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5824. wabbit - 10/26/2007 11:19:46 PM  October ace Curt Schilling and a stingy bullpen shut down Colorado in Game 2. Relying more on guile than pure gas, Schilling pitched Boston to a 2-1 victory Thursday night and a 2-0 lead in the World Series over the suddenly stagnant Rockies.
Mike Lowell hit a tiebreaking double in the fifth and the Red Sox got 3 2-3 innings of shutout relief from Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon to win their sixth straight Series game, including a sweep of St. Louis in 2004. That victory ended an 86-year title drought and set off a wild winter of celebrations all over New England. Two more wins this year and the party's on again.
"This was the Pap-ajima show tonight," Schilling said. "That was just phenomenal to watch."
A generous sentiment, but Schilling should take his share of the credit for this win. For a pitcher of his age who has re-learned how to throw the ball since last season, he was, as is his wont in October, wonderful. One night after Josh Beckett blazed through the Rockies with 97 mph fastballs in a 13-1 rout, Schilling shut them down with savvy and splitters. Nearly automatic in October, he improved to 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 19 postseason starts and tipped his cap to the pulsing crowd as he walked off the mound -- perhaps for the final time in a Red Sox uniform. His fastball hovering around 87 mph, Schilling held punchless Colorado in check for 5 1-3 innings and became the second 40-year-old starter to win a World Series game. Detroit's Kenny Rogers did it last year against the Cardinals. Schilling was twenty days shy of his 41st birthday (Nov. 14).
Okajima became the first Japanese-born pitcher to play in a World Series game. He struck out four, including former Japanese star Kaz Matsui. Okajima entered with two on in the sixth and Boston leading 2-1. He retired Atkins on a grounder and struck out Brad Hawpe to squash the threat. There was more to come. The rookie left-hander from Japan fanned three straight before he was pulled for Papelbon with two outs in the eighth.
Matt Holliday spun Papelbon off his feet with a shot up the middle for his fourth hit. But the closer got even when he left the NLCS MVP sprawled in the dirt at first base with his first career pickoff. Papelbon finished up in the ninth, securing Schilling's third win in four starts this postseason and his second save. He and Okajima have combined for 17 1/3 scoreless innings in October.
The Series shifts to spacious Coors Field for Game 3 on Saturday night, when $103 million rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka pitches for Boston against Josh Fogg. With no designated hitter allowed, the Red Sox must decide whether to play hobbling slugger David Ortiz at first base or leave his mighty bat on the bench. According to Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald, Papi will start all three games.
5827. wabbit - 10/28/2007 1:21:57 AM The Breeder's Cup is a big day in horseracing, and today some very good horses showed their best. Conditions weren't the best, but the racing was.
 This year racing took place over two days at NJ's Monmouth Park. Three races were held on Friday: the Filly & Mare Sprint, the Juvenile Turf, and the Dirt Mile. These three races are not graded stakes races, but might be in the future. For now, they get horses and owners into the Breeder's Cup that might not otherwise be there, and in true horseracing fashion, all three races were upsets. Far back in the field turning for home, Maryfield found an outside path to the finish line and won the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint. Corinthian raced to a commanding upset in the $1 million Dirt Mile, and Nownownow edged wagering favorite Achill Island by a half-length in the $1 million Juvenile Turf.
5828. wabbit - 10/28/2007 1:23:11 AM The big races were run on Saturday. The first two races of the day, the Juvenile Fillies and the Juvenile Colts, were both won wire-to-wire. Indian Blessing put trainer Bob Baffert back in the international racing spotlight by staying unbeaten when running 12 other 2-year-old fillies off their feet in a wire-to-wire victory Saturday in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Unbeaten colt War Pass rolled to his fourth straight victory in the Juvenile Colts, this time by 4-3/4 lengths, and is certain to clinch the Eclipse Award as the nation's best 2-year-old male of 2007. If he stays healthy, he'll be the early favorite for next year's Triple Crown races.
