Red Sox sweep the Rockies

Overwhelming in every way, the Red Sox swept to their second MLB World Series title in four years Sunday night. Jon Lester, Mike Lowell & Co. left little room for drama with a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies in Game 4. Then again, no NL team could have blocked Boston this October. This was hardly a repeat from 2004, when the Red Sox ended their 86-year championship drought by beating St. Louis. Gone are those pleading, pathetic days when the Red Sox were practically begging to win a title. They've got this down pat now. At this rate, New England fans might get spoiled. Francona's team has become a perfect counterpart to coach Bill Belichick's bruisers on the Patriots. After trailing Cleveland 3-1 in the AL championship series, the Red Sox won seven straight games and won their seventh World Series crown.

Lester, undergoing chemotherapy at this time last year for cancer, pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and Jonathan Papelbon closed with his third save of the Series. Lowell won the MVP award, though Boston had plenty of candidates. Especially in a year in which Japanese stars Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima helped put the world in World Series. Lowell led a team that hit .333 in the Series with a home run, double and headfirst slide to score a run Sunday. He also won a ring in 2003 with underdog Florida.

The wild-card Rockies, who won a remarkable 21 of 22 games to get this far, were a mere afterthought by the end. Brad Hawpe homered in the seventh inning and Garrett Atkins hit a two-run shot in the eighth that came too late. In the end, Jason Varitek caught the final pitch and tucked it in his back pocket as Papelbon threw his glove high in the air after striking out pinch-hitter Seth Smith. The Red Sox spilled out of the dugout to party between the mound and first.

There are so many good stories about this team. Thanks to Jacoby Ellsbury, America gets a free taco on October 30 between 2pm-5pm. The rookies really came through, but the veterans held the team together. If Theo and the owners don't resign Lowell, there will be riots in Boston. And if they even consider signing A-Rod, the riots will be worse. Let him go to Florida or California, but keep him away from Boston.

The final straw was the announcment during the eighth inning that A-Rod was opting out of his contract with the Yankees. Fine, good for him, but that announcement couldn't wait until after the game? Scott Boras, classless. And then the ignorant Fox broadcasters spent the inning discussing A-Rod's options, instead of calling the game. Hey jackasses, it's the friggin WORLD SERIES, not the A-Rod show. What idiots. I was on the phone with my sister and we were both ballistic. After the game, I switched channels to NESN to see what Jerry Remy had to say, and he and Jim Rice (god, I love that man) were just as pissed as my sister and I. I hope the Red Sox clear this up right away - resign Lowell, and don't even get into the bidding for A-Rod.

One final note. If you don't live in New England, you wouldn't know that Jordan's Furniture took out an insurance policy and said that everyone who bought a mattress, dining table, sofa, or bed at a Jordan's store location between March 7,2007 and April 16, 2007 would receive it for free if the Red Sox won the World Series. So congratulations to all those crazy, hopeful fans who bought furniture!

NFL Football

What the fans got on this history-making Sunday in London was old-fashioned, muck-it-up football - not very entertaining and not pretty at all, unless you ask the New York Giants, who came out with a 13-10 victory over the still-winless Miami Dolphins. Eli Manning threw for only 59 yards but ran for New York's lone touchdown to lift the Giants to their sixth straight victory, a mud-caked slog through the unfriendly pitch at torn-up Wembley Stadium in this, the first regular-season NFL game played outside North America. The Giants (6-2) had more riding on this game, and were in no mood to take a 3,500-mile trip to help the league expand its international presence. But Brandon Jacobs helped make the journey a success, running for 131 yards, the second straight week he's hit a career high. And helped in part by a steady rain that made offense nearly impossible, the New York defense allowed only 254 yards and held the Dolphins (0-8) out of the end zone for the first 58 minutes.

The Patriots rolled up their highest point total in 28 years. Tom Brady threw his career-high 30th touchdown pass. Pretty impressive, and there's still half a season to go. New England's amazing year kept getting better Sunday with a 52-7 rout of Washington. The Redskins entered with the fifth-ranked defense in the NFL and left with the franchise's worst loss since 1961. Brady threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more. Linebacker Mike Vrabel caught a touchdown pass and forced three fumbles by quarterback Jason Campbell that led to 17 points. The Patriots (8-0) have scored at least 34 points in each game and have won each by 17 points or more. They've outscored opponents by an average of 41.3 to 15.9. At this rate, they'll score 662 points, shattering the NFL single-season record of 556 set by Minnesota in 1998. The 52 points were their most since they scored 56 against the New York Jets in 1979. Still, they followed the line of coach Bill Belichick: dwell on the mistakes so they're not repeated. "It's a long season," Brady said. "It's not even November yet and we've got a lot of room for improvement left."

