After the jump, RJ wants his mommy.

Winner, Older_than_Moses_Shaq:
RJ: "Hey, that's not a penis."

Runner-up, Red Dawn:
Violet Palmer: "You know the rules. When the street light comes on you put the basketball down and finish your homework."

Here are your

• Day Two in the coverage of the Alexei Cherepanov tragedy shifts the focus squarely on what the KHL did or did not do to save the New York Rangers prospect's life. A member of the Russian Hockey Federation tells the Globe & Mail that "there may have been negligence" involved. Pierre McGuire of TSN observed footage of Cherepanov on the Omsk bench and said, "There is no stretcher. And you see the players carrying him off like a bag of potatoes."

• Steve Zipay of Newsday calls for a full probe of the situation, as reports state that "an ambulance arrived 15 minutes later and that the batteries in a defibrillator apparently were dead."

• Finally, in a bizarre obit, Gare Joyce of Sportsnet lashes out at those who claimed Cherepanov couldn't handle the physical grind of the NHL, a league he never had the chance to compete in. "At best, they're xenophobic stereotypes. At worst, slander. Maybe they'll be cleaned up in remembrances and tributes. Maybe they'll be given an extra layer of veils."

• Meanwhile, the Rangers continued their mastery of the New Jersey Devils, who couldn't figure out a way to move Aaron Voros from Martin Brodeur's crease -- with Coach Brent Sutter comparing him to Tomas Holmstrom. [Staten Island Advance]

• Speaking of Homer, some of you may have seen this but it was new to us: Please stop Holmstrom abuse. [YouTube]

• We'll no doubt have more about this later today, but the new Fan Cost Index from Team Marketing Report (.pdf) is out. Your top three average ticket prices: Toronto Maple Leafs ($76.15 per ticket), Montreal Canadiens ($64.26), Vancouver Canucks ($62.05) and Boston Bruins ($61.40). [Philly.com]

• Steven Stamkos has a blog ... er, "diary" for the Tampa Tribune. In the latest edition, the Tampa Bay Lightning rookie talks about trying to find a place to live. "It's like an introduction to the real world, doing what real people have to go through every day to live their lives." Yes, so many "real people" in Florida can no doubt relate to finding a place to live with $875,000 burning a hole in your pocket. Doesn't Vinny have a basement like Mario does? [Tribune, H/T Puck Update]

• Is it time for the Colorado Avalanche to panic at 0-2? OK, more to the point: Is it time for the Colorado Avalanche to panic about Peter Budaj at 0-2? [Mile High Hockey]

• The Vancouver Canucks are threatening the world with yet another new jersey. Whales, city names, electric skates, flying V's ... of all the teams, that's one track record we're eager to see continue. [Icethetics]

• The CHL and its players' association ended what could have been a debilitating players' strike, thus saving their season and avoiding cultural irrelevance. Wow, what a concept, huh Gary? [Northern Colorado Business Report]

• The Washington Capitals trounced the Canucks last night, and it appears fans are rather happy about it, judging from the street dancing and brass band. [Harrison Keith]

• Battle of California asks: What would Todd Bertuzzi have to do to gain your forgiveness (or at least your respect)? [BoC]

• With the Dallas Stars struggling out of the gate, Razor thinks they need Good Cop nurturing and Bad Cop fanny kicking. So, in other words, do you go Modano and Jere or Ott and Avery? [Razor With an Edge]

• Are the St. Louis Blues actually set up for a nice little run in the Central Division this season? [St. Louis Game Time]

• Finally, with a H/T to UniWatch, this Andrew Brunette commercial for the Minnesota Wild is pretty darn funny:

They love Braylon Edwards at Michigan, and, presumably, Braylon loves Ann Arbor back in that very hetersosexual, "Michigan Man" sort of way. Still, Edwards had his issues with Rich Rodriguez before Rod had ever coached a game as a Wolverine, and now that Rodriguez has guided the hallowed alma mater to a 2-4 start, maybe Edwards' choice of apparel on the Worldwide Leader Monday -- less than a week before Michigan goes to Happy Valley with its decade-long win streak over Penn State on the line -- was some sort of silent protest:

See the video of the interview here. Showing up on national television wearing a conference rival's logo looks bad, and might be further evidence that Braylon has chosen sides in the Michigan Fan Civil War. In Edwards' defense, maybe he was ... considering Penn State for graduate school? It really would look kind of sketchy if he went to the same school for his M.A., you know.

- - -
Hat tip: M.J.

Yes, according to fake news reports, children at Heyu Primary School in Guangzhou, China have officially adopted The Mascot Formerly Known As Thunder as some sort of class pet. This, of course, marks the beginning of the end for ol' Blue, as those kids will have forgotten to feed him by Thursday. You can see the hate in their eyes.

See? No one who offers a graceful and respectable bow to a hostile crowd could be a bad guy, could he?

Professor Jan Bebbington of St. Andrews University recently delivered a speech which indicated that without changes in the way Scotland and the rest of the world treat their carbon emissions, we're looking at British Open course atrocities unseen since the days of Jean Van De Velde:

"I am trying to say don't assume the way we live now and the things we take for granted will always be there," Bebbington said. "The Old Course is one example. It could be safe and I suspect it will attract a lot of investment to try to keep it safe. But it is on low lying ground and people should be asking themselves what if it -- and other places we take for granted -- was not there any more."

Come on, professor. Ever heard of Tiger Woods 2009? Long as there are video games, St. Andrews will live forever.

Consideiring that Florida is also a battleground state, I'd say that nominee Barack Obama is limiting himself here by declaring his allegiance for the Phillies. Luckily, there was that time that Joe Biden mentioned the "Devil" Rays down in Florida, so they should have both sides covered. 

The other is pictured here, and allegedly features "a stylized oil drop" on the front. But the unavoidable truth is that it clearly resembles a menacing piece of poo. It's like Mr. Hanky's psychotic younger brother wearing a "Reebok" grill.

The intent may have been to provide a wild-eyed take on the McFarlane Oilers' alt logo; but the mask image just makes us squirm while we think about the last time we ate Thai food -- although maybe that's because the mask also has "dragons on either side." Hey, just like Alyssa Milano did way back in 1994! Hockey synergy strikes yet again.

Thanks to PD reader "loilfan" for the tip.

OK, so "random English chap in jeans and a v-neck sweater" might be stretching it. According to the ether, the guy's name is actually Stuart Tanner — a sort of English, Skip To My Lou-like playground legend. For the full story check out of Basketball 24/7.

Recession? What recession? Each week, we bring you the greatest in NASCAR-themed knickknackery. Send your suggestions to

The item: NASCAR scented candles

The cost: $36.10 at Sports Nut Shop.

