Christmas Special

After much anticipation, the NBA season finally kicked off Christmas Day with five star filled match ups. Here are the scores and key facts from each game.

New York Knicks 106

Boston Celtics 104

Key Facts:
Celtics All Star small forward Paul Pierce was out with an injury
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 37 points and 8 rebounds
Rajon Rondo played fantastic in a losing effort with 31 points, 13 assists and 5 steals
Kevin Garnett missed a jumper in the final seconds that would have sent to game to overtime

Miami Heat 105

Dallas Mavericks 94

Key Facts:
The Heat lead stretched to 35 point in the 3rd quarter
Lebron James played fantastic scoring 37 points
The Mavs looked very sluggish coming off a NBA title

Chicago Bulls 88

LA Lakers 87

Key Facts:
The Lakers offense looked off all game
The Bulls came back from nine points down with only a few minutes remaining
Bulls point guard Derrick Rose scored with four seconds left to put his team up by one
Kobe Bryant game winning shot got blocked on the last play of the game

Oklahoma City Thunder 97

Orlando Magic 89

Key Facts:
The Thunder defense held Orlando star Dwight Howard to 11 points on 4 of 12 shooting
Thunder's Kevin Durant led all scorers with 30 points
James Harden came off the bench for the Thunder and scored 19 points

LA Clippers 105

Golden State Warriors 86

Key Facts:
In his debut, Clippers all start point guard Chris Paul had 20 points and 9 assists
Clippers center Deandre Jordan had a career high 8 blocks
Warriors star Monte Ellis only had 15 points on 6 of 19 shooting

Yu to America

Announced Monday Night, Japanese star pitcher Yu Darvish was acquired by the Texas Rangers after their bid of  $51.7 M. That tops what the Red Sox gave Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007. For those that do not know Yu, he is half Japanese half Iranian. Last season in the Japanese league he went 18-6 with a league best 1.44 ERA and 278 strikeouts. In his seven year career in Japan, Yu went 99-38 with a 1.99 ERA. He is known as the best pitcher in Japan and he is only 25 years old. Some may remember him from the 2009 World Baseball Classic or the 2008 Bejing Summer Olympics.

Yu will be walking into a team with already five starting rotation pitchers; Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Alexi Ogando, and Neftali Feliz. This will make it very interesting for the Rangers who really don't have a number one pitcher due to the departure of last year's ace C.J. Wilson. The signing of Yu will also help gain Japanese fans for a team that already has a giant fan base in Texas. This team has lost back to back years in the World Series and they are hoping this signing will get them over the hump.

Chris Paul to LA

In the end, Chris Paul will play this NBA season in Los Angeles, but it won't be for the Lakers. Thursday afternoon Paul shocked the basketball nation when he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Trade talk between the Clippers and Hornets started shortly after the Lakers deal for Paul was vetoed by the league. Talks between the Clippers and Hornets had seemed to die down earlier this week. For some reason, the trade was brought up again yesterday and the two teams finalized the deal today. The trade will send Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al Faruq Aminu, and Minnesota's first round pick to New Orleans in return for one of the most dynamic point guards in the league.

This trade is very good for the Clippers but they did lose a lot of their depth. Eric Gordon was a rising star as he had a fantastic season last year at the age of only 23. Aminu also rose up in his rookie season as a great man off the bench and Kaman was of course an all-star two years ago but, the Clippers realized landing Paul would bring excitement to the fan base and draw other free agents to come play with the team.

Now the question has been brought up, which LA team is better, the Lakers or the Clippers. The Lakers for so many years have dominated the city. Even though they play in the same arena, the Lakers have always had a gigantic fan base compared to the Clippers since the Clippers moved up from San Diego in 1984. As you compare the two starting lineups, the Clippers definitely look like a more dynamic team:
                       Lakers:                           Clippers:
Guard-           Derek Fisher                    Chris Paul
Guard-           Kobe Bryant                    Chauncey Billups
Forward-       Metta World Peace          Caron Butler
Forward-       Pau Gasol                        Blake Griffen
Center-          Andrew Bynum                Deandre Jordan

Whoever you think is better, the teams are definitely closer skill wise then they have ever been. This will bring new excitement to Los Angeles and it will be interesting to see if any Laker fans jump on the Clippers bandwagon.

Confusion for the Lakers

As the start of the NBA season slowly starts to creep up, the LA Lakers are hoping it doesn't come too fast as the team appears to be in disorder right now. It all started out last week when their deal for Chris Paul got called off by David Stern. The deal looked like this:

Lakers get:

Chris Paul

Hornets get:

Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, first round pick

Rockets get:

Pau Gasol

All three teams had happily agreed to this deal and sent it to NBA commissioner, David Stern, hoping for approval. To many people's surprise, this trade was vetoed because Stern pointed out that he didn't want bigger market teams (Lakers) picking on smaller market teams (Rockets, Hornets). The Lakers thought they had landed NBA superstar Chris Paul but instead they were left with an unhappy Lamar Odom who felt disrespected that the Lakers tried to trade him. Odom didn't show up to the Lakers first day of training camp and a few days ago he demanded a trade. Sunday afternoon Odom got his wish as he was traded to Mavs for cash and a 2012 first round pick. Laker fans were stunned to find out one of the best players on the team was traded to the NBA champion Mavs for literally nothing. Sources say this move could help the Lakers get Dwight Howard because they were able to shed salary but either way, the Lakers lost the 6th man of the year to their rivals. In an interview today, Kobe Bryant was very upset and disappointed to lose one of his closest friends on the team. He made it clear that he would speak to the team's president and figure out what direction the team is going in.

This has been a very tough week for the LA Lakers as they prepare for opening day on Christmas. They need to start going for free agents because a roster with Derek Fisher as your starting PG and a weak bench does not look very intimidating to other teams.

Lamar Odom played seven seasons with LA, helping them to two championships.

A Revamped Baseball Team

The Marlins is a baseball team that are typically quiet this time of year. They never tend to sign free agents as they usually wait until the off season. This year is totally different as the owners of the team are trying to build back up this depleted franchise.

It all started with the team deciding to build a new stadium. It is located in downtown Miami and is set to open on the first day of the season. They used to play in the Dolphins football stadium as they rarely filled up 15,000 seats. This season, they are hoping to sell out every season as the high tech stadium is supposed to be very fan friendly.

  

(below) Along with the new stadium came brand new jerseys!

                                                             

Not only have they changed their stadium and jerseys but their roster is now completely different. After signing new manager Ozzie Guillen, they went out to get the top free agents on the market. Some of these names include Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell and sources say they could sign pitcher C.J Wilson as well. There were reports that Albert Pujols might join the team but with all these signings, the Marlins just don't have the money to match the St. Louis Cardinals offer of 10 years, $220.

Either way, this team has dramatically improved from last season and people are starting to consider them contenders. It will be interesting to see how they compete this year against their division rivals such as the Phillies and Braves. All in all, this team did what it had to do so that baseball can become relevant again in Miami.

Bowl Mania

After much anticipation, all of the bowl games became public Sunday afternoon. Here is at look at the six major BCS bowl games.

Rose Bowl: #5 Oregon Ducks vs #10 Wisconsin Badgers
Both teams are on a high coming off league titles in the Pac-12 for Oregon and the Big-10 for Wisconsin. Watch for this to be a very high scoring game as both teams rank in the top five in scoring. Wisconsin running back Montee Ball has 38 total touchdowns on the year and will need just two more to break Barry Sanders record for the most touchdowns in a season.

 Fiesta Bowl: #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. #4 Stanford Cardinals
Oklahoma State and Stanford had a shot of making it to the national championship but tough losses to Iowa State and Oregon respectively ruined those dreams. Both teams have elite quarterbacks as Oklahoma State has Brandon Weeden (4328 yards and 34 TDs) and Stanford has the well known Andrew Luck (3170 yards and 35 TDs).

