Top Ten Sports Stories of 2010

Time to start a new tradition. I said "new" because my Top Ten isn't solely for comedic purposes like David Letterman. Sports left a huge impression on the year 2010 and it's time to see what stories I felt where the most influential.

10. Chicago Winning the Stanley Cup. It was their First Stanley Cup in 49 years and they overcame the Flyers 4 games to 2. This Title, however, may have handicapped the team for years to come as the franchise has had to deal many of the players away because of Salary Cap issues. But at least they won the Cup this year.

9. Tiger Woods Continual Fall from Grace. Tiger not only lost many sponsors but lost all the tournaments he played in. He failed miserably at all the Majors and just couldn't find any relief from the lower tournaments. Tiger would actually lose his #1 spot by the end of the Golf Season.

8. All College Football Controversies. This includes Reggie Bush having to give his Heisman back, Cam Newton's father asking for money for his son's services, Terrelle Pryor selling some of his personal things, and the NCAA so called reactions to those issues. These scandals (if they can be called that) all have to do with money and speak to the fact that College Football's so called "Amateur" status is perhaps false.

7. The Resurrection of Michael Vick's Career. Not many were sure what was going to happen with Vick this season but when Kolb got injured, he stepped in a and performed superbly. He has struggled lately but has managed to make a comeback and work past the shame of his past.

6. The Year of the Pitcher in Baseball and the Imperfect Game. 5 No Hitters were thrown in the regular season with 1 more being thrown in the postseason by Roy Halladay. Halladay actually threw a Perfect Game during the regular season along with Dallas Braden. We would of had 3 Perfect Games if not for Jim Joyce's infamous call of "Safe" at first when Armando Galarraga was pitching for the Tigers.

5. The US-Canada Gold Medal Game of Hockey at Vancouver. Though the US lost, it was deserving that the Canadians had won gold at their National Pastime event and in front of a Canadian audience. Who else but Sid the Kid scores the Gold Clinching Goal in OT.

4. Rafael Nadal completing his career Grand Slam. He won the US Open back in September and has won every Grand Slam tournament at one time or another. He currently has 9 Grand Slam Titles and is 7 behind Federer. A long way to go if he wants to catch Roger but now he has achieved a rarity.

3. The Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV, 31-17. It was the team's first Super Bowl title and it was a godsend for the city of New Orleans. It was especially impressive that they did it beating the Colts who had had won every game they had tried to win that year.

2. LeBron's Decision to go South Beach. It was an epic move to announce a Free Agency decision over Prime Time TV and too many it was arrogant and pompous. This kind of move especially hurt the feelings of everyone in Cleveland as they immediately started to burn his jerseys. The Triple Heat in Miami is starting to play well and is likely to spark a flame in the playoffs.

1. The 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was an amazing spectacle to watch and there were so many stories around it like the bad calls, Landon Donovan's miracle goal, Paul the Octopus, the loud Vuvuzelas, and of course Spain winning their First World Cup Title. It was long overdue for this proud Football nation and they will likely be enjoying that win for years to come.

None of those were my personal favorite story of the year, however. That story was the Giants winning the World Series for the first time in their 52 year history in San Francisco. No one gave the Giants any chance to win it at any point during the year and the fact they had even gotten there surprised everyone. It was certainly an underdog story that the San Francisco Bay Area will remember forever.

2010 has been a great year for sports indeed. The Biggest regret: no Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. I see a New Years Resolution item for boxing.

The UConn Winning Streak is Over

It was just a couple of weeks ago that the Brett Favre streak of consecutive games started came to an end. Yesterday, another significant sports streak was snapped but not in football but women's basketball. The UConn's Women's Basketball team had won 90 straight games and went into to play Stanford for 91 who they had beaten for a National Title back in April. However, this game was different than the previous 90. Stanford got out to an early lead and managed to keep that lead throughout the game. Stanford beats UConn and ends the 90 game winning streak, 71-59.

Good things must come to an end in everything, even for the UConn Women's Basketball team. They have been undefeated for the last two full seasons at 39-0 a piece with Two National Titles. Ironically, the last time they lost a game before tonight was against Stanford in the 2008 NCAA Semifinals round, 82-73. This was the longest winning streak in Division I basketball having just past UCLA's mark of 88 over a week ago. This streak marks the success of the UConn's Women's team as perhaps the greatest Women's basketball team ever assembled. To solidify their chances of that greatness, they will probably need to win a 3rd straight title.

It has been quite a run anyway you look at. UConn may have lost their first game in 2 1/2 years but they are still top dogs.

The NCAA "Doesn't" Play Favorites? BOWL SHIT!!!

You know when you ask the parent which is their favorite child and they tell you up front and to the public they don't have favorites, that they love all their kids equally (yeah right). Well the NCAA pulled off their version of this when they said they were not being selective of their eligibility rules and their rule enforcement. They also added "Money is not a motivator or factor as to why one school would get a particular decision versus another. Any insinuation that revenue from bowl games in particular would influence NCAA decisions is absurd, because schools and conferences receive that revenue, not the NCAA."

This is the part where I say "Yeah, and I'm Miss America."

For the allegations against Cam Newton, the NCAA found evidence that his father asked for money but declared Cam was eligible. Does anyone in the country actual believe that Cam wasn't involve in this? Of those who said yes, how far is your head buried in the dirt? Of course this case is not necessarily what you think but what you can prove and they "couldn't" prove that Cam was involved. Auburn also had a SEC title game vs. South Carolina and the Gamecocks had previously beaten Alabama earlier that year. Plus you have to keep TCU out of the top 2 spots for rating sakes.

As for the Ohio State suspensions, if it's not about money, why not suspend them now? The NCAA just said they get none of the money from the Bowl Games so why not suspend Terrelle Pryor and the other players? Here's why: Because they know the bowl games are huge for "College" football as a whole and want everyone watching them. They get positive publicity when the best "College" football players are participating in these games. Plus, Ohio State has a proud football tradition and the NCAA indirectly benefits when they are the highlight of one of the Big 4 Bowl games. You think baseball doesn't benefit when the Yankees win the World Series? What about for the NFL when the Cowboys are in the Super Bowl? And the NBA benefiting from the Lakers and the Celtics recent success and rivalry?

You want the criticisms to stop? Suspend the Buckeyes now, grill Cam Newton till he pops, AND PUT IN A DAMN PLAYOFF SYSTEM!!!

More Bad News for Favre

The end of Brett Favre's career seems to not be ending fast enough. Favre has just been fined $50K by the NFL for failing to cooperate with the league in the course of it's investigation of Favre during the Sterger case. However, Roger Goodell says that he couldn't conclude whether or not Favre violated the personal conduct policy just yet. Joseph Conway, who is Jenn Sterger's attorney, has said in critical response "It clearly shows that an NFL star player was given preferential treatment and tells all other players that failure to cooperate may cost you some money but will not result in other punishment." Conway also said "today's decision is an affront to all females and shows once again that, despite tough talk, the NFL remains the good old boys' league,"

On top of this news from the NFL and Conway's response, Favre has failed a concussion test earlier today. The last game of the season is Sunday vs the Lions and it will likely be the last game Favre attends as part of an NFL team. It would be nice if he were able to play one more game and finish strong. Right now it seems unclear if he will start but if things don't improve Joe Webb might start for another game.

Fine by the league, concussions, bad stats; I'm amazed Favre hasn't retired in the middle of all of the season. He might as well be retired with the way things are going. It's a pity, though. Most great athletes of all sports end their career on a low note looking to rebound. Favre was just like many Hall of Famers who just wanted to go out like John Elway: Winning a Super Bowl (or two) and retiring. Many just don't go out like that, however. Many are like Favre who struggle near the end wanting to prove they still got something left when all they really have is just a aged body who can't take it anymore. It's worse for Favre, though, as he's going through all this with a scandal hanging over his head. I'm not saying what he did, if true, isn't a bad thing, it is. I'm just saying it's a larger than usual fall from the top.

Monday and Tuesday Night Football?

Week 16 was supposed to end with the last Monday Night game of the year in Atlanta with the Saints vs. the Falcons. The Falcons were trying to get Home Field Advantage throughout the playoffs. The Saints still wanted to win the NFC South and barely held on to that dream beating the Falcons, 17-14. Drew Brees threw 2 INTs earlier but didn't lose morale as he threw the game winning TD to Rookie Jimmy Graham with 3:24 to go. The Falcons are still in the driver's seat for Home Field Advantage as they can get that by beating the Panthers this Sunday.

There was still one game to play, however, in week 16 as Sunday Night Football was moved to Tuesday night because of a blizzard. It was the first game the NFL had on a Tuesday Night since 1946. That was not the biggest surprise for the Eagles this weekend as they actually lost the postponed game to the Vikings, 24-14. Vikings had 6 sacks, 2 Fumbles and an INT in their effort to take down Michael Vick. Meanwhile, Viking's rookie QB, Joe Webb, had a good night throwing for 195 Yards and ran for 31 yards, also getting a rushing TD. He played well and didn't cost his team the game. Eagles are now stuck with the #3 seed and will likely rest players for the upcoming postseason.

Week 16 is finally over. The regular season ends this weekend with all of week 17's game being played on Sunday. Last chance for the Rams and the Seahawks.

Pats Get to Stay Home, More Giants Humiliation, Chiefs Take the AFC West and More

Week 16 of NFL is not over but there are some very newsworthy games and playoff implications because of those games. The Patriots clinched the biggest prize a team can attain during the regular season: Home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Pats beat the Bills, 34-3, to get this achievement and are now 13-2. Tom Brady threw for just 140 yards but threw 3 TDs and the ground game combined for 217 yards with BenJarvus Green-Ellis leading the way with 104 yards. They can now breeze through their last game of season against the Dolphins if they so choose.

As for the rest of the NFL, the Giants can't get a break. They lose again, this time to the Packers, 45-17. Aaron Rodgers made his return throwing for 404 yards and 4 TDs. Packers now control their own destiny (Giants don't anymore) and can clinch a Wild Card spot by beating the Bears in Chicago next week. As for the Bears, they are still playing for a possible bye week and beat the Jets, 38-34. Jay Cutler threw for 215 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT to get the win. Mark Sanchez did well too but threw a decisive INT to Chris Harris with less than a minute to play. However, the Jets get a Wild Card spot, anyway, due to the Jaguars losing to the Redskins in OT, 20-17. David Garrard also threw a INT but in OT to lead to a Graham Gano field goal.

As for the AFC West, the Chiefs won there game over the Titans, 34-14. Matt Cassell threw for 314 yards and 3 TDs to give his team the win. The Chiefs would win the AFC West Title later in the day thanks to this win and the Chargers losing to the Bengals, 34-20. The Bengals eventually pulled away in the 4th quarter and Carson Palmer had a great day throwing for 269 yards and 4 TDs. The Chargers are now eliminated from playoff contention. With the Jaguars losing, the Colts gain a game advantage over Jacksonville by beating the Raiders, 31-26. The Colts are now balancing the play calling by running the ball for 39 times and 191 yards. As for the NFC West, the Rams beat the 49ers, 25-17, and the Seahawks lost to the Bucs, 38-15. The Rams will play the Seahawks for the West Division title in the final week.

