Month of MLB: Day Twenty

The Rays and Guardians were rained out on Friday night, and then Tampa Bay rolled to a 7-3 victory last night that tied the A.L.C.S. at two games apiece.  Today, Game Five of the A.L.C.S. will start at 4:08 P.M. Central Time on TBS.  That will give you time to finish watching the noon NFL games, and you'll still get to watch the second half of the Packers and the Cowboys in the evening, so I'm really happy with this timing.

Also, today we get the new AP College Football Poll, and I am really curious to see what they do after yesterday's craziness.  But we would be remiss not to point out that the University of Kentucky is tied for first place in the SEC in October, and I don't think that has ever happened before in my lifetime.  The Cats are 4-1.  They lost to Alabama, but they have beaten Texas A & M, South Carolina, Louisiana St., and Oklahoma.  Just amazing stuff.

Month of MLB: Day Eighteen

For the second year in a row, the N.L.C.S. ends in a sweep.  Last year, the Dodgers swept the Brewers.  This year, the Brewers swept the Dodgers.  After falling behind 4-0 thanks to a three-run homer by Shohei Ohtani, the Brewers stormed back for a 6-4 victory.  Milwaukee, which dominated Los Angeles from beginning to end, captures its first pennant since 1982, when the Brewers were still in the American League.  This will be Milwaukee's fourth trip to the World Series, after the visits by Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and 1958, as well as the Brewers' appearance in 1982.

In the American League, Cleveland leads Tampa Bay 2-1.  They will play Game Four tonight in Cleveland at 7 PM Central.

Month of MLB: Day Seventeen

The Brewers have absolutely dominated the Dodgers in the N.L.C.S., and last night was no exception.  A double from Will Smith gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead going into the seventh, and the Brewers responded with a walk and back-to-back home runs.  That was all Milwaukee needed, and the Brewers rolled to an easy 6-2 win.  Here are the totals after three games:

Milwaukee:  15 runs, 27 hits, 2 errors

Los Angeles:  7 runs, 15 hits, 2 errors

It's a complete mismatch.  The Brewers are plainly the best team in the National League, and they will likely wrap up their first pennant since 1982 tonight.

So, we turn our attention to Cleveland, where the locals will be hosting the Rays in a noon Central game today.  That's our best chance for drama now.

Month of MLB: Day Sixteen

These days, really good baseball teams just don't play that many important games.  The Brewers, Dodgers, and Rays have known for months that they were going to the playoffs, and none of them had too much trouble in the Divisional Series.  But now, after two games of the League Championship Series, they (along with Cleveland) are very close to winning the World Series -- but, of course, they are also very close to being eliminated.  Milwaukee, for example, has a 2-0 lead in the N.L.C.S., but the 1985 Dodgers could tell them that this means they are just a four-game losing streak from seeing their season come to an end.  Meanwhile, over in the American League, Cleveland and Tampa Bay are tied at one win each -- which means that they are basically playing a best-of-five series for the pennant.

Up to this point, the games themselves have been pretty dull, because most of the time there is very little scoring.  For that matter, there aren't often a lot of people on base.  The Brewers' bullpen has pitched 9 2/3 innings so far against the Dodgers, and the Dodgers have zero runs and only two hits.  But from this point on, even a game that's dull in and of itself will still carry some interest because we are so close to having a new champion.

Latest odds to win the World Series:

Milwaukee:  +110

Tampa Bay:  +320

Los Angeles:  +350

Cleveland:  +550

Since Tampa Bay and Cleveland are traveling today, the only game today will be Game Three of the N.L.C.S.:

7 P.M.:  Milwaukee at Los Angeles (Fox Sports One) (Milwaukee leads 2-0)

Month of MLB: Day Fifteen

Cleveland really surprised me yesterday -- they came roaring back from behind and pounded the Rays 7-3 to take a 1-0 lead in the A.L.C.S.

In 2016, the Cubs and the Indians played one of the great World Series of all time -- but since that year, no team from the NL Central or the AL Central has won the pennant.  That could change this year.  The Brewers are up 2-0 in the N.L.C.S., and Cleveland is up 1-0 in the A.L.C.S.  Both the Dodgers and the Rays are facing serious adversity for the first time all year, and we will see if they can fight back or not.

