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NFL Week 9 Predictions

Alright, let's just get right to it...

Kansas City 23, Miami 20

Atlanta 34, Indianapolis 17

New Orleans 31, Tampa Bay 28

NY Jets 27, Buffalo 24

Dallas 30, Seattle 15

Cleveland 26, Houston 21

San Francisco 21, Washington 13

Cincinnati 28, Tennessee 22

Oakland 19, Denver 16

NY Giants 35, New England 31

Arizona 31, St Louis 24

Green Bay 30, San Diego 25

Pittsburgh 24, Baltimore 20

Philadelphia 37, Chicago 21

Quick and precise, you are welcome

Prince to Texas? You Bet!

Look, I know a lot of people are going to call me a homer and say that I am simply a wishful thinking fan, but this article will spell out the reasons why Prince will be a Texas Ranger by February...

Alright, Pujols will stay in St Louis in my opinion, which creates a very unusual, non-traditional market for Prince. Boston, New York, and Philly all have established First Basemen, which means they will not be pursuing Fielder. So right there are 3 teams that will not pursue him, which leaves 27 more. St Louis will not pursue him, obviously, because they will have Pujols returning. 26. More teams with established 1B are the Chicago White Sox, the Atlanta Braves, the Dodgers (who don't have any money anyways), the Mariners have Smoak and seem to be set but don't count them out as they need some serious fan interest quickly, the Tigers, the Twins, the Royals, and the Reds. 18. Okay, now the teams that, by my estimation, do not have enough money: the Brewers, the A's, the Indians, the Rays, the Orioles, the D-Backs, the Padres, the Mets, the Pirates, the Astros, and I will say the Giants, even though they conceivably could probably swing it, but probably won't. 7. The places that are possible, but it is doubtful for financial reasons or the team has a 1B they probably believe in (this sounds similar to the last two categories, but these are teams with more of a gray area in these two spots). The Angels have Trumbo and Morales coming back from injury, the Rockies just locked up Tulo with a massive contract and could maybe stretch it, but probably not. 5. Alright, we are down to 5, let us examine each team and decide on the possibilities...

FLORIDA MARLINS

The Marlins. Look, I know they are getting the new stadium and want to bring in a guy that will bring fans out and make their ballpark investment worthwhile. I will be honest, I cannot imagine any professional athlete besides LeBron going to Florida of his own accord. It would be like Drew Brees, in Free Agency, going to Jacksonville over somewhere that actually cares about sports. Professional Sports do not work in Florida, and I will believe that until I die. Mark my words, he will not go to Florida, and I cannot imagine anyone thinks so.

These last 4 are all extremely viable options, so let's take it alphabetically...

CHICAGO CUBS

Alright, this is a very logical place for all parties. Prince will get paid and have the confidence and trust in the organization that they will continue to spend money and improve the team to make title runs. The Cubs would get that middle of the order power hitter that they can build a lineup around. If Prince is all about the money, he could easily end up in Chicago. However, they are at least 3 years away from contending, and, being almost 28, he may not want to wait until he is 31 to MAYBE compete for a World Series Title. Don't ever count out Theo Epstein, though, as he always seems to get his man. They will throw some money at Prince, and he could very well end up playing at Wrigley.

TEXAS RANGERS

The Rangers' one black hole has been at 1B, and this could immediately change the entire dynamic of the Texas Rangers. The good thing about the Rangers is that they have the lineup to compete for the next 5 to 6 years, and have already been to back-to-back World Series. This is an extremely logical choice for Prince, as Texas should be able to match the Cubbies in dollars. Jon Daniels now has the leeway and the money to work with under the new ownership and he is obviously capable of working some magic. Texas has one of the top minor league systems and is probably the most proactive organization in Latin America. Prince would be able to have the confidence that this team can compete for the next decade and even beyond that. Not to mention that sweet, sweet RF Porch.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Toronto is probably the most intriguing team in the running for Prince. It has been awhile since they made a huge splash like this in free agency, and have really been irrelevant for the better part of a decade. But, Alex Anthopoulos, the Jays' GM, is literally a worker of magic, and could very well land Prince. They have a hitter's park, which I'm sure Fielder would appreciate so as to pump up his potential Hall of Fame numbers. They have the money to spend as they have not used a whole lot in recent years, and their pitchers, most of which are solid, are fairly cheap. Plus, hitting behind Jose Bautista would be a real treat, as Prince could re-create the tandem he had in Milwaukee with Braun. Look for this situation to play out more and more as we go deeper into free agency.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

