sportsfanatic

October had a lot of notable sports events that took place. I thought that it would be a good idea to review some of them that took place. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.

October held 1 major incident that took place close to home. Four high school cheerleaders recently died in a car crash here in the Knoxville area . Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of all 4 girls.

The last sad incident that I will mention is the fact that Alexei Cherepanov Passed Away. He did this during the third quarter of a game.

Major League Baseball closed out their season.

Nation Basketball Association had their first tip off of the young season.

The Nation Hockey League took the ice.

The Nation Football League got into the full swing of their games.

The Tennessee Titans emerge as the only undefeated NFL team.

The Texas Longhorns emerge as number one in the AP and USA Today Polls.

College Football has seen the number 1 rank change hands only 1 time. Oklahoma Sooners came into the month there and Texas Longhorns leave as the number 1 team in the nation.

Last notable incident, but definitely not the least, is the new World Champions being crowned as the Philadelphia Phillies win their second WSC in 126 years.

In light of the multimillion blogs that will write about the World Series victory last night, I have decided to opt out from being just another post today. Instead, I thought that I would turn my attention to football and discuss some issues. Now, mind you, none of this is concrete. It is more from the rumor mill and my opinion. In most cases, my researched opinion.

I wanted to take this opportunity to look at the subject of “Coaches taking back control of their team”. Anyone that watches and follows football has heard of the 2 biggest benchings in the NFL from Sunday. For the New York Giants, head coach Tom “Do What I Say, Not What I Do” Coughlin  benched Plaxico Burress for the start of Sunday’s Pittsburgh game due to missing a scheduled treatment session on his neck. The second benching was that of Vernon Davis who was told by interim head coach Mike “My Way Or The Highway” Singletary that he would do a better service to his team if he went to the showers early. Mike did not stop there as he also replaced his QB, but I do not think that it is a discipline issue there.

Now, let’s take a look at each of these. Burress has been a ticking time bomb for some time now. If you follow the Giants, you will have noticed this issue. For me, I think that they can win without him on the field. It seems as though they do better without him anyways and I personally think that is is because Eli is forced to look for the open guy instead of throwing it up and hoping. Hixon has also twice proven himself a great fill in. As much as I do not Coughlin, he has to have control of his players.

As for Singletary and Davis, that is a simple one. From my days of sports, I learned real simple that when on the playing field you allow for your action to talk and your mouth to stay shut. Singletary was a great player in his day and all respect that about him. However, this is not the first time these 2 have butted heads. The issue is, now Singletary holds the reigns to the team and controls who does and who don’t walk on the field.

I think in Vernon’s case, he will learn to respect that fact and move on. I think Burress might still test Coughlin out.

Monday night saw something that does not happen too often; A Suspended Post Season Game. As a matter of fact, up to this point, it has never happened in the history of the World Series. The World Series has became suspended in time on Monday night due to heavy rain. On Tuesday, it was impossible to play. On Wednesday, they will once again try to get this game in. At stake for the Philadelphia Phillies is only their second championship in 126 years. At Stake for the Tampa Bay Rays is a chance to take the game back to St Petesburg, Florida and to the friendly confines of Tropicana Field where weather has no reign.

So, lets break this down the simple way for both of these teams. The game will resume where it left on on Monday Night at the start of the bottom of the 6th. The socre is 2-2. Due up for the Phillies will be the number 9 spot, then back to the top of the order. For the home team Phillies, they will be attempting to gain the lead and end this game in 3 innings. For the visitng Rays, they will be playing defense first. Once they come to bat, Navarro will be the first up.

Here is hoping that Mother Nature is kind enough to allow for this game to continue.

Last night you could feel the shift in power. The first three quarters were an even match up. Then, when the fourth quarter arrived, the Tennessee Titans did what they do best; outscore their opponents. The final score of the Monday Night Football contest was 31-21. For anyone that watched this game or any of the games the Indianapolis Colts , you can see that they do not have it together this year. This is very evident when you look at their 3-4 record now.There are 2 outcomes to this game. The first is easy to see as the Tennessee Titans remain undefeated. The second is the fact that the balance of power has shifted to the Titans now.

