“It’s Closing Time”

On to the Southside:

The Red Sox wrapped up their final road trip of the year with four games on the Southside with the White Sox. Theoretically, they’re “still alive” in the playoff hunt though their chances of seeing the postseason are about as likely as hitting the lottery. Ozzie Guillen’s team is also playing out the string, though he’s never been the sort of manager who’d accept his players just going through the motions. The Sox will also get to see Manny Ramirez once more, but Manny failed to provide the punch that the White Sox had hoped for when they acquired him on waivers from LA in August. Since joining Chicago, he’s hitting .242, 1 HR, 2 RBI. It appears as if Kenny Williams rolled the dice on Manny and came up on the short end.

In the opener, Clay Buchholz (16-7, 2.39) started against veteran lefty Mark Buehrle (12-12, 4.27). The Sox put up a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the first as VMart singled, Beltre ripped a double off the wall in left and Ortiz followed with a double to right, scoring both runners. The Sox made it 3-0 in the third as Scutaro doubled, moved to third on McDonald’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Martinez’ sacrifice fly to center. The White Sox put runners in scoring position in the bottom half of the inning as Quentin walked leading off and Alexei Ramirez doubled. Buchholz was able to get out of trouble on a line out to left, a strike out and a grounder to second. Scutaro and McDonald opened the fifth with back-to-back singles, With one out, Beltre lined a base hit past the third baseman’s dive and Scutaro came in. The White Sox came up with a run in the bottom of the fifth when Pierzynski singled leading off, moved to second when Quentin was hit by a pitch, then both runners moved along on a wild pitch and rookie Brent Morel hit a sacrifice fly to left. Buehrle was finished after six and handed things over to Scott Linebrink. Scutaro was at it again in the seventh, hitting a long double to left that sailed over Pierre’s head. McDonald followed with his second sacrifice of the game and Martinez drove in Scutaro with a base hit to make it 5-1. In the ninth, Martinez singled and Beltre hit a long double to center, scoring Martinez with the sixth run. Buchholz left after eight innings and had a really good outing, scattering only five hits, striking out five while walking one. Atchison came on to mop up in the ninth, allowing only a single to Manny and getting out of the inning otherwise unscathed. The Yanks lost to Toronto, so they’ll have to postpone the “Red Sox Elimination Party” for at least another day…

In Tuesday night’s game, John Lackey (13-11, 4.51) faced the well-traveled Edwin Jackson (3-2, 3.18). Felipe Lopez started at second for the Sox but media reports indicate that he’ll be with the team until Sunday and will sign elsewhere next year as a “Type B” free agent and the Sox would pick up a supplemental first-round pick in next June’s amateur draft. Beltre led off the second with a double down the line in left and Jed Lowrie followed with a double to left that rolled all the way to the wall, giving the Sox an early 1-0 lead. JD Drew made it 2-0 with a solo shot to left that hit the padding at the top of the wall and took a big bounce into the empty seats. Martinez followed with a routine grounder to first that Konerko bumbled (E3) and scooted over to third on Ortiz’ base hit to right. Ortiz moved to second on a wild pitch and Beltre hit a long sacrifice fly to center that scored Martinez. In the bottom of the fourth, Manny walked and scored on Quentin’s homer to cut the lead to 3-2. But Ortiz hit a long solo homer to right and the Sox had a two-run lead again. Just about the time that Ortiz’ homer reached the seats, the finals came in from the Rays and the Yanks, and yes, they won, and yes, the Red Sox have been “mathematically eliminated”. The White Sox put runners on the corners to start the seventh when the manager came to retrieve the baseball from Lackey. Rich Hill entered in relief and gave up a single to Morel, scoring Quentin to make it 4-3. Rookie Chris Sale came on for the White Sox in the eighth and allowed a couple of singles, but no further damage was done. Bard came on to pitch in the bottom of the eighth and walked Manny leading off. Lillebridge ran for Manny and scored the tying run when Konerko doubled to right. Beckham ran for Konerko and moved to third on a ground out and then Alexei Ramirez walked with two outs. Bard came back to strike out Andruw Jones, but that walk to Manny was a killer. The White Sox ended up winning in the bottom of the ninth as Bowden came on to pitch and allowed an infield single to Pierre, who quickly stole second. With two outs and runners on second and third, the manager called on Matt Fox to retire Dayan Viciedo. Things didn’t go according to plan as Viciedo hit a line drive to left that Nava dove to catch, but he mistimed his leap and the ball fell in, scoring Pierre. And that was that. After 157 games, the Yanks and Rays finally celebrated eliminating the Sox.