This is the one that most people seem to think will come to fruition, and, once again, it just comes down to whether or not he wants money or titles. If he wants the money, Washington is the place for him, much like Jayson Werth, but if he wants titles, soon anyways, he will not pursue the Nationals. Although, don't get me wrong, there are some advantages to going to Washington. They have a young, good pitching staff that will only continue to improve. Zimmerman is top notch and Strasburg, when healthy, could be as good as there is in the Majors. Also, hitting between Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth would provide protection and many RBI opportunities for Fielder. Washington is a very logical place for the Prince to go.

Look, all 4 of these final places make sense for Fielder, but there is only one place where he can step in and be given a shot at a ring in year one, and that is Texas. Now, I cannot say with certainty what kind of guy Prince Fielder is, and whether or not money or championships is his main goal, but I know for most players, the opportunity to win titles is what drives them to get better. If I were a betting man, I would say Prince Fielder winds up playing First Base for the Texas Rangers for the next 7 years, at 23 million a pop. Book it.

Look at this week's CFB Predictions below...

CFB Top 25 Predictions for 11/3-5

Alright, the biggest weekend in SEC History is coming up, and you have come to the right place for predictions and analysis, so let's get started with my Top 25 Predictions...

#25 Southern Miss 44, East Carolina 31

Should be a high scoring affair, but I think USM stays in fine form and takes down the Pirates on the road.

#24 West Virginia 30, Louisville 21

WVU has been struggling lately on both sides of the ball and on the flip side, Louisville has been hitting their stride in the last couple weeks. I think WVU wins in Morgantown, but it won't be easy.

#23 Georgia Tech is off this week (Next: vs Virginia Tech, Nov. 10

#22 Auburn is off this ween (Next: @ Georgia, Nov. 12)

#21 Texas 37, Texas Tech 24

Texas is playing adequately right now, and should win out before the hate-match that will be Thanksgiving Day in College Station.

#20 Wisconsin 35, Purdue 19

Wisconsin is far better than they have been playing recently, and, I believe, are still the best Big Ten team. They should handle Purdue in Camp Randall without much problem.

UCLA 31, #19 Arizona State 26

UCLA has been playing very well recently and are threatening to become bowl eligible, and I think they will take down overrated Arizona State in the Rose Bowl this weekend. The Pac-12, outside of Oregon and Stanford, is a complete mess this year.

#18 Georgia 31, New Mexico State 10

UGA is without its top 2 RBs, and may struggle a bit on offense, but either way, this is an off week before Auburn comes to town for the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

#17 Michigan State 33, Minnesota 14

MSU has been playing well, but Minnesota finally got a win last week also. Still, no problem for Sparty in East Lansing.

#16 Penn State is off this week (Next: vs #10 Nebraska, Nov. 12)

#15 Michigan 31, Iowa 24

Michigan is good, not great, and Iowa is always tough at home, always. The Wolverines will struggle but pull out a win as they head towards a showdown for the Legends Division of the Big Ten.

#14 Kansas State- see #3 Oklahoma State

#13 Houston 55, UAB 14

Houston should have absolutely zero problem with the Blazers in Birmingham this weekend.

#12 Virginia Tech is off this week (Next: @ #23 Georgia Tech, Nov. 10)

#11 Clemson is off this week (Next: vs Wake Forest, Nov. 12)

Northwestern 38, #10 Nebraska 34

Alright, look, it's a long shot, but Northwestern seems to have one of those big upsets every season, and, even though this is in Lincoln, I think the Huskers are overrated and the Wildcats have a shot at surprising them.

#9 South Carolina- see #7 Arkansas

#8 Oregon 41, Washington 26

The Huskies have been so impressive this year and nobody is a bigger Sarkisian fan than myself, but Oregon is playing some good ball right now and I don't think Washington can score with the Ducks.

#7 Arkansas 38, #9 South Carolina 14

In a game that could settle the East, yes, the East, Arkansas should run away with it. Carolina's only form of offense was Marcus Lattimore, and they have been struggling mightily ever since he went down with the injury. The Hogs have barely survived the past couple weeks and are vastly overrated, but they should handle this one no problem.

