Durzblog

The well documented 25 year drought for Philly sports fans can end tonight. The Phils take a gut wrencher in game 3 and bomb out a win in game 4, they now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. Ryan Howard is back, in case you haven't heard....Werth, Rollins and Utley are supplying the rest. Everyone is getting in on it, even Joe Blanton went deep last night -- the first time a pitcher has hit one out in the Series since the 70's.

Tonight Hamels goes, the biggest Yuengling and Cheese Steak party of all time could commence this evening. They now have three cracks at it, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind skipping the trip to Tampa.




Notes...I had the perfect sports weekend, literally...Phils win 2 WS games and appear ready to take the crown...first attended Uconn football game of the year for me was a smashing success, Edsall's boys put up a big second half and come from behind to beat Cincinnati and stop a two game skid -- are now bowl eligible...1860 keeps rolling, beating Osnabrück 2-0 on Sunday for their third straight...the Giants suck it up late and get to 6-1 courtesy of a hard fought win in Pittsburgh...J.J. Henry went a long way in securing his tour card, by firing a closing round 64 and jumping him 17 spots to 120 with a $208k check after finishing tied fourth (two weeks to go)...Cruz Hernandez heads home an OT winner to lead #15 Uconn men's soccer to a 1-0 victory over # 13 Notre Dame...Boston College loses to UNC (anytime the Eagles lose is good, especially to a team that drilled Uconn)...the Rangers won two games over the weekend, literally any team I have an interest in won, Marist hammered Iona...Xavier upset Hamden...every single team, even the most obscure, won...tonight I am in need of some continued good luck, I will need Wayne to out perform Harrison by 4 points to avoid my second loss of the year in Fantasy, would you really doubt me right now? I've got the hot hand.

-BD

The playoffs have gotten very interesting over the weekend and today's match-ups could go along way in deciding who competes in the Fall Classic. The Dodgers jumped all over Moyer early and let the Phils know that this will not be a walk in the park. Manny is being Manny, pounding the ball all over the place and acting like a total asshole. The Phils will rely on Joe Blanton tonight as they try and defeat the Dodger's Derek Lowe again this evening. Game 5 will be played on Wednesday with Hamels scheduled to go against Billingsley.

In Boston this afternoon the Sox look to bounce back from a marathon loss on Saturday. The third longest game in post season history ended with a series tied at 1-1...My guess is that things will be a bit different up at Fenway, the ambiance will likely be a little less WWF than the games in Tampa. Are they kidding with that music after Ray' long balls?? Wild Stuff.

Rando Notes
say a prayer for Tony Romo and his little pinkie...I already have a fantasy win in hand, but look to improve by overall totals with my new QB, Eli Manning, tonight, so long Mcnabb...nice effort by the Wolverines this weekend, Toledo...today begins Uconn v Rutgers week...how bad was Mickelson on Entourage? not that it was his fault, but that was awkward city...Good to see Danny O get the start for the Lions -- they almost had one...unfortunately the Nate Miles saga is still going on -- this time in appeals...RIP, New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov collapsed on the bench during a game today in Russia and died later -- He was 19, terrible news...lastly, so long to Tommy Bowden who was fired today after 10 seasons with Clemson -- I suspect it won't be long before we see him (there is a team further North also with Orange unis who could use him)...and kudos to Zach Johnson for his win yesterday in San Antonio, he has been struggling this year and its good to see his perseverance pay off, now just cool it with the God talk after you win -- its really putting me off...J.J. slipped back a couple of spots and is about $120k out of the top 125, with 4 weeks to play, this week the Tour is in Vegas at JT's tournament...

-BD

UNC 38, Uconn 12
Going into an off week, the Huskies were brought back down to earth with a quickness...It was a comedy of errors -- but even mistake free you were left wondering if the Heels were just flat out a much better team. They sure looked a bunch more athletic than the traveling Huskies. Three blocked Desi Cullen punts, two interceptions and six penalties -- all happened within the first half, and it all contributed to a 17-3 hole. Uconn was still kind of in it at this point...Another interception and a couple of big runs turned this baby into a laugher. It was a tough night for Zach Fraser in his first collegiate start, but he can't take all the heat in this one. One bright note, to nobodies surprise, Donald Brown rushed for 161 yards on 33 carries and became the first UConn player to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in a season since Cornell Brockington in 2004. Brown will likely pass 2,000 if he stays healthy. The 5-1 Huskies will look to regroup in two weeks against rival Rutgers -- who gave West Virginia a pretty good game this weekend.

