This and That
Each week I'll talk about the world of sports...
•What an incredible weekend in baseball. First, Johan Santana showed on Saturday why the Mets gave him all of that cash. On three days rest, he pitched a real gem. Unfortunately, the Mets bullpen proved to be a weakness on Sunday as the Marlins hit a pair of late home runs to send the Mets packing. It was farewell to Shea Stadium and a tough one for Mets fans. CC Sabathia was brilliant in his own right, giving up one unearned runs while throwing on three days rest on Saturday. Ryan Braun has been clutch on several occasions down the home stretch, including the key home run on Sunday. The Brewers are in the postseason for the first time since 1982.
•The Twins and White Sox are going down to the wire, with the winner facing the Rays in Tampa. Ron Gardenhire has done an incredible job considering this team lost Santana and Torii Hunter. Year in and year out, the Twins compete because the club emulates the efforts of its manager. He gets the most out of his talent and the farm system produces players who can perform.
•It is hard to believe the Yankees are not in the playoffs. My heart goes out to Derek Jeter, who is a winner. This is the first time he is not in the postseason. I wonder what he will be doing this week & will he be watching the postseason? It is hard to figure that the Rays beat out the Red Sox and Yankees to win the AL East after all of those losing seasons. That is why Joe Maddon should be Manager of the Year.
•It was upset city in college football. USC was stunned at Oregon State. Florida fell at home to Mississippi. In all, six ranked teams lost to unranked opponents. It just shows how there is parity in college football. There are only nine teams that were ranked in the preseason poll still unbeaten, and we have not even made it to October yet.
•I have been impressed with Penn State early this season. Derrick Williams put on a show against Illinois, scoring on a rushing touchdown, a touchdown reception and a 94-yard kickoff return. He became the first player in the Joe Paterno era to score touchdowns those three different ways. The Big Ten is very interesting, especially after Michigan rallied from a 19-0 halftime deficit to beat Wisconsin. Now the Badgers have to face Ohio State and the Buckeyes have Beanie Wells back in the lineup.
•Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford has to be mentioned among the Heisman leaders. He had another impressive outing against a TCU squad that was among the nation's premier defensive units entering the game. Bradford threw for a career-high 411 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
•For those who questioned Brett Favre, all he did was throw for six touchdowns in a win over Arizona. My friends, this is a competitor who can flat out throw the ball. He tied the franchise record held by Joe Namath. He is a winner and the Jets fans know he is a difference-maker.
•How about a salute to the Redskins following an upset win at Dallas? Jim Zorn is 3-1 as head coach and he has his team playing well after wins over New Orleans, Arizona and now the Cowboys. Jason Campbell is really maturing at quarterback.