 Sugar Bowl: #11 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. #13 Michigan Wolverines
In his first season as head coach, Brady Hoke led Michigan to a 10-2 record and a birth at a BCS bowl game for the first time since the 2007 Rose Bowl. Virginia Tech also had a great season but got blown out in the season finale versus Clemson so they will be determined to end their season on a winning note.

Orange Bowl: #15 Clemson Tigers vs. #23 West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia ended up tying two other teams for the Big Ten title but won the BCS automatic bid because they had the best BCS rank out of the three. Clemson is coming off a high after demolishing Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship so they will be confident going into this game.

Cotton Bowl: #6 Arkansas Razorbacks vs #8. Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State played above everyone's expectations this season going 10-2 and amazingly 7-2 in a loaded Big 12. They will be looking to snap a three game bowl losing streak. On the other hand, Arkansas played really well this season with losses to only Alabama and LSU and both those teams are in the championship game. Arkansas should be really proud especially after losing their star running back before the season even started.

 BCS National Championship Game: #1 LSU Tigers vs. #2 Alabama Crimson Tide
Whether you like it or not, these two teams will meet for the second time this season. On November 5th they played in a classical SEC game as LSU came out on top 9-6 in overtime. Alabama will be looking for revenge against their SEC rival. Watch for this game to be another tough, low scoring contest.

ACC/BIG 10 SHOWDOWN

Every year in college basketball, it is a tradition for the top teams of each conference to match up against one another so that their conference can have bragging rights. This year the ACC was matched up against the Big 10 and the premier game was scheduled for yesterday. The game was  #2 Ohio State vs #5 Duke as both teams were hoping to stay undefeated. Here is a short recap of the game.

Ohio State Buckeyes(Big 10)  85

Duke Blue Devils(ACC) 63

Coming into the game, this was suppose to be a very tight contest. Right from the tip off, the home team Buckeyes were determined to knock the wind out of Duke as soon as possible. Ohio State was able to jump out to a 13-0 start and they never looked back. At half, the score was 47-28 and in the second half, the Buckeyes coasted to a surprisingly easy victory at home. You have to think that Duke must be extremely tired after winning the tournament in Hawaii last week but either way, the Blue Devils didn't come to play. An interesting stat from this game was that the Buckeyes starting five scored 79 out of the teams 85 points. If Ohio State wants to make a run at the championship, they will need to develop a bench as the starters could tire towards the end of such a strenuous season. Jared Sullinger is the star of Ohio State as he decided to forgo the NBA draft in hope of winning it all this year with the Buckeyes. He finished with 21 pts and 8 rebounds as the Ohio State Buckeyes made it look easy with a 85-63 victory.

On a side note, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade made an appearance at the game. As Lebron walked onto the court, he was booed at pretty loud which was quite humorous. Fans from Ohio still can't get over that he left Cleveland for Miami two summers ago.

The sophomore Jared Sullinger has looked really impressive this season averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Thanksgiving Football

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed watching all of the football games. Since I spent the break in Wisconsin, I think it is fair to write an article on the Packers Thanksgiving game.

Green Bay Packers 27
Detroit Lions 15
Since the early years of the NFL, it has been a tradition for the Packers and Lions to play on Thanksgiving Day. This year was no different as the two matched up to kick off the NFL Thanksgiving games. Coming into the game, the Packers led the NFC North with a perfect record of 10-0. As a surprise team this year, the Lions were just a few games back at 7-3. This truly was going to be a measuring stick for the Lions to see if they were real contenders for the Super Bowl this season.

Many had predicted the game was going to be high scoring due to the teams prolific offenses but early on, neither team could get a drive going. Heading into halftime, the Packers only led 7-0. The third quarter was a different story as the Packers scored 17 straight unanswered points. The highlight of the game was Aaron Rodgers 70 yard strike to James Jones for a touchdown. Lions star defensive end Ndamukong Suh was also ejected in the third quarter after he stomped on one of the Packers offensive linemen. This proved the Lions were getting very frustrated as the Packers took a 24-0 lead heading into the final quarter. In the end, the Packers coasted to a 27-15 victory as they remained unbeaten on the season. Following the game, Aaron Rodgers was given the Galloping Gobbler Award "MVP" as he finished with 307 passing yards and 2 TD's.

It was definitely an intriguing game going in, but the Packers really confirmed their hold on the NFC with this victory and it will need to take a complete team effort if anyone wants to give them their first loss.

MLS Cup

All season long, the LA Galaxy had one goal in mind, to win the MLS Cup. Sunday night they had their chance as the Galaxy hosted the Houston Dynamo to determine who would be crowned champion. This cup in particular was very exciting because David Beckam was getting his first chance to win the MLS championship, something that had eluded him for so long. Beckam joined the MLS five years ago, in hope of elevating the interest of soccer in the United States. Since Beckam's arrival, there have been four teams added to the league, and many teams have their stadiums sold out every night.

Since Beckam has joined the Galaxy, struggles such as team chemistry have prevented the team from winning the MLS Cup. Coming into this season, there was a lot of hype for the Galaxy as they brought in striker Robbie Keane to play alongside David Beckam and Landon Donavon. Finishing first in the regular season, the Galaxy were favorites to finally win the cup. Their opponents were the Houston Dynamo who had played well up to the finals and looked poised to win their organization's third title.

The game coincidentally was  hosted in Los Angeles so the Galaxy definitely had the crowd advantage. After both teams had numerous chances, USA soccer hero Landon Donovan scored in the 72nd minute after a beautiful through ball by Keane. The score held up to the end as the Galaxy won 1-0. After five years, David Beckam finally won in the last year of his contract. It will be interesting to see if he signs a new contract or decide to hang up the cleats for good. Either way, he has helped make soccer a more popular in the United States and we should thank him for that.

College Basketball Tip Off!

With the NBA in lockout, basketball fans must turn to college if they want to get their fix of basketball. College basketball is actually a lot more talented and competitive than in recent years because the NBA lockout prevented many skilled underclassmen from entering into the draft. Those guys definitely made the right decision because instead of sitting at home with no paycheck, they are still out on the court representing their colleges. A week into the season, there were already a few key highlights:

Opening Night on the U.S.S, Carl Vinson:
The first game of the season tipped off on Veterans Day at a location never done before. Fans have seen basketball games played in arenas, stadiums, etc... No one has ever seen a  basketball game played on a boat. Last Friday to support Veterans Day, UNC and Michigan State traveled all the way out to San Diego to play a game on the navy ship ported in Coronado, the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. With a crowd of just over 8,000 #1 ranked UNC was able to show off their skills on a windy night in San Diego and defeat Michigan State. Much of the crowd were men and women serving in the navy here in San Diego so it was definitely a special moment for them. The game was so big, even President Obama made an appearance with his wife. It was quite a scene here in San Diego and if you don't believe a basketball game was played on a boat, here is a picture to prove it.

The U.S.S Carl Vinson on the sea. (left)



The U.SS Carl Vinson ported in San Diego with 8000 fans crammed in to watch a basketball game. (right)

Coach Mike Krzyzewski breaks Bob Knight's Record:

Coming into the season, everyone knew Duke head coach, Mike Krzyzewski needed only two wins to break Bob Knight's record for most wins in Division I history as a head coach. Tuesday night, at Madison Square Garden, Coach K was able to notch that 902nd victory which puts him alone on top as having the most wins ever for a college coach. Coach K called Bob Knight his role model so the two were able to embrace and enjoy this moment together. For those of you who do not know Coach K, he took over the basketball program at Duke University in 1980. Since then, he has made it into a powerhouse team in the ACC as Duke has won four national titles ('91, '92, '01, '10). He also led the United States to a gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. This decorated coach has set the standard on how you are suppose to coach a college basketball team and it was a great sight to see him accomplish yet another record.

There is much respect between Bob Knight (left) and Mike Krzyzewski (right) as both are legends and role models to college basketball.

STARTING THIS WEEK, I WILL HAVE A POWER RANKING FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL'S TOP TEN TEAMS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BLOG!

