Jalisco Takes Game 2 Of Mazatlan Series 5-0

Adrian Ramirez struck out the side in the top of the 9th to preserve the Charros' win for Graham Godfrey, a 5-0 shutout of the Venados de Mazatlan.

Jalisco started the scoring in the 1st when Leo Heras drew a walk, stole second and came around to score when the Venados catcher, Hector Peaz threw wildly to second. One batter, one run and the Charros led 1-0.

Jesus Lopez doubled to lead off the bottom of the 3rd for the Charros. Cory Vaughn popped up to the catcher but Japhet Amador drew a four pitch walk. Marquez Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Gabriel Gutierrez hit a sac fly to left to score Lopez. Jose Felix then singled to score Amador and the score was 3-0 Jalisco.

In the bottom of the 4th, Amadeo Zazueta singled to start the inning. Edson Garcia followed with a single and Zazueta stopped at second. Leo Heras singled to load the bases with no outs. Jesus Lopez hit into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Zazueta and got Garcia to third. Cory Vaughn walked. The Mazatlan pitcher, Fredy Quintero unleashed a wild pitch that scored Garcia for the 5-0 Jalisco lead and the final margin of victory.

Graham Godfrey picked up his third win of the season, pitching 7 strong innings giving up 6 hits and walking 1, while striking 5. Godfrey lowered his ERA to 1.57. Carlos Vazguez, Hugo Castellanos and Adrian Ramirez held the Venados hitless over the final two innings of the ballgame.

Jose Felix, Amadeo Zazueta and Edson Garcia, the 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the lineup for Jalisco all went 2 for 4 on the night. Marquez Smith was 1 for 3 with a double while Jesus Lopez was 1 for 3 with a double and a run scored.

The Charros improve to 13-9 on the year while Mazatlan falls 1/2 game behind Jalisco at 12-9. The Yaquiz de Obregon lost the 1st game of a double header to the Tomateros de Culiacn to fall to 12-8, statistically tied with the Charros for first place in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico

Charros Top League Leading Mazatlan 6-4

The Venados de Mazatlan, leading the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico, lost to the Charros de Jalisco on Tuesday, 6-4, to drop the first game of a crucial three game series in Zapopan.

Mazatlan broke out on top early, scoring two runs in the top of the 1st. With two outs, Heber Gomez walked and back-to-back doubles by Ryan Schimpf and Olmo Rosario had the Venados up 2-0.

The Charros got those runs back quickly in their half of the 1st on a double by Manny Rodriguez and a 2 run home run by Japhet Amador. The Charros had tied the game at 2 all.

Jalisco scored a run in the bottom of the 4th. Japhet Amador reached safely on an error by the Venados third baseman and took second on the throw. Jesus Cota singled to move Amador to third. Fernando Valenzuela singled to score Amador and the Charros had a 3-2 lead.

Mazatlan retook the lead in the top of the 5th. Charros starter, Ben Kozlowski walked the lead off man, Derrick Robinson who moved to second on a wild pitch. Albert Carreon walked. Kozlowski threw wildly on a sacrifice bunt by Heber Gomez and Robinson scored. Olmo Rosario grounded out to second to score Carreon and the Venados were on top 4-3.

Manny Rodriguez hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game again, this time at 4 apiece.

Japhet Amador hit his second home run of the night, and 6th of the year, to giive the Charros the 5-4 lead in the bottom of the 7th.

Gabriel Gutierrez led off the bottom of the 8th with his first home run of the year and the Charros  went on to defeat Mazatlan 6-4.

Manuel Flores picked up the win in relief of Kozlowski and lowered his ERA to 1.17. Brian Broderick got the save, his 7th of the year, by shutting out the Venados in the top of the 9th. Felipe Gonzalez took the loss for Mazatlan and his record dropped to 1-2 on the year.

Japhet Amador was 2 for 3 with 2 home runs, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Manny Rodriguez went 2 for 4 with a double, a home run, an RBI and 2 runs scored to raise his league leading batting average to .363. Rodriguez also leads the league in doubles with 11. Jesus Lopez was 2 for 4 to get his average back above .300. Gabriel Gutierrez went 1 for 4 with the solo home run.

Jalisco is now 12-9 on the year, 1/2 game behind the 12-8 Venados. The Yaquis de Obregon were rained out last night and lead the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico with a 12-7 record that leads the Charros by a full game.

Baseball Free Agency 2015

There are 165 official free agents following the 2014 major league baseball year.

Yahoo Sports writer, Jeff Passan has them ranked from #1 Max Scherzer, the Tigers ace, who reportedly wants a long term contract worth 200 Million Dollars to #165 Hiroyuki Nakajimi, of the A's, who hit .266 last year in Double A ball.

Some interesting players entering free agancy on Passan's list are, #134, Dan Uggla who will get $13 million from the Braves this year and possibly a World Series ring from the Giants. #120 Daisuke Matsuzaka...how fast does a shooting star fade? Ichiro Suzuki, in at #80. With two or so more good hitting years, Ichiro could reach 3,000 hits. Some team will need a 4th outfielder who can hit and still steal bases.

Read Jeff Passan's article here.

MLB Players Choose Their Best

The players of major league baseball have chosen their top players in several categories. The voting was done on the 16th of September, according to the MLB Players Union.

Clayton Kershaw, of the Dodgers, was picked in 3 categories.
  Player of the Year
  Marvin Miller Man of the Year
  NL Outstanding Pitcher
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami, was chosen as the NL Outstanding Player
Mike Trout, LA Angels, AL Outstanding Player
Seattle's Felix Hernandez was picked as the AL Outstanding Pitcher
Jose Abreu, White Sox, AL Outstanding Rookie
Jacob deGrom, Mets, NL Outstanding Rookie
Miami's Casey Magehee (NL) and Seattle's Chris Young (AL) were chosen as their league's Comeback Players.

Worst Fielders In MLB for 2014 Season

Ryan Fagan, writing for The Sporting News online has a list of the worst fielders for this past season in major league baseball. He uses sabermetric terms such as UZR/150 and even DRS as a tie breaker. To be honest I don't have a clue as to what they really mean, nor do most of my readers I presume, but his article/slideshow is good.

Only three of the 10 fielders came from playoff teams with two of those from the Tigers. Torii Hunter made the list. Some of us remember Torii as the best fielding outfielder not too long ago.

Here's the list:

1B - Ike Davis, Pirates
2B - Jose Altuve, Astros
SS - Yunel Escobar, Rays
3B - Nick Castellanos, Tigers
LF - Domonic Brown Phillies
CF - Dexter Fowler, Astros
RF - Torii Hunter, Tigers
C - Travis d'Arnaud, Mets
SP - Phil Hughes, Twins
RP - Sam Dyson, Marlins

Be sure to check out Fagan's article/slideshow here.

Giants "Luck" Runs Out Against Colts With 40-24 Loss

Andrew Luck completed 25 of 46 passes for 354 yards and 4 TDs against the Giants as the Colts beat the Giants 40-24. Eli Manning was 27 of 52 for 359 yards and 2 TDs in the losing cause.

This was the 1st game in Monday Night Football history when both quarterbacks threw for over 350 yards with no interceptions. The difference in this game may have been that Eli Manning overthrew his receivers, who appeared to have beaten the coverage in several instances, 11 times. The receivers can't help you when you are unable to get the ball close to them.

The Colt's Luck threw for 354 yards, his 5th consecutive road game with at least 350 yards, an NFL record. The NFL record book is at least as thick as the IRS instruction manual. The things they keep track of are amazing. Luck has also thrown for 300+ yards in seven straight games tying him for third place in NFL history with Peyton Manning. It was also Luck's 17th NFL game with over 300 yards in just 2 1/2 years of play.

The run game for both teams was average at best, just enough runs to keep the defense honest. Ahmad Bradshaw, ex Giants running back, led the Colt's with 50 yards on just 7 carries while the Giants could muster only 89 yards on the ground on 20 carries by 5 different backs, including Manning's 18 yards on 1 carry.