Lahudood rolled to a three-quarter-length victory in the $2 million Filly and Mare Turf over the extremely soft turf course. Honey Ryder, third in this race last year, rallied to get second by a neck over Passage of Time, the 5-2 favorite. Midnight Lute left little doubt that he's the best sprinter in the country, overcoming a slow start to roar past Idiot Proof and win the six-furlong Breeders' Cup Sprint by a widening 4 3/4 lengths. Midnight Lute's performance gave the son of Real Quiet his second straight Grade 1 win. His win was probably the most commanding and, because it happened in the sprint, surprising performance of the day.
Two supplemental entries repaid their owners' faith with wins. In the Mile on soft turf, Cornelio Velasquez eased Kip Deville off a moderate pace, saved ground while just behind pacesetting Cosmonaut, came out past the quarter pole, and zap - Kip Deville was gone. It was a top performance by any standard - even more so from an Oklahoma-bred son of Kipling who began his career in November 2005 in a maiden race at Remington Park. Favored Excellent Art ran well, but for the third time this year was a bridesmaid in a major Grade 1 race. Trainer Bobby Frankel convinced owner Frank Stronach to take a $180,000 gamble, and it paid off in a big way Saturday as Ginger Punch outfought Hystericalady in a thrilling stretch drive at Monmouth Park to win the $2 million Distaff by a neck.
The Big Horse was in the BC Turf, a 1-1/2 mile race that generally favors the Europeans. Today was supposed to be the day the horse widely regarded as the best racehorse alive, and certainly thought to be the best turf horse, would dominate the field. However, favorite Dylan Thomas didn't even finish in the money. Drawing away to a seven length lead in the stretch, English Channel captured the $3 million Breeders' Cup Turf with apparent ease after stalking pacesetter Fri Guy through the first mile race. Shamdinan edged out Red Rocks by 3/4 length for second. Better Talk Now, another 3/4 length behind Red Rocks, was fourth in the field of eight.
 Last but far from least, Curlin, a horse I've followed and supported all year, muscled his way to a dominating victory over one of the best fields in years in the BC Classic. Ridden by Robby Albarado, Curlin was the 4-1 fourth choice in the 1-1/4-mile race. He made a huge move in the turn, overtaking Hard Spun, the front-runner who wound up second in the field of nine 3-year-olds and upward. Awesome Gem, a 28-1 shot, closed late for third, while Street Sense, the 5-2 favorite, finished fourth after making his move at the same time as Curlin but failing to sustain it. It was a somewhat sad end to Street Sense's career, as he will be retired to stud now, but the real tragedy, and the only bad news of the day, came when European star George Washington broke down and had to be euthanized on the track. He was a very good horse who had been brought out of retirement this year. His shattered ankle destroyed the blood supply to his foot, making any surgical intervention unfeasible.
Other than the loss of George Washington, it was a fine meet. We'll see who gets the Eclipse Awards (I'm rooting for Curlin, in spite of his connections).
5829. jexster - 10/28/2007 5:43:07 PM BORING
Glad I V for Vendetta was on. Pretty cool move..slick 5830. wabbit - 10/28/2007 11:13:30 PM  It's do or die for the Rockies now. On a night when rookies ruled, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia sparked the Red Sox from the top of the order, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and Boston beat Colorado 10-5 on Saturday for a 3-0 Series lead.
Ellsbury became the first rookie in 61 years with four hits in a Series game, getting three of Boston's seven doubles. Pedroia had three hits, including a bunt single that helped spark a six-run third against Josh Fogg, who allowed 12 of 19 batters to reach. Even Dice-K got a hit that scored two runs. Honestly, who saw that coming?
Colorado put up a fight. Down 6-0 in the third and seemingly out, they came back with two runs in the sixth. The Rockies then closed to 6-5 when Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer in the seventh on Hideki Okajima's first pitch.
But the Rockies' chance to get back into the World Series vanished into Coors Field's thin air. Ellsbury lofted an RBI double down the right-field line off Brian Fuentes in the eighth that just eluded Brad Hawpe's attempt at a sliding, backhand catch, and Pedroia followed with a two-run double to right that made it 9-5. Jason Varitek added a sacrifice fly in the ninth of a game that took 4 hours, 19 minutes -- the longest nine-inning game in Series history.