NFL Midseason Awards

Here are the NFL Midseason Awards for 2011:

MVP: Aaron Rodgers (QB)
Aaron Rodgers has led the Green Bay Packers to an astounding 8-0 start. The Packers electrifying offense has put up an average 416 YPG. So far, Rodgers has pass for 2,619 yards completing 72.5% of his passes. He has a TD to INT ratio of 24:3 and he and the Packers look poised to win back to back super bowls.

Rookie of the Year: Cam Newton (QB)
Although the Carolina Panthers are (2-6), Newton has shown all critics he can be an elite quarterback in the NFL. Not only can he pass but he can rush as well making him very hard to defend. The reemergence of WR Steve Smith has really helped Newton feel comfortable passing in the pocket because he knows that Smith will always come down with the ball if Newton throws it up for him.

Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh (49ers)
In the NFL, there has been a history of college coaches struggling when they tried to coach in the NFL (ie. Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier). This has not been the case for Harbaugh as he has led the 49ers to a 8-1 record. Coming from a head coaching job at Stanford, Harbaugh has exceeded expectations as the 49ers have capitalized on a very weak NFC West.

Surprise Team: Cincinnati Bengals (6-3)
After a disastrous off season dealing with the retirement of their starting QB Carson Palmer, the Bengals were left with many questions entering the season. They had a rookie quarterback in Andy Dalton and his main target at wide receiver was another rookie, AJ Green. To much amazement, these two along with a stout defense have led them to 6-3 and in the mix of the playoff race in the AFC.

Most Disappointing Team: Philadelphia Eagles (3-6)
The "Dream Team" had high expectations going into this season. They had spent millions and millions of dollars picking up talented players such as Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, and Vince Young. Instead of thriving, this team has really struggled as they are now out of playoff contention in the NFC. You have to think head coach Andy Reid is on the hot seat and the front office of the Eagles is really regretting they gave Michael Vick a 100M contract at the start of the season.

Jim Harbaugh has brought new life and energy to the bay area.

Penn State Scandal

A college football team that has been so consistent for decades and decades finally has cracked. News broke out a few days ago that former longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky had sexually assaulted nine little boys throughout his time at Penn State. This is a major criminal offense that was never brought up to police while it was happening in the 1990s.

All of this drama started to migrate towards head coach Joe Paterno starting yesterday. For those of you that do not know "Jo Pa", Paterno is 84 years old and has been coaching at Penn State for over 40 years. He has transformed the Penn State football team into a $50 million dynasty. He has spent hours and hours giving back to the university and holds the record for most wins as a coach in college football history. No one expected this news to come at the time it did and all of a sudden Paterno was put under pressure for the first time. Sources say Paterno did indeed know about these molestations but only talked to the Athletic Director and not the police about these actions. Sadly, the board of Penn State had to fire Paterno today in order to clear the slate of a program that toppled to the ground in only a few hours. A couple of hours before his firing, Paterno did tell the media he would be retiring after this season but he will not get to finish the season like he desires to do. After probably a very difficult meeting, the Penn State representatives decided to cut the season short for Paterno and let him loose after 44 years of coaching.

This is a devastating blow to a Penn State football team that sits atop the Big 10 at 8-1 with only three games left. With the Rose Bowl on the line, the players will somehow need to refocus as two of their remaining three games are against ranked opponents.

No words can describe how tragic this situation is. Something that should have been handled years ago had to wait until Tuesday to break out into the news scene. Penn State is left stunned as coach Joe Paterno walks away from a team and a university that he built with his own two hands from the ground up. His legacy is definitely damaged and it is a shame things had to end this way. My guess is that it will take a long time for everyone to forget this and my heart goes out to all those abused boys that have had to live in silence for 20 years.

Sadly, Joe Paterno's time has run out as head football coach for the the Penn State Nittney Lions.

SEC Showdown

Saturday night marked an epic SEC showdown between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama. So much hype had been put into this game that fans were expecting the best. The game took place at Alabama so the Crimson Tide had the home field advantage. The head story line going into the game was which offense could score against each others top defenses. Most knew with defenses of this caliber, the final score would be very low. Those people were correct as at halftime, the score was 3-3. Both teams had missed opportunities in the red zone and the Tide had even missed 2 field goals. The 2nd half wasn't much different as the game was tied after four quarters of play. Heisman candidate Trent Richardson had ran off some nice carries for Alabama, but he couldn't reach the end zone. The play of the game game with seven minutes left when LSU safety Eric Reid intercepted Marquis Maze's pass. Alabama was on the 30 yard line of LSU about to take the lead. Instead of keeping the ball in their quarterbacks hands, Alabama did a trick play instead as the running back Maze received a pitch and looked up to pass. He spotted his man streaking towards the end zone but instead of a solid throw, he put up a floater. The Alabama tight end appeared to of had it in his hands, but as both players were going down, Reid pulled the ball out and it was ruled an interception.

Tied at 6-6, the game went into overtime. LSU won the toss and elected to play defense first. After a few costly penalties, Alabama was forced to attempt a 52 yard field goal. The Alabama kicker missed again for his fouth time in the night and the door was opened to LSU as all they needed was as score to win. After a few nice running plays, LSU had set up their kicker perfectly as they had reached the 12 yard line for a 30 yard field goal. The LSU kicker calmly walked about and despite the raucous crowd, he put it through the uprights. #1 LSU had beaten #2 Alabama on the road and set themselves up nicely to have the chance at competing for the championship come winter.

As many expected, this was a hard fought game as both teams combined for only 15 points. Now the questions comes to many. If both teams win out, do they deserve to play each other in the National Championship. Teams like Oklahoma State and Boise State are in the mix as well, but I would really like to see these two teams duke it out again as I believe they are the top two teams in the nation. Either way, this game was very exciting and LSU proved they are the team to beat in college football.

Manager Openings

Going into the MLB off season, three big market teams will be searching for a new coach. These team are the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, AL powerhouse Boston Red Sox, and the team under the "curse", the Chicago Cubs.

To everyone's amazement, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa retired just last week after his team won the World Series. A future Hall of Famer, La Russa finished third in all time wins for coaches, and he brought two titles to St. Louis and one as well to Oakland. It just so happens that Cardinals star first baseman Albert Pujols is going into the off season as a free agent. It will be very interesting to see if La Russa's retirement effects his decision to stay with the team. It is too early to determine who will get the spot but it will definitely be a job many people will be vying for.

What a finish the Red Sox had to their season. Going into the last month, they were sitting pretty atop the AL East with a 9.5 game lead. It went all downhill in September as they got knocked out of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Rays in the final game of the regular season. Immediately following the last game, fingers started pointing in Boston and most were to head coach Tony Francona. Lets not forget Francona was the one that brought the Red Sox back to the top as they went decades without winning a world series. In a short time, Francona won two championships with the Red Sox with the most recent one coming in 2008. This season, the team seemed to start to ignore the leadership of Francona and the front office decided it was time for a change. Now, this is probably the most coveted job in sports due to the history that lies inside Fenway Park.

The Chicago Cubs have always been known as the team that has a huge salary cap, but year after year they don't seem to have the wins to support it. They also seem to be cycling through managers quite often. The latest victim was Mike Quade. He spent one year with the Cubs leading them to another disappointing season under .500. With so much negativity surrounding the team, all they could do was go up. A couple weeks ago they went up in  a big way when they signed Theo Epstein to take over as president of the team. The young mastermind turned the Red Sox team into champions and the Cubs are hoping he can do the same thing in Chicago. His first move was firing Quade so now he has a big choice on determining who he wants to coach. Don't expect a decision soon, but it will definitely make headlines when the time comes.

Three teams, three openings. Expect a lot of scrambling and searching for that "right guy" but I believe all three teams will have a coach they are happy with when all is said and done.

People in Chicago are expecting big things from Theo Epstein. Hopefully he can live up to the expectations like he did in Boston.

