Ramblings From The Rafters

College Football Week 1 Notebook

2009-09-08T09:54:00.000-05:00

South Carolina-N.C. State: South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia was able to put his disastrous Outback Bowl performance behind him, playing steady and riding the wave of an energetic and talented youthful Gamecocks defense as Steve Spurrier continued his opening game dominance. Linebacker Eric Norwood is the leader of a defense that, while young, could be Spurrier’s best in his Carolina tenure. N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson displayed his cannon arm and elusiveness at times, but the sophomore was unable to get his offense untracked for a second consecutive contest against the Gamecocks. N.C. State lacked energy and execution for this first three quarters before showing any sign of line whatsoever.

Oregon-Boise State: There’s no question that the first of two major stories evolving from Week One was the LeGarrette Blount punch heard ‘round the world. But putting that instance aside—and the absurd suspension thereafter—the most shocking aspect of this game was the inability of Blount to get anything going on the ground and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli’s failure to move the ball in the air for the Ducks. Chip Kelly’s offense could never get untracked, and Boise State dominated the entire game—save for a late but failed rally by the Ducks in the fourth. Hats off to the Broncos again, who beat Oregon for the second consecutive season and are poised to make a dent in the BCS rankings at the end of the year.

BYU-Oklahoma: Obviously the injury to reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was the biggest story that came out of this Top 20 matchup. However, the determined play of quarterback Max Hall and the stellar play of its defense might have been the two biggest reasons why BYU was able to pull the upset. Hall didn’t play his best in the Cougars’ biggest games against TCU and Utah last season, but he stepped up on Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium. While he did throw two picks, he was able to lead the 16-play, 78-yard drive that culminated in the game-winning TD on fourth-and-4 with 3:03 left to propel BYU to victory. On the other side of the ball, the Cougars’ defense showed it was not intimidated by the Sooners, and the unit took full advantage of an inexperienced and nervous OU offensive line. The tough, quick and gritty defense not only kept the team in the game after a turnover-filled first half from its offense, but it also disguised blitzes nicely in harassing Sam Bradford and eventually laid the hit that knocked the quarterback out of the game. Moving forward for the Sooners, the offense should feature a healthy dose of DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown if Bradford is to miss a significant amount of time. And while I was disappointed in the play of cornerback Dominique Franks, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is definitely as good as advertised for the Sooners.

Alabama-Virginia Tech: Alabama successfully began its national championship push in Atlanta for the second straight year as running backs Roy Upchurch and Mark Ingram helped Greg McElroy survive a beating in his first game as Alabama’s starting quarterback. Despite substantially outgaining the Hokies in total yards, Alabama played sloppy on special teams and had numerous penalties and miscues that saw it having to come back in the fourth quarter before putting Virginia Tech away. Tyrod Taylor again showed that he will continue to struggle throwing the ball consistently, so Frank Beamer will be leaning on freshman running backs all season to help carry the offensive load. Alabama’s confusing looks on defense caused Taylor problems, and the Tide’s linebackers showed that they may be the most complete unit in college football. Wideout Julio Jones, by the way, is absolutely scary looking—more so than last year. Alabama looks for real if they could eliminate dumb penalties.

Missouri-Illinois: Illinois never looked prepared for this game, and the team looked as if it wanted to head for the bus at halftime. This poor effort falls right on head coach Ron Zook. No matter how good of a talent Arrelious Benn is, the Illini had more than enough talent—including Jarred Fayson—to make up for his loss in a game against a good, but not great, Missouri squad. While the defensive line showed aggressiveness early, the Illini’s secondary looked lost and undisciplined. I was impressed with Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s demeanor in his first game as Chase Daniel’s replacement, especially as the game progressed. He looked comfortable sitting in the pocket and taking off and running when necessary. Danario Alexander looks to be healthy again and—while he may not be as dynamic and explosive as Jeremy Maclin—he will score plenty of points in Columbia this season.

Nevada-Notre Dame: So maybe the performance of Jimmy Clausen and the Notre Dame offense against Hawaii to close out the 2008 season wasn’t such a fluke after all. Wideout Michael Floyd picked up right where he left off as a freshman—and looks even more ridiculous as a sophomore. Tight end Kyle Rudolph will certainly benefit from the presence of Floyd and Golden Tate, and running back Armando Allen seemed to have an extra jump in his step. The ND offensive line looks tougher, but it’s the Irish defense that really made a lasting impression. Linebacker Brian Smith may be the most talented player on that side of the ball, leading a unit that looked hungry in its pursuit of Colin Kaepernick and the Wolf Pack running backs.

LSU-Washington: It was great to see such a revived, raucous crowd at Husky Stadium on Saturday night. I expect Steve Sarkisian to do wonderful things in Seattle and bring the Huskies back to Pac-10 and eventual national prominence. Jake Locker, Chris Polk and James Johnson give the Huskies some firepower to work with in Sarkisian’s new offense. But it was LSU who was able to grab the road win as Jordan Jefferson certainly didn’t play like the youngest quarterback in the SEC, tossing three touchdowns in the victory—including two to Terrance Toliver. The Tigers didn’t play great, but they escaped a tough environment. The defense was aggressive and looked as athletic as ever, but I still worry about this unit as it struggled with giving up the big plays it allowed last year. It’ll be interesting to see if new coordinator John Chavis’s scheme could eliminate some of holes in the defense and allow the unit to get more rest, as it was on the field for a significant longer amount of time than its counterpart.

Miami-Florida State: It was nice to see both Jacory Harris and Christian Ponder answer their critics early in this game. Miami coach Randy Shannon showed faith in his offense by going for it on fourth down in the first quarter, and Harris rewarded him with an easy 38-yard touchdown toss on the next play. Ponder, meanwhile, showed that he could be just as effective throwing as running in converting two critical third downs on the Seminoles’ opening drive, including a closing touchdown. The opening possessions for both teams were a sign of things to come, as both signal callers took turns playing hero in an old-fashioned shootout. Ponder didn’t have a great second half and ultimately came up short on the game’s last play, but he gave Seminoles fans a glimpse of what certainly will be an exciting season. Harris flat out played beyond his years, and it’ll be interesting to see what they could do against an Oklahoma team that is expected to be without Sam Bradford.

Other notes: I’ll hold off on bashing the Big Ten (and believe me, I’m a lifelong Chicagoan so I’ll always be partial to the conference), but the league did not have its greatest showing this opening weekend. Ohio State’s struggles with Navy could be attributed to being out of sync defensively against the option attack, but I would worry more about its O-line if I were an Ohio State fan. Iowa should never have allowed Northern Iowa to be in any position whatsoever to win the game, while I expected a lot more from Adam Weber and Minnesota against the Greg Paulus-led Syracuse squad. I will say, however, that the Gophers’ Eric Decker might be the most unheralded receiver in the nation. Michigan has speed on both sides of the ball, and the defense that I expected to help the offense out last year has finally showed up under new coordinator Greg Robinson.

Va. Tech's Evans Tears ACL, Will Miss Season

2009-08-12T09:03:00.004-05:00

Virginia Tech, the favorite to win the ACC and a popular pick for a darkhorse national champion this season, suffered a devestating blow during practice on Tuesday when running back Darren Evans tore his left ACL. Evans, who set several school rushing records as a freshman, will miss the entire season.

Evans, the MVP of last season's Orange Bowl, rushed for 1,265 yards last year and set a Virginia Tech single-game record for rushing with 253 yards against Maryland. His 11 touchdowns also set school freshman records for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns.

While the Hokies certainly have depth at running back, none of the backs are as accomplished as Evans. Redshirt freshman Ryan Williams, following an impressive spring showing, and Josh Oglesby, a redshirt sophomore who saw some playing time last year, are expected to carry the load this fall. Highly touted true freshman David Wilson should also receive plenty of carries as the season progresses. But the loss of Evans puts even more pressure on mobile quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who will have to play steadily in his first full season as a starter in order for the Hokies to play up to many people's expectations.

Meanwhile, USC quarterback Aaron Corp sat out practice on Tuesday after bruising his left knee when a lineman rolled into him on Monday. Corp will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to determine whether the injury is more serious than a bruise. This is bad news for Corp as freshman Matt Barkley has garnered a lot of attention and praise on campus. The Trojans, who have won seven straight Pac-10 titles, open the season against San Jose State and can very well use that matchup to let Barkley get his feet wet. It's stunning that Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain cannot even generate buzz anymore playing on a campus so close to L.A. But I guess that's life when you're playing on a team with so much talent.

A couple of notes from the Phillies-Cubs game in Chicago last night...

Brad Lidge blew the seventh save of his injury-shortened season and is clearly not the same player who was automatic last year during the Phillies' World Series run. Although he came into the game 8-for-8 during save situations in the second half, his pitches have not been as crisp and he is still struggling with location.

The Cubs are not without their own relief woes, however. While some may consider the injuries to Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly to be the most detrimental, I still believe Carlos Marmol's inability to consistently throw strikes will ultimately lead to the Cubs' demise this season.

Ricciardi Blunders Again, But What Else is New?

2009-08-11T09:56:00.005-05:00

I think it may be time for J.P. Ricciardi to take his commemorative copy of Moneyball home with him and let real baseball executives play General Manager for a change. The same GM who let his star pitcher Roy Halladay hang out to dry has made yet another boneheaded decision, letting outfielder Alex Rios walk away for free to the Chicago White Sox without getting anything in return. Sure, the Jays are saving money by unloading Rios' huge contract to another team, but Rios is a player who is simply having a down year and whose best baseball is in his immediate future.

Sure, $62 million remaining on a contract of a guy who has underachieved this year is tough for a Canadian baseball team in a rough economy to endure. And ESPN's Jayson Stark had an interesting take on Rios this morning on Mike & Mike in the Morning. Stark rattled off the following Alex Rios statistics in regards to his major league rankings since he signed his big deal:

-110th in slugging

-99th in home runs

-105th in batting average

-169th in on-base percentage

So Ricciardi did the right thing by dumping Rios, right? Absolutely not. No one in baseball could tell me that acquiring even lower level prospects was impossible in exchange for taking on a big contract. Ricciardi stated that the White Sox wanted the Jays to include money for Rios' contract in the deal if they were to give up any players. According to Ricciardi, he didn't see the worth in that because he apparently wouldn't be able to address other team needs. "For us to eat money and not get players that we thought we wanted," Ricciardi said, "I think it would've been counterproductive. We weren't able to get some of the players that we would've liked. From that standpoint, we just said the best thing in this case is to get the financial flexibility from every dollar."

Financial flexibility to do what? Sign B.J. Ryan again? Give big money to an Alex Rios-type who supposedly is not worth the time after one down year? Was keeping the contract on the books in the hopes that Rios bounces back next year too simple of a solution for a sabermetrically obsessed GM? He did, after all, hit .297 with 24 home runs and 85 RBIs just two years ago.

The main problem I have in acquiring zero prospects in return is the fact that Ricciardi was unable to move Lyle Overbay, Scott Downs and a host of other veterans who could have netted cheaper bodies at the trade deadline. I mean, money was what this was all about, right J.P.?

From the White Sox standpoint, the club was able to acquire a versatile power-speed combo who can play all three outfield positions but will likely settle into center field for the long-term. With the exception of one solid season from Aaron Rowand, the White Sox haven't had a decent center field option since Lance Johnson. And despite his disappointing .264-14-64 line this year thus far, Rios' numbers will be helped by playing in hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field.

Combined with new acquisition Jake Peavy, the pair will make more than $115 while on the White Sox payroll--a stunning development for a club led by a very very financially conservative owner. It'll take a few years to see if the Rios acquisition ends up paying dividends for the White Sox. But two things are clear: First, this isn't your older brother's tight-spending White Sox club. Second, J.P. Ricciardi has to go.

Yanks Dispose of Sox, Extend AL East Lead

2009-08-10T09:13:00.013-05:00

Jon Lester did everything he could on Sunday night to prevent a four-game sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees, but Daniel Bard surrendered back-to-back two-out homers as the Bronx Bombers took all four games at Yankee Stadium this weekend to give the club a 6 1/2 game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East. Boston is now tied with Texas for the lead in the AL wild-card race, while Tampa Bay sits just a game and a half behind. The Red Sox led the AL East by five games on June 24.

Boston carries a season-high six-game losing streak as it heads home to welcome the Detroit Tigers into town.

Clearly, the Red Sox are struggling mightily offensively, and ESPN's Buster Olney made a great comparison over the weekend, noting that the Sox look very similar to some Yankees teams from a couple of years ago: overloaded with older, defensively challenged corner infield/DH types. I didn't want to believe it this past winter when the Yanks snagged Mark Teixeira, but he just may have been the tipping point in the battle for AL East supremacy. The Red Sox have had to deal with nagging injuries to Mike Lowell, a terrible season from David Ortiz (despite his coming around a little bit the last few months) and an average season from J.D. Drew. These factors forced the club to deal for Adam LaRoche--who was later dealt for Casey Kotchman--and Victor Martinez, who is a solid all-around player but is not the frontline pitcher that the club probably could have acquired at the deadline to pair with Josh Beckett if not for its offensive woes.

Now the club will have to stare history straight in the eye, as Boston has never overcome a defecit of 5 1/2 games or more to the Yankees in either the American League or AL East.

The Cleveland Browns held a scrimmage on Sunday, and ESPN's Chris Mortensen told Mike & Mike in the Morning that neither Brady Quinn nor Derek Andersen was great...or terrible. Quinn registered a 51-yard TD pass while Andersen produced a long drive that was stalled when D'Qwell Jackson picked off a pass near the goal line. The one thing that remains clear is that head coach Eric Mangini will not be swayed by public opinion in deciding who will line up under center in Week One.

Tiger Woods came from three shots behind Padraig Harrington on Sunday to win the Bridgestone Invitational for the seventh time and will now try to win the season's last major at Hazeltine. Finishing with a 5-under 65, Woods won back-to-back tour events and became the first golfer in history to win on one course seven times.

Down one shot to Harrington and in the trees on the par-5 16th, Woods used an 8-iron to deliver a shot that landed a foot from the hole, and his subsequent birdie started an incredible turn for the worse for Harrington. A winner of two majors last year, Harrington carded a shocking triple bogey on the same hole that led to Woods winning for the 70th time in his career.

It's ashame, however, that the event was seemingly marred by the pairing being put on a clock on the 16th tee after apparently falling behind schedule. Woods even admitted that he was probably aided by the fact that Harrington rushed his shots on the disastrous 16th, where Harrington entered with a one-shot lead. Both men hit errant tee shots, but Tiger was able to escape disaster with his beautiful iron play--and he escaped the 16th with a three-shot lead. Was the victory tainted, or was it just Tiger being Tiger?

Blackhawks Make Splash Again, Sign Hossa

2009-07-01T13:37:00.009-05:00

Last offseason, coming off a campaign full of renewed energy and optimism, Chicago Blackhawks management decided to break the bank in an all-out effort to compete for the team's first Stanley Cup championship since 1961. With the blessing of chairman Rocky Wirtz, general manager Dale Tallon promptly went out and signed the best defenseman available, Brian Campbell, to an eight-year, 56.8 million dollar contract and goaltender Cristobal Huet for four years at a combined 22.5 million dollars on the very first day of free agency. After an incredibly quick turnaround this past season, one in which saw the Hawks advance to the Western Conference finals, management is intent on reiterating just how serious the franchise is about reclaiming its past glory.

With unrestricted free agents Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin expected to be of main concern, general manager Dale Tallon shocked the league and hockey fans in Chicago by announcing the signing of four-time All-Star right wing Marian Hossa to a 12-year, 62.8 million dollar contract. The 30-year-old Hossa skated for Detroit last season after signing a one-year deal with the Red Wings in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup. He'll have plenty of chances--12 to be exact--to try to win one with his hungry new teammates on the Hawks.

The Slovakian, a first-round pick of Ottawa in the 1997 Entry Draft, led the Red Wings in goals with 40 last year while also contributing 31 assists. In 23 playoff games, he tallied 15 points (6-9) as the Wings fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins--his former team--in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. In 11 NHL seasons with four teams, Hossa has amassed 719 points (339-380) in 775 regular season games and has 76 points (31-45) in 98 playoff contests.

Hossa had been on the receiving end of mocking--particularly from Penguins fans--for bypassing opportunities to sign a mega deal last offseason, instead choosing to sign a one-year deal with the Wings, the team he thought had the best chance to win the Cup. With the main objective winning his first championship since hoisting the Memorial Cup 11 years ago with Portland of the Western Hockey League, Hossa believes the rejuvenated Blackhawks offer him the best chance to win the highly desired Cup.

With the signing of Hossa, Martin Havlat will be signing elsewhere after finally staying healthy for an entire season and arguably being the Hawks' best forward throughout last season. Havlat announced his desire to stay in Chicago on his Twitter page, but has clearly been replaced by the more experienced and stronger Hossa. It also looks as if Nikolai Khabibulin will have a new home, as the Hawks seem to be positioned to have Corey Crawford or Antti Niemi back up Huet next season.

The Hawks also announced the signing of fourth-line center Tomas Kopecky to a two-year contract on Wednesday afternoon. Kopecky, 27, was a teammate of Hossa's last season in Detroit, and he finished second on the team with 109 hits while tallying career highs in goals (6), assists (13) and points (19) in 79 regular season games. In four seasons with the Wings, Kopecky appeared in 183 regular season games.

Can Barnes Hold Off Field For Open Championship?

2009-06-22T08:01:00.001-05:00

The U.S. Open Championship concludes today--hopefully--as Ricky Barnes tries to put a disastrous third-round behind him and hold off co-leader Lucas Glover in the conclusion of the final round at Bethpage Black. Barnes held a six-shot lead at one time on Sunday during the third round, but slipped to a tie for the lead at 7-under-par when play was halted due to darkness. Barnes and Glover enter the day with a five-shot lead, but both are rookies when it comes to dealing with the immense pressure of contending in a major.

Among the notables chasing the leaders are Phil Mickelson, who sits five shots back after making a couple of long birdies to close the third round. David Duval, winless since 2001, also sits five behind and has played steadily throughout the tournament. What a great story it would be if the one-time British Open champ could make a run on Monday. Tiger Woods, who at one time was 15 strokes behind the leader, sits at even par with 11 holes to play after a frustrating Sunday with the putter.

The Open is undoubtedly my favorite golf tournament of the year--with the British coming in a close second. But for whatever reason--most likely because of the inclement weather--it's been hard for me to really be intrigued by this year's edition. Let's hope that this year's Monday play is as exciting as last year's when Tiger outlasted Rocco Mediate in an epic 19-hole playoff.

You can follow the leaderboard throughout the day here for your comprehensive hole-by-hole coverage.

On the tennis circuit, the Championships at Wimbledon is underway as Roger Federer, James Blake and Maria Sharapova, among others, take the court today at the All-England Club. Federer looks to coast to another Wimbledon title with ailing number-one seed Rafael Nadal missing this year's tournament with a bum knee.

Follow match-by-match results here all day long.

Favre, Pennington Cross Paths on Sunday

2008-12-23T10:23:00.011-06:00

How great is it that the playoff hopes of the New York Jets hinge on their juicy matchup Sunday in the Meadowlands against the Miami Dolphins, who are led by the man run out of New York when the Jets acquired Brett Favre. Chad Pennington has a chance not only to ruin the Jets' once-flourishing season but also the New England Patriots', as well.

Just four weeks ago, the Jets sat at 8-3 following back-to-back wins on the road against the Pats and unbeaten Tennessee Titans. But bad losses to Denver at home as well as San Francisco and Seattle on the road have left the Jets in a precarious situation. However, if they can beat the Dolphins on Sunday and have either New England or Baltimore lose, they will find themselves with a playoff berth and renewed life. The Pats travel to Buffalo to play the Bills, while the Ravens will host the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the Jets must take care of business against a Dolphins team led by the castoff QB with the second-highest passer rating in the NFL. Pennington has helped lead the Dolphins' incredible transformation from a 1-15 team to a sound 10-5 group that is playing with the utmost confidence in coach Tony Sparano's first season at the helm. What many considered to be the one team with no chance of competing in the AFC East this season now stands as the team that controls its own destiny.

