Mets Complete Epic Collapse! September 30, 2007
Posted by John C in Baseball, Mets, Nationals, Phillies.add a comment
I really can’t believe what has happened actually did happen!!! A seven game lead in the division with 17 to play, and you not only lose the divisional race by a game, but you fail to even make the playoffs. As I said back On September 8th, they would either live or die with their pitching… Losing Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez proved to be too much to overcome despite Pedro Martinez providing the staff a much needed shot in the arm with five effective starts in September. Somehow, the Mets found a way to lose it. Appropriately, their lack of pitching is again what did them in – Tom Glavine was torched today, recording only a single out while giving up seven earned runs against the Florida Marlins. The bullpen pitched great today, only allowing a run over the final 8 2/3 innings of the game. Unfortunately, the shell-shocked Mets could only manage a run the entire day in falling out of the playoff race with an 8-1 loss.
Who should the Mets blame other than their horrible pitching of late? Maybe the Washington Nationals. Well, not really, but if they could have even managed to play .500 ball down the stretch against the Nats, they would have won their division… Jamie Moyer mastered the Nats for 5 1/3 innings today as the Philadelphia Phillies won 6-1 to take the N.L. Eastern Division crown. The Phillies took two of three this weekend from the Nats, while the Mets were losing two of three to the Marlins. The Nats defeated the Mets five times in six games over the season’s final two weeks and they can be very proud of how they played down the stretch. After starting the year 9-25, the Nats were a .500 team the rest of the way with a 64-64 record. Not bad for a team that was supposed to lose 100 or more games this year.
As for the Mets, they wound up losing 12 of their final 17 games. In those games, they allowed 115 runs!!! Pedro pitched great, giving up only seven runs (six earned) in his three starts, covering 18 innings for a 3.00 ERA. The Mets offense didn’t show up in two of those games though as they only won one of them. The rest of the starters??? Oliver Perez gave up 12 runs (nine earned) for a 4.96 ERA in his final three starts. John Maine was brilliant yesterday, striking out 14 Marlins in 7 2/3 innings, but his prior two starts were anything but good though as he allowed 11 earned runs in them. Even with yesterday’s gem, his ERA the final four starts covering 17 innings was a hefty 5.82. Mike Pelfrey was hit hard in both of his stretch run starts (both coming against the Nats), pitching well enough to win one of them, but allowing nine earned runs in his 10 2/3 innings for a 7.59 ERA. Brian Lawrence was ineffective in his September 17th start against the Nats, giving up four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings (10.80 ERA). Similarly, prospect Philip Humber was ineffective in his start against the Nats last week, giving up five earned runs in four innings (11.25 ERA). Glavine had four starts including today’s over that stretch: 19 earned runs in 18 innings for a 9.50 ERA!!!
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The Wild NL Playoff Race! September 30, 2007
Posted by John C in Baseball.add a comment
Who is in, and who is out??? Well, prior to yesterday we only knew the Chicago Cubs were in… now we have two teams in…
John Maine pitched an AMAZING game yesterday, taking a no hitter into the eighth inning while striking out 14 batters… The Mets convincing 13-0 win yesterday over the Florida Marlins, along with a Philadephia Philles loss at the hands of Matt Chico and the Washington Nationals has made the N.L. East race a dead heat coming into today’s games… In the N.L. West race, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a one game lead over the San Diego Padres, but have clinched the division title, while the Colorado Rockies lie one game back of the Padres, Mets and Phillies for the wild card.
The fun begins in a few minutes!!! Enjoy the games and for those of you with fantasy teams good luck to you as well!
