December 5th update

Tiger Woods Wins… Finally

• Tiger Woods for the first time since 2009 in his last action of 2011. Woods shot two birdies in on the last two holes to beat former Masters Champion Zach Johnson by one stroke. It was Woods’ first win in 749 days.
• This event is one hosted by Woods as a fundraiser for his foundation (Woods donated his winnings - $1.2 million – to his foundation as well). There were only 17 other golfers included in the field.
• Even with the short field this victory is raising hopes amongst golf fans that Woods (still the sport’s premier star) will be on his way back to glory after his extramarital scandal and subsequent swoon. Woods, who had the record for most consecutive weeks ranked #1, had been ranked #52 coming into this tournament. This victory catapults him to a more respectable #21.


Multiple thrillers headline the NFL

• Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos once again won a thrilling last second game, 35-32 over the Minnesota Vikings and this time Tebow actually had a pretty solid passing game. He only completed 10 passes but did so efficiently, as he only threw 15 total passes. He has 202 total yards and 2 long touchdown passes to Demaryius Thomas. The Broncos came back from 2 deficits in the last few minutes and after intercepting Vikings rookie Christian Ponder, made a field goal as time expired.
• Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers continued to win shootouts, this time beating the New York Giants 38-35 after the Giants had tied the game with less than a minute remaining. Rodgers and the Packers are 12-0, haven't lost in more than a calendar year and looks like he may set multiple NFL records. He's been so good that I'm seriously considering changing my car insurance to State Farm and getting my Discount Double Check.
• In other action, rookie quarterback T.J. Yates led the Houston Texans to their 6th straight win as they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 17-10. The Texans have sustained tons of injuries but continue to win. They've already tied their franchise record for wins with 9 (with 4 left to eclipse it) and look like a lock to play in their first playoff game ever. The Texans are currently the only team in America's 4 major sports (MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL) never to have won a playoff game.
• In other games, the Dallas Cowboys lost in OT to the Arizona Cardinals after Dallas's coach called a timeout before his own kicker made a game winning field goal and then watched as he missed the second attempt and the Indianapolis Colts showed signs of life but still lost 31-24 to the New England Patriots and look like they will very possibly go an entire season without winning a single game.


BCS Championship Will Feature SEC Rematch

• As opined on this site last week, this years college football title game will be a rematch of a general stinker from earlier in the year. The #2 Alabama Crimson Tide will this time travel to Louisiana to take on the #1 Louisiana State Tigers. Their November 5th matchup was a quite boring 9-6 victory by the Tigers. This is a highly controversial game because of the fact that Alabama already had a chance against LSU in the previous game while there are some other teams that seemingly have an argument to get their first chance against LSU (who is a unanimous #1).
• The Orange Bowl will feature the Big East Champion West Virginia Mountaineers vs the ACC champion Clemson Tigers. The Sugar Bowl will feature two wildcard teams with the Michigan Wolverines against the Virginia Tech Hokies. This is a bit of a surprise as the Hokies lost to Clemson this weekend in the ACC title game, Virginia Tech’s second loss to the Tigers this season.
• The Fiesta Bowl features presumptive Heisman Trophy winner Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal vs the Oklahoma State Cowboys (the Big 12 Champs). The final Bowl game will feature Pac 12 champions Oregon Ducks against the Big 10 champions Wisconsin Badgers.
• Update from Friday: We reported that if UCLA lost this weekend they would not be bowl eligible. Since then, they appealed this to the NCAA and were awarded bowl eligibility. They will be playing Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger bowl on December 31st.

September 23rd update

Down to Stretch run for MLB Wildcards

• The final playoff spots in each league are up for grabs and becoming incredibly close races in both the American and National leagues.
• In the A.L., The Boston Red Sox lead by 2 games over the Tampa Bay Rays and 3 games over the Los Angeles Angels with 6 games remaining. Boston has had one of the highest paid and most productive offenses all season, but their pitching has failed them of late. They just lost 3 of 4 to the lowly Baltimore Orioles after losing 3 of 4 to the Rays and have not won a series since August. They also play their last games on the road. Here are the remaining schedules:

-The Red Sox finish with 3gmaes @ New York Yankees  and 3@ Orioles
-The Rays finish with 3 vs. the Toronto Blue Jays and 3 vs the Yankees
-The Angels finish with 3 vs. the Oakland Athletics and 3 vs the Texas Rangers

• In the National League the Braves have let a huge lead almost disappear because of a slew of injuries including their two top starting pitchers, Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson. They currently lead the Cardinals by 2 games (and it would have only been 1 but the Cardinals suffered an epic collapse Thursday night) and the defending champion Giants are in lots of trouble but are still technically alive at 4 games back. Here are the remaining schedules:

-The Cardinals finish with 3 vs. the Chicago Cubs and 3 @ the Houston Astros
-The Braves finish with 3 @ the Washington Nationals and 3 vs. the Philadelphia Phillies
-The Giants finish with 3 @ the Arizona Diamondbacks and 3 vs. the Colorado Rockies

Stow Recovering after Attack

• On opening day of the Major League Baseball Brian Stow, 42, went to see his favorite team, the LA Dodgers, host in-state rival San Francisco Giants. After that game, in the parking lot, Stow was seriously attacked by (at least) three Giants fans. Stow was in a coma for a long time, and yesterday spoke words for the first time
• Stow, who has filed suit against the Dodgers for failure to provide proper security and lighting in their parking lot, has made a great deal of progress in the past few weeks. Two weeks ago he began to exhibit facial movements and has now regained the ability to speak.
• As of now, the primary suspects are Louie Sanchez, 29, Marvin Norwood, 30, and Doreen Sanchez, 31, and all have been arrested.


Week 3 of the NFL Season Bring Big Games

• The Houston Texans had big expectations this season. They revamped their defense this offseason adding Free Agent signee Jonathan Joseph and drafted pass rushers JJ Watt and Brooks Reed among others, to add to a defense that already features Mario Williams and an explosive offense led by star reciever Andre Johnson. They travel to New Orleans to take on the high flying Saints offense. Houston has started 2-0 against two weaker teams in the league, while the Saints are 1-1 after playing two of the stronger teams (Both of whom played in the NFC championship game last season). This will be the first chance for the Texans to prove that the hype is deserved.
• Monday Night Football showcases one of the longest-standing rivalries in the NFL. The surprising 2-0 Washington Redskins travel to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has had some injury issues, but come in with a high powered offense, and will be the first true test of the Redskins.
• Quick hits: Two Rookie Quarterbacks square off in Charlotte as the Jacksonville Jaguars and their rookie Blaine Gabbert take on the Carolina Panthers and their surprising rookie star Cam Newton. The shocking Buffalo Bills play host to the high flying New England Patriots. Finally, the Baltimore Ravens, coming off a astonishing loss to Tennessee travel to St Louis to take on a struggling Rams team that came into the season with high expectations.