Tight End Coby Fleener caught a 32 yard TD from Luck. WR T.Y. Hilton (31 yards), WR Reggie Wayne (40 yards) and TE Dwayne Allen also caught TD passes from Luck. Corey Washington and Larry Donnell were on the receiving end of Manning's 2 TD passes.

Manning and Luck both fumbled twice but Eli lost one. Jonathan Newsome sacked Manning, causing a fumble that Sergio Brown returned to the Giants 4 yard line. Luck then threw his 4th TD pass, a 2 yard toss to TE Dwayne Allen.

The Colts sit atop the AFC South Division at 6-3, two games ahead of the much improved Houston Texans while the Giants fall to 3-5 in the NFC East, three games behind the Eagles and just 1/2 game in front of the hapless Redskins.

Dolphins Shutout Chargers 37-0

The Dolphin's Ryan Tannehill was 24 of 34 passing for 288 yards and 3 TDs in the Dolphins shutout win over the Chargers.

This was the most lopsided loss for the Chargers since 1996 and they were shutout for the 1st time since 1996.

The Chargers have not won in South Florida since 1982.

Pjilip Rivers was held to 138 yards passing on the day with a QB Rating of 31...his lowest since 2007.

Read the Yahoo Sports article here.

Arizona Cardinals Defeat Cowboys 28-17

DeMarco Murray had his record 8 game streak of 100+ yard rushing games halted by the Arizona Cardinals who held hin to 79 yards on 19 carries as Arizona won 28-17.

Carson Palmer was 22 of 34 for 249 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT for the Cardinals who improved to 7-1 on the year while the Cowboys lost their second game in a row to fall to 6-3, 1/2 game behind the Philadelphia Eagles who beat the Houston Texans 31-21.

Brandon Weeden, starting for the Cowboys in place of the injured Tony Romo, was 18 of 37 for 183 yards and a late 4th quarter touchdown pass to Dez Bryant but threw 2 INTs.

"You can't turn the ball over, and that is on me," Weeden said.

Read the ESPN recap here.

St. Louis Rams Beat 49ers 13-10

The St. Louis Rams sacked 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick 8 times, 6 times in the 1st half, and caused him to fumble at the Rams 1 yard line with 2 seconds left in the game as the Rams beat the 49ers 13-10

Read the ESPN recap here.

Brady Outduels Manning in 43-21 New England Win

Tom Brady threw for 333 yards with 4 TDs and 1 INT as the Patriots downed the Broncos and Peyton Manning 43-21. Manning was 34 of 57 for 438 yards and 2 TDs but he had 2 INTs.

Manning was forced to attempt so many passes because the Denver rushing game was held to 43 yards on 17 carries and the Broncos were down 27-7 at the half.

"Well, I don't usually stink, but I stunk today," said Manning, 38, who broke into the NFL in 1998, two years before Brady. "I don't make any excuses. "

Julian delman retned a put for a touchdown in the New England win. Brandon Browner and Rob Ninkovich had the interceptions of Manning passes for the Patriots.

Read the ESPN recap here.

Peyton Manning added these comments about the game in a post game press conference. Read it here.

Caneros Take Third Game With Charros 6-3

The Caneros de los Mochis took the series against the Charros 2 games to 1 with a 6-3 win on Sunday behind starter Tomas Solis and 5 relievers.

Murphy Smith took the loss for Jalisco lasting just 1 2/3 innings and giving up 4 runs on 5 hits. Luis Rodriguez relieved Smith and gave up the other two runs on 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 3. He gave up a solo home run to Rodolfo Amador.

Los Mochis scored four runs in the bottom of the 2nd. Saul Soto and Sandy Madera singled to lead off the inning. Brian Burgamy doubled to score Soto with Madera stopping at third. Madera scored on an Ernesto Molinet ground ball out to third. Roldolfo Amador doubled to drive in Burgamy and Justin Christian doubled to score Amador to give the Caneros the early 4-0 lead.

Antonio Lamas reached safely on a throwing error by the Charros third baseman to lead off the bottom of the 3rd. Charros reliever Luis Rodriguez uncorked a wild pitch that moved Lamas to third. With two outs, Brian Burgamy singled to plate Lamas and the Caneros led 5-0.

Jalisco scored in the top of the 4th. Marquez Smith led off with a double and went to third on a single by Gabriel Gutierrez. With one out, Jose Felix hit a sac fly to right to score Smith and the score was 5-1 Caneros.

Rodolfo Amador homered for los Mochis in the bottom of the 4th to give the Caneros the 6-1 lead.

Edwin Salas replaced Caneros starter, Tomas Solis, in the top of the 6th  and gave up a lead off solo home run to Japhet Amador, his fourth of the year, and the Charros had narrowed the lead to 6-2.

Jesus Lopez led off the top of the 7th with a single. Eduardo Arredondo singled to send Lopez to third and Arredondo took second on the throw. After Manny Rodriguez grounded out 1-3 and Oscar Verdugo was replaced by Fabian Cota for the Caneros, Jesus Cota hit a sac fly to left to score Lopez and Jalisco had pulled to within 3 runs, 6-3.

Jalisco threatened in the top of the 9th. With two outs, Manny Rodriguez doubled. Jesus Cota singled with Rodriguez stopping at third. Japhet Amador walked to load the bases but Marquez Smith struck out swinging to end the game.

Juan Noriega picked up the save, his first of the year, and Tomas Solis improved to 2-1 on the season while lowering his ERA to 2.05.

Gabriel Gutierrez went 3 for 4 for Jalisco and raised his batting average to .304. Japhet Amador was 2 for 4 with the home run. Eduardo Arredondo is starting to hit and went 2 for 4 with a double to raise his average to .207. Manny Rodriguez was 2 for 4 with his 10th double of the year to increase his season's batting average to .356.

Lakers Fall to 0-4 With Loss to Golden State 127-104

The Los Angeles Lakers are in for a rough season if the first 4 games are any indication. Klay Thompson scored 41 points for the Warriors and Stephen Curry added 31 with 10 assists as Golden State easily defeated the Lakers. The Lakers begin the season at 0-4.

Kobe had 28 points to lead the Lakers with Jordan Hill adding 23. Jeremy Lin had 6 points with 6 assists. Ed davis came off the bench to score 13 points with 6 rebounds for the Lakers.

Check out the ESPN recap here.

Kansas City Declines 2015 Option on Billy Butler

The Kansas City Royals have decided to pay Billy Butler a 1 Million dollar buyout of his contract rather than pay him 12.5 million dollars for the 2015 season.

"Obviously when you're on a team that won the American League, it would be tough to leave that team," Butler said. "It's the only organization I've ever been in. That plays a factor."

Read the ESPN article to see the business side of baseball. Butler had an off year but was an All-Star two years ago.

College Football Saturday

#1 Mississippi State struggled to defeat an unranked Arkansas team 17-10. Dak Prescott threw for 331 yards with a TD but threw 2 INTs. Arkansas' Alex Collins carried the ball 16 times for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Recap here.

#2 Florida State recovered from a 21 point deficit to beat #25 Louisville 42-31. Jameis Winston threw for 401 yards and 3 touchdowns but also threw 3 INTs to keep Louisville in the game. Will Gardner was 20 of 38 for 330 yards and a touchdown for Louisville.
Recap here.

#3 Auburn solidified it's hold on the 3rd spot in the playoff race by defeating #4 Ole Miss 35-31. Nick Marshall, Auburn, rushed for 50 yards and 2 TDs and Cameron Artis-Payne added 143 yards rushing with 2 TDs. Bo Wallace, for Ole Miss, threw for 341 yards and 2 TDs
Recap here.

#5 Oregon had an easy time with Stanford with the 45-16 victory. Marcus Mariota of Oregon was 19 of 30 passing for 258 yards and 2 TDs. The Ducks rushed for 264 yards on the day. Mariota also had 9 carries for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Recap here.

#7 TCU needed a Field Goal with no time on the clock to beat West Virginia in Morgan town 31-30.
Recap here.

Caneros Even Series With Charros with 5-4 Win

Orlando Lara started well for the Carros, giving up just one hit over the first two innings. In the bottom of the third though, it was a different story.

