Wildcats can forget the Huskies and prepare for Homecoming

Nick Foles threw for 388 yards and Juron Criner hauled in enough passes to collect 118 receiving yards, but it wasn't enough on Saturday in Seattle as the Washington Huskies prevail, 42-31.

Forget the Huskies. It'll be Homecoming Week and the Utah Utes come to town this Saturday. Better days ahead, at least for Wildcat fans. I spent the weekend in the hospital getting my "ticker" checked. Hey guys, try to avoid that awful chemical, stress test -- the one were they pump the fluid into your old heart, while you lay there, letting the chemicals do the "jogging" for you. No fun!

Following the test, I spent most of Sunday in the hospital bed, watching football. The good news: My ticker passed the test and my Fantasy Football team rocked. I'm heading for my third straight win!

Life goes on!

Cardinals win World Series

It's official. The St. Louis Cardinals are the World Champs as they beat the Texas Rangers tonight in St. Louis, 6-2, in the seventh game of the World Series. David Freese continued his hot hitting in the series with a two-run double in the first inning, Allen Craig blasted a solo shot in the third inning and Tony La Russa made all the right moves down the stretch as the Cardinals made all their fans happy tonight at Busch Stadium.

Aces qualify for playoffs

The Tucson Golden Aces continue to play well without me. The Aces beat Dodgertown West 10-5 today at the MSBL World Series in Phoenix to finish 4-1 in pool play and qualify for the playoffs, which gets underway tomorrow morning. The Aces will need two wins tomorrow to advance to the title game. Way to go, guys!

Aces Update: The Aces lost on Saturday morning to Canada, 11-5, in the first round of the playoffs at Maryvale Park, ending their hopes for a MSBL World Series title. Still, a great showing by my teammates as they finished 4-2 in six straight days of competition against the top 65-and-over baseball teams in the country.

Arizona ranked 16th in latest AP Poll

The Associated Press NCAA basketball rankings are out today. Arizona is ranked No. 16, although they looked anything but a ranked team in its loss to Seattle Pacific last night. Remember it was an exhibition game -- a learning tool for Wildcats' coach Sean Miller. I'll go with the AP poll and consider their expertise over what actually went on at McKale Center last night.

Miller has a lot of work ahead of him to get the Wildcats prepared for the season opener at home against Valparaiso University on Nov. 07.

If I were a Carpenter...

If I were a Carpenter, as in Chris Carpenter, I'd be happy with the scenario thrust upon me tonight as I take the mound in Game 7 of the World Series. The St. Louis pitcher will have the backing of the fans, roaring at his every pitch, as he takes on the hard-hitting, relentless lineup of the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium in hopes of bringing home a Cardinals' championship.

After last night, don't figure on a shutout by Carpenter, but does he have enough in the gas tank, after only three days of rest, to keep the Rangers from scoring a lot of runs? The longer he stays in the game, the better the Cardinals' chances are of winning the Fall Classic. Texas will counter with Matt Harrison, but Carpenter has the postseason resume and, in my opinion, has the edge. But, after last night, will pitching really have anything to do with the outcome? This is a hitter's series! Will it be Albert Pujols who provides the game-winner? Or, will Josh Hamilton, step to the plate, and crush the winning blast? Maybe, it'll be Cruz...or Freese, or Beltre, or...? Well, you get the idea.

One thing is for sure, the 2011 World Series is now worth watching!

Freese Frame!

David Freese hits a walk-off homer over the center field fence in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 10-9 victory tonight over the Texas Rangers in Game 6 of the World Series in front of a packed house at Busch Stadium.

The blast by Freese extends the World Series to seven games and the Rangers and Cardinals will do it all over again tomorrow night. The first Game 7 in a World Series in nine years! Nineteen runs, 28 hits and five errors in four hours and 33 minutes.

Wow! What a game!

Aces 3-1 at MSBL World Series

My teammates on the Tucson Golden Aces lost 13-8 on Wednesday to the San Antonio Texans, but rebounded today with a 12-2 win over the New England Red Sox and head into play Friday at the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series in Phoenix with an overall record of 3-1.

