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Pigskin Pick'em - Week 10 Results [EdMcGon]
2007-11-13 15:35:00
This weekend was just ugly. Even uglier, if Mark English had gotten his picks in on time, he would have won with ten picks right. Unfortunately, I had to penalize him the 1:00 games, leaving him with 5 picks right. Congrats to SoloD!Sorry Mark. If it is any consolation, with only 5 picks right, you still did better than me:SoloD - 9FunkyPundit - 7Audio Dave - 7bl - 6J. Mark English - 5David Stefanini - 5Robert A. George - 5Bill Barker - 5EdMcGon - 3Moose - 1Fortunately, I did not lose too much ground on Stefanini, since he tanked this week too. Our year-to-date results (with weekly wins in parentheses):David Stefanini(2) - 84EdMcGon(1.5) - 79Robert A. George(1.5) - 77J. Mark English(1) - 72bl(2) - 66Bill Barker - 58FunkyPundit(0.5) - 48SoloD(1) - 37Dave O'Leary - 21Audio Dave(0.5) - 17Rigel - 17Snave - 8Mike - 8Moose - 1As you may have noticed, I gave Moose credit for picking the Steelers this week. Thanks for playing Moose!http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?i mage=amerlegendslogo5wj...
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Lowell Set to Test the Market, A-Rod Looms [Addison Quale]
2007-11-13 06:02:00
The Boston Globe is reporting that an hour away from the deadline, Lowell and the Sox still haven't reached a deal. He wants to see if there's a 4 year deal out there for him somewhere. The Sox seem intent on a 3 year deal. It seems a bit reminiscent of perhaps Pedro's departure from the Sox. I believe they offered him a 3 year deal and he spurned it for the Mets' 4 year deal. As great as Pedro was, time has shown that the Sox made the right move there. I think if they were to let go of Lowell by not offering him a 4 year deal, it'd be the right move too. He's a great guy and a very good ballplayer. But 2007 was above his ability it seems. And he ain't getting any younger. If he were to leave, that would open up speculation about A-Rod of course. I wonder what Sox fans would think about having him in Boston. Perhaps ambivalent at best. We like to think that cheering for our team is a moral thing to do. We like to think that our home team truly deserves to win because they're...
More About: Market , Boston Red Sox , Test , Mike Lowell

Pigskin Pick'em - Week 9 Results AND Week 10 Picks [EdMcGon]
2007-11-08 11:00:00
Who the heck is Audio Dave?I don't know, but he pops into the Pigskin Pick'em for the first time last week, and ties yours truly for the weekly win:EdMcGon - 10Audio Dave - 10Robert A. George - 9Bill Barker - 8David Stefanini - 7J. Mark English - 7bl - 6Thanks to my semi-glorious victory this week, I also managed to close the gap a little on our YTD leader (with the usual weekly wins in parentheses):David Stefanini(2) - 79EdMcGon(1.5) - 76Robert A. George(1.5) - 72J. Mark English(1) - 67bl(2) - 60Bill Barker - 53FunkyPundit(0.5) - 41SoloD - 28Dave O'Leary - 21Rigel - 17Audio Dave(0.5) - 10Snave - 8Mike - 8And now for the part of this week's post that I know you all anticipate the most, my picks for this week's game:Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers: The Harrington-Testaverde showdown we have all been waiting for with muted anticipation. VERY muted.Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: The Vikes are fun to watch because of Adrian Peterson, but don't mistake that for a poss...
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Pigskin Pick'em - Week 8 Results AND Week 9 Picks AND Pats-Colts Preview [E
2007-11-02 14:47:00
Who cares about last week when we have THE...SINGLE...MOST...IMPORTANT...GAME... OF...THE...SEASON...this weekend?But for those of you who do care, congrats to bl! Here are last week's results:bl - 10David Stefanini - 9EdMcGon - 8J. Mark English - 8FunkyPundit - 8Snave - 8Robert A. George - 6Bill Barker - 5Give a welcome to newcomer Snave. You have to appreciate someone who is willing to enter the weekly race without a chance of winning the YTD. Kudos!Speaking of the YTD (with weekly wins in parentheses):David Stefanini(2) - 72EdMcGon(1) - 66Robert A. George(1.5) - 63J. Mark English(1) - 60bl(2) - 54Bill Barker - 45FunkyPundit(0.5) - 41SoloD - 28Dave O'Leary - 21Rigel - 17Snave - 8Mike - 8For this week's picks, since we all only really care about one game, that's the only one I will comment on (this week, my picks are in green, with the exception of the last game):San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta FalconsCincinnati Bengals at Buffalo BillsDenver Broncos at Detroit LionsGreen Bay Pac...
More About: Preview , Results , Week , Colts , Colt

