BNBSN-Highlights (September 21-September 27, 2008)

After discussing it with our fellow Bad News Blogger, Josh, I figured it would just be easier to sum up what has been going on weekly instead of daily. That way, I'd have more stuff to write about, and I wouldn't be so busy. ;)

Baseball News:

Firstly I'll start off with what just happened yesterday in the NL East. Yep, that's right. The Phillies proved Carlos Beltran wrong, as they clinched the division for the second time in a row, as they defeated the Washington Nationals 4-3 in Citizens Bank Ballpark. The game ended when Jimmy Rollins made a dazzling diving stop to start a game ending double play. Brad Lidge saved his 41st game of the season, and is still perfect: 41-for-41. With just one game to go, Philadelphia awaits who they will face in the postseason; it will either be one of the Wild Card Milwaukee Brewers, or the NL West winning Los Angeles Dodgers, who won their division thanks to an Arizona Diamondbacks loss against the St. Louis Cardinals in a blowout (12-3) on Thursday.

*This is the 13th consecutive season where Joe Torre has headed to the postseason, and the first time he's done it with Manny Ramirez ON his team. Will they be able to lead the Dodgers to a World Series win? We'll surely find out come October.

Speaking of the Diamondbacks, that wasn't the only disappointing thing that happened the day they lost the division. There has been a lot of talk about one man on that roster who would eventually set a record for strikeouts, and he has finally broken it. Arizona's third basemen Mark Reynolds broke Ryan Howard's single season strikeout record of last year, striking out for the 200th time. The milestone whiff was set in the 2nd inning when Joel Piniero threw a 1-2 pitch that Mark Reynolds wasn't able to check swing. First base umpire Ed Rapuano ruled that Reynolds went around, sending him back to the bench.

*Mark Reynolds currently has 202 K's, Ryan Howard has 199 for the second straight season, and Jack Cust is right behind at 196.

It has really been an exciting week of baseball in the NL Wild Card race. Many thought that the Mets would be safe, whether it was in the division or in the Wild Card. Now that the Mets can no longer win the division, they can only rely on the Wild Card for an appearance in the playoffs. Now they're scuffling to win the Wild Card, as they are currently tied with the Brew Crew. The Brewers finally lost to the Chicago Cubs last night, slowing them down [just a little bit] after a 5 game winning streak. The Mets just played the Cubs and won 2 out of the 4 games in the series. Right now, it all comes down the last game of two series: the Mets/Marlins series and the Brewers/Cubs series. Stay tuned to find out who wins...

*The Brewers and Mets (combined) have won a game via walkoff. Prince Fielder hit a walkoff two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth with 2 outs on Tuesday to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5. Later on in the week, both the Mets and the Brewers won via walkoff. Ryan Braun hit a walkoff grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning two games after Fielder hit his walkoff homer.

**As for the Mets, on the same day Ryan Braun hit his grand slam, Ryan Church slid in beautifully to avoid a tag at home plate to tie the game at 6. One inning later, Carlos Beltran brought in Jose Reyes from second to win the ballgame 7-6. Cubs' Micah Hoffpauir went 5-for-5 in the game, homering twice and falling a triple shy of the cycle. His story was diminished thanks to Beltran and Reyes.

Speaking of September 25th, another story was being told... in Minnesota. The Twins were trailing the Chicago White Sox by 2 1/2 games before they faced off in their final series against each other. The Twins won the first two games, narrowing the White Sox's lead to only a 1/2 game. The White Sox were leading 6-1 in the 4th inning. However, the Twinkies battled back and ended up tying the game in the 8th inning. In the bottom of the 10th, and Nick Punto on third, Alexi Casilla blooped a single in to win the game, sweep the White Sox, and lead the AL Central. They're still ahead of the ChiSox by a 1/2 game, but it's up to the White Sox now. If they win both of their games, they will [at least] tie with the Twins. If they lose once and the Twins win, it's all over. It's going to be a great final couple of games to a great 2008 season.