The Aces will end pool play on Friday as they take on Dodgertown West at 2 p.m. at the West Camelback Baseball Complex, the spring taining facility for the LA Dodgers. A win over Dodgertown should assure them a berth in the playoffs, which are scheduled for Saturday morning.

The guys are doing just fine without me

My Tucson Golden Aces teammates are doing just fine without me at the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series in Phoenix this week.

The guys are 2-0 after a win on Monday over Tri Valley, 11-7, and a victory today over St. Thomas, 14-8. Great job guys. Keep it up! Next up: The Aces take on the San Antonio Texans tomorrow morning at Scottsdale Stadium. My teammates are competing in the 65-and-over division and will continue play through Friday in hopes of qualifying for the playoffs on Saturday.

I wish I was there.

It's back to St. Louis and the Cardinals need two!

It's back to St. Louis and the Cardinals need two wins to secure the 2011 World Series title. Nothing is ever easy. The Texas Rangers got the job done last night, winning 4-2 and closing the door on the Cardinals with a strike 'em out throw 'em out play in the ninth inning. It's turning out to be a great series after all.

The Assassins still the top dog

My Fantasy Football League: The Assassins are still the top dog in the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League as they move to 6-1, after a 149-142 win over Murrays Murrauders this week. The Assassins big gun turned out to be Minnesota's Arian Peterson, who collected 31 fantasy points with 175 rushing yards and a TD against the Green Bay defense. In a real tussle the suh-nami and Honey Bee battle to a 99-99 tie. Honey Bee needed just a bit more from Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco last night on Monday Night Football. Honey Bee needed 11 fantasy points from Flacco to notch the fantasy win. Flacco provided just 10 points as he was shutdown by the Jacksonville defense for more than three quarters. The Big Dawgs, Sticky Bandits and my team, Team Priceless were also big winners this weekend. I'm a happy camper as I knock off Team Arps, 138-112, to move to 2-5 on the season and pick up my second win in a row.

It's a dogfight every week for me as I'll now take on Murrays Murrauders (4-3) next week. The Murrauders will have Michael Vick at the helm and will probably use Kevin Kolb as the second quarterback. I, on the other hand, will counter with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tim Tebow. I will also ponder the idea of starting Christian Pounder. It is a long way to Sunday and more than likely I'll change my mind a half a dozen times.

I'm on my way to 2nd fantasy win!

I'm climbing out of the cellar in the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League. It won't be official until this time tomorrow night, but my Team Priceless enjoys a 16-point lead, heading into Monday Night Football. My opponent is out of ammo -- his roster for the week is all used up, and my fantasy team still has Baltimore's wide receiver Anquan Boldin available for tomorrow.

I'll improve to 2-5 and will keep my slim hopes alive. A loss this weekend would have eliminated me from the competition. I made a couple of moves, early this morning, that saved the day for me. I started quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Christian Ponder instead of using newly acquired Carson Palmer and the injured Sam Bradford. I dropped Bradford from my roster, picked up Ponder, and left Palmer on my bench. As it turns out, Tebow (two touchdowns,and a 2-point conversion) led the Broncos to a come-from-behind, overtime win in Miami, and Ponder did enough damage (two touchdowns, 219 passing yards) in his first start of the year for the Minnesota Vikings, to garner a combined total of 49 fantasy points.

Of course, one of my top wide receivers, Marques Colston, helped out big time in the final game of the day as he scores two touchdowns and collects 98 receiving yards (21 fantasy points) for New Orleans as the Saints pull out a close one with a 62-7 win over the poor Indianapolis Colts.

Holland has tunnel vision in Game 4

Texas lefty Derek Holland showed the baseball world his version of tunnel vision tonight in Arlington as he led the Rangers to a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the World Series.

And was he ever focused! Holland carved out a two-hit shutout and pitched 8 1/3 innings, while striking out seven Rangers and walking just two. A 3-run homer in the sixth inning by Texas catcher Mike Napoli -- his second of the series -- was the big blow for the Rangers as they square the Fall Classic at two games apiece. What a turnaround from Game 3. And I was wrong about the Rangers pitching around Sir Albert. Holland went right after him. Pujols goes 0-4 and no walks!

Sir Albert

You can call him Sir Albert.