The NFL and the Eagles make a move deserving of a wedgie. The Eagles-Vikings game has been postponed to Tuesday night due to a blizzard. What ever happened to toughing it out and playing in extreme conditions like the Ice Bowl. This could've been the Blizzard Bowl, but now it's the Pansy Bowl. Falcons will fight for home field advantage tonight when they take on the Saints.

P.S. Mike Singletary has been fired by the 49ers for making Jed York look like an idiot... again. Who called it?

P.P.S. Idiot part going back when York guaranteed the 49ers would still win the NFC West. Can we get new owners?

Should Singletary be Fired?

This season has been nothing but a struggle for the 49ers. They started the season with 5 losses and just couldn't recover from that. They haven't beaten a good team all year and have fallen way short of expectations of myself and others. Natural instincts will of course be to fire Mike Singletary now or after the end of the season next week. But does he deserve to be fired? He's only coached two full seasons in the NFL and has had to deal with Alex Smith for both. Plus you have to consider the possible lockout looming over the NFL in 2011 and whether you want to hire a coach that may not get to know the players until the season supposedly begins. I would give him one more season to impress me and then fire him if he fails.

But of course whether he deserves to be fired or not is irrelevant in this league or world for that matter. The simple fact is that sports nowadays is an instant gratification arena like the real world. There is no patience anymore for player development and coaching development either. You need to win now or show signs of improvement or you're fired. Singletary has, regrettably, gone backwards with a now 5-10 record as opposed to the 8-8 record attained last year. Plus, if I'm the GM, I'd be tempted to fire Singletary and try to get Bill Cowher, if possible, even though he hasn't expressed any interest in coaching the 49ers.

You also have to think about the QB situation going forward. The 49ers are not going to resign Alex Smith. THEY ARE NOT, YOU HEAR ME, THEY'RE NOT!!! If an eventual coaching change is going happen, it's better to make it now with a new QB of his choosing and not Singletary's.

Bottom line: Mike's going to get fired. Probably at the end of the season but it will come.

P.S. 500TH POSTING!!! It's a new milestone for the Khan.

The X-Mas Games

Christmas Day came and went bringing joy and debt to millions of people. And to help get their minds off that newly created debt, there were the Christmas Day Games. 5 NBA games were featured on Christmas with the highlight being the Heat vs. the Lakers. Miami outscored the Lakers in every quarter and won the game 96-80. No Laker scored more than 20 points while Chris Bosh and LeBron James did. James had 27 and Bosh had 24. The other games had the Magic beating the Celtics 86-78, the Thunder beating the Nuggets 114-106, the Knicks beating the Bulls 103-95, and the Warriors beating the Trail Blazers 109-102.

The NFL had their own Christmas Day game with the Cowboys facing the Cardinals. Arizona grabbed an early lead thanks to a couple of INTs returned for a TD early on. The Cowboys managed to claw back, however, and took the lead, 26-24, with less than 2 minutes to go. It was a pity they missed the extra point on that score as the Cardinals managed to get one more drive together for a game winning field goal by Jay Feely from 48 yards away leaving about 5 seconds left. Cardinals win, 27-26.

Interesting Christmas Day games with the big performance coming from the Heat. Looks like the Heat are ready for tougher opponents or the Lakers were drunk from eggnog. Hope you had a Merry Christmas.

P.S. Let's applaud the NHL who didn't schedule any games for this Christmas Day. True they are less popular than the NBA and the NFL but they had the decency to let the players, staff, and arena workers rest.

Twas the Night Before the Christmas Games

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the big house
Not a player was up, not even sitting on the couch
The Stockings were hung by the chimney with care
getting warm and dry for a Christmas game, to wear

The Players all slept and rested with ease
And dreamed of a win for their fans to appease.
All year long they’ve waited and dreamed of this day
To be paid millions of dollars on Christmas to play

But what of those who worked selling food to the fans
“F**k them,” said the country and those in the stands
“Who cares if they spend Christmas at home
I spent good money to be in this dome.”

Then a man came down the chimney but who could it be
Why it was Santa all tickled with his jolly good glee
He put down his bag filled with gifts galore
And put the presents under the tree and right on the floor

Gloves for Mark Sanchez to handle the ball
So he wouldn’t fumble when sacked and then have to crawl
A Golf club for Tiger to get him back in gear
And to replace the one his wife took last year

A hockey stick for one Sid the Kid
In the event that he should start to skid
And for Jim Joyce, the umpire who can’t see
A pair of glasses for him to call “Out” number three

A racquet for Federer and his great hands
So he can have a chance at another Grand Slam
A camera for Belichick to spy on the other team
And be able to pull off a even more brilliant scheme

Some money for Cam’s father, just in case
But don’t tell anyone, the Heisman trophy, they’ll take
Some cleats for Kyle Brotzman to fix his rare glitch
SO DON’T MISS ANOTHER FIELD GOAL YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!

And when Santa was done, he picked up his sack
But before he left, he looked for a snack
He saw only crumbs on a plate and the milk was all gone
He then remembered Rex Ryan likes to eat before dawn

He went up the chimney and went to his sleigh
Saying “let the players have fun on this Christmas day”
And off he went to spread his good cheer
To wish Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

It has been a great time for this sports season
But there is so much to look forward to and with good reason
As I go, I wish for something else in spite
“Come on, Floyd Mayweather, make the damn fight.”

(Or simply Merry Christmas to all, even the Yankees, and good night)

Terrelle Pryor Suspended for 5 Games... Next Year?

Some more controversy for the hypocratic sport of college football came out today. Terrelle Pryor and 4 other Ohio State Buckeyes players have been hit with suspensions for 5 games apiece. Why the suspensions? Pryor and his teammates have sold off their jerseys, rings, and even awards. Also included was the receiving of improper benefits from a tattoo parlor.

Wow, what BS is this? First of all, the NCAA can actually suspend players selling their own jerseys and stuff they got from college football? That seems fair especially when you consider that the colleges and the NCAA make money off jersey sales to the fans. 2nd of all, the 5 suspended games start next season, not this year when there is still a Sugar Bowl to play. That's for the best considering we don't to mess with the Sugar Bowl.

ARE YOU F**KING KIDDING ME!!! I have had it with the so called "amateur sport" of college football. College football gets so many endorsements and sponsors, tv deals, money from alumni, and even gifts from the bowl games themselves to the players but heaven forbid a player sells some of his own stuff while in school.

And the kicker of this is the suspensions. If these are indeed infractions that are worth suspending players for, why are they letting these athletes go play in the Sugar Bowl? What is supposed to happen in an ideal world, especially an ideal "amateur sports world," is that a player is immediately suspended and not allowed to come back and play until the suspension is over. But we can't do that, it will hurt ratings and upset our sponsors. F**K YOU, NCAA!!!

UConn Gets 89th Win

Some more debate is now arising with a momentous milestone. The UConn women's basketball team has just past the men's division I record of 88 straight wins by beating Florida State, 93-62. That is now 89 straight wins for the team. Because this achievement has been accomplished by a women's basketball team, many analysts are saying that even though it passes the old mark set by John Wooden and his Bruins back in the 70's, it is not greater than that record.

First the obvious must be stated. Men's sports will always be looked at as superior compared to women's sports. It's a sad but true fact. And because it's always looked down on, these kind of comments are going to be made. With that being said, the Bruins record was way more impressive. Okay, that was a joke.

Being serious now, we must look at these records individually and not as something that can honestly be compared. I don't see men playing against women in basketball or in any sport (except in mix doubles in tennis but who cares about doubles of any kind). It's designed to be two separate things and must treated as such. Though I will say congratulations to the UConn women's basketball team as they at least have the most wins of any division I basketball program. That's something to admire.

P.S. Why is softball chosen over baseball for women? Tennis is still Tennis, Basketball is still basketball, and hell hockey is still hockey. Why is it that women play underhanded softball and not overhanded baseball?

Week 15: A Giant Collapse, Packers Almost Upset the Pats, Maybe Favre's Last Hoorah and More

Week 15 featured some surprised outcomes in the NFL one of which happened in the Eagles-Giants game. The G-men had a 31-10 lead with just over 8 minutes left in regulation but Somehow Michael Vick got the Eagles a tie game throwing 2 TDs and running for a TD in 7 minutes. The Giants would then fail to move the ball punt to DeSean Jackson with just 13 seconds to go. Matt Dodge was supposed to kick it out of bounds but kicked a low ball to Jackson who picked it up (after initially dropping it) to go 65 Yards for the game winning TD as time expired. Eagles win, 38-31. One of the biggest shockers of the year and worst breakdowns. The Giants get embarrassed in the worst possible way and at home.

Another surprising game was the Patriots-Packers game in New England. It wasn't shocking that the Pats won the game but that they barely won it, 31-27. The Packers actually had the lead for most of the game with the back up QB, Matt Flynn, at the helm in place of the concussed Aaron Rodgers. Flynn threw for 251 Yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT in his first NFL start. He failed to get the win but still an impressive game considering it was against the Pats. Detroit would pull off a upset, though, when they beat the Bucs, 23-20, in OT. The win ends the Lions 26 game road losing streak and hurts the playoff chances for the Bucs as they are now 8-6.

As for some other games in the week, Brett Favre may have played his last NFL game as he started in the first Vikings home game to be played outside in nearly 30 years. Favre didn't last long, though, as he had to leave the game with a concussion in the 2nd quarter. The Bears gets the win, 40-14, and become the first team to clinch a division spot this year. Rex Grossman doesn't get the win in his first Redskins start as the Skins lose, 33-30, to Dallas. Grossman does throw 322 yards, 4 TDs, and 2 INTs but in a losing effort. The Jets get a win over the Steelers, 22-17, as Mark Sanchez gets the only offensive TD for the Jets by scoring a 7 yard TD run in the 3rd Quarter. Jets still struggle on offense but manage to get some confidence back with this win. The Ravens beat the Super bowl champion, Saints, 30-24. Ray Rice had a great day with 233 total yards and 2 TDs. The Chiefs stay in front of the Chargers as they beat the Rams, 27-13. Not exactly a great return game for Matt Cassel but a win is a win. Manning keeps the Colts alive as they beat Jaguars, 34-24. They limited the Jags to 67 rushing yards while the Colts' Donald Brown ran for 129 yards and 1 TD.

The Playoff picture gets a little clearer. The Pats and Falcons need only one more win each to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Looks like the road to the Super bowl will go through Atlanta and New England.

Zach Greinke to the Brewers

Surprise again in the baseball world. Zach Greinke, who won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award, has been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. Though he was only 10-14 and had a 4.17 ERA last season, Greinke is still thought of as a great starter. And those numbers are likely to get better considering his new teams overall talent and the NL not having a DH. As for the Brewers, this is a great aggressive move. They now have Greinke with Yovani Gallardo and Shawn Marcum in their rotation. The Brewers look strong enough to now contend for the NL Central or the NL Wild Card Spot. It definitely makes for some more great baseball in that division.