Emmanuel Avila led off the inning being hit by a pitch. Avila moved to third when Rodolfo Amador reached safely, and went to second, on throwing error by Lara on a sacrifice bunt. Antonio Lamas, tonight a Charros killer with 4 RBIs, then cleared the bases with a 3 run home run to left for the 3-0 Caneros lead. The Caneros then loaded the bases before Lara got Yancarlo Angulo to fly out to center to end the inning and avoid further damage.

The Charros got a run back in the top of the 4th. Gabriel Gutierrez reached second safely on a throwing error by the Caneros' shortstop. A ground ball to short moved Gutierrez to third who then scored on a single by Jose Felix to cut the Caneros lead to 3-1.

Jalisco took the lead in the top of the 5th, scoring three runs. Eduardo Arredondo and Manny Rodriguez singled and came around to score on Cory Vaughn's third home run of the year, a three run shot that put the Charros ahead 4-3.

The score remained 4-3 Charros until the bottom of the 7th. Rodolfo Amador singled to right to lead off the inning for los Mochis. Justin Christian sacrificed Amador to second. Ken Sigman came on in relief for the Charros and gave up a single to the first batter he faced, Antonio Lamas, that scored Amador to tie the game at 4.

The Caneros took the lead for good in the bottom of the 8th. With one out, Sandy Madera reached, and moved to second on a throwing error by Jesus Lopez. Brian Burgamy was intentionally walked. After a pitching change for the Charros, Ernesto Molinet doubled to score Madera and the Caneros had the 5-4 lead and the final margin of victory.

Manuel Flores took the loss for the Charros to fall to 0-1 on the year. Orlando Lara saw his ERA climb from 0.57 to 1.31 with the 2 earned runs he allowed. Andres Avila got the win for los Mochis.

The Caneros are now 9-10 on the season, still 3 1/2 games behind Mazatlan while the Charros fall to 11-8, a game and a half game out of the lead.

These two teams play the rubber match of the series today in los Mochis before the Charros return home to take on the league leading Venados de Mazatlan in a crucial three game set beginning on Tuesday the 4th of November.

Charros Shutout los Mochis 1-0 to Take Game 1

Jalisco won their 2nd game in a row by defeating the Caneros de los Mochis 1-0 last night behind the superb pitching of Marco Tovar and three relievers. Tovar picked up the win, to go 2-0 on the year, while Adrian Ramirez and Ivan Salas recorded holds and Brian Broderick pitched the last 1 1/3 innings for his 6th save of the year.

The Charros bats were held in check all night by Caneros' starter Luis Niebla. Reliever Oscar Verdugo took the loss to drop to 2-1 on the season.

The Charros were held to just 4 hits for the game but the made the most of two of them. Oscar Verdugo started the 6th in relief of Niebla for the Caneros and gave up a lead off double to Gabriel Gutierrez. Jesus Lopez then beat out a sacrifice bunt to the catcher and the Charros had runners on first and third with no outs. Eduardo Arredondo hit a sac fly to right to score Gutierrez for the only run of the game and the 1-0 Charros victory.

Marco Tovar gave up all 6 Caneros hits but didn't allow a run and dropped his ERA to 2.25 on the year. Tovar walked one and struck out 6. The Charros' relievers did not allow a hit over their 3 innings of work.

Luis Niebla, for los Mochis, allowed just one hit over 5 innings and no runs while walking 1 and striking out 4. Niebla faced just 1 batter over the minimum during his time on the mound.

Back in the lead off spot for the Charros, Eduardo Arredondo went 2 for 3 with the game winning sac fly RBI, his 13th on the year. Both Gabriel Gutierrez and Jesus Lopez were 1 for 3 on the night.

Manny Rodriguez, though 0 for 4 in the game, is 2nd in batting in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico with a .351 average and Jesus Lopez is 9th at .317. Rodriguez is tied for 2nd with 27 hits and tied for the league lead with 9 doubles. Japhet Amador is 9th with 20 hits and Leo Heras is tied for 2nd in doubles with 6. Cory Vaughn is 2nd in the league with 2 triples while Marquez is tied for 2nd with 4 home runs. Eduardo Arredondo has 13 RBIs, good for 4th and Japhet Amador has 12 RBIs.

Marco Tovar's 2.25 ERA is good for 9th overall in the league and Ben Kozlowski is at 4.26. Brian Broderick's 6 saves place him 2nd in that category while Tovar's 18 Ks rank him in a tie for 3rd in the league.

The Charros de Jalisco have two games remaining with los Mochis before returning home to face the Venados de Mazatlan for three games beginning on Tuesday the 4th of November at 7PM at Panamerican Park in Zapopan.

Jalisco is 1/2 game behind Mazatlan with an 11-7 record while the Caneros fall to 8-10, 3 1/2 games off the lead.

ESPN.com Stats and Info for 2014 Home Runs

If you're a stat junkie like I am you will like the information below.

The following is from the ESPN.com page for the info. "The Stats & Info blog gives you the same information that the ESPN Stats & Information Group provides to its production teams around the company. Stats & Info's content is a must-read for everyone at ESPN. On-camera talent, producers, bloggers, columnists and editors use Stats & Info insight on a daily basis. Now we're making all this knowledge available with timely, quick-hitting posts. Check this blog around the clock for notes, stats and trends, using a blend of traditional statistics and the advanced metrics we call "Next Level.""

Read the ESPN article hee.

Tony Stewart Hits 200 MPH at Texas Speedway

Tony Stewart reached a speed of 200.111 miles per hour in his second of 3 qualifying laps but slowed in his last lap and will start 6th.

Matt Kenseth will start on the pole with a qualifying speed of  199.299.

Read the ESPN article here.

Cubs Fire Rick Renteria - Prelude to Hiring Joe Maddon

The Chicago Cubs have fired their current manager, Rick Renteria, to hire the ex-manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, Joe Maddon.

Just 2 weeks ago, Renteria was given a vote of confidence by GM Theo Epstein who saw no reason that Renteria would not be back on the Northside for 2015.

Here is a quote from ESPN writer Jesse Rogers's article on ESPN, by Theo Epstein today.

"Last Thursday, we learned that Joe Maddon -- who may be as well suited as anyone in the industry to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us -- had become a free agent," Epstein said. "We saw it as a unique opportunity and faced a clear dilemma: be loyal to Rick or be loyal to the organization. In this business of trying to win a world championship for the first time in 107 years, the organization has priority over any one individual. We decided to pursue Joe."

The Cubs, as usual, handled this very poorly. Renteria did no worse than the 52 managers before him that failed to get the Cubs to the World Series. He was given 1 year to turn around a Cub team that has underperformed as long as the current generation of Cub fans can remember.

In my opinion, Renteria was given the bum's rush and I am sure he will land a managerial position elsewhere.

But read the ESPN article here and decide for yourself.

LeBron and the Cavs Drop Opener to Knicks 95-90

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers lost their opener to the NY Knicks. Obviously the chemistry is not there and there is no way the Cavs can make the playoffs, let alone win the NBA Championship!

ESPN article

The OKC Thunder lost Russell Westbrook when he broke his hand, a small fracture of the second metacarpal in his right hand to be exact. As JA Adande of ESPN writes "(T)he Thunder are now winless and perhaps starless...". Let's write them off too!

ESPN article

We as fans are quick to jump on and off team bandwagons. Come on people, the NBA season is 82 games, to start 0-1 or 0-2 is not the end.

The end is already here for teams like the 76ers whos GM has said the team will not win until 2017. The Lakers, with no point guard and an aging Kobe are at the end too.

Do fans really think Cleveland will not challange in the East? Phil Jackson has said that the Knicks are "(N)ot ready for showtime...". Do we expect them to rise to the top of the East?

Allow the season to progress and we'll check back later. By the way, remember when LeBron first got to Miami? That team didn't start off so well either did it?

Dave Brandon to Step Down as Michigan AD

The Athletic Director at Michigan, Dave Brandon, has said he will step down at the end of the year and not return in 2015.