Peyton Manning set another record and the Indianapolis Colts are 7-0 again. Now, everybody can look ahead to the showdown with New England. Manning shook off a slow start to throw for 254 yards and two touchdowns and broke Johnny Unitas' team record for career scoring passes in the Colts' 31-7 win over the injury-plagued Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Joseph Addai rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns and caught a TD pass from Manning, who was outplayed early by 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde. But when Testaverde left at halftime with tendinitis in his right Achilles' tendon, Manning made sure the Colts' much-anticipated matchup with Tom Brady and the Patriots wouldn't be tarnished by dominating the second half. The Colts became the first team since the 1929-31 Green Bay Packers to win their first seven games for three straight seasons. It'll get much tougher next week when they host the dominating Patriots.

NFL scores

MLB World Series Game 3

It's do or die for the Rockies now. On a night when rookies ruled, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia sparked the Red Sox from the top of the order, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and Boston beat Colorado 10-5 on Saturday for a 3-0 Series lead.

Ellsbury became the first rookie in 61 years with four hits in a Series game, getting three of Boston's seven doubles. Pedroia had three hits, including a bunt single that helped spark a six-run third against Josh Fogg, who allowed 12 of 19 batters to reach. Even Dice-K got a hit that scored two runs. Honestly, who saw that coming?

Colorado put up a fight. Down 6-0 in the third and seemingly out, they came back with two runs in the sixth. The Rockies then closed to 6-5 when Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer in the seventh on Hideki Okajima's first pitch.

But the Rockies' chance to get back into the World Series vanished into Coors Field's thin air. Ellsbury lofted an RBI double down the right-field line off Brian Fuentes in the eighth that just eluded Brad Hawpe's attempt at a sliding, backhand catch, and Pedroia followed with a two-run double to right that made it 9-5. Jason Varitek added a sacrifice fly in the ninth of a game that took 4 hours, 19 minutes -- the longest nine-inning game in Series history.

Sunday night, Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox against Aaron Cook in a matchup of pitchers who made it back to the majors after major medical problems. Lester overcame lymphoma, while Cook came back from a blood clot.

Breeder's Cup

The Breeder's Cup is a big day in horseracing, and today some very good horses showed their best. Conditions weren't the best, but the racing was.

This year racing took place over two days at NJ's Monmouth Park. Three races were held on Friday: the Filly & Mare Sprint, the Juvenile Turf, and the Dirt Mile. These three races are not graded stakes races, but might be in the future. For now, they get horses and owners into the Breeder's Cup that might not otherwise be there, and in true horseracing fashion, all three races were upsets. Far back in the field turning for home, Maryfield found an outside path to the finish line and won the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint. Corinthian raced to a commanding upset in the $1 million Dirt Mile, and Nownownow edged wagering favorite Achill Island by a half-length in the $1 million Juvenile Turf.

The big races were run on Saturday. The first two races of the day, the Juvenile Fillies and the Juvenile Colts, were both won wire-to-wire. Indian Blessing put trainer Bob Baffert back in the international racing spotlight by staying unbeaten when running 12 other 2-year-old fillies off their feet in a wire-to-wire victory Saturday in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Unbeaten colt War Pass rolled to his fourth straight victory in the Juvenile Colts, this time by 4-3/4 lengths, and is certain to clinch the Eclipse Award as the nation's best 2-year-old male of 2007. If he stays healthy, he'll be the early favorite for next year's Triple Crown races.

Lahudood rolled to a three-quarter-length victory in the $2 million Filly and Mare Turf over the extremely soft turf course. Honey Ryder, third in this race last year, rallied to get second by a neck over Passage of Time, the 5-2 favorite. Midnight Lute left little doubt that he's the best sprinter in the country, overcoming a slow start to roar past Idiot Proof and win the six-furlong Breeders' Cup Sprint by a widening 4 3/4 lengths. Midnight Lute's performance gave the son of Real Quiet his second straight Grade 1 win. His win was probably the most commanding and, because it happened in the sprint, surprising performance of the day.