#6 Oklahoma 52, Texas A&M 35

Note: Texas A&M will lead 35-3 at half before failing to score or stop OU in the 2nd half and will lose by 17. Oh, I only wish I was kidding. Seriously though, OU should take care of business at home, but the Ags will put up a fight and should stay in it almost all the way through.

#5 Boise State 49, UNLV 17

No problem yet again for the Broncos as they breeze towards another Fiesta Bowl berth and another massive payday.

#4 Stanford 52, Oregon State 21

Andrew Lu--- I mean Stanford should win yet again this week and remain as the team that seems to be just hanging around, waiting for their opportunity to jump into the National Championship mix.

#3 Oklahoma State 62, #14 Kansas State 24

Kansas State is by far, FAR, the most overrated team in America. And, while the Pokes are also overrated, they are far better than the Cats, and should beat them down terribly in Stillwater on Saturday.

GAME OF THE WEEK

#1 LSU 23, #2 Alabama 17

In what is being dubbed by some (by "some" I mean "me") as the Game of the Century, we got #1 vs #2 in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. This will be one of those games we remember for a long time. However, I think the road team gets it done, as LSU's defense is probably the best in the nation, and their offense has been a model of efficiency. Alabama's defense is basically equally as good, and their run game is on an equal plateau as LSU, and probably even better. This game, as so many do, will come down to QB play, and the experience on the LSU side will pay great dividends as they head to victory. Although Lee may not be the most talented, both he and Jefferson have experience in games like this, while McCarron has never been in anything close to this. So, let's get this thing going!

#1 LSU @ #2 Alabama

In our lifetimes, there will only be a handful of games of which you will remember every last detail. For me, it is, unfortunately, Game 6 of this year's World Series and the '03 Fiesta Bowl, but, on a better note, the '02 Rose Bowl, Game 2 and Game 6 of this year's NBA Finals, Game 6 of the '99 Stanley Cup, and, oddly, stuck in my mind forever is the '10 National Championship basketball game that Butler almost won. But, anyways, I digress. Saturday's game at Bryant-Denny Stadium between top-ranked Louisiana State and second-ranked Alabama has a chance to be one of those games that you will remember forever. We remember these games for the game itself, obviously, but, more importantly, we remember the atmosphere, the crowd noise, the people we are with, and much more. So, when you watch this game on Saturday, pay extra attention to the atmosphere. Pay extra attention to the love of College Football in, without a doubt, football's best conference at one of college football's most tradition-rich schools. This is going to be a game, but also, an environment for the ages.

It is so rare that a game comes along that even the casual sports fan is required to clear his Saturday night schedule in order to watch it. People have asked me why I support the BCS. Listen, I am pro-playoff all the way, but as long as we have this system that clearly is not going anywhere, we may as well embrace it for some of its good parts, of which it has many. This game on Saturday night IS that good part. This is, in a sense, a National Championship Game in its own right. At the very least, it is a very important playoff game. College Football under the current system is the only sport than can provide the drama that we are seeing this week in CFB. If this were the NFL, this game would be essentially meaningless. If this were the NBA, the MLB, CBB, NHL, this game would mean absolutely NOTHING. But, lucky for us, this game is College Football, and now we have one of the greatest regular season games to ever come to fruition.

Enjoy this game on Saturday night. There is no telling how long it will be before we witness another game of this magnitude between the 2 de facto best teams in America. Enjoy this, I beg you. Don't get to looking ahead and don't try to think of Fantasy Football on Sunday or another game that is going on at the time. Don't even sit in misery replaying certain baseball games from last weekend over and over in your head like I have been for days now. Just watch this game, and enjoy the spectacle, the glory, the uniqueness that is College Football. It is flawed in many ways, but it is great in so many more. Set your TV and your minds, Saturday, 7 pm on CBS. Take advantage of the opportunity laid before you and watch this game. College Football, 'nuff said.

World Famous College Basketball Preview

This is Matt Green's World Famous College Basketball Preview. This year I will give you my pick for each major conference winner, my sleeper in each conference, the best player in each conference and what teams from that conference that I believe will be in the tournament. For the smaller, one-bid conferences, I will only pick who I believe will win the conference. Furthermore, I will pick my preseason All-Americans, and make my bracket predictions from the Sweet 16 all the way to the National Championship. Also, I will preview, as always, the College Hoops Tip-off Marathon in 2 weeks, so look for that. So, without further ado, let's get it going...

