College Football Week 2 Preview

The opening weekend of the college football season was definitely exciting. We had Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford’s injury leading to BYU’s upset over the Sooners…Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount losing his mind after Boise State scored a huge win over the Ducks…Alabama and Oklahoma State looking strong in their huge wins…and a great end to the weekend with a classic between Miami and Florida State. Will week 2 be just as exciting? On paper, it doesn’t seem that way. You would think it was a bakery with all the cupcake games out there. But nevertheless, it should be a good weekend of action and there is one huge game everyone will be watching. Let’s take a look at a preview of the action:

#1 Florida (1-0) vs. Troy (0-1) – Seems as though the Gators will be in another charitable mood on Saturday to dish out a beat down to an overmatched opponent. Florida cruised in their opener, crushing Charleston Southern 62-3. The competition gets a little tougher this week, but not that tough. Troy did go to the New Orleans Bowl last season and could hang around for a quarter, but they do not have anywhere near the personnel necessary to stop Florida on defense or match them on the scoreboard with their own offense. Troy lost 31-14 to Bowling Green last week and has lost 8 straight games to ranked teams, so expect another massacre for Florida by the final gun. We will not get a true measure of how good Florida is this year until they get into SEC play.

#2 Texas (1-0) vs. Wyoming (1-0) – Texas easily started their quest toward a National Championship with a 59-20 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Things should not really get much tougher this week as the Longhorns travel to Wyoming to face an overmatched Cowboys team. Texas now looks in prime position to win the Big 12 with Oklahoma’s early season struggles and they look motivated to get better this week. They were not happy that they gave up 20 points to Louisiana-Monroe, even though 10 of those points came in the 4th quarter when the starters were out of the game. Wyoming was last among FBS teams in scoring last season, but they have installed a no-huddle, spread offense this season and it got them a 29-22 win last week over Weber State. Unfortunately, Texas is not Weber State and the Longhorns should easily beat the Cowboys, who haven’t beaten a ranked team since 2002 and have never beaten a team ranked higher than #11. I would expect a win by at least 4-5 touchdowns.

#3 USC (1-0) vs. #8 Ohio State (1-0) – Without question, this is the marquee matchup of the week and the game everyone will be watching. USC had no trouble last week as they routed San Jose State 56-3. Ohio State struggled at home to beat Navy 31-27. So does that make this game a foregone conclusion? I don’t think you can say that, but there is no doubt that USC looks to have the edge and Ohio State needs to deal with recent demons. Over the past 3 seasons, the Buckeyes have struggled in high profile games and they can’t seem to get a huge win on national TV. This includes an embarrassing 35-3 loss to USC last year. Last week’s struggle will not help their confidence, but they do have home field advantage in this game. USC freshman QB Matt Barkley will get his first real test of his young career and he might be overwhelmed. He does have a powerful running game to back him up though, and Ohio State’s defense did look shaky against Navy. All in all, I do think the edge lies with USC and I would expect them to pull out a victory in this one. Ohio State is more than capable of winning, but I will stick with recent history.

#4 Alabama (1-0) vs. Florida International (0-0) – This is another baker’s special here as Alabama should have no trouble in this game. They are coming off of a huge 34-24 win over Virginia Tech and the talk about another run at the National Championship is well underway. The Crimson Tide defense was stifling against Virginia Tech and they only let up a few big plays in an otherwise dominating performance. The Tide did have a let down last year in their 2nd game, an uninspiring 20-6 win against Tulane, after a big opening week win over Clemson. That should serve as a learning lesson though for this team and Florida International, who are only 6-37 on the road since they started the football program in 2002, will be totally overmatched in this game.

#5 Oklahoma State (1-0) vs. Houston (1-0) – Oklahoma State got off to a huge start last week by beating Georgia 24-10 and vaulting up to #5 in the country. They will now have the challenge of trying to stay motivated and not play down to their competition as they enter a stretch of games against weaker opponents before opening Big 12 play. Houston will provide a decent challenge to the Cowboys. They feature an explosive offense and play a wide open style that can score points. These two teams played last September and Oklahoma State won a 56-37 shootout. This game will be a great test to see if Oklahoma State’s defense is really improved this year. The Cowboys could suffer a letdown and this game could be closer than some people think. Houston has won 2 straight games against ranked opponents and the all-time series between these two is tied at 9-9-1. I expect the Cowboys to prevail in this one, but it could be interesting for a while.

#7 Penn State (1-0) vs. Syracuse (0-1) – This figures to be another lackluster game as Syracuse visits Penn State in a rematch of last year’s 55-13 blowout win for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has won 22 straight games at home against unranked opponents and that streak should continue. Penn State had no trouble beating Akron last week 31-7, although they did play poorly in the 2nd half and will look to correct that this week. Syracuse will be totally overmatched and it does not help that former Duke point guard Greg Paulus is still adjusting back to being on the football field in live games after not playing since high school. This one could be ugly and be over early.

#9 BYU (1-0) vs. Tulane (0-1) – BYU is coming off one of the biggest wins in school history and the challenge against Tulane will be not to have a letdown. Florida State visits BYU next week, so this could be labeled as the classic “trap” game. BYU can afford no letdowns if they want a shot at a BCS Bowl game this year. However, Tulane struggled at home last week in a 37-13 loss against Tulsa, so they probably will not offer much resistance against the Cougars. BYU’s defense looked extremely solid against Oklahoma and Tulane’s offense was pretty bad last season, only scoring 16.7 points per game. BYU should score early and often and have no trouble putting this one away as they prepare for a huge game next week against the Seminoles.

#10 California (1-0) vs. Eastern Washington (1-0) – After beating up on Maryland last week, Cal should have no trouble at all doing the same to Eastern Washington. Heisman Trophy candidate RB Jahvid Best ran wild over the Terps and did the same to unranked competition last year. The Golden Bears should have no trouble blowing out an overmatched Eastern Washington team. Things will get much tougher when they hit Pac 10 conference play, so they had better enjoy the cupcakes now.

#11 LSU (1-0) vs. Vanderbilt (1-0) – SEC play begins for both these teams as Vanderbilt travels to LSU. LSU is trying to bounce back from last year’s disappointing 3-5 record in SEC games, the first season below .500 for the Tigers since 1999. LSU has won the past 5 meetings with Vanderbilt, but the teams have not played since 2005. LSU got off to a good start last week, surviving the longest road trip in program history and beating Washington 31-23. Coming back home should be welcomed for the Tigers and they should be able to win this game fairly easily. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as #13 last year, but they have slowly slipped off and are in the middle of the pack as far as SEC teams go. LSU can not afford a slip up, especially at home against an unranked opponent, if they have hopes of a big time Bowl game this year. So I would expect them to be focused and take care of business in this one.