For the Jets, Favre has struggled mightily just when the team has needed him the most. He leads the NFL in interceptions with 19 and has looked, quite frankly, like a 39-year-old quarterback. His arm strength seems to have waned, and he is back to throwing the rock up for grabs. The key Sunday for the Jets is to employ a healthy dose of Thomas Jones and to utilize Dustin Keller and their wideouts in shorter passing routes. Third-and-long situations could bring out the worst in Favre and pave the way for--what at the beginning of the season looked like--a Dolphins victory and the ultimate vindication.

How 'Bout Them Cowboys?

2008-12-22T10:15:00.004-06:00

Really, how 'bout them Dallas Cowboys? After pulling to within two points twice on Saturday night in the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain ripped off two incredibly easy, long runs up the middle to take the life out of the Texas Stadium crowd and stun the Cowboys 33-24. The loss crippled Dallas' playoff hopes while providing the Ravens with a banner win in coach John Harbaugh's first season. Unable to pick up the Ravens blitz throughout the game, the Dallas offensive line looked sluggish, lost and old. Tony Romo threw two desperation fly balls to Ed Reed that had no business being tossed. And now, the Cowboys find themselves needing help to sneak into the NFC playoffs.

By the way, how tough is Derrick Mason? Certainly a nice contrast to the main wideout on the opposing sideline, as Mason played through a dislocated left shoulder and caught the lone Joe Flacco touchdown.

Another NFC East team flopped big-time this weekend, as the Philadelphia Eagles played a clunker of a contest in a 10-3 loss to the Washington Redskins. The Eagles blew a chance to move ahead of both Dallas and Tampa Bay in the race for the final NFC wild-card spot with a game to play and now need a victory over Dallas--and help--to get in. The loss also snapped the Eagles' three-game winning streak, as a seemingly resurgent offense during the streak went suddenly inept on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants remained the class of the NFC East--and of the entire conference--with a 34-28 overtime victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night. The victory, fueled by Derrick Ward's career-high 215 rushing yards and Brandon Jacobs' three touchdowns, earned the Giants the NFC's top seed for the playoffs. The Panthers wasted a terrific effort by DeAngelo Williams, who rushed for four touchdowns en route to setting Carolina's single-season rushing touchdown mark.

The New York Jets wasted no terrific efforts in their pathetic showing in a loss to Seattle. The Jets continued their losing ways on the West Coast, falling to 0-4 in games three time zones away from home as Brett Favre failed to throw a touchdown for the third time in four games. He now has just one touchdown and six picks in that period as the Jets' playoff hopes are now on life support.

The Arizona Cardinals certainly looked playoff-ready in their 47-7 loss to the New England Patriots, as quarterback Kurt Warner went just 6-of-18 for 30 yards in his worst performance of the season. Just as the Jets can't win out West, the Cards can't win out East. The past two weeks have seen the Cards down at least 28-0 at the half, the first time a team has trailed by at least four touchdowns at the half in back-to-back games since the '61 Raiders.

Is there any reason at all to mention the AFC West "battle" taking place between Denver and San Diego? Good luck to both teams next week as the two collide in a battle of mediocrity on Sunday Night Football.

Finally, the Atlanta Falcons clinched an incredibly unlikely playoff berth with a 24-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. The Falcons forced four Minnesota turnovers and Matt Ryan was steady again under center, as Atlanta prevented the Vikings from clinching the NFC North division title. They now must hope the Bears lose at home tonight to Green Bay or at Houston next week, or the Vikes must beat the New York Giants at the Metrodome next Sunday.

Manning On Cruise Control in Colts Win

2008-12-19T10:14:00.005-06:00

Peyton Manning completed his first 17 passes of the game, threw for 364 yards and tossed three touchdowns in leading the Indianapolis Colts to their eighth consecutive win by defeating Jacksonville 31-24 last night. Despite trailing 14-0 and 24-14, Manning was calm, cool and effective as the savvy vet led the Colts comeback despite playing without Joseph Addai and Marvin Harrison. The Jaguars, meanwhile, fell to 5-10 and are undoubtedly one of the biggest disappointments in the league this year.

One of the biggest questions remaining is whether the Dallas Cowboys came together last week in midst of team turmoil and used their game against the New York Giants as a springboard to bigger and better things. We will find out on Saturday night as the 'Boys host the Baltimore Ravens in the final regular season game at storied Texas Stadium.

The Giants, meanwhile, play another big Sunday night game this week against the Carolina Panthers. Back-to-back poor performances against the Eagles and Cowboys have Giants fans wondering if this team can indeed win without Plaxico Burress. The bigger key, indeed, is the health of Brandon Jacobs, as his presence and productivity allows Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw to be bigger factors.

Mike Holmgren will be coaching his last home game as head honcho of the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday fittingly against Brett Favre and the New York Jets. While Holmgren will be stepping away from Seattle at the end of the year, I would be shocked if he was not back in the league after a year away from the game to re-energize. I wouldn't even be shocked if he contemplated coaching somewhere else next season, as he surely will be wooed by another team this offseason and has already admitted to St. Louis media that he has had second thoughts about his decision. This game for the Jets, meanwhile, will make or break their season, as the team is winless on the West Coast this year.

Paterno Inks Extension With Penn State

2008-12-18T11:04:00.005-06:00

Kudos to Penn State for giving head football coach Joe Paterno a three-year extension, a deal that quiets any talk of dissension between Paterno and university administration. The soon-to-be 82-year-old clearly showed this season that he can still coach after guiding his Nittany Lions to an 11-1 campaign, a season that potentially could have culminated in a berth in the BCS title game if not for a slip-up at Kinnick Stadium against Iowa. The winningest coach in major college football history has his Nittany Lions instead in the Rose Bowl against Southern Cal on New Year's Day in what should be a vintage college football January 1st game.

The best part of this deal is the fact that Paterno most likely won't stay on as coach through 2011. This extension is merely a way for the university to show its appreciation for the coach who did more for the school than any other figure over the past 50-plus years. By extending his contract, it eliminates the year-to-year wrangling from both sides and allows Paterno the comfortability and peace of mind that he deserves after having to put up with his critics for the last decade.

It's just amazing that Paterno's salary is nowhere close to some other big-name coaches who have accomplished far less in shorter careers. But then again, Paterno has always been underappreciated for his efforts both on and off the football field.

Giants Need Offense to Rush Back to Consistency

2008-12-17T11:03:00.007-06:00

Much has been made of the struggles of the New York Giants' offense without star wideout Plaxico Burress. And while it's true that the lack of Plax's presence and production has hindered the effectiveness of the offense, the real culprit has been the lack of a ground game in recent weeks. The absence of Brandon Jacobs to injury has clearly affected the performance of Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. Both backs have been effective in this offense because of their change-of-pace nature when contrasted against Jacobs. With both being thrust into more prominent roles, defenses have been able to force a lot of unmanageable third downs. Thus, Eli Manning has looked uncomfortable in the pocket and has been forced to scramble because defensive linemen are pinning their ears back and rushing the O-Line with authority in evident passing situations. The return of Jacobs to good health is vital for the offense to have any chance to move on without Plax.

Brett Favre on the AFC Pro Bowl roster and not Chad Pennington? Believe me, the Favre New York story is great, but Pennington--even Philip Rivers, Matt Cassel and Kerry Collins--deserved to go over Favre.

Meanwhile, Tennessee's Albert Haynesworth actually made a lot more money with his Pro Bowl invite, as a clause in his contract allows him to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end with his selection to the game. Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch, however, must be able to return from injuries if the Titans are to fulfill their Super Bowl aspirations. Having a first-round bye will give the the defensive standouts an extra week to heal.

In the NBA, the Boston Celtics put their 15-game winning streak on the line tonight against the Atlanta Hawks, the team that took the C's to seven games in their first-round playoff series last year. The game is in Atlanta, where the Hawks took all three home games in last year's series and have only one defeat there this season. After stopping the Cleveland Cavaliers' seven-game winning streak on Saturday, can the Hawks do the same to Celts? The streak has to end sometime. Not to make too much of a regular-season NBA game in December, but this is a statement game for the Atlanta Hawks franchise.

Eagles Win Third Straight, But Questions Remain

2008-12-16T11:35:00.004-06:00

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Cleveland Browns 30-10 last night in yet another subpar Monday Night Football game. I keep hearing about how good the Eagles defense looked after giving up less than 200 total yards--and they did look good--but can we keep in mind that they were playing the Browns...with Ken Dorsey at quarterback? Sorry, but every time the Eagles are brought into NFC playoff conversation I instantly think of two things: 1. Terrible play calling in short-yardage situations; and 2. Donovan McNabb not winning a big game. Perhaps giving up 36 points to Baltimore and rookie QB Joe Flacco three weeks ago was indeed the wakeup call this team needed, but keep in mind that they played a fading Kurt Warner-led Cardinals team the next week followed by a Giants team re-adjusting to life without Plax prior to Monday night's game against lowly Cleveland. Sorry to temper the enthusiasm Eagles fans, but your season will ultimately be defined in the next two weeks against the 'Skins and 'Boys. It's playoffs or bust for Andy Reid's squad.

'Boys Notch Huge Win Behind Witten, Not T.O.

2008-12-15T10:54:00.009-06:00

Oh, sorry for that headline T.O. I didn't mean to pull an Ed Werder on you.

Seriously, maybe the best thing I've seen in the NFL this season was the dropped pass by T.O. on third down in the opening series of the Cowboys' 20-8 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday night. The second-best thing I've seen had to be Jason Witten picking up the first down on third-and-9 to prevent the G-Men from getting the ball back and mounting a comeback. Hopefully--for the Cowboys' sake--all is now quiet on the Southwestern front...until T.O. has another three-catch performance...

By the way, was Tim Hightower on the field at all yesterday for Arizona in its terrible loss to Minnesota? The Cardinals proved once again that they don't match up favorably with a team with a winning record, while the Vikings may have just wrapped up the NFC North. One Vikings win or a Chicago Bears loss gives them the division crown.

Pittsburgh out-Baltimored the Ravens yesterday and now look like the team to beat for sure in the AFC. How quickly I forget about the Titans, right? Truth be told, I'm a little worried about Kerry Collins matching up against a Dick LeBeau-led defense. I'm also worried about Albert Haynesworth potentially being out for an extended period of time with that left knee injury sustained in Sunday's loss to Houston. You just cannot replace the likely NFL Defensive Player of the Year. As for the Colts, they did not impress me on Sunday against the Lions. Take away a few Dallas Clark catches and the Lions have their first win. New England? They played the Raiders, who while being more competitive than I thought this year, are still owned by Al Davis.

Harrell's Heisman Snub a Travesty

2008-12-12T15:21:00.001-06:00

Let me preface this piece by stating that I really could care less about the Heisman Trophy because the award does not go to the best player in college football each year; it goes to the best player on the best team. So I really much prefer to watch the games being played on the field rather than the political campaigning that occurs off it. But this particular year actually piqued my interest because of the crazy talent and sick numbers we saw every Saturday.

For Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell not to be invited to New York City on Saturday evening for the awards ceremony is an absolute crime and a joke. If you are going to invite last year's winner--and potential Archie Griffin two-timer--Tim Tebow, sophomore gunslinger Sam Bradford and cowboy Colt McCoy--all quarterbacks--it is an absolute no-brainer to invite the guy who made throwing the football look like taking a stroll on the beach. Forty-one touchdown passes and just seven interceptions and not even an invite? Wow. Travesties like this make me embarassed to say that I'm a college football fan. Harrell's touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree to beat then-No. 1 Texas in Lubbock may have been the signature play of the year in college football, yet once again the lords of college football find a way to mess up a great story.

Meanwhile, on the NFL beat, congratulations to Devin Hester for being the best pass-interference drawer ever. And to Bears fans who hate Rex Grossman: Kyle Orton now has thrown six picks in the last three ballgames.

Finally, I absolutely refuse to believe this Terrell Owens story. I mean, you cannot script this juicy of a controversy. First it was San Francisco, then it was Philly. T.O., baby, you were always my guy, but this has now become absolutely ridiculous and absurd. Upset with Tony Romo for supposedly scripting secret plays behind your back? If I had Jason Witten as my tight end, I'd throw to him more than you, too. Shut up and try to get your team back into the playoffs.

Alright I lied. One more finally: Manny Ramirez apparently is threatening retirement because of a lack of suitable free agent offers. Wow, just when we thought Manny Could Not Be As Manny as he was last season. Amazing.

Falling Suns Look to Rise Again

2008-12-11T09:39:00.005-06:00

First, in an attempt to prepare for the rigors of half-court NBA playoff basketball, he landed the Diesel. Then, when prolonged philosophical differences between himself and coach Mike D'Antoni led to D'Antonio's fleeing to the Big Apple, he found a more defensive-minded coach in Terry Porter who was intent on toning down the high-powered offense. Now, is Phoenix general manager Steve Kerr having second thoughts about his redeveloped low-octane offense?

The Suns continued their roster makeover on Wednesday, acquiring high-scoring guard Jason Richardson from the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, easily the team's two best defenders.

While point guard Steve Nash may be unhappy about losing good friend Raja Bell and forcing the Suns to rebuild team chemistry, the trade hints at the rearrival of a more uptempo pace of basketball, something Nash surely was craving as he adjusted to the change in pace implemented by Porter.

What this trade does is make the Suns a little more fun to watch again--but at what cost? How long can Porter coach a team that has been rebuilt into a product that he surely cannot have success molding into an image of his own?

So much for the committment to defense and the failed emulation of the San Antonio Spurs...

How about Carmelo Anthony notching 33 of his 45 points in the third quarter last night. Not 33 points in a game, not 33 in a half--but 33 in a single quarter. Anthony tied George Gervin's NBA record for most points in a single quarter with the feat, and I'm really interested to see how the Nuggets fare the rest of the way with Chauncey Billups at the point. Thus far, I've been impressed with the results and I've never been the biggest Carmelo guy either.

A huge game takes place tonight at Soldier Field in Chicago, as the Bears will host the New Orleans Saints in a battle of 7-6 teams fighting for a playoff spot in the NFC. The game is big for the Saints because they have no chance to win their division and must stay afloat for a wild card berth, but it's big for the Bears because they can't make the playoffs without winning their division and they currently sit a game behind the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North.

Gators, Crimson Tide Ready to Roll

2008-12-05T09:36:00.007-06:00

Florida and Alabama will battle for the SEC Championship on Saturday afternoon at Atlanta's Georgia Dome with the winner earning a trip to the BCS Championship Game. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban will need his defense--led by safety Rashad Johnson and defensive tackle Terrance Cody--to not allow the Gators to score early and often. For Alabama to have a chance against the high-octane Gators, the Tide must stay within seven points to efficiently utilize its power running game led by Glenn Coffee. If Tim Tebow and the freshman backs get Florida out to an early lead, it will be interesting to see if John Parker Wilson will be forced to make plays in the passing game. But does Florida have a chance to score big points without Percy Harvin? Will he be able to play with his bum ankle? We shall soon find out...

For all of the bad press he received as head coach of the Cincinnati Begals, I think it's time that Dick LeBeau gets a steady stream of praise showered on him for designing a pretty incredible--and still underrated--Pittsburgh Steelers defense. The master of the 3-4 zone blitz scheme, LeBeau manages to get his unit to play not only with intensity every week but with a central focus, as well. The Cowboys-Steelers game on Sunday should be fun to watch. Can Tony Romo get off quick passes against the Steelers' blitz scheme? Is Marion Barber going to be available?

Tuberville, Auburn Part Ways

2008-12-04T10:32:00.004-06:00

Tommy Tuberville stepped down as head football coach at Auburn on Wednesday after 10 seasons on the sideline at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers completed a 5-7 season last week after a blowout 36-0 loss to rival and top-ranked Alabama, a team Tuberville beat seven out of ten tries in his career. Tuberville compiled an 85-40 record with the Tigers, including a perfect 2004 season when they went 13-0 but finished second in the country. I don't think there's any doubt that athletic director Jay Jacobs started nudging Tuberville out the door immediately after the loss to Alabama. Heck, he probably even wanted him to follow his poor spread offense guru out the door in mid-October. This is the same school--depite being under a different president and athletic director--that tried to hire Bobby Petrino away from Louisville in the middle of the night five years ago, only for Tuberville to record an undefeated season the next year. Tuberville hasn't forgotten how to coach. Rather, a new sheriff is in town in the state of Alabama, and he's residing in Tuscaloosa, which made the Auburn administration a little uncomfortable. Another Tommy coaching at Clemson? I would venture to say that he'd be on the short list.

Were Sean Avery's Remarks Really Suspendable?

2008-12-03T17:26:00.000-06:00

Am I the only one who doesn't think Sean Avery's comments were punishable via suspension? What's the big deal with using the term "sloppy seconds" anyway? Don't get me wrong, Sean Avery might be my least favorite hockey player in the league, and I love Dion Phaneuf's game on the ice. But didn't Gary Bettman overreact a bit? I mean, give the guy a break. The source of jealousy is Elisha Cuthbert, after all. Is Avery getting punished because of his reputation? More than likely. If he was going to get suspended indefinitely, though, don't you think he should have had to at least commit an infraction on the ice to be sidelined?

So what does the NHL want its players to do? Not talk to the media? I'm sorry but a lot of hockey players are characters and sometimes they'll provide some colorful comments. Can't we just allow these guys to be themselves, especially when the NHL can garner a smidgen of well-deserved attention from them?

I happened to catch PTI today on the four-letter network, and I must admit that it was really disappointing to hear Michael Wilbon cite race as an issue in these successor-in-waiting scenarios being popularized recently in college football. Come on Mike. Seriously? I agree that the lack of African-American head coaches in college football is a serious problem. But an equally big problem is the lack of African-American coaches on the assistant level, as well. So how can there be a realistic number of quality African-American candidates for head jobs when the numbers are scarce on the assistant level? Will Muschamp at Texas is qualified to succeed Mack Brown. Chip Kelly will be a quality successor to Mike Belotti at Oregon. Are these AD's implementing these successors-in-waiting to avoid interviewing minority candidates as Wilbon suggests? I highly doubt it. I am usually skeptical of all things NCAA, but this one's a stretch Mike.

Plaxico's Plight

2008-12-02T10:06:00.006-06:00

Look for the New York Giants to use the bullet wound--and not the hamstring injury--as the reason to sit Plax for the rest of the season, as the team most likely will put Plax on the non-football injury list. To be eligible for this list, however, a player must have suffered an injury in a non-football incident; thus the importance of the bullet wound. The main reason, of course, why the Giants will have their doctors look at the wound is so that the Giants can get the money owed to Plax off the books. Now this is all dependent on whether or not the league steps in first. The Giants could also suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team, especially if his lawyer steps in to try to prevent the Giants from citing a medical reason for their benching of Plax. Bottom line is, Plax has played his last game as a Giant, as the team will no longer allow him to be associated with the franchise, especially after Mayor Bloomberg's remarks yesterday. The biggest concern for the Giants, in my opinion, is how the involvement of Antonio Pierce in this shooting will affect the team. To me, Pierce is more valuable to that squad than a guy who has not even been healthy all year on an offense that has been clicking without him.

Tough year for Romeo Crennel. Ken Dorsey? Wow. Not only do you lose Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, but then Kellen Winslow can't even stay healthy. I'd love to see him get another year, but the odds are heavily against it.

Look for the diuretics issue to be resolved today, as Kevin and Pat Williams are more than likely looking at four-game suspensions, which would absolutely cripple the playoff hopes for the Minnesota Vikings. They came into last week's showdown with the Bears in must-win mode, as the team clearly had the toughest remaining schedule of the contending NFC North teams. With the win, Minnesota looked to have the upper-hand, but these suspensions probably cannot be overcome.