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On a personal note, today was the 8th anniversary of my Dad’s passing… Cancer took him from us at only 65. This is always the hardest day of the year for me to get through and it’s made a little harder this year thanks to me catching a rare cold. Dad, I know you’re looking down us. You may be gone physically, but you’re never far out of our thoughts…
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Who should be the 2007 NL MVP? September 28, 2007
Posted by John C in 2007 NL MVP, Baseball, Chipper Jones, David Wright, Eric Byrnes, Jimmy Rollins, Jose Reyes, Matt Holliday, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard.add a comment
As the 2007 baseball season winds down, it’s time to start thinking about who is going to win the individual awards. While the 2007 American League MVP award can now be conceeded to Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees, the National League MVP award is anything but decided. I’ll list those who have been cited by various sources as the leading candidates for the 2007 NL MVP in alphabetical order. You may also vote on my poll if you go to my main blog site at http://johnacole.blogspot.com. I’ll elaborate further on each of these selections on Friday morning with their PROS and CONS.. Note: stats are through the games of 9/27/2007
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Eric Byrnes (D-Backs): .288 BA, 21 HR, 83 RBI, 103 R, 49 SB
Prince Fielder (Brewers): .290 BA, 50 HR, 119 RBI, 108 R, 0 SB
Matt Holliday (Rockies): .338 BA, 36 HR, 132 RBI, 117 R, 11 SB
Ryan Howard (Phillies): .265 BA, 44 HR, 130 RBI, 91 R, 1 SB
Chipper Jones (Braves): .339 BA, 29 HR, 102 RBI, 106 R, 5 SB
Jose B. Reyes (Mets): .284 BA, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 118 R, 79 SB
Jimmy Rollins (Phillies): .295 BA, 30 HR, 91 RBI, 136 R, 38 SB
David Wright (Mets): .321 BA, 30 HR, 105 RBI, 110 R, 34 SB
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Eric Byrnes - What can you say about this guy that hasn’t already been said? He’s all all heart and judging by constantly high energy level, I’m inclined to believe that he does indeed drink at least six cups of coffee a day as was reported recently on Fox Sports.
PROS: Numbers are far better than any other regular on the Diamondbacks team. Only other two regulars are hitting .259 or higher, only one other player on the team (Chris Young) has more than 17 home runs, 63 RBI’s, 69 runs scored or stolen more than 9 bases. Only Young and the injured Orlando Hudson have made any sort of significant offensive contribution to the D-Backs. His stat line, hustle, playing style, leadership and intangibles are very similar to that of 1988 NL MVP Kirk Gibson. When Gibson won that award he hit .290, powered 25 homers, drove in 76, scored 106 and stole 31 bases. These numbers are eerily close to those Byrnes has put up this year. Also, Byrnes has stolen 32 bases since the all-star break, and 11 during September’s crunch time. He is the engine that makes the D-Backs go and is the primary reason they will more than likely be playing into October.
CONS: He only has 21 home runs and 82 RBI’s. Given the lack of consistent talent around him, these numbers aren’t really his fault. Thanks to David Wright and Jimmy Rollins both putting up 30/30 seasons, his numbers may get missed by a few people. Also, if the D-Backs somehow stumble out of the playoffs this weekend, then he’ll lose a lot of votes. Regardless, I think he will do no better than second in the balloting.
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Prince Fielder - Big Daddy’s boy certainly has blossomed this year. His 50 homers at 23 years old make him the youngest player in major league history to reach that milestone, He’s also part of the first ever father/son duo to reach that figure.
PROS: His 50 home runs top the senior circuit. Has 35 doubles and two triples to go with the homers. His 119 RBI’s are also impressive.
CONS: If the Brewers don’t make the playoffs, it would be hard to name him MVP. Additionally, his young “supporting cast” has put up a lot of impressive numbers: Ryan Braun (.325 BA, 34 HR, 14 SB in only 440 AB), Corey Hart (.289 BA, 22 HR, 23 SB), J.J. Hardy (26 HR, 80 RBI’s).
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Matt Holliday - 36 home runs, 132 RBI’s, a .338 batting average, 117 runs, 209 hits, 48 doubles and five triples. Those numbers are simply GAUDY!
PROS: Has helped carry the Rockies this month with his 12 home runs and 27 RBI’s. He’s the biggest reason they’re now only a game out of a playoff spot.
CONS: His road numbers are “only”: a .301 BA, 11 HR, 55 RBI, 7 SB, 53 runs. In other words, he’s done most of his damage at home. People will hold his Coors Field inflated numbers against him. If the Rockies don’t make the playoffs, it will make it even more difficult to hand him the award.