On Wednesday night, Josh Beckett (6-5, 5.77) faced Freddy Garcia (11-6, 4.74) as the Sox tried to rebound from yet another disheartening loss. Carlos Quentin made a sensational diving catch off of Scutaro’s line drive to the gap in right-center to open the game. Big Papi tried to bunt his way aboard leading off the top of the second, but the ball bounced directly to Garcia. Everyone had a good laugh over the play. In the bottom of the second, Teahen walked with two outs and went to third on Kotsay’s base hit up the middle but Beckett came back to strike out Morel to avoid any further trouble. The Sox went up 1-0 in the fourth as Scutaro doubled leading off and scored on Big Papi’s two-out single to left. Pierzynski tied the score in the bottom of the fourth with a homer that barely made it over the wall in right, setting off the fireworks in the sky. For what? In the bottom of the fifth, Morel reached on an infield hit and then DeAza laid down a perfect drag bunt and reached. Beckett did run over to pick up the ball but fell while trying to toss it over to first. Pierre walked to load the bases but Beckett came back to strike out Vizquel and Lillebridge to end the inning. The White Sox started off the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back singles by Pierzynski and Alexei Ramirez. Teahen sacrificed both runners into scoring position, Kotsay was intentionally walked (a tactic that actually worked for a change) as Morel bounced into a 4-6-3 double play and Beckett got out of another jam (just barely, Morel nearly beat out the throw to first). Once again, the White Sox put their first two batters as DeAza and Pierre hit singles. Vizquel then lined a base hit up the middle and DeAza came in to give the White Sox a 2-1 lead. Lillebridge then hit a bunt out in front of the plate, Martinez picked up the ball but threw it about 20 feet over Lowell’s head and Pierre scored. Pierzynski was given a free pass and Alexei Ramirez singled into the hole in short, scoring Vizquel. That was the night for Beckett. Okajima entered in relief and Manny stepped up to pinch hit and…struck out looking. Lowell led off the eighth with a homer to left, which had to be a special moment, perhaps his final trot around the bases. Wake came on in the bottom of the eighth and allowed a run as Morel and DeAza singled and then Pierre hit into a double play with Morel coming in the back door, 5-2 Chicago. Matt Thornton retired the side in order in the ninth, and now there were only four days left.

Thursday night was the final road game of the year for the Sox and the opportunity for Jon Lester to win his 20th game of the season. Lester (19-8, 2.96) faced lefty John Danks (14-11, 3.74) and Scutaro greeted Danks with a base hit up the middle to open up the ballgame. McDonald then hit into a double play so the Sox had no luck there. Pierre singled leading off the bottom of the first and stole second with one out…and then stole third and scored on Andruw Jones’ single to left, With two outs in the second, Kalish and Hall walked, Kalish stole third and then Anderson hit a bullet down the third base line, Morel made a very nice backhanded stab and threw out Anderson by a step. The Sox went ahead 2-1 in the third as Scutaro ripped a double down the line in left and VMart followed with a long homer into the empty grandstands. The White Sox tied the score in the bottom half of the inning when Pierre singled, stole second and came in to score on Jones’ pop fly single to right, The roof caved in on Lester in the fourth as DeAza doubled with one out, Pierre and Alexei Ramirez walked with two outs and everybody came home when Konerko hit a grand slam to right center, 6-2 White Sox, Dayan Viciedo hit a two-run homer to right and Lester’s hope for 20 wins went down the drain. On that note, it was time for Lester to grab a seat. Robert Manuel (yet another in the Red Sox’ legion of 4-A relievers) came out of the bullpen to, maybe, record a couple of outs. Lester had another great year for the Sox and it was sad not to see him do well tonight, In the bottom of the sixth, a fortuity for the Red Sox as the lights went out throughout the park due to a power outage on the Southside (maybe it was from the power surge by the White Sox hitters), Power was eventually restored (boo!) but on a pain scale of 1-10, this game was a 14.

