To Philly we go!

Game 3 of the World Series goes tonight in Philly. Good news for the Yankees: Phillies starter Cole Hamels line this playoffs reads like a horror show: 14.2 IP, 20 H (6 HR), 11 ER. Lefties are 9-15 (3 HR, 1 double) so could be a good night for Johnny Damon, Mark Teixera, and Melky Cabrera. Andy Pettitte is looking for playoff win #17 to extend his all-time record in that regard. Interestingly, 5 of his current 16 have been clinchers.

Arsenal and Tottenham is hands down the feature match of the English Premier League schedule, kicking off at 8:45 this morning on Setanta, moments ago. With the way these two attack, there could be a flood of goals. Glad I don't have 'keepers from either on my fantasy squad. Am going to guess that Chelsea stays on top this week, in a year where there seems to be weekly changes at the top of the table between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Kerry Byrne at SI.com details six reasons why parity is dead in the NFL in 2009.

Just in case the NBA took note of the Toronto Raptors opening night win against Cleveland and rated the Raptors as a team to watch, the Raps gave everyone a reminder they can be maddeningly inconsistent, and lose 115-107 to a team like the Memphis Grizzlies. Way to go, Craptors.

Speaking of maddeningly inconsistent, then there is the Toronto Maple Leafs. First in the NHL on the power play, worst killing it. The Leafs again gave up a late goal and lost 3-2 in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres. Suppose with a win and two single points to follow it, that qualifies as incredible improvement. The Leafs may suck, but at least a trip to Montreal will always remain interesting. Those two old rivals will tangle tonight.

Somehow, the NCAA football schedule has given us no super appealing games this week, unless you want to count Florida looking to embarrass Georgia again.

Toronto Blue Jay Vernon Wells for Chicago Cubs headcase Milton Bradley? Word is it is being discussed. Not sure that Bradley is a guy you want, but his contract (2 years, $21 million) sure is better than the six years and $107 million left on the uninspiring Wells. The other possibilities for Bradley are all horrible contract guys.

Toronto FC are in a must win situation if they are to make the playoffs...sorry, habit.

Have a great Saturday. Careful driving tonight with the kiddies out and about.

AJ = Money

Two games of the World Series are down and the series is now tied at a game a piece after AJ Burnett pitched an absolute gem for the Yankees, who scored just enough to get it done at 3-1. Burnett did no less than save the Yankees chances last night as an 0-2 count with three coming in Philly starting tomorrow would've been too big a mountain to climb. He should've put up a donut if A-Rod makes a play on a Matt Stairs hit that drove home a run. Somebody needs to tell A-Rod it isn't the World Series, he's having an awful series right now after carrying the Yanks the first two rounds. For his part, Pedro Martinez was outstanding too - or was it that the Yankee bats are god awful top to bottom right now? Even when the Yankees got a couple on with none out and could've blown the game open, they shot themselves in the foot as somehow Derek Jeter elected to bunt with an 0-2 count and missed badly, fouling off practically into the Yankee dugout before the umps got into the act and botched a call that led to a double play that shouldn't have been. Post-game, Jeter summed it up neatly: “That was me. That was stupid,” he told Peter Abraham who used to cover the Yanks but now works for the Boston Globe. Yes, it sure was. Who would've figured on two low scoring games in the Bronx with these high powered offences? If the Yankees don't generate some more offence beyond waiting for the long ball, they're in trouble. Four runs in two games won't beat a team as good as the Phillies with any regularity. But Mariano Rivera is in typical form, nailing down the final six outs. Rivera has 14 6-out playoff saves since 1996. All of baseball's closers combined have 11 over the same time frame, with nobody having more than 3. Mo money!

With the series shifting to Philadelphia now and National League rules, surely the Yankees pitchers don't hit worse than anyone they'd DH's have, do they? Doesn't seem possible.

In previewing the NBA season, 2 of 5 analysts at ESPN The Magazine pegged Chris Bosh as the most likely free agent to leave his team at the conclusion of this season. For what it is worth, one picked LeBron James and two had Amar'e Stoudemire.

New Orleans Saint running back Reggie Bush, who has come nowhere near the hype that he generated coming out of USC, says the Saints can go undefeated. This is true, technically, since they already are defeated at 6-0. But, if they do go 16-0, he won't have that much to do with it. Of course, he loses even more credibility in discussing how he will in fact win an MVP award one day. I'd be stunned if he was ever his team's MVP, nevermind that of the entire NFL.

Interesting interview here with Buffalo Bills wideout Terrell Owens. He sounds positively humble, and likeable. In case you were wondering.

If you're a parent, how in your right mind can you let your kid dress up for school today - or ever - in a Michael Jackson outfit? Wrong. Period.

Not that payroll determines what happens in a game, but it is worth mentioning that when Real Madrid lost 3-0 to Alcorcorn in Copa del Ray play, the third division side had a payroll 400 times lower than Real. That's a team with a £1 million annual budget compared to Real's £400 million. Amazing.

Have a great Friday, back in the morning tomorrow.

Lee > CC

Game 1 of the World Series is in the books an you'd have thought it was the New York Yankees who had been off a week and not the Philadelphia Phillies for how they swung the sticks. Phillies starer Cliff Lee delivered one of the best World Series starts you're likely to see this side of Don Larsen, fanning 10 in going the distance in a 6-1 Phillies win. Chase Utley hit a pair of solo shots off CC Sabathia and nobody from the Yanks pen looked effective. Scary what one game can do to your optimism.

Pedro Martinez on the bump tonight ought to be electrifying. Pedro, you may recall, once said "call the Yankees my daddy" after they pwned him for a good stretch. Mix in the moment, and it being Pedro and him being a former Boston Red Sock and Yankee Stadium ought to be electric tonight, especially with the Yanks down a game. AJ Burnett goes for the Yanks, and hopefully continues his trend of strong pitching at home. Joe Girardi has an interesting decision to make at catcher: go with Burnett's choice Jose Molina, or the less preferred Jorge Posada. Notable: neither catcher has a lot of success against Pedro. Posada is 15 of 72, 4 HR, 34 K against Pedro while Molina is 2 of 10 with 1 K.

Had you given me the money, I would not have bet on the Toronto Raptors to beat the Cleveland Cavs last night, or even cover the +5, even with the Cavs playing the second straight night, especially when they lost the previous night. The Raptors won 101-91 with Andrea Bargnani scoring a game high 28. Shocking, or as shocking as one game of 82 can be. Some things were entirely predictable though, like former-Raptor-and-now-Cav Jabronio Moon taking ill advised shots that only found air.

Off the usual sports topic, but one of my fav bands - Danko Jones - is going to be opening across Canada for another of my fav bands, Guns 'N Roses. How awesome is that?

Pretty intriguing Week 8 NFL schedule this weekend, what with the Old Has Been returning to Green Bay for the first time, this with Minnesota, Miami at the New York Jets in what should be a real heated affair given how much trash talk followed the previous game which the Dolphins won in the dying moments, and Denver at Baltimore and Atlanta at New Orleans are also real appealing. Not so interesting? St. Louis at Detroit. Ouch.

The always quotable Texas Tech coach Mike Leach delivered another one after a bad performance last weekend, blaming his coaching staff for not getting through to the players the way their "fat little girlfriends" can.

Weirdest thing about the Slap Chop: don't you have to cut your food down to size so it actually fits the Slap Chop, rendering the Slap Chop redundant? Just wondering.

Have a great Thursday.

RM returns at 2:30pm.

Kobe said "yes!"

The World Series gets under way tonight and Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins - isn't he hitting .250? - fancies himself a bit of a prognosticator. Rollins told Jay Leno a couple nights ago that the Phillies will win in five. Look, I know that Rollins and the Phillies are defending champions, but five games against the best team in baseball from the best league in baseball? It is funny to me that, payroll aside, anybody would hate on the Yankees when you'd never hear one of their players spout off on an opponent like that. If an ESPN poll counts, 20 of 22 alleged experts have the Bronx Bombers winning a bookend this decade to their 2000 win. I'm sticking with Yankees in six and AJ Burnett getting the deciding win, a pair on the series for him. Game 1 goes tonight with CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee on the mound for each to start what should be a fantastic series. Interestingly, there hasn't been a World Series that went more than five games since 2003, the last time the Yankees were involved.

A couple weeks ago, an opponent likened playing the Oakland Raiders to a glorified scrimmage. And now, a player says the Raiders couldn't beat an Oakland high school team. The player? Oakland Raider Richard Seymour. Just when you thought the Raiders couldn't be more of a circus.

Toronto FC did the expected and turfed interim coach Chris Cummins, though by all indications, he was leaving anyways. Cummins noted there were a few cancerous elements in the locker room. My money is on Jim Brennan for one. Tough to respect a drama queen who is quick to point the finger but did little week in and out. He dined out on his "first guy signed and local boy made captain" status for far too long when his play said he was past it.

The NBA season totally snuck up on me, to the point I didn't even know it was starting yesterday. I want to thank the perennially underachieving Toronto Raptors for making me so apathetic to hoops the last calendar year or so. The Raps start against LeBron James, Shaq and the Cleveland Cavs tonight who lost their opener last night and ought to be in a foul mood. Good luck with that, Raptors.

Speaking of hoops, top draft pick and now L.A. Clipper Blake Griffin is out 4-6 weeks with a busted knee cap. Is there any doubt the Clippers are cursed?

Going a little against the grain today and instead of a semi-regular hot WAG - Wives and Girlfriend's, for the newer readers - going with the ten worst WAG's in sports, inspired by Steve Phillips and Brooke Hundley's dalliance that led to his dismissal from ESPN.

Paul Beeston decided he liked interviewing people for CEO and President of the Toronto Blue Jays so much that he hired himself for the job for the next three years. Makes sense, he knows the team and market as well as anyone, but he's bound to find out that the Jays fans that remain have little tolerance left for guys dining out on the 90's. Explains why new GM Alex Anthopolous was so freely making moves to his staff.

Just in time for Christmas, folks: an autobiography from Andre Agassi in which he chronicles his use of crystal meth. Fun for the whole family!

ESPN broadcaster Bob Griese has been suspended by the network after commenting on air that Juan Pablo Montoya must've been out "eating a taco". I don't see what the problem is, this was a NASCAR broadcast after all - he was just saying what the majority of their audience was thinking anyways. I watch NASCAR hilites weekly, not because I care, but because I love seeing the growing seas of empty seats.

Have a great Wednesday.

A rare sight: Leafs score, and win

One day away from Game 1 of the World Series, starting in Yankee Stadium not because the Yankees had the best record this year - which they did - as would be fitting, but because the American League of which the Yanks are part, won the All-Star Game. Explain that to a casual fan and watch the puzzled looks. Expect to hear much of how they were the top two home run hitting clubs this year, how CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee are not only the last two Cy Young Award winners in the American League and did so as Cleveland Indians, but also how Pedro Martinez is facing his old rival. Me, I'd love nothing more than to see the Yankees exorcise some demons of 2004 by pounding on Pedro and hearing chants of "who's your daddy?" and word is, he'll be starting Game 2, in Yankee Stadium. I've got the Yankees in 6, with AJ Burnett winning a pair of games. Who ya got?

Larry Johnson went legend in the last couple days, first laying out his coach Todd Haley for having no experience as a football player and therefore, incapable of coaching a player of his calibre. On Twitter, of course. And then he dismissed the waiting media with a stellar "get your faggot asses out of here". Somewhere, Roger Goodell's BlackBerry is lighting up.

Regular reader and contributor BKennedy says they may as well have Jose Calderon's name plastered on this piece about how the Toronto Raptors coaching staff wants the Raps to shoot more this season. Haven't we heard that philosophy before? It is a wonder that the Enemy of Speed isn't referenced once.

UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has pulled out of UFC 106 next month due to illness, rumored to be a bout with swine flu. In other not-so-good UFC news, word is that for Saturday's card in Los Angeles at the Staples Center, they gave away 4,800 tickets to fill the place. Ahh, that legendary L.A. apathy. Rumor is that Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will indeed get a rematch after the judges hosed him on Saturday in his title fight with champion Lyoto Machida.

After making my Nick Adenhart comment to a friend normally fond of such things and him reacting coldly, I asked if his recent engagement was softening him up. He replied that his fiancée was watching Ghost on the weekend and he asked if she was watching
Patrick Swayze's autobiography. Awesome.

Stop the world, the Toronto Maple Leafs finally won a game! 6-3 winners in Anaheim.

I know they're not the worst team by record, but really, it is hard to imagine a team that is worse in the NFL than the Washington Redskins after watching that disaster of a performance last night. If they didn't already have a brutal football team, I'd suggest they'd be a perfect fit for Toronto with their collection of trash.

Have a great Tuesday!

RM Returns at 3pm.

Bengals link is here.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=291025004

PTP

Tonight, playing the over in the Monday Nighter at 37.5. Ought to be easy.

Start spreadin' the news!!!

