National Baseball League

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2003 Stanley Cup Finals

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“Alright, good afternoon everybody… Mike Francesa back with ya here on the Fan, on a beautiful day in New York… and folks — we’ve reached the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.”

“Now… you couldn’t have scripted it any better. The New York Rangers… 156 and 6. Let me say that again — 156 wins, six losses. Against the Chicago Blackhawks… 142 and 20. This is as good as it gets. This is a rematch of the ’01 Finals… the one the Rangers still feel they should’ve won. They didn’t… Chicago stole that one, got their only championship. And the Rangers? Well… they’ve got ten. They’re looking for number eleven.”

“Let’s go through it… 1985, ’86, ’87, ’88, ’89… five straight Cups. Then ’91, ’92, ’95, ’98, and last year in ’02. That’s dominance, folks. That’s the Yankees in the 90s, that’s the Celtics in the 60s — that’s what we’re talking about here.”

“Now, the numbers… the home run totals from the Rangers’ nine starters — 112, 83, 117, 125, 126, 122, 104, 64, 55. It’s absurd. It’s laughable. That’s production you don’t see — not in this league, not anywhere. The Blackhawks? Still very strong — 116, 112, 117, 106, 34, 16, 25, 34, 62. Those are great numbers… for anyone else. But when you stack ‘em up? They just can’t match New York, top to bottom.”

“Pitching’s about the same, except for one guy — and you know who I’m talkin’ about. Seong Gi-Hun. The ace. 32-and-0, 0.96 ERA, 454 strikeouts. Those aren’t baseball numbers, those are a kid playing a video game with the difficulty turned all the way down.”

“So here’s how I see it — Rangers get their revenge for 2001. They repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. And I’ll tell ya right now… I got ‘em in six. Four games to two. That’s the pick.”

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Listen, folks — was it pretty? NO. Was it perfect? NO. But guess what? They got the win! GAME ONE, Stanley Cup Finals, you’re at the Garden, national TV, prime time, and the New York Rangers — they take down Chicago 7–5. You’ll take it every day of the week and twice on Sunday, alright?
Now, lemme tell ya somethin’. This game was nuts. The Rangers come out, first inning, boom — B. Sattler, gone, solo shot. Then they stack three homers in the second — Bliebernicht, Rice, Escandon. Back-to-back-to-back? No! But close enough. It’s 5–1, the Garden’s rockin’, you think, “This one’s over.” WRONG. Chicago hangs around.

Ron Hextall — ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! The guy’s a shortstop hitting .493 in the playoffs, four hits tonight, two doubles, a bomb. I don’t care if you’re from Chicago or Kalamazoo — you tip your cap. But it’s the sixth inning, two outs, Rangers up 5–3, Alex Gomez tries to sneak a curve past Mark Grubin — HA! Forget it. Upper deck, two-run shot, 7–3, ballgame. That’s the dagger.

Now, the pitching? Eh… S. Gi-Hun gets the win, but 108 pitches in five innings, 14 strikeouts, sure, but four walks, three runs, and he’s living dangerously all night. H. Wang comes in — gives up the bomb to Hextall. T. Vera? Traffic all over the bases. They’re playin’ with fire, I’m tellin’ ya.

But the bottom line is this — it’s the Finals, you’re up 1–0, you protected home ice, and you’re a step closer to the Cup. You clean up the bullpen tomorrow, you tighten the screws, but you gotta be happy you got this one in the bank.

Game 2? Tomorrow night. Same building. You take THAT one, and now you’re lookin’ at a stranglehold, okay? But Chicago? They’re too good — they’re not goin’ quietly.

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“HOW in the WORLD do the Blackhawks give you THIS in a Stanley Cup Final game?!?!”
Listen, folks — Game 2, Madison Square Garden, Monday night — you gotta be KIDDING me with this performance from Chicago. They come in here already down 1-0 in the series, they score two in the first — okay, okay, you think, here we go, they’re gonna even this thing up. Connor Bedard, first inning, BOOM, two-run shot, they’re up 2-0. And then? THE DAM BURSTS.