#12 Boise State (1-0) vs. Miami, OH (0-1) – Boise State is coming off of a huge win against Oregon, which now gives them an inside track at going undefeated and getting a BCS Bowl game berth. Even though some may say Boise State could suffer a letdown this week, it seems highly unlikely. Miami (OH) has not beaten a ranked team since 2003 and they finished 2-10 last season. They also suffered the second worst season-opening loss in school history last week, a 42-0 drubbing at the hands of Kentucky. Expect Boise State to roll in this one.

#13 Oklahoma (0-1) vs. Idaho State (0-1) – Oklahoma will try to move forward after the 14-13 loss to BYU and the loss of QB Sam Bradford for up to a month and TE Jermaine Gresham for the entire year. It will be a struggle for Oklahoma to hang in there now, but they should not struggle this week. Even without Bradford, Oklahoma should beat up on Idaho State. Oklahoma has won 24 straight games at home and Idaho State has lost 16 straight on the road and has not beaten an FBS school since 2000. Idaho State also managed a MASSIVE 37 yards of offense last week against Arizona State. You do the math on this one…

#14 Virginia Tech (0-1) vs. Marshall (1-0) – Virginia Tech will try to rebound from a disappointing loss to Alabama in their opener last week. Tech had hopes of potentially making a run at the BCS Title game, but now they have to try and work back for a shot at any BCS Bowl game. The defense was pretty shaky and needs to improve and Tech’s offense needs to get more consistency. They only hung in against Alabama because of a few big plays. Virginia Tech should have an easy time with Marshall, who has not beaten a ranked team since 2003 and have lost their last eight attempts at it. Tech has also not lost a home opener since 1995, so the odds are on their side. I would expect a better defensive effort and Marshall’s defense will not be strong enough to hold Tech off the scoreboard.

#16 TCU (0-0) vs. Virginia (0-1) – TCU begins their season this week as they visit Virginia, who was embarrassed last week in losing to William & Mary at home 26-14. William & Mary is not even an FBS school and Virginia struggled mightily on offense. That does not bode well for the Cavaliers as they go up against one of the best defenses in the county. TCU only gave up 18 touchdowns last year and led the nation in yards from scrimmage allowed per game. There is always a chance TCU could be flat in their first game, but this game should not be that close. The Horned Frogs have high expectations and are coming off their highest final poll finish since 1959. Expect a big win for the Mountain West favorites in this one.

#17 Utah (1-0) vs. San Jose State (0-1) – Utah will look to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 16 games as they take on a San Jose State team that was spanked by USC 56-3 last week. Utah has won 10 straight non-conference games, as well as their last 8 road games, and they should be able to continue the streak this week. San Jose State looked totally overmatched against USC, giving up 620 yards and only gaining 121. Utah is no USC, but they are certainly way too much for San Jose State to handle.

#18 Notre Dame (1-0) vs. Michigan (1-0) – This game has now turned into a big one and will be the 2nd marquee matchup in the Top 25 of the week. Notre Dame and Michigan are trying to build their programs back up and recapture past glory. It seems as though Notre Dame has the better prospects of the two and they enter this game favored to win. QB Jimmy Clausen was nearly flawless last week against Nevada in Notre Dame’s 35-0 victory. If he can duplicate that performance and the offensive line and defense continue to improve, Notre Dame will be tough to beat. Michigan rallied around Coach Rich Rodriguez and beat back allegations of NCAA rules violations to beat Western Michigan 31-7. They have shutout Notre Dame in two of the past three games at home and lead the series 11-7 at Ann Arbor. It will take a big effort though for Michigan to win because Notre Dame looks like they might meet some of the hype this year. I don’t think Michigan is that far along as a team and Notre Dame should win this game.

#19 North Carolina (1-0) vs. Connecticut (1-0) – This has the potential to be a pretty good football game in my estimation. It might not turn out that way however, if North Carolina repeats the defensive performance they had last week against The Citadel. The Tar Heels forced 4 turnovers and only allowed 30 yards rushing. Connecticut lost star RB Donald Brown to the NFL, so they will not be as dynamic this year. They put in a good rushing performance last week against Ohio and they need even more if they hope to pull the upset. It will also require better QB play from Zach Frazer. North Carolina pulled an upset of Connecticut last year 38-12 at home. Can the reverse happen this time around? I think it is possible, but the loss of Donald Brown might be too much to overcome and I expect a Tar Heels victory.

#21 Georgia (0-1) vs. South Carolina (1-0) – This game could turn out to be downright ugly and a real defensive struggle. Since Steve Spurrier became South Carolina’s coach, neither team has scored more than 18 points in a game. You also have two teams that struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball last week and it is the SEC opener for both squads, which tend to be played close to the vest. Georgia obviously has to be deflated after losing to Oklahoma State and Spurrier has had 2 extra days to prepare for this one, so it could be good. I have to believe that Georgia will be desperate to avoid a 0-2 start and they will find a way to win this one. A loss would be an absolute disaster for them and the dreams of a BCS Bowl game will be a distant memory.

#22 Nebraska (1-0) vs. Arkansas State (1-0) – Nebraska got off to a good start last week by beating Florida Atlantic 49-3, but the defense was described as “soft” by head coach Bo Pelini. The Cornhuskers gave up 358 yards to Florida Atlantic and were not as physical as they could have been. They can probably get away with that again this week, since Arkansas State is only a slight step up in competition. Nebraska needs to be careful though because Arkansas State does have some talented athletes and the Cornhuskers have a huge game against Virginia Tech next week, so this could be another so-called “trap” game. However, I would still expect a pretty big victory for Nebraska here.

#23 Cincinnati (1-0) vs. Southeast Missouri State (1-0) – All the talk about Rutgers winning the Big East this year has gone away after Cincinnati pounded the Scarlet Knights 47-15. The win set the Bearcats up as the favorite to win the Big East once again and propelled Cincinnati into the Top 25. They look to be a more dangerous team than people expected and they should destroy Southeast Missouri State, who has been outscored 174-13 in their last three games against FBS schools.

#24 Kansas (1-0) vs. UTEP (0-1) – Kansas will be looking to win a non-conference road game for the first time since 2003 and the return of star WR Dezmon Briscoe could help that. Briscoe was suspended for the first game of the season for a violation of team rules during the spring. His return could strength an already talented team, who should be able to handle UTEP. The Miners lost to Buffalo last week 23-17 and Kansas is certainly much more talented. UTEP has lost 9 straight times to ranked opponents dating back to 1997 and they are 3-44 all-time against ranked teams. Even with the odds in their favor, Kansas is not planning to overlook UTEP and that should lead to a big win.

