WATERCOOLER CHAT: DODGERS SURVIVE GAME 5, RED SOX/TIGERS SERIES TIED, JOSH FREEMAN NOW A VIKING
BASEBALL
It was a do-or-die Game 5 for the Dodgers in Los Angeles against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards held a commanding 3-1 lead, but in baseball, it’s never over until it’s over. One game at a time. Plus, the Dodgers put one of their aces, Zach Greinke, on the mound. The game was close for awhile, but then the Dodgers got some home runs from unlikely sources. A.J. Ellis and Adrian Gonzalez both sent bombs out of Dodger stadium to give LA  a strong lead. That’s all they would need to hold on and send the series back to St. Louis. The Dodgers will likely have Clayton Kershaw on the mound for Game 6 to try and save their season. Los Angeles 6, St. Louis 4.
Next up, it was the ALCS between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers. The Sox led 2-1, but the Tigers are not the kind of team that rolls over and dies. They made a lot of line-up changes.  The Tigers superstar hitter Austin Jackson, who typically leads off, was moved to 8th in the line-up to take some pressure off of him. That worked, because Jackson was back in true form. And fortunately, the rest of the Tigers bats were scalding hot. Before the Red Sox knew it, they were down 7-0. This one was a blowout, and the Red Sox better make their own strategic changes if they expect to compete in Game 5.
FOOTBALL
Finally, in the NFL, there was a lot of controversy over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers letting go of their starting quarterback Josh Freeman. But the Vikings picked him up, sorely in need of a boost at quarterback. Christian Ponder is not working out for them, and Matt Cassel has been average at best. Freeman still has skills, and the Vikings decided to take a chance on him. Freeman could be the spark they need to turn the season around.
