The blog is again coming to you from the beautiful North Georgia mountains:
For the last time this year, lets go to the ballpark:
Fenway Park was definitely rocking last night, and the curse of the Bambino is now definitely and officially over and done with. The Boston Red Sox are World Series champions again, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 yesterday to take the series in six games. Last night, it was a little more of the same for the Sox, as John Lackey dominated and the bullpen again closed out any hopes for a rally that the Cards may have had. Shane Victorino drove in four runs in the game six win. David Ortiz took home the World Series MVP trophy, hitting a cool .688, and reached base on 10 of his 25 plate appearances in the series. Even with Ortiz’ lofty batting average, the Sox won the series despite a team batting average of only .211, the lowest by a WS winner since the Oakland A’s in 1972, who hit .209. Boston’s pitching staff finished with a team ERA of 1.84 in the series, lowest in a single series since the 1983 Baltimore Orioles (1.60). The Duck Dynasty lookalikes completed a season in which they went from worst to first and clinched the title in the shadow of the green monster for the first time since 1918.
Some reports from Boston:
To quote Babe Ruth one last time this season: “Baseball was, is, and always will be, the best game in the world.”
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: The Big Papi, David Ortiz, became the third oldest player to win the World Series MVP. Who are the two oldest? The answer comes later, alligator.
Let’s go to the gridiron:
The Dolphins will host the Cincinnati Bengals here at the Seven Names Stadium tonight, and you can watch the game on NFL Network, starting at 8:30 pm.
All is definitely not well with the Dolphins.
Starting offensive tackle Jonathan Martin has left the team after an altercation in the lunch room with teammates. Here are a couple of reports from the local media trying to figure out what happened and what is going on:
Isn’t it just a tad embarrassing that it took the three local area newspapers, the Miami Herald, the Sun Sentinel, and the Palm Beach Post two days to figure out that Martin had left the team? I’m glad they all have a slew of writers covering this team.
My take: Unless the Fins can find a way to turn this around immediately, and that means winning tonight against the Bengals, head coach Joe Philbin is going to shoulder the blame on losing his team. Reports out of the team’s training facility are that Martin was the butt of jokes and ribbing from his teammates, and there is a huge divide among the players inside the locker room. Sources are also saying that there have been issues among the coaching staff, including a public argument between Philbin and one of his top assistants. The offense run by Mike Sherman looks a bit old and stale, and if Ryan Tannehill is going to grow as a QB, they need to take advantage of his strengths, not magnify his shortcomings. This team is beginning to show signs of a total breakdown.
More from Armando Salguero:
In my NFL picks, much better results last week. I finished 4-2-1 against the spread, and 6-1 straight up. My record so far this season: 28-25-3 against the spread, and 36-20 straight up.
Here is this week’s NFL schedule, along with today’s pick and opening odds:
THURSDAY
Cincinnati @ Miami +3 8:25 pm NFL Network
I guess we will find out tonight how strong and resilient this Dolphin team is. The eternal optimist inside me tells me that the defense shows up tonight, and the offense explodes against the Bengals. The realist inside me says that the Bengals will take advantage of a team in shambles and beat the Dolphins at the Seven Names Stadium. Guess I’ll go with the Bengals and give the three points. That spread may grow as kickoff time approaches.
I’ll have the picks for Sunday in tomorrow’s blog.
SUNDAY
Kansas City @ Buffalo +4 1:00 pm CBS
Tennessee @ St. Louis +3 1:00 pm CBS
San Diego @ Washington +1 1:00 pm CBS
Minnesota @ Dallas -9 1:00 pm FOX
New Orleans @ NY Jets +6 1:00 pm FOX
Atlanta @ Carolina -9 1:00 pm FOX
Philadelphia @ Oakland -1 4:05 pm FOX
Tampa @ Seattle -18 4:05 pm FOX
Baltimore @ Cleveland +3 4:25 pm CBS
Pittsburgh @ New England -8 4:25 pm CBS
Indianapolis @ Houston -1 8:30 pm NBC
MONDAY
Chicago @ Green Bay -11 8:30 pm ESPN
Here’s ESPN’s NFL Nation Blog, with more news from all around the league:
Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs.
In college football, the #7 University of Miami Hurricanes will be in Tallahassee to take on the #3 Florida State Seminoles on Saturday. Game time is 8:00 pm and you can watch it on ABC. This is the first time that the Canes and Seminoles have been matched up as top-ten teams since 2003. FSU is more than a three-touchdown favorite over the Canes.
Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan ave all the latest from Coral Gables:
The FIU Panthers host East Carolina at the Cage on Saturday. East Carolina has scored 50 points or more three times this season, and comes into the game as a 21 1/2 point favorite over FIU.
Here’s all the latest from FIU, courtesy of David J. Neal:
Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and #3-ranked FSU:
From Gainesville and the University of Florida, who fell from the top-25 after losing to Missouri on Saturday:
Strange and disturbing news out of Boca Raton and Florida Atlantic University. Head football coach Carl Pelini was forced to resign after accusations of illegal drug use. Not by the players, but by the coach and one of his assistants.
Here are the NCAA Football rankings for this week:
Here is the complete schedule in College Football for week 10, including TV listings:
Moving to the hardwood,
The Heat lost to the Philadelphia 76ers last night, 114-110. The Heat spotted the 76ers a 22-point lead in the first quarter, and came back to take a nine-point lead in the third quarter. They could’t hold that lead, and got outscored 29-16 in the fourth quarter.
Next game for the Heat is tomorrow, in Brooklyn, against the Nets.
Here is the Heat’s complete regular season schedule:
On the NHL ice, George Richards has all the latest on the Panthers:
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I’m selling three lots totaling a little over five acres in the beautiful North Carolina mountains, overlooking the New River, a quick 35-minute drive from Boone and Blowing Rock. Click here to see some photos and feel free to contact me if you have any questions:
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THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: The Big Papi, David Ortiz, became the third oldest player to win the World Series MVP. Who are the two oldest?
Willie Stargell was 39 years and 225 days old when he won it with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979. Randy Johnson was 38 years and 55 days old when he took home the trophy in 2001 with Arizona.
Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