#25 Missouri (1-0) vs. Bowling Green (1-0) – Missouri had an impressive opening win last week against Illinois and the performance has sparked hope that the team can have a good year even after graduating one of the most successful classes in school history and losing Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin. If they can get solid play from sophomore QB Blaine Gabbert, it could be a better than expected year for the young Tigers. Bowling Green will provide a good test, but they are a notch below Illinois. Bowling Green did defeat Missouri back in 2001 and 2002, teams that were also coached by Gary Pinkel. They also sport an 11-8 record against major conference teams since those seasons, so Missouri will have to come prepared to get a victory.

The Game’s Quick Hits

Recap: Steelers 13, Titans 10 OT – The NFL season got off to a great start last night, even if it wasn’t very pretty. Pittsburgh was able to make enough clutch plays to escape with a 13-10 overtime win over the Titans. The first half of the game was a total defensive struggle and neither team looked particularly good on offense. The Steelers looked worse though as they could not run the ball and only got going in the final two minutes of the half. The defense held them in the game, even though All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu left the game due to injury. A Titans player fell on his left knee after a blocked FG and it was reported after the game that Polamalu sprained his MCL and could be out 3-6 weeks. They are fortunate that the injury is not any worse and their defense is strong enough to survive for a few weeks without him. The Steelers finally were able to move the ball in the second half by relying on the arm of QB Ben Roethlisberger. After Tennessee grabbed a 10-7 lead late in the game, Roethlisberger got the Steelers going for a tying field goal and then was driving the Steelers down for the winning score in regulation, but WR Hines Ward fumbled on the Titans’ 5-yard line. However, Pittsburgh won the coin toss and Roethlisberger drove them right down the field for a game winning 33-yard field goal by K Jeff Reed. Once again, the Steelers used the formula of strong defense and clutch play from Roethlisberger, who was 33-for-43 for 363 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs, to win. They really need to get the running game in order though, considering Tennessee held them to only 36 yards rushing. Pittsburgh also needs to improve on converting short yardage plays. They stunk it up in that area last night and that could cost them sometime this year if they are not careful. This loss will by no means hurt the Titans in the long run. They played a tough game and the defense looks fierce. I think they will be fine and can be a force when it comes to playoff time. Both teams made a statement that they will be contenders this year.

Recap: #15 Georgia Tech 30, Clemson 27 – In what was a game of back and forth momentum, Georgia Tech barely escaped with a 3 point win after squandering a 24-0 lead. Early on it seemed like this game would be a blowout. Clemson came out extremely flat and blew great field position by making costly mistakes and turning the ball over. This allowed Georgia Tech to build a 24-0 lead on the strength of a long TD run, a punt return TD, and a fake FG which resulted in a TD pass from kicker Scott Blair. From that point on however, Clemson’s defense stepped up and Georgia Tech could do absolutely nothing offensively. The Tigers stuffed the running game and Georgia Tech’s passing game was dreadful. Clemson scored 27 straight points to take the lead, but then they fell apart. Georgia Tech finally put together two late drives for field goals and escaped with a 3 point win. From what I saw, if a team is able to contain the Yellow Jackets’ spread option run game, they can be beat. QB Josh Nesbitt looked extremely shaky throwing the ball and he only completed 3 of 14 passes and threw 2 interceptions. That is not the way to get it done. I think Virginia Tech’s defense could easily stuff Georgia Tech and I am not sure if Georgia Tech will be able to hang in there for a major Bowl game this year. Clemson has enough offensive weapons to stay in games and they will always be a tough opponent for anyone in the ACC this year.

- Well it seems as though Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre just can not stay out of the news these days. Favre told the media on Wednesday that the New York Jets knew about his torn biceps tendon last season, but they did not list him on any injury reports. Favre also said that he was receptive to sitting out and would have done so, but he was encouraged to keep playing even though he felt he was starting to hurt the team. Teams in the past have been fined anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 (no draft picks have ever been taken though) for not being forthright on injury reports and the NFL is now looking into Favre’s statements. New York Jets’ GM Mike Tannenbaum stated that he will take responsibility and cooperate in a league investigation for not listing Favre, and said that he should have been listed as “probable” during the final 5 games last year. If you ask me, this comes as absolutely no surprise. The Jets were trying to fight for a division title last year, so surely they did not want to let teams know that Favre had an injury. They probably did not want the media circus and distraction that would have come along with reporting it either. Like it or not, an injury is a target, so everyone kept quiet about it. I don’t agree with the practice of doing this because the rules about reporting injuries should be followed for competitive fairness. Who knows if the NFL will end up fining the Jets, but at least it seems Favre will be levelheaded this year and sit down if he is hurt and not jeopardize team success.

- No doubt that it is a new world out there as the Shawne Merriman/Tila Tequila saga is playing out on Twitter. The two are exchanging charges and countercharges on their feeds. Tequila is planning to meet with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office on Friday as the investigation will continue to determine whether or not Merriman will be charged. Merriman is sticking to his position that he was only trying to help Tequila because she was drunk and he intends to clear his name and get to focusing on football. Tequila counters by saying Merriman is lying and she will not be a victim in all this, especially when someone lays their hands on her. This seems like it will just turn into a bizarre situation, but as I stated before, I don’t think Tequila is on a witch hunt here. She most likely is well off financially and Merriman has more to lose here, so of course he will deny any wrongdoing. I guess we will have to see what charges, if any, get levied against Merriman to determine how serious this could have been.

- Other NFL News and Notes: Recently traded defensive lineman Richard Seymour continues to not report to the Oakland Raiders and the Raiders have responded by sending him the dreaded “5 day letter”, which means he has 5 days to report to the team or be suspended. He is listed on the Raiders’ 53 man roster, so if nothing were to happen before Monday night’s game against the Chargers, he would still collect a paycheck for the game. Now I understand Seymour’s displeasure with the sudden trade and having to leave a championship caliber team, but I do not condone highly paid athletes getting money for nothing. I am pleased to see Oakland giving him an ultimatum because he does not deserve any money or special treatment here. Seymour is starting to now look childish and unprofessional in all this. At this point, I say suck it up and go play.