Two supplemental entries repaid their owners' faith with wins. In the Mile on soft turf, Cornelio Velasquez eased Kip Deville off a moderate pace, saved ground while just behind pacesetting Cosmonaut, came out past the quarter pole, and zap - Kip Deville was gone. It was a top performance by any standard - even more so from an Oklahoma-bred son of Kipling who began his career in November 2005 in a maiden race at Remington Park. Favored Excellent Art ran well, but for the third time this year was a bridesmaid in a major Grade 1 race. Trainer Bobby Frankel convinced owner Frank Stronach to take a $180,000 gamble, and it paid off in a big way Saturday as Ginger Punch outfought Hystericalady in a thrilling stretch drive at Monmouth Park to win the $2 million Distaff by a neck.

The Big Horse was in the BC Turf, a 1-1/2 mile race that generally favors the Europeans. Today was supposed to be the day the horse widely regarded as the best racehorse alive, and certainly thought to be the best turf horse, would dominate the field. However, favorite Dylan Thomas didn't even finish in the money. Drawing away to a seven length lead in the stretch, English Channel captured the $3 million Breeders' Cup Turf with apparent ease after stalking pacesetter Fri Guy through the first mile race. Shamdinan edged out Red Rocks by 3/4 length for second. Better Talk Now, another 3/4 length behind Red Rocks, was fourth in the field of eight.

Last but far from least, Curlin, a horse I've followed and supported all year, muscled his way to a dominating victory over one of the best fields in years in the BC Classic. Ridden by Robby Albarado, Curlin was the 4-1 fourth choice in the 1-1/4-mile race. He made a huge move in the turn, overtaking Hard Spun, the front-runner who wound up second in the field of nine 3-year-olds and upward. Awesome Gem, a 28-1 shot, closed late for third, while Street Sense, the 5-2 favorite, finished fourth after making his move at the same time as Curlin but failing to sustain it. It was a somewhat sad end to Street Sense's career, as he will be retired to stud now, but the real tragedy, and the only bad news of the day, came when European star George Washington broke down and had to be euthanized on the track. He was a very good horse who had been brought out of retirement this year. His shattered ankle destroyed the blood supply to his foot, making any surgical intervention unfeasible.

Other than the loss of George Washington, it was a fine meet. We'll see who gets the Eclipse Awards (I'm rooting for Curlin, in spite of his connections).

MLB World Series, Game 2

October ace Curt Schilling and a stingy bullpen shut down Colorado in Game 2. Relying more on guile than pure gas, Schilling pitched Boston to a 2-1 victory Thursday night and a 2-0 lead in the World Series over the suddenly stagnant Rockies.

"I'm actually ecstatic with the way we're playing," Boston third baseman Mike Lowell said. "We're on the verge of winning a World Series."

Lowell hit a tiebreaking double in the fifth and the Red Sox got 3 2-3 innings of shutout relief from Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon to win their sixth straight Series game, including a sweep of St. Louis in 2004. That victory ended an 86-year title drought and set off a wild winter of celebrations all over New England. Two more wins this year and the party's on again.

"This was the Pap-ajima show tonight," Schilling said. "That was just phenomenal to watch."

A generous sentiment, but Schilling should take his share of the credit for this win. For a pitcher of his age who has re-learned how to throw the ball since last season, he was, as is his wont in October, wonderful. One night after Josh Beckett blazed through the Rockies with 97 mph fastballs in a 13-1 rout, Schilling shut them down with savvy and splitters. Nearly automatic in October, he improved to 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 19 postseason starts and tipped his cap to the pulsing crowd as he walked off the mound -- perhaps for the final time in a Red Sox uniform. His fastball hovering around 87 mph, Schilling held punchless Colorado in check for 5 1-3 innings and became the second 40-year-old starter to win a World Series game. Detroit's Kenny Rogers did it last year against the Cardinals. Schilling was twenty days shy of his 41st birthday (Nov. 14).

Okajima became the first Japanese-born pitcher to play in a World Series game. He struck out four, including former Japanese star Kaz Matsui. Okajima entered with two on in the sixth and Boston leading 2-1. He retired Atkins on a grounder and struck out Brad Hawpe to squash the threat. There was more to come. The rookie left-hander from Japan fanned three straight before he was pulled for Papelbon with two outs in the eighth.