Yankees Bungle Away A-Rod, Greatest Player on Earth [Addison Quale]
2007-10-30 06:23:00
As much as I?ve ragged on A-Rod this year for being classless (and Mike Lupica skewers him today), he truly is an impressive player. You knew the Yanks were coming back when he hit that homer off of Papelbon in early June this year. You have to give him credit for what he did this year: pretty much single handedly keep the Yankees in contention and get them into the playoffs. He deserves a lot of praise for that. Does he get it? Not in NY. What is wrong with this city? Don?t they know a hall of famer when they see one? So what if the guy is a prima donna? He?s your prima donna! And he just hit 54 homers! I think Yankee fans are getting yet another dose of comeuppance for their swagger and arrogance over the years. You know why A-Rod is leaving. Because he?s had a terrible time here and can?t seem to ?win?. Even winning his second MVP in 3 years doesn?t obscure the fact that he didn?t hit 1000 homers in the playoffs. The media in NY constantly dog him for playing poorly in the postse...
More About: Earth , Player , Addison , Greatest

BoSox at Top of World Again--Yanks Slump To Bottom, Again [Addison Quale]
2007-10-30 05:59:00
We may have just witnessed the most eventful weekend in baseball history. In one fell swoop the establishment of one dynasty was solidified just as another crumbled before our very eyes. The Boston Red Sox, a team which had led the majors for much of the year as the premier team then slumped its way into the playoffs. But just as you thought they were sleeping, they pulled out the big guns for October and finished it off by sweeping the Rockies with the biggest World Series run differential in history. It?s the second time in 4 years the Sox have taken home the title and with the same core of players. What?s even more impressive is that it looks to be the making of a dynasty as the Sox will most likely only improve at every position as this year?s team was comprised of many rookies and young pitchers.Was Lowell truly the MVP? Perhaps in a team-leader sort of way. But I think they got it wrong?just as they did in 2004. It should have gone both times to the closer: Foulke in ?04 and P...
More About: Bottom , Addison , Diso , Slump