The Vikings have released WR Bobby Wade just days before the season opener. This seems to be a puzzling move considering that Wade has led the Vikings in receptions the past 2 seasons. The addition of Percy Harvin obviously means fewer balls to go around, but you never know when injuries will pop up and I would think Minnesota would want to have as many weapons as possible. Harvin battled some injuries at Florida and WR Bernard Berrian has been slowed by a hamstring injury already. I don’t think this is that smart of a move and Minnesota better hope they stay healthy.

It was announced Thursday that NFL fans’ whose local teams’ games are blacked out will be able to watch them for free online, though not until after midnight. Commissioner Goodell said that the league understands that the economy is making it harder to buy tickets, so I suppose this is a compromise and better than nothing. Many have said the league should be sensitive to the economic times and waive the blackouts for this season so fans can watch their local teams’ games. On the other hand, giving away the product for free would not encourage people to try and go buy tickets. The NFL has a product it is trying to protect and I understand the business part of it. I certainly do not want things to get to a point where I would have to buy games on Pay Per View or something of that sort. But due to how bad things are in this economy, I think it is a unique time and they should allow the blackouts to be waived for this season only. They can revert back to the usual rules next season when things will hopefully be better in economic terms.

John Madden is back in the NFL and will be an unpaid “special adviser” to Commissioner Roger Goodell and mostly have influence on the NFL competition committee. This is a really cool move in my opinion. Without question, Madden is one of the most knowledgeable people out there when it comes to the game of football and I am glad that he will be offering his opinions and advice to try and improve the game. Madden has a love and passion for the NFL and I am sure he will be able to help in some capacity.

- BMW Championship Update: The second to last FedEx Cup Playoff event got underway yesterday and Rory Sabbatini and Steve Marino were able to jump out to a 1-stroke lead after firing 5-under rounds of 66. Bo Van Pelt and Marc Leishman each shot 4-under rounds of 67 and Tiger Woods is in a pack of players who shot 3-under rounds of 68. This is pretty much an all-star tournament with the top players in the world, so getting off to a good start is desirable. Without question, this is the best round that Tiger has shot to open a tournament in the past few weeks and he seems to have figured some things out. These last two events will determine the FedEx Cup Champion, so it is the perfect time for Tiger to rise to the occasion. I give him a great shot to win this week. FedEx Cup point leader Steve Stricker did not get off to such a great start. He suffered a three putt bogey on his last hole as he shot a 1-over par 72 for the day. Now he will be in the position to have to chase Woods, unlike last week when Stricker was hunting Tiger.

- Miami Heat all-star guard Dwayne Wade says that the contract extension talks are now over and he will be focusing on the upcoming season. As expected, Wade is not signing any extension with the Heat right now and is looking at testing free agency next summer. Obviously, this is not surprising and I do not blame the guy. That is how it works in sports with free agency and players have every right to go out and try to get as much money as they can. I certainly would do the same if I had the opportunity. Next summer might be crazy as LeBron James, Wade, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudemire could all hit free agency. Teams are trying to clear cap room now and we could see a huge power shift in the NBA. It will be fun to see what goes down and I bet Wade will probably have a monster season again this year, carrying the Heat on his back to the playoffs.

-U.S. Open Update: Things are starting to wind down at the U.S. Open and the only single’s action today was the last two men’s quarterfinals. In the first one, #6 seed Juan Martin del Potro rallied after losing the first set to beat #16 seed Marin Cilic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. We still do not know who his opponent will be because the night match between #3 seed Rafael Nadal and #11 seed Fernando Gonzalez was postponed due to rain with Nadal leading 7-6, 6-6.

Sore Sooner Shoulder downs Oklahoma

I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the great action today on college football’s opening Saturday, although one thing did irritate me. I have no idea who decided that people in Baltimore should get the Michigan vs. Western Michigan game over #9 Oklahoma State vs. #13 Georgia. I was highly pissed off seeing this because I was looking forward to watching a great game between two top 15 teams. When you have regional coverage and you have two teams from Michigan, shouldn’t that game only go to the surrounding areas around Michigan? Total bullcrap! Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the important results from yesterday’s games:

#20 BYU 14, #3 Oklahoma 13 – Without question, the biggest story from yesterday’s action was the injury to Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford. Bradford took a hard hit late in the 2nd quarter and his throwing shoulder was driven into the ground. He ended up being diagnosed with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. This type of injury usually will keep a player out 2-4 weeks depending on the grade of the sprain and how much pain the player can deal with. With Bradford out in the 2nd half, the game became a real defensive struggle. Both Oklahoma and BYU came to play on the defensive side of the ball. Oklahoma backup QB Landry Jones could not get anything going and BYU was able to hold Oklahoma’s run game in check. A late surge and huge drive was orchestrated by BYU QB Max Hall, who won the game for BYU by throwing a 7-yard TD pass with 3:03 left in the game. Obviously, this win is huge for BYU and it now gives them a huge boost and will allow them to try and become the latest BCS buster. For Oklahoma, the hopes of a National Championship season may now be over. They will have to rely on their defense and running game until Bradford can return. Bradford may now be hard pressed to make a run at winning the Heisman trophy for a second straight season. Pollsters do take injuries into account, but Oklahoma will have to make a major statement when Bradford returns and hope their offensive line gels because they were the source of Oklahoma’s problems last night.

#4 USC 56, San Jose State 3 – For the first quarter of this game, USC looked extremely sluggish and it seemed as if talk of contending for a National Championship, let alone a Pac 10 title, might be a little wishful thinking. Oh how suddenly things can change. USC quickly kicked it into gear in the 2nd quarter and ending up cruising and blowing out San Jose State. Freshman QB Matt Barkley started slow, but he settled into the game going 15-for-19 for 233 yards and 1 TD and let the Trojans’ powerful running game and stingy defense take over. Barkley and the Trojans will get a much tougher test when they travel to Ohio State next week. Before this week, many assumed that Ohio State would go into that game as the favorite, but that might change this week…

#6 Ohio State 31, Navy 27 – And the reason why it might change is because Ohio State received a huge scare at the hands of Navy. Ohio State did not have many problems moving the ball and scoring, but the problem was that they struggled getting a handle on Navy’s triple option offense. The Buckeyes also made a crucial mistake by going for a 4th and 2 instead of kicking a field goal that would have given them a 32-14 lead. Instead, they were stuffed and the momentum changed for Navy. They were able to eat up huge chunks of yards on the ground and kept making big plays until they got to within 29-27. The dream of a monumental upset died though when Navy threw an interception on the 2-point conversion and Ohio State returned it for 2 points of their own to win the game 31-27. Navy is certainly no slouch and they come to play every week, but now many are wondering how good Ohio State will be this year. We will find out next week and USC might be favored to win even on the road. It will most likely come down to how USC freshman QB Matt Barkley handles the pressure of his first huge college game.

