Yankees Clinch the AL East!
It's hard to imagine which accomplishment the New York Yankees are savoring most right now; clinching the American League East or sweeping their hated rival, the Boston Red Sox. The Yanks did both this weekend capped off by their 49th comeback win this season Sunday when they put up 3 runs to Bostons none in the final three innings. This win marked the ninth win out of ten games against the Red Sox this season and ensured that the Yanks won't be missing out on this postseason like they did a season ago.
"Everything is clicking right now," winning pitcher Andy Pettite said. "When you miss out, it makes you a little more hungry to get back there."
Vick Returns to Action!
Michael Vick saw his first real-game NFL action Sunday when the Philadelphia Eagles matched up against the Kansas City Chiefs. It took all of two plays for Vick to make his first appearance, where he lined up at receiver and faked a reverse. In for 11 plays in all, Vick's day couldn't be called successful by a numbers stand point (he had 7 total yards) but on a personal note, it has to be labeled a good one.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous [when the game started]," said Vick, "I usually don't get nervous, but there were some butterflies. The good thing is that I was able to settle down and relax."
With the bye week coming up and his first game action behind him, Vick looks to better acquaint himself with the offense in the coming weeks, hoping to make his personal success expand to on the field as well.
Detroit Records a Win!
For the first time since Dec. 23, 2007 (yes, I said 2007), a 19 game skid, the Detroit Lions have recorded a win. Their victory, the first this season, came at the expense of a struggling Washington Redskins team
"We not only got the monkey off our back, we got King Kong off our back," said Lions owner William Clay Ford. "I'm hoping that this gets us over that hump and gives us a winning attitude."
The Lions, led by rookie signal caller Matt Stafford, won the game without starting running back Kevin Smith, who didn't play the second half due to injury.
The loss by the Redskins puts head coach Jim Zorn firmly in the hot seat as the general consensus is that he is starting to lose control of his team and lose the faith of his players.
"You either want it or you don't. A lot of these guys don't want it," Redskins cornerback Deangelo Hall said. "They want the other stuff."
The Top Ten Curse Continues...
It just isn't paying to be in the top ten in College football these days as four teams that came into this weekend ranked that high got beat and saw themselves dramatically drop in the rankings. No. 4 Mississippi fell 17 slots after losing to South Carolina. Penn State, beaten by Iowa for the second straight season, fell ten slots to no. 15. Miami got knocked back from 9th to 17th after losing to Virginia Tech. The biggest fall of the weekend belongs to California, who after being crushed 42-3 by Oregon fell 18 slots to no. 24.
These upsets not only cause a lot of shake-up but also cause headaches for the voters who are tasked with placing these teams.
"It's been incredibly difficult [to vote] because our knowledge changes from one week to the next," said Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesmen. “Miami's great, Miami gets blown out. Florida State blows out Top 25 BYU on the road, then loses to an unranked team at home."
Tiger and Phil Finish 1-2...
Sometimes in losing, there is victory, and this weekend for Tiger Woods, that was the case. Phil Michelson rallied from four shots down Sunday to win the Tour Championship over Tiger Woods by three but the second place finish assured Tiger the FedEx Cup and it's hefty $10 million dollar purse.
"I like the way today went," Mickelson said. "I was two back of him, I beat him by three. He gets the $10 million check, and I get $1 million. I've got no problem with that. I just love holding this finally."
Mickelson finished at 9-under 271 and earned $1.35 million. He also collected $3 million for being second in the FedEx Cup. The win this weekend was enough to push him into second place in the FedEx Cup standings.
