Keeping your eyes on the prize
MLB (baseball) has ended its regular season schedule with the divisional races having reached a conclusion . The most surprising story of the season must be the Kansas City Royals having claimed a postseason berth and entry into baseball’s postseason foray. In doing so it ended the longest drought professional sports’ team history in North America. The last time the Royals were part of the playoffs , came by way of their triumph in the World Series in 1985 when led by George Brett , the team triumphed over the St Louis Cardinals . For the privilege of being a participant in this season’s foray the Royals will face the Oakland Athletics in the wildcard round of the AL postseason scheduling. In a one and done scenario , the AL Central runners’ up will play host to their AL West rivals at Kauffmann Stadium on Tuesday , September 30th , 2014. In the NL contest the Pittsburgh Pirates for the second year in succession have made the postseason and they will play host to the San Francisco Giants .
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Slideshow .
The high-flying Los Angeles Dodgers with their $240 million payroll will be taking on the St Louis Cardinals in the best of five game series which are likely to be a highly competitive contests . In the AL with the New York Yankees not being part of the postseason , the presumptive favorites are thought to the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels , the two teams with the best record in the league and by far the two best teams in the AL throughout the year. Buck Showalter , manager of the Orioles and Mike Scioscia of the Angels , will be under no illusions about what is expected of both their teams and a likely match-up in the ALCS seems to be the expected result from this year’s playoff scenario . Granted , the Detroit Tigers are likely to want to turn that scenario upside down as are the Kansas City Royals .
If this postseason can match the excitement witnessed in 2013 , then the fans will be in for a treat and where several players will be looking to add to their stature during baseball’s postseason fare .
Perhaps one of the more unsavory moments of the sporting weekend actually took place across the Atlantic, in the wake of 2014 Ryder Cup , where Team USA fell to the European Ryder Cup Team . Phil Mickelson , a veteran of earlier Ryder Cup teams was severely critical of US Team Captain Tom Watson and his strategy for the entire three-day competition held at Gleneagles Golf Course , Gleneagles, Scotland,. Mickelson’s criticisms were pointed and aimed squarely at Watson , whom the player believes underestimated their European rivals in just about every facet of the competition and the strategies put in place by the team captain. Warranted or not , what was abundantly clear was the very fact this US Team was never in the hunt at any point of the competition with Paul McGinley’s players strolling to an easy victory winning the competition and retaining the Ryder Cup by a margin of 16 1/2 points to 11 1/2 points .
Whether not this was dissension by Phil Mickelson , it seems to have an ugly setting for the player , the PGA and how they came into the competition with the hope of reacquiring one of sports’ most prestigious team prizes . Team USA was simply overwhelmed in this competition and their hopes were simply dashed by not only the great play of their opponents , but primarily from the lack of experience on this team captained by Tom Watson. Watson was aided by his assistants , Vice Captains , Raymond Floyd , Andy North and Steve Stricker .
The 2016 Ryder Cup competition will be held at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska , Minnesota and it will be interesting to see how the PGA goes about choosing their next captain and whether or not any major changes will be made in how the team is decided which now is based upon the Fedex Cup with the captain having two addition picks in conjunction with the top-ten players in the standings being mandatory team members.
Four weeks into the NFL season and the dust has begun to settle , with several teams now on the cusp of seeing their year simply go up in smoke . The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to pull off an impressive road victory in defeating the hapless Pittsburgh Steelers in a competitive game , 27-24 . The win provided Lovie Smith and his team with a timely morale booster as they head into week five , where they will face divisional rivals the New Orleans Saints , who coming off a really horrendous display in a lopsided loss (38-17) to the Dallas Cowboys , in week four.
Sean Payton and the Saints will have to rethink their efforts after a game which saw quarterback Drew Brees at times excel , only to then fall back with some inconsistent play against the Cowboys . The NFC South now becomes something of a farcical division , in the aftermath of the Carolina Panthers also falling in something of an uncustomary way with their defeat suffered at the hands of the AFC South based Baltimore Ravens . It is one thing to have an explosive offense , but it simply means nothing when your defense is simply mediocre and nondescript , as is the case with the Panthers and Saints .
The Arizona Cardinals (3-0) and Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) are the only two remaining unbeaten teams now left in the NFL . Bruce Arians and Marvin Lewis are the two coaches are sitting pretty , as their teams are the best within the NFC and AFC , while looking to make their presence felt within those conferences. By week five , I believe we will begin to get a true picture of the NFL as the contenders will start to make the push to separate themselves from the pretenders .