Albert Pujols hits three homers and drives in six runs as the St. Louis Cardinals demolish the Texas Rangers at Arlington tonight,16-7. Wow! Okay, Rangers, it is your turn to hold serve tomorrow night. Pujols becomes the third player in World Series history to hit three homers in one game. The other two: Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson. Cardinals take a 2-1 lead in the series and you can bet Sir Albert will get his share of walks in Game 4.

Great to see some of my fellow fantasy owners

It was nice to see some of my fellow fantasy football owners at the Arizona-UCLA tailgate party last night. Enjoyed listening to all the smack talk, especially from Rich H., Don H., Kevin M., and my opponent this week, Kyle A. After watching Arizona blow away the Bruins, I figure there's hope for us cellar-dwellers.

Win or lose, it is nice to be part of such a great group of guys. Now Rich, if you still want to get rid of Mr. Rodgers, give me a call...I'm in the neighborhood.

Rangers steal one in St. Louis

The Texas Rangers eked out a 2-1 win last night in St. Louis and in doing so will make the 2011 World Series at least watchable the rest of the way! I get the feeling nobody really cares, except people in close vicinity of Busch Stadium, Nolan Ryan and some wild Texas fans who'll fill up the ball park at Arlington.

This year's version, in my mind, just doesn't have the feel of a Fall Classic. On the other hand, it could be my mood which is making me feel this way. After all, my playing days are over as my list of injuries are mounting and come Monday morning my teammates on the Tucson Golden Aces will open play in Phoenix at the MSBL World Series. The Aces kick of the senior world series as they take on the Tri Valley Giants on Monday and are scheduled to play the St. Thomas Suns on Tuesday.

I'll miss being there.

Talk about a quarterback controversy!

Talk about a quarterback controversy!

It has been well documented over the past few weeks that my fantasy football team is in a bind when it comes to having on hand an individual behind center who can produce FANTASY POINTS! And now, I have quarterbacks a plenty as I've maneuvered my way to the following scenarios and story lines. I may be in last place in my UPC Hood Fantasy Football League, but this week is going to be fun! Remember, I'm in a two-quarterback league, which means I can play two each week. I now have four! I picked up Carson Palmer, Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and let Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton go. And I still have Ryan Fitzpatrick, who I have been holding on to since Day 1. And to make things more interesting this week, if I don't pull out a win I'll be mathematically eliminated, which means I'll just be along for the ride the remainder of the season.

I've got a couple of days to make up my mind and pencil in my starting lineup. I gave up running back Cedric Benson to make room for Palmer and I also changed kickers this week, going with Neil Rackers and dropping Nick Folk. To complicate matters Buffalo and San Francisco have a bye week, which means I will not have Stevie Johnson, Frank Gore, or Fitzpatrick available. In the end, it'll come down to point production from, not my quarterbacks, but from my running backs and wide receivers. In other words, I need Vincent Jackson, Rashard Mendenhall, Marques Colston, Anquan Boldin, Jermichael Finley,Greg Olsen and Mike Tolbert to get it done. Isn't fantasy football fun?

Cardinals three wins away from World Series title

The St. Louis Cardinals are three wins away from a World Series title. The Cardinals edge the Texas Rangers 3-2 tonight in St. Louis to take Game 1 of the 2011 World Series. Chris Carpenter gets the win, while Jason Motte earns the save. The game-winner: a sixth inning single down the right field line by pinch-hitter Allen Craig knocks in David Freese, who started the Cardinals' rally with an opposite-field double.

The Cardinals just keep rolling!

Nick Foles

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: A true Wildcat fan does not give up on his team. So, even though the outlook for victories are grim and some say, "You can KISH the season goodbye," I'll be there anyway, sitting high up in the end zone -- the south end zone, that is. I'll have a good view, along with (I'm estimating) 39,000 fans, to see, if nothing else, Arizona quarterback Nick Foles at work. Foles should top, and go over, the 8,000 yard mark for his career at Arizona as he takes on the UCLA Bruins' defense on Thursday. Remember, Foles was a transfer from Michigan State, otherwise we'd be talking five-figure plus in passing yards!

