It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Okay, there's a good chance that C.J. Spiller and James Davis run all over Alabama on Saturday night at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. There's also a possibility that Tommy Bowden messes something up. Um, I tend to lean towards the latter.

While he may have been playing against a tired defense, Chris Smelley looked crisp and desicively better than Tommy Beecher and deserves the starting nod over Beecher next week against Vanderbilt. And I don't doubt for a second that Spurrier won't name Smelley the starter early next week.

It was really good to see Sammie Stroughter back on the football field last night for Oregon State. After missing last season with a kidney injury, the dynamic wideout had 12 catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns, including a first-half 55-yard score, in the Beavers' 36-28 loss to Stanford. It was also great to see Jim Harbaugh get his team off to a nice start as the Cardinal look to make huge strides this year in the Pac-10.

Ryan Madson and Chad Durbin have been solid out of the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen all season, but they could not protect a lead for Cole Hamels on the road last night at Wrigley Field. Aramis Ramirez hit a dramatic grand slam as the Cubs moved to 34 games above .500 and 6 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers in the NL Central. The Phils were able to get to Ryan Dempster and had a commanding 4-1 lead entering the bottom of the eighth

The Dodgers continue to self-destruct. getting swept by the Nationals to lose their seventh consecutive game and fall 3 1/2 games behind first-place Arizona in the NL West.

The Marlins are now 10-15 in August after their 4-2 defeat to the Braves. The club has not won two in a row this month.

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett was scratched from his start against the White Sox and placed on the DL with elbow trouble and tingling in his pinkie finger. He was scheduled to fly to Birmingham, Alabama to meet with Dr. Trouble James Andrews. The Red Sox won't have to worry about defending their World Championship without Beckett because they likely won't get to the playoffs without him.

Tampa Bay is now 11-0-1 in series play after the All-Star break, as Edwin Jackson won for the sixth time in seven starts. Despite their AL-best 49-19 record at home, the Rays only drew 14,039, making it the sixth straight game with an attendance under 20,000. Unreal and sad.