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This is shaping up to be one of those weekends that sports fans live for. There are so many exciting games slated to take place that there will hardly be time to fit them all in, regardless of whether or not you have a satellite dish and TiVo. Let's take a quick look at baseball, college football, and the NFL to see which games you've just got to check out.

First of all, in baseball, the race for the AL East pennant has come down to the wire. And wouldn't you know it? It comes down to yet another series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. How many times have these two rivals met in important matchups like this one? This series will certainly add to the legacy. Boston has been in control for most of the season, but a two-month slide has put all that in jeopardy. The Yankees, in their usual style, just kept plugging away at the lead, and now the two teams are in a dead heat with 3 games left to play. The winner of the series will of course win the division and get an automatic playoff berth. The loser will have to hope to slide into the playoffs with the wild card spot. But the Cleveland Indians are also in the race, so there's no telling what might happen. If either the Yankees or the Red Sox lose all three games, their season could be over.

Over in college football, there's a big game between the #1 USC Trojans and the #14 Arizona State Sun Devils. Everyone knows that the Trojans' offense, led by Heisman Trophy winner and future #1 NFL draft pick Matt Leinart, is one of the most potent in the country. But Arizona State's offense has been lighting it up this year, too. Quarterback Sam Keller has thrown 4 touchdowns in each of the team's first 4 games, for a whopping total of 16 so far on the season. Most analysts agree that there are only a couple of games on the Trojans' schedule that they are actually in danger of losing. This happens to be one of them. Stay tuned for an old-fashioned shootout!

In the NFL, one of the better matchups of the week is the Indianapolis Colts versus the Tennessee Titans. Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning, after a season in which he threw for 49 touchdowns, has just 2 this year. Both of those came back in Week One against the Baltimore Ravens. But everyone knows that Manning is a much better quarterback than his current numbers indicate. It gives you the feeling that this is just the calm before the storm and that Manning is bound to bust out of this slump soon and throw for 5 touchdowns in one game. Will this be the week? Or will the Colts have to rely on their defense to pull them through one more time. Will Steve McNair and the Titans come up with some offense of their own? We'll have to wait and see. Don't miss it!

If you're thinking about getting into the sport of paintball, you might feel a bit overwhelmed at first. You've probably seen a whole range of different people out on the field. Some of them are just out there running around in jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers as they tote their rented paintball guns around. Others are dressed from head to toe in camouflage gear and are carrying equipment that you would be more likely to see at a military base camp than at a civilian recreational facility. For those people who are new to the game, it can be difficult to tell which pieces of paintball equipment you should have from the beginning and which ones you can do without.

Fortunately, determining the answer to this question is a pretty simple process. You just have to think about what kind of paintball you're going to be playing, how often, how serious you are, and then take it from there.

When you decide to buy your own equipment, the one item that should be on top of your list is a mask. In fact, any legally run paintball operation (meaning you're not just gathering in the woods with your friends, hoping not to get caught) won't let people step onto the field without this piece of safety equipment. Spend a bit of extra money to make sure you get a comfortable mask. You'll be glad you did.

As long as you're buying your own equipment, you should check into getting a paintball gun. There is of course a huge selection of guns to choose from, and they all have different features and prices. You have to think long and hard about whether or not you want to invest in your own gun. In most recreational situations, using rental markers will work out just fine. You can definitely hold off on buying one until you become a better player or until you get more serious.

If you're going to play speedball or other short (15 to 30 minutes) games that public paintball facilities operate, then just wearing regular loose-fitting clothing is perfectly acceptable. Just make sure you can move all your limbs freely and make sure that you're wearing clothing that you're not overly attached to. You will be getting very dirty and you might not be able (or want) to salvage one or two items. You should also wear comfortable shoes or boots that provide plenty of support. You're going to be on your feet for a long time, will probably be climbing over uneven terrain, and will generally be trekking through mud, muck, and paint. So make sure your footwear can take the punishment.

It would also be a good idea to have other pieces of safety equipment, such as gloves, knee and shin pads, and/or a neck guard. Nothing can ruin a fun day of paintball faster than getting hurt out in the field. So take the time to protect yourself first.

To purchase these and other paintball products, click the link at the top of this page.

You've been to your local paintball field several times in the past few months and you've discovered that you really want to get into the sport. Instead of paying rental fees for paintball gear each time you play, you're thinking about buying your very own paintball gun. That's perfectly normal. Lots of people come to the same conclusion after just a few paintball sessions. It's one of those sports that you either love or hate. Few people are able to sit on the fence about it. So you know that you are getting a paintball gun, but you're not sure which one is right for you. Because of the incredible range of prices (you can get paintball guns for as little as $50 or as much as $2000 or more), you should ask yourself a few key questions before you go shopping.

First, you should determine how often you will actually play the game. If you're relatively certain that you will play at least once or twice a month, then it probably is a good idea to buy your own gun (or "marker", as they are called).

Second, you should try as many different markers as possible before purchasing one. Paintball guns are definitely not all the same. Some stock guns are excellent, while others are hardly worth their weight in scrap metal. So pick a few up; see how they feel in your hands; imagine how it would feel to carry the marker around for several hours outdoors. You definitely don't want to be stuck with a gun that is too heavy. And fire the marker a few times, if possible.

Third, you should ask yourself if you are the kind of person who is willing and able to perform the necessary cleaning and maintenance tasks for the gun. By its very nature, paintball is a messy sport. Most players are meticulous about cleaning and maintaining their marker after each and every use. Others just toss the paintball gun into the trunks of their cars and don't even think about them until the next time they want to play. Your gun will perform much better and last much longer if you take the time to disassemble ("field strip") it and clean it after each playing session. If you can't commit to that, maybe you should just continue to rent and let the field employees worry about cleanup.

Finally, you should determine a budget for your paintball gun and make sure you stick to it. It's ok to buy a cheaper stock gun at first, and then make a few upgrades later on as you can afford it. There are aftermarket parts available for just about everything on a gun, so upgrading is an easy thing to do. At the same time, if you immediately think that you need to upgrade or modify 10 different parts on your marker, then you should probably buy a better one to begin with!

If you take a bit of time to do the initial research, you can find a great paintball marker that you'll really enjoy using. Good luck, and remember that functionality is much more important than looks in the sport of paintball!

Did you see the Cincinnati Bengals take out the Chicago Bears this weekend? Well, if not - shame on you! The 3-0 Bengals are off to their best start since the 1990 season, which, incidentally is the last year the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series, and it seems that few in the football world are noticing.

The Bengals traveled four hours north to play their in-state and division rival Cleveland Browns in the first game of the season. The game did not look like the slugfest that was last year's game. Instead, the Bengals commanded the game and went home the victors. Then they hosted the Minnesota Vikings, quarterbacked by Daunte Culpepper. The Bengals also made quick work of the Vikings, sending them home with a loss.

This past Sunday, they played the Chicago Bears in the Windy City. The Bears, White Sox, Cubs, and NHL Blackhawks all were playing in the city - a first. The Bengals made sure that the day was memorable for the Bears but not in the way that evokes fond "remember when" memories.

Bengals defenders, the team's weak links in past seasons, intercepted rookie quarterback Nick Orton four times. Those interceptions don’t count the Bears fumbles, passes tipped, and generally excellent coverage the Bengals defense provided. University of Georgia product and rookie Bengal Odell Thurman showed why he is making waves throughout the league. Thurman was there on play after play, giving the offenders a hard time, hitting with Mack truck force, and generally wreaking the kind of havoc that makes fans cheer and opposing teams shudder. Cornerback Deltha O'Neal, a Bengals fan favorite, leads the National Football League with four interceptions.

Carson Palmer showed flashes of the brilliance he had when during his Heisman Trophy season leading the University of Southern California Trojans to a national championship. Although still not a top-level NFL quarterback, Palmer, in only his second season with the starting job, is improving. He has the second-highest quarterback ranking in the league right now at 114.0 and is tied with Philadelphia Eagles veteran Donovan McNabb with eight touchdown passes this season, the most in the league.

Palmer is not the only offensive force on the Bengals roster. Receiver Chad Johnson, whom the Bengals used sparingly Sunday, caught three of the five passes that came his way. He scored two touchdowns from those passes and moved to seventh in the league for receiving yards at 307. Rudi Johnson, a product of Auburn University, comes in sixth in the league with 300 rushing yards. Others, like Michigan product and second-year Bengal Chris Perry, showed flashes on the field Sunday that make the future look bright for the once laughingstock Cincinnati team.

The Bengals came away from Sunday's win with a 24-7 victory over the now 1-2 Bears. The Bengals season does not look too rough for the next few weeks. They stay home this week to play the Texans and the travel to Jacksonville to meet the Jaguars and to Tennessee to take on the Titans. With continuation of the first three weeks' play, the Bengals could head into their October 23 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers an undefeated team.

By Julia Mercer

The Southeastern Conference continued to show this past weekend why the conference is unarguably the toughest football league in the nation. With four teams still in the top 10, the only sad part is that they will have to play each other, moving them from the top spots they deserve.

The East has received quite a surprise this year. The Vanderbilt University Commodores are sitting pretty atop the East right now. Well, okay, they are in a three-way tie. Still, Vanderbilt, long the laughingstock of the SEC, has made quite a showing for itself this year. The Commodores beat conference rivals Arkansas and Mississippi to stand at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

Also in the East, the University of Florida Gators, ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll, and the seventh-ranked University of Georgia Bulldogs also have two conferences wins and no losses each. Florida has made away with wins against Kentucky and Tennessee while Georgia beat Mississippi State and South Carolina.

After the three top teams sits Tennessee. The Volunteers are 1-1 in conference play after losing to Florida and then pulling out a miraculous overtime win against the Louisiana State University Tigers Monday night. The 30-27 victory came on an overtime touchdown after the Volunteers trailed 24-7 early in the second half. The Volunteers are ranked tenth in the nation.

The University of Kentucky is showing why they are the SEC's basketball team with an abysmal football record of 1-3. The Wildcats are 0-1 in conference play. They came back in last week's game against Florida but still only managed to pull within 21 before the game ended. Kentucky lost 49-28. Finally, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, under the direction of long-time Florida coach and NFL bust Steve Spurrier, are 0-2 in conference action and 2-2 overall.

The picture on the SEC West is a little different. A surprising Alabama team holds the top spot at 2-0 in the SEC and 4-0 overall. The fifteenth-ranked Tide play this Saturday against the Gators. Auburn University is making a comeback after a disappointing first outing. They are 3-1 and 1-0 in the SEC.

The aforementioned LSU Tigers, ranked number four this week, lost last night, putting them at 0-1 in conference play. The Tigers likely will plummet out of the top 10 next week. The University of Mississippi Rebels are tied with LSU with no conference wins and one conference loss as well.

Mississippi State, under second-year coach Sylvester Croom, and the University of Arkansas Razorbacks are pulling up the bottom of the conference, each with an 0-2 conference record.

The upcoming weeks will provide a good bit of excitement for die-hard SEC fans. This weekend's showdown between the Alabama Tide and the Florida Gators should make for an excellent game. UGA plays Tennessee in two weeks for a tough SEC East showdown. And no one knows what is in store when they take on Vanderbilt. The Commodores play Middle Tennessee State this weekend before hosting Florida and Georgia at Nashville's Vanderbilt Stadium.

By Julia Mercer

With the NHL preseason well underway, it's time to start thinking about all the new fan gear you'll need to get so you can go to the games in style. The new collective bargaining agreement between the players' association and the owners opened the door for a lot of personnel changes. So if your favorite player is now on a different team, you might have to add a new jersey to your collection. Plus, since the weather during hockey season is generally cold and miserable, you'll probably want to add to your outwear collection as well. Here are some ideas to help get you started.

Jerseys
Replica and authentic team jerseys are arguably the most important part of any diehard fan's wardrobe. They are perfect for wearing to the game and also for those times where you can't make it to the stadium but instead end up hanging out at your local sports bar to catch the game on TV with your buddies. Are you a Peter Forsberg fan? Well, he's still wearing the familiar #21 that you love to see out on the ice. But instead of being in Colorado colors, he's now sporting the orange, white, and black of the Philadelphia Flyers. So you'll probably want to update your jersey, too. Another jersey that is certain to be a hot seller this year is the #87 jersey of Pittsburgh Penguin rookie Sidney Crosby. Crosby was of course the #1 overall pick in the draft, and is a player that many people think will bring the fans back to hockey. Get your jersey now and show that you were on board from the beginning!

Hats
If jerseys are the most important part of a fan's wardrobe, then hats come in a close second. Luckily, there are many different kinds of hats that you can buy, all of them bearing your favorite team's logo. If you want a good, quality hat, you should go with a fitted one made from wool. This is the same kind of material used in the caps that professional baseball players wear, so you can bet it's durable. If you're looking for something cheaper, stick with adjustable hats. They come in either regular or trucker style, so you do have a bit of variety there. If you want to try something completely different yet functional, check out hard hats in your team's logos. These products are made by a company called Wincraft and actually meet OSHA requirements, so you can use them on the job. Don't forget to purchase some knit caps or beanies, as well.

Other items
In addition to jerseys and hats, you can always get t-shirts, hoodies, and polo-style shirts, too. If you're a memorabilia collector, you might want to purchase a couple of pucks or pennants and a Sharpie so that you'll always be ready to get autographs when you go to the games. Finally, you can round out your collection with accessories like team watches and wallets.

To check out a great selection of NHL gear and more, click the links at the top of the page right here at SportingGoodsDepot.com!

The Atlanta Braves clinched the National League East division title last night when the Mets defeated the Phillies by a score of 3-2. This marks the 14th consecutive title for the Braves, which is the longest divisional championship run by any team in all of sports. That's a pretty amazing feat, especially considering how quickly a sport's landscape can change due to free agency, injuries, etc. These days, a team can go from contender to pretender in the same season. Just look at the Baltimore Orioles. They started the season off with a bang and led their division in June. But since then, they have suffered a catastrophic collapse that resulted in the firing of manager Lee Mazzilli. That didn't really seem to help matters, as the Orioles are a dismal 11-36 in their last 47 games. This puts the Braves' string of championships into perspective for me.

As amazing as the Braves' championships are, I think the whole situation in Atlanta must still be bittersweet for the fans. Because through all those years of winning, even with all the Cy Young candidates and winners the Braves have had on their pitching staff, with all those MVP candidates, they have brought home the World Series trophy only once. Just once in the previous 13 years. It happened way back in 1995 when they defeated the Cleveland Indians 4-2. They have made it to the World Series 5 times, the last one coming in 1999 when they were swept by the New York Yankees in 4 games. That was actually the second time in four years that the Braves lost to the Yankees in the World Series.

I come from Chicago, which means that I am used to rooting for pro sports teams that lose much more often than they win. Without the incredible championship decade that the Bulls treated us to in the 1990s, we would barely remember what winning feels like. In fact, our teams are usually so bad that we know by mid-season that we will again have to wait until next year. But that actually makes it a bit easier to be a sports fan around here. We don't have to suffer through the ups and downs of huge victories and devastating losses. Our teams lose all the time, so we're used to it.

But being an Atlanta Braves fan means that you have come tantalizingly close to the World Series every year for more than a decade. You've had your hopes raised up time and again, only to have them dashed to pieces time and again. Somehow, it seems that winning the World Series just once in 13 postseason appearances would be much more frustrating and heart-wrenching than not making it to the playoffs at all during that same stretch of time.

So while most Braves fans are probably celebrating this latest divisional title to the fullest, I'm sure there are a few who are holding back and waiting to see how the postseason unfolds. If the Braves can win another world championship, then we'll see some real celebrating!

Let's face it, this was exactly what the schedule makers had in mind. The final 3 games of the baseball regular season (maybe 4?) for the Yanks and the Red Sox will be against one another with the American League East title on the line.

But did anyone in their right mind think that the number two team in the division could be on the outside looking in when it came to the playoffs. Such is the case as the 2005 season comes to its conclusion.

Though the Yanks are tied for first with seven games to play, neither team has had the kind of season it had truly hoped for. Normally, 95 to 96 wins is simply not enough in the AL East, so neither team has had the type of season it thought it would need to have to be a division winner.

In the Central Division, both the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians and their surprising play have outperformed the two teams with the highest payrolls in baseball. Therefore, a final week for Cleveland that resembles anything like the team's play over the last eight weeks and the Indians or White Sox are the wild card and one of the two, either the Yanks or the Sox could be heading to the golf course when the regular season comes to close this weekend (or Monday if the teams are still tied after Sunday).

Heading into the final three game series, both teams have somehow managed to get to this point despite substandard-performing pitching staffs. The teams do have big names like Mussina and Johnson and Schilling, but the pitching performances have left each team struggling.

However, the two teams unquestionably have the best offensive lineups in baseball.

For the Yanks, it has been a return to the notion of the Bronx Bombers. The Yanks are second in major league baseball in runs scored and in batting average. The Yanks are also second in homers, second in hits, walks and on base percentage.

Of course the Red Sox lead virtually every one of those categories. Boston is first in the majors in batting average, runs scored, hits, walks and on base percentage. In head to head ratings, the only major category that the Yanks top the Sox in is homers.

Alex Rodriguez is having another MVP caliber season for the Yanks. The third baseman leads the team with a .319 batting average, 46 homers, 124 runs batted in and 117 runs scored. The slugger has also played a solid third base.

In addition, the Yanks have outfielders Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield with a combined 53 homers and 226 runs batted in. First baseman Jason Giambi has also returned somewhat to prior form with 30 homers in '05.

For the Red Sox, they have once again been led by the one-two punch of designated hitter David Ortiz and left-fielder, Manny Ramirez. A year ago, when the Sox broke through for their first title in 80 plus years, the two sluggers combined for 84 homers and 269 runs batted in. This year, the pair has somehow managed to top that with 87 homers and 275 runs batted in between them.

As the season winds to a close the Yanks appear to have one definitive advantage. The team has the best reliever in the game in closer Mariano Rivera. The hard-throwing bullpen ace has 42 saves and an incredible ERA of 1.41 on the season.

Adding to the glaring Yankee advantage in the bull pen is the fact that the Red Sox have lost their top reliever Keith Foulke for the season, an injury that leaves the Sox without a proven closer come crunch time.

It is indeed what the schedulers had in mind when the 2005 season was put together. With one team likely going home and the other heading to the post season, the final weekend series between the Sox and Yanks will simply add one more chapter to the incredible story line that the two have created over the years.

Well, the third week of the NFL season is in the books, and things are finally starting to fall in to place. The teams that everyone thought would be winning are now doing so. There were no shocking upsets this week like there were in the two previous weeks. Even so, there were still plenty of good games. Here's a quick rundown of what happened in some of the bigger contests.

New England over Pittsburgh
When the Patriots lost to the Panthers last week, some people were ready to write them off. But the Pats came back and beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh to answer some of those doubts. Tom Brady did what he does best, which is lead the Patriots on a last-ditch Fourth Quarter drive to get them in field goal range. Then Adam Vinatieri did what he does best, which is kick the game winning field goal with time running out. Brady passed for 372 yards on the day, while running back Corey Dillon added two rushing touchdowns.

Tampa Bay over Green Bay
With Green Bay's 17-16 loss to Tampa Bay, the Packers fall to 0-2 in the NFC North Division, and 0-3 overall. This marks the first time in Brett Favre's career as an NFL starter that his team has lost its first 3 games of the season. Favre threw three interceptions in the game, bringing his season total to 7. Carnell "Cadillac" Williams had another huge day for the Bucs. The rookie out of Auburn gained 158 yards, and is now in the record books as the rookie who has rushed for the most yards in his first 3 games.