McNabb Benched While the Redskins Continue to Struggle

When Donovan McNabb was acquired by the Redskins this off season, there was an expectation that the team could make the playoffs and even a Superbowl in the near future. It seems that expectation has been replaced to simply finishing the season strong. After 13 games as the starter of the Redskins, Donovan McNabb has been benched in favor of Rex Grossman. Grossman has had some success in the past leading the Bears to a Superbowl back in the 2006 Season. Since then, however, Grossman's luck has gone down but he is getting another shot.

As controversial as this seems, McNabb has struggled significantly this year as the QB for the Redskins. McNabb is completing 58.3% of his passes, has thrown only 14 TDs, and a has thrown a career high 15 INTs. His current QB Rating is 77.1 which is his second worst QB Rating in his career. His worst dates back to his rookie year with a 60.1 Rating.

McNabb has no doubt been struggling this season but not all the Redskins problems are traced to McNabb. Shanahan has been questionable this season with several issues including the Albert Haynesworth dilemma. One must also consider the Redskins running game which is currently 26th in the league. As for the Defense, they are 32nd in total yards allowed and 21st in points allowed.

Perhaps McNabb is not the QB he once was but there are a lot more issues on this team that need to be addressed.

I LOVE YOU, MARK CUBAN!!!

I have finally found a guy who hates the current BCS system more than me. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is considering funding a college football playoff system as an alternative to the BCS Bowl games. The system would have 12 or 16 teams with higher seeds getting home field advantage. With money incentives and the backing of some key College figures, this could be done. You know what, SCREW WORLD PEACE, THIS IS WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS!!! I still think my playoff system is better but I love the vigor from Mark Cuban. It's better than what we have now. I hope that many colleges get behind this and do away with the BCS, once and for all.

P.S. I don't hate you anymore, Nolan Ryan. I will though if this idea fall through but now I don't.

Cliff Lee Going Back to Philly?

The baseball off season became centered around one pitcher: Cliff Lee. He was a free agent and looking for a sweet deal from a high bidder. The Yankees were of course in the mix looking to add Lee to a rotation that has CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. The Rangers, meanwhile were looking to keep Lee seeing that he was a key player in getting to the World Series. The two teams fought for Lee's affection only for Lee to agree to sign with the Phillies?

Wait a second, back it up. Cliff Lee is going back to Philadelphia? Eh, what do you know.

Cliff Lee has agreed to a 5 year $120 million guaranteed deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee was part of the Phillies 2009 NL Championship team when they lost to the Yankees in the World Series that year. It's different this time around, however, as Lee may be the piece de resistance in the best rotation in the Majors alongside Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton. Despite losing Jayson Werth, the Phillies look like the NL Favorite on paper.

P.S. Who do you think starts opening day? Halladay or Lee?

P.P.S. As for the Yankees, HA HA HA!!!

Week 14: Iron Man is Finally Rusty, Pats Enjoy the Snow Day, Sideline Tripping and More

In a 19 season span, Brett Favre has played in 297 straight games despite some of them with injury like a broken thumb, a sore arm, or a bad ankle. This amazing run finally came to an end earlier today when Brett Favre was sidelined for the game against the Giants. The Vikings would lose that game, 21-3. Brett Favre has started more games than any real player in NFL History (you heard me, Jeff Feagles). He was the Iron man of the sport and equal to that of Cal Ripken. Favre will now have more tests to see if he can play any of the 3 remaining games.

As for the actual games this week, the Patriots had a scrimmage run on the Chicago Bears beating them, 36-7. Tom Brady threw for 369 yards and 2 TDs in this victory while Cutler threw 152 yards and 2 INTs. The Bears would've been better off making snowmen to play defense. Another blowout happened in San Diego as the Chargers got even with the Chiefs, 31-0. Matt Cassel couldn't play due to an appendectomy and the Chargers took advantage of that gaining 426 total yards compared to the Chiefs getting a total of 67 yards. Then the Saints took out the Rams comfortably, 31-13 (thank you). Drew Brees threw for 221 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs while Bradford threw 231 yards and 2 INTs. Saints are 10-3 and are looking good for a playoff spot.

Some controversy happened in the Dolphins-Jets game when the Jets strength and conditioning coach, Sal Alosi, tripped Nolan Carroll of the Dolphins when Caroll was running in the sideline area. Alosi has apologized for the incident and has been suspended for the rest of the season and fined $25,000 by the Jets. The Jets would lose that game, 10-6. The Sunday Night game featured the Cowboys and the Eagles squaring off in Dallas where the Eagles escaped with a win, 30-27. Vick was held back a bit in this game on the ground with only 16 yards but threw for 270 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. The Bucs get a win over the Redskins, 17-16, and are now 8-5. The Redskins actually scored the supposed game tying TD with 9 seconds left in regulation but the PAT was no good as Hunter Smith couldn't handle a slightly higher snap from Nick Sundberg. The Ravens would win the Monday Night Game in OT, 34-28, over the Texans. The Texans came back from 28-7 to force OT only to have the Ravens to win it with Josh Wilson returning a INT thrown by Matt Schaub.

Week 14 of the 2010 NFL Season marks the end of the streak by Brett Favre. Perhaps this is the end of the Iron Man altogether.

The Arrogant Ten

The Big Ten announced their division today as part of their makeover into 12 teams that now includes a title game. The divisions in the Big Ten are called Legends and Leaders. I'll say that again: LEGENDS and LEADERS. It's not named after a region or area like most sports divisions are named after but a couple of concepts. What arrogance is this? Why not name it Gods and Deities if were are going this route. I'm tired of the Big Ten and their pompous attitude. I like the approach of coming up with divisional names that sound different and unique but this is just alienating to every team outside of the conference.

P.S. ALSO RENAME THE F**KING CONFERENCE YOU ARROGANT A**HOLES!!! YOU HAVE 12 TEAM NOW!!!

"Raise the Roof" not "Raze the Roof"

It just got worse for the Minnesota Vikings and they are already out of contention. Sunday's game between the Giants and the Vikings in the Metrodome was already pushed back because the Giants flight was diverted to Kansas City due to a snowstorm in Minnesota. Well they're not going to Minnesota, anyway, as the dome part of the Metrodome collapsed because of the snowstorm. Snow broke the roof and poor into the Metrodome making it unusable. The game is now on Monday Night at Ford Field in Detroit.

THIS IS HILARIOUS!!! The roof actually collapsed just like the Vikings. BURN!!! Looks like Zygi Wilf really needs a new stadium now. This is actually not the first time the roof of the Metrodome has collapsed as there have been a few incidents back in the 1980's. The real kicker here is that the Vikings now have to go play a home game in a divisional opponents stadium. After this game with the Giants, the Vikings only have one more home game against the Bears on December 20th. That game doesn't have a planned site yet. I hear Soldier Field is available. HAHAHA!!!

The Big House's Big Record

College Hockey is not one of the top things to continuously talk about but one game made history. It was a Michigan vs. Michigan State and the Wolverines would pull out a win, 5-0, over the Spartans. This game, however, was not in a typical arena but in Michigan Stadium. The crowd saw this as a opportunity to make history and they stepped up. 113,411 was in attendance for this College Hockey game, a Guinness World Record for the sport. SUCK IT, CANADA!!! The previous record was actually held by the World Championships in Germany earlier this year at 77,803. The Big House had become the Big Rink for one night. Must feel good to be one of those frostbitten fans knowing they are now part of a World Record.

Cam Newton Wins the Heisman.. DUH!!!

The Heisman Trophy presenation and the "Finalists" came into New York City and waited anxiously for Cam Newton's name to be called. Let's face it. The other finalists were just there for show. Why they even went, probably for the free trip to NYC. Cam Newton won the award as expected receiving a total 729 first place votes and 2,263 points total. The 2nd most 1st place votes went to Andrew Luck with 78 who also was second in points with 1,079. Newton had almost a combined 4,000 yards and 49 total TDs. His quick legs and great arm made him the most valuable player beyond any doubt.

Yet, there is doubt on whether Cam Newton was a legitmate winner. Newton and his family have been under investiagtion for possibly accepting money or asking for money. This controversy has caused that Cecil Newton not even show up at the Heisman ceremony not wanting to draw any attention away from it. There is a thought that now Newton has won the Heisman that he would have to possibly give it back because of these allegations. Reggie Bush was caught in this turmoil and eventually chose to give back his Heisman Trophy. Who knows if this kind of press will stick to Cam Newton.

But for now, congratulations Cam Newton. You are Mr. Heisman of 2010.

How will this Streak End?

Brett Favre has had a bad year so far that just might be getting worse. Throughout most of this season, sexting allegations have been made against the Iron Man. Reports have surfaced that when Favre was with the Jets that he sent suggestive texts, voicemails, and even photos of himself to Jenn Sterger who was a sideline reporter for the Jets at the time. The story now is that Sterger's PR guy, Phil Reese, has said that they will not sue Favre, the Jets, or the NFL if the NFL would suspend Favre.

Sexual Harassment is a serious offense and if these allegations are true, Favre deserves to be suspended. But a suspension to end the consecutive games streak of 297? That would be a shocker. However, a suspension may not be the reason the streak would ultimately end as Favre was injured in the last game by Buffalo Bill's linebacker, Arthur Moats, and is questionable for Sunday's game against the Giants. Injury might be the end of the streak. Then again, Favre may make it to the end of the season and retire once and for all. So how will the streak end: Suspension, Injury, or Retirement?

My bet is retirement. Favre will probably start Sunday and make it through the end of the season while the NFL will not suspend Favre because they don't want to be the reason why this streak ended. As I said, though, the NFL should suspend him if there is enough incriminating evidence. It shouldn't matter what a player's status is and what historic thing he might be doing. Everyone needs to obey the rules.

P.S. Could the NFL fine Favre instead?

Urban Meyer to Leave the Gators... Again

Last year, Urban Meyer said he was leaving the Gators because of health issues and ended up just taking some time off. Now Meyer has declared he is leaving Florida once again but this time for family reasons and wanting to see his kids play in their respective sports. A noble move for the family man to make. But will Urban Meyer ever coach again? It's hard to believe that at the age of 46 that Meyer is done for good. He will likely take a few years off and then come back to some university that will gladly give him a large contract. Even if that doesn't happen, I could see him still being involved in the sport in other ways like broadcasting. It's been working out well for Jon Gruden and Lou Holtz. Still, I expect Meyers to come back to coach again one day but more likely in his 50's than 40's. That is if health isn't a factor.

P.S. Jon Gruden, PLEASE COME BACK TO COACHING!!!

Wannstedt Resigns, Haynesworth Suspended, and McDaniels Fired

Some interesting football related moves happened recently. First, Dave Wannstedt has resigned as the Head Coach of Pitt. After failing to secure sole possession of the Big East title and a BCS Bowl game, pressure came from the College to get make a change so Dave just left. He went 42-31 in his six seasons at Pitt and never made a BCS Bowl game. Second, Albert Haynesworth has been suspended for 4 games without pay (basically the rest of the season) because of conduct detrimental to the team. Behavior issues between him and the organization have gone too far for the Redskins what with him complaining about the 3-4 defense, the fitness issue, him not getting along with the coaches, and other things. Something like this seemed to be coming and Haynesworth days with the Redskins may be over.