Big Blue
Giants stadium turned into a lax social gathering by the end of the first quarter yesterday -- I spent more time talking to my mother-in-law, the row behind me, than I did watching the game. The poor lad in the Seahawks jersey in front of me was getting sympathy pats on the back before halftime. It was a nearly flawless performance by the Gints -- Eli Manning threw two touchdowns, Brandon Jacobs ran for two more and the unbeaten football Giants scored on their first five possessions in a 44-6 victory, the eighth straight for New York dating to last year's playoffs, and it gave the NFL champions their best start since 1990. In other football of interest -- the Bills lose for the first time, Skins over the Birds, Jets were off, Titans remain unbeaten and both Mcnabb and LT should be ashamed of themselves -- killing my fantasy run...

Phitin Phils
Philadelphia clinched its first trip to the NLCS since 1993 with a 6-2 victory over Milwaukee yesterday!!!!! Jimmy Rollins started the game with the Phillies' second postseason leadoff homer in team history and Pat Burrell would follow with a pair of jacks as they backed up a solid effort out of Joe Blanton..Good for Pat, he has been a lifer with the Phils and has put up with a bunch of noise throughout his career. Phillies move on to take on LA starting Thursday. Lowe v Hamels in game 1...in other playoff action, those Dodgers swept the Cubs and the worlds most lovable losers did not disappoint, another tough one to swallow for Chicago -- 100 years and counting..The Angels and Chisox both staved off elimination and forced game 4's today..look for Boston to advance and Tampa to lose forcing a game 5. Boston v Phils in the World Series -- that would be sick. I guess the story lines would be even better for Dodgers v Red Sox, but lets go Phils!

Notes
NHL hockey is underway and the usual slow start for the Rangers may take a year off this season. New skipper, Chris Drury, led le range' to a pair of two 2-1 wins against Barry Melrose's Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague over the weekend...J.J. Henry fired a closing round 67 yesterday to finish in the top 20 under some nasty conditions up near Syracuse at the Turning Stone -- inching him a couple of spots closer to the magical top 125. Up to 132 from 136 ($89,000 short of 125) -- this week he heads to San Antonio coming off of four top ten finishes in his last five starts at La Cantera. ...today is also the second annual charity golf outing that Henry is hosting in Fort Worth, seems like it is turning into a great event, click here for more...good to see Danny O taking some snaps for the Lions -- even if they are the worst team in the league...watched the Kimba Slice "match" on Saturday -- is CBS kidding putting that stuff on network TV?...sorry if this reads poorly, I have been on cold/flu meds for about 7 days now :(...

Be good
-BD

Pictures and linked stories to the big events of the weekend. I was fortunate enough to see the USA v Argentina game..it was pretty warm, not quite as sweltering as Billy Wagner's sweet meltdown in San Diego.

The week ahead is huge as well, the Euro games continue and today kicks off US Open Week. Enjoy it while we can, in a couple of weeks it will be strictly baseball for a while. Not that there is anything wrong with it -- especially considering the way the Phils are playing...

The Celts took firm control of the NBA Finals last night by holding off a late surge from Kobe and LA. The Celts now head out West really only needing to go 1 for 3. as they just seem to have more options as this point. Leon Powe with 21, oh my!

Games 3 and 4 are musts for Los Angeles, Globe coverage






No finger pointin' after last night, seeing as Mr Blowhard himself coughed the game up himself, it is all of a sudden something the team has to get past. What clown, I love it. I am going to New York "because they truly want to win." He left and the Phils win the division and now lead the Mets by 7.5 after broomings in Atlanta for the Phils and in San Deigo. Adam Eaton is throwing well for Christ sake...What could be finer? post musing

The USMNT ended its version of hell week with its best effort in a long time. The US drew 0-0 with the top rated team in the world in front of a sell out crown at Giants Stadium. The 80,000 in attendance were treated to some very entertaining play, more so than the final would indicate. Now the WC qualifying begins...