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Ryan Howard - He got off to an abysmal start and also got hurt early. Look at his numbers where they stood on May 24th: .204 BA, 6 HR, 23 RBI, 13 RUNS and only 29 games played. Other than driving in runs, he was suffering in every category. Now look at the numbers he’s put up since he came back from that early injury on May 25th: .279 BA, 38 HR, 107 RBI, 78 RUNS and even 1 stolen base in 112 games.
PROS: For four months he’s been arguably major league baseball’s best player with the above numbers. The Phillies, partially in thanks to his play over that time are now tied with the New York Mets for the N.L. East lead.
CONS: He just set a major league record for strikeouts in a season recording his 196th and 197th of the year last night. He has MVP company on his own team in Jimmy Rollins. Chase Utley (.331 BA, 22 HR, 102 RBI, 103 R, 9 SB) has also been a big part of the Phillies collective strong stretch run as has Pat Burrell (30 HR).
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Chipper Jones - For a guy who has been battling with nagging injuries the ENTIRE season, he’s certainly put up some nice numbers and was the main reason the Braves were competitive this year despite him missing 29 games. If Andruw Jones has a “normal” season, count me amongst those who would say that the Braves would have easily won their division.
PROS: Leads the league in hitting with a .339 batting average. Has put up his stellar overall numbers in 30 games or so less than the rest of the candidates.
CONS: The Braves are not going to be in the playoffs. This all but kills his chances. In spite of Andruw Jones horrible season, others such as Jeff Francoeur (102 RBI’s, .292 BA) and Mark Teixiera (.320 BA, 17 HR, 55 RBI in 52 games since his acquisition) also carried their share of the burden.
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Jose Reyes – Like Jimmy Rollins in Philadelphia, he’s the engine that drives his team to success (or often failure). And lately the Mets have experienced a lot of the latter…
PROS: Leads the majors in steals with 78, and has scored 118 runs. Despite a drop in batting average, he’s walking more, getting on base at a .361 clip as opposed to last year’s .354.
CONS: A dropoff in his home run and RBI numbers from last year. Teammate David Wright is probably having a better overall season than him, and Carlos Beltran has also been a key contributor again to the Mets’ success. And if the Mets completely spiral out of the playoffs, you can pretty much count he and Wright out of the running.
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Jimmy Rollins – Just what has this guy NOT done well this year??? A 30/30 man, 200 hits, 136 runs, 38 doubles, 19 triples, 91 RBI’s. OK, so he’s not hitting .300… so what! He’s had an incredible year!!!
PROS: The above numbers. No one in the league is amongst the league leaders in as many of the categories as he is. At the top of the order, he’s the engine that ignites this team and has done so all year long.
CONS: Competition from his own teammates. The aforementioned Howard arguably has been the NL’s best player the past four months. The aforementioned Utley and Burrell have also helped bring the Phillies into a flat-footed tie with the Mets as I write this. He’s not the only 30/30 guy this year, so he will lose votes to that man – a Mr. Wright.
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David Wright - Take away some runs and triples and add some RBI’s and batting average to Jimmy Rollins’ numbers and you get Wright’s 2007 numbers. Another 30/30 guy! His overall numbers are every bit as impressive as Rollins’.
PROS: If you take out his homerless April with a .244 batting average, the numbers he’s put up the past five months look even more impressive. Has hit a sizzling .359 since the All-Star break with 61 runs scored.
CONS: Like Rollins, he has competition from his own team in the form of Reyes and Carlos Beltran. If the Mets manage to lose the division or miss the playoffs entirely after leading for so long, expect some votes to be lost.
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As for my overall take on things. Well, if I had to pick one guy I think will win the award, I think it’s going to be either Rollins or Wright. I think the key to determining the winner will be which team wins the National League East race. If the Phillies win, then it’s Rollins’ award, if the Mets win then it will be Wright’s award. The loser may end up finishing third in the balloting. Eric Byrnes would be my #2 guy, assuming the D-Backs don’t somehow stumble out of the playoffs this weekend.