Seattle over Arizona
Well, this game wasn't particularly competitive and the outcome wasn't a shocker, either. But I am including it in this week's wrap-up because Shaun Alexander had a monster game. He rushed for 120 yards and 4 touchdowns, which tied his personal career-best. The Cardinals, on the other hand, continued their offensive struggles. They haven't scored a touchdown since Week One, and didn't even really come close to doing so against the Seahawks, either. They are now 0-3 in a season when a lot of analysts predicted that they would make it to the playoffs with at least a Wild Card berth.

San Diego over New York Giants
Eli Manning and the Giants visited Qualcomm Stadium for the first time in Manning's young NFL career. You may remember that San Diego had the first pick in the draft a couple years ago when Manning was eligible, but Manning made it clear that he would refuse to play for that team. So the Chargers ended up orchestrating a trade and the Giants got him instead. Well, the San Diego fans booed just about every single time Manning tried to take a snap and the Chargers defense was fired up all game long. Quarterback Drew Brees finally broke out of his mini slump and passed for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. The undisputed star of the game, however, was running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson rushed for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus he even threw a touchdown pass. I guess he really can do it all!

Even though the Chicago Cubs' season has realistically been over since August, fans still have had plenty of reasons to cheer. No, the Cubs haven't showcasing an exciting rookie pitching prospect or anything like that. Instead, Cubs fans have found reason to smile at the scare that the White Sox late-season slide has been putting into fans over on the South Side.

The White Sox, who had a 15-game lead in the American League Central Division at the beginning of August, have watched in horror as that lead has slowly shrunk down to a too-close-for-comfort 2.5 games over the surging Cleveland Indians. The Indians have won 17 of their last 20 games, while the White Sox had lost 10 of 14 before winning their last three. There are now just 7 games left in the regular season, all on the road. The Sox will visit Detroit for a four-game set before heading to Cleveland for a three-game series that will almost certainly decide the divisional championship (provided that the Sox don't wrap the title up before that).

Sox fans have barely been able to watch their team fall so fast in the last two months. Some Chicago baseball columnists, who apparently don't have very much faith in the team, have been calling this one of the biggest collapses in baseball history. I guess one thing that Sox fans can take comfort in is the fact that it's not over yet. Nobody will care how many games they end up winning the division by, as long as they do win it.

As a lifelong Cubs fan, I can say without a doubt that I've thoroughly been enjoying these last two months. Some people think that since I'm from Chicago I would want the Sox to win because they do, after all, represent this city. No, sorry, it doesn't work that way at all. Do you think Mets fans are happy that the Yankees are now tied with Boston for the division lead after trailing the Red Sox for most of the season? This sort of thing is certainly not limited to teams in the same city. It can extend to teams in the same state, too. For example, do you think anyone in Pittsburgh is losing sleep over whether or not the Phillies make it into the playoffs? There seems to be an unwritten rule in sports that you have to choose one team in your city or state and stick with them through thick and thin. You can't really be fans of both!

For me, the most fun part of the White Sox breakdown is that has happened on all levels. They haven't been hitting the ball, their pitchers haven't had good stuff, they've been making errors out on the field, and they've been making base-running mistakes. It really has been quite a spectacle to see in the "highlights" on the evening news every night.

So while I have a feeling that the White Sox will pull it off in the end, I want to thank them for giving Cubs fans a reason to smile as we again wait 'til next year!

Written by James Fohl

If you have been following profession sports, such as the Major League Baseball Association, then chances are you have been hearing talk about the usage of anabolic steroids by professional athletes. These athletes are getting shunned by their fans, and ridiculed by the press, however many other athletes who do not take anabolic steroids are taking other supplements that help them gain the same advantage as those given by anabolic steroids.

One of these such supplements is flax seed oil, or as it is composed of; flax seed. Flax seed is pretty much protein and fiber; however it also contains a large amount of fatty acids. The three main fatty acids that flax oil provides are; alpha linolenic acid, omega 3 essential acid, and omega 6 essential acid.

Not only does flax seed provide these essential fatty acids, but for every one hundred grams of flax seed, you are getting around twenty five grams of pure protein. Protein is of course needed in the construction of new muscle tissue. Besides protein, flax seed also provides the user with a nice source of fiber which is excellent for keeping the colon clean and regulated of toxins and disease causing bacteria.

Flax seed gives the user numerous benefits. Not only is it an excellent source of protein, fiber, and fatty acids, but it has many other benefits as well. Benefits of taking flax seed include having more energy, and having your body heal itself faster.

Because of the second statement, (the fact that flax seed helps heal the body faster) flax seed is an excellent supplement for body builders who are constantly working out as hard as possible, thus causing rips and tears throughout their bodies. Taking flax seed oil helps these body builders get back in the gym faster.

Flax seed can be taken by several different ways. You can eat pure flax seed in breads and cereals. Concentrated flax seed, known as flax seed oil can also be found in both a pill form, as well as a liquid form. The pill form of flax seed oil is most common, and can be purchased from most drug stores, as well as major retail chains such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart. Flax seed oil in a liquid form is a little harder to find in stores, however it is still easily obtainable over the internet.

While flax oil may not sound as bad as anabolic steroids, it still provides some of the same benefits as steroids do. Not only that, but flax seed oil can be combined with several other supplements that pretty much end up emulating the effects caused by anabolic steroids. In my opinion, supplements are not a bad thing, I just believe that if users are going to be punished for taking steroids, then those taking supplements should be punished as well.

So in today's day and age, you can complain about athletes utilizing anabolic steroids, but do not forget that even though the athlete next to him does not take anabolic steroids, he is probably just as good as an athlete because he takes several health supplements such as concentrated flax seed oil.

Written by James Fohl

All across America, and through the stretches of Puerto Rico, baseball fans everywhere are working on petitions in order to retire Roberto Clemente’s jersey number (21) throughout all the Major League Baseball organizations.

Only one other jersey number has been retired from every team in the Major Leagues. That jersey number is 42, and belonged to Jacky Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers. IT was retired in 1997, the fiftieth anniversary of Jacky’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, as the leagues first black player.

Part of the reason fans would like to see the number twenty one retired from Major League baseball is to bring attention to the many Latin American baseball players that play in the Major Leagues every year.

A greater part of the reason why fans are trying so hard to get the number retired before next year’s All Star game is because Roberto Clemente was not only one of the best ball players ever, but also a great man in general.

In his baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bob as he was commonly referred to by his baseball cards, managed to become the first Hispanic player to collect three thousand hits (mind you, he hit exactly 3,000 hits, not one more not one less). He also won twelve gold gloves, and participated in twelve All Star games.

Outside of baseball, Roberto always tried to help those less fortunate then himself. It was his generosity that led to his early death. On December 31st, 1972, at the age of 38, Roberto Clemente died when the small airplane he was aboard crashed, shortly after leaving Puerto Rico. Roberto was aboard the plane, loaded with supplies in hopes of helping victims of a Nicaraguan earthquake.

His wife continued his generosity, by opening several organizations in Puerto Rico that would help give aspiring athletes the ability to get into the Major Leagues. While Roberto may not have been the first Hispanic to play Major League baseball, he was one of the best, and is hailed throughout Latin America.

It is because of these reasons that several Major League Baseball fans, players, and advocates are trying to gain enough support in order to retire Roberto Clemente’s jersey number, which is twenty one (21) not from the teams he had played on (the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates), but rather from all teams in both the Nation League as well as the American League.

Roberto Clemente was not just a very fine baseball player, but he was also a great person who used his popularity and power to influence others to help those less fortunate. Because of him, millions of less fortunate people have been helped, along with that, thousands of Hispanic young men have been given the opportunity to enhance their baseball skills and becomes players in the Major League Baseball association. It is true that Roberto Clemente was a fantastic baseball player, but it is the fact that Roberto Clemente was such a fantastic person in general that these groups of people want to have his jersey number retired throughout Major League Baseball.

Written by James Fohl


If you remember back in the year 1994, and think about sports, what specific events cross your mind? If you are a baseball fan, then chances are you remember that even know there was a strike, and no World Series, there were still many interesting things going on in Major League Baseball that year.

Interesting, the home run race to beat Roger Maris' record did not start with Mark Macquire in 1998, but rather a San Francisco Giant by the name of Matt Williams during the 1994 Major League baseball season. Williams was literally on fire during the 1994 season, as he managed to compile forty three home runs before the season was cancelled due to the players strike on August 12th 1994.

Matt Williams was not the only home run hitter that year, as Ken Griffey Jr, amongst many others was hammering dozens of home runs, as he managed to attain forty home runs before the strike was officially started on August 12th, 1994. It took the Major League officials a month before they finally declared that the 1994 baseball season was over, and there would be no further games, including no World Series.

Besides Matt Williams attempt to break Roger Maris' home run record, several other things were occurring around both the Nation and American leagues of Major League Baseball. First off, the Montreal Expos were having an explosive season. Many baseball analysts believe that if the 1994 Major League baseball season had continued, the Montreal Expos would not only have been involved in the 1994 World Series, but they would have also won the 1994 World Series, something that the Montreal Expos were not able to accomplish during their thirty five years of existence (1969 - 2005).

The baseball strike of 1994 however stopped any of these awesome events from actually happening. Being a pretty big and avid baseball fan, I seem to occasionally find myself in conversations with other Major League Baseball buffs on what would have happened if the 1994 Major League baseball season had continued. Personally, I believe that Matt Williams would have broken Roger Maris' home run record, and the Montreal Expos would probably have went to the World Series, but they would have probably lost it too.

I would also have to agree with many other Major League baseball fans that since the baseball players were going to strike, they probably should have went on strike at the beginning of the season. I mean after all, if they had gone on strike during the beginning of the 1994 Major League baseball season, we would not have to worry about whether or not Matt Williams would have created a new single season home run record, or if the Montreal Expos were actually going to be the 1994 World Series champions.

Oh well, we will never really know what would have happened if the Major League baseball players had not gone on strike, but at least we know that it took baseball fans quite a few years to forgive the players for their actions, something that will hopefully prevent any future strikes to occur in Major League Baseball.

Written by James Fohl

It seems that everyone who would call themselves a baseball fan has their favorite team, and of course their favorite baseball player. Being an avid baseball fan myself, I have my favorite team, which is of course my hometown team (the Pittsburgh Pirates). I also have a favorite player. The thing that is different about me and my favorite player however, is the fact that my favorite player is not one of the All-Stars such as Barry Bonds, Vladimir Guerrereo, or even the All Star of my favorite team (the Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder, Jason Bay).

In fact whenever I talk to other avid baseball fans about my favorite player, many of these avid fans actually have no idea of whom my favorite player is. My favorite player is Freddy Sanchez of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Although Freddy has been in the Major Leagues since 2002 (spent two years with the Boston Red Sox, before getting traded to the Pirates) he has seen very little action on the playing field until this season. This is due to the fact that the Red Sox only utilized Freddy as a pitch hitter, and after he was traded he wound up on the disabled list due to a foot injury that kept him from playing most of the 2004 Pirates baseball season.

After being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Freddy wanted to show the world what he was capable of doing on the baseball field, despite finding himself injured, Freddy still went and played in the 2004 Arizona Fall League to sharpen his skills.

Freddy Sanchez came back better than ever for the 2005 Pirates baseball season, and has pretty much become one of their very best players. Not only can Freddy hit the ball all over the field, but Freddy also has the ability to play a variety of infield positions. So far this season he has played third base, shortstop, second base, and it has even been rumored that he has also played first base during practice sessions. Given the fact that he is able to play around three of the four bags has made Freddy Sanchez the Pittsburgh Pirates ultimate utility player.

Freddy Sanchez is also making it to the baseball scene as a power hitter. In the 2005 Major League baseball season Freddy managed to only hit a single home run from April until September 2005. However, so far at the time of this writing, Freddy Sanchez has managed to hit four home runs in a mere seven games.

Just a few months ago, when I told everybody that Freddy Sanchez of the Pittsburgh Pirates was my favorite Major League Baseball player, I received quite a few laughs. However, as it is nearing the end of the 2005 Major League baseball season, a lot of the people who were laughing at me for my decision are now talking about how great a baseball player Freddy Sanchez will be for the 2006 Major League baseball season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In the year of the steroid scandal and subsequent decline in homers across the major leagues, the Texas Rangers are on the verge of setting a new standard for homeruns by a team for a 162-game season.

Saturday night, Mark Teixeira pasted his 43rd homer of the season, a new career high for the first baseman, giving the Rangers 257 homeruns for the season. That matched the 1996 Baltimore Orioles for the second-best total in major league history, seven behind the record set by the 1997 Seattle Mariners.

Texas has essentially done it with team balance. Though Teixeira is among the league leaders and second baseman Alfonso Soriano has slammed 35 on the season, the Rangers have seven players with 20 or more homers and ten players in double figures on the season. Every member of the infield, including catcher Rod Barajas, has at least 20 homers while four different outfielders have at least 16, beginning with right fielder Richard Hidalgo.

The Rangers however completely reflect the notion that pitching is the key element in baseball. The strong hitting team has scored the third most runs in all of major league baseball but is still a distant third in the Western Division of the American League, three games under five hundred as the season comes to a close.

With seven games left in 2005 and the team averaging 1.7 homers per game, the major league mark is well within the Rangers reach. Texas will play four games against two of the best pitching staffs in the American League, Oakland and Los Angeles, and three against the Seattle Mariners. The Rangers will also close the season at home, giving the team a chance to set the mark before the Texas fans.

Most of the professional sports stories that we read or hear about these days are decidedly negative. We have the whole steroid fiasco in Major League Baseball, along with the Rafael Palmeiro suspension, the booing, and his subsequent release from the team with 9 or 10 games left to play in the season. In basketball, we had the whole Pistons-Pacers fracas with the fans and also the Kobe Bryant saga. In football, we have the Terrell Owens-Donovan McNabb feud, plus the Owens contract dispute and head coaches being reprimanded for violating policy by scalping their Super Bowl tickets. In hockey, we had the lockout that resulted in an entire season being lost. It's enough to make any sports fan hang his or her head in shame.

But then there are some good stories, too. For example, I remember how happy I was to hear that USC quarterback Matt Leinart decided to forego guaranteed millions in salary to stay in college to finish his senior year. It may sound silly, but that sort of thing makes me feel proud to be a fan. Another thing that makes me proud to be a fan is when professional athletes show respect to their parents.

I think that a majority of athletes who have made it to the professional ranks of their chosen sports had to have a pretty solid support system as they were growing up, which means their parents probably made a lot of sacrifices. I played a lot of sports when I was younger, and though I wasn't very talented at all, my parents still drove me to practices and games, bought me new equipment when needed, paid my entry fees, and showed up to watch me play. I'm sure that parents of athletes who show professional potential have to do those things times 100 for their kids. That's why it's only fitting that these parents get some sort of tribute when the kids actually do make it to the big leagues.

About 10 days ago, I read an article about Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens. His mother passed away from complications from emphysema, and Clemens was devastated, as you would expect. He pitched that day, as scheduled, and won. He did it for his mom because he knew she would have wanted him to play. His mom had always been a part of Clemens' career and watched many games in person before it become too difficult to do so. As Clemens spoke to reporters after the game, he was visibly grief-stricken and he didn't even try to hold back his tears. That was as clear a sign of love and respect as anything.

Professional sports needs to highlight more athletes like Roger Clemens, who openly show how important their parents are. Tiger Woods is like this. So are LeBron James and Donovan McNabb. I know there are many others out there as well. Personally, I would much rather read positive stories than the negative stuff that we are constantly subjected to. And I'll bet there are plenty of other fans who feel the same way.

The game long associated with smoky basements, alcohol and back room gambling has definitely become mainstream in America. High rollers playing a wide variety of games are now broadcast to homes across America on a significant number of television channels.

The game's significance became extremely apparent over the last week when World Poker Tour Enterprises sued its own television outlet, the Travel Channel, and Discovery Communications, Inc. WPTE initiated the suit because of Discovery's reported interference with a deal reached between WPTE and the ESPN for a newly televised poker series that would appear on the top sports network in the country.

According to WPTE, it offered the new show, called the Professional Poker Tour, to the Travel Channel as specified in a contract between WPTE and Discovery Communications. WPTE contends that their contract with Discovery allows WPTE to develop other poker-related programming provided it gives its parent channel first opportunity at the developed shows as well as a right of final refusal.

WPTE alleges it proposed its new show in July 2004 but that negotiations with Discovery were unsuccessful. After exhausting the specified time under an exclusive contract window, WPTE began seeking other outlets for the show.

WPTE reached an agreement with the ESPN on September 12. Because of the right of last refusal specified in the contract, Discovery still had a fifteen day window under which it could match the ESPN offer.

Instead, WPTE, alleges that the response of the Travel Channel parent company was to send letters to WPTE and ESPN threatening legal action, insisting that the Travel Channel had already licensed the new show. WPTE vehemently denied any such license had been granted, then initiated its suit against Discovery Communications.

Long associated with dark, dingy rooms and penny bets, nothing could be more symbolic of the game's making mainstream sports America than a show on the ESPN or the prospect of legal challenges and counter suits initiated by both sides, WPTE and Discovery Communications, Inc.

A small Division I School up in the tiny State of Maine, the University of Maine at Orono, is known nationally as a hockey power house. But Maine's land grant University has also turned out a sparkling array of coaches that have honed their skills in the cold, northeast before moving on to much higher profile stops.

One such coach, Tim Murphy, currently head football coach at Harvard University, is in line to earn his 100th college victory. Harvard helped Murphy earn his 99th win last week with a comeback, 31-21, against Holy Cross. That victory just happened to be the Crimson's 12th straight over two years.

Murphy spent two years as head coach at Maine, leading the Division I-AA Black Bears to 15 wins over that span. Becoming the youngest head coach in the country at the time (at age 30), Murphy's first team finished with an 8-4 record, the best record for Maine in 23 years. In his first season the Bears also shared the Yankee Conference title and made their first ever Division I-AA tournament appearance, earning him the Division I-AA New England coach of the year award.

The immediate respect that he gathered at Maine led him to leave Orono to become head coach of Division I, Cincinnati Bear Cats. During his stop in Ohio, he struggled at first to build a program. His teams would collect only nine wins in his first four years, but his ability to coach was clearly evident when in his fifth year in 1993, Murphy led Cincy to their best finish in 17 years.

That year the Bearcats finished 8-3, their first winning season in 11 years and the school's best overall mark since 1976 (9-2). Murphy's Bearcats would finish the regular season ranked 27th in the country in the USA Today/CNN poll and 28th in the AP poll, still the school's highest football rankings in history.

Murphy, considered one of the game's finest teachers, decided twelve years ago to take a step back to the I-AA ranks and become head coach at Harvard, arguably one of the finest academic institutions in the country. It was a perfect step for the Springfield, Massachusetts graduate
Murphy has rebuilt the Harvard football program, matheg the school a Division I-AA power. Murphy has already become the first Harvard coach since the legendary Percy Haughton to lead the Crimson to two unbeaten, untied seasons in his coaching career.

Harvard has earned 67 wins since Murphy took over against 43 losses. After a 9 and 20 start, he is 58 and 23 in his last 81 games as coach of the Crimson. Harvard has three Ivy League titles under Murphy, in 1997, 2001 and 2004. Harvard's unbeaten, untied season in 2001, was its first since 1913.

