March 7th Update

Saints leaders take blame for scandal

• New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis apologized and took the blame for violations that happened under their watch, referring to Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams' "bounty" system that rewarded players for knocking opposing competitors out of games.
  
• LB Jonathan Vilma even claimed that he had offered $10,000 out of his own pocket to have Brett Favre knocked out of the 2009 NFC Championship game. This ended up happening (pictured) as the Saints were able to force Favre to the sidelines part of the way through their game after a painful looking hit. Other players, like the Chiefs' Eric Berry, have wondered if other teams had bounties on them.
  
• While there is no precedent for what kind of penalties will be enacted, one can only imagine that the NFL's hard line stance on player safety in recent seasons will only make them want to make an example out of the Saints in this situation.

Peyton Manning to be released by Colts

• The Indianapolis Colts are set to part ways with one of the best players in their history, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Quarterback Peyton Manning, who has been on the team since 1998, was set to make a $28 million bonus if he was on the roster on Thursday at 4PM. The Colts decided to release Manning instead of paying him this massive bonus
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• Manning, who missed this last season due to a neck injury, had played every other game since he was the number one pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. After 2 neck surgeries in the last off-season, Manning was unable to play this past year. However, in the past few days a very grainy picture has "leaked" of Manning working out and looking pretty good.
  
• With Manning out, the Colts stumbled to a 2-14 record which gets them the #1 overall Draft pick in this year’s NFL Draft. They are widely expected to select Stanford QB Andrew Luck, who many have called the best college quarterback prospect since Manning. Luck is expected to be ready to play for the Colts on Day 1, so the need to keep Manning on the roster is non-existent.

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.

September 10th Update

NFL Puts Offseason Troubles Behind it

• After an offseason that put this weekend in doubt the NFL began its regular season with whats become an annual season kick-off event featuring the previous year’s super bowl champion (more on that in a bit). In addition to a Thursday game, there will be two Monday Night Football games and 13 on Sunday.
• One of the bigger stories over the past few days is that of Peyton Manning. Manning had the longest active consecutive game played streak in the NFL at 208 games played without missing a start. He was 91 games short of the record and many thought he would reach the mark set by Brett Favre. However, late offseason neck surgery and a slow recovery will put an end to that streak. After Manning, Ronde Barber has the longest streak at 178 consecutive games. Peytons younger brother Eli has a streak of 103 games, must be something in the water of the Manning household.
• Other big games this weekend include the unveiling of the new and improved Philadelphia Eagles and the super-team they constructed this offseason. The Eagles will play the St Louis Rams on Sunday. The intra-division rivalry of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will also take the field on Sunday. These two teams honestly hate each other and always play close, physical games.
• As promised, the first game of the NFL season showcased the two previous Super Bowl Champions. In a very high scoring affair, the Green Bay Packers defeated the New Orleans Saints 42-34. This game came down to the final drive, as the Saints had the ball at the 1-yard line with a chance to score and tie the game. The Packers were able to stop rookie Mark Ingram from getting into the end zone. The breakout star of the game was Packers wide receiver Randal Cobb who caught a touchdown, and also returned a kick-off 108 yards for a score. Cobb is the first player born in the 90s to play in the NFL.


NL Central Race Brewing Up

*Note: This is part 6 of a 6 part series that will break down the division races in each of baseball's 6 divisions.

• The National League Central race has been pretty much over for much of the past month. A slow start by the pre-season favorites, St Louis Cardinals, opened the door for the Milwaukee Brewers and their league best home record (50-22) to sweep in and grab a commanding lead going into the final month of the regular season.
• Led by superstar outfielder Ryan Braun (who has one of the coolest nicknames in sports) and 1st baseman Prince Fielder, the Brewers hold an 8 game lead over the Cardinals. This division was at one point a 3-team race with the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates coming out of nowhere to compete for much of the season. However, things have been going steadily downhill for the Pirates since a major blown call. Since that game in late July, the team has swooned falling way out of contention for the playoffs.
• One of the more entertaining aspects of the Brewers this year has been the antics of mercurial outfielder Nyjer Morgan. He has shown up for interviews in various personalities and costumes. These playful antics have kept the team loose and is helpful to see why they have been exceeding expectations this year.