Falcons Edge Out Cowboys, Steelers In-n-Out of New York with a Win, Bears Destroy the Titans and More

Sunday had many good games like every week in the NFL with some being close.

One of those close ones was the Sunday Night game between the Cowboys and the Falcons. Both sides were moving and clamoring but neither could really get anything significant until the final quarter. It took until the 4th quarter for either side to score their first TDs of the game. Atlanta broke the 6-6 tie with Michael Turner scoring a TD on a 3 yard run. After a Matt Bryant FG to make it 16-6, the Cowboys then scored their first TD with a TD pass to Kevin Ogletree for 21 yards with 5:21 to go.

The Falcons got the ball back and scored a FG to make it a 6 point game with another FG but not before taking away every second that they could leaving Dallas just 17 seconds to score a TD. The Cowboys were far short of making into the end zone as the game ended on a short pass to Felix Jones for 39 yards, still more than 20 yards short of 6. Falcons win it 19-13. Atlanta remains unbeaten at 8-0 while the Cowboys fall to 3-5.

Another good one was in the Meadowlands featuring the Steelers vs. the Giants. The Steelers flew in that morning and were to leave that night. That didn't seem to deter them from beating the Giants in MetLife 24-20. Eli Manning was far from par in this game going 10/24 for 125 passing yards and an INT. The Giants totaled just 182 yards of offense while the Steelers had 349 yards of offense. The overlooked Steelers are now 5-3 while the Giants are 6-3.

Other games around the league included the Bears destroying the Titans in Tennessee 51-20. While Cutler did his job with 3 TDs, the Bears also got points from the block punt returned for a TD and an interception returned for a TD by Brian Urlacher. Peyton Manning leads the Broncos to another win beating the Bengals 31-23. Manning went 27/35 with 291 passing yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs. The Packers improve to 6-3 with a win over the Cardinals 31-17. Despite throwing just under 50% along with an INT, Aaron Rodgers threw 4 TD passes in the game. Last one I'll mention had the Colts winning one for Chuck Pagano against the Dolphins 23-20. Adam Vinatieri made what the proved to be the game winning 43 yard FG with 5:58 left in the game.

The week ends tonight with the Eagles going into New Orleans to face the Saints on Monday Night.

P.S. SPOILER ALERT: I'm back at KSUN for one night only. Tune into KSUNradio.com at 4 PM Today as I reunite with my old radio partner, Van, on Tailgate Talk with Van. That's KSUNradio.com... Pretty Good.

Red Sox and Dodgers Complete Huge Trade

The Red Sox have not been a great team this year no matter how hopeful I was about them. Some hitters had trouble out of the gate, top pitchers couldn't catch a break, and the organization seems to be in disarray. It's time to press the reset button.

The last coupe of days have been about a trade involving the Red Sox and the Dodgers. Despite the numbers that are involved in this deal, it got done. Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Nick Punto were all traded to the Dodgers. In exchange, the Red Sox get James Loney and minor leaguers Allen Webster and Ivan De Jesus along with two players to be named later but are believed to be pitcher Rubby De La Rosa and outfielder Jerry Sands. As a result of the trade, the Red Sox shed more than $250 Million in salaries through 2018.

WTF?!?!?! The Dodgers have been perhaps the most active team when acquiring new players this year as they had gotten Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino. They cement that title with this humongous trade. To make things even more exciting for the city of LA, Adrian Gonzalez made his debut for the Dodgers earlier tonight and hit a 3 run home run in his first at bat for the team. He's already had a better debut in the LA area than Albert Pujols did.

Does this move, however, make them the favorite to win the NL West with about a month and half to go? I certainly hope not but it's hard to refute. The Giants still have 2 games on the Dodgers and they can't be counted out because of their starting rotation. However, the edge has to go to LA. They were keeping pace with the Giants as is and with these new additions it might be too much for any team to handle.

So where does this leave the Red Sox? In rebuilding mode for the foreseeable future. The chemistry on this team was not working and the organization itself needs sorting out. They first need to get their team management in order before they make any large move for the future. That includes evaluating whether or not Bobby Valentine belongs in that future. It will take some time for these things to sort out which might scare the Nation for the next season or so.

It's really a weird transition with these teams: one franchise on the decline of it's glory while the other is seeking to rise. It's a cycle every team has to go through... unless you're the damn Yankees.

P.S. RIP, Neil Armstrong. The last great explorer that took a giant step for mankind.