Foles at a glance:


Age: 22
Hometown: AUSTIN, TX
Height: 6-5
Weight: 240 lbs.
2011 Season
YDS TD INT
2255 15 4
Career
7989 54 23

MNF game a bit dull!

Tonight's MNF game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets was a bit dull! The fight (I mean handshake) on Sunday between Detroit coach Jim Schwartz and San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh was almost as exciting. Still, the Jets (3-3) get back on track with a 24-6 win over the winless Dolphins.

Team Priceless wins!

My Fantasy Football League: Finally, a win for Team Priceless! It took six weeks, but my team scores the most fantasy points (149) this week and improves to 1-5 on the season. I'm still well off the pace as The Assassins also won and improves to 5-1 in the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League. The Assassins are all alone at the top of the standings as El diablo blanco (4-2) lost by one point, 145-144, to Honey Bee (3-2-1). I will need to do some scrambling in Week 7, due to the fact four of my players and both of my defenses are on a bye week. Luckily, I will have a shot in Week 7 as Team Priceless takes on Team Arps, another 1-5 team.

Team Priceless is on the verge of its first fantasy win

My Goodness! After an 0-5 start, I'm on the verge of my first fantasy football win of the season. My two running backs -- Rashard Mendenhall and Frank Gore went wild today, leading their respective NFL teams to victory. Mendenhall rushed for 146 yards and one touchdown as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat Jacksonville, 17-13, and the San Francisco 49ers knocked off the Detroit Lions, 25-19, behind an outstanding effort from Gore, who rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown. And it didn't stop there. I got a bunch of fantasy points from three receivers, Marques Colston (NO), Anquan Boldin (BAL) and Stevie Johnson (BUF),as they combined for 289 receiving yards and a couple of touchdowns. My Team Priceless heads into Monday night's action with a 143-114 lead over my opponent, suh-nami. We'll each have one player available for Monday night. I have the New York Jets kicker Nick Folk, and my opponent has the Jets tight end, Dustin Keller.

FF Update: Final: Team Priceless 149, suh-nami 119. Yeah!

It's the Cardinals and the Rangers

The St. Louis Cardinals blasted the Brewers' pitching in Milwaukee tonight 12-6. It was all Cardinals from the get go as St. Louis scored four runs in the first, another in the second inning and four more in the top of the third to take a commanding 9-4 lead into the fourth. The Cardinals came out of nowhere, 10 1/2 games back of the Atlanta Braves at one point of the regular season, to grab the postseason wild card and they've been on a rampage ever since, blasting the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series and now the Brewers in the National League Championship Series, four games to two.

And now the Cardinals will take on the Texas Rangers, the champions of the American League,
beginning Wednesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Cardinals and the Rangers. Go figure! Of all the possible combinations for the Fall Classic, I didn't figure on this one.

Texas in; Milwaukee will rely on its home-field advantage

The Texas Rangers head back to the World Series. The Rangers rolled over the the injury-riddled Detroit Tigers, 15-5, last night in Arlington. So, now we await the Milwaukee Brewers fate as they host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 tonight in Milwaukee. The Brewers won 57 home games doing the regular season, the best in baseball this year. And of course, the Brewers added a few more victories in the postseason by disposing of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division series. Can the Brewers win two more at home? The home-cooking should help, but the Rangers are rocking and have the momentum.

It'll take the Milwaukee fans, the Milwaukee bats and a lucky bounce, or two, for the Brewers to get it done. My gut feeling: it'll be a Cardinals-Rangers World Series.

Go after first win in fantasy league today

I hope to notch my first win this weekend in my fantasy football league. At 0-5, I take on the suh-nami this week. The suh-nami sits at 2-3 on the season and its big point-getter today should be Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, who goes up against the New England defense. I will counter with my Fitzpatrick/Grossman combination in the dual-quarterback UPC Hood Fantasy League. The suh-nami will also have Matthew Stafford, the young Detroit signal-caller, in its lineup today. I picked up Tim Tebow this week, but Denver is in a bye week. It'll be interesting to see his performance next week when the Broncos travel to Miami -- Tebow's old stomping grounds. Tebow should have his own fan base on hand for that one.

Well, that scenario is a week away. First things first. I need to break the ice with my first victory this week.

Where's my shoes?