I have taken a quote from the ESPN article that states clearly, through emails, how Brandon has handled the fan reaction to a 3-5 record overall and 1-3 in the Big 10.

Earlier this week, mgoblog.com posted caustic and condescending emails that fans wrote to Brandon with their concerns about the athletic department. The website reviewed email exchanges between Brandon and several different fans in which he allegedly told one to "quit drinking and go to bed" and another to "find a new team to support."

Joe Maddon To Cubs?

So the free agent manager, Joe Maddon, appears to be ready to sign a contract to manage the Cubs for 2015. This signing will be the Cubs third manager in the three years that Theo Epstein has been the General Manager.

Unfortunately, Rick Renteria, the current manager of the Cubs hasn't been fired yet.

Assuming the paperwork gets signed, the unfortunate casualty is Renteria, the baseball soul who’d been hired not even a year ago, and who in the absence of public support from Cubs management was compelled this week to release a statement of his own.

It was so sad. Humiliating, you’d imagine. So humiliating, were the final negotiations with Maddon to go sideways Epstein would have had to fire Renteria anyway, because you can’t have an employee kicked to the curb and then dragged back into the clubhouse and reinstalled as team leader and organizational conscience.

Tim Brown of yahoo Sports has a good article here. I think the timing was poor and Renteria should have been fired or at least reassigned before any leak of negotiations, but baseball is a business and a team must act in their best interests.

Jalisco Beats Obregon 11-4 To Take 3rd Game of the Series

The Charros finally got their power hitters going at the same time. For the first time this season they hit 4 home runs in a game. Japhet Amador hit 2 while Manny Rodriguez and Cory Vaughn hit one each.

Obregon took the lead in the 1st. With one out, Dean Anna walked to load the bases. Carlos Valencia popped up to short but Donald Lutz waited out a walk to force in Jake Smolinski for the 1-0 Yaquis lead.

The bottom of the 1st was all Jalisco. Manny Rodriguez hit a solo home run to tie the game at 1. Eduardo Arredondo walked and Japhet Amador hit a 2 run home run to left center for the 3-1 lead. Marquez Smith singled and Cory Vaughn walked. Gabriel Gutierrez singled to left to score Smith and Vaughn and the Charros led 4-1.

Jalisco scored a run in the bottom of the 3rd when Marquez Smith led off the inning by reaching first on an error by the Yaquis shortstop. After Cory Vaughn walked, Gabriel Gutierrez singled to score Smith and the 5-1 Charros lead.

The Yaquis scored three times in the top of the 5th, on walks to the first two batters and a 3 run home run by Agustin Murillo. The score was momenterily tied at 4.

The Charros would go Obregon one better in the bottom of the 5th by scoring 4 times. Eduardo Arredondo led off the inning with a walk and stole second. Japhet Amador followed with his second 2 run home run of the night. Marquez Smith, the next batter, tripled to right. Obregon changed pitchers and Jose Pina gave up a 2 run home run to Cory Vaughn. The Charros were in command with a 9-4 lead.

Jalisco scored their final 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th. Marguez Smith led off the inning with a walk. With one out, Gabriel Gutierrez walked. Both runners moved up on a Fernando Valenzuela grounder to second. Jesus Lopez then singled to score Smith and Gutierrez giving the Charros their final margin of victory, 11-4.

Graham Godfrey picked up his second win of the year but saw his ERA climb to 2.25. He gave up 3 earned runs on 4 hits. On the down side, he issued 4 walks to the Yaquis while striking out only 1. Five Charros relievers worked 4 scoreless innings giving up 3 hits.

Juan Navarette, the Charros manager, changed his lineup for this game. Leo Heras moved to leadoff, Manny Rodriguez hit in the 2 hole while Eduardo Arredondo was dropped to 3rd in the order.

Rodriguez went 2 for 5 with a home run and an RBI while raising his batting average to .370 on the season. Marguez Smith was 2 for 3 with a triple and 4 runs scored. Japhet Amador was 2 for 5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs. Cory Vaughn walked 3 times and went 1 for 2 with a home run. Gabriel Gutierrez was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.

Jalisco is now 10-7, one game behind Mazatlan for 1st place in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico while Obregon falls to 9-7, 1/2 game behind the Charros.

The Charros have a travel day today before taking on the Caneros de los Mochis for 3 games in Los Mochis.

Yaquis Take 2nd Game From Charros 8-4

The Yaquis de Obregon took the second game of the three game series with the Charros by an 8-4 score after leading 8-0 entering the bottom of the 9th.

In the top of the 2nd, Carlos Valencia doubled to left and went to third when Donald Lutz grounded out to second. Albino Contreras followed with a single and Valencia scored for the early 1-0 lead for the Yaquis.

Obregon added a run in the top of the 4th on a solo home run by Said Gutierrez for a 2-0 Obregon lead.

The Yaquis scored twice more in the top of the 5th when Donald Lutz homered after Carlos Valencia drew a walk with two outs. 4-0 Yaquis.

With one out in the top of the 6th, Carlos Figueroa singled but was caught stealing second. Jake Smolinski homered to left, the third home run by Obregon on the evening. Obregon up 5-0.

In the top of the 8th, with one out, Albino Contreras doubled to left and after Said Gutierrez struck out, Contreras scored on a single by Carlos Figueroa and the Yaquis had increased their lead to 6-0.

Obregon got a man on in the top of the 9th when Dean Anna was hit by a pitch with two outs. Carlos Valencia followed with a triple to score Anna and Donald Lutz doubled to score Valencia. The Obregon lead looked insurmountable at 8-0.

The Charros put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs in the bottom of the 9th on singles by Cory Vaughn and Ivan Araujo. Jesus Lopez singled to load the bases. Eduardo Arredondo followed with a single to score Vaughn and Araujo as the Charros avoided their first shutout of the season and cut the lead to 8-2. Manny Rodriguez, 2 for 5 on the night, doubled to left to score Lopez and Arredondo and the Obregon lead was down to 8-4. Leo Heras struck out swinging to end the inning and the game.

The Charros fall to 9-7 on the year while Obregon climbs to 9-6, 1/2 game ahead of Jalisco and tied with the Venados de Mazatlan for the league lead.

Kansas City Shuts Out Giants 10-0 Force Game 7

The Kansas City Royals broke open game 6 of the 2014 World Series in the bottom of the 2nd inning as they went on to shut out the Giants 10-0 and force a game 7 tomorrow night.

Yordano Ventura was the benificiary of the scoring outburst as he picked up the win while Jake Peavy took the loss for the Giants. Peavy lasted just 1 1/3 innings and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits. Yusmeiro Petit didn't fare much better against the Royals bats lasting just 2/3 of an inning and giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Hunter Strickland went 2 innings and gave up a solo home run to Mike Moustakas.

The 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the Royals lineup, Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas and Omar Infante went 6 for 12 on the night with 2 RBIs and 5 runs scored.

Check out the ESPN wrap up here and get ready for a game 7 tomorrow night. The first game 7 since 2011.

The Kansas City Royals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a 7 game World Series in 1985, the Royal's last appearance in the playoffs.

Nascar's Turn 4 Wrapup and Look Ahead

If you are a Nascar fan, these articles are fun to read. The Championship race is heating up as we wind down another season of racing.

For the first time Nascar has done an elimination sequence that will have 4 racers eligible to win the Sprint Cup Series at the final race in Homestead, Florida in November.

Read the round up here as we head into turn 4 of the racing year.

Do Steroids Make You Stupid?

If Jose Canseco is any indication of what can happen to one's thinking ability while using steroids, the use of those Performance Enhancing Drugs would cease.

The police were called to Canseco's Las Vegas home after a report of an accidental shooting.

Read the story here and shake your head in amazement as I did.

Spurs Receive NBA Championship Rings

The San Antonio Spurs received their NBA Championship rings on Tuesday night before opening their season against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Spurs beat the Mavericks 101-100.

Tony Parker had 23 points and 3 assists for the Spurs while Marco Belinelli added 15 and Tim Duncan had 14 points with 13 boards. Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 20 points and had 6 assists.

Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points for the Mavs, Monta Ellis dropped 26 points with 6 assists and Devin Harris added 17 points and 5 assists.

Read the full ESPN recap here.

Garrett Says No Pressure From Jones To Insert Romo After Injury

The Dallas Cowboys coach, Jason Garrett stated emphatically that owner Jerry Jones did not order him to put Tony Romo back in the 4th quarter of Monday night's loss to the Redskins.

"I think the ideal situation is to get it communicated as quickly as possible and he felt like he could do it," Garrett said. "It wasn't a big deal to me at all."

Jones "indicated that the X-rays were negative and that as long as he was functional, he could be capable of playing in the game," Garrett said.

If you believe that Jones did not hint that he wanted Romo back in the game you are naive. I can't think of an owner or coach in the league who would have taken a chance like that with their starting quarterback when DeMarco Murray was running so well and the Cowboy's defense was doing a credible job of shutting down the Redskins.

But, decide for yourself by reading the Todd Archer ESPN article here.

Gordie Howe Suffers Stroke

86 year old Gordie Howe has suffered a stroke and is resting comfortably at his daughter's home in Lubbock, Texas.

Howe was a 6 time winner of the Hart Trophy, the NHL Most Valuable Player. He also won the Art Bass Trophy, leading scorer in the NHL, 6 times and played on 4 Stanley Cup winning teams.

Read the ESPN coverage here.

1st CFB Playoff Rankings Released

Controversy here we come! Probably not with the #1 and #2 in the rankings but from there down look out.

#1 Mississippi State and #2 Florida State are the two undefeated teams left. Right now they deserve their ranking.

One would think that Ole Miss would have fallen farther than 4th with the loss to LSU.

"Head to head is important, but it's not the only factor, obviously," Playoff selection committee chairman Jeff Long said.

"We're still early in this process," Long added.

#3 Auburn and #4 Ole Miss would be in if this was selection week. Oregon comes in at #5 followed by Alabama, TCU, Michigan State, Kansas State and Notre Dame at #10.

ESPN has the story here.

Graham Watson editor of drsaturday for Yahoo.com sees the rankings in a slightly different light here.

Post World Series Teams Free Agent Market

As the 2014 World Series comes to a conclusion, what would baseball be if we didn't start looking at who might change teams after it's over. MLB hasn't even handed out the award let alone given the shine time to fade.

The Giants seem to have the most to lose with Pablo Sandoval, Jake Peavy, Ryan Vogelsong, Sergio Romo and Michael Morse all eligible for free agency. Without knowing the intent of management it can be assumed that the Giants would most like to have Sandoval and Romo back along with Vogelsong...at the right price.

The Royals, on the other hand, have James Shields, Josh Willingham, Norichika Aoki, Raul Ibanez and possibly Billy Butler, who may be too rich for the Royals to pick up his option for 2015. Willingham and Ibanez were in season pickups that haven't contributed much to the postseason and with the play of Jarrod Dyson in center and Lorenzo Cain's outstanding play in right, Aoki may very well not be offered a contract.

That leaves James Shields. Shields is a very valuable piece of the Royals team that made the playoffs this season, but there are a number of teams that need pitching and have deep pockets. The Royals may not be able to afford Shields either.

Dave Skretta of the AP, writing for Yahoo Sports has an interesting take on both team's free agency woes with this article.

Buccaneers Make Trades Before Deadline

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have traded safety Mark Barron to the St. Louis Rams and reserve linebacker Jonathan Casillas to the New England Patrionts.

There is no word on who the Bucs got, or will get in return.

'Skins Dump Cowboys 20-17 In Overtime

The Washington Redskins, behind Texas native Colt McCoy, held off the Cowboys in regulation and won the game on a field goal in overtime, 20-17.

McCoy was 25 of 30 for 299 yards. Although he had no passing touchdowns he did score on a 7 yard run near the start of the 4th quarter that put the Redskins up 17-10.

DeMarco Murray had his 8th straight game with 100+ yards rushing and tied eight other NFL players with 1000 yards rushing in their team's first eight games.

The Cowboys were 17-1 in games where Murray had 20 or more carries. Murray only carried the ball 19 times in last night's game. Those 19 rushes were good for 141 yards. Demarco is on a pace for an NFL record 2108 yards on the season.

Dallas has lost three overtime games under coach Garrett. Interestingly the two previous OT losses were followed by losses in the next game.

Read the full ESPN recap article here.

Obregon Snaps Charros Win Streak at Three

The three game winning streak is over. The Yaquis de Obregon took a 5-4 win last night in Zapopan. Juan Delgadillo took the mound for the Charros and dropped his fourth decision in a row.

The Yaquis played small ball in the top of the 1st. John Smolinski led off with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Corey Wimberly and scored on a grounder to second by Agustin Murillo for the 1-0 Obregon lead.

Eduardo Arredondo led off the bottom of the 1st for the Charros by drawing a walk and moving to second on a ground out by Manny Rodriguez. Leo Heras singled to center to drive in Arredondo and the game was tied at 1.

Carlos Valencia singled for Obregon in the top of the 2nd and scored on a double by Donald Lutz. Sergio Contreras drew a walk. Said Gutierrez singled to score Lutz and the Yaquiz lead was 3-1.

The Charros came back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the 2nd. Gabriel Gutierrez singled to deep short and went to second on the throwing error by the shortstop. Amadeo Zazueta's grounder moved Gutierrez to third. Gutierrez scored as Jesus Lopez grounded out to second. Eduardo Arredondo reached second on a throwing error by the Yaquis second baseman. Manny Rodriguez singled to center to score Arredondo and the score was tied 3-3.

Jalisco went ahead 4-3 in the bottom of the 4th on a solo home run by Marquez Smith, his fourth of the year.

The Yaquis scored what proved to be the winning runs in the top of the 5th. With one out, John Smolinski walked. Corey Wimberly singled and Smolinski stopped at second. Agustin Murillo singled to plate Smolinski and the Yaquis had runners at 1st and 3rd. That was all for Delgadillo as Ken Sigman came on in relief. Sigman got Dean Anna to hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice with Wimberly scoring. Obregon led 5-4.

The Charros threatened in the 7th and the 8th but could not score.

Oswaldo Martinez got the win for Obregon with 2 innings of shutout relief work and Jonathan Arias picked up his 6th save on the year, working a perfect 9th that included 2 strikeouts.

Juan Delgadillo suffered his fourth consecutive loss lasting just 4 1/3 innings. He gave up 5 runs on 6 hits while walking 2 and striking out 5. Delgadillo's ERA remains in the 9's at 9.18.

Marquez Smith's home run, Leo Heras' 11th RBI on the season and Manny Rodriguez's 2 for 5 night that raised his average to .365 on the year were the highlights for the Charros.

Jalisco fell to 9-6 on the year as Obregon climbed to 8-6, 1/2 game behind Jalisco and Mazatlan for the lead in the Liga Maxicana del Pacifico. These two teams square off again today starting at 7 PM. 

Non Profit Foundation Buys Saban's House

I want to get to the heart of the matter here but I have to make a few points clear. First, I am not anti-SEC or anti-Alabama nor am I a Saban hater. I agree with the foundation that Saban may be the best coach in football today. Secondly I don't care how much Universities pay their coaches.

Having stated these points I have some things to say about this ESPN article, written by Alex Scarborough.

First, Nick Saban is paid 7 million dollars a year to coach the University of Alabama's football team. He has done a very good job of this and should be compensated well.

Secondly, the Crimson Tide Foundation bought Saban's 3.1 million dollar home in January of 2013 and continues to pay the yearly property taxes on the home. This is $200,000 more than Saban paid for it. If I remember, this was about the time the rumors of the University of Texas looking to Saban for their next head coach surfaced.

Thirdly, the NCAA says that a coach's compensation is allowed to come from a University foundation.

Finally, the foundation likes to point out that the University of Alabama owned Bear Bryants home so everything is okay. Scott Phelps, assistant secretary of the foundation had this to say, "We want to keep him happy. We think he is the best coach in America."