The deal: NASCAR scented candles. Okay, fine. But, first question: what are they scented like? Burning tires? Gasoline? Burnt meat and whiskey? Failure? (No, wait ... one of them is of Jimmie Johnson. That doesn't work.) Second question: where do you use such a candle? In the bathroom? When you're working the romantic angle with your honey? When your power's been cut off because you've spent so much money on NASCAR goodies? So many questions, so few candles.

The hat tip: Reader Tammy. Keep on sending those links, folks!

Today's brief foray into politics brings us Dean Smith's endorsement of Barack Obama, which was posted on Obama's web site yesterday. It reads:

There is a point in every contest when sitting on the sidelines is not an option. Coach Smith and Linnea Smith are urging North Carolinians to get involved at this crucial moment. If you believe America needs to set a new course, then the time to join us is now. Get involved with Barack Obama's Campaign for Change by knocking on doors and talking to your neighbors about how Barack Obama and Joe Biden will bring the change we need. 

"Sidelines." Get it? Like basketball sidelines. Oh, those clever endorsement copywriters.

The question was never whether Dean Smith's endorsement would show up for Obama -- Smith has a long history of progressive politics, and has for many years supported causes in North Carolina along those party lines. The question is whether or not Smith's endorsement will mean anything in North Carolina. There are few figures more popular in N.C. than the Dean, and the state is currently in a (somewhat surprising) dead heat between Obama and John McCain. Could Smith's endorsement tip the scales? Or, more likely, will it have nothing to do with the final outcome, whatever that outcome might be?

Of course, now it's Coach K's turn. He's as conservative as Smith is liberal and is, like John McCain, a former military man, so you get one guess as to who he'll vote for. And so the endorsement battle wages on. Only the gritty political leanings of Tyler Hansbrough could tip the scales now.

Politics? Wha?

Nevermind, Tyler.

If you are one such believer -- and last week, it was all the rage -- maybe you feel like it'd be shortsighted to change your mind back to Peyton after this one particular weekend of football.

Peyton had 3 touchdowns and a 134.7 passer rating against the best passing defense in football, and Eli had 3 interceptions and a 57.1 passer rating against the Cleveland Browns. But so what, it's just one game, right?

Okay. So let's forget about that one game. And yes, I realize that it's easy to write a rebuttal to that counterpoint after this weekend's events, but if it makes you feel any better, I'll be happy to ignore this week when making my case.

If it's shortsighted to draw or change an opinion after this one week, I'd counter that it was way more shortsighted to ignore the last 10 years of Peyton Manning's career in favor of Eli Manning's last, what, 10 games or so? Peyton's quarterback rating has been below 84.1 for an entire season exactly once in his career: when he had a 71.2 rating as a rookie.

Meanwhile, Eli's quarterback year-long rating has never climbed out of the 70s. It likely will this year, but even last year, when he won the Super Bowl, it was a meager 73.9. Peyton didn't win any hardware last year, but he did manage to post a 98.0 rating.

True, through six weeks of the 2008 campaign, the numbers are a bit different. Eli, after last night's regression, is carrying a 91.4 rating to Peyton's 87.8, an advantage I'd describe as extremely slight. But an advantage nonetheless, I suppose.

But let's not confuse the Giants' success with Eli's proficiency, and let's not confuse the Colts weak start with any declining skills in Peyton Manning. Let's not ignore circumstance here.

Statistically, Eli has the NFL's best running to lean on and to open up the passing game. Peyton's running game? Dead last. There's also the issue of the Colts injuries along the offensive line, and let's not forget that Peyton had a scalpel bouncing around in his knee twice this offseason. I think he can be excused if it takes him a few games to find his mojo.

But really, none of that matters, either. Here's the only relevant question: If you had to win a game tomorrow, and you had to pick one quarterback to do it, are you taking Peyton or Eli?

Do you really believe Eli is as good at Peyton at doing all the crafty veteran things that a quarterback's expected to do? Pre-snap reads, setting up a corner, recognizing coverages, immediately recognizing the open guy ... is Eli on Peyton's level there?

I say no, and I say it so emphatically that even Jerramy Stevens would understand. No. No! No! NO! Maybe Eli's got some youthful advantages in quickness and footspeed, and maybe even arm strength. But Peyton's still got a cannon, and he's still damn hard to sack. And I'll be surprised if Peyton isn't statistically the best quarterback at the end of the season.

Isn't that sort of neat? We're playing basketball ... but we're outside! And all of the people who were there for the football game didn't leave their seats and go to the bathroom and stuff! They stayed! Madness! (Hehe.)

This at least deserves a a blog post in which you pretend I wrote you a letter.

Yours in orange,
Bruce Weber

And, no, I'm not a Phillies fan. Rather, I'm just a guy who, in these most uncertain times, enjoys the fact that there is still a place for a pudgy 39-year-old Canadian slugger whose expectations for himself are exactly the expectations that others have placed on him.

Indeed, to watch Stairs' TV interview after hitting a mammoth game-winning 2-run homer off Jonathan Broxton in the Phillies' 7-5 victory on Monday night was to watch a man operate completely within himself. Operating with the same stoicism he uses while coaching high school hockey, Stairs looked as if he had just punched the clock after another day at the office and was ready to go home to the newspaper and the dog. 

What, praise him for a job well done and then ask him about the improbability of his pinch-hit appearance and first postseason home run? No, thank you, sir, because Stairs is a player who completely realizes his lot in this baseball life that has lasted 17 seasons. 

"Well, I mean, my whole career, even back in the early days when I signed back whenever with Montreal, my approach was try to hit the ball out of the ballpark. And it's something I enjoyed doing."

"In batting practice I try to hit every ball out of the ballpark. And I'm not going to lie, it's fun, when you're there and you're hitting balls out of the ballpark."

"I think the biggest thing is get up there, see how far you're going to hit the ball. I'm not going to lie, I try to hit home runs and that's it."

Ah, yes, in the end, there is always a bat, a ball, a pitcher, an outfield wall and Matthew Wade Stairs, trying to combine 'em all to do what he was put on this great big Earth to do.

To quote The Stranger: I don't know about you, but I take comfort in that.

(For another postgame quote from Stairs, this one a little more unfortunate the ones above, check out The Fightins' this morning.) 

Last Season: 50-32; lost in second round of playoffs to Pistons

Key Players Added: Mickael Pietrus (free agent), Anthony Johnson (free agent, fountain of youth), Dwayne Jones (free agent), Courtney Lee (draft)

Key Players Lost: Carlos Arroyo (overseas), James Augustine (waived), Keyon Dooling (insulted by Magic, traded to the Nets, insulted by Lawrence Frank's height), Maurice Evans (free agent, signed with Hawks), Pat Garrity (retired), Pat Garrity's chair (lonely)

Kelly Dwyer's Endless Grey Ribbon: It's hard not to love this team's immediate rotation, it features two players who are at the absolute peak of their careers (Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis), a franchise guy who gets better game by game, and a point man who is going to thrive in a system that won't force him to look over his shoulder as the game drones on.

