I LOVE OCTOBER BASEBALL!! 

The NL Championship series goes to a game 7 tonight, in San Francisco, when the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals will take the field to decide who goes on to the World Series against the Detroit Tigers.  Last night, the Giants got another brilliant performance from Ryan Vogelsong, who scattered four hits and struck out 9 in seven innings.  Game time tonight is 8:00 pm, and you can watch it on FOX, Channel 7 in Miami.  Matt Cain will toe the rubber for the Giants, while Kyle Lohse will start for the Cardinals.  The Giants, obviously, have the momentum right now after winning the last two games to force a seventh game, after erasing a 2-0 deficit against the Reds before winning that series.  We also need to remember that St. Louis is 6-0 in their last six games in which they have been facing elimination, but for that streak to continue, they are going to have to start catching the ball.  The Cards have allowed 10 unearned runs over this series, a new NLCS record.  The Cardinals will probably be without Matt Holliday, who was a late scratch yesterday do to lower back issues.  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Detroit Tigers are resting their weary bones as they get ready for the World Series.  Game One of the series will be on Wednesday, at either St. Louis or San Francisco.  

In other baseball news, the Marlins traded Heath Bell to the Arizona Diamondbacks for unknown minor league infielder Yordy Cabrera.  Cabrera played at Class A Lancaster in the California League last season, and hit a “robust” .232 in an injury-shortened season that saw him appear in only 60 games due to a right hip strain.  The 22-year-old Cabrera is currently playing in the Arizona Fall League for the Phoenix Desert Dogs.  The Marlins, by the way, will be responsible for $8 million of Bell’s remaining contract.  Thanks again, Jeffrey Loria.

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  When was the last time a home team lost a game seven after winning games five and six?  Tell you later, alligator. 

In the NFL yesterday,   

Tennessee Titans 35 Buffalo Bills 34 Buf -3.5

Chris Johnson ran for 196 yards on 18 carries

Indianapolis Colts 17 Cleveland Browns 13 Ind -1

Andrew Luck ran for two touchdowns

Green Bay Packers 30 St. Louis Rams 20 StL +5

Good day for Aaron Rodgers.  30-37 for 342 yards and 3 TDs

Minnesota Vikings 21            Arizona Cardinals 14 Min - 6

Adrian Peterson had 153 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries

New York Giants 27 Washington Redskins 23      NY -5.5

Eli Manning does it again, connecting on a 77-yard TD pass with Victor Cruz with less than two minutes left in the game

New Orleans Saints 35          Tampa Bay Bucs 28 TB +2.5

Drew Brees threw four touchdown passes, all in the first half

Dallas Cowboys 19 Carolina Panthers 14 Car +1

Dan Bailey kicked four field goals, including two in the last 3 1/2 minutes

Houston Texans 43 Baltimore Ravens 13 Hou -6.5

Arian Foster ran for two touchdowns, Matt Schaub threw for two more.  Memo to the world:  The Texans are really good.

Oakland Raiders 26 Jacksonville Jaguars 23 (ot) Oak -4

Sebastian Janikowski’s connected on a 40 yard FG in OT, his fourth of the game

New England Patriots 29 New York Jets 26 (ot) NE -10.5

Stephen Gostkowski tied the game with a 43-yard FG as time expired in regulation, and won it with another one in OT.

Pittsburgh Steelers 24 Cincinnati Bengals 17 Cin +1

Chris Rainey scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter

In tonight’s Monday Night Football extravaganza,

Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears

Chi -6.5 8:30 pm    ESPN

In my weekly picks against the spread on Friday, I was 4-0 yesterday, waiting for tonight’s Detroit-Chicago matchup.  I got the Packers -5 vs St.L, the Saints -1 vs Tampa, the Jets +10 vs NE, and the Steelers -1 vs Cincinnati.  I took the Lions plus the 6.5 points vs Chicago.  I’m thinking it that these defenses are going to keep it close tonight.  

In college football, FIU continues to find ways to lose ballgames, and Saturday was no exception. The Panthers blew a 37-21 third-quarter lead before losing to Troy 38-37 on a field goal in the closing seconds of the game.  This has been a looooooooong season so far for Coach Mario Cristobal, and it doesn’t get any easier this week, when the Panthers host Western Kentucky at 6:00 pm.  Good time to turn it around against a very good Hilltopper team.  I invite you to catch game broadcast (in English) on your smartphone or on the computer at www.fiusports.com.  I will be handling the play-by-play, and Pete Pelegrin will be handling the color analysis.

The University of Miami Hurricanes lost again on Saturday, against Florida State, 33-20.  The Canes are now 4-4, and are off until Thursday, November 1st, when the Hokies of Virginia Tech visit the Seven-Names Stadium.  Believe me when I tell you that PLENTY of good seats are still available, and you can watch the game on ESPN.  In the latest BCS ratings, Alabama is #1, followed by Florida at #2, Kansas State #3, Oregon is fourth, and Notre Dame is fifth.  LSU, Oregon State, Oklahoma, USC, and Georgia round out the top ten.  Florida State is #12.  Make a note of it:  The SEC is pretty damn good.

The Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, 104-101.  Their last three exhibition games will be tomorrow, in Charlotte, against the Bobcats, and then at home against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, and on Friday against the New Orleans Hornets.  The team opens the regular season on Tuesday, October 30th, against the Boston Celtics.  BTW, I still really dislike NBA exhibition games.  

By the way, what happened to professional hockey.  Is the NHL still in existence?  What?  The players and the league are still in a labor dispute?  STUPID!  This reminds me of the question:  If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?  

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  When was the last time a home team lost a game seven after winning games five and six?  You have to go back 40 years, when the Cincinnati Reds lost game 7 of the 1972 World Series to the Oakland A’s.     

Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com.  I will have a half-hour show tomorrow (TUESDAY) at 10:30 am, as well.  

Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.