The finale of the Yankee Stadium era has ended. Mariano Rivera got the final three outs for the last time in "The House that Ruth Built" in a 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Andy Pettitte pitched 5 innings, surrendering 3 runs and picking up his 14th win of the season and ending his 5 game losing streak (a career high). Six [Yankee] Hall of Famers attended the game as well, along with former Yankee center fielder Bernie Williams, Julia Ruth Steven (the daughter of Babe Ruth, and family member of other Yankee greats, who were watching from above. I'm sure Roger Clemens was disappointed that he couldn't join the part of history too, but I guess that's what happens when you... you know...

As many of you may know, the Cubs have clinched the division for the second time in a row, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4. Did you know that it was the first time they clinched the division twice in a row since 1907-1908? Oddly enough,the Cubs won the World Series both of those years, AND that was the last time they ever won a World Series.

The Rays have officially clinched the AL East, and the Boston Red Sox are officially the AL Wild Card.

In other [baseball] news:

Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston signed a two-year contract extension. General manager J.P. Ricciardi got a sigh of relief, as team president Paul Godfrey confirmed that Ricciardi will be back in 2009 as well. Let's see how well they'll do together in a fresh 2009 season. But we're not going to worry about that... it's the end of September!

Chicago Cubs' Jason Marquis hit a grand slam, which was the key hit that helped him get a win over the Mets; 9-5 was the final score. He also became the first pitcher in 26 years to collect 5 RBI's in one game

Gary Sheffield also hit his 498th home run. Getting close to that milestone. He's got two games left to hit 2 home runs to achieve the 500 HR milestone, or else he'll have to wait until next season to do it. If only he didn't get suspended; he would've had a better chance...

Onto NFL News:

The New England Patriots own, Troy Brown, has officially retired. After 15 years with the Pats, Brown walked out of the NFL as the Patriots' leader in catches in a career (557), and second to Stanley Morgan in yards receiving (6,366). We'll miss you, Troy.

Speaking of the Patriots, Miami Dolphins' Ronnie Brown ran for 4 touchdowns (a franchise record) and threw for another touchdown in a 38-13 clobbering over New England. That ended what was a 21 game regular season winning streak.

Reports have been continuing to state that Al Davis, GM of the Oakland Raiders, is sitting on the fence about whether he should fire head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin has said that he's going to assume that Davis is not going to fire him and "keep plugging away the same way [he has] been." Good luck, Lane... at least you're not 0-3 right now.

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Green Bay Packers for the first time ever in Lambeau Field 27-16. Tony Romo threw over 260 yards, and running back Marion Barber ran [a career high] 140 yards.

Despite LaDanian Tomlinson's injury, he was able to rush 67 yards and score 2 touchdowns, as the San Diego Chargers defeated the New York Jets by a score of 48-29. Stunned with losses over the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers in very close games, Philip Rivers redeemed himself, throwing for 3 touchdowns and handing over the ball to the Jets only once. Brett Favre, on the other hand, threw for 3 touchdowns as well, but also had 2 interceptions, which were key to why they lost.

College Football News:

Onto the good stuff...

Hmm...where to start? How about we go with the (once) #1 ranked team: USC. Freshman Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State ran for 186 yards and scored 2 touchdowns in a shocking upset over the "unstoppable" USC Trojans, 27-21. The loss by USC was marked just the sixth time in AP poll history the [ranked] #1 team was beaten by an unranked team before October; the last time it happened was in 1985 when Tennessee defeated Auburn. I think people would refer to that as the biggest upset of the week... quite possibly of the year.

Yesterday was the University of Michigan's 500th game in the Big House. Wolverines'coach Rich Rodriguez was hailed for the first time as their coach, as Michigan was able to come back from a 19 point deficit against the University of Wisconsin, the largest comeback in Big House history, and the largest one in team history since they defeated the University of Minnesota in an away game back in 2003 when they were down by 21. UM defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 27-25, who as ranked 9th before the game. Boy, these rankings really mean something nowadays, don't they?

