Don’t forget, there’s a pretty good reason for this.
It’s World Series time, and if you’re here, you’re probably wondering why broadcasting legend Joe Buck isn’t on the call for Fox for the Fall Classic matchup between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Well, the short answer is because Buck no longer works for Fox, so he’s obviously not part of the network’s World Series broadcasts anymore. Throughout his career, Buck called 24 World Series, but he’s now at ESPN — he has been since March 2022 — and calling Monday Night Football.
For the 2023 World Series, you’ll be hearing Joe Davis doing the play-by-play with John Smoltz analyzing, along with Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci reporting.
Last year, Buck noted that it was the first time since he was 18 years old that he wasn’t on the call for baseball. Via Awful Announcing:
“This is the first time since I was 18-years-old, and I’m 53, that I’m not doing a baseball game. And that’s really weird to me, but I walk away really proud of what I and we did. It’s time for somebody else, it’s time for somebody else to put their voice to it, and I’m glad to get out of the way for Joe and watch him do it because he’ll be great.”
The biggest names with rooting interests in the 2023 World Series.
The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks will have some big names rooting them on in the 2023 World Series when they face off beginning Friday.
Actors, singers, a former president … they’re all in the group of celebrities who will have rooting interests in the Fall Classic, and some may appear to throw out ceremonial first pitches.
If you’re wondering who they are, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve collected these from around the interwebs. Here are the biggest names we could find who will be rooting on one team who has never won a title and another that last won in 2001:
It’s been a while since the Texas Rangers played in the World Series, but it’s been even longer for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series and advanced to the 2023 World Series.
It’s the first time the Diamondbacks been in the World Series since the 2001 season, which was also the one and only time they won. Twenty-two years ago, they topped the New York Yankees, winning the World Series, 4-3, and this year, they’re going for their second Commissioner’s Trophy.
To get here, the Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series and then the NL Division Series before downing the Phillies.
Game 1 of the 2023 World Series will be in Arlington, Texas and is set for Friday, Oct. 27 at 8:03 p.m. ET on Fox.
Here’s the story behind SNAKES ALIVE, the sign that became a meme and then a Diamondbacks rallying cry.
SNAKES ALIVE.
It’s certain you’ve seen that phrase everywhere as the Arizona Diamondbacks have made a shocking run out of the National League playoffs and into the 2023 World Series, as unlikely of a run as we’ve seen out of any MLB team.
The rallying cry you see above has a similar story. You might have seen it printed on pieces of paper, on t-shirts and held up by fans everywhere. And it’s unthinkable that two words printed on a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper have become a meme and now a slogan for this squad.
Let’s start from the beginning: Back during the NLCS in Game 3, someone held up a sign printed on a fairly generic font at Chase Field that said SNAKES ALIVE:
[Jeff] Guzzardo just wanted to bring an appropriate sign to Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, with the Diamondbacks facing a 2-0 deficit against a Phillies team that seemed destined for the pennant. But, Guzzardo said, he dislikes obnoxiously large posters at sporting events and the distraction they might cause for others. His plain, standard-sized artwork took no more than a few minutes to create. …
Guzzardo will be back at the ballpark on Tuesday for Game 4 of the World Series. He has a seat, again, near the home dugout. And he plans to bring the sign back for another go-round — though this time he’ll surely have company. As with all great artists, he has already inspired plenty of imitators.
“It’s kind of fun,” Guzzardo said. “My intention was not to gain any notoriety or anything. I guess maybe I was trying to boost morale or get some momentum going.”
So … we’ll maybe see him with that sign one more time, and perhaps it’ll bring this team more luck.
Will the Texas Rangers get themselves off this list?
Every team in Major League Baseball hopes to raise the Commissioner’s Trophy at the end of a World Series-winning season. That’s the dream, and many franchises have made it a reality.
But for an unfortunate handful of teams, they’re still waiting for their first World Series victory.
As the 2023 MLB postseason winds down and the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks face off in the World Series, we’re looking at which teams have never won a World Series. There are only six of them, but the Rangers could knock themselves off this list with their first championship run if they’re lucky.
So as the 2023 World Series kicks off, here’s a look at the teams that have never won the Commissioner’s Trophy.
That’s right, the 2023 World Series matchup is set, and there aren’t many experts who would have called this one: The Texas Rangers (the No. 5 seed in the American League) will face the Arizona Diamondbacks, the No. 6 seed who beat the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies to get to the Fall Classic.
If you’re here, you’re wondering what the schedule looks like for what will be an entertaining World Series between these two Wild Card squads. We have an answer!
Game 1: Friday, October 27; Diamondbacks at Rangers, 8 p.m. on Fox
Game 2: Saturday, October 28; Diamondbacks at Rangers, 8 p.m. on Fox
Game 3: Monday, October 30; Rangers at Diamondbacks, 8 p.m. on Fox
Game 4: Tuesday, October 31; Rangers at Diamondbacks, 8 p.m. on Fox
Game 5: Wednesday, November 1; Rangers at Diamondbacks, 8 p.m. on Fox*
Game 6: Friday, November 3; Diamondbacks at Rangers, 8 p.m. on Fox*
Game 7: Saturday, November 4; Diamondbacks at Rangers, 8 p.m. on Fox*
The Texas Rangers are favored to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 World Series.
In a World Series that very few people were expecting, the Texas Rangers will face the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Rangers opened as -170 favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook shortly after the NLCS Game 7 between the Philadelphia Phillies and Diamondbacks wrapped up on Tuesday night, while Arizona opened as a +140 underdog.
Texas was an underdog to beat the defending champion Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series, but dispatched of them in an 11-4 Game 7 win on Monday night.