Sunday night, Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox against Aaron Cook in a matchup of pitchers who made it back to the majors after major medical problems. Lester overcame lymphoma, while Cook came back from a blood clot.
5831. jexster - 10/29/2007 12:03:44 AM Let's hope this is the end of it 5832. psychprof - 10/29/2007 1:21:29 AM Great posts Wabbit... 5833. wabbit - 10/29/2007 1:42:10 AM Only in your shadow, PP, only in your shadow. 5834. wabbit - 10/29/2007 1:46:47 AM And how about those Patriots? 52-7 over the Redskins, a team that was supposed to challenge them. More NFL news tomorrow...
GO RED SOX!!!
I have to admit there is a not tiny part of me that wants to see the Rockies win a game. They've had a great season, I hate to see them get swept. But I'm rooting for Lester to have a big game tonight.
GO RED SOX!!! 5835. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 10/29/2007 3:50:50 PM They went all da way--and the day looks pretty rosey in Beantown. 5836. wabbit - 10/29/2007 5:12:53 PM  What the fans got on this history-making Sunday in London was old-fashioned, muck-it-up football - not very entertaining and not pretty at all, unless you ask the New York Giants, who came out with a 13-10 victory over the still-winless Miami Dolphins. Eli Manning threw for only 59 yards but ran for New York's lone touchdown to lift the Giants to their sixth straight victory, a mud-caked slog through the unfriendly pitch at torn-up Wembley Stadium in this, the first regular-season NFL game played outside North America. The Giants (6-2) had more riding on this game, and were in no mood to take a 3,500-mile trip to help the league expand its international presence. But Brandon Jacobs helped make the journey a success, running for 131 yards, the second straight week he's hit a career high. And helped in part by a steady rain that made offense nearly impossible, the New York defense allowed only 254 yards and held the Dolphins (0-8) out of the end zone for the first 58 minutes.
The Patriots rolled up their highest point total in 28 years. Tom Brady threw his career-high 30th touchdown pass. Pretty impressive, and there's still half a season to go. New England's amazing year kept getting better Sunday with a 52-7 rout of Washington. The Redskins entered with the fifth-ranked defense in the NFL and left with the franchise's worst loss since 1961. Brady threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more. Linebacker Mike Vrabel caught a touchdown pass and forced three fumbles by quarterback Jason Campbell that led to 17 points. The Patriots (8-0) have scored at least 34 points in each game and have won each by 17 points or more. They've outscored opponents by an average of 41.3 to 15.9. At this rate, they'll score 662 points, shattering the NFL single-season record of 556 set by Minnesota in 1998. The 52 points were their most since they scored 56 against the New York Jets in 1979. Still, they followed the line of coach Bill Belichick: dwell on the mistakes so they're not repeated. "It's a long season," Brady said. "It's not even November yet and we've got a lot of room for improvement left."
Peyton Manning set another record and the Indianapolis Colts are 7-0 again. Now, everybody can look ahead to the showdown with New England. Manning shook off a slow start to throw for 254 yards and two touchdowns and broke Johnny Unitas' team record for career scoring passes in the Colts' 31-7 win over the injury-plagued Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Joseph Addai rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns and caught a TD pass from Manning, who was outplayed early by 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde. But when Testaverde left at halftime with tendinitis in his right Achilles' tendon, Manning made sure the Colts' much-anticipated matchup with Tom Brady and the Patriots wouldn't be tarnished by dominating the second half. The Colts became the first team since the 1929-31 Green Bay Packers to win their first seven games for three straight seasons. It'll get much tougher next week when they host the dominating Patriots.