Seven runs for the Rangers in the third! Seven! I mean, what are we DOING here? Perez, Gould, Gibson — it’s like the Chicago bullpen is handing out souvenirs! You give up THREE home runs to Avery Grubin in one night? THREE?! The guy’s running around the bases like it’s batting practice at the county fair! He’s got five RBIs, twelve total bases, he’s smiling, tipping his cap — are you KIDDING ME?

And let’s not forget Isaac Bliebernicht — three hits, a double, a triple, a homer, four RBIs. Eli Grubin — two bombs. Kramer homers. Rice homers. Folks, everybody’s going deep. It’s like Oprah out there: “You get a home run! You get a home run!”

The Blackhawks’ pitching? Forget about it. Perez — done in the third. Gould — batting-practice fastballs. Gibson — hanging sliders. Nunez — meatballs over the plate. Almaraz — more of the same. Seventeen runs, seventeen hits, five walks, EIGHT home runs allowed. This is the STANLEY CUP FINAL, not a spring training split-squad game!

And the thing is, Chicago had chances — Foligno’s three hits, Hextall goes deep, Bedard hits that first-inning shot — but four total walks, barely any traffic, and every time they put a guy on, BOOM, double play or strikeout.

Now you go back to Chicago down 2-0 in the series, and you’ve gotta beat this Rangers lineup FOUR out of FIVE times. Good luck. Because right now, the Rangers are swinging the bats like it’s Murderers’ Row, and the Blackhawks’ staff looks like they just came out of a beer league.

I’ll tell you what — if they don’t get this thing figured out in Game 3, we might be talking about a sweep by Wednesday night.

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[Mad Dog Russo]
“MIKEY! MIKEY! How about this Ranger team? They go into Chicago, tough place to play, United Center is rocking, the Hawks got the wind at their back, they’re desperate, season’s on the line—and the Rangers STILL win! ELEVEN to EIGHT! And you can thank Bliebernicht for that! A triple, a homer, five RBIs! The guy’s unbelievable! He’s having a postseason for the ages, Mikey, THE AGES!”

[Mike Francesa]
“Chris, listen, the Rangers’ lineup—it’s relentless, okay? You can’t pitch around anybody. You pitch around Sattler, you’ve got Cuylle. You pitch around Cuylle, you’ve got Bliebernicht. And then even A. Grubin gets you with a home run. Top to bottom, there’s no break. Chicago’s got a good offense, they put up eight runs, but it doesn’t matter. You’re not winning if your bullpen gives up six runs in the seventh inning.”

[Mad Dog Russo]
“OH, THE SEVENTH INNING! That was the killer, Mikey! Salgado actually kept them in the game. He wasn’t great—he walked too many guys—but he leaves, and then Nunez comes in, and it’s a disaster! Bases loaded, boom, Bliebernicht! Grand slam! That’s the ballgame right there! You can’t do that in the Finals, MIKE! You just can’t!”

[Mike Francesa]
“Right. And let’s be honest here, Chris. The Blackhawks are finished. The series is over. You’re not coming back from down 3-0 against a team that won 156 games. That’s not happening. They might win a game to save face, maybe, but the Rangers will be champions again. This is not 2001. This is not the same matchup. New York is too good, too deep, too powerful.”

[Mad Dog Russo]
“AND YOU’RE RIGHT, MIKE, THIS IS PAYBACK! The Rangers felt they should’ve won in ’01, they got burned in that series, and now they’re up three games to zip! And Mikey, here’s the other thing: even if the Rangers lose Game 4, Seong Gi-Hun is due for Game 5! The best pitcher in the world, he’s sitting there with video game numbers, waiting to close the door! OH BABY!”