BCS Standings Shakeup

Saturday there were two upsets in college football. Here is a recap of both games.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 31

#5 Clemson Tigers 17

The #5 Clemson Tigers had surprised everyone after they jumped out to a 7-0 start. Saturday, their luck ran out against a very dangerous Georgia Tech team. GT had been ranked earlier in the season, but after back to back losses, GT watched themselves slip out of the top 25. Under quarterback Tevin Washington, Georgia Tech was able to regain their confidence winning on the road against an undefeated Clemson team.Washington isn't the usual gun slinging quarterback you see these days in the NFL. Washington focuses more on speed and wits to keep defenses off balance all game. Although he only passed for 60 yards, Washington ended up with 176 rushing yards leading the Yellow Jackets rushing game that finished with a total of 383 rushing yards. GT has the number one running offense in all of college football averaging over 300 YPG. Clemson did have moments where it seemed like they would come back. All season long the duo of quarterback Taj Boyd and freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins has been excellent and Saturday's loss was no exception. Watkins finished with 159 receiving yards and a touchdown but it wasn't enough as Clemson slipped to number twelve in the BCS standings.

Ohio State Buckeyes 33

#15 Wisconsin Badgers 29

Sporting their new slick jerseys, the Buckeyes were able to upend their Big 10 rivals Saturday night. Coming off a devastating loss to Michigan State, the Badgers were looking for revenge. Their loss last week came off a hail mary in the waning seconds and that toss knocked the Badgers out of championship contention. The loss here now hurt the Badgers chances of making the Rose Bowl so in two weeks, the Badgers have watched their season slowly slip away. This game was dejavu for Wisconsin as once again, a hail mary pass in the last minute gave the Buckeyes the win. The star of the game was running back Dan Herron. On 33 carries, he had 160 yards as him home game debut was a success. Herron was suspended the first six weeks of the season because he sold team apparel to employers a tattoo parlor. This is the same reason why QB Terrell Pryor were suspended for this season at Ohio State. The only difference was Pryor chose to forgo the six game suspension, and enter into the NFL Supplementary draft. It must of felt very nice for Herron to play well especially against a stout defense like the Baedekers. This game locked the Buckeyes and Badgers in a tie for 2nd place in their bracket of the big ten as they both chase down Penn State to earn the chance to play in the conference championship in December.

  Flashy jerseys like Ohio State's are becoming very popular among college football teams across the nation.

Peyton Manningless

From 1999 to 2010, the Colts made the playoffs every season and in 2006, they were Super Bowl Champions. Their star quarterback Peyton Manning starting every game during that span and received two MVP awards including a super bowl MVP. Ever since the Colts drafting Manning out of Tennessee in 1998, they have ran the show in the AFC. Coming into the 2011 season, instead of hoping for another championship, the organization were all hoping that Peyton Manning would be healthy enough to start the season after having neck surgery earlier in the year. With no sign of knowing, the Colts quickly scarmbled to sign veteran free agent, Kerry Collins to step in as quarterback. As the NFL season approached week one, Manning's neck didn't appear to be healing and days before the Colts opening game, the organization ruled Peyton Manning out for week one and probably further. This Colts were going to be without their star quarterback for the first time in over 12 years.

As the NFL season of 2011/2012 started, the Colts chances of making the playoffs were up in the air. They still had a very talented team, but no one knew if they could mesh under the leadership of Kerry Collins. Those questions were answered very quickly as the Colts got blown out by the Texans and Browns in their first two games. Collins was banged up with a concussion so for their Sunday night showdown with the Steelers in week three, the Colts turned to backup Curtis Painter. He did play better than Collins but the Colts still lost 23-20.

Seven weeks into the season, the Colts are just one of three team still without a win. In front of national television this past Sunday night, the Colts lost 62-7 to the Saints. That is a lopsided score you never see in the NFL. An 0-7 start all goes back to one issue, they don't have their starting QB. Expected to miss the remainder of the season, Manning has sit patiently and watched a team he has led so many times to the playoffs turn into a team that is the laughing stock of the league. A Colts fan can only hope Manning fully heals and is ready for next season. It is crazy to imagine how one player can make such a huge difference for a team. This proves Manning should win the NFL MVP every season because the Colts are atrocious without him.

World Series Update

Four games into the World Series the St Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers are tied at two games apiece. Here is a recap of all four games:

Game 1: In St. Louis
St Louis Cardinals 3

Texas Rangers 2 

The aces were on the mound in game one as Chris Carpenter from the Cardinals faced off against CJ Wilson from the Rangers. The first three innings went by quickly as both pitchers found a grove early. Wilson ran into trouble in the 4th when he gave up a two run RBI single to Lance Berkman. Mike Napoli and the Rangers were quick to respond as in the next inning,  Napoli hit a two run moonshot (415 ft) to tie the game up at three. In the 6th, the Cardinals had two men on and pinch hitter Allen Craig stepped to the plate. He was able to slap a ball into the outfield scoring the runner from second giving the Cardinals the lead, 3-2. The Cardinals bullpen was dominant for the rest of the game shutting down the big bats of Texas in the final 3 innings.

Game 2: In St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals 1

Texas Rangers 2

Both starting pitchers went deep into the game and hitting was very limited. The score was 1-0 in favor of the Cardinals heading into the ninth inning. Jason Motte, the Cardinals closer, had been perfect so far in the playoffs. He was far from that in game 2 as he gave up back to back hits before being removed. Through sac flies, those two runs pushed Texas into the lead 2-1. The Cardinals could not score in their half of the inning so the series went to Texas tied at one game apiece.

Game 3: In Texas

Texas Rangers 7

St. Louis Cardinals 16

This game was completely opposite than the two played in St. Louis. The Cardinals jumped off to a quick 1-0 in the first after Allen Craig hit one just over the fence. There wasn't another run until the 4th but that is when the runs started to pile on. A run came across in each of the last six innings and most of those runs were for the Cardinals. After the Cardinals scored four runs in the top of the fourth, the Rangers responded with home runs from Michael Young and Nelson Cruz. With the score 5-3 Cardinals after four, it appeared to be anyone's game. Albert Pujols put an end to that as he hit three home runs in his final three plate appearances. He is the first man to hit three home runs in one World Series game since Reggie Jackson did it for the Yankees.

Game 4: In Texas

Texas Rangers 4

St. Louis Cardinals 0

This game was all about Derek Holland, the Rangers starting pitcher. He mowed down the Cardinals lineup one by one. In 8 1/3 innings he allowed only two hits and those were both to Lance Berkman. He left in the 9th to a standing ovation of 45,000 fans and he must have felt on top of the world. On the offensive side, Mike Napoli hit his 2nd home run of the series belting a three run shot in the 6th that sealed the deal for the Rangers.

The next game is tomorrow in Texas as Chris Carpenter and CJ Wilson square off for the second time in the series. This game is crucial because it will determine who only needs one more win as the series will head back to St. Louis for game six and game seven if necessary.

Holland used his power fastball Sunday night to keep Cardinals hitters off balance.

Quarterback Switches

This week four NFL teams made quarterback switches for all different reasons: injury, experiment, turnovers, pure pressure.

