by John Walters

Starting Five

Justin Turner Overdrive

Los Angeles Dodger 3rd baseman and Troll lookalike Justin Turner began his team’s postseason with a three-run bomb and he ended Game 2 of the NLCS last night with another three-run bomb. Hollywoods’ most popular ginger since, well, Ginger, has a .500 OBP this postseason and leads all players in RBI with 10 (including all four in L.A.’s 4-1 win last night).

Oh, and the Dodgers are 5-0 in the playoffs.

Finally, yes, today was the 29th anniversary of Kirk Gibson‘s dramatic walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series over the A’s Dennis Eckersley. This was the second walk-off home run in the Dodgers’ postseason history.

2. Rodgers Over And Out*

*The judges will also accept “O Romo, my Romo! Wherefore Art Thou, Romo?” but will not accept “Barr Class.”

Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers breaks his collarbone via a hit by Anthony Barr and may be out for the season one week after Houston Texan J.J. Watt messes up his lower leg and is lost for the season. Doing TV commercials is hazardous to your NFL health (keep your head on a swivel, Clay Matthews).

3. Him, Too? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj2NASpWb3g

As #MeToo was trending on Twitter last night, encouraging victims of sexual harassment or sexual assault to share their stories, NBC’s Al Michaels made a clumsy Harvey Weinstein joke that incited an awkward “Only my L.A. partner” quip from Cris Collinsworth. That led to some folks on Twitter suggesting that we’ve all become a little too P.C.

 

He’s from a time long long ago when people didn’t have to get offended by everything.

— Scott Sturgeon (@CoachSturgeon) October 16, 2017

That’s fine if you think this, but we imagine that a lot of people telling the snowflakes not to be so offended by Michaels’ joke become super-offended when a black dude in shoulder pads kneels for the national anthem. I mean, why do they have to get offended by everything???

4. A Minor Disturbance

After two “meh” Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes that followed a six-year sabbatical, “L-vid” hit his stride last night with an episode that included “Fatwa Sex” and “a minor disturbance.” You just have to know that there is a restaurant manager at a local Brentwood or Pacific Palisades bistro whose opaque responses have been getting under Larry’s skin for years now. Also, having Salmon Rushdie on some 20 years after he was heavily cited on an episode of Seinfeld must have been satisfying. And there’s Elizabeth Banks mocking herself as an awful actress.

Best line? When Suzy to guilt Larry about not attending a children’s dance recital. Larry: “I don’t like to go out of my way to be bored.”

5. Dr. Teeth & The Medicine Show

This is what my tooth looks like AFTER Zach got through with it…

Visited the Phoenix homestead recently, where my old friend (since high school) Michael Zacher, who doubles as the team dentist for the Arizona Cardinals, invited me to visit his office “for a cleaning.”

It was a ruse.

This was before…

Soon as I was in the chair, x-rays were being taken, fillings were being replaced and there was some chatter about “Do you floss? Like, ever?”  Before I knew it Zach’s amazing dental hygienist, Amy Raffa, was giving my choppers a thorough cleaning and then there were appointments and recriminations being made and I was in the chair the following morning at 8:40 for a filling removal and re-fill.

This was after one filling removed and before the new one was implanted. Is that a Hostess Cupcake I see lodged in there?

Anyway, I can’t thank Zach and his staff enough (and they did the entire thing pro bono). It’s weird knowing the same fingers that have been in my mouth have been inside Tyrann Mathieu’s. Zach’s parting message was to ask us here at MH to remind all of you to not be negligent when it comes to your teeth. Not all of you have as good a friend as I have, and it can get awfully expensive if you avoid your local D.D.S.

Reserves

 

#Jets just got screwed on this Austin Seferian-Jenkins call…ruled a touchback and the Pats ball. pic.twitter.com/nVLRNsHwjD

— Clay Wendler (@ClayWendler) October 15, 2017

J-E-T-S, Mess! Mess! MESS!

It feels as if the Jets got screwed on this call, but they really didn’t. Meanwhile, how did the Kansas City Chiefs mess up this coverage of Antonio Brown so poorly? Who do they think they are, the Georgia Tech defensive backfield?

 

Already the catch of the year from Antonio Brown @btsteelcurtain pic.twitter.com/tXDNfVrr06

— Clay Wendler (@ClayWendler) October 15, 2017

Music 101

Rip Her To Shreds

The MH staff took a field trip Friday night to see Blondie, but were disappointed when Debbie Harry and the gang did not play their punker classic. This 1976 tune never charted, but we love turning it up. Here’s a version from the band’s first TV performance.

Remote Patrol

ALCS Game 3

Astros at Yankees

8 p.m. FS1

For the first time in five games, the Yankees will not be playing a postseason game in the Bronx that is not also an elimination game. Two 2-1 losses in Houston are not as disturbing as striking out 14 and 13 times in those contests. The Astros pitching staff steps down a level after Keuchel and Verlander, and leadoff hitter Brett Gardner (five strikeouts in Games 1 and 2) needs to get on base more.