Seems to me that the ghosts of old Yankee Stadium did indeed move across the road to the new building. How else to explain the two comedic errors by the Anaheim Angels back to back? Scott Kazmir's fade into foul territory was particularly comical, as he could've walked the ball over in time to record the out. Nick Adenhart still makes that play. The final result was 5-2 Yankees and one Alex Rodriguez drove in the winning run with a walk, he's hitting a mere .479 right now and while CC Sabathia got the MVP of the series, pretty safe to say A-Rod is the playoff MVP right now. The World Series starts on Wednesday night in the Bronx and with two high powered offences, could be a real back and forth series.

The always great Sports Pickle tweets on Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron: Dick Jauron wears his sunglasses at night, so he can so he can ... see through the failure in his game plan. And what is with that trend now, anyways? Noticed the Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano rocking shades while it was plenty dark out. Don't get that one, but don't hate it nearly as much as when people are rocking shades indoors where the doors aren't of a vehicle. Rock stars excluded, of course.

Cedric Benson dished out a nice dose of revenge on his former team, the Chicago Bears, as he ran for 189 and scored a touchdown as the Cincinnati Bengals hammered the Chicago Bears 45-10.

Two late drives for the Old Has Been and the result was two turnovers that ended up in the Vikings endzone. Seems to always happen when OHS doesn't have the benefit of weaker competition and at home. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 27-17 and gave the Vikes their first loss of the year.

Michael Strahan has lost some serious pounds since retiring. Dude looks 10 years younger and if not for the gap in his grill, you might not even recognize him.

Down 21 points, you'd figure the New Orleans Saints weren't likely to come back against the Miami Dolphins, but the did just that, winning 46-34 thanks to 36 second half points. Not sure there's a more exciting team to watch this season than the Saints.

Mark McGwire has come out of self-imposed exile and is back in baseball as the St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach. How is he to teach if he isn't one to "talk about the past?"

Shocked by the performance the Dallas Cowboys put in yesterday. They were their infuriating sloppy best early, Tony Romo turned the ball over, and they trailed the solid Atlanta Falcons. Then the second quarter hit and the offence moved the ball at will, running and passing, and the defence made plays and dished some heavy, heavy hits. Romo went back to 2007 form even for one TD, eluding three fast coming rushers. Cowboys won 34-21 and after the New York Giants lost at home last night, are a game out of first in the win column with a game in hand.

The St. Louis Rams have now lost 17 straight.

Finally today, check out Minnesota Vike Adrian Peterson's truck job on the Pittsburgh Steelers William Gay...

Premature hatulation

Does MLB.com know something we don't? Yes, that hat is available for purchase now. That said, not sure why anyone would ever by division or conference championship gear. Of course, Game 6 of the ALCS goes tonight now that the deluge of rain in New York has let up. Andy Pettitte is on the bump for the Yankees while Joe Saunders starts for the Anaheim Angels. Nervous times for fans of both. I know they don't want to compete with the NFL, but even with warm weather in New York today, do you really need to start at 8:20?

Toronto FC must want in on the "worst team owned by MLSE" race. How else to explain turning in that kind of showing in a must-win game, losing 5-0 to the New York Red Bulls who had scored all of 22 goals the entire year prior to that. Serious changes have to be coming, starting with that self-promoter Jim Brennan, who is well past expiry. Maybe mix in a proper full-time coach as well. And nobody would cry if GM Month Johnston was sent packing either.

Lyoto Machida beat Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the main event at UFC 104 by unanimous decision after five rounds. Not sure what fight the judges watched as Rua did a number on Machida's legs and ribs with countless kicks and pushed the fight start to finish. That was Machida's first defence of his light heavyweight title, and his next one should be a rematch. That was a boxing-style screw job. Most impressive performance of the night was Cain Velasquez, who utterly dominated Ben Rothwell and finished with a second round knockout.

If anybody can explain why Canada's World Junior hockey team is going with a green jersey this year, I'm all ears. And no, the official story that it's a "tribute to the Saskatchewan Roughriders" is not something I'm buying. Cash grab, plain and simple.

Don't think anybody's eyes will miss watching games at Giants Stadium, what with the gridiron lines marking the field. The Red Bulls move to Red Bull Arena next year, a $200 million soccer only palace. Watch it being built here.