The highlight, though, has to be last year's 10-0 season thought to be the Crimson's finest in more than 100 years. The team won eight of its ten games by 10 points or more and its defense allowed allowed just one touchdown over the last three games of the season. The Crimson were the only undefeated school in Division I-AA football in 2004 and one of just five teams in all of college football to go undefeated a year ago. Murphy's gridiron warriors finished the season ranked No. 13 in the final Sports Network Division I-AA national poll, Harvard's highest finish ever.

Even more amazing, Harvard's final Sagarin Rating stood 37th among the 239 Division I football schools, putting the academic institution's program ahead of the likes of Alabama, Nebraska, Syracuse, and Michigan State.

The only item lacking that would have been a great stamp would have been the attainment of win number 100 for Murphy during that very special season. But that milestone will come soon enough, perhaps as soon as this Saturday when Harvard does battle with fellow Ivy league Brown.

It's been said that athletes at all levels are perhaps some of the most superstitious people around. I'm not talking about the black cat and broken mirrors type of superstition; I'm talking more about rituals than anything else. Many athletes have pre-game or even in-game rituals that they follow, and they believe that these actions have an impact on their performance. Most people probably couldn't tell you why they do the things they do, but most all of them agree that it helps get them in the right frame of mind and prepares them to focus.

At the professional level, some players' rituals are pretty well-known among fans. For example, baseball pitchers have a reputation as being some of the most superstitious of all athletes (along with hockey goalies). Many pitchers take great care not to step on the white chalk of the foul line as they are walking back and forth from the field to the dugout between innings. One pitcher even insisted on brushing his teeth between innings (luckily he was just a reliever, not a starter). Chicago White Sox pitcher Freddy Garcia has been known to use the same sweat-stained, dirty hat over and over if he is pitching well with it. Also in baseball, Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners also has a pretty rigid preparation ritual. He goes through a series of stretches in exactly the same order each time.

A lot of pre-game routines have to do with clothing and uniforms. One of the most famous examples from the recent past involves basketball great Michael Jordan. Jordan always wore a pair of North Carolina Tar Heels shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform shorts. North Carolina, of course, was where Jordan played college hoops. A lot of athletes reportedly put on their uniforms the exact same way each time. For example, they dress from left to right, and bottom to top or whatever. This would mean starting with the left sock, then putting on the right sock, and working their way up to the jersey. When I played softball, I had a teammate who wore a regular t-shirt with her uniform during pre-game drills and didn't actually put on her game jersey until just before the first pitch.

Other pre-game rituals involve meals and food. Lots of teams, especially at the college and pro level, eat meals together before their games. Some athletes prefer to eat exactly the same food in the same proportions every single time. I knew a football player in high school who drank the same flavor of Gatorade and ate two of the same flavor of Power Bars before taking the field.

Do these rituals really help? Would Michael Jordan have performed poorly if he didn't have his Tar Heels shorts? It's doubtful. Some athletes have been known to change their rituals if they are going through a slump. For instance, they might get dressed the opposite way (right to left, top to bottom) until they get back on track. Regardless of whether these routines work or not, I think they are very interesting because they give us a bit of insight into the personalities of the athletes involved. So the next time you see an athlete doing something a bit strange over and over again during the course of a game, you're probably witnessing one of his or her rituals.

Having been a football fan for five all-important years, when I was fifteen-years-old, I wasn't really aware that other girls my age weren't interested in football. My father had instilled in me a love of the game and I was a die-hard Denver Bronco fan by the time I was ten. I wasn't really interested in any of the other teams, though I had a mild interest in the Dallas Cowboys, mainly because my dad was a life-long fan. I knew the players, the coach, and the statistics, whether or not I cared. I never thought then, about how this knowledge and love of football would affect my life in the area of romance. I liked football before I liked boys; by the time I began noticing the boys, I was a football fan and it couldn't be changed.

The first boy I dated was a hockey player and liked football well enough, but he had grown up in a different state and didn't care one way or the other about the Broncos. The second boy I dated was a basketball player, and while he was a native of Colorado and liked football, he wasn't a fan like me. The third boy I dated was a football player, and played for our pitiful high school team that didn't win a game for years on end; but it turned out he was a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. I wondered if I'd ever find a guy who liked the Broncos.

One year during high school, I went with friends to the Colorado state fair, where I met a guy who was a Cincinnati Bengals fan. I can't remember if I'd even heard of the Bengals at that point in my life, but this guy was stoked because the Bengals were going to the Super bowl that year. We never really dated, but this guy became a friend and with my parents' permission, he came over to my house and we watched the Super bowl together that year. I don't remember who the other team was, but it was fun to hang out with a guy who loved his team - like my dad loved his. Still, it wasn't the Broncos.

Finally, long after college, when I was living clear across the country from my beloved Colorado, my mom and her friend set me up on a blind date with a her friend's son. I had just come out of a lousy relationship so I agreed to go on the date, even though I had no interest in meeting the friend's son. The date was ok, partly because I had no expectations, and partway through, we found that we had a lot of common interests. We both loved books and bookstores, we both loved the mountains, and lo and behold, he was a Denver Bronco fan. Not only that; he was very handsome.

The rest of the story is that we married five months later, and now, nearly 14 years have passed. We have enjoyed following the Broncos together all these years, through their ups and downs, wins and losses. We watched them in Super bowl glory and we watched as they lost their superstar, John Elway. Though we have other things in common and have a great life together, I have to wonder if at least some of it can't be attributed to the Denver Broncos!

Fantasy football season is in full swing these days, and there have been a lot of shocking developments. Fantasy managers who have Daunte Culpepper on their rosters are probably kicking themselves for choosing him. Last week was a strange week in one of my salary cap leagues. Rookie quarterback Kyle Orton scored more points than Peyton Manning. In fact, since Manning only earned about 42 points for me, I'm sure plenty of quarterbacks scored more points than him.

Anyway, in all my years of playing fantasy sports, I've come to know a lot of other players. It seems that each one plays for different reasons. You've got your hard-core players who keep extensive stats on all the players on their rosters and even have spreadsheets that help them calculate the roster moves that have the highest percentage of success. These guys are usually in the big-money leagues with tens of thousands of dollars on the line as the grand prize. Then there are the players who are just in it for fun. These players simply think that playing along in a fantasy league makes the real season more exciting. It's fun to follow other teams for a while to see how your players are doing.

I happen to think that one of the best perks of playing fantasy football, or any other fantasy sport, is the extensive knowledge that you gain over the course of the season. Most sports fans just pay attention to one or two of their favorite teams. They probably would have a tough time naming five players from other teams around the league, particularly the small-market teams that don't get a whole lot of national coverage. But you can always tell someone who plays fantasy sports because he or she knows a lot about the players on nearly every team.

This is the position I find myself in now. I used to just follow my hometown team, the Chicago Bears, and didn't really care what was going on with the rest of the league. After I started playing fantasy sports, however, I had to start paying close attention to everything that was happening. This was especially true since the Bears haven't had a player worth having on a fantasy team in a long time. So now, if I hear a player's name, any player's name, I can correctly name his team and position 9 times out of 10. Chance are, I would also be able to tell you if he's a starter, reserve, if he's injured, what kind of season he has had so far, etc. I can also tell you if he's got a good matchup in his next game or if he's going to have a tough day. In other words, I just know a whole lot more about football now.

If you are considering playing fantasy sports, I think you should just go ahead and do it. Forget about the prizes; those aren't really important, especially if you join a free league. A real sports fan would just enjoy all the extra knowledge that comes along with playing these games.

To most he is an overnight sensation. The man who managed to win three straight events on the Nationwide Tour gets his promotion to the Big Leagues and the PGA Tour. Once on the Tour, he wins nearly $800,000 by taking home the top prize at the 84 Lumber Classic.

But many do not realize Jason Gore is already 31 - that he has been plying his trade for years in relative anonymity and that he has experienced more failure than the average fan can imagine.
After turning pro in 1997, the California resident entered 18 tournaments as a member of the then Nike Tour (Nationwide Tour) in 1998. Gore would manage to make the cut in only 9 of those 18 events, good enough for $27,000 in total earnings.

In 1999, things were even worse. His earnings were an abysmal $7,000 on the minor circuit.

In 2000, as the Nike Tour became the BUY.COM Tour, Gore would begin to make his mark at that level. He earned his first ever victory that season at the New Mexico Classic and would top the $100,000 mark in earnings that year, the first time in his professional career. At the end of the season, Gore would shoot a 21 under, good enough for a tie for 14th at the PGA Tour Qualifying event.

However, his promotion the PGA Tour and the potential for bigger prize money saw him struggle. Though he would win more than $180,000 on the PGA, he would make only 12 of 30 cuts and his tie for 18th Invensys Classic at Las Vegas was his only top twenty performance of the year.

The $180,000 was not enough to keep his Tour card so back to the minors he went. On the BUY.COM Tour once again, Gore put together some great tournaments. Gore would win twice, earning him almost a quarter of a million in prize money for the year, and a promotion back to the PGA Tour.

The 2003 year was much like that of 2001, promoted to the more competitive Tour, Gore would once again struggle miserably. Though he managed $200,000 in earnings, he missed 18 of 30 cuts and once again lost his PGA Tour card at the end of the season.

This time Gore would not recover immediately on the Nationwide Tour, carrying his swing troubles with him. In 2004, the eighth year pro took home less than $80,000 in prize money, an amount that had to have him thinking about looking for steadier work.

Then, in mid-summer of 2005, he almost had a PGA Tour break through. Two spectacular opening rounds, a 71 followed by a 67 at Pinehurst No. 2, had the Nationwide Tour veteran sharing the second-round lead at one of golf's four major tourneys, the U.S. Open. A strong round on Saturday gave Gore the opportunity to play in the final grouping on a Sunday, paired with two-time Open champion Retief Goosen.

But then came the disaster of all disasters, another downer that had always matched his progress upward, a final-round, 14-over par 84. In the hunt going to the final day, Gore's hideous performance on Sunday dropped him into a tie for 49th.

However, the California native showed his enormous resiliency by putting aside the embarrassment of his final round at the Open. After taking a week off, he posted a 10th place tie at the Lake Erie Charity Classic for his first top-10 in 2005 after eight starts on the Nationwide Tour. Gearing up his game fully, Gore then followed that up with wins in consecutive weeks, first at the National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic and then at the Scholarship America Showdown. In winning back-to-back, the Pepperdine graduate would become the first Nationwide Tour Player in history to be the winner of consecutive events twice in their career (2002 when he won the Oregon Classic and the Albertsons Boise Open).

Gore took two weeks off, then returned in full form, capturing the Cox Classic. That win made Gore the first player in Nationwide Tour history to win three consecutive starts. The three Nationwide wins in a season also provided him another direct promotion to the PGA Tour, just the seventh player in that tour's history to receive the three-win promotion.

Upon promotion, Gore left as the Nationwide Tour Money leader and the leader in career wins on the sub-PGA circuit. Having tied Sean Murphy and Matt Gogel for most wins with six, his up and down career took him back for another shot at the PGA Tour.

But this time, the heavy-set golfer was equal to the challenge. Playing against an excellent field, Gore once again took to a golf course on a Sunday with a chance to win a PGA event. And this time, in complete contrast to his disastrous performance at the Open, Gore played golf the way he always thought he could, taking home his first ever PGA Title.

The man who in late May stated that he was having trouble paying for baby formula and making his house payment picked up a winners check of $792,000 for his performance. Put together with $300,000 plus earned on the Nationwide Tour and the 31 year old had pocketed more than a million dollars in prize money in the matter of just a few months.

That is some serious prize money, well beyond what he has ever earned before. But make no mistake about it, Jason Gore is anything but an overnight sensation.

As an adult, I don't care about autographs from athletes or anyone else. But when I was a child, getting an autograph from my favorite players was enough to make me a fan for life. It seems like such a silly thing, really; but to a lot of kids, these athletes truly are heroes. These days, however, it can be more and more difficult to get player autographs. Many athletes seem reluctant to sign items that they know will be auctioned off on eBay for a fat profit. But it's still possible to get your favorite athletes' signatures. Here are some tips:

Arrive early to games
Many stadiums and arenas open their doors well before the start of the game so that fans can come in to watch practice and so that everyone has plenty of time to settle into their seats. This is a great opportunity to get autographs. Even if your ticket says you have to sit in the upper deck, most stadium ushers and security guards let people roam around freely until about an hour before the game. During batting practice, many baseball players hang out near the stands and willingly sign autographs while they are waiting for their turn. It's also possible to get near enough to a basketball court during the pre-game shoot around to ask for some autographs.

Stay late after the games
An alternative to arriving early to get autographs is to stay late after the games and wait near the players' exits. This works particularly well when you want an autograph from a player on the visiting team. If you know the stadium pretty well, then you can easily find the exit for the visiting team's locker room. If you don't really know where things are, you can simply ask an usher or perhaps just follow the crowd. There's always a big group of other people seeking autographs, so it's pretty easy to discover where the action is.

Go to the team's fan convention
A lot of professional sports teams have an annual fan convention during the offseason. This is an opportunity for fans to come in and meet the players, get autographs, participate in raffles, and buy tickets to upcoming games. Though the price of an admission ticket can be pretty high, it's worth it if you want autographs from a lot of players on the same team. This is also a good time to get photographs taken with your favorite players or to have them sign jerseys, balls, etc. It's fun to get a baseball, football, or basketball signed by everyone on the team.

Attend spring training or training camp
If you are lucky enough to live within a reasonable distance from your favorite team's spring training headquarters or training camp facilities, then you have a great opportunity of getting autographs. Players are generally very accessible during these times and usually do a lot to accommodate the fans who come out to watch them practice.

These are just some general tips to help you out. Of course, there's no guarantee that you will get player autographs. A lot depends on the specific situation and the players' moods. Good luck!

The Green Bay Packers have lost their first two games of the 2005 NFL campaign, dropping a divisional matchup against the Detroit Lions 17-3 in Week One, then coming back and losing again to the Cleveland Browns by a score of 26-24 in Week Two. Sure, it's only two games, and things can turn around in a hurry in the NFL. After all, the Pack started 1-4 last season and ended up with a record of 10-6. But it's the way that the Packers have lost these two games that should give fans cause for concern. They haven't looked very good at all, and it's hard to come up with any positives that they can build on.

On offense, things are pretty dire. Star wide receiver Javon Walker went down in the first game of the season with an ACL injury, and will be out for the rest of the season. This moves veteran Donald Driver into the #1 spot on the depth chart, and Robert Ferguson steps into the #2 slot. While these are good receivers, neither has that game-breaking ability that Walker brought to the table.

Running back Ahman Green has not been much of a factor in the first two games, either. He has yet to rush for more than 60 yards in a game, has yet to score a touchdown, and has fumbled the ball once. More importantly, he has only gotten 12 and 16 touches, respectively. The Packers definitely need to get the ball to Green more often than that, especially with the injury to Walker. The lack of a running game has had its effect on quarterback Brett Favre, too.

Favre, now in his 15th year in the NFL, is clearly not in his prime anymore. He may still be better than half of the other starting QBs in the league, but it's just kind of disappointing to see him turn the ball over so much these days. He has had 2 interceptions in each of the first two games, and he has also fumbled once. Favre had a QB rating of just 53.3 in the Detroit game and was outplayed by Joey Harrington. His supporting cast (offensive line, receivers) must take some of the blame, but a lot of this is on Favre's shoulders too. He has made bad decisions and has tried to force the ball in many situations.

Things don't look much better on defense. They're not getting to the opposing quarterbacks, and they're not taking the ball away and giving their offense good field position. The team only has two sacks on the season (both coming against Detroit) and they have zero takeaways throughout two games.

I think this could be the year that Packers fans have been dreading, the year where the team winds up with a record below .500 and phrases such as "rebuilding", "young team", and "new direction" get tossed around a lot. Look for rookie QB Aaron Rodgers, Favre's heir apparent, to get some significant playing time down the road if the Packers are out of the playoff hunt. And look for a new champion in the NFC North.

As if the huge upsets and big surprises of Week One in the NFL weren't enough to keep fans on the edge of their seats, we were treated to more of the same in Week 2. Let's get right down to a recap of some of the best action around the league.

Carolina over New England
In this rematch of Super Bowl XXXVIII, the New England Patriots looked very beatable in every aspect of the game. The Carolina defense gave the Patriots fits all day in this 27-17 victory. Quarterback Tom Brady looked confused and had to hurry a majority of his throws. Running back Corey Dillon gained just 36 yards rushing, and New England was held to 39 yards rushing as a team. They also committed 12 penalties for 86 yards. The Panthers, on the other hand, looked very good. Julius Peppers and the defense dominated the game when they were on the field. Stephen Davis led all rushers with 77 yards and 3 big touchdowns. There's no doubt that Carolina is a good team. I just don't think many people expected them to beat the Pats this week.

Philadelphia over San Francisco
The surprise in this game was not the fact that the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles beat the lowly 49ers by a score of 42-3; that was to be expected. The surprising thing was just how strongly the Eagles bounced back after suffering an Opening Day loss in Atlanta. Donovan McNabb, who looked very average in the Monday night loss, came back with a vengeance in this game. He was an outstanding 23-of-29 on the day for 342 yards and 5 touchdowns. This translates into a QB rating of 155.4. Terrel Owens also had a big game. He hauled in 5 catches for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a long of 68 yards.

Cincinnati over Minnesota
Quarterback Carson Palmer and the rest of the Bengals were all over Minnesota in their 37-8 win on Sunday. Palmer went 27-of-40 for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Chad Johnson was Palmer's favorite target. Johnson caught 7 passes for 139 yards, including a 70-yard score on the second play of the game. Meanwhile, Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper is having a horrendous season so far. His troubles continued this week as he was picked off 5 times by the Cincinnati defense. That brings Culpepper's totals to 8 interceptions and zero touchdowns in the first two games. Minnesota better turn things around for next week's game against the New Orleans Saints, or it could be a long season for Vikings fans.

Other notables

• The Chicago Bears scored the most points in a game (38) since 1995.
• Carnell "Cadillac" Williams had his second-consecutive 100-yard rushing game.
• Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger is now 15-0 as a starter in the NFL.
• Peyton Manning was held to just 122 passing yards -- his lowest total in 4 years.

It seems that fitness clubs are the craze these days. There are a plethora of women's health clubs like Curves, men's health clubs and even ones for kids that have after school fitness programs! With fitness being the buzz word of the early 21st century, its important to know what you are getting into before you sign up and join a fitness club for you and your family.

For the busy family, finding time to exercise can be a major problem. Instead, what about a personal trainer? A personal trainer is someone that would come to your office or home and help you with your exercises or someone that you would meet at the gym that would assist you in your quest to get fit.

So what do you look for in a gym or fitness centre? What about a personal trainer? How much will this cost? How much time will I have to invest on a weekly basis?

A good personal trainer can cost around $25 - $50 per hour. A personal trainer can adapt a training plan that is best suited for your needs, will keep you motivated and help keep you free of injuries. And for some busy women, a trainer is the only way to go. Here are a few questions to look at when looking into a hiring a personal trainer.
-are they insured?
-are they flexible to your work schedule?
-what is their personality like and can you get along with them all right?
-does the trainer have experience in working with people your age?

