BASEBALL

The Baltimore Orioles were down to their last chance.  They trailed the Kansas City Royals 3-0 in the ALCS, and they were hoping that they could summon some magic to grab the win and spark their offense alive.  But the Royals are so scorching hot right now, it’s hard to get much against them.  And Wednesday night was no different.  The Royals got a one-run lead early on, and held that through the last half of the game.  With the win, the Kansas City Royals, a team who has been in baseball’s basement for 29 years, not only made the playoffs, but are undefeated in the post-season and are now heading to the World Series!  Amazing!  Kansas City 2, Baltimore 1.

And in the NLCS, the St. Louis Cardinals were looking to even the series, but the San Francisco Giants are also playing their best baseball right now.  The Cardinals got an early lead, but a Giants rally gave them the win.  The Giants now lead the series 3-1, and are just one win away from getting to another World Series and taking on the Royals.  

BASKETBALL

Finally, in the NBA, there has been a lot of talk lately about shortening the season.  The long 82-game regular season schedule takes a huge toll on the player’s bodies — so much so, that come the post-season, the best players might be playing through injuries and not offering the fan the best product.  There is talk about shorting the season to 65 games, and now stars Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James are coming out in favor of it.  This is unlikely because of all the money that would be lost, but it would protect the players, and also make each regular season game that much more important. 

BASEBALL

The Baltimore Orioles headed to Kansas City for Game 3 of the ALCS.  This was an absolutely must-win game for the Orioles to avoid going down 0-3 in the series.  The game was tight at a 1-1 tie until the 6th inning when the Royals went up 2-1.  The Orioles bats just couldn’t get the job done, and the Orioles dropped another one.  They are now down 3-0 in the series, while the Royals are just one win away from going to the World Series.  Kansas City 2, Baltimore 1.  

And in the NLCS, it was Game 3 between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants.  The Cardinals were in trouble though, as they were without their best player and catcher Yadier Molina.  It took 10 innings to break a tie, but in the 10th, the Giants caught a break on a bad throw to get the go ahead run.  They now lead 2-1.  It’s too early to say, but it looks like we may have a World Series of the two wild card game winners.  San Francisco 5, St. Louis 4.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, during the 90s, their was only one answer when someone asked the questions”Who is America’s Team”.  It was the Dallas Cowboys.  The Cowboys had such a strong, loaded team that the casual fan loved them.  But now, according to a poll, the Cowboys no longer hold that distinction.  It’s a new era, and in this new era, it’s the Denver Broncos.  Everybody loves watching Peyton Manning and their high-powered offense, and are rooting for Manning to get another Super Bowl victory.  This is my little guy rooting on his favorite player!!!

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was Monday Night Football between the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams.  The Rams started off rather slowly this season, but their silver lining might just be their un-drafted QB  Austin Davis.  Davis is from Southern Miss., and he has played well in every one of his starts.  In this matchup,  Davis got off to a hot start, but then the 49ers made some adjustments and reeled off 24 unanswered points to steal a victory in St. Louis.  The crowd was also pretty paltry in St. Louis, which begs the question, will the Team move? San Francisco 31, St. Louis 17.

Elsewhere in the NFL, it looks like the Broncos late Pick-6 of Geno Smith helped heavyweight champion Floyd Mayweather win $600,000.  Mayweather put a very large bet on the Broncos to win -7.5, and as the game neared its end, the Broncos were only up by 7.  It looked like there was no hope, but that Pick 6 helped seal the deal for Floyd and he showed up in person to collect his winnings. 

BASKETBALL

Finally, in the NBA, everyone knows that Spike Lee is a huge New York Knicks fan. But now new Knicks’ President Phil Jackson called Lee just a huge fan that knows nothing about basketball.   “As most people know, Spike is an avid Knick fan that doesn’t know anything about basketball,” Jackson said, drawing laughs from the crowd. “He knows how someone makes a shake and bake move and might dazzle the fans and make a shot.” This is part of a new documentary that Lee made about Jackson’s famous “Triangle Offense”. It was all in good fun though! 

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, the Bengals were looking to avenge their horrible loss from the previous week to the Patriots, but they would have to take on a tough Carolina Panthers team.  To make matters even more difficult, the Panthers had a resurgent Cam Newton, who played a spectacular game.  But, the Bengals hung in there, and this game even required an overtime.  And, in a very rare finish, the game ended in a tie.  This begs the question of whether or not any NFL game should end in a tie.  Is there something they can do to resolve this?  Cincinnati 37, Carolina 37.