Blame the Big 12, Not the BCS

2008-12-01T09:14:00.006-06:00

I apologize for my delayed posting. I accidentally shot myself while in line at Dunkin Donuts this morning. Yeah, see I was wearing these really nice designer gloves, and I had a lot of quarters on me, so I thought it was in my best interest to protect myself.

Oh Plax, how you have ruined one of my (four) fantasy football teams. Here's hoping that you can get your professional and personal life on track.

Ok, now onto the drama that is college football and the BCS. My whole problem is with college football fans placing blame on the BCS right now when all of the finger pointing should be directed at the Big 12 conference. Let's remember, the BCS was designed to designate the top two teams to play for the national championship at the end of the regular season. The Big 12 should never have instituted such a tiebreaker rule that employs a ranking system that is valid only at the end of the regular season (or at the completion of conference championship games).

If you are stubborn, though, and you still want to blame the BCS system, yell at the coaches. If you take a look at the USA Today Coaches' Poll, you will see that Oklahoma was ranked one spot ahead of Texas. I personally find it hard to believe that any self-respecting coach in America would vote OU over Texas considering that the Longhorns beat the Sooners on a neutral field. We talk about playoffs being the answer because teams could settle it on the field. Didn't Texas and Oklahoma do that in Dallas the first Saturday of October? Moronic.

Eat, Eat, Eat...and Eat Some More

2008-11-26T09:14:00.006-06:00

[Editor's note: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Ramblings From The Rafters will not be published on Thursday and Friday. Dave is sorry, but he will be too busy eating. Enjoy all of the wall-to-wall sports programming on the four-letter network of your choice.]

All I have today folks is this: Enjoy the turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, peas and carrots, pumpkin pie, apple pie, turkey sandwiches, more pie, more sandwiches...

Have a great Holiday weekend. I'll see you on Monday.

College Hoops Take Center Stage

2008-11-25T09:19:00.004-06:00

College basketball officially puts its stamp on the sports landscape this week as holiday tournaments are taking place all across the country. Last night, second-ranked and popular preseason Final Four favorite Connecticut claimed the Paradise Jam championship in the Virgin Islands with a 76-57 win over 19th-ranked Wisconsin. The Huskies, who moved to 5-0, were led by Jerome Dyson's 21 points. Hasheem Thabeet, who swatted away three more shots, was named tournament MVP.

Notre Dame smoked Indiana yesterday 88-50 in the opening round of the Maui Invitational, setting up an intriguing semifinal tonight against the Longhorns of Texas. Wow, how bad is Indiana going to be this year? The Hoosiers have just two returning players--one who's a walk-on--in Tom Crean's first season at the helm. But Crean will do a fantastic job there just as he did at Marquette.

Ball State looks to clinch a spot in the MAC championship game and finish off a perfect regular season tonight behind the arm of Nate Davis and the legs of MiQuale Lewis. With a win over Western Michigan, the 15th-ranked Cardinals will advance to its first-ever MAC championship game, where the Buffalo Bison will await on December 5th.

Reid's Benchmark Decision Bad News for Eagles

2008-11-24T09:21:00.003-06:00

I have never been the biggest fan of Donovan McNabb's throughout his NFL career. It wasn't anything personal; I just thought he lacked a certain intangible to win a big game--and not toughness or a will to win, just a certain focus that I think Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks employ throughout a big game. That being said, Andy Reid has to be out of his mind to think that inserting Kevin Kolb into a three-point game was the right thing to do for the success of his fading football team. I don't care how much McNabb was struggling--the reasons don't matter either (ESPN's Tom Jackson cited the overtime controversy last week)--Reid knows that McNabb at QB in the second half provides him with a better chance to win the game. Whether or not he was trying to light a spark under McNabb or light a spark for the team, Reid ultimately put himself in a no-win situation.

Reid certainly will start McNabb Thanksgiving night at Lincoln Financial Field against the Arizona Cardinals. But for the Eagles fans, the only celebrating that they will be doing this year came about a month ago when the Phillies won the World Series. This Eagles team doesn't bounce back from that performance--on the field and on the sideline--yesterday against the Ravens.

Red Raiders Roll into Sooner Country

2008-11-21T10:41:00.006-06:00

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have one more test to pass--albeit a huge one--in order to officially sway the college football world that they indeed are worthy of being big boys in the BCS national championship picture. Mike Leach' squad will storm into Norman on Saturday night to take on a Bob Stoops Oklahoma team that is just salivating at the thought of shaking up the BCS standings.
There's no question that the numbers are filthy. The Red Raiders lead the nation in passing (433.7 ypg), are second in total offense (566.3 ypg), and third in scoring (47.9 ppg). However, while Graham Harrell leads the nation with 4,077 passing yards, counterpart Sam Bradford leads the country with 38 touchdown passes and is directing the highest-scoring team in college football (51.4 ppg).

Memo to Browns GM Phil Savage: use spell check next time. Word catches those damn expletives.

Running back Edgerrin James has asked the Arizona Cardinals for his release, as the veteran has been relegated to backup much of the season behind rookie Tim Hightower. Cardinals GM Rod Graves has declined, of course, knowing full well that having two capable running backs is always better than one. James' request really bothers me, as his team is having a fantastic season--finally!--and he is actually contributing to a winning team again. Can you just play out the season Edge and worry about playing time next year?

White Sox Strike Up Another Cuban

2008-11-20T08:30:00.005-06:00

According to a Chicago Tribune report, the Chicago White Sox have reached an agreement with third baseman Dayan Viciedo, the 19-year-old who defected from Cuba this past May. The report states the Sox will sign Viciedo to a contract worth around $11 million. Chicago may have had an edge in the competition for Viciedo because the club has two Cubans on its roster--AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Alexei Ramirez and pitcher Jose Contreras. Agent Jaime Torres believes Viciedo is ready to step in and fill the Sox' third base void at just 19 years of age, but Sox GM Kenny Williams has both Josh Fields and recently acquired Wilson Betemit currently competing for time at third. It'll be interesting to see if Williams could peddle Fields in a trade with Javier Vazquez, but Fields' value is certainly much lower than in last offseason.

Is there any way we can fast forward to 2010 and let LeBron go to New York/New Jersey/Brooklyn/Madrid/Mars or wherever he wants to go? Can we end this non-drama right now?

Mr. 2.5-million dollars per year Rich Rodriguez is telling rabid Michigan Wolverines fans to "get a life" now as the anemic Wolverines prepare to play bitter rival Ohio State on Saturday. Here's the thing Rich: when you make that much bank and are eliminated from bowl contention halfway through the season, you don't get to make those comments.

Curry in Command Yet Again

2008-11-19T11:17:00.000-06:00

I don't care what team he plays for and I don't care how underrecruited he was as a prep. I don't care where he gets drafted in the NBA Draft or if he gets drafted at all (oh, but he will). Davidson's Stephen Curry is the best player in college basketball. Period. America was introduced to him last season as he led the Davidson squad to seemingly insurmountable heights. And no matter what happens in the Big Dance this year, Curry will continue to prove that he is as dominant a college player as we've seen in a while. Last night, he tallied a career-high 44 points on 12-for-29 shooting--including 6-for-15 from downtown--in helping his team nearly overcome a 21-point deficit in a 82-78 loss at Oklahoma. It was the seventh straight game in which Curry has scored at least 25 points. While Blake Griffin's double-double of 25 points and a career-high 21 rebounds proved to be too much (and showed that Griffin may be the most talented forward in the nation), it was great to see that Curry was not a part of our basketball lives for just a few weeks last spring. Be ready to be treated to more of the same all season long. By the way, Davidson is 27-2 in its last 29 games.

McGrady Hurting Again?

2008-11-18T07:34:00.006-06:00

It comes as no surprise that Greg Robinson was fired as head football coach of Syracuse. Robinson, who will coach the final two games of the season, is 9-36 overall and 3-25 in the Big East in three-plus seasons. The Orange, 2-8 this season, is trying to avoid a third 10-loss season under Robinson. Before he was hired, Syracuse had never reached double-digit losses in a season. The team’s poor performance under his reign also gave Syracuse a huge financial hit, as more than 260,000 seats for home games were not sold over Robinson’s first three seasons.

Tracy McGrady's left knee looks as if it is bothering the seven-time All-Star again, a potentially devestating blow to a team that looked primed for a deep playoff run. McGrady left the team's 100-89 win over Oklahoma City on Monday night in the opening minute of the second half. He had offseason surgery to have loose bodies removed from his troublesome left knee, and the addition of Ron Artest provided the Rockets with the most balanced roster in McGrady's Rockets career.

Okay, so I wanted to avoid the Donovan McNabb overtime controversy. But really, Donovan? Really? I mean, I understand if you don't know Rule #319 AB-1 in the NFL handbook regarding the legality of certain blocking techniques. But the overtime period is a basic, fundamental, common rule that has been in place for many years, and you are the quarterback--the leader--of your football team. Just a crushing non-win for the Eagles. A tie is a loss in the NFC East.

Random NFL Musings

2008-11-17T17:06:00.006-06:00

In what could only be deemed a statement game, the Green Bay Packers showed that they indeed will be players in the NFC race so long as Ryan Grant produces...while the Chicago Bears showed that they are mere frauds without a number one--or two--wideout and a severely overrated defense.

In the statement game that closed out NFL action on Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys stole a victory in D.C. behind Marion Barber's 114 yards on 24 carries and Terence Newman's return to the lineup. Who would have thought that Tony Romo would take a backseat in his return to Big D's lineup. I thought he was the savior?

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen is slowly moving into Matt Ryan territory in my book: a guy that proves me wrong week after week. He has a 2:1 TD-INT ratio and, while I'd like to see his completion percentage rise, the guy is keeping his team in ballgames. He also is fleet-footed, which helps him avoid sacks behind a porous offensive line.

By the way, do you think the Minnesota Vikings are kicking themselves for not signing Chad Pennington? The Dolphins are now 6-4 behind steady play from their QB, a nice dose of Ronnie Brown, and a near-dominant D. Oh, and a touch of The Big Tuna.

Watch out for the Indianapolis Colts, who will have as good a shot as any team in the playoffs if they get consistent play from Joseph Addai and if Bob Sanders can get healthy. I feel like Peyton Manning is about to get in the zone.

It'll be interesting to see just how serious of a knee injury Brandon Jacobs sustained yesterday in the Giants' thrashing of Baltimore at the Meadowlands. I love Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward, but their production--I believe--is contingent on the battering style of Jacobs. They are effective because of their change-of-pace nature, and hopefully Jacobs' injury is not too serious.

I still can't figure out the Denver Broncos. I'm not sure if I correctly predicted a game they were involved in all year long.

Finally, I really hope reports that Jim Fassel sent a handwritten letter to Raiders owner Al Davis expressing his interest in coaching the team aren't true. Here's a letter of my own:

Dear Jim-
As a man who really wanted you to get the Washington Redskins head job last offseason, I beg you to retract such a letter to Al Davis. Do you really know what you would be getting yourself into? You say you admire and respect the guy? What's there to respect about a guy who meddles in coaching decisions and treats his employess like garbage? Please say it ain't so Jim.

Jets Edge Pats in OT

2008-11-14T10:09:00.004-06:00

The New York Jets took over first place in the AFC East on Thursday night with a 34-31 overtime victory over the host New England Patriots. The win enabled the Jets to take sole possession of the division lead for the first time since Nov. 19, 2001. Brett Favre was dynamite again, and the emergence of Dustin Keller has provided Favre with yet another downfield option. Both Keller and Jericho Cotchery had 87 receiving yards, and Thomas Jones was steady with 104 rushing yards and a score to give the Jets a four-game winning streak and a one-game lead over the Pats.

Meanwhile, Matt Cassel showed Patriots fans that a certain All-Everything QB is not the only one in town who could direct an offense. Cassel finished 30-of-51 for 400 yards--all career highs--and three touchdowns. He even added 62 rushing yards, finishing with the sixth-most in team history for a quarterback. But the defining drive of the game for the backup-turned starter was the game-tying drive which culminated in a beautiful pitch and catch to Randy Moss to send the game into overtime.

While these two teams have completed their season series, there's no doubt that they aren't finished battling this season, specifically at the top of the AFC East.

Give Uncle Charlie A Break

2008-11-13T09:44:00.003-06:00

I understand the criticism directed at Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. I really do. But people, they won three games last year. Three! They set an NCAA record for most sacks allowed, looked completely overmatched on defense and never had a chance to get back into games because of an inept offense. Compare that disaster to this season. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen, for the most part, has been protected by an offensive line that is pass-blocking much better. The defense has kept them in every game and has looked much more aggressive in all areas. And while the offense put up a goose-egg against BC last Saturday night, I think the Irish have wilted under the pressure of playing BC this last decade. I don't think everyone realizes just how much these two teams hate each other. The culmination was the game in South Bend in 1993 that ultimately cost ND a national title. For some reason, the Irish forgot how to beat BC, as the Eagles have won six straight. Perhaps actually running the football would provide the Irish with a better chance of success, as the preseason Weis mandate to "pound the ball" has never quite come into fruition. But the idea that Weis should get fired is ludicrous. The Ty Willingham firing was unfortunate, don't get me wrong. But he couldn't recruit. And that's in the past. Two wrongs don't make a right, so at least give Weis a chance to coach the players he's brought into South Bend. If these supposed big-time prospects don't pan out and the Irish are still mediocre? Then make the change. But for ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick to even have to answer questions about Weis are a little asinine.

Oden Returning Tonight?

2008-11-12T10:48:00.006-06:00

It looks as though Portland center Greg Oden will return to the Trail Blazers' lineup tonight against the Miami Heat after a six-game stint on the sideline due to a sprained right foot. After going through a full practice and shootaround on Tuesday, Oden declared himself fit to play tonight. The No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft missed all of last season following knee surgery and played only 13 minutes against the Lakers in his NBA debut last month.

Browns running back Jamal Lewis claims that some of his teammates quit last week in the team's loss to Denver. Apparently kick returner Josh Cribbs doesn't disagree. This is real bad news for head coach Romeo Crennel, who may be nearing the end of the road in Cleveland.

Congratulations to Tim Lincecum, who was named the NL Cy Young award winner yesterday. Despite pitching for a weak team with an anemic offense, Lincecum went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA last season while racking up a major league-best 265 strikeouts in 227 innings. The diminutive right-hander led the NL in winning percentage and was named an All-Star for the first time.

Can Billy Beane be any more of a thief? Wow, the Oakland A's GM absolutely stole Matt Holliday from Colorado. Huston Street was no longer in Oakland's plans, Greg Smith is okay, and Carlos Gonzalez--while he could emerge as a star--is not Matt Holliday. Even if Beane ends up dumping Holliday at the deadline in July, he'll just get more young players to add to the mix in the Bay Area.

Late Niners Gaffes Help Warner, Cards Hold On

2008-11-11T09:34:00.002-06:00

Poor Mike Singletary. Poor poor Iron Mike. I know you want your San Francisco 49ers to be a physical team. But two straight runs from 2 1/2 yards out in the final seconds? And Michael Robinson on the last play of the game? No Frank Gore if you're dead-set on running the ball? I know Mike Martz calls the plays (and that's an entirely different story for another day), but botched final plays of games like that one always help define a coach's tenure on a ballclub. It's a shame, but Singletary has not exactly had the greatest opening pair of games to start a head coaching career. Despite the 49ers playing their best game of the season, that final segment of goal-line commotion will always provide the lasting image.

Kurt Warner, meanwhile, continued to lead a dynamic passing attack that shows no signs of slowing down. The Cardinals gunslinger finished 32-of-42 for 328 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Cards' sixth straight home win. Warner completed 76.2 percent of his passes, the sixth time Warner has completed at least 70 percent of his passes this season. He now has surpassed 300 yards in 45 % of his starts in his career, highest all-time in the NFL.

Big Ben's Bullets Not Connecting

2008-11-10T10:46:00.007-06:00

Ben Roethlisberger clearly cannot make some of the throws he has made in the past because of his bum shoulder, but look for the Steelers QB to tough out the pain for the remainder of the season. Look for the playcalling to be adjusted, however, as there is no reason to be up 17-7 and throw three picks to help the Colts steal a roadie in the Steel City. Big Ben has eight interceptions in his last three games, and the timing with his receivers has really not been there all season.

You have to feel bad for Joe Paterno. It was a great environment at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday in Iowa City, and it is always great to see the underdog overcome great odds, but it really would have been great to see Joe Pa's team at least make things really interesting by staying unbeaten until the last Saturday of its season. Instead, the Nittany Lions will have to stay motivated to compete for a Big Ten title, which would still place them in the Rose Bowl and give them a chance to play USC. Not a horrible consolation prize, but still not the national title that everyone in Happy Valley craved.

Meanwhile, has Jarrett Lee stopped throwing interceptions for LSU? Heartbreaking loss for the defending national champion Tigers, who fell to 6-3...

I know I'm probably still the only one that hasn't bought in yet, but I still don't trust Texas Tech. Sorry Lubbock...

I'm beginning to think the criticism of Ron Zook was warranted when he was the coach of the Florida Gators. I'm sorry, but you can't bring last year's Big Ten Rose Bowl rep into an empty Ford Field and get beat by Western Michigan. It just can't happen...

Very interesting to see Jim Tressel's Ohio State squad fake a punt up 31-10 midway through the fourth quarter on Saturday in its 45-10 dismantling of Northwestern at Ryan Field...and then score a touchdown with seven seconds left instead of taking a knee? Wow, can you say style points?

One last note: Dave Wannstedt may finally have his Pittsburgh Panthers playing top-notch football...finally. Pitt moved to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big East with a 41-7 throttling of Louisville on Saturday, and the victory gives the program its first bowl bid and winning season in Wannie's four-year tenure.

Johnson Keeps Utes Undefeated Again

2008-11-07T10:12:00.002-06:00

Just when you thought Utah was going to trip up and clear the way for another BCS buster to move up the rankings, Brian Johnson delivered again. Johnson drove the Utes 80 yards and tossed a touchdown to Freddie Brown with 48 seconds left as Utah defeated TCU last night in Salt Lake City.

TCU missed two field goal attempts in the final quarter of play, setting the stage for more heroics from Johnson, who led Utah back from an eight-point deficit in the last minute and a half against Oregon State on October 2nd. Utah is now 10-0 for just the second time in school history.

Would Jim Harbaugh really take the Oakland Raiders head coaching job and work for Al Davis? Both parties seem to have mutual admiration for each other, and Harbaugh began his coaching career with the Raiders.

Manny Ramirez reportedly has been offered a two-year, 50 million dollar contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Ramirez reportedly wants a four-year deal. I wonder how many teams are in the bidding and willing to pay him 25 mil per...

Jack Del Rio sending Mike Peterson home may have been the first in a series of moves that eventualy will get him fired. Just a hunch.

Pete Carroll Whining Again

2008-11-06T09:21:00.002-06:00

DeAngelo Hall may be the luckiest man in the NFL. Not only will he get picked up by a contending team, but he still gets to make sick bank. Al Davis is a complete disgrace to the National Football League.

Memo to Pete Carroll: Maybe don't lose to an unranked team and then you'll have an argument regarding the legitimacy of the BCS. Maybe pull an Alabama and stay unbeaten for awhile before you cry about the system that apparently is ruining college football.

Can we just let the games play out please and see what happens?

This Allen Iverson-Chauncey Billups deal may be one of the few NBA trades that actually makes sense for both teams. Joe Dumars cited "the immediate impact player and the long-term flexibility" that the Pistons now have, while the Nuggets get a hometown guy who can both run the point and provide just enough offense to complement Melo and J.R. Smith. One thing is for certain: the change that Dumars promised in the offseason did indeed come into fruition.

