by John Walters

Starting Five

Magnificent: Seven

A two-out, two-run error in the first (that wasn’t ruled an error, but it sure did feel like one center fielder Tyler Naquin), and a grand slam bomb in the third (by Addison Russell, the first in the WS since Paul Konerko in 2005), and the Cubs waltzed to a 9-2 victory in Game 6. I’m not sure why Joe Maddon used Aroldis Chapman, either, but the thinking is probably, He’s a hoss, her our hoss, and he probably won’t be pitching for us next year, anywyay, so what do we care?

Fate seems to favor the Cubs, but Cleveland will have a very well-rested Andrew Miller tonight, and he’ll go three if not four innings. Could we see the second seven-game series this year involving a team from Cleveland and a blown 3-1 lead?

2. Gig ‘Em > Mush!

In the first College Football Playoff rankings, one-loss Texas A&M (“S! E! C!, S! E! C!”) nudges out unbeaten Washington for fourth place. To a large degree, I gots no problem with that (for now) as the Aggies have played a much more rigorous schedule than the Huskies.

Looking ahead: the Aggies host Ole Miss and LSU (on Thanksgiving night), while U-Dub hosts a much improved Southern Cal and visits Wazzu in late Novem-brrr. There’s a whole lot of the football remaining to be played, of course, and not just for these two. Don’t sweat it, dogs.

3.  Louie Brings It In Harlem

Louis C.K. on the election, on Conan last night:

“If you vote for Hillary, you’re a grown-up.

If you vote for Trump, you’re a sucker.

If you don’t vote for anybody, you’re an asshole.”

In a show taped at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, Louie, who was raised by a single mom, noted how cool it would be to have our first mom in the White House. “A great father can give a kid 40% of his needs, top; whereas any mother, 200%. What’s the last conversation you had with your mom? ‘Mom, alright! It’s enough!'”*

* I may resemble that remark.

Honestly, this may be the best endorsement for either candidate I’ve yet seen.

4. Nguyen Wins (“Win Wins”)*

*The judges will not accept, ‘Hold the Vayo’.

At least one World Series came to an end last night…the World Series of Poker.

The deets: Qui Nguyen, 39, defeated Gordon Vayo in Las Vegas.

Heads Up: The final two men of more than 6,000 entrants, Ngyuyen and Vayo played 181 hands heads-up, (i.e., one on one) before Nguyen won. Their heads-up showdown lasted seven hours. I’ve been at one of these. It’s mentally crushing to endure.

Prize: The coveted bracelet and $8 million.

Good Morning, Vietnam: Nguyen is the 47th WSOP Main Event champ, and the second Vietnamese.

Note: There has never been a female champion of the Main Event. Only one woman, Barbara Enright in 1995, has ever advanced to the final table.

5. War and Peacemonger*

*The judges will also accept “Brave, Heartbreaker”

Mel Gibson and his I-Don’t-Give-Half-a-%$*& beard were on Colbert last night to promote Hacksaw Ridge, Gibson’s first film since Apocalypto a decade ago. It’s the real-life story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1945 Doss, a private first class, took part in the bloody eponymous battle on Okinawa without carrying a weapon, but saved the lives of 75 fellow soldiers. It’s getting good buzz.

At the Venice Film Festival, the movie received a 10-minute standing ovation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiBPoeLVIhM

And if you want something really real, here is the man himself appearing on This Is Your Life, I’m guessing in the 1950s.

Music 101

You Sexy Thing

One generation gets Ice T, another had Hot Chocolate. Few better opening lines ever written than I believe in miracles/Where you from, you sexy thing? And, yes, those are the only words to the song most of us know. Hot Chocolate was a British act and that’s Errol Brown singing lead. The song climbed to No. 3 on the U.S. charts in 1976 and enjoyed a resurgence more than 20 years later when it was featured in The Full Monty.

Two years later another one-hit wonder named Exile had a song called “I Wanna Kiss You All Over” and if you listen to it, the chords sound very, very similar, no?

Remote Patrol

CMA Awards

ABC 8 p.m.

If you’re a country music artist who loves baseball, you’ve got quite a dilemma: attend the CMA Awards tonight in Nashville, or watch Game 7 as the Cubs or Indians go for their first World Series title in most of our lifetimes. Of course we’re going to watch Game 7.  I’m only posting this because Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood annually provide the most satisfying opening dialogue in awards shows, and you need to at least watch the first 10 minutes of this show, even if you don’t love country music. Plus, this is the 50th anniversary of the CMA Awards.