[Mike Francesa]
“Chris, it’s over. The Blackhawks are cooked. Rangers in four. They’ll be skating with Cup number 11.”

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New York Rangers: 11th Stanley Cup Title
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1991 1992 1995 1998 2002 2003

Mike (Francesa):
“Alright, so here we are, the Rangers take care of business, they sweep the Blackhawks, four straight, eleven championships now for this franchise. You saw it tonight, Dog. Eleven runs. The power, the depth, it’s overwhelming. I mean, Celis didn’t last two innings, the game was over in the first with Cuylle and Bliebernicht going deep back-to-back. You can’t win like that, Dog. You just can’t.”
Mad Dog (Russo):
“MIKE, MIKE, THIS WAS A TOTAL MISMATCH, MIKE!! A TOTAL—COMPLETE—MISMATCH!! You can’t give up SEVEN home runs in a clincher at home in the Stanley Cup Finals!! SEVEN!! At the UNITED CENTER, MIKE!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”

Mike:
“They had no pitching, Dog. None. Celis, Gould, Gomez, Gibson… it’s a parade of relievers, every one of them giving up bombs. You look at the Rangers—Sattler, two big swings, Avery Grubin, couple of moonshots, Escandon gets in on it, even E. Grubin. It’s relentless.”

Mad Dog:
“And then the Blackhawks, they tease ya, Mike! They tease ya! Bottom of the fifth, back-to-back-to-back-to-back homers—Bedard, Klompus, Hextall, Foligno—they hit FOUR in a row!! The place is going crazy, 5-5 game, you’re thinking, ‘Maybe, just maybe, we got ourselves a series here!’ AND THEN BANG! The bullpen blows up, 11-5 final, season over, sweep, Rangers go home with the CUP AGAIN!!”

Mike:
“They were never in this series. Never. The Rangers won 156 games for a reason. Santiago’s got too much talent, the lineup is historic, Gi-Hun didn’t even have to pitch a clincher. Eleven titles, Dog. That’s a dynasty, that’s the best team we’ve ever seen.”

Mad Dog:
“THEY DIDN’T EVEN NEED GI-HUN, MIKE!! Think about that!! Think about THAT!! You’ve got a guy 32-and-0, ERA under one, and he’s sittin’ there in the dugout eating sunflower seeds while they’re hitting SEVEN home runs to win the Stanley Cup!! I mean my goodness gracious!!”

Mike:
“Rangers in four. End of story.”

Mad Dog:
“END OF STORY!!”

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Blackhawks Fire Manager???!!!

[Mike and the Mad Dog – WFAN, the day after the firing]
MIKE: Alright, Doggie, here we go. Chicago Blackhawks. Bob Valdivia. Fired after winning 142 games and getting to the Cup Final. Fired!

MAD DOG: MIKEY! MIKEY! It is UNBELIEVABLE. This guy, Bob Valdivia, ALL he does—ALL HE DOES—is win! He’s in the Finals three times, he wins a Cup in 2001, SIX HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN WINS in five years, a .762 winning percentage! MIKE, THEY FIRED HIM!

MIKE: Well listen, Dog, you knew something was brewing. The whispers were out there all playoffs. The front office didn’t like how he handled the pitching, they didn’t like how he handled the bullpen, and when you get swept by the Rangers—who, by the way, are the best team maybe we’ve ever seen—you leave yourself vulnerable.

MAD DOG: STOP IT, MIKE! Stop it. You can’t fire a guy because he lost to a juggernaut. You can’t! The Rangers are 156-6! They steamrolled everybody. You could’ve brought back Connie Mack and they wouldn’t have beaten New York. What do they want from Valdivia—MIRACLES?

MIKE: I’m not saying it’s fair, Dog, I’m saying that’s the business. When expectations get too high, sometimes even winning isn’t enough. The Blackhawks think maybe they need a new voice, maybe the message got stale. Happens all the time.