OAKLAND RAIDERS: INJURY

Jason Campbell -------> Carson Palmer

On Sunday, Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell broke his collar bone ending his season. Long time back up Kyle Boeller stepped in but the 4-2 Raiders know he isn't the answer. Yesterday, the Raiders front office made a very risky decision trading for "retired" quarterback Carson Palmer. Palmer has not played this year as he clearly stated this off season he would not play another football game until he was traded off of the Bengals. The Bengals refused to trade him but since rookie QB Andy Dalton has led the Bengals to 4-2, the Bengals realized it would be smart to sell Palmer now. They were stunned when the Raiders offered thm a first round pick in this and next years draft. Palmer expects to start Sunday and the Raiders are praying he does well because they gave up a lot for him. This proves the Raiders are taking themselves very seriously and think they have a shot at winning the Super Bowl.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS: EXPERIMENT

Donovan McNabb ------> Christian Ponder

The Vikings acquired McNabb this off season hoping he could lead them back to the playoffs. Well, McNabb is playing the worst football of his career right now as the Vikings passing game ranks second to last in the league. A 1-5 start has basically ruined their chances of doing anything this year so the only positive that can happen is developing their rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. The drafted him extremely high in the draft tso they must have seen something special in him. The chance to prove himself will come faster then I bet he even expected as he will make his first NFL start this Sunday. As for McNabb, his role now is to be a mentor for Ponder and help teach Ponder all he needs to know on how to be a successful quarterback in the NFL.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS: TURNOVERS

Rex Grossman -----> John Beck

Going into preseason, the quarterback position was up in the air for the Redskins. After Beck got hurt, Grossman took command of the Redskins offense and to many peoples surprise, Grossman somehow got the starting spot opening day. Everyone knows Rex may be the worst quarterback to ever reach the super bowl (starting QB for the Bears in 2007) as he is known for a weak arm and throwing interceptions. Even though the Redskins are 3-2, Grossman has turned the ball over 11 times in those five games which leads the league for quarterbacks. This past Sunday versus the Eagles, Grossman threw for four interceptions which tied his career worst. He was benched midway through the game and Beck almost led the Skins to a fourth quarter comeback. It is a very risky move switching quarterbacks when the team is in the playoff hunt, but Mike Shanahan is convinced Beck gives the Skins a better opportunity to win.

DENVER BRONCOS: PURE PRESSURE

Kyle Orton ------> Tim Tebow

I dont know why, but ever since Tebow got selected by the Broncos three years ago, he has been the fans favorite in Denver. His jersey is the 3rd highest sold jersey in the league. He is a backup on a scrub team! His awful mechanics have prevented him from starting so far, but the coaches see the heart and determination he plays with on every snap. He knows that he isn't the most talented quarterback, but he will not let anyone out hustle him on any play. To the fans dismay, Kyle Orton was selected to be the quarterback to start the season. After a poor start, the Broncos have decided to switch to Tebow so that they can keep their crowds happy, and they believe he gives them a better shot to win. I am very interested to see how he does as he has a lot of pressure to perform well.

Sunday, all eyes will be on Tim Tebow as he will make his first start of the 2011/2012 campaign.

RIP Dan Wheldon

Tragedy struck Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday morning as Indy car racer, Dan Wheldon passed away. The race was the final race of the season and Wheldon entered having the chance to win 2.5 Million. Wheldon had done extremely well this season winning his second Indy 500 of his career.

Going into this race, there were many concerns due to so many racers driving but they proceeded on. Through the first ten laps, it was tight but there were no crashes. Then, on the 2nd turn on lap eleven, a fifteen car pile up occurred with two of those cars flying straight into the fence surrounding the track. One of those cars was Wheldon's as his car burst into flames upon landing on the tar. A red flag came out as the race was stopped. Parts to cars were scattered all over the road and numerous cars were in flames. Announcers said it was the worst crash they had ever seen in their life. Through all this ciaos, all eyes were on Dan Wheldon as the crowd  realized he had the worst crash of the fifteen cars. Medical staff members rushed to him and quickly called for an ambulance. Seeing his awful condition, the paramedics called in a helicopter to take him to the hospital. Around midday, the 33 year old died, with his wife, three brothers, parents, and two young sons surrounding the man they all loved so dearly. The race was obviously cancelled and in honor of Wheldon, the remaining  racers did a five lap salute around the track.

This was a very emotional day in Las Vegas  and it makes you realize how dangerous it is to zip around in these cars going over 200 MPH. Every time you step foot inside of that car, you are risking you life. RIP Dan Wheldon.

Earlier this season, Wheldon became one of eight drivers to have ever won the Indy 500 more than once.

Day 102 of the NBA Lockout

Since the summer, we have all watched numerous NBA players sign with foreign teams in countries such as Turkey, Italy, and China. The possibility of not having a season quickly sent the players east as they needed some kind of money flow to support their families. Well, the ones that did indeed go are smart as Monday, NBA commissioner David Stern confirmed that the preseason and the first two weeks of the season are cancelled. After roughly 13 hours of negotiations, the NBA and the NBPA could not come to an agreement, and in fact they are not even close. Players representative Derek Fisher, point guard on the Lakers, told reporters that the players union and owners are millions of dollars off. Topics like hard cap vs. soft cap are causing tension in the meetings and this is resulting in no solutions. The presumption among NBA analysis's is that there will indeed be no season as the players and owners are just to far apart to get  a deal done in time.

In 2004-2005, the entire NHL season was cancelled due to a lockout. Finally, the players gave in to the owners deal because the players needed to make money again. The deal in place right now in the NHL is recognized as one of the worst in sports because the owners were able to rip off the players. A lot of those NHL owners are owners of NBA teams today, so they know if they are patient, the NBA players will have to give in sooner or later. The NBA situation is a bit different from the NHL predicament because a lot of the NBA players have indeed found jobs overseas. Either way, don't expect basketball anytime soon.

Star point guard Deron William of the New Jersey Nets, make a multi million dollar deal to play in Turkey. He is one of many NBA stars that have signed contracts to play in Europe or Asia until the negotiations are settled.

Al Davis Tribute

"Just win, baby!" Those are the words of Hall of Famer Al Davis. Sadly, the 82 year old Davis died in his house Saturday morning. For those of you who do not know, Davis has been with the Oakland Raiders organization since 1963! He started out as a head coach but after three seasons, he became the head commissioner of the AFL. When the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, he went back to the Raiders and became owner. Under his ownership, the Raiders went on to win the '76,'80, and '83 Super Bowl. He hired great coaches like John Madden, John Gruden, Mike Shanahan and Art Shell. Hiring Art Shell was a very big deal because Shell became the first black coach of the NFL. As the years continued and Davis got older, the Raiders started to decline. Since 1983, the have only made it to the Super Bowl once, in 2002 when they lost to the Tampa Bay Bucs. Even though the team has been bad for this long, they still have the rowdiest fans in the NFL thanks to Al Davis's marketing of the team. Davis will always be remembered for his honesty and brilliant leadership. The Raiders will miss his contribution to the team and anyone they find to replace him will not do a near as good of a job. RIP Al Davis.

John Madden (left) and Al Davis (right) getting interviewed after winning the 1977 Super Bowl.

Playoff Baseball Update

Friday night may have ended the best round of divisional series baseball has ever seen. The least exciting series was the Rangers and Rays. The Rays had all the momentum coming into this series, due their remarkable regular season finish, and it showed in the first game as they blew out the Rangers 9-0. The teams luck abruptly ended after that game as Texas went on to win the remaining three games to win the series 3-1. Texas have some very talented hitters, especially Adrian Beltre who hit 3 home runs in Game 4. It will be interesting to see how their big bats face up against the strong pitching of Detroit.

Detroit sports fans are loving life right now as their football team (Detroit Lions) are 4-0 and their baseball team knocked out the all-mighty New York Yankees Thursday night. After splitting the first four games in the series 2-2, it all came down to the final game in New York. The Yankees were obviously the favorite to win playing at home but the Tigers managed to squeak out a 3-2 victory sending them to the next round to face Texas. Everyone knows the Tigers have Justin Verlander leading the rotation, but I believe the x-factor in this upcoming series will be the other starting pitchers on the Tigers. Max Scherzer and Doug Fister both need to step up and pitch well  against a very loaded Texas lineup. This will be an exciting series for sure as game 1 kicks off tomorrow in Texas.

The Milwaukee Brewers hadn't won a playoffs series since 1982. Most of the players on the team now weren't even alive at that time. Well things changed Friday night when the Brewers defeated the DBacks 3-2 in 10 innings. Both teams had won their two games at home so the final game went back to Wisconsin. It was a very well pitched game, as the score was 2-1 entering the 9th inning. Brewers closer John Axeford had completed his last 43 saves so the Brewers felt confident putting him in to close it out. Surprisingly, he gave up a run that sent the game to extras. The fans didn't have to wait long as Nyjer Morgan hit the game winning RBI single up the middle. The players then rushed onto the field and the fans were going nuts! It was quite the party in Milwaukee Friday night but they have to quickly regroup as they face their NL central rivals St. Louis Cardinals in the next round. The two teams split the season series 9-9 with each other so expect a close series.