Melk Gone Bad

The Giants this year have been in it but like the last few years, their bats have been lacking. One of the moves they made during the off season was a trade that brought Melky Cabrera to the team. Melky has certainly showed he was worth it having 159 hits which leads the majors and batting a .346 (2nd in the majors). He even made the All Star game where he named the All Star Game MVP. Just makes the fall from grace more tragic.

Melky Cabrera has tested positive for testosterone and has been suspended under MLB's drug policy for 50 games. That means Melky will miss the rest of the regular season considering that there is only 45 games left. If the Giants make the playoffs, he will miss up to five games in the postseason. If there is any games left over after all of that, it will carry over into next season. Melky is the first big player to be suspended since Ryan Braun's suspension which got overturned by appeal earlier this year.

"My positive test was the result of my use of a substance I should not have used," Melky said in a statement. "I accept my suspension under the Joint Drug Program and I will try to move on with my life. I am deeply sorry for my mistake and I apologize to my teammates, to the San Francisco Giants organization and to the fans for letting them down."

Now this one hurts. The Giants already have problems scoring runs and one of there best hitters is out for the remainder of the year with the Dodgers just passing them today by a half game. Worst time for something like this. There is no doubt the blame goes to Melky for taking this drug but it hurts the Giants a lot heading down the stretch. Those Dodgers are playing well as of late and we might not be able to keep pace with them.

Despite this loss, you still cannot count out the Giants. Buster Posey is hitting well, Pablo just came back to the lineup, and Hunter Pence has to stop slumping soon... right? The Giants still have a shot for the playoffs but they are definitely not favorites and their lineup will have to start picking up the slack.

First Half Reflections of the MLB 2011 Season

Today was the last games in baseball before the All Star Break. This is the unofficial halfway point of the 2011 MLB season. So how are we doing? In the AL, the Red Sox are a game in front of the Yankees for control of the AL East but this might be due to the fact that the Yanks have played two games less than Boston. The Tigers have a half game lead over the Indians in the Central, and the Rangers have a one game lead over the Angels in the West. In the NL, the East has the biggest divisional gap right now with the Phillies having a 3.5 game lead over the Braves. The Cardinals and Brewers are neck and neck while the Pirates are a game behind them in the Central. Finally, the defending champs, themselves, the Giants have a 3 game lead over the D'Backs in the West.

As for early award contenders, Jair Jurrjens has become the dark horse Cy Young Winner that has taken over that race in the NL. He has the most NL wins with 12 and the best ERA in the league with 1.87. A little more split for pitcher of the year in the AL while CC Sabathia has more wins with 13 but Jared Weaver has a better ERA with 1.86. Last time I checked, that mattered more. As for MVP candidates, Jose Bautista and Adrian Gonzalez seem to be the main contenders as of now in the AL. The NL looks to me to be a bit more split between Prince Fielder, Lance Berkman, and Jose Reyes. Matt Kemp is also a good candidate to consider but is part of the Dodgers who are having a miserable year both on and off the field.

So what seems to be the trends going into the second half of the year? Despite the bad start, the Red Sox are contending with the Yanks for the AL East and the runner up will like be the Wild Card winner. The Cubs and the Twins have made me look like an idiot so far though the Twins could make a comeback. The Pirates have finally made themselves relevant again. And despite being one of the worst offensive teams in baseball and having quite a few injuries, the Giants are in front of the NL West race.

A nice first half with the division races still close and up for grabs.

Plaxico's Brand New Day

Can you believe it's already been two years? Yesterday, Plaxico Burress was released from prison. He hugged his family and then addressed the media a bit seeming humbled. He also apparently met with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. As for a possible team to go, Rosenhaus said Plaxico is open to all teams, including the Giants. Plaxico also said he will be ready to play when football returns.

Interesting little story about a man's exit from prison and his start on the road to redemption. As for possible teams, the Giants don't seem like a possibility. I'm sure Plaxico wouldn't mind playing for them but they still don't won't him. Much speculation has been directed toward the Eagles, even more since he was wearing a Phillies hat exiting the prison. Another reason why he's not coming back to the Giants. While Philly is a possibility, it's more likely he will end up somewhere else. Maybe not as a first string starter, but a 2nd or 3rd string guy.

While I myself don't have a clue where he'll end up, I'll just guess. The Patriots. Big personalities have gone there before, why not an ex-con. It probably won't happen but I honestly wouldn't be surprised.