A gym or fitness club can provide you with the exercise equipment, but may not always be a place that you can get to with a busy schedule. Plus gyms usually want some sort of commitment in the form of a contract. Be wary of the "hard sell" however, since most of their sales people are on commission and will try and sign you up for their biggest package. Aside from that, what you want to look at is the gym itself. Ask for a tour. Is it clean and well taken care of? Does the gym offer classes? Classes like step and Pilates may be what you are interested in. Does this gym offer these classes? Does the gym have enough equipment to accommodate people during its peak hours? Does it have child care? What are the gym's hours of operation and can it fit into your schedule?

Kid's fitness centers, a relatively new phenomenon, have been opening up in different areas and offer both after school programs and day programs. With schools cutting down on extra curricular sports activities and with the amount of time kids spend in front of the computer or TV; this is a good way to get kids active, healthy and happy.

If you have time to shop around, do so. Don't be pressured into committing yourself to the first gym that you check out. Also with personal trainers, ask for references of past clients. Were they happy with him/her, their manner, and the way they did things?

No matter which type of fitness activity you choose for you and your family, the end results will be worth it!

Many parents want to sign their children up for sports as early as possible. These eager beaver parents often think that tee-ball and mini-soccer are great places to start. If you do decide to sign your little one up, then there are some key points you must remember.

The first is that there are no winners and losers in preschool sports. That is not just a sappy statement without merit. There typically is no scorekeeping in these early games. Everyone in tee-ball gets a turn at bat, for example. There are no outs, so all of the children get to run the bases. You should not expect the games to teach your child to have a competitive edge. In fact, these early sporting activities teach your little one more about cooperation and teamwork than they do about competition.

It is important that you do not expect too much of your child. Mini-soccer, which usually signs up three to five year olds, is hilarious to watch. The children have little concept of team; they are still learning. That means that every child wants the ball all the time. The children all chase the ball in a big huddle kicking at it and trying to push the other children out of the way. Do not think that your child will be different. The point in this early sporting is to convince your child that she or he wants to be part of a team - that it is a great idea.

Learning the rules of the game will come slowly. You can try to help out by giving your child little hints. "When you make it all the way to home base, you have scored a point." This statement is an example of the type of sports reasoning a five-year-old can understand. He cannot understand, "if someone hits a fly ball into the outfield, take a few steps off the bag. If the ball isn't caught, tag and run."

Don't even try it. You are going way over your child's head, and neither of you will have any fun if you make these overtures. It may seem silly to read it but try observing a preschool sporting event before you sign up your little tike. You will find that many parents yell from the spectators' bleachers with directives for their children that the kids have no hope of following. Avoid trying to parent and coach - unless, of course, you have signed up to coach the team. Your child will enjoy you much more if you provide supportive cheers and claps but generally let him enjoy the game.

If you sign up your child and then she doesn't want to play, preschool sports are the time to decide how you will handle this issue. There is no universal solution to this dilemma. If your preschooler does not want to play anymore, find out why. Did you sign her up and she hates it? Is her coach less than hospitable to the kids? Is he a terrible little athlete? Deal with these issues when they arise and then explain your decision simply so that your child can understand. Right now is the time to start teaching your child about decisions and their consequences.

By Julia Mercer

Much has been written in recent weeks about the number teams still with a chance at the 2005 post-season. The greatest excitement comes from the American league where six teams still have legitimate shots at Division titles, even as baseball heads into the final three weeks of the season.

The one baseball club in the six team mix that is garnering the most attention is the Cleveland Indians. Critical to their story line is their status as of August 1st, when the team stood fifteen full games behind the Division leading Chicago White Sox, and their incredible performance over the past seven weeks.

The Indians trounced Kansas City 11-0 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of the hapless Royals. With that win, the Indians have now won five straight, 12 of their last 13, and are a major league best 33-11, since July 31st.

Along with the performance comes a compelling story line. An elite team just four years ago, the Indians were essentially dismantled due to payroll concerns. The loss of several star players after the 2001 season plummeted the team to the depths of the American League.

Gone were such stars as outfielder Manny Ramirez, second baseman Roberto Alomar and power hitting first baseman, Jim Thome. As much as those players led the name recognition parade, the team also featured the likes of shortstop Omar Vizquel, catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr., and pitcher Bartolo Colon. That group carried the team to two World Series appearances, in 1995 and 1997, and to six Division titles in a seven year period.

But that success produced a payroll budding beyond the means of the smaller market Indians. Management elected to regroup after the 2001 season and the teams sixth Division title. At the winter meetings that year, general manager Mark Shapiro, dealt all-star Roberto Alomar to the New York Mets and then a few months later traded ace righthander Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos. Losing all the last of all that talent had an immediate effect on the team, as the Indians suffered through seasons of 74-88 in 2002 and 68-94 in '03.

But just as the team was dismantled, talent was brought in and developed. The prospects the team received from Montreal in the Colon deal included Grady Sizemore, a center fielder now widely considered to be a budding superstar, and pitcher Cliff Lee currently tops the AL in winning percentage at 16-4.

Other trades and free agent signings brought talent back into the fold. But the real key for the Indians has been the continued development of talent in their farm system. Catcher Victor Martinez, shortstop Jhonny Peralta, and left-hander C.C. Sabathia all came up through the team's farm system.

Most impressively, the team has regrouped quickly with an astonishingly low payroll. With total salaries in the $41 million range, the Indians are near the bottom of the pack when it comes to spending. Only four major league clubs, the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays have lower team salaries than that of the Indians. Eleven major teams spend at least twice what the Indians do, while the New York Yankees payroll of $208 million is five times that of the hottest team in baseball.

As the season winds to a close, the once 15 game White Sox lead now stands at three and a half games. With six games left to play between the two teams, the Indians now control their own destiny when it comes to winning their first Central Division title since 2001.

The Indians are also in the driver seat when it comes to the wild card, their 87-62 mark puts them three and a half games up on the Western Division leading Los Angeles Angels and matches the record of the Eastern Division leading Red Sox. The Yankees are now a game and a half behind Cleveland. With New York and Boston closing the season against one another, one of those teams is destined to lose some games, leaving the Indians in great shape for at least a wild card berth.

And when it comes to being in great shape consider that the team's Double A Akron Aeros recently completed a 3-1 series victory over the Portland Sea Dogs, giving the Aeros their second title in three years. That farm team is reportedly loaded with young talent set to compete for roster spots over the next few years.

The Indians are indeed a compelling story in 2005. But given the team's incredible performance over the last 44 games, all of baseball should keep an eye on this team.

The most compelling aspect of their story may still lie ahead of them.

Just last week Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis matched a feat of the great Knute Rockne. Such is the case when you start your coaching career with consecutive wins on the road against ranked opponents.

But the phenomenally fast start by Charlie Weis and Notre Dame hit a speed bump Saturday when the Irish lost their home opener to the Michigan State Wolverines in overtime, 44-41. With the loss this weekend, Weis became just the third Notre Dame coach to lose his home opener since 1913, The only other two coaches in the long storied history of Notre dame to lose their home opener were Elmer Layden who lost to in 1934, by a score of 7-6 to Texas and Lou Holtz who lost to Michigan 24-23, in 1986.

The Fighting Irish, with arguably the most difficult schedule in the country, were unable to continue their momentum in their home opener, against another Big Ten power, undefeated Michigan State. The Spartans' Jason Teague ran an option pitch for 19 yards and a touchdown to give State the overtime victory. The final TD run salvaged the game for Michigan State after the Irish rallied from a 21 point, third quarter deficit, to tie the game.

The Fighting Irish, now 2-1, rallied behind the strong passing game of Brady Quinn. Under Weis, the Irish QB continued to show how far he has come in 2005. Quinn threw for a school-record five touchdowns and a career-high 487 yards, the second highest yardage total ever by a Notre Dame quarterback. He was also a key player when Notre Dame tied the game with just 2:31 to play, on a four yard pass from Quinn to wide receiver Jeff Samardzija.

Though the Irish rolled up 600 yards in total offense, the Irish defense simply could not slow down a State offense was lead by QB Drew Stanton, who threw for three touchdowns and 328 yards. The Spartans matched the Irish scoring by putting together nearly 500 yards in total offense for the game.

Michigan State's victory over tenth ranked Notre Dame was the Spartans fifth straight win at Notre Dame Stadium and 12th all time in South Bend. The twelve victories are the most by any Irish opponent while the 5th straight win matched the record set by the Purdue Boilermakers, who also managed to win five straight from 1954-62.

The loss also continued to make the start of Charlie Weis at Notre Dame one that has him being mentioned with some of the greatest coaches in Irish history, though this time for being on the wrong end of the score.

Written by James Fohl

Twenty years ago, you could walk onto any elementary school playground and see at least a dozen elementary school students trading their baseball cards. Pretty much every boy in elementary school back then loved baseball, and had there favorite players. Back to the present, you can walk onto any elementary school playground, but you will not find any students sitting on the blacktop with their treasured baseball cards, trying to get all of their favorite players by participating in trades with their friends.

Instead, you will find the students either playing video games on their Game Boys, or trading a different kind of trading cards; game cards based on popular cartoons that have been brought to the United States from Japan. While the invasion of such game cards started with Pokemon cards back in 1999, the real deal today is Yu Gui Oh cards.

Today, it seems that no kids want to collect baseball cards anymore, leaving the cards only to adult collectors. Take a look at your local grocery store; ten years ago, you could easily purchase a pack of baseball cards, however today in the same stores the cards are nowhere to be found.

When you can find baseball cards, you will notice that the price of them has dramatically increased. In 1987, a person could purchase a pack of Topps baseball cards for forty cents. Included in the pack was seventeen baseball cards and a stick of bubble gum. In 1994, a pack of Topps baseball cards cost seventy nine cents, and included twelve baseball cards. Today, a pack of regular Topps brand ball cards is priced at ninety nine cents, and includes a mere six cards.

Topps however seems to still be the cheapest cards on the market. Competitors such as Donruss and Upper Deck charge three dollars or more for six card packs. The rapid decline of baseball cards can be felt by the card manufacturers too, as earlier this year baseball card manufacturer Fleer left the card business, and sold its remaining assets to Upper Deck in an auction.

Another card producing company, Donruss, which has produced baseball cards since 1981 will not be producing Major League Baseball cards next year. Even card manufacturing king, Topps has been having financial difficulty with keeping up with cards.

The result of this whole ordeal is sad really. Collecting baseball cards is not one of the top hobbies for kids anymore. The kids still interested in baseball cards however really get the raw end of the deal. If I took five dollars into a store back in 1987, I could have picked up about twelve packs of baseball cards. I would have had a blast looking through the two hundred baseball cards, while chewing on the included bubble gum. Today, if a kid went into a baseball card shop with ten dollars, they could pick up ten packs of baseball cards, but each pack would only include six cards, and there would not even be any bubble gum.

Hopefully in the near future, more kids will get interested in baseball cards again, and the baseball card manufacturers will just produce good old cheap baseball cards. Sure, its really cool that the manufacturers include things like embedded pieces of baseball bats into cards, but really ten year old kids just want their favorite baseball players on a card so that they can throw it in their big box of cards under their bed.

Written by James Fohl

If you think of baseball players of the Boston Red Sox of the nineteen eighties, which player comes to your mind first? Names like Roger Clemens, Carlton Fisk probably quickly enter your mind if you are a fan of the Boston Red Sox, and if you are not a fan of the Boston Red Sox, then perhaps the name Wade Boggs enters your head.

Wade Boggs was third basemen for the Boston Red Sox from 1982 to 1992, before being traded to the New York Yankees. Wade was a left hander, and pretty much dominated the American League when it came to batting. In his rookie year of 1982, Wade batted an incredible batting average of .349 just a preview of what he was capable of.

Over the next ten years, Wade Boggs managed to win an impressive five batting titles. He would have managed to capture six batting totals, but he was 121 plate appearances short of the required number during his rookie season. Not only did he win five batting titles, but he was also elected to the All Star game to every All Star game from 1985 to 1996.

Wade Boggs also had great ability in hitting the ball. Although his record high for home runs during a season was only twenty four, Wade Boggs still had a very impressive batting average, which averaged out to .328 over seventeen seasons of play (which included eleven for the Red Sox, five for the New York Yankees, and the final two for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays).

Not only was Wade Boggs remembered for his feats on the field, but also the activities that involved him off the field. In 1988, Wade admitted to having adulterous affairs, which caused him to be involved in a lawsuit with a former mistress the following year.

Another interesting aspect about Wade Boggs was the fact that the All Star ball player was very superstitious. He would wake up everyday at the exact same time. On days which he would be playing baseball, he would eat chicken. While practicing, he would only field one hundred and fifty ground balls, not one more and not one less. Wade would also engage in batting practice at exactly 5:17, and would follow up with running sprints at 7:17. Even when Wade Boggs stepped up to the batter's box, he still continued with his superstitions by drawing the Hebrew word for life at every at bat.

Although Wade Boggs was found to be a very superstitious player, nobody can claim that Wade was not one of the finest Major League professional baseball players of the 1980's and perhaps even the 1990's. He may have not set any home run records, but Wade did manage to set a lot of records, many that have the chance to never be broken. Wade's number twelve jersey has been retired by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, however it has not been retired by the Boston Red Sox. Wade Boggs has however been inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.

When people think of the key members of the Boston Red Sox, the talk turns to Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, or to Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke. But the 2005 edition of the Boston Red Sox is relying on one of its longest tenured members, pitcher Tim Wakefield, to carry the team towards another possible title run.

The knuckle-baller has simply been his usual self this year, throwing 200 plus innings, winning more than he loses and keeping the Sox in games. But on a very weak staff, one that has seen injuries to Foulke and Schilling cripple an already sub par group, Wakefield has emerged with the best stats on the team.

Pitching nine strong innings again last night, a game in which Wake received a no decision, the most reliable Sox starter moved his innings pitched past the 200 mark for the fifth time while in a Sox uniform. His 15 wins on the season are the third best total of his career, topped only by winning 16 in 1995, his first year with the Sox, and 17 in 1998. His 4.07 ERA for 2005 is the fifth lowest of his 13 year major league career, and his 138 strikeouts is his 6th best season ever. Most importantly for the Sox, he is first or second on the team in every key pitching statistic.

And all of his numbers are particularly striking given that Wakefield should start at least another three games before season's end. At his current pace, he will likely set a new career high in inning pitched and perhaps tied or exceeded his career best win total.

Over his last four starts, Wake has been particularly effective, pitching at least 8 innings in each outing. The Sox only loss during that stretch was a 1-0 gem by Randy Johnson and the Yanks a weekend ago, a game in which Wakefield struck out 12 hitters. The Sox have also now won seven time in the righthander's last nine starts.

A true professional, Wakefield has often been the odd man out for the Sox at playoff time. The higher priced, more noted talent often takes the starting role while the knuckle-baller heads to the bullpen. Given his ability to pitch on short rest anyway, the bullpen move makes the veteran even more valuable, as he can come in and give the team several innings of long relief should a starter struggle early, then turn around and get a key out or two later in a ball game two nights later.

In a critical game as the Sox head towards the final weekend and their possible winner take all showdown with the Yanks, Wakefield appears that this year he may be the pitcher getting one of the key starts for this team. Given the overall production of this year's starting rotation, he certainly deserves the opportunity to be a go to guy.

While the PGA Tour focus this week is on the 84 Lumber Classic, in Surrey England many of the world's top foreign players are competing for the richest prize for an official golf tournament. The World Match Play winner takes home a bundle, $1.78 million.

The tourney uses golf's match play concept, whereby players compete directly head-to-head, hole-by-hole, with the total strokes to play the golf course irrelevant. If a player loses a hole by one stroke or three, it still counts as one hole.

Despite the huge payout, only one of golf's ten best players under the current ranking system is competing. Retief Goosen, the world's fifth ranked player, is a heavy favorite in the tourney and thus far he has led a run that has seen some of the largest routs in the history of professional match play.

On Friday, Goosen tied the match play record with a 12 and 11 win over Australian Mark Hensby. Simply stated after playing 25 holes on Friday, Goosen had won 12 holes more than that of Hensby, and with just 11 holes left to play in the 36 hole match the contest was over.

The performance Friday exceeded that of Goosen's Thursday domination, but that match too, was a major rout. The two-time US Open champ demolished Kenneth Ferrie 8 and 7, in round one.

But Goosen has not been the only player to cruise through a match. Yesterday, Paul McGinley put a hurting on Luke Donald, taking his 36 hole match 9 and 8. McGinley also dominated his first round opponent, Thomas Bjorn, winning 6 and 5. Other first round routs included Donald topping Germany's Bernhard Langer, 7 and 6, and Steve Elkington over Tim Clark 6 and 5.

In the semifinals, Goosen draws Michael Campbell, the 2005 US Open Champion, while the tournament's second seed, Angel Cabrera takes on McGinley. In the world rankings, McGinley is the lowest ranked player remaining at number 36. Cabrera is currently 13th world-wide and Campbell 16th.

The game's greatest home run hitter, Hammerin' Hank Aaron never hit as many in a season as the Braves Andruw Jones.

Jones 50th of the season, Tuesday night, also happened to be the 300th of his ten seasons in the big leagues. Still just 28 years of age, Jones became only the 12th player in major league history to hit 300 homers before his 30th birthday. Though Jones has five previous seasons with 30 or more homers, his previous career high was 36, a mark he reached twice, first in 2000 and then again 2003.

When Jones hit his 50th homer, he becoming the first major leaguer to reach that mark since Alex Rodriguez (57) and Jim Thome (52) in 2002. Though increasingly more common in the 1990's and in the 2000's, the fifty homer mark has been a special number in baseball history. As noted earlier, Aaron, who is first all-time with 755 homers in a career never reached the 50 homer plateau in a single season.

Babe Ruth was the first to reach the half century mark. In fact, when Babe hit 54 homers in 1920, his first such fifty plus season, his homer total topped that of every major league team except one, the Phillies who hit 64 that season.

Ruth would go one to reach the 50 homer plateau four times, helping him to his 714 career home run mark. In setting that mark, Ruth was never really challenged. Jimmie Foxx in the '30s, Ralph Kiner in the '40s, and Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle in the '50s and '60s were the only major leaguers to have two 50-homer seasons.

In the 1950's, only Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Would reach the home run mark, each doing so just once. In the 1960's Mays, Mantle and Roger Maris were the only men to accomplish the feat.

The 50 homer mark returned to its full rarity in the 1970's and 1980's . Only Cincinnati Reds outfielder George Foster would reach the 50 homer mark during that two decade period. Foster hit 52 in 1977.

But in the 1990's, seven different players would reach the 50 homer plateau a total of 12 times. During that time Mark McGwire would hit 50 homers four times, matching Ruth's four seasons.

Then came 2001, the year that three National League players reached 50. Barry Bonds of San Francisco set the major league record that year with 73, while Sammy Sosa of Chicago would club 64 and Luiz Gonzalez of Arizona smacked 57.

Still 50 homer seasons are a baseball rarity overall, meaning Jones has entered special company. Perhaps more noteworthy for Jones is his 300 homers by the age of 28. Alex Rodriguez of the Yanks is youngest player to hit 300 career home runs, reaching that mark at age 27 years, 249 days.

Jones reached the 300 homer mark at age 28 years and 144 days, less than a year later than ARod. Theoretically entering his baseball prime, if Jones just remains healthy he could one day be chasing the 700 homer plateau that defines baseball greatness.

But for now, he has reached a special single season milestone, the one that Ruth made famous, 50 homers in a season.

Soccer has been a big sport in the United States for the past few decades, but in the last 20 years or so, it has taken huge leaps and bounds. Today, rare is the suburban child who has not participated in soccer in some way, shape or form. Children as young as two and three are learning to kick the ball around in specialized pre-school leagues, and five-year-olds are encouraged to start playing soccer at the recreational level. Many towns and park and recreation departments offer recreational soccer teams for children up through the middle school ages. In many larger cities, there are opportunities for children to try out and play for competitive teams that travel around the area, around the state, and sometimes even around the country. In our local small, country town, children are given the best of both worlds.

Beginning at age five, children in our town can join one of the recreational soccer teams and begin learning the basics of soccer. All the coaches are volunteers, most of whom are parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or older siblings of the team members. The referees are also parents or local middle school and high school students who play soccer and know the rules. The five-year-old players are practically herded around the field as they learn the rules, learn the boundaries, and learn the basics of the game. The all come away winners and they all love soccer.

The years pass and by age eight, most of the kids on the teams have been playing for several years. It is at this age that they divide up the players by gender, creating healthy competition and an avenue for pursuing play that's gender specific. It is also at this age that the kids are invited to try out for the local travel soccer leagues. These leagues are in addition to the recreational leagues, and the players are required to play for both recreational leagues and travel leagues if they make the competitive team. On the travel league, players and their families travel to neighboring small towns and we sometimes even venture into the larger cities. The officials keep score and there is a tournament at the very end of the season where trophies are given.

By the time soccer players reach the age 12-14 team, many of them have decided to go and play for the middle school team; this leaves fewer players on the recreational league and there is no travel league for this age group. Thus, players are once again brought together as a co-ed team. This seems an unlikely time in age and development to bring boys and girls together to play sports, but the camaraderie is wonderful and the competition friendly. All the truly competitive kids have gone on to play for the schools and those who are left simply have a wonderful time playing soccer in the brisk fall air.

So let's hear it for the parents who support their children through all these years of sports in their developmental years.

When it comes to the strength of a conference for the game of football, the consensus has been that four leagues have dominated the landscape. Out West, the Pac 10 with Southern California and UCLA have always been associated with the Rose Bowl, along with the mid-West and the Big Ten featuring Ohio State and Michigan. In the Southwest, the Big 12 featuring Oklahoma and Nebraska has always been known for football supremacy, just as the Southeastern Conference that has featured Alabama and Auburn.

But in recent years, one league has made enormous strides in football. The Atlantic Coast Conference, once considered an elite basketball league, has now moved to becoming one of the premiere conferences in the country. By adding three teams from the Big East Conference, Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Miami, the league has clearly changed the college football league hierarchy.

Any doubts about the strength of the conference has to be dispelled by the current Associated Press rankings. A quick check of those rankings this week reveals just how strong the Conference has become, a league that can compete with any in the country.

Virginia Tech, league champions for the 2004 football season lead the parade, ranked fourth overall. The team has enormous name recognition with another of the Vick brothers leading the team offensively.

Perennial football power Florida State is also off to a great start, landing the Seminoles 8th in the country. The team has already edged longstanding rival Miami in their first game of the season and will see another major test this week when they travel up to Massachusetts to take on the Boston College Eagles, also unbeaten and ranked 17th in the country.

Miami is ranked 13th, a relatively low spot for the Hurricanes, but the early loss to State dropped them from the preseason Top Ten. Throw in 16th ranked Georgia Tech, 20th ranked Clemson and 25th ranked Virginia and seven members of the league's twelve member contingent are ranked amongst the 25 best programs in the country.

No other league offers seven members in the elite 25. Only the Southeastern Conference can currently rival the competitive strength of the ACC because four teams, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana State, and Florida are all ranked in the Top Ten.

The ACC, long known for North Carolina, Wake Forest and Duke basketball is about to become just as well known in football, making the ACC a sports conference that matches any other across the country.

While the golf focus in America this week will be on Vijay Singh at the 84 Lumber Classic in, Farmington, Pennsylvania, across the big pond golf's biggest single event monetary prize will draw many of the world's top foreign players. Sponsored by one of the largest banking and financial services organizations in the world, the HSBC World Match Play at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England pays its winner the richest prize for an official golf tournament, a hefty $1.78 million (American dollars).

But the money has failed to draw many of the game's elite players. The top three in the current World Rankings, Tiger Woods, Singh, and Phil Mickleson are all skipping the tourney while number four ranked Els, a six time winner of the event, is out with an injury. In the limited 16 man field, only 6 of the World's top twenty will compete.

World number five ranked Retief Goosen will open with a 36 hole match against the world’s 109th rankedplayerr, Kenneth Ferrie. Goosen will be a heavy favorite as he is the only player currently ranked in the top ten to compete. Red hot, Goosen earned his third title in six weeks at the Linde German Masters last Sunday and has won the last two tournaments he has entered, winning in China in his previous start.

The other first round matches include the tournament's second-seeded Angel Cabrera vs. Trevor Immelman, third-seeded Luke Donald vs. Bernhard Langer, fourth-seeded Michael Campbell vs. Geoff Ogilvy, fifth-seeded Tim Clark vs. Steve Elkington, sixth-seeded Thomas Bjorn vs. Paul McGinley, seventh-seeded David Howell vs. Jose-Maria Olazabal and eighth-seeded Colin Montgomerie vs. Mark Hensby.

The HSBC World Match Play has a storied 41-year history and has a laundry list of champions that include the best in golf, Arnold Palmer included. Gary Player's five titles put him just a notch behind the standard set by Els who has to be extremely disappointed to be missing his favorite event.

There are many types of fitness equipment on the market today. Not only do we have Cardiovascular and Strength Training Fitness Equipment, we also have a plethora of outdoor possibilities such as bicycles, boats, and our own two feet. Many of us find that while these pieces of fitness equipment are helpful and beneficial to us, we may need a little more to keep us on track, motivated, or to give us that extra edge. This is where fitness equipment accessories come in handy. Whether you seek to keep fit in the privacy of your own home, keep track of your body fat or heart rate, or if you simply want to work a little harder at your fitness routine, fitness equipment accessories may be just what you need. Following are the most popular varieties of fitness equipment accessories.

Videos. There are countless videos and DVDs available which offer aerobics, Pilate routines, weight training routines, and even better ways to walk or run. Videos can greatly enhance our use of the fitness equipment we already own.

Wrist and Ankle Weights. These weights that either Velcro or snap onto our wrists and ankles add just a bit of extra weight so that our walking, running, biking, or rowing will cause greater exertion and more calories will be burned. Most wrist and ankle weights can be used on any type of fitness equipment.

Padded Floor Mats. Most of us have at least a little carpet at home, but the pads under our carpets and rugs are often worn and do not offer the comfort and safety of padded floor mats made especially for exercise and fitness. Consider purchasing a padded floor mat where you can do Pilates or stretch after using your fitness equipment.

Fitness Balls. Fitness balls are considered by some, the fitness equipment of the future. Large, soft fitness balls can be used for strength, flexibility, stretching, and balance. Every home with fitness equipment should include a fitness ball.

Heart Monitors. Keeping track of our heart rate is an important part of keeping fit. Whether you enjoy running, rowing, stepping, or just walking around the block, a heart rate monitor will keep your heart rate at a healthy level, determined by your doctor.

Jump Ropes. Jump Ropes are not just accessories, but can be used as fitness equipment themselves. Small enough to take nearly anywhere, jump ropes provide cardiovascular exercise for warm ups or strength training in the legs.

Fitness Belts. Those interested in using free weights should consider acquiring a fitness belt. This sturdy belt is worn to protect the back muscles by keeping the body in the correct posture. The fitness belt is more a preventative or safety device.

Body Fat Analyzers. A handy fitness equipment accessory that allows us to check our body fat on a regular basis. Body fat analyzers can be found on paper, on line, or in the form of a small machine.

Gloves. Gloves are usually worn outdoors for cold weather fitness excursions, but gloves can also come in handy for weight trainers or bicyclers who want to protect their hands from blisters and chafing.

Pedometers. A lovely little invention for walkers and runners. A pedometer will give an individual mileage and how many steps were taken. Some fancier pedometers even include a heart rate monitor.

Steps. Remember the step-aerobics craze in the late 80s? It is still around. Well, the steps are still around and they are still used for the same purpose. Stepping up and down is a great low-impact way to get cardiovascular exercise.

Remember, as with anything, less is more. Do not bog yourself down with loads of fitness equipment and accessories, but use them to benefit you in your quest for fitness.

Boston Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein is deemed a baseball genius in Boston these days. After all, it was just a year ago that he demonstrated a thorough understanding of his team's strengths and weaknesses, as well as what it takes to put together a World Series caliber ball club.

With the Sox struggling after the All Star Break, Epstein shocked the Boston and perhaps entire major league baseball world by trading star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs. Garciaparra was truly a fan fixture in Boston and Epstein put his career on the line with that trade.

But as everyone now knows, the blockbuster trade jump-started a sputtering Red Sox team, propelling them to their first World Series title in some 80 odd years.

After winning that championship, Epstein went about retooling the team for 2005. He brought in a number of new faces, ponied up some big money for what he believed to be the heart and soul of the team and allowed other high price talent that might have been overpriced to leave.

But as the Sox head towards another possible postseason berth, and yes, maybe another shot at a World Series title, Epstein has spent as much time building the Sox farm system as he has the major league roster. Such a concept is new to recent Sox history given the current state of the team and how players have arrived on the Sox big league roster.

First off, only one positional player on the team has come up through the team farm system. Hard-nosed right fielder Trot Nixon was the only regular Sox roster player in 2005 who had come up through the Sox system. In late summer, the Sox called up Jon Papelbon to help support their struggling pitching staff, making him the second roster player to come through that farm system.

But when September came and rosters were allowed to expand, the Sox recalled Kevin Youklis, a talented young infielder, and Kelly Shoppach, a strong defensive catcher. Though both are likely to ride the pine, both have strong Triple A stats to indicate they have major league potential and should provide the Sox great depth during the stretch run.

In addition, young second baseman Dustin Pedroia also had an outstanding season at Triple A Pawtucket after being promoted from Double A. Pedroia, a college shortstop, was named a Double A all star but received his promotion to Triple A prior to the mid-season game.

In addition, the Sox Double A team, the Portland Sea Dogs appear to be loaded with young players with major league potential. Portland recently garnered the regular season Northern Division title of the Eastern League then topped the Trenton Thunder in a best of five series for the right to compete for the Eastern League Championship.

The Seas Dogs are led by shortstop Hanley Ramirez, a fleet footed youngster with all the tools to excel at the major league level, a strong arm and excellent bat speed. Ramirez is touted as having the ability to compete for a major league slot in 2006.

But the team also features outfielder Brandon Moss, a 21 year-old who concluded the 2005 season second in the league in runs scored (87) and eighth in doubles (31). Moss also represented the Sea Dogs in the 2005 Hannaford Eastern League All-Star Game.

On the mound, the Sea Dogs Jon Lester was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. The hard throwing lefty posted an 11-6 record and led the Eastern League in ERA (2.61) and strikeouts (163) for 2005. He also tossed three complete games, tied for first in the league, while his 11 wins placed him fourth in the Eastern League. Lester's 2.61 ERA was a franchise record for a single season, surpassing Michael Tejera's 2.62 ERA in 1999. Lester joined Moss and Ramirez as Eastern League All Star game representatives

The team also features right-handed reliever Craig Hansen, a young man who was drafted in 2005 and has yet to be scored upon while pitching for the Sea Dogs. Like Ramirez, there is talk that Hansen will be ready for the rigors of the major leagues as early as next season.

Though the current edition of the Boston Red Sox features few home grown players, the organization, under the direction of young Epstein is putting together a farm system that should yield a multitude of big league players in the very new future, giving the wheeling and dealing Sox GM even more fire power in his efforts to assemble a consistent pennant contender in the years ahead.

The 125 Class of the AMA National Motocross Series ended yesterday with the crowning of a new champion. Team Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Ivan Tedesco clinched the first 125cc title of his career with an 11th-place overall finish, which kept him 20 points ahead of runner-up Mike Alessi of the Red Bull KTM team. The championship capped off a great year for Tedesco that began with a successful defense of his 125cc Western Regional Supercross championship. Tedesco is slated to move up to the 250cc class next year with Team Makita Suzuki.

Early points leaders Grant Langston and Mike Brown had their problems and couldn't sustain their momentum for the entire season. Langston was hampered by a leg injury from a crash with the aforementioned Alessi at the first round, and never quite got back up to full speed after that. He still ended up finishing in 4th place overall. Brown's problems, on the other hand, weren't quite so apparent. He dramatically fell off the pace near the halfway point of the series, causing some to speculate that perhaps he was having bike problems. There was never any official word from Brown's camp, so everything remains just speculation. Brown finished the series in 5th place with a total of 335 points.

The biggest surprises in the 125 class came from two rookie sensations, Jason Lawrence and Ryan Villopoto. Lawrence, riding for Cernic's Suzuki, made quite a splash in his pro debut back in Round 3 with a 7th-place finish. That sent his stock soaring, and teams have been knocking on his door ever since to try to get him signed to a contract for next year. Lawrence was plagued by inconsistency for the rest of the season, although he would go on to score a top-5 moto finish before all was said and done. Villopoto, already signed to the Monster Energy Pro Circuit team for next year, made his debut in Round 10 with a respectable 15th-place overall finish. He then improved by leaps and bounds in the course of just a few weeks to score a 5th-place overall and then an astounding 2nd-place overall to end the season. You can expect big things out of both of these young men next year.

Other notables include Makita Suzuki's Broc Hepler and Factory Connection's Josh Grant. Many people thought Hepler had an excellent shot at the title this year, particularly since he finished in second place to James Stewart last year, which was his rookie season. But Hepler never found the consistency that he needed in order to get the job done, and he ended up in 6th place on the season. One bright spot that Hepler can build on next year is that he won seven motos, which was more than any other rider in the 125 class. Grant scored the first moto win of his career in Round 4 at Budds Creek before sitting out the final two rounds due to injury.

We'll see all these riders again in January when the Supercross season opens in Anaheim.

University of Georgia fans went into last Saturday's game against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks hoping to avenge a past defeat. That defeat came not at the hands of the Gamecocks but at the unmerciful whim of new South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier.

Each year, the University of Georgia plays against the University of Florida. This traditional rivalry, dubbed the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, is one Georgia fans look forward to throughout the year. When Alltel Stadium needed renovations to make room for the NFL expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, the Dogs and Gators had to play the match on their home fields, something they had not done before.

Spurrier's Gators, led by quarterback Danny Wuerrfel, visited UGA's Sanford Stadium in 1995 and scored 52 points against the overmatched Bulldogs. Spurrier is the only coach to have scored 50 or greater points at Sanford, and most Bulldog fans cling to the notion that he did so on purpose.

Saturday's game, then, was only Spurrier's second appearance between the hedges, but it was one Georgia fans were eager to have.

The Bulldogs managed a 15-17 victory over the Gamecocks, despite having, by all accounts, superior talent. Spurrier's team could have, and should have, won the game. It was only their own poor judgment that led to their defeat. The Gamecocks had a touchdown called back on a penalty, for example. They missed a point after touchdown, considered a given on most teams, and then botched the subsequent 2-point conversion that could have made up for their poor kicking game.

University of Georgia fans saw that the win over Boise State in the previous week was indeed a win over a lesser opponent - a far lesser opponent. The overrated Broncos came into the game ranked eighteenth, but they are now out of the top 25. Seeing the unranked Gamecocks play Georgia so closely showed that the Saturday before was not an indication of the season and that the Southeastern Conference is indeed heavy on talent from top to bottom.

UGA quarterback D.J. Shockley showed fans glimpses of the concerns pro scouts have about his playing. Despite having three years to study, Shockley was a little rusty. In another conference, on another team, Shockley’s performance would be excellent. For Georgia fans, though, he still has work to do to live up to expectations. His passes are sometimes wild long throws or errant short balls. Still, despite the work, Shockley had a decent game.

The highlight of the game was the play of Georgia's defense. Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez showed why he definitely deserved the top spot in coaching Georgia's defense. The Dogs picked off two passes, instead of merely breaking up passes as they have done in previous seasons. Their six interceptions in the first two games of this year surpasses their five interceptions for all of the 2004 season.

The hits handed out by defenders such as Senior Greg Blue also show what Bulldog defense is all about. Defenders throughout the game showed why the Bulldogs have been one of the top defensive units in the nation in the past few years. The hits kept coming, no matter how long the defenders were in the game.

By Julia Mercer

By Rae A. Costa

The other afternoon I was surfing the Internet and came across a website called Racerchicks. Created by Nika Rolczewski, it's a site designed primarily for women, although some men might find it interesting, and devoted entirely to automotive and sports. Perusing the website got me wondering.

Where are the women of NASCAR?

Each weekend when I park my behind on the couch to watch racing, I always see women standing next to their racing men during the pre-race festivities. I never see a man standing next to his racing chick. No women on the track. No women in the pits. So where are they?

Since I'm a new fan to racing, I'm not yet hip to the history of the sport as it pertains to women. So my first exposure to a woman in a racecar came during a Busch Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early 2004.

I thought it was a mistake when the announcers introduced Tina Gordon. Oops. Didn't they mean Jeff Gordon, the Wonder Boy of NASCAR? Nope. It was a chick all right, driving the #39 purple Yahoo Ford. She didn't do very well and only ran a few laps, but I thought it was awesome that a woman was out there competing in a very male dominated sport.

However, Tina Gordon was hardly the first woman to try her hand at racing.

In 1965 Shirley Muldowney had a much harder time overcoming the gender barrier. However, she wasn't all hair and makeup. She was the first woman to race dragsters with the National Hot Rod Association and had enough moxie to catapult herself to the front of the sport's history books.

Janet Guthrie is another racing pioneer. Although she'd been in the sport since 1964, she didn't catch her first big break until 1976. Team owner and car builder Rolla Vollstedt invited her to test a car for the Indianapolis 500. It was no surprise when the following year she became the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and took top rookie honors at the Daytona 500.

Now 35 years old, but racing since she was 18, Shawna Robinson once said, "I was born competitive and that's in my blood. Whatever car I'm in, whatever series I'm running, whatever track I'm racing - I want to be a factor. I want people to know that Shawna Robinson was there."

Indeed, people know that Shawna Robinson was there and still is. Like her predecessors, she has a few firsts under her belt: First woman to finish in the top 10 in points in any oval-track motor sports series, first woman to win a NASCAR pole position (1989's Goody's Dash Series), and the first woman to win a NASCAR touring event.

Fan favorite, and very talented, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. once said this about Shawna after a race at Texas Motor Speedway, "She's a good driver. They need to get her in a better race car."

Although the sport is becoming more women friendly, it's still an uphill battle for women to break into the good ole boys club. Getting a ride is only half the battle. Gaining acceptance and being seen as an equal by the other drivers is even tougher.

On the surface most drivers feign indifference to the fact woman are becoming more prevalent in racing. Most would rather talk about their own racing team or about the sport as a whole. However, some, like Robbie Gordon, can get rather vocal if not downright nasty with their opinions.

Gordon, a NASCAR veteran and known for his aggressive driving, expressed his concerns regarding Indy Racing phenom Danica Patrick. Gordon contends Patrick has a distinct advantage over him and other competitors because at 5'2", Patrick is only 100 pounds.