We all dream. And I assume as each of us travel through our "Golden Years" many of our dreams make little sense and for us old-timers, frankly, we can't remember what we did yesterday, much less the details of a dream we just woke up from.

As for me, when I dream I tend to create a story -- crazy stories that make no sense at all. Something triggers them. For instance, take a journey with me as I relive my installment from last night. I'm sitting on a curb. A church is nearby and I'm awaiting the start of a funeral. There are others sitting next to me and many of them are taking off their shoes. I do the same. The next thing I see is the casket rolling by. At that moment, everyone gets up, puts their shoes on and they head for the entrance of the church.

I TRY to do the same, but my shoes are gone! I quickly feel around in the row of bushes (which suddenly appear, by the way) and no shoes! Everyone is gone and I hear organ music from inside the church and here I am frantically searching for my shoes. I find one brown one, a couple of kids shoes, a pair of size 13 off-colored shoes, but no dressy, black, size nines!

I make one or two trips to the entrance of the church, unable to make up my mind on whether I should go into the church, shoe-less! I decide to make one more trip to the scene of the crime. And what do I find? A maintenance man had come by on a lawnmower and had trimmed the row of bushes. The area was all raked and cleaned up...and the maintenance worker had vanished. No unruly hedges, no lawnmower, nobody around...and no shoes!

There was a Safeway nearby, so I rushed into the store, ran to the back of the establishment, talked to a clerk and explained to him my dilemma. We ran out of the store and headed down the street. The clerk said to me, "'You might be right, there's something strange about that maintenance guy.'"

The End!

Analyzing the dream: Tough to make any sense of the above. I did attend a funeral recently and I also bought a new pair of shoes last week. Other than that, I'll chalk it up to an old storyteller who might need an adjustment to his nightly medication.

El diablo blanco, Assassins sail on in my FFL

My Fantasy Football League: In the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League the top dogs remain the same as El diablo blanco, following a crushing win over my Team Priceless, and The Assassins, after their victory this weekend over the Sticky Bandits, move to 4-1 on the season. The top point-getter in Week 5 goes to the Big Dawgs as they score 198 points in a 40-point win over Honey Bee. As for me, with my 0-5 start, I should fire myself, pack my bags and leave town with Mr. Stoops.

I doubt I can get a $1.4 million dollar buyout, though, so I guess I'll carry on until Week 14. That's when the playoffs start in my fantasy league.

Stoops...he gone!

Mike Stoops was fired today as head coach of the Arizona Wildcats.

Athletic Director Greg Byrne announced the dismissal of Stoops this evening at a news conference and named defensive coordinator Tim Kish as the interim coach. Wow! Just two days following Arizona's 37-27 loss at Oregon State, Byrne pulls the plug and Stoops is gone after 7 1/2 seasons and a record of 41 wins and 50 losses. Loss No. 50, up in Corvallis, put the final nail in the coffin.

Bring on the Bruins and let's play it out. One thing is for sure, the mood on the Arizona sideline will be a little different.

Could we be heading for a Rangers-Brewers World Series

Could we be heading for a Rangers-Brewers World Series? I didn't figure on that scenario.

But pay me no mind, I haven't got anything right lately on any sport! As an Arizona sports fan, I'm pretty depressed. I keep picking 'em from the heart, and I have very little to show for it. I wish basketball (Arizona basketball, this is!) would hurry up and get here. At the moment, I have to be content and follow along with the teams involved in the National League Championship Series and the American League Championship Series. Could it be a Cardinals-Tigers World Series? As for the NFL, it is hard to believe Week 6 is here. Let's not discuss the Arizona Cardinals. What was the score on Sunday after one quarter of play. Wow!

My fantasy football players are pointless!

My Fantasy Football League: Lost again! And for the second week in a row I failed to muster 100 points. I gave it my all on Sunday and held the lead for most of the day, knowing full well that the clincher would come during the Green Bay-Atlanta game.

