NPR’s Scott Simon and sportswriter Howard Bryant talk MLB playoffs and the WNBA Finals tip off.
Transcript
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And now it’s time for sports.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SIMON: Rue the Brew Crew. Milwaukee on their way to the World Series. Guardians or Rays await. Wait till the rain is over. And the WNBA finals tip off. Howard Bryant joins us now. Howard, thanks so much for being with us.
HOWARD BRYANT: My pleasure, Scott Simon. How are you?
SIMON: I’m fine, thanks, my friend. Game 4 of the American Championship Series between Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays – postponed last night because of rain. Try again tonight. Best of four, Cleveland ahead 2-1. Is this the year for – Cleveland rocks?
BRYANT: (Laughter) Well, if it is, I mean, they have not won the World Series since 1948.
SIMON: Satchel…
BRYANT: And…
SIMON: …Paige was on that team.
BRYANT: Satchel Paige was on that team. That is absolutely true. And it’s fascinating that this is going to be such a great postseason, a great World Series. Somebody is going to make history, and that is just going to be great. Either the Guardians are going to win the World Series for the first time since 1948, or the Tampa Bay Rays are going to win the World Series for the first time. And, of course, we have the Brewers…
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: …Who are going to win the World Series for the first time, as the Brewers and the city of Milwaukee may get the World Series for the first time since 1957. Fascinating stuff – all great storylines. And you know what’s crazy about it, Scott, is that this is exactly what people want from baseball.
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: And this is – you’ve got small-market teams, all of them, who are competing at a time when everyone says no one can compete against the Dodgers and no one can compete against the Yankees. And then you get this season with a lockout looming. And I think this is just going to be a wonderful – whoever gets there, whether it’s Cleveland…
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: …Whether it’s Tampa Bay playing Milwaukee, it’s just going to be awesome.
SIMON: Yeah. Course, the Brewers swept the Dodgers in four games. Safe to call them favorites regardless of who they face?
BRYANT: A hundred percent. I mean, they won 103 games. They were the best team. They – this – it was one of – I guess the best way to say it, Scott, is that it was the most fascinating four-game sweep I’ve seen in a really long time. And the Dodgers are the behemoth. They’re the colossus. They’re the two-time champion. And the Brewers had to have this. The Brewers have had everything else. They’ve got the hundred and – the hundred-win season for the first time.
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: They’ve won their division four straight years. They’ve – you know, they’ve won 90 games five of the last six years and four in a row. They’ve done everything except beat the Dodgers. You had to get this and forget the payrolls. Forget everything else. And they went out there, and they didn’t just beat the Dodgers. They trailed every single game, and then they came back and won each one of them. They were down 4-0 in the…
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: …Finale and came back and won – really unbelievable effort. And it’s great for Milwaukee. It’s great. And I can’t believe I actually made the error of saying that the Brewers had never reached the World Series. I – but they did in 1982, of course. It’s fascinating to me that every time the Brewers have reached the World Series, this series has gone seven games. When they were the Braves in Milwaukee, they beat the Yankees in seven. And then the very next year, they lost to the Yankees in seven. And then in ’82, of course, the Brewers lost to the Cardinals in that classic seven-game series. So Milwaukee’s been waiting a long time for this, and they’ve got it. And they earned it, and it was a lot of fun to watch.
SIMON: Dodgers dynasty over?
BRYANT: I wouldn’t – I mean, I wouldn’t say over. I mean, they’re still a great team. But what’s fascinating about the Dodgers is that, well, they’ve got problems. I mean, not only did this young, exuberant Milwaukee team make them look a little old suddenly, which – that’s what happens, though, when teams lose. Suddenly, they look less invulnerable. But also, their owner, Mark Walter, is under investigation. Who knows what’s gonna happen with the Dodgers franchise and their finances? We will see if the – if they – if they’re printing money – if that still is going to continue.
SIMON: Game 1 of the NBA Finals tonight – Atlanta versus…
BRYANT: WNBA finals.
SIMON: WNBA finals – Atlanta versus Golden State. Who do you think?
BRYANT: Good question. You know, I don’t make predictions, Scott. We’ll see on the court. But I think what I love about this is, just like in baseball, somebody’s going to win for the first time. The Dream – they’ve been to the finals three times, haven’t had a chance to get one. And the Valkyries, of course, have only been in existence for two years. So this is – somebody is going to raise a banner for the first time as well on the WNBA side.
SIMON: Howard Bryant, thanks so much.
BRYANT: Oh, my pleasure.
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