The 60-game Major League Baseball regular season is drawing to a close, and right now there’s a strong possibility the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will finish out of the playoffs.
In fact, they could be the bottom two clubs in the American League East.
The Red Sox unloaded superstar Mookie Betts, one of the top five players in the game, in an off-season trade and that should have told BoSox fans where this team was headed. They have an injury-riddled pitching staff, and the offence has been pathetic with Betts gone, Andrew Benintendi out for the season and with J.D. Martinez looking more and more like an easy out.
The Yankees are quietly sliding out of the playoff race, and this week’s series against Toronto showed how weak they really are.
J.A. Happ is the best of the Yankees’ starters right now, while off-season acquisition Gerrit Cole has not lived up to expectations and Luis Severino is still injured. Without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees’ attack has fizzled. Brett Gardner looks like he is finished hitting a buck-fifty and Gary Sanchez is even lower at .130.
The boys from Gotham are fighting for a playoff spot with the Baltimore Orioles, who finished last season 54-108.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Hockey
The Stanley Cup playoffs continue, and I haven’t seen 20 minutes of any playoff game. Stanley Cup playoffs in August is not for me.
What is even more depressing is having the Vegas Golden Knights continue down the playoff trail, all hands healthy and with two quality goaltenders in Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury. The one team that handled Vegas all year was the Colorado Avalanche, but when their No. 1 goalie Philipp Grubauer went down that was the end to their playoff run.
Of course, we’re pulling for the New York Islanders with Suffolk’s Ross Johnston and Summerside’s Noah Dobson, but they were bombed 8-2 in Game 1 and lost a heartbreaker 2-1 in Game 2 to Tampa Bay.
Most Maritimers and Islanders are cheering for popular New Brunswick-born and Nova Scotia-raised Rick Bowness, who is head coach of the Dallas Stars. Dallas and Vegas play Game 4 tonight.
Gear exchange
The free hockey gear exchange, organized by George Halliwell, has been moved from the UPEI rink to 151 Great George St. in Charlottetown and runs today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Parents of individuals requesting gear must take the player to Great George Street to ensure the gear is the correct size. This is free to kids from across the province, so don’t miss this opportunity.
Harness racing
There’s a big doubleheader card of harness racing today at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park with the P.E.I. colt stakes featured.
The two-year-old colts and fillies go this afternoon, post time is 12:30 p.m., and it’s a chance to see the sensational and unbeaten Woodmere Stealdeal, who has the rail in Race 8 for Clare MacDonald. Race 11 has a tough field of seven freshmen also for $7,500 with the likes of Saltwater Savage, who is owned by Mike Currie and partners, Dustylanegoliath, Sports Report, Mr Rielly and vastly improved Justcallmedoc for co-owners Bim Ford, Gordon, David and Doug Neill.
Also today, the syndicate wonder, Cowboy Logic, has jumped up to the $2,600 class and he can win again.
The 14-dash evening card gets underway at 6:30 p.m., and it is a terrific card: the best three-year-old colt and filly pacers go for $8,400; the aged-mares series and the $3,200 top class with the likes of Time to Dance, Rose Run Quest, Woodmere Ideal Art, Lisburn, Simple Kinda Man, Screen Test and Avatar J from the rail.
At Mohawk tonight, there’s a great card, including the $335,000 Peaceful Way Trot and the $535,000 William Wellwood, plus the Somebeachsomewhere and the Champlain stakes,
Sept. 5 was a big day for James MacDonald, who won the $540,000 Canadian Pacing Derby with Dorsoduro Hanover and was second in the $540,000 trot with Lindy The Great.
After the race, here’s what The Meadowlands’ Bob (Hollywood) Heyden had to say, “Major talent in that MacDonald family. Wow. Great going James. Wonder when the last time brothers each won a quarter million dollars each in the same season with a pacer.”
Mark won the $250,000 Graduate earlier in the season at The Meadowlands.
Fred MacDonald's column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at [email protected].
