Stories (1234/0)
What Went Wrong: Guardians Fall Short in Five-Game Thriller
This was one hell of a season for the Cleveland Guardians. 2022 was their first year under their new name, Guardians, but that was the only thing buzzing, as very few (if any) expected them to go anywhere. The Chicago White Sox were expected to repeat as champions of the American League Central, and those who didn't pick the White Sox had the Minnesota Twins taking the division, especially due to how Minnesota's offseason went for they. Yes, the Guardians nailed down Jose Ramirez, but there was nothing else that stood out. This team couldn't hit home runs, and they weren't too flashy compared to the East's New York Yankees and the West's Houston Astros.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Unbalanced
Chucky Review: "The Sinners Are Much More Fun"
I apologize for being late with this; I actually had to watch this later than usual because on the same night that this episode aired, the Colorado Avalanche kicked off their season as the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and it included the raising of the championship banner, which was a very emotional moment for this longtime Nordiques/Avalanche fan. This episode was a good one (no surprise) and it began with the second season's first appearance of Tiffany Valentine, as well as Nica Pierce.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Horror
What Went Wrong: Another Historic Season Wasted
In my story about the San Francisco Giants' NLDS loss last year, I mentioned that they joined a club that no team wants to be in. The Giants won 107 games in 2021, which is a franchise record, but all that season got them was an NLDS exit by their longtime rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the defeat, the Giants were part of a collection of sports franchises who achieved historic regular seasons, only to come short when it counted. In the NHL, of course, the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning had the misfortune of blowing a 62-win season by getting swept out of the first round. In the NBA, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors won a record 73 wins, led 3-1 in the NBA Finals, but lost the final three games. The NFL has seen a number of 13-3, 14-2, and yes, even 15-1 teams fail to even reach the Super Bowl. As for MLB, we remember the 2001 Seattle Mariners for winning 116 games, tying a league record, only to fail to win the pennant.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 19 Recap: Down to the Wire
There is very little time left in the 2022 CFL season, but so much is changing in the playoff race. The season is coming off a thrilling Canadian Thanksgiving weekend that saw some things solved, while others still needed to come to pass. Two playoff spots remained after Week 18, and these were the scenarios entering Week 19:
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Eighteen Innings, Zero Runs
October 15, 2000. The Seattle Mariners defeated the New York Yankees in Game Five of that year's American League Championship Series to stave off elimination, but they would lose Game Six to the team who went on to win the World Series. October 18, 2001. The Mariners lost Game Two of that year's American League Championship Series to fall behind two games to none. Manager Lou Piniella vowed and guaranteed that they would be back in Seattle playing Game Six, but after winning Game Three in The Bronx, they would lose Games Four and Five. They would not return to Seattle in that series. In fact, postseason baseball wouldn't return to the city of Seattle until October 15, 2022--nearly 21 years after their last home postseason game, and 22 years to the day after the last the Mariners won a home postseason game.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Braves' Pitching Squashes Repeat Plans
You know how hard it's becoming to win back-to-back World Series? There have been two sets of back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions since the last time a team repeated as World Champions in MLB. Yet after the wild finish the Atlanta Braves had, it seemed like they had a pretty good chance to repeat the success they had in 2021. It was an amazing year; the Braves bounced back from a rough start to win the National League East, and then run the table in the postseason--capturing the World Series on November 2, 2021. The team did lose Freddie Freeman, the heart and soul of the team, to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the offseason, and they would pay for it with another rough start to 2022.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Unbalanced
She-Hulk Review: "Whose Show is This?"
We have made it, ladies and gentlemen: the finale of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law! To say that I've enjoyed this show would be an understatement, and I have immensely enjoyed reviewing each of the previous eight episodes, and this finale is no exception. So without further ado...
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Which Canadian Team Has the Best Chance to Win the Stanley Cup in 2023?
A brand new NHL season has arrived, and it's hit with the same question fans in Canada have asked for so long: is this finally the year? We all know about Canada's cup drought, which will reach an even three decades if none of the seven teams capture Lord Stanley's Cup this season. When the Montréal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, it was not only the franchise's 24th Cup, it was also the last Cup won by a Canadian team. When the drought began, there were eight teams in Canada: the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, the Winnipeg Jets, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators, the Quebec Nordiques, and the Montréal Canadiens.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Unbalanced
The Possible Implications of Sonya Deville's Return to NXT
The latest edition of NXT was the show's season premiere; first off, I want to say that I actually love the concept of a season premiere of a show that never has reruns. Secondly, I did enjoy Raw and SmackDown's season premieres as well, which saw a lot of shock returns, and shake-ups in the announce teams, with the clear indication that three-person booth will no longer be a thing. In the case of NXT, the interesting shake-up took place inside their Women's Division--more specifically, the top of it.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Unbalanced
Villainess Review: Carla (Quantum Leap)
I am old enough to remember NBC's original Quantum Leap series, which starred Scott Bakula as the main protagonist, Dr. Sam Beckett, and Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci. I still haven't watched the original, but when I learned about a reboot, I was in. The reboot series, which premiered on September 19, 2022, stars Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, the central character who is in the same role as Bakula's Sam Beckett, and he is assisted by a hologram of his fiancee, Addison (who is similar to Stockwell's Al Calavicci). I still have the emotions I felt when the premiere made a tribute to Dean Stockwell, who passed away last year, but even so, I was still looking for that one-shot central villainess. It only took four weeks, but we have one!
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
NFL Week 5 Recap: Quarterbacks Be Trippin'
The theme of Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season seemed to be quarterback screw-ups, whether it's a series of bad decisions, or just one colossal foul-up. If there is one QB who really shifted things with his mental mistake, it has to be Kyler Murray. Oh man, this one hurts. A couple of months ago, I wrote a story about the Arizona Cardinals attempting to force a "homework clause" on Murray as part of his contract, which stated that he had to watch four hours of game film a day. Like a lot of fans, I thought it was insulting, because he's too talented to be subjected to this sort of thing.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Unbalanced
2022 Division Series Preview
I do love the Division Series, which once served as the opening round of the MLB Postseason. The League Division Series (LDS) officially debuted in the 1995 season, and has been played under a best-of-five format ever since. From 1995 until 2011, the Division Series marked the beginning of the postseason, with three wins advancing the two winners in each league to the League Championship Series (LCS). Since 2012, the LDS is the second round after the Wild Card Game (now the Wild Card Series), and the LDS means, as Jim Ross often says, "Business is about to pick up."
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Unbalanced