Boston Bloggers React to Happy Days [J. Mark English]
2007-10-27 00:31:00
Last night, the city of Boston was filled with nothing but good news from their local sport teams. New England continues to prepare for yet another sacrificial lamb en route to what could be a perfect season. The Boston Red Sox went up two games to nothing against the Colorado Rockies in the World Series. Boston College remained undefeated last night by beating Virginia Tech in the final minutes in a thriller, as they seek to retain their #2 ranking in the polls.Here are some reactions of bloggers following the Boston hysteria.First up is Kevin Donahue with his Boston College fan blog:Everyone that I had spoken to prior to the Boston College - Virginia Tech game expected the Hokies to put an end to the Eagles BCS dreams. The only problem was no one bothered to tell BC. Down 10-0... late in the fourth quarter... on the road... in one of the toughest road houses in college football... Boston College came alive. The Eagles scored 14 unanswered points in the final 2:11 of the game ...
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RIP City is Back, Even Without Greg Oden [Snave]
2007-10-26 20:41:00
I have been a fan of the Portland Trailblazers since the inception of the franchise, and it still looks like ?Rip City ? is on the way back from the dreary "Jail Blazer" days of Isaiah Rider, Shawn Kemp, Qyntell Woods, Bonzi Wells, etc. despite the loss of #1 NBA draft pick Greg Oden for the season to knee surgery. Why am I optimistic?Last season, SG Brandon Roy was the NBA?s top rookie. Big man LaMarcus Aldridge (pictured above) was developing into a good ballplayer, and SF Martell Webster and SF/PF Travis Outlaw continued to make strides. In his second season at PG, Jarrett Jack did a good job for coach Nate McMillan. Add in the fact that 7-foot defensive specialist Joel Przybilla seems to be healthy and Channing Frye has been added in the offseason trade of Zach Randolph (dubbed ?Z-Fat? by many Blazer fans) to the Knicks, and it seems like Portland is definitely a team on the way up. PG Steve Blake was added to the roster, and he may actually start at his position. F James Jones w...
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Onward, Oregon! [Snave]
2007-10-26 20:23:00
I am a big fan of the University of Oregon Ducks, as UO is my alma mater. I was talking with a co-worker a few weeks ago, and he is a big fan of the Ducks' archrival, the Oregon State University Beavers. He told me ?Mark my words, there won?t be any undefeated teams in the Pac-10 this football season.?His words have proven prophetic, as the upper two-thirds of the league appears fairly well-balanced. UCLA and Arizona State are undefeated in league play at 4-0, and Oregon (6-1 overall) and the USC Trojans, also 6-1, are right behind at 3-1 in Pac-10 play. Cal and Oregon State are next at 2-2.This weekend and the next could go a long way toward determining who is in the driver?s seat for being top dog. Oregon hosts USC tomorrow in Eugene, ASU (7-0, 4-0 in league play) hosts Cal (5-2, 2-2), UCLA (5-2, 4-0) has to go to Pullman, WA to play the Washington State Cougars (2-5, 0-4), and the Beavers (4-3, 2-2) play host to Stanford (3-4, 2-3). In the remaining game, less important to the l...
More About: College Football , Oregon Ducks

What Will the Off-Season Hold for Seattle? [Snave]
2007-10-26 19:52:00
When you are a Seattle Mariners fan lately, it never seems too early to be thinking about the off-season. Considering the many holes in their roster, the Mariners had a surprisingly good season in 2007, finishing at 88-74. That was good enough for second place behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League West. During the Hot Stove League of 2007-2008, Seattle?s General Manager Bill Bavasi will face the daunting task of finding better pitching, among many other things.For better or for worse, the ballclub continued Bavasi?s job for next year. They also decided to give interim field manager John McLaren the job of manager. McLaren named his coaching staff this week, keeping only the M?s hitting coach Jeff Pentland from the 2007 staff. New additions include pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, former major-league manager Jim Riggleman as bench coach, and ex-Red and Mariner reliever Norm Charlton as bullpen coach. Eddie Rodriguez will coach at first base, and Larry Bowa wi...
More About: Seattle Mariners , Season , Hold , Richie Sexson

Poem about the World Series [Karen Zaborowski Duffy]
2007-10-26 02:10:00
The following was a poem read tonight on the PBS News Hour:Poet Karen Zaborowski Duffy has been a high school English teacher for 20 years. She's been a Philadelphia Phillies fan for even longer. Although her beloved team is not in this year's World Series , she shares a poem about being at the event years ago with her daughter.World Series, Game 5Even God, I think, is here,so high up in the standswith my ten-year old daughter and mewe can almost touch the Xfrom Schmidty's old home run,probably the two worst seats at the Vetbut right where the whole worldwants to be.I let her drink real Coke,eat Milky Ways and dance with strangersat 11:30 on a school night and stillninety minutes from home.I took her sticky hand.The Phillies and we are in control.For now, the world has stopped worryingabout players who might be traded,moods that might swing and miss.There are no thoughts about new uniformsand the boys who will wear them.Tonight she is here and finds it easyto love me for this end-...
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World Series: Ratings and Polls [J. Mark English]
2007-10-26 01:50:00
America's national pastime is on the rebound according to the ratings released from last night's game one of the World Series between the Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox . The lopsided game did not seem to affect much in terms of a viewing audience.This is from James Hibberd's blog on TV Week: With the popular Boston Red Sox playing the Colorado Rockies, the game hit a 5.8 rating among adults 18 to 49 in the national Nielsens, up 61 percent from last year's Cardinals-Tigers match. Among total viewers, the game was seen by 16.9 million, up 31 percent.The figures reverse a World Series Game 1 downward trend in recent years, despite the match being a blowout, with the Sox winning 13 to 1. Like any major sporting event, the game throws its competitors numbers off balance, making week-to-week comparisons suspect.Meanwhile, a Fox News poll attempted to take the pulse of the nation as to its thoughts on the World Series. Here are there results:Equal shares of Americans (33 p...
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The NFL Invades Britain [J. Mark English]
2007-10-25 23:02:00
The New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins will play the part of good-will ambassadors this weekend in jolly old London .This is not the first time that the NFL has been featured in a foreign country. A few years ago they had a regular season opener in Mexico City between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals. During the pre-season they have played games in places like Tokyo, as well as London.This will be the first regular season game to be played overseas. Curious Britons will be able to see a real (American) football game, not just some minor league game that the NFL Europe offers.An article the London Telegraph projects the cultural clash likely to take place this weekend:In his rich Louisiana drawl, Eli Manning affects a certain wide-eyed innocence as he contemplates a visit to London this weekend forgetting, momentarily, that he is coming not as a tourist but with a reputation to protect as the New York Giants' star quarterback. The 26-year-old spent a summer i...
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A-Rod Wins Baseball's Most Clutch Award [David Stefanini]
2007-10-25 22:18:00
How ironic is this? Last year the big argument against A-Rod was how he never comes through in a big situation. Sure he put up over 30 HR's and over 100 RBI's but they didn't come in big spots when they were needed. Now this season, claims the inaugrial award of being Baseball's most clutch hitter.Here is the story by Bryan Hoch: For his efforts in what will be remembered as a remarkable individual season worthy of praise, Rodriguez has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the 2007 Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Year, presented by Pepsi. The officially sanctioned Major League Baseball award recognizes the player who performed his best when the game was on the line.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?im age=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif
More About: New York Yankees , Alex Rodriguez , David , Award

Pigskin Pick'em - Week 7 Results AND Week 8 Picks [EdMcGon]
2007-10-25 11:46:00
Another two-fer Thursday, in honor of David Stefanini pulling his second weekly win of the season in week 7:David Stefanini - 11Robert A. George - 10EdMcGon - 9bl - 9J. Mark English - 7Bill Barker - 6Year to date results (with weekly wins in parentheses):David Stefanini(2) - 63EdMcGon(1) - 58Robert A. George(1.5) - 57J. Mark English(1) - 52bl(1) - 44Bill Barker - 40FunkyPundit(0.5) - 33SoloD - 28Dave O'Leary - 21Rigel - 17Mike - 8Normally, this is where I brag about how great my picks will be this week. Unfortunately, I have a cold, so I really don't feel like my usual overconfident self. So here they are, my picks in red:Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers: The Colts may fall into this trap game, but I won't pick it.Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears: The last time these two teams played in Detroit, and the Lions had to score 34 points in the fourth quarter to win. I don't expect them to do that again, especially not in Chicago.Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals: This ga...
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Sox Rock Rox in Game One: 13-1 [Addison Quale]
2007-10-25 07:19:00
Are you getting tired of all these annoying alliterative titles playing around with the Red Sox and Rock ies? Not me. Anyway, the Sox absolutely butchered the Rockies last night at Fenway. Do they have some sort of mystique and aura of their own now? Are they truly the new Yankees? Perhaps. But then again, didn't we just learn in the ALCS that winning game 1 handedly doesn't mean the series is over? Let's all remember that the you're only as good as your last game and that momentum lasts one game too. The Rockies are still a very good ball club and we've probably not seen the last of them.As for managerial decisions, why in the world did Beckett pitch the 7th up 12 runs? That was absurd. The Sox could have had Beckett on short rest in game 4 and save him for a game 7 if possible. Furthermore, why bring in Timlin, your third best reliever in the 8th? As the Brazilian commentators said in the 2004 ALCS as I watched the games from Minas Gerais, "He was like a paralytic mummy out th...
More About: Boston Red Sox , Game , Josh Beckett , Colorado Rockies