Until they went down 7-3 today, the Pittsburgh Steelers had never trailed this year by more than three. The Super Bowl champs are again flying under the radar, and with Troy Polamalu back, expect them to roll the rest of the regular season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost again last night, 3-1 to Vancouver. Love this joke "what's the difference between the Leafs and a triangle?". Answer: a triangle has three points.

Word is former Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta - 26-61 this year and 94 under .500 for his career - is the new Cleveland Indians manager. Is that the best they could do?

The Prime Time Picks are rolling now, even on the year at 6-6 though -$34 thanks to the old dreaded vig. Regardless, impressive after the horror show of a start through the three weeks of the NFL season. Tonight, playing the New York Giants -7 at home over the Arizona Cardinals. I have a funny feeling that Kurt Warner doesn't make it through this one.

RM returns at 4:30pm.

Super Saturday

It'll be tough to think of a bigger sporting day than today, at least as far as this fan is concerned. Here we go with today's RM:

At 7:30pm on GolTV, Toronto FC travel to New York to face the Red Bulls in a win-and-you-could-well-be-in game tonight. Of course, there are a couple games that impact as well later in the night, but if things happen as they should, TFC could well be fixin' for a playoff game, likely next Saturday, and what a day that would be at BMO Field. Here's the preview from the good folks at Red Nation, who have TFC pencilled in as 2-0 victors.

At 7:57pm on SportsNet, the first pitch in Game 6 of the ALCS will fly at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx and while it is an elimination game for the Anaheim Angels, there is plenty of pressure on the Yanks as if they go to a Game 7 and win, that pushes ace CC Sabathia to starting Game 2 and only a pair in the World Series, a vastly different proposition than if he's in for three games potentially if they win tonight. My head and heart tell me that Andy Pettitte gets the job done at home.

And starting at 10pm, UFC 104 gets under way. Lyoto Machida faces Shogun Rua in the main event, and methinks Rua will be disposed of in short order. Something tells me that Joe Stevenson and Spencer Fisher will steal the show in their fight, probably because neither is shy about attacking even at the expense of eating a few punches, kicks or otherwise. Check out the entire card here.

Former Washington Redskins running back and Super Bowl legend John Riggins is following up his verbal beatdown of the organization last week by blaming the "state of decay" of the squad on owner Daniel Snyder. Gee, ya think? The NFL's best team every march has continually struggled to function come September and on, but thanks for stating the obvious J.R.

It's almost NBA season - and didn't that sneak up on us? - so why not a peak at the Top 10 NBA WAG's.

Philadelphia Phillies fans celebrated their NLCS win by having 49 arrested in post-victory celebrations. If that's what they did after the NLCS, it could get real interesting if they win the World Series.

A six game EPL card goes today with very few sexy matchups on the schedule today. Tomorrow, however, sees old rivals Liverpool visit Manchester United. Both teams have piles of injuries: Liverpool is down Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres while United is likely minus Wayne Rooney. United should have more than enough to dominate that shoddy Liverpool back line, especially at home.

The Vancouver Canucks are in Toronto to try to keep the Maple Leafs winless streak rolling. The Leafs are the lone NHL side without a win.

Have a great Saturday.

Back to the Bronx

The Los Angeles Angels of etc. lead for 4 batters the entire series against the Yankees before jumping on AJ Burnett for four runs in the first. It looked like they'd cruise til the 7th when the Yankees scored six off of John Lackey and the joke of an Angels bullpen, only to see the Angels rally back to win 7-6 to leave the series at 3-2 Yankees. Thrilling stuff. Well, other than the final result for some like yours truly. Game 6 goes tomorrow back in New York. The Yankees biggest mistakes have been authored by Joe Girardi who is overcooking things - yanking A-Rod for a pinch runner in the 9th? - and not putting Eric Hinske on the roster has left them with .118 hitting Nick Swisher.

Would-be St. Louis Rams owner, and current Colorado Avs and Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke has quietly moved himself into a position where he's about to become the largest shareholder of the Arsenal Gunners of the English Premier League. Amazing how many big money Americans are chasing top tier English clubs.

WWE U.S. Champion "The Miz", born and raised in Cleveland, wants to hit Browns coach Eric Mangini so hard he soils himself. I know what you're thinking: "wait, there's a champion out of Cleveland?"

Have to say, I'm shocked that Toronto FC isn't sticking it to season ticket holders when it comes to playoff prices which came out yesterday and are quite reasonable, barely above regular season costs. Of course, it would shock nobody if they changed the prices should they actually qualify. I kid.