And there's one more. Don't think I forgot about the Ole Miss. Mississippi, another unranked team, defeated another highly ranked team: the Florida Gators! No gator bait clapping this week. Tim Tebow and the Gators were up 17-7 at the break, but I guess the Ole Miss coach pumped up his team and they came back to win it 31-30. It was the first time Tim Tebow ever stood up on a podium and apologized for his poor game (he never had to). The Ole Miss quarterback, Jevan Snead, threw for was involved in 3 touchdowns (one rushing, and two passing). Kentrell Lockett's block of a Florida PAT late in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference.

Maryland also defeated a ranked team: Clemson. Down 17-6, Maryland came back to win it 20-17. Their defense definitely got the job done in this game [in the second half], holding Clemson to just 31 yards on the ground after allowing 204 in the first half.

Other Sports News:

The United States defeated Europe (16 1/2 - 11 1/2) for the Ryder Cup. It was the largest margin of victory for the Americans since 1981. It's also the first time the U.S. has won this prestigious championship in 9 years.

NASCAR has decided to toughen its drug policy and will test all drivers in the three national series before the start of the 2009 season. Officials and licensed crew members will be tested as well.

Just Gloating a Little Bit...

I'm allowed to enjoy it a little right? The Philadelphia Phillies are the National League East Champions by virtue of their 4-3 win against the Washington Nationals. They look to open their NLDS series in Philadelphia against either the Brewers or Dodgers next Wednesday.

TGIF Daily "Linkin' Logs" (9/26/08)

If you haven't noticed already (and your head is in the sand), the battle for middle earth has begun on Capital Hill today. Democrats jeering a lack of regulation, Republicans clamoring a need to help Wall Street Banks and Americans just needing help all saw a plan come to fruition and then fall apart by a group of small government Republicans. For right or wrong, it should be a long day (and weekend) in the nation's capital.

Meanwhile Washington Mutual finally bit the dust, resulting in the biggest bank collapse ever (though one might suggest, with inflation, it could not be, I have not researched this). A bank failure is not atypical during times like these, but is strikingly ridiculous considering the American experience in the Great Depression and the existence of the FDIC (i.e. relax folks, your money is fine, leave it at the bank). Washington Mutual has been rated a going concern for years and yet, only now, with mass hysteria, has it fallen.

Enough business (you can click on ft.com yourself), last night the New York Mets saved their season. With Milwaukee topping Pittsburgh in 10, the Mets needed a little magic of their own, provided by none other than overpaid Carlos Beltran. Thus leaving the Phillies in first place of the NL East by one game and the Mets and Brewers tied atop the wild card. All teams control their destiny (as it were), win out and you play a 163rd game (at least). If the Phillies win out, they win the NL East. Should the Mets win one more game than the Phillies (over the next 3), then the Mets win the East (by virtue of a season series lead, 11-7) unless the Brewers have a better record than both, in which case the Phillies and Mets would play a game next week to decide the champion. The Mets must keep pace with the Brewers (and vica versa) and should they be tied, they would play to get in. The same applies to the Phillies, should the Mets pace them, but they tie with the Brewers. Should all three teams tie, the Mets and Phillies would square off to decide the division and then the loser would play the Brewers for the Wild Card.

The Dodgers already took care of business. They are in and await either the Phillies (in which they'll travel to Philadelphia first) , the Mets (same scenario) or the Cubs (if the Brewers win the WC). The AL on the other hand is all but set. Assuming the Rays can win a game this weekend, they'll claim the AL East and prepare for Chicago, while the Red Sox will pack up and head out west to face the Angels (who have secured home field throughout). Should the Rays back into the playoffs (no very likely, but possible), they'll head out west while the Red Sox take on the White Sox in Boston. These scenarios are much simpler. The real hitch will rest in weather this weekend, as many games stand a chance to be cancelled or post-poned with serious impact on the playoffs.

• Things keep getting worse for the Colts, who are still better (record-wise) without Bob Sanders than with him (unless you count the Superbowl)
• Perhaps the most interesting nugget of the day from PFT: Apparently Roy Williams (the receiver, for the love of god, the receiver!) is on the market, though the Lions deny it. Florio lists (basically) the NFC East to have interests, with the Giants having issues with Plexiglass, the Eagles having issues with...well...having a receiver and the Cowboys having that smug asshole, Jerruh Jones in their front office thinking the NFL is a grab bag for him to add receivers. One has to think the Eagles could be a frontrunner, based on their multiple first round picks as well as oft-injured and always upset Lito Sheppard, though the Eagles unwillingness to pay too much(read, "a lot" in any way) will probably force them to play against Dallas and New York.
  