Here is the format for each conference:

Conference Name

My pick for Conference Winner

My Sleeper for that conference

The best player in that conference

Which teams from that conference will make the tournament

Which teams have a chance at the tourney but right now are not in

ACC

Duke

Miami

Harrison Barnes, F, UNC

Duke, UNC, Flor St, Clem, UVA, Miami

MD, BC, NC State, VT

Atlantic 10

Temple

St Bonaventure

Tu Holloway, G, Xavier

Tem, Xav, Day

StBon, Rich

Big East

Syracuse

Rutgers

Kris Joseph, F, Syracuse

Syr, Lou, Conn, Pitt, Rut, Marq, Cincy, WVU

G'Town, Nova, StJ, ND

Big Ten

Wisconsin

Nebraska

Jared Sullinger, F-C, Ohio State

Wisc, OHSt, Mich, Pur, MichSt, Minn, Ind

Neb, Ill, PSU

Big 12

Kansas

Kansas St

Perry Jones III, F, Baylor

Kan, Mizz, Bay, A&M, Tex

KSU, OKSt, IowaSt

CAA

George Mason

Drexel

Ryan Pearson, F, George Mason

Mason

ODU, VCU, Drexel

Conference USA

Memphis

UCF

Marcus Jordan, G, UCF

Mem, UCF

UAB, Marsh, UTEP

Missouri Valley

Indiana State

Creighton

Kyle Weems, F, Missouri State

IndSt, Creigh

WichSt, MOSt, NorIA

Mountain West

UNLV

Boise State

Drew Gordon, F, New Mexico

UNLV, New Mexico

SDSU, ColoSt, Boise

Pac-12

Arizona

Stanford

Reeves Nelson, F, UCLA

Arizona, UCLA, Wazzu, Wash, Cal, Oreg

Stan, Colo

SEC

Vanderbilt

Tennessee

Terrence Jones, F, Kentucky

Vandy, UK, Flor, UGA, Bama

Tenn, MissSt, SoCar

West Coast

Gonzaga

BYU

Elias Harris, F, Gonzaga

Zags, SMC

BYU

America East: Boston Univ

Atlantic Sun: Belmont

Big Sky: Montana

Big South: Coastal Carolina

Big West: Long Beach St

Horizon: Butler

Ivy: Harvard

MAAC: Iona

MAC: Kent St

MEAC: Bethune-Cookman

NEC: Long Island

OVC: Austin Peay

Patriot: Bucknell

SoCon: Davidson

Southland: Nicholls St

SWAC: Alabama St

Summit: Oral Roberts

Sun Belt: Florida Atlantic

WAC: New Mexico St

Preseason All-Americans

G: Tu Holloway, Xavier

G: Peyton Siva, Louisville

F: Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

F: Terrence Jones, Kentucky

F: Jared Sullinger, Ohio St

Bracket Predictions from Sweet 16 forward

(Sweet 16)

EAST

1 Syracuse over 4 Arizona

3 Kentucky over 2 Ohio State

WEST

1 North Carolina over 4 Gonzaga

3 Vanderbilt over 10 Washington State

MIDWEST

1 Louisville over 4 Florida

3 Missouri over 7 Cal

SOUTH

4 Michigan over 1 Duke

3 Memphis over 2 UConn

(Elite 8)

EAST

1 Syracuse over 3 Kentucky

WEST

1 North Carolina over 3 Vanderbilt

MIDWEST

3 Missouri over 1 Louisville

SOUTH

4 Michigan over 3 Memphis

FINAL 4 & NC

1 North Carolina over 1 Syracuse

3 Missouri over 4 Michigan

1 North Carolina over 3 Missouri

So, even though I am not a huge fan, Roy Williams has too much talent in Chapel Hill to fail this year...

Look for my College Hoops Tipoff Marathon Preview coming in a couple weeks! College Hoops is starting, get to your TV everyone...

