SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And now it's time for sports.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SIMON: A plethora of playoffs - that's hard to say. Baseball's divisional series and the WNBA. Howard Bryant of Meadowlark Media joins us. Howard, thanks so much for being with us.
HOWARD BRYANT: Good morning, Scott. How are you?
SIMON: I'm fine, thanks. There are four baseball games today. In the AL, Yanks-Royals, Tigers-Guardians. (Chanting) Cleveland rocks. Cleveland rocks.
BRYANT: (Laughter).
SIMON: Then in the NL, Mets and Phills, and the Padres and Dodgers. What are you going to be looking for?
BRYANT: Well, before we go forward, let's go backwards first. We had to say goodbye for something we hadn't seen in a long time, Scott. That is the Houston Astros...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...Are not going to be anywhere near the World Series this year. They got knocked out by the Detroit Tigers, of all teams, who are managed by A.J. Hinch, who managed...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...The Houston Astros before the cheating scandal - first time in seven years the Astros aren't going to get there to at least play to go to the World Series. Also, let's not forget the Baltimore Orioles - a real surprise. The last couple of years, we were looking at them as a team that was going to make that next leap, and they really sort of fell apart this year, which brings us also over to the Atlanta Braves. They had a wonderful doubleheader with the Mets last week that really set up the playoffs. And then they went out pretty meekly - two straight games to San Diego. And, of course, the big one - you know, cover your ears, for all you Milwaukee fans - the epic, epic playoff series between...
SIMON: Oh, boy.
BRYANT: ...Just the three-gamer between the - you know, the Brewers and the Mets and Pete Alonso. And what an incredible series that it was.
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: So - and where does that leave us, Scott? That leaves us with the Yankees. That leaves us with the Royals. They haven't played each other in the playoffs since the raucous '70s with George Brett and Reggie Jackson. So much good baseball coming up.
SIMON: Yeah. Is there any team hotter than the Mets right now?
BRYANT: No, the Mets - you know, we always used to have a saying in the press box where they've got that can't-be-killed look. No matter what they do, they just keep coming back. They did it against the Braves. They did it against - they did it twice against the Brewers. And sometimes these teams have a look about them. But let's also not forget, Scott, that while we've been talking about everybody else and the New York Yankees that haven't been to the World Series since 2009 and the Phillies who should have won last year and they didn't, and we talk about the Dodgers because they've got Ohtani, who is going to the playoffs for the first time...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...All of these conversations - let's not forget, the Mets were the best team in baseball for the last hundred games of the season. So if you're in New York, maybe you're kind of surprised because they started out 0 and 5, and they were 24 and 35 at one point, and then they just got hot. But is it really hot if you've been playing this way for 100 games? So they...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...Have really earned it. It's one of those great stories in baseball, where it looks like a team is surprising you, but they've been playing really good baseball all season.
SIMON: Of course, you mentioned Shohei Ohtani. This could be the main stage for him. What...
BRYANT: It's about time.
SIMON: Yeah, it is about time, as a matter - and particularly, I mean, following the absolutely amazing year that he's had.
Listen, WNBA playoffs - Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, already eliminated. The Las Vegas Aces, two-time defending champions, held off elimination for at least one more game. Can they come back against New York, best-rated...
BRYANT: Yeah. Well...
SIMON: ...Team?
BRYANT: Exactly. Well, this is the reason why they are two-time defending champions. And, you know, champions are different. You win two in a row. You're trying to three-peat. They've had all kinds of different distractions this year. They're trying to win again - changes everything in terms of you're going to get everybody's best game. Everybody knows you're the champs. And on top of that, you're spending...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...All of your time trying to come back from all of the different things that you need to come back from. Can you be a champion again? Are you going to be able to find the way to win 'cause once you win it gets harder to win? And New York's a good team. You know, Sabrina Ionescu - listening to all the talk about Caitlin Clark, let's not forget Sabrina is a great, great player herself, and Breanna Stewart, great player. They need one, but you never count out a champion until the final bell.
SIMON: Yeah. That's why three-peats are so difficult - right? - because you're...
BRYANT: That's why you never see them...
SIMON: ...You're - yeah.
BRYANT: ...And we're seeing it...
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: ...With the Kansas City Chiefs in football. Can they do it? It's really, really, really hard.
SIMON: Yeah.
BRYANT: Haven't seen it since the Yankees.
SIMON: Every other team in the league gets two years to figure out how to try and beat you. That's the...
BRYANT: That's right.
SIMON: ...Thing about it, too. Howard Bryant of Meadowlark Media, thanks so much. Talk to you soon, my friend.
BRYANT: Thank you, Scott.
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