ESPN Coverage







Polish born Podolski leads the Germans to a convincing win as they kickoff their quest for European glory. bundesliga.de

A couple of dandy's this afternoon as well as Group C gets underway....Holland v Italy to follow Romania and France

I guess this happens every year...I get all giddy for Federer in hopes that he will at long last take home the French. Then the final comes and Nadal slaps the sh$t out of him. Fed will likely get his revenge at Wimbledon and in Flushing, but in Paris -- Rafa is king

Spaniard remains undefeated at French

Giants v Patriots -- Sunday, February 3rd
University of Phoenix Stadium -- Glendale, Arizona

The stage is set for America's biggest sporting event, a rematch of the Patriots 38-35 season finale win over the Giants -- this time for all the marbles...

Giants prevail in OT, 23-20
Good news Eli and Tom Coughlin you don't stink -- you're going to the Super Bowl! What everyone said about you guys all year -- fahgettabout it. The third tyne was a charm* for the team that just won't seem to quit. The New York defense held the cheeseheads when it counted late in the game several times and the offense led by an error-free Manning and a possessed Plaxico Burress was enough to get the G-men back to the grand stage for the first time since 2000. Amhad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs once again teamed up for some solid ground work and a pair of crucial touchdowns. In frigid temps with a wind chill of minus 31, Brett Favre was denied a third Super Bowl appearance, 10 years after he last played in the big game. His overtime interception was a tough way to end a great season and perhaps a HOF career.

* R. Reinsch turred via text

Patriots move closer to absolute perfection, 21-12
Despite a relatively shaky Tom Brady, the Pats were still good enough to takeout the banged-up Chargers, pulling out a 21-12 victory that sent them back to the NFL Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven seasons. Laurence Maroney was in key in rushing for 122 yards on 25 carries

They're the only team in NFL history to start out with 18 straight victories -- and will look to cement themselves as the best ever with a win in two weeks. "I think there will be a time to sit back and reflect,'' Bill Belichick said. "We'll certainly enjoy this for a few days.''

And I will enjoy posting pictures of Tom and the Stetson campaign for the next couple of weeks

NYG over 'Boys 21-17
Giants stop Romo and TO and advance to the NFC title game and leave Dallas still searching for first playoff win since 1996. Another efficient and mistake free game from Eli and a surprisingly fantastic patchwork defense were barely enough to pull out the win. The sweetest win for Giant fans in roughly 7 years. No love lost in this one, emotions were high before, during and after...(poor Terrell -- popcorn stale buddy?)

Sunday's NFC Championship game against the Packers at Lambeau will start at 6:30.


post coverage


Huskies play well again, cannot pull out win (again)

The pessimist is getting annoyed by the team folding in the last few minutes of winnable games repeatedly. The optimist sees the Huskies about to take a turn and go on a big run. We shall see on Thursday as the try to bounce back at the XL Center against Providence. Saturday's game was the best performance the Huskies have had in nearly two years and there are worse things than having the 7th best team in the country need some shaky officiating and their last possession to beat you.

We'll see where they go from here but the team needs to stop throwing away chances to reestablish themselves back in the national spotlight. A mini home stand this week with the Friars and Marquette is very important. Calhoun will reportedly return to the bench

Courant Georgetown recap

B(C)S
Put an end to the politics and start a 16 team playoff immediately. Ohio State is simply not a very good football team, they have not played in three weeks and pretty much played nobody all season long. As for the teams who have played lately, West Virginia blew a huge opportunity Saturday and Missouri went from a title game to the Cotton Bowl after losing to Oklahoma (Kansas gets the BCS slot although I could have sworn I saw Missouri beat Kansas 7 days ago?). Following college football this year I just kind of got the feeling that LSU would go to the big one even with 4 losses and I'm pretty sure Les Miles would have stumped for it.

Too many behind the scenes chats and personal opinion goes into this. I am not sure that they don't have the right match up this year, but why does LSU get the nod over Oklahoma who has beaten Missouri twice? Why is that Hawaii is never spoken of as undefeated team? The Rainbows would have gone 11-1 with the Buckeye's schedule for sure. The system is broke and it needs some fixing. If nothing else we would rid ourselves of these coaches pleading with the on the field reporters after the games -- unwatchable.

Eli quickly turns it around
Giants win big one 21-16 and take back control of the wild card race. Eli was just as awful as last week through over three quarters in this one but was able to save the day and his neck with a couple of solid drives to end the game. Eli's second throw of the game was a pick, followed by a fumble as the Giant's were driving, and rock bottom hit as threw a horrible ball for an end zone interception.

Credit the defense for keeping the team in this game with some key stops and a very good running effort led by Derrick Ward's 154 yard day. Unfortunately today we have learned that Ward has broken his leg and is out indefinitely. As painful as these game have become with the turnovers and even considering the injuries, at 8-4 things could be a lot worse.

