2011 World Series: The Cardinals Want to Win Game 4

A fairly obvious headline I spotted yesterday amazingly came to fruition in Game 3 last night. The Cardinals and Rangers both answered the bell by plating far more runs than they did in Game 2. In fact, they combined for 23 runs making the unorthodox mission a wild success. Not to be outdone, a celebration of the obvious has made an appearance once again. Today’s thought-provoking headline? The Cardinals are going into Game 4 looking to win and take a 3-1 lead. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m relieved to learn of these plans as I would otherwise have no idea as to what Tony La Russa’s intentions were in Arlington this evening:
In other news, Josh Hamilton “says he might have Sports Hernia.” Now while I am flattered by his forwardness, I’m also a bit concerned at how mentally centered the Rangers slugger is going into such a critical game. Come on everybody, sing it for Josh: “Get well, get well soon, we wish you to get well … Geeeet well, get well soon, we wish you to get well…”
As Peterman stated, it really is a stirring little anthem of wellness.
Tonight’s starters are Derek Holland, who has served up five homers in 13.2 innings so far this postseason, and Edwin Jackson, a pitcher pretty much impossible to predict. Six innings of 2-run ball? Sure. Two innings of home run derby? Why the hell not.

The Highs and Lows of Tim Tebow: Down 15-0 Late, Denver Wins

If you were hoping that Tim Tebow talk would die down, sorry. Not this week. Every angle, every storyline, every stereotype of Tebow by both the “haters” and the “lovers” was played out over the more than 60 minutes of game action. For 50+ minutes, Tim Tebow was dreadful and looked every bit like the player who many expected. He scrambled for yards, but it was more than offset by bad sacks and inaccurate throws. On his first eleven drives of the day, the Broncos scored zero points. He was 4 for 14 for 46 yards, and with all the lost sack yards, the Broncos barely had positive net passing yards for the day.
Then, with the Broncos trailing 15-0 late, Tebow led what looked like a garbage time drive, getting a touchdown on a pass to Demaryius Thomas. Denver, though, recovered the onside kick that followed, and Tebow again quarterbacked the team down the field to a touchdown, and then ran in the 2-point conversion to send it to overtime.
He didn’t have to do much in overtime. The Dolphins won the toss, but then Matt Moore showed why he is Matt Moore, and had absolutely zero pocket awareness of the obvious blitz coming at him, and fumbled inside the Miami 40. Three handoffs and three yards later, and the Broncos won the game on a Matt Prater 52 yard field goal.
Last week, I was a “lover” I guess because I thought it was time to give him a chance to see what his different skill set could do, plus I defended his rating by QBR. This week, I’ll probably be labeled a “hater” for not overly praising his winning ways.
Despite all the religious references you will hear, Tebow does not control the onside kick that had to happen. If it doesn’t, the Broncos lose, and the story is about Tebow’s horrible performance that only looked moderately tolerable because of the garbage time touchdown. Since it did, he got another chance and took advantage. He played much better on the final drives, hitting throws that he was missing earlier. He does not will the fumble, though a Matt Moore fumble is not entirely unpredictable.
So in the end, the Tebow talk will be unbearable this week. The truth: he played a bad game against a bad opponent that other quarterbacks have carved up, but played well at the end. The Broncos got some bad breaks early, and had some missed field goals. They got some very good ones late. He made the plays at the end, but I hate the term “when necessary”. It’s necessary to make plays all game long, and there aren’t too many other opponents in this league where such a comeback would have still been viable late.

Sunday Night Football: Colts at Saints

Another primetime game for Curtis Painter. It’s should be fun. Honestly, as much as has been made of the quarterback situation in Indianapolis, the cornerback play there is just as awful, and probably worse. Jacob Lacey and Jarraud Powers have been abused in recent weeks. I’m sure that Drew Brees is a little excited about the possibilities.
If Indianapolis is going to stay in this one, it’s going to be by making plays on offense against a Saints’ defense that has had difficulty generating a pass rush and has been vulnerable. Painter hasn’t been consistent, but will have a chance to make plays downfield to Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. Indianapolis has been competitive in recent weeks, but has continually come up short at the end. If it gets to the end in this one, it will be a bonus.