Parity Truly Ruling This NFL Season

2008-11-05T09:16:00.004-06:00

Glancing at the NFL standings entering Week 10 of the season, it's interesting to note that only the Titans, Steelers, Giants and Panthers have two or fewer losses. Not that many good teams in the league, right? Well what about the fact that in three divisions--the NFC East, NFC South and AFC East--all four teams are at .500 or better. I hate when people throw the word "parity" around, but perhaps it really is true this season. Pete Rozelle would be proud.

Meanwhile, the Lions are still winless. And still hopeless. Are the reports true that Daunte Culpepper will actually start on Sunday? Perhaps Daunte-to-Calvin can be the new Daunte-to-Randy...on second thought, probably not.

Brady Quinn will make his first NFL start tomorrow night against the Denver Broncos, as Browns coach Romeo Crennel has benched Derek Anderson. Too bad I won't get to watch the game because it's on the NFL Network.

By the way, is Stephon Marbury still in the NBA?

Vols Look Forward as Fullmer Steps Down

2008-11-04T09:09:00.003-06:00

Phillip Fulmer "stepped down" as head coach at the University of Tennessee yesterday after 17 seasons on the Volunteers sideline. Fulmer, of course, was for all intents and purposes fired and admitted at his press conference that it wasn't his decision to step down from coaching his alma mater. But in the midst of its third losing season in five years and with attendance dwindling, the program clearly needs a new direction. Really, it isn't about whether or not Fulmer can coach anymore--we all know he can (just not as great as he once used to and not as great as people thought he ever could)--it's about the product on the field not being a valuable asset to the school anymore; in other words, it's about money. Dwindling attendance is a result of apathy from the fans. Disinterested fans not coming to ballgames means less money for the university. Come on people, this is the NCAA after all. The talent level on the Tennessee roster clearly has diminished in recent years. Could they compete with teams like Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and South Carolina with Fullmer? Maybe, sure. But this is Tennessee, and Fulmer once led them to a national championship. There are great aspirations in Knoxville. This situation is different from Clemson's, in that Tommy Bowden wasn't winning with a boatload of talent, while Fulmer wasn't winning because of a lack of talent. The fact of the matter is that the Tennessee players taking the field week in and week out have not been of the same caliber in recent years as they were in the late 90's and earlier this decade. Perhaps former USC recruiting guru Lane Kiffin could be the guy to reinvigorate the Tennessee program. And perhaps Fullmer would be a good fit at Clemson. Terry Don Phillips, are you reading this?

Perhaps Texas Tech Really Is For Real

2008-11-03T09:02:00.007-06:00

Graham Harrell tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to fellow Heisman Trophy contender Michael Crabtree with one second remaining, and Texas Tech recorded its biggest victory in school history with a 39-33 win over top-ranked Texas on Saturday night. Harrell, who may have positioned himself as the Heisman contender to beat, finished with 474 yards passing and two touchdowns on 36-of-53 passing. The Red Raiders finally notched a signature win for a program that has been labeled a "wannabe", most recently by myself. After this victory, I wholeheartedly believe that Texas Tech is a legitimate Big 12 and national contender. Well, the Red Raiders' ranking validates that for me. But, keep in mind that they now must continue a brutally similar schedule to the one Texas just finished up. Tech plays host to Oklahoma State next week before having a week off to prepare for a visit to Norman to play Oklahoma. Then, if they get by the 'Homa schools, they still have the Big 12 championship game. So...there is still hope for my skepticism to run its course and validate my concerns about the Red Raiders.

West Virginia continued its turnaround on Saturday, winning for the fifth consecutive game to remain unbeaten in Big East play. The Mountaineers took care of Connecticut 35-13, snapping the Huskies' 11-game home winning streak and setting up a huge matchup this Saturday in Morgantown against Cincinnati.

What a job Houston Nutt is doing in his first season with Ole Miss. The Rebels picked up their third SEC win of the season--Ed Orgeron's total SEC wins in three seasons--by beating reeling Auburn on Saturday in Oxford to snap a four-game skid against the Tigers, who dropped to 4-5. At 5-4, the Rebels sit one win away from bowl eligibility.

South Florida Continues to Disappoint

2008-10-31T09:56:00.004-05:00

Can we ever take South Florida seriously as a Big East contender year in and year out? Every time South Florida enters the rankings, it seems as if the team loses the very next week and is unable to prove the skeptics wrong. Last year, the Bulls climbed all the way to second in the nation before losing three in a row. This season, the Bulls started 5-0 and were ranked tenth in the country, but have now lost three of their last four games. I love the tenacity and the moxy of Matt Grothe, but the QB threw three interceptions last night in a 24-10 loss to Cincinnati. Grothe now has seven picks in his last two games against the Bearcats, who beat a ranked opponent for the fourth time since last season and have defeated the Bulls three straight times. The worst part for Grothe is that he lost to a guy playing with a broken arm. Bearcats QB Tony Pike, despite wearing a soft cast on his non-throwing left forearm, completed 20-of-28 passes for 281 yards and a couple of touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the Big East. I really thought that the Kansas victory earlier in the season would propel the Bulls to the Big East title, but it could be these tenacious Bearcats--undergoing a QB carousel all season long--that come out on top at the end. The no-huddle spread attack employed by coach Brian Kelly is giving teams fits--and giving AD's across the nation looking for a football coach a reason to give this guy a call.

Phantastic Phillies Capture World Title

2008-10-30T10:54:00.004-05:00

Finally, the Philadelphia Phillies captured a world championship for the city of Philadelphia again. In one of the most bizarre final games of a baseball season, the Phillies won a three-night extravaganza 4-3 over the Tampa Bay Rays, exuding a mental toughness that they have displayed throughout the postseason. Shrugging off past playoff disappointments, the Phillies won 24 of their final 30 games to close the regular season and continued their stellar play through October, never losing a home playoff game to become the first team since the 1999 Yankees to accomplish the feat. It was the city of Philadelphia's first major championship for any pro sports teams since the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers claimed the NBA crown.

Phillies, Rays Hope to Continue Series Tonight

2008-10-29T09:41:00.006-05:00

The Philadelphia Phillies will finally--hopefully--be able to attempt to earn the franchise's second World Series championship in its 125-year history and first since 1980 tonight when they resume their series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The weather is still dreary in Philly with strong, heavy winds, but the teams are expected to be able to continue their game that began on Monday night. The one thing we know for certain is that Cole Hamels and Scott Kazmir will not be returning to the mound to restart the game, though Hamels is due up for the Phils in the bottom of the sixth. In all likelihood, we will see a relief pitcher throw the "first pitch" to a pinch hitter in what has been one of the most unique World Series in recent memory.

By the way, did the NBA season really open up last night?

Willingham Out As Huskies Head Coach

2008-10-28T11:57:00.004-05:00

Two days after falling to 0-7, Tyrone Willingham was fired as Washington's head football coach effective at the end of the season. The Huskies were coming off a 33-7 home dismantling at the hands of Notre Dame, the team Willingham previously coached for three seasons before coming to Seattle with hopes of restoring the program to national prominence. But Willingham could not break through and resurrect the program. Since the Huskies defeated Boise State to move to 2-0 in 2007, Washington is just 2-16 in its last 18 games. He never surpassed five wins in a season, and the Huskies have also lost 13 of their past 15 home games as attendance has dwindled at Huskie Stadium while the boo-birds have increased.

Georgia and Florida meet this Saturday afternoon in (oops, I'm gonna say it) The World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville with both teams peaking at just the right time. Georgia absolutely dominated LSU this past weekend, scoring 54 points at Tiger Stadium and thoroughly outplaying the defending national champions. Florida has really hit its stride, though, as Jeffery Demps and Chris Rainey are finally providing Tim Tebow with backfield options he can count on. The Gators are also seeking revenge for the end zone celebration after the Dawgs' first touchdown last season, so there's no question that both teams will be fired up for this one. I think the Gators have too much firepower for a defense that misses too many tackles, and the young Georgia offensive line still scares me. The winner most certainly will be playing Alabama for the SEC championship in December.

And wasn't there supposed to be a baseball game last night?

Penn State Clamps Down Against OSU

2008-10-27T09:32:00.007-05:00

I know that everyone is penciling in Penn State for a spot in the BCS Championship Game now that the team has disposed of incumbent Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State, but I would caution against this as anything can happen in the Big Ten in November. While I think that the Nittany Lions have a great chance to run the table and finish as undefeated league champions, Kinnick Stadium is a very dangerous place to play anytime, albeit in November. Kirk Ferentz has his Iowa Hawkeyes playing some pretty good football, and there's no question that the black-and-gold clad fans will be at a fever pitch if an undefeated team is coming into town. Just don't take the Hawkeyes too lightly...

But it was great to see Joe Paterno finally able to take a Penn State team into Columbus and get a win. Since joining the conference in 1993, the Nittany Lions were 0-7 at the Horseshoe in Big Ten play.

Al Groh has done a masterful job of salvaging--and awakening--the season for his Virginia Cavaliers. The Cavs, who were slaughtered by USC, Duke and Connecticut this season, went into Atlanta and stole a huge game from Georgia Tech to move to 3-1 in the ACC and 5-3 overall. Could the Virginia Tech-UVA game at the end of the year be for a spot in the ACC Championship game? This is the same group of players that lost to 'SC 52-7, UConn 45-10 and Duke 31-3! Groh certainly has quieted his critics with this impressive four-game run led by returning tailback Cedric Peerman and suddenly pretty good quarterback Marc Verica.

After thoroughly dismantling the Kansas Jayhawks, Texas Tech will now host top-ranked and hated rival Texas on Saturday night, as Mike Leach's squad finally gets the chance to prove the doubters wrong and show that the Red Raiders deserve to be on the national stage. Graham Harrell had his usual big day with 386 yards passing and five touchdowns, but it was the dominant defense that made Todd Reesing look brutal that was the story on Saturday. The Red Raiders scored 49 straight points to dismantle the Jayhawks 63-21 in Lawrence. Texas Tech's Darcel McBath picked off three of Reesing's first four passes of the second half, single-handedly preventing any comeback hopes for a disappointing Kansas team coming off an Orange Bowl appearance.

Did anyone see that Navy did not attempt a pass in its 34-7 victory against SMU on Saturday? The academy became the first major college team in 11 years to not throw a single ball. Then again, can you blame 'em? Coming into the game, the team was fourth in the nation in rushing, averaging 296 yards per game. Against SMU, the Midshipmen ran 77 times for 404 yards. The last team to withold from throwing a pass was Ohio U. against Akron on October 25, 1997. Great stuff.

And not to forget about the World Series (but you see that football holds the key to my heart in October)...the Philadelphia Phillies are one win away from becoming World Series champions after Joe Blanton allowed just two runs in six innings in a 10-2 victory last night. Ryan Howard clubbed two home runs and drove in five and even Blanton himself went yard to put the Phils up 3-1 in the series with a potential series-clinching game tonight.

West Virginia Extends Misery for Auburn

2008-10-24T09:49:00.005-05:00

Pat White threw three touchdowns, Noel Devine ran for a career-high 207 yards and West Virginia rallied from a 17-3 deficit to score 31 straight points and beat Auburn 34-17 last night in Morgantown. The Tigers, who fell to 4-4, managed just 33 second-half yards, were shut out over the final 40 minutes and now have a three-game losing streak for the first time since 1999, coach Tommy Tuberville's first season. The heat will certainly turn up on Tuberville, as the team still must navigate its way through a brutal SEC and is in danger of finishing below .500. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers may have just saved their season with an inspired second-half performance, displaying the kind of explosive offense we have been accustomed to seeing in recent years.

On Saturday night in Tempe, Dennis Erickson's disappointing Arizona State Sun Devils look to avoid a five-game losing streak against the high-powered Oregon Ducks. At 2-4, ASU is in must-win mode. The Sun Devils rank third-to-last nationally in rushing and will look to senior tailback Keegan Herring to provide a boost, as he will start for the first time this season.

If you haven't had a chance to see Boise State in action yet, tonight is a great opportunity to do so, as the BCS-busting Broncos will visit San Jose State in a matchup of the top two teams in the WAC. Kellen Moore has played exceptionally well for the Broncos, quarterback has become a position of stability for the Broncos no matter who steps in for a graduating senior...and they of course still have tailback Ian Johnson.

The last two times Boise visited San Jose State, the Broncos nearly lost their quests for undefeated seasons. In 2004, they needed two overtimes before escaping with a seven-point victory. Two seasons ago--the year they beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl--they scored 10 points in the final six minutes to win 23-20.

On the baseball beat, James Shields pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings in outdueling Brett Myers and the Tampa Bay Rays salvaged a split of the first two games of the World Series in Tampa. Games Three and Four are scheduled for this weekend in Philadelphia.

Hamels Continues Dominance, Phils Up 1-0

2008-10-23T09:24:00.003-05:00

Cole Hamels continued to be the best pitcher in the 2008 playoffs and Chase Utley homered in his first World Series at-bat as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 last night to capture Game One of the Fall Classic. Hamels allowed just two runs in seven innings and Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge were perfect in relief as the Phils opened up a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Ten of the last 11 winners of Game One have gone on to win the World Series.

Scott Kazmir found himself in multiple jams during his six innings of work for Tampa, but managed to allow just three runs on six hits and four walks. The Rays' offense could not get untracked, with their best opportunity against Hamels coming in the third. The Rays loaded the bases with one out, but B.J. Upton hit into a double play to end the threat. Upton left five men on base in the game.

The Rays now find themselves down 1-0 as they were after Game 1 of the ALCS, so they certainly have proved before that they can rally under adversity. James Shields will take the hill for the Rays against Philadelphia's Brett Myers tonight in Game Two.

Phillies, Rays Open Fall Classic Tonight

2008-10-22T11:23:00.004-05:00

The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays open the 2008 World Series tonight in St. Petersburg, as red-hot Cole Hamels takes the mound against fellow lefty Scott Kazmir. The Rays own home-field advantage in the Fall Classic due to the American League once again winning the All-Star Game in July. The Rays will host Games One and Two and Games Six and Seven--if necessary.

Both teams are looking to finish storybook seasons on the brightest of notes, as the Rays never had a winning record in their first 10 years of existence, while the Phillies are trying to win their first world championship since 1980 after failing to win in 1983 and 1993. Perhaps Game One is more important for the Phillies, as the squads in '83 and '93 lost Game One while the eventual champs in '80 were able to take Game One en route to the title.

Patriots Finally Look Dominant Once Again

2008-10-21T10:23:00.004-05:00

It's really hard to figure out the Denver Broncos. You see the talent on the paper, yet when you watch the games you see a squad that just hasn't quite figured it all out. Last night on Monday Night Football in Foxborough, the Broncos fell behind 20-0 at the half and eventually 34-0 before Jay Cutler found Daniel Graham for a ten-yard score early in the fourth to get the team on the board in an eventual 41-7 thrashing at the hands of the Patriots. The team with the league's worst pass defense also can't stop the run, and I just don't see how this team can make the playoffs while playing so sloppy and lifeless. It won't get any easier for the Broncos, as both Champ and Boss Bailey left the game with injuries in the first half. The loss was the third in the last four games for the reeling Broncos.

Meanwhile, Matt Cassel played the best game of his young career, perhaps easing some of the lingering doubts of Patriots Nation as to whether or not he could suitably lead the Pats into the playoffs minus the Golden Boy. Cassel tossed three touchdowns and received help from backup running back Sammy Morris, who rushed for 138 of the team's 257 yards in place of injured Laurence Maroney, and New England's defense suddenly didn't look so old anymore, as the unit forced five turnovers. It'll be interesting to see if this game jump-starts the Patriots' season and whether or not the Broncos can rebound from this dismantling on national television.

Rays Advance to Franchise's First World Series

2008-10-20T09:22:00.001-05:00

The Tampa Bay Rays advanced to the World Series with a thrilling 3-1 Game Seven victory over the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS on Sunday night at Tropicana Field. Matt Garza, who was named ALCS MVP, was magnificent, striking out nine in seven innings and only giving up a single run. Jon Lester took the hard-luck loss, tossing seven frames and giving up all three Rays runs while striking out eight.

Tampa's David Price, the 23-year-old rookie left-hander, looked like The Next Big Thing in major league baseball, striking out J.D. Drew to end the eighth and retiring Mark Kotsay and Jason Varitek on strikes in the ninth before inducing a forceout from Jed Lowrie to end the game. The Rays will meet the Philadelphia Phillies in Game One of the World Series on Wednesday night in Tampa.

This just in: The Dallas Cowboys looked really awful yesterday afternoon. The St. Louis Rams embarassed the 'Boys 34-14, as Brad Johnson threw three interceptions and looked terrible in the first half en route to the Rams taking command of the game 24-7. With Tony Romo out--along with Pacman and Felix Jones--and an unhappy T.O., this looks like a possible combustible situation in Big D.

Finally, we will find out a lot about the Indianapolis Colts a week from tonight when Peyton & Co. go into Tennessee to take on the unbeaten Titans. The Colts have not shown any rhythm on offense this season and continue to play sloppy defense, two uncharacteristic traits of a team looking to rebound from a disappointing finish to last season.

Red Sox Stave Off Elimination, Beat Rays 8-7

2008-10-17T11:21:00.006-05:00

The Boston Red Sox came back from a 7-0 defecit in the seventh inning and staved off elimination in the ALCS by downing the Tampa Bay Rays 8-7 last night, becoming the first team to rally from seven or more runs down when facing postseason elimination.

After Dustin Pedroia hit an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, Ortiz launched a three-run homer against Grant Balfour, cutting the margin to three runs at 7-4 and giving Sawx fans renewed hope. Ortiz finally produced a big hit, as Big Papi hit his first home run in 15 games and 61 postseason at-bats. J.D. Drew then went yard against Dan Wheeler, a two-run shot to pull to within one. A Coco Crisp game-tying RBI single set the stage for Drew to hit the walk-off single that ended the game.

I know Joe Maddon is taking a lot of heat today for pulling Scott Kazmir, but the guy threw 111 pitches, and I don't find it fair that the unquestioned AL Manager of the Year is being doubted with his team still in an enviable position to advance to the World Series. The Rays still have a 3-2 lead in the series with James Shields taking the mound in Game Six in Tampa. Blowing a 7-0 lead is quite brutal, don't get me wrong, but the Rays' bullpen had been a strength all year, and Kazmir has not been a pitcher that fares well when being extended deep into a game. Certainly, the Red Sox seem to have a knack for keeping things interesting in the postseason.

Phillies Best Dodgers, Advance to World Series

2008-10-16T10:35:00.006-05:00

The Philadelphia Phillies earned a return ticket to the World Series last night for the first time since 1993, as Cole Hamels turned in another dominant performance in a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Just as he did in the clinching game against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a homer, and the Phillies were off and running from there. With the NLCS MVP on the mound, it was lights out for the Dodgers. The lefty pitched seven innings of five-hit ball, allowing just one run and striking out five.

The Phillies will be making their sixth appearance in the Fall Classic, and the franchise will be looking for its second championship. A Phillies title would end a 25-year championship drought for the city's four major sports, as no professional team in Philadelphia has won it all since the 76ers won the NBA title in 1983.

The loss ends a great run by a Dodgers team that was not even expected to advance into the playoffs. Aided by a terrible collapse by the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers won only 88 games en route to capturing the NL West. But they pulled together in September behind a stingy pitching staff and an offensive resurgence led by Manny Ramirez, and the team was able to dominate it series with the Cubs en route to a three-game sweep. The team will now turn its attention to resigning Manny Ramirez, who is reportedly seeking a four-to-five year HUGE deal.

So will the Phillies find out tonight who their opponent will be in the Fall Classic? The Tampa Bay Rays have a chance to close out their ALCS series with the Boston Red Sox tonight in Fenway Park, as Scott Kazmir--not James Shields--will throw against Daisuke Matsuzaka. Something tells me this series is going back to Tampa.