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Nats Sweep Mets @ Shea! September 27, 2007
Posted by John C in Baseball, Jeff Francoeur, Mets, Nationals.add a comment
Who woulda thunk it??? With a two game lead and seven home games left – three against the Washington Nationals, a makeup game against the St. Louis Cardinals and three against the Florida Marlins, many were conceding the National League East race to the New York Mets. As I’ve been preaching for awhile now though, their pitching has been nothing short of bad lately. Pedro Martinez has been fine of late as has Oliver Perez, but outside of that the entire staff has underachieved.
The Nationals admittedly got a little bit of a break in missing Pedro and Perez these past three days. Last night they took on Mets prospect and 2004 first round draft pick Philip Humber. For three innings last night the Nats were humbled by Humber and the rest of his Mets teammates. Nats starter Mike Bacsik got off to a very rocky start, giving up a two-run homer to Carlos Beltran and a solo shot to Moises Alou (who extended his hitting streak to 30 games) in the first… a Luis Castillo single plated another run in the second inning to make it a 4-0 Mets lead. Beltran struck again in the third inning, hitting another homer and knocking Bacsik out of the game. You have to admire manager Manny Acta’s managerial ability – it’s very rare that you’ll see him leave his young pitchers in the game if they are getting pounded. Of late, his skillful managing has probably been the key to the Nats recent success. Joel Hanrahan then took over for Bacsik and escaped further damage in the inning.
For three innings, Humber was masterful in limiting the Nats to three hits. Things began to unravel for him in the fourth though. Austin Kearns walked to lead off the inning and Ryan Church then clubbed his 15th home run of the year deep into the right field stands to trim the Mets lead to three. Humber was able to regroup after that, retiring the next three batters in order. In the bottom of the frame, the Mets got to Hanrahan for a run as an Alou single plated David Wright. In the top of the fifth, the Nats offense took over the game. Ryan Langerhans walked and Felipe Lopez singled to right to end Humber’s night. Joe Smith was then brought in to relieve Humber and was completely ineffective. Ronnie Belliard doubled, Ryan Zimmerman singled and Austin Kearns singled. Suddenly, it was a 6-5 game. Mets manager Willie Randolph then pulled Smith and inserted Pedro Feliciano. Feliciano struck out Church, but left a ball right in Wily Mo Pena’s wheelhouse and he didn’t miss it, doubling into the gap in left center field to score Zimmerman and Kearns. The resilient Nats had come from five runs down to take a 7-6 lead!!
And the Nats wouldn’t look back. They would add two runs on a Church double off the struggling Mets closer Billy Wagner in the ninth. Chris Schroder, Jonathan Albaladejo, Saul Rivera, Jon Rauch and Luis Ayala each pitched an inning of scoreless relief. For the Nats, the 9-6 win was their fourth straight victory. A 5-2 Philadelphia Phillies win over the Atlanta Braves last night drew the Phils within just a single game of the Mets in the NL East race.
Speaking of that Phillies/Braves game, did any of you see what Jeff Francoeur did to the Phillie Phanatic prior to the game last night? Well, Francoeur appears to still be very young at heart – he took the keys to the Phanatics little buggy that he uses to travel around the stadium in… the Phanatic soon found his keys were missing and that Francouer had them in his possession. Francoeur would only give the keys back after the Phanatic did the Braves’ “Tomahawk Chop!!!” Finally, the Phanatic relented, doing a couple of very weak little chops with his right hand. With that Francoeur gave the Phanatic his keys back and everyone was happy… 
It was definitely one of the more fun, and lighter moments that I’ll remember from the 2007 season.
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Nats Spoiling Mets Party! September 26, 2007
Posted by John C in Baseball, Mets, Nationals, Pedro Martinez.1 comment so far
The Washington Nationals playoff hopes were doused long ago, but they’ve been playing for something else all season long after their 9-25 start – R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Many were saying they would have a good chance at tying the 1962 New York Mets and their record for futility of 40-120. Some of us that have followed the team for some time knew better, and manager Manny Acta made sure that nothing like that was going to happen. Since that awful start, the Nationals have quietly become one of baseball’s most pleasant surprises, putting up a 61-62 record over their past 123 games. Another win last night over those same Mets would get them to an even .500 mark over the past 4 1/2 months.