The Nonsense Math Doesn’t Like Stanford

Here are your BCS rankings. They are opaque and indecipherable. They indicate little, but they somehow are the ultimate arbiter for which two teams may play for a championship. ESPN involving Craig James and Skip Bayless in the unveiling offered the precise level of seriousness and decorum they deserve. This will fluctuate wildly, but, as of this week, it looks as though Dabo and David Shaw better work on their stump speeches. Taking no account of victory margins. Brilliant.
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
4. Boise State
5. Clemson
6. Stanford
7. Oregon
8. Kansas State
9. Oklahoma
10. Arkansas

Vikings CB Cook charged with felony domestic assault

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook was charged Tuesday with trying to strangle his girlfriend, leaving her with a bloody nose and lip in an alleged attack that jeopardizes his status with the team.
Cook, 24, was charged with felony domestic assault by strangulation, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Cook was arrested early Saturday and released from custody Tuesday on $40,000 bail. He is barred from contact with the alleged victim and cannot leave Minnesota, which would prevent him from traveling with the Vikings to Sunday's game at Carolina.
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the Vikings on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
» NFL Network scheduleCook has a court appearance set for Wednesday afternoon.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is reviewing the matter. Such charges often bring suspensions, per the NFL's personal-conduct policy.
Cook issued a public apology to the Vikings and his fans Tuesday afternoon on Twitter.
"My apologies to the fans! Vikings ownership, coaching staff, my teammates and friends and family!!" he wrote.
Cook also sent out the following tweet: "There's always two sides to a story!!"
According to the complaint, Cook became upset early Saturday when he found out his girlfriend of 10 months had spoken to an ex-boyfriend. The woman told police that Cook threw her on the bed at his Eden Prairie home, got on top of her and grabbed her neck with an open hand, constricting her ability to breathe.
The woman freed herself by grabbing Cook's hair, the complaint said. Cook then struck her in the ear, sending her crashing into a wall. As the woman ran to the living room, he grabbed her neck again and squeezed it.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said at a news conference that Cook answered the door to the house, and officers found the woman with a bloody nose and upper lip. She had marks on her neck and hemorrhaging in her eye, Freeman said, consistent with victims of strangulation. State guidelines call for a sentence of a year and a day, he said.
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Authorities haven't disclosed the girlfriend's identity,according to the Star Tribune, and Freeman said the alleged victim has been cooperating with the investigation.
Cook's attorney, David Valentini, told reporters his client was "of course" remorseful and "not happy" about the situation.
Cook is "upset he's sitting (in jail)," Valentini said Tuesday afternoon. "He's upset he missed the game (Sunday against the Green Bay Packers). He's upset with the whole incident." Freeman noted that case but said, "As far as we're concerned, there's no record."
Cook's most recent arrest is his second in the last eight months. He was found not guilty of brandishing a firearm earlier this year after allegedly pulling a gun on a neighbor in his home state of Virginia.
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier had a talk with Cook during the offseason to reiterate the importance of staying out of trouble off the field, and the second-year pro emerged as perhaps the most reliable cornerback on the field during the team's 1-5 start.