The last bit of interesting football news is Josh McDaniels getting fired from the Denver Broncos. It seemed like a perfect match when McDaniels started his Broncos tenure with 6 straight wins but it all went downhill from that point. He finished last year 8-8 failing to make the playoffs and started this season 3-9. He also gutted the team significantly by trading Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Peyton Hillis (though Hillis' talent wasn't necessarily known then). He also traded for Brady Quinn, drafted Tim Tebow, and made Kyle Orton (via trade) starter of the team. He even had a Spygate episode similar to the one that happened under his old mentor, Bill Belichick. These moves would've worked out or tolerated if the Broncos had won more games or were close to making the playoffs. Unfortunately, they are not close to that goal and McDaniels may have set the team back years with his restructuring. Now Eric Studesville will try and salvage what is left of the Broncos this season.

Week 13: Bengals Fall for an Obvious Ploy, Manning Getting Sloppy, Pats Destroy the Jets and More

Week 13 comes and goes with some disappointing performances. Maybe number 1 on that list is the Cincinnati Bengals defense. Down by 3 with less than a minute to go, Drew Brees decides to line up for a 4th down play to simply try and draw the defense offsides considering they well in field goal range. Brees put up a good enough act as Pat Sims bought it and was caught offsides. What does Brees do on the next play? He throws a TD pass to Marques Colston to win the game, 34-30. More frustration to add to the Bengals season as they are 2-10 while the Saints are now 9-3.

Another bad performance included Peyton Manning throwing for 4 INTs for a second week in a row. This totals 15 for the season as the Colts lose again, 38-35 to the Cowboys. Manning must be tired pulling the Colts along by himself. Maybe the biggest disappointment was the Jets on Monday Night as they simply collapsed to the Patriots, 45-3. Tom Brady threw for 326 Yards and 4 TDs against that Jets Defense. All Sanchez did was throw 3 INTs in this game to forget. Pats now take control of the AFC East with a 1 game lead over the Jets.

As for the other games, the Eagles beat the Texans on Thursday Night, 34-24. Michael Vick threw for 2 TDs and 1 INT while running for 1 TD in the win. The Giants would blowout the Redskins, 31-7. The Giants running game totaled 200 yards for Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs as each man got 2 rushing TDs. The Bucs lose another to the Falcons, 28-24. The Bucs had the lead by 10 points in the 4th but those Falcons got a break with a Kick Off return for a TD by Eric Weems and a Matt Ryan TD pass later on. Bucs are good but always behind the Falcons. St. Louis would beat the Cardinals, 19-6, while the Seahawks would beat the Panthers, 31-14. Rams and Seahawks remain tied for the NFC West at 6-6.

Pats look like the top team in the AFC for now with their win over the Jets but the Steelers look like the toughest what with Big Ben still getting a win over Baltimore with a broken nose, 13-10. It's supposed to be smashmouth football not smashnose.

Jeter to Stay a Yankee, Gonzalez to the Red Sox, and Werth Goes to Washington?

Big weekend for off season baseball. First, Derek Jeter re-signs with the Yankees for 3 years and $51 Million. The most overpaid shortstop retains his title. It would have been weird if Jeter had gone to another team but it didn't seem like it was going to happen anyway. As for the Yankees sworn rivals, the Red Sox get Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres. This trade has seemingly been a rumor for over a year and it has finally happened. The only question mark is a long term deal in which neither side has agreed on yet. They still have a whole off season to work that out.

The last notable weekend deal was a surprise to all of baseball: Jayson Werth has signed a 7 year, $126 Million deal with the Washington Nationals? A move that seems to make no sense. The Nationals are not even close to being a playoff worthy team. My only guess is either trying to appease the fans now or trying to build on something for the future. Stephen Strasburg will be back sometime in the next year or so and Jayson Werth will be waiting for him. A questionable move at best.

The baseball off season is still fresh. Who will be the next big name dealt?

2011 BCS Bowl Match Ups

The regular season is over, time to go Bowling. In regards to the lesser bowl games...

All right, now to the big four BCS Bowl Games. First is the Rose Bowl which will feature TCU vs. Wisconsin. Both of these teams have had amazing seasons and while I'm rooting for TCU, I expect Wisconsin to win. It's not that TCU doesn't have a chance, I wouldn't be surprised if they did win this game but it just seems that the logical choice is Wisconsin. Going Vulcan there for a second.

As for the Fiesta Bowl, it features surprise Connecticut vs the Big 12 Champion, Oklahoma. The Sooners are my pick to win but don't count Connecticut out yet. Many people were doing just that a few weeks ago. The Orange Bowl will feature Virginia Tech vs. Stanford. I give the edge to Tech. They started off the season very sloppy but regrouped themselves very well and managed to grab the ACC Title for the third time in 4 years. Stanford's Andrew will need a lot of Luck. Last, the Sugar Bowl will feature Ohio State vs. Arkansas. I pick the Buckeyes to win the game but barely. Arkansas just beat then ranked #5 LSU, 31-23, so I can see them beating the Buckeyes.

Those are the 4 big BCS Bowl games. Instead of round 1 of a playoff system, they are nothing more than hallow shells they once were. Sad, isn't it.

P.S. Unless you're talking about the 4 big bowls games or the National Title Game, no one cares. That's right, I'm talking to you, GoDaddy.com Bowl. I really wish I was joking.

Auburn and Oregon to Play for the National Title

Well the stage is set for the BCS National Title Game in Glendale, Arizona. Auburn and Oregon came into the week basically fighting to hold off upsets. Both would succeed in their task. Oregon had a Civil War on their hands with Oregon State. LaMichael James ran for 134 Yards and 2 TDs and Darron Thomas threw for 145 Yards and 2 TDs. The Ducks would win this one comfortably, 37-20. Meanwhile, Auburn faced South Carolina in the SEC Title game. You can't really call this a game, however, as the Tigers destroyed the Gamecocks, 56-17. Cam Newton Threw for 335 Yards and 4 TDs and ran for 73 Yards and 2 TDs. Cam was practically celebrating the victory near the end of the 3rd quarter.

The National Championship Game will be between Auburn and Oregon. A great match up of East vs. West, Tigers vs. Ducks, PAC-10 vs. the SEC. It's still a pity that a non BCS team didn't get in. TCU was close the whole way through but still wasn't considered good enough. As to who will win the National Title, my money is on Auburn. Cam Newton is too versatile to ignore and Oregon's offense is great but can be stopped as shown in their game against Cal. Auburn will likely be too much for them. This aims to be exciting game, either way, considering it will feature two high powered offenses and likely a Heisman Winner.

P.S. WE WANT A PLAYOFF!!! WE WANT A PLAYOFF!!!

The Return of King James

The night every NBA fan was looking forward to had arrived. LeBron James returned to Cleveland to face his old team. A sea of boos and negative signs filled the Quicken Loans Arena as LeBron James came onto the floor. LeBron did his routine and went to work like it was the old days in Cleveland. King James scored 38 on his old team as the Miami Heat won, 118-90. The Cavs never should a chance. LeBron's 38 was actually a season high for the King. Cleveland went home disappointed as their team didn't get any payback. Maybe the fans shouldn't have showed up at all. Not that a community could actually pull that off but it sends a message.

P.S. Okay, there are fans that pull off that feat 81 times every year. Florida Marlins Fans. BURN!!!

Russia and Qatar Win World Cup Bids

The announcement of the World Cup locations for 2018 and 2022 was today. The US was hoping for the 2022 World Cup and even sent in Morgan Freeman to try and sway some votes. Unfortunately, Morgan lost his place during his speech. As for the winners of the bids, Russia will host the World Cup in 2018 and Qatar will host it in 2022. Both countries have never hosted the event before. As for 2022, it will be the first World Cup hosted in the Middle East.

Seemed like good choices for me. Yes, I would love to have the World Cup here in the US and even to have gone to a game if possible. However, the US had already hosted the World Cup once in 1994. Just knowing it was hosted here once before is an honor even though I was too young to have been aware of it. I'm content that two more countries that have never hosted a World Cup now get to.

NCAA Says Cam Newton is Eligible for SEC Title Game

Well the Cam Newton controversy may be coming to an end with the NCAA getting involved. The NCAA says that Cam Newton is eligible to play in the SEC Title game this weekend. That isn't the big news, though. The big news is that the NCAA says that he's eligible despite his father breaking the rules. The NCAA has said that Cecil Newton, the father, tried to shop his son to another school. A former Mississippi State football player named Kenny Rogers (guitar nor baseball not included) said Cecil asked for $180,000 for his son's talent.

Was Cameron Newton involved or was the Father the only one asking for money? It seems clear at this point that Cecil was asking for money unless Rogers is lying. As for Cam, I like to give a person a shadow of a doubt for the most part. I know I haven't exactly been this way about Kobe or Big Ben but those charges are different. So far, there is no evidence linking Cam directly to this scandal. However, if you think about, it's hard to believe that Cam wasn't involved with his own father someway. I don't want say he's guilty yet and I agree with the NCAA's decision. However, more evidence better not surface if Cam wants any shot at the Heisman.

P.S. Is Cam Newton the Heisman Favorite? If he is, it's by a slim margin.

Rest of Week 12: Vick Gets Beaten, Stevie Drops the Ball, Manning Picked Off 4 Times and More

The Chicago Bears have been a questionable team this year despite being 7-3. Many have wondered if they can actually beat a good team. They did, they beat Philly. Michael Vick didn't play a bad game but it was lessened thanks to that blitzing Bears defense. Jay Cutler capitalized on the situation by throwing 4 TD passes. Bears win, 31-26. Another questionable team that played a worthy opponent was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and they played Baltimore. They didn't prove their mettle, however, as they lose to the Ravens, 17-10. No comeback run by Josh Freeman this week.

As for a heartbreaker, the Bills' Stevie Johnson provided that. The Bills, who might be one of the best teams that just suck, had a tie game in OT with the Steelers and Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a 40 Yard TD Pass to Stevie Johnnson for the win except Stevie drops the ball in the endzone. Steelers would get it back and win on a Shaun Suisham Field Goal, 19-16. A game that Stevie Johnson will never forget and for all the wrong reasons.

Other games included the prime time Sunday Night game between the Chargers and the Colts. Manning threw 4 TDs in that game. Unfortunately, two of those were technically Interceptions returned for a TD. Manning actually threw 2 TDs and 4 INTs in this game as the Colts lose, 36-14. Colts are now 6-5. The Falcons managed to escape with a victory over the Packers, 20-17. The Falcons scored a Field Goal with 9 seconds left in the game after the Packers just scored the game tying TD with 56 seconds to go. The Falcons are still undefeated at home, 6-0. A borderline hockey fight happened during the game between the Texans and Titans as Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson had a mini fight in the 4th Quarter. I smell suspensions. Texans won that game, 20-0.

Not a bad weekend for the NFL as the Holiday season begins. Who will find themselves on the Postseason list? Not the Lions.

P.S. The 49ers are 4-7 now with the win over Arizona, 27-6. Surprisingly, they are still in the race for the NFC West as they are a game back of the Seahawks and Rams. Man, that division sucks.