Day One of spring training, the Phillies were projected to win the world series. After being the only team to win over 100 games in the regular season, the Phillies were still projected to win the world series. Friday night that all changed when the St. Louis Cardinals marched into Philly and won game five 1-0. Everyone knew it would be a pitchers match up coming in as both aces, Roy Holladay and Chris Carpenter, were scheduled to start. In the end, Carpenter was just able to out duel Holladay as he pitched a complete game giving up only 3 hits and no walks. The Phillies weakness in this series was their hitting as they only managed 10 runs in the last 4 games. The Phillies now enter a very long, cold, puzzling winter as the Cardinals move on to face the Brew Crew. A team they have already faced 18 times this season.

It was not MVP candidates Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder who came through for the Brewers Friday Night. It was hyper center fielder Nyjer Morgan who's RBI single in the bottom of the 10th send the DBacks packing and the Brewers onto the next round.

NFL Week 4 Recap

Statement Game:

Ravens 34

Jets 17

Recap: In what appeared to be a great match up, the Ravens showed the world Sunday Night that they are legit contenders for winning the Super Bowl. The Jets coach Rex Ryan hypes up his team to the media every season saying "We have the best defense and we are the best team in the AFC". Well, after four games, his team is sitting at a mediocre 2-2 and they are left with a lot of questions on both sides of the ball. Their "all star" defense has been playing very lackluster and their running game has been extremely poor. LT and Shonne Greene are averaging a combined 74 yards total per game rushing. That is the worst since Rex arrived in New York. On the flip side, the Ravens defense looks better then ever as Sunday night they had three defensive touchdowns. These two teams appear to be heading in different directions but don't be surprised if they both make the playoffs this year.

Upset Alert:
49ers 24 
Eagles 23
The Eagles "Dream Team" was stunned Sunday at home when the visiting 49ers came into town and won after being down by 20 points in the 2nd half. Vick and company could not find a way to win down the stretch and all of a sudden the Eagles sit at the bottom of the NFC East at 1-3. Lets not forget this was the team that spent millions of dollars this off season snatching up very talented players (Babin, Asomugha, Young, and others). What seems to be the problem is not their talent but their interior play. The offensive line cannot block for Vick as he already has had three injuries in their first four games and the defensive line cannot stop the run. This team has to much talent to be playing so poorly and I expect a turn around in the next couple of weeks.



Great Finish:

Lions 34

Cowboys 30

This was a very intriguing match entering Sunday. The undefeated Lions were going to get a true test playing on the road in Dallas's stadium. Midway through the third quarter, the game already seemed over when the Cowboys got out to a 24 point lead and they had the ball. All of a sudden, momentum swung to the Lions after middle linebacker Bobby Carpenter intercepted one of Romo's passes 34 yards for the touchdown. The Lions D was not done as on the next possession, Chris Houston got in on the action intercepting Romo again for a touchdown. The game became reachable for the Lions as they entered the 4th quarter down 30-17. This is when the young duo of Lions quarterback, Matthew Stafford and Lions wide receiver, Calvin Johnson took over. The two connected on two touchdown passes and a Romo interception late sealed the deal for the Lions. This was yet another large lead blown by the Cowboys as they lost similarly week one vs the Jets. Once could argue both those losses should be blamed on Tony Romo. His 4th quarter decisions have been awful and these idiotic interceptions are costing his team wins. Romo needs to get his act together if Cowboys want to win the NFC East.

 Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez had a rough time versus the Ravens D as he threw for four interceptions.

College Football Week 5

Statement Game:

#7 Wisconsin 48

# 8 Nebraska 17

Recap: This is Nebraska's first year in the Big Ten. Everyone had been anticipating this game because both teams were ranked in the top ten entering this season. The rowdy Wisconsin fans got quite a show Saturday night as they watched quarterback Russel Wilson and the #4 Badgers demolish their new Big Ten Rivals. Nebraska never stood a chance as Wisconsin out muscled the Cornhuskers all game. This was quite an awakening for Nebraska as they realized they aren't in the Big12 any longer. It will be interesting to see how they bounce back next week against Ohio State. For Wisconsin, their schedule lightens up the next few weeks so they need to stay focused and try to win every game and if that happens, they might have a chance to compete to play in the National Championship when the season ends.

Upset Alert:

Kansas State 36

#15 Baylor 35

Recap: Baylor had been College Football's Cinderella team all the way up till Saturday. Led by Heisman hopeful Robert Griffin, the Baylor Bears had looked fantastic through their first four games. Griffin had thrown more TD's (13) then incomplete passes (12). You don't see that to often, but Kansas State was able to pick off Griffin (first INT) in the waning minutes to set up their kicker for the game winning field goal. Now Kansas State eyes to get into the top 25 as they are now 4-0.

Great Finish:
#18Arkansas 42
#14Texas A&M 38
Recap: After blowing a 20+ lead last week against Oklahoma State, Texas A&M looked to bounce back in a big way at Arkansas yesterday. Things looked promising as they went up 35-20 in the third quarter but again tragedy struck the Aggies as they blew a large lead for the 2nd straight game. Arkansas got a lot of help from their quarterback, Tyler Wilson, who passed for a career high 510 yards. This was a huge win for Arkansas as they have a tough SEC matchup versus the SEC rival #15 Auburn Tigers next week.

Quarterback Robert Griffin's (10) struggles led to Baylor losing for the first time all year.

Red Sox Collapse

Yesterday was probably the best night in baseball history. Entering the final game of the season, the Red Sox were tied with the Rays for the AL Wild Card spot. It was shocking the Rays were even in it as the Red Sox were 9.5 games up entering September. So the scenario entering Wednesday was, if one team wins and the others loses, the winner goes to the playoffs. If both teams have the same result, the two would play in a one game series the following day.

The Red Sox had their ace John Lester pitching versus the Orioles last night. They seemed to have the game under control leading 3-2 entering the 9th inning. The Red Sox all star closer Jonathan Paplebon had struck out the first two Orioles batters in the 9th. He just needed one more out but after a single and a ground rule double, all of a sudden the game was tied at 3-3. Next up for the Orioles stepped in Robert Andino. This guy had been known all season as the "Red Sox Killer" as he already had two walk off hits against them earlier this year. Paplebon delivered a pitch right down the middle and Andino slapped the ball to left field winning the game for the Orioles. A stunned Red Sox team looked up at the scoreboard and saw that the Rays and Yankees were tied in the bottom of the 12th inning in Tampa Bay. All they could do now was wait. After the Yankees had gotten off to a 7-0 lead, the Rays fans believed their teams season was over. The players obviously had different plans as they scored 6 runs in the 8th and a 2 out home run in the 9th sent the game to extra innings. As the game reached the bottom of the 12th, Evan Longoria stepped up to the plate and heard screaming and shouting throughout the stands. He soon realized the Orioles had just beaten the Red Sox leaving the door wide open for his team to make the playoffs. On a 2-2 pitch, Longoria hit a line drive home run down the left field line and that was that. Just 3 minutes after the Red Sox had lost, the Rays had won sending them to the ALDS!

This truly was a shock to Red Sox nation as they are left with questions after this epic collapse. I think they need better pitching as they had one of the worst team ERA's in the month of September. Meanwhile for the Rays, they are going to have to regroup because their series versus the slugging Texas Rangers starts this weekend.

This was Longoria's second home run of the game. He also hit a 3 run homer in the 8th closing the Yankees lead to one run.

Week 3 NFL Recap

Week three brought more exciting, wire to wire finishes, devastating injuries, and young teams stepping up in the spotlight. Here is a quick recap of all the games.