Arians and the Cardinals will be the guests of the Denver Broncos in the league’s week five schedule , while the Cincinnati Bengals will have to be ready for their all AFC clash when they meet the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough , Massachusetts ,. For Bill Belichick and the Patriots , they will have to get over the spluttering start to the season , where the only strength to the team has been the defense , which currently is the second best in the NFL . Belichick however, will have to get his team ready for their Monday night game which closes out the week four schedule , when they meet the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium , in Kansas City , Missouri .
If the rumors are to be believed and the intent is ongoing where Oakland Raiders’ GM Reggie McKenzie will seek to pull the plug on the disastrous tenure of head Dennis Allen . Then it begs the question, why did the franchise enter this season Allen still retaining his position ? In 2013 , he guided the team to a 4-12 season with their being no signs of life on the field and very little actually happening off the field of play in terms of the NFL Draft or through their free agency acquisitions . Oakland sits at the bottom of the AFC West with an 0-4 record and after their hapless showing against the Miami Dolphins , the question has to be , can things now get much worse for the team overall ?
It is the one boxing match everyone wants to see, but if proposed , it will be taking place at least five years after the proper time . Floyd Mayweather has been padding his statistics over the past five years , having posted a 47-0 record (26 KO’s) without seriously being challenged in his last six fights . Manny Pacquaio for his part has seen his career wanes , albeit , recently he is once again a world title holder , having won his title against a less than impressive Tim Bradley . The Filipino fighter now relishes a chance to get into the ring, toe to toe with Mayweather the linear champion in the welterweight and light middleweight division . A big payday is likely for both fighters should the bout ever take place , but with all of the name calling , heckling and outrageous antics from both boxers . One seriously doubts fans would really being interested in super-fight likely to have PPV subscribers paying in excess of $60.00 for the privilege of seeing two of boxing’s most narcissistic and controversial fighters in recent years.
Mayweather in recent weeks has offered up his views on the troubles facing the NFL and the misconduct of the players there . Less we forget , the boxer is no stranger to the issue of domestic abuse and violence , having threatened his ex-fiance , his children and certain members of her family with violence . The fighter was found guilty , incarcerated within the Nevada penal system for his crimes, but showed little remorse , blaming others for his actions including the press. Recently , I read something of asinine article, where the writer suggested Floyd Mayweather was simply a product of his environment and society . In truth , the fighter , is nothing more than an egotistical self-righteous and self-serving bastard , with little respect for his sport or women in general . Mayweather loves the glare of the spotlight , basks in the fame and fortune amassed , while being the self-proclaimed savior of the sport of boxing .
This mega-fight would likely produce the biggest gross in boxing history if one takes into account merchandising the overseas’ rights and the likely 2 million projected North American market buys . A $250 million gross is not out of the question, with Mayweather likely to take home the lion’s share of the revenue pie . Given the fact from his last fight , the American fighter was paid an outrageous $35 million (he co-promoted) without even breaking sweat in his last bout before earning another reputed $25 million in ancillary fees , it is easy to understand why the fighter is now highest earning sports’ personality on the planet , far exceeding the highest paid players in the NBA , baseball and the NFL .
The sport of boxing has become redundant , with their being no real dearth of talent in any of the major weight categories. Floyd Mayweather may well leave the sport looking to win his fiftieth bout, surpassing only Rocky Marciano as the only fighter in boxing history to have won a world title and retiring unbeaten with a near fifty-fight unbeaten record.
If the sport of boxing is to survive in some guise then it will have to discuss the issue at the national level with all of states’ athletic commissions have a meeting of the minds as well dealing with the numerous international governing bodies which preside over the sport internationally.
The NBA off-season was well chronicled, with the main story being the departure of LeBron James and his rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers , the franchise where he first made his mark in the NBA , having been drafted by the Cavaliers as the number one overall pickin the 2003 NBA Draft . Team owner Dan Gilbert and GM David Griffin have appeased James in rebuilding the roster with a complete makeover in several of the positions with the key elements remaining Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao .
With LeBron James reacquainting himself with the Cavaliers , the expectations for the team this upcoming season will undoubtedly be high , with the odds-makers in Las Vegas making the Ohio based franchise the odds on favorites to be the Eastern Conference representatives in this year’s NBA Finals . Having been to the Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the team was swept aside by the San Antonio Spurs in four straight games. For James this was bittersweet , but in many respects it cemented the player’s determination to win an NBA title. In his eleven year career, LeBron James has amassed a number of firsts , along with four League MVP’S and two Finals’ MVP Awards . A fifth League MVP Award is likely to be part of the scenario for this upcoming season , but the challenge likely to come from last season’s MVP Kevin Durant , Derrick Rose , James Harden , Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul .
A great deal is likely to be made of this Cavaliers’ team as their season begins , especially under their first-time head coach David Blatt and his coaching staff made up some veteran coaches and former players. Will LeBron James buy into the coaching philosophy and principles of Blatt and what happens when there is likely to be frustration on the part of the player ? These are the things which will likely decide how good this team is likely to be and whether or not they can justify the belief of being the prohibitive favorites within the Eastern Conference. As good as the Cavaliers are likely to be several teams in the Western Conference with greater depth and who will be better coached than the rookie head coach now seeking to make a name for himself in the NBA . When Cleveland opens up its regular season schedule against the New York Knicks , where Carmelo Anthony will be hoping to resume his productivity against a team where has been able to have a great deal of success throughout much of his career.
Anything less than a sixty-win season, divisional title , conference finals’ appearance , the NBA Finals will have to considered a major disaster for the Cleveland Cavaliers and specifically for LeBron James , but also for the Cavaliers’ front office who are banking on this team and its best player.
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Picture gallery .
What do you believe has been the biggest story of this baseball season and which teams do you believe will provide the biggest surprises of the postseason ? Through the fist four weeks of the NFL season what has been the biggest disappointment in your estimation ? Last but not least , with the ongoing nonsensical hype in the sport of boxing is there any chance this sport can still resonate with the fans even with the now considerable popularity of MMA (mixed martial arts) ? If LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers fail to make it to the NBA Finals where will the blame ultimately lay ?
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Picture and slideshow details below.
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(1) Paul Konerko (14) of the Chicago White Sox walks the field with his sons for the last time at the end of play against the Kansas City Royals on September 28, 2014 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois. Getty Images / Tasos Katopodis
(2) Starting pitcher James Shields (33) of the Kansas City Royals delivers the ball against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on September 25, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. Getty Images / Johnathan Daniels …
(3) Steve Stricker , front right , vice captain of the US Ryder Cup Team looks on during play of the Ryder Cup at the Gleneagles Golf Course , in Gleneagles , Scotland . Europe defeated the US 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 for one of the most lopsided defeats in recent history of the competition of the biennial competition . In 2016 the Ryder Cup will be held at the Hazeltine Golf Course in Chaska , Minnesota ,. . Getty Images . Chris Potter ..
(4) Phil Mickeslson , member of the USA Ryder Cup team is seen here greeting fans at Gleneagles Golf Course , in Scotland during this year’s Ryder Cup . The player was extremely critical of team captain Tom Watson and his assistants , suggesting there was no planned throughout the competition , leading to the team’s lopsided defeat at the hands of the European Team captained by Paul McGinley . Getty Images / Chris Potter …
(5) Tom Watson , left , captain of the US Ryder Cup team is seen here with Jack Nicklaus . The two are considered to be two of the very best players to have been part of a US Ryder Cup team , representing the country in the biennial event . Nicklaus’ record in the competition is a monument to his success overall in the competition. Getty Images / Amanda Rice … …
(6) Ben Roethlisberger (7) of the Pittsburgh Steelers is sacked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Gerald McCoy during the game played at Heinz Field this past Sunday . Tampa defeated Pittsburgh 27-24 to get their first win of the season , though the team still remains firmly rooted at the bottom of the NFC South . Getty Images / Harry How … …
(7) Vincent Jackson (83) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers catches a game winning touchdown in the fourth quarter in front of William Gay (22) of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on September 28, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tampa Bay won the game 27-24 Getty Images/ Justin Haller …