TCU Goes East

Conference moving is not over in the NCAA. TCU has decided to accept their invitation to join the Big East Conference and leave the Mountain West. They will become the 17th member of the Conference and will start their athletic programs in there by 2012. Now for namesake, this is a bad move. TCU is more around the Big 12 area than the Big East. If anyone should be wanting TCU, it's the Big 12 who have lost a couple of members. If you put namesake aside, It's a good move for TCU, at least for football. The Conference has higher prestige than the MWC, it has a automatic BCS Bowl bid attached to the conference, and as of now, TCU might be the top frog, so to speak. Although, the team will likely lose a bunch of players by then. I do think, however, that TCU will benefit overall from their new conference.

P.S. ALL ABANDON THE MWC!!!

Boise State Gets WAC'D Off While Top 2 Survive

A memorable night of College Football all around. First, #2 Auburn played against Alabama in the traditional Iron Bowl. Alabama seemed ready for an upset as they scored 24 unanswered points to start the game. Auburn didn't give up, though, as they fought back and took the lead, 28-27, in the 4th Quarter. The Tigers managed to hold on to a win by that score. 3 TD passes and a TD run by Cam Newton was the difference for this close win. Next was #1 Oregon as they faced Arizona. Arizona put up a respectable fight keeping Oregon either at a tie or just behind them throughout the first half. The 2nd half, though, the Ducks came back with 4 TDs on the ground and one in the air. The Ducks get by the Wildcats, 48-29.

The only other noteworthy game of the night was #4 Boise State going into Reno to face Nevada. The Broncos took a sizable lead going into half time, 24-7. Somehow, however, the Wolf Pack came back and managed to tie the game at 24. Then Doug Martin would score off a screen pass for a 79 yard TD for the Broncos. Nevada still wasn't done as Colin Kaepernick threw a TD pass to Rishard Matthews with 13 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 31. Boise State then gets the ball and decides to throw for a Hail Mary and Kellen Moore finds Titus Young who is down inside the 10 calling time out leaving 2 seconds on the clock. Kyle Brotzman comes on for a chip shot field goal and... HE MISSED IT!!! IT GOES JUST RIGHT OF THE POSTS, HE MISSED IT!!! OT comes and the Broncos get it first and are forced to take a Field Goal except BROTZMAN MISSES ANOTHER EASY KICK WIDE LEFT!!! The Wolf Pack get it, attempt a 34 yard kick, and Anthony Martinez makes history kicking the game winning field goal beating #4 Boise State, 34-31. NEVADA WINS, NEVADA WINS!!!

It has happened folks. Little David has beaten Big David. Rocky has been upset by a midget. The Underdog has been bested by a Chihuahua. The BCS Buster has been busted. Nevada has destroyed the National Title hopes of Boise State. The Cinderella of the last 5 years has had their glass slipper shattered. HOW COULD THIS BE?!?! The BCS Buster hopes now fall on TCU who takes on New Mexico tomorrow. The Crazy isn't over yet.

P.S. Even though Nevada fought back to tie, the Broncos had a miracle ending and they blew it. Hopefully, Kellen Moore decides to stay another year for another run.

Jets, Pats, and Saints Win on Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a great Turkey day yesterday. I know I did. I hung out with family, got me some Turkey with stuffing, and then a mouthful of pumpkin pie. Then we hung out and played some... what's that? You're only here for the sports? FINE!!!

Thanksgiving was once again a busy day in football. First the Patriots played the Lions in Detroit making the Lions Thanksgiving day game valid for once. The Lions would put up a good fight just as they always have done this year and even had a tie game at 24 entering the 4th quarter. The Patriots would open up on the Lions in the 4th, however, scoring 3 TDs, 2 of which came from Tom Brady. Brady threw for 341 Yards, 4 TDs, and had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in this game. Patriots win and Brady has some cobbler, 45-24.

The Next game was the Cowboys hosting their annual Thanksgiving day game in Dallas against the Saints. New Orleans grabbed an early lead, 17-0, thanks to some Dallas tunrovers. It looked like a runaway Saints victory early on but the Cowboys regrouped at half time and managed to get the lead, 27-23, in the 4th Quarter. However, the Saints managed to get the ball back as Roy Williams was stripped by Malcolm Jenkins who ended up with it. Drew Brees would then drive 89 yards and then throw a 12 yard TD pass to Lance Moore with 1:55 to go. Saints would win, 30-27.

The last game featured the Jets taking on the Bengals. Brad Smith was the key man in this game as he ran for a 53 yard TD run in the 3rd and then an 89 yard kick off return for a TD in the 4th. He did that last one while losing a shoe. Jets win beat the overrated Bengals, 26-10.

What a good Thanksgiving day edition of the NFL. Now time for some leftovers.

Someone Turn Up the Heat

The Heat continue to underachieve. They faced the Magic yesterday in Orlando and lost, 104-95. Dwight Howard was impressive with 24 points and 18 rebounds. The Triple Heat have now lost three games in a row and fall to 8-7. As for an Achilles heel, many analysts are citing that they are not a big team. What hurts more is that they lost Udonis Haslem who may be out for the rest of the regular season. Now losing to Orlando is understandable but the two games prior they lost to Memphis by 2 and then Indiana by 16 points. How are they losing to the Pacers by that much? It's just embarrassing. Erik Spoelstra is in the hot seat right now and better get these guys back on a winning streak. If the Heat keep this pace, they will barely be get into the postseason.

Joey Votto and Josh Hamilton Win MVP Honors

The last two significant awards of the 2010 Baseball season were handed out in the past couple of days. The NL had Joey Votto as it's MVP batting a .324 with 37 Home Runs and 113 RBI's. He is in the top three in each of those categories in the NL. The AL named Josh Hamilton as their MVP batting a MLB Best .359 along with 32 Home Runs and a 100 RBI's. Both were highly significant to their team as Votto helped the Reds gets back into the postseason while Hamilton helped the Rangers get to their first World Series. Both players indeed deserve the award as it is likely neither teams would've made the playoffs without them.

P.S. Even though I did indeed call it, this might have been the easiest guess I ever made. They were that important to their teams.

Week 11: Colts Comeback Thwarted, Childress Gets Fired, Eagles Beat the Giants and More

The top two teams in the AFC East had a couple of tough games this week. The Patriots faced their top rival of the past decade, the Indianapolis Colts. The Pats looked to have dominated the game but Peyton Manning lead a comeback in the 4th quarter to get the Colts back within 3. Manning lead the Colts down field and with less than a minute left he threw an INT to James Sanders of the Pats. The kicker is that they were in field goal range and could've tied it. Pats hold on, 31-28. The Jets would also struggle to hold of their opponent, the Texans. Houston managed to scored 20 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to get the lead, 27-23. Miraculously, however, Mark Sanchez made two great throws within the final minute; one to Braylon Edwards to get them with the 10 yard line and then the second to Santonio Holmes for the TD. Jets pull off another late win, 30-27.

As for the unexpectedly bad teams, the Vikings continue to skid as they lost an embarrassing game to the Packers, 31-3. Aaron Rodgers threw 4 TDs while Favre just threw an INT in the loss. This game and the rest of the bad year has resulted in Brad Childress getting fired. Leslie Frazier gets his chance to show his stuff as he has been named the interim head coach for the rest of the season. Another bad team was the Bengals, who had a 31-14 lead at half time and somehow lost to the Buffalo Bills, 49-31. The Bengals are now 2-8 and may have humble T.O. in the process. And then the Cowboys continue to rebound as they beat the Lions, 35-19. Jason Garrett gets another win for Jerry Jones as the Cowboys are now 3-7.

Other games of the week included the Eagles beating the Giants, 27-17. One TD tun for Vick was his only score but he got the win. Chicago shut out Miami on Thursday night, 16-0. Not a very exciting game as the only TD came on a 2 yard run by Matt Forte in the 4th quarter. The Redskins defeated the Titans in OT, 19-16, after Vince Young left the game due to an injured thumb. Young had also apparently threw his jersey and shoulder pads after being booed heading into the locker. Rumors would later circulate that he left before Jeff Fisher addressed the team in the locker room. Last game I'll mention is the Jaguars beating the Browns with a late 1 yard TD run by Maurice Jones-Drew, 24-20. Jacksonville is currently tied atop the AFC South with the Colts at 6-4.

Another coach fired, Manning gets picked late, and Vince Young showing immaturity again. Any bets that Marvin Lewis gets fired next?

The Rapids Win First MLS Cup

I like talking about Soccer occasionally so deal with it. The 2010 MLS Cup came today with the Colorado Rapids facing FC Dallas. Not exactly the match up many Soccer fans were looking for but still an exciting finish. David Arturo Ferreira would score the first goal off a great cross in the 34' to give FC Dallas the lead. In the 2nd Half, Colorado would even things up with a goal by Conor Casey scoring while laying on the ground after a slide attempt. The game would go into Extras and in the 2nd half of Extras Macoumba Kandji of the Rapids would shot a ball from the side and it would hit the knee of George John, a FC Dallas defender, and go into the net. A unfortunate Own Goal. FC Dallas would make a late push to no avail as the Colorado Rapids win their First MLS Cup, 2-1.

Bad luck for FC Dallas and George John. A whole season comes down to that. What a shame. Still, congratulations to Colorado and their title. Great showing for them in Toronto capping off a great season of MLS.

P.S. Has Landon Donovan's popularity died down enough to be transferred permanently? Well find out in January.

Johnson's 5th Straight Title

NASCAR's season ended today with a familiar tune being played once more. Carl Edwards won the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami and he celebrated the victory with his traditional flip while the real winner celebrated by screeching his tires 30 feet away. Jimmie Johnson came in second at the Ford 400 and as a result won his Fifth straight Sprint Cup Title. Johnson became the first racer in the short history of the Chase to overcome a points deficit in the final race to win the Sprint Cup. He would finish 39 points in front of Kevin Harvick and 41 in front of Denny Hamlin. Johnson continues his dominance of NASCAR with a dramatic finish. Congratulations, Jimmie Johnson. Way to make a sport even less significant.

Buckeyes Get By the Hawkeyes, Stanford Wins The Big Game, Nebraska Stumbles Again and More

Not a very exciting week in College Football. #1-3 had the week off leaving Boise State as the highest rank team to play this weekend. They would easily beat Fresno State, 51-0. Kellen Moore threw for 333 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. Boise State will play #18 Nevada who just beat New Mexico State, 52-6. The Broncos' last real test of the year comes from within there own conference. Who would've thought that.

As for the rest of the top teams, Ohio State managed to beat Iowa, 20-17, thanks to a late TD by Dan Herron. The Buckeyes manage to stay alive for the Big 10 Title. So does Wisconsin as they beat Michigan, 48-28. The Badgers manage to hold off a rally by the Wolverines and stay in the race. Lastly, the Michigan State Spartans stay with Wisconsin and Ohio State at the top beating Purdue, 35-31. The Spartans late win keeps their BCS Hopes alive.