• Thefightins.com issue their official public thanks to Mark Reynolds, the new strike out king
• Feeling bad? TFB. 10 ways to insult Cleveland, via EC
• Mike Mussina retiring?
• Colin Cowherd...dipshit
• And finally, lastrowsports.com gives us: The Greatest Beer Commercial ever...ever...ever...ever

UPDATE: I figure we might be able to top the "And Finally" today (ok, not really, but...), while "preparing" for the debate tonight, I think I found the goldmine for entertainment. The Presidential Debating Drinking Game Rules...Finish all the liquor if McCain says "Listen, the mutherfucking surge worked!"

Afternoon Coffee Daily "Linkin' Logs" (9/25/08)

The news is grand in Detroit. As mentioned yesterday in my shortened links, Matt Millen was canned as Detroit Lions GM.

From the article,William Clay for was quoted as saying in a statement: “I have relieved Matt Millen of his duties effective immediately. I believe that this decision is in the best interest of this organization. I appreciate Matt’s efforts. Matt worked tirelessly during his tenure to win, and he would be the first one to tell you that you have to win in this league. It just didn’t work out.

“The support of our fans continues to be incredible and they deserve a winner. Every decision we make must focus on that goal, and I believe this decision today will allow this team to move forward in a positive manner.

“I am very disappointed with where we are as a team after our start this season. Our sole focus now is preparing for our next game against Chicago. The entire organization must work together and do whatever we can to make this a successful season. Despite our record, it is still early and there is time to turn this season around.

“These decisions are for the duration of the 2008 season. Once the season is over, we will undergo a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of our entire football operation and put together a plan that we believe will transform this team into a winner.”

Really, the fans of Detroit deserve a winner. The fans of an NFL franchise that has won exactly one NFL playoff game in the last 50 years, suffered under the worst regime in the NFL over the last 7 years, the fans of a team that odds are, if they are not baby boomers have never seen Detroit even remotely close to the pinnacle of success deserve a winner?

Is there a stronger word than deserve? Merriam-Webster's Thesaurus suggests there is not. The point of this is, the Ford family is an utter joke at leading this franchise. It is entirely one thing, to make a poor decision in hiring a GM, but its entirely different to allow such an insolent and ineffective GM to run hog wild for 7 years. And when Steve Mariucci believes you're ineffective...and blatantly unqualified, then perhaps there's an issue that should have been resolved, in, oh say, 2003.

My respected Detroit fans, your franchise's owners have been sucking at the tit of the NFL for years, ripping you and the NFL off for being a complete waste of a franchise in one of the 11 largest metro areas in the United States. Its a travesty that you have suffered through this era with Millen, but even more of a tragedy that you must live with the Ford Family taking you and your franchise to the cleaners.

You deserve a winner, the Fords do not.

• Is anyone interested in winning an NL playoff spot?
• Does Drew Rosenhaus even have an ounce of credibility anymore? I'm impressed owners haven't blackballed him already, but given his situation with Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown, something tells me the players might already be moving that way.
• For a little Cubbie history
• Awful Announcing makes a run at the "Worst pun of the Year" Award (see if you catch it...it almost seems like even they missed it)
• Benches cleared in Philly last night...it was either Shane Victorino calling Julian Tavarez ugly or some mysterious bomb...err hot dogs
• Hank Steinbrenner proclaims that he dislikes the divisional system in baseball, basically taking a swipe at the Dodgers and suggesting they don't belong because they had an inferior record to the Yankees:

"The biggest problem is the divisional setup in major league baseball. I didn't like it in the 1970s, and I hate it now. Baseball went to a multidivision setup to create more races, rivalries and excitement. But it isn't fair. You see it this season, with plenty of people in the media pointing out that Joe Torre and the Dodgers are going to the playoffs while we're not. This is by no means a knock on Torre - let me make that clear-but look at the division they're in. If L.A. were in the AL East, it wouldn't be in the playoff discussion. The AL East is never weak."

