final Thought – The Raffy Devers Trade: With the year ending, here’s the early evaluation of the highly controversial trade.

Records: On day of trade SF was 41-31 and Boston was 37-36. After that, SF went 40-50 and Boston 51-37.

Stats: Devers with SF: G 89, BA .239, HR 19, RBI 50, K 119. Overall: G 163, BA .252, HR 34, RBI 108, K 191.

Red Sox Got Back: Just one win from the four guys they got. But it was a big one for the WC race by Kyle Harrison.

Future: From the money saved by trading Devers they’ll have $250 million to invest this winter for a No. 2 starter.

Who Won the Deal: 2025: Based on their record, getting rid of Dever’s distractions to make room for Roman Anthony worked out fine for Boston. Given what he hit, it’s hard to pin (or ignore) SF’s slide on just Raffy, but it happened.

Future: Can’t be fully judged until we see what they do with that saved $250 million.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.