The first day of Playoff Baseball delivered…BUNTS. They’re back. Teams are once again playing to win 2-1 and for some it worked.

All aboard the Skubal Train. Tigers take down the Guardians 2-1.

Cubs pull enough offense together and the pen shutdown the Padres. The Padres have scored one run in their last 33 playoff innings. Cubs 3, Padres 1.

I hate to shine the attention on the Big Markets, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone pulled starter Max Fried with one out in the sixth inning and NO ONE BASE. The pen immediately surrendered two runs as Fried watched his 1-0 lead evaporate from the dugout. Noodle Arm Aaron Judge couldn’t hold Nick Sogard to a single on a soft liner to the gap. With runners on second and third, Masataka Yoshida cashed in a two-run single. Red Sox manager Alex Cora rode his starter, Garrett Crotchet, into the 8th, flipped the ball to Arolids Chapman and watched him walk the tight rope to a 3-1 final score. Red Sox win game 1.

Don’t let Sunday’s comeback fool you. The US Ryder Cup team was such a monumental failure that the next edition of this team promises to look substantially different. It’s a Heads Will Roll moment. Europe’s complete domination of the event and the embarrassment it delivered at Bethpage is going to force change. I’m not here to rehash what went wrong. KMARK looks ahead!

Of the takedowns across the Golfsphere, perhaps the best comes from Eamon Lynch. Lynch posits that the US governing body responsible for the event (PGA of America) could sell the tournament to the PGA Tour. The Tour’s proficiency in hosting tournaments could help avoid the relentless ad interruption, unbecoming spectator behavior, and maybe pull together a competitive team. More than anything, Eamon’s frustration is that the PGA of America’s grip on the US side of the competition isn’t likely to change and neither will the US performance.

Management change is the obvious answer. Unfortunately, it feels like any fan base barking at the owner to sell the team. I can’t guarantee it happens. Wanna know what really works? BIG IDEAS from micro-newsletters. Please, allow me to offer a solution:

As The Hairy Putter and I debriefed, I couldn’t agree more with his position that the US team had a severe lack of Dogs. Comin back from a blowout doesn’t prove Dog Mentality. Where was that bark on Friday/Saturday? If the US is to develop some (any) teeth, they need to conduct more Dog Development. What does that look like?

Of the 12 players selected, 6 are Captain’s Picks. How do we get the best 6? We need a match play competition (a bracket) to determine the final six spots. More golf. Dog eat dog world. Let the Captain select the field, set up a course (so he can fuckin practice that), and watch America’s best fight for a spot in the dance. Sure, broadcast the thing. Make some cash. Sell ads. But, if anything find guys that want to be there. Push them through match play environments. And teach a captain how to captain. Do all that, and maybe the world’s most talented team can actually win a Cup.