The Yankees currently have the fourth best winning percentage in the AL, 6th in MLB (tied with the Brewers and Mets at 87-71). If the Yankees were in the NL West (or AL Central), its true they'd be in the playoffs. If the Yankees were in the AL West, NL East or NL Central, they would not. If you use the 1969-1994 system, the Yankees would have missed the playoffs on the basis of the Red Sox and Rays making it, and therefore rendering the Yankees 3rd (at best) finish in the AL East worthless. Take it further to a pre-1969 situation and since the Yankees aren't first, they're out.

So to answer Hank's question, yes they have one of the top 8 records in baseball, and if we followed that, they would be in, but that system has never existed (and I don't think it will), so its a moot point to even consider the Dodgers. I don't remember Phillies, Blue Jays, Red Sox, or Angels bellyaching when the Cardinals won the World Series in 2006 with 83 wins (having the 5th best record in the NL, 12th in MLB).

Besides, you want to complain about unfair rules, ask the Toronto Blue Jays about being the smallest market in the MLB and still managing pretty good records with no playoff births.

• And finally, courtesy of Epic Carnival, If you haven't heard me rave in my excitement over American Gladiators, let's get to know Gina Carano...
  

Walker-Sports Meet & Greet:Erin Andrews meet Kelli Johnson

Okay so everyone and their brother knows who Erin Andrews is. I know we have done our part to make her as famous as possible (like she needs our help). However, she is by no way the only hot sideline reporter out there. Here in the Washington D.C. area we are bless to have Kelli Johnson. Washington Redskins reporter, she also follows the Capitals. And best of all she actually knows what she is talking about. Check her out and let us know what you think.

Returning Daily "Linkin' Logs" (9/24/08)

Sometime we'll have to teach Romi, how to use blogger (and not wiki, which caused the formatting errors). But I thought he did a good job and I appreciate it. I just got back from some serious business, but all's well now. Just a few links tonight to keep things current.

• SSReporters tells us Sunday Night Football home teams...well, they suck
• Geez, it only took them 7 years to figure out Matt Millen is terrible...
• Plexiglass suspended?
• Rodney Harrison (the pot) calls Ricky Williams (the kettle) black. And yes, that sentence had all kinds of irony.
  
• Yours and mine's (and AA's) favorite NFL Broadcast map.
• AA also tells us Hawk Harrelson is...incredibly retarded
• And finally, Jay the Joke tells us about the new Beer Ban in Wrigleyville (and the stunning ridiculosity of it all!)
  

Walker-Sports Top 25 Poll:Who Doesnt Love UGA?

The week is done, and for once Georgia actually did something to deserve their rank (congrats to them). Elsewhere, with SEC action kicking off, that almost guarantees there will be some movement in the Top 25. Let’s see how things shook out.


1)Georgia Bulldogs: They went on the road across the country and beat a good ASU team. And why the score was 27-10, the win was much more impressive than that. The Georgia Bulldogs made a statement and their defense dominated the opposition.


2) USC: The Trojans enjoyed a week off, and for all intents and purposes they can put it into cruise control till January when they play in the BCS Championship game. The key will be maintaining focus and not allowing a mishap like they had against Stanford last season.


3) Oklahoma: The Sooners rested this weekend, and are gearing up for another tough Big 12 schedule. Although Stoops won’t admit it, it is my belief that he has a very special team on his hands this season. Let’s just hope they can avoid their annual pitfall to Oklahoma State.


4) Florida Gators: What a show the Gators put on at Neyland Stadium in Tennessee. I knew they Gators could beat the Vols, but they way they dismantled that team was very impressive. That is why they managed to jump the Mizzu Tigers in this week’s poll. Impressive wins are always rewarded.


5) Missouri Tigers: The Tigers got the big win last weekend against Buffalo, but it looks like some of their players may be reading too many of their own press clippings. The Tigers had a very sloppy game that saw three fumbles by their wide outs. This is a talented team, but they will need to tighten up if they want to survive the Big 12.