It's a travel day in the N.L.C.S., so the only game today will be Cleveland and Tampa Bay at 7 PM Central on TBS.  Enjoy!

Month of MLB: Day Fourteen

The Brewers beat the Dodgers 2-1 last night, as the Milwaukee bullpen simply annihilated Dodger hitting.  Milwaukee's bullpen threw 4 2/3 innings last night, and the results were two hits and zero runs.  So now the odds to win the World Series look like this:

Milwaukee:  +175

Los Angeles:  +180

Tampa Bay:  +310

Cleveland:  +650

I think Tampa Bay is being underrated.

Anyway, here is today's schedule:

4 P.M.:  Los Angeles at Milwaukee (FOX) (Milwaukee leads 1-0)

7 P.M.:  Cleveland at Tampa Bay (TBS) (series tied 0-0)

Here is how Cleveland and Tampa Bay have done in prior ALCS's:

Tampa Bay (2-0):  2008, 2020

Cleveland (3-3):  1995, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2016, 2024

Off the top of my head, I cannot think of a major sports event that featured both Tampa Bay and Cleveland.

Ken Pomeroy has dropped his new rankings

Here is the K-Pom preseason top 20:

1.  Duke

2.  Florida

3.  Houston

4.  Illinois

5.  Arizona

6.  Iowa St.

7.  Michigan St.

8.  Kansas

9.  Alabama

10.  Texas

11.  Connecticut

12.  Texas Tech

13.  Vanderbilt

14.  Gonzaga

15.  Virginia

16.  Nebraska

17.  Louisville

18.  Tennessee

19.  Texas A & M

20.  Arkansas

Here is the Classic SEC:

2.  Florida

9.  Alabama

13.  Vanderbilt

18.  Tennessee

25.  Auburn

26.  Kentucky

38.  Mississippi

46.  Georgia

62.  Louisiana St.

69.  Mississippi St.

Here is the Classic ACC:

1.  Duke

15.  Virginia

37.  N. Carolina

50.  Clemson

53.  Maryland

65.  N. Carolina St.

76.  Wake Forest

93.  S. Carolina

Murray State is ranked 97.  Western is ranked 122.

Month of MLB: Day Thirteen

Cleveland came roaring back to beat the ChiSox three straight times, wrapping up the Divisional Series with a 2-0 win in Cleveland last night.  So, we are now down to four clubs:  the Brewers, the Dodgers, the Devil Rays, and the Guardians.  The Brewers and the Dodgers will start the NLCS tonight in Milwaukee -- we waited a whole season to get a rematch of last year's NLCS.  Here is how each team has done in League Championship Series:

Milwaukee (1-3):  1982 (AL), 2011, 2018, 2025

Los Angeles (10-7):  1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025

The Brewers and the Dodgers met in the 2018 and 2025 NLCS, with the Dodgers winning both times.  Interestingly, the Brewers had the home field advantage both times -- as they do this year.

The 2018 NLCS was a cracker (home teams listed first):

10/12/18:  Milwaukee 6 - 5 Los Angeles

10/13/18:  Milwaukee 3 - 4 Los Angeles

10/15/18:  Los Angeles 0 - 4 Milwaukee

10/16/18:  Los Angeles 2 - 1 Milwaukee (13 innings)

10/17/18:  Los Angeles 5 - 2 Milwaukee

10/19/18:  Milwaukee 7 - 2 Los Angeles

10/20/18:  Milwaukee 1 - 5 Los Angeles

That last game is one of my favorite Dodger games of all time.  The Dodgers have rarely been known for fiery or charismatic players, but between 2013 ad 2018 they featured Yasiel Puig, who had those qualities in spades.  The folks in Dodgertown were never all that comfortable with Puig, to be honest, but I always believed in him -- and in the sixth inning of Game Seven, he smashed a three-run homer that vindicated me and effectively won the pennant for the Dodgers.  As it turned out, that was almost the end of Puig's career -- the Dodgers traded him after the 2018 season, over my objections (he was only 27 years old).  He spent the 2019 season playing for the Reds and Indians, tested positive for COVID in July 2020, and never played in the Big Leagues ever again.  Once again, the Dodgers knew more about baseball than I do.  But I still miss him.

