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The Scoreboard - October 21st

THE SCOREBOARD WITH JACK KREUZER Monday October 21, 2024

NY LIBERTY WIN GAME FIVE IN OT FOR THEIR FIRST EVER WNBA CHAMPIONSHIP

Despite struggles from their stars’ shooting all night, the New York Liberty woke up this morning champions of the WNBA for the first time in franchise history.

In the fifth and deciding game last night, NY erased a 12 point deficit against Minnesota with a balanced scoring attack. Four Liberty players notched double digit point totals, helping buoy their score until the leaders stepped up. In the dying moments of regulation, with the Lynx up by 2, Breanna Stewart drilled two free throws to tie the game at 60 and send it to overtime.

In the extra frame, the Liberty outscored Minnesota 7-2, clinching the championship at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. New York’s Jonquel Jones was named MVP of the Finals, averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds per game in the Championship series.

It’s a pretty remarkable story: New York was the last original member of the league to win the title, going back to 1997. In the first six years of their existence, the Liberty lost in the championship series four times. Last year, they ended a 21-year drought without a Finals appearance but came up short against the Las Vegas Aces.

This postseason run had New York exercise their demons, defeating the Aces in the semifinal, before facing the Lynx in the Finals and boy did it take every last drop of sweat for the team in seafoam green to reign supreme.

The Liberty’s rise to the top cannot be spoken about without mentioning the growth of their fanbase and the league, as the WNBA smashed viewership and attendance records all season long. In New York, the now-champions used to play in at the Westchester County Center, a multipurpose arena in White Plains with a 5,000-person capacity. That was as recent as six years ago. The Liberty made the full time move to Brooklyn in 2021. Last night, attendance was at capacity, over 18,000 fans packed the arena and witnessed history.

YANKEES AND DODGERS TO MEET IN THE WORLD SERIES

What’s better than a battle of the coasts for a big four sports championship? The winners of the weekend were the MLB and their TV rights holders… and of course baseball fans across the country as well. For the 12th time in MLB history, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in the World Series.

The Yankees won the American League Championship over Cleveland on Saturday in extra innings, as Juan Soto, who signed in New York on a one-year “prove it” deal, proved it, blasting a three-run home run in the tenth inning, eventually lifting the Yankees to victory, 5-2. Giancarlo Stanton was named the MVP of the ALCS, as the Bronx Bomber cracked four homers and seven RBIs over the course of the four games to one series win for New York. It’s the first pennant victory for the Yankees since 2009, when they went on to win it all.

Sunday in Los Angeles, the Dodgers won the National League Championship, defeating the New York Mets 10-5 in game six of NLCS. After losing their first series-clinching attempt in Queens on Friday, LA returned home and came out hot, taking a 6-0 by the end of the third inning. Seven different Dodgers recorded a hit, with six recording a Run Batted In. Trade Deadline acquisition Tommy Edman was named MVP of the NLCS. The utility player batted .407 with 11 total RBIs in the series. LA didn’t exhaust any arms last night, using eight different pitchers in the win. It’s the second pennant victory in the last five years for the Dodgers, who won the Fall Classic in 2020.

Game One of the 2024 World Series will be Friday night at Dodger Stadium in LA.

FOOTBALL’S ARCHAIC OPERATION COSTS UB BULLS FIRST MAC LOSS

Sometimes, we are reminded just how behind-the-times sports can be, especially football. The absurdly antiquated architecture of the game may have cost the University at Buffalo Bulls their first conference loss of the season on Saturday, as UB fell to Western Michigan 48-41.

After scoring to cut the deficit to 7 points, Buffalo kicked off to the Broncos with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter. On the kickoff, the Western Michigan returner calls for a fair catch. As is the rule, the offense takes the ball at their own 25-yard-line. Buffalo had all three timeouts remaining at this point, so Head Coach Pete Lembo used each of them after each of the Broncos’ three runs to start the possession.

Stopped at the 34-yard line, Western Michigan rolled the dice and went for it on 4th down with one yard to gain. With :46 left, Buffalo’s defense keeps the Broncos’ lead running back behind the 35, seemingly forcing a turnover on downs and giving UB a chance to tie or win the game, deep in offensive territory.

For some reason, and the MAC has declined comment on this, the ball was spotted short of the 35-yard line, but the Broncos were given the first down. The officiating crew brought out the chain gang to measure, and sure enough, the stick indicating the first down was a good six inches shy of the 35-yard-line, clearly displaying human error in placing the chains to begin the drive. There was no correction made on the field, the clock ran out to 0:00, and Buffalo lost their first conference game, on homecoming, no less.

Simply put, it is baffling to me that we can get up-to-date statistics and see exactly where players are with GPS tracking in every uniform, yet still rely upon human eyes, a set of metal poles, and literal chains to spot the football and see whether or not a team has earned a first down in the year 2024.

SABRES TAKE THREE OF SIX POINTS ON ROAD TRIP

The Buffalo Sabres have wrapped up their three-game road trip that took place over the span of four nights last week. The blue and gold picked up their first road win of the year on Saturday in Chicago, as they beat the Blackhawks 4-2.

Going 1-1-1, Buffalo earns three of a possible six points on the trip, bringing them to sixth place in the Atlantic Division. It’s still very early in the season, but there is already a major problem that needs to be addressed asap. The power play is still scoreless, seven games into the season. Buffalo is one of two teams that have yet to score on the man-advantage, going a whopping 0/21 on the year. It’s even more troublesome when you look at the organization as a whole. The Sabres’ AHL affiliate Rochester Americans are also 0/21 on the power play to start the year, and even their ECHL affiliate Jacksonville Icemen went 0/2 on the man-up in their only game played.

Focusing on the NHL, having an above-average power play is almost essential to make the playoffs. Last season, 12 of the 16 playoff teams were above league average on the man advantage in the regular season. That’s not a coincidence. Penalties are a part of the game of hockey. Just like football, special teams are a crucial part of your team’s success. If you cannot take advantage of your opponents’ mistakes, you’ll never sniff the postseason.

The Sabres return to home ice on Tuesday night, welcoming in the Dallas Stars. Puck drop at KeyBank Center is at 7pm.

BILLS OUTLAST TENNESSEE AT HOME

Yesterday, the Buffalo Bills played their first home game in a month, defeating the Tennessee Titans 34-10.

It was a game Buffalo had to dominate, as the one-win Titans rolled up backup quarterback Mason Rudolph and a depleted lineup across the board. Despite a slow start, one saw the Bills punt on five of their six first half drives, Buffalo’s defense kept them in it, setting up scoring drives on each possession of the second half.

In Josh Allen’s 100th career start in the NFL, he threw for over 300 passing yards for the 29th time since being drafted. Keon Coleman led the game with 125 receiving yards on just four catches. Newcomer Amari Cooper made a great first impression on Bills fans, grabbing his first catch as a Buffalo Bill in the endzone for a touchdown. He ended the day with 66 yards on 5 receptions.

The Bills turn their attention toward the Seattle Seahawks, as they’ll head across the country next weekend for a non-league matchup.

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The Scoreboard 2024 WBFO Sports
Jack Kreuzer hosts 'The Scoreboard,' and serves as the voice of WBFO's 'Friday Night Lights.'
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