MAD DOG: MIKE, COME ON! This isn’t stale. This isn’t “lost the clubhouse.” This isn’t Dusty Baker in Chicago. This is a guy with a Cup, this is a guy in three Finals, this is a guy with one of the great winning percentages in history. And they say, “Oh, thanks Bob, see ya later.” It’s DISGRACEFUL, MIKE. DIS-GRACE-FUL!

MIKE: He’ll get another job, Dog. That’s the thing. He’ll be on the short list everywhere. You’ve got five, six managers who are on the hot seat already, and Valdivia will be a candidate for every one of those jobs.

MAD DOG: Of course he will, because he’s a terrific manager! But shame on Chicago. Shame on them. The man deserved better. He deserved loyalty. Instead, they throw him to the curb like garbage after 142 wins! YOU CANNOT MAKE IT UP!

MIKE: Bottom line, Dog—great manager, tough business. The Rangers swept ‘em, the front office pulled the trigger, and now Valdivia’s on the market. That’s the story.

MAD DOG: OH PLEASE, MIKE! The story is the Blackhawks lost their minds. 617-193 and you’re unemployed. Welcome to sports in 2003!

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2003 EC Reliever of the Year

BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!
I HAVE THE POWER… to tell you of a champion of courage and might! His name is Matt Axworthy, the indomitable closer of the Hartford Whalers, and he has claimed the crown of Eastern Conference Reliever of the Year in 2003!

From the proud land of Markham, Canada, Axworthy strode forth to the mound again and again, bringing justice to his team’s cause. In 66 battles of relief, he stood tall, striking down 50 foes with his blazing fastball and walking just 31. He gathered 41 mighty saves, wielding his arm like a sword of destiny, though fate tested him with 5 defeats and 3 victories, his courage never wavered. His ERA of 3.25 stands as proof of his steadfast vigilance.

And when the votes of the Eastern Conference council were tallied, the Whaler warrior was chosen! Axworthy received 16 first-place votes, giving him 140 points in the sacred tally. His fiercest challenger, Jose Jacomino of the Islanders, claimed 20 first-place votes but could not overtake the champion, finishing with 129. Yasuya Honda of Columbus stood third, far behind, as the power of Eternia clearly flowed through Axworthy’s veins!

The final scrolls read:

Matt Axworthy – Hartford Whalers – 16 – 140
Jose Jacomino – Long Island Islanders – 20 – 129
Yasuya Honda – Columbus Blue Jackets – 0 – 32
Jonathan Hernandez – Florida Panthers – 0 – 14
Antonio Mata – Florida Panthers – 0 – 9
So let it be known across the realm: Matt Axworthy is Reliever of the Year! A hero for Hartford, a champion for the Eastern Conference, a master of the bullpen!
For Eternia… and the Whalers!

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2003 WC Reliever of the Year

Oooohhh, mesa so happy to tell you dis one, okeeday!?
Da Western Conference Reliever of da Year Award for 2003, it goin’ to Dallas Stars bullpen bombad hero... Leon Sanchez!! Yippee! 🎉

Dis da second straight year Leon be winnin’ da shiny-shiny award, makin’ him da big boss of da bullpen! He 33 years old, from Tlalmimilolpan, Mexico — wesa talkin’ about a veteran, okeeday? In 59 relief appearances, Sanchez bring da HEAT: 44 saves, 41 strikeouts in 58 innings, record of 4 wins, 2 losses, wit’ a 3.57 ERA. Mesa tinkin’ dat’s real bombad numbers!

Now da voters — oooh, dey likey-likey Leon. He get 29 first place votes outta 36, total of 160 points. Mike Torres of Vancouver, he try hard, get 6 first place votes, but not enough — oh no! Bob Watts of da Blues, he come in third.