Bills 34
Patriots 31
MVP: Fred Jackson is turning out to be a stud for the Bills as he ran for 74 yards and TD. He also had 5 receptions for 89 yards. The Bills were finally able to snap their 15 game losing streak vs the Patriots, putting them atop the AFC with a 3-0 record.

49ers 13
Bengals 8
MVP: This game was so awful that no one deserves the MVP.

Browns 17
Dolphins 16
MVP: M. Massaquoi had only 2 receptions for 26 yards, but he had a great catch with only a minute remaining to help the Browns triumph over the Dolphins.

Titans 17
Broncos 14
MVP: Matt Hasselbeck turned back the clock Sunday as he passed for 311 yards and 2 TD's. His top wide receiver Kenny Britt suffered a torn ACL, so lets see who Hasselbeck will turn to next as his main target.

Lions 26
Vikings 23
MVP: Calvin "Megatron Johnson" led a huge comeback for the Lions with 7 receptions for 108 yards and 2 TD's. The Lions came back to win after they were losing 20-0 at half. They are just one of the remaining few undefeated teams.

Saints 40
Texans 33
MVP: In a classic southern shootout, Drew Brees led the way with 370 passing yards and 3 TD's.

Giants 29
Eagles 16
MVP: Victor Cruz had two amazing receptions as finished with 110 yards and 2 TD's. The main story was Michael Vick leaving the field again. This time with a broken right hand. His status is day to day.

Panthers 16
Jaguars 10
MVP: Cam Newton got his first NFL victory as he threw for 156 yards and a TD. Those stats aren't bad because a monsoon struck North Caronlina in the middle of the game creating flooding on the field.

Raiders 34
Jets 24
MVP: Darren Mcfadden is looking more and more like the best running back in the league as he rushed for 171 yards and 2 TD's.

Ravens 37
Rams 7
MVP: Backup wide out Torrey Smith had a career game catching 5 ball for 152 yards and 3 TD's.

Chargers 20
Chiefs 17
MVP: Ryan Matthews is finally becoming familiar to the Chargers offense as he rushed for 98 yards and 2 TD's.

Packers 27
Bears 17
MVP: Aaron Rodgers again led a well balanced offense passing for 297 yards and 3 TD's.

Seahawks 13
Cardinals 10
MVP: It was a great first game for wide out Sidney Rice as he caught 8 passes for 109 yards.

Bucs 16
Falcons 13
MVP: In a losing effort, wide receiver Roddy White caught 9 catches for 140 yards.

Steelers 23
Colts 20
MVP: Deep ball threat Mike Wallace had another great game catching 5 passes for 144 yards and a TD.

Cowboys 18
Redskins 16
MVP: Rookie kicker Dan Bailey went off make 6/6 fields goals. That is the best game a kicker can have therefore this will probably be the only MVP awarded to a kicker this year.

The Panther and Jaguars were playing in some of the worst weather conditions I have every seen. During the highlight, you couldn't even see the players it was so rainy and foggy.

Deangelo Hall is Eying Romo

Earlier this week, news came out that Tony Romo had suffered fractured ribs and a punctured lung in Dallas's overtime victory last weekend. This was music to Washington Redskins corner back Deangelo Hall's ears, as he came out to the media stating he would be targeting Romo's lung and ribs this upcoming Monday. It may seem harsh or cruel, but it really is the Cowboys fault in the first place for declaring where and what the injury was for Tony Romo. Hall went onto further say that he would be hitting high on running back Felix Jones because of his hurt shoulder. Retired players such as Teddy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison said that they did the same as defenders, just never came and told the public what they were going to do it. Bruschi also added that Hall was going to get a fine as well,  but so far that is not the case.

Tony Romo will be wearing a vest Monday night to protect those injured ribs and lung. This rivalry between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys has dated back for years. This will just be another twist to an always exciting game. All I can say for Tony Romo is, I sure hope he has someone blocking Hall when he comes around on those corner back blitzes, or I predict a couple more ribs will be fractured for Mr. Romo.

 Tony Romo fractured two ribs and punctured a lung in last weeks thrilling overtime victory of the 49ers.

Tight AL Wild Card

AL Wild Card:         Games Back:     Last 10 Games:
Boston Red Sox               -                        3-7
Tampa Bay Rays              2                        4-6
Los Angeles Angels          3                        5-5

As you can see, all three of these teams are limping towards the playoffs, especially the Red Sox. Plagued by injuries, the Red Sox have been awful in the month of September losing 16 games. That happens to be a  record for the team. After having a 9 game lead on the Rays just a month ago, the Red Sox have let  them back into it especially after losing 3 of 4  at home to them last week. The Red Sox were suppose to have it easy the rest of the season playing the last place Orioles 7 out of the remaining 10 games. Well, their first series just ended and the Orioles won 3 out of 4 as well so the Red Sox are really searching for answers. Maybe they should try to fix their pitching as the teams ERA in the month of September has been 6.38. With football kicking into main gear, baseball has been pushed aside the last few weeks. I would suggest following the these three teams the remainder of the season as every game will be extremely crucial. Hold on tight ladies and gentlemen!

Red Sox Remaining Schedule: (3 at NYY), (3 at BAL)
Rays Remaining Schedule: (3 vs TOR), (3 vs NYY)
Angels Remaining Schedule: (3 vs OAK), (3 vs TEX) 

 Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has been one of many Red Sox players battling injuries at the end of this season.

Week 2 NFL Recap

Don't we all just love watching football on Sunday afternoons! Here are the scores and stars of Week 2.

Redskins 22

Cardinals 21

MVP: Tim Hightower is really becoming the horse of the Redskins offense as he had 20 carries for 96 yards.

Bills 38
Raiders 35
MVP: In the most exciting game of the week, Fred Jackson continued his strong start to the season rushing for 117 yards and 2 TD's on only 15 carries.

Lions 48

Chiefs 3

MVP: The Lions ran away with this one early thanks to Matthew Stafford passing for 296 yards and 4 TD's.

Titans 26

Ravens 13

MVP: After a dominating defensive performance by the secondary last week, the Ravens just could not stop wide receiver Kenny Britt, as he had 9 catches for 135 yards and a TD.

Browns 27

Colts 19

MVP: Peyton Hillis exploited the Colts poor rush defense as he ran for 94 yards and 2 TDs.

Bucs 24

Vikings 20

MVP: Lagarrette Blount scored with 30 seconds left to help lift the Bucs over the Vikings in Minnesota. He finished the day with 71 yards and 2 TD's.

Saints 30

Bears 13

MVP: Drew Brees helped lead a very balanced offense Sunday against the Bears as he passed for 270 yards and 3 TDs.

Jets 32

Jaguars 3

MVP: This game was never close as Antonio Cromartie had 2 of the Jets 4 interceptions off Jaguars QB Luke McCown.

Steelers 24

Seahawks 0

MVP: Mike Wallace helped the Steelers rebound after a dismal first game catching 8 passes for 126 yards and a TD.

Packers 30

Panthers 23

MVP: The Panthers lost again, but I have to give the MVP to Cam Newton as he passed for over 400 yards for the 2nd straight game. He is only the 2nd player ever to have two 400 yard passing games in the first two games of their careers.

Cowboys 27

49ers 24

MVP: A fractured rib and a punctured lung didn't prevent Tony Romo from passing for 345 yards, 2 TDs, and a overtime drive that set up the game winning field goal.

Broncos 24

Bengals 22

MVP: The rookie wide receiver Eric Decker sparked the Broncos offense as he caught 5 catches for 113 yards and 2 TDs.

Texans 23

Dolphins 13

MVP: Ben Tate has done a fantastic job replacing Pro Bowler Arian Foster as he rushed for 106 yards on 23 carries. Tate has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the first two games.

Patriots 35

Chargers 21

MVP: Tom Brady once again picked apart a helpless defense as he passed for 423 yards and 3 TDs.