Matt Holliday spun Papelbon off his feet with a shot up the middle for his fourth hit. But the closer got even when he left the NLCS MVP sprawled in the dirt at first base with his first career pickoff. Papelbon finished up in the ninth, securing Schilling's third win in four starts this postseason and his second save. He and Okajima have combined for 17 1/3 scoreless innings in October.

The Series shifts to spacious Coors Field for Game 3 on Saturday night, when $103 million rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka pitches for Boston against Josh Fogg. With no designated hitter allowed, the Red Sox must decide whether to play hobbling slugger David Ortiz at first base or leave his mighty bat on the bench. According to Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald, Papi will start all three games.

Cycling

The Tour de France will have revamped rules and a slightly less mountainous but hopefully more exciting course in 2008, organizers announced on Thursday, looking to inject fresh enthusiasm into cycling's doping-battered showcase race. After the drug problems of the past two Tours, riders will cross a geographical high in 2008, scaling Europe's highest mountain pass _ the 9,193-foot Col de la Bonette-Restefond. Last climbed by the Tour in 1993, it is one of 19 major mountain passes that riders will face, two fewer than in this year's race. And for the first time since 1967, the race will start with a full road stage -- 121 miles from Brest to Plumelec in Brittany _ instead of an opening individual time-trial race against the clock that had become traditional. The goal is to give more riders, and not just time-trial experts, the chance to compete for the race lead and its coveted yellow jersey from the very start.

Adding further unpredictability to the mix, organizers have done away with time bonuses that were awarded to the fastest finishers each day and those who were among the first at other fixed points along the route. That rule change, especially in the high mountains which often open up large time gaps between riders, could lead to a tighter and more suspenseful and open Tour. The July 5-27 Tour will cover 2,200 miles, with 21 stages and two rest days. The first of two time trials will come on Day 4. The second comes on the penultimate day, to fix the finishing order before the race concludes with its habitual processional final ride to the Champs-Elysees in Paris, when the winner often sips champagne in the saddle as he rides.

Cleared of doping during the 2007 Tour de France, Spanish cyclist Iban Mayo is considering legal action against the International Cycling Union. "I'm still worked up about it all, but it's a possibility," Mayo said after the Spanish cycling federation announced Monday that Mayo's backup "B" sample test came back negative. In July, Mayo's Saunier-Duval team was told by cycling's governing body that he tested positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO. But the Spanish federation said there had been a mistake with the first sample taken from the rider. The 30-year-old Mayo, who finished 16th in the Tour, faced a minimum two-year suspension if found guilty of doping. He was suspended without pay while his team awaited the results on his "B" sample. In June, Mayo was suspected of having failed a test for testosterone during the Italian Giro but was later cleared by the UCI.

MLB World Series, Game 1

So much for the shadow of the Bambino.

I sure hope the Red Sox get this kind of hitting behind the pitchers who really need it, like Schilling and Dice-K. Josh Beckett can hold his own quite nicely, thank you.

If the long layoff didn't hurt their hitting, it seems the pitching for the Rockies got rusty. I would have thought the pitchers would gain by having some extra time off, but it doesn't appear to have worked that way for Colorado. Or maybe the Sox just had an extraordinary day. The Red Sox crushed the Rockies in the opening game of the World Series, 13-1. This win matches the Red Sox Series winning streak of five games for the first time since 1915-16.

All kinds of records were set: most runs scored by a team and the largest margin of victory in the opening game of the World Series (the 1932 NY Yankees and 1996 Braves scored 12 runs each in their openers); the most extra-base hits by a team in a WS (8 doubles and a home run - the 1906 Chicago White Sox and 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates also had eight doubles); the 12 combined doubles were a Series record; first pitcher to strike out the first three batters (and actually, he got the fourth as well); first lead-off hitter to hit a home run, a rookie no less, and on the second pitch! Franklin Morales was called for the first Series balk since David Weathers of the Yankees in 1996.

Morales got just two outs and was charged with seven runs for a 94.50 Series ERA. With 64 post-season RBIs, Manny Ramirez moved ahead of David Justice for second all-time behind Bernie Williams (80). The only Red Sox player to not get an RBI was Mike Lowell, but he hit and got a couple walks, so he was on base and able to score. 11 of 13 runs were scored with two outs. I don't know if that's a record, but damn!

The Rockies had a horrible day. Credit Beckett for keeping their hitters out of the game, but the Rockies' pitching was something else. Starting pitcher Jeff Francis gave up the most baserunners (13) by a Game 1 starter since 1982 (Bob Forsch). Morales gave up more runs (seven) without getting three outs than any relief pitcher in postseason history. Ryan Speier became the first pitcher to walk in a run three times in the same World Series game. The biggest stat for them was the fifth inning, when with two outs, Rockies pitchers faced 23 batters with a chance to end an inning and succeeded in retiring the batter only four of those times. That's a two-out OBP of .826.

And how classy were the Red Sox after the game?

"I executed just enough pitches today to survive," Beckett said. "That's a good lineup over there. You can tell how hungry they are."

"This is a tough series and a tough team," Youkilis said. "There's a reason why they're here."

The Rockies are a class organization as well.

"It's a big loss, Game 1 of the World Series," Todd Helton said. "But knowing the heart of this team, we'll come back tomorrow."

'Nuff said. GO SOX!!

MLBaseball

For the second time in four years, the formerly folding Red Sox are headed to the Series, courtesy of an 11-2 win over the Indians in Game 7 of the ALCS. The score is deceptive, it was a game and a series that, as late as the seventh inning Sunday, really could have gone in either direction. And then Dustin Pedroia took control with a game-defining two-run home run, putting an exclamation point to a personal postseason comeback and sealing another postseason bounceback for the Sox. Surely he's the AL Rookie of the Year.

The Indians, who won 96 games this season, had a 3-1 lead in the ALCS after Game 4 in Cleveland last Tuesday and looked, with their two big-name pitchers ready to go, poised to pounce. But after a seven-run fifth inning in Game 4, the Indians' offense collapsed in a shuddering heap, scoring just five runs in its final 30 innings. A 3-1 lead shrunk to 3-2 on a Game 5 gem by Boston's Josh Beckett, the ALCS Most Valuable Player, and Saturday night the Sox tied the series with a 12-2 blowout. Sunday, with controversy swirling around the Indians off the field (news reports revealed that Game 4 hero Paul Byrd had used human growth hormone), the Sox held a slim 3-2 lead when the game turned in the seventh. Pedroia wiggled his way into making a difference in both halves of the inning.

Dice-K pitched three great innings, then two less so, but held on for five. Okey-Dokey pitched his usual two great innings, then started off badly in the eighth, when the heater came to the mound. Papelbon simply blew pitches past batters, then got to do the Riverdance after CoCo Crisp made the final two outs of the game.

Colorado outscored Boston 20-5 in winning two of three during an interleague series at Fenway in June. The Red Sox did even better in winning the last three games against Indians, outscoring them 30-5 in that span. The Sox have only a couple of days to blow out this win before they settle down to business again, hosting the surprising Rockies in Game 1 of the World Series here on Wednesday night. They started their pre-Series soiree in grand fashion late Sunday, partying on the field at Fenway well past midnight, carrying around the AL trophy and generally enjoying another series win that, just four days ago, seemed almost impossible.

NFL Football

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are awfully good. Flawless at the start and off the bench, Brady threw a team-record six touchdown passes to help the unbeaten Patriots rout the winless Miami Dolphins 49-28. With his team comfortably ahead, Brady came out early in the fourth quarter, then re-entered and threw for New England's final score. His TD total exceeded his career high of five, set last week against Dallas. The Patriots, who led 42-7 at halftime, improved to 7-0 for the first time in their 48-year history. Brady completed his first 11 passes for 220 yards and four scores, including throws of 35 and 50 yards to Randy Moss. His other touchdown passes covered 14 and 16 yards to Wes Welker, 30 to Donte Stallworth and 2 to Kyle Brady. Brady has 27 touchdown passes after seven games and is on pace for 61. The NFL record is 49 set by Peyton Manning in 2004. The drubbing was the biggest downer yet for the Dolphins, who fell to 0-7 for the first time in their 42 seasons. They next play the New York Giants in London.

