Explosive Hitting in Game 1

Despite the match up of two all-star pitchers in Game 1 of the World Series (Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers took on Tim Lincecum of the SF Giants), the teams scored a total of 18 runs! The Giants pulled out the win with 11 runs and forced Rangers manager to pull Cliff Lee in the 5th inning. Between the two teams, 12 pitchers were used throughout the game!

Even with the great hitting by the Giants, former Giant all-star batter, Barry Bonds , stated that one day he would like to be a hitting coach for his old team. Bonds said that he "[has] a gift and sooner or later I have to give it away. . .I have to share it. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity here." Well, it doesn't look like the Giants need you Barry - especially since you are soon to face perjury charges in federal court for denying your use of steroids. Why don't you focus on not going to jail before you try to get a fresh start in baseball.

Big Paycheck worth a few Tough New Yorkers

Tune in tonight for Game 1 of the 2010 World Series where the Texas Rangers will take on the San Francisco Giants. Rangers superstar pitcher Cliff Lee will take the mound for likely his last series as a Ranger.

Lee has been in talks with the New York Yankees since July to be another, uh well sellout. Lee will be a free agent at the end of this year (meaning he is free to sign with another team). If traded to the Yankees, Lee will likely earn a contract between five and seven years for $100-$150 million!

Even after Lee's wife was spit on, heckled at, and taunted by the Yankees fans during the ALCS series agains the Rangers, she is still ready to move to the big city. Mrs. Lee and her hubby have been quick to excuse the Yanks from their disrespectful behavior. Clearly, the paycheck is worth a few spitballs and insults.

Baseball Update - Year of the Underdog?

It looks like it is going to be the year of the underdog in the MLB. The SF Giants have the opportunity to go to the World Series tonight by beating out the Philadelphia Phillies. And on Friday night, the Texas Rangers go home to try to knock out the almighty Yankees.

If these two teams can pull out wins it will be bigger than Jason Wu beating out the Oscar de la Rentas for Michele Obama's inaugural gown and Roberto Benigni beating out Tom Hanks and Nick Nolte for Best Actor at the Oscars for his performance in "Life is Beautiful." (Although Benigni's winning speech will never be topped by any game winning celebration!)

What you Missed this Weekend

Since I'm sure you were out enjoying the first taste of fall this weekend, here is a brief rundown of the major sports highlights from the weekend:

MLB:

Roy Oswalt led the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 to tie up the series against the San Francisco Giants. Oswalt not only struck out eight batters but he also raced around the bases to score a run. Philly fans had lots to cheer about Sunday, as the Philadelphia Eagles beat out the Atlanta Falcons, Michael Vick's old team, earlier in the day.

NFL:

Big Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers returned to his team with a win after being suspended due to some female indiscretions in the offseason.

The Dallas Cowboys, America's team, hit rock bottom by losing to the Minnesota Vikings yesterday. The Cowboys who were a Superbowl favorite have squandered all of their talent with penalties. There is little sympathy for the C'boys who continue to make the same penalties week after week - yes the players are at fault, but shouldn't the coaches do some better parenting too?

NCAA Football:

Wisconsin badgered the formerly No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, allowing Oklahoma to take the No. 1 spot in the BCS rankings. Boise State is still hanging around at No. 3 in the rankings, but its championship bowl series chances are not looking good.

The Next Round: MLB Playoff Picture

The MLB is divided into the American and National Leagues. Each league crowns a champion that then go head to head in the World Series. Well, after last night's Texas Rangers victory, the fields have been set. In the American League, the Texas Rangers will face the NY Yankees, and in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies are matched up against the San Francisco Giants.

American League Division Series:

The Yankees seem to always be a favorite, but the Rangers are coming with some strong momentum. The Rangers postseason series win against the Tampa Bay Rays is the first in the team's franchise history! And more importantly, it wasn't only the pitching of Cliff Lee that got them there, but also their heads up aggressive base running. (In last night's game, runs were scored from two infield hits!)

National League Division Series:
The pitching is the talk of the 2010 postseason, but the match up between the Phillies and Giants will be the ultimate pitching exhibition. The Phillies have the big three, Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels, agains the Giants' top four (Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Bumgarner). Every game of the series will be a showdown with these lineups. The Phillies are hoping to be the next dynasty - if they win this series they will be the first NL team to reach the World Series three years in a row since the 1940s! (Now mind you, there is much more these Phillies will have to prove in the World Series to truly be a dynasty.)

In Case you got Sleepy Last Night....

Rex Ryan and his Jets beat out Favre and his Vikes 29-20 last night in a torrential downpour in New York. It was all about the defenses until Favre woke up in the second half. He had some beautiful touchdown passes (his first connecting with newly signed Randy Moss), but also some bad snaps and an interception. Favre looked like an inconsistent rookie, but you still loved him, because he went for it all despite the tabloids and the tendonitis in his elbow. Yet, the Jets took the win and march on.

Earlier in the night the SF Giants closed out the series with the Atlanta Braves. The Giants get to move on towards the Pennant, but the night was about honoring Braves manager Bobby Cox who retired after last night's game. Cox managed for 29 years in the majors and had a record 14 straight division titles with the Braves! This is a feat that we will never again see in our lifetime. Cox was a winner, but his emotional farewell spoke to how much more this game meant to him.

Baseball Postseason

Just when you thought baseball season couldn't go on any longer...the playoffs have arrived. If there is any time to tune in, now is it.

The field has been whittled down to eight teams fighting for the title. Here are the match-ups in the first round (which are best of five game series):

American League

New York Yankees v. Minnesota Twins (Wed. 8:30 pm) - The Yanks won the title last year in the first year of a new stadium. This year, the Twins are showing off some new digs - will they have the same luck? The Yankees definitely have the edge in this series, but the Twins' fans will be out in full force trying to bring the win to their new home.

Texas Rangers v. Tampa Bay Rays (Wed. 1:30 pm) - The Rangers made it to the playoffs despite their bankruptcy legal battles. (Nolan Ryan becoming the owner of the team after beating out Mark Cuban with his bid.) Way to go, but despite the heart Ryan gives to his team, the Rays are hungry for the World Series and will be tough to beat.

National League

Cincinnati Reds v. Philadelphia Phillies (Wed. 5:00 pm) - The Phillies are hungry this year and arguably have the best team in baseball. Yet, the Reds will match up really well against the Phillies not only in the same red and white, but also in their pitching and offense. This series will come down to the end with whichever closer can stand out in the matching colors.

Atlanta Braves v. San Francisco Giants (Thurs. 9:30 pm) - The Braves and Giants are hot hot hot, both winning their last regular season game to make the playoffs. The momentum could not come at a better time, but the Braves are going to fall short in the talent department to the Giants.

Now is the time, pick a team and follow them for the next couple weeks. The matchups are sure to be exciting and give you something to root for as a world champion is crowned at the end of the month.