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SAN FRANCISCO -- If only they could all be like Madison Bumgarner this time of year. And by they, you know who we mean.David Price, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels and Rich Hill are a combined 0-6 in this fascinating postseason -- after going 93-35 during the regular season. Clayton Kershaw won for just the second time in his past eight postseason starts, but he made it through only five ho-hum innings. And were not even going to get into Jeff Samardzija and Colby Lewis.Weve always looked at October as that month when the aces take over. The way Sanford B. Koufax did. The way P. Robert Gibson did. The way John Smoltz and Curt Schilling and Jack Morris did. The way even Josh Beckett did.But maybe we dont live in a world where thats as easy to accomplish anymore. Maybe theres too much attention, too much pressure, too much information. Maybe weve set the bar too high -- because what weve always expected of The Aces is not?what theyve been delivering.Now if youve watched MadBum work his magic -- and you can watch Bumgarner again Monday night, in a riveting National League Division Series Game 3 mano a mano with Jake Arrieta at AT&T Park -- you might wonder what the heck were even talking about. But look around at the rest of the sport and youll find something incredible.Twelve active pitchers have won a Cy Young Award and pitched in the postseason over the course of their careers. Just five of them even have a winning postseason record. Kershaw is 3-6 with a 4.65 October ERA. Price is 2-8, 5.54 -- and 0-8 as a starting pitcher.How can this be possible? It feels like a phenomenon that defies explanation. So naturally, we went looking to find one anyway. And heres what we learned: Its complicated.Its not a blanket statement, said Smoltz, a man who went 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA in his postseason career, with more postseason strikeouts (199) than any pitcher in history. There are different reasons.Those reasons can be found inside the heads of the men on the mound -- not to mention inside their hearts, inside their deliveries, inside their own unique set of circumstances. Sometimes, actually, its all of the above. But lets start with a fact that holds true for everyone:October baseball is different. Every element involved in it is different.Everythings a rally in the postseason, Smoltz said. Umpires have every pressure and detail, and all the eyes are on them. Strike zones get a little bit interesting. Hitters dont take pitches or at-bats off like they do during the regular season. Theres a lot that goes into that bucket. But the bottom line is, if youre mentally not ready for that moment, your success rate wont be as good.Smoltz was a man who fed off those moments. Even now, he misses them so much. He still finds himself saying, I loved it. I wish there was more of it. But when he looks at some of the men who take the mound in these games nowadays, he says, Some people in our game dont quite grasp that like they should.But even if you agree, does it make any sense that pitchers of the stature of Kershaw and Price wouldnt be mentally ready for the biggest games of their lives? Think of all theyve accomplished. Think of how mentally strong theyve had to be just to reach this standing in the game.So can this really all be in their heads? One longtime pitching coach doesnt think so.Take a look at the deliveries of Kershaw and Price -- versus Bumgarners, he said. Quick jerk versus easy, fluid. Most times, that [delivery reflects] their personality as well.So what this coach is saying is that both Kershaw and Price have a delivery that might not be made to order for this time of year -- because that voice in their head, that motor in their veins and that thumping in their heart are driving them to rush, to lurch, to go faster in games where nothing is more important than the ability to stay slow and under control. In other words, their personality just might be overriding their delivery.It makes it harder to repeat, this pitching coach said. Adrenaline is the hardest thing to control in sport. ... I watch them, and I see them try to go to another gear way more often than normal.One American League executive said he believes thats an especially big problem in Prices case. Hes so amped up to do something special in these moments, he has trouble slowing down the game when he needs to most.Thats what I would see from afar, too, Smoltz said, without knowing anything other than hes very passionate. Look, hes a slow worker, very methodical, pitches 230 innings. Hes your prototypical front-line guy. But come postseason, there is a capacity to maybe care too much and want to do too well and not slow the game down.In Kershaws case, said an National League exec, it has never been about stuff. It has been that he sped up as things got rolling in a bad way. Anyone who has seen Kershaw up close knows hes motivated to be great, and to lift up his team. But the same people also wonder whether all that caring has taken a toll -- especially at times like these. And Smoltz wonders himself.Clayton Kershaw has basically pitched a playoff game in every single game for the last three years, Smoltz said, because every single regular-season game has put him at a level where he doesnt give up anything. So imagine being Clayton Kershaw, and if you give up three runs in a game, people are like, Whats wrong? So hes put up a standard that is unprecedented.Because of that, when he gets to the end of the year, I would argue that hes a little more mentally fried than most. So now, when that time comes and youre trying to carry your ball club, its not like hes just getting crushed. Its one or two innings that have defined him -- against one team.That team, of course, is the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat him four times in back-to-back Octobers (in 2013 and 14), scoring 19 runs off him in 22 ? innings. In between, all the other teams in baseball beat him three?times in the entire regular 2014 season, when he was busy going 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA.A number of scouts and executives said theyre convinced that Kershaw tipped pitches out of the stretch in those games, especially against