6) LSU: Gutsy Gusty Gutsy performance this weekend against Auburn. Hell, scoring 26 points against that team was impressive in its own right. LSU may be the quietest big name player in the title hunt today. They are playing very good football, and largely have been overlooked by most. The win over Auburn gives them the leg up on a trip to ATL to play for the SEC Championship.


7) Wisconsin: The Badgers are about to go one a one month stretch that will determine their entire season. If they win all their games, they will factor into the national title race. If they lose even two of them, then it’s back to the Capital One Bowl. At Michigan, followed by home games against Ohio State and Penn State. All three games are anything but a give men (yes I realize Michigan is on that list). October could be a big month in Badger country.


8) Texas: Okay they destroyed another mediocre school from the state of Texas. I’m beginning to think that Mack Brown is taking all his scheduling hints from the king of the Ohio Cup Jim Tressel and OSU. Texas rolled Rice, next week they take on a horrible looking Arkansas team. The test for the Longhorns begins in two weeks when they face the Sooners, and turn around and have to play Missouri the following week. That could make or break the Longhorns season.


9) Alabama: I cannot believe Nick Saban made this turnaround this quickly. I don’t like the guy but he is a helluva coach. A balanced attack that is explosive on offense and special teams, and a defense that knows how to go out and find the ball. Saban is making me a believer that his Alabama team could factor into the SEC Championship race.


10) Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are here because I cannot demote them for having the most cupcake schedule in the world. In all honesty this is a team that still barely cracks the top half of the Big 12. Another big win over UMass (I didn’t know they played football) and now the Red Raiders are ready for a reality check in the Big 12 season.


11) South Florida: There is a disturbing trend with this team they give up way too many points late in games. Last week they gave up 9 points in about 3 minutes in the fourth and all of a sudden a lock game becomes a close one. Lucky for the Bulls, they play in the Big East and WVU has proven they can’t beat anyone.


12) BYU: Another week and another shutout victory. The most impressive part of this BYU team may be their defense which now has back to back shutouts. They are just waiting to play cross state rival Utah and then punch their ticket to crash the BCS. The Rose Bowl committee should be looking at this team.


13) Penn State: Much like Alabama, this years Penn State team is a squad I am gaining confidence in. Granted beating Temple is something that any Div IA school should be able to do. PSU opens its Big 10 schedule next week, against Illinois. From then on it will be full throttle for the Lions who will need to win each week to keep pace with the Badgers.


14) Auburn: They may have lost to LSU at home, but one thing Auburn can take away from Saturday’s football game is they have settled on a QB. Chris Todd actually had a good day at QB. Now Auburn will have to build on that and put last week’s game behind them. There is still a lot of football left to play on the season.


15) Ohio State: Terrelle Pryor is looking to make his impact be felt immediately at Ohio State. He got the first start of his career only four games into his freshmen season, and more importantly he got the win. With Beanie Wells’ health still in question Pryor gives the Buckeyes more options on offense due to his athleticism. Granted a 28-10 win over Troy is not what you expect from OSU, it is a building block.


16) Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons placed their mark on the 2008 ACC season by knocking off FSU in Tallahassee. What’s even more impressive is how the Deacons did it, they were held to just 59 yards on the ground, and their normally reliable kicker was horrible missing 4 attempts. Yet somehow they came away with the win.


17) Utah: It took a late TD run with 58 ticks left on the clock to keep Utah’s magical season alive. They have not been able to blow out teams the way BYU has, but somehow the Utes are finding away. Maybe they can recapture the glory of their 2004 run to a BCS game.


18) Clemson: Finally we saw the Clemson team that was ranked inside the top 10 in all the preseason polls. Too bad the Tigers had to step down and play a Div IAA team, to get the blow out victory. The Tigers travel to Wake Forest next weekend; this could be an interesting game and will have a long term affect on the ACC standings.


19) Kansas: QB Todd Reesing is the hero of this Jayhawks team, and they will go as far as his arm can take them. That being said, they probably will not finish higher than fourth overall in the Big 12. Just not enough firepower out in Kansas this season.


