SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And now to the spritely notes of B.J. Leiderman, who writes our theme music. It's time for sports.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SIMON: Baseball playoffs. Seattle Mariners win an instant classic. Brewers-Cubs tonight. WNBA - the Aces' aces. And we say goodbye to Sister Jean. But first, hello to sports reporter Michele Steele. Michele, thanks so much for being with us.
MICHELE STEELE: Good morning, Scott. I need another coffee.
SIMON: Oh, my gosh. What a classic last night.
STEELE: Oh, yeah.
SIMON: Fifteen innings. Extra innings, obviously. The Mariners over the Detroit Tigers. Seattle - I believe first time since 2001, right?
STEELE: Yes. Yes.
SIMON: And they face the Toronto Blue Jays. What do you look for in a Jays-Mariners series?
STEELE: Yeah. I do want to give a little bit of shine here to last night's game, though. I stayed up for...
SIMON: Oh, boy.
STEELE: ...All of it. Fifteen innings, Mariners prevailing 3-2 after Jorge Polanco walked off the Tigers. And, Scott, this is the first time that they're going to the ALCS - you're right - since 2001. And if they win, they're four wins away from the first-ever World Series appearance for Seattle, the only...
SIMON: Yep.
STEELE: ...Team never to make a World Series. I'm excited about a Jays-Mariners ALCS. You know, it's a real offense versus pitching kind of matchup. Toronto's lineup - relentless. Best batting average in Major League Baseball. They don't...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Strike out too much. And we know from last night's game, boy, do they have a deep and talented rotation in Seattle. We'll see how much they have in the tank, though, for Game 1 against a very well-rested Jays team tomorrow.
SIMON: And in the National League tonight, as I believe both you and I know (laughter), Game 5.
STEELE: Oh, yeah.
SIMON: Milwaukee Brewers versus the Chicago Cubs for the honor of meeting the Dodgers. Look, both the Cubs and Brewers have had magic at times this year, Milwaukee maybe a little more. What do you look for tonight?
STEELE: Well, for me personally, I'm going to look for smelling salts. I didn't...
SIMON: (Laughter) Yeah.
STEELE: I didn't have a dog in the fight last night and I'm wiped, but what I'm expecting tonight is for this to be a true bullpen game, Scott. As of late Friday, neither the Brewers or the Cubs had named a starter, indicating that this is going to be a real all-hands-on-deck...
SIMON: Yep.
STEELE: ...Approach - right? - for both sides. Cubs manager Craig Counsell - you might have already seen it - saying, we have 11 pitchers to figure out how to get to 27 outs. Here's a crazy stat for you. I bet you you already know this. The Cubs have scored in the first inning of all four games...
SIMON: Yes.
STEELE: ...In this series, hitting a home run...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...In each one. Can they jump out to an early lead - right? - and put some pressure on the Brewers at home? You're a Cubs die-hard. You feeling good?
SIMON: I - yes. Cautiously good. Let's put it that way. I'm just...
STEELE: Cautious optimism.
SIMON: I'm just a - oh, you know me. I - Michele, I just hope it's a clean game with good sportsmanship on both sides.
STEELE: Well, let's not go to 15 innings. How about that?
SIMON: All right. Las Vegas Aces completed their sweep of the Phoenix Mercury. Third WNBA championship in four years. Is this the new dynasty?
STEELE: I think so. First WNBA team in 25 years to win three championships in the last four seasons. And they're owned by Mark Davis, who historically has been considered one of the more dysfunctional teams in the NFL - the other team that he owns, the Las...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Vegas Raiders. In the WNBA, he's a veritable George Steinbrenner, Scott. He's hired the right people in the front office. He got the right head coach in Becky Hammon - used to be a Spurs assistant.
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: They have a dominant core led by A'ja Wilson. He's given the team player resources that did not exist in the W before the Aces came onto the scene, so congrats to them. Congrats to Mark Davis. Good luck to the WNBA because now they're going to try to negotiate a tricky new contract for players.
SIMON: Finally, Sister Jean, the chaplain and No. 1 fan of Loyola University's - Loyola University Chicago's basketball team, has died at the age of 106. She retired just a couple of weeks ago. You covered her. You knew her. What a loss. Bless her.
STEELE: I'll say so. I covered their magical run in 2018, talked to her during the pandemic and checked in with her not too long ago. And I was just here talking about her two weeks...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Ago, Scott. She had devoted her whole life to teaching, to ministering to youth. You know, she even taught Bob Hope's kids when she was a much younger sister in Southern California. Her vocation was her calling, of course, but her calling, I think, was really helping young people. She loved basketball. She loved Loyola. She loved the program. And this is my personal opinion, but when she retired, her work in a lot of ways was done. And 106 years - boy, what a life well-lived.
SIMON: Gosh, yes. Michele Steele, thanks so much. Talk to you soon.
STEELE: See you next time. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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