You see, my opponent was El diablo blanco, which meant I'd face the likes of Aaron Rodgers, the Packers' kicker and their defense. It started out good for Team Priceless as the Falcons kept the Packers and Rodgers from scoring a touchdown in the first half. At intermission the Falcons led 14-3. Of course, the second half belonged to Rodgers as the Packers went on to win 25-14. Twenty-five unanswered points! And to make matters worse, I was forced to use Kyle Orton this week as Rex Grossman was out with a bye week. And everybody knows what happened there as Tim Tebow replaced Kyle Orton in the second half of the Denver-San Diego game and almost pulled out a come-from-behind win.

Bottom line: Denver still lost and who knows what the heck the management in Denver is going to do now. I dropped Orton this morning from my roster. My biggest producers of the day turned out to be Frank Gore and the San Francisco defense as they combined for 40 of my 98 fantasy points.

Isn't that exciting?

Oregon State 37, Arizona 27

Oregon State 37, Arizona 27

No pass rush!
No kicking game!
No protection for the QB!
No Criner!
No Win!

As for Nick Foles, when he wasn't on his back, flattened by an Oregon State all-out blitz, he threw for 378 yards and completed 31 of 45 passes. And that was without the luxury of having his number-one receiver in the game! In six games, Foles has thrown for a remarkable 2,255 yards, completing 201 of 281 passes with only four interceptions. The two big questions to be answered. How much longer will Mike Stoops be around...and will Foles be able to finish the season in one piece? If he does, he'll break every record there is for an Arizona quarterback.

Enough said. Over and out!

Will the Cats get a victory in Corvallis?

Will the Arizona Wildcats get a victory in Corvallis? Will Nick Foles throw for 400 yards? The answer to the first question is maybe. The answer to the second question is: of course!

According to the people in Las Vegas who are posting the odds, the Wildcats are favored to win by two. Really! I'll go out on a limb (again!) and predict the Wildcats will crush the Oregon State Beavers, 40-24. It's time for the Wildcats to get some W's.

Cardinals Win!

It is hard for me to believe. I picked the Phillies to win it all. And now they're done! Shutdown by Chris Carpenter, the Philadelphia Phillies lose Game 5 at home, 1-0, and the St. Louis Cardinals advance to the National League Championship Series and will take on the Milwaukee Brewers.

Tip your hat to the D'backs!

The Arizona Diamondbacks had a great season and I'm looking forward to next year and a full season for rookie sensation Paul Goldschmidt. He's a keeper! Tonight, it was that old home-field advantage. It does make a difference.

Still, the D'backs had the Brewers and their fans squirming. After Gerardo Parra opened the ninth inning with a double to center field, Sean Burroughs followed with a single to left field and Willie Bloomquist came up with the safety squeeze, it looked like the Diamondbacks were en route to another come-from-behind-win. Unfortunately, Aaron Hill struck out, Justin Upton hit into a force play and Henry Blanco followed with another force out to end the top half of the ninth. As it turns out, the squeeze play ended up producing the Diamondbacks final run of the season.

Take me out to the ball game...

NLDS Game 5 thru 3 innings: Arizona Diamondbacks 1, Milwaukee Brewers 0

Justin Upton ripped Yovani Gallardo's 60th pitch of the game over the right field fence in the top of the third inning to give the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in front of a packed-house at Miller Park.

After four complete innings: Arizona Diamondbacks 1, Milwaukee Brewers 1.

Ian Kennedy, after sailing through the first three innings, ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth inning as Milwaukee loads the bases and scores the tying run on a short sacrifice fly by Jerry Hairston. Kennedy gets out of the inning without further damage.

Thru five innings: Arizona Diamondbacks 1, Milwaukee Brewers 1

Gallardo and Kennedy roll on, unscathed in the fifth. Gallardo at 91 pitches. Kennedy at 67.

Thru six innings: Milwaukee Brewers 2, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

Despite an over-the-shoulder spectacular catch by center fielder Chris Young with one out and two on in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Brewers plate a run on a single up the middle by Yunieski Betancourt to score Ryan Braun from second base as the Brewers grab the lead, 2-1.

In the seventh: Starters gone. Takashi Saito in for the Brewers and Ryan Shaw comes on for the Diamondbacks. Both relievers sail through the seventh inning. Shaw does it in grand style as he strikes out the side.