#5 Alabama 34, #7 Virginia Tech 24 – The score of this game was certainly closer than it should have been. I really enjoyed watching this one as it was a hard fought contest and pretty fascinating. Alabama was not very sharp early on in this game and they allowed Virginia Tech to hang in it by giving up a kickoff return touchdown, coughing up two bad turnovers, and committing a few silly penalties. While this was happening, Alabama was absolutely punishing Virginia Tech when it came to ball control and the ground game and ended up outgaining Virginia Tech 498-155 in yards. The talent gap between the two teams finally showed up in the 4th quarter as Alabama was able to pull away and win the game. The Crimson Tide defense looks like a beast and if the offense can continue to improve, Alabama might have a shot to give Florida a run if the two meet in the SEC Championship game. Virginia Tech has a great deal of work to do, but it seems like they still might be able to have success in an obviously weaker ACC.

#9 Oklahoma State 24, #13 Georgia 10 – As I mentioned earlier, I was very mad I did not get a chance to watch this game on TV. Georgia got off to a very quick start, driving right down the field and taking a 7-0 lead. It seemed as if this might be a mismatch, but the Oklahoma State defense surprisingly stepped up huge and held Georgia in check until the Cowboys’ offense was able to shake out of a sluggish start. QB Zac Robinson hooked up with his star receiver Dez Bryant for 2 TDs and Oklahoma State was able to cruise home to victory. The performance of the defense is a great sign for Oklahoma State. Many assumed that they would need to try and win shootouts and outscore their opponents every week, but that might not be the case. The Cowboys could end up being real players in the Big 12 now, especially with the early struggles of Oklahoma. Georgia will obviously need to find some answers on offense or they will not be able to make a serious challenge in the SEC. It looks like replacing Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno might be a tough task.

#11 LSU 31, Washington 23 – Washington was able to put in an inspired effort to hang with LSU, but it was not enough for them to pull off a victory. I was surprised that Washington was able to hang with LSU for so long, but I guess the 2500 mile road trip actually can take a toll. LSU was able to put together some good drives in the 2nd half to take over the game and they looked pretty solid. It should be a great race in the SEC West this year, but Alabama would have the inside track in my opinion.

#12 California 52, Maryland 13 – Well my home state Terps put in a thoroughly embarrassing performance last night. I thought they might be able to hang close with Cal, but it is obvious that they are nowhere close to Cal’s level this year. Costly turnovers and numerous mistakes killed Maryland and Cal RB Jahvid Best just ran wild over them. I’m sure Cal was looking for revenge in this game after last year’s loss at Maryland, but it was worse than that. I am getting a bad feeling that the Terrapins are just not that good this year and they might struggle to make a bowl game. However, the entire ACC had a hard time this weekend, so maybe Maryland can have enough success in the conference to get to .500 and be bowl eligible.

#22 Iowa 17, Northern Iowa 16 – This game almost turned into the biggest upset of the weekend. It was a mighty struggle for Iowa. They were able to develop no sort of rhythm on offense and they blew many opportunities that would have allowed them to put the game away. I did remark in my preview that Northern Iowa is one of the top teams in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) and they could hang around in this one. That prediction was absolutely true as Northern Iowa looked like the more together team out there and they almost were able to use that to overcome the talent gap. Iowa had to block two 40-yard field goals in the final seconds to avoid the upset. Iowa will need to make some serious improvements or it could be a very mediocre season for them.

#23 Notre Dame 35, Nevada 0 – Maybe all the talk about Notre Dame being a serious contender is actually true. The Fighting Irish turned in an extremely impressive performance as they beat up on Nevada in every facet of the game. QB Jimmy Clausen looked more mature and he seemed like he was in mid-season form as he threw for 315 yards and 4 TDs. Notre Dame had huge plays on offense and their defense was able to keep Nevada’s running game and QB Colin Kaepernick in check and off balance. It seems as though Notre Dame may hang around all year and they could surprise everyone.

#1 Florida 62, Charleston Southern 3
#2 Texas 59, Louisiana-Monroe 20
#9 Penn State 31, Akron 7
#15 Georgia Tech 37, Jacksonville State 17
#19 Utah 35, Utah State 17
#21 North Carolina 40, The Citadel 6
#24 Nebraska 49, Florida Atlantic 3
#25 Kansas 49, Northern Colorado 3
As you can see, 1/3 of the Top 25 was able to take care of business and cruise in their “cupcake” games to start the year. Florida and Texas looked pretty sharp and they could be on a collision course for the BCS Title game in January.

And on two final notes…it seems as though Michigan was able to rally around Coach Rich Rodriguez and they beat Western Michigan with no trouble at all. And in Tennessee, the Lane Kiffin era began with a 63-7 stomping of Western Kentucky. I hope Lane enjoys this one because it might be a different story when Tennessee plays Florida.

The Game’s Quick Hits

NFL Cut Down Day: One of the most surprising cuts happened early in the morning Saturday as it was reported the New York Giants cut WR David Tyree. Tyree was one of the heroes of Super Bowl XLII, making a tremendous against his helmet catch to prolong the winning drive for the Giants. Obviously, Tyree did not develop into enough of a big play receiver for the Giants to keep him. If anything holds the Giants back this season, it will most likely be the lack of a threat at WR.

Even though QB Colt Brennan is on IR and out for the season now, the Redskins cut former Missouri QB Chase Daniel. This comes as a bit of a surprise since I though Daniel had some potential and was a solid QB at Missouri. Of course when we are talking QBs and the Redskins, Daniel Snyder will not be satisfied until he gets a superstar at the position. The Redskins will now only carry QBs Jason Campbell and Todd Collins on the 53 man roster.

Another big surprise was The Raiders cutting QB Jeff Garcia. I have no idea why in the hell Oakland would cut him, but I guess that is why the franchise continues to lose year after year. The Raiders lured Garcia to Oakland with hopes that he would have a fair shot to beat out JaMarcus Russell for the starting job, but it is obvious now that Al Davis was not going to give up on Russell and demote him. I believe though that Garcia would be a team player and accept the role and the Raiders are fools for not keeping him because it is always a good thing to have a solid backup QB in the NFL. Hopefully Garcia can find another job out there because I believe he still has some juice left and he can help a team.

The Bills ended up cutting RB Dominic Rhodes after signing him in the offseason. With RB Marshawn Lynch being suspended for three games, it seems puzzling that the Bills did not stick with a solid veteran back like Rhodes. And with the performance of their offense in the preseason, the Bills need all the help they can get.