The Indianapolis Colts are about to get better coming off the bye week. Big hitter and run stuffer Bob Sanders is about to return for the first time this year and bolster their run defense. Somehow, the Colts have flown under the radar this year and are being taken for granted.

RM regular TS says that when Yankee Hideki Matsui comes to the plate, he switches from High Def to standard def. That's funny stuff right there.

One final Yankee bit, the last eight times they've won a World Series, the U.S. President has been a Democrat. So, they've got that in their favor too.

Have a great Friday!

Philly will defend

The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the World Series to defend their championship after a 4-1 series win over the LA Dodgers. If you're the LA Dodgers, swept in 2008 by the Philadelphia Phillies and you made several changes to your pitching staff, re-up with Manny Ramirez, and in the end, you manage to take one game off of Philadelphia in the rematch, it can't be seen as anything but a failure. With Joe Torre heading into his final year before retirement, that will only serve to galvanize the team, or see them implode entirely. For his part, Manny Ramirez says he has no regrets and he achieved all he wanted to achieve this year. Really, Manny? Busted for drugs?

On Monday night, while the LA Dodgers were busy going down 3-1, Manny Ramirez was busy in the 9th inning taking a shower. So much for Joe Torre's touch. The big question I've got is why ManRam needed to shower. He hasn't done anything since about July that would get him to break a sweat. Thanks to GBV for sending that article my way.

AC Milan upset Real Madrid 3-2 in Champions League play yesterday. Looks good on Real, though they'll more than likely advance. In other big games, Chelsea hammered Atletico Madrid 4-0 and Manchester United beat CSKA Moscow 1-0.

Here are six great International Hockey moments, or as they're often referred to - "Ice" hockey moments. That works out to one for each country that is actually good at hockey, 1.2 for each country that cares.

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor's high school coach says he's being misused by the Buckeyes. I'm sure Jim Tressel is figuring that his high school coach must know better. After all, nothing ever changes in the couple years between high school graduation and your second year in college. And now comes word that LeBron James is mentoring Pryor to get used to being the big man on campus. Of course, LeBron's campus was high school at best.

Man, are the morning hosts on SportsNet's Connected ever lame. Like, unwatchable lame.

John Tavares scored the winner in the shoot-out to give the New York Islanders their first win of the year. Tavares is looking like a player, but he's taking some big hits. Speaking of big hits, did you see the crushing hit Johnathan Toews of the Chicago Black Hawks took last night? That had to hurt.

Game 5 of the ALCS goes today and a New York Yankee win will set off a six day break before the World Series. Well done, Bud Selig. From the first day of the playoffs til game 7 of the World Series is 34 days, and for the Yankees, as an example, it may be as few as 12 games in that span. You don't get that many days off over the course of 162 in the regular season.

Have a great Thursday.

Five to go...

CC Sabathia can now be termed a $161 million bargain. He went 8 innings for the Yankees and picked up the win on three days rest with a 10-1 beatdown of the Anaheim Angels. He only needed 37 pitches to get through the first four innings. Not sure who was shakier, the umpires, or Angels starter Scott Kazmir? The Yankees lead the series 3-1 with game 5 set for tomorrow despite there being no travel day today. Have I mentioned yet or lately I hate all these needless days off? On the opposite end of timing, Twitter is amazing for getting rapid feedback on plays, calls and so on during a game - the ripping those umps took on the Nick Swisher tag up call and the non-out call of Robinson Cano were awesome. Los Angeles starts today with two teams down 3-1 in the respective championship series. The Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies go tonight at 7:30 on SportsNet.

An odd day of Champions League group play yesterday, with Barcelona losing at home 2-1 to Russian champion Rubin Kazan, Liverpool losing to Olympique Lyon by the same score, and Inter Milan drew at home with Dynamo Kyiv 2-2. Strange. Liverpool could be in a world of trouble to advance to the next round, and look unlikely to lift the English Premier League trophy. Expect trouble if so. Today, the most appealing matchups are Real Madrid - minus Ronaldo - hosting disappointing AC Milan, Manchester United at CSKA Moscow, and Chelsea hosting Atletico Madrid.

After yet another homer last night and 2 RBI, A-Rod now has an RBI in eight straight Yankee post-season games - and Philly's Ryan Howard is also at eight and counting - tying them with Lou Gehrig for the most in playoff history. Is A-Rod a "true Yankee" yet? Wonder how many hitters come clean on drug usage next spring hoping to replicate this incredible performance?