(8) Jon Gruden , center , is seen here alongside his commentary colleagues Mike Tirico , left and Ron Jaworski . With the firing of Oakland Raiders’ head coach Dennis Allen it is rumored the franchise’s general manager , Reggie McKenzie is seeking to gauge Gruden’s interest in returning to coach the team . A Superbowl winning head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003 , it is widely believed Jon Gruden would only return to the NFL to a position where he would have complete control in terms of all personnel decisions for a team . Whether or not McKenzie and team owner Mark Davis would be amenable to such control is now open to a great deal of speculation around the game and within the Raiders’ organization . ESPN/ABC @ copyrighted material …. all rights reserved .. …
(9) Floyd Mayweather , left and Manny Pacquiao currently the two biggest names in the world of boxing . The two fighters have never faced each other in the ring after years of antagonism and promises of a meeting will take place . Pacquaio’s promoter Bob Arum is now seeking to engineer a mega super-fight between the two title holders. Mayweather through his promotion’s company Mayweather Promotions Inc have stated their only wish in facilitating such a bout would be for the fighter to gain the largest slice of the proposed $275 million the fight would likely gross , when taking in the merchandising and PPV revenues . AP Photo / Jeff Parsons …
(10) LeBron James , left, is seen here making a defensive play against Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves during a game played between the Miami Heat and the Timberwolves at the AA Arena in Miami , Florida on the 4th April, 2014 . Minnesota won the game in double overtime 122-121 , with James being the leading scorer for the Heat in the contest , while Love led his team in the scoring in this thrilling game. During the off-season , James rejoined the Cleveland Cavaliers and the franchise then acquired Love in a multi-player deal which sent number one draft pick Andrew Wiggins from the Cavaliers to the Timberwolves for the All Star power forward . AP Photo/ Chris Parsons …
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Tophatal's Blog 
Kudos to the Kansas City Royals and their season , making it to the postseason for the first time in almost three decades. It will be interesting to see how the Royals fare in their game today against the Oakland A’s with the winner moving on to the ALDS .
Jon Lester of the A’s will face off against the Royals’ James Shields in a game featuring two of the AL’s best starting pitchers .
Phil Mickelson’s criticism and statements concerning Tom Watson are somewhat asinine . Mickelson and Jim Furyk were the most experienced members of the US Ryder Cup Team but they provided about as much leadership as could be found by members of the Iraqi military during a military conflict . Not only were the US soundly beaten, but at no point during the competition were they even close to challenging the European team in spite of the rather a asinine assertions by some observers . The winning margin of 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 was one of the largest defeats in recent Ryder Cup history .
The New England Patriots are getting old fast , nowhere was this more evident than with the play of Tom Brady who gave one his worst performances in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs .
Not only was Brady awful , but so were his teammates in the rather embarrassing 41-17 loss to the Chiefs .
Brady had an error prone game against the Chiefs .
New England’s defense simply did not indicate it is one of the best in the entire NFL . Darrelle Revis is slow and very much overrated as a corner-back. Coming into week four the secondary was ranked second best in the league .
Both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio are now way past their “sell by dates ” and they are simply making a great deal of noise to elicit interest in a bout , that should have taken place at least six years ago .
Boxing promoter Dan Goosen’s death (liver cancer) leaves a real void in the sport , filled with miscreants , who claim they have the best interests of the sport at heart . Clearly that has never been the case with promoters such as Bob Arum , Don King and even Oscar De La Hoya who heads up Golden Boy Promotions Inc .
Goosen pictured here with middleweight boxer Andre Ward .
LeBron James , Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving should provide the Cleveland Cavaliers with a potent offense , but fans seem to be forgetting that David Blatt’s experience as an NBA head coach will be that of a rookie .
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Kudos to the Kansas City Royals and their season , making it to the postseason for the first time in almost three decades.
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Derek Jeter may be well getting all of the plaudits for his career but a great deal of credence should also be given to the Chicago White Sox’s best player over the past eight seasons Paul Konerko .
The White Sox player’s career has been a great one for the franchise and hopefully as Konerko walks off into retirement , he will be appreciated by not just White Sox fans but fans of baseball in general .
Konerko , left and Jeter
Where Konerko stacks up against active players in hits , home runs , RBI’s , slugging percentage , batting average and OPS .
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According to the news media Oakland Raiders’ GM Reggie McKenzie and team owner , Mark Davis are facing a tough decision as to who should succeed the ousted Dennis Allen as the team’s interim head coach until the end of the season . My question , does it really matter considering the fact the team has yet to win a game and they are so goddamn awful ? It is not as if either Tony Sparano and Al Saunders have a track record of success as head coaches in the NFL . The two are said to be the leading candidates among the team’s staff of coaching assistants .
With a bye in week five the Raiders will resume their schedule in week six when they play host to the San Diego Chargers in an all AFC West divisional match-up on the 12th October , 2014 .
