| | | | | | | Presented By Google | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Oct 19, 2020 | | 👋 Happy Monday! Let's sports. Today's word count: 2.,066 words (8 minutes). | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⚾️ Tampa Bay vs. Los Angeles in Texas |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | After being pushed to the limit in the league championship series, the top seed in each league has advanced to the World Series, which will be played at a neutral site for the first time since 1944. - The Dodgers are back in the World Series for the third time in the past five years, determined to do what they couldn't do the last two times: end a 32-year championship drought.
- The Rays are back in the World Series for the first time since 2008, which was the franchise's 11th year in existence. They're one of six teams without a title (Rockies, Mariners, Brewers, Padres, Rangers).
By the numbers: The Dodgers paid nearly as much in signing bonuses this season ($25.3 million) as the Rays paid in payroll. - Dodgers 2020 payroll: $107.9 million (2nd in MLB)
- Rays 2020 payroll: $28.3 million (28th in MLB)
ICYMI: Cody Bellinger hit a mammoth, seventh-inning bomb to lift the Dodgers past the Braves, 4-3, in Game 7 on Sunday night. Giphy How the Dodgers got here: They became the World Series favorite after acquiring Mookie Betts in February and did not disappoint, racing to a 43-17 record and posting a +136 run differential, both by far the best in baseball. - Wild Card Series: Def. Brewers, 2-0
- ALDS: Def. Padres, 3-0
- ALCS: Def. Braves, 4-3 (first NL team to come back from 2-0 and 3-1 down in a best-of-seven series)
How the Rays got here: Powered by a dominant pitching staff that features three aces (Blake Snell, Charlie Morton, Tyler Glasnow), Tampa Bay ran away with the AL East despite a middling offense that produced just 289 runs (12th in MLB). - Wild Card Series: Def. Blue Jays, 2-0
- ALDS: Def. Yankees, 3-2
- ALCS: Def. Astros, 4-3
Notes: - The legend continues: Randy Arozarena debuted for the Rays 51 days ago. Now, the ALCS MVP is in the midst of a historic postseason — and one HR shy of the single-season record of eight. Get to know the young Cuban star.
- Corey Seager on fire: The Dodger SS smashed his way into the record books with five HR and 11 RBIs against the Braves, both of which set NLCS records.
- Rare matchup: This is only the second Tampa Bay vs. Los Angeles postseason meeting across the four major sports. The other was when the L.A. Rams beat the Tampa Bay Bucs 9-0 in the 1979 NFC Championship Game.
- L.A. goes for the double: If the Dodgers win, it would be the first NBA championship-World Series double for one city since L.A. in 1988. (You could add 2002 with the Lakers and Anaheim-based Angels.)
World Series schedule: All games will be broadcast on Fox. - Game 1: Tomorrow (10/20)
- Game 2: Wednesday (10/21)
- Game 3: Friday (10/23)
- Game 4: Saturday (10/24)
- Game 5: Sunday (10/25)
- Game 6: Next Tuesday (10/27)
- Game 7: Next Wednesday (10/28)
|     | | | | | | 2. 🏟 The Limited Fans Era |  | | | Fans during Sunday's Steelers-Browns game in Pittsburgh. Photo: Joe Sargent/Getty Images | | | | Following the No Sports Era this spring, we transitioned to the No Fans Era, with bubble tournaments and empty stadiums becoming a staple of the summer. - We have now entered the Limited Fans Era, a transition that has gone somewhat unnoticed due to shifting attendance policies.
The latest: Look no further than this weekend, when many of the biggest sporting events in the U.S. had fans in the stands. - 🏈 NFL: Eight of Sunday's 11 games had fans (Charlotte, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Miami and Tampa Bay). Tonight's Cardinals-Cowboys game in Dallas will make it nine this week.
- ⚾️ MLB: 10,920 fans were on hand at Globe Life Field for Game 7 of the NLCS. Roughly the same number will be in attendance throughout the World Series.
- 🏈 College football: Over 19,000 fans watched Alabama beat Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium, 18,000 watched Florida State upset UNC at home, 11,000 attended Clemson-Georgia Tech. The list goes on.
- 🥊 Boxing: Fans haven't been allowed at a noteworthy boxing event in the U.S. since Top Rank started staging fights again on June 9 inside its Vegas bubble. But on Saturday, 250 fans were permitted to attend the Lomachenko-Lopez fight at the same MGM Grand venue.