left-handed hitters. And the Cardinals were all over that. Take away those four losses to St. Louis, and in his five other postseason starts since 2013, Kershaw has gone 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA. His only loss was to the New York Mets last October, in a game in which he still struck out 11 and gave up just four hits.Nevertheless, it feels as if there is a quality in Bumgarner that no one else in this sport can match right now. And even the manager of the team that has to face him Monday cant help but admire it. On Sunday, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon unabashedly compared Bumgarner to the likes of Gibson and Koufax. And Maddon wasnt only talking about the quality of those pitches exploding out of Bumgarners left arm.Its not just purely his stuff, Maddon said. Its his competitive nature. I think thats what gets lost in this a lot, with what we do. Everybodys always analyzing numbers and pitches and how he does this and spin rotation and whatever. This guy competes. Thats what sets him apart. Its not that his stuff is that special. Its really good. But how he competes is what sets him apart.Bumgarners postseason success is so unique among this generation. He really should start bottling cases of MadBums Miracle October Elixir -- hed make more money than Mark Zuckerberg. But first, he has another postseason baseball game to pitch, a reputation to uphold and one more heart-thumping October evening to remind the world of what aces used to look like this time of year. Ronnie Lott Womens Jersey . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. George Blanda Womens Jersey . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. https://www.raiderssportsgoods.com/Womens-Tim-Brown-Inverted-Jersey/ . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Marcus Allen Youth Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Jim Otto Womens Jersey . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day.TORONTO -- Travis Lulay knows what Zach Collaros is going through. It wasnt that long ago that Lulay, now a Grey Cup champion and MVP with the B.C. Lions, was a rookie quarterback getting ready to make his first CFL start. Collaros will get his shot in place of injured Toronto starter Ricky Ray when the Argonauts (2-2) host the Lions (3-1) in a rare Tuesday night game at Rogers Centre (TSN, 7pm et/4pm pt). "Hes excited, I can guarantee you that," Lulay said Monday. "I can think back to my first start. I saw him doing an interview and you could see that excitement. "Everyones been there. We can relate to being in that situation." The 24-year-old Collaros spent most of last season on the injured list and sat No. 4 on Torontos depth chart but will get his first professional start after Ray suffered a knee injury in the Argonauts 35-19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 19. The extended layoff off between games due to a scheduling quirk gave Collaros time to prepare to face the Lions and their No. 1-ranked defence. "Im excited to get going," said the University of Cincinnati product. "Its good to have three full practices under my belt and its going to make the transition that much easier for me." Argonauts head coach Scott Milanovich says he expects Collaros, who has completed 7 of 10 passes for 112 yards in limited action in 2013, to do what has made him successful up to this point. "Zachs a very emotional guy. Hell be jazzed up. I think he thrives on his emotion and I dont want to change that," Milanovich said. "Hes not Ricky. Hes a different style of player and hes a different personality and were not going to try and make him Ricky. "We want him to go out and be the guy that hes always been." Lions head coach Mike Benevides, whose team defeated Toronto 24-16 at B.C. Place Stadium in Week 2, says the Lions will have to be careful with Collaros early. "Weve got to be vigilant. Weve got to make sure that we stay sound and make sure that we dont give him easy things," he said. "You have to pick your spots when you attack him." A former quarterback himself, Milanovich has spent time talking to Collaros about the pressure of being in the professional spotlight.dddddddddddd "When youre in a position of leadership, guys are looking to see how you react, particularly when things dont go well," he said. "Its easy when things are going well but I always tried to remain in control of the situation." Milanovich, who is hopeful that Ray will be back under centre when Toronto returns to game action from its bye week on Aug. 8, is also without his starting running back for Tuesdays game. Chad Kackert suffered a knee injury of his own against Winnipeg and is out at least a month. Toronto will start rookie Curtis Steele in his place. "Hes a tough kid," Milanovich said of Steele. "Hes very athletic. Without having him play in a game, he seems likes a very well-rounded CFL back ... whether hes going to be able to show that (Tuesday) night remains to be seen but I think hes a very, very talented young man thats serious about football." Despite the drastic change in personnel, Lions linebacker Adam Bighill says he has a pretty good idea of what will be coming their way from the Argonauts. "Teams dont change too much. They set their identity on who they want to be," said Bighill, who will be back in the lineup after missing two weeks with a sprained ankle. "We always expect a new wrinkle here and there but for the most part theyre going to be who they are." The Lions head into the Week 5 finale in third place in the West Division behind the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-0) and the Calgary Stampeders (4-1). The East, which has been much weaker early in the season, has Toronto ahead of the second-place Montreal Alouettes (2-3). "We only get to do this 18 times during the regular season so every game is extremely important," Benevides said. "Teams are still formulating their personalities but for us our objective is to find win No. 4. The West is always going to be tough, that doesnt change." Notes: B.C. has won six straight against Toronto and 16 of the last 17. ... The last rookie quarterback to win his first start with the Argonauts was Marcus Brady, who beat Winnipeg 24-14 on July 15, 2003. Brady is now Torontos offensive co-ordinator. ' ' '