Hall of Fame Classic
Uconn plays no defense and loses to a very active Gonzaga club 85-82 in front of a nice crowd in Boston. Calhoun was too annoyed to even talk specifically after the game about an effort that left a good number of the Uconn faithful, who made the trip up the Mass Pike, scratching their heads. I was left too irritated to even stay for the BC and Providence game that turned out to be a very good one with PC blowing a huge lead and then winning in OT in front of a mostly cleared out gym. Good event though, hope they do it next year...Nice bottling up all the hatred of Uconn, BC and PC fans in one building.

One lasting impression, Boston is not what you would call a good college sports town. I had to ask a bartender to put on the ACC Title Game (that BC was playing in) in football during lunch at our hotel and then had to ask someone to put the BC basketball after the Uconn game at a bar directly across the street from the Garden! Gonzaga had more fans in the Banknorth than BC it seemed.

Notes..Randy Edsall has pulled his name from consideration for the Georgia Tech job and will ink a new contract in the near future, most likely that was what this was all about. Good for him he deserves it and for Uconn (the newly crowned Big East co-champs) holding on to him is huge..Nearly froze to death but went to the Uconn/South Florida NCAA 3rd round soccer match yesterday afternoon in Storrs. The Huskies hammered a talented top 20 USF squad 5-0 and will play Virginia Tech this weekend at home for a place in the final 4 as they continue their quest for a 4th NCAA soccer title in school history..Kudos to the Bryan brothers, Roddick and Blake for taking home the Davis Cup for the first time since 1995..Pettitte is coming back and Sox/Yanks battle for Santana continues, apparently Jacoby is back on the table..Wake accepts invitation to play Uconn in Charlotte's Meineke Bowl..PGA tour vet, Frank Lickliter, appears to be in position to win the PGA Qualifying Tournament that concludes today, top 25 and ties will receive a 2008 PGA card..Congrats to West Hartford's Liz Janangelo on capturing her LPGA card yesterday, the Duke grad has the game to be out there for a while..

Cold Mountain
West Virginia (#2 BCS) has likely solidified its place in the national championship after A-POUNDING Connecticut 66-21 on Saturday night to clinch the Big East title and a spot in the BCS. With a win next week against Pittsburgh, the Mountaineers will be headed to the BCS championship game on Jan. 7 in New Orleans -- likely to face either Missouri or Ohio State.

Uconn was outclassed from the start in this one -- no doubt about it. Pat White rushed for 186 yards (most in mind blowing fashion) while West Virginia as a team compiled a season-high 517 yards on the ground, its best effort since 2002. Freshman Noel Devine rushed for 118 yards on 11 carries and Steve Slaton had a pair of back breaking TD runs.

A 24-14 game at the half got out of hand quickly in the third quarter, when the dust settled, WVU scored 42 second-half points. Uconn's dreams of a BCS berth in only its fourth season in the conference were dashed quickly and the Huskies left Morgantown humbled and a bit embarrassed by the final 6 TD spread.

Connecticut coach Randy Edsall was in awe of West Virginia's performance. "We just ran into an outstanding football team and one that I hope goes and wins a national championship. I'm not going to say there's anybody better than Pat White. I think he's the best player in college football. He has my vote."

Oddly after losing by 50 points Randy was not in the mood to talk X and O's with "reporters" -- boo hoo Jacobs. Get over yourself.

West Virginia claimed at least a share of its fourth Big East title in five seasons and will make its second BCS trip in three years. The Mountaineers beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl following the 2005 season. A national title would be a huge feather in the cap for the Mountaineer program and for the Big East as well.

Uconn will now prepare for their own bowl game as the athletic department will do their best to sell the team to the best possible situation -- a more difficult task after Saturday for sure. The Sun Bowl likely is out and that would leave the Meineke in Charlotte as the one most coveted by the Huskies. At 9-3 overall and 5-2 in the league it is a shame that the regular season had to end with such a sting.