Rays Push Red Sox to the Brink

2008-10-15T11:49:00.004-05:00

The Tampa Bay Rays throttled the Boston Red Sox once again last night at Fenway Park, pounding knuckleballer Tim Wakefield for five runs and three homers in 2 2/3 innings en route to a 13-4 victory to take a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series. Evan Longoria clubbed his rookie-record fifth homer of the postseason, and Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar also went deep for the Rays, who are within one victory of their first World Series appearance in franchise history. Andy Sonnanstine was steady again for the Rays, tossing 7 1/3 innings and allowing just three earned runs, while Carl Crawford went 5-for-5, scored three runs and drove in two to send the Rays to a comfortable lead in the series with Game Five on Thursday at Fenway.

Spring NFL football? League owners in St. Petersburg are reportedly discussing with commissioner Roger Goodell the possibility of playing exhibition games during the spring, much like colleges hold their spring games. Terrible idea. Doesn't the annual April NFL Draft provide enough media attention for these franchises? This idea will never come into fruition.

And finally, the Detroit Lions finally traded away disgruntled wideout Roy Williams, shipping him to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-, third- and sixth-rounder in 2009. The Lions will also give up a seventh-round pick in 2010. Of course, Jerry Jones then gave Williams a five-year extension worth around $45 million, including more than $20 million guaranteed, as Jones believes that Williams can be a game-breaker opposite Terrell Owens and Owens' potential replacement.

This could end up being a huge trade for the Lions' franchise. With two first-round picks, a second- and two third-rounders in the upcoming draft, a roster with holes at nearly every position could begin to be restocked by the incoming GM. This is a must-offseason for the Ford family and the Lions, who will be setting up the future of the franchise with their selection of GM, presumable new head coach and 2009 draft talent to go along with active pursuit in the free agent market.

Goodell Gobbles Up Pacman

2008-10-14T11:19:00.004-05:00

The rain has stopped in Dallas. At least for four weeks. Cowboys cornerback Pacman Jones was suspended on Tuesday by commissioner Roger Goodell for at least four games for his most recent violation of the league's personal conduct policy. Jones reportedly was involved in an alcohol-related incident at a Dallas hotel on October 8th, where he scuffled with one of his bodyguards. Goodell will decide after the team's game against Washington in Week 11 whether or not to reinstate Jones.

When Goodell reinstated Jones from suspension before the regular season began, sources said one of the commissioner's conditions for Jones to remain an active player was that he remain in compliance with all aspects of his three-year probation from when he pleaded no contest last February to a felony in Fayette County, Ga. This violation comes at a time when the Cowboys can ill afford any distractions, as the team is playing in the toughest division in football with the highest of expectations for the season.

Goodell also said his decision on whether Jones can return to play will be based on Jones' strict compliance with the NFL and the Cowboys in relation to treatment plans and evaluations by clinical experts.

Really folks, raise your hands if you did not see this coming...

Bowden Fired; Romo Breaks Finger

2008-10-13T13:54:00.006-05:00

ACC championship-favorite Clemson fired football coach Tommy Bowden on Monday, four days after the Tigers fell to Wake Forest and dropped to 3-3. Assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney was named interim coach for the final six regular-season games.

Clemson never seemed to recover from a 24-point opening game loss to Alabama. After the loss to Wake, senior QB Cullen Harper was benched as the expected high-powered Tigers offense never materialized. An inexperienced offensive line troubled Harper all season along with the Thunder and Lightning pairing of James Davis and C.J. Spiller.

Bowden, who signed a huge extension after the 2007 season, was in his tenth season at Clemson, and many expected the Tigers to contend for the ACC title. Ranked ninth in the AP preseason poll, the Tigers were routed by Alabama 34-10 in the Georgia Dome. The Tigers then lost to Maryland at home and again to Wake Forest to drop its record to 1-2 in the ACC.

Bowden finished 72-45 and coached in eight bowl games at Clemson.

On the NFL beat, Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo broke his right pinkie on Sunday and could be out for up to four weeks. The injury occurred on the first play of overtime in Dallas' 30-24 loss at Arizona. Romo, who has started 30 consecutive regular-season games for the Cowboys, will not need surgery. 40-year old Brad Johnson will assume the starting quarterback duty for the 'Boys. Romo, who has thrown for 14 TD's with 5 INT's on the season, should actually only miss three games as Dallas has an upcoming bye. Johnson, in his second year with the Cowboys, has seen only mop-up duty in Dallas, going 7-for-11 for 79 yards.

By the way, are Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris still playing for the Bears?

Hamels Pitches Phils to Game One Win

2008-10-10T11:35:00.003-05:00

The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays begin their American League Championship Series tonight in Tampa, as Daisuke Matsuzaka will oppose James Shields in a battle of right-handed hurlers. Don't expect the bad blood between these teams to carry over to this series, as both teams are intent on focusing on balls and strikes.

On the National League side last night, Derek Lowe was brilliant through five innings before surrendering solo home runs to Chase Utley and Pat Burrell as the Phillies took Game One of the NLCS 3-2. The team that led the National League in home runs went deep twice against a pitcher known for his tendency to keep baseballs in the park. While Lowe gave up the two blasts, Cole Hamels was simply filthy for Philly. Hamels struck out eight in seven innings and allowed just two runs as the Phillies opened up a 1-0 lead in the series.

A huge weekend is upon us in the Big 12, as top-five heavyweights Oklahoma and Texas are set to battle in the Red River Shootout, while conference brethren Missouri and Oklahoma State will duke it out later in the day in Columbia. Quarterback play will be the focus for both of these games, as Sam Bradford of Oklahoma matches up against Colt McCoy of Texas, while the unflappable Chase Daniel squares off against underrated Zac Robinson of Oklahoma State.

The big game of the week in the SEC will be played in Gainesville on Saturday night, where the Florida Gators look to stick around in the national picture by defeating defending champion LSU. Tigers lineman Ricky Jean-Francois has already provided some nice bulletin board material by saying that he will take out Tim Tebow. Not a good idea Ricky.

Dodgers Look To Stay Hot in Philly

2008-10-09T09:58:00.002-05:00

The National League Championship Series begins tonight, as Derek Lowe takes the mound for the Dodgers against Cole Hamels and the Phillies in Philadelphia. I mentioned the starting pitching of the Dodgers yesterday, but the return of Rafael Furcal to full health has also been crucial to the late-season surge exhibited by L.A. His table-setting presence at the top of the lineup eases pressure on Russell Martin, and we saw just how effective he could be as he gave Carlos Zambrano fits in Game Two of the NLDS series against the Cubs. Besides Furcal, Manny Ramirez's presence has provided not only instant barrages of offense, but has helped Andre Ethier see better pitches and allowed him to find his stroke on his way towards a strong September. I do believe the Phillies will swing the bats better in this series, but Jimmy Rollins must be the catalyst at the top of the lineup because I don't think Charlie Manuel can rely on his big boppers to carry the load.

Starting Pitching Has Dodgers Primed

2008-10-08T11:40:00.004-05:00

Twenty-five years later, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies meet again in the National League Championship Series. While the Phillies received some strong starting pitching efforts in their NLDS series with the Brewers, I give the edge slightly to the Dodgers in this series because of their own starting pitching. Derek Lowe is 4-0 in his last six postseason starts. and he was as excellent a pitcher in baseball in August and September. His hard sinker is beautiful and his slider has been on the last few months. Chad Billingsley has a moxy about him that I like, and Hiroki Kuroda was very good against the Phillies this season. And will the Phillies' offense be able to produce--Dodgers starting pitching aside?

Trail Blazers center Greg Oden made his NBA debut last night, playing his first game since the 2007 national championship game with Ohio State. Oden finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes of play and looks to finally be healthy again. I've had reservations about Oden's chances for NBA success--and I know it was just a preseason NBA game--but the kid looked good. By the way, Rudy Fernandez looked good, too. Kevin Pritchard is building a really nice team in Portland that has a lot of versatility, size and skill.

Rays, Red Sox to Meet in ALCS

2008-10-07T13:19:00.003-05:00

The Tampa Bay Rays won their American League Division Series, eliminating the Chicago White Sox in four games with a 6-2 win early Monday evening at U.S. Cellular Field. Rays center fielder B.J. Upton blasted two homers, and the Rays bullpen dominated once again, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings and allowing only one hit. Starter Andy Sonnanstine pitched into the sixth inning, expressing a calm demeanor on the mound while allowing only two solo homers. The White Sox offense never became untracked in the game, managing a meager four hits, including two solo home runs. Chicago's roller coaster season finally ended after winning three straight games against three different opponents to close out the regular season, including a one-game playoff with the Twins to decide the AL Central Champion.

Meanwhile, rookie Jed Lowrie stroked a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth to send the Boston Red Sox into the American League Championship Series against AL East rival Tampa Bay. Boston received seven more scoreless innings from Jon Lester, making it 14 ALDS innings without allowing an earned run for the southpaw. Game One of the ALCS will be played on Friday evening.

Sox Survive, Phils Advance

2008-10-06T13:38:00.009-05:00

John Danks kept the White Sox season alive--again--pitching 6 2/3 gritty innings to help Chicago stave off elimination against the Tampa Bay Rays in their American League Division Series. Aided by production out of the lower part of the order, Danks handed the ball over to a steady bullpen with a 5-3 lead--and that's exactly where the game ended, forcing a Game Four today. Unheralded veteran journeyman DeWayne Wise once again was an offensive force for the Sox, doubling home two runs during a three-run fourth against Tampa starter Matt Garza to give the White Sox a 4-1 lead and breathing room for Danks. The southpaw was certainly the story once again on Sunday. After tossing eight shutout innings in Tuesday's AL Central tiebreaking win over the Twins, Danks struck out seven and snatched some momentum from the Rays, who will now face Gavin Floyd this afternoon, as the right-hander looks to send the series back to Tampa for a Game Five.

The Philadelphia Phillies, meanwhile, advanced to their first National League Championship Series since 1993 with a 6-2 Game Four victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. The Phils jumped on veteran Jeff Suppan for five runs in three innings, and will now move on to play the surprising Los Angeles Dodgers, who stunningly swept the Cubs in the other NLDS. Mid-season pickup Joe Blanton was stellar again, allowing just one run in six innings with seven strikeouts, while Pat Burrell hit two home runs and knocked in four.

So the Phillies and Dodgers will have an extended break to rest before opeing their best-of-seven NL Championship Series on Thursday in Philadelphia. I still can't get over the fact that for the second straight postseason, the offense for the Chicago Cubs absolutely failed to show up. The Cubs came into the series with the NL's best average with runners in scoring position during the regular season. However, they batted just .179 (5-for-28) in such situations this series, while the Dodgers hit .333 (11-for-33) after struggling in this category all season long. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Cubs will never win a postseason series with Alfonso Soriano leading off and Aramis Ramirez being looked upon as a go-to hitter. GM Jim Hendry has some serious tweaking to do to this roster in the offseason, although it'll have to be done with the impending sale of the team.

Windy City Blues As Sox, Cubs Fall

2008-10-03T11:45:00.003-05:00

The Tampa Bay Rays opened up postseason play for the first time in franchise history in style Thursday afternoon in St. Petersburg, defeating the Chicago White Sox 6-4 in Game One of their American League Division Series. The Rays overcame a third-inning DeWayne Wise three-run homer behind two Evan Longoria blasts, a solid James Shield start and another commanding bullpen outing. The atmosphere at Tropicana Field was raucous--and the place was shockingly filled to capacity. To the fans' credit, though, they were into the game from the very first pitch to the very last celebrated Rays punchout.

Meanwhile, White Sox starter Javier Vazquez continued to show manager Ozzie Guillen that he indeed is not a big-game pitcher. Guillen questioned Vazquez's ability to deliver in big games before the start of a crucial series with the Minnesota Twins two weeks ago, and Vazquez responded with a poor start. Thursday afternoon at Tropicana, Vazquez gave up six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, putting the Sox in must-win mode early this evening when Mark Buehrle takes the hill against Scott Kazmir in Game Two.

But unquestionably the biggest story of the day is the shocking ineptitude of the Chicago Cubs in the 2008 postseason. Already trailing in the series after an absurdly poor Game One performance by Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano went from dominant in the first inning to putrid in the second as five Dodgers runs crossed the plate--aided by two head-scratching Cubs errors on potential double-play balls--stunning and silenting a raucous Wrigley Field crowd. For the second consecutive game, the Cubs' offense was nowhere to be found. But the Dodgers certainly brought their clout, as Russell Martin's three-run double highlighted the five-run second, and Manny Ramirez hit his Major League-record 26th postseason homer. Holding a 2-0 lead in the series puts L.A. in an enviable position. Teams that have held a 2-0 lead in the NLDS are unbeaten in 16 series, and have gone onto sweep 13 times.

Dodgers Slam Cubs in Game One

2008-10-02T11:15:00.004-05:00

Wow. At some point we really do have to wonder if the multiple curses of the Chicago Cubs are for real. Pitcher Ryan Dempster had been absolutely dominant at home all season long, yet he walks seven Dodgers--including the bases loaded--before James Loney belted a grand slam to absolutely take the life out of the Wrigley Field capacity crowd. The Dodgers, who won only 84 regular season games, beat the Cubs 7-2, and the North Siders now must turn to Carlos Zambrano in Game Two tonight to even up the best-of-five series at one game apiece. Dodgers starter Derek Lowe gave up a two-run home run to Mark DeRosa--and that was it. I know postseason experience is often overrated, but the former World Series champion looked in command all night in pitching L.A. to a huge Game One win.

White Sox Claim AL Central

2008-10-01T09:25:00.005-05:00

Pitching once again on three days' rest, young southpaw John Danks allowed a meager two hits in eight innings and veteran slugger Jim Thome launched a LONG home run as the Chicago White Sox won the American League Central division title last night with a 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins. The Sox improbably defeated a third different team in three consecutive days to capture the crown after the team looked to be dead following a three-game sweep last week at the Metrodome. But the Twins, who lost two of three at home to Kansas City, could not put the final nail in the coffin this past weekend and were unable to win in front of Chicago's raucous crowd. Young right-hander Nick Blackburn nearly matched Danks, but Thome was able to connect on a solo homer to lead off the seventh to provide all the scoring the Sox would need. The South Siders now join the North Side Cubbies in the playoffs for the first time in the same season since...1906...the year the Sox beat the Cubs a crosstown series that more than a few fans are dying to see this year. I certainly consider myself lucky in operating out of the Windy City.

White Sox Force One-Game Playoff

2008-09-30T09:14:00.005-05:00

The Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins will duke it out for the American League Central division title tonight at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox forced Game 163 with a dramatic win over the Detroit Tigers yesterday afternoon behind an electrifying grand slam by the "Cuban Missile" Alexei Ramirez. Ramirez finished the season as the major league leader in grand slams with four and would be a slam dunk AL Rookie of the Year winner if not for Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay. The White Sox, despite losing the season series 10-8 to the Twins, won the coin flip between the teams that enabled the club to host the tie-breaker. Good thing for the Sox, too, because the Twins are just 2-7 at The Cell this season. John Danks will take the mound for the Sox against the Twins' Nick Blackburn. The winner will open a divisional series with Tampa Bay on Thursday afternoon.

Message to Terrell Owens: If anyone should be upset about ball distribution in the offense, it should be Marion Barber, who carried the ball just eight times in Sunday's loss to the Redskins. Eight! And by the way T.O., Romo threw at you 18 times in that game.

Bears Stop Eagles Late, Favre Not Done Yet

2008-09-29T08:48:00.006-05:00

The Chicago Bears held off the Philadelphia Eagles last night at Soldier Field behind a stellar defensive effort late in the game, which culminated in a goal-line stand by the Monsters of the Midway. The Eagles went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 3:40 left, but the Bears stopped Correll Buckhalter shy of the goal line. The Eagles converted only 2-of-13 on 3rd down conversions, as the Bears 'D' stepped up for an offense that only made three first downs in the second half and committed three turnovers.

How about that Cardinals-Jets game? Kurt Warner threw for 472 yards in the loss while Brett Favre set a career high with 6 TD's in a game as the Jets scored 34 points in the second quarter to take control of the game. Looks like the old men really can still play. Although, of course, Warner was involved in six turnovers. Okay, so at least he can still be an entertaining show.

It was good to see Jake Delhomme looking fully recovered from the elbow injury that ruined his 2007 campaign, as well as Deuce McAllister finally healthy again. Meanwhile, if Aaron Rodgers' separated shoulder is serious, that could spell doom for the Packers.

I like that Tennessee Titans team, specifically the physical, intimidating defense. I also love Kerry Collins at the helm.

The Redskins went into Dallas and flat-out outplayed the Cowboys. Eight carries for Marion Barber? Wow.

The two huge stories coming out of the last scheduled day of regular season baseball are clearly the New York Mets and the AL Central. Everyone is mentioning the September collapse of the Mets for the second year in a row, but really this team wasn't that great. Should they have held off the Brewers? Of course. But with a leaky bullpen, often ineffective offense and injuries mounting, the fact that they are out of the postseason doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me is extending the contract of a GM who really hasn't proved that he can put a championship team on the field.

The other story, of course, is the Chicago White Sox forcing the Detroit Tigers to fly into Chicago for a make-up of Game 162 to help decide the AL Central title. A representative from "Ramblings" will surely be at this momentous event on the South Side of Chicago. The Minnesota Twins will have their bags packed in case they have bus/fly in from Minneapolis for a potential Tuesday night showdown to decide the division. What a baseball season.

Shades of '67 in Corvallis

2008-09-26T09:38:00.005-05:00

Pete Carroll's USC Trojans--the greatest team we've ever seen according to many in our great media--fell again to an inferior conference opponent. Mike Riley's Oregon State Beavers (Wow, you were outcoached by Mike Riley, Pete? Really?) thoroughly outplayed the Trojans as the Beavers upset the Trojans 27-21 last night in Corvallis. It was the second straight upset of USC at Reser Stadium, and the victory stirred memories of OSU's win over USC in 1967, when the Beavers beat the O.J. Simpson-led top-ranked Trojans 3-0. Since 2006, USC is just 2-3 against teams from the state of Oregon.Oregon State dominated from the get-go, building a 21-point first-half lead before capitalizing on a late Mark Sanchez interception that led to the final Beaver touchdown and a 27-14 lead with three minutes left.

USC tailback Joe McKnight, who rushed for 105 yards against Ohio State, finished with just 10 yards. Meanwhile, Oregon State's tailback had little problem confusing the USC front. Diminutive Jacquizz Rodgers, just 5'7" and 185 pounds, ran for 186 yards and two scores as the Beavers beat the Trojans for the third time in the last four games in Corvallis.

On the baseball beat, the AL Central just became a lot more interesting than it was even three days ago when it was very intriguing. The Chicago White Sox were swept out of the Metrodome, a house of horrors the last few years for the team, and now actually trail the Twins by a half-game with a weekend of games to play. The White Sox were content with merely taking one game, but could not hold an early 6-2 lead and eventually fell in extra innings 7-6. The Twins now host the Royals for the final three regular season games while the Sox welcome in the Indians. If necessary, the Sox have a makeup game with the Tigers that would be played on Monday afternoon.

Millen Ousted By Lions

2008-09-25T10:22:00.005-05:00

Matt Millen was fired yesterday by the Detroit Lions, a move promoted by this very blog after the Lions were smoked in their first three games of the season. Lions owner William Clay Ford relieved Millen of his duties as team president after the club went a league-worst 31-84 since his tenure began in 2001. And while Millen wasn't solely to blame for the fact that the franchise has won just one playoff game since 1957, he certainly wasn't getting the team any closer to any sort of success.

If the Chicago Cubs are going to end their 100-year World Series drought, they may have to do it in spite of one of their supposed aces, Carlos Zambrano. With two outs in the third inning Wednesday night at Shea Stadium, Zambrano walked three consecutive New York Mets to force in a run before giving up a grand slam to Carlos Delgado. And just like that the Great 'Z' appeared to be a potential weak link for the Cubs' postseason rotation. I realize the guy pitched a no-hitter 11 days ago and that his velocity was consistently at 94 mph and occasionally hit 96 last night, but his lack of consistent control in crucial situations has always been his downfall. His emotional nature on the mound, often cited as a positive intangible, clearly took him out of his game last night in his final regular season start for the Cubs.

Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox saw their lead in the AL Central slip to a mere half-game as their offense could only muster a pair of runs in another loss to the Minnesota Twins. The Sox fell to 1-7 in the Metrodome, and Gavin Floyd looks to play stopper tonight and cut the White Sox' magic number to three.

CC Sabathia worked on short rest last night, striking out a season-high 11 over seven innings to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over Pittsburgh for the 11th straight time. The win moved the Brewers into a tie with the Mets in the race for the NL Wild Card. The Brewers began September with a 5 1/2-game advantage in the wild card race but saw it evaporate with a 2-8 road trip that saw Dale Sveum promoted to manage the club for the fired Ned Yost. Sveum said that Yovani Gallardo, out since May 1, will start today against the Pirates after returning from a knee injury.

And the Mets suffered what manager Jerry "Gandhi" Manuel said was their worst loss of the season last night, blowing a 5-1 lead and stranding a leadoff triple in the bottom on the ninth. GM Omar Minaya, however, is sitting comfortably and carelessly by with his nice newly extended contract.

Another Saturday, Another SEC Showdown

2008-09-24T11:31:00.007-05:00

The Alabama Crimson Tide roll into Athens on Saturday night in what shapes up to be another "proving ground" game for Nick Saban's squad. There is no question that 'Bama's first-team can play with probably any team in the country for four quarters. The question for the Tide has been its depth, which is unquestionably necessary in the brutal SEC. Because the team has been able to rout most of its opponents, the second- and third-teamers have been able to get playing time, making the true and redshirt freshmen a little less green. I still think that this is a young team and that next season will be their breakout campaign, but a win against Georgia on Saturday night should validate their high ranking and the frenzy occuring right now in Tuscaloosa. The defense and special teams have been outstanding, and the offense has been solid enough behind John Parker Wilson to put the Tide in position to continue to win over skeptics.

Bobby Johnson's Vanderbilt squad is 4-0 for the second time in four seasons after beating Mississippi on the road. I am definitely looking forward to that Vandy-Wake Forest game at the end of the season. As usual, fifth-year starting quarterback plus solid coach and recruiter will always make up for the loss of several starters on both sides of the ball.

I'm really surprised Todd Boeckman only had one snap behind center in Ohio State's win over Troy on Saturday. Terrelle Pryor is clearly the future at OSU snd is having a nice start to his college career, but this is, after all, Jim Tressel we're talking about here. The Buckeyes still have a very difficult Big Ten schedule to maneuver around, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Boeckman still see significant action.

Nice job by Frank Beamer of getting his Virginia Tech team back on track after the opening loss to East Carolina, as the Hokies have netted back-to-back wins over Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Tyrod Taylor gets tested this Saturday, though, as he leads the Hokies into Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Virginia Tech defense might have had more to do with their recent victories than Taylor himself, but not redshirting Taylor was definitely the right move.

It's Millen's Time...To Go

2008-09-23T12:20:00.002-05:00

31-84. Since the start of the 2001 season, Matt Millen's first year as President and CEO of the Detroit Lions, the team has sustained at least nine losses in every campaign. 31-84. For three years, the team failed to win a road game, going 24 games without road success in a league where home field is not as advantageous as other professional leagues. 31-84. The Detroit Lions are unquestionably the worst franchise in all of team sports.

Yet Mr. Millen is the second-highest paid general manager in the league. The fact that he still has a job after admitting that the team's record under his command has been "beyond awful" is mind-boggling. Millen played 12 seasons in the NFL and played on four Super Bowl winners. He knows what it takes to win. He was a tremendous commentator, offering top-notch insight not often seen by today's analysts. But he can't put a winning team on the field.

Lions vice chairman Bill Ford said yesterday, "I think the fans deserve better, and if it were in my authority, which it's not, I'd make some significant changes." When asked if Millen should leave the team, Ford said, "Yes, I do." Ford, the executive chairman of the Ford Motor Co. and son of William Clay Ford, should have the power to dismiss Millen because his dad hasn't done anything to help the franchise since he took control in 1964. Why the senior Ford has consistently stood by his decision to hire and keep Millen is beyond me, but there must be change in Detroit if that team wants to ever sniff the playoffs again.

By the way, how did Shareef Abdur-Rahim average 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 12 NBA seasons?

And also, have the Chargers stopped scoring yet?

LSU: Miles Ahead of the Curve

2008-09-22T09:16:00.013-05:00

Can we please start recognizing Les Miles as the best coach in college football? The general of the No. 6 LSU Tigers engineered another dramatic victory over No. 10 Auburn on Saturday night, guiding his squad to a thrilling 26-21 victory for LSU's first win at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 1998. The winner of this grudge match has represented the West division in the SEC championship game in six of the last eight seasons.

Early in the game, fans caught another glimpse of the slightly crazed nature of Miles' coaching strategies that has led to the Tigers' recent SEC dominance. He called for an onside kick after their first touchdown of the game, and the call completely caught Auburn offguard. Despite enduring a three-and-out, Miles had reiterated the point that was made in last season's contest between these bitter rivals: he will do anything at anytime to win. The mentality permeates the entire coaching staff. The halfback pass call by offensive coordinator Gary Crowton to give LSU its first lead was gutsy and brilliant. Keiland Williams' pass to Demetrius Byrd, the hero of last year's Battle of the Tigers, put LSU on top 17-14.

Backup quarterback Jarrett Lee settled into the game beautifully after Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Much like Patrick Cowan of UCLA in the thrilling Bruins victory over Tennessee on Labor Day night, Lee struggled mightily in the first half. But on the late third-quarter drive that gave LSU the lead, he hit Brandon LaFell twice with perfect passes on the game-changing drive before the 39-yard touchdown to Chris Mitchell. Lee directed the offense again and eventually hit Brandon LaFell for an 18-yard game-winning touchdown with 1:03 remaining when they only needed a field goal--shades of last season. Lee finished 11-for-22 for 182 yards and two touchdowns, and LSU gained 284 of its 389 yards in the second half.

Charles Scott rushed for 132 rough-and-tough yards against a defense that was unpenetrable in a 3-2 win at Mississippi State last weekend. LSU had never had a 100-yard rusher at Jordan-Hare Stadium before Saturday night.

Auburn moved to LSU's 47 on the final drive, but quarterback Chris Todd's desperation fourth-and-25 pass came up short of a first down.

Truly a gutsy performance for the LSU Tigers, led by the best coach in college football, their commander Les Miles.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis claimed throughout the preseason that the Fighting Irish were going to pound the football. Well, the Irish currently rank 111th nationally in rushing, averaging a meager 2.6 yards per carry, up only .5 from last season's 2.1 average. Weis blames poor line play and the subpar blocking by the tight ends and wideouts. Could the Purdue defense be the balm for the sluggish Irish rushing attack? The unit is giving up nearly 200 yards per game on the ground, so look for more Robert Hughes and James Aldridge out of the Irish backfield on Saturday.

Huge win on the road for Boise State on Saturday, as the Broncos went to Autzen Stadium and battled the raucous crowd to snag a victory over the Oregon Ducks. Okay, so I know Oregon was down to essentially its fifth-string quarterback. But I expected more from the Ducks' secondary in this game. Freshman quarterback Kellen Moore looked really good for the Broncos.

Ronnie Brown helped Joey Porter's words stand up on Sunday as the halfback single-handedly beat the Patriots. Was Bill Belichick outcoached in this game? Absolutely, and the general admitted it, too.

And lastly, the United States finally recaptured the Ryder Cup from the Europeans, reclaiming the Cup for the first time since 1999. Hmmm, teamwork and enthusiasm really does go a long way, as we have seen the Europeans demonstrate every year they whipped the Americans. It didn't hurt this time that Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Paddy Harrington completely flamed out.

SEC West Title on the Line?

2008-09-19T08:39:00.005-05:00

One of the best annual matchups of the college football season will take place on Saturday night as the battle of the Tigers takes place at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Defending national champion LSU, ranked sixth in the nation, takes on #10 Auburn in a game that always has major title implications. LSU has claimed the SEC West in each odd-numbered year this decade; not coincidentally, those were the years in which they have hosted Auburn in Baton Rouge. Also not coincidentally, LSU has failed to win the West division in even-numbered years when it has lost to Auburn at Jordan-Hare. Records and rankings truly mean nothing in this bitter rivalry.

The most interesting aspect of this season's contest has to be the quarterback play for both teams, as both Les Miles and Tommy Tuberville are expected to play a two-headed monster throughout the game, with Andrew Hatch and Chris Todd starting the games for LSU and Auburn, respectively. We will also get to see Auburn's new spread offense play against a legitimate SEC defense for the first time.

Paul Rhoads' Auburn defense has not allowed a first-half point all season and is giving up just 214 yards per game. LSU has allowed three. Final score: LSU 13, Auburn 9.

What in the world has happened at West Virginia? A team that returned quarterback Pat White and dynamo Noel Devine suddenly can't score. The Mountaineers are unable to run inside, convert third- and fourth and shorts, and are generally getting out-toughed. Coach Bill Stewart, praised for leading the program to a win in the Fiesta Bowl during the Rich Rodriguez mess, will now surely be under fire, especially after recently signing a contract extension.

Breaking News: Sheets Hurt Again

2008-09-18T11:48:00.006-05:00

I know it comes as a shocker, but Milwaukee starting pitcher Ben Sheets left last night's game against the Cubs after two innings with tightness in his right forearm. The young veteran right-hander consistently teases Brewers fans with his nasty repertoire, but the guy just can't stay healthy. Without Sheets and Sabathia atop the rotation, the team just doesn't seem to have enough to snag the NL Wild Card. But then again they are trailing the Mets.

Cubs pitcher Rich Harden will take the mound this afternoon in his second start since coming back from shoulder discomfort. Harden looked good last week in St. Louis against the Cardinals, but another successful healthy outing will help squash concerns about the righty's durability for the playoffs.

The White Sox bullpen blew another game last night, as rookie Clayton Richard's stellar outing at Yankee Stadium went down the tubes after veteran Scott Linebrink served up two home runs to turn a one-run defecit into a 5-1 loss. Linebrink does not look completely recovered from the shoulder injury that sidelined him for more than a month, and it looks like the White Sox will have to play the rest of the way short-handed in the 'pen. And still without AL MVP candidate Carlos Quentin. The Sox, however, maintained a 2 1/2 game lead on Minnesota after the Twins were swept by the Indians.

The Phillies, meanwhile, continued to stay hot, winning their season-high sixth straight to maintain their half-game lead over the Mets.

Joey Porter is great. A guarantee of victory in Foxborough on Sunday? Love it Joey. Keep on talking baby.

Mets Collapse Redux?

2008-09-17T23:35:00.007-05:00

The New York Mets dropped their second in a row to the Washington Nationals last night while the Philadelphia Phillies won their fifth in a row to overtake first place in the NL East. The Mets have now lost four games in the division standings in the last six days. Shades of last September when the club failed to hold a seven-game lead in the final 17 days of the season? The only saving grace for the Mets is the fact that the Milwaukee Brewers continue to stumble, making the NL wild card spot a viable option for the club if they can't stay with the Phils. Ryan Howard is having an unbelievable September, batting .396 with 8 HR's and 22 RBI to lead the Phillies' surge. Meanwhile, the Mets have stopped hitting and their bullpen continues to be problematic.

The Tampa Bay Rays have now been in first place for 54 consecutive days after a huge 2-1 win last night over the Red Sox. The Rays overcame a dominant performance by Josh Beckett behind a solid performance of his own by Andy Sonnanstine and another great outing by their relief corps. This was the type of game the Rays needed to show that Sawx that the wild card may be their destiny.

On the NFL beat, Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress has demoted Tavaris Jackson and made veteran Gus Frerotte his starting quarterback. Perhaps now Bernard Berrian can actually catch a pass. Could Frerotte be a Kerry Collins for the Vikes?

Yost is Toast in Milwaukee

2008-09-16T09:28:00.007-05:00

The Milwaukee Brewers gave manager Ned Yost his walking papers yesterday and promoted third-base coach Dale Sveum. The four-game sweep at the hands of the Phillies was clearly the last straw for GM Doug Melvin, as the club went 3-11 to begin September and was outscored 75-38. Robin Yount accepted Sveum's offer to be bench coach, a role that Yount held in 2006 until resigning to spend more time with his family. While the move is pretty unprecedented in major league baseball, we see firings of this nature all the time in the NHL. While Sveum admitted himself that he won't make much of an impact, as it ultimately comes down to the players, owner Mark Attanasio and Melvin are banking on a strong playoff push here in the last few weeks of the season.

It's become abundantly clear in the last few weeks that the AL Central has become the NL West. The only good thing about this is the fact that this division probably won't get decided until the very last day of the season, which is always exciting and great for baseball.

How about that Monday Night Football game last night? Dallas outscored Philadelphia 41-37 in an untraditional NFC East showdown in Big D. I'd venture to say that Donovan McNabb and the Eagles offense was the most impressive aspect of this matchup, as McNabb played without his top two receivers but still looked as good as he was back in his days with T.O. I love his rapport with DeSean Jackson, and I still love DeSean despite his awful folly at the one-yard line because all the kid does is rack up 100-yard games.

Buckeyes Smashed Again

2008-09-15T10:38:00.005-05:00

Three times now in the last two-plus seasons Ohio State has played a better team from a better conference. And all three times the Buckeyes have looked incredibly inferior. It wasn't just Mark Sanchez's four touchdown passes or Joe McKnight's 105 yards on 12 carries against the vaunted OSU defense. It was a nullified penalty that brought back a touchdown and a heinously bad pass by Todd Boeckman that led to an interception return for a touchdown that made it impossible for the Buckeyes to have a chance without star tailback Beanie Wells. Ohio State gained only 30 yards in the second half, but at least looked energetic with Terrelle Pryor commanding the offense.

I think one of the most overlooked big wins this past Saturday in college football was Oregon's come-from-behind victory at Purdue. Down 20-3 in the second quarter, the Ducks rallied behind the legs of LaGarrette Blount and Jeremiah Johnson, an impressive running back tandem to go with quarterback Justin Roper, who looked awful on Saturday but should be steady for the Ducks this season. Blount finished with 132 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries while Johnson added 96 yards on 17 rushes. Oregon looked like the team with the best chance to knock off USC in the Pac-10, especially with a defense that kept the team in the game after being down 17 points early. The loss was incredibly Purdue's 15th consecutive defeat at the hands of a ranked opponent.

Of course, Oregon's win was about the only thing that went right for the Pac-10 conference on Saturday, as the Mountain West went 4-0 against the Pac-10. Arizona State proved to be fraudulent, losing to UNLV at home, while TCU beat Stanford, New Mexico knocked off Arizona and Brigham Young shut out and smoked UCLA. So much for the ACC being the worst BCS conference.

I don't put all the blame on Greg Robinson, but he clearly isn't the answer as coach of the Syracuse Orange. The 55-13 loss to Penn State at home on a day the school celebrated its unbeaten 1959 championship team was simply abysmal.

Robert Griffin is giving Baylor football fans a reason to smile in Waco, Texas. The freshman quarterback ran for a school-record 217 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries as the Bears smashed Washington State 45-17 on Friday night. In two starts, Griffin has led the Bears to consecutive 40-point games for the first time since 1994.

It may be ugly football, but Iowa held Iowa State without a touchdown, making it the third game in a row to start the season in which the Hawkeyes have not allowed a touchdown.

Has Javon Ringer stopped carrying the football yet? A career-high 282 yards on 43 carried led the way for the Spartans against Florida Atlantic in monsoon-like conditions.

BYU has a real good shot to earn a BCS bowl game berth this season not only because of quarterback Max Hall, but also because of a defense that makes big plays at key moments in ballgames.

Buckeyes Looking Beanie-less for 'SC Matchup

2008-09-12T11:35:00.006-05:00

No. 5 Ohio State will likely march into the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday with star tailback Beanie Wells on the sidelines in street clothes. Unless head coach Jim Tressel is playing possum and undertaking the ultimate act of gamesmanship, OSU will need to pull out all stops to even remain competitive with USC wihout its best offensive weapon. Would Tressel dare play Terrelle Pryor for long stretches of play? Will we see a repeat of OSU's back-to-back national championship game appearances the last two seasons? Will the Buckeyes' defense be able to take advantage of a potentially succeptable Trojans offensive line?

No. 10 Wisconsin has a real dangerous game Saturday night in Sillicon Valley against No. 21 Fresno State. Coach Pat Hill has been preparing his Bulldogs all season for this matchup, so expect the game to come down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

How about the great Greg Schiano? Winless in two games on the young season with both losses coming at home? Mike Teel has struggled mightily thus far this season for Rutgers, throwing three interceptions last night after a subpar opener against Fresno State. The 44-12 loss was the Scarlet Knights' worst loss since a 56-5 loss to Louisville on Nov. 11, 2005. The Big East once again is looking like the Big Least. Meanwhile, Butch Davis looks to be getting the North Carolina program rapidly back on track.

Upset of the week: South Carolina 12, Georgia 10

Young Has a Tough Hill to Climb

2008-09-11T11:16:00.003-05:00

The Vince Young saga has grown very tiresome. But the most important aspect of this whole debacle has to be the fact that Young will have to try his absolute hardest to win back the respect of his teammates after the other 52 players in that locker room were left with no choice but to question his heart and leadership skills. Even if Young is able to get back on the field and play well, there are still going to be teammates with doubts. Furthermore, it's still a question whether or not he can handle booing by his hometown fans, something every other athlete in team sports must be able to handle.

The Buccaneers look to be done with Jeff Garcia as their starting quarterback. Coach Jon Gruden wants Garcia to heal mentally and physically, thus handing the job off to Brian Griese. For a guy who was the 7th-rated quarterback in the league last year and who rescued the Eagles two years ago when Donovan McNabb went down and promptly won five straight to get the Eagles into the playoffs--and then won a playoff game--Garcia sure does get discarded pretty easily.

Oakland Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin told reporters yesterday that defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and owner Al Davis gameplan the defense. Lane, please take your inevitable firing with glee and get as far away from Oakland as possible. It's one thing to hand over duties to your D-coordinator. Bill Walsh did it, as well as Joe Gibbs and Mike Ditka. But to have your owner interfere with coaching and to be involuntarily out-of-the loop like Kiffin has become is absolutely insane.

Federer Wins First Major of '08: Did Anyone See?

2008-09-10T09:10:00.005-05:00

Because some local affiliates did not want to pre-empt local news, CBS execs simulcasted the Roger Federer-Andy Murray U.S. Open final on CBSSports.com. The match drew an impressive number, garnering about 300,000 viewers. But it's ashame that many viewers were left scrambling to find where they could actually see the match; tennis gets upstaged once again. But I guess the U.S. Open will always get upstaged when it overlaps with the NFL and pennant races. Hell, pennant races get put to the backburner once the NFL season begins.

Chargers All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman has officially decided against playing the season with torn left knee ligaments and will instead undergo season-ending surgery. Merriman admitted the pain was too much as he tried to play in the team's Week One contest against Carolina.

Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson, poised for a breakout year, tore an ACL on Sunday against Buffalo and will also miss the rest of the season.

Chris Chelios re-upped with the Detroit Red Wings...again. The defenseman signed a one-year deal that will bring him back to the Joe for a 25th NHL season. The 46-year-old will tie Mark Messier for the second-longest NHL career stint, one season behind Gordie Howe.

Rodgers Solid in Debut; Federer Back on Top

2008-09-09T08:52:00.006-05:00

Aaron Rodgers' debut as the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback was quite the success, as the California golden boy completed 18-of-22 passes for 178 yards with a touchdown and had a rushing touchdown which culminated in a Lambeau Leap. Of course, if he goes 13-of-30 with a couple of picks next week, the boos will be heard loud and clear coming from all depths of Lambeau.

