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Worst Cubs collapse to date?

After being swept by the Dodgers in the NLDS, Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that this is the worst Cubs postseason collapse to date.

Chicago CubsThe Cubs are now 9-22 in postseason play since 1984. They’re 0-6 the last two years. They’re 18-50 since they last won a World Series in 1908.

In this final game of 2008, starting pitcher Rich Harden was average, and everybody else … aw, the whole team simply stunk.

This is the thing about Cubs players and managers. They always say they don’t believe in curses, they don’t believe in any of that nonsense, they only play ’em one game at a time.

This may all be true. Indeed, there are times when I believe Soriano is not sure what planet he is on, let alone what century.

But the fans, the people who live in Chicago, the ones who aren’t on free-agent contracts but who throw in with the Cubs year after year, without fail, from childhood ’til senility — those are the people who get wounded again and again, without let up, without relief.
One hundred years are over, and now we start on another century.

To trust in the Cubs is to expect — and get — the worst.

Cubs fans deserve better. There seems to be the belief that Cubs fans almost want the club to lose so that they can remain everybody’s “lovable losers.” But not true Cub fans – they’re dying right now with each excruciating loss. When a team wins 97 games and runs away with their division, one would think they could produce one postseason victory.

Maybe curses are real.

Kansas avoids becoming latest upset victim

Down 20-0 to Iowa State at halftime, No. 16 Kansas appeared destined to become the latest upset victim in college football. But the Jayhawks amassed 35-second half points to rally past the unranked Cyclones, 35-33.

It was over when… The Jayhawks defense forced Cyclones QB Austen Arnaud to throw four straight incomplete passes in the final minute of the game.
Gameball goes to… Todd Reesing. The QB pulled the Jayhawks out of a ditch when he threw for two TDs in the third quarter, the second of which put Kansas on top.
Stat of the game… 319. Reesing racked up 319 total yards Saturday, the fourth straight game in which he surpassed the 300-yard mark.

Here’s an interesting stat from this series: Three of the Jayhawks’ five largest come-from-behind victories have been against Iowa State, including a 26-point rally in 1992. Ouch, Cyclones.

It wasn’t pretty, but Florida should enjoy the win

After crushing Arkansas 38-7 in Fayetteville on Saturday, Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators officially bounced back from their upset loss to Ole’ Miss last week. But for three quarters, the Gators didn’t look that great, which allowed the Razorbacks to hang around until the fourth when UF blew it open. And as Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun writes, maybe Tebow and the rest of the Gators are focusing too much on how they’re winning and not winning itself.

Florida-ArkansasThe body language Tebow was using after a huge score in a must-win game kind of summed it up for the Gator Nation, where negativity lived all week.

Yeah, we’re winning but we should be winning by more. Did you see that pass that was picked off? What was I thinking? The penalties, man the penalties. The offense just isn’t where it should be.

And it wasn’t for three quarters, which is why Arkansas stayed around and stayed around and Florida fans grew more and more nervous with every passing gaffe. But Arkansas isn’t as good as Ole Miss, so eventually Florida hit some big plays and blew it open.

And isn’t that what we should all be focusing on?

Doesn’t 38-7 on the road feel a lot better than 31-30 at home?

So I am going to be Mr. Positive today. You win by 31 and beat the point spread and it’s a good day no matter where you live.

Mr. Positive saw a Florida team come out here on the road on a day that started with rain and wind and chill, a day that ended in the brilliant sunshine that only a victory can bring.

So lighten up and enjoy it. That includes you, Timmy.

Forget everything that’s happened anyway.

The season starts this week.

Dooley brings up a good point. Too many times we as fans or the media get wrapped up in perfection. We know that one loss could mean that a team’s national title aspirations go up in smoke. But upsets happen, especially nowadays in college football where the talent is more spread out than ever. It’s too bad that style points mean something in college football because all Tebow and the Gators should have to worry about is winning. (Same goes for every program in the nation.)

Is Penn State a true national title contender?

Penn State-PurdueComing into the 2008 College Football Season, the Penn State Nittany Lions weren’t considered a national championship contender. They weren’t even considered a legitimate contender in the Big Ten, with many ranking them behind Ohio State, Wisconsin and even Illinois in the conference.

But PSU remains undefeated on the season after beating Purdue 20-6 on Saturday and even though they’re still flying under the national championship radar, teams better start taking notice. Not only do the Lions have one of the best offenses in the nation (they were averaging close to 50 points a game coming into this weekend), but they also flashed a little defense in their victory over the Boilermakers.

Penn State doesn’t have a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback like Oklahoma, Missouri or Texas – three teams currently ranked ahead of them in the polls – but so far Daryll Clark has proven that he’s an excellent fit for Joe Paterno’s new spread offense. And while he doesn’t have unworldly size and athleticism like fellow Big Ten back Chris “Beanie” Wells of Ohio State, RB Evan Royster is a workhorse that can grind out tough yards like he did Saturday against Purdue when he rushed for 141 yards and a 7.8 YPC average.

It was interesting to see PSU win like it did against the Boilermakers because it was unlike any of its previous victories this season. They didn’t light up the scoreboard or win with flash; they just kept moving the ball methodically on offense, didn’t turn the ball over and played solid defense. They proved today that they could win without relying on the big play, which should only serve them going forward.

The next three weeks will prove whether or not Penn State is a true contender or not. They’re at Wisconsin, home against Michigan and then travel to Columbus to take on OSU through the rest of October. That’s a daunting three-week task.

O.J. Simpson convicted of robbing memorabilia dealer

Remember back in September of last year when O.J. Simpson was busted for breaking into a hotel room with a couple of buddies he met at a wedding and robbing two memorabilia dealers? Well, he was finally convicted.

O.J. SimpsonThirteen years to the day after being acquitted of killing his wife and her friend in Los Angeles, O.J. Simpson was found guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room.

The 61-year-old former football star was convicted of all 12 counts late Friday after jurors deliberated for more than 13 hours. He released a heavy sigh as the charges were read and was immediately taken into custody.

Simpson, who went from American sports idol to celebrity-in-exile after his murder acquittal, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

His attorney said he would appeal.

What I wrote last year about this story still applies: He skates on double murder, but could get life in prison for robbing a sports memorabilia dealer. Sounds about right.

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