Month of MLB: Day Ten

The Dodgers, Rays, and Brewers all won low-scoring games last night, so those Divisional Series are over.  The Dodgers and Brewers are headed for a rematch of the 2025 NLCS -- and the third Dodgers/Brewers NLCS in the last nine seasons.  Meanwhile, the Rays go home to await their third appearance in the ALCS.  (The others were 2008 and 2020, and they won the pennant both times).

We haven't seen much hitting so far -- at one point last night, one of the announcers stated that in the playoffs, teams are batting a combined .209.  They also pointed out that since the playoffs began, teams that scored at least four runs are undefeated.  Certainly the Braves, Yankees, and Padres all saw their seasons end in a series of pop-ups, strikeouts, and long flies.

But that did not happen to Cleveland.  In Chicago, the hopeful White Sox fans saw their heroes -- winners of four straight road playoff games -- get hammered 9-3 by the Guardians.  Thus, we still have one Divisional Series that hasn't finished yet.  Here is tonight's game:

7 PM:  Cleveland at Chicago (TBS) (Chicago leads 2-1)

Month of MLB: Day Nine

Very late last night, after almost everyone on the East Coast had gone to bed, the San Diego Padres wrapped up a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, thus ensuring that today we would have four different games -- the last day in the year when this will happen.  On the other hand, all four Divisional Series could end today.  Here is today's schedule, all times Central:

3 PM:  Cleveland at Chicago (TBS) (Chicago leads 2-0)

5 PM:  Los Angeles at Atlanta (Fox Sports 1) (Los Angeles leads 2-1)

7 PM:  Tampa Bay at New York (TBS) (Tampa Bay leads 2-0)

9 PM:  Milwaukee at San Diego (Fox Sports 1) (Milwaukee leads 2-1)

It should be a day of high drama.

Latest odds to win the World Series:

Los Angeles:  +160

Milwaukee:  +360

Tampa Bay:  +410

Chicago:  +750

New York:  +1600

Atlanta:  +1700

San Diego:  +2200

Cleveland:  +3300

Month of MLB: Day Eight

Yesterday was the first time I've really watched the Rays, and it struck me that they are really a sort of Moneyball team in reverse.  The traditional Moneyball insight was that you wanted a lineup of guys who bat .250 and mash about 25 homers per year.  And then, those guys would go up to the plate and swing for the fences.  Ideally, you'd hit a couple of three-run homers, and that would win the game.  It was brilliant insight, and for most part it has worked.  The Dodgers, Braves, and Astros have all won recent World Series using this model.  And, of course, the Yankees use it as well -- although it hasn't worked as well for them.

But, of course, Bill James's best insight was not that you should play baseball in a certain type of manner.  His best insight is that some players are undervalued -- and other players are overvalued -- because GM's build their lineups in a certain way.  Greg Luzinski may have been undervalued in the 1970's, but he would not be so today -- that's the type of player everyone wants.  On the other hand, what about a player like Tommy Herr, who had 5,349 at-bats and only 28 home runs in his career.  Herr's wins above replacement for his career (23.6) was almost as high as Luzinski's (26.3).  But how many people are looking for Tommy Herr's today?

One other thing about the current Moneyball style is that it encourages a fairly, shall we say, stately approach to baseball.  You see a lot of home run trots -- you don't see a lot of Mickey Rivers-type scrambling.

Unless you watch the Rays.  They appear to have bought all the players that the rich teams didn't want, and sure enough, they have a team of quick contact hitters.  They had the fewest strikeouts in baseball, and they turn every trip on the basepaths into an adventure.  And yesterday, they put so much pressure on the Yankees -- who were clearly uncomfortable playing at high speed -- that the Yankees' defense simply collapsed.  The Yankees made four errors and lots of other stumbles, and the Rays dashed to an easy 5-2 win.  I think the Rays are going to win the pennant, and they will be a very tough out in the World Series.

