Yesterday, I mentioned the importance of plenty of American League games in this last week of the MLB regular season given the playoff slots there up for grabs. Not wanting anyone to think that the National League playoff situation is cut and dried, let me take a parallel look at the situation there:
- Brewers 95-62 Clinched the Central Division
- Phillies 92-64 Clinched the East Division
- Dodgers 88-68 Clinched a playoff spot somewhere
That may give the impression of “Ho-hum…” to the National League situation, but the wildcard race there has multiple possibilities:
- Cubs 88-68 Clinched a playoff spot somewhere
- Padres 86-71 Clinched a playoff spot somewhere – – and here the fun begins …
- Reds 80-76
- Mets 80-76
- D-Backs 79-77
- Cards 77-80
- Giants 77-80
Only one National League playoff slot is still in doubt with five teams still “in the mix”.
Moving on … Last Sunday was September 21, 2025, and on that day, there was a highly unusual happenstance in the Eagles/Rams game. The Eagles won the game 33-26 rallying from a 26-7 deficit to win the game. Twice in the fourth quarter, the Rams lined up to kick a field goal. Jalen Carter blocked the first try in the middle of the fourth quarter; then, with only seconds left on the clock and the Eagles leading 27-26, Jordan Davis blocked the second field goal try, scooped it up and ran 60 yards for a TD to seal the win.
I have been unable to find a time when an NFL team blocked two field goals in the same quarter of a regular season game, but I will admit that my data mining skills are not exactly “world renowned”. However, I did run across an interesting coincidence:
- The Eagles blocked two field goal attempts in Sunday’s game on 9/21/25.
- Exactly 50 years to the day before that, the Eagles blocked two field goal attempts against the Giants on 9/21/75.
- In the 1975 game, both field goal blocks were accomplished by Bill Bergey.
- Unlike Sunday’s win over the Rams, the Eagles lost the game in 1975 by a score of 23-14.
Switching gears … Auburn head basketball coach, Bruce Pearl, “abruptly” resigned yesterday and his son Steven will take over the job there. The idea of a successful coach “retiring” proximal to the opening of a season in order to have a specific person inherit the position is not unknown and these events could easily be explained in that milieu. However, there may be a wrinkle here:
- Rumors say that Bruce Pearl may be contemplating a run for the US Senate seat now held by Tommy Tuberville who was once the head football coach at Auburn.
- Tuberville is not going to stand for re-election to the Senate. He is going to run for Governor of Alabama in 2026.
For now, Bruce Pearl has debunked the rumors simply saying that he resigned simply because it was time for him to do so. Nonetheless, the rumors persist …
Finally, after noting the coincidence of the Eagles blocking two field goals in a game exactly 50 years apart, let me close with this from Albert Einstein:
“Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………