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.