Not sure what is more lame, towel waving or cracking thundersticks come playoff time in baseball and other sports. Gonna say the latter for environmental unfriendliness.

The Montreal Canadiens bumped Jaroslav Halak into the #1 goalie spot ahead of Carey Price and the move paid immediate dividends with the Habs 2-1 shoot-out winners over Atlanta. The game also marked the second time this season the Habs scored first.

The Denver Broncos are not only 6-0 straight up, but are also 6-0 against the spread. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels is 32-5 striaght up the last three years with Tom Brady, Matt Cassel and Kyle Orton as his quarterbacks.

Hard to believe that Alexander Ovechkin ranks 100th in the NHL in shooting percentage at 14.8%, no?

Have a great Wednesday.

Don't leave early, it gets great late

What a game in the ALCS yesterday, surely a recent classic despite the loss for my beloved New York Yankees, 5-4 in 11 riveting innings. In the top half of the 11th, the Angels confirmed for the world A-Rod is a playoff beast by intentionally walking him after he hit a homer earlier in the game that has yet to land. The series now stands at 2-1 for the Yankees with CC Sabathia taking the bump for the Bronx Bombers while the Halos send Scott Kazmir into the fray for the first time this series. The Yankees could use some hitting from guys not named Rodriguez, Jeter and Posada, particularly of there is a Teixera in the mix.

Over in the NLCS, the LA Dodgers pen couldn't hold off the Philadelphia Phillies, who won 5-4 in their last at-bat thanks to a homer from Matt Stairs to take a 3-1 series lead, with game 5 set for the City of Brotherly Love and for some reason, after a day off despite playing game 4 there. The ALCS will have the same lame day off. Hate that.

If you're a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays, you may have received an email from StubHub pimping Blue Jays playoff tickets. No word on if the email was signed by Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or Big Foot, but that would be about right.

With the WNBA's Detroit Shock have moved from the Motor City to Tulsa, call it another blow against a battered city, if you're a fool and think anyone cares. Seriously, isn't it time David Stern admit his mistake and mothball that thing? Would anyone even notice?

If the New England Patriots dropped 59 on the Tennessee Titans, what are they going to do to the Tampa Bay Bucs in London this weekend? The Titans, by the way, are 0-6 for the first time since 1984 when they were in Houston.
Denver Broncos are 6-0. Let it percolate for a second.

You want to read about a 100% fixed soccer game in Brazil? Read the first post here for the back story, and then watch the attached video. Incredible.

Ever wonder what Ryan Leaf is up to these days? Me neither, but found out anyways. He's living here in Canada. No, really. Speaking of people missing in action, word is Bukakke is still hung over from his bachelor party in New Orleans on Thanksgiving weekend. Impressive.

Been a while since we WAG'd it up here, and we'll keep it topical and call it the WAGs of the 2009 MLB League Championship Series. If these ladies count for anything on the field, the Yankees win. Big.

Keeping it Brazilian, check out this incredible double scissor kick goal. Yes, I said "double"...

Prime Time Pick

Playing the Denver Broncos tonight at +3.5 (even).

Monday Mayhem

The Philadelphia Phillies made sure their bullpen would be a non-factor in Game 3 of the NLCS, racing out to a 6-0 lead and prevailing 11-0 over the LA Dodgers. Wonder if Joe Torre will still be spewing his tired "Game 3's are pivotal" line now? And who would've figured the Phil's score more than the cross-parking lot Eagles, who lost in Oakland yesterday 13-9?

Game 3 of the ALCS goes today, and the Anaheim Angels are in a lot of trouble if they don't tidy up their defence - 5 errors in losing the first two games - or find a way to keep Alex Rodriguez from stabbing them in the heart every time there's a big moment. A-Rod is exorcising some demons from the past, and if this continues - and he's got great career numbers playing in Anaheim - he'll be getting the loudest cheers in the Canyon of Heroes. Game 3 goes today at 4:07pm Eastern.

Manchester United are back on top of the EPL table after a wild weekend that saw Chelsea and Liverpool both go down in upsets.

The New York Giants were playing a team that has a win for the first time this year yesterday in the New Orleans Saints, and it turned into a disaster for them as they were hammered 48-27 by the very much for real Saints. That said, the Gints are still in great shape with some tough road games out of the way.

