Good Morning! Today is Thursday, October 23. Here’s what happened this week in the world of sports.

NBA

As Lil Bow Wow once sang, “Basketball is my favorite sport, I like they way they dribble up and down the court.” The NBA is back and the stars are already shining. A couple of notable scores from the Association’s first two nights of the season:

• We may have already seen the game of the year AND a Western Conference Finals preview. The Thunder took down the Rockets in double overtime. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was as clutch as ever.

• 76ers rookie VJ Edgecomb made history, dropping 36 points in his first game last night. That’s the highest point total in an NBA debut in 66 years, and third-highest all-time!

• Watch out for Wemby! The 7’4” (7’5”? 7’6”?) alien put up 40 points and 15 rebounds in an absolute dominant win last night against the Mavericks. Luka Doncic scored 43 on Tuesday, Tyrese Maxey had 40, and Anthony Edwards took over with 41 last night, too. But it was the Frenchman on the Spurs who had everyone talking.

• Shaq and Chuck are on ESPN, we’ve got Amazon games on Friday, and the NBA is back on NBC! It’s tricky navigating the new media landscape, but at least we’re getting awesome game presentations like this one:

NHL

Don’t worry hockey, we didn’t forget about you. The San Jose Sharks don’t have a win yet this season, but we’re going to be positive in today’s NHL update. Take a look at this nice moment on Brad Marchand’s first game back since being traded last season by Boston:

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Monday Night football saw Jahmyr Gibbs the Detroit Lions sprint past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-9. In the second game of the doubleheader, Seattle took down Houston 27-19.

We’ve got our World Series matchup, but we have to discuss the all-time classic Game Seven on Monday night between the Mariners and Blue Jays. Seattle had control early and everything was going according to plan… until one of the greatest postseason hitters of our lifetime stepped up to the plate. Take it away, Mr. Springer:

NEWSWORTHY

Former catcher Kurt Suzuki will be the next manager of the Los Angeles Angels. He’s signed a one-year deal, the same length as general manager Perry Minisian. No pressure, Kurt.

After a few days of rumors, Tennessee Volunteers manager Tony Vitello has officially agreed to leave the college ranks and go pro, taking the position as manager of the San Francisco Giants. Vitello will be the first MLB manager to make the leap from the NCAA without any prior professional coaching experience.

False alarm! La Liga has cancelled the match they had planned to play in the United States next month. Apparently they heard all the negative feedback.

Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans will miss most of the rest of the season after breaking his collarbone on Monday. Evans’ streak of 1,000 yards receiving will finally come to an end.

You may notice this issue came out a bit later than normal- beehiv, the platform we use to publish, stopped working late lat night. While not ideal, that did allow me the chance to include this story about Heat guard Terry Rozier and Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. They have each been arrested as part of an investigation into an insider-trading NBA gambling Mafia scandal. That sounds as crazy as it was to write. We will see what details emerge going forward…

WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

The Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Toronto Blue Jays in this year’s Fall Classic! LA are the defending champs, with a superstar lineup and starting pitching staff filled with aces. Toronto comes in with the best record in the American League this season, boasting a lineup that makes great contact, a versatile pitching staff, and the hottest hitter on the planet in ALCS MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr. If you’re interested in a breakdown of each roster, here’s a great link. But If you’re looking to sound smart at your World Series watch party, here are three storylines to keep an eye on:

ODD HISTORICAL PATTERNS

This is the fourth time in MLB history that one team swept the Championship Series and the other advanced in seven games. Each time, the team who advanced in seven games has won the World Series. That should be advantage Toronto. However, a player named Will Smith has been on the World Series winning team each of the last five seasons! The Dodgers hold the edge in that category.

SCHERZER vs KERSHAW

Arguably the two best pitchers of their generation are facing off for the final time. Kershaw has already announced his retirement at the end of the season, and has taken a role in the Dodger bullpen this postseason. Mad Max, on the other hand, will tie Lonnie Smith if he pitches in a game for the Blue Jays, his fourth different team to make it to the World Series. Could this be his last season as well? Either way, baseball fans should feel fortunate to witness the greatness of Kershaw and Scherzer on the biggest stage, one last time.

X-FACTORS

It’s not often your team improves after making the World Series, but that’s the fortuitous scenario Toronto has stumbled into. After suffering a knee injury in late September, Bo Bichette will return to the active roster this weekend. One of the best hitters in the game, Bichette will have a huge impact on this series– whether he pinch-hits or starts, Bichette’s bat will lengthen the lineup.

It’s hard to pick an x-factor on an all-star team like the Dodgers, so we might as well talk about Shohei Ohtani. Consider this: the Toronto bullpen has three lefties– they gave up four runs in just 3.2 innings of work against the Mariners. Toronto carried four left-handed pitchers in the ALDS, and the performance was worse (eight runs in only 6.3 innings). No big deal, except Ohtani had a .898 OPS against lefties this season and a ridiculous 1.076 OPS against righties! I don’t know if the Blue Jays have anyone in their organization that they feel confident can pitch to Shohei. Neither team has too much confidence in their respective bullpens, but this may quickly become a series-defining matchup.

THIS WEEKEND’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

THURSDAY:

• Vikings @ Chargers, 8:15 PM on Amazon Prime

• Nuggets @ Warriors, 10 PM on ESPN

FRIDAY:

• Celtics @ Knicks, 7:30 PM on Amazon Prime

• 🏆 Dodgers @ Blue Jays, 8 PM on Fox

  • Blake Snell vs TBD

• Timberwolves @ Lakers, 10 PM on Amazon Prime

SATURDAY:

• UCLA @ (2) Indiana, Noon on Fox

• (8) Ole Miss @ (13) Oklahoma, Noon on ABC

• (15) Missouri @ (10) Vanderbilt, 3:30 PM on ESPN

• (3) Texas A&M @ (20) LSU, 7:30 PM on ABC

• 🏆 Dodgers @ Blue Jays, 8 PM on Fox

  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs TBD

SUNDAY:

• Bears @ Ravens, 1 PM on CBS

• Giants @ Eagles, 1 PM on Fox

• Cowboys @ Broncos, 4:25 PM on CBS

• Packers @ Steelers, 8:20 PM on NBC

“In the euphoria, the way that game unfolded, that was strictly about Dart. And that was in no way, shape or form anything that was directed at Russ. And I might be able to see how he might perceive that. Coming off that win and watching how [Dart] played, that wasn't any intention at all,” –Broncos head coach Sean Payton, explaining away a postgame comment that offended and prompted a response from former Denver QB Russell Willson

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday