TAMPA, YOU WILL BE BACK!

The Tampa Bay Rays exceeded all expectations this season en oute to its first winning season, division title and AL Pennant under manager Joe Maddon. They are young, eager and passed every test until a veteran Phillies team proved to be a bit much for them in the World Series. Don’t despair, for the Rays will be a team to reckon with for the next few years. Take a bow, Tampa, you did well.

CONGRATULATIONS, PHILLIES!

The long major league baseball season concluded last night as the Phillies defeated the Rays, 4-3 in the completion of game five at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Their 28 year drought has ended as the city of brotherly love embraces its 2008 World Champions. They played with heart, soul and deserved its triumph. They have been knocking on the door the last four years.This season they rose to the top of the baseball world. Congratulations, Phillies! 

GREG ODEN:VERY UNLUCKY!

Greg Oden is a major basketball talent. When we will see it remains unclear. After all, the poor guy lost his rookie year to a knee injury and in the first game of the season, he bruises a foot and is day to day. Talk about unlucky!

GIANTS AND TITANS, THEN EVERYBODY ELSE!

Nearing the midway point of the NFL season, one thing can be said with certainty: there are the NY Giants and the Tennessee Titans, and then there is everybody else. Right now, they are best teams in their respective conferences. Both have dominating defenses and potent running games. Eli Manning and, for now, Kerry Collins, are the leaders of their respective teams. The second half of the NFL season should be interesting. If both teams can maintain their excellence, the playoffs will a formality. 

IT WASN’T PRETTY, BUT MY GIANTS WON!

IT WASN’T THE PRETTIEST PRO FOOTBALL GAME YOU WILL EVER SEE. IF YOU LIKE HARD, ROCK EM’, SOCK EM’ FOOTBALL, THEN IT WAS JUST FINE! THE STEELERS’ DEFENSE IS AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED AND THE GIANTS’ POTENT RUNNING GAME WAS STIFLED FOR MOST OF THE GAME, BUT, THANKS TO A BAD SNAP ON A PUNT THAT RESULTED IN A GIANTS’ SAFETY, THE MOMENTUM TURNED IN THE GIANTS’ FAVOR AND THEY CAME OUT ON TOP, 21-14. IT WASN’T PRETTY, BUT MY GIANTS WON!

CONGRATULATIONS, NICKY ANOSIKE

CONGRATULATIONS TO FORMER LADY VOL, NICK ANOSIKE, ON BEING NAMED 2008 NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR. IT IS WELL DESERVED. IT HAS BEEN QUITE A YEAR FOR THE LADY VOLS SINCE THEY REPEATED AS NCAA CHAMPIONS. IT IS A CREDIT TO THEMSELVES AND THE PROGRAM PAT SUMMITT HAS DEVELOPED IN HER 30 PLUS YEARS AS LADY VOLS HEAD COACH.

ERNIE DAVIS, A FORGOTTEN MAN?

I MISSED SEEING “THE EXPRESS,” IN THE THEATRES RECENTLY. I’LL SEE IT ON DVD.I AM GLAD TO SEE THAT THE LATE ERNIE DAVIS GET A FAIR TREATMENT IN THE FILM FROM WHAT I HAVE READ IN VARIOUS ARTICLES BY SEVERAL CRITICS. FROM THE EARLY 50′S TO THE LATE 60′S, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY HAD A SUCCESSION OF GREAT RUNNING BACKS: JIM BROWN, DAVIS, JIM NANCE, FLOYD LITTLE AND LARRY CSONKA. ALL OF WHOM STARRED IN THE THEN AFL OR THE NFL. CSONKA AND BROWN ARE HALL OF FAMERS, AND BROWN IS A BONAFIDE LEGEND. NANCE AND LITTLE ARE WORTHY OF SUCH CONSIDERATION. OF THE AFOREMENTIONED GROUP, ONLY DAVIS WAS AWARDED THE HEISMAN TROPHY AND THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO BE SO HONORED. THE FILM, REGARDLESS OF ITS COMMERCIAL SUCCESS, IS PROOF THAT DAVIS WILL NOT BE A FORGOTTEN MAN. TRAGICALLY, HE CONTRACTED LEUKEMIA AND DIED WITHOUT EVER PLAYING IN THE NFL. HE HAD BEEN DRAFTED BY THE CLEVELAND BROWNS. WHAT A BACKFIELD THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN: BROWN AND DAVIS, AND HEAVEN HELP US!

WILL IT BE THE CELTICS AGAIN?

THE NBA SEASON BEGINS TONIGHT. WILL THE CELTICS REPEAT? YES, I THINK THEY WILL UNLESS INJURIES DERAIL THEIR APPOINTMENT WITH DESTINY NEXT JUNE. LAST SEASON IT WAS GOOD TO SEE THE TEAM WITH THE BEST RECORD WIN IT ALL. IT WAS NICE TO ADD THE LABEL OF CHAMPION NEXT TO RAY ALLEN, KEVIN GARNETT, PAUL PIERCE AND HEAD COACH DOC RIVERS. IT WAS A WELL DESERVED AND CONVINCING TRIUMPH OVER AN OVERMATCHED  YET TALENTED LAKERS TEAM. ON BALANCE, THE WESTRN CONFERENCE IS STRONGER THEN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE. BUT, COME PLAYOFF TIME, I THINK THE CELTICS WILL AGAIN REIGN SUPREME IN THE NBA.

PEYTON OR THE TITANS?

TONIGHT, PEYTON MANNING AND THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS FACE THE UNDEFEATED TENNESSEE TITANS. WHICH ONE WILL BE VICTORIOUS? GOOD QUESTION! MY ANSWER IS: TENNESSEE TITANS. WHY? DEFENSE AND A POTENT , NEARLY MISTAKE-PROOF OFFENSE THAT RUNS THE BALL WELL AND CONTROLS THE CLOCK. ALONG WITH A REJUVENATED VETERAN QB KERRY COLLINS THE TITANS ARE FOR REAL AND I LOOK FOR THEM TO MAKE SOME NOISE IN THE AFC PLAYOFFS AT SEASON’S END.

ANOTHER STRIKE AGAINST THE VOLS!

WELL, THEY DID IT AGAIN! THE VOLS LOST 29-9 TO ALABAMA. LOOK HOW FAR THE TIDE HAS COME UNDER NICK SABAN AND LOOK WHERE THE VOLS ARE UNDER PHILLIP FULMER. FULMER’S TEAMS HAVE WON 75 % OF ITS GAMES IN HIS 17 YEARS AT THE HELM BUT HAVEN’T BEEN IN A BCS BOWL GAME OR WON A SEC TITLE IN YEARS. I STILL THINK IT MAY TIME FOR A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP AT UT. AFTER ALL, THEY LOST TO UCLA 27-23 I THINK IN THE OPENING GAME OF THE SEASON IN THE ROSE BOWL. THE SAME UCLA TEAM THAT WAS CRUSHED 59-0 BY BYU THE FOLLOWING WEEK.THAT TOLD ME ALL I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VOLS THIS SEASON.