Here da tally, nice and shiny:

Leon Sanchez – Dallas Stars – 29 – 160
Mike Torres – Vancouver Canucks – 6 – 53
Bob Watts – St. Louis Blues – 0 – 36
Jordan Ochoa – Colorado Avalanche – 1 – 31
Jose Cabrera – Calgary Flames – 0 – 28
Ad Hoving – San Jose Sharks – 0 – 11
Charles Krueger – Dallas Stars – 0 – 4
Jun Gushiken – Kansas City Scouts – 0 – 1
So dere you have it, okeeday? Leon Sanchez, da bullpen king! Mesa say, he shuttin’ down da ninth inning like a Gungan shield wall!

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Yeah. Ron Francis. Rookie of the Year. That’s right.
.517 batting average. 99 home runs. 222 RBIs. Guy’s just… crushing it. No luck. Just… Francis being Francis.

Unanimous. All 36 votes. Nobody else even close. Kevin Dineen, second place. Didn’t win. Alex Gutierrez, third. Didn’t win. Reginald Kroes. Don’t even worry about it.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Ron Francis - Hartford Whalers - 36 - 180
Kevin Dineen - Hartford Whalers - 0 - 108
Alex Gutierrez - Ottawa Senators - 0 - 29
Reginald Kroes - Columbus Blue Jackets - 0 - 7

Yeah. Francis. Rookie of the Year. That’s right.

(pause)

I’ll probably paint my face for the ceremony. Just sit there, clap once. Maybe do the devil horns. Gotta support the guy.

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Steven Stamkos… make big name, very fast. Like crane strike, come from nowhere. Rookie year… Nashville Predators third baseman take 2003 Rookie of the Year. Earn it. Not given.
He play 158 game. Very strong. Bat .544… 273 hits in 502 at-bats. Balance of power and patience. 90 home run. 192 RBI. 222 run scored. 171 walk. OBP .658. Numbers… like strong kata. Precise. Powerful. Always repeat.

Voters see discipline. See strength. 27 first-place votes. Out of 36. Most. Enough.

Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche, second place with 9. Fight hard, but not enough. Yann Andriolo, Vegas Golden Knights, third. Still young. Still learning. Victor Sanchez, Chicago, one point. Step on path.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Steven Stamkos - Nashville Predators - 27 - 162
Cale Makar - Colorado Avalanche - 9 - 126
Yann Andriolo - Vegas Golden Knights - 0 - 35
Victor Sanchez - Chicago Blackhawks - 0 - 1

Lesson? Stamkos show: Walk path with focus. With patience. With power. Then… success will bow to you.

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2003 Managers of the Year

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Major League Baseball

It was one of those afternoons that felt just right for baseball—sunlight cutting through the wind, a kind of calm before the moment. Jeremy Scott stood outside the Hall of Fame doors, and I could see it on his face: he understood the weight of what was about to happen. I’ve been around this game a long time, and you learn to recognize when a player appreciates the moment, when he respects the game. Jeremy Scott did.
He talked afterward about how much it meant to him—how he grew up admiring so many of the names already enshrined. That humility, that reverence, it tells you a lot about why he was special. It wasn’t just the power, though 640 home runs speak for themselves. It wasn’t just the runs driven in, or the 1,800-plus hits. It was how he carried himself.

To see him walk through those doors, into that fraternity of baseball’s very best, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone. The writers gave him 99.3% of the vote—that tells you the respect he commanded across the game.

He played 1,835 games. He hit .286. He scored 1,600 runs. And he did it with consistency, with professionalism, and with the kind of presence you want in a cornerstone player. Jeremy Scott was the kind of guy you build around.

Baseball rewards talent, but the Hall of Fame… that’s about more. It’s about character, longevity, what you meant to the game. Jeremy Scott earned his way here, and I couldn’t be happier for him.

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1918 MLB Standings

BAL: 8th AL East Title
CHW: 5th AL Central Title
TEX: 1st AL West Title

NYM: 4th NL East Title
STL: 9th NL Central Title
SF: 8th NL West Title

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1918 Leaders