"The lighter the car, the faster it goes," Gordon said. "Do the math. Put her in the car at weight, then put me or Tony Stewart in the car at 200 pounds and our car is at least 100 pounds heavier."

I'm glad Gordon knows his math, but I don't think his complaints have much merit. Yes, Patrick weighs considerably less, but Mark Martin at 5'6" and 135 pounds is also considerably smaller than Gordon. Yet I don't hear Gordon spouting off about Martin's size. Unfortunately, Gordon may simply be voicing what some of the other drivers are thinking.

Gordon even went as far as saying he wouldn't race against Patrick "until the IRL does something to take that (her weight) advantage away."

So what gives? Could Gordon feel threatened by Patrick's talent? Or maybe he still considers women to be inferior?

In my opinion, I think Patrick is actually at a disadvantage because of her small stature. I've never driven a racecar, but it would seem to me a fair amount of muscle is needed to control the car, especially when it's spinning out of control at 200 mph and heading straight for the wall.

Whether you agree or not, you still have to admire Patrick for what she's accomplishing.

Unfortunately, drivers aren't the only ones with archaic attitudes.

Formula One President and CEO Bernie Ecclestone might want to try thinking before opening his pie hole again. After a half-ass congratulations to Patrick for her 4th place finish at this year's Indy 500 ("She did a good job, didn't she? Super.") Ecclestone went on to say, "You know, I've got one of these wonderful ideas that women should be all dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances."

Did he not realize Patrick's finish was the best finish by a woman in the race's 88-year history? I suppose not. If he had, he might have seized the moment to use Patrick's win to positively promote racing. Instead, he inserted his tiny foot in his large mouth and will forever be known as an idiot.

Why is it that some people who have a bit more notoriety than others, think the average television viewer gives a rat's ass about their opinions? I guess that's a question for another blog.

Personally, Ecclestone and Gordon's comments really don't matter. In practically every sport men have the advantage. I find it ridiculous Gordon would get his panties in a bunch over a woman's weight in a racecar and make such ridiculous statements.

Gordon should instead concentrate on his own racing, like trying not to crash so much (he is the leader in NASCAR mishaps). Reference last week's race at Richmond. Let Patrick worry about her weight. Note to self: Not all the crashes were Robbie's fault, of course.

Promoters may exploit Patrick for the sole purpose of gaining viewership (the 2005 Indianapolis 500 enjoyed a huge 40% increase in ratings thanks in part to Patrick's recent publicity), but she also has the talent to be competitive.

Proof of that comes in, not only her Indianapolis 500 finish, but in the form of a 3rd place finish in the 2004 Toyota Atlantic Championship and in winning the pole position in July 2005 at Kansas Speedway.

There have been a handful of woman to break into racing, but none have been able to obtain the hero-worship status of drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, or Jimmie Johnson. With all the recent publicity, Danica Patrick is probably the closest of the female racers to becoming a household name.

So, where are the women of NASCAR?

They're out there. Deborah Renshaw, Kelly Sutton, Kim Crosby, and Allison Duncan are just a few of the women waiting for their time in the spotlight. I only hope the promoters of racing don't use them simply as tools to increase viewers, but that they're given opportunities because they deserve them.

Oh, Mr. Gordon? The time is fast approaching when you just might find yourself taking a backseat to a woman so get used to it. Once last word of advice for what it's worth - if you can't keep up with the big dogs, stay on the porch.

Another season of AMA Motocross came to a close yesterday with the final round at Glen Helen Raceway in California. There were a few surprises along the way, but the outcome was the same as it has been for the last several years as Makita Suzuki rider Ricky Carmichael notched his sixth consecutive championship in the 250cc class. Carmichael took all 12 overall finishes en route to an unbeaten season. He did lose a couple of motos along the way, however, so he just missed out on another perfect season.

One of the biggest surprises was the erratic riding of Kawasaki's James Stewart. The 19-year-old phenom, whom many have labeled the future king of the sport, not only failed to score a win this season but also failed to finish several motos due to various reasons, including injury and light-headedness. In fact, Stewart missed 5 of the last 6 races, the final two absences being the result of a mutual decision from the rider and his team in order to heal up and concentrate on next winter's Supercross series.

Another surprise was Yamaha's Chad Reed making a similar decision to sit out part of the series. Reed bowed out of the last 5 rounds in order to have minor surgery and to start Supercross testing. Both Stewart and Reed will be trying to wrest the SX title away from Carmichael, who has never failed to defend a title in his 9-year professional career.

Coming in second overall in the points standings was Amsoil Chaparral Honda's Kevin Windham. Windham easily outshone the rest of the class, but still finished a distant second to the #4 Suzuki week after week. The veteran rider ended up with 485 points on the season, more than 100 behind Carmichael.

The early exits of Stewart and Reed opened the door for two more contenders to step up. Who would round out the top 5? Team Honda's Ernesto Fonseca answered the call first. With an outstanding 4-2 performance at Glen Helen, Fonseca, who is not known for his outdoor abilities, finished 3rd in the series, a mere 2 points ahead of Team Yamaha's David Vuillemin. Vuillemin posted moto scores of 3-4 at Glen Helen, and had a realistic shot at securing third overall in the series, but couldn't get around Kevin Windham in the second moto.

Other notables in the series include John Dowd, who finished 7th overall in his last season on the circuit. The 40-year-old veteran has been planning to retire and has been treating every race as a farewell to each venue. Jeff Dement is another veteran who had an outstanding summer. Dement quietly finished in 10th place overall, which is quite an accomplishment for a privateer, and is even more impressive given the fact that he missed two entire rounds (four motos in all).

Many fans of the sport complained that the 250 class was pretty boring since the epic three-way battles between Stewart, Reed, and Carmichael never materialized. But all in all, there actually was some good racing to watch, even if it was farther back in the pack than we had hoped for. At any rate, it gives us something to look forward to next year.

The opening week in the NFL is as unpredictable a time as any in the sports world. It's hard to make judgments about teams based solely on preseason games because the regulars only play a quarter or two in each game. So going into week one, everyone pretty much makes their picks based on two things: the team's reputation and record from the previous year, and any major offseason moves, such as signing big-name free agents or getting some rising stars in the draft. That doesn't make for a very solid basis for predictions. So it's really not a surprise that there were a lot of upsets today. Here were some of the bigger ones.

Dallas over San Diego
I don't think anyone picked Dallas win on the road against a Chargers team that went 12-4 in the prior season and won the AFC West. But that's exactly what they did. In the battle of the Drews, Bledsoe completed 18 passes out of 24 attempts for 226 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brees, on the other hand, was just 18-of-35 for 209 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, including one in the end zone with 24 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter. One of the biggest surprises in this game was the fact that the Dallas defense was able to hold running back LaDainian Tomlinson to just 72 yards.

Tampa Bay over Minnesota
With the departure of free agent Warren Sapp and an aging defensive core, many experts wondered if the Tampa Bay defense would live up to their own high standards set over the past few years. Well, if today's game against Minnesota was any indication, the answer is a resounding "yes." The Tampa Bay defense stymied Daunte Culpepper and the rest of the Vikings offense en route to a 24-13 victory. Culpepper was threw for 233 yards, but had 3 passes picked off and was sacked twice. The Vikings as a team were held to just 248 total yards, which shows that they had no running game going. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, got a stellar performance out of rookie RB Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. Williams rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown.

New Orleans over Carolina
In what was undoubtedly the most uplifting surprise of the day, the New Orleans Saints knocked off the Carolina Panthers 23-20. It was a highly emotional win for team members who have had the victims of Hurricane Katrina on their minds for the last two weeks. New Orleans running back Deuce McAllister led the offense with 64 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries, while quarterback Aaron Brooks threw for 192 yards. With the Superdome in no shape for football games, the Saints will play their home opener against the Giants in New Jersey next week.

Other notable upsets include San Francisco over St. Louis, Detroit over Green Bay, and Miami over Denver. Which teams will be able to carry their momentum into Week 2? Which teams will be able to turn things around? I can't wait until next Sunday to find out!

A win in their season opener last week had folks drawing comparisons of head coach Charlie Weis' start with the Irish to that of the legendary Ara Parseghian. The fundamental reason was that the team dominated a ranked opponent on the road, a team that had defeated the Irish the year before.

Then came week 2 and the Irish upset of the Michigan Wolverines, another ranked team and another road victory. With the win, Charlie Weis was being mentioned in the same breath as the last Notre Dame coach to win his first two game son the road.

That coach was none other than the immortal Knute Rockne.

Lucky for the Irish that Charlie Weis has three Super Bowl titles because with such achievements come perspective. Said Weis, he was just happy for his boys and for the two wins. Come back in ten years, said Weis, and we will see where all this talk is at.

The Weis factor did not go unanswered by the football pundits. Of particular note was the opening Irish drive, one in which Notre Dame marched down the field for a confidence building touchdown. The innovator Weis had the Irish in the shotgun, running a no huddle offense, a move that obviously surprised Michigan and kept the Wolverine defense on its heels throughout the drive.

But in defeating Michigan, the Irish have to feel as if they stole a key victory. Unlike their dominating opening performance against Pittsburgh, Notre Dame had trouble moving the ball against a strong Michigan defense after that opening score. Most importantly, the Irish had to rely on some offensive ineptness in the red zone by the highly touted Wolverines to come away with the big victory.

With Notre Dame up 17-3 in the fourth quarter, Michigan moved inside the Irish ten yard line with roughly 10 minutes to play. Twice Notre dame stopped Michigan plays from inside the 5 yard line, the final a fourth down pass play that went awry because of poor decision making by Chad Henne, the sophomore quarterback for the Wolverines.

After taking over on downs and gaining one first down, the Irish had to punt. The Wolverines once again moved right down the field. A long pass completion led to a first and goal from the Notre Dame one yard line. But once again, Michigan stumbled, as Henne, running a quarterback sneak, fumbled the snap into the end zone where the loose ball was recovered by the Irish.

Those two fourth quarter trips to the red zone without points proved to be the difference in the game as Michigan would connect on a long touchdown pass with about three minutes left to close the gap to 17 to 10.

But that was as close as Michigan would get, allowing Charlie Weis and the Fighting Irish to slip out of Michigan with their second straight road win of the season and the inevitable comparisons to the start of Coach Rockne. But Coach Weis was quick again to interject perspective.

He was just hoping his boys would keep their perspective because the two wins would mean nothing if the Fighting Irish return to South Bend and lay an egg in their home opener next week against Michigan State.

I hardly pay any attention to commercials on television or print advertisements in newspapers and magazines. They are usually just an annoyance to me, especially when I'm watching the final minutes of a big sporting event and the teams keep taking time outs, which of course lead to television commercials. When I'm watching a recorded program, I simply fast forward through the commercials, and when I'm reading a magazine I just keep turning the pages while barely glancing at the ads. I think most people are the same way. But there is one current ad campaign that has really caught my attention. I am talking about the Nike Gridiron series of ads that you can see in ESPN the Magazine and other print and broadcast media.

This series shows the high school football careers of current NFL superstars. Right now, there are ads featuring Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and Denver Broncos corner back Champ Bailey. The ads are very similar, so I will focus on the Urlacher one. It shows a huge portrait of Urlacher in from his high school playing days, wearing his high school uniform. The picture is presumably in the school's trophy case because it is surrounded by plaques and trophies proclaiming Lovington High School as the 1995 New Mexico State Champs. Then, if you go to the Nike Gridiron website, you can watch interviews with Urlacher and his high school coaches. You can even see some real footage of some highlights of Urlacher's high school career.

Of course I am not doing the ads justice; you really have to see them for yourself. The reason I like them so much is that I think they do a great job of capturing what sports is all about. The series shows how important sports is in our lives, and how much drama and excitement there can be even in games played at the high school level. In addition, the Nike Gridiron series shows that sometimes professional sports dreams really do come true.

Being able to look back on a professional athlete's high school playing days is a special treat. We are used to seeing college footage because those games are broadcast on national television. It's great being able to see that the hard work and dedication to a particular sport started way before the athlete actually hits the limelight. Of course we all know that this must be true otherwise the athlete never would have made it to the pro ranks to begin with; but actually seeing video footage of it is a whole different thing. I think these ads are truly inspiring, and are a great way to keep young players motivated to pursue their dreams.

So the next time you come across one of these Nike Gridiron ads, take a moment to really look at it and absorb everything that's on the page. And if you have a chance to visit the Nike Gridiron website, spend a few minutes watching the video interviews. This is a wonderful ad campaign that is worth checking out regardless of how you feel about Nike products.

I went to a small high school in a relatively small city. We were one of the smallest high schools in town so we didn't compete with the larger schools in sports; instead we were farmed out to neighboring towns and villages to play. With a ninth through twelfth grade population of only about 300 students, we were a close-knit school with students and parents who went to just about every game, even the ones 100 miles away. We got together in car pools and vans and made our treks to the other towns, near and far, to support our teams. Although I was not as athletically inclined as I'd have like to be, I was athletic enough to be a cheerleader. I'd always thought cheerleaders a bit of a joke, but I found the cheerleaders on the squad to be a fun bunch who loved the teams, loved the fans, and knew how to have a good time.

We cheerleaders were very faithful to the teams. We sat on mats and pounded out cheers during the wrestling meets. We jumped and yelled during snowy football games. We drove home late into the night after basketball and volleyball games many miles from our homes. We led the cheers, encouraged the fans, and most of us dated guys on the basketball or football team. So when the time came for our cheerleading squad to go to our state championship competition, we had fans in droves who followed us to the large country high school where the competition was held.

It was in the early 1980s and our squad had practiced for months a pompon routine to the popular hard rock song (at the time) "Come on Feel the Noise," by Quiet Riot. We had done our routine at one of our home football games out on the field and were given a huge, flattering response. We had amazing moves, jumps and fast dancing. We knew we had a chance at winning. Earlier that year our coach had moved away so we did all the planning, practicing, and signing up for the competition ourselves. Our 4 foot 10 inch captain was in charge and we all bowed to her leadership. She told us what to do, where to go, and that we were going to win.

At the championship we did our routine and found that we were in the finals. The finals were between four schools in the entire state and we were to come back the next day and do our routine again. There would be three placement slots. We got there early, had perfect hair and smiles, and even were interviewed by the local news crews. When it came time for our routine, we did it flawlessly. Afterward, we hugged each other, knowing we'd done our best and we sat down to wait for the results.

Sadly, unbeknownst to us, the finals routine was to have been shortened to only 3 minutes. Ours was well over 3 minutes so we were disqualified. We had no coach who would have known these things. We didn't hold it against our little captain - she had done her best. We were sad and defeated, but we also knew that had we been in the timing range, we'd have won the meet. We saw the competition and we knew we were good. All in all it was a wonderful experience and our school stood behind us, as we had stood behind them so many other times.

By: Rae A. Costa

This past week I've been following the U.S. Open, both the men and women's matches. This isn't new to tennis, but I've been noticing it more and more, particularly with the women. It was especially apparent in the matches between Nadia Petrova and Maria Sharapova and later with Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams.

What is up with all the grunting and ear piercing squeals?

I suppose it could be a player's attempt to distract his or her opponent. Or maybe it's their effort to hit a 100+ mph serve, but whatever the reason it can be quite irritating to say the least.

A few grunts here and there from Clijsters, but Venus? Good grief! Every single shot, whether it was a smash down the line or a lob just over the net, she vocalized. Heck, she even squealed when she missed the ball!

Maria Sharapova, whom the London Sun dubbed the "Bawl-Breaker", was just as loud, if not worse. Her grunts and peals of anguish often wavered on the edge an outright howl. Everytime she screamed, I looked out the window thinking my cat had been hit by a car.

Does grunting really help tennis players? Not always, as was the case with Ms. Williams. She lost. Her grunts actually seemed to fuel Clijsters who came back to win after losing the first set. Sharapova, however, won her match so maybe it's not the grunting, but the talent of the player.

According to Louise Deeley, a sports psychologist at Roehampton University, "It may be that their perception is that if they grunt, they are hitting it (the ball) harder. It's going to give you confidence and a sense of being in control of you game."

Clijsters was very much in control of her game, yet she was extremely mute compared to Sharapova, Williams, Dementieva, and some of the other women in the tournament. So is it a control and confidence issue or simply psychological warfare?

I suppose there is some small psychological advantage to be gained while grunting during a tennis match. But other than irritating your opponent and spectators, I really don't see the overall point of making such a racket.

If players grunt merely to distract their opponents, then it's probably a waste of effort on their part. They should instead use that energy to improve some aspect of their game. These are professional athletes we're talking about. By the time they reach the top draw of the U.S. Open, they should have learned to screen out the things that are distracting and focus on making quality shots.

With 20,000 or more people packed into Arthur Ashe Stadium all cheering and whistling, do you really think a player can be distracted by just a grunt? Not likely.

Natural grunting can be expected. I know when I lift heavy items or exert myself when playing sports I grunt on occasion. Too, in the heat of battle (or a tennis match), the athlete may forget to breathe. When a breath is finally drawn, it can be expelled in the form of a healthy grunt.

"When people are exercising on their own, they'll use things like how they breathe in and out as a rhythm," says Deeley. "They may make similar kinds of noises to (the grunts)."

Should ear drum bursting grunts be tolerated because it's how a player gets into 'the zone'? Grunting should be allowed to a certain extent. However, there is a major difference between expelling air from exertion and screaming like a banshee ready to attack. The shrieking should definitely be considered a no-no.

The grunts and squeals are getting out of hand, but how do officials put a stop to it and do they even want to try? Grunting is something that would be very difficult to enforce. It's not a firmly established and understood rule, such as a foot fault or hitting the net on the serve. I liken grunting to a fingerprint. Each player is an individual and has developed their own style and sound, which makes it a very selective enforcement process.

Alan Mills, lead referee at Wimbledon for the last 22 years, is a strong advocate for outlawing the noise pollution. He's had his fair share of screamers and even tried to put a halt to it during the semi-final Sharapova-S. Williams match at this years Wimbledon, but to no avail.

It's difficult to prove, but it's rumored some coaches have trained their players to grunt for whatever reason. Although Coach Nick Bollettieri has trained some of the sports mega-grunters - Seles, Sharapova, Kournikova - he has denied making grunting a specific part of his training regimen.

However, he does say grunting can be a good thing because it helps players release their energy. Elena Dementieva sure was releasing her energy during her match with Lindsay Davenport. She actually screeched before hitting the ball! While other times, she made no noise at all. For me, it seemed like her grunts were definitely part of her plan to win.

Who are the current top women noisemakers? Without a doubt it's Maria Sharapova. Her grunts have registered at 100 decibels, which is equivalent to a small plane landing. Beating her sister by just just 3 decibels to take second place is Serena Williams registering at 88. Lindsay Davenport follows in fourth at 84 decibels. Which is surprising to me, since Lindsay was fairly quiet in her match against Dementieva, but maybe that's why she lost?

That's a lot of stress on anyone's ears, especially when the matches can last 2 to 3 hours or more. With officials' hands tied regarding enforcing a 'no grunt' rule and players not likely to stop the noise pollution anytime soon, what's a spectator to do?

Tennis is a great sport and it's a shame if grunting and screaming spoils a new fan from fully appreciating the game. Of course as viewers we want more drama and excitement (think Coria andMassu), but excessive caterwauling isn't the way to attract our attention, let alone keep it for any length of time.

If you are a true fan of tennis, you may have been able to condition yourself over the years to block out distractions, just as the players have. But if you're the casual observer, ear plugs or the mute button on the TV remote might be your only course of action, at least until the next new trend in tennis takes hold.