- Sean O’Hair was able to fire a 7-under par 64 to catch the steady Jim Furyk at 12-under par and share the lead after the 2nd round of the Deutsche Bank Championship. The pristine conditions in the morning allowed a slew of players to shoot low rounds and set the pace between 8 and 12-under par after two rounds. Tiger Woods played later in the day and again was not able to put everything together. He did manage to sink some putts on the back 9 however, and ended up shooting a 4-under par 67 to put him 7 shots back at 5-under par heading into the final two rounds. I still maintain the opinion that Tiger is too far off of his best game to have a chance to win this tournament. He is fighting his putter too much and at a tie for 28th place, I think too many people are between him and the top of the leaderboard. He almost made me eat my words last week, but I don’t think he gets that close this time. Unless he goes out and shoots a 63 or 64 tomorrow…

- MLB News and Notes: Yankees closer Mariano Rivera had a bullpen session on Saturday and reported no pain in his sore left groin and might be able to return to the mound on Sunday. Obviously, the Yankees need a healthy Rivera to have a shot at winning the World Series. A big hitting lineup will only take you so far and it is going to take solid pitching and someone who can close down games to get the job done. Rivera is still in fine form this season, leading the majors with 38 saves…A federal judge has dismissed Roger Clemens' defamation suit against his former trainer, Brian McNamee and Clemens can not file the suit again, only appeal it. This was a pleasing bit of news to see. I have no love for Roger Clemens and have always though he was an arrogant jackass to be quite honest. It seems pretty obvious that he was using performance enhancing drugs, yet he continues to deny it in hopes of saving his chances to make the Hall of Fame and chooses to try and sue his trainer, who I believe is telling the truth. Of course this could end up being a money grab attempt by McNamee, but when the guy is only a trainer, I don’t think he was lying to Congress. I hope something comes out later to bust Clemens further because I can not stand the guy and his attitude.

- The United States soccer team rallied from a 1-0 deficit to defeat El Salvador 2-1 in a World Cup qualifying match last night. Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore scored for the U.S., who is now in prime position to qualify for their 6th straight trip to the World Cup. Congratulations to the U.S. team on a nice win. Although soccer will never become a huge phenomenon in this country and the U.S. stands no chance in hell of winning a World Cup any time soon, it is still nice to see them get to compete with the best in world every four years. I am not trying to hate on soccer, but it is just a fact that the best athletes in this country choose to play football, baseball, and basketball over soccer. Soccer is the only sport out there in most of the rest of the world, so I can not foresee a time when U.S. soccer will be on top of the world.

- Reports are saying that Indy Car racer Danica Patrick will start to race in some NASCAR events next year and may begin a transition to the NASCAR circuit. Sources are saying that she will not give up Indy Car racing entirely and would only compete in select Nationwide and Truck Series events next year. She will not take a full plunge into NASCAR until she is sure she could do well and is looking to take a path similar to the one Tony Stewart took. I will give some credit to Patrick for actually proving over time that she has the skills to compete. She has steadily improved in the Indy Car standings every year and has shown potential. I used to think that she was just a hype machine and would fizzle out, but she does have talent. I would still like to see her actually win some races, but maybe that is still to come on the horizon.

- U.S. Open Update: Things are starting to get interesting as we hit the first weekend of the U.S. Open. Andy Roddick, who came in as the #5 seed and brimming with confidence after his epic Wimbledon final with Roger Federer, was taken out in the 3rd round by 55th-ranked John Isner in five sets. Men’s #1 seed Roger Federer, who got tested by #31 seed Leyton Hewitt, and #4 seed Novak Djokovic both needed four sets to survive and advance. Federer got off to a slow start by losing the first set, but he showed his championship will to win by playing through it and reeling off 3 straight sets to win. On the women’s side, the surprise of the tournament continues to be 17-year old American Melanie Oudin, who beat #29 seed Maria Sharapova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Week 1 College Football Preview

The first full Saturday of college football action is upon us, so let’s take a look around the top 25 and see what’s going on.

#1 Florida vs. Charleston Southern – As if you have to wonder what is going to happen here. The only real question is whether or not Florida will get close to covering the 73-point spread. This one will be ugly but Charleston Southern is getting $450K for the game, so they will be happy to take the massacre.

#2 Texas vs. Louisiana-Monroe – Oh boy, another epic opener…Texas is following recent tradition of playing a team from a non-BCS conference in the opener and they have won those games by an average of 40+ points. Expect no difference here…

#3 Oklahoma vs. #20 BYU – Now this is more like it. I give much respect to both schools for scheduling a tough game for the opener. This will happen on a neutral field at Cowboys Stadium and it should be fun to watch. Obviously, BYU is trying to beef up their schedule in an attempt to improve their chances of making a BCS bowl game this year. The two teams are pretty similar, but there is no doubt that Oklahoma has the better talent across the board. BYU has lost 12 straight games to ranked non-conference opponents dating back to 1998. I don’t expect that streak to end here. Oklahoma should win, but being the opener, it could be closer than some people think. That could help BYU down the road if they get on a winning streak. OU’s All-American caliber TE Jermaine Gresham is out for this game with a knee injury, so that could hamper Oklahoma’s offense a little bit and make things even closer.

#4 USC vs. San Jose State – At least this game is not a cupcake for USC, but I would expect a pretty sizeable win. Freshman QB Matt Barkley will make his highly anticipated debut and there is always a slight chance that he could make some mistakes that will cost the Trojans. The talent gap between these two teams will be too great however to be thinking an upset could happen. USC is 28-1 against WAC opponents and San Jose State has not beaten a ranked opponent since 2000. Expect those trends to hold.

#5 Alabama vs. #7 Virginia Tech – This is one of the two big marquee games this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. Alabama beat ACC member Clemson in the opener last year and will be looking to do the same to Virginia Tech. The loss of Virginia Tech RB Darren Evans (torn ACL) is a big loss for the Hokies. Alabama will be going with first-year starter Greg McElroy at QB, so this could turn into more of a defensive battle. I have to give the edge to Alabama in that department and they have the edge in the game overall. The level of competition in the SEC is higher than the ACC and I would expect Alabama to pull out the win here.

#6 Ohio State vs. Navy – Ohio State has not lost a home opener since 1978 and Navy is trying to replace their leading rushers from last season. It doesn’t take a genius to predict a comfortable win for the Buckeyes in this one. If they have any hopes of sneaking into the BCS title game, they can not afford to look bad against teams they should beat handily.