Year of the Napoli

It was January 25. College Basketball was in full swing heading toward the madness and the NFL playoffs were the only thing capturing headlines. So when I heard that the Rangers had traded Frank Francisco for Mike Napoli, I did not think much of it. I mean, I gave it a thought. I was happy to get rid of Francisco's dead weight and I remember saying, verbatum to my friend that "I'm glad we got Napoli, if only for the sole reason that he scares me when we play the Angels."

But he has turned out to be so much more.

In World Series Game 5, just like World Series Game 4, ALDS Game 3, and, despite the loss, World Series Game 1, he delivered once again. Should we be getting used to this? Is Napoli really one of the best hitters in the game? Listen, I'm no baseball expert. I'm a fan and I do know A LOT more than the casual fan, but I am no expert. But from what I have seen, this guy has to be one of the best hitters in baseball. He can hit the gaps, he can hit the lines, he can hit for power, he can get big singles, he works the count, he takes walks, he moves runners over and, in my opinion the most important aspect of hitting, he is CLUTCH. Let's not forget that in the 6th Inning, he just missed a 3-run homer to center as it died on the warning track. On a different night, that ball probably would have been gone. I cannot find enough words to say about this guy except that, since the All-Star break, he has been the 2nd best hitter in baseball, behind only Miguel Cabrera. Yes, better than Pujols, better than Braun, Fielder, Kemp (barely), better than Cano, Adrian Gonzalez and anyone else you can come up with. In July, he had a slash line of .443/.500/.820, in August it was .304/.388/.559, and in September it was an absurd .429/.518/.843. These numbers since the break are astronomically high, especially for a catcher. Did I mention he had 8 September homers, 19 September RBIs and 14 walks to only 16 strikeouts. But, this is not the only aspect of his game that has been exceptional...

Napoli's defense has been the difference here in Texas. We used to have a catcher problem. We did have a catcher problem every 3 of 5 games earlier in the season, before Napoli became the regular catcher over Torrealba. Ranger fans, we don't have a problem anymore. In the regular season, he had a caught stealing % of 36.4, which would have been third in the majors if he had qualified for league lead with enough innings. In 12 postseason games, he has caught 3 of 5 base stealers, and has not committed a single error (well, behind the plate, anyway). His catcher's ERA is a staggering 3.24, which ranks second in the majors in postseason play behind only Kelly Shoppach. The number is even more staggering when you take Yorvit Torrealba's CERA into account at 10.34. Even though Torrealba has only started two games behind the plate, that is still a terrible number and bumps Napoli's value even higher. During the season, Napoli had a WAR (wins above replacement) of 5.6 which is well, well above-average. There just is not enough to say about this guy.

If you say that you saw Napoli doing this before the year started, you are a bald-faced liar. Sure, even I thought he would have a decent year, platoon at First, Catcher and DH, probably playing 4 out every 5 games or so, hitting around .260 or .270 with an OBP around .340 or so. But not this. not a season slash line of.320/.414/.631. Those numbers DO NOT HAPPEN for a guy that was unwanted by a club that does not have any good catchers on their roster. A guy that lasted about 3 minutes in Toronto. A guy that started the season as the backup to a career .260 hitter. It has been unbelievable to see the astronomical rise of our beloved NAP-O-LI, and we need him just one more time...

Just one more game...

MLB Playoff Predictions

ALDS

Yankees over Tigers in 5

Rangers over Rays in 5

NLDS

Phillies over Cardinals in 4

Brewers over D'Backs in 5

ALCS

Yankees over Rangers in 6

NLCS

Brewers over Phillies in 7

World Series

Brewers over Yankees in 7

Brewers are gonna win it all! But Go Rangers...

NCAA Week 5 Preview and Predictions

WHAT TO WATCH 4

It should be a great week of football, as 1) Conference Play begins with 3 big early season matchups. Florida hosts Alabama, Wisconsin plays Nebraska and Clemson travels to Virginia Tech. All 3 of these matchups could wind up deciding the conference race, and more importantly, the national championship race as all 6 teams are undefeated. 2) Bounce-back Week is needed from Texas A&M and Arkansas. The two play each other, so the loser will immediately have suffered a 2-game losing streak and be completely knocked out of any National Title running, if they are not already. Next, the 3) Heisman Race heats up this week, as Robert Griffin faces a decent opponent finally, Marcus Lattimore faces the defending champs, Kellen Moore faces the team that beat him last year, and Andrew Luck faces a decent UCLA team. The 4) New Conference Alignment takes center stage this week as new Big Ten team Nebraska plays their first game in their new diggs, and Texas A&M plays former and future conference opponent Arkansas in Arlington.