✍️ Have you attended a game? We'll be exploring this topic all month. If you've been to a game and are willing to share your experience, reply to this newsletter or email me at kendall@axios.com. Thanks, love you. | | | | | | | | 3. 🏈 NFL Sunday: Brady wins, Henry rumbles |  | | | Photo: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images | | | | NFL's Week 6 featured another useful data point as we attempt to answer, "Who won the breakup?" between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. - Brady and the Bucs destroyed the Packers, 38-10, to improve to 4-2. Brady and Gronk connected on their 91st TD, the third-most by any duo, trailing only Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison (114) and Steve Young-Jerry Rice (92).
- Belichick and the Pats lost to the Broncos, 18-12, and are under .500 in October for the first time since 2002. How long ago was that? Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" was the No. 1 song in the country.
Elsewhere around the league... King Henry: The Titans beat the Texans, 42-36 (OT), behind an all-world performance from Derrick Henry (212 rushing yards, TD; 52 receiving yards). - Highlights: First, it was the 94-yard TD in the fourth quarter. Then, it was the walk-off TD, which he muscled in from the wildcat formation.
- Wild stat: This was Henry's third career game with 200 rushing yards and two rushing TDs. That's tied for the most such games by any player, joining Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson.
Comeback kids: Heading into Week 6, there had been at least one game each week that featured a 16+ point comeback win. The Colts kept the streak alive. - Colts 31, Bengals 17: After falling behind 21-0 in the second quarter, Indy went on a 31-6 run, including a game-icing interception with 35 seconds left.
Winless teams in action: Three teams entered Sunday without a win. Only one remains (the Jets, naturally). - Giants 20, Washington 19: It took Riverboat Ron trying to win with a two-point conversion instead of forcing OT, but the Giants finally got their win. Best part? 2020's Mr. Irrelevant (last pick in the draft), Tae Crowder, had a 43-yard scoop-and-score.
- Falcons 40, Vikings 23: Atlanta picked off Kirk Cousins three times in the first half, Matt Ryan (371 yards, 4 TD) was nearly perfect, Julio Jones (137 yards, 2 TD) was dominant and that was all she wrote.
- Dolphins 24, Jets 0: Fitzmagic continued and the Jets were the Jets, but the game's best moment was when Dolphins rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa made his debut amid raucous cheers from the crowd of over 10,000 fans.
More scores: Tonight's slate: - 5pm ET, Fox: Chiefs (-5) at Bills
- 8:15pm, ESPN: Cardinals (-1) at Cowboys
| | | | | | | | A message from Google | | How to be ready for what comes next | | |  | | | | What makes a business resilient? New research from Google reveals that merging automation with human insight can help businesses meet the challenge to be ready for what comes next in 2021. Explore the latest research on Think With Google. | | | | | | 4. 🏈 AP poll: The last week without the Big Ten |  Data: AP; Table: Axios Visuals Stop me if you've heard this before: Clemson dominated, Nick Saban beat a former assistant, and there were upsets galore. Just another weekend of college football in 2020, Jeff writes. CFP favorites take care of business: - Alabama 41, Georgia 24: Bama held Georgia scoreless in the second half, and the passing game took care of the rest. Mac Jones threw for 417 yards, connecting with DeVonta Smith (167 yards, 2 TD) and Jaylen Waddle (161 yards, TD) for three of his four TDs. Nick Saban is now 22-0 against his former assistants.
- Clemson 73, Georgia Tech 7: Trevor Lawrence threw for nearly 400 yards and 5 TDs in the first half, though he did throw his first pick since ... last October. This was the Tigers' second-ever win by 65+ points over a major college opponent. The first one? Also Georgia Tech (73-0 in 1903).
Upsets galore: - FSU 31, UNC 28: The Heels fought back from a 31-7 first-half deficit only to lose thanks to three straight dropped passes in the final minute, including this wide open would-be fourth down conversion with 35 seconds left.
- South Carolina 30, Auburn 22: Bo Nix had a nightmare of a day (24/47, 3 INT) as Auburn lost to South Carolina for the first time since 1933.
- Kentucky 34, Tennessee 7: The Wildcats got their first win in Knoxville since 1984 thanks to a defense that has scored three times as many points (21) as it has allowed (7) over the past two games.
- Coastal Carolina 30, Louisiana 27: They aren't exactly playing powerhouses, but the Chanticleers are now 4-0 after knocking off the previously undefeated Ragin' Cajuns.
Looking ahead: The Big Ten begins its season this Friday (Illinois at No. 14 Wisconsin), and Saturday's slate includes No. 18 Michigan at No. 21 Minnesota and Nebraska at No. 5 Ohio State. Go deeper: How long will the undefeated teams last? (SI) | | | | | | | | 5. ⚽️ Americans in Manchester | | Tobin Heath (l) and Christen Press. Photo: Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images Four USWNT stars are currently in Manchester, England, starring for two of the richest clubs in the world. Sam Mewis (l) and Rose Lavelle. Photo: Matt McNulty/Manchester City FC via Getty Images The state of play: It's not unusual to see American stars go abroad on short-term contracts and loans; they've just left earlier than usual this year because the pandemic upended the NWSL season. - Most, if not all four of them, will return to the NWSL in 2021. That being said, with European salaries on the rise, it wouldn't be surprising if at least one falls in love with England's rich soccer culture and decides to stay a little longer.