And how good did Jay Cutler look last night? I mean, I know it's the Raiders, but Cutler completed 16 passes for 299 yards and picked on standout corner DeAngelo Hall all night with rookie wideout Eddie Royal.

I read the USA Today article this morning regarding Tom Brady's injury. And while there's no question that Tom Brady is the face of the league, will this season-ending injury really affect how we follow the league? Do we in the media really obsess over the Patriots that much? We do? What breaking news!

Roger Federer won his fifth consecutive U.S. Open singles title on Monday, beating Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. Not bad for a guy considered done by everybody. The 13th major title and first of 2008 moves the 27-year-old within one of Pete Sampras' career record. Federer also became the first player since Bill Tilden in 1924 to win five consecutive U.S. Open's. Keep in mind that Federer had also won five consecutive Wimbledon's from 2003 to 2007. Just filthy.

The Boston Red Sox moved within a half-game of the Tampa Bay Rays last night after Jon Lester pitched the club to a 3-0 victory. The Rays' division lead was 5 1/2 games just a week ago and has been shut out in consecutive games. Keep in mind, however, that the Rays lost their last seven games before the All-Star break only to go 21-7 in August to build their division lead back up. It's just one more chance for the darlings to prove their resiliency.

Notre Dame on the Offensive

2008-09-08T09:31:00.008-05:00

I am convinced the Notre Dame offense that was in sync in the fourth quarter of its win over San Diego State is the offense we are going to see throughout the season. The little jet Golden Tate, freshman Michael Floyd and Duval Kamara comprise an underlooked wide receiver corps. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen, for the first time in his Notre Dame career, looked like a leader in the huddle.

I don't think there is any question that Tom Brady is out for the year. Matt Cassell will now step in and try to prove that you truly can plug anyone into the New England football machine and produce a consistently dominant team.

Michael Turner's Falcons record of 220 yards rushing was phenomenal, and Turner will be a definite upgrade in the Atlanta backfield and a nice protection policy for rookie QB Matt Ryan. But they did play the Lions. Yes, the same old Lions, who are proving once again that they still cannot stop the run. The Lions are now 31-82 since the start of the 2001 season.

Is it really true that the Dallas Cowboys have not won a playoff game in 12 years?

The Minnesota Twins went 5-9 on their 14-game ill-timed road trip, including losing nine of their last 12 games, and only lost a half-game to the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central standings. That does not bode well for the ChiSox, who must go into the Metrodome during the last week of the season for what most likely will be for the division title. The Twins play nine of their next 19 at home, where they are 20-plus games over .500.

Serena Williams won her ninth major title on Sunday, defeating Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 in the U.S. Open final. It was Williams' third U.S. Open title and first at Flushing Meadows since 2002. Williams will reclaim the number one ranking in women's tennis for the first time since August 2003, making it the longest gap between stints at No.1 for a woman. It's amazing that both Serena and Venus can seemingly turn off their games for years and come back as strong and dominant as ever. They are quite a story.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray eliminated Rafael Nadal on the men's side, preventing another potential epic clash between Nadal and Federer in a Grand Slam final and stopping Nadal's 19-match winning streak at majors. Murray hadn't previously made it past the quarters at a major and was 0-5 lifetime against Nadal, who was 54-2 in his last 56 matches. Sick.

Champion Giants Begin Title Defense

2008-09-05T11:31:00.015-05:00

The New York Giants began defense of their Super Bowl championship with a dominant 16-7 victory over the Washington Redskins last night. The G-Men scored on their first four possessions, while the defense limited the 'Skins to 11 first downs and 209 total yards. And better yet, Plaxico Burress is a happy, well-paid man after signing a two-year contract extension just hours before kickoff.

We'll get our first chance to see the stronger, more mature Jimmy Clausen on Saturday as Notre Dame opens its season against lowly San Diego State. I was a big fan of the Chuck Long hiring at State, but the lowly Aztecs' loss to Cal Poly on Saturday doesn't bode well for his future. With a depleted defensive line potentially featuring fill-in linebackers, look for the Irish to hand the ball off regularly to Robert Hughes, Armando Allen and James Aldridge. Or look for them to throw the ball because it's Charlie Weis.

Miami (FLA) visits Florida on Saturday night, and while it's not expected to be the bitter war we have seen in years past (and expect it to be again in a few years), it will be intriguing to see all the young kids Randy Shannon will be rolling out there. Eleven Hurricanes caught passes last week, six of them being true freshmen. The defensive line is also loaded with young talent as the Canes strive to compete with the Gators off the field for the best athletes in the state and return the program to the glory days of Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson and even Larry Coker.

Am I the only one who feels bad for Steve Spurrier? I bet I am. The Gamecocks fell to Vanderbilt last night, and it's becoming increasingly clear that South Carolina--even with the 'Ol Ball Coach--won't be able to win any SEC titles in the future. It's just too tough to out-recruit fellow SEC members that have firmly established themselves into the recruiting grounds. Eight wins a year would be outstanding for any South Carolina football team. The question now remains whether Tommy Beecher can be Coach Spurrier's guy to run the offense as was thought when he was recruited.

Carlos Zambrano's MRI confirmed that the pitcher has tendinitis and inflammation in his right rotator cuff, easing the fear of Cubs brass who may have been bracing for the worst. But while no major damage was found, Cubs officials certainly will remain uneasy until Zambrano is on the mound again and throwing like he has throughout his career. The Cubs are holding out hope that he can return sometime during the team's series against Houston Sept. 12-14.

Is Georgia Overrated?

2008-09-04T10:38:00.005-05:00

As if it means much this early in the season, Georgia fell from #1 in the AP poll after voters dubbed USC's road victory over Virginia more impressive than the Bulldogs' win over Georgia Southern. Unlike many college football pundits, however, I have no problem with early season polls. Sure, Clemson was clearly overrated while Alabama was clearly underrated. But as the season progresses, teams sort themselves out and voters see enough ballgames (and apparently computers have eyes, as well) to rank teams accordingly. Those who cite Auburn's low preseason ranking as the reason the Tigers were left out of the national championship game a few years back do have a point. However, USC and Oklahoma would have had the same complaint if they started the season ranked lower. The bottom line is that in a non-playoff system, a third unbeaten team will feel screwed. My point is, Georgia fans are feeling slighted today because they can't claim their team as number one. But I think Bulldogs supporters should start realizing that they are just another injury or two away from not even finishing the season in the Top 10.

For all of the talk that a Georgia-USC matchup should have taken place last season for the "true" national championship, if you take a closer look, the 7-game winning streak to close the season really wasn't that impressive. The Bulldogs struggled to beat Vandy, beat a one-man team in Florida, and took care of overmatched Hawaii. Auburn and Kentucky, while solid SEC competition, tapered off as the year progressed. I certainly don't want to take anything away from a really good team that returned 17 starters this year, but as long as Georgia remains in the Top 5 and they take care of business in the brutal SEC, dropping in the polls early on is not such a big deal.

The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants and division foe Washington Redskins open up the NFL regular season tonight at the Meadowlands. The G-Men will be playing without retired All-Pro defensive end Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, who is out for the season. It'll be interesting to see if Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress can pick up where they left off last season: in the endzone.

The Tatum Bell "thief story" is tremendous. Let's acknowledge, though, that it was a misunderstanding. I mean, it had to be. Right? Had to be.

Zambrano's Departure Concerns Cubs

2008-09-03T14:57:00.001-05:00

Chicago Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano left last night's game after telling pitching coach Larry Rothschild that he "wasn't feeling well," according to manager Lou Piniella. The big righty went five shaky innings while pitching on seven days of rest, and one has to wonder just how not well Zambrano is feeling considering the workhorse hates to come out of any game. The 91.5 million dollar man is scheduled to be examined by the Cubs' team orthopedist today. Certainly the Cubs can ill afford any more bad news with just 23 games remaining in what has been a magnificent season, especially with co-ace Rich Harden being pushed back in the rotation. Meanwhile, the Cubs may not go anywhere even with a healthy Zambrano so long as Bob Howry is still logging meaningful innings. The veteran right-hander allowed four earned runs without retiring a batter, increasing his ERA to 5.63. The 9-7 extra-inning loss to Houston was the Cubs' fourth straight defeat, but they still hold a 4 1/2 game lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central.

Meanwhile, on the South Side of Chicago, All-Star third baseman Joe Crede left the White Sox' loss to the Indians early with another back injury. Despite having season-ending surgery last June to correct his back issues, this marks the second time this season Crede has had a setback with the back, making it likely he won't be able to contribute down the stretch this season. It also makes it likely that Crede has played his last game in a White Sox uniform.

Meanwhile, the L.A. Dodgers climbed to within 1 1/2 games of Arizona in the NL West after Clayton Kershaw pitched the club to an 8-4 win over San Diego. The win was the Dodgers' fourth straight. Of course it is still laughable that they are a game under .500.

Finally, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden reportedly called Alabama coach Nick Saban on the telephone earlier this week to ask him what went wrong with his team in its dismantling by the Crimson Tide. At least he's admitting that he needs help. It's a start.

Neuheisel Delivers Early Returns

2008-09-02T11:51:00.008-05:00

Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow did a magnificent job last night with Kevin Craft after the San Diego State transfer threw 4 interceptions in the first half of UCLA's thrilling overtime victory over Tennessee. Throughout the entire first half, Craft looked as though he had never thrown a pass on the collegiate level. But Neuheisel knew that he had no one to turn to after injuries decimated the quarterback position, leaving green newbies struggling to learn the offense. But Neuheisel did what he does best--manage a game--and he never wavered in his confidence behind Craft. He stuck with him, and the fans at the Rose Bowl stayed until well after the game had ended to celebrate an improbable victory. However, as much as this victory should be celebreated, UCLA still will struggle to won 6 or 7 games this year. Bruins fans must temper their enthusiasm or else risk getting unnecessarily angry at one of the best staffs in the nation.

I guess after coming down harsh on Tommy Bowden I should rip into Phil Fulmer...

Maryland over Delaware 14-7? North Carolina beating McNeese State by only 8? Clemson as the league's best team? Wow, the ACC has some serious problems.

By the way, can coaches spend a little more time in preseason coaching special teams? I understand limited or no live tackling occurs in August, but what we witnessed on the field on opening weekend was painfully bad. Games can be won or lost on special teams, as we saw all too often this past weekend.

Clemson Proves to be Fraudulent...Again

2008-09-01T10:40:00.009-05:00

I'd like to thank the Clemson Tigers for participating in the 2008 college football season. Wow.

Poor Tommy Bowden. How we loved to see your overrated Clemson Tigers out-toughed, out-witted and completely overmatched. 8 carries for James Davis and C.J. Spiller combined? Amazing. The performance of the Tigers on Saturday night in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta just proved another known, yet often-overlooked football axiom: you can have all the skill players in the world, but you're going to lose if you get dominated in the trenches. And 'Bama certainly did that from the outset. We'll see just how fast Nick Saban can get the Alabama program into the Top 10. I still say next year is the year, but the performance Saturday night was definitely a preview of what is yet to come in Tuscaloosa.

Poor Dave Wannstedt. It looked as though he finally was able to shed the monkey off his back after the exhilirating win over West Virginia to close out the 2007 campaign and knock the bitter rivals out of the national championship picture. And then Bowling Green came to town. The Panthers fell 27-17 to the MAC squad, making Wannie a shocking 5-13 in his last 18 games at Pittsburgh.

But at least he's not Mike Sherman, who lost his much-anticipated Texas A&M home debut to Arkansas State? Or Steve Kragthorpe, whose Louisville Cardinals scored 2 points against Kentucky.

By the way, has Missouri stopped scoring points yet?

In other notes, Mark Sanchez looked really good and really healthy in the Trojans' easy win over Virginia in Charlottesville...Beanie Wells left Ohio State's victory over Youngstown State with a right foot injury. making his status for the USC game in two weeks very questionable...Rich Rodriguez needs two years and Michigan will be the Ohio State of the Big Ten...Skip Holtz scored a huge win for the East Carolina program, notching a 27-22 victory over Virginia Tech. Holtz was able to beat Frank Beamer at his own game, as a blocked punt return gave the Pirates the lead late in the fourth quarter.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2008-08-29T11:43:00.006-05:00

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.

Red Sox Bury Yankees; Mets Bounce Back

2008-08-28T13:02:00.005-05:00

It's safe to say that the Red Sox ended the faint playoff hopes of the New York Yankees last night. Behind four RBI from Jason Bay and a Dustin Pedroia grand slam, Boston roughed up Andy Pettitte and the Yanks 11-3. The Sawx have outscored the Yanks 18-6 in the first two games of this final three-game set between the teams at Yankee Stadium. Hank Steinbrenner's admission to the press that "They suck" was pretty awesome, pretty succinct, and pretty correct.

The Yankees have not consistently produced offensively all season, and their pitching just isn't good enough in a league where pitching has never been better. Most shocking, however, is the listless nature in which the Yankees have played all season, particularly during the stretch run.

Not to put too much stock in one baseball game in a 162-game season, but last night's Mets victory over the Phillies really was huge. Even without ace Johan Santana's best stuff, the Mets regained a half-game lead over Philly

What a job Dan Wheeler has done as a fill-in closer for the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander has nine saves in 11 chances and has helped solidify the back end of the Tampa 'pen. If and when Troy Percival comes back from the DL, the emergence of another quality late-inning option will only help the Rays down the stretch. Too bad no one is there to witness the great story that has been their season, as 13,000 measly fans watched their 1-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays last night. The good news is that TV ratings for Rays games are up, which is encouraging at least.

Finally, I hope Fabrice Santoro is resting comfortably after being shaken up by Andy Roddick's serve at the U.S. Open. Do you need a cup of water Fabrice? Perhaps a cold towel? Seriously, this is professional tennis, not ping pong.

Dreadful Night in New York

2008-08-27T09:58:00.005-05:00

M-E-T-S Mets Mets Mets! Terrible loss last night, as Jerry Manuel's squad blew a 7-0 lead on the road in Philly, helping the Phils overtake the NL East lead. For the 22nd time this season the Mets blew a save, further highlighting the mind-boggling decision not to acquire a reliever at the deadline. Ace Johan Santana tries to play stopper tonight.

Meanwhile, the star on New York's other team, Alex Rodriguez, finished 0-5 with seven left on base last night as the Yanks are making clear that they are no longer factors in the AL East. To his credit, the reigning MVP took the blame for the loss to the BoSox. Shocking stat pack of the year: Mr. Madonna is 1-10 with the bases loaded on the season and has 3 RBI in the seventh inning and on. Three!

The Colorado Rockies are at it again. The scrappy ballclub is looking to duplicate their late-season surge of last season, pulling to within six games of division-leading Arizona in the NL West after a 7-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. Geez, I still can't believe how bad that division is.

Meanwhile, the dreams of an all-Florida World Series are becoming more unlikely. The Florida Marlins continued to flounder last night with Kevin Gregg imploding in the ninth inning against Atlanta as the club fell six games behind Philadelphia in the NL East. The young pitching staff has not thrown the ball well over the last month.

American League Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee--yeah, I gave it to him already--moved to 5-0 with a 1.86 ERA in August last night in Cleveland's 10-4 win over Detroit.

The Twins lost for the fourth straight game, falling again to Seattle to drop another game to the first-place Chicago White Sox. If it's not a saggy bullpen, it's a lack of offense for the Twinkies.

On the NFL beat, Chargers stud linebacker Shawne Merriman has two torn ligaments in his knee, yet still plans to play through the injury as four doctors have told him that the injury can't get any worse. The leader in sacks over the last three seasons, Merriman was expected to anchor a defense that many feel can help put the Chargers over the top in the AFC.

Finally, did Tim Tebow really contribute in 55 Florida TD's last season? For the Gators to compete for a national title, however, Percy Harvin must be healthy and a featured tailback--Emmanuel Moody?--must emerge.

Twins Bullpen's Road Woes Continue

2008-08-26T10:58:00.009-05:00

For the second day in a row, the Twins' bullpen failed on the road as Minnesota lost ground on the White Sox in the AL Central race. The Twins sit only a game back but failed to take advantage of playing the Mariners with Francisco Liriano on the mound. Liriano and Kevin Slowey, in particular, have been spectacular in outpitching their opponents to keep the Twins in the thick of the division race. The bullpen, however, is one of the worst in baseball on the road. Conversely, the unit has been spectacular at home. The Twins do, however, play the White Sox at the Metrodome in the final week of the season, and the Dome has been a house of horrors for the ChiSox. This race has been too tight for the division title not to come down to the season's final week.

Huge win for the Phillies on Monday, as the team completed its sweep of the Dodgers behind another gem from Brett Myers. Reigning MVP Jimmy Rollins' bat finally seems to be heating up, helping set the table for a dominant offense. Meanwhile, Mike Pelfrey continued to live up to his potential with a complete game win over the Astros to keep the Mets a half-game ahead of the Fighting Phils in the AL East. John Maine, however, has been placed on the DL, making it even more crucial for Pedro Martinez and Pelfrey to continue their strong pitching. And that bullpen continues to be painfully bad on most nights. The Mets and Phillies play in one of three huge series that kick off tonight, along with the Brewers/Cardinals and Red Sox/Yankees. The Brewers, by the way, are 15-6 since getting swept by the Cubs at home. Ned Yost did a very nice recovery job.

Olympic Wrap-Up and...a Carl Pavano Sighting?

2008-08-25T10:36:00.006-05:00

The United States reclaimed its spot atop the basketball world on Sunday, as the Redeem Team found redemption in the form of an 11-point victory over Spain to capture the gold medal. The big lead had dwindled to two late in the game, but the Americans had enough firepower and a stopper in Kobe Bryant to hold onto the victory. While the U.S. regained the long-sought gold, the Spaniards hinted that the Americans may not ever be able to reclaim long-standing dominance, as the talent gap has clealry closed between these national teams.

Nice of Carl Pavano to drop by the Yankees clubhouse and actually make a start on Sunday in Baltimore. $39.95 million dolars for 20 starts in pinstripes. Nice.

According to Red Sox manager Terry Francona, pitcher Josh Beckett has inflammation in his right elbow. This could be a devastating blow for the Red Sox' playoff hopes and success, as the club is struggling to get quality starts as it is.

Right-hander Anthony Reyes may have found a rotation that he could stick in, as the former Cardinal has had a nice stretch of starts to begin his Cleveland career. And break up the Indians, who have now won seven in a row.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry absolutely committed robbery in acquiring Rich Harden from the A's. What dividends the injury-prone righty has paid.

The U.S. Open tennis tournament began this morning, and four-time defending champ Roger Federer looks to salvage his disappointing season by taking another hard court major title. Meanwhile, last year's women's champ, Justine Henin is probably relaxing by a beach somewhere.

37-year-old Kurt Warner won the starting quarterback job in Arizona after Matt Leinart endured a three-interception, 4-for-12 first half on Saturday night. The Cardinals are internally worried about Leinart's arm strength and consistency, and his relationship with Ken Whisenhurt almost looks irreparable. The NFC West is a very winnable division for the Cards this season--as it was last year--and Warner gives them the best chance to win. But this is a team with a future glaring hole at QB if Leinart can't get his act together after supposedly buckling down this offseason and becoming a better student of the game.

Redeem Team, Ladies Style

2008-08-22T11:09:00.006-05:00

The United States women's soccer club reclaimed its role as dominant world force, while the American softball squad exits its final Olympics after a shocking defeat. Carli Lloyd scored in the sixth minute of extra time to give the U.S. a 1-0 win over Brazil and the gold medal for the third time in four Olympic Games. Goalie Hope Solo, who was benched in last year's World Cup, made huge saves throughout to give coach Pia Sundhage her first major victory after taking over for Greg Ryan nine months ago. Meanwhile, the 3-time Olympic champion American softball team lost for the first time ever in Olympic competition, 3-1 to Japan. Sadly, it will be the last softball game played for a long while as the sport has been dropped from the Olympics for the 2012 London Games.