Come On Bro
One nauseating game is enough to recap this week, I am not going to really touch the effort of the Gigantes and my man Eli. It was awful, four pick-offs, three brought back to the house and some lazy tackling doomed New York in this one. Sunday's tilt at Soldier Field is a big one.

full story

Pix Recap:
7-1 week, yes I am a god, pushed me over the hump to 25-24 on the year. Its been a long road and perhaps I should quit now....
Yes:
Missouri getting 2 over Kansas
Miami getting 14.5 from Boston College
Virginia Tech giving 3.5 to UVA
UCLA getting 1.5 from Oregon
Birds getting 22.5 from New England
Miami getting 15.5 from Pittsburgh
Seattle giving 3 to the Rams
No:
Denver getting 2 from Chicago

Huge Weekend in Sports and lots to recap.

Gutted
Stoppage time winner lifts Italy to a 2-1 win in Glasgow. The defeat ended Scotland's hopes of qualification for the Euro 2008 finals and sent Italy and France through to Austria and Switzerland. The winner was scored on a nice Pirlo free kick that was mysteriously rewarded to the Azzurri as the game seemed headed for a draw. "The set-piece that led to their second goal was an unbelievable decision," said Scott boss Alex McLeish. "The Italians know they were a lucky team to leave Hampden Park with a victory." The result was certainly a bitter disappointment for Scotland but over the last 14 months they have shown they can compete with the very best teams in the world.

Old Friends -- Battle of Cals...goes to Calapari
UConn lost to No. 3 Memphis 81-70 Friday in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic championship game at Madison Square Garden. Chris Douglas-Roberts had a career-high 33 points and freshman Derrick Rose chipped in 24 making the difference down the stretch as the talented Tigers pulled away. Although the end of the game left plenty to be desired (especially from the forward position) the Huskies showed some promise in hanging with Memphis and battling back from some large early deficits against a team the will likely play deep into March. Anthony Jordan Price has arrived.


Orange Crushed
Five years after completing the move to big time college football -- Uconn (9-2, 5-1) is exactly one win away from a Big East championship! The running duo of Donald Brown and Andre Dixon combined for 151 yards on the ground with two touchdowns and Tyler Lorenzen threw for 213 yards as the Huskies controlled this one from the start. UConn will play at West Virginia next Saturday -- a win amazingly would secure the Huskies an automatic bid to a Bowl Championship Series game (seriously).

These are the Huskies who were 4-8 a year ago and picked in the preseason to finish next-to-last in the league. HC Randy Edsall (is he off the "hot seat" yet?) opening up more and more after every victory is clearly very pleased and even emotional,
"I've been around long enough and been on teams as a player and as a coach where there's — I don't know if you call it magical or you call it chemistry — you call it camaraderie. People are just going to do things that you never expect them to do and this group from January on has done the things that we needed to do." #20 Uconn will be a heavy underdog against the #3 Mountaineers, but they have a shot and nobody would have predicted that.

In Short
Lloyd Carr's last Michigan/Ohio State game will be one he would like to forget, 14-3 Bucks. Lloyd led the Wolverines to 121 wins, five Big Ten titles and a national championship in his 12 years and did it with class..The Celtics will not go undefeated this year -- the Magic served the C's their first loss of the season yesterday 104-102..Jesus the Pats are good, perfect season looks pretty reasonable after there 56-10 victory at Ralph Wilson..Giants do enough to win in Detroit and get to 7-3 thanks to a great defensive effort led by Michael Strahan..while the Jets put one in the W column with an OT home win against the Steelers..The Rangers have won five straight games and nine of their last to quietly move to the top of the Atlantic Division..Harvard drilled Yale to win the Ivy. New England Revolution lose their 4th MLS Cup final -- Houston are the Champions back-to-back..Jorge, Mo and Alex all appear to be staying in the Bronx..Uconn wins the 2007 BE Men's Soccer title and awaits their NCAA assignment..Steve Cherundolo first half tally leads the USMNT over South Africa in Johannesburg 1-0.

W-K-R-A-P in Cincinnati

The Uconn Huskies were returned to earth on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati. The last undefeated team in the league went down in a game that never seemed very close -- in fact, it was utter domination by the Bearcats. Connecticut, which had been relying on a strong run attack of late, only carried the ball for 22 yards and were never able to gain any sort of momentum.

The Huskies were taken to task in all three facets of the game and appeared to be much slower than their fired-up opponents. Cinci QB, Ben Mauk, had himself quite an afternoon -- throwing for 3 TD's and rushing for one as well. "It was disappointing that we had our worst effort of the season," UConn coach Randy Edsall said. "But it's difficult to win when you don't win the battle at the line of scrimmage. We knew they were a physical team."