And there's a reason Jameer Nelson won't be looking over his shoulder, because the Magic are only going seven-deep these days. The rest of the rot is just that. And that's not a problem if you're playing in the postseason, but the Magic won't be. For a few months, anyway. More on that later.

Still, overall for this year, I'm not seeing many problems. Don't be fooled by what might seem by a pessimistic win prediction coming from my end, because this team and its slim rotation is made for the playoffs. I can't wait to see this squad working at peak form this spring.

Until then, I'm not expecting the Magic to traipse through the regular season. The team did pretty well with injuries last season — Hedo, Dwight Howard, and Lewis missed but a single game combined in 2007-08 — and the team topped out at 52 wins. They lost a batch of close ones, which usually means the team is better than the record indicates, but a deeper East and a nick or two along the way could keep the win total in the mid-to-low fitties.

Howard's legs are a bit of a worry, and please stop laughing. Yeah, the guy has Supermannish tendencies, and cats his age seem to need next to no time to recover from game to game, but fatigue has to catch up with Howard at some point.

It's easy to point to the fact that Dwight won't turn 23 until December while claiming that physical freaks like him seem to have a boundless supply of energy and … well, yeah, they don't. He's been playing throughout the summer since 2006, and even with the return of Tony Battie (again, quit with the laughter, it hurts), the kid is bound to get winded at some point.

29-year old Turkoglu should be able to sustain his career-best production from last year, and though I don't expect Rashard Lewis to knock in 41 percent of his three-pointers again in 2008-09, I'm guessing that his rebounding (which fell last year) will jump back to his pre-2007 level as he gets more and more used to spending time at the power forward slot. Or not. It's Rashard's call. Analysis!

Shooting guard is still an issue. Keith Bogans is a good defender, I think he's a bit overrated in that end, but he doesn't hurt the team and he hits a respectable amount of his three-point shots. He also cannot create a shot to save his life. Mickael Pietrus is a very good defender, possibly underrated, and he hits a fair amount of threes too. Can't create a shot. I think Courtney Lee was a wasted draft pick, and J.J. Redick will never see playing time. Odd, unenviable, situation.

Meanwhile, Brian Cook should be better this year. There's no rhyme or reason for why he struggled in Orlando last year, because he was made for this team. Don't rebound, stand on the perimeter, shoot three-pointers. This year, it sez 'ere, he makes 'em.

The whole team better make it this year, because though Howard and Jameer Nelson are still a pair of whippersnappers, this is the best Hedo and Lewis will ever play. And unless the Magic can sell high on their two forwards (don't bet on it), this will be the best chance at getting to the Finals that we'll see out of this crew, as presently constructed. This isn't to say that Howard and Nelson won't have their chances once a new supporting cast arrives a few years from now, they will, but this has to be the year. Has to.

I like their chances, though. Playoffs success often depends on having a solid short rotation, and the Magic do have a great one. It's getting to May that might be the problem.

Expected Record: 53-29

Lolnbaz:

A Look Inside Stan Van Gundy's Closet:

Real Talk, Blog Talk (aka excerpts from other blogger team previews):

Bleacher Report: "For the past three offseasons, Jameer Nelson has flown his Orlando Magic teammates to his hometown of Philadelphia for a week-long event in which the team goes bowling, attends comedy clubs, visits Atlantic City, gets competitive in team paintball fights, and more. Ah, the life of a professional athlete. But all jealousy aside, Nelson doesn't just plan these activities because they're fun. He does this because he understands the importance of team chemistry. His team get-togethers allow the players, both veterans and new acquisitions alike, to bond in a relaxed setting and become comfortable with the people that they'll be seeing very much of throughout the 82-game season. As a writer who has covered the Orlando Magic for the past four seasons, I've watched these players develop both chemistry and trust in one another that have been instrumental in their recent success."

HOOPSWORLD: "Mickael Pietrus was a nice signing, but Courtney is going to be the two guard of the future for the Magic. He embodies everything the Magic were missing. He can score in bunches, he's a solid defender on the perimeter and he's a heck of nice guy, which matches the Magic's community friendly image. Courtney, as a rookie will become the player the Magic thought they drafted in JJ Redick. Courtney also makes JJ expendable before the regular season gets underway. Between Pietrus and Courtney, the Magic have shored up their biggest weakness, the two guard spot, now and for the future."

Andre Gomes: "Orlando should stand up this season and be a serious contender to win the Eastern Conference, after all the team was just beaten by Boston and Detroit last season and they maintain the same team structure. Howard will once again be the team’s superstar and it would be great for him if he could improve his FT %, which is curiously lower than his FG%! The roster seems to be lacking depth, the team is young, so the chances of they get plagued by injuries is lower, but if that happens, this may be an huge problem for the team."

Associated Wax: Ronnie Lane, Lucky Seven

Michael Bay's Twitter Season Projection:

michael_bay: For my next trick, I'm going to transform JJ Redick into a young Larry Bird. With dynamite, of course.
about 4 hours ago from web

Before we get to how the Globe & Mail gang-raped Gary Bettman's NHL economy this morning, a word from Commission for Life about subsequent Winter Classics after the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks play in Wrigley Field:

"We're not going to overdo it. We're not going to require ourselves to do one every year."

Perhaps this is just a preemptive strike in case the ratings sag or if it's 70 degrees in Chicago on Jan. 1. And yes, I know that many fans would actually agree with Bettman that the Winter Classic is in danger of overexposure. But by playing in consecutive years, the standard is set: The NHL now has an annual event that attracts mainstream coverage.

There are too many combinations of competitors and stadia yet to be explored for the NHL to walk away from annual games on Jan. 1. It's an instant sports tradition, and only the NHL would be stupid enough not to ride this thing until every viable matchup and venue has been exhausted.

(Unless, of course, this is Bettman's way of saying that the NHL won't require itself to have an All-American game on New Year's Day each season, so the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs can face-off in their own open air stadium.)

Bettman was in D.C. last night giving a press conference about the NHL, and wouldn't you know it: The fundamentals of our economy are strong! From the Washington Times:

Bettman said that unlike some sports leagues, the NHL has not yet been affected by the recent downturn in the economy. (The NBA yesterday said it was expecting a decline in season ticket sales and was laying off 9 percent of its domestic workforce.)

"That is not the mode we find ourselves in right now," Bettman said. "Our season tickets are up 4 percent over where they were a year ago, and as of ten days ago our single game tickets were up almost 13 percent. Those are remarkable, if not startling numbers, when you look at what's going on."

They sure are ... unless he's taking into account the massive discounts and freebies for teams in struggling markets. Of course, ask a Canadian journalist, and you'll wonder how many tickets need to be sold to off-set what has become their greatest critique of the maligned commissioner's tenure: Sending revenue welfare to struggling U.S. markets.

