Inside Sports

Most professional athletes are gifted with great physical ability in order to compete at the highest level.  They can run fast, jump high, throw hard and hit harder.  We can’t even imagine what it’s like because we are nowhere near them in athletic prowess.

Not so in NASCAR, where great physical ability isn’t the key ingredient.  After Sunday morning, I can tell you that personally, having driven a stock car at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA.  It was an amazing adrenaline rush, racing around the track at 150mph and managing to avoid putting the car in the wall.  I’ll never be able to do what the players and teams I chronicle each week do, but for 16 laps I truly had a feel for what it might be like to compete in a professional sport.  But don’t worry Mom, I’m not planning to launch a new career as a NASCAR driver!

CHEERS for Denver Broncos QB Tim Tebow, pulling off a Miracle in Miami.  Down 15-0 with less than three minutes left, Tebow threw two TD passes and ran for a two-point conversion to tie the game and the Broncos went on to beat the Miami Dolphins in overtime.  Ignore the fact Tebow was 4-14 for 40 yards until the last two drives, which created the need for heroics.  Just concentrate on his 9-13 for 121 yards on those drives, the tying scores and the victory.
BOOS to the Dolphins, who gave Tebow as much help as possible without inspiring conspiracy theorists.  They fell apart on defense in the final minutes, failed to recover an onside kick, then fumbled the ball in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal.  “I’m trying to search for answers,” Miami running back Reggie Bush said. “I just keep coming back to embarrassing.”
CHEERS for the New Orleans Saints, who obliterated the Indianapolis Colts, 62-7.  The team tied the NFL records for most points scored and largest point differential in a game since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970.  QB Drew Brees was so good, he threw more TD passes (five) than incompletions (four) in the game.
CHEERS for Dallas Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray, who rushed for 253 yards in a 34-7 defeat of the St. Louis Rams.  How’s this for putting himself in good company? Murray’s total surpassed Emmitt Smith for best in Cowboys history, his 91-yard TD run on his first carry is 2nd only to Tony Dorsett’s 99-yard score and he passed Jim Brown for the most rushing yards ever against the Rams.
CHEERS for NY Jets WR Plaxico Burress, who caught three TD passes in a come-from-behind, 27-21 defeat of the San Diego Chargers.  The Jets offense had been shooting itself in the foot for much of the season, pun intended.  But down 11 points in the first half, QB Mark Sanchez found Burress for scores of 3, 4 and 3 yards to lead the team back.  Of course, it might not have been enough except…
BOOS to San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers, who clinched his team’s loss by running one of the worst two-minute drills ever by a veteran quarterback.  With 1:36 left and needing a touchdown to win, Rivers completed an 18-yard pass to start the drive, then bled all but 11 seconds off the clock while completing two short passes and then throwing an incompletion.  To cap off the disaster, Rivers threw the 4th down pass about 10 yards over his receiver’s head and out of bounds.  I know Rivers doesn’t curse but I bet his teammates and coaches had a few choice words for him after the debacle.
BOOS to the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks, who combined to play one of the worst games ever in normal conditions.  The final score was 6-3.  Need I say more?
BOOS to St. Louis Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols, who dodged the media Thursday night after his error helped the Texas Rangers win Game 2 of the World Series, 2-1.  Pujols claimed he was in the kitchen (where members of the media cannot go) and nobody on the Cardinals PR staff told him he was wanted for comment.  I’m pretty sure even Philip Rivers would call b#llsh*t on that explanation.
CHEERS for Pujols hitting three home runs Saturday night to help the Cardinals win Game 3, 16-7.  Pujols became just the 3rd player ever to hit three dingers in a single World Series game, joining Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson.  Rumor has it he popped back into the kitchen and baked a cake for reporters after the game.
CHEERS for baseball fans after Rangers P Derek Holland mowed down Pujols and the Cardinals Sunday night, 4-0.  Holland allowed just two hits and two walks in 8.1 innings of work as the Rangers evened the series at 2-2.  The series will go at least six games for just the second time in the last eight seasons and will cap off an incredible postseason of baseball.

THERE IT IS!

-Jake Stevens

Go big or go home seemed to be the theme circling Pac-12 football this past weekend, putting up big numbers up on the scoreboard. Leading the high scoring was no other than Stanford. QB Andrew Luck led his team to 7-0 after demolishing Washington (5-2) 65-21. Luck was 16-21 with 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. Luck’s perfect record and impressive playing time is solidifying his Heisman nomination.

Stanford is looking to go undefeated and USC looks to give them their first loss on the season. The Trojans advance to 6-1 after winning their first rivalry game of the season against Notre Dame (4-3). South Bend hosted their first night game in 21 years, and although the Irish put up a good fight they fell to the Trojans 31-17. USC returned the favor of winning on their turf, after Notre Dame beat USC last year at the Coliseum.