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MLB news and scoreboard .
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It now looks as if the Oakland A’s are on their way to the ALDS having built up a handy lead (7-3 currently [through seven innings] over the Kansas City Royals in the wildcard round of this season’s MLB postseason . Sad fact but true , the Royals were good during the regular season , yet have nothing at all left in the tank to take down the A’s .
tophatal ……….. 2014/09/30 10:50 PM- EST
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Were the Oakland A’s really that complacent in allowing the Kansas City Royals to come back and score nine runs in the final 5 innings of a game which went to twelve innings to give . us a victor ? The final result of 9-8 while great , does also say something about the psyche of the A’s and the fact they gave up , rather than showing real determination in the latter stages of the game .
Royals’ fans and the team were certainly deserving of the win at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City , Missouri ,.
Wednesday’s game pits the San Francisco Giants against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania ,. Madison Baumgartner of the Giants takes the mound against the Pirates’ Edinson Volquez in this contest of two very good NL starting pitchers .
San Francisco Giants versus Pittsburgh Pirates in head to head games since 2013.
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The New England Patriots’ disastrous performance and loss to the Kansas City Chiefs have many now questioning the thought process of Bill Belichick and his coaching staff as well quarterback Tom Brady whose own performance in this game was not only questionable , but dire . It might well be the player’s worst game of his career against the Chiefs .
Brady , McDaniels and Belichick
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels did little to aid his quarterback , drawing up idiotic plays and in many ways it led to talk now , where Jimmy Garoppolo should be given a chance to start. It would not be in the rookie’s best interests to be thrown in at the deep end in spite of his mop up duties in this game . Brady was withdrawn from this match-up in the waning moments of the third quarter by Belichick when the contest was beyond the Patriots’ reach .
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If ever there was a time to worry concerning how dire the NFL might be then you need to look no further than the NFC South and the inconsistency shown by all four teams within the division . Each has been on the wrong side of a disastrous loss during their play this season .
The hype concerning quarterbacks Drew Brees , Cam Newton , Matt Ryan , Mike Glennon and Josh McCown have been among the worst in the NFL in several of the games played for their respective teams .
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Billy Horschel won the FedEx Cup and with it $10 million having topped the standings , while barely winning anything of note during the regular season . Horschel’s efforts while admirable , shows the PGA Tour and the premise behind their idiocy of the FedEx Cup has not really elicited any additional interest in the PGA Tour or golf as a sport on the North American circuit .
Tiger Woods’ career is on the wane and no matter what decisions are now made by the player concerning a coach he is unlikely to regain the form once shown when he was so dominant . As to the @ssholes who believe he remains the yardstick to which all others will have to elevate their game . Last I looked , Wood had not won anything of note and he had been surpassed in the world rankings by a far more athletic player in Rory McIlroy . So atypical of North American sports’ fans who have their heads buried so far up their fu#king a#s , that they barely know anything about the sport in general .
Billy Horschel
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There is no doubt the teams and managers with the most to lose during the MLB postseason are the Los Angeles’ captains of the Los Angels Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers . Neither Mike Sciocsia or Don Mattingly can afford to have their teams fall at the first hurdle during this postseason . If it were to happen , then there is no doubt in my mind the front offices of the Angels and Dodgers would seek to review the managerial situation concerning both managers, with Jerry Dipoto and Ned Colletti likely to pull the plug at the behest of their respective team owners .
Mattingly and Sciocsia
“Brian and this organization know , I would never knowingly take a banned substance unless it was under the advice of my cousin Yuri Sucart ” .
A-Rod and Brian Cashman .
Pardon me for saying this , but why is Brian Cashman now looking to Alex Rodriguez and then gauging the player’s willingness to play third base for the New York Yankees next season ? Is it the mindset of the organization , because Rodriguez has sat out his suspension it appeases his lies and their lame ass of backing him all along , especially their asshole of a manager Joe Girardi who showed he is not that great a manager or motivator of players over this past season.
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Great performance by Madison Bumgartner with his 10K’s and complete game in the San Francisco Giants lopsided 8-0 victory over a demoralized Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania ,. Now the Giants move on to the NLCS where they will face the Washington Nationals at Nationals Ballpark in Washington, DC in best of five game series starting on Friday 3rd October , 2014 .
Bumgartner of the Giants .
Today’s game will pit the Kansas City Royals against the Los Angeles Angels when they begin their ALDS contest , a game series .