“Turn Out The Lights, The Party’s Over”

The curtain came down for the 2010 Red Sox with three games against the Yankees at Fenway. As usual, the Yanks are off to the postseason, what is left to be determined is whether they’ll go as AL East champs or wild card winners. Prior to the opener, the Sox announced that Adrian Beltre had left the team to join his wife on the West Coast where she is about to give birth to the couple’s third child. He won’t be back with the Red Sox next year, as his family is in California, he is a Boras client and he delivered on his one-year “make good” contract with Boston. He was a very good player for the Sox this year, and the fans will miss his play on the field and at the plate. His probable departure from the Sox (and who they’ll obtain to replace him) will be one of the big off-season story lines.

Still, it remains difficult to accept that baseball in Boston will end this weekend. Despite the fact that injuries and a bad bullpen doomed this team’s chances, the Red Sox remain an integral part of the lives of millions of New Englanders and when the autumn and winter arrive, the other sports that fill that portion of the calendar (while exciting in their own right) cannot take that daily place that baseball holds for those who love the game.

Friday night’s opener was delayed as the remnants of a tropical storm came up the East Coast and dumped an ungodly amount of rain in some parts of the mid-Atlantic. By the time the storm reached Boston, it was periodic heavy showers with some wind gusts. Were it not for the fact that this weekend’s series has playoff implications, the suits would’ve cancelled the game before the gates opened.

On with the show: After a rain delay of nearly three hours, Daisuke (9-6, 4.72) started against Andy Pettitte (11-3, 3.17)…but just before 10:00, the skies opened up again, the tarp was put back on the field and the three or four patrons who chose to remain continued to wait. At 10:35, the suits had decided enough was enough and rescheduled the game as part of a day/night doubleheader (4:00 & 9:15).

The combined times of Saturday’s doubleheader ran over eight hours, which was typical of Red Sox/Yankees’ games. Prior to the first game, Mike Lowell was honored by the team in a touching ceremony where he graciously thanked the organization Boston fans for supporting him during his time playing for the team. The guy was pure class, and it was sad to see him retire as an active player but injuries had really derailed his effectiveness in the last couple of years.

In the opener, Tim Wakefield (4-10, 5.20) in what may likely have been his final appearance in a Red Sox uniform got the call against Andy Pettitte (11-3, 3.17). The Sox grabbed an early two run lead in the bottom of the first when Lowell’s wall-ball double drove in Martinez and Ortiz. The Yanks came back to take a 3-2 lead in the third when Granderson tripled in Jeter and scored on A-Rod’s 6-3 grounder. Cano then hit one that curled around Pesky’s Pole to put the Yanks ahead. The Sox then tied the score when Lowell walked, moved to third on Hall’s pop single and scored on Nava’s base hit up the middle. The Yanks went back on top 5-3 in the fifth when Teixeira drove in Granderson with a double to the gap and scored on Cano’s ground-rule double.

In the bottom of the fifth, Lowell lined a base hit off the wall and was replaced by Lars Anderson to huge applause from the crowd. On his final day as a player, he reached base three times, drove in a pair of runs and scored once. It was a fitting manner to walk away. Wakefield was relieved after warming up to start the sixth and also received a tremendous ovation from the crowd. The Sox picked up another run in the sixth as Anderson walked, moved to third on Hall’s single and scored on a wild pitch by Joba Chamberlain. The Yanks sent Kerry Wood out to pitch the eighth and he promptly walked Lowrie, Martinez and Ortiz. Eric Patterson ran for Lowrie and scored the tying run on a wild pitch. The game went to extra innings where the Yanks scored the go-ahead run when Gardner walked leading off, moved to second on a bunt and scored on Jeter’s seeing eye single up the middle. Rivera entered in the bottom of the 10th and shut the door. The game ran 4:18 and the Red Sox struck out an incredible 18 times.