The Globe & Mail unloaded on Bettman today in a sports section cover story titled "The giant sucking sound." It's a devastating indictment of the lockout's economic failures, and a scathing attack on the NHL for using millions of dollars from Canadian franchises to prop up struggling teams:

According to information compiled by The Globe and Mail from various sources, the six Canadian NHL franchises contributed more than $40-million (all figures U.S.) to their fellow owners last season, and about $50-million when playoff revenues are taken into account. And at the other end of the spectrum, several teams are becoming increasingly frustrated at the skyrocketing salary cap, which now forces teams to carry a minimum payroll of $40.7-million.

What the story does is illuminate a stunning dichotomy in NHL ownership: Those who keep revenues low to avoid having to share it, and those who complain about the cap floor forcing them to spend more than they'd like to:

Some teams build their business models around their revenue-sharing windfall and strive to keep their own revenues below the threshold where they will have to contribute. The Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators, like other teams who spend near the midpoint of the salary-cap range, are often singled out as examples.

But other owners contend the larger issue is the ever-rising NHL salary-cap floor. "The cap was supposed to solve everyone's problems, but all it's done is prevent six or seven teams from spending $80-million," said an ownership source who exchanged candour for anonymity. "Some folks are pretty upset: We sat out a whole year to get the cap, and some people are saying, 'Well, why?' "

For no good reason, of course. Consider that we don't even know the implications for being over the cap or under the floor. It's like watching a reality game show were the rules are arbitrarily established only when necessary.

In the end, the real issue here is exactly what the real issue is in any Canadian MSM lament about the NHL: Warm weather cities in the U.S. getting "propped up" by the massive revenues of Canadian teams. Globe and Mail columnist Stephen Brunt brings up the "basket cases" of the Florida Panthers and the Nashville Predators, and basically calls them welfare mamas:

Limited revenue sharing was added to the mix to try and balance the haves and have-nots, though the NHL has been loath to provide details as to how it actually works. Certainly the redistribution of wealth was sold as a temporary fix to help needy teams get back on their feet (like the old Canadian Assistance Program), when in fact it now looks very much like a permanent welfare roll.

The weak franchises have to hit targets to qualify, and there's a time limit - but what's going to happen when you start disconnecting them from life support?

Well, the answer is that they'll just be moved to another hospital. Bettman said last night that no teams are actively looking to relocate or be sold in this frozen credit market, but even if that's correct (and we don't believe it is), how long will it hold?

Ticket sales can be juiced with special offers and creative accounting. But the fundamental flaws of the Bettman Economy can't be obscured. We've gotten competitive balance but, if we're to believe the folks up in Canada, we've also gotten a welfare state.

It's hard to square Bettman saying the NHL is "still in growth mode" when six teams are contributing $40 million a season to keep their rivals financially viable. Then again, his words haven't had credibility in about 15 years anyway. Why start now?

Nothing says "I am a beautiful and delicate flower" like eye black, windblown hair, and ferocious incisors tearing through a plastic bone. Why, I can't tell if this was a photo taken in the stands last night, or something just ripped off the cover of Elle. Whatever the case, I'm pretty sure this woman could beat the hell out of Brady Quinn.

I'd also be curious to see what kind of offspring she could produce with the Steeler 'Stache guy.

"I only knew one way, I knew how to put the ball in the basket," said Gervin, "But with this San Antonio Spurs team, I think it would make the game a lot easier for me. I didn't have to take a lot of shots because I was shooting a high percentage".

Of course the former swingman now closely associated with the franchise and the NBA in general hasn't forgotten about the drastic changes to the perimeter hand-checking rules that used to exist during his stint on the offensive.

"I could get 30 or 40 every night real easy, the way they let guys guard you these days".

Bold, sure, but unreasonable? Not necessarily. Not for the man who poured in a career high 63 points at will to regain the scoring lead from David Thompson in 1978, hours after the Denver Nuggets guard poured in 78 of his own to steal it in the first place.

The Ice Man talks in detail about winning that 1978 scoring title (his first of four), playing alongside a very young Michael Jordan in Chicago, and giving back to the community. It's an excellent interview. Check it out.

• Rocco Baldelli grew up as a Red Sox fan so when he crushed a three-run homer over the Green Monster last night it meant a little extra to him. [Tampa Tribune]

• Matt Garza proved his doubters wrong last night by taking Game 3. [Tampa Tribune]

• With Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton in the lineup, the Rays have a chance to be good for years to come. [St. Pete. Times]

• The Rays have pounded the odds writes Gary Shelton. [St. Pete Times]

• Dan Shaughnessy wants to know where the Red Sox mojo went. [Boston Globe]

• Red Sox fans are getting restless with the struggling Jason Varitek. [Boston Globe]

• Jacoby Ellsbury is struggling too ... he is 0-for-his-last-20. [Boston Globe]

• Nobody knows how Game 4 starter Tim Wakefield will pitch tonight. [Boston Herald] 

• The Dodgers don't have enough pitching depth writes Bill Plaschke. [LA Times]

• How many times will Joe Torre be second guessed for the decisions he made at the end of Game 4? [LA Times]

• Shane Victorino and Matt Stairs -- two of the smallest guys on the team -- came through for the Phils last night. [LA Times]

• Seven players got fined for the bench-clearing brawl on Sunday night. [LA Times]

• Shane Victorino enjoys playing the role of the villain in Los Angeles. [Philly.com]

• Acquiring Matt Stairs has paid off big for the Phillies. [Philly.com]

• Chase Utley made several big defensive plays last night. [Philly.com]

• How are you going to criticize a coach who does everything right? So Mike Gundy might ask about Tommy Bowden's unceremonious midseason axing at Clemson, and so The State's Ron Morris does ask today with typical "What's wrong with society" clucking under the actual headline, "Bowden did everything right, except win":Â

Bowden did everything right at Clemson. His teams won an average of nearly eight games his first nine seasons. Every one of his teams qualified for a bowl game. His players graduated, and they rarely were involved in off-field incidents.

Bowden stacked solid recruiting class on top of solid recruiting class. He represented the athletics department and the university in the highest manner. His ethics were never questioned. NCAA probation was never associated with his program.

Yet Bowden failed in one key area that overrode all the rest. Clemson did not win an ACC championship under his direction. In the end, after all was considered, winning a championship trumped all of Bowden’s outstanding work.

Terry Don Phillips, Clemson’s athletics director, admitted as much on Monday.

“There is a point where the competitive portion will override all the good things you’ve done in these other areas,” Phillips said.

That is the sad part Yet that is where we are in college athletics, inching closer to the professional ranks. ...

