The Loop

5 things to talk about on the course: The MLB Playoffs, the NHL's newest star, and Taylor Swift makes "history"

October 09, 2015

From sports to TV to politics (OK, so mostly the first two), we offer five hot topics that are sure to liven up your round of golf:

1. MLB's Wild Card games: If you're a Yankees fan or a Pirates fan, these were rough to watch. The two teams combined for zero runs, seven hits, and 21 strikeouts in 18 innings. In other words, snoozefest. I'm not just saying this because I'm a Yankees fan, but this one-game playoff stuff after an interminably long regular season of 162 games makes no sense. Sure, the teams with the better record gets home-field advantage, but in both cases, they had to face the probable Cy Young winners (Dallas Keuchel and Jake Arrieta) of their respective leagues in a single-elimination game. How is that fair? Of course, I feel much worse for the Pirates, who won the second-most games (98) in baseball this year, and suffered the same fate at the hands of Madison Bumgarner and the Giants last year. Tough breaks, Buccos.

2. MLB's Actual Playoffs: Now that we're past those silly one-gamers, we have some actual series to talk about and important questions to ponder. Will Jake Arrieta ever allow a run again? Will David Price ever pitch to his abilities in the postseason? How big can Dallas Keuchel's beard get?! Again, I'm going with the Dodgers as my pick to win it all, but that's mostly because my Mets friends are getting tough to take so I'm rooting for L.A. to silence them. Cue my theme song for this week!

3. The Presidents Cup: We've got a ballgame, folks! Thanks to some poor play and a silly error, the Internationals are actually threatening to win this biennial event for just the second time ever. From Phil's rules violation to Phil's cocky comment to Jordan's "slightly classless" remark to Kenny G and 'W' making the rounds, there's plenty to talk about with the Presidents Cup this weekend. And let's face it, talking about it is probably all you're going to be able to do with that South Korean time difference.

4. Jack Eichel: Gotta be honest, I had no clue the NHL season was back (or that the league still existed for that matter) until mentions of this guy started piling up on my Twitter timeline on Thursday night. The 18-year-old prodigy (even I had heard of) scored a goal in his debut for the Buffalo Sabres:

Between the No. 2 pick in last year's NHL draft and fellow 18-year-old Connor McDavid, the top pick who didn't register a point in his debut for the Edmonton Oilers, hockey may have a new "Big 2" for a long time. OK, enough talking pucks. Let's discuss something more important. . .

5. Taylor Swift: The pop star is making a debut of her own, appearing on the cover of GQ for the first time. History! Since it's 2015 and we don't have to wait to see magazine covers until they hit newsstands anymore, here's a look:

Taylor-Swift-GQ-Cover.png

Swift also has a new hit song out, "Wildest Dreams," and I'm not afraid to admit, it's awesome.

Speaking of history, this has to be a record for the most singles from one album, right? "1989" is the gift that keeps on giving.