On to the nightcap. How the police and Fenway security cleaned out the crowd from the first game in less than an hour was an amazing feat, as the second game started at 9:15. Daisuke started against AJ Burnett, and Daisuke reverted to his maddening self right off the bat as Gardner singled, and then hit both Teixeira and Cano with pitches before walking Lance Berkman. In the bottom of the first, short-timer Felipe Lopez singled, moved to third on a wild pitch and came in on Lars Anderson’s single. The Yanks put up a pair of runs in the second as Cervelli walked and Gardner reached on an error by Lopez and then both came in to score on a ground out and sacrifice fly. Daisuke loaded the bases on walks in the fourth and Cervelli hit a sacrifice fly to give the Yanks a 4-1 lead, but Lopez hit a solo homer to right tighten things in the bottom half of the inning. The Sox picked up another run in the next inning when Nava doubled and scored when Reddick hit a routine grounder to third. Berkman flubbed the ball and his throw to Burnett covering was late. Nava kept running and Burnett’s throw to the plate was late. Daisuke was finished after six and the manager handed the ball to Oh No Atchison, who was able to get through the seventh reasonably unscathed. The Sox tied the game 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh when Kalish singled, stole second, moved to third on Cervelli’s throwing error and scored on Yamaico Navarro’s sacrifice fly. Atchison’s night came to an abrupt end in the eighth when Cano singled and Berkman was hit by a pitch. Okajima entered in relief and gave up a base hit to Cervelli, scoring Cano and then Berkman came in on a wild pitch. It was already Sunday morning by the bottom of the ninth when Lowrie walked, Kalish singled and Nava knocked in Lowrie with a base hit. Ortiz came on to pinch hit and walked to load the bases and then Kevin Cash worked an 11-pitch walk, bringing in Kalish with the tying run. By the bottom of the tenth, it was already well after 1:00 a.m. when Bill Hall led off with a double off the wall, moved to third on Cash’s sacrifice bunt and scored the winning run on Eric Patterson’s single up the middle.

The long-dreaded final day of the season had finally arrived. It was a sunny, cool afternoon and the only consolation left was the opportunity to knock the Yanks out of first place and into the Wild Card, where they’d have to start at Target Field against the Twins. On this day, John Lackey (13-11, 4.47) faced Dustin Moseley (4-3, 4.77). If the outcome of this game was of critical importance to the Yanks, Moseley would not have gotten the call. The only Red Sox “regulars” appearing in the lineup were Drew and Ortiz. In the bottom of the first, Eric Patterson walked and scored on Drew’s homer that landed in the bullpen. Nick Swisher cut the lead to 2-1 with a solo homer in the third and the Yanks tied it in the fourth when Drew flubbed Teixeira’s liner to right and scored on A-Rod’s base hit up the middle. The Sox went ahead for good in the bottom of the fifth when Patterson walked and came around on Lowrie’s homer near Pesky’s Pole. Swisher attempted a daring-do dive into the stands but the ball landed just beyond his reach. Swisher landed hard on the warning track and looked like he had the wind knocked out of him. The Sox broke the game wide open in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs and sealing the Yankees’ playoff fate. Ortiz led off with a bunt single down the third base line. Seems as if he was an unrelenting dog with a bone about reaching on a bunt since everyone had a big laugh over his last attempt in Chicago. Josh Reddick came on to run for Ortiz and Big Papi received a standing ovation (and a curtain call, no less). After a pitching change, Reddick moved to second on a wild pitch, and then Bill Hall walked. Kalish ripped a base hit up the middle and Kalish came in to make it 5-2. With one out, the Sox executed the double steal (something which occurs with less frequency than the appearance of Haley’s Comet) and Nava received a free pass to load the bases. Lars Anderson hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Hall and Kalish moved along. The Sox again worked the double steal as Nava broke for second, Kalish stole home to make it 7-2. Lowrie hit his second homer of the game in the bottom of the seventh to make it 8-2. Lackey left after seven and had one of his better outings of the year. Bard entered in the eighth and struggled, as Gardner doubled leading off and scored on Cano’s base hit up the middle. In the top of the ninth, Varitek was called back by the manager after having warmed up Papelbon. He left to the thunderous applause from the crowd and was mobbed by his teammates after returning to the dugout. His place in the Red Sox Hall of Fame is secure. Papelbon easily recorded the first two outs before running into trouble. Gardner reached on Patterson’s error and scored on Jeter’s single to right. After Teixeira walked, A-Rod grounded out to Hall at third and that was it, game over, season over. It was time for the late A. Bartlett Giamatti’s “Green Fields of the Mind” (we don’t hold it against him for being a Yale Man).