Today's National League games are enormously important.  The Padres fighting for their lives, and the Braves and Dodgers are each playing their biggest game of the year.  These games will go a long way to deciding the National League pennant:

5 PM:  Los Angeles at Atlanta (Fox Sports 1) (series tied 1-1)

8:30 PM:  Milwaukee at San Diego (Fox Sports 1) (Brewers lead 2-0)

Month of MLB: Day Seven

Here's where things stand in the Divisional Series (home teams listed first):

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

(1) Milwaukee v. (4) San Diego (Milwaukee leads 2-0):

10/03:  Milwaukee 3 - 2 San Diego

10/04:  Milwaukee 4 - 3 San Diego

(2) Los Angeles v. (3) Atlanta (series tied 1-1):

10/03:  Los Angeles 5 - 3 Atlanta

10/04:  Los Angeles 2 - 3 Atlanta

AMERICAN LEAGUE

(1) Tampa Bay v. (4) New York (Tampa Bay leads 1-0):

10/03:  Tampa Bay 1 - 0 New York

(2) Cleveland v. (6) Chicago (Chicago leads 1-0):

10/03:  Cleveland 0 - 3 Chicago

The National League teams are traveling today, so we have two AL games (all times Central):

4 PM:  Chicago at Cleveland (TBS)

7 PM:  New York at Tampa Bay (TBS)

The Dodgers have the night off, so I can watch both games without too much anxiety.

Month of MLB: Day Three

Here are yesterday's scores (home team listed first):

Atlanta 3 - 4 Philadelphia (10 innings) (series tied 1-1)

Houston 3 - 7 Chicago White Sox (White Sox win 2-0)

New York Yankees 9 - 2 Boston (Yankees win 2-0)

San Diego 4 - 1 Chicago Cubs (Padres win 2-0)

The Braves/Phillies series has been great, but the other series were pretty much duds.  On the other hand, the White Sox, Yankees, and Padres were clearly the better teams, and the Divisional Series will be better because they are in them.

All four Divisional Series are set to start on Saturday.  Meanwhile, we still have to settle the Braves/Phillies series, which has been excellent.  Here is tonight's schedule:

7 PM Central:  Philadelphia at Atlanta (NBC)

Should be a good one.

Month of MLB: Day Two

So here are the scores from yesterday's Wild Card games (home teams listed first):

Atlanta 5 - 3 Philadelphia (Atlanta leads 1-0)

Houston 3 - 6 Chicago White Sox (Chicago leads 1-0)

New York Yankees 9 - 0 Boston (New York leads 1-0)

San Diego 8 - 0 Chicago Cubs (San Diego leads 1-0)

That Yankees game was closer than the score indicates -- the Yankees blew the game open with five runs in the eighth.  But the only really satisfying game of the day was the Braves/Phillies battle, which was excellent.

The same matchups will all take place at the same times today.  In theory, today could be the end of the Wild Card series -- the series is best two out of three, so every team that won yesterday has a chance to wrap things up today.  If that were to happen, we would have the strongest possible matchups for the Divisional Series, because I believe that every game yesterday was won by the stronger team.

Month of MLB: Day One

We have long complained about the silliness of the MLB playoff system, but the odds are that this year's playoffs will look like Game Six in 1975 compared to whatever absurdities the owners come up with after next year's lockdown.  And I'm too old to stop watching baseball anyway.  So I will merely point out that this year, the Atlanta Braves won 94 games, while the Phillies won only 88 -- and today we begin a three-game series between Atlanta and Philadelphia to see who moves on to the quarter-finals.  Similarly, the Yankees finished 6 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox -- and their reward is a best two-out-of-three series with the Red Sox.

Anyway, it is what it is.  But I have salved a lot of my pain by largely ignoring the regular season and saving all my energy for the Playoffs.  I think MLB fans at this point have to adopt the mentality of NHL fans.  There's regular season baseball -- hot dogs, fan gear, sitting in the sun, ghost runners -- and then there's Playoff Baseball, where there are no ghost runners and the games count for real.  This year, I truly enjoyed watching a young Nats team with almost no pitching slug its way to 77 wins.  And now, I can watch my Beloved Dodgers play games that matter.