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With Josh McCown likely to be sidelined for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ (1-3) upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints (1-3) at the Superdome in New Orleans , Louisiana this upcoming Sunday , the Buccaneers’ backup quarterback Mike Glennon is clearly under the notion if the team wins , it places them back in the divisional race , where the divisional leaders are the Carolina Panthers (2-2) and Atlanta Falcons (2-2) are not much better than the Buccaneers. Granted , the teams have all been suspect with their play through the first quarter of the season but the biggest issue has been the play of the quarterbacks in question and specifically as it relates to the Buccaneers and their passing game overall as well as running attack , which appears to be anemic .
It should also be noted Tampa’s defense has been far from consistent . Something which could be put down to Lovie Smith and the team’s defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier , former head coach with the Minnesota Vikings where his teams were not noted for a defensive presence much less an offense.
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Here are your odds for the NL teams to win the pennant.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS +173
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS +415
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS +386
WASHINGTON NATIONALS +184
I imagine the Tigers and Angels are pretty close to even to win the American.
If these playoffs are anything like that KC-Oakland playoff game, we could be in for a doozy.
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I have to go with the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the NLCS Pennant but it wouldn’t surprise me if they failed , considering how woefully inept they were last season when they faced the St Louis Cardinals at the same stage in the MLB postseason .
The Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants were simply impressive in the wildcard round of this year’s postseason first round .
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Another NFL Thursday night game , likely to turn out to be a complete bore . The Green Bay Packers look as if they are going to steamroll the Minnesota Vikings in this contest of the two NFC North based franchises .
Talk about being bi$ch slapped was there really a point to last night’s game between the Packers and Vikings ? Now we have another Thursday night contest under our belts which has definitely been a monumental bore .
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So much for the Detroit Tigers coming into their ALDS contest against the Baltimore Orioles as favorites . Instead Brad Ausmus’ players showed us that as a team they have no real stomach for a fight or that they can handle adversity in a rather demoralizing loss (12-3) by the Tigers, who were simply walloped by Showalter’s team all over Camden Yards last night .
Is there any way that the Kansas City Royals be stopped after they took down the Los Angeles Angels last night ?
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This week in MLB history and on this day in baseball history .
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Chalk it up to instinct , but the NFL’s on the field issues are almost as dire , as the incompetency being shown by the league hierarchy of led by Roger Goodell and the owners in how they have handled their off the field woes . Last night’s travesty of a game is one more indication of how bad so many of the teams are in the league . Anyone who believes to the contrary clearly has no damn idea as to what they have been witnessing on the field of play .
Tom Brady will have something to prove when the New England Patriots face conference rivals the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon in an all AFC clash .
NFL schedule week 5
Breakdown and previews
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Week six of the College Football season gave us a number of games on Thursday night with a Pac-12 contest where two ranked teams squared off when Arizona met Oregon who were led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Marcus Mariotta , perhaps the nation’s best offensive threat as a quarterback .
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NCAA Football schedule and results from Thursday night
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As if to further emphasize why the NFL will continue to take repeated hits to its image after the incompetency of not only the league hierarchy but also Roger Goodell , the owners and union , below are two stories which will exacerbate and show why this league remains socially out of touch and the ongoing apathetic excuses of the fans Goodell indicates the sheer idiocy and ongoing incompetency of the sport and many of the fans in general .
Former kicker Rob Bironas who died in a vehicular accident , it was revealed today of after toxicology reports that his BAC (blood alcohol content.218) was almost three times legal limit at the time of his death .
ESPN.com
In the pretrial motion of the Aaron Hernandez murder trial case , the presiding judge has thrown out the evidence gathered by law enforcement gathered from the player’s home . Clearly the DA’s office in the presiding county and that of the State Attorney General’s Office in Massachusetts have members of the Keystone Cops conducting the investigation of this case . Their comedic efforts may well ensure Hernandez either gets a lesser sentence , unless one of his accomplices agrees to turn state’s evidence , by way of a plea deal to corroborate what Hernandez is alleged to have done in the murder of Odin Lloyd and then lessen their actions in the complicit of this homicide .
ProFootballTalk.com
Just the sort of thing the NFL could do without at this moment in time .
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Is it me , but are the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels really intent on embarrassing themselves this postseason in the ALDS and NLDS ? The Dodgers in particular seemed to have learned absolutely nothing from last year’s experience in their NLCS loss to the St Louis Cardinals .