My point in saying all of this is that Todd Gurley, running back at the University of Georgia, has been suspended for allegedly accepting $400 dollars for his autograph on items a collector will make back at least a hundred fold and Jameis Winston is being investigated for the same NCAA "crime".

The head coach and his staff, in all sports, should be held to some higher standard when it comes to receiving compensation from non profit entities.

When the NCAA has to change rules to allow universities to feed their athletes more because they go hungry (re: statements by UConn's Shabazz Napier...I sometimes go to bed starving because I can't afford food), they should change rules that say University foundations can compensate coaches.

The time has come for the NCAA to step up to the plate and admit that student-athletes should be compensated for their efforts that bring millions of dollars to universities and their coaches.

Giants Take 3-2 Series Lead On Bumgarner's Shutout

The San Francisco Giants head to Kansas City with a 3-2 lead in the World Series. Madison Bumgarner threw a beauty of a game, a complete game 4 hit shutout.

This was the first World Series complete game shutout since Josh Beckett, pitching for the Florida Marlins in 2003, shutout the NY Yankees in the series clinching 6th game.

Hunter Pence got things going for the Giants in the bottom of the 2nd with a lead off single. Brandon Belt's sacrifice bunt got past James Shields for an infield single that put runners at first and second with no outs. Travis Ishakawa flew out to center to move the runners up a base. Brandon Crawford grounded out to second as Pence scored. The Giants had all the runs they would need with Bumgarner on the mound, a 1-0 lead.

With Shields still pitching for the Royals in the 4th, Pablo Sandoval singled to lead off the inning. Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt both struck out, but Travis Ishakawa singled to get Sandoval to second and Brandon Crawford singled to drive in Sandoval for the 2-0 Giants lead.

The Giants broke the game open in the bottom of the 8th. Kelvin Herrera, on in relief, gave up consecutive singles to Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence. Wade Davis relieved Herrera. Juan Perez greeted Davis with a full count double that scored Sandoval and Pence. Perez went to third on a throwing error by Alcides Escobar. Brandon Crawford's single plated Perez and the Giants' lead grew to 5-0.

Bumgarner set the Royals down in order in the top of the 9th to pick up his second win of this World Series. In his last 4 World Series starts, Bumgarner is 4-0 with a 0.29 ERA.

The number 7 and 8 hitters in the San Francisco lineup went 5 for 8 with 5 RBIs and a run scored last night.

Game 6 of the 2014 will be in Kansas City on Tuesday night.

John Clayton's Last Call

John Clayton takes a good view of quarterback play in the NFL for this week.

Read his article here.

ESPN Game Balls for Sunday 10/26

This is a feature offered by ESPN awarding "Game Balls" to players for the week in the NFL. I can't say I agree with all the selections but I don't get to write for ESPN.

Read the article here.

Upsets on Sunday 10/26

The Arizona Cardinals' rookie John Brown caught a touchdown pass from Carson Palmer with 1:21 to play and the Cardinals defense stopped the Eagles at the Cardinal 16 yard line as time expired to beat the Eagles 24-20.

Read the ESPN Recap  here.

Andy Dalton, of the Cincinnati Bengals worked a quarterback sneak from 1 yard out to perfection as the Bengals beat the Ravens 27-24 and remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.

The ESPN story is here.

Anthony Barr, Minnesota Viking LB, stripped the ball from Tampa Bay TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins and returmed the fumble 27 yards for the score as the Vikings beat the Buccaneers 19-13.

ESPN has the story here.

So much for the vaunted Colts defense that shut out the Bengals 27-0 last week. Big Ben and the Pittsburgh dismantled the Colts as Roethlisberger threww for 522 yards and 6 touchdowns in a 51-34 thrashing of the Colts.

Here is the ESPN story.

Charros Sweep Mexicali With 2-1 Win

The Charros swept the three game series with the Aguilas de Mexicali Eagles with a 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon, Family Day at Panamerican Stadium.

The pitching was very good by the starters for both teams. Orlando Lara, starter for the Charros went 5 complete innings allowing 3 hits, no runs, 4 base on balls while striking out three. Omar Espinoza of the Aguilas went 6 innings without allowing a run while giving up 4 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. Espinoza lowered his ERA to 1.04 on the year.

In the top of the 7th, with one out, the Aguilas' Gil Valezquez singled to center. Chris Roberson then doubled to left center that scored Valezquez. Roberson stole third but the Charros reliever, Murphy Smith, got Walter Ibarra to ground out to second and Xorge Carrillo to ground out to first to end the inning but the Aguilas had the 1-0 lead.

Jalisco tied the score in the bottom of the 8th. Mario Meza, on in relief, gave up a double to Jesus Lopez with one out. Jose Sanchez replaced Meza for the Aguilas. Sanchez threw a wild pitch that got Lopez to third. Eduardo Arredondo hit a sac fly to left that plated Lopez and the score was 1-1.

Brian Broderick came on in relief to pitch the 9th for the Charros and he pitched another 1-2-3 9th inning. He would pick up the win when the Charros scored in the bottom of the 9th.

Marquez Smith grounded out to short to lead off the 9th for the Charros. Cory Vaughn was hit by a pitch and immediately stole second. Amadeo Zazueta singled to center to score Vaughn and the Charros had their second walk off win in as many games.

Orlando Lara lowered his ERA to 0.57 and Brian Broderick, with the win, is now 2-0 with 5 saves and an ERA of 1.08 on the year.

Marquez Smith was 2 for 4 with a double while Manny Rodriguez went 2 for 4 to bring his batting average to .362 on the year. Eduardo Arredondo, although 0 for 3, had the game tying sac fly in the 8th. Jesus Lopez went 1 for 3 with a double to maintain his .333 average on the season while Amadeo Zazueta went 1 for 2 with the game winning RBI.

The Yaquis de Obregon come to Zapopan for a three game series beginning on Monday the 27th of October. With the win today the Charros are 9-5 on the year, tied with the Venados de Mazatlan for the league lead.

Giants Take Game 4, 11-4 Even Series at 2

The Kansas City relievers failed Ned Yost last night as the San Francisco Giants evened the series at 2 games apiece with an 11-4 victory over the Royals.

Read the ESPN recap here.

TCU Pummels Texas Tech 82-27

The Horned Frogs of TCU had their way with the Red Raiders of Texas Tech on Saturday. Quarterback Trevone Boykin threw 7 touchdown passes while amassing 433 yards through the air before leaving in the 3rd quarter.

Some records were set in the game. While some fell short.

For TCU, Most points in a game 82, Most touchdown passes thrown in a game 7, Most touchdowns in a game 10.

For Texas Tech, Most points allowed in a game 82.

The 109 points scored falls 27 points shy of the record by Division 1 schools. In 2007, Navy beat North Texas State 74-62 for the record of 136 points.

The 82 points by TCU doesn't best the record 100 points scored by the University of Houston against Tulsa in 1968.

TCU scored 10 touchdowns and 4 field goals on 785 yards of offense running 86 plays from scrimmage for an average of 9.12 yards per play. TCU did have to punt twice though.

Two running backs for TCU, Aaron Green and Trevorris Johnson rushed for more than 100 yards and Deante Gray had 165 yards receiving on 4 catches with 2 touchdowns.

NCAA Football Playoffs This Week? UPDATE

#1 Mississippi State gets by Kentucky 45-31
#2 Florida State   Off
#3 Ole Miss loses to #24 LSU 10-7
#4 Alabama beats Tennessee  34-20      
#5 Auburn over South Carolina 42-35
#6 Oregon outlasts Cal 59-41
#7 Notre Dame   Off
#8 Michigan State decisively over Michigan 35-11
#9 Georgia   Off
#10 TCU devours Texas Tech 82-27

The only team I can say for sure that will move in the rankings is #24 LSU. They will probably leapfrog several teams. I would not be surprised to see them at #15.

My prognostication is that Ole Miss drops to #6, Alabama moves up to #3 followed by Auburn at #4 and Oregon at #5. Michigan State will jump Notre Dame to take #7 with Notre Dame at #8 and TCU jumps Georgia to end at #9 with Georgia at #10.