Remember all the talk about all those undefeated teams

Remember all the talk about all those undefeated teams and how there would be chaos when they made it through the season undefeated? It seems to happen every year. Six or seven weeks in, we think we know everything, yet in a moment it all goes down the drain. Saturday was one of those moments.
The chaos came late, with one big upset happening in an evening game and the other taking place after a lightning delay, pushing the conclusion deep into the night. Wisconsin was the first to drop, and did so in dramatic fashion as Michigan State converted a tip-drill Hail Mary for the win. Just a few hours later, it was No. 3 Oklahoma's turn, with Texas Tech hanging on for dear life in a three-point win. Just as we all predicted.
What's it all mean? Expect Oklahoma and Wisconsin to fall, obviously. But which teams will jump up in the standings? It seems likely Boise State will get the short end of the stick, with Stanford and Clemson taking advantage of the miscues atop the rankings.
Here's a look at the scores that mattered on Saturday.
No. 1 LSU 45, Auburn 10. Even without its suspended starters, LSU was flat dominant again. The Tigers continue to look every part of their No. 1 ranking.
No. 2 Alabama 37, Tennessee 6. Of course, Alabama is on a collision course with LSU, making for one hell of a game in two weeks. Two dominant defenses and teams full of talent in a battle for the No. 1 spot? Not going to find many people not looking forward to this.
Texas Tech 41, No. 3 Oklahoma 38. So much for that. Oklahoma shot itself in the foot, Texas Tech played out of its mind and the Sooners' BCS Championship went down the drain while half of America was sleeping. Good morning!
No. 4 Oklahoma State 45, Missouri 24. Justin Blackmon exited early for precautionary reasons (concussion, reportedly), but it didn't matter. Oklahoma State is still off to the races, but that fun Bedlam matchup we were all looking forward to looks a little less intriguing right now.
No. 5 Boise State 37, Air Force 26. Yes, Air Force is a difficult matchup to prepare for. And yes, Boise State did survive at home. But this one was far from convincing and didn't earn the Broncos any style points.
No. 16 Michigan State 37, No. 6 Wisconsin 31. Nothing needs to be said. Just watch this over and over.
No. 7 Clemson 59, North Carolina 38. We're just going to have to confront the reality of Clemson being a top-five team.
No. 8 Stanford 65, Washington 21. At this point, it seems only Oregon will test Stanford in a huge Pac-12 North matchup. This was supposed to be the test for the Cardinal. Instead, it was a clinic as Stanford dismantled the Huskies.
No. 9 Arkansas 29, Ole Miss 24. Again, no style points here. Arkansas had to rally, but still came away the win. It wasn't pretty by any means, though.
No. 10 Oregon 45, Colorado 2. Oregon had this in the bag by halftime and let up. So close to a shutout!
No. 11 Kansas State 59, Kansas 21. And now we have to deal with Kansas State in the top-10. College football is a scary place.
No. 12 Virginia Tech 30, Boston College 14. This was a game at halftime and Boston College even led! So much for that.
No. 13 Nebraska 41, Minnesota 13. At least the game was entertaining. No, not because of superb play or execution; Minnesota is a ball of comical mistakes.
Syracuse 49, No. 14 West Virginia 23. Almost forgot about this one, but what in the world, Holgo? The Big East is on fire, you guys.
No. 17 Texas A&M 33, Iowa State 17. Steele Jantz was benched, which is the biggest tragedy in all of this.
No. 19 Houston 63, Marshall 28. Would love to see Case Keenum and the Cougars in a BCS game just for the balls-to-the-wall, throw it all around offensive explosion.
No. 21 Penn State 34, Northwestern 24. Where in the hell did this Penn State offense come from? And where did the defense go? Whose team is this?
Miami 24, No. 22 Georgia Tech. It was fun while it lasted, Yellowjackets.
Purdue 21, No. 23 Illinois 14. It was fun while it lasted, Zook.
And here's a look at the polls. The BCS Standings preview will be along shortly. This is what the BCS looked like last week.
RKTEAMRECORD
1LSU7-0
2Alabama7-0
3Oklahoma6-0
4Oklahoma State6-0
5Boise State6-0
6Wisconsin6-0
7Clemson7-0
8Stanford6-0
9Arkansas5-1
10Oregon5-1
11Kansas State6-0
12Virginia Tech6-1
13Nebraska5-1
14South Carolina6-1
15West Virginia5-1
16Michigan State5-1
17Texas A&M4-2
18Michigan6-1
19Houston6-0
20Auburn5-2
21Penn State6-1
22Georgia Tech6-1
23Illinois6-1
24Texas4-2
25Washington5-1
Here's a look at last week's AP Poll. The latest poll will be released around noon on Sunday.
RKTEAMRECORDPTS
1LSU (41)7-01452
2Alabama (11)7-01411
3Oklahoma (6)6-01372
4Wisconsin6-01252
5Boise State (1)6-01218
6Oklahoma State6-01186
7Stanford6-01164
8Clemson7-01064
9Oregon5-11020
10Arkansas5-1946
11West Virginia5-1778
12Kansas State6-0762
13Nebraska5-1748
14South Carolina6-1690
15Michigan State5-1610
16Virginia Tech6-1597
17Texas A&M4-2467
18Michigan6-1442
19Auburn5-2374
20Georgia Tech6-1281
21Houston6-0238
22Washington5-1221
23Illinois6-1207
24Georgia5-2144
24Arizona State5-2144
Here is last week's USA Today Coaches' Poll.
RKTEAMRECORDPTS
1Oklahoma (31)6-01426
2LSU (15)7-01410
3Alabama (12)7-01403
4Wisconsin (1)6-01262
5Stanford6-01222
6Oklahoma State6-01173
7Boise State6-01172
8Clemson7-01028
8Oregon5-11028
10Arkansas5-1931
11Nebraska5-1775
12South Carolina6-1765
13Michigan State5-1690
14West Virginia5-1688
14Virginia Tech6-1688
16Kansas State6-0678
17Michigan6-1458
18Texas A&M4-2415
19Georgia Tech6-1396
20Houston6-0359
21Illinois6-1260
22Penn State6-1253
23Auburn5-2202
24Washington5-1174
25Arizona State5-286

