Every year someone will complain that the Major League baseball season is too long. One hundred and sixty two games is too much!!! These games in April and May don’t mean anything!!
Tell that to the New York Mets or Houston Astros.
While the Mets were obviously thinking of its last game where they didn’t score any runs against the Marlins, they also may have been thinking of an April 2 game against the Marlins where they lost an extra innings. Heck, they may have even thought of a March game against the Astros, where they lost by a run.
Those games count too.
No, the MLB season is exactly how long it needs to be. Although on the surface it doesn’t seem like it those games means anything, but then again a Rita Hayworth poster near the start of the film “The Shawshank Redemption” also doesn’t mean anything at that point.
Also, sometimes these games are just entertainment, they are there for your enjoyment. Nobody goes to the movie theater to see a big action film in June saying, “I wish this flick meant a little more. It just doesn’t have any chance to win an Academy award.”
No, baseball season is like that great friend you have in life. It’s always there if you need it and if you don’t need it, it’s still there just in case.
As a sports fan, there aren’t many days I enjoy than the last day of the regular season — game 162 — when all 15 contests start within five minutes of each other. This especially holds true when there is a pennant race or playoff implications on the line. This past weekend we had six games that fit that bill.
You had the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees playing in seperate games not only with a chance to win the division, but pick up home field advantage in the American League. You had the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians playing in seperate games trying to win the AL Central. You had the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds playing in seperate games trying to get the final wild card spot in the National League.
As side dishes, you had the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners playing each other with Clayton Kershaw pitching his final regular season game against Cal Raleigh, who was trying to hit home runs 61 and 62 to tie a record made two years ago by Aaron Judge. You also had the Giants trying to beat the Colorado Rockies to finish 81-81, and the A’s trying to beat the Kansas City Royals in its first season in Sacramento.
Thank God for the MLB’s Big Inning show, where your TV screen is split into four games at once. If I ever was to be given a dream job, it would be the person that decides what four games are shown on this show at any given moment. Give me a couch and that clicker and I’m just fine.
This week it should be a little easier to watch baseball, with the wild card playoff games starting Tuesday and probably only a pair of games overlapping each other. However, there are many other football games and local sports contests that could interfere with each other. Thankfully, we have the Thomas Guide to once again help you sort through what you should watch on television and what you should see in person.
Local sports
The big one in town this week is the Mayor’s Cup — when Vallejo High’s football team takes on Jesse Bethel. If you’re enjoying Vallejo’s Waterfront Fest this Saturday, make your trip from the marina green to Corbus Field at 2 p.m. to catch this contest. Vallejo High has won three straight rival games against the Jaguars, including a 20-0 victory a year ago. This year Vallejo is 3-1 coming into the game, while Bethel is 1-3. However, you kind of throw the records out with this game. Bragging rights are also at stake.
Also the actual mayor could show up for this one since it’s a Saturday and there are no classes to teach. So that’s cool!
There’s no home football games on Friday except for ELITE taking on Lindhurst, however, the Eagles are struggling with an 0-5 record. Benicia is at Acalanes and is trying to reach .500 after a win over Encinal last week, while American Canyon is playing at Tamalpais after a bye last week. St. Patrick-St. Vincent has a bye this week.
There is also a rivalry game in girls volleyball this week, with Vallejo taking on Bethel on Friday night at Bottari Gym. Bethel won the matchup last week in three sets.
Bethel has won six games in a row and also take on Mt. Diablo at home on Wednesday. Vallejo played Kennedy at home on Monday and plays Swett at home on Wednesday. American Canyon girls volleyball is at Casa Grande on Tuesday before returning home to play Justin-Siena on Thursday. Benicia plays at home against Las Lomas and then is at Campolindo on Thursday. St. Pat’s is at home in a rivalry game against Salesian on Wednesday.
In girls water polo, St. Pat’s takes on Hercules at home on Tuesday and is also at home (Cunningham Pool) against Pinole Valley on Thursday. American Canyon water polo is at Petaluma on Thursday.
Major League baseball
The Giants and A’s are done this year and with it, so is Bob Melvin as manager of the Giants. An 81-81 record wasn’t good enough as Buster Posey will now begin his search for a new leader.
Meanwhile Tuesday begins the Wild Card Round in baseball, with the Tigers playing at Cleveland for the second time in as many weeks. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. in that one. The Chicago Cubs will host the San Diego Padres at noon in a rematch of the 1984 NLCS. Leon Durham or Steve Garvey will not be throwing out the first pitch.
Later in the day we get a Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees matchup with a 3 p.m. scheduled first pitch, while the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Cincinnati Reds in the playoffs for the first time since 1995. As a senior in high school in Southern California I went to Game 1 of that series, but all I actually remember from that game was it was the same day the O.J. Simpson verdict was announced. That day the Chavez Ravine crowd has dozens of people dressed up as Judge Lance Ito. The Dodgers’ series against the Reds begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Blue Jays and Mariners all have byes and will play their opponents starting on Saturday.
College Football
After a comeback win on Saturday against Boston College, Cal will take on Duke at home on Saturday night. Duke recently defeated Syracuse 38-3 so this should be a good matchup.
However, if you want to get your college football fix going earlier in the week, there are some great matchups to choose from.
On Friday, San Jose State is at home against New Mexico. The Spartans played Stanford tough until losing in the final minutes.
On Saturday morning Georgia tries to rebound after a loss at home to Alabama, by playing Kentucky at home at 9 a.m. Other morning games to watch include Michigan at home against Wisconsin, Iowa State at Cincinnati, Illinois at Purdue and Texas at Florida, which begins at 12:30 p.m.
Vanderbilt, which defeated Alabama last year, visits the Tide at 12:30 p.m., while stellar evening games to watch are Miami at Florida State and Mississippi State at Texas A&M.
NFL
The San Francisco 49ers finally lost for the first time in 2025 and won’t have much time to regroup with a game in Los Angeles against the Rams on Thursday night.
The Las Vegas Raiders aren’t looking good and it could get worse — they play a tough Indianapolis Colts team on the road with a 10 a.m. start. The Dallas Cowboys at the New York Jets, the Denver Broncos at the Philadelphia Eagles and the Houston Texans at the Baltimore Ravens are other decent games to watch at 10 a.m.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Seattle Seahawks should be a good game, along with the Washington Commanders at the Los Angeles Chargers. Both games start after 1 p.m., while the 5 p.m. game is the New England Patriots at the Buffalo Bills with the Bills trying to go 5-0 on the season.
The Monday Night game is the Kansas City Chiefs at the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a win the Jaguars can make a big statement by defeating a tough team and possibly going 4-1 on the year.
WNBA
In the semifinals, Indiana plays at Las Vegas on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.. All other games are to be determined.
Read
The Ghosts of Manila (for the 50th anniversary of the final Ali vs. Frazier fight)
Glory Days in Tribe Town by Terry Pluto and Tom Hamilton (while watching the Guardians face the Tigers)
The Rocket that Fell to Earth by Jeff Pearlman (read about a great player for the Red Sox and Yankees while watching the Red Sox face the Yankees)
Second to Home by Ryne Sandberg and Barry Rozner (while watching the Cubs and the Padres)
Watch
ESPN 30 for 30: The U Part 1 and 2 (to prep for watching Miami at Florida State)
Originally Published: September 29, 2025 at 2:39 PM PDT