SPANISH HARLEM – This week we had all the major sports firing and here are the parts that stood out for me: Cubs Claw Cleveland, Knicks Fail Geometry, Eagles Soaring.
Iggles first…
The Philadelphia Eagles took down the undefeated Minnesota Vikings (ticking off @Angry_Ward) but it wasn’t the game many fans expected. Two teams, who all year have limited their turnovers on offense, combined for 5 in the first quarter alone. Sam Bradford looked like the quarterback we all know and love, at least when he was in Philly, but he wasn’t alone: Carson Wentz looked equally inept – but was saved by a defense that put pressure on Bradford all night. The Vikings quarterback was sacked 6 times and looked flustered all game. To say the Iggles defense won this game is an understatement. They controlled the tempo from the onset and didn’t allow the Viking offense to get going. It was a good home win against a team that many expect to make the playoffs. That’s not something to frown at but the Birds haven’t played a complete game against a quality opponent this year and that scares me. Now it’s off to Dallas to play the hated Cowboys… Will Carson Wentz come out of his mini slump? Will the Eagles continue this great run on defense? I sure hope so because Dallas is playing exceptionally well this season.
New York Knicks 88, Cleveland Cavs 117. And yes, it is as depressing as it sounds. While the Orange and Blue had some good moments in the first half, the second half was a disaster. They are collectively failing Geometry Class when it comes to Phil Jackson’s triangle. Derrick Rose showed that he can still penetrate with the best of them. Porzingis showed a sweet touch from outside the arch and Melo was his usually self, scoring at will but that all changed to start the third quarter. Kyrie Irving went off and looked unstoppable, making shot after shot and the Cavs never looked back. Sure Lebron James had a triple double but it was Irving whom dealt the death blows that knocked the Knicks out of this game. I know it’s early and real fans shouldn’t expect great things to happen in one game but they were not expecting a game like this from its new-look team. 1 down and 81 to go.
The Cleveland Indians on Tuesday took game one of the World Series by beating the Chicago Cubs by the score of 3-0. Cory Kluber has been excellent for this Cleveland team and Tuesday night was no different. He pitched 6 strong innings and allowed Francona to use his late game specialists of Andrew Miller and Cory Allen to finish the game off. The Tribe continue to show that are ready for the grand stage. One player in particular has caught my eye and that is Francisco Lindor. Man! Can that guy play! He truly is a joy to watch and has played as well as anyone this postseason. While pundits have talked about the Chicago offense and their many young stars, Lindor’s star has shined the brightest. This Cleveland team would not be where they are without Miller and Kluber but Lindor’s ascent to stardom has helped the Indians just as much.
Last night it was the Cubs’ turn, led by their pitching ace Jake Arrieta, They won the game 5-1 at the [chilly] Jake. Kyle Schwarber, who didn’t have a hit this year in season play before a season-ending injury, got 2 hits and gave his Cubbies 2 big runs. When that offense gets going, they can score runs in bunches and Arrieta benefited from an early lead and pitched well until he was taken out in the 6th inning. We even got to see Chapman throw some serious heat!
Now the series is tied at one with game 3 this Friday night in Wrigley Field. It’s going to be fun and that crowd will be popping (In my Bart Scott voice “Can’t Wait”)
That’s it. Comment below, come back tomorrow for Different Matt (?) and please follow us on Twitter @MeetTheMatts & @BuddyDiaz19 and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