#8 Mississippi vs. Memphis – Expectations are running extremely high at Mississippi for the first time in a long while. The return of QB Jevan Snead has a great deal to do with that. Mississippi is expected to make a big run to win the SEC West and get a shot at Florida in the SEC Championship game this year. Remember, Mississippi was the only team to beat the Gators last year, so they have the talent and should have the inside track to win the West Division this year. Memphis last beat Ole Miss in 2004 but has lost four straight and it should be five straight after Sunday.

#9 Penn State vs. Akron –A home opener for Penn State against a MAC opponent, who Joe Paterno is 39-1 against in his career at Penn State…you do the math on that one.

#9 Oklahoma State vs. #13 Georgia – This is the other big marquee game of the weekend and it will be taking place in Stillwater, OK. Oklahoma State was blown out two years ago when they went to Georgia, so you can expect some payback coming here. The Cowboys return most of their offensive starters and will be looking to light up the scoreboard and try to join Texas and Oklahoma at the top of the Big 12 South. Georgia is trying to replace QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno, so they will have to put a premium on defense. In this case, I believe the offense will win out. The crowd should be electric and be able to carry Oklahoma State to a victory here. Expect QB Zac Robinson and WR Dez Bryant to hook up early and often in this one. Georgia might be able to keep things close, but I just don’t think they will be able to score enough points.

#11 LSU vs. Washington – LSU opens up on the road and is actually making the furthest trip away from home to play a game in the history of the school. Washington has lost 14 straight games and I expect that streak to continue. Even with a home game, Washington does not have enough talent to handle an SEC powerhouse like LSU. The Tigers will be competing with Mississippi this season to win the SEC West and that should be a fun race to witness. I expect LSU to start their quest with a comfortable win here.

#12 California vs. Maryland – This does not look to be a good opener for my home state Terps. California lost at Maryland last year, but the game started at 9 am PT, so there was plenty of talk that Cal “sleepwalked” through that game and that proved to be the difference. This year though, the game is at Cal and Cal is returning a better team than Maryland. The Golden Bears feature RB Jahvid Best, who might be the best player in nation not named Tebow, Bradford, or McCoy. There is talk that Cal could also challenge USC for the Pac 10 Title this year, so all signs are pointing to a sizeable Cal victory. I expect the Terps to maybe hang close for a half, but then lose by 2-3 touchdowns. I just don’t see Maryland having anything better than a mediocre season. They do sport a 6-2 record against top 25 teams the past two years, but Cal is 27-4 at home since 2004. Something has to give and it will be the Terps in this one.

#15 Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State – Georgia Tech brutalized Jacksonville State to open the 2008 season so it looks like they want to come back for more! Expect a blowout once again…thank you, drive through…

#18 Florida State vs. Miami, FL – This used to be the biggest game of opening weekend, but in recent years the game has lacked luster. Going into 2009 though, both Florida State and Miami are finally on the rise again. This is the first matchup since 2006 where either team has been ranked in the top 25. Both teams are returning solid QBs, but the Seminoles need to replace their top 2 receivers from last year. Obviously, Florida State is further along in the rebuilding process and should win this game. But Miami is slowly getting better and I think the potential exists for an upset. Do not be surprised if Miami keeps the game close or even ends up shocking FSU with a win.

#21 North Carolina vs. The Citadel – Butch Davis has come into UNC and turned things around for the Tar Heels. After doubling their win total last season, expectations are running high for continued success. They return 9 starters on defense and they have the potential to make some noise in the ACC this year if things come together. Look for UNC to get off to an easy start by beating up on The Citadel.

#22 Iowa vs. Northern Iowa – Iowa will look to get off to a good start and see what they have in the running game. RB Shonn Greene went to the NFL and RB Jewel Hampton is out for the season, so Iowa will have to turn to two untested backs for success. Northern Iowa is actually ranked #4 in the FCS (formerly Div. 1-AA), so they could hang around in this game. But Iowa has won 13 straight against UNI and their only loss came the first time these teams played…in 1898! Expect Iowa to take care of business…

#23 Notre Dame vs. Nevada – Notre Dame will get a stiff test in this one and we will get to see if all this BCS Bowl game talk is overblown or not. If Notre Dame is not prepared and careful, they could get upset in this game. Nevada is a solid team and they are coached well. Their QB, Colin Kaepernick, is a potential star in the making and the team has 2 RBs who have hit 1000 yards in a season before. I would not be surprised if Notre Dame loses this game. However, being at home and with high expectations and lots of returning talent, I expect the Fighting Irish to do enough to win.

#24 Nebraska vs. Florida Atlantic – Nebraska has slowly built their program back up and for the first time in a long while, they are favorites to win the Big 12 North. They are lucky all the firepower in the Big 12 is in the South Division, but they will get their shot in due time to see how good they are. I expect an easy victory at home over Florida Atlantic, who is probably just happy for the exposure and the payday like Charleston Southern.

#25 Kansas vs. Northern Colorado – Kansas is another program that has slowly built some success and they will try to continue it in 2009. This game should be a fairly easy cupcake win for them at home.

Special Note: Michigan vs. Western Michigan – With all the turmoil and rumors running rampant around the Michigan program this week, don’t be surprised if Western Michigan hangs around and gives the Wolverines trouble in this game.

The Game’s Quick Hits

Friday Night Smackdown: I have to say that I really enjoyed Smackdown this week and thought it was a great show. Smackdown continues to be better than Raw most every week and the difference is obvious and simple: Smackdown focuses more on in-ring action while Raw tries to mix in way too many pointless segments. I am really loving CM Punk’s character right now. He opened the show coming out dressed as Jeff Hardy and got some really intense heat as he trashed Hardy and his lifestyle and reminded us all he got rid of the “Charismatic Enabler” and is the only straight edge World Champion in history. It was a great segment and the interruption of it by Matt Hardy was pretty obvious, but it worked well to set up the main event between the two. I thought the match Punk and Hardy had was really solid. Punk continually attacked Hardy’s abdomen, which is what kept him out for a period due to surgery, and he stayed on it with every chance he got. I love when you see consistency in a match like that. Matt put up a really good fight and I was fine with the no contest ending. The match was a personal affair and not about wins and losses. The Undertaker coming out and preventing Punk from slamming that chair around Hardy’s neck into the ring post was perfect and the huge chokeslam on Punk through the announce table was a good punctuation to the evening.

The other major development of the evening was John Morrison defeating Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship. The WWE pulled a fast one on me here as I expected Dolph Ziggler to somehow get his title shot early and win the match. But it seems as if the WWE was determined to keep Ziggler’s title shot for Breaking Point and Morrison stepped in to keep the belt on a face. The match between Mysterio and Morrison was excellent though and one of the best on free TV this year. The action was at a fast pace for most of the match and there was a great deal of excitement and back and forth action. I was glad to see that Mysterio put in an excellent match and did not sandbag it because of his suspension. Morrison looked like a star in the ring and his victory was well deserved. Between this match and the Punk/Hardy main event, Smackdown really delivered a great show last night.

And on a last WWE note, it was reported that the WWE signed Ring of Honor’s Nigel McGuinness to a contract. I don’t really know anything about Nigel, but I have read he is about on the same level as Bryan Danielson. So it seems as if the rumor of WWE raiding ROH’s talent is indeed true. Hopefully both of them will get a fair chance to showcase their skills and will not be wasted.

- On Friday afternoon, University of Oregon football suspended RB LeGarrette Blount for the rest of the season after he punched Boise State player Byron Hout last night after Oregon’s 19-8 loss. The incident marred a great marquee matchup on college football’s opening night and Blount had to be dragged off the field and stopped from trying to get into the stands. In my opinion, this guy is a total idiot and there is no excuse for what he did. The suspension is justified and I am glad that Oregon acted swiftly and did not wait for the Pac 10 to render a decision. Hout should not have smacked Blount’s shoulder pads and taunted him after the game, but punching the man in return is absolutely uncalled for. There is no place for those types of actions and I think the University is sending a good message and they are sincere when they say that Blount’s actions are not what Oregon football is all about. Blount has had problems in the past and he seems like the type of young kid who just doesn’t get it. I sincerely hope that no NFL team decides to draft Blount. He looked terrible last night and has been lazy and out of shape for most of the offseason according to reports. I don’t see him as any sort of impact player and I hope he regrets his actions and can learn from them in time.

- Don’t pick up your phone if you are an offensive coordinator these days. The Buffalo Bills fired OC Turk Schonert on Friday and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. Schonert is now the 3rd OC to be fired before the season following Kansas City’s Chan Gailey and Tampa Bay’s Jeff Jagodzinski. This probably was another smart move though because Buffalo’s offense has been downright horrible in the preseason. You can blame Terrell Owens’ toe injury, but that can only go so far. People are wondering how teams can get rid of their OCs so close to the season starting. I actually think it is a great move because why would you suffer through bad play calling and coaching if you already have seen it developing and your offense is not progressing? At least these teams can now try a different direction that may produce results when the games start to count.

- NFL News and Notes: Vikings QB Brett Favre was fined $10,000 for the illegal crackback block he threw against Eugene Wilson of the Texans. There is nothing much to see here as this was expected. It was a dumb play all around and the Vikings should not be running that type of play unless they want Favre getting hurt…The Patriots are expected to cut backup QB Andrew Walter, which would leave rookie QB Brian Hoyer as the only one left on the roster to be Tom Brady’s backup. This is quite the bold move by the Patriots. Having Matt Cassel as a backup with at least some time in the system is one thing, but going with a rookie? They had better hope Brady stays healthy this year…

- Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk took advantage of optimal scoring conditions at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the 2nd leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Sixty-four players broke par in round 1, but Stricker and Furyk led the way with 8-under par rounds of 63 to share the lead by 2 shots over a pack of five players. Both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson struggled to make anything happen on day 1, shooting rounds of 1-under and even par, respectively. News came out later in that day that both have committed to playing in the BMW Championship next week as well. Again, Tiger looked uneasy out there and could not get into any sort of rhythm. He was fighting the putter again and he is really buried down the leaderboard. It seems like another one of those weeks where he will just be off his game enough not to contend. But I also said that last week and he almost won the tournament. It seems like the course this week will be playing a little easier though, and unless Tiger goes really low tomorrow, he will probably not come close to winning this week. Stricker seems to raise the level of his game and throwing that huge round out there playing in the same group with Tiger had to send a message. Tiger really needs to get on top of his game or he will wind up losing the FedEx Cup to Stricker.

- MLB News and Notes: Phillies P Pedro Martinez pitched seven strong innings Thursday night, giving up only 1 run and striking out 9 to outshine Tim Lincecum and beat the Giants 2-1. The win moved Martinez to 3-0 after 5 starts with the Phillies. I have to say I am pretty impressed with Pedro and he is proving the doubters wrong. In fact, it seems like a cure for many pitchers is moving from the AL to the NL. Brad Penny had a great outing recently and John Smoltz continues to pitch well for the Cardinals. Clearly, the AL is the dominant league offensively and can just beat teams into submission. Great pitching and small ball can be highly effective though, so it should be a great postseason this year to see who wins out. The Phillies look like they are rounding into form and becoming more formidable as they look to defend their championship…MLB fined Red Sox P Jonathan Papelbon $5,000 for slow play and taking too long to deliver his first pitch Tuesday night. Papelbon says that he has been fined more than $10,000 for slow play this year so far. Well, if you want to send a message and speed up play, hitting player’s wallets is the way to do it. I applaud the efforts because there is nothing worse than a baseball game that just drags on and on. Speeding up play and getting to the action can only help build MLB’s fan base and keep things exciting…

- NBA News and Notes: The Knicks are expected to sign restricted free agent David Lee to a 1-year deal worth between $6 and $8 million after Labor Day. There is also talk that Nate Robinson will be brought back on a 1-year deal as well. The Knicks like Lee, but president Donnie Walsh is saying he wants to maintain payroll flexibility for next season and will not do longer term contracts. The Knicks will be gunning for LeBron James, Chris Bosh and others next summer. I have no idea why LeBron would want to go to the Knicks. He has already rebuilt the Cavs and there would be better situations out there besides the Knicks, who can’t seem to do anything right in recent years. If I were James, I would stay away, but maybe he will be lured by the aura of New York and trying to make the Knicks great again…Restricted free agent Ramon Sessions agreed to a 4-year, $16 million contract with the Timberwolves and will be joining them as the Bucks are not expected to match the deal. The Timberwolves needed another PG to compete with Jonny Flynn after failing to bring Ricky Rubio over from Spain. Sessions also spurned the Knicks, who as stated previously are not doing any long term deals. This will increase speculation that the Timberwolves may try to move Rubio in a trade, but they still remain adamant that they will wait for Rubio. Well kudos to the Wolves for actually signing a player and getting him on your team…

- U.S. Open Update: Day 5 at the U.S. Open was very quiet with no notable upsets occurring on either the men’s and women’s sides of the draw. Both #2 seeds, Serena Williams on the women’s side and Andy Murray on the men’s side, advanced as did #3 seeds Venus Williams and Rafael Nadal.