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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
FINAL. WEEKEND.
Today is October 1 and several teams are already in the midst of playoff baseball. Three story lines for the final three games:
1. AL West. A's, Angels in a dead heat. Oakland sends Mulder, Zito and Hudson vs. Colon, Escobar and Washburn.
Prediction: None of the A's Big Three has beaten a winning team since Aug. 3. Teams split the first two games, leaving a winner-takes-all on Sunday. And we know how Oakland has done in those games recently ...
2. NL wild card. Cubs one game back of Astros and Giants after wasting Mark Prior's 16-K effort Thursday. Cubs host Braves, needing a sweep. Astros host Rockies, having won 15 straight at home. Giants travel to L.A.
Prediction: No team with a player named "Nomar" has ever won the World Series! Astros sweep the Rockies to eliminate the Cubs, leaving the ...
3. NL West. Giants need to sweep Dodgers to force a tie. Could end with three-way wild-card tie between SF, LA and Houston. If that happens, Giants play Dodgers for NL West title and loser then plays Astros for the wild card.
Prediction: Wouldn't a three-way tie be nice? Big dilemma: If Astros need to win on Sunday, will they pitch Clemens on three days' rest or stay with scheduled starter Carlos Hernandez? Says here Giants lose one to L.A., but Clemens clinches WC (and Cy Young) with Sunday win.
Ichiro Watch
No playoffs at stake as M's host Rangers, with Ichiro two hits from breaking record.
Prediction: See ya, George. Ichiro dribbles a five-hopper up the middle in the 7th inning on Friday for hit No. 258.
NFL Preview
Sorry, count me off the Jacksonville bandwagon.
The Jags have been lucky so far, ranking 32nd in the NFL in offense and just eighth in defense. That's not enough D to contain the red-hot Peyton Manning. Colts easily cover the 4-point spread and win by two TDs.
Other key subplots:
Giants (2-1) at Packers (1-2). Can Warner keep producing? Can the Packers stop anyone?
Falcons (3-0) at Panthers (1-1). Vick averaging just 150 yards passing per game. Atlanta won't stay unbeaten at that rate.
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CHECK OUT THE QUICKIE EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING! |
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| WHO'S GOT THE MOMENTUM ... |
Jerome Williams: Returns from DL to pitch SF to 4-1 win
Mount St. Helens: Rumbling again, although '80 repeat is slim
John Kerry: Pundits say he takes first debate with ease |
| ... AND WHO'S GOT NO MO' |
Matt Morris: Cards' likely Game 1 starter gives up 6 R
Adam Dunn: Passes Bobby Bonds for single-season K record
Corey Patterson: Hit .209 with 41 (!) K's in September |
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Bengals (1-2) at Steelers (2-1). Which young QB will make the fewest mistakes? Palmer has lowly 60.9 passer rating and five picks in three games.
College Preview
It's all about the SEC, with No. 13 LSU at No. 3 Georgia and No. 9 Auburn at No. 8 Tennessee.
It's all about the freshmen: QB Erik Ainge draws his first start for the Vols; he already has 8 TDs in three games. For UGA, RB Danny Ware returns from a bruised lung to face his first real test. Think Georgia has a little revenge on its mind? Lost twice last season to LSU.
Elsewhere: No. 15 Purdue at Notre Dame. Boilermakers QB Kyle Orton has become leading Heisman contender with 13/0 TD/INT ratio so far.
Yankees Clinch East
The Yankees reach 100 wins for the third straight season, the first time they've done that in franchise history, and become the fifth team to do it, following the '97-99 Braves, '69-71 Orioles, '42-44 Cardinals and '29-31 Philly A's.
Sorry, congrats are not in order. With that much talent and that much payroll, this team should have won 110.
AL MVP
If Vladimir Guerrero continues his big September -- .347, 8 HRs, 20 RBI -- into October and Angels win the West, look for him to vault past Ramirez and Sheffield to claim the AL MVP (don't want to hear any David Ortiz arguments.)
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Rodman to Nuggets?
Dennis Rodman worked out with the Nuggets, trying to revive his career at age 43.
What's in it for Rodman? Attention? Money? A reality-TV series?
What's in it for Nuggets? "Denver needs somebody like me in the city," says Rodman. Doesn't Colorado have enough problems already?
Thanks, Edgar
A Quickie tip of the hat to the great Edgar Martinez, who is retiring.
At his peak, combining high average (two batting titles), on-base percentage (1st or 2nd in the AL six times) and power, Edgar was as devastating a hitter as any player this side of Barry Bonds in recent memory.
Mariner fans fondly remember one of the great single postseason series of all time, when Martinez hit .571 and drove in 10 runs, including a grand slam in Game 4 and game-winning double in Game 5, in the '95 ALDS win over the Yankees.
He's a Hall of Famer in my book.
--David Schoenfield, pinch-hitting for Dan Shanoff
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Nomar Garciaparra:
Down a run in the 12th with a runner on 1st and one out, he tries to bunt? Goodbye, Cubbies.
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Today on ESPN.com
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| Page 2: Simmons on the NFL |
| Morning Quickie! |
| Remembering the Expos |
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| More NFL Subplots |  OAK at HOU
| Collins steps in for Gannon
|  STL at SF
| Will Faulk get ball more?
|  WAS at CLE
| 'Skins need to win
|  JETS at MIA
| Seems ripe for an upset
|  PHI at CHI
| | How unstoppable is T.O.? |
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Navy remains unbeaten with last-second FG to beat Air Force 24-21. Midshipmen can win Commander-in-Chief for second straight year with win over Army (consider it done) ...
Indians P Kyle Denney, shot in the calf on Wednesday, is OK; apparently, cheerleader boots (part of his rookie hazing), may have helped stop serious injury ...
Eric Gagne pitches despite sore shoulder, but blows save. Dodgers rally to win anyway ...
Steve McNair didn't practice Thursday, but remains a game-time decision on starting status ...
Bill Parcells says in "60 Minutes" interview that players have tried to hit him during his career; let's just hope it wasn't a coked-up LT ...
More Kobe documents to be released by Eagle County. Does he accuse any other players of paying hush money to women? ...
NY Post reports Mets could bring back Bobby V as manager ...
Finally, a big congrats to regular Quickie writer Dan Shanoff and wife-to-be Margery, who are getting married this weekend ...
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