November 14th update

MLB player Ramos endures kidnapping ordeal

• Towards the end of last week, a shocking development hit the world of sports as Washington Nationals Catcher Wilson Ramos was abducted from outside his home in Venezuela. Ramos, 24, had a promising rookie season and had just returned to Venezuela to play in a winter league.
• He was whisked away to a secluded area in the mountains that Ramos admitted he thought was too remote for him to be found and rescued. The kidnappers, apparently Colombian, only told him that he was going to be ransomed for a lot of money. Kidnapping of high profile targets is a growing business in parts of Central and South America and in Venezuela, many such potential targets employ full time bodyguards (according to FOXnews).
• Gladly, this story has a happy ending as Venezuelan police conducted an airborne raid and exchanged gunfire with his abductors, only 48 hours after he Ramos was taken. The raid ended with four of the kidnappers being arrested and four more apparently being searched for by police. As for the shellshocked but incredibly grateful Ramos, he's now safely back in the arms of his loved ones.
• While he didn't endure any physical injuries, Ramos readily admitted that he's sustained plenty of emotional damage. We can only hope that he recovers fully and that local and federal police can get a better handle on the kidnapping trade to keep not only athletes, but the general populations of these areas safer in the future.


College Football standings endure major shake up

• The BCS title picture is beginning to clear up some thanks to a few games on Saturday. The Oklahoma State Cowboys absolutely obliterated a pretty decent Texas Tech team 66-6. It was the biggest defeat in school history for Texas Tech, the team who only a few weeks earlier, gave Oklahoma their only loss. Cowboys QB Brandon Weeden threw for 423 yards and 5 touchdowns and helped his school to their first ever 10-0 start.
• #4 Stanford was not so "Luck-y," losing 53-30 to last year's national runner up Oregon. Heisman hopeful Andrew Luck who was considered a massive favorite going into the game, might now face some competition in the form of Weeden, Alabama RB Trent Richardson and Oregon RB LaMichael James who blistered the Cardinal for 146 yards and 3 TDs on only 20 carries.
• Oregon will almost certainly play in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game in early December and has only lost twice since their opening game in 2009 against Boise State (when current NFL player LaGarrette Blount was so frustrated that he punched a Boise player in the face after the game).
• Those same Boise State Broncos saw their BCS title chances vanish on a missed field goal for the second straight season. Last year it was a missed FG at Nevada with 1 second left and Boise went on to lose in OT. This season, they trailed TCU (probably the best rivalry the casual fan hasn't heard of this past decade) 36-35 but had a chance to win with a 39 yard field goal. But it was pushed right and Boise was once again left to wonder if they had given away a chance at a title game or if finishing yet another season undefeated would even matter with richer teams from bigger conference generally getting preferential treatment in the Title Game.
• Now it comes down to whether or not LSU and Oklahoma State can win out as both look to be firmly in control and #3 Alabama's proponents are getting quieter and quieter after the team struggled to beat lowly Mississippi State. Many feel that Alabama deserves another shot at LSU but Oregon's only loss was also to LSU and they have arguably been more impressive in their other games. It will be very interesting to see how things shake out if one of the top 2 lose.
Check in Wednesday as we do a full overview of the college basketball season (which has already seen a couple entertaining and historic games this past week).

November 6th update

Exciting Games Abound in the NFL

• New York Giants 24 – New England Patriots 20: In a matchup hyped as Brady vs. (the other) Manning, this game was a shocking 0-0 at halftime as both teams looked sloppy and unorganized early on. It was the first game of the year that was 0-0 at halftime. The second half saw a 180 degree change though as both teams had a chance to get their games in gear. Eli Manning threw a touchdown with 15 seconds left in the game to cap a wild 4th quarter with 31 points scored. Manning (as we discussed on Friday) played fantastically against the porous defense of the Patriots. It was the first regular season home loss for Brady since 2006, a streak of 31 straight wins.
• Green Bay Packers 45 – San Diego Chargers 38: The exact opposite of the first game; there were four touchdowns in the first quarter, including 3 by the Packers in the span of 4 minutes. The Packers took a 45-24 lead with 10 minutes to go in the game, and looked to be in control. However, two quick touchdowns by the Chargers put them back into the game and when the Chargers got the ball back with 1 minute left they had a chance to tie the game. However, a long errant pass by Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was intercepted to end what was a very entertaining comeback. The Chargers have now lost 3 straight games that they could/should have won and Philip Rivers despite having 385 yards and 4 TDs today also had 3 interceptions, increasing his NFL lead in that dubious category.
• Baltimore Ravens 23 – Pittsburgh Steelers 20: Capping off a wild Sunday was a great Sunday Night game in possibly the best rivalry of this decade. After dropping a touchdown pass earlier in the drive, Torrey Smith did not fail when given another attempt, capping off a 92-yard drive in just over 2 minutes with a diving catch in the end zone. With 8 seconds left, the Ravens regained the lead they held for most of the game. After winning both games against Pittsburgh this season, Baltimore gained a big edge in the race for the AFC North crown. Pittsburgh falls to 3rd, behind Cincinnati as well as Baltimore.


LSU wins, Oklahoma State up to #2

• The "game of the century" might as well have been the game of last century when offenses were still developing and defenses ruled. LSU and Alabama, the top two teams in the nation combined to score 0 TDs. The difference was 4 missed field goals by Alabama, including one in overtime as LSU won 9-6.
• At this point the national championship picture is starting to come into focus:
#1 LSU will almost certainly make it to the final game, possibly even if they lose once.
#2 Oklahoma State has put up mind-blowing offensive numbers but still plays at Texas Tech and against Oklahoma in their final 3 games.
Alabama only falls to #3 despite the loss but will not have a chance to contend for the SEC title which will certainly hurt them in the eyes of voters.
Stanford is #4 and features Andrew Luck, everyone's choice for the Heisman Trophy (college football's player of the year) , but they still have a very tough test against Oregon.
#5 Boise State, who seems to continually get shafted by voters (with a few exceptions) even though they never seem to lose will probably be on the short end of the stick again, however an opening week win over Georgia who is now 7-2 and in first place in the SEC East is helping them a lot. Oregon and Oklahoma are 6th and 7th but likely have not shot at a title game appearance because of losses to LSU and Texas Tech respectively.


NBA Lockout Update

• As previously reported on Sportico, the NBA has locked out its players in a labor fight that has already forced the cancellation of the first month of the season (which was to have started this past Thursday). The players were offered a deal but they quickly turned down, essentially signaling that the sides are still nowhere close to a deal.
• There is a fissure growing amongst the players. The average length of an NBA career is just above 2 years and many members of the Player’s Union are more concerned with maximizing their moneymaking ability than getting the best possible deal for the union as a whole. The head of the Union is L.A. Lakers Point Guard Derek Fisher, who has been in the league since 1996. Many of his rank and file are angry with him because they need to get a paycheck while they still can.
• Meanwhile, the owners side is not as unified as commissioner despite financial incentives for solidarity. Miami Heat owner Micky Arison and Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan have been fined 6 figures for venting and making comments that could be seen as breaking ranks with the league's stance.