PREDICTIONS

#25 Arizona State 34, Oregon State 21- The Devils host the Beavers in the desert coming off a big win over USC, and need the avoid the hangover defeat to the lowly visitors from Corvallis.

Northwestern 31, #24 Illinois 26- I am sticking with my beloved Wildcats this week as they take on the Illini. If Persa does not play, however, I pick Illinois to win in Champaign.

#23 Florida State is off this week (Next game is 10/8 @ Wake Forest)

#22 West Virginia 50, Bowling Green 17- Should be no problem at home for the Mountaineers.

#21 Georgia Tech 38, North Carolina State 28- NC State is struggling with turnovers, and with the way GT handles the Time of Possession, you will not get a whole lot of chances. If they can play smart ball, they have a chance.

#20 TCU 38, SMU 35- I think this will be a heck of a game in Fort Worth, but the Horned Frogs should be able to eek out the win at home with another solid offensive performance from their underrated QB Casey Pachall.

#19 Michigan 31, Minnesota 14- Minnesota may very well be the worst team in College Football, and Michigan is rolling at home right now.

#18 Arkansas 35, #14 Texas A&M 30- Should be a great game in Arlington, but if Brandon Weeden can rip up the Aggies like he did last week, there is no reason that Tyler Wilson can't do the same.

Iowa State 31, #17 Texas 30- This is my shocker! Iowa State is being overlooked by everyone, but after they stun the Horns in Ames this week, they will be a forced to be reckoned with.

#16 South Florida 26, Pitt 17- Pitt has an explosive offensive system, but they have not fully figured it out yet, and Skip Holtz has his Bulls playing as well as anybody right now.

#15 Baylor 41, Kansas State 28- It should be pretty close throughout, and the Wildcats should give the Bears all they can handle, but Griffin and the Bears will pull away in the end with their playmakers.

#14 Texas A&M- See #18 Arkansas

#13 Clemson- See #11 Virginia Tech

GAME OF THE WEEK: #12 Florida 23, #3 Alabama 20- It is McCarron's first road start against a decent team in a crazy environment beneath the lights in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field. What a game this should be as Saban squares off with his former protege in Will Muschamp. I think Muschamp's D comes out inspired and Brantley, Rainey, Demps and the gang get just enough offense for the Gators to pull out the win.

#11 Virginia Tech 27, #13 Clemson 25- Clemson may very well win this game, but with a freshman QB in his first big road start, I gotta go with the Hokies at home, even though they have been maybe the most erratic team in CFB thus far.

#10 South Carolina 31, Auburn 27- Watch, the one week I actually pick South Carolina, they will lose. Auburn could definitely win this, but I do not see it happening in Columbia.

#9 Oregon is off this week (Next game is 10/6 vs California)

#8 Nebraska- see #7 Wisconsin

#7 Wisconsin 38, #8 Nebraska 24- The Huskers first Big Ten game should be crazy inside Camp Randall with Gameday there. The Huskers have been solid on offense, but their offense, if defended the right way, is not that difficult to stop. Nebraska's defense has been awful, while Wisconsin's O has been second to none. The Badgers should run all over Nebraska as Russell Wilson carves them up in the passing game as well.

#6 Stanford 41, UCLA 17- UCLA may score some points due to the injury to Shane Scove for Stanford, but the Cardinal should have absolutely no problem winning this one in Palo Alto.

#5 Oklahoma State is off this week (Next game is 10/8 vs Kansas)

#4 Boise State 56, Nevada 31- Nevada can put up some points, but this is not the same Wolfpack team as last season. The Broncos should have no problem winning on the familiar blue turf.

#3 Alabama- see #12 Florida

#2 Oklahoma 63, Ball State 3- Come on...

#1 LSU 44, Kentucky 10- I give Kentucky 10 points out of generosity.

Current BCS Bowl Projections:

Rose: Nebraska vs Oregon

Fiesta: Oklahoma vs Stanford

Sugar: Oklahoma State vs Florida

Orange: Virginia Tech vs West Virginia

BCS Title: Wisconsin vs LSU

"I don't believe what I just saw!"