Photo: Fall Classic Returns to Fenway Park [J. Mark English]
2007-10-25 03:34:00
http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif
More About: Photo , Boston Red Sox , English , Classic , Park

More Steinbrenner Horse Crap and Why HR's Are Bad [Aaron DeRosa]
2007-10-25 01:25:00
"I think the most important thing is whoever we hire, give 'em a chance because he's not getting the '96 Yankees . He's getting an even younger team or for the most part a team in transition. Give him a little while,'' Hank Steinbrenner said, "We want to win the World Series every year. We're not stupid enough to think we can do it. Of course, we'd love to win the World Series next year.'' While I buy the sentiment that New York is a bit impatient, let's call it like it is. The 2007 Yankees are, on paper, a better team than the 1996 Yankees. Just a look at the basic numbers: 1996 Team Stats: .288 / 162HR / 830RBIs / 871 Runs 2007 Team Stats: .290 / 201HR / 929RBIs / 968 Runs So, a more potent offense. But surely the pitching isn't as good:1996 Team Stats: 4.65 ERA 2007 Team Stats: 4.50 ERA Younger? Actually, the average age of the 1996 Yankees was 29.7 or so, while the 2007 Yankees was about 31.Perhaps it's because there is more talent in the league nowadays that the Yan...
More About: New York Yankees , Crap , George Steinbrenner , Aaron

Rock vs Sock: Game 1 Preview [David Stefanini]
2007-10-25 00:58:00
Well here is the good news for the Colorado Rock ies. They are on a historic hot streak, and have yet to lose a single game in the playoffs. They have proved they can pitch and play good defense. Now here is the bad news:The Boston Red Sox are going to send pitcher Josh Beckett to the mound. Beckett is a career 5-2 pitcher in the postseason. In his two losses he has combined to pitch 14+ innings, giving up 4 hits and 3 runs. In other words, he is a virtual lock to win this game tonight against the Rockies.Something else strikes me off at the beginning of this series. Boston is threatening to become the new Evil Empire. With the Yanks being off their game, and some big questions hovering over them, Boston is in perfect position to establish themselves as the team of this decade. They have already won, one championship, and at the end of this series they can have 2. They have great pitching and great hitters. Their bullpen is solidified with young talent, and their farm system is very ...
More About: Preview , Game , David

Rudy is a...Red Sox Fan?? [J. Mark English]
2007-10-24 00:07:00
Former NYC Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, whom is running for President, and is an die-hard Yankee fan, has publicly stated that he will root for the Boston Red Sox in the World Series according to the New York Post:Rudy's turned red -- and that's sure to have Yankees fans feeling blue. Even though many New Yorkers are still mourning the Yankees' defeat by the Cleveland Indians two weeks ago during the playoffs, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani today declared his allegiance to Boston Red Sox, and said he'd root for them in the World Series against the Colorado Rockies. "I'm rooting for the Red Sox," the Republican presidential contender said in response to a question, sparking applause at the Boston restaurant where he was picking up a local endorsement. "I'm an American League fan, and I go with the American League team, maybe with the exception of the Mets," he said. "Maybe that would be the one time I wouldn't because I'm loyal to New York."Comment -I see where he is coming fro...
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ALCS Provides Great Ratings for FOX [J. Mark English]
2007-10-24 00:03:00
The ratings are in, and FOX is the winner. The ALCS match up between the Indians and the Red Sox provided FOX with the most viewers over the past week. Here is a summary from Variety.com:Fox Sports is riding a wave of momentum -- and heightened advertiser interest -- into the World Series after the seventh and deciding game of the Red Sox-Indians series scored big numbers Sunday night.The Boston Red Sox will take on the Colorado Rockies in the Fall Classic beginning Wednesday night.Boston has a large national following while the Rockies are a great Cinderella story: Left for dead for most of summer, the young team rallied to become the last squad to qualify for the postseason and then swept the opening two rounds of the playoffs......Nielsen estimates that an average aud of 19 million viewers watched the Boston Red Sox cap their rally in the best-of-seven series with an 11-2 victory on Sunday. That made it the most-watched program of the night -- besting "Desperate Housewives" on ...
More About: Great , English , Cleveland Indians , Ratings

Sox Stun Tribe - Get Ready for Rox [Addison Quale]
2007-10-23 07:36:00
It's just amazing how the animal spirits get going when it comes to postseason baseball. After the Sox manhandled Cleveland in game 1, everyone seemed to be saying, "Well this will be easy! I wonder who we'll play in the WS?" It was amazing. The Sox won one game and extrapolated that they would win all the rest. Then, after just barely losing game 2 (by 7 runs) all of that momentum was squashed. Game 3 was lost. And then Game 4. And suddenly--or rather this became clear after game 2--the feeling was: "How do we even have a chance?? Cleveland is WAY too good!" It was unbelievable. And then, looking forward to game 5, I started thinking that Beckett is going to win this one. And if Beckett can win and bring it back to Boston, then Schilling certainly has a chance. And then if it goes to 7 anything can happen then. So really, the Sox have a pretty darn good chance here. And I turned out to be right. Anyway, baseball in the postseason is a bizarre animal. It's all about momentum. And...
More About: Boston Red Sox , Colorado Rockies , Tribe , Ready , Get Ready

World Series Ticket Demand Halts Rockies Computer [J. Mark English]
2007-10-23 05:18:00
All those die hard Rockie fans going back to 1993 seem to be going nuts over their first World Series trip...This is from Duncan Shaw of CBS News in Denver:Colorado Rockies officials said Monday night their computer system for online-only World Series ticket sales was the target of an "external malicious attack," and that online ticket sales will resume at noon Tuesday.Team spokesperson Jay Alves couldn't immediately provide details of the attack. He said nearly 18,000 tickets were available for each game in Denver -- Games 3, 4, and 5, if necessary -- on Saturday, Sunday and Monday........he company that handles online ticket sales for the Colorado Rockies told CBS4 News it isn't sure what caused its systems to crash on Monday morning."They are amazed and overwhelmed at what happened here this morning," said Colorado Rockies spokesman Jay Alves. He said Irvine, Calif.-based Paciolan's servers received 8.5 million visits in the first hour-and-a-half after the tickets for the Worl...
More About: Computer , Boston Red Sox , English

Rocks and Sox World Series [J. Mark English]
2007-10-23 00:01:00
For a wrap up of last nights game 7 of the ALCS, where the Boston Red Sox defeated to the Cleveland Indians to advance to the World Series , here is some excitement from bean town shared by the SawxBlog :Wow...ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, your Boston Red Sox are on their way to the 2007 World Series, and what a game they played to get there. Like a lot of the games in this series the box score at the end of the night can be awfully deceiving. The final score may have been 11-2, but it sure didn't feel like that for a majority of the game. The story of this ALCS was that the Red Sox actually had the opportunity to manufacture a heck of a lot more runs then they did (the record number of double plays attests to that), and game 7 was a great example of this early on. For the first three innings the Red Sox were nibbling and getting only 1 run an inning when they really had an opportunity to break it open a la game 6. That's why when it's the top of the 7th inning and we're ...
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Torre and Manny -- Total Opposites in Terms of Class [Addison Quale]
2007-10-21 04:06:00
What an amazing week for baseball. The Sox in the ALCS. And the Evil-Empire destroyed as we know it. It's very possible that the next 25 guys the Yankees run out on the field in the Spring of 2008 will be very different from those who played for them the last decade. Think about this: It's possible that the only holdover from the championship years will be Derek Jeter. We've seen the last of Torre--and with him probably goes Mariano, Posada. It seems A-Rod may bolt. And Clemens surely won't return. The Yankees as we know them are history.This does give me a sort of satisfaction as a Red Sox fan. It's great to see that the Yankees were stopped in their tracks after a torrid spat of WS Titles. And they were stopped in part by the Sox. But as great as it is to see this version of our foes vanquished forever, I am sad to see Joe Torre leave.Torre was one heckuva manager. He was it seems the epitome of class in terms of managers. Even as the general of our arch rivals, you have to g...
More About: Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , Terms , Opposites