The Bay Area saw the "Big Game" come by again with it being held in Berkeley. It was no contest for Stanford as they reclaim the Axe, 48-14. Andrew Luck keeps going with 235 passing yards and 2 TD passes along with 72 yards on the ground. A big chunk of that came on a 58 yard run in which Luck took down a defensive player in the process. The upset of the day came when Texas A&M beat Nebraska, 9-6. The Aggies were able to take advantage of this defensive stand and beat the Cornhuskers. Arkansas manages to beat out Mississippi State in double OT, 38-31. Crazy first OT with a fumble and missed field goal somehow leads to Arkansas winning.

Maybe not the best weekend for College Football but the top 2 teams come back next week with big games: #1 Oregon will play against #22 Arizona and #2 Auburn will face #11 Alabama. Last call for an upset?

More Baseball?

The baseball playoffs already feel like an eternity with 8 teams and three rounds of baseball. Now Bud Selig wants more. Talks have begun to start going to a 10 team playoff format with a extra Wild Card Team by 2012 at the earliest. The Wild Card Teams would face each other in the first round to determine who goes on to the Divisional Round. It's basically a extra round to determine something that is already determined. This sounds a bit redundant. I would gladly approve of more playoff teams but on one condition: IF THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BASEBALL TEAMS. More franchises should be the only reason a league would want to expand the postseason of any sport.

P.S. Besides, they do need fix something already in the postseason: they need go back to ending the World Series in October again.

King Felix and Doc Halladay Win Cy Youngs and the Managers of the Year

The Cy Young Award winners for the 2010 MLB Season were announced today with Roy Halladay and Felix Hernandez winning the awards. Roy Halladay had a 21-10 record with a 2.44 ERA and 219 K's. He tied for a MLB best 21 Wins with CC Sabathia. Felix Hernandez didn't win the AL Cy Young based on wins (13-12 record) but on his MLB leading 2.27 ERA and being 2nd in the Majors in K's with 232. This is the lowest amount of wins any starting pitcher has winning the Cy Young Award. I think Felix deserved this as the award was about the most dominant pitching in the league and even though Felix was not on a good team like the Yankees or the Phillies, he showed he wasn't the reason for that. The Mariners just need some better bats to get King Felix past 15 wins again.

I do have a beef with the manager of the year awards as Ron Gardenhire and Bud Black have them for their respective leagues. Gardenhire's award was all right but Bud Black didn't deserve this honor. True he led the Padres through a magnificent season but they had a horrible last stretch and lost the division and a playoff spot to the now World Champion, San Francisco Giants. Bruce Bochy or Dusty Baker deserved this award more.

The MVP awards are the only thing left. Josh Hamilton looks like a lock for the AL while Joey Vatto might edge out the defending NL MVP, Albert Pujols, because his team actually went to the playoffs. Announcements for the MVP Awards are next week.

Oden Out Again?

Greg Oden has played in the NBA for 2 seasons technically and has been marred by injuries. He even had to a wait a year to play his first NBA Game because of a knee injury. Oden was also hurt for most of last season. Unfortunately, this trend has changed as Greg Oden will miss the rest of the 2010/11 season to have microfracture surgery on his left knee. I'm sorry but don't you need to play at least one game to miss the rest of the season? I really feel sorry for Greg Oden as he had three season ending injuries already. Is he made of glass? For Oden, the injuries keep on coming and his time to shine is almost gone.

P.S. At least the surgeons are well employed.

Is McNabb Still Worth It?

When the Redskins got Donovan McNabb from the Eagles, they thought they were getting a top level QB to lead them to the playoffs. That hasn't exactly come to pass. McNabb has been only okay throughout the season with a 75.2 passer rating, he's only thrown for 2 or more TDs once (just last night), he was benched in he end of the Lions game, and he was trounced by his former team at home. Despite all of this, McNabb has been signed to a 5 year, $78 Million extension, though signed before last night's game. With details of this contract made known and the fact that Shanahan has benched him once, is McNabb still a top QB in the league? To be fair, McNabb doesn't have the WR's he had back in Philly. And it's his and the teams first year under Mike Shanahan. But right now he doesn't deserve this contract extension. He hasn't done enough to earn it yet. He still deserves a chance considering what he has done in the past but this should've been held off till the end of year.

P.S. Perhaps this was a move to satisfy an behind the scenes angry McNabb.

Week 10: Atlanta Bests the Ravens, Brady Spurs the Pats to Victory, A Couple of Last Minute Wins and More

Week 10 started off on Thursday night with the Ravens playing the Falcons in Atlanta. The Falcons dominated this game wearing down that Ravens defense and holding back Joe Flacco. Flacco wouldn't be held down forever, though, as he threw 2 TD passes in the 4th Quarter to grab the lead for the Ravens, 21-20, with only 1:05 to go. That proved to be enough time for Matt Ryan as he made a quick drive down the field and scored a TD pass to Roddy White with 20 seconds left in regulation. The Falcons would fail at the two point conversion but win the game, 26-21. Matt Ryan's 3 TD passes and 316 Passing Yards helped get Atlanta a win over the Ravens.

On Sunday Night Football, the Patriots went into Heinz Field to take on the Steelers. Tom Brady would get his team fired up to win the game, 39-26. Brady had 3 TD passes, all to Rob Gronkowski. Brady also had a TD on the ground. Speaking of firing up a team, the Cowboys took on the Giants with the Interim Head Coach, Jason Garrett. This team was ready to play and eventually put down the Giants, 33-20. Wade Phillips must be pretty confused right now. Another notable debut was Randy Moss making his Titans debut and third team debut this season. Miami, though, crushed that event as the Dolphins beat the Titans, 29-17. Though the Dolphins lose another QB, they win their first home game of the season. As for Moss, he had only one catch for 26 Yards.

Sunday though had some other late finishers with one being the Jaguars beating the Texans on the last play thanks to a Hail Mary, 31-24. Mike Thomas of the Jags caught the knocked pass seemingly surprised and then stepped into the End Zone as time expired. A Hail Mary has to work once in a while. Another win came in OT in the Jets-Browns game. With less than a half minute left in OT, Mark Sanchez threw a slant route to Santonio Holmes who managed to break away for a game winning 37 Yard TD, 26-20. The Browns played hard but not hard enough to beat the Jets.

Other notable games included the Eagles destroying the Redskins, 59-28. Vick had a total of 413 Yards and 6 TDs. Sucks to be Kolb. The Buffalo Bills finally get a win holding off the late surging Lions, 14-12. No team should ever have to go winless through the season... except the Lions. Way to stay special, Detroit. And of course Favre and the Vikings lost to the Bears, 27-13, falling to 3-6. Looks like the Vikings may be out of playoff contention for good.

Good showing for Falcons, Pats, and Eagles this week. Disappointment once again for the Vikings, Texans, and Bills.

P.S. The Bills are risking their #1 Draft Pick to Carolina. Not a smart move.

Posey and Feliz Win "Rookie of the Year" Honors

The first of the 2010 MLB Awards are being handed out and the Rookie of the Year Awards go first. Both of the rookies had a big thing in common, they both played in this year's World Series. The NL Rookie of the Year is Buster Posey with his .305 Batting Avg., 18 HRs, and 67 RBI's. Posey has been a great catcher for the Giants during the year and has shown his talent in the postseason as well. The AL Rookie of the Year is Neftali Feliz. Feliz had 40 Saves during the season, a rookie record, with a 2.73 ERA. Feliz became a great closer for the Rangers and helped them get to the World Series. Congratulations to both rookies. They've started their careers out very well.

P.S. Who called it in the NL?

49ers Survive the Rams and the Penalties

The 49ers played their NFC West rivals, the St. Louis Rams. With the season hanging by a thread, the 49ers played to kept it alive. There was one constant for them in this game: Penalties. They committed 14 penalties in which three of them took away TDs they would've scored. Still the 49ers hang in the game. On a tough drive, Troy Smith lead the red and gold for a TD pass to Michael Crabtree with 2:10 to go in regulation. That would give the Rams just enough time to drive down the field and kick a Field Goal to send it into OT. The 49ers defense forced the Rams to punt after St. Louis won the toss. The 49ers manage to then get into field goal range for Joe Nedney to win the game, 23-20.

Troy Smith impressed many with his composure through the penalties and the obstacles, perhaps winning the role of starting QB for good. I certainly hope so. I'm also proud of our defense keeping us in scoring range. They still have a miracle to go but it's a start.

Top 2 Survive, #3 and #4 Just Fine, How About Them Badgers and More

Big games for the top two teams in the country this weekend. #1 Oregon had a hard fought game against Cal. You have to give credit to Cal holding Oregon to 317 total yards and holding LaMichael James to under a 100 Rushing Yards. It turned out to be all about defense in this one and also a missed Cal field goal due to a false start by their own kicker in the previous attempt. Oregon wins this low scoring game, 15-13. As for #2 Auburn, they played against Georgia with their possibly scandalous QB, Cam Newton. Newton was able to ignore the bad press and had a great ballgame. He threw for 148 Yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT and ran for 151 Yards 2 TDs. Georgia kept it close but Auburn eventually got the win in the 4th Quarter, 49-31. Oregon and Auburn likely to stay as the top 2 teams in the country.

What about the BCS Busters TCU and Boise State? #3 TCU manage to get the win over San Diego State, 40-35. The Aztecs grabbed an early lead but the Horned Frogs came right back, scored a bunch, and then held off a comeback. As for #4 Boise State, they take out instate rivals, Idaho, with ease, 52-14. The Broncos keep right behind TCU. It's likely these two will remain at their respective rankings.

A big scoring headline was grabbed with #7 Wisconsin beating Indiana, 83-20. The Badgers scored 11 TDs in this game with 6 of those coming on the ground. They ran the ball for 338 yards. Rose Bowl hopes are kept alive for the Badgers. As for Buckeyes, they beat Penn State, 38-14. Ohio State stays behind the Badgers, however, as they lost to Wisconsin earlier in the season. In the SEC, South Carolina beats Florida 36-14 to clinch the SEC East. They will face Auburn in the SEC Title Game.

Oregon and Auburn still not a lock for a National Title Game yet. The Ducks still have to beat Arizona and Oregon State and Auburn needs to beat Alabama and then win the SEC Title Game. As for TCU and Boise State, there chances are running out.

Show the Love

An impressive individual feat was achieved in the NBA tonight in the Knicks-Twolves games. Kevin Love managed to score 31 points and 31 rebounds. No one in the NBA has been able to score at least 30 points and get 30 rebounds in 28 years. Of those rebounds, 12 of them were offensive rebounds. Great job for Love and the Twolves get the win, 112-103. As of now, Love leads the NBA with rebounds per game at 14.6 per game. Lets see Dwight Howard follow that performance.

Old Three Beats New Three... Again

Ah, what can be more fun than basketball that is actually unexpected. The Miami Heat faced the Boston Celtics for the second time this season. The Triple Heat wanted some redemption after losing their season opener to the Celtics. They would not get that redemption as the Celtics beat Miami again, this time in Miami, 112-107. Lebron had 35 Points but Bosh had only 15 and Wade only posted 8. Perhaps they need a couple more live balls on the court to win. A sad showing for the Heat as they lose a second straight game at home. How do you lose a 22 point lead to the Jazz? Whatever their problem is, they are 5-4 and need a new game plan. Or a 4th Horseman. At least they don't face the Celtics again until February.