Ahh, those immortal words rang out from the microphone of Jack Buck after Kirk Gibson's pinch-hit, walk-off HR in Game 1 of the '88 World Series, but I think they can once again be applied, this time to tonight's baseball action.

For about 5 minutes after the last game ended, I simply sat here trying to comprehend exactly what it was that had just happened on the TV screens in front of me. In a 10 minute span, everything changed. The Yankees had runners at the corners with nobody out and it was almost certain that they would get a run.

Meanwhile, in Baltimore, the Red Sox were headed to the bottom of the 9th with a one-run lead and the man they call "Pap" entering the game as one of the best closers in the majors, and probably the best closer in Red Sox history. It was obvious. The Red Sox were going to overcome their September choke and attend the party that is October baseball.

(Back in Tampa)

Greg Golson, on third base with nobody out, gets caught off third base by Evan Longoria after a ground ball, and leaves the Yankees with first and second and one out, not as ideal as runners on the corners, but still a good-looking opportunity to score at least a run. Just a single run, say Boston fans.

(Back in Baltimore)

The Red Sox had missed an opportunity in the top of the 9th with the bases loaded and one out. They had grounded into a double play and walked away with nothing. It was okay though, because Papelbon was not going to give up a run to the players due up for the Orioles. It was Adam Jones, a solid player but with a bad history against Pap, Mark Reynolds, who strikes out more than I would if I played, and Chris Davis, who has similar strikeout problems which is why he was traded midseason from Texas to the lowly Orioles. Nolan Reimold and Robert Andino would come up as the 4th and 5th guys, but that's doubtful. Surely, the Sox could not blow against THEM. Not these scrubs.

Pap quickly retired Jones and Reynolds on strikeouts and Chris Davis is coming up next, it's in the bag!

(Back in Tampa)

Somehow, some way, the resilient Rays got out of the jam they were facing against the mighty Yankees. a groundout to second with 2 outs got them out of it, and they headed to the bottom of the 12th in a 7-7 tie. And guess who was due up, their hero, Evan Longoria. You can see where this is headed...

(Back in Baltimore)

Chris Davis doubles down the line off Pap with 2 outs. Pinch-runner comes in. It's okay though, right? Because Nolan Reimold is up, and, even though he has been swinging a hot bat, he is only hitting .245 for the season and is facing a great closer trying to make up for a loss late last week.

2 strikes on Reimold, this one is over. Wait, he got smart, he took one the other way! It's in the gap! Here comes the tying run! It's 3-3 and Reimold is safe at second! O man, Pap is mad, he will get this guy, extra innings are on tap.

Robert Andino up. 1 strike, 2 outs, Reimold on second and... o my! Base hit to left! Wait! Did Carl Crawford just catch that? NO! Its in for a hit! Crawford throws to the plate! SAFE!!!!!! Orioles Win! The Red Sox are on the ropes! Alright, it's okay, Tampa has used all their good pitchers and pinch-hitters, they can't possibly beat the Yankees in the 12th.

(Back in Tampa)

It's tied still, 7-7, in the 12th inning. Evan Longoria comes up. He knew the Orioles had tied the game in Baltimore as he was stepping into the box. As the count went to 1-1 on him, he heard the cheers of the crowd, Boston had lost! If the Rays can win, they will go back to the postseason. Said Longoria after the game, "After the 2nd strike on me, the last thing on my mind was a walk-off homer." Well, it was 1-2... O my! Pitch in the dirt away, Longoria almost, ALMOST, chased it. 2-2 pitch, inside, liner down the line, could be a double, wait, it's staying up, its OUTTA HERE!!!!!!!!! RAYS WIN!!!!! Tampa Bay is going to the playoffs in the most extraordinary fashion that I have ever seen. 3 (THREE) minutes after Boston blew it, Tampa clinched it.

Tampa Bay trailed 7-0 early in the game. They trailed 7-6 with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the bottom of the 9th. Dan Johnson, who had not played all night, was pinch-hitting. He has not hit a homer since April, that's APRIL, 8th, so just get on base, Dan, and we will go from there. Down the line and it's a HR!!!!!!! I don't believe it. I really do not.

This was the most incredible night of baseball I have ever witnessed, and I cannot wait to watch some more as we head into October. No matter what, there is only one thing that is for sure...

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP