Notre Dame Gets it Done; Knights End Remarkable Run

       Saturday night, the Fighting Irish got their toughest test of the season: the Oklahoma Sooners, ranked #8 in all of the land. OU got it started in the 1st quarter after Michael Hunnicutt knocked through a 28-yarder, and it was 3-0 Sooners. Then, Notre Dame started their parade with a 62-yard run by Cierre Wood for the touchdown that gave the Irish a 7-3 lead going into the 2nd quarter. With 6 minutes left in the half, Notre Dame kicker Kyle Brindza extended the lead with a 34-yard field goal, so it was a 7-point affair. Then, within the final seconds of the 2nd half, Oaklahoma was threatening to tie the game as it was 1st and Goal on the 1. It had seemed like the Sooners had just tied the game with a 1-yard run, but a late flag was thrown onto the field for a Holding penalty on an offensive lineman that brought them back 10 yards. After this, the Sooners would have to settle for a FG, and it was a 4-point affair after the 1st half. After a scoreless 3rd, a Kyle Brindza field goal put the Irish up by a touchdown. Then a 1-yard run by Blake Bell tied the game with a little over 9 minutes left. After that it was all Irish.  Touchdowns by Everett Golson and Theo Riddick, another Brindza kick, and a huge interception by Manti T'eo wrapped it up with a final of 30-13 Notre Dame. After the new BCS Standings, they are now #3 in the country, right behind Alabama and Kansas State.
       Meanwhile, Rutgers was at home facing Kent State, who to that point had never won a game against a Big East team. The Scarlet Knights got it started as Nick Borgese kicked a 42-yard field goal and gave themselves a 3-0 lead. Not much later, Zack Hitchens scored on a 1-yard pass and gave Kent State a lead they would build on in an upset win. Touchdowns by Mark Farkler, Dri Harcher, Traylon Durham, and Josh Boyle built up 35 points for the Golden Flashes. Rutgers was able to counter with Tim Wright, Brandon Coleman, and Jawan Jamison TD's to make up for many of those points given up, but it would not be enough as Kentucky State pulled off a major upset against the #15 team in the country in New Jersey in a 35-23 rout of the Knights. With this crushing loss, Rutgers has completely fallen off the rankings heading into a Week 10 bye.
       I apologize for such a late weekly College Football update as I was one of many affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Isles Brooklyn-Bound!

       The New York Islanders announced on Wednesday that after the 2014-15 season, when their lease  is up on the Nassau Veterans Coliseum, they will be moving to Brooklyn's Barclays Center, current home of the Brooklyn Nets, after 45 years in Long Island. The move has been in talks for quite a while as quite a few venues have been in talk for this falling franchise, such as Brooklyn, Kansas City (who already has an arena ready), and even Seattle (which is getting an arena built). Personally, I could tell a move was well in the making and wasn't very far away. However, what surprises me most is that the Islanders owner Charles Wang has already announced that the team's name and logo will not change after the move.
       "We are the New York Islanders." Wang was quoted saying.
       I know that Brooklyn is technically a part of Long Island, but since 1972, this team has been representing Long Island, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, as their one and only team. In fact, Long Island can even be seen in the back of the Isles' logo. If they move to Brooklyn and keep everything the same, it would be somewhat of a mockery to Long Island. Also, if they're moving in with the BROOKLYN Nets shouldn't they be named Brooklyn as well like the Knicks and Rangers. Well, there's still a couple of years until the move, so maybe Wang will rethink keeping the Islanders the Islanders.      

Irish Sneak Past BYU; Rutgers Dominates Again

       On Saturday, Notre Dame headed back to South Bend after being ranked #5 in all of the land to take on BYU for the first time since they became an independent. However, the Fighting Irish were without their starting Freshman QB Everett Golson, so Junior Tommy Rees, who was the starter last year, got the start for Brian Kelly's squad. In the 1st quarter, Tyler Eifert caught a 4-yard pass from Rees that gave Notre Dame a 7-0 lead. That was all of the Irish's scoring in the first half as the Cougars scored 14 points with TDs from Cody Hoffman and Kanekua Friel, and it was 14-7 at the half. In the 3rd, Notre Dame kicker Kyle Brindza booted a 24-yarder through the posts that made it a 4-point game. Then came the deciding score early in the 4th quarter when George Atkinson III ran for 2 yards to give Notre Dame a 17-14 victory to remain undefeated at 7-0. However, after scoring 17 points against a tough Cougar defense, they are still #5 in the country.
        Meanwhile, #15 Rutgers took the short drive up the Turnpike to take on un-ranked Temple. By the end of the first half, the Scarlet Knights were down early after Cody Booth caught a 4-yard pass from Chris Coyer and a 49-yard FG by Brandon McManus. But in the 2nd half, Rutgers blew it open  with 3 touchdowns in the 3rd by Tim Wright, Jawan Jamison, and mark Harrison and 2 in the 4th with a 10-yard reception from Gary Nova and a Khaseem Greene 20-yard fumble return to give the Knights a 35-10 win. However, Rutgers as well did not move on the rankings.

Yankees 2012 Postseason Recap

       After a 95-win season and a win of the AL East on the final day of the year, the Bombers went into the Postseason as the #1 seed in the American League and began the Division Series against the Orioles after their Wild Card victory over Texas. After 8 innings in Game 1, the game was tied at 1 when Russell Martin smacked a solo shot that gave the Yanks a lead they wouldn't surrender as they went into Game 2 with a 1-0 series lead. In that game, a great start by Andy Petite was wasted by the Bomber offense as a Nate McLouth single was all it took for a 2-1 win for Baltimore. Then it was back to the Bronx where it was 2-1 Orioles in the bottom of the ninth in Game 3 before a solo shot by Raul Ibanez tied the game. This was the score until the 12th when "Mr. Oct-Tuuuuuuuu-Bre" did it again to put the Yankees 1 win away from the ALCS. Game 4 was a pitcher's duel won by Baltimore which kept them alive for at least another night. So, it all came down to Game 5, where Carston Charles Sabathia showed why the Yankees signed 4 years ago with a complete-game 3-hitter that put the Yanks in the American League Championship Series against a familiar foe in the Detroit Tigers, who beat the Oakland A's in 5 games to get to the ALCS.
       In Game 1, it was all Detroit until the bottom of the ninth. With the score 4-0 Tigers, Ichiro hit a 2-run shot that made the game 4-2. Then, with 2 outs, Raul saved the Yankees again with a game-tying 2-run homer to tie the game and save the Yankees. In the 14th, the Tigers took the lead in the game and the series 1-0. In the 14th as well, Yankee captain Derek Jeter slid on his ankle and broke it  to take him out for the rest of the season d will needth 4-5 months to recover. The nest night, a blown call helped the Tigers pounce on Hiroki Kuroda and win the game 3-0 and take a 2-0 lead back to Hockeytown.The Yanks would fare no better there as they were swept by Detroit who is off to the World Series for the first time since 2006. In the ALCS, New York never lead in a game and was outscored 19-6 in the series.

Game 1: Bombers Get it Started

       4 days after winning their division on their last day of the year, the Yankees were in Baltimore for Game 1 of the ALDS against the Orioles. New York got it started in the 1st when Ichiro continues to prove why the Yanks traded for him, hitting a double into left that scored Jeter and put the Bombers up 1-0. In the bottom of the second, starter CC Sabathia was in a jam and gave up a single to Nate McClouth that scored 2 and gave the Birds their first lead. In the top of the fourth, with runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out, Mark Teixeira hit one of the scoreboard in right that scored Alex Rodriguez that nodded the game up at 2. This was all until the 9th, when Russel Martin broke the tie with a solo shot off Orioles closer Jim Johnson to break the tie, 3-2 New York. An Ichiro RBI infield single and a Robinson Cano RBI double broke it open as the Yankees scored 5 runs in the top of the ninth. Sabathia went 8 2/3, only one out shy of the complete game as the Yankees took Game 1 by the final score of 7-2. Tonight, Andy Pettite takes the mound at 8:05 pm ET as the Yanks try to take both games in Baltimore.

Yankees-Orioles: The First Intra-Divisional Series

       After a Yankee win on the final day of the regular season, New York clinched the AL East on Wednesday. Last night, the Yanks learned they would be playing the Baltimore Orioles, the team they were racing all September, after beating the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card Game. With this year's hectic schedule, the first 2 games of the series will be played at Camden Yards where both CC Sabathia and Andy Pettite will start. Those 2 guys will always give you a legit start every 5 days. With those two big guns starting at a place where the Yankees score a lot of runs will be very helpful when you're starting the series on the road. If the Yankees win both of those matchups, they can go back to the Stadium for 3 games and only have to win 1. Of course, pitching doesn't get you through a 5-game series alone. Another key point for the Yankees not only in this series but throughout all of the Playoffs is to keep the bat in the hands of Robinson Cano scorching at all costs. Cano has always been a big part   of the Yankees-Orioles rivalry and is one of the best hitters in the 20-year history of Camden Yards so that is important. If the Yankees can keep these important keys running and remain playing like the Bronx Bombers of the past few years, New York has a real good chance of advancing further on into the Postseason.