Lo, for the days of Howard, Switzer and the Bear, when there was no pressure to produce results on the field and the "student" in "student-athlete" actually meant something. I'm surprised I made it all the way through that sentence without my fingers spasming wildly across the keyboard (maybe I have a future in newspapers, after all, or politics). Among Bowden's peers, Papa Bowden is generic, and Steve Spurrier, as usual, sums it up the best: "We’ve got our own problems in here that we don’t need to comment on other people’s issues.”

More importantly: who's on deck? The State floats five names, which are essentially the five names that come up for every job: Will Muschamp, Gary Patterson, Jim Grobe, Bobby Johnson and Bowden's interim replacement, Dabo Swinney, who's supposed to have a fighting chance if he keeps the Tigers out of the tank over the second half of the year. There are no tea leaves to be read at this stage, only message boards, and they don't want Patterson, they don't want Bobby Johnson, they don't want Lane Kiffin, so that leaves a working wish list of Muschamp, basically. But we knew that already.

• Possession receiver, adieu. Kentucky's best offensive playmaker -- its only reliable offensive playmaker, really -- Dickie Lyons, Jr., is out for the season with the dreaded double tear (PCL and MCL) in the Cats' loss to South Carolina, effectively ending his college career. Lyons has three times as many receptions this year (33) as Kentucky's No. 2 receiver, and though his career totals (141 catches, 1,752 yards, 18 touchdowns) are a ho hum season for Michael Crabtree, Dickie had his share of highlights, too, as a second banana to Keenan Burton, Rafael Little and later Steve Johnson:

His deceptive speed belongs to the ages now. Godspeed, Dickie. You took Craig Steltz off the ground

Another sometimes overlooked receiver/return man, North Carolina's Brandon Tate, is also out for the season (link includes video of fateful punt return against Notre Dame) after an MRI revealed a torn ACL for the Tar Heels' all-purpose yards leader. Tate led the entire conference in all-purpose yards as a junior and was on his way to an even better senior year, at just shy of 200 yards per game rushing, receiving and returning kicks, with five touchdowns in UNC's first five games before Saturday. His college career is over, too, and also not without its share of highlights.

• What is this, 'per-speck-tiv' of which you speak? The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ron Cook isn't going to win any friends on the West Virginia side of the Gazette's circulation writing stuff like this about the Mountaineer State's Public Enemy Number One, especially amid the giddiness that surely followed Rich Rodriguez's loss to Toledo:Â

Like him or hate him personally, Rodriguez is a great coach and he will win big at Michigan if they don't run him out of town first. It's only a matter of time. Rodriguez needs to bring in players who are a fit for his unique spread offense, which always seemed to be a step ahead of everybody else's when he was at West Virginia. Getting quarterback Terrelle Pryor out of Jeannette High School in the spring would have hastened the process greatly, but that didn't work out, and Pryor picked Ohio State. That's recruiting. You win some, you lose some.
[...]
Bottom line, big picture?

The Rodriguez bandwagon will fill quickly, sooner rather than later.

Not if it's overtaken and hacked up for torch kindlin', Ron, by jilted West Virginians or the anit-Rod faction of the Michigan Fan Civil War. As a representative of the southern end of this maize-n-blue quasi-rivalry, you're supposed to make lame, Rod-related puns, forget his guiding hand during the most successful three-year run in West Virginia history and take what's happening at Michigan at the moment as evidence of Rodriguez's true ineptitude when not gifted with Pat White in the shotgun. There is no place for patience here.

Quickly ... Poor Marshall Lobbestael is out for the season for Washington State. . . . Ball State's Dante Love is out of the hospital after the neck injury that ended his football career last month. . . . Georgia tight end Bruce Figgins will finish the season with a torn labrum, but the Dogs have to cut the penalties and score touchdowns in the red zone. And Mark Richt speaks out on Tommy Bowden, who coached Richt's son, a backup quarterback at Clemson, without really saying anything. . . . And there's some optimism around Pitt football, which can only mean something terrible is about to happen.

The way the Islanders announcers reacted, you'd have thought Craig Rivet pulled out a shank and stabbed Sean Bergenheim between the ribs.

Of course, that hysteria doesn't compare with the observation that Patrick Kaleta somehow "let up" on defenseman Brendan Witt after slamming him to the ice and busting open the back of his head. Pretty sure Witt had a death grip on Kaleta's arm, rather than Kaleta having a sudden pacifist streak.

The Islanders were routed 7-1 yesterday with backup goalie Joey MacDonald between the pipes and Rick DiPietro deemed healthy enough to appear on the bench. This led to some cynical questions from the media for Islanders coach Scott Gordon after the game, including from Greg Logan of Newsday:

DiPietro wasn't healthy enough to start the first three games of the season, but he was deemed healthy enough to be the backup. Don't try to look for the logic here. There isn't any, which probably is why Gordon pulled a Sarah Palin, ignoring a question he didn't like and changing the subject when he was asked directly if DiPietro's readiness was a factor.

Without mentioning DiPietro, Gordon said the Islanders didn't play a good game. "Sometimes coaches let the team off the hook when they look for an answer by pulling the goalie," Gordon said. "I want our team to understand you can't just point the finger at the goaltender." Gordon then was asked if he considered giving DiPietro some work in the third period with the game out of reach. "Nope," he said. Then he went on a riff about the bright spot for his team being the penalty-killing.

Or, perhaps it was fairly well-known inside the room yesterday that DiPietro was simply a bench ornament. From Newsday:

Asked if he knew DiPietro wasn't available, MacDonald said, "Yeah," then caught himself. Backtracking, he added: "Well, I don't know about that. Like I said, I just kept on concentrating and tried to keep battling."

So, for those who are left that don't appreciate a Hall of Fame shooting guard with a legendary work ethic when they see one, might they be better off appreciating ... his father?

It's hard not to appreciate this:

Knicks Knation, NY Daily News: "Poor Eddy Curry. He sat on the giant blue physio-ball during a break from Monday’s practice and the ball exploded. Eddy fell and scraped his wrist but should be okay. The ball, which is used for stretching exercises, was pronounced dead at the scene. And it gets worse for Eddy. Barring injury or the best two weeks of practice of his life, Curry will not be a starter on opening night. Instead, Mike D’Antoni’s starting five appear to be set: Chris Duhon, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, David Lee and Zach Randolph."

Beyond The Arc: "Through the first three pre-season games, rookie O.J. Mayo struggled a little with his shot, going 14-41 from the floor and 2-14 from three-point line, a string of performances that didn’t look much like the deadly shooter seen in summer league and again in practice. But he found his stroke tonight. Mayo scored 26 points in 30 minutes on 10-17 shooting and 6-8 from downtown. Not only was every make a jumper, only one of the 17 attempts was from within seven feet of the basket, and it was technically a jumper. Mayo got in such a groove tonight, raining so many jumpers from all over the court, that it hit me with a bit of nostalgia for this beloved sneaker commercial from my childhood."