Video: Joe Torre's Last Hurrah [David Stefanini]
2007-10-19 21:51:00
http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif
More About: Video , New York Yankees , Joe Torre , David

Red Sox Force Game 6 [Allen Chace]
2007-10-19 14:54:00
This comes from guest blogger Allen Chace, of Over the Monster:Absolutely superb. Josh Beckett clearly feels his WS MVP trophy is a little lonely on the mantle. After a dicey 1st in which he escaped partly due to a non-RBI DP off the bat of Travis Hafner, Becks gave a clinic on pitching, being efficient while also striking out hitters, and almost got an opportunity to teach Kenny Lofton some humility in the process. The offense finally looked like the offense all season long. Working counts and generally wearing out C.C. Sabathia with a number of great ABs and getting 14 baserunners against him over 6+ innings. Indians setup man Rafael Betancourt was good in following Sabathia, only allowing one inherited runner to score on a SF. Those that followed were not so effective, with Rafael Perez allowing 3 runs (1 earned) and Tom Mastny allowing all 3 runners he inherited to score during the Sox's 3-run 8th inning. The ALCS swings back to Boston with Curt Schilling on the hill in anothe...
More About: Boston Red Sox , Force , Game , Cleveland Indians

Pandemonium in Piscataway Part II [J. Mark English]
2007-10-19 05:39:00
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have done it again, one year later. The University of South Florida came in undefeated and ranked number 2 in the nation. Similarly, last year it was the Louisville Cardinals that came in to Piscataway undefeated with a high ranking. Just like last year, the Scarlet Knights came away with the upset.Chris Carlin coined the term last year with his exclamation at the end of his broadcast on WOR with, "pandemonium in Piscataway!!!" The Rutger faithful can once again make this celebrate with madness.Rutgers took down USF by the score of 30-27. Ray Rice ran for 181 yards, showing that he is truly the toast of the Scarlet Knights. His 39 carries demonstrates just how much of a war horse he will be in the NFL. Mike Teel did just enough not to screw up, and helped manage an efficient offense against one of the best defenses in the nation.The only difference between last year and this year, is that last year Rutgers came out of no-where. This year there sho...
More About: English , Michigan , Oregon , Part , Kentucky

Dan Patrick Joins SI Staff [J. Mark English]
2007-10-19 05:04:00
Dan Patrick will join the pages of Sports Illustrated . ESPN has not been the same without the staple of their Sports Center broadcast. He had a unique way of mixing facetiousness, wit, and wisdom in his commentary.Sports Illustrated, which is already chalk full of quality writers, will only continue to improve with Dan Patrick as a member of the staff. Here is more from Variety :Dan Patrick, who left ESPN earlier this year to help organize his own company the Content Factory, has signed a deal with Sports Illustrated to write a weekly column for the magazine and place his website under SI's Digital Group.The Patrick column begins in January, and SI will supervise the audio simulcast of Patrick's daily radio show on his website, starting early next year. SI.com will also carry the radio show, encouraging people, eventually, to download the program as a podcast. SI writers will make regular appearances on the Patrick radio program, including Peter King, Tom Verducci and Rick Reill...
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A British Super Bowl? [J. Mark English]
2007-10-19 04:53:00
Two weeks from now the Giants will be heading to jolly old London , some ways across the pond that is the Atlantic Ocean, to square off against the Miami Dolphins .This is all well and good, but the Dolphins lose a home game, and can the average fan in Miami travel to London afford to see their team play?While you ponder this notion, think about what could happen down the line if the NFL dreamers have their way. The Super Bowl could be coming to a European city over there... Most likely in London.This is from the Press Association: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes London is a candidate to host a future Super Bowl, an event that has never in history been held outside the United States."There's a great deal of interest in having a Super Bowl in London," Goodell said in a news conference Monday in Phoenix, which will host the 2008 Super Bowl. "We'll be looking at that."The Miami Dolphins and New York Giants are due to play at Wembley Stadium in London on October 28.It will be ...
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