The Denver Broncos took the city's minds off the Colorado Rockies for a few hours Sunday night. Rookie Tim Crowder had a 50-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, Jay Cutler threw three TD passes and the Broncos (3-3), coming off their worst home loss in 41 years, looked nothing like the troubled team that had lost playmakers on both sides of the ball and whose season was threatening to unravel before the leaves had finished falling. Suddenly able to get to the passer despite Champ Bailey (thigh) missing a game for just the third time in his career and fellow Pro Bowl cornerback Dre' Bly injuring his right shoulder on a first-half interception, the Broncos forced three turnovers and sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times. Bly stayed in the game and broke up several of Big Ben's passes. The Steelers (4-2), who had allowed just five touchdowns all season, surrendered four, including Cutler's throws of 15 yards to Brandon Stokley and 1 yard each to Tony Scheffler and Cecil Sapp. Elam, who has the game-winner in all three of the Broncos' wins so far, nailed his kick to cap a seven-play, 49-yard drive that covered the final 1:10 after Pittsburgh had rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to tie it.

With Vince Young on the sidelines, the Tennessee Titans couldn't finish drives. With the day Rob Bironas had, it didn't matter. Bironas kicked an NFL-record eight field goals, including the game-winner as time expired, to lead the Titans to a 38-36 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. Backup Kerry Collins led the offense while Young missed playing in his hometown because of a strained quadriceps. Collins didn't make many mistakes, but the offense couldn't capitalize in the red zone, ushering Bironas into the record book. The record-setting kick foiled a spirited comeback by the Texans (3-4), who scored 29 points in the fourth quarter, capped by a 53-yard touchdown pass from Sage Rosenfels to Andre' Davis to take a 36-35 lead with 57 seconds to play. The Titans (4-2) faced a third-and-10 at their 37 when Collins found Roydell Williams on a 46-yard pass that set up the winning kick.

NFL scores

World sports

South Africa won its second Rugby World Cup by beating defending champion England 15-6 Saturday in a final where all the points came on penalty kicks. Percy Montgomery was 4-for-4 on kicks for South Africa, Francois Steyn added another, and Jonny Wilkinson had two for Britain. Wilkinson kicked England to victory in the 2003 final in Sydney, but didn't receive enough chances at Stade de France. The Springboks also kicked for all their points in their previous championship, on home soil in 1995. South Africa, which went unbeaten and averaged almost 44 points in six wins to reach the final, had demolished England 36-0 in pool play 36 days beforehand. Though the English looked much better Saturday, they never appeared close to becoming the first champion to retain the William Webb Ellis Cup.

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Roger Federer should have seen it coming. One by one, David Nalbandian was picking off the best that tennis has to offer. Nalbandian beat Federer 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 Sunday to win the Madrid Masters. On his way to the final against the world's top-ranked player, Nalbandian also defeated No. 2 Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Novak Djokovic. The Argentine broke Federer three times and became the second player this year to beat the top three players en route to winning a title. Djokovic did it in Montreal in August, culminating his run with a victory over Federer. Boris Becker had done it 13 years earlier. Federer fell to 6-4 in finals this season. He was playing in his first tournament since winning his fourth straight U.S. Open six weeks ago. This was Federer's first loss on indoor hard courts since Nalbandian rallied to win at the Masters Cup in China nearly two years ago. The 25th-ranked Nalbandian, a former Wimbledon finalist once ranked No. 3, won his first title since the Estoril Open in May 2006.

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Canadian Mike Weir won for the first time since early in the 2004 season, shooting a 2-under 68 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Australia's Mark Hensby in the Fry's Electronics Open. Weir secured the win with a 6-foot par putt after hitting his approach on the par-4 18th into a greenside bunker. The 2003 Masters champion took the lead with a birdie on the par-4 15th, rolling a chip shot to a foot, then held off Hensby over the final three holes on a warm, blustery day at Grayhawk Golf Club. Weir finished at 14-under 266 for his eighth PGA Tour victory, and first since the 2004 Nissan Open, a span of 87 starts.

Suzann Pettersen was prepared for another challenging round in the cold and wind. The Norwegian star ended up holding yet another trophy Sunday without even hitting a shot. Pettersen won the Hana Bank KOLON Championship for her fourth LPGA Tour victory of the year when high wind and unplayable conditions on the putting surfaces forced tournament officials to call off the final round at Mauna Ocean resort. Japan's Miho Koga shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday for a four-stroke victory over American star Paula Creamer in the Masters GC Ladies. Koga finished with a 9-under 207 total on the Masters Golf Club course. Creamer, the 2005 winner in the Japan LPGA event, closed with a 70. Second-round leader Momoko Ueda had a 76 to finish nine strokes back.