Check my guesses on Sunday afternoon! I'll have the ranking update late tomorrow.

UPDATE!!

Latest Rankings are thus on 10/16/14

#1 Mississippi State                           #6 Notre Dame   (I had Ole Miss)
#2 Florida State                                  #7 Ole Miss (I had Michigan St.)
#3 Alabama                                        #8 Michigan State (I had Notre Dame)
#4 Auburn                                          #9 Georgia (I had TCU)
#5 Oregon                                          #10 TCU (I had Georgia)

Charros Take 2nd Game From Mexicali 3-1

Aguilas de Mexicali started things off in the first inning of Saturday's game with the Charros by scoring a run. That would be all they would score though in a 3-1 loss to Jalisco.

Misael German walked and moved to second on a Walter Ibarra sacrifice bunt. German scored when Brock Peterson hit a ball to left center that bounced over the wall for a ground rule double.

Marco Tovar, the starter for the Charros, settled down and got Mike Jacobs to pop up to short and Luke Montz to ground out 5-3 but the Aguilas had the 1-0 lead.

The Aguilas starter, Marco Duarte, gave up a lead off home run to Japhet Amador in the 4th that tied the score at 1.

In the Jalisco half of the 8th, Jesus Lopez led off with a single off Edgar Gomez, in for Aguilas starter, Marco Duarte. Eduardo Arredondo sacrified Lopez to second. After Manny Rodriguez struck out, Leo Heras hit a ground rule double to center to score Lopez. Japhet Amador singled to center to drive in Heras and the Charros had the 3-1 lead that proved to be the final margin of victory.

Brian Broderick set the Aguilas down in order in the top of the ninth to pick up his 5th save on the year. Ivan Salas got his 1st win of the year for the Charros and Edgar Gomez took the loss for Mexicali.

Japhet Amador was 3 for 4 on the night with his 1st home run, 2 RBIs and a run scored  as he raised his batting average to .321. Leo Heras was 1 for 3 and drove in his 10th run of the season. Jesus Lopez went 2 for 3 with a run scored to raise his average to .333.

Marco Tovar worked 6 strong innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits with 3 walks and 6 strike outs while lowering his ERA to 3.21 on the young season. Brian Broderick in picking up his 5th save, lowered his ERA to 1.23.

The 3rd game of this series will be played on Sunday the 26th of October starting at Noon.

#11 K-State Shutsout Longhorns 23-0

The University of Texas football team has been shutout by the Kansas State Wildcats 23-0. This was the first time UT has been shutout since Oklahoma did the deed on October 9, 2004.

Check out the ESPN coverage here.

#6 Oregon Beats Cal 59-41 in Pac 12

Marcus Mariota threw for 326 yards and 5 TDs as the 6th ranjed Oregon Ducks beat the Cal Bears 59-41. Mariota threw his 1st INT of the year with 3:31 to go in the 2nd quarter.

Oregon improved to 7-1 while Cal dropped to 4-4 on the season.

Read the ESPN recap article here.

Royals Up 2-1 in World Series

Without the benefit of the DH at the National League park, Ned Yost was forced to make some fielding and lineup changes. Those changes worked as the Royals beat the Giants 3-2 to take a 2 games to 1 lead in the World Series.

Yost moved Lorenzo Cain from center field to right field and inserted Jarrod Dyson in center. Cain made two very good plays on sinking line drives and appeared comfortable in his new position. Yost also moved Alex Gordon from 6th to 2nd in the lineup and Gordon responded with a clutch RBI double in the 6th.

Kansas City jumped on top in the 1st when Alcides Escobar doubled to lead off the inning. Alex Gordon grounded out to move Escobar to third and Escobar scored when Lorenzo Cain grounded out to short. KC had the early lead 1-0.

The Royals added to their lead in the top of the 6th. With one out, Alcides Escobar singled to center. Alex Gordon then doubled off the wall in right to score Escobar. After Lorenzo Cain grounded out to third, Javier Lopez relieved Tim Hudson for the Giants. Eric Hosmer had what is called a quality at bat against Lopez. Hosmer singled on the 11th pitch of the at bat to score Gordon and the Royals had built a 3-0 lead.

San Francisco rallied in their half of the 6th. Brandon Crawford singled to lead off. Mike Morse, pinch hitting for Javier Lopez, doubled to left to score Crawford. Kelvin Herrera relieved Royals' starter, Jeremy Guthrie and promptly walked Gregor Blanco. Joe Panik sent a high chopper to the mound to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Buster Posey then grounded to second to score Morse and the Giants had cut the lead to 3-2.

Neither team scored again and Greg Holland pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the Royals to preserve the win for Guthrie and pick up his 1st save of the World Series and 7th save of this postseason, an MLB record. The Royals bullpen became the first bullpen in MLB history to have 7 wins and 7 saves in a single postseason.

Charros Topple Mexicali With 3-2 Win

Charros de Jalisco scored a run in the bottom of the 9th when Mexicali right fielder, Shane Peterson, misplayed a ground ball that allowed Gabriel Gutierrez to score from third with the winning run.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Aguilas lead off batter, Brock Peterson, reached safely and went to second on a throwing error by Charros third baseman, Marquez Smith. Shane Peterson then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Brock Peterson to third. After Luke Montz grounded out to the pitcher, Luis Juarez singled to right to score Peterson. Ramon Ruiz singled to center and Gil Velazquez singled to left to score Juarez. Mexicali had a 2-0 lead after 2 innings.

Edgar Ozuna, starter for the Aguilas, held the Charros bats in check until the 5th. Gabriel Gutierrez doubled to lead off the inning. When Jesus Lopez flied out to center, Gutierrez tagged and went to third. With two outs, Manny Rodriguez singled off of the pitcher's leg and Gutierrez scored. Jalisco had cut the Aguilas' lead to 2-1.

Anthony Slama relieved Daniel Herrera for Mexicali in the bottom of the 8th and gave up a solo home run to Cory Vaughn, his 1st of the year, and the score was tied at 2.

Brian Broderick, the Charros closer, pitched the 9th, giving up a hit but holding the Aguilas scoreless.

Mexicali went through three pitchers in the bottom of the 9th. Eder Llamas  began the inning for the Aguilas. Gabriel Gutierrez singled to center and took second on a throwing error by by Chris Roberson. Jesus Lopez laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to move Gutierrez to third. Eduardo Arredondo was intentionally walked and the Charros had runners at the corners with 1 out. Manny Rodriguez waited out a walk to load the bases. Jose Sanchez was brought in to face Leo Heras and got Heras to strike out swinging for the second out. Francisco Rodriguez was called on to replace Sanchez and face Japhet Amador. The outfield was in to cut down the run at the plate. The move seemed to have worked as Amador sent a sharp one hop ground ball to right field. The Mexicali right fielder, Shane Peterson took his eye off the ball and misplayed it for an error that scored Gutierrez from third for the walk off error win for the Charros.

Brian Broderick got the win, his 1st of the year, but the entire pitching staff held the Aguilas to just 2 runs on 6 hits, four of those by Luis Juarez who went 4 for 4, while walking just 2 and striking out 5.

Eder Llamas took the loss for Mexicali and dropped to 0-2 on the young season.

Cory Vaughn was 3 for 3 with the home run, an RBI and a run scored. Manny Rodriguez, hitting .373 on the year, went 2 for 4 with an RBI and Gabriel Gutierrez was 2 for 4 with a double and 2 runs scored.

The Charros and Caneros de los Mochis are now both 7-5, one half game behind the Venados de Mazatlan for first place in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico. Mexicali falls to 6-6, a game behind Jalisco.

These two teams continue their series with games on Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th.

USA Women's Soccer Advance to 2015 World Cup

The USA's Womens Soccer team clinched a berth in the 2015 World Cup by defeating Mexico 3-0 in a semi-final match.

Carli Lloyd scored 2 goals for Team USA. Christie Press scored an empty net goal in the 56th minute for the third US goal.