In Seattle, the Seahawks faced a very tough test against the surging Dallas Cowboys. The Seahawks arguably have the best home field advantage in sports (the 12th man they call it) and thought they could stop the Cowboys.  The Cowboys look pretty good this season and their offensive line is tremendous, allowing them to run at will.  In fact, their star running back DeMarco Murray is headed to the record books as he is tied with Jim Brown for starting the season with six straight 100+ yard rushing games.  And the Cowboys defense is playing much better than people predicted.  Many thought at the beginning of the season that they were going to be terrible, but they are TOUGH!  The Cowboys came out with a huge road victory in Seattle.  Dallas 30, Seattle 23.

Finally, on Sunday night, it was the New York Giants taking taking on the Philadelphia Eagles.  The Giants are playing great as of late, and the Eagles, despite their 4-1 record, have looked very suspect.  The Eagles showed the world that they are a very difficult team to beat.  They SHUT OUT the Giants in prime time.  It was an awful game for New York, and to make matters worse, the Giants lost Victor Cruz to a serious injury.  He is likely out for the season.  

BASEBALL

The Kansas City Royals continue their Cinderella story.  They were able to go into Baltimore and steal the first 2 games of the ALCS.  The Royals barely made it into the wild card playoff, and since getting in, they are undefeated in the post-season.  The Royals are for real, and are a force of nature right now. 

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was an AFC South showdown between Andrew Luck and Indianapolis Colts vs. J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans.  The Colts are playing fantastic football right now, but the Texans really needed the win.  Andrew Luck got the Colts off to a red hot start, but the Texans came surging back towards the end of the game.  Unfortunately for Houston, it was too little too late and they couldn’t catch up.  This was the closest Thursday Night Football game yet, however. Indianapolis 33, Houston 28.

And in some shocking college football news, all eyes were on Georgia running back Todd Gurley this year.  He was on pace to be a Heisman candidate, and talk of him as the first running back off the board in the 2015 NFL draft.  On Thursday, Georgia announced that they were indefinitely suspending the star running back for taking money in exchange for his autograph. The investigation into NCAA Rules Violations continues.  

Finally, it’s always interesting to ponder which mega-artist will play the Super Bowl halftime show.  Sometimes they get legends like Paul McCartney or Bruce Springsteen, but sometimes they give it to a new artist and it is a sort of a rite of passage that they have gone from superstar to MEGA superstar.  That was the case with Bruno Mars last year.  And this year, the NFL has dubbed Katy Perry to play the halftime show.  She has a bevy of hits and of course the anticipation of what she will wear begins now.

FOOTBALL

In college football, the Alabama Crimson Tide was upset last week against Ole Miss.  This came as a huge shock to both ‘Bama fans and pundits who thought that the Tide was set for another championship run.   Former Alabama quarterback and National Championship Winner, A.J. McCarron spoke out against Alabama saying that they lacked “true leaders”, and that their offense looked flat.  McCarron speculated that the loss could possibly have been attributed to Nick Saban putting the handcuffs on innovative offensive coordinator and former USC coach Lane Kiffin.  It’s interesting that one of their more famous alumni is talking badly about the organization and about his former coach.

And in the NFL, just when the Bengals thought they were putting together a solid season, they not only got crushed by the Patriots, but also just lost their star wide receiver A.J. Green for 6 weeks because of a toe injury.  This is a huge blow to their offense, but at least they have a solid receiver in Mohammed Sanu as his replacement.  Additionally, they can likely expect Green back around Week 12 — in time for a playoff push.  So if you’re a Bengals fan, don’t hold your head low, with Green back, they could get a gust of momentum, with a chance they could be red-hot heading into the playoffs.  

Finally, in some sad news, it’s being reported that the victim of the 49ers bathroom assault is suffering some paralysis.  This was a truly senseless and cruel act.  It came about because the victim nudged the man in front of him to use an open stall.  The man apparently didn’t like being pushed, and responded by punching the victim in the face three times — the third of which knocked him out cold.  This is reminiscent of the horrible attack on Bryan Stow in the Dodgers parking lot a few years ago.  This has to stop at sporting events, a place that is supposed to be about fun and nothing else.

FOOTBALL

As reported earlier, Adrian Peterson has been suspended by the NFL for allegations that he whipped one of his children severely as a punishment.  There is no clear return date for Peterson, who, for all we know, may never play again if his legal problems persist.  On Tuesday, Peterson said that he would plead “not guilty” to all his charges. Peterson is also in hot water for reports that his charity misused funds.  It will be interesting to see what happens with the verdict and with Peterson’s career. 

In other legal NFL news, former Chiefs’ star running back Larry Johnson was arrested for aggravated battery after assaulting someone at a club.  Johnson had a history of reckless behavior.  Not a very good day in the sun for NFL publicity.

Finally, it’s very interesting how the man who holds the record for the longest kick in NFL history is currently unemployed.  Last year, Denver’s Matt Prater kicked a 64 yard field goal to set the record.  But this year, he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, and the Broncos suspended him for four games.  Last week they went the extra mile and cut him from their roster.  The Detroit Lions, on the other hand, got a terrible performance from their new kicker Alex Henery, and cut him.  The Lions need a good kicker for the remainder of their season, and it looks like they are going to give Prater a chance.  This could be extremely fortuitous for the Lions, as Prater is a virtual lock from under 50 yards. 

FOOTBALL

The Seattle Seahawks overcame significant penalties to beat the Washington Redskins in prime time on Monday night football. Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson had a tremendous game rushing for a career high 122 yards and 201 yards passing with 2 td’s.  The Seahawks’ RB, Marshawn Lynch added big yards too with 72 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards and a TD. Seattle 27, Washington 17.

CYCLING

The Columbia Women’s Cycling Team has a new and very controversial uniform. The red and yellow uniform features a wide strip  of cloth around their private parts that makes them look nude. According to the International Cycling Union president Brian Cookson, the spandex ensemble as “unacceptable by any standard of decency.” Whatever you think of this uniform, it’s getting people talking about women’s cycling so maybe they are doing something right.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, Peyton Manning made history yesterday, throwing for his 500th touchdown pass.  He actually threw 4 touchdown passes in the game, which puts him at 503 for his career.  The all-time leader in the category is Brett Favre with 508 touchdowns.  Manning will clearly break the record, and likely have all of the passing records when he is done with his career.  To add to his accomplishments, the Broncos crushed the undefeated Arizona Cardinals as well.  They looked fantastic!  Denver 41, Arizona 20.

Elsewhere in the NFL, a battle of Texas that we get to see every four years when the Houston Texans take on the Dallas Cowboys.  It is for bragging rights, and the Dallas Cowboys got to host this round.  The Cowboys took the early lead, but then the Texans came surging back at the end of the game to tie it up and send it to overtime.  In OT, Tony Romo and the Cowboys got the job done, and a long Dan Bailey field goal won the game for Dallas.  The Cowboys are now a surprising 4-1.  Wow!  Dallas 20, Houston 17.

And in New England, the Patriots were looking for redemption after being clobbered last week on Monday Night Football against the Chiefs.  This week, they got to host a home game against the other undefeated team, the Cincinnati Bengals.  Everyone had the Pats counted out for the season, as well as putting a period on the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady dynasty.  Not so fast, as they looked red hot Sunday night, and absolutely crushed the Bengals.  Brady was firing on all cylinders, and the Pats looked like a team to be reckoned with, again.  New England 43, Cincinnati 17.

BASEBALL

The American League Championship is set.  And it’s not teams we are used to seeing.  The Baltimore Orioles topped the Detroit Tigers to advance. The Orioles simply look fantastic right now.   And, as a huge surprise, the Kansas City Royals, team that hasn’t been in the post-season in 29 years, swept the #1 seed Los Angeles Angels.  Both of these teams are on fire right now, and this will be a must-watch ALCS.  Game 1 is on Friday. 

FOOTBALL

In the Thursday night NFL matchup, the game almost seemed over before it even began. The Minnesota Vikings and  Green Bay Packers matchup should have been much closer but Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 3 touchdowns and by the second half, the game was essentially over.  Vikings’ QB Christian Ponder took the blame for the loss with his 2 second quarter interceptions. Packers 42, Vikings 10.

Seattle Seahawks QB, Russell Wilson is putting his celebrity to great use. He has initiated a campaign similar the the ubiquitous ice bucket challenge. It’s called the “pass for peace” initiative and it’s intended to raise awareness and funding for victims of domestic violence. In an appearance on Huffington Post Live, Wilson spoke about the issue and passed the peace to Derek Jeter and Justin Timberlake.

“This issue is much bigger than NFL suspensions. Domestic violence isn’t going to disappear tomorrow or the next day. But the more that we choose not to talk about it, the more we shy away from the issue, the more we lose,” wrote Wilson. “I can’t fix the world. I can’t fix the NFL. I can’t change the guys around me. The only person I can change is the one in the mirror.”