The big picture: It's not just American women who are making an impact at Europe's biggest clubs; it's the men, too. - Coming tomorrow: The Development Academy generation
| | | | | | | | 6. 🇺🇸 Photos 'round America | | Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images LAS VEGAS — Brooklyn native Teófimo López is the new undisputed lightweight champion of the world after dethroning Vasiliy Lomachenko. Watch fight highlights. Photo: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images BOSTON — Early voting began Saturday in Massachusetts, and Fenway Park is one of 27 sites across Boston that will welcome voters. Thousands of ballots were cast over the weekend at the 108-year-old ballpark. See photos. Photo: Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour via Getty Images RICHMOND, Va. — Phil Mickelson won the Dominion Energy Charity Classic (-17), becoming just the fourth golfer ever — and second this year (Jim Furyk) — to win his first two events on the PGA Champions Tour. - Elsewhere: Jason Kokrak won the CJ Cup in Vegas, his first win in 233 PGA Tour starts.
| | | | | | | | 7. 🌍 Photos 'round the world | | Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images LIVERPOOL, England — Everton (4-0-1) and Liverpool (3-1-1) played to a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park after a stoppage time goal by Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was reversed by VAR due to an extremely questionable offside call. - Bad news for Liverpool: Star defender Virgil van Dijk will undergo surgery after injuring his ACL in the fifth minute.
Photo: Tim de Waele/Getty Images PIANCAVALLO, Italy — Portugal's João Almeida dons the coveted pink jersey after Stage 15 of the 103rd Giro d'Italia, but with one week left, a surge in positive COVID-19 tests threatens the conclusion of the race. - The backdrop: Cases in Italy have tripled since the start of September, and 11 of 571 racers returned positive tests last week, prompting two teams to pull themselves from competition.
Photo: Johann Groder/AFP via Getty Images SOELDEN, Austria — Norway's Lucas Braathen earned his first career win in Saturday's Alpine World Cup season-opening event, while Italy's Marta Bassino won the women's event. - How it works: The 38-event World Cup comprises four disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, super G and downhill) and runs through March. The next competition is Nov. 14 in Lech/Zürs, Austria.
| | | | | | | | 8. Oct. 19, 2008: ⚾️ Tampa Bay's first pennant |  | | | Photo: Cliff Welch /Icon Sport Media via Getty Images | | | | 12 years ago today, the Rays won the pennant, beating the defending champion Red Sox, 3-1, in Game 7 of the ALCS. - This was the Rays' 11th season, and they'd failed to even make the playoffs to this point.
- They were ultimately no match for the juggernaut Phillies in the World Series, losing 4-1 to the star-studded squad from Broad Street.
The big picture: The Rays have won fewer than 80 games just twice since 2008, but sharing a division with the Sox and Yankees has limited them to two AL East crowns (2010, 2020). - They've made a habit of doing more with less, but that hasn't included winning a championship ... not yet, at least.
| | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 College football trivia |  | | | Photo: UA Athletics/Collegiate Images/Getty Images | | | | Nick Saban now has 86 wins vs. AP-ranked teams, tied for the most all-time. - Question: Who is he tied with?
- Hint: Won two national titles.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Monday time machine: RIP, John | | The cover of Collier's magazine in 1934. Photo: Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images John Henderson, the oldest Texas football letterman and one of the oldest former college athletes in the world, died on Friday. He was 107. - John and his wife Charlotte, who is 105, were named the oldest living married couple in the world by the Guinness World Records in November.
- Henderson, who lettered as a senior in 1935, attended at least one Longhorns game for 84 straight seasons up until 2019.
🎥 From the vault: Texas beat Oklahoma, 19-0, in the 1934 Cotton Bowl, which was the year John and Charlotte met in class. Here's footage from the game. | | | | | | | | A message from Google | | How to be ready for what comes next | | | | | | | | What makes a business resilient? New research from Google reveals that merging automation with human insight can help businesses meet the challenge to be ready for what comes next in 2021. Explore the latest research on Think With Google. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Tampa Bay is having a sports moment" Baker Trivia answer: Joe Paterno | | Invite friends to follow Axios Sports Use your personal link to track how many readers you bring into the community  You currently have 00 referrals. Share with a friend For questions email referralsupport@axios.com. Participation in the Axios Sports Referral Program constitutes your acceptance of the Axios Terms and Conditions of Use, which can be viewed here. | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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