With the number of baseball games remaining in the year at a maximum of ten, let's go around the horn while that expression still has relevance.

For a few days, the American League Can Sleep.
While we're on the subject of baseball, I must say it's uncanny how the World Series-bound White Sox took advantage of just about every break that they got, whether perceived as legitimate or not. Of course, it's unlikely that the ending to Game 2 will be forgotten any time soon. However, what gets lost in the discussion about the dropped third-strike call is the fact that Chicago (on Joe Crede's game-winning double to left) actually got an extra-base hit after they were awarded a baserunner with two out, just their third of the game. It's certainly less contentious to discuss yesterday's game, in which Angel reliever Kelvim Escobar tagged White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski without the ball in his hand, and the initial 'out' call was changed to 'safe.' Still, did anyone else notice that first baseman Darin Erstad actually came off the bag after seeing the 'out' sign, making him unable to recover when Escobar tossed him the ball anyway? Like clockwork, the Sox continued the inning.

This may be the Senior Circuit, but it's not for the faint of heart.
I'm still replaying the last at-bat of National League Championship Series Game 4 in my mind. Longtime St. Louis Cardinals pinch-hitter John Mabry is at the dish. He has taken the first two pitches for strikes. Albert Pujols and Larry Walker have already singled to begin the inning against Houston Astros fireballer Brad Lidge, but Reggie Sanders hits a weak grounder that gets Pujols thrown out at the plate. With runners once again at the corners and one man down, Mabry hits a weak grounder to second. That's a run, I tell myself, as Reggie Sanders attempts to take out shortstop Adam Everett at second base. A lightning-quick moment later, Mabry is called out at first to complete the double play. Mabry looks incredulous, and it seems impossible that second baseman Eric Bruntlett and Everett could have pulled it off. On replay, I'm convinced that the call was correct. In the postgame interviews, catcher Brad Ausmus admitted he was surprised to see even Lidge escape that kind of a jam to take a 3-1 series lead.

This just in: people hate the Bowl Championship Series.
I'll be the first to admit that the BCS has wronged me in the recent past. A few last-second changes of heart (mostly by Texas voters) gave the Longhorns a spot in the Rose Bowl over my Cal Golden Bears in 2004 (in my senior year, no less). What's more, I was there in person with a 20-strong contingent from the band to watch Cal's final regular season game against Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Cal got a scare in that contest, but managed to finish strongly enough to likely cement its chances for a BCS bowl. So forgive me if I'm not crying about Notre Dame's position in the preliminary poll like ESPN's Pat Forde.

Thanks to the resurgent Rangers, I look forward to hockey games more than football.
If I still sound euphoric from the events of Saturday night, please understand. The New York hockey Rangers have not made the playoffs since 1997, and it's hard to remember seeing Garden fans as excited as they were on this night. It helped that New York played Atlanta, who is missing injured starting goalie Mike Dunham and lost to Toronto 9-1 the night before. However, fans in Manhattan will take optimism where they can find it, and their 5-1 win featured two quick second period goals, a curtain call for young netminder Henrik Lundqvist, and a standing ovation at the beginning of the second intermission. Considering the Rangers' first-place division standing after six games, I'm hoping the derisive jokes are over.

The Patriots and Dolphins may have lost, but RB Willis McGahee and Buffalo's win at the Meadowlands leaves the depleted Jets a 2-4 team. Meanwhile, the Giants played terrible football, but Eli Manning gave the team a second chance to defeat the Cowboys before succumbing in overtime on the most paranoia-inducing play in sports: a game-winning field goal by Jose Cortez. As far as college goes, I'm still a little haunted by the fact that referees did not realize that Oregon State RB Yvenson Bernard stepped out of bounds on a critical third down play in the fourth quarter at Cal. The ensuing touchdown and continued miscues by usually solid QB Joseph Ayoob spelled a second near-miss for the Bears.

Goodbye to two very different guys, both of whom I remember fondly.
In a way, I feel terrible for Allan Houston. Sure, he gets paid an immense sum over the next two season for not playing a minute. From following the Knicks, though, I know for a fact that the guy loves to play, make the big shots, be a team leader. Now that he has finally concluded that his knees are too weak for him to ever play at the top level again, I'm reminded of his game winning shot off the glass in New York's Game 5 win against Miami in 1999. God, that was a fun rivalry. There's no question that former New York GM Scott Layden made a mistake giving Houston a long term deal for so much money in hindsight, but I hope he enjoys his retirement.

Brett Hull may have been less of a model citizen than that of the eloquent, charitable Houston, but he was always entertaining on and off the ice. The fact that I'm praising a guy who never even played for my favorite team should be enough to prove that. Still, Hull was the face of the St. Louis Blues team I remember watching for several years before he departed for Dallas and won a Stanley Cup. Finishing with a career total of 1391 career points, the fact that Hull exceeded the reputation of his father Bobby is remarkable in and of itself. To a consummate puck handler and skilled sniper, farewell.

Finally, this is why two out-of-sync TVs should never be tuned to the same program:
Me (upstairs): There's no way the clock should still be running.
Dad (first floor): Oh wow, Notre Dame won?
Me: Charlie Weis and the band are out on the field!
Dad: This can't be over..
Me: OK, seven seconds left. And USC is going to spike it?
Dad: What are they calling?
Me: Oh geez, they're going for it!
Dad: They're not going to stop the clock..
Me: Ballgame, that's a touchdown.
Dad: Can you believe this? Hey, Alexander, SC just scored!

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