Thunder Rumblings: "Kevin Durant showed tonight why the NBA world says he’ll someday be great. He simply took over down the stretch, scoring 18 of the team’s final 25 points and had 20 of his 26 in the fourth quarter. But he was the complete package tonight, playing even more impressively on the defensive end and finishing with five rebounds, four assists, four steals, three blocks and only two turnovers in only 33 minutes. He blocked two shots in the final minute that secured the game. 'That’s one thing that coach wanted me to do, he pulled me to the side and told me I’ve got to be big on both ends,' Durant said. 'That’s what I tried to do with the help of my teammates. It was good to see everything clicking tonight for us.'"

Inside The Lakers: "The Lakers reached the NBA Finals last season with Vlad Radmanovic as their starter at small forward, remember? It's easy to forget when most of the attention this training camp has focused on whether Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza or Lamar Odom is best suited to starting in that spot. But after a couple weeks of tinkering, Lakers coach Phil Jackson has gone back to dancing with the small forward who brung him, starting Radmanovic in Sunday's exhibition victory over Sacramento and playing him with the first unit for extended stretches during practice. 'He's the starter,' Jackson said. 'Right now.'"

Marc Berman, New York Post: "It seems just a matter of time before Allan Houston is released and reassigned to the front office. Houston, 37, battling a quad strain, is out indefinitely. He will miss tonight's game against the Sixers and Friday's game in Boston. Houston, who has yet to play, revealed he pulled the quad muscle one week before training camp opened, keeping it a secret."

Eddie Sefko, Dallas Morning News: "In the NBA, opportunity never knocks when you want it to. It makes you wait. It arrives after getting slapped around a few times, after being told that you can't do something and after it seems like everybody else gets a chance. Then, somewhere along the line, players usually get a chance. Antoine Wright knows. [...] 'I'm really not penciled in yet — there's always an eraser,' Wright joked. 'Right now, I'm just trying to secure this position. There's still a lot left to do. But I feel good about it right now. [Defense] is what's going to keep me out there. Making shots, we got a lot of guys who can make shots. The most important thing is to have some presence on that end and be somewhat of a pest. That will keep me out there.'"

Kyle Hightower, Orlando Sentinel: "At times during the Magic's first three exhibition games, Coach Stan Van Gundy has taken a peak at some smaller line-ups. One such instance featured an alignment of guards Courtney Lee, Anthony Johnson and Mickael Pietrus, along with F Rashard Lewis and Battie. While the preseason usually breeds such experimentation, Van Gundy said he doesn't look at such scenarios as "small ball" when it comes to his team. 'I don't ever consider us that small because we have two 6-10 forwards,' he said. 'We do it as much as anyone. It helps you offensively because you can spread the floor out. The problem is ... we need everybody to take the rebounding load and we need Dwight [Howard] to dominate on the boards. If he's just good or pretty good, that won't be enough for us.'"

Mike Wells, Indianapolis Star: "Who said Indiana Pacers rookie center Roy Hibbert can't be effective on offense? Hibbert, the No. 17 pick in last summer's draft, had his best offensive game of the preseason, scoring 17 points against the Grizzlies on Monday. 'We really like Roy,' Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. 'He works his heart out. He knows how to put the ball in the basket around the basket. We couldn't be happier with Roy right now.' Hibbert came out of Georgetown labeled as being primarily a defensive player. Hibbert will help the Pacers defensively — he had three blocked shots against the Grizzlies — but he'll also offer more. He had nine rebounds in 23 minutes."

Brian Hanley, Chicago Sun-Times: "[Ben] Gordon missed five of the seven exhibition games last year when the injury bug bit the Bulls and sowed some of the seeds of what would be a 2-10 start to a 33-49 season. Michael Ruffin (ankle) also remains out and Derrick Rose was excused from practice Monday because of the death of an uncle. 'Whenever you're not on the floor, you're going to get behind a little bit just because we're going to put things in on a daily basis now,'' Del Negro said. ''But it's nothing any of them aren't going to pick up. We just have to keep working every day and have to get everybody involved. The sooner we can get everybody on the court, the more productive we'll be.'''

George M. Thomas , Akron Beacon Journal: "[Coach Mike] Brown emphatically denied that guard Delonte West's continued training camp absence is contract-related. 'His contract is signed,'' Brown said. He fully expects West to return to the team. And when he does, [LeBron] James said the team will work with him to get him up to speed. 'We want him to take care of home first. We have enough guys, finally, where if one guy has to be out for a long period of time, someone else can step right in,' James said. 'But he's a big part of our team; we can't win a championship without Delonte West. Whenever he gets back, as players we're going to help him get to it.'"

Sekou Smith, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Hawks coach Mike Woodson mentioned in passing this summer that he might tinker with his lineup and 'play big' if it fit his team’s needs. The need arose Monday night at Philips Arena when starting small forward Marvin Williams sprained his left thumb in the first quarter of the Hawks’ preseason home opener against Charlotte. Williams finished the half but didn’t play after halftime, forcing Woodson to come up with something that could shake his team up after a lackluster first-half effort. So he went with Zaza Pachulia at center — with Al Horford shifting over from center to power forward and Josh Smith from power forward to small forward — and watched his team wake up from that first-half slumber within the first few seconds of the third quarter."

Bergen Record: "Right now, including player opt-outs and team options, the Knicks could have about $15 million to spend in two years — space that extensions to Lee and Robinson could consume. Opt-outs (i.e. Curry, Crawford, Jeffries, the first two after this season) could create more space, but assuming they're still around, Walsh has to consider several other options. He could unload Randolph and/or Crawford. He could postpone the Lee and Robinson extensions (about which he said he's had preliminary talks) until next summer, but risk losing them as restricted free agents (with the Knicks having the right to match any offer). Or he could sign them to one-year qualifying offers that would make them unrestricted free agents in 2010."

Lisa Dillman, L.A. Times: "Flu season, or some close imitation of it, appears to have hit the Clippers a bit early. Marcus Camby, now sidelined because of a bruised right heel, sat out most of the first week of training camp because of flu-like symptoms. Then Baron Davis trudged off the court near the end of practice Monday looking somewhat flat."

Carroll Rogers, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Growing up in Marietta, they called Shareef Abdur-Rahim "The Future." Having the kind of skills to wind up the third overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft tended to simplify what was coming. But over the past few months, for the first time in his life, Abdur-Rahim’s future wasn’t so clear anymore. An arthritic right knee forced him to retire after 12 seasons in the NBA last month. At age 31, he was faced with figuring out something else to do. 'My body just wasn’t going to let me do it anymore,' said Abdur-Rahim, who played only six games last season for Sacramento and never saw improvement despite two surgeries in six months. 'I guess that’s a good thing and a bad thing because otherwise I don’t know how I would determine when to retire.' The Kings made it a lot easier on him. As he mulled retirement, they offered him a chance to stay in the organization. Within 10 days of his retirement announcement, Abdur-Rahim was introduced as the newest member of Reggie Theus’ coaching staff."