After seven innings: Milwaukee Brewers 2, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

Top of the eighth:

Francisco Rodriquez comes on for the Brewers. Walks Aaron Hill, strikes out Upton and gives up a single to right by Miguel Montero. First and third and Paul Goldschmidt up. Rodriquez fans Goldschmidt. Chris Young walks to load the bases. Ryan Roberts grounds into a force play to end the top of the eighth.

Bottom of the eighth: Kirk Gibson plugs in Sean Burroughs at third base, Henry Blanco in for Montero and David Hernandez comes on in relief. Hernandez gets it done. We go to the ninth.

Top of the ninth: Gerardo Parra greats Brewers closer John Oxford with a double to the gap in right center and scores from third later in the inning on a squeeze play by Willie Bloomquist. Game even at 2-2.

Bottom of the ninth: Hernandez mows 'em down 1-2-3. And we go to the 10th!

Top of the 10th:

Diamondbacks go quietly!

Bottom of the 10th:

J.J Putz comes on for the D'backs. Brewers win! Carlos Gomez singles to left, moves to second and scores on a single up the middle by Nyjer Morgan.

Final: Brewers 3, Diamondbacks 2

Yankees eliminated!

The Yankees are done! It'll be the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series. The Yanks fall 3-2 in Game 5 tonight at Yankee Stadium. And as it turns out, two former Diamondbacks -- Max Scherzer and Jose Valverde -- help get the job done for the Tigers. Max pitched 1 1/3 innings, striking out two and walking none, while allowing two hits and one earned run. Jose got the save as he faced just three batters in the bottom of the ninth, including a strike out of Alex Rodriquez to end the game. Boston out! New York out!

There's already talk on the blogs on the East Coast of Terry Francona replacing Joe Girardi.

Tatman, Young, and Hill go yard!

Ryan Roberts blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning and Chris Young followed with a solo shot as the Arizona Diamondbacks jumped on the Milwaukee Brewers early and went on to even the National League Division Series at 2-2 with a 10-6 victory tonight at Chase Field. Aaron Hill went yard in the sixth inning and Young added a 2-run blast in the seventh as the Diamondbacks scattered 13 hits around their home ball park and now head back to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Friday.

I'm on my way back...

I'm on my way back. I bought some expensive walking shoes yesterday to go along with my also expensive orthotics and I went to the health club and did 3 1/2 miles on the treadmill. As long as I walk, and not run, it looks like I may avoid the heel spur operation for now. I'm still bummed out and miss the baseball. Maybe, I should carry my glove with me while I'm adding up the miles on the treadmill.

Rangers in; Phillies as expected, should be next

The Texas Rangers cruised by the Tampa Bay Rays and are awaiting their foe for the American League Championship Series and the Philadelphia Phillies -- as expected and still my pick to grab it all -- are one win away from the National League Championship Series. I'm still hoping for the D'backs to hang in there, though. It's not over, till it's over.

Who said that? Just kiddin', Yogi.

Yankees come roaring back

The New York Yankees came roaring back tonight in Detroit as they blasted the Tigers 10-1, banging out 13 hits to even the American League Division Series at 2-2. The Yankees will head home for Game 5 and play in front of a full house. You gotta like the Yankees' chances now as they've gone from the brink of elimination to one win away from the American League Championship Series.

Golden Boy ignites D'backs

Rookie Paul Goldschmidt hit a grand slam homer over the right field fence off Brewers starter Shaun Marcum in the bottom of the fifth inning at Chase Field tonight as the Arizona Diamondbacks went on to beat Milwaukee 8-1, capturing their first victory in the National League Division Series.

D'backs starter Josh Collmenter allowed just two hits in seven innings of work before giving away to the bullpen as David Hernandez blanked the Brewers in the eighth and J.J. Putz closed the door in the ninth inning. Goldschmidt, who hit 8 homers during the regular season -- after his call up from the minors, becomes the third rookie to hit a grand slam in postseason play. It'll be two lefties going tomorrow -- Randy Wolff for the Brewers and Joe Saunders for the Diamondbacks.

D'backs up against it!

The Arizona Diamondbacks have 48 come-from-behind wins this season. Thirteen times they have won three games in a row. The D'backs will need just that to advance to the National League Championship Series.

The margin for error is NONE! Manager Kirk Gibson will need to make all the right moves, Justin Upton needs to lead the way and the D'backs need to take back the momentum.