NFL scores
5837. wabbit - 10/29/2007 5:13:30 PM  Overwhelming in every way, the Red Sox swept to their second MLB World Series title in four years Sunday night. Jon Lester, Mike Lowell & Co. left little room for drama with a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies in Game 4. Then again, no NL team could have blocked Boston this October. This was hardly a repeat from 2004, when the Red Sox ended their 86-year championship drought by beating St. Louis. Gone are those pleading, pathetic days when the Red Sox were practically begging to win a title. They've got this down pat now. At this rate, New England fans might get spoiled. Francona's team has become a perfect counterpart to coach Bill Belichick's bruisers on the Patriots. After trailing Cleveland 3-1 in the AL championship series, the Red Sox won seven straight games and won their seventh World Series crown.
Lester, undergoing chemotherapy at this time last year for cancer, pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and Jonathan Papelbon closed with his third save of the Series. Lowell won the MVP award, though Boston had plenty of candidates. Especially in a year in which Japanese stars Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima helped put the world in World Series. Lowell led a team that hit .333 in the Series with a home run, double and headfirst slide to score a run Sunday. He also won a ring in 2003 with underdog Florida.
The wild-card Rockies, who won a remarkable 21 of 22 games to get this far, were a mere afterthought by the end. Brad Hawpe homered in the seventh inning and Garrett Atkins hit a two-run shot in the eighth that came too late. In the end, Jason Varitek caught the final pitch and tucked it in his back pocket as Papelbon threw his glove high in the air after striking out pinch-hitter Seth Smith. The Red Sox spilled out of the dugout to party between the mound and first.
There are so many good stories about this team. Thanks to Jacoby Ellsbury, America gets a free taco on October 30 between 2pm-5pm. The rookies really came through, but the veterans held the team together. If Theo and the owners don't resign Lowell, there will be riots in Boston. And if they even consider signing A-Rod, the riots will be worse. Let him go to Florida or California, but keep him away from Boston.
The final straw was the announcment during the eighth inning that A-Rod was opting out of his contract with the Yankees. Fine, good for him, but that announcement couldn't wait until after the game? Scott Boras, classless. And then the ignorant Fox broadcasters spent the inning discussing A-Rod's options, instead of calling the game. Hey jackasses, it's the friggin WORLD SERIES, not the A-Rod show. What idiots. I was on the phone with my sister and we were both ballistic. After the game, I switched channels to NESN to see what Jerry Remy had to say, and he and Jim Rice (god, I love that man) were just as pissed as my sister and I. I hope the Red Sox clear this up right away - resign Lowell, and don't even get into the bidding for A-Rod.
One final note. If you don't live in New England, you wouldn't know that Jordan's Furniture took out an insurance policy and said that everyone who bought a mattress, dining table, sofa, or bed at a Jordan's store location between March 7,2007 and April 16, 2007 would receive it for free if the Red Sox won the World Series. So congratulations to all those crazy, hopeful fans who bought furniture!
5838. jexster - 10/29/2007 5:35:04 PM Told ya 5839. wabbit - 10/29/2007 6:57:56 PM Yes, you did! 5840. jexster - 10/29/2007 7:03:48 PM I think the National League should be banned from World Series play until they prevail in at least 3 consecutive All Star gasmes or 2 seasons of Interleague play 5841. OhioSTOPAS - 11/2/2007 2:41:51 AM Or until they stop playing by Little League rules and adopt the DH rule.
Yayyyyyyy SOX! (I can't say that at work - I'm surrounded by suddenly sullen Indians fans.) 5842. wabbit - 11/4/2007 6:08:26 PM I was thinking about you, Ohio, and feeling your pain when the Sox came back against Cleveland, knowing you probably couldn't jump for joy as you might wish. 5843. wabbit - 11/4/2007 6:08:48 PM  Elite distance runner Ryan Shay, 28, died during the U.S. Olympic marathon trials after collapsing 5½ miles into the race. Shay had been diagnosed with an enlarged heart but cleared by doctors, his father said.
"The thing that made him such a great runner may have killed him," Joe Shay told The Associated Press.
An enlarged heart like Ryan's translated into extra endurance -- crucial for a distance runner. Scientists long have noticed the phenomenon of the "athlete's heart." Athletes who train hard in aerobic sports, such as cycling, running or swimming, tend to have a bigger heart that pumps more blood throughout the body.
