NEW YORK, NY — The difficulty in winning a World Series goes beyond just certain clutch October performances and statistics in the box score as the overwhelming challenges of postseason baseball hit each contending MLB organization differently.
It was a coincidence, but both the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies had their respective chief executive and field manager hold press conferences last Thursday to give their takes as to why their perennial playoff teams failed to yet again be the last team standing.
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The Yankees’ Brian Cashman and the Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski are two of the best baseball general managers in history to some. They always put together powerhouse teams which win over 90 games every year. Nonetheless, big market sports fans demand nothing less than the big trophy and a parade every year.
Cashman and Dombrowski both praised their respective players, although the latter did take a shot at his superstar, Bryce Harper, saying that he had a good year, but not an elite one. Both men said they would like to re-sign their pending free agents but admitted the realities of today’s baseball economics would make that an impossibility.
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The Philadelphia sports media tends to be harsher than their New York counterparts. It could be because New York has more than one team in each of the four major sports whereas Philadelphia is the largest American city which only has one entrant in each of the “big four.” New York also has far more competing entertainment options than Philly.
After getting yet another, “Why hasn’t your team won a World Series?” query from reporters, an understandably exasperated Dombrowski replied, “It’s hard to win!”
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When you think of Major League Baseball’s grueling 162-game schedule to determine who gets to the postseason, and then add three-rounds of win-or-go-home playoffs on top of that, Dombrowski’s succinct answer makes a lot of sense, even if diehard fans don’t want to acknowledge it.
While it wasn’t the bloodletting the Mets recently had, the Yankees fired bullpen coach Mike Harkey, and first base coach Travis Chapman. Whenever coaches are dismissed without a corresponding managerial change, it is impossible to know whether these decisions are based on performance, politics, or as a public relations sop for failing to win the Yankees’ 28th world championship.
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The Phillies failed to win a playoff round for the second straight season, but they were an integral part of the season debut of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.” The plot involved the teachers at the fictional Philadelphia public school making an outing to Citizens Bank Park.
The taping took place during an actual late August game between the Phillies and the Atlanta Braves. As luck would have it, that was the night when Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber hit four home runs with snippets of each one being inserted into the show. Schwarber made a cameo appearance at the end of the show.
Image Credit: ABC
Dan Baker, the Phillies public address announcer since 1972, and the Phillie Phanatic, were also prominently featured.
A Chat with Quinta Brunson, the star and creator of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary”
I chatted with Quinta Brunson, the star and creator of “Abbott Elementary” who grew up in Philadelphia in the spring of 2024 at an ABC event about that year’s season finale where the teachers and kids had an outing at the Philadelphia Zoo.
Most sitcoms are taped in Los Angeles even though they are set in other cities. For example, “All In The Family,” “Dear John,” and “The King of Queens” all took place in the World’s Borough, but they were all filmed in LA. That is the case with “Abbott Elementary.” That is the case with Philly’s “Abbott Elementary.”
Image Credit: ABC
I joked with Brunson that I don’t remember there being palm trees on 34th Street and Girard Avenue when I went to Philadelphia Zoo as a kid. Climate change is happening faster than I realized! Brunson laughed and told me that the officials at America’s oldest zoo, which was founded by Ben Franklin, are difficult when it comes to outside productions filming there, and thus the Los Angeles Zoo had to do the trick. Brunson made sure that lack of authenticity would not happen again, and the Phillies obliged.
Documentary on Allen Iverson, “Iv3rson” out on Prime Video
Prime Video is using the start of a new NBA season for a three-part documentary on, the AI before “artificial intelligence,” Basketball Hall of Fame member Allen “The Answer” Iverson It is titled simply “Iv3rson.” The “3″ replaces the “e” because it was his uniform number when played at Bethel High School in Hampton, VA, Georgetown University, and for the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Iv3erson” does a solid job showing why, despite his diminutive size for an NBA player, he was one of the most difficult players to guard. His cross-step move allowed him to drive to the basket, or to get free for an uncontested jump shot which he always drained.
The documentary producers also get testimony from Shaquille O’Neal, who remains a huge fan of Allen Iverson even though he admits his annoyance that Iverson and his Sixers prevented his loaded Lakers team from going through the 2001 NBA playoffs without a loss.
Iverson is using the Prime Video documentary on his life to help promote his autobiography titled “Misunderstood” (Gallery Books). The book covers much of the same ground we see in the three Prime Video episodes, although it goes into more specifics about Iverson’s penchant for missing practices which peeved his head coach Larry Brown no end. It led to a press conference where Iverson emphatically stated he could not understand what all the fuss was about.
“It’s practice. Not a game! Not a game!,” Iverson said repeatedly. Comedian Kevin Hart spoofed that in a recent Chase Visa ad. He had Iverson appear on the dais with him as he screamed out the same words AI did 25 years ago.
NBC Sports hosts 30 Rocks at 30 Rock in Rockefeller Plaza
NBC Sports executives understandably are making a big deal at getting the broadcast rights back to the NBA after losing them in 2002. This past weekend NBC set up a basketball court in Rockefeller Plaza. They also exhibited 30 oversized basketballs representing each NBA team. Each ball was painted by an artist from each of those cities. Many hoops players refer to a basketball as “the rock.” Since there are 30 NBA teams, and NBC’s headquarters are located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NBC smartly called the promotion “30 Rocks at 30 Rock.”
Danny Garcia knocks out Danny Gonzalez at the Barclays Center
It was not a good debut at Barclays Center for Woodhaven’s Danny “El Gallo” Gonzalez as he was knocked out by veteran Danny Garcia in the fourth round of their welterweight bout Saturday night.
Image Credit: Ed Diller/Swift Promotions
You had the feeling Garcia could have finished the fight the moment the opening bell rang.
Apple TV quietly becoming a Major Player in World of Sports
Apple Television is quietly becoming a streaming player in the world of sports programming. It currently is the only place you can watch 95% of Major League Soccer games. It also has a Friday night package with Major League Baseball.
Image Credit: Apple TV
Last week, Apple announced it has wrested the rights to show Formula One races from ESPN starting in 2026. It was not a coincidence that Apple financed the Brad Pitt box office hit, “F1.” The film will begin streaming on Apple TV beginning in December.
A Massive Turnout for New York City Wine & Food Festival at the Seaport in Manhattan
Queens had a strong presence at last weekend’s New York City Wine & Food Festival held at the Seaport in lower Manhattan. Resorts World’s RW Prime and Adrii’s Kitchen, a caterer from Ridgewood, attracted long lines of people wanting to sample their cuisine. In addition, legendary Jamaica-born hip-hop artist Ja Rule was one of the celebrities in attendance.
CBS debuts new comedy series called, “DMV” which airs a new episode each Monday night
Intelligent workplace comedies have become hard to find on broadcast networks these days. There may be a glimmer of hope as CBS has debuted “DMV,” which deals with life at a place everyone tries to avoid as much as possible, the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Image Credit: CBS
“Saturday Night Live” alums Tim Meadows and Molly Kearney star as employees in the fictional East Hollywood DMV. The first episode showed promise. “DMV” airs Mondays at 8:30 on Channel 2.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
