BASEBALL

The NLCS got off to a strong start last night.  Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels gave another strong post-season performance, and the Phillies continue to look great!  The Dodgers got up to a 2-0 lead, but in the bottomof the sixth inning, Philly turned on the juice.  First, Phillies slugger Chase Utley smacked a homer to tie the game, and then Philly’s other slugger, Pat Burrell launched another homer to give them a 3-2 lead. Obviously, the Philadelphia crowd went crazy!  It really feels like it’s their year to represent the National League in the World Series.  However, this series still has a long way to go, and Dodgers manager Joe Torre didn’t seem at all concerned after the game.  Philly has to keep coming strong if they want to make this dream a reality.

Football

A minor note that could turn out to be major.  The Baltimore Ravens, a team with a serious chance to make the Super Bowl because of their elite defense, named rookie Joe Flacco the Quarterback for the remainder of the season.  Flacco has played pretty decently in the first few games.  He’s not crushing opponents (as the Baltimore receivers are rather suspect and on almost nobody’s fantasy team), but they are off to a good start.  He’s made some rookie mistakes (a critical interception toward the end of the game against an undefeated Titans team), but head coach John Harbaugh thinks he can count on him.  Hey, Ben Roethlisberger won the Super Bowl as a 23-year old rookie.  There’s no reason this can’t happen again. Keep a close eye on the Baltimore Ravens.  They could really sneak up and do some damage in the playoffs.

NBA

And in the NBA, it’s only the pre-season, but it is our first glimpse at the rookie class in real action.  The most interesting item of note:  the Michael Beasly/Derek Rose debate is still in full effect.  Entering the draft, it was a toss-up who would go #1.  Derek Rose practically campaigned for it, saying “I only want to play in Chicago”.  Well, his passion did land him the #1 pick, but in the pre-season, it’s been all Michael Beasley.  Beasley looks terrific on the Miami Heat, while Rose is struggling a bit.  In his pre-season debut last night, he missed his first four shots, and only finished the game with 10 points.  Obviously, you can’t read too much into these pre-season stats, but don’t think Bulls management isn’t terrified right now that they made the wrong choice.