Art Thompson III, Lakers Blog (OC Reg.): "One of the more lighthearted moments in the Lakers’ marathon-long practice Monday came when Kobe Bryant sailed down court for a lay-up and rookie Brandon Heath tried valiantly to keep stride. Heath made enough body contact on Bryant to cause the lay-up to be missed, as Bryant yelled, 'And one,' signifying that he was fouled. Bryant then added a stinging salvo, with a shout out to the 6-foot-3 Heath’s high school alma mater whose sports-teams nickname is Comets — 'You’re too small anyway, Westchester.'"

Mitch Lawrence, NY Daily News: "Sebastian Telfair will start the season on the sidelines due to a suspension that will be announced sometime before his Timberwolves open the season Oct. 29 against Sacramento. Telfair was sentenced last month to three years’ probation for misdemeanor possession of a loaded .45-caliber handgun, speeding and driving without a license in Westchester in April 2007. He was a member of the Celtics at the time of his arrest. Since his case has been resolved, his suspension by the NBA is automatic. The league needs only to determine how many games he’ll serve, with sources indicating it will be for a minimum of two."

 

No. 1 star: Dan Ellis, Nashville Predators

He didn't get the red-carpet treatment that the Chicago Blackhawks received for their home opener, but Nashville Predators goalie Dan Ellis will certainly take the two points as a consolation prize. With a workmanlike 23 saves for the game, Ellis stopped Patrick Kane and Martin Havlat in the skills competition while Rich Peverley and J.P. Dumont scored for the Predators. He was also strongest when the team needed him most: The first period, when the sold out crowd had Chicago pumped up. In what could be a tight divisional race for second place, this extra point was an important one for Nashville.

No. 2 star: Aaron Voros, New York Rangers

And playing the role of Sean Avery this evening for the Rangers was Mr. Voros, who agitated the New Jersey Devils all night while scoring two power-play goals in the 4-1 win at MSG. While he didn't attempt to reinterpret the Avery Rule, Voros was a disruptive force in front of Martin Brodeur. On what turned out to be the game-winner in the second period, Voros deflected a Daniel Girardi point shot past Brodeur, and then taunted defenseman Colin White as the horn blared. Last year, it would have been called typical Avery; now, it's vintage Voros.

No. 3 star: The Bros. Kostitsyn, Montreal Canadiens

Andrei Kostitsyn scored at 0:54 of the second period to break a scoreless tie against the Philadelphia Flyers, and then later sparked an offensive rush that saw Alexei Kovalev find Roman Hamrlik to tie the game, 2-2. Then it was Sergei Kostitsyn's turn: Picking up a secondary assist on Mike Komisarek's fluky deflection off of Scottie Upshall's stick, 44 seconds after Hamrlik scored, and then finding Robert Lang right in front of Marty Biron to make it 4-2, Habs. Despite some inconsistent moments for Carey Price, making his first start in Philadelphia since last year's playoff meltdown, Montreal went on to win, 5-3.

Honorable mention: Thomas Vanek scored his "first short-handed goal at any level of hockey" and had another goal on the power play to help lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 7-1 shellacking of the New York Islanders on Monday afternoon. ... Paul Kariya's first goal of the season tied the game in the third, and Andy MacDonald and Brad Boyes converted in the skills competition to lead the St. Louis Blues over the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-4. ... ConkBlock made 27 saves in his Detroit Red Wings debut while Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom scored power-play goals for a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. ... The Washington Capitals played one of the best defensive games in recent franchise history, limiting the Vancouver Canucks to 10 shots for the game and one shot in the second period in a 5-1 win in front of goalie Brent Johnson. In case you missed it: Sergei Fedorov was on defense last night for the Caps. Seriously. ... Finally, despite his bonehead move in the loss to the Habs, the Flyers' Scott Hartnell plans on apologizing to new teammate Andrew Alberts for his injurious hit last season.

Dishonorable mention: Marty Brodeur's whiff on a Brandon Dubinsky slap shot for the Rangers' first goal was the kind of softy he usually waits until the playoffs to give up to the Blueshirts. ... Not only will Ryan Hollweg of the Leafs earn another suspension for his boarding major on Blues rookie defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, but the St. Louis players called him out for being a poor skater and a slow learner. ... Finally, Monday's lesson learned: Dressing like a bad-ass ninja doesn't do a damn bit of difference if your forwards can't put the puck in the net against Detroit:

As a result, the Phillies lead 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and can clinch their first World Series appearance since 1993 with another victory in L.A. on Wednesday. Day off Tuesday.

Here are a few thoughts on the game, which probably cleared a little angst out of the veins of Phillies fans fearful of the Dodgers tying the series — and they were five outs from doing so:

Poi, poised: Victorino (right) is the poster child for the Phillies postseason so far, hitting the grand slam against CC Sabathia in the NLDS and then stroking a pea just over the fence in right against Cory Wade to tie the score at 5 in the fateful eighth. Makes little sense that he was bunting runners into scoring position earlier in the game for the likes of Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz.

Fame Canada: Matt Stairs, who says he always swings for the fences, put a charge into Jonathan Broxton's fastball and sent it far, far away to flip the game completely for the Fightins, giving them a 7-5 lead that Brad Lidge would maintain. Stairs is short, shaped like a fan (or, as one commenter noted, a Canadian Greek God) and has a history of being a fourth outfielder/DH-type. This is his moment in the sun. Just cover up, because he's pasty and will burn easily.

Decisions, decisions: Let the second-guessing, first-guessing, tres-guessing, begin! Charlie Manuel intentionally walks Manny Ramirez in the first inning. Joe Torre dumps Derek Lowe for rookie Clayton Kershaw in the sixth. Manuel waits to put in Ryan Madson. Torre delays putting in his closer, who fails anyway. Dodger fans don't leave early.

The list: Shane Victorino is the best thing to come out of Hawaii since:

• The surf board
• Five-O
• Magnum
• Don Ho
• Those episodes of the Brady Bunch when they go to Hawaii

As we cautioned when the story broke, the distance between North American news sources and this story, not to mention the language barrier inherent in covering the KHL, made the details speculative and erratic.

Two sources initially reported that Cherepanov had collided with Jaromir Jagr on the ice, and that it may have been the catalyst for his eventual tragedy. That angle was picked up by general sports sites like Deadspin and Sports by Brooks, and hockey sites like NHL FanHouse.

Hours later, new reporting on the incident has indicated that there was no collision with Jagr, according to Stu Hackel and Jeff Z. Klein of the New York Times' Slap Shot blog, via Russia's Sport-Express.