For Mike Trout and the Angels , their series against the Kansas City Royals is proving to be a nightmare of immense proportions as they now find themselves on the brink of elimination , down in their best of five-game series (2-0) .
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MLB results 3rd October ,2014
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MLB previews 4th October , 2014
MLB divisional series
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I don’t believe that the Buccaneers beat the Steelers last week. I think the Steelers just best themselves!
Thr Saints miss Darren Soroles! The Reggie Bush-like kind of back was a clock killer who helped to keep the ball away from their opponents while giving their defensive line a blow, something that’s been a rarity so far this season.
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fantasyfurnace
Thanks for the vote in liking this article , greatly appreciated !
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Hank/fantasy furnace
Injuries notwithstanding , I personally believe the Pittsburgh Steelers have lost a step or two and I think Ben Roethlisberger is now beginning to show his age as a quarterback in this league. You are right , Pittsburgh lost the contest , because they gifted the game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who did not win the match-up on merit .
The New Orleans Saints for their part simply do not know how to play defense and it has been a telling point for this franchise over a number of years , as they have simply been far too reliant on Drew Brees’ arm or a running game built around speed .
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All of this hype concerning College Football , its playoff format and one of the foundations upon this empaneled body will base their decision is that of the rankings . There too they (pollsters) have it wrong , after Alabama’s surprising .loss the Tide are ranked above a number of unbeaten teams .
Week six results in College Football .
As if to further emphasize how bad things are in the NFL , look no further than some of the scores at present in the league .
Are the Carolina Panthers really that bad or was the team simply overrated this season ? Carolina currently has its hands filled in their game against the Chicago Bears in a match-up between these two NFC teams.
NFL news
NFL week five schedule
tophatal
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A very timely win for the San Francisco 49ers in taking down the Kansas City Chiefs in their contest today .
Do you think the New York Jets have problems after being pounded on the road 31-0 by the San Diego Chargers ? Geno Smith remains a work in progress and as a last resort Rex Ryan might need to call on Michael Vick .
NFL results week five
NFL player stats week 5
NFL quarterback stats
NFL team stats
NFL standings
NFL standings conference
🙂
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The Jets’ problem , everyone loves a nice piece of @ss , but what the fans don’t want to see is an @ss taking a sh#t , as was the case with the Jets today .
tophatal ………
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Thankfully the New England Patriots got back on track with a convincing and decisive victory over an ill equipped Cincinnati Bengals’ team led by Andy Dalton . It was a much needed win for the Patriots and puts them back atop of the AFC East , a division which they have dominated over the past ten years.
Far be it for me to suggest, but as good as DeMarco Murray is said to be , the Cowboys’ running back is far from being the best player at his position in the NFC much less the NFL .
NFL news
NFL results week five
NFL standings (division)
NFL standings (conference)
NFL standings (overall)
NFL player stats week five
NFL team stats (week five)
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tophatal ………
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NFL news
NFL standings(divisional)
NFL schedule week six
NFL teams’ injuries
NFL week six results 2013
NFL player stats week six
tophatal ……….
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Another abysmal day in the NFL with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the wrong side of determinedly bad games with their defeats .
The Buccaneers in a home defeat barely put up any type of competitiveness in falling 48-17 to the Baltimore Ravens .
Mike Tomlins’ Steelers chose not to put up a fight in succumbing to the Cleveland Browns in lopsided loss 31-10 .
Tom Coughlin has lost control of his team as the New York Giants got blown out of the water by the Philadelphia Eagles . Nick Foles didn’t have a great game but the Eagles’ rush attack more than made up for that , in laying waste to a mediocre Giants’ secondary .
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NFL news
NFL week six results
NFL standings (division)
NFL standings (conference)
NFL standings (league overall)
NFL players’ stats week six
NFL teams’ stats week six
tophatal ….
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Isn’t it bad enough as Bob Arum tries to suggest his client Manny Pacquaio remains relevant in the sport of boxing the titlist’s next opponent is another no-name who no one has heard of and yet the public are meant to be enthralled by this bout against Chris Algieri ?
Pacquaio (left) and Algieri will meet in Macau , China for the Filipino fighter’s WBO welterweight title for which the titleholder is said to be an overwhelming favorite . An upset could be on the cards if the American challenger can get over any nerves and off to a fast start.
🙂
Tophatal …………
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