The NHL is ready to resume play after canceling the entire season last year. Along with many new rule changes, there is a new salary cap system that is supposed to help bring some parity back to the league. In recent years, there have been a couple of very dominant teams, such as the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings, and a some consistent cellar-dwellers, such as the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals. If the pre-season transactions that we've seen thus far in July, August, and the early part of this month are any indication, the salary cap is looking like a brilliant idea.

There have been many interesting trades and free-agent signings in the last couple of months. One of the biggest coups was scored by the Philadelphia Flyers. They bolstered their bid for the Stanley Cup by signing former Avalanche star Peter Forsberg, who is regarded by many as the most talented player in professional hockey. In order to make room for Forsberg's reported $11.2 million dollar salary, the Flyers had to move one of their other high-priced players. This turned out to be Jeremy Roenick, who landed in L.A. with the Kings. This immediately makes the Kings a playoff contender, after having missed the postseason for the last three years.

Many other teams have been wheeling and dealing as well. The Chicago Blackhawks seem to be serious about returning to the playoffs, too, as they've signed standout goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who won a Stanley Cup in his last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. They also signed former Islanders defenseman Adrian Aucoin to a four-year contract, and added free agents Martin Lapointe and Jaroslav Spacek. In addition, the Hawks have come to terms with their first round draft pick, defenseman Cam Barker.

And of course over in Pittsburgh, the big news is that the Penguins signed 18-year-old phenom Sidney Crosby, who was the first overall pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Crosby is already drawing comparisons to legend Wayne Gretzky and current teammate Mario Lemieux, and will certainly add to the excitement in hockey arenas across the country.

I have to admit that I was very skeptical about the return of the NHL when I first heard that the players and owners had reached an agreement. I was one of the fans who didn't really care one way or the other if the 2004 season was played or not. However, I can't help but get excited at the prospect of more evenly matched teams this year. Better competition, along with the promise of more offense due to several new rule changes, ought to make for a very interesting year.

I have decided to give the NHL one more try. As a fan, it's tough to let go of a sport that you grew up watching, so I really hope that all of these changes make the game better as a whole. Let's see how many other fans feel the same way I do. Opening Day is October 14. Will the arenas be full? Tune in to find out!

I have a lot of friends who are diehard fans of NCAA Division I college football. I am also a big fan, though I don't make it a point to stay home on Saturday to catch all the televised games like some people do. When you've followed college football for a bit, you'll eventually get caught up in an argument about national rankings and the national championship. I won't pretend I understand the BCS ranking system, which assigns a rank to teams based on a combination of various computer rankings and the results of a coaches' poll. These ranks determine not only which teams get to play in bowl games in late December and early January, but also which teams will play for the National Championship.

This might sound like a good, impartial system on paper, but it sometimes doesn't work out as it should. In addition, some people think that the current BCS system favors teams from the big national conferences and largely ignores teams from smaller conferences. And regardless of which team the BCS determines as National Championship contenders, there is one huge problem with this kind of system that many fans (and probably numerous players and coaches) have voiced concerns about. Namely, if a nationally-ranked team loses even a single game, it would be very difficult for them to win the championship. In fact, going back just 5 years to the 2000 college football season, each national champion had an undefeated season, with the exception of 2003 when the LSU Tigers and the USC Trojans shared the championship with one loss apiece. (That's right, they shared the championship because they didn't even play each other in their respective bowl games!)

To me, this seems pretty absurd. Take last week's opening games in the NCAA season. One very prominent upset was #7 Oklahoma losing to unranked TCU. For all intents and purposes, the Sooners' national championship hopes are dashed, unless several other teams falter during the remainder of the season. Can you imagine if the NFL operated this way? Why is it that we expect perfection from a championship team? I just don't think that any team's season should be over by Week 2. Instead, many sports analysts and fans think that there should be a true playoff system in college football. This would be a positive step toward ensuring that national championships are decided on the playing field rather than determined in large part by a computer. You would still see all the top-ranked BCS teams in the playoffs. The only difference would be that a #12 team would have a shot at scoring a couple of upsets and winning the title, rather than limiting the championship game to the #1 and #2 ranked teams.

Of course people are going to watch college football whether there is a playoff system or not. But this just seems like such a great way to improve the game that you really have to wonder what's stopping the powers that be from implementing the changes.

September always brings some welcome changes for me. First, it means that the kids are back in school. Second, it usually spells an end to the unbearable heat and humidity of the summer. And finally, it means that baseball season is winding down and I can turn my full attention to NCAA and NFL football. As a football fan, I not only love watching games on TV, I also enjoy playing whenever I can. Now, at my age, playing tackle football is not exactly a viable option. However, there is still a great way for adults to play organized football. I'm talking about joining a flag football league.

For those of you who don't know, flag football is a non-contact version of football in which all players wear a belt with two long, thin flags attached to it by means of Velcro tabs. Then, instead of tackling the ball carrier, all you have to do is pull one of his or her flags off in order to stop the play. The number of players for each team depends on the particular league that you join. Some leagues may operate with as few as 4 players on a team, while others will go higher.

Flag football has really enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years. Not only are there organized flag football leagues in cities and towns all across the United States, there are also flag football leagues springing up in other countries around the world, including Japan and China. You can join men's leagues, women's leagues, and co-ed leagues. You can find leagues that are extremely competitive, and you can find leagues that are more focused on just having fun. You usually have to sign up an entire team to a flag football league, but there are some places that take single entries or that will put you on a team that has an open spot. Check around in your area by calling league offices (usually through a city's park district) to inquire about specifics.

You don't have to play in a league to enjoy exciting flag football action. You can buy your own equipment, such as a football and flag sets, at virtually any sporting goods store. Flags are sold in sets of 12, and you can pick up a decent set of Velcro tab flags for less than $30. You'll probably want at least two sets so that you can have different colors to designate each team. When choosing a football, you'll be able to go with a size that you are comfortable with. Some flag football leagues play with regulation-sized footballs that are often too big for a person my size to grip well, so I always like to play with a smaller ball. Then all you have to do is gather a bunch of your friends together and meet at a local park.

Whether you decide to join a league or play on your own, playing flag football will allow you to get off the couch and enjoy real football action this fall.

While many people believe that the world of sports should have halted for Hurricane Katrina, it is not in the spirit of the American way of life to stop the nation for a disaster. Athletes have instead continued to play but offered their support to Katrina's victims in various ways.

The National Basketball Association is holding a special game. Many of the game's stars, such as Kevin Garnett, and Dwayne Wade will show off their on-court skills earlier than their seasons when they gather for a Katrina-relief game this weekend. The stars will be on hand at Houston- area shelters where evacuees from the nation's deadliest natural disaster are staying.

NBA players throughout the league are donating money and supplies valued at about $1 million for the game. TNT will air the game for fans at 11 p.m. Sunday night.

Basketball players aren't the only athletes donating their time and money to charity, however. Tennis players are holding a Katrina auction. The United States Tennis Association itself has pledged half a million dollars to relief efforts. Some players, like Venus Williams, have made monetary pledges based on their performance in matches. Other players have donated items for auction, and the proceeds from that auction will go to Katrina relief efforts.

Dominik Hrbaty caught the attention of tennis and non-tennis watchers alike when he donned a pink peek-a-boo shirt with holes cut out on the chest. That shirt will be up for grabs at the auction. Other items include Serena Williams' platinum and diamond earrings, which retail for $40,000. Some stars, like sister Venus and Roger Federer, are offering up their rackets for auction.

Baseball also is honoring the victims of Katrina. Major League Baseball had a "pass the hat" event at all games on Wednesday. They solicited donations from fans in all ballparks where teams were playing, and the league has promised to match fans dollar for dollar up to $1 million.

The Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals honored Benjamin Camp by asking him to throw out the first pitch at their Wednesday evening game. Camp and his family are evacuees from the New Orleans area and are being housed at a temporary shelter.

The National Hockey League will be donating to relief efforts in two ways. The league has pledged a $1 million donation to the American Red Cross, the league will host auctions of players' jerseys at games and donate those monies to relief efforts.

Fans out for the Miami Dolphins - Denver Broncos game this Sunday will be greeted by the wife of new head coach Nick Saban. The Saban family spent five years in Baton Rouge at Louisiana State University, and they are now encouraging people to donate to the relief efforts.

These league-sanctioned and sponsored events do not count the number of athletes who have donated their time and money without any prompting. Numerous athletes have made personal donations to the Red Cross and other organizations and have even gone into the area to help with rescues. Baseball player Curt Schilling and his wife are putting up a family of people who lost their homes, as are other players, like former welterweight champion Vernon Forrest.



By Julia Mercer

Let's face it, running is just cooler than walking. I don't mean cooler in the temperature sense, but in the fashion and social standing sense. Back during all those years when I was a non-exerciser, I used to secretly marvel at those who got up at the crack of dawn to lace up their running shoes and go for a run through the streets of town. They always looked more serious about their health, their fitness, and their life in general. Runners have a purposeful look on their faces, or so I thought, as they put one foot in front of the other. They look as though their primary purpose in life is to run, get where they're going, and be healthy all along the way. I tried running in college (we called it jogging back then) and for a few short weeks I was one of the running elite. I found that it really didn't matter how fast I ran, though faster is always better, but rather, what mattered was that I ran and that I kept running. But I didn't. I soon tired of the whole thing, physically and mentally, and dropped out of elite status.

Over the years, however, I envied runners. I would see their walking counterparts around town or around the neighborhood, huffing and puffing with very brisk walking or even the occasional power-walker, arms swinging out a snappy rhythm; but walkers were just that - walkers. Anyone with two working legs could go for a walk, fast or not. I walked fast every day, into work, into the grocery store, wherever I went. But a runner was a different breed. Runners looked cool. Runners even dressed cool. Runners always had the more sporty looking shorts, sweats, other fitness accessories, and of course, shoes. Walkers could wear just about any comfortable shoes that fit, in my opinion.

Ah, but how my view has changed. Ultimately, nearly 20 years after my few weeks of running in college, I was again became a runner. I bought the ridiculously expensive shoes and I made sure I had all the latest gear. All my clothing was sweat-free but promised to keep me warm when the winter snows arrived. I still didn't run fast, but I ran, so in my mind, I was cool; I was again one of the elite.

But then I learned about sore knees, tendonitis and painful arches; maladies that never plagued me back in my young, sprightly college days. I learned that walking will still provide a wonderful cardiovascular workout without doing damage to my joints and tendons. And walking requires just as good shoes as running. I learned that there is much more to health and fitness than being or looking cool. Cool means healthy, regardless of how you get there, and walking sometimes is the best way for everyone. Even runners. Today I alternate between walking and running, but I've thankfully grown up enough to know that it really doesn't matter, as long as I just keep moving.

The most exciting sports season of the year has just begun. College football engages audiences young and old, and you are unlikely to find better fans than you will at any college football games. One of the foremost traditions of college football, tailgating, kicks off even before the game. Tailgating consists of parking your vehicle, better if it is decked out in team spirit, in the parking lot, and having a barbecue to get geared up for the big game. Many die-hard tailgaters will bring elaborate grills and a wide array of food to the parking lot to tailgate. This is a time to bond with other fans, get in a good meal, and place your bets before the game begins.
In college football there are a number of divisions. Keeping these divisions straight can be confusing to those who are not completely knowledgeable as to all aspects of the game. One of the biggest and best divisions in college football is called the Big Ten. The Big Ten consists of ten big state schools, the majority of which have fantastic football programs that can and do contend at the top level. The schools in the Big Ten are; The University of Michigan, Michigan State University, The University of Iowa, Purdue University, The University of Wisconsin, Penn State University, Northwestern University, The University of Illinois, Indiana University and Ohio State University. Last year, it was the University of Michigan Wolverines who made it to the Rose Bowl at the end of the season. Unfortunately, they were not victorious, but fans are hoping that this is their year!
Another college football division is called The Big Twelve. The Big Twelve also has some exceptionally competitive football programs within its division. The schools in The Big Twelve are; Baylor University, The University of Colorado, Iowa State University, The University of Kansas, Kansas State University, The University of Nebraska, The University of Missouri, Oklahoma University, Oklahoma State University, The University of Texas, Texas A & M University, and Texas Tech University.
Yet another college football division is called the Atlantic Coast Conference, or the ACC. This conference has some outstanding football teams, and others that have not had many notable performances in the last couple of years. The teams in this conference are; Boston College, Clemson University, Duke University, Florida State University, Georgia Tech, The University of Maryland, The University of Miami, The University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, The University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest University.
Finally, the Pacific Ten conference is the other major, competitive football division. This division has consistently had a championship team in its conference; most recently, the University of Southern California, also called USC. The teams in the Pac Ten Conference are; The University of Southern California, Arizona State University, The University of Oregon, Washington State University, The University of California, Oregon State University, Stanford University, UCLA, The University of Washington, and The University of Arizona.
College football is a fun and exciting pastime that spans the months of the fall. Whatever your favorite team, this season is bound to be an exciting one for all fans. So, grab your grill, your favorite team jersey and head to the tailgating lots this Saturday morning to cheer for your favorite college football team!

When the University of Georgia's players took the field last Saturday, they opened their 2005 football season against the Boise State Broncos. Despite the fact that many UGA fans considered this game a sure win for thirteenth-ranked Bulldogs, analysts and commentators played up the match-up, trying to convince the world that Boise State could pull off the season's first upset.

Instead, UGA went onto the field after Texas Christian University pulled off the season's first upset of top-10 ranked Oklahoma. Boise State, ranked eighteenth in the nation, joined Division 1-A football in 1996. They are one of the newest teams in the top tier of football programs. This year was the first time ever the Western Athletic Conference team had been ranked in the nation's Top 25.

Apparently that ranking gave a bit of false promise in terms of what the Broncos are able to do. They took the field under the direction of Quarterback Jarad Zabransky, who promptly threw an errant ball intercepted by UGA defensive player Tony Taylor.

This interception was one of four UGA players made in the first half. The most amazing part of the interceptions is that they were a weakness only last season. UGA made only five take-aways in the air in all of their games last season.

In addition to the interceptions, Zabransky fumbled and botched a snap, which led to a second fumble. The Bulldogs recovered both fumbles, making it six turnovers for the Broncos in the first half.

The Bulldogs did not capitalize on all of the plays, but they still managed to create a sizable lead before halftime.

Zabransky did not return to the game after the break, but life got only slightly better for the overrated Broncos. They managed to score twice against second and third team Bulldogs late in the game, but UGA was victorious, ending the game with a 48-13 win.

The game was definitely good news to Bulldog Nation. Even with the win, the Bulldogs have questions about the season, some of which were answered Saturday. Quarterback D.J. Shockley sat behind David Greene, who is now with the Seattle Seahawks, for three years. Shockley's talent remained mostly on the bench although he did get in a series here and there under a faulty two-quarterback system.

Many Georgia fans worried that Shockley's time sitting out hampered his playing ability. He helped to waylay those fears Saturday. His performance leading the Georgia offense led the Bulldogs to a tie in the number of touchdowns Georgia has ever scored in a game helped Shockley gain the trust of many Georgia fans.

Shockley wasn't the only person who had a good outing for UGA Saturday. New Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez made a good impression in his new role as his defenders pushed the Boise State Broncos at every turn. Martinez is replacing the departed Brian Van Gorder, the award-winning defensive coach who left UGA to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This team is, in Head Coach Mark Richt's opinion, a team worthy of national championship aspirations. Though many Georgia fans were doubting this estimation before Saturday, now they may be singing a different tune.

By Julia Mercer

I never exercised much until after I turned 36. When I was young, I did all the typical kid types of exercising, such as riding a bicycle, climbing trees, jumping on a trampoline, and swimming. I was constantly outside, even in winter, skiing, sledding, and trudging through the snow. In high school I tried team sports but I didn't have any back ground so I wasn't very good. I turned to cheerleading and found it fun; and it kept me in good shape. In college, I tried jogging and I even took a weight lifting class for the required P.E. credit, but consistent exercising never really stuck with me - or rather, I didn't stick with it.

After my first child was born, I joined a gym and went to aerobics classes for about 6 months. I was young so the weight came off easily and I felt better quickly. After my second child was born, I began walking each day. The only problem was that only four months later, I found out I was pregnant again, and I felt lousy so the walks stopped. After my third child was born and I weighed more than I ever had, we moved to a cold, snowy climate. Walking wasn't an option and trying to navigate the snowy streets and bring a toddler and newborn to the gym was just too much. I gave up and figured I'd possibly exercise when they all grew up.

Well, grow they did, and before I knew it, they were exercising and keeping fit, but I was not. My youngest was nine-years-old when I realized I was a good 25 pounds over weight and feeling depressed. I decided I'd start walking again. It was much more fun now because I had a nice dog I could take with me instead of worrying about the baby stroller. The children were plenty old enough to leave home alone and I could go for as long as I wanted. Yet, as I walked, I passed runners whom, I thought, looked so much cooler than me.

Soon I began running, albeit slowly. I bought great running gear, for all seasons, and before my family knew what was happening, I was running out in the snow, never complaining about the sub-zero temps or short days. I loved running. I knew I would never be a fast runner - I was more what one would call, a jogger, but it was exhilarating. I ran as often as I could.

Today I do both. Some days I run and some days I walk. I still feel that exhilaration when I break a sweat and feel the cool air rushing into my lungs. Fall is just around the corner again and I look forward to getting out into the snow. It is a freeing feeling to know that I don't have to wait to go to the gym and that I can get out even when the weather isn't cooperating. With all the winter exercise gear available, not only is there no excuse, being out in the cold is actually a pleasure.

Each year the PGA Tour has a youngster or two who seems to be more than up to the challenge of the professional golf world. For the 2005 season, the player making such a statement is Sean O'Hair of Boothwyn, Pennsylvania.

And O'Hair has a story to tell that is unlike most other rookies on tour, not just because of his level of success but because of his preparation for becoming a tour player. O'Hair looks like he is about to graduate from high school, but his mental toughness and his game are that of someone much older.

His skills were honed during a childhood that was regimented by his father's desire to develop his son into a tournament tested golfer. O'Hair's dad, Marc, drove him relentlessly, making the youngster get up to run every day by 5 AM and then forcing him out on the golf course as early as 7 AM, sometimes keeping him there until 4 PM. With his father pushing him at every turn, O'Hair would turn pro in 1999, prior to his graduation from high school.

Now estranged from his father, O'Hair qualified for the PGA Tour by making it through all three stages of the 2004 Qualifying Tournament, including the final stage in his first attempt. However, his was not an overnight success as the youngster had been to Q-School every year since 1999.

His start on Tour early in the season was anything but extraordinary. He missed three cuts in his first five tournaments and only a 26th at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am provided him with any serious money in the first two months of the season.

But O'Hair began to get the feel of the rigors of the PGA in early March. Playing on the difficult Blue Monster Doral Golf Course, the rookie made his fourth cut at the Ford Championship. He then followed that up the next week with his first Top Twenty of his career, a tie for 17th at the Honda Classic.

After another slow month in April, O'Hair earned his second Top Twenty of the season during the first week of May, finishing in a tie for 14th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Two weeks later, the tour rookie had his best performance of his young career, placing second at the prestigious Byron Nelson Championship.

Continuing his strong performances in the odd months of the season, the Tour rookie really cranked it up during the month of July. After a modest 34th place finish at the Cialis Western Open in early July, O'Hair took him his first PGA title at the John Deere Classic, the same event whereby the sponsors gave the young Michelle Wie an exemption.