Boston sports

I'm not a big fan of blow-out scores, even when my teams wins. What I did like about last night's ACLS game was that hitters who had been struggling got hits and RBI's, and the pitchers held up. Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew drove in five runs, backing yet another postseason gem from Curt Schilling on Saturday night as Boston battered the Cleveland Indians 12-2 to tie the AL championship series at three games apiece. Schilling improved his career postseason record to 10-2, allowing two runs and six hits in seven innings. Even Eric Gagne, the former star closer booed off the mound in previous postseason appearances, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

It's a big sports weekend here. Although they aren't in MA, the Patriots are playing in Florida and should be able to beat the winless Miami Dolphins, even without tight end Benjamin Watson and running back Sammy Morris. The Bruins beat the NY Rangers 1-0 Saturday in a game that was moved up to 4pm. Goalie Manny Fernandez, making his home debut as a Bruin, stopped every puck that came his way in the Bruins' 1-0 shootout victory - 25 shots in regulation, one in overtime, and two in the shootout against Shanahan and Jagr (Drury shot wide). It was the first shutout for Fernandez - and the Bruins - this season and the puckstopper's 14th of his career. The Bruins (5-2-0) earned their first win over the Rangers since March 4, 2004. Phil Kessel scored the lone goal for Boston. more NHL scores

The 43rd Head of the Charles Regatta is also going on now. It is the world's largest two-day rowing event, first held on October 16, 1965.

Baseball

Behind some great pitching by Josh Beckett, the Red Sox downed the Indians, 7-1, Thursday night in Game 5 of the ALCS. Beckett added another superb start to an already Hall of Fame-caliber postseason portfolio by shutting down the Indians for the second time in this series. With Beckett's gem, the Sox staved off postseason elimination and sent the ALCS back to Boston for Game 6 on Saturday. If these guys keep this up, a deciding Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday. A World Series berth awaits the winner. This ALCS is now the first of the 2007 postseason series to go more than one game past the minimum. Four of the series, in fact, have been sweeps, including the National League Championship Series between the Rockies, now the NL champs, and Diamondbacks. After a 7-3 Cleveland victory on Tuesday put the Indians up three games to one, things looked awfully bleak for this series, too. But Beckett, rumored to be struggling with a stiff back after an abbreviated six-inning, 80-pitch win in Game 1 of the ALCS, was instead his dominating self, throwing eight innings of five-hit ball, punching pitches up to the plate at 97 mph and baffling the Indians' hitters with knee-breaking curves and a devastating splitter. Beckett, a 20-game winner during the regular season and one of the leading contenders for the AL's Cy Young Award, struck out 11 batters. In his three October starts this year, he is now 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA. In eight career postseason starts, Beckett is 5-2 with a 1.75 ERA. Oh, and about Cleveland getting country singer Danielle Peck, an old flame of Beckett's, to sing at Jacobs Field...if they were trying to get in Beckett's head, they failed. His take was, "I don't get paid to make those [expletive] decisions. She's a friend of mine. That doesn't bother me at all. Thanks for flying one of my friends to the game so she could watch it for free."

Kevin Youkilis popped a home run off of Cleveland's suddenly vulnerable ace, C.C. Sabathia, in the first inning and a strange, windblown -- and probably poorly played -- triple off Sabathia later in the game. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia, in an awful series slump, had a pair of hits and a walk. Ortiz drove in a couple of runs.

Seems I'm not the only person in Boston who is fed up with Manny being Manny. Nothing a cattle prod couldn't sort out, though. After failing to slide on a play at the plate that resulted in the final out of Boston's first inning, Ramirez knocked in a run with a near homer in the third on a controversial umpiring call. Ramirez's hit appeared to bounce off the yellow line on top of the right field wall, which is why the umpires didn't call it a home run; the ground rules state the ball has to clear the yellow line. But Manny stood at home plate admiring his hit, instead of actually running the bases. He earns how much a year, and he can't bother to make any effort to run if he thinks there is any chance he's either hit a home run or a certain out. And that attitude has backfired on him several times. Luckily it didn't cost the Red Sox the game this time, but for crying out loud, it's the ALCS, pull your head out and make some effort for a change. I stand by what I said about this lump a couple years ago, he should have been traded, but nobody else wanted him, not with his attitude and that salary. At least I'm certain there is no way he'll be resigned when his contract is up in a couple more years. I don't care how many home runs he hits, he's a drag. How about this...Manny gets NO pay for the entire series, and ticket prices can be lowered at Fenway.