Arizona has been an underdog all season, and Tuesday night’s Game 7 win was no different. The Phillies were up three games to two in the series — and 2-1 in Game 7 — but the Diamondbacks won back-to-back games to head back to the World Series for the first time since they won it all in 2001.
The Diamondbacks had 180-1 odds to win the World Series at DraftKings Sportsbook before Opening Day, among the worst odds for any MLB team. If Arizona wins the World Series, it would likely be the longest shot ever to win it all, per SportsOddsHistory’s database.
There are several notable bets on Arizona to win the World Series still alive, including one from a bettor at DraftKings with a $500 wager at 180-1 odds. The bet would win $90,000 if the Diamondbacks beat the Rangers.
Goooood morning, Winners. Thank you for reading TMW this morning. We’ve officially got one half of the World Series set.
The Texas Rangers have survived. Texas absolutely walloped the Astros 11-4 on the road in a win-or-go-home matchup that didn’t feel too tight at all because the Rangers were just that good.
This Rangers team, man. Look. I promised I wouldn’t call them you-know-what anymore and I plan on keeping that promise. But this team just continues to leave me in awe.
First of all, man. Adolis García, have yourself a playoff run. That’s your ALCS MVP, folks. His career has been quite the journey — he’s been DFA’d twice by two separate teams, including these Rangers. Now, he’s forever cemented as a hero in Arlington after hitting five home runs in his last four games to end the series and take care of things on the road.
There’s also José Leclerc who has made stand after stand after stand for the Rangers this postseason without wavering much at all. He’s also forever a hero in Arlington, no matter where things go from here.
This feels so special. I mean, the Rangers aren’t supposed to be here, right? This is a squad that only won 128 games combined through the last two seasons.
This isn’t the regular path we see teams take to the World Series. You know how it typically goes, right? When a team climbs back to the top? First the team stinks. Then it just makes the playoffs — maybe it sneaks in to the wild card or just plays in a poor division. They get bounced out early in the first year. They might get bounced in the second, too. But, eventually, that team finally opens the door.
Texas said “Yeah, no thanks” and absolutely kicked the door in. This is sports at it’s best, man. You absolutely love to see it.
Purdy ain’t so perfect
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
For two straight weeks, the 49ers have been in situations where they’ve needed their quarterback to make big plays for them in clutch situations. To be frank, Brock Purdy has failed to do that twice. He looked awful in the fourth quarter against the Vikings on Monday night.
These last couple of weeks have been poor for the 49ers’ QB. But let’s cut him a bit of slack here.
— With the way he’s played it’s easy to forget that he’s only a second-year player in the NFL. He was always going to make some mistakes along the way.
I’ll be the first one to tell you I’m not the biggest believer in Purdy. But we shouldn’t let this moment write the book on him. There’s plenty more football left to be played.
The NBA is SO back tonight
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
We can finally stop talking about the offseason and potential trade moves and this and that. Games are finally being played. We’re here. We’ve arrived.
To tip things off we get two major matchups between Western Conference juggernauts.
Tonight’s slate:
— Lakers @ Nuggets (7:30 p.m. ET)
— Suns @ Warriors (10:00 p.m. ET)
These are two juicy matchups to start things off. There’s plenty of intrigue with them both.
It’s obviously way too early to talk about playoff implications considering that no games have been played yet, but these are four of the teams most people are picking to come out of the West at this point. The tiebreaker implications are very real.
Here are the 2023 World Series odds along with AL and NL League Championship futures for the 14 postseason teams.
The 2023 MLB playoffs get underway Tuesday, Oct. 3, with the Wild Card round. The stage is set for the 12 postseason teams to carve their way to glory and it’s time for a check-in on the 2023 World Series odds.
The Tampa Bay Rays (99-63) kicked off the season in historic fashion, tying the modern-era record with 13 wins out of the gate. However, stumbles along the way resulted in the Rays finishing 2 games back of the AL East champion Baltimore Orioles (101-61) and claiming the AL’s top Wild Card spot. The Houston Astros (90-72) were Opening Day favorites to win it all but needed to wrap the season with a 4-game win streak and for the Texas Rangers (90-72) to lose their finale to claim the AL West pennant.
The Atlanta Braves (104-58) had the major’s best record at the midway point and rode that title to the end of the year, claiming the NL East and finishing with the most wins in baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies (90-72) took 2nd in the NL East, 14 games back of the Braves, and still qualified for the top NL Wild Card.
Below, we look at the updated 2023 World Series odds; be sure to check back for our expert MLB picks and predictions throughout the postseason.
Baseball is officially back Friday with the start of Spring Training games, as the Texas Rangers play the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Mariners play the San Diego Padres in Cactus League play.
That makes now a good time to take a look at World Series title odds before any potential injuries and roster cuts.
At BetMGM, the Houston Astros are slight favorites to win it all at +650, even after losing Justin Verlander to the New York Mets. Another title would make Houston the first team since the 1999-2000 New York Yankees to repeat. But the gap between Houston and the next set of teams isn’t large.
The Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers each have +750 odds to win the World Series, making them the co-National League favorites. The Yankees also have +750 odds as Houston’s closest competition in the American League.
After those four, the odds are dominated by NL teams, with Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres each coming in at +1000, followed closely by the Philadelphia Phillies at +1400. The Toronto Blue Jays (+1400), Seattle Mariners (+1600) and St. Louis Cardinals (+2000) round out the top 10.
With five NL teams in the top eight, the -115 odds of a team from that league winning the World Series are is slightly better than the AL’s -105 odds.
Here’s how the rest of the majors stacks up:
Chicago White Sox / Cleveland Guardians / Tampa Bay Rays (+2500)
Los Angeles Angels / Milwaukee Brewers / Minnesota Twins (+4000)