Though the fourteen year old female golfer was the primary story line for the event, O'Hair made a name for himself by demonstrating his mental toughness with an extraordinary, up and down for par on the final hole. However, many critics noted that the win came against a less than top shelf field.

But O'Hair would continue his run with a strong fifteenth place showing at the British Open the following week, an event he qualified for only by virtue of his showing at the Deere. That performance at a Tour major turned many heads. Then, after taking a week off, the rookie finished the month of July with another strong four rounds of golf, earning him an eighth place tie at the Buick Open, an event that also featured the best names in golf.

By tying for 15th last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the 23-year old now has seven Top Twenty performances on the season to go with his three Top Tens. His finish last week allowed him to maintain his 16th place standing in Tour earnings for the 2005 season with total winnings at a shade under $2.1 million, none too shabby for a first year pro. His second place finish at the Nelson earned him almost $670,000, only $50,000 less than he earned for winning the lesser known Deere event, giving him nearly $1.4 million in just two starts.

O'Hair has proven that his qualifying for the PGA Tour was not a fluke and that his years of preparation had him ready for the rigors of the professional golf world. A single win does not make a career on the Tour but earning more than $2 million in a player's rookie season is enough to make folks sit up and take notice that O'Hair is definitely a name to be remembered in the years ahead.

One exceptional college football performance doe not make a career, nor does it even make a season unless it is during an end of the year Bowl game.

But when Notre Dame blasted 23rd ranked Pittsburgh in their season opener Saturday night, new head coach Charlie Weis' start with the Irish was already drawing comparisons to that of the legendary Ara Parseghian. It certainly matched the particulars of Parseghian's first game, a dominating win over a ranked opponent on the road, an opponent that had defeated the Irish the year before.

Demonstrating the same type of ball control, spread the wealth around formula that Weis used as offensive coordinator with the Patriots, Notre Dame moved the ball at will against Pitt. Quarterback Brady Quinn, resembling the poised Tom Brady, lead the Fighting Irish to touchdowns in six of their first seven offensive possessions.

Quinn ran the Irish offense superbly, going 18-of-27 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, Quinn spread the ball around, hooking up on one touchdown to running back Darius Walker, a 51 yard screen pass, and the second to wideout Jeff Samardzija, who made a superb catch on the 19 yard score. So dominant was Notre Dame that the team had more than 300 yards of total offense in the first half and more than 500 for the game.

Except for one interception, Quinn was superb and the Notre Dame offensive line carved out hole after hole leading to a 275-103 edge in rushing yards against an inexperienced Pitt defensive line. Scoring touchdowns on five of their first half drives, the game was all but over by halftime.

Despite having 18 starters back form a year ago, Pittsburgh had no answer for the Irish sets, alignments that featured five wide receivers at times but still utilized screen passes to running backs and throws to the big Irish tight ends. The Panthers seemed overwhelmed from the get go but the Irish featured another aspect reminiscent of the Patriots.

As the Pats so often do, Notre Dame started the second half with a dominating, ball control drive. Already up 35-13, the Irish proceeded to hold the ball until midway through the third quarter, putting together a 20-play drive that ended with Rashon Powers-Neal's third touchdown run of the night. No play on the drive went for longer than 9 yards.

Ranked in the pre-season Top 25, with what is described as a soft schedule and with an extremely talented returning quarterback in Tyler Palko, Pitt was expecting a big season. But the Irish physical play put a huge hurt on the Panthers ego, leading new coach Wannstedt to search to find a way to regroup.

Unlike Pittsburgh, the Irish have a formidable schedule ahead of them, perhaps the toughest in all of college football. Notre Dame still has to go against three of the top four preseason teams, number one Southern California, number three Tennessee, and number four Michigan, the next team on the Irish schedule. In addition the Irish take on two other strong Big Ten programs in Purdue and Michigan State, along with always strong Pac Ten Stanford and the Big East's Syracuse Orangemen. It is a schedule that will reveal an unprepared squad or a team not ready emotionally to play.

Weis had Notre dame ready Saturday night and if the Irish can carryover the momentum to next week's battle with the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, then perhaps we too can get on the Charlie Weis bandwagon. Because the Irish do get both Tennessee and Southern Cal at home this season.

His career has begun like that of the famed Parseghian, but Weis has a long way to go to make the rest of this season match that of the first year of the legendary coach. However, Weis has one superb game down, a game that has the fans in South Bend drooling of the weeks ahead.

The New England Patriots recent professional success in the salary cap era has turned the heads of NFL officials everywhere. Now the business world has joined in to praise the Pats recent run of success.

Eliminating the idea that parity is a given under the current NFL rules, the Patriots have won consecutive Super Bowls and three in four years. In running roughshod over the parity notion the last two years, the Patriots have also had unheard of success during the NFL's regular season.

Though the Patriots have had numerous close games in recent years, especially in the playoffs, the team has put together consecutive regular seasons of 14 wins and just 2 losses. Such a regular season record was thought impossible in recent years, especially when most teams aspire to a 10 or 11 win season because that would be enough to solidify a team for a playoff berth.

All the Patriots success continues to bring the team the praise of everyone who follows the game. The team is now deemed the number one professional football franchise to play for, a fact that gives the team the option to often sign players at a lower salary than their competitors.

All that success has carried over to corporate America. Pats owner Bob Kraft was recently on the cover of Forbes magazine in recognition of the current status of the team. Kraft's Patriots are now one of three NFL teams worth more than a billion dollars, trailing only the net worth of the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, the club formerly known as America's team.

Kraft was singled out for his resurrection of the franchise he purchased in 1994. Kraft paid $172 million at the time for a team that was considering a move to St. Louis and playing in a shoddy Foxboro stadium. With the beautiful new home field and a list of people seeking season tickets thousands of names long, the turn around is incredible and the franchise is indeed amongst the best in professional sports.

In the same article, Forbes also ranked the NFL teams in an unusual way, the cost of the player salaries per win ratio. The figure is intended to determine which teams produce the best results per dollar spent on player salaries. Leading the way were the New England Patriots with a ratio of 218, a number more than twice the league average of 100.

The Forbes analysis is particularly interesting when comparing the football success of the Patriots to the current status of major league baseball. The top teams like the Yanks and Red Sox simply out spend their peers, leaving small market teams to struggle to assemble the talent necessary to win. In contrast, the Patriots win and they do so despite the economic challenges of the salary cap that has brought parity to the rest of the NFL.

With a revamped defense for 2005 and the loss of defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, the Pats are thought be many to be ripe for the picking in 2005. But under the business analysis that focuses on the ability to compete in the market, the Patriots currently have no peers.

Could that mean another run at the Super Bowl for the season ahead?

Curtis Martin has never received the accolades that accompanies the performances of a man with his skills.

When the talk turns to the greatest NFL running back of all time, many turn to Barry Sanders or Gale Sayers, two the shiftiest runners to ever take the field. Others like the durability of Emmit Smith or Walter Payton, two men with a combined 21 years of one thousand yard rushing seasons, the bench mark for running backs.

When the talk turns to the best in the game today, many point to Corey Dillon of the Pats, LaDainian Tomlinson of San Diego or Edgerin James of the Colts. Curtis Martin is often passed over when discussing either category, despite putting together some of the best stats the game has ever seen. In fact, he still is not considered the best back out of the University of Pittsburgh, a title reserved for the gifted Tony Dorsett.

But a year ago, in his tenth NFL season, Martin finally earned the first rushing title of his career, his 1,697 yards one better than Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks. The number was a career best for the ten year veteran, earning him some much deserved praise. Yet in winning the title and running for a career high, the 2004 season should not be mistaken for a break out year for the consistent and durable Martin.

Twice before, first in 1999 and then again in 2001, the Jets back had finished as the second best rusher in the league. And back in 1995, Martin's rookie season with the Patriots, the fleet-footed halfback finished third. As a foreshadowing of things to come, the two top rushers that year were none other than Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders.

Martin's 1,697 yards in 2004 also marked his fourth time topping the 1,400 yard plateau. And not only was the total yards in 2004 a career best, his 4.6 yards per carry topped that of his fine 2001 season, a year in which he went over 1,500 yards while averaging 4.5 yards per run.

But what most casual fans do not realize is that Martin has now run for more than a 1,000 yards for every one of his ten seasons in the league. Martin has more 1,000 yard seasons than the gifted Sayers and with ten, has as many as both Payton and Sanders. In fact the Jet back is now tied for second place all-time for 1,000 yard seasons. His ten straight seasons also ties him with Sanders and Payton for the second longest such streak in NFL history.

Only Emmitt Smith, with 11 straight seasons and 11 total seasons topping the thousand yard mark, is left for the Jets running back to challenge. From 1991 through 2001, the great Cowboy back set the standard, utilizing those 11 seasons as a catalyst to move to the top of the career rushing yardage list.

Martin's outstanding 2004 season has helped him climb into fourth place all time on the career yards gained as well. Now with 13,336 yards all time, Martin trails only the big three, Smith with 18,355 yards, Payton's 16, 726 and Sanders' 15,269 yards.

An 11th straight 1,000 yard season would put Martin in very rare company. Coming off the best season of his career and having just turned 32, one can't help but think Martin is definitely up for the challenge.

Either way, when mentioning the game's greatest running backs, it is high time folks mention Curtis Martin in the same breath as the more celebrated NFL running backs.

All the early season talk about the Yankees struggles has given way to a strong stretch run. Despite losing to the A's Saturday night in a game in which the Yanks used their 49th and 50th players of the season, tying the franchise record set in 1989, their superb August put the Bronx Bombers in position to challenge the Red Sox for the Division title as well as put them solidly in the hunt for the wild card slot.

Third baseman Alex Rodriguez has proven to everyone that he can play under the pressure of the New York media. With nearly 30 games to play, ARod has reached the 40 homer plateau for the seventh time in his career and the 100 RBI mark for the ninth time overall and the eighth year in succession. He has also played a stellar third base for the Yanks going 61 games without an error, the longest stretch by an AL third baseman since 1998, when Boston's John Valentin went 65 games. Like the Sox, the Yankees pitching continues to be an issue, but during their recent run the Bronx Bombers have just been outscoring their opponents.

The Cleveland Indians also put together a great August, going 19-8 for the month. Their strong performance moved the team back into contention for a playoff spot, with their 75 and 59 won-loss mark, as of Saturday morning, matching the Yanks, one game behind the wild card leader. However, unlike the Yanks who sit just 3.5 games behind the Red Sox, the Indians trail the Central Division leading White Sox by a nearly insurmountable 7.5 games, seemingly leaving Cleveland with only the wild card option.

Also unlike the Yankees, the Indians success has come from the pitching staff. Travis Hafner leads the team with just 22 home runs and 82 runs batted in, a far cry from ARod's 40 homer, 106 RBI mark for the Yanks. But with a starting rotation that consists of Kevin Millwood, C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook and Cliff Lee leading the way, the Indians have a team ERA of 3.81, fifth best in the American League. Throw in Bob Wickman's 35 saves out of the bullpen and Cleveland is a tough team to score upon. The Indians also have one of the best young managers in the game in Eric Wedge, a young man earning more respect with each passing season.

The two teams leading the wild card chase are the two on top of the Western Division, the revitalized Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels. At 76 wins and 58 losses, both stand one game up on the Yanks and Indians, leaving both Western Division teams with an excellent shot at the Division title and the wild card slot.

The A's lead the American League with a 3.55 team ERA but the Athletics may actually be the league's most balanced team. Though their batting average of .265 has them ninth in the league, they have scored 657 runs on the season, fourth best.

It has been deja vu all over again for the boy from Oakland. Year in and year out, the A's seem to get off to a very slow start and 2005 was no exception. Beginning the season with an OK month, a 12 win, 12 loss April, the A's followed that up with an absolutely miserable May. The team managed just 7 wins in 27 games and had two separate losing streaks of 8 games. In fact the Athletics had to win their final two games of the month just to get the seven victories.

But by July Oakland was getting it going and they closed the month winning 11 of 12. In August the team continued to roll, winning 17 of 28 games to final displace the Angels the top of the Division briefly.

On the other hand, Los Angeles has been steady throughout. They stood a game up on the A's for April, winning 13 of 24. Then the Angels started May with five straight wins and played solidly to go 17 and 11 for the entire month. At the end of May the they led Oakland by a whopping 10.5 games.

Los Angeles team ERA is a solid 3.64 for the season, good enough for fourth place in the American League. Bartolo Colon is having one of the best season's of his major league career and Francisco Rodriguez is among the game's elite out of the bullpen. In addition, the Angels have the powerful bat of Vladimir Guerrero who is having another strong season with 27 homers, 90 runs batted in, and a .314 batting average. Throw in the speed of second baseman Chone Figgins, with 48 steals leading him to a team best 90 runs scored, and the Angels can beat a team in every manner possible.

A few years ago, the move to three divisions and adding the wild card was done in an effort to maintain as much fan interest in baseball as possible as the season moved into September. With only the Chicago White Sox seemingly a shoo in to the playoffs, two division titles still fully on the line and a wild card fight that could include as many as five teams, the end of the season should bring out fans in droves.

Until recently, women fans of professional sports teams were somewhat left out of the merchandise marketing mix. For example, replica team jerseys are a big seller, but they used to come only in men's sizes. That meant that even the smallest sizes were usually way too big for average women. Plus, replica team jerseys often had a square, boxy cut that made them even roomier. This posed a problem for women who wanted to show support for their favorite teams. They either had to spend a lot of money only to get oversized jerseys, or they could just wear t-shirts or something similar.

These days, however, sports apparel makers such as Reebok and Majestic have realized that women can be every bit as fanatical about sports as men. These companies now know that women are willing to spend money on sports gear that is made specifically for them rather than for men. Take a look at sporting goods stores such as Finish Line or The Sports Authority (links on this page) and you'll see a whole line of women's apparel bearing professional team logos. You'll encounter the same thing in stadium stores and online outlets as well.

Reebok is the official merchandiser of NFL on-field gear. As such, they make all the replica team jerseys for fans, too. They have tapped into the women's market by offering team jerseys in women's sizes so that the numbers actually have meaning for us. I don't know about other women, but I never could decipher the men's jersey sizes, which came in sizes like 52, 54, etc. The women's NFL replica jerseys come in familiar sizes like 4/6, 8/10, and 12/14. These women's jerseys are also cut a lot smaller, which results in a better overall fit. They can actually accent your figure rather than make you look shapeless. Plus, these jerseys have all the same quality details that the men's jerseys have. Female fans of the NFL should definitely check into purchasing women's replica jerseys.

Majestic is to Major League Baseball jerseys what Reebok is to NFL jerseys. Majestic has also realized that women have different needs than men when it comes to clothing. You can get high-quality replica women's jerseys for your favorite baseball team also. As with the women's NFL jerseys, the women's baseball jerseys come in different sizes and different cuts than traditional men's jerseys.

I was surprised at how many of my friends (all of them are avid sports fans) didn't know about the availability of women's jerseys. They had pretty much resigned themselves to sporting men's jerseys at games. Now, however, they are all eager to get their hands on replica NFL jerseys before the season starts. They can't wait to show their hometown pride by wearing jerseys that will actually look good on them. And in case you were wondering, the women's versions cost the same as the men's jerseys. You won't have to pay anything extra just to get something that fits you, so go ahead and order your women's jersey today.

By now, nearly every high school and college across the country is in session. That means that along with homework and tests, there are a lot of sporting events to look forward to. Attending your school's home games is not only a great and often inexpensive way to socialize with your friends, it's also one of the best ways to show your school spirit. Yes, I know: there are many students out there, mostly in high school, who would much rather distance themselves from their schools than show unity. But take it from me: You need to attend at least one sporting event during your school career.

Of all the high school and college sports, football and basketball are the most popular. Since it's football season right now, that's the topic I'll limit this article to. High school football games are significant events in many parts of the country. This is particularly true in smaller town where there might not be a lot of other activities for residents to choose from, or in states such as Texas, where football is often called "a religion". If you've ever seen the movie Friday Night Lights, then you already know how seriously high school football is taken in these areas.

A lot of high school football games are played either on Friday night (hence the movie title) or on Saturday mornings. Tickets usually cost less than $5 for students, so this is a very cheap way to spend a couple of hours with your buddies. While you're at the game, you should definitely wear your school colors. If you have t-shirts, caps, hoodies, or jackets with your school's logo on them, then football games are the ideal place to wear them. But don't think you have to go out and spend a lot of money just gearing up for games. You'll be fine just wearing regular clothes in your school colors, or really, anything at all (it's just more fun to be part of that sea of orange and blue or whatever your school's colors are).

In many college towns, game day takes on the atmosphere of professional sports. From the huge stadiums that hold 60,000 screaming fans to the national TV coverage, you'll feel like you're at an NFL game rather than a college game. It's easy for college freshman to feel a bit lost during their first months at school, especially if they go to a large school with thousands of students. Going to a football game is one of the ways that you can quickly connect with your classmates and really gain a sense of belonging. Almost every school, especially the big-name sports schools, have football traditions associated with them, ranging from specific chants to standing for the entire game. Participating in these traditional activities is another great way to show your school spirit.

Your four years at high school or college will be over before you know it. Make the most of your time there by getting involved in school activities such as sporting events. You'll be glad you did!

September marks the end of the baseball season for most major league teams. Sure, there are still a few pennant races left and several teams are in the hunt for a wild card spot. But by and large, most seasons are already over even before the last game is played. For example, the Kansas City Royals are 31.5 games behind the wild card leaders in the American League, while the Colorado Rockies are 19.5 games behind in the National League.

So what is it that makes these teams keep trying for the last 30 games of the season? How do the games stay relatively competitive? What brings fans out to the ball park when their teams are all but mathematically eliminated? Well, there's professionalism for one thing. These athletes are being paid to play the game; it's their job. They don't get to quit just because things aren't going well. Then there's also pride. Each guy who is in the lineup has probably been a great player all his life. They've won at every level, from T-ball through Little League, high school, and now the majors. You don't just give up on winning and suddenly accept losing. Lots of these guys, even on the last place teams, are playing for pride. A third major reason that games remain competitive is that teams that are out of the playoff race usually start to call up minor leaguers to give them a tryout under actual game conditions. For most of these minor leaguers, its a dream come true to get out there on a big league field. They are going to do their best to show their managers that they deserve a spot on next year's team.

Take the Seattle Mariners, for instance. They are 18 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League wild card race, and there's clearly no way they are going to make a comeback. Their season is done. So they are giving a couple of young prospects some regular playing time. Due to an injury to regular second baseman Willie Bloomquist, 21-year-old Jose Lopez has been in the lineup and has had an opportunity to show what he can do. Lopez responded by hitting a home run in the Mariners' win over the Yankees on Thursday night.

The Mariners also made room on their roster for 19-year-old pitcher Felix Hernandez. The right-hander has been nothing short of brilliant in his 6 starts this season, despite what his 2-2 record might indicate. He has pitched 44 innings in those starts (a 7+ inning average) and has racked up 45 strikeouts and just 9 walks. He also has a stellar 1.84 ERA in those 6 games. It's no wonder that Seattle fans are excited about this guy. He has all the markings of the next big thing out there in the Pacific Northwest.

So even if your favorite team is no longer in the hunt for a playoff spot, there are still plenty of reasons to watch Major League Baseball in September. You just might be seeing the next superstar on his way up!