Sweet(s) Talk. …

It’s nothing personal, but 2020 interm Cleveland Indians manager Sandy Alomar Jr. can’t help but get a little upset when he looked across the diamond at Craig Counsell, when the Milwaukee Brewers visited Progressive Field in Cleveland this past season. “Every time I see him (Counsell), I remember him scoring,” Alomar said.

In Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, Counsell scored the title-winning run as the then-Florida Marlins beat the Indians. Counsell hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and scored in the 11th as Alomar, the Indians’ six-time All-Star catcher, helplessly watched. Counsell was on base when Luis Gonzalez drove in the winning run in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

As I found out when I went to Cooperstown, N.Y., to the National Baseball Hall of Fame two years ago for my 40th birthday, the current Brewers skipper is the only player in MLB history to have been on base for the last two times that the World Series ended with a walk-off hit, in two different Game 7’s of the World Series. …

Other Brewers notes tell us, MLB opening night, July 24, at Wrigley Field, was first time in the modern era (since 1900) that a player hitting in the ninth position in the batting order accounted for all of a team’s hits. Shortstop Orlando Arcia did this for the Brewers (minimum three hits). …

Channing native and current Kingsford resident “The Todder” Lindeman had the quote of the weekend at Labor Day weekend Felch hardball tournament, while manning the P.A system during the championship game. “There was a cane found in the restroom over here behind the press box. If someone is missing a cane, limp over here and get it!” Quick-witted as usual, Todder. …

First year Norway High School girls tennis coach Cassandra Gustafson is also a physical education teacher in the Norway school district. “In P.E when we played tennis during the school year last year (2019-20), there was excitement from my students about learning to play and wanting to play. I believe it also was a part of why the interest in this team came about,” said Gustafson prior to this season. “I am happy to help teach them and watch them grow as players.” Her positive attitude came out in each of her players throughout the season, in a team with a short-handed roster, that was brought back as a girls fall sport option at Norway after more than a decade. ….

WJNR’s Leon “The Leader” Waitrovich doing play by play for the first quarter of Kingsford’s MHSAA Division 5 playoff game at Reed City, with long-time broadcaster John Koehler. After the Flivvers scored the game’s first touchdown, junior Diego Prezeslakowski kicked a successful extra point that wobbled through the uprights. “Oh whoa John, that one looked like one of my chip shots at Oak Crest,” Leon exclaimed, as Koehler laughed hysterically. It was enjoyable to listen to the two of them as they were up before the dairy farmers that day to make the trek to Reed City in WJNR’s “Frog Van” as John calls it.

Stay safe, healthy and social distance as best as you can ladies and gentleman. It seems like this pandemic is going to last into 2021 unfortunately.