Falcons 35

Eagles 31

MVP: Michael Turner had 113 yards and a TD to lead a 4th quarter comeback for the Falcons who lucked out when Eagles pro bowler Michael Vick had to leave the game in the 3rd with a concussion.

Giants 28
Rams 16
MVP:Manning kept his mistakes minimal has he passed for 200 yards and 2 TDs.

Vick's Return to Atlanta ended short after he hit his head on one of the Eagles offensive lineman. He is questionable for next week due to a concussion.

College Football Week 3 Power Rankings: Top 5

1. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0)- The Sooners proved this Saturday that they deserve to remain at #1. They traveled to Florida State to play the then #5 Seminoles. This game was the most anticipated game of the season and it lived up to its name. It was back and forth throughout the first half but the Sooners pulled away in the second half and ended up winning 23-13. Kenny Stills (LCC grad) was the MVP pulling in 7 catches for 125 yards and a TD. Look for Oct. 8th at Texas to be there next toughest match up.

2. LSU Tigers (3-0)- The Tigers have clearly had the hardest schedule among the top 25 teams in college football so far. Week one they pulled off the upset vs the Oregon Ducks. Saturday they had another tough test on the road vs #25 Mississippi State. Known for their their rowdy fans, Mississpippi State could never get their offense rolling as LSU won 19-6. The Tigers defense has really been key this season only allowing 9 pts in their last two games. The schedule doesn't get any easier as they face off at #16 West Virginia next week in a SEC vs ACC showdown.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0)- Their only challenge came last week vs the Penn State Nittney Lions. An all white Happy Valley stadium didn't seam to phase the Tide as they won convincingly 27-11. Of course they are going to have an amazing defense with Nick Saban as coach. This past Saturday, they shut out North Texas 41-0. I am interested in seeing how they do next week when they host #14 Arkansas. The following week they play at #15 Florida so these next two weeks are very crucial for the Tide if they have any aspirations of making it to the National Championship.

4. Boise State Broncos (2-0)- The mid major college is starting off their season great like usual, as they have dominated their first two opponents. Their big victory came week 1 at #19 Georgia. What was intended to be a close game, the Broncos were always in control as the final score ended up being 35-21. They had another tough road game this past Friday at Toledo but again they won easily 40-15. There schedule is very soft like always as the only ranked team they play is #20 TCU on Nov. 12th. All the Broncos can do is win every  game by a wide margin and hope the BCS committee puts them in the Championship game.

5. Wisconsin Badgers (3-0)- I'd say transfer quarter back, Russel Wilson, has adjusted to the Badgers offense quite well. He has put up 791 yards in their first 3 games, throwing 8 TD's to only 1 INT, and also completing 76% of his passes. The Badgers have man handled their first three opponents beating UNLV 51-17, Oregon State 35-0, and Northern Illinois 49-7. The Badgers definitely look like a championship team with a great passing game as well as the two headed monsters (Ball and White) switching off carries. Mark on your calender October 1st as the Badgers will take on the new Big 10 rival #7 Nebraska.

Russell Wilson transferred from NC State earlier this year. His goal is to lead Wisconsin to the National Championship game.

Should Tim Tebow start?

Throughout Denver's Monday Night Football game, there were many chants to put Tim Tebow in the game. Denver's starting quarterback, Kyle Orton, didn't even have that bad of a game himself as he threw for 306 yards. For some reason, Tebow is loved in Denver as his jersey is one of the highest selling jerseys in the league. He is a third string quarterback!

All the fans that think he should start should have seen him in training camp. Tebow got to the point where he could barely hit a wide receiver doing a crossing route. He got demoted to 3rd string quarterback after Brady Quinn outplayed him. Tebow is a very inaccurate thrower who has a lot to work on before he can become a starter in the league. It baffles me that the Denver fans are so frustrated with Orton when he had one of the better passer ratings in the league last season.

Overall, it is a very awkward situation in Denver and the fans really need to support their starting quarterback for now. John Fox is an experienced coach and he knows what he is doing. It will be interesting to see how the Broncos end up this year. They have some talent on the team, but after losing Week 1 to the Raiders, they have a big hill to climb to get where they want to be.

Tim Tebow (left) and Kyle Orton (right).

Week 1 Recap

It was finally nice to turn on our TV's Sunday, and be able to see a real NFL game. There were many surprising scores and performers week 1. Here is the score and star performer of every game.

Redskins 28
Giants 14
MVP: Rex Grossman started off the season well passing for 305 yards, 2 TD's and throwing no picks.

Packers 42
Saints 34
MVP: Aaron Rodgers started off right where he finished last year throwing for 312 yards, 3 TD's and no picks.

Bears 30
Falcons 12
MVP: Brian Urlacher is still one of the best MLB in the game as he had a fumble recovery for a TD as well as an interception.

Bengals 27
Browns 17
MVP: Cedric Benson put his criminal issues behind him Sunday when he rushed for 121 yards and scored a TD.

Bills 41
Chiefs 7
MVP: In the most shocking score of the weekend, Ryan Fitzpatrick passed 208 yards, 4 TDs, and no picks.

Eagles 31
Rams 13
MVP: Lesean McCoy started off his season well rushing for 122 yards and a TD.

Lions 27
Bucs 20
MVP: Calvin Johnson (Megatron) proved he is one of the best WR in the league as he caught 6 passes for 88 yards. Two of those catches were TDs.

Jaguars 16
Titans 14
MVP: In a low scoring game, MJD stood above the rest as he rushed for 97 yards and a TD.

Ravens 35
Steelers 7
MVP: In a surprisingly lopsided game, Ray Rice rushed for 107 yards and a TD, as well as a receiving TD.

Texans 34
Colts 7
MVP: The Texans ran away with this one early as Ben Tate (replacing the injured Foster) rushed for 116 yards and a TD.

Cardinals 28
Panthers 21
MVP: Even though his team lost, Cam Newton had an outstanding first career game as he passed 422 yards and 2 TD. He had 1 INT but made that up with a rushing TD.

Chargers 24
Vikings 17
MVP: Mike Tolbert was all over the field Sunday rushing for 96 yards and scoring all 3 TDs (1 recieving).

49ers 33
Seahawks 17
MVP: Ted Ginn Jr. was the star of Sunday returning a punt and kickoff for TDs.

Jets 27
Cowboys 24
MVP: Nick Folk made a 50 yard field goal with just over a minute left to give the Jets the victory.

Patriots 38
Dolphins 24
MVP: Tom Brady went wild Monday night passing for a whopping 517 yards and 4 TDs. One of those TDs was a 99 yards pass to Wes Welker.

Raiders 23
Broncos 20
MVP: Raiders kicker Stephen Janikowski made history Monday night kicking a 63 yard field goal at the end of the first half. That tied for the longest field goal in the history of the NFL.

Janikowski's 63 yard field goal.

Women's US Open Final

In a shocking result, Serena Williams got destroyed today 6-2, 6-3 in the US Open women's singles final. Samantha Stosur, who had never won a grand slam before today, just simply outplayed Serena. Going into the match, Serena hadn't lost a set the entire tournament. This is quite amazing due to the fact of how much of roller coaster year this has been for Serena Williams. She stepped on glass earlier in the year and had to sit out for a long time. Also she was dealing with some other health problems so she wasn't able to play her first match until a few weeks ago in the pre US Open tournament. She ended up winning that tourny so she was definitely the favorite coming into the US Open. She was obviously ranked very low, #28, due to her not playing the whole year, but all the announcers joked that she was the most dangerous #28 in the history of the US Open. Serena has typically done well in the Open with a overall 56-8 record and a champion in 99, 02, and 08.

We have to give credit to the Aussie, Samantha Stosur, for keeping her composure and not becoming overwhelmed by the large crowds rooting against her in favor of the American, Serena. She was the #9 seed so she isn't a complete no name to women's tennis. This was a huge win for her and a huge confidence booster for her going into next season.

It was a disappointing day for Serena, but it was an excellent run in the tournament, and she will be back next season fully healthy.

Women's tennis star, Serena Williams.