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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
5846. wabbit - 11/4/2007 8:07:31 PM  Paula Radcliffe outlasted Gete Wami to win the New York City Marathon on Sunday, her first marathon in two years after giving birth in January.
Radcliffe, the world-record holder, ran almost the entire race with Wami on her heels before pulling away over the last mile. She finished in 2:23:09 in cool, sunny conditions. It's her second NYC Marathon title, having won in 2004 after a dropping out of the Athens Olympics marathon.
Wami, running her second marathon in only 35 days, finished in 2:23:32 and won the inaugural $500,000 World Marathons Majors title.
Two-time defending champion Jelena Prokopcuka was a distant third in 2:26:13, a day after elite runner Ryan Shay collapsed and died at the U.S. men's marathon trails in Central Park. There was a moment of silence for Shay before the start of the men's race.
Martin Lel of Kenya won the men's title, making his kick in the final mile to edge Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 4 seconds in the first race without a pacesetter. Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa finished third in 2:11:25.
5847. wabbit - 11/5/2007 3:14:47 AM  Oh yes oh yes! The New England Patriots are on course for an unbeaten season as Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in a four-minute span of the fourth quarter to overcome a 10-point deficit and beat Super Bowl champion Indianapolis 24-20 Sunday. The win in perhaps the NFL's biggest regular-season game ever keeps the Patriots (9-0) on course for the NFL's first unbeaten season since Miami did it 1972 and gives them the first tiebreaker over Indianapolis (7-1) in the AFC playoffs. New England, which had been averaging more than 41 points a game and had beaten eight opponents by an average of more than 25 points, trailed 20-10 after Peyton Manning scored on a 1-yard sneak with 9 minutes and 42 seconds left in the game. However, Brady's 55-yard completion to Randy Moss set up a 3-yard TD pass to Wes Welker. Rosevelt Colvin knocked the ball loose from Manning to force a punt on the next series. Then Brady found Kevin Faulk over the middle for 13 yards for the winning score with 3:15 left. Jarvis Green knocked the ball lose from Manning and Colvin recovered to clinch the game for New England.
Minutes after Adrian Peterson lost a fourth-quarter fumble at the San Diego 20-yard line, the ball was back in his hands. He rumbled around right end, paused to set up his blocks, and sprinted 46 yards up the sideline for Minnesota's game-clinching touchdown. This rookie doesn't make many mistakes. He simply sets a lot of records. Racing to the NFL's single-game rushing record of 296 yards at the midpoint of his first pro season, Peterson carried the Vikings to a 35-17 victory over the Chargers on Sunday. He didn't realize the significance of his performance until his benign 3-yard carry took the clock under 60 seconds and sent him past Jamal Lewis' 295-yard performance against Cleveland in 2003 for the best game a running back has ever had in this league. San Diego cornerback Antonio Cromartie returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown as the first half ended Sunday at Minnesota -- the longest play in NFL history. The previous record for longest play was 108 yards, missed field goal returns, shared by Chicago teammates Devin Hester and Nathan Vasher and a kickoff return by New England's Ellis Hobbs.
Drew Brees threw for 445 yards and three touchdowns, and Mike McKenzie returned an interception 75 yards for a score as New Orleans won its fourth straight, 41-24 over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Now all the preseason hype seems a little more justified as the Saints (4-4) have become legitimate contenders in the NFC South again, only a half-game behind division-leading Tampa Bay (5-4). This latest victory over Jacksonville (5-3) was the Saints' most impressive, given the quality of the opponent. The Saints also proved they can indeed play with the AFC, against which they were 0-5 since beating Cleveland on opening day of the 2006 season.
NFL scores
5848. jexster - 11/5/2007 7:02:23 PM TIgers movin up baby! Pig Roast comin Thanksgiving then SEC championship
Will OSU be tiger bait in natl showdown or will Michigan do em first? 5849. wabbit - 11/7/2007 5:24:13 PM And the baseball news keeps getting better for Boston - Curt Schilling is signed and Kevin Youkilis got a well deserved Gold Glove! For those not in the know, Youkilis began his career as a third baseman and shifted over to first base full-time in 2006, thanks to the BoSox having Gold Glove Mike Lowell on third. Youk did not commit an error at first this year (he made three errors in 13 games at third base). He has played an AL-record 190 straight games at first base without an error, a streak that is only three short of the major league mark set by Steve Garvey from 1983-85 and we know that record is heading South! He'd be two games closer had he played those two WS games, but he'll get there.
Papi had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee yesterday, but he'll be right as rain by Spring training.
Allowing myself a bit of schadenfreude, I'm enjoying seeing absolutely nobody leap to the A-Rod negotiation table. Scott Boras is looking for a ten year, $350 million offer before A-Rod even sits down at that table. I'm hoping that this will be it, the price tag that's just too damn high. A-Rod is in his prime right now, and he's looking for that kind of money for ten years? Are these people insane? Mike Lowell is less than 1-1/2 years older than A-Rod, and some people talk like Lowell has one foot in the grave. Get some perspective, huh?
Re-sign Mike Lowell!! 5850. wonkers2 - 11/8/2007 11:01:50 PM Lectronic Latitude 5851. wabbit - 11/9/2007 4:43:19 PM This from Sports Illustrated: The baseball players' union is worried commissioner Bud Selig is trying to hold down the price of Alex Rodriguez's next contract and that teams might be sharing information about their free-agent plans.
General managers, in an innovation, each spoke at their annual meeting Tuesday about their offseason goals, and many mentioned what players they were making available. The idea was suggested by this year's co-chairs, Boston's Theo Epstein and Florida's Larry Beinfest, and many GMs said they found it to be useful.