The Mets had a seven game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies two weeks ago in the National League East race, and many conceeded them the division title at that time. Not me though… Back on September 8th, a poster on my favorite fantasy baseball site, Ron Shandler’s Baseball HQ made the following statement:
“6 game lead w/ 22 to go, with apologies to Howie Rose I think it’s safe to say “Put it in the books”!!!
To which I responded:
That would be a grievous error to make, given the following… Some numbers since 8/1/07:
Oliver Perez: 5.22 ERA, 1.64 WHIP (and only a 25/22 K/BB ratio the past 5 starts)
John Maine: 7.07 ERA, 1.77 WHIP (finally coming back to earth)…
Tom Glavine: 2.87 ERA, 1.43 WHIP (that ERA should be A LOT higher)
El Duque: 4.17 ERA, 1.15 WHIP (got torched last time out)
Billy Wagner: 6.43 ERA, 2.21 WHIP (a tired arm???… these are very un-Wagner-like #’s)
Not to mention Delgado’s out for 10 days or so… Unless these guys can suddenly turn it around, the Mets 6 game lead is anything but safe especially with three games against both the Phillies and Braves next week. If I were a betting man, I’d say their lead is no more than 4 games by the end of next weekend (Sept. 16).
The key to their success (or failure) the coming three weeks may indeed be the effectiveness of Pedro Martinez.
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As we know, the Mets increased their lead to seven games by September 12th, but then lost five straight. By September 18th, their lead shrunk to 1 1/2 games as the Phillies won six straight games themselves. And who has been one of the few bright spots for the Mets the past few weeks? Well, Pedro Martinez, of course! Pedro’s allowed three runs or fewer in all four of his starts since he came off the disabled list. The only other pitcher on their staff to pitch decently over that time is Oliver Perez. Indeed, the effectiveness of Pedro and Oliver the past few weeks has basically kept the Mets in first place.
Early in the season, the Mets dominated the Nats, winning eight of their first 12 contests. The Nats though took two out of three against them in their last homestand and took game one of this weeks three game series at Shea Stadium on Monday.
Yesterday, the Mets had their ace, Tom Glavine going. For his second straight start though, he was pounded. Austin Kearns slugged a three-run homer in the first and Tony Batista then added a solo blast to give the Nats a quick 4-0 lead. Jason Bergmann pitched an effective 5 2/3 innings for the Nats, giving up three runs and seven hits. By the time he left, the Nats had a fairly secure 6-3 lead. Galvine only last five innings, giving up six earned runs and nine hits. The Nats tacked on four additional runs in the final three innings to take a 10-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
The unthinkable then almost happened… the Mets rallied, and rallied, and rallied… Paul LoDuca singled to lead off the ninth against Nats reliever Jesus Colome. After pinch hitter David Newhan struck out, Chris Gomez walked. Jose Reyes then crushed a ball deep into the right field stands for a three run homer. Suddenly it was a 10-6 game. Luis Castillo then singled, and “the Chief,” Chad Cordero was brought in to close things out. Chad just didn’t have it last night as David Wright singled and Carlos Beltran walked. The ageless wonder, Moises Alou then smacked a ball down the right field line for a 3-run double. Suddenly we had a 10-9 game. Jon Rauch then came in to try and save the game. He got the dangerous Carlos Delgado to strike out swinging and then ended the game on a harmless LoDuca pop out to right field. WHEW!!!
With the win, the Nats are now at .500 (62-62) over their past 124 games, and are starting to finally earn some much-deserved respect amongst their peers… As for the Mets, they were fortunate that the persuing Phillies lost. At the moment their NL East lead is two games over the Phils and three games over the “never say die” Atlanta Braves.
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Also of note, Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers slugged two homers yesterday in a 9-1 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals to give him 50 on the year. At age 23, he becomes the youngest player ever to hit 50. Additionally, I believe he now becomes part of the first-ever father/son duo to hit 50 homers. Prince’s father, Cecil “Big Daddy” Fielder, hit 51 homers for the Detroit Tigers in 1990. Congratulations to Prince on this HUGE accomplishment!