Here are Vegas's odds for the 12 Playoff teams to win the World Series:

Dodgers:  +210

Brewers:  +550

Yankees:  +800

Devil Rays:  +800

Guardians:  +1000

Braves:  +1500

Red Sox:  +1500

Cubs:  +1600

Phillies:  +1800

Padres:  +2200

Astros:  +2200

White Sox:  +3500

This week, we start with the four Wild Card Series.  Here's how they work.  The
Brewers, Dodgers, Devil Rays, and Guardians all get a bye to the Divisional Series.  The Braves, Astros, Yankees, and Padres are all hosting best two-out-of-three Wild Card Series at home.  Those games will take place today, tomorrow, and Thursday.  Each series starts at the same time every day.  For example, the Braves and Phillies will start at 1 PM Central during each game of their Wild Card Series, while the Yankees and Red Sox will start at  7 PM Central.  NBC owns the rights to all four Wild Card Series, so the games will all be on NBC, Peacock, or NBC Sports (I thought NBC Sports was still shut down, but  the Internet tells me that it relaunched on November 17, 2025).

Starting on Saturday, we will transition to the Divisional Series.  The American League Divisional Series, and the American League Championship Series, will be on TBS or HBO Max.  The National League Divisional Series, and the National League Championship Series, will be on Fox or Fox Sports One.  Finally, the World Series will begin on Friday, October 23.  All World Series games will be on Fox.

One final point.  ESPN Radio has the exclusive national radio broadcast rights to the entire MLB postseason, including the Wild Card Series, Division Series, League Championship Series, and the World Series.

OK, got it?  Here are today's games (all times Central):

1 P.M.:  Philadelphia at Atlanta (NBC)

4 P.M.:  Chicago White Sox at Houston (NBC Sports)

7 P.M.:  Boston at New York Yankees (NBC)

9 P.M.:  Chicago Cubs at San Diego (NBC Sports)

Let's go and best of luck to everyone.  Last year's Post-Season was a cracker, and next year's will be a mess because of the lockout.  So, let's enjoy this one while we can.  I have the mini-helmets and the old-school 1969 Pennants set to go.  For purposes of MLB, I am a Coastal Elite, having rooted for the Dodgers since I was seven years old and having lived on the East Coast since 1992.  So, I will be focused on the Braves/Phillies and Yankees/Red Sox series.  We will be rooting for the two Chicago teams to advance, but we probably won't give as much time to their efforts.

Month of MLB: End of the Regular Season

Even by the usual standards of MLB, this regular season was a snoozer.  We've known for months who was going to the playoffs.  The Blue Jays, Mariners, and Tigers -- teams who played brilliantly in last season's playoffs -- all failed to make it this year.  They have been replaced by the Rays, Astros, and White Sox.  In the National League, everyone is back from last year's playoff group except for the Reds, who fell to last place in the Central.  The Phillies were forced to take a wild card spot this year, as the Braves returned to the top of the NL East.  So all the teams in the Senior Circuit playoffs look very familiar.

The Nats went 77-85, for their best record since 2019.  They scored 821 runs -- more than any team in the National League except for the Cubs and Brewers.  But they allowed 815 runs, because their owners refuse to pay for any pitching.

The A's went 64-98, finishing two games ahead of the Angels in the AL West.

There is something badly wrong in St. Louis, as the Cardinals went 77-85, but I have not paid enough attention to know what it is.

Howie Rose, the Mets' outstanding radio announcer, completed his last season.  He has been calling Mets games since 1987.  During that time, the Mets reached the World Series only twice, and they lost 4-1 both times.

San Francisco's experiment of hiring a college coach as the manager did not work out this year.  The Tennessee baseball fans probably feel the way I did watching Pitino struggle with the Boston Celtics.

Yes, Houston made the playoffs as the Number 3 seed with a record of 81-81.  Yes, either Cleveland, Chicago, or Houston is guaranteed to make the American League Championship Series.  Go complain to Rob Manfred, who set up this silly system.

No National League team has ever won three World Series in a row.  The Dodgers will be trying to do it this year.

Milwaukee and Tampa Bay have the best records in each league.  But we're going to lose most of the 2027 season because small-market clubs supposedly aren't competitive.