20) Illinois: Lying dormant this past weekend, Illinois could be facing a rude wakeup call next week when they take on a hot PSU team. Illinois may not be the cream of the crop this year, but they can play spoiler to plenty of Big 10 teams. Do that enough and they could luck up and be in a BCS game again like they were last year.


21) Fresno State: 55-54, last one out turn off the lights. That was the story last weekend when Fresno St. took on Toledo, in one of the highest scoring football games you will find anywhere. I like the Fresno team, they just have toughness about them, and I love that they will go anywhere to play anyone.


22) TCU: Every couple years TCU pops up with a surprising season, and this year could be one of those. Next week they have the chance to play spoiler against the Oklahoma Sooners. The result of that game could vault TCU into the top 15 or drop them from the poll, it could be very interesting.


23) Vanderbilt: Undefeated… Ranked in the Top 25? This is not your typical Vandy team. After a 24 year drought Vandy is here, and they are ready to stay, well at least for one more week. A game against Miss St. next week should allow Vandy to remain ranked till the hit the meat of their SEC schedule.


24) Boise St.: They got their first road win against a BCS team this weekend and now they are back in the top 25. Once again Boise seems ready to make their typical run. While it is doubtful this one will have the magical ending they experienced a couple years ago, it is always fun to watch them play on that blue turf.


25) Oregon: The Ducks are accepting all applications for QB’s who have any experience at the D-I level. Oregon dropped a home game to Boise St. last weekend and now they are trying to find their way. Injuries appear to be ready to decimate this team once again.

Daily Links: September 23, 2008

What's up everyone? I'm filling in for Justin today, as he said that he's a little busy for the next couple of days. I apologize for the lack of football news. I couldn't seem to find anything; maybe I just didn't look hard enough.

Baseball

“He’s a little tender.” Those were four words that Terry Francona said once he realized what Julio Lugo’s new situation was. According to RotoWorld, it was said that Boston Red Sox’ former starting shortstop felt “optimistic” about playing again this season. According to an article in the Boston Globe, Lugo was feeling pretty good about “possibly” starting again during this season… until he pulled his left quadricep once again while taking infield practice [fielding groundballs]. According to Boston Herald, if he gets the chance to play, the shortest time he’d have to wait is after the first round of the playoffs.

It looks like Joe Crede has played his last game for the Chicago White Sox. A free agent after this season, Crede’s locker has been cleared out already, as well as his nameplate. He is currently trying to recover from back problems. For more information, go to this link that leads to the Chicago Tribune.

Pedro Alvarez has agreed to a new deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The no. 2 draft pick for 2008 have reworked a guaranteed $6.355 million according to a Monday report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Alvarez will sign the contract following a physical later on this week. For more information, click on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link here.

Many of you know Wally Joyner as a baseball player in the ‘80s to early 2000’s. However, in case you didn’t know, he was the San Diego Padres’ hitting coach this season. Anyway, getting to the point, he turned in his resignation letter to GM Kelvin Towers on Monday. The Padres’ main problem, according to many people, has been their offense, so I’m surprised they didn’t let him go since they were able to win 89 games last season, and have only been able to win 61 with 6 games left to play. “It bothers me a lot that I have come to the point where it is clear that I need to move on,” Joyner said. “I came to the job hoping to put my experience and ideas to good use in teaching and coaching the Padres' hitters, but it has become obvious to me in the past few months that the organization's approach is different from mine.” Click on the San Diego Union Tribune link here.

Basketball

Sacramento Kings’ Shareef Abdur-Rahim has officially announced his retirement. The 12 year forward played with the Vancouver Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trailblazers, and of course, the Sacramento Kings. He made the 2002 All-Star team, and was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 2000 (who won it all that year). We thank you, Shareef, for your diligence on and off the court. Here is a link that leads to more information about his retirement, his accomplishments, and what he had to say.

In other news, The New York Knicks just can’t seem to get rid of Zach Randolph. Knicks president Donnie Walsh was most recently in discussions with the Memphis Grizzlies. However, it has been said that the Grizzlies decided to pass on Randolph. Poor Knicks…

Until next time, this is Romi Ezzo, saying goodbye.

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