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More Rascal Flatts @ Hyundai pictures! September 25, 2007
Posted by John C in Rascal Flatts, concerts.2 comments
By popular demand, I’ve posted a bunch more pictures from the Rascal Flatts and Jason Aldean September 15, 2007 performances at the Hyundai Center on a new flickr account. There are 107 pictures total… I would have had more postable Rascal Flatts pics, but I kept having “obstruction” issues. 
Hope you all enjoy them!
John’s pics from Rascal Flatts/Jason Aldean @ Hyundai 9/15/07
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Week 3 NFL Rankings September 25, 2007
Posted by John C in Football, NFL Power Rankings.6 comments
Another week of games is in the books and that means it’s time to update the rankings… here’s how I have the 32 teams ranked this week with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles into account…
1.(1) New England Patriots (3-0)
2.(2) Dallas Cowboys (3-0)
3.(3) Indianapolis Colts (3-0)
4.(4) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0)
5.(7) Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
6.(10) Green Bay Packers (3-0)
7.(9) Houston Texans (2-1)
8.(5) San Diego Chargers (1-2)
9.(6) Chicago Bears (1-2)
10.(12) Tennessee Titans (2-1)
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11.(8) Washington Redskins (2-1)
12.(18) Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)
13.(11) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)
14.(16) Seattle Seahawks (2-1)
15.(13) Cincinnati Bengals (1-2)
16.(14) Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
17.(15) San Francisco 49ers (2-1)
18.(27) New York Giants (1-2)
19.(23) Carolina Panthers (2-1)
20.(24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
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21.(17) Denver Broncos (2-1)
22.(20) Detroit Lions (2-1)
23.(21) New Orleans Saints (0-3)
24.(19) Cleveland Browns (1-2)
25.(26) Oakland Raiders (1-2)
26.(22) Minnesota Vikings (1-2)
27.(31) Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)
28.(30) New York Jets (1-2)
29.(25) St. Louis Rams (0-3)
30.(29) Miami Dolphins (0-3)
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31.(28) Buffalo Bills (0-3)
32.(32) Atlanta Falcons (0-3)
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Still Feels Good! September 25, 2007
Posted by John C in Rascal Flatts.add a comment
Well, it probably doesn’t feel good today if you’re a Dodgers fan, a St. Louis Cardinals fan, or a New Orleans Saints fan for that matter. However, if you’re a fan of Country stars Rascal Flatts well then today is the day you’ve been anxiously waiting for… I just purchased my copy of their new Still Feels Good CD (the Target special edition with a bonus disk and five extra tracks) and am giving it a spin as I type this… a review is forthcoming!
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De-Charged by Favre!!! September 24, 2007
Posted by John C in Brett favre, Chargers, Cowboys, Football, Redskins.add a comment
The San Diego Chargers went into yesterday’s game against the undefeated Green Bay Packers needing a win and a strong performance out of league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson to restore some of their confidence. After being thrashed 38-14 by the New England Patriots last weekend, a win over Brett Favre and company would go a long way to putting the skip back into the Chargers’ step.
The game turned out to be an epic see-saw battle. The Chargers went in front 7-0 on a 27 yard pass from Philip Rivers to Vincent Jackson just about midway through the first quarter. A 28-yard Mason Crosby field goal at the 2:40 mark of the first quarter cut the Charger lead to 7-3. Favre then drove the Packers the length of the field in their next two possessions, tossing scoring passes of five yards to Donald Driver and Bubba Franks to give the Packers a 17-7 lead with 2:48 to go in the first half. Rivers then drove the Chargers, hitting Buster Davis with a nine yard scoring toss to make it a 17-14 Packer margin going to halftime.
For the most part, the second half was a defensive struggle. The Chargers took the lead again 21-17 on a 21 yard screen pass to LaDainian Tomlinson six minutes into the 3rd quarter. For L.T. it was the lone highlight in a very long day as he would only gain 62 yards on 22 carries. Only tight-end Antonio Gates with 113 yards on 11 receptions broke the triple-digit barrier for the Bolts.