"Over the past few days, press reports coming out of the general managers' meetings relating to the sharing of information between clubs as to their plans regarding players potentially raise serious questions concerning the fairness and integrity of the free-agent market," the union said in a statement Thursday night after the four-day session ended. "Such questions are amplified by reports stating that the commissioner is attempting to influence the market for at least one player."
A person familiar with the union's statement said the player in question was Rodriguez. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the statement didn't refer to A-Rod by name... Yeah, right, it couldn't possibly have anything to do with wanting a ridiculous and exorbitant amount of money for the next ten years, when A-Rod will be, what, 42 years old? Has anyone ever played third base, nevermind shortstop, into their forties? He sure isn't manager or coach material, since he's never shown any interest in being a team member or of any value in the clubhouse. Would the GMs even have to have a meeting for the common sense light to dawn on all of them, that this is asking way too much? Does the union think the GMs are stupider than Scott Boras? Maybe the union execs, who are management in their own way despite trying to look like they represent the little guys (which A-Rod isn't close to being anyway), are trying to protect their own jobs. Boras and A-Rod have been all over the news thanks to their exquisite sense of timing and overdeveloped sense of A-Rod's value to any team. It wouldn't be a stretch for the owners and GMs to all be thinking at the exact same time, no way he's worth that much. I can see some team paying him $200 million for five years, and that is $75 million more than what he would have made in the last five years of the 10-year $250 million contract with the Yankees that he declined to serve out. But that isn't enough, he wants another 10-year deal and a $100 million raise? I think not. I sure as hell hope not. 5852. jexster - 11/11/2007 3:37:05 AM 
5853. wabbit - 11/11/2007 5:15:52 PM  Top-ranked Ohio State's national title hopes teetered on a timeout, the ball inches from a first down for Illinois. Illini coach Ron Zook changed his mind, decided to go for it on fourth down and that was the beginning of the end for the Buckeyes' hopes of redeeming themselves in this season's national championship game. Juice Williams provided the big plays on the ground and through the air, spurring the Illini to a stunning 28-21 victory on Saturday night and throwing open the national title race for a bunch of teams that needed the Buckeyes to lose. It was the first time Illinois (8-3, 5-2 Big Ten) had beaten a No. 1 since 1956, and the first time it had done it away from home. The defeat also ended a conference and school streak of 20 Big Ten wins in a row by Ohio State (10-1, 6-1).
Marcus Henry was an under-appreciated underdog who turned into something special, the epitome of No. 5 Kansas' remarkable run from nowhere to a legitimate national title contender. Henry had a career-high 199 yards receiving and three touchdowns, Brandon McAnderson ran for 142 yards and two scores, and the Jayhawks stayed unbeaten with a 43-28 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday night. A skinny receiver who no one else wanted, Henry turned in the game of his career in his return to his home state as Kansas (6-0 Big 12) moved to 10-0 for the first time since 1899. The senior from Lawton had the fourth-highest receiving total in school history and caught more than one touchdown pass in a game for the first time in his career. The Jayhawks are now the only unbeaten team left in the six conferences with an automatic bid to the BCS after top-ranked Ohio State was upset by Illinois earlier in the day.
Chauncey Washington 's first step was a doozy. The USC tailback slipped, tripped and tumbled to the waterlogged turf without being touched the first time he got the ball at California. Between an insistent rain and the Golden Bears ' sturdy defense, Washington could have been in for a long day. It turned into the greatest night of his college career, and the long-struggling senior kept his Trojans in the Rose Bowl hunt. Washington ran for a career-high 220 yards and a touchdown, and No. 12 USC beat No. 24 Cal 24-17 on Saturday night in a matchup that was much more tantalizing before both schools blew their national title hopes last month. John David Booty passed for 129 yards and a score for the Trojans (8-2, 5-2 Pac-10), who stayed in the conference and BCS races by faring slightly better in the steady precipitation that drenched Strawberry Canyon all night, causing both teams to flounder with footing, execution and tackling.
NCAA Football
5854. wabbit - 11/11/2007 5:16:08 PM  The Boston Celtics won one for Doc Rivers and sent the New Jersey Nets a message in the process. Hours after attending the funeral of his father in Illinois, Rivers saw the new-look Celtics remain the NBA's only undefeated team and personally show the Nets they are the team to beat in the Atlantic Division with an impressive 112-101 win on Saturday night. Boston's new big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen put on another impressive performance against the Nets (4-2). The victory was the fifth straight for Boston, which is off to its best start since winning six in a row to start the 1987-88 season. That was the last time the trio of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish got to the Eastern Conference finals.
Brandon Roy scored a career-high 32 points and added seven assists and the Portland Trail Blazers ended a 13-game losing streak to the Dallas Mavericks with a 91-82 victory Saturday night. LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers (3-3), who extended their modest winning streak to three games after dropping the first three of the season. Josh Howard had 20 points for Dallas (4-2), which had won its last three. Dallas had won the previous 13 games against the Trail Blazers , a streak dating to the 2003-4 season, including a six-game winning streak at the Rose Garden.
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl wouldn't reveal the contents of his motivational halftime speech on Saturday night. Whatever he said appeared to have the desired effect, though. The Nuggets, who trailed by 25 points in the first half, used Carmelo Anthony 's 32 points and 10 rebounds to pull out a 113-106 victory over the stunned Indiana Pacers. Denver shot 41 percent from the field and committed 13 turnovers before the break, leading to Karl's unpleasant lecture. The Nuggets (4-3) outscored Indiana 57-32 in the second half to win their second straight game following three losses.
NBA scores
5855. jexster - 11/11/2007 5:41:51 PM Four dead in Ohio
OSU/Michigan...toilet bowl
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