World Series/NFL open thread
By 
Well, that was wild:
UNBELIEVABLE. 😱#WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/kkzidC2d95— MLB (@MLB) October 25, 2020
That was one of the more remarkable ABs in recent World Series history. Phillips, a defensive sub/pinch runner with a career slash line of 202/284/347, showed remarkable discipline for a cold, inexperienced hitter in that spot, laying off three straight balls. Alas, two of them were called strikes, leaving him in a 1-2 hole — but he was able to hit a game-tying line drive anyway, with an aftermath that should be scored to either “Yakety Sax” or the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme. And if you’re wondering where Jensen was when the ball got away from Smith with Arozarena just getting up after his regrettable Daniel Jones tumble, well:
this is a funny picture in general but it also shows Jansen just sort of wandering around pic.twitter.com/xiPqTfpfyP— Jarrett Seidler (@jaseidler) October 25, 2020
Meanwhile, as a Seahawks fan I’m pretty relieved it’s the Bucs that are trying out this particular experiment:
No matter which team signed Brown, it was always going to be a strange pickup, even if it makes total sense from a football standpoint. The Bucs signing Brown feels like an act of desperation for a team that doesn’t need to be desperate. The same can be said of Seattle, who was also in the mix to sign the receiver. The Bucs were already an NFC contender—one who, just five days ago, dismantled a talented Packers team. The Bucs were a likable, fun team that looked like they could play with anyone. Now they are taking one of the biggest risks of 2020 to improve their outlook. Brown is remarkably good at football—he has been the most valuable receiver, according to Pro Football Focus, since he entered the league in 2010. He is the guidepost teams use when scouting receivers who can work the field and get open all the time, Chiefs GM Brett Veach once told me. At his best, Brown is one of the most valuable offensive players in the sport, and in what is perhaps the greatest era of receivers in history, he is among the very best. All of this is why it’s remarkable how many teams have given up on him at a massive cost. The Steelers, Raiders, and Patriots have some of the best football minds in the business, and all of them have decided to do whatever they can to get Brown out of their building. When the Steelers traded Brown in March 2019, they decided to take what was at the time the biggest dead cap charge in the history of the sport rather than keep him around. The Raiders and the Patriots also had to take dead cap charges after releasing him for nothing last year.
And for the Seahawks, who already have two of the league’s best wideouts but no pass rush or (with Adams out) secondary, it’s hard to see how it even makes football sense. Maybe it will work out in Tampa, but if the greatest coach in NFL history and two other Super Bowl-winning coaches are all willing to pay to get rid of you in quick succession I’m going to go with Occam’s Razor.