Ryan and other top athletes underwent medical testing in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he trained, last spring, Joe Shay said, and he was cleared for running.
"He said the doctors told him that because your heart rate is so low, when you're older you may need a pacemaker to make adjustments on that," said Joe Shay, adding his son first was diagnosed with a larger than normal heart at age 14.
5844. wabbit - 11/4/2007 6:09:34 PM  Houston is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming combined for 41 points to lead the Rockets to an 89-80 victory over the Blazers. Ming had 21 points and 12 rebounds and McGrady added 20 points and six assists. Yao scored only eight points and McGrady only five the second half, but the Rockets stayed in control with their defense, forcing 18 turnovers and holding the Blazers to 41 percent shooting (31 of 76). Portland started making baskets when the outcome was decided. The Blazers trailed by 15 at the break after shooting 29.7 percent (11 of 37) and committing 13 turnovers in the first half.
Jason Kidd made it a nifty 50 with New Jersey. Kidd posted his 50th triple-double with the Nets, his box score stuffed again with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in New Jersey's 93-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. The triple-doubles are almost routine for the veteran point guard. So are the clutch shots. Kidd thwarted a late Sixers rally with a 3-pointer from the left side to give the Nets an 86-80 lead. Kidd was dependable as he's always been for New Jersey, posting his 88th career triple-double and helping them rebound after they were pounded a night earlier in a 37-point loss to Toronto.
Kevin Garnett walked off the court raising his right index finger to the cheering crowd. By his side, Paul Pierce did the same - a rare gesture of triumph for the long-suffering Celtics star. There was 2:30 left in the game and Boston had been in control since the middle of the second quarter. The Celtics beat the Washington Wizards 103-83 on Friday night, opening their most promising season in Pierce's 10 years with the club. Pierce led Boston with 28 points. Garnett did it all - 22 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals - in a dazzling debut with Boston. He was introduced to a standing ovation and left to cheers that echoed from the rafters where the team's 16 championship banners were hanging. Holy smokes, could it be the Celtics will contend this year?
NBA scores
5845. wabbit - 11/4/2007 6:10:08 PM  So much for BC going undefeated this season. Geno Hayes returned Matt Ryan's third interception for a 38-yard touchdown with 1:10 to play on Saturday night to help Florida State beat second-ranked Boston College 27-17, ending the Eagles' run at an unbeaten season and shaking up the BCS standings yet again. With the loss by BC (8-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), only Ohio State, Kansas and Hawaii remain unbeaten. A handful of one-loss teams - LSU, Oregon and Oklahoma among them - had their hopes for reaching the Bowl Championship Series title game aided by Florida State. LSU will probably take second-place behind Ohio State in the BCS standings when they come out Sunday.
After 44 years and three overtimes, Navy finally beat Notre Dame 46-44 in triple overtime on Saturday, ending the Fighting Irish 's NCAA-record winning streak against the Midshipmen at 43 games. Roger Staubach was quarterback for the Midshipmen in 1963 when they beat Notre Dame 35-14. Since then, the Irish have had their way - that is until Saturday. Seven times during the streak the Midshipmen had chances to win in the fourth quarter only to be thwarted by bad luck, questionable calls or big plays by the Irish. A few times Saturday it looked as though the win would elude them again. But this time it was the Midshipmen who managed to make the decisive plays.
Donald Brown hadn't been a big part of Connecticut's big season, until Saturday. The sophomore tailback came off the bench to run for 154 yards and a touchdown, leading UConn over Rutgers 38-19 and giving the Huskies an 8-1 record for the first time. Brown, who had been averaging about 52 yards a game and lost his starting job to the faster Andre Dixon , had a 33-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a 70-yard run to set up a fourth-quarter field goal that helped put the game out of reach. He carried the ball 24 times, 22 in the second half when No. 16 UConn (8-1, 4-0 Big East) controlled of the clock.
NCAA Football
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