Along with Slap Shot's superb rundown of Russian news sources, Larry Brooks of the New York Post also presented a brief timeline of Cherepanov's final moments; from the game against Vityav Chekhov to the hospital:

Cherepanov, who had scored a goal in the game, collapsed while sitting beside former Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr after returning to the bench following what had been a routine shift with No. 68.

The ambulance that had been stationed at the rink had left the building before the game's conclusion. Though reports from Russia vary, if not conflict, it is believed that doctors were able to temporarily revive Cherepanov during a 45-minute wait for an ambulance to return to the rink.

Jay Grossman, Cherepanov's agent, said he had been told doctors were able to detect brain activity upon reaching a hospital. The young man, however, soon passed away.

Grossman and Omsk coach Wayne Fleming have been the primary sources for much of the North American reaction to this story, like on TSN. Newsday's Steve Steve Zipay relayed word tonight from Jagr himself:

Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Cherepanov had just finished a shift in Omsk on Monday night, had a 2 on 1 and didn't score and were talking on the bench when the 19-year-old collapsed, according to Rangers executive John Rosasco.

Jagr said the doctors were good and that there didn't appear to be an issue with the medical treatment, except for the ambulance's late arrival, Rosasco said.

The narrative of Cherepanov's tragedy is beginning to take shape thanks to them and others, but clearly much detail has yet to firmly established as fact. There is consensus that he died of cardiac arrest; its cause doesn't at the moment appear to be an on-ice incident, but its catalyst clearly remains a mystery.

Meanwhile, tributes and Cherepanov news continues to spread across the Web:

• YouTube's Jefflered claims to have the Russian prospect's final shift in the KHL captured.

• Rangers Rants has more on what would have been Cherepanov's future in the NHL.

• Avangard Omsk has given a statement on his death.

• Finally, HLOG has a touching tribute to Cherepanov.

The Boston Red Sox got an up-close look Monday night, and the Rays got something even better, a 9-1 victory in Game 3 of the ALCS that put them two wins from the World Series. Here are a few thoughts regarding the biggest event in Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg baseball history at least until Tuesday:

Garza strips: The spunky right-hander was pure domination for six innings (which is the "new" complete game these days) before appearing to run out of petrol in the seventh. Famous earlier in his career for losing control of his emotions, even with his own catcher, Garza doesn't do that anymore. He just gets outs, which can be tough to do in Fenway Pahhhk against a top-notch lineup. The Red Sox never mounted even a semblance of a comeback until the seventh, and that was neutralized by the Rays bullpen. This shot of Garza, giving the "Devil Horns" sign as a nod to the Rays' nickname history, was taken by an expert AP photog.

Upton train: Continuing his postseason blossoming-into-greatness, B.J. Upton cranked a three-run home run to key a four-run third inning against Jon Lester, who had become everyone's favorite Red Sox pitcher. Upton, who had nine homers in the regular season, has five in the playoffs.

Rocco our world: In his hometown(ish) park, Woonsocket, R.I., native Baldelli started in right field for the first time this postseason. It probably was a move by manager Joe Maddon to settle him down; TBS announcer Buck Martinez said Baldelli told him he was too nervous to even step on the field before the game. Baldelli's come a long way, losing more than 100 games in the regular season to a neuromuscular disorder that threatened his career, to contributing to a 102-victory team nearing baseball's holy grail.

Lester molesters: The feisty left-hander came in with a 3-0 record and an 0.77 ERA in five playoff appearances, but that's a little messier now. With Lester shown to be imperfect, and with Josh Beckett ailing (or whatever his problem is) do the Red Sox have enough arms to wriggle themselves back to the World Series?

Exit strategy: Baldelli's three-run deep against Paul Byrd in the eighth sent many in the Fenway crowd filing through the aisles. Wait, Red Sox fans, the game's not over yet, don't leave! OK, now it's over. G'head.

Whatever the legacy of the decade-long Tommy Bowden era at Clemson, know this: it was never boring. The Tigers were ascendant, then disappointing, then pleasant surprises, then mediocrities, then contenders, and were finally just baffling. At one point, if you looked closely enough, I believe you could see the mischievous ghost of Frank Howard strip Charlie Whitehurst in the open field. Things like that happened a lot.

As the curtain closes on the Bowden administration -- mutually, if you want to official and semantic about it, if not exactly honest -- let’s take one last, nostalgic ride on the crazy train:

September 2000: Clemson routs Missouri 62-9 en route to a surprising 9-0 start.

November 2000: With the ACC title on the line, the Tigers are blown away, 54-7, by Florida State.

Sept.-Oct. 2001: Clemson opens the season 4-1 with wins over ranked outfits from Georgia Tech and NC State.

November 2001: The Tigers lose three straight to finish 6-5 and fall to the Humanitarian Bowl.

August 2003: Clemson opens the season on the wrong end of a 30-0 rout at home against Georgia.

November 2003: The Tigers drop to 3-3 in the ACC with a 28-point loss to Wake Forest.

November 2003: The Tigers upset Florida State, beat South Carolina 63-17 and take out Tennessee in the Peach Bowl to finish 9-4.

September 2004: Clemson loses four in a row to open the season 1-4.

Oct.-Nov. 2004: The Tigers win five of six and upset heavily-favored Miami in overtime to salvage a winning record.

November 2004: Clemson is banned from a bowl after a fourth quarter brawl with South Carolina.

November 2005: The Tigers win four in a row, including a 35-14 win over FSU and a bowl win over Colorado, to turn a 4-4 start into an 8-4 finish.

October 2006: Clemson hammers Georgia Tech 31-7 on national televisionto move into the top 10 at 7-1.

Oct.-Dec. 2006: The Tigers are trounced on the following Thursday by Virginia Tech, drop four of their last five and finished unranked.

November 2007: With the Atlantic Division title on the line, at home, Clemson gives up the game-winning touchdown to Boston College on a blown coverage.

August 2008: Clemson is ranked in the top 10 and unanimously considered the preseason favorite to win the ACC for the first time under Bowden.

Sept.-Oct. 2008: The Tigers are routed by Alabama and lose back-to-back games to Maryland and Wake Forest to start 1-2 in the ACC.

Aaaannd … scene. Applause? Laughter? Stunned silence? Is it a tragedy? A farce? I dunno – it ended badly, but we had our good times, too. Let’s just say it is what it is, move on, and don’t expect whoever steps into Tommy’s beleaguered shoes to begin competing for ACC championships year after year. It’s harder than it looks, you know.

• We're waiting for one long weekend to catch up on CBS's "How I Met Your Mother," but must pass along this alert for tonight's episode: Robin (Cobie Smulders, who'll be in the new Broken Lizard movie) is homesick for Canada, and rocks a Roberto Luongo Vancouver Canucks jersey in a fun-filled flashback. Japers said it best: "There's just something about a lady in a hockey sweater, isn't there?"

Preview: Vancouver Canucks vs. Washing