As I said earlier, the fourth quarter was the difference maker for the Titans. It started when kicker Ron Bironas split the uprights from 48 yards out just 10 seconds in the final quarter of play. The Colts would take their next possession and drive all the way to the 34 yard line of the Titans. They would turn the ball over on downs as Peyton Manning could not complete a 4th and 2 pass. The Titans would then use 6:51 of the play clock on their 13 play drive. It would be capped off by a 1 yard dive from LenDale White. The Colts would turn the ball over again on the 4th play of their next drive. Peyton would be picked off by Safety Chris Hope. Chris Johnson would go off the right end for 16 yards and a score on the first play of the Titans drive give the Titans a 17 point lead with just 3:38 left on the clock. As much as it would excite the Colts fan, the 11 play drive for the final score of the game a little late to do any significant damage.

The New York Giants proved themselves to the Pittsburgh Steelers . In doing so, they sent a message to the rest of the NFL. The message was load and clear that the Giants may bend but they are not going to break. After Sunday’s defeat of the Steelers at Heinz Field , the Giants have should that they are the real deal of 2008.

When Sunday started, both these teams were at 5-1 and leading their divisions. They still lead their divisions, but the Giants have separated themselves as the number 1 overall team in the NFC and number 2 in all of the NFL. They are currently trailing the Tennessee Titans who are facing the Indianapolis Colts in tonight’s Monday Night game. Tennessee currently is the only undefeated team left.

The Steeler nation watched is dismay as the Giants used a 12 point fourth quarter to overcome a 14-9 deficit. The Giants would score on their first possess of the 4th quarter. The first scoring drive would take a 5:42 possession of 12 plays that ended in a 24 yard field goal. This would get the Giants within 2 points. The following possession by the Steelers would not go anywhere as the Steelers would punt on 4th down. The Giants would take over at their 20 yard line. As has become custom this year, Eli became cold and calculated and moved his team like the great quarterback that he can be. It would take him just 3:41 seconds and 7 plays to carve up the Steelers and move the ball from one end to the other. The final play of the drive would be a 2 yard pass to tight end Kevin Boss.

The Steelers would get 2 more shots to score. The first one went now where and resulted in a punt. The last attempt ended with an interception of a Roethlisberger pass. This would come right after he was sacked on3rd down.

Typically, to play in the NFL, scouts look for players that are big in statute. Well, fortunately they are not blind to the guys that are not. Below is a list of the top ten small men of the NFL. This list takes into account the position that they play and the size that they are. The list only includes plays that are currently playing in the NFL.

When I look at this list, none of the names on it surprise me. You hear of these guys each and every week. It makes me think of some of the greats from years gone by like Nat Moore who spent 13 years with the Miami Dolphins and stood 5-9 and weighed 184 pounds. Then there was Doug Flutie who spent 12 seasons in the NFL and stood 5-10 and weighed 180 pounds.The list can go on and on through history.

I think the biggest thing that separates these guys from others is the heart that they play with. Once you watch one of them play, you will know exactly what I am talking about.

10. Brian Westbrook

9. Darron Sproles

8. Gary Brackett

7. London Fletcher

6. Maurice Jones-Drew

5. Warrick Dunn

4. Drew Brees

3. Bob Sanders

2. Steve Smith

1. Wes Welker

Over the years the Tennessee Titans of the NFL have grown their team through the draft, through free agency, and through the trades. One of the teams that they have to be thankful to is the Indianapolis Colts. This Monday night will be a reunion for Titans players David Thornton , Nick Harper , and Jake Scott.

Monday Night Football has both of these teams pumped for action. The Colts are looking to get redemption for the lackluster season that they have had so far. The Titans are looking to move one game closer to a winning season.  The Colts are a .500 team while the Titans are undefeated. Lastly, the Colts have been outscored by 3 points overall while the Titans have outscored their opponents by 83 points.

All three of these players had an impacted on leaving the Colts. Most recently would be that of Jake Scott. Since testing the free agency market and signing with the Titans, the Colts have struggled at Guard. Due to his departure and some key injuries, the Colts are forced to play rookies in this key position. Harper was a corner back while David Thornton was a line backer.  To cap it off, all three of them have been key players in the Titans success. As for Harper, he leads the team with 31 solo tackles while Thornton has contributed another 19.

Nonetheless, this will be another great Monday Night Football game.