“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops… That is why it breaks my heart…because it was meant to, because it was meant to foster in me again the illusion that there was something abiding, some pattern and some impulse that could come together to make a reality that would resist the corrosion; and because, after it had fostered again that most hungered-for illusion, the game was meant to stop, and betray precisely what it promised… I am a simpler creature, tied to more primitive patterns and cycles. I need to think something lasts forever, and it might as well be that state of being that is a game; it might as well be that, in a green field, in the sun.”

Mr. Giamatti, I pray that you’ve found that place in the sun. Thank you.

On To The Pitch:

Wrexham Match 12 at Grimsby Town (9/28/10):

The Dragons’ unbeaten streak came to a halt on Tuesday evening as they lost 2-1 to Grimsby at Blundell Park. Grimsby, like Wrexham, is a recently relegated side that sits mid-table one point ahead of the Dragons. As dominant as Wrexham’s win against Histon on Saturday, the defense really struggled as Grimsby had 19 shots, with 10 on frame. Maxwell Christie had his hands (literally) full throughout the course of the match. Grimsby’s Steven Watt put the home side ahead in the 17th as Grimsby had generated a lot of pressure in Wrexham’s end from the outset. After Jay Harris was booked in the 24th, he was summarily yanked by the gaffer in favor of Nathaniel Knight-Percival. Moving into the second half, Andrew Morrell took a knock and was replaced by Adrian Cieslewicz. Curtis Obeng was booked in the 64th for beefing with the referee after a foul and Grimsby’s Alan Connell made it 2-0, when he took a ball in the box directly in front of Christie (where was the defense??) from Robert Eagle’s left wing cross and tucked it low left corner. Wrexham finally got on the board in stoppage time when Knight-Percival’s header from Obeng’s right wing cross beat Richard O’Donnell. Wrexham had one last gasp set piece to equalize, but it just wasn’t their night.

Wrexham Match 13 at Darlington (10/2/10):

The Dragons rebounded from their disappointing loss at Grimsby with a nice 1-0 victory over Darlington on Saturday afternoon at Balfour Webnet Darlington Arena. It was a closely contested match as Nathaniel Knight-Percival’s goal in the 87th was the difference maker. Maxwell Christie started in goal for Wrexham, but it was the Dragons’ offense that had the better of the early going. Gareth Taylor’s header in the 4th off of Dean Keates’ corner was smartly picked by former Dragons’ goalkeeper Sam Ian Russell. Darlington came right back a minute later as Gary’s Smith corner was snared by Christie. After Darlington put a couple of shots off frame, Knight-Percival drilled a header that missed wide left in the 34th. Christie was tested in the 39th when he made a nice catch of Alan Miller’s cross.

Moving into the second half, Darlington’s Liam Hatch popped a shot that Christie turned aside, and minutes later, grabbed Daniel Powell’s cross. In the 65th, Keates’ corner gave Russell some trouble but Aaron Brown was able to head the ball away. In the 74th, Darlington’s Daniel Powell put a shot on frame that Christie caught. A minute later, Knight-Percival shot from Keates’ corner went over the bar. Wrexham finally scored in the 87th as Knight-Percival’s header off of Curtis Obeng’s cross from inside the box went low left corner behind Russell. Darlington had a great chance to equalize late in the match as Joel Clarke put a shot on that Christie snared. But put that W in the column for the Dragons, as they’re now 5-3-5-20 and suddenly in the top five in the table.

Piacenza Match 7 vs. Siena (10/2/10):

The good news is that 0-5-1-1 biancorosssi didn’t lose. The bad news is they remain winless, as they played to a 2-2 draw with Padova on Saturday afternoon at the Garilli. Cesare Rickler Del Mare was booked in the 26th for tackling a Padova player breaking into the box. Davide Succi was given the honors and put Padova ahead 1-0. Moving into the second half, Padova’s Elia Legati received his second booking of the match when he dumped Daniele Cacia breaking with the ball toward the Padova goal. Cacia was awarded a penalty and tied the match in the 58th. Playing a man down, Padova scored the go-ahead goal on Succi’s strike in the 73rd but Piacenza used its man-advantage to ultimately wear down the visitors as Cacia equalized in the 87th. Let’s hope that getting Cacia untracked is a sign of good things to come. The Serie B calendar is still quite young.