LaShawn Merritt--not Jeremy Wariner--led a U.S. sweep in the men's 400-meters on Thursday. Wariner settled for silver while David Neville claimed the bronze in a race that many thought would be won by Wariner--and perhaps in record time. After racing out to a sizable early lead as he did in the Olympic trials, Neville held on for bronze after being surpassed by Merritt and Wariner with about 150 meters remaining.

Perhaps the most disappointing results of the Games occurred in the sprints, where the Americans went 0-for-6 for the first time ever. Both the men's and women's relay teams dropped the baton, punctuating a brutally disappointing Olympics for Tyson Gay in particular. As disappointed was Lauryn Williams, who botched her exchange with Torri Edwards after running too early in the 2004 Games.

The Dalhausser-Rogers team of course completed the American sweep in beach volleyball, joining May-Treanor/Walsh as gold medalists, while the U.S. women's indoor team defeated Cuba to advance to the gold-medal match on Saturday against Brazil.

And finally, the IOC is investigated the Chinese women's gymnastics team. Hmm, and they're just doing this now?

Lightning Strikes Twice in Record Form

2008-08-21T11:10:00.006-05:00

He did it again. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt broke another world record, capturing gold in the 200-meter sprint on Wednesday night to give the Olympic Games a jolt after a little post-Phelps apathy. Bolt became the first man to break world records in the 100 and 200 sprints at the same Olympics. Lightning Bolt bested Michael Johnson's record at the 1996 Games, somewhat of a surprise considering he pulled up and coasted in the final meters of his record-setting 100. This time, Bolt, who had come under scrutiny for hot-dogging and show-boating, made sure he finished the race in a full sprint before celebrating. The guy is incredibly fun to watch, and his personality is unmatched in the world of track and field. If he wants to pull up before the finish line and gesture to the crowd as he leaves his competitors in the dust, so be it. As long as he goes out there and proves that he is the best, why not have a little fun along the way? The scary--and for him, most marketable--part of these Games is that he has room to absoultely shatter the 100 world record the next time he races.

The U.S. men's and women's water polo teams are putting on quite a show in the pool at these Olympic Games, as the respective squads are in medal contention in the final days of competition. It marks the first time the men and women are in the medal round in the same Olympics. The sport is in only its third Olympics on the women's side, and the U.S. has medaled in its first two showings. The men, meanwhile, have not won a medal since winning silver in Seoul in 1988.

Americans Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, meanwhile, took care of Georgian pair Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro in just 41 minutes to advance to the men's beach volleyball final. The duo has looked unbeatable after shockingly losing its Olympic debut match against Latvia.

The big story on the American side of the Olympic equation, however, is 400-meter darling Jeremy Wariner. The Texan looks to become only the second man--fellow American Michael Johnson was the first--to win back-to-back Olympic titles in the men's 400 meter. Wariner seeks to eclipse Johnson's world record in the event, but must stave off fellow American LaShawn Merritt in what should be one of the most exciting 400's in recent memory.

Bolt Hopes For Double Gold

2008-08-20T10:14:00.005-05:00

The demonstrative Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt goes for double gold tonight as the "World's Fastest Man" runs the 200-meter. He seeks to become the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

Shawn Johnson finally was able to edge out teammate and friend Nastia Liukin for gold, as the 16-year-old world champion won the balance beam competition. Along with her three silvers, Liukin's four overall medals--including all-around gold--and Jonathan Horton's silver on the high bar Tuesday night, the American gymnasts are leaving Beijing with ten medals. The U.S. men's team also claimed bronze in the team competition. That is the biggest haul of medals at a non-boycotted Games since 1932. Meanwhile, the Chinese men's team claimed seven golds to tie the Soviet Union for most at one Olympic Games.

American Dawn Harper claimed gold in the women's 100-meter hurdles last night in a personal-best time of 12.54 seconds. Sadly, the story of the race has to be Lolo Jones, her U.S. teammate who was winning the race until she tripped up over the second-to-last hurdle.

In another disappointing American track and field note, gold-medal favorite Sanya Richards settled for bronze in the women's 400-meter after leading the race into the final 80 meters.

One final note: Henry Cejudo, who finished 31st in the world championships last year in his only previous senior level tournament, shockingly won gold in the men's 55-kilogram freestyle wrestling division. Wrestling typically doesn't get the pub at the Olympic Games, but this gold medal came out of nowhere for the U.S.

Taylor Golden...Eight Years Later

2008-08-19T10:04:00.005-05:00

Angelo Taylor led an American sweep in the 400-meter hurdles on Monday, becoming the first person since Edwin Moses in the event to win gold medals eight years apart. Taylor ran a personal-best 47.25 seconds to beat favorites Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson. The 29-year-old, who was laying electrical wire just 14 months ago, provided an uplifting moment for an American team who has failed to live up to high expectations thus far at the Games.

Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor won for the 107th time in a row, advancing to the gold medal game in women's beach volleyball. The duo will play the Chinese team of Tian Jia and Wang Jie in the final. The Chinese government was serious when they said that they would produce great athletes for each event. I mean, beach volleyball? China?

The U.S. men's volleyball team finished pool play undefeated at 5-0, but the squad will play a tough Serbian team on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, the U.S. women's soccer team will play--who else--Brazil in the gold medal final.

Finally, the balance beam final will give Shawn Johnson one last chance to snag gold after her disappointing silver in the floor exercise.

Phelps, Re-Deemers, and the Insane Usain

2008-08-18T09:14:00.002-05:00

Before Saturday night, Jamaica had never won Olympic gold in the 100 meter sprint. They finally won. Twice. Shelly-Ann Fraser stormed past countrywomen Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart to pull off a rare gold-medal double in the men's and women's 100-meter dashes, the first time the feat has occured since 1988. Simpson and Stewart finished in a dead heat to claim silver. Americans Lauryn Williams, Muna Lee and Torri Edwards failed to medal, and a protest filed by the American team was rejected after Williams thought she had false started.

Jay Mariotti's column in the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday centered on the amazing performance displayed by Michael Phelps in the first week of the Games. He wrote that it is "perfectly fair and resonable" to put him in a class with Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth and anyone else in sports history. It made me wonder whether or not he can be placed in such a category when his sport is sadly only recognized every four years. As much as I pay attention to the world championships, let's be honest: most Olympic sports are only celebrated for two weeks every four years. When you think about the training necessary to accomplish such a feat as eight golds in one Games in multiple disciplines, there is something Tiger-like about Phelps. And we are so eager to dismiss the incredible Athens Games he had four years ago. That was just below his performance in Beijing. But Jordan-esque? Bab-licious? Now that's another story.

Team USA's dominant 119-82 performance over defending world champion Spain was quite impressive. The athleticism of the Americans was so evident that Pau Gasol looked like a scrub on the court. The intense dedication to defense has led to countless easy buckets in transition, making this tournament look more and more like a cakewalk for Team USA.

I've heard members of the media complain about the supposed cockiness and showboating by Usain Bolt in running a world record time of 9.69 seconds in thrashing the field on Saturday in the men's 100-meter dash. I say enjoy his bravado and his energy. Athletes like Bolt only come around so often. By the way, you better be clean Bolt.

I know it's been discussed and raved about ad nauseam, but Dara Torres picking up a silver in the 50 free is pretty amazing...if she's clean, of course. The 41-year-old has medals in five Olympic games, which is just staggering...if she's clean.

Rafael Nadal beat Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 to win the gold medal in men's tennis, while the Williams sisters won doubles gold to help ease the pain of a medal-less performance in women's singles.

Shawn Johnson was given the unenviable first starting position in the women's floor exercise final, yet her high score held up...until Romanian Sandra Izbasa claimed gold as the very last performer. Nastia Liukin won the bronze.

It was really nice to see Roger Federer actually win a major tennis event this year. And I really mean it. Too many people have already written off the Swiss star as done. I guess being only the second-best player this year is not good enough.

Is China really 5-for-5 in diving competition at these Games thus far?

Two quick baseball notes: Mets closer Billy Wagner felt discomfort in his left elbow before the game on Sunday and appears to have no chance of returning this year. Meanwhile, Tom Glavine has a torn tendon in his pitching elbow and his career is likely over. And what a career it was. It's possible that we can see Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz all retire in the same offseason. It's only fitting actually.

Blake Disappointed in Lack of Olympic Spirit

2008-08-15T19:59:00.007-05:00

Am I the only one not offended by Chilean Fernando Gonzalez's supposed lack of ethics in his men's semifinal tennis match against American James Blake? For those of you who might have missed it, Blake is upset that Gonzalez didn't admit the ball hit his racket before bouncing beyond the baseline late in the third set, thus not rewarding Blake--his opponent--with a point. The chair umpire said he didn't hear or see anything, and Gonzalez was awarded the point as Blake stared at the Chilean waiting for him to admit that he made contact with his racket. Blake makes a good point that tennis is a sportsman's game and the Olympic spirit is about sportsmanship. But if the referee didn't see it, then I'm certainly not going to give away a point. Would you?

On the baseball beat, the player benefitting the most from the Manny Ramirez deal has been Jeff Kent. Since the Dodgers acquired the controversial slugger, Kent has hit 24 points higher with him in the lineup. And don't discount the value of Ned Colletti's acquisition of Casey Blake, either, as the NL West race will certainly go down to the final week of the season with the added pop in the Dodgers' lineup and Arizona's inability to consistently score runs.

Nigeria Sends U.S. Men's Soccer Team Home

2008-08-14T11:30:00.008-05:00

The U.S. men's soccer team suffered an absolutely devestating loss today, falling to Nigeria 2-1 and failing to advance in the tournament. Michael Orozco elbowed a Nigerian player three minutes into the game, drawing a red card and leaving the U.S. playing a man down the entire match. Not making the quarterfinals is severely disappointing for a country that just can't seem to break through in the sport on the world stage. The tournament for the Americans ended, however, when the team could not hang on to a 1-0 lead against the Netherlands in its second match, allowing the tying goal in extra time. The lost point proved devastating as the club needed at least a tie against the Nigerians to advance.

By the way, Wei Yang is filthy. He never had a chance to lose the men's individual all-around gymnastics crown. The Chinese gymnasts are beyond filthy.

U.S. Women Slip, Fall Towards Silver

2008-08-13T08:57:00.005-05:00

One night after we witnessed overwhelming elation from the U.S. men's gymnastics team while celebrating its bronze-medal-winning performance, Alicia Sacramone represented the other side of the Games: heartbreak. After falling off the beam and falling to the mat on the floor, Sacramone handed the Chinese a runaway victory for the country's first gold medal in the women's team gymnastics competition. They join the men's squad in sweeping team gymnastics gold. Now it's pretty evident that the Chinese are using little girls for this event--and every other gymnastics competition. There is apparently evidence that a few of the young "women" are actually 14 and 15, and not the requisite 16. But this practice occurs most every Olympics by many other countries other than China. We hear the whispers every four years. It's a similar, but less prevalent, problem to doping. But rather than talk about either issue, I choose to focus strictly on the competition because I don't see either problem really going away anytime soon.

On the baseball beat, even in a winnable AL Central, the Tigers bullpen just wouldn't allow the club to get back in the race. All season it has been an issue, and it continues to be even with the additions of Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney off of the disabled list recently. I wonder if Zumaya will ever be able to close out games consistently...I know the game was the exception to the norm, so no pitcher was very effective, but Manny Delcarmen's struggles this year have really hurt the Red Sox. With the trade of Craig Hansen, the Sawx better hope Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden pan out. I think Masterson definitely will, especially because he is a ground ball pitcher...Chris Volstad has been very steady in his short time in the Marlins rotation...Is that Randy Johnson really giving the D-Backs quality starts?...The once-stingy Phillies bullpen is showing signs of fragility...Finally, Damaso Marte gave up two more earned runs in a third of an inning last night. His Yankees ERA stands at 11.05.

U.S. Men's Gymnasts Snatch Bronze

2008-08-12T08:54:00.009-05:00

I don't think it can be overstated just how impressive the U.S. men's gymnastics team was last night in capturing the bronze medal. The Chinese and Japanese were both far superior teams with athletes that have been in top-notch training programs all their lives. The U.S team was missing defending all-around gold medalist Paul Hamm and his twin brother Morgan, who were veterans of the Olympic Games and were expected to be the glue for a young team. But Jonathan Horton, Alexander Artemev, and Justin Spring displayed surprising moxy in eeking out a third-place finish ahead of Germany.

Meanwhile, are all these world records being claimed by Michael Phelps and his fellow swimmers a result of those newly designed swimsuits? Apparently they really do make you swim faster. And does technology have a place in the water? Okay, I promised myself I would not be skeptical and I would appreciate the Games for what they are, a spectacle. But I'm just asking. And does Phelps really consume 10,000 calories per day?

New Diamondback Adam Dunn became the first player since 1900 to be traded when leading the league in home runs when Cincinnati dealt him to the desert. While I have never been his biggest fan because of the strikeouts and his lack of defense, Dunn does give the D-Backs a presence in the lineup that they have lacked during their revival the last two seasons. He also has been a Chicago Cubs-killer his entire career, which could be huge for the Baby Backs if they match up with the Cubs in the postseason. But getting to the postseason without Gold Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson will be a chore. It's a shame that Hudson will miss the stretch run for a second straight season.

The injuries to Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford are just devestating for the Tampa Bay Rays. Crawford most likely won't play again the rest of the regular season, while Longoria will miss at least three weeks. Can Rocco Baldelli perform up to his potential down the stretch? It's asking a lot from a guy who will need a few weeks just to regain his baseball strength. Pitching will become even more vital for the Rays to hold off the Sawx and the Yanks, who look like they will not be in the playoffs for a 14th consecutive season. The Bronx Bombers have lost 11 of their last 16 and are fading fast.

Stat of the day: Aaron Heilman's ERA since July 26th: 10.97. Shocking that they didn't make a move for a reliever at the deadline.

Paddy Claims 2nd Major

2008-08-11T10:36:00.009-05:00

First it was Greg Norman. Then came Sergio Garcia. Padraig Harrington is proving to be a real heartbreaker. And maybe the best player in the world not named Tiger.

Harrington continued his recent dominance on golf's grandest stages, securing his second major of the season with a pair of 66's at Oakland Hills on Sunday to claim the PGA Championship. After shattering the dreams of Greg Norman at Royal Birkdale with a back-nine 32, the Irishman repeated the feat on Sunday with the same score in the final nine holes to erase a three-shot defecit at the turn. Harrington made three huge putts on 16, 17, and 18 to steal the win from Garcia and become only the fourth player in history to win both the British and PGA in the same season. He also ended the 78-year drought for Euros at the PGA.

I've always argued that Padraig Harrington is as talented a golfer as Tiger Woods. And I still believe that. Woods just has an incredible ability to manage his emotions on the golf course moreso than any other competitor. However, with Harrington winning both the British and PGA, gold fans should be very intrigued by the possibility of future head-to-head battles in majors between the Irishman and Woods. Too bad Paddy's cousin Joey didn't have even a fraction of his mettle.

Although he fell short again in his quest for his first major championship, Sergio Garcia made strides this week.

After posting rounds of 69 and 68 on an elongated final day on Sunday, Garcia went a long way towards quieting those who have criticized him for not yet winning a major. Anybody who watched Garcia on the course Sunday, specifically his naysayers, saw a more relaxed and balanced Garcia stalking his first major championship. Despite hitting into the water on 16, he battled back and was still in contention. But the killer was missing a four-foot birdie putt on 17. Garcia's putting, despite improvement in the last few years, remains a bit of an Achille's heel. If he continues to work on that area of his game, Garcia will be standing tall on a Sunday late afternoon in a major championship. Remember, it took Phil Mickelson awhile to grab his first major. It's just unfair to compare Garcia with Tiger.

Garcia will take his refined game onto the Ryder Cup, where he will be depended upon to help the Europeans retain world dominance. On an individual level, Garcia has clearly matured as a professional. Expect the Spaniard to make even more strides in 2009, especially if his putting continues to shine as it did this weekend.

I would normally take this time to scold NBC Sports' Dan Hicks for his outrageous reaction to Jason Lezak's performace in snagging the gold for the American 400 free relay team. But the Lezak story is too incredible to even rip. How did he swim one full second faster in those 100 meters than he ever had before? And at age 32? He was behind Alain Bernard, the Frenchman and world record holder in the 100 free, as they went head-to-head in the final leg, yet somehow managed to drum up enough adrenaline to prevent the French team from "smashing" the Americans as they had predicted. Michael Phelps, you owe Lezak steak dinners for life.

A quick college pigskin note: UCLA's quarterback problems continue, as Ben Olson suffered a broken bone in his right foot during practice on Saturday and is expected to miss two months of action. I loved the Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow hirings, but don't be surprised if the Bruins finish 6-6 or 7-5 as offensive line and QB problems may plague the team all season.

Summer Olympic Preview

2008-08-08T16:53:00.001-05:00

According to several sources, the Opening Ceremony in Beijing tonight will be the grandest spectacle in Olympic history. I have never been really excited for an Opening Ceremony in the past, as I prefer straight competition. But from all accounts, this one is definitely must-see TV on NBC. And if you happen to miss it "live," it will replay early Saturday morning and pretty much anytime you want to watch it on nbc.com. So while Norman Chad may poke fun at the thousands of hours of Olympic coverage provided by NBC, its website, and it cable outlets (and it really is thousands of hours), I am embracing the all-out media bonanza that the peacock is offering to fanatics of the Games. I typically denounce the technological advances our world is constantly making, but if they allow me to pretty much see every minute of every event of these Games, then I am more than willing to embrace.

Intriguing events to look forward to this weekend in Beijing:

- Michael Phelps beginning his record quest of eight gold medals in one Olympic Games. Can the Americans hold off the French in the 4X100 free relay--perhaps the one event Phelps has a chance of losing? Will Mark Spitz be on hand to see Phelps' quest for history?

- Can the decimated U.S. men's gymnastics squad put together a steady showcase in the team competition without Athens gold medalist Paul Hamm?

- Will Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor ever lose a beach volleyball match? Have they ever lost one? (The answer is yes, but I still don't believe it).

- How will the "Redemption Team" look in its opening game against Chinese hero Yao Ming?

- Can Shawn Johnson lead Team USA to a gold medal against the tough Chinese unit in the women's gymnastics team competition?

- And finally, how many athletes will be caught doping?

Favre's Landing

2008-08-07T06:50:00.000-05:00

J-E-T-S. Jets! Jets! Jets!

For perhaps the first time in franchise history, the New York Jets will be the talk of the league--hell, the nation--heading into an NFL season. The same franchise that brought you Blair Thomas, Pete Carroll before the rah-rah, Richie Kotite, Kyle Brady and countless other forgettable and regrettable names has now acquired the most prolific quarterback in NFL history.

Does this make the Jets the best team in the AFC? No. Does it make them the best team in the AFC East? Well, no. But after an offseason of eyebrow-raising big spending in free agency, GM Mike Tannenbaum and coach Eric Mangini have clearly stated that they are playing for the present and not the future. And Brett Favre as your QB over both Pennington and Clemens certainly represents the present. Never mind the eyebrows being raised regarding whether or not Brett can learn a new system. It's Brett Favre. The absence of West Coast terminology aside, I'm willing to bet that Favre will pick up the Brian Schottenheimer offense fast enough. Will it be painful watching the offense early on? You bet. But if the Jets can get through the first four games of the season 2-2 (the two losses coming to San Diego and New England), I think Favre can develop a nice rapport with Coles and Cotchery, along with Chris Baker and old pal Bubba Franks. The options before Favre: Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens. Now I very much believe Clemens can be a solid NFL quarterback. He just would not have been good this season. And as much as I love Pennington's moxy, he has always struggled to throw the 20-yard "in" and the 15-yard "out." But he still would be a very good backup and fill-in starter. They both have NFL futures. Unfortunately, neither player is Brett Favre.