Now losers of two straight, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is eating some humble pie to go with the other pies he's been crushing. QB Mark Sanchez was picked five times by the Buffalo Bills defence as the Bills won 16-13 with a late overtime field goal.

Toronto FC made it a nailbiter but scraped out a tight 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake at a rocking BMO Field on Saturday. Next up is a trip to last place New York Red Bull with a win a must to lock up a playoff spot.

Who would have guessed Week 6 would turn out to be the Dallas Cowboys best of the season so far, as they gained ground on their entire division as all lost yesterday with the Cowboys on a bye? Among the losers were the Washington Redskins, and that one has seen head coach Jim Zorn stripped of play calling for the offence. Not sure I ever recall a head coach who had those duties ripped before. If you're Zorn, wouldn't you be thinking of quitting now? Then again, if he sticks around, he'll get axed and paid, so there is that.

Just in case you weren't in Ontario where it is being treated like a terror alert and needed reminding, we're beyond the middle of October now and the Toronto Maple Leafs remain winless. Life, as it turns out, is moving on regardless.

I don't own an X-Box or PlayStation 3, but after seeing the ad for Let's Fifa 10, I'm seriously considering a purchase.

Check out this video of Argentina's soccer coach Diego Maradona on the team bus after he saw the team through qualifying for South Africa's World Cup next summer, mocking doubters who questioned whether they'd qualify. Maradona is in hot water for this one, and may be suspended for five games for a profanity loaded tirade to the media.

Speaking of the World Cup, the UEFA draw was held to sort out the final four qualifiers from Europe. Ireland will face France, Portugal gets Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece faces Ukraine and Russia takes on Slovenia.

Have a great Monday.

Replacing Canadian Club as my fav C.C...

The Yankees rode a superb CC Sabathia start and took advantage of a jittery Anaheim Angels squad and cruised to a not-as-close-as-it-sounded 4-1 win in the series opener. Of concern for the Yanks is that they're not getting a lot of hitting out of guys not named Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez or Jorge Posada, though Johnny Damon showed signs of life last night. But when the pitching is on like that and the defense is air tight, those three can be enough. Game 2 is set for tonight but sounds more likely to be rained out and played tomorrow afternoon.

And there goes that Philadelphia Phillies bullpen, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The Phil's were up 1-0 in the bottom of the 8th when the Dodgers rallied for a pair to win the game 2-1 and even the series at a game apiece. No surprise there that their pen blinked really. What was a shock was Pedro Martinez jumping in his DeLorean, cranking up the flux capacitor to 1.21 gigawatts and producing a retro 7 inning, 2 hit no run outing.

The United Football League's opening week last week pulled higher ratings than the NHL did on Versus. Sure, some of that is down to curiosity and football being so huge in the U.S., but really, is that anything other than embarrassing for the NHL and Gary Bettman?

I really can't figure how Toronto FC added Julian De Guzman and Dwayne De Rosario and with two games to play, they're in the same spot as last year largely, fighting for a playoff spot. They host Real Salt Lake today in the curtain closer on the home portion of the regular season. Kickoff is 4pm on CBC. A tribute to Danny Dichio from the fans, funded by the fans, is also planned.

In the NCAA, the Red River Classic goes today with #3 Texas facing #20 Oklahoma. Here's hoping it is more entertaining than last week's Florida win at LSU.

Quebec City is planning to build a new arena with the hopes of luring an NHL team. They do know that Hamilton tried that same thing, right? Like, 25 years ago?

There were over 6,000 unsold tickets at Yankee Stadium for Game 1 of the ALCS last night. It must've been either cold and raining, they fans are assuming victory...or they're charging too freakin' much. Mostly the latter, one would assume.

English Premier League action resumes today. Liverpool will be minus Stevie Gerrard and Fernando Torres but should still have plenty enough for Sunderland. Manchester United will welcome back Edwin van der Sar in goal, but are minus Wayne Rooney when they face Bolton today. And the most attractive matchup of today is already in the books, and saw Aston Villa down visiting Chelsea, who likely will no longer be top of the table as a result.

The New York Rangers will be salivating at the thought of facing the woeful Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time in a week. Hardcore Sports Radio's Gabriel Morency figures the Leafs may not break 50 points this year, a huge under from the 87 point over/under total that Vegas had posted. Morency also figures the Leafs will not win in October. Honestly, I'm praying for that kind of trainwreck.

Have a great Saturday.