 Ever wonder why a great player just has to keep coming back for more. First they retire, then they want to make a come back. Then they retire again. Then some of them want to comeback again. Is it because they think that their legacy is not strong enough as it stands? Is it because they left something on the playing field, in the ring, on the cycling trail, on the soccer field, on the court, around the hoop, or maybe on the mound?

When I read the list below, I can understand Ricky Williams. I mean it is simple to understand “Retire and smoke all the pot you want but you got to pay back the money. If not, get back here and play.” That is simple. These other 9 though. What was left to prove?

1. Muhammad Ali
2. Michael Jordan
3. Brett Favre
4. Roger Clemens
5. Lance Armstrong
6. George Foreman
7. Pele
8. John McEnroe
9. Sugar Ray Leonard
10. Ricky Williams

The Bowl Championship Series committee has rejected a plan on Wednesday to turn the system into a 4 game playoff. Personally, I do not think that a 4 game playoff is the answer to this debacle either. The current system does not work. The proposed system, even though better than the current, will not work. The BCS committee would have you believe that the regular college season is the playoffs . No matter how you shake it up, the BCS is BS.

For every argument, one needs to have a leg to stand on. So, lets stand back and take a look at this. Since the conception of the BCS, one has to recognize two major issues. The first is the 2003 which saw a “shared” Nation Champion” between LSU and USC. This was a debacle in the making to begin with. The next issue arose in 2006 when undefeated Boise State was not invited to the Championship party against the only other undefeated team, Ohio State. Boise State won the contest that the BCS did deem acceptable and Boise won to remain undefeated, but had no “share” of a National Championship.

Ultimately, these 2 issues alone should be enough to wake up the committee. However, it would not even make them toss and turn at night. So, let’s add some fuel to the fire. The BCS system is the only of its kind in any major sports.

High school football has a playoff system. High school basketball has a playoff system. High school baseball has a playoff system. All three of these work. Each division can ultimately state their is a winner.

College baseball has the Road to Omaha . If you are unfamiliar, it starts with a 64 team field that plays regional games, moves to super regional, and then goes to the Elite 8. Bottom line is there is a definitive winner.

College Basketball has The NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship which ends with the Final Four. This also is a 64 team invitation that ultimately leads to one victor that stands at the end.

Turning to the Pro realm, we have the NBA Finals, The World Series, and The Superbowl, all leaving a decisive winner.

With these proven track records of determining a definitive winner, why is College Football the only sport that is subjected to a system that leaves a question in the mind of fans? What is wrong with adapting the same 64 team layout that both college baseball and college basketball employ and works? We all know that the BCS has a financial stake, but frankly, a 64 team field would be an even bigger stake. One loss and your out. All ends in a final game in one designate place with one victor standing and a definitive champion. Ultimately, this would leave no “Shared” Championship.

So, why won’t the BCS budge?

Tonight is the start of the 2008 World Series and it is shaping up to be a pitchers dual. Two of the young rising stars gets the call from their respective skipper tonight. Cole Hamels will be taking the ball for the National League Champion Philadelphia Philles . Scott Kazmir will get the start in front of the home crowd for the American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays . Neither of these pitchers have reached their 25th birthday and both are seen as the ace of their respective pitching staff. The rest of the pitching staff has been set for the series.

The game is built as one that will provide great pitching as well as two very powerful teams. The Phillies brings the bats of Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, Chase Utley, and Jayson Werth who all hit 24 or more home runs. The Rays counter with Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria as the only 2 rays that reach more than 20 home runs for the year. With that said, as of late, B.J. Upton has been killing pitches as he marched through the ALDS and ALCS. Couple that with the on bace percentage of .349 from Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies and Akinori Iwamura of the Rays, and you set the table for 2 very potent lineups.

The experience edge definitely will go to the Philadelphia Phillies in the playoffs as they have been here before. However, I think that the heart has to go to the Tampa Bay Rays as they try to complete this Cinderella season. From the start of the season, no one expected that the Rays would get to this point. At the All-Star break, everyone thought that they would start going down. With that said, these guys did not know the meaning of quit as they continued to push through any adversity that they might have faced. I can still remember that with still a few weeks left to go the references to the 2007 New York Mets. Well, all of that is behind them as they stand proud holding the American League Championship. This is why we play all 162 games of a season and right into the playoffs.

As the series gets under way tonight in Tropicana Field, who will you be cheering for?