The US women will face Costa Rica in the CONCACAF finals on Sunday.

Mexico will face Trinidad and Tobago for third place also on Sunday.

Manning Doesn't Care For Bronco Scoreboard Antics

Okay, Peyton is a perfectionist who likes things scripted, re: Career Record keep away game. I get that. One thing I can agree with is that Peyton is upset with the way the jumbotron at the Bronco's stadium got the crowd riled up during Thursday night's game against the San Diego Chargers.

Most fans would say "lighten up Peyton",  but in this case I agree with the master. The "entertainment" provided by the jumbotron is annoying.

Check out the Arnie Stapleton article here. Am I crazy or not?

World Series Game 1 Least Watched

The NY Times has an article today by Jonathan Mahler and Bill Carter explaining that Major League Baseball is no longer the center of attention in US Television Sports.

Their argument is that only 12.2 million viewers tuned in to Game 1 of the World Series. Sunday Night Football, they say, drew 24 million. They called that game a regular season game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos. What they failed to mention is that the game was between last year's Super Bowl team, with Peyton Manning about to break Brett Favre's career touchdown record, and a team that was one play away from making the Super Bowl last year.

Even the Florida State against Notre Dame matchup drew more viewers they note, again failing to mention that #2 FSU, with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and all his personal problems, was facing it's toughest challange to an undefeated season and possible back-to-back National Championships, against #5 Notre Dame with it's own TV Network and legion of fans nationwide.

There are reasons why the NFL and college football draw more viewers than baseball in the regular season. Every loss could mean elimination from the playoffs.

NFL football, and this year college football, playoffs are a single elimination format - lose and go home. Baseball playoffs are either best of 5 or best of 7 formats. There is no feeling of win now or wait til next year. In 2011, 25 million viewers tuned in watch the 7th game of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers, the first series to go 7 games since 2002 and, in essence, a single elimination game.

You have compound problems with the 2014 World Series. Small markets, no "household names" and literally not the "best" teams playing in the series.

Kansas City is the smallest TV market in major league baseball while the Giants rank 14th of the 32 markets.

Cable TV hypes players all year, from April through September, usually from the big markets. (ie. NY, Boston, LA and Detroit) Think Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, Miguel Cabrerra, Giancarlo Stanton, Big Papi, Derek Jeter. These players are highlighted every day for 6 months. There are no "big names" on either of this years teams.

Then you have the perception that the teams playing are not the "best" team of either league. The Kansas City Royals were the 4th best team in the American League while the San Francisco Giants were the 5th best team in the National League. Throughout the early playoffs, neither team was picked to win a series they were in. The saying that perception is reality holds true in the 2014 World Series.

Lastly, the late starts do effect viewership. An 8 o'clock start on the East Coast costs viewers. Without an East Coast team, games during the week and on Sunday, fans won't stay up that late to watch the whole game. They can always check in on the internet to find out the score. In fact, most adults under the age of 40 do not watch TV and get their news and sports from the 'net.

If all baseball wanted was to improve World Series TV ratings, here is what Major League Baseball should do.

Go back to 2 leagues, American League and National League. Play 146 games during the season to determine the top 4 teams. Have those 4 teams play a 1 game playoff. (#1 v #4 and #2 v #3) The winners to play another 1 game playoff. That gives you 6 single elimination games. The League winners would then meet in a best of 5 game World Series to determine a Champion. With the shorter schedule and a shorter playoff, the season could be over by the middle of October instead in dragging on until the end of October or early November.

Interest would be sky high for every game. I know this won't happen but if Major League Baseball calls I'll fill them in on the details...One can dream!

Joe Maddon Opts Out of Rays Contract

Joe Maddon, manager of the Tampa Bay Rays for the last 9 seasons has invoked the opt out clause in his contract and will not manage the Rays in 2015.

In and interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Maddon said this.

"I have been doing this for a long time," Maddon told the newspaper. "I have never had this opportunity to research my employment on my terms. Never, never, never. And I think anybody given the same set of circumstances would do the same thing."

Maddon led the Rays to 4 playoff appearances in his time managing the team.

Read the complete ESPN article here.

Charros Drop Series To Navojoa

The Charros dropped the third game of the 3 game series with the Mayos de Navojoa 5-4 on Thursday night to drop to 6-5 on the year. Jalisco lost the series 2 games to 1.

Jalisco scored in the top of the 1st on a double by Manny Rodriguez and a single by Leo Heras to take the early 1-0 lead.

Navojoa came back in their half of the inning to score three times. Jose Chavez led off with a single against Charros starter Ben Kozlowski. Jon Weber doubled with Chavez stopping at third. Luis Fonseca doubled to score Chavez and Weber. Chris Marrero walked and a wild pitch by Kozlowski on the walk put runners on the corners with no outs. Rolando Acosta grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that scored Fonseca and the Mayos took the lead 3-1.

Cory Vaughn led off the Charros 2nd with a single but Ivan Araujo grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to erase Vaughn. Jose Felix walked and Jesus Lopez singled as Felix moved to third on a throwing error by the Mayos' shortstop. Eduardo Arredondo doubled to score Felix and Lopez and the score was tied at 3.

Navojoa retook the lead in the bottom of the 3rd on a single by Jose Chavez, a ground out by Jon Weber that moved Chavez to second and a single by Luis Fonseca that scored Chavez. Navojoa led 4-3.

In the top of the 6th, Cory Vaughn walked with one out but got picked off first. Ivan Araujo singled and went to second on a single by Jose Felix. Jesus Lopez followed with a single as Araujo scored and the Charros had tied the game again at 4 apiece.

Hugo Castellanos was pitching for the Charros to start the bottom of the 8th. He struck out Reggie Ambercrombie for the first out but gave up back-to-back singles to Eliseo Aldazaba and Diego Madero. Murphy Smith relieved Castellanos and gave up a single to pinch hitter Fernando Flores that scored Aldazaba with what would prove to be the winning run.

The Charros got 12 hits on the night. Japhet Amador was 2 for 5. Manny Rodriguez was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Jesus Lopez was also 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Leo Heras went 1 for 5 with an RBI and Eduardo Arredondo was 1 for 5 with a double and 2 RBIs.

Ben Kozlowski lasted 5 innings but gave up 4 earned runs on 7 hits while striking out 1 and walking 3. He saw his ERA climb to 4.02 on the year. Hugo Castellanos took the loss, his first of the year, and his ERA shot up to 12.27 for the season.

Hugo Gutierrez got the win for the Mayos and Gene Escat picked up his 2nd save of the year.

Broncos Bully Chargers 35-21 on Thursday Night

It took Peyton Manning and the Broncos 16:29 to figure out the Chargers defense but they scored 35 points in the next 30 minutes to top San Diego at home 35-21 and move to 6-1 in the AFC West.

Emmanuel Sanders caught the first of his three TD passes from Manning to start the barrage, a 2 yard catch that got the Broncos on the board. Sanders got his second touchdown with 32 seconds to go in the half to give Denver the 14-7 lead heading into the locker room.

A 3 yard touchdown pass following a Philip Rivers' interception in the 3rd quarter was Sanders' third of the night and put the Broncos up 21-7.

Juwan Thompson had touchdown runs of 1 and 2 yards to complete the Broncos scoring. Thompson had 7 carries for 24 yards on the night.

Manning was 25 of 35 passing for 286 yards with 3 TDs and no INTs while Rivers went 30 for 41 with 3 TDs but threw 2 INTs.

Sanders caught 9 passes for 120 yards and those 3 TDs and Demaryius Thomas had 8 receptions for 105 yards for Denver.

Ronnie Hillman carried the ball 20 times for the Broncos and had 109 yards on the ground while Denver rushed for a total of 139 yards.

The Broncos defense held the Chargers to 61 yards on the ground with Branden Oliver their leading rusher with 13 carries for 36 yards.

Keenan Allen caught 9 passe from Rivers for 73 yards and a TD while Antonio Gates added 2 touchdowns on 5 receptions for 54 yards.

Chris Harris and Rahim Moore both intercepted Philip Rivers for the Bronco defense.