Uconn stayed in the AP (#25) and BCS (#23) and were removed from the USA/ESPN polls. The Dogs will look to regroup against the visiting Syracuse Orange this Saturday and if successful a BCS face-off game still looms in two weeks down in Morgantown.

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Cowboys fly past Giants with Romo and Owens

"Annoying" may be the best way to describe yesterday's game in East Rutherford. The crowd was into this one from the start and the Giants seemed poised to make this a good contest, but the combination of TO and Romo was just too much. Romo hit Owens on two of his four touchdown passes and Dallas opened a big lead in the division by ending the Giants' six-game winning streak with a 31-20 victory.

Tony Romo is a very good QB and Owens is the best receiver in the game -- I hate (in a sports kind of way) them both -- but that is the truth. The Giants, who have now fallen 2 games behind Dallas and actually 3 since they would lose the tiebreak, can now focus on the wild-card. Eli Manning, who was typically neither very good or bad, is still left searching for a defining win in a Giant's jersey. The delay of game penalties in your own stadium are at the very best puzzling and that has to come to an end -- Dallas may have the talent to compensate for stupid penalties but New York does not. The G-men will look to rebound in a battle of 6-3 clubs next week at Ford Field in Detroit.

Donald Brown is back, coming 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 in school history and keeping the "Dream Season" alive.

Brown, 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. In total, Donald carried the ball 24 times, 22 in the second half when UConn put away the Scarlet Knights. "Earlier in the season, I feel I was pressing a lot, I was trying to hit the home run too much," Brown said.

Randy Edsall is more than willing to spread the running duties around and lessen the burden on Andre Dixon. "We went with the hot hand," Edsall said. "It was good because he's been a lot fresher than Andre, so it was good for him to go in there and see him do that. We're going to need both of them."

Brown's performance came a year after he made his college debut against Rutgers, rushing for 199 yards in a 24-13 loss. The Huskies, picked to finish seventh in the eight-team Big East this year, are now 4-0 and are the only undefeated team in the conference -- ahead of 2-1 West Virginia. The Huskies, who are now #16 in both the AP and USA Today Polls, will look to keep things going next week on the road to Cincinnati.

The always steady Tyler Lorenzen threw for 140 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 67 yards, and the Huskies' special teams accounted for nine points, with an early safety and a 97-yard kickoff return by Tyvon Branch. Conversely, Rutgers special teams killed them in this affair and gave Edsall a 4-2 record against his counterpart Greg Schiano.

Last year's "it" coach in the league (Schiano) has now given the keys to Edsall and it appears is if Randy is enjoying the ride more and more, as he should. The character that he has instilled in this team and the intangibles that he stresses are paying huge dividends for this coach who was reportedly on the "hot seat" entering the season (we will have to assume that was complete nonsense fabricated in the media, not that it matters at all now).

Uconn needs only to split with the Bearcats and the (league worst) Orangemen to set-up a Big East title game in Morgantwon on November 24. The winner of that game would play in a BCS bowl game. Of course, if WVU happens to drop another game Uconn could go into that game with the league crown already in hand. Uconn fans still giggle when talking about such possibilities but they are becoming more and more of a reality.

Back on earth, Schiano opted for a dual attack at quarterback Saturday night in attempt to keep the Husky defense off balance. Mike Teel threw 32 times for 343 yards in the losing effort and Jabu Lovelace (from the killer streets of Tenafly, NJ) took a dozen snaps and ran for 61 yards. Also on the ground Ray Rice ran 21 times for 116 yards and a touchdown but 97 of those came in the first half.

In total, Rutgers gained a massive 511 yards, including 307 yards in the first half -- when they held the ball for over 20 minutes. However, the Scarlet Knights had drives of 72, 74 and 69 yards result in field goals instead of touchdowns.
UConn led 25-16 at intermission despite running just 19 plays to Rutgers' 51.

Connecticut is earning a reputation which they seem to be coining a "bend but don't break" defense. Captain Dan Davis said, "One thing we pride ourselves on is red-zone defense, and all year we've been pretty good at that. We bend and give up some yardage, but stop them in the red zone."

Immediately after the game the team was turning their attention to Cincinnati (7-2,2-2), where although the Huskies are #16 in the country and are facing an unranked team, the line opened with Uconn getting 5.5.


These guys are picked to lose every week, the chip on their shoulder and the constant attention to details has been a great combination thus far. A win versus the Bearcats is going to make things begin to look very black and white..quite a change amidst this dream season.

Big East Standings

Connecticut 4-0 8-1
West Virginia 2-1 7-1
Cincinnati 2-2 7-2
Louisville 2-2 5-4
Pittsburgh 2-2 4-5
Rutgers 2-3 5-4
South Florida 1-3 6-3
Syracuse 1-3 2-7

BoSox sweep Rockies to win 2nd World Series in 4 years

Two-year-olds on South Boston playgrounds could be heard saying this morning, "now i have lived a full life and can die happy," after suffering through a couple of long years not winning the world series. The curse of the Damino can finally be laid to rest! Now if the Schill Dog actually leaves town there can be some quiet to go along with this new found peace.

AP
Overwhelming in every way, the Red Sox swept to their second 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. Boston is a major league bully these days, playing in rarefied air before crowds who demand to win.

"It doesn't get old," manager Terry Francona said.

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.

__________________________________________________________




Dream Season??
Uconn's largest ever win puts them up to #16 in the AP with a big one home to Rutgers this Saturday. Uconn remains in sole possession of first place in the Big East ahead of WVU, the only other league team with less than two losses. I'm jet-lagged -- so the Courant article is below....

SHAWN COURCHESNE, Hartford Courant

UConn football coach Randy Edsall can be stubborn.

Getting him to talk about the significance of nearly any victory can be difficult. He likes to call every win just another deposit in the bank.

But on Saturday, UConn broke the bank.

The Huskies, picked to finish seventh in the Big East, got the statement victory that many said was missing from their surprising run through the first eight games of the season.

After taking a 16-0 halftime lead, UConn held off No. 11 South Florida to win 22-15 before 40,000 at Rentschler Field.

It was the first victory over a ranked opponent for UConn since going to Division I-A in 2000. The Bulls (6-2, 1-2) came in ranked 10th in the BCS standings and were No. 2 in the AP Top 25 before losing at Rutgers in its previous game.

UConn (7-1, 3-0) remains the only unbeaten team in the Big East. West Virginia is 2-1, but every other team has two losses.

Even Edsall, coaching his 100th game at UConn, couldn't avoid expounding on just how much it all meant. Pressed on the question, "Was this the biggest victory ever for UConn football?" he finally broke.

"You want me to say it?" Edsall said. "Yeah, it is. When you beat this team that's top 10 and we've never done it before, yeah, it's got to be the best victory we've ever had in football.

"I hope that there will be more to come and we're going to work very, very hard each and every day to make sure that we continue in these situations to find a way to win."

Moments after UConn quarterback Tyler Lorenzen took a final knee to let the clock run out, fans began jumping out of sections on the east end of the stadium to join players celebrating on the field. A slow trickle turned into a mass, as fans surrounded the team. Edsall said the fans deserved to come onto the field for the job they did in helping make for a chaotic fourth-quarter environment for the Bulls offense.

"There were a lot of naysayers who never thought a day like this would happen here at UConn and with this football program," Edsall said. "But when you have a bunch of young men and you have a group of older men leading and nobody cares who gets the credit and everyone is unselfish and more worried about the other guy than they are themselves, days like today happen. That's what it's all about. It's amazing. The band's still playing out there."

Uconn rallies past Louisville, moves to 6-1



Friday night's 21-17 victory at the Rent was the best win in the young history of Connecticut D-1 football. Never mind the Cardinals are 4-4 (with a loss to Syracuse) and the now famous non fair catch, Uconn beat a good D-1 program for the first time. At 6-1 (2-0 in the league), Connecticut has put itself in a position to reach some uncharted territory and with that comes a new found excitement within the program and fan base that has not been around since Danny O was taking snaps.

Andre Dixon led Connecticut running 22 times for 115 yards and the biggest score of the game -- a go-ahead 5-yard touchdown run with 1:32 left. Tyler Lorenzen was 9-for-18 for 130 yards and no interceptions for the Huskies who Sunday entered the BCS top 25 for the first time in school history with a #23 national ranking.

The big story...UConn scored its first points of the game on Larry Taylor's controversial 74-yard punt return. With 13 minutes left in the third quarter, Taylor settled under a 45-yard punt and signaled for a fair catch around the Huskies 25, Cardinal pursuers stopped in their tracks as they (and anyone watching the game) assumed the play was dead (though there was no whistle) and Taylor slipped away down the sidelines untouched for the score that would have to be one of the stranger plays I have ever seen.

Make no mistake, Uconn will gladly take the win, but I'd imagine that most fans might be a little annoyed with Taylor for even attempting this trickery and embarrassed a bit as the TV cameras showed his smirking on the sidelines appearing to be happy that he just pulled a fast one.

Louisville should not be blaming the officials for this one, they were up 10 with 11:35 to play and could not come up with the points or the stops to put this one away. Uconn supporters would also argue that they were stripped of a touchdown when it appeared the Huskies recovered a muffed punt on the 1 yard line.

Enough about the officials, this rain drenched game was decided by the Uconn defensive lock down (after Earl Heyman's fumble recovery touchdown putting the Ville' up 17-7) and the two late scoring drives by Lorenzen and his offense. Trailing by its largest margin of the game early in the 4th, a quick bounce back drive and DJ Hernandez TD all within 1:30, gave the Huskies a sense of being right back in this one. On the next offensive series, when Dixon seemed to drag 5 guys in the end zone with under 2 to play, for the first time the Huskies were in the driver's seat. The job was finished fittingly by Danny Lansanah picking off a Brain Brohm pass at the Uconn 20 with 15 seconds to play.


"It was a great team victory for us tonight," UConn coach Randy Edsall said. "All three of our phases on the team really did a great job and contributed in every aspect. I'm just proud of the coaches, proud of the kids, what they did."


Big East Standings
TEAM, BE W-L, OVERALL W-L,
Connecticut, 2-0, 6-1
Rutgers, 2-1, 5-2
South Florida, 1-1, 6-1
West Virginia, 1-1, 6-1
Pittsburgh, 1-1, 3-4
Cincinnati, 1-2, 6-2
Louisville, 1-2, 4-4
Syracuse, 1-2, 2-6

Huskies:
The Uconn football team suffers first defeat of season on the road to UVA. Back and forth battle is decided when Huskies oddly abandon the silent snap, and scr*w the pooch losing 25 yards on a hike gone wrong, while driving late in the 4th down 1. Not much created on offense by either side in a nip and tuck affair.

Boys will look to regroup for a (legit)nationally televised ESPN (not the U) game against the Louisville Cardinal on Friday evening. The Cards knocked off top 20 Cincinnati on the road this weekend, the schedule will not get any easier from here on out for the dogs.

Rest of Big East:
Scarlet Knights dominate the Orange up at the Dome and ruin homecoming from the Syracuse alums, not that any actual went to the game. USF (now #2 in the BCS and AP polls) manhandles UCF and shows a little Miami Hurricane of yesteryear by scoring a few late ones. WVU had a bye and Pitt played like they had a bye in losing to Navy on Wednesday.

College Football:
BC and ND never as close as score showed. Oklahoma showsus something in taking out Mizzou. Kentucky outlasts LSU in Lexington and the Cal Bears blow a shot at number one...the Ohio State University takes over number one with a thriller over Oberlin.

MLB:
Rockies continue to make me feel better about my Phils, now at 19 of 20, AMAZING! Cleveland and Trot Nixon (and God according to Trot) make things interesting by putting up a TD at 1:30am on the Sox at a frigid looking Fenway, take-a-ways from Game 2 -- Mike Lowell is a brilliant 3B and Grady Sizemore is going to Cooperstown. Dice-K against Westbrook tonight in Cleveland, bring your OFF spray.

NFL:
God I hate you New England Patriots, but man do i respect you...no running game -- no worries, the Pats put on an aerial show in the 2nd half. TO keeps the boys around for a bit, but it was never really in doubt. Brady much better QB than dad...Adrian Peterson as Tiger Woods once said, "hello world"...Jets in Rams unis are still the Jets...Favre helps the Gigantes out...Dolphins and Rams remain win-less.

**NBA and NHL reports on hold, I will pick-up the NBA after the Masters.

PIX in review
Take the Irish over BC w/the 13.5o --
-- barely, but yes
Put the ranch on New England over smiley interception man and the Cowboys-only getting 4 --
-- man i'm good
PGA pick: Bill Haas gets virgin win in Sin City
-- tough weekend for Bill, t21 --36,000, card is secured however
LPGA pick: Wie won't break 80 --
-- finishes +18, but breaks 80 all 4 rounds, kudos!!
Husky fans take UVA and be happy if you lose....(bet with your brain not your heart) --
--Cavs win game, but do not cover, brain and heart lose out