Baseball

Colorado's Rockies rolled into the first World Series in their 15-year history with a 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks, sweeping the National League Championship Series and adding another notch to an historic string of wins that has become both unbelievable and undeniable. The Rockies have won 10 straight now, seven of them in the postseason. They are the only team in the wild-card era to win their first seven postseason games, and only the second team in Major League history to do so. (The Reds won all seven games they played back in 1976, when only two postseason rounds existed.) The Rox have won 21 of their last 22, too, something that's never been done at this time of year. The out-of-nowhere streak has pushed the city into a virtual Rockies frenzy -- more than 50,000 people packed Coors Field on Monday -- sent baseball historians scurrying into the stacks and stunned everyone around baseball.

The Diamondbacks, who won more games than any other team in the NL and came into this series on a roll of their own after sweeping the Cubs in the NL Division Series, just happen to be the latest group of one-time non-believers to slink away from Denver shaking their heads.

Jake Westbrook, often overlooked in Cleveland's top-heavy starting rotation, kept Boston grounded for nearly seven innings Monday night, leading the Indians to a 4-2 win over the Red Sox and a 2-1 lead in the AL championship series. With two more games at Jacobs Field, the Indians, who haven't won it all since 1948, are in control of a best-of-seven series that seemed to belong to Boston after the opener. But as they did against the New York Yankees in the opening round, the Indians are showing they can swing with baseball's big boys. And we in the Nation are getting that old feeling...

MLB World Series

Football

Eli Manning passed for 303 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Giants to their fourth straight win, 31-10 over the hapless Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. The Giants (4-2) took control after a wild first quarter in which the teams combined for 24 points. New York scored the final 24 points to send the Michael Vick -less Falcons tumbling to their fifth loss in six games. The Giants have bounced back after starting the season with losses to Dallas and Green Bay, but they must be mindful of the collapse that knocked them out of the playoffs a year ago. A five-game winning streak had the Giants at 6-2 midway through the 2006 season, but they managed just two more wins the rest of the way.

In a rare battle of 5-0 teams, the New England Patriots stomped the Dallas Cowboys as badly as everyone else they've faced this season, winning 48-27 Sunday behind a career-best five touchdown passes from Tom Brady. Although the Patriots put up their most points in 23 years, the game wasn't as lopsided as the score indicates - which is what makes this victory so impressive. They won by three touchdowns despite giving up their most points of the season and trailing in the second half for the first time all year. Brady was 31-of-46 for 388 yards. His five TDs tied a franchise record and gave him an NFL record with at least three in each of the first six games of the season. However, he was sacked as many times (3) as he'd been all season; on one, he lost a fumble that Dallas returned for a touchdown. What made his performance special was the way he responded to that third-quarter deficit: touchdown, field goal, touchdown, field goal, touchdown. The last score came with 19 seconds left, a 1-yard run by first-year running back Kyle Eckel that Brady celebrated with two huge fist pumps.

Cornerback Charles Woodson scooped up the ball - and lifted the spirits of the Green Bay Packers' suddenly sagging offense. Woodson's 57-yard fumble return in the third quarter gave the Packers the go-ahead touchdown in a 17-14 victory over the Washington Redskins at soggy Lambeau Field on Sunday. With Green Bay's previously top-ranked passing offense sputtering and the Packers trailing 14-10 late in the third quarter, defensive lineman Corey Williams stripped Redskins receiver Santana Moss on an end-around. Woodson picked up the ball and ran to the end zone. The Packers (5-1) won despite an off day from Brett Favre , who became the NFL's career interception king with an errant pass picked off by Redskins safety Sean Taylor in the third quarter.

NFL scores

Experimenting with the Mote

I thought I'd see how folks like this format. I'll make posts as usual, but because they will each be distinct posts, comments can be made on just one post. Right now, I'm the only one who can make posts, but it's easy enough to add folks (AC, for instance, since he's good about rugby and soccer posts). You do need a Gmail account to be a poster, but that shouldn't be a big deal.

We'll see how it goes.