P.S. They also need to stop playing those narcissistic ads of LeBron asking everyone "What Should I Do?" I got an idea, WIN SOME DAMN GAMES!!!

A Pick Up All Star Game

Given that many All Star Games are not really conceived as important, the NHL is doing something about theirs. The NHL has announced that they will get rid of the East vs. West match up in favor of two designated captains picking between a group of All Stars picked by the fans. It's basically school yard pick up game if you live in the frozen north. I'll give the NHL an "A" for effort but the move is questionable. Any kid growing up knows the pressure of not being picked last or "taken" last. Everyone knows the athletic and the popular kids go first followed by the average Jacks then lastly, if they have to, the nerds, the ill coordinated, and the fat kids. Why not bring that embarrassing part of life to the professional level. At least we get to see who the dorks are in the NHL.

P.S. Guess which one of the last three kids I was? That's right, all of them.

Week 9: Vick Outduels Manning, Favre Leads a Comeback, Cardinals Beat the Patriots and More

The return of the injured Michael Vick was one of the big stories of the week as he had to lead the Eagles against the Colts. Vick did a good job as he threw for 218 Yards and 1 TD while running for 74 Yards and 1 TD. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning had a hard time finding anyone to pass to considering all the injuries around him. He would throw for 294 Yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs. The Eagles would manage to win the game and prevent a Manning Comeback, 26-24. Vick shows he's not rusty from his recovery time and has probably earned back the starting QB position.

There were quite a few comebacks this week as Brett Favre managed to pull off one of them. The Vikings were down 24-10 in the 4th Quarter when Favre lead them back. First was a 4 Yard TD run by Adrian Peterson and then a Favre TD Pass to Visanthe Shiancoe with less than 30 seconds in regulation. The Vikings would then win it in OT with a Ryan Longwell Field Goal, 27-24. Other comebacks included Mark Sanchez leading the Jets back from a 20-10 deficit against the Lions in the 4th Quarter to win it in OT, 23-20. Also the Raiders made a comeback of 10-0 at halftime to beat the Chiefs in OT, 23-20.

A surprise outcome appeared in Cleveland as the Browns beat down the Patriots, 34-17. Peyton Hillis ran it down the Pats defensive throats for 184 yards and 2 TDs. The Browns have now beaten the Patriots and the Saints in back to back games (had a bye week in the middle). As for the Saints, they tamed the Panthers, 34-3, in Charlotte. The Saints keep a half game behind the leader of the NFC South. Who is that anyway? It's the Falcons. Atlanta beats the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-21 to gain sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Not a bad game from the Bucs but the Falcons are just better.

Week 8 concludes with a Vick return and a few impressive comebacks. Perhaps the most notable news of the week, however, is Wade Phillips getting fired from Dallas. Some other coaches may be near the firing block like Brad Childress or Mike Singletary. Who will have a job after Week 10? Winners, that's who.

Wade Phillips, YOU'RE FIRED!!!

We knew it was coming for a while now since the team was just that bad. Last Night, they lost to the Packers, 45-7. In all fairness, they didn't have Romo but even with Romo they were losing games and would've probably lost that game. Jerry Jones had said he would stick with Phillips through the season. Maybe he meant the baseball season because Jerry Jones just fired him. The Offensive Coordinator, Jason Garrett, will take over as Head Coach for the remainder of the season.

Though I don't like it when a coach or manager gets fired mid season, this seemed to be a different case. This team had been expected to win the NFC East and possibly host the Super Bowl. They now stand at 1-7 with their year virtually over. Jerry Jones no doubt just wants the embarrassment of this so called "talented team" to end. As a PR move and a move to try to get this team's head straight, it had to be done.

As for Jason Garrett, this your audition for the part of Head Coach. Don't miss your lines.

Wins for #1 and #2, TCU Takes Out Utah, JoePa's 400th Win and More

A couple of more tests for the top two teams in the country as #1 Oregon faced Washington and #2 Auburn played against Chattanooga. The Huskies stumped the Oregon Ducks for a while as scoring in this game didn't start until the 2nd Quarter. Oregon eventually cracked the Huskies as they didn't give up on the running game. LaMichael James ran for 121 Yards and 3 TDs and QB Darron Thomas ran for 89 Yards and 2 TDs while also throwing for 243 Yards and 1 TD. Ducks prevail, 53-16. As for Auburn, they won their game from the start. They scored 27 1st Quarter points. 5 total rushing TDs and 4 Passing TDs from Cam Newton did in the Mocs, 62-24. These two will likely stay atop the BCS.

As for the BCS Busters, #3 TCU went to Salt Lake City to take on #5 Utah in a de facto MWC Title Game. The Horned Frogs didn't give Utah a chance as they won it, 47-7. Andy Dalton leads the team onward with 355 Passing Yards and 3 Passing TDs. Looks like Utah will have to settle for a lesser bowl game. As for the other BCS Buster, Boise State takes out another WAC opponent, this one being Hawaii, 42-7. Pass Happy Kellen Moore threw for 507 Yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs in the Broncos victory. Pity they are still behind TCU in the polls despite beating them in last year's Fiesta Bowl. WTF?!?!

As for a career moment, Joe Paterno gets his 400th career victory being the first College Football Coach to break that barrier. Despite being down 21-0, the Nittany Lions came back and won it, 35-21. Though a disappointing season, a great moment for JoePa and Penn State.

As for other notable games, LSU holds off Alabama, 24-21. This loss likely knocks out Alabama from the National Title discussion for good and might give new life to LSU down the stretch. Texas A&M upsets #8 Oklahoma, 33-19, ending their National Title hopes as well. Good for the Aggies as they are now 6-3. Stanford crushes Arizona in a Pac-10 showdown, 42-17. Stanford barely keeps their Rose Bowl hopes alive as they trail the Ducks. And Nebraska survives a game against Iowa State, 31-30 as the Cyclones failed to convert a game ending 2 point conversion in OT. It is possible that the Cornhuskers might go up to #5.

Another week passes as the BCS Busting teams still look to take one of the top 2 spots from Oregon or Auburn. Oregon still has 3 games including Arizona while Auburn has 2 games left including their last regular season game against Alabama. Will these teams both survive?

P.S. SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE f**K?

ENOUGH WITH THE FINES!!!

I have lost count with the number of fines that have been handed out from Roger Goodell and his office but it has been too much. Lately, two Patriots have been fined for their hits on Favre this last weekend in which one busted open his chin. The amounts are small (only $7,500) and one of the hits was flagged for roughing the passer but the one that actually busted open Favre's chin was a clean hit. Yet Roger Goodell fines him. I'm starting to agree with Troy Polamalu: Why doesn't the NFL consult more than one branch or individual about this hits? Why not have a panel of ex-NFL Players that judge whether a hit is too violent or not? Goodell is not fully qualified in making these decisions and, if this was a government, he would be considered a tyrant.

Then again this issue might be smoke and mirrors with the true story looming in the NFL: the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. What if this set of fines is aimed as a jab at the players for when negotiations heat up closer to the deadline? Perhaps it is a problem created by Goodell so that he can use it as a concession instead of something else. WHY IS NOBODY MENTIONING THIS? Then again, this is pure speculation and conspiracy theory but I wouldn't be surprise if it comes up in the CBA talks. As for right now, FU ROGER GOODELL!!!

P.S. POLAMALU FOR COMMISSIONER 2012.

A Spark Goes Out

As the baseball season had just ended, one of the game's great managers would pass away. George "Sparky" Anderson died yesterday at the age of 76 just after being put into a hospice care facility. Sparky Anderson is remembered as the manager of the Reds during the Big Red Machine Era, winning two World Series Titles for the team. Anderson would later join the Tigers organization and eventually win a World Series Title for them. He would be one of two managers (other is Tony La Russa) in the history of MLB to have a World Series Title with a team in each league. Anderson had a career total of 2194 career wins as a manager which is 6th most in history. The baseball world mourns the passing of a legend and remembers the good times that once were. Rest in peace, Sparky Anderson. We won't forget you or your love for the game.

Moss to Titans and Merriman to Bills

Big day for the waiver train as two stars of the NFL find new homes. First, Randy Moss was claimed by the Tennessee Titans. The Titans, who are currently 5-3, look to use Moss to improve their passing game and, in turn, help the rushing attack of Chris Johnson... that is if Moss wants to really play for them and not be an effortless jerk. This will be Moss' third team this year alone. The second major claim was of Shawn Merriman who has been claimed by the winless Buffalo Bills. The Bills are serious about winning a game this year and will have more luck winning with Merriman. The only problem is that Merriman has been prone to injuries for the last few seasons and it might be a bad investment if Merriman falls to injury once more.

Questionable moves on two fronts as Jeff Fisher looks to handle Randy Moss and the Bills hope to keep Shawn Merriman healthy. What is more likely to happen? Neither of course.

Baseball 2010: What We Learned This Year

The 2010 MLB Season wraps up with the Giants winning the World Series which is great for baseball seeing a seemingly less dominant or underrated team take it all. This postseason and year really spoke to one overall theme: the Year of the Pitcher. There was 6 no hitters, one of which was in the postseason, and Two Perfect Games. The Giants dominant pitching lead this team into the postseason and to a World Series Title. Perhaps teams in the future will develop young pitchers more rather than give up hope on them and trade them away. The fact the Giants also won it with bits and pieces may cause teams to think about accumulating good players. Not great, but good. I doubt these tactics will change the ways of the larger market teams like the Yankees or the Phillies but it could help the smaller market ones.

Of course baseball can always move to improve itself. Why not take a look at expanding Instant Replay or maybe having test runs with it in the preseason? All the bad calls this year, the most notable being the Imperfect Game, must put pressure on MLB to do something. It may not happen by next season but I can feel it happening in the next few years. As for the other issue I care so deeply about, a Salary Cap possibility may have taken a step back. The fact that the Giants have won the World Series and the success of other teams that have less than a $100 million payrolls to start the season may have hurt the issue further as Bud Selig can say that not every team who spends a lot gets to the playoffs or even the World Series. Texas and San Francisco both started off the season under the $100 Million mark.

Then there is the looming free agency period ahead and to see who goes where. The biggest Free Agent this off season is Cliff Lee as he will be actively pursued by the Yankees and other large market teams. Texas will no doubt contend to keep their star pitcher but Nolan Ryan may be outmatched by the Steinbrenners. Another free agent to keep an eye is Derek Jeter. Will the Yankees keep paying him that high salary? Will they ask for a pay cut? Or will they simply look for a new Shortstop considering Jeter is 36? It's unlikely that Jeter will be a shortstop for much longer and may be asked to give it up if he stays with the Yankees.

A great season nonetheless but still room for improvement. All that's left to do is to hand out the rest of the individual awards. Buster Posey has to win NL Rookie of the Year, right?

P.S. We also need instant replay to make sure Derek Jeter isn't faking anymore "Hit by Pitch" calls. BURN!!!

Week 8: Favre Hit Hard, Saints Get By the Steelers, Shanahan's Two Minute Failure and More

A question mark for the week was whether or not Brett Favre would start and keep his consecutive starts streak alive. He would start and lead the Vikings into the hostile territory of Gillette Stadium. Though Favre did perform well, it was not good enough for the win as the Patriots won it, 28-18. In fact, Favre would leave the game in the 4th Quarter after a hit to the jaw by Myron Pryor (started as a clean hit). He would get 10 stitches under the jaw but would be well enough to answer questions after the game. Well or not, the Vikings are still struggling as they are now 2-5. Meanwhile, the Patriots have the best record in the league at 6-1.

As for the defending champs, the Saints took on the previous champs, the Steelers, at New Orleans. Drew Brees and the Saints would regain some of their composure and beat the strong Steelers' defense, 20-10. Brees threw 2 TDs, both in the 4th Quarter, to help get them the win. Meanwhile, their NFC South Rivals, Tampa Bay, barely got by the Arizona Cardinals, 38-35. The Cardinals actually made a comeback to take the lead but the Bucs manage to score a TD with a 1 yard score by LeGarrette Blount with just over 5 minutes to go. The last place team in the NFC South, the Panthers, lose again, this time to the Rams. Sam Bradford threw 2 TDs and no INTs in this game as he seems to be this year's "rookie that leads a team into the playoffs."

A controversial move that has been talked about non stop is the QB exchange near the end of the Redskins-Lions game. Being down by 6 with less than 2 minutes to go and with no Time Outs, Shanahan pulled McNabb and put in Rex Grossman later saying that Grossman was more prepared to run the two minute offense than McNabb. How did that work out? Grossman immediately fumbled the ball and Ndamukong Suh picked it up and ran in for the put away TD. Lions beat the Redskins, 37-25. Possibly Shanahan's worst move ever but perhaps aimed to get some respect in the locker room. It's seems he may have lost some, though, with his team and the fans.

Other games of the week include the Chiefs edging out the winless Bills in OT, 13-10. The Chiefs scored the game winning field as time expired in OT. Cutting it really close there. The Jets got shut out by the Packers in a close game, 9-0. No TDs for either side in this game but the offense of the Jets was out of sync as Sanchez threw 2 INTs. The Colts get some revenge over the Texans beating them, 30-17. Manning threw 2 TDs in their first divisional win of the year.

Of course the week ends with us talking about Shanahan's move and Moss being put on waivers. Is this "bad move week" or something?

GIANTS WIN FIRST WORLD SERIES IN SAN FRANCISCO!!!

Game 5 of the World Series was the pitchers duel everyone wanted back in Game 1. Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee were on tonight making the hitters feel silly. The 7th inning, however, is where both had some trouble, Lee more than Timmy. Lee got in trouble allowing two hits by Cody Ross and Juan Uribe and then a sac bunt by Aubrey Huff to move the runners over. Pat Burell would strike out next leaving Edgar Renteria to try to bring the runners home with 2 outs. He would get them home and himself as he hit a 3-run Home Run to left center field. Lincecum would unravel a bit in the bottom of the 7th with Nelson Cruz Home Run but he regained his composure and managed to get through that inning and the 8th. "Fear the Beard" Brian Wilson would then be called out for the 9th and he closed the Rangers down striking out Nelson Cruz to win the game, 3-1, and the Series, 4-1. THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!

What joy for this franchise as this is their first World Series Title since 1954. Perhaps this is a bigger deal for the city itself as it is the first World Series title for San Francisco. They didn't do it with big names like Willie Mays and Barry Bonds. They did it with bits and pieces and "Misfits." Tim Lincecum was one of the stars tonight with 8 strong innings allowing one run and striking out 10. The other star and now World Series MVP was Edgar Renteria, who already had the series winning hit of the 1997 World Series for the Marlins and now made the series winning 3-run Home Run for the Giants.

This team has had a great story to it all year long with it's individual players: The development of that pitching rotation over the years, the rookies of Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, Aubrey Huff almost not finding a team to play for, Pat Burrell being released by the Rays and then signed by the Giants, Cody Ross not arriving till August, the "Fear the Beard" crowd of Wilson and the Bullpen... all great stories about a bunch of individuals who made a whole championship team. These San Francisco Giants have proven that you don't always need the big names like A-Rod or Hamilton, you just need great pitching/player development, some seemingly minor though key transactions, and a little bit of luck. Congratulations to your 2010 World Series Champions: The San Francisco Giants.

Moss Finished in Minnesota... Again

The reunion tour of Randy Moss and the Minnesota Vikings is over. After only 3 games back with his original team, Moss has been put on waivers. He will go through the waiver process and could be claimed by another team or just let go. Either way, he is done with Minnesota. Why did the Vikings even trade a third round pick for him in the first place? Also, why are they letting him go after only 3 games? It could be his attitude and that they remembered he can be hard to deal with. It's possible that he didn't Brad Childress. Then again, it might've been his low productive numbers even though he was still a viable threat on the field and had to be covered well. Either way, he is gone from the Vikings and his fate up in the air.

P.S. Could he actually go back to the Patriots? Not Likely but that would be weird.

The London 49ers Beat the Broncos

Though technically a home game for the 49ers, it was really a neutral environment for them and the Broncos as they played the annual NFL Game in London. As for the 49ers, they had to take on Denver without their starting QB, Alex Smith. Instead of going to David Carr, they went with Troy Smith at QB. The game started off slow as it was 3-0 with the 49ers leading at half time. The Broncos grabbed a 10-3 lead later on with a Tim Tebow TD run and a Matt Prater Field Goal. The 49ers would not lose hope, though, as Troy Smith would score a TD on the ground and then threw a TD later to Michael Crabtree. Frank Gore would score a rushing TD next to help seal the victory for the 49ers, 24-16.

Slow start for both sides but Troy Smith really came out and had a good second half in order for the 49ers to win. Perhaps with another good week behind center, Troy Smith will remain the starting QB. However, Alex Smith may be healthy enough to play after next weeks bye. DAMN IT!!!

A Rookie on the Mound? What a Treat!!!

The World Series continued on Halloween and it was a Trick for Texas and a Treat for San Francisco. The Giants put Madison Bumgarner, a rookie, on the mound to face the powerful Rangers' lineup. He Tricked them all night long as he pitched 8 innings allowing only 3 hits and no runs. Freddy Sanchez would be a boost defensively and Aubrey Huff would hit a 2 run Home Run in the 3rd. Two more runs would later score to give the Giants a 4-0 win over the Rangers. The Giants are now treated to a 3-1 lead in the series. Only one more is needed to be called champions.

A bit of worry for the Giants sending a second lefty to the mound after what the Rangers did to Jonathan Sanchez. But Bumgarner was cool and didn't succumb to the pressure all night long. Good for him. As for the Rangers, it's the second time they've been shutout in the series and the 2nd time they've been shut out at home all year long. Tomorrow's Game 5 kicks off the month of November with Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee facing off for the second time. Will this round be a pitchers duel or another hitters showcase?

Two More Top Teams Fall, Ducks and Tigers Prevail, Utah Evades an Upset and More

The theme of upsets carried into this week of College Football as the Michigan State Spartans and the Missouri Tigers fell to their respective opponents. The Iowa Hawkeyes finally brought down the "300" crowd, 37-6. 3 INTs by Kirk Cousins and 3 TD passes by Ricki Stanzi brought down this BCS hopeful. Missouri fell to Nebraska, 31-17, with much of the credit going to their quick RB Roy Helu Jr. who ran for 307 Yards and 3 TDs. These two loses certainly rock the BCS boat.

As for the top two teams, they did just fine. Auburn managed to get by Ole Miss, beating them 51-31. Cameron Newton threw pretty well with 209 Yards and 2 TDs while the rushing attack was lead by Michael Dyer who ran for 180 Yards and 1 TD. As for #2, Oregon went down to the LA Coliseum to take on USC. The Trojans managed to keep pace with the Ducks for a while and even grabbed the lead a couple times. But the Ducks would eventually pull away and win it, 53-32. Oregon's Darron Thomas was a key figure with his 288 Passing Yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT, along with RB LaMichael James who ran for 239 Yards and 3 TDs. The Ducks continue to fly high.

As for some other top teams, Utah would hold off the Air Force long enough to win, 28-23. It was close at the end but the upset was halted, anyway, due to 5 turnovers committed by Air Force. Meanwhile, their MWC rivals, TCU, faced UNLV. The Horned Frogs would beat the Rebels, 48-6. Andy Dalton's 252 Passing Yards, 2 Passing TDs and 1 Rushing TD helps keep his team undefeated. Utah and TCU face off next week in Utah. In the WAC earlier this week, Boise State beat Louisiana Tech, 49-20. Though a win, many are citing a lack of style points from the Broncos. They won the game, didn't they? Isn't that what matters? Oklahoma and Ohio State beat their respective opponents impressively as the Sooners beat Colorado, 43-10, and the Buckeyes beat Minnesota, 52-10. These two victories help keep them close in case more top level teams should fall behind.

Another week passes as Auburn and Oregon remain at the top. Pity about Michigan State and Missouri but they are still alive in their conference as there is no undefeated team in the Big Ten or Big 12. Still a very wild scenario.

Giants Grab a 2-0 Series Lead

The pitching duel that everyone expected in Game 1 came in Game 2 with C.J. Wilson and Matt Cain. These two pitchers played very well as Wilson allowed 2 earned in his 6 innings while Cain allowed no runs at all in his 7 2/3 innings. The Rangers were close to breaking into the runs column against Cain like Ian Kinsler's near home run shot to center in the 5th inning. The ball just bounced off the very top of the wall. That was was lucky for the Giants the ball didn't go over as Cain then managed to work out of that inning. Edgar Renteria would hit a Solo Home Run in the 5th and Juan Uribe would bloop in Cody Ross in the 7th to get a 2-0 Giants lead. The Giants would really break it open in the 8th inning as they added 7 more runs thanks to 4 straight walks and 3 more hits. Giants take a this one, 9-0, and now have a 2-0 World Series lead as they head to Arlington.

The Giants continue to surprise with their manufacturing of runs and unexpected big innings. Though I must say that the Rangers really shot themselves in the foot in the 8th inning. They needed only one out to send it to the 9th but they couldn't find the strike zone. Saturday's game at Arlington will feature Jonathan Sanchez dueling Colby Lewis in a hitter's ballpark. Keep it up Giants.

Giants Take Game 1 of the World Series

Game 1 of the World Series had a dream match up of Cliff Lee against Tim Lincecum. Another pitching duel for the ages... potentially. It was not that at all. Both pitchers played well below par but who was worse? Cliff Lee , surprisingly. He was as cool as ice for a while but the Giants eventually got to him in the 5th inning putting on 6 runs. Lee would leave giving up 6 earned runs in the ball game (not all in that inning). The Giants would manage to extend their lead in the 8th and went on to win it, 11-7, and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Lee had to go through the Rays and the Yankees but the one team that actually beat him in the postseason was the Giants? I must say I was expecting Lee to be lights out while Timmy tried to keep up. Timmy didn't do great himself as he allowed 4 earned runs but he pitched long enough for that bullpen to take over. Luckily the Giants bats came alive. Game 2 is tonight with the C.J. Wilson and Matt Cain as the starting pitchers.