Here are the final standings in both leagues.  Each playoff team is in bold, with its seeding.  I will be rooting for the White Sox in the American League, in honor of the Pope, and rooting for the Dodgers to win the whole thing, in honor of my younger self, who picked the Dodgers as his favorite team back in 1973:

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

(1) Milwaukee:  103-59  ---

(2) Los Angeles:  100-62  3 games behind

(3) Atlanta:  94-68  9

(4) San Diego:  91-71  12

(5) Chicago:  89-73  14

(6) Philadelphia:  88-74  15

Arizona:  86-76  17

Pittsburgh:  82-80  21

Miami:  80-82  23

St. Louis:  77-85  26

Washington:  77-85  26

Cincinnati:  75-87  28

New York:  74-88  29

San Francisco:  65-97  38

Colorado:  58-104  45

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

(1) Tampa Bay:  98-64  ---

(4) New York:  93-68  4 1/2

(5) Boston:  87-75  11

(2) Cleveland:  85-77  13

(6) Chicago:  84-78  14

(3) Houston:  81-81  17

Texas:  80-82  18

Baltimore:  79-82  18 1/2

Toronto:  79-83  19

Minnesota:  77-85  21

Detroit:  76-86  22

Seattle:  76-86  22

Kansas City:  69-93  29

Oakland:  64-98  34

Los Angeles:  62-100  36

NFL Week 1 and Survivor Pick

The NFL season kicks off on Wednesday, so here is the top ten in the ESPN Power Rankings:

1.  Los Angeles

2.  Seattle

3.  Buffalo

4.  Denver

5.  Philadelphia

6.  New England

7.  Green Bay

8.  Baltimore

9.  San Francisco

10.  Houston

The Chiefs are Number 13.  Washington is Number 20.  The Dolphins are Number 32.

As usual, the Week One matchups are challenging for anyone interested in Survivor Pools, because the League does a good job of matching up teams of similar quality.  However, there is one clear favorite -- the Chargers are expected to beat the Cardinals by 10 points.  So I'm taking the Chargers as my team to survive Week One.

Scottie Scheffler Wins the FedEx Cup

Scottie Scheffler, who really is the greatest golfer in the world, had a frustrating year.  Until a few weeks ago, he was miles ahead of everyone in the FedEx Cup Standings, but he had only won a single tournament.  He finished 2d, T14, T4, and T4 in the majors, which is the epitome of close but no cigar.

He was a new man in the playoffs, however.  First, he won the First Playoff Tournament in Memphis two weeks ago.  And today, he shot a glorious 66 to chase down Viktor Hovland and win the Tour Championship in Atlanta by three shots.  That was good enough to win the FedEx Cup for the second time in three years.

Here are the last ten winners of the FedEx Cup:

2017:  Justin Thomas

2018:  Justin Rose (ENG)
2019:  Rory McIlroy (NIR)

2020:  Dustin Johnson

2021:  Patrick Cantlay

2022:  Rory McIlroy (NIR)

2023:  Viktor Hovland (NOR)
2024:  Scottie Scheffler

2025:  Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)

2026:  Scottie Scheffler

Here are the winners of the most significant tournaments in 2026:

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am:  Collin Morikawa (7th PGA Tour victory)

Genesis Invitational:  Jacob Bridgeman (1)

Arnold Palmer Invitational:  Akshay Bhatia (3)

The Players Championship:  Cameron Young (2)

Masters Tournament:  Rory McIlroy (NIR) (30)

RBC Heritage:  Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) (4)

Cadillac Championship:  Cameron Young (3)

Truist Championship:  Kristoffer Reitan (NOR) (1)

PGA Championship:  Aaron Rai (ENG) (2)

Memorial Tournament:  J.T. Poston (4)

U.S. Open:  Wyndham Clark (5)

Travelers Championship:  Viktor Hovland (8)

British Open:  Ryan Fox (NZL) (3)

FedEx St. Jude Championship:  Scottie Scheffler (21)

BMW Championship:  Wyndham Clark (6)

Tour Championship:  Scottie Scheffler (22)

We also had some Team Golf this summer.  The United States won the Curtis Cup, beating GB & I 13-7 at the Bel-Air C.C. in Los Angeles.

On the whole, it was a satisfying golf season, although the Majors were not very dramatic.  We still have a lot of team golf left to play.  The U.S. male amateurs will play amateurs from Great Britain and Ireland at the Walker Cup, to be contested from September 5-6 at Lahinch G.C. in Ireland.  The European and U.S. women professionals will contest the Solheim Cup at the Bernadus G.C. in the Netherlands from September 7 to 13.  The U.S. men professionals will take on the non-Europeans at the President's Cup from September 22 to 27 at the Medinah C.C. near Chicago.

Golf never ends, so here is the schedule for next year's majors.  We get Pebble Beach and St. Andrews in the same year, which will be fun:

The Masters Tournament:  Augusta National G.C., Augusta Ga. (April 8-11)

PGA Championship:  Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, Frisco, Tex. (May 20-23)

U.S. Open:  Pebble Beach G.L., Pebble Beach, Calif. (June 17-20)

British Open:  The Old Course at St. Andrews, Fife, SCOTLAND (July 15-18)

It looks like the Ryder Cup will be the only major team competition next year.  The Americans will suffer their usual defeat at Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland from September 17-19.  But I will likely miss the whole thing, as I will be watching football.

More Classic Conference Previews

Three more Classic college football conferences with each team's preseason ranking on CBS Sports.  Here's the Classic Big Eight:

9.  Oklahoma

23.  Missouri

33.  Nebraska

34.  Kansas St.

44.  Oklahoma St.

56.  Kansas

65.  Colorado

69.  Iowa St.

Here's the Classic Southwest:

4.  Texas

8.  Texas Tech

11.  Texas A & M

20.  S.M.U.

26.  Houston

31.  T.C.U.

49.  Arkansas

53.  Baylor

121.  Rice

And, finally, here's the Classic Pac-10:

2.  Oregon

14.  U.S.C.

19.  Washington

30.  Arizona

41.  Arizona St.

42.  U.C.L.A.

50.  California

74.  Stanford

88.  Washington St.

94.  Oregon St.

Here are the six major conference Champions last year:

SEC:  Georgia (3d time in the last 4 years)

ACC:  Virginia (1st time since 2004)

SWC:  Texas Tech (1st time ever as outright champion)

Big 8:  Oklahoma (1st time since 2019)

Big 10:  Indiana (1st time since 1967)

Pac 10:  Oregon (2d year in a row)

It's Almost Time

Last week, CBS put out its ranking of the teams that play D-1A college football.  Here are the ranking for every team in the Classic SEC.  As you will see below, Kentucky is not in last place, because they are well ahead of the Tulane Green Wave:

5.  Georgia

10.  Louisiana St.

12.  Mississippi

13.  Alabama

17.  Tennessee

22.  Florida

32.  Auburn

36.  Vanderbilt

47.  Georgia Tech

51.  Mississippi St.

55.  Kentucky

86.  Tulane

Meanwhile, let's see how the Classic Big 10 is doing.  UK fans used to take comfort from comparing themselves to Indiana, but that probably won't be happening for awhile:

1.  Ohio St.

6.  Indiana

15.  Michigan

21.  Iowa

29.  Illinois

40.  Minnesota

48.  Northwestern

60.  Wisconsin

66.  Michigan St.

82.  Purdue

On the other hand, the Cats are ranked ahead of UNC.  Here's the Classic ACC:

27.  Clemson

28.  S. Carolina

37.  Virginia

45.  N. Carolina St.

46.  Duke

52.  Maryland

58.  Wake Forest

61.  N. Carolina

What's really striking about the Classic ACC is how closely bunched all the teams are, even though none of them is in the Top 20.  It seems obvious that fans at all eight of these schools would have more fun if these teams played a true round-robin schedule with each other.  Check out the 2026 home schedule for Maryland:

9/5:  Hampton

9/19:  Virginia Tech

9/26:  U.C.L.A.

10/17:  Rutgers

10/31:  Illinois

11/14:  Wisconsin

11/28:  Penn St.

Now, if you replaced U.C.L.A., Rutgers, Illinois, and Wisconsin with South Carolina, N. Carolina St., Duke, and N. Carolina -- and threw in road games against Clemson, UVA, and Wake -- wouldn't that be a lot more entertaining?  Of course it would.