The Chargers held their four point lead until very late. The Packers drove the length of the field midway through the fourth quarter and then were stopped at the one yard line with 5:50 to go in the game. The Chargers managed to move the ball 27 yards in six plays, but were forced to give the ball back to Favre and the Packers with 2:18 to go in the game. After an incompletion, Favre found Greg Jennings wide open on the left side of the field and he scampered 57 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. That scoring pass was a very significant one as it was the 420th one of Favre’s brilliant career, tying Dan Marino for #1 on the all-time list. With just two minutes to go in the game and trailing by three points, the Chargers desperately needed to put a drive together. That wasn’t in the cards though as Rivers was intercepted on the fourth play of their next drive by Nick Barnett. Barnett took the ball all the way to the Chargers two yard line to all but seal the victory for the Packers. Two plays later, Brandon Jackson scored on a one yard run to give the Packers a 31-21 lead. The Chargers did drive the ball into scoring range with their next possession, scoring on a 44 yard field-goal by Nate Kaeding. The ensuing onside kick though was unsucessful and the Packers improbable start to the 2007 season continued.
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As for the other early games, the defending Super Bowl Champion Colts cruised to a fairly easy 30-24 victory to go 3-0 as well. In Philadelphia, Donovan McNabb and Kevin Curtis had HUGE days in a 56-21 Eagles rout of the Detroit Lions to secure their first win of 2007. The New England Partiots soundly defeated the Buffalo Bills 38-7 as both Tom Brady and Randy Moss had another big day, while the Pittsburgh Steelers was also very convincing in a 37-16 rout over the San Francisco 49ers.
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The afternoon games featured a matchup in the nation’s capital between the Redskins and the New York Ginats. The Redskins completely controlled the first half, jumping to a quick 17-3 halftime lead on a Clinton Portis one yard run, and an eight yard pass from Jamie Campbell to Chris Cooley. Shaun Suisham’s 47 yard field-goal with four seconds to play ended the first half scoring.
The second half was just horrible if you were rooting for the Redskins like me… The Redskins went three and out with their first three possessions and then fumbled the ball away on the second play of their fourth second half possession. In the meantime, the Giants offense suddenly came to life scoring three touchdowns in a 20 minute span to start the third quarter. Ruben Droughns scored on two one yard touchdown runs to tie the game at 17. With just 5:33 to go in the game, Eli Manning hit Plaxico Burress with a 33-yard pass to give the Giants a 24-17 lead. Campbell proceeded to drive the Redskins down to the Giants 35, but a crucial fumble on third down took them out of field goal range with just 2:33 to play. The Giants quickly went three-and-out with their next possession. Campbell then quickly drove the Redskins down to the one yard line, connecting twice to Santana Moss and on a 20 yard pass to Antawn Randle-El. Unfortunately, the Skins couldn’t punch it in, with LaDell Betts getting stopped on fourth down.
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In the late game, it was close for a half as the Chicago Bears took on the Dallas Cowboys. The defenses controlled the first 30 minutes, with each team only managing a field goal. The Cowboys defense continued to pester Rex Grossman and the rest of the Bears offense in the second half, while Tony Romo and Marion Barber III ran all over the vaunted Bears defense. Romo connected on scoring passes to Jason Witten and Barber in the third quarter, while Cedric Benson scored on a one yard run for the Bears in between. The Cowboys took complete command in the fourth quarter. After a 44 yard field-goal by Nick Folk, Anthony Henry intercepted the mistake-prone Grossman and returned the ball 28 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 27-10 lead. Barber scored again late on a one yard run to finish off the Cowboys impressive 34-10 win.
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ANGELS Win A.L. West! September 23, 2007
Posted by John C in Angels, Baseball.add a comment
John Lackey pitched a strong seven innings to record his 18th win, and Francisco Rodriguez notched his 38th save, the last out being recorded in left field on a flyball to Garret Anderson as the Angels defeated the Seattle Mariners 7-4. The Angels are the first team in the majors to clinch a playoff spot. Congratulations to Mike Scioscia and the entire Angels team on a job well done!!! Bring on the Yankees – well, we hope so. I don’t think any of the other major league teams would dare say that!!!
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