Hamels Pitches Phils to Game One Win

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

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

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.