The running and passing game seemed to work for the Trojans as QB Matt Barkley was 24-35 for over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. RB Curtis McNeal had 24 carries for 118 yards, and WR Robert Woods had 12 receptions for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Trojans aren’t the only 6-1 team the Oregon Ducks are as well, and after pulling an impressive win over Colorado they plan to completely dominate the rest of the season. Oregon beat Colorado (1-7) 45-2, the landslide score didn’t shock many after Oregon took a 29-0 lead in the first quarter alone. Freshman QB Bryan Bennett was 11-20 for 156 and 2 touchdowns, while RB Kenjon Barner ran for 115 yards on 10 carries and 2 touchdowns.

Amongst other high scoring Cal released its anger on Utah redeeming themselves from the loss USC gave them last week. The Golden Bear beat the Utes 34-10, Oregon State also had a high scoring game beating Washington State 44-21, and Arizona improves its record to 2-5 after beating UCLA 48-12.

High scoring keeps fans coming, but the lingering questions remains if offense is having so much success is that reflecting on lack of defense?

Annual events can be wonderful…birthdays, anniversaries and rivalry games like Michigan vs Michigan State.  You know they are coming, you plan for them and expect to have a good time.  This weekend, I enjoyed celebrating the first two, but the Wolverines offensive coordinator made me miserable watching the third.

Here’s a tip for all you coaches out there…on 4th and inches when your team is rallying and the opposition is in the middle of an epic collapse and your QB is a great runner, just have him take the snap and fall forward so you have four chances to score the tying touchdown….just trust me on this.  OK, now that I’ve vented, here’s the rest of the weekend recap.

CHEERS for the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.  Nobody expected it before the season started, but their game was the marquee NFL matchup Sunday and played a game that went down to the wire, with much-maligned QB Alex Smith outdueling heavily-praised QB Matthew Stafford and throwing the game-winning TD pass on 4th down with less than two minutes remaining.
BOOS to head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz, who marred the conclusion by getting into a shoving and yelling match after the 49ers win.  Harbaugh has a history of run-ins when shaking hands, notoriously being asked, “What’s your deal?” by former USC and now Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll after running up the score against the Trojans when he was at Stanford.  Schwartz is a certifiable lunatic on the sidelines during games, so I’m not sure why he took offense at Harbaugh’s overexuberance, but maybe losing the game had something to do with him losing his mind.
BOOS to Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, who played not to lose late in the 4th quarter against the New England Patriots, which of course led directly to his team losing.  First, with the game tied at 13 and less than six minutes left, he called a shovel pass on 3rd and goal from the five-yard-line, instead of having QB Tony Romo throw it up to monster WR Dez Bryant, who was being single covered.  Then, clinging to the field goal lead after that disaster, the Cowboys forced a three-and-out, but Garrett ran three times and then punted it right back, leaving plenty of time for QB Tom Brady to drive the Pats to the winning TD.
CHEERS for the Oakland Raiders, beating the Cleveland Browns despite losing QB Jason Campbell to a broken collarbone.  Last year, they finished the season 8-8 for their first non-losing campaign since going to the Super Bowl in 2002.  This season, they have started out 4-2 and are a legitimate threat to the Chargers in the AFC West.
CHEERS for the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers reaching the World Series.  The Cardinals made a late season dash to steal the NL Wild Card and then knocked off the favored Phillies and Brewers.  The Rangers are going back to the Fall Classic for the second straight season with a team that overpowers opponents.  In a season that could’ve been marred by the death of fan Shannon Stone, the Rangers have done everything right off the field and are doing everything right on the field.
BOOS to the Michigan State Spartans, who played one of the dirtiest games I’ve ever seen on Saturday.  LB William Gholston dove late into a pile and then twisted the facemask of QB Denard Robinson, in what could only be described as an intent to injure.  Gholston later punched a Michigan lineman, yet amazingly wasn’t ejected.  After the game, Gholston said, “I was just trying to play with reckless abandonment. Just gotta watch the film. … Everybody make mistakes when you’re trying to go hard.”  Neither of those plays was a mistake.
DEAFENING BOOS to Michigan State’s defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, who said the Spartans were trying to play, “60 minutes of unnecessary roughness. I’m just happy it didn’t get called on every snap.”  It’s no wonder the players played dirty when their coach encourages it.  I wonder if Michigan State or the Big Ten conference will say or do anything about the despicable display.
CHEERS for the University of Virginia Cavaliers, defeating the previously unbeaten Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 24-21.  At least my sister, Alyse, had a reason to be happy about her school’s performance on Saturday!

THERE IT IS!

-Jake Stevens