Brewer fans poke fun at D'backs lack of fan support

This morning I was surfing though a hand full of websites and blogs out of Milwaukee.

The majority of the Brewer fans comments focused on the Diamondbacks fans and their lack of support. Yep, the Brewers play to a packed house every night and Chase Field rarely has a sell out.

My take on it: Phoenix is full of Wisconsin people. They've all moved out West! So, come on Brewer fans get your tickets!

The Yankee fans will be cryin' tonight

Somebody by the name of Jose Valverde closed the show and hard-throwing Justin Verlander pitched eight strong innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees, 5-4, in Detroit tonight to take a 2-1 edge in the American League Division Series.

Arizona Diamondback fans remember Jose. Not too long ago Valverde was closing games for the D'backs. Tonight, he did his thing for the Tigers by striking out Derek Jeter with two outs and two runners on in the ninth inning. A Yankee loss tomorrow, and the New York fans will be cryin' and calling for Joe Girardi to hit the road. You really can't blame the loss on Girardi, you got to hand it to Verlander. He was tough tonight and it shouldn't be a surprise. He's the best pitcher in the AL this year!

All alone am I

My Fantasy Football League: My Team Priceless is 0-4 and all alone in last place in the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League.

Things have got a little interesting at the top of the standings as El diablo blanco and The Assassins lost this week for the first time and are now at 3-1 along with Murrays Marrauders, who won its third game of the season with a victory over suh-nami -- thanks, in part, to a 42 fantasy-point effort from Michael Vick. El diabo blanco lost a close one to Team Arps, who won for the first time thanks mainly to the Monday night effort from Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount. Blount needed to produce 9 points for Team Arps to pull the upset. He racked up 19! The team, Honey Bee, upset The Assassins with balanced scoring from its entire starting lineup, led by Tampa Bay's quarterback Josh Freeman who put the final icing on the cake with 27 fantasy points.

I'm still shaking my head over the El diablo blanco loss due to the fact the QB for El diablo blanco is Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers scored 64 fantasy points on Sunday! To put that all in perspective, my two quarterbacks (Ryan Fitzpatrick and Rex Grossman) combined for 17 fantasy points!

Not a good weekend for Arizona sports fans

It was not a good weekend for Arizona sports fans!

The Diamondbacks drop two straight games in Milwaukee, the Arizona Cardinals can't even beat the New York Giants, at home no less, and the Wildcats score at will over at USC and still get outgunned, falling to a dismal 1-4 on the season. As for my Team Priceless, on my fantasy football team, no reason to even go there! My team scores a league-worst 90 points as I fall to 0-4.

Enough said. I got the Monday morning blues!

D'backs let Fielder beat 'em...

The Arizona Diamondbacks let Prince Fielder beat them yesterday.

Offensively, for the D'backs, just four hits in their 4-1 loss to the Brewers. The Diamondbacks can't let that happen today. Daniel Hudson will need his best stuff today.

 Go D'backs, even up the series!

Foles 2nd in the country

Arizona quarterback Nick Foles is second in the country among all NCAA Division 1 players. Foles offensive production: Attempts 236, completions 170, yards 1872, touchdowns 14, and interceptions 2, yet the Wildcats are 1-4 on the season. Only Case Keenum of Houston is ahead of Foles in passing yards with 2005.

Grandson Jadon scores 2 TDs for Mighty Mites

Southern Arizona Youth Football

Grandson Jadon Price scored on a 5-yard TD run in the first half and capped the day off by tossing a 45-yard TD pass late in the second half to lead the NW Mountains Lions to a 21-0 win over the San Manuel Miners this afternoon at Amphi Middle School.

It was the second win of the season for the Lions, members of the SAYF Mitey Mite Fall League. Jadon,11, took a hand off from his buddy and best friend, quarterback Jarod Peck, early in the game and scampered up the middle for the Lions' first score. Then, late in the game, took another hand off from Peck, stopped, pumped and hit receiver Zack Karlik for the longest play from scrimmage of the day. Karlik also caught a 25-yard TD pass from Peck at the start of the second half and the Lions' defense added a safety to complete the scoring.