Monday, October 31, 2011

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (10/28-10/30)

10. NBA Cancels Regular Season Games Through Month of November
            And sadly, I’m not sure if anyone other than Bill Simmons or myself cares.    

9. Snowstorm Plows Up I-95 Corridor
            Blizzards in October make me want to relocate to a warm climate as soon as humanly possible.

8. Holding Penalty Costs Me $20…I Mean, Late FG Miss Gives Minnesota Win Over Panthers
            Needing to cover a 3.5-point spread (and more importantly to him, win the game), Cam Newton scrambled to the Vikings’ seven yard line for a first down with under 30 seconds to play. Unfortunately, Steve Smith was called for holding, pushing the Panthers back and forcing them to attempt a field goal. The snap was high, Olindo Mare’s kick went wide left, and another sad gambling tale was completed.  

7. LeSean McCoy Runs All Over Dallas
            It’s a good thing Rob Ryan kept two safeties 20 yards deep the entire game to prevent DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin from getting down the field. We couldn’t of used one of those guys to help stop the run.

6. Rams Ruin Suicide Pools and 3-Team Teasers Across the Country, Beat Saints
            I was one of the three-team teaser casualties, but at least Steven Jackson had a really strong day for one of my fantasy teams.

5. God’s QB Crushed By Lions
            Perhaps the Lord is attempting to teach his QB to learn from adversity. Either that, or the Broncos really stink.

4. Tony Stewart Makes Incredible Late Race Pass, Wins at Martinsville
            You aren’t supposed to pass people on the outside at Martinsville, but that’s what Smoke was able to do to Jimmie Johnson on the final restart of the race. He’s only eight points behind leader Carl Edwards with three races left.

3. Steelers Solve Patriots, Win 25-17
            For years, Pittsburgh has attempted to confuse Tom Brady with their complex zone blitz packages. For years, Brady has been able to figure out the blitz and carve the Steelers like a roast. Finally, Pittsburgh adjusted and played man-to-man. Without an elite receiver to beat tight coverage (sorry Patriots fans, Wes Welker is not elite), the Patriots were shut down. New England should expect to see more of this type of defense going forward.

2. Andrew Luck Leads Stanford Over USC in Triple Overtime
            With all of the tuck about “Suck for Luck” in relation to next year’s NFL Draft, it’s almost hard to remember that Luck is still playing in college. He was at his best after throwing a pick-6 late to give USC a seven-point lead. Luck rallied the team for a tying score with 30 seconds left, and then engineered three scoring drives in overtime.

1. St. Louis Cardinals Finish Improbable Run, Win World Series
            The team that would never say die, even when faced with multiple two-run deficits late in Game 6, took care of business Friday night. Their victory is all the more amazing when considering these following facts.

-         Their best player, and arguably the best player in baseball, broke off contract talks in March and is a free agent entering the 2012 season. Distractions like this usually kill teams.

-         Their best starting pitcher, a former Cy Young winner, underwent Tommy John surgery in February and was lost for the season.

-         They were 10.5 games back in the wild-card in August.

-         They were heavy underdogs to both the Phillies and Brewers before reaching the World Series.

-         Game 6 can’t be overstated. St. Louis ran out of position players, and was forced to trot out two weak left handed hitters and a pitcher in the bottom of the eleventh. Both hitters produced singles, and pitcher Kyle Lohse was able to bunt both of them into scoring position with one out.
 
            Hats off to the Cardinals. I hope for fans of the team that Albert Pujols resigns, but even if he leaves for more money, I have a feeling St. Louis will figure out a way to remain competitive.

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