What's Harbaugh's deal? Ask Jim Schwartz

DETROIT -- It's too bad Pete Carroll wasn't here to provide commentary for Jim Harbaugh's postgame display.
Then things might really have gotten out of hand.
Carroll, famously miffed at Harbaugh when their teams met in the Pac-10 a few years back, was safely away on the Seattle Seahawks' bye week. That left Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz alone to take issue with Harbaugh's behavior during the customary handshake that followed the San Francisco 49ers' emotional victory at Ford Field.
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There's no excuse for Jim Schwartz's stunning overreaction after the Lions' first loss, Kevin Seifert writes. BlogAnd Schwartz wasn't pleased.
"I went to congratulate coach Harbaugh and got shoved out of the way," Schwartz said. "And then I didn't expect an obscenity at that point, so it was a surprise to me at the end of the game."
Harbaugh, for his part, admitted to being a little too exuberant, caught up in the moment. He grabbed Schwartz's hand in exaggerated fashion and forcefully slapped the Lions' coach on the back with his other hand.
"I was just really revved up and that is totally on me," Harbaugh said."I shook his hand too hard. I really went in and it was a strong, kind of a slap-grab handshake, kind of like the same as I had been doing with (special-teams player Blake) Costanzo and some of the other guys. That was on me. A little too hard of a handshake there."
Harbaugh ran away following the handshake. Schwartz tried to catch up with him. It appeared as though words could have been exchanged, but nothing was clear for sure. Harbaugh's players then shielded Schwartz.
"I don't know what he was saying," Harbaugh said.
Of course, Harbaugh had no reason to be upset. His team won.
"I was not agitated," Harbaugh said. "Very happy with the win. Thrill of winning. Great feeling of victory."
Harbaugh said he caught up with Schwartz in the tunnel and acknowledge the overly aggressive handshake, but there was no apology.

Defections Won’t Sabotage Big East

A defiant John Marinatto, the Big East commissioner, said Monday night that he was confident the league would emerge stronger from the loss of Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the Atlantic Coast Conference over the weekend.Interviews, insight and analysis from The Times on the competition and culture of college football.
Marinatto said in a telephone interview that he planned to hold Syracuse and Pittsburgh to their 27-month contractual exit obligations, meaning that they would not be able to leave the Big East until June 2014.Marinatto also echoed the disappointment of his peers around the Big East that A.C.C. officials like Commissioner John Swofford and Boston College Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo had openly speculated about playing the league’s postseason basketball tournament in Madison Square Garden. The Big East holds a contract with the Garden for its basketball tournament through 2016 and has played the tournament there since 1983.
“We have a track record of coming out stronger than we did before,” Marinatto said, referring the A.C.C.’s raid of three Big East teams in 2003. “We may even hold the opening round of our basketball tournament in Greensboro,” a frequent site of the A.C.C. tournament, he said in jest.With the departure of Syracuse and Pitt, the Big East is down to 7 teams in football and 15 in basketball, including Texas Christian, which arrives next year.
The conference’s next move will be determined only once the murky situation in the Big 12 sorts itself out. If Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech head to the Pacific-12, as they appear to be leaning, it will leave the Big East with some potential new members. That group could include Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Iowa State and possibly Missouri.Marinatto would not comment specifically on the Big 12, but did say that “we’ve had a number of schools reach out to us about membership.”He added, “In addition, obviously, the dynamics that are taking place within the college landscape today may create even greater opportunities for the conference to not only survive, but thrive.”
A Big 12 official, who insisted on anonymity because of the delicacy of the topic, confirmed that a number of Big 12 universities had been in touch with the Big East about membership.The Big East’s two most critical advantages will be its basketball tournament and its Bowl Championship Series bid. The basketball tournament gives the league significant presence in New York and enough television programming to dominate ESPN for a week in March.

Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick of Notre Dame, which is a Big East member in basketball and many other sports, said those core assets should be enough to hold the league together.“Obviously, when you lose some members, you have some work to do,” he said. “When you start asking yourself, what are the core assets, the Big East is in pretty good shape.”Swarbrick acknowledged that the public courting of other leagues by some member universities was not positive for the Big East. He did not specifically mention Connecticut and Rutgers, who have made it known that they are trying to find a new home.
Marinatto said he felt there would be a strong group of members in the league in the future. “We may look different, but we will be better,” he said.Marinatto acknowledged that he had been criticized in the news media since the departure of Pitt and Syracuse. His only response was, “It’s not about me.”Mike Tranghese, a former Big East commissioner, defended Marinatto, saying there was nothing he could have done to prevent the departure of Pitt and Syracuse. The Orange nearly left in 2003 until Virginia politics led the A.C.C. to take Virginia Tech.
Marinatto said he held separate conference calls on Sunday with the presidents of the Big East’s football and basketball members. He said that there was a unity among the presidents and that there was no momentum toward the league’s football and basketball members breaking apart.“Both groups are focused on maintaining the current structure of the conference and moving forward,” he said.
Tranghese was far more vocal in his displeasure with Swofford’s and DeFilippo’s mentioning playing in the Garden, especially because the comments came immediately after the death of Dave Gavitt, the Big East’s founder.“I find it very disrespectful, and I’m offended by it,” Tranghese said. “It hurts me beyond disbelief. Dave helped both John and Gene through their years.”He added about the notion of the A.C.C. tournament in New York, “I can sure tell you that I won’t be there watching it.”