NFL
There
was some Thursday night action in the NFL last night as the New York
Jets marched into first place. Going into the game, these teams were
tied for first place, and it was a battle of The Legend Brett Favre vs.
The New Guy Matt Cassel. It was also a showdown between two
coaches who do not like each other. The Pats Bill Bellichek and the
Jets Eric Mangini. It was Mangini who blew the whistle on last years
"SpyGate" controversy in which the Jets accused the Patriots of
videotaping opposing teams play-calling signals. So this game had a
lot on the line.
The Jets showed early that they were to be taken seriously, as they pulled out to a 24-6 lead, but the Pats would battle back. Matt Cassel would pass for 400 YARDS and 3 TDs, and his most important TD came with 1-second left in the 4th quarter, as Cassel found Randy Moss in the end zone to tie the game at 31 and force it to overtime. In OT, the Jets got the ball, and Favre connected on a beautiful 16-yard pass to Laveranues Coles. This put them in perfect field goal range, and their kicker Jay Feely booted a clean 34-yard kick to win the game. Now, the Jets are in sole position of the AFC East for the first time in 7 years. Looks like this Brett Favre move has paid off for them. NY Jets 34, New England 31.
BASEBALL
Last night capped a true comeback story. The Cy Young award is given to the best pitcher in each league, and last night Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee won the prestigious prize. This is special because last year Cliff Lee was demoted to the minor leagues. If this happens, as a pitcher you hope to just get another chance at the majors. Cliff Lee got his chance and turned it into a dominant 23 wins at pitcher, and earned the most coveted award in this position.
NBA
Finally in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons got their first win with Allen Iverson in the line-up. Many feared this trade would be somewhat of a dud for the Pistons, but it seems Iverson just needed a little time to warm up to his new team. Iverson finished with 23 points and 9 assists, as the Pistons won 107-102. The Pistons seem to be a good fit for Iverson because he has such a strong supporting cast, and now in the tail end of his career, he doesn't have to carry the full load. The Pistons seem to be jelling, and two games down the road they take on their first true test of the season... Kobe and Lakers.
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NBA
Many have felt that even though the Lakers are undefeated, they haven't played a team of substance yet. A true competitor. Well they got their chance last night against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets. And CP3 (Chris Paul III) in no way made it easy for them. He had 30 points and 13 assists, scoring the brunt of his points in the 4th quarter as the Hornets were trailing. But Kobe made that comeback impossible, hitting a clutch 3-pointer over new Hornet James Posey to put the Lakers up 86-80 with 1:08 to go. Kobe said of the shot on Posey, "I just wanted to shoot it in his face". The Lakers prevailed and improved to a perfect 7-0. LA Lakers 93, New Orleans 86.
And now, the Lakers are the ONLY undefeated team in the NBA because... the underdog Atlanta Hawks finally lost last night to the Boston Celtics. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks with 28 points in an extremely close game, but the hero of the evening was the Celtics' Paul Pierce. He put up a whopping 34 points as the Celtics narrowly edged the high-flying Hawks 103-102. Although Atlanta lost, it was to the defending champion Boston Celtics. Nothing to be ashamed of. Celtics star forward Al Horford said after the game, 'We just want to be taken seriously'. And they are certainly making this happen with an impressive 6-1 record.
NFL
Some good news for fans (of good teams that is). Due to the struggling economy, the NFL has decided to reduce the price of playoff tickets by 10% from last year. Perhaps the NFL is worried that an exciting playoff matchup would have empty seats. Not good for TV broadcasts. And now if you happen to root for one of the top 12 teams in the league, maybe affording a good seat on the 50-yard line might not break your bank.
Finally, it appears that QB Tony Romo (Jessica Simpson's boyfriend) will make his triumphant return to the Cowboys this Sunday as they take on their bitter rival, the Washington Redskins. He has been out the last 4 weeks with a broken pinkie, and the Cowboys have completely fallen from grace without him. But now, with him at the helm, perhaps they'll get they swagger back. And if they don't, the populist pick for NFC representative in the Super Bowl will be watching it from their living room.
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It was underdog day in sports last night.
NBA
In the NBA, only two teams are still undefeated. The first: The Los Angeles Lakers. However, with Kobe Bryant running the show, and armed with an incredibly deep team behind him, this doesn't exactly come as a surprise. However, the other team is A HUGE SURPRISE. It's, drum roll please... the Atlanta Hawks. Silence. Chirp. Chirp. Chirp. Yep, that's right, the notoriously bad Atlanta Hawks, a team used to having exciting draft nights because they keep finishing in the bottom 13 in the league -- that Atlanta Hawks team is 6-0. They simply look great.
What's the reason for this? Well, the Hawks are sort of like the NBA version of the Tampa Bay Rays in baseball. A team that's terrible season after season, but also accumulating good draft picks every year. Eventually, those guys jell. And that's what is happening with the Hawks. Last year's #3 draft pick, Al Horford from Florida, is playing out of his mind. He even had 27 points, 17 rebounds, and six blocked shots against the Bulls last night. Secondly, their forward Marvin Williams (whom they picked ahead of both Chris Paul and Deron Williams -- both of which played on Team USA in the Olympics) is starting to actually contribute. Combine these guys with all-star veteran Joe Johnson and put them all under the guidance of Point-Guard Mike Bibby (whom they acquired late last season from Sacramento), and you've got a really nice nucleus. It all makes sense actually. We'll see how long they can keep it up, but they look solid right now.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The Ball State Cardinals, a team which is usually brought in by big football programs to be destroyed in front of big crowds, is actually undefeated this season. They improved to a perfect 10-0 last night, defeating the Miami (of Ohio) RedHawks. It was a blowout, and Ball State has won every game this season by at least 12 points. Of course, they are unfairly being shafted from any major bowl conversation, but it's a great feeling for a usually horrid football program. Ball State 31, Miami (Ohio) 16.
BASEBALL
Finally, one last underdog story in baseball to seal off "Underdog Night in Sports". Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants took home the National League Cy Young Award. This is special because he was facing the best-of-the-best competition for the prize: Arizona's Brandon Webb (last year's winner), Mets sensation Johan Santana, and Phillies star closer Brad Lidge. Even though the Giants had a sub-par year, he was still dominant when he took the mound. And boy did he have a fastball -- averaging about 97mph. Again, it's great to see someone unknown and ignored step up and show they're the best. A feel good night in sports.
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On
Monday Night Football, it was a battle of two unlikely prime-time
teams: the Arizona Cardinals v. the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers
got off to a good start this season, but have quickly fallen from
grace, even firing their head coach Mike Nolan. They were 2-6 heading
into the game. On the other hand, the Arizona Cardinals look GREAT
this season -- well-balanced and playoff bound. It's all been under
the leadership of the aged Kurt Warner (formerly of the
greatest-show-on-turf St. Louis Rams of 1999). But he has finally
taken and DONE SOMETHING WITH their high-powered receiving core (Larry
Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, & now Steve Breaston). And on Monday
night they were hoping to finally gain respect on a national stage.
They fell behind early, but Kurt Warner rallied them back, throwing
for an amazing 328 yards and 3 TDs. He's 37-years old!!! This guy was
simply born to play quarterback. Then, with the game on the line, the
Cardinals had an improbable goal line stand to save the game and
improve their record to 6-3. Note to the league: Arizona is to be
taken seriously this year.
BASEBALL
POKER
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
It was a crazy, upset day in college football.
The #3 Penn State looked to go undefeated under 80-year head coach, Joe Paterno. The Nittany Lions have had some sub-par seasons as of late, but this season they have completely turned it around, looking National Championship bound every game. All they had to do was beat unranked Iowa in Iowa. The game was a back and forth battle, but, the Nittany Lions were unable to stop Iowa's best player, RB Shonn Greene. He ran for 117 yards, and had two TDs on the night. Then, late in the 4th quarter, Tyler Stash had a key interception for the Hawkeyes and put them in field goal range. Iowa ran the clock down to 8 seconds, and then their kicker, Daniel Murray, hit a beautiful 31-yard field goal to win the game, and ruin Penn State's perfect season. Now Penn State will join the fraternity of 1-loss teams hoping one of the top two teams loses. Iowa 24, Penn State 23.
With that said, it was LSU hosting #1 Alabama. And LSU had no intention of taking it easy on their former coach Nick Saban
(now the coach of Alabama). Alabama was also fighting for a spot in
the SEC Championship birth. It was a back and forth game, and Alabama
got a lot of help from their NFL bound running back, Glen Coffee. He
rushed for 126 yards and a TD on the day. With 3 seconds left in the
game, and the score locked at 21, Alabama's kicker, Lee Tiffin, lined
up for winning field goal. But... IT WAS BLOCKED! Goin' to overtime.
And in OT, LSU QB Jarrett Lee threw an interception in the back of the
end zone, and gave Alabama a chance to easily win the game. On the
1-yard line, Alabama QB John Parker Wilson called a 1-yard QB sneak for
a touchdown to stay undefeated and continue to wear the crown. Alabama
27, LSU 21.
While
Alabama feels confident now, they better look out for #2 Texas Tech.
They are absolutely surging right now, as they manhandled the once
mighty Oklahoma State Cowboys. Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell threw
for an AMAZING 456 yards and 6 TOUCHDOWNS. He definitely looks like
the Heisman Trophy leading candidate right now, and Texas Tech looks
truly unbeatable. They are a welcome surprise to the typical teams you
see at the top of rankings, and a BCS Championship game between them
and Alabama would be a match to remember. Texas Tech 56, Oklahoma
State 20
For those of you that don't remember, Alabama used to be the most famous college football program because of their coach Bear Bryant. Out of all the fans in the country, the Alabama fans are probably the most die-hard. They follow the team EVERYWHERE. And a watching them take on a new, dominant upstart program in Texas Tech would be incredibly exciting. Lets see if both teams can stay perfect for this to become a reality.
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