New England Revolution Match 27 v. Real Salt Lake (10/2/10):

There were only three matches remaining after this one, in this most dreadful season of MLS East play for the Revs. Coming in at 7-14-5-26 (7th Place MLS East), it would’ve been nice to grab some points to leapfrog the expansion Philadelphia Union in the standings, but that didn’t happen as Alvaro Saborío’s 84th minute goal (coming just two minutes after Kenny Mansally equalized) gave RSL a 2-1 victory at Gillette. From the outset, Revs came out at a high tempo as they fired a ton of shots in the direction of Nick Rimando in RSL’s goal but the sides played a scoreless first half. Nat Borchers put RSL ahead with a goal in the 68th, and things looked great for the Revs in the moment Mansally equalized, but Saborio’s goal shortly thereafter was a microcosm of the season. RSL had only two shots on frame and both made their way behind Reis. This season can’t end soon enough for Coach Nicol (and he better not take the fall for the players’ terrible performances).

To The Gridiron:

Saskatchewan Roughriders Game 13 at Toronto Argonauts (10/2/10):

The 8-4-0 Riders completed the second leg of their eastern swing with a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Argos at f/k/a Skydome. The roof was closed with rain in the GTA but there was a large contingent dressed in green who traveled to support the Riders. The Argos entered this game at 6-6-0 (4-1 at home), with a decent shot at making the playoffs but were three games behind Montréal and any hopes of a first-place finish were wishful thinking. Their starting quarterback, Cleo Lemon, was out with a concussion and former Rider backup Dalton Bell was making his first professional start. For the Riders, Coach Miller chose to start veteran wideout Jason Clermont for the first time this year.

The Riders won the toss and Ryan Grice-Mullen returned the ball to the 35. The Riders quickly picked up a first down on a pass from Durant to Grice-Mullen. From midfield, Durant connected with Weston Dressler at the Argos’ 43. Two plays later, Durant found Clermont at the 33. Cates then ripped up the middle to the 21. The drive stalled there and Luca Congi banged in a 26-yard field goal to give the Riders an early 3-0 lead. The Argos started out their first drive near the 40. A second-and-1 rush attempt failed, but the Argos went for it and Cory Boyd ripped off left tackle for 48 yards down to the Riders’ 12. Boyd was the best friend of the late Kenny McKinley, the Broncos’ player who tragically passed away last week and had a heavy heart. On the play, Chris McKenzie was shaken up. On first down, Bell took it up the middle on the quarterback draw and dove into the end zone to give the Argos a 7-3 lead. Starting out at the 26, Durant moved the offense to the 40 on completions to Dressler and Fantuz. From there, the Argos’ McCullough was hit with a pass interference call that brought the ball to the Argos’ 38. On second down, Durant found Getzlaf at the 22. On the next play, Durant hit Fantuz at the 11 and, on the next play, Durant carried around left end for a touchdown and the Riders went back on top 10-7. On their next turn, the Argos made it to midfield on three runs by Boyd and a pass completion to James Robinson. From there, the Argos punted away and Jamie Boreham’s kick pinned the Riders back at the 5. Durant found Dressler on the right sideline at the 17. On the final play of the quarter, Durant hit Clermont on the right flat to the 23.

The Riders quickly moved the ball to midfield to open the quarter, but the Argos stopped Wes Cates’ rush up the middle and they had to punt away. Owens had a terrific punt return, taking the ball at his 15, breaking to the left and up the field for 35 yards. The Argos moved the ball deep into Riders’ territory on a series of pass of completions and a very nice run by Boyd. At the 21, Bell hit Andre Durie at the 10 for another first down. Bell tried two shots into the end zone that went incomplete, so Justin Medlock knocked in a chip shot to tie the score at 10. Grice-Mullen returned Boreham’s kickoff to the 41, setting up the Riders in good shape. Durant hit Rob Bagg on second down and Bagg moved the ball into Argos’ territory. On the next play, Durant took a tough hit by Pottinger on the blitz but completed a pass to Fantuz to the 38. On second-and-10, Durant carried on a quarterback draw down to the 25. Late in the quarter, the Riders pushed the ball to the Argos’ 15. Durant threw a perfectly timed pass to Getzlaf at the goal line on an “out” route for the touchdown. With Congi’s point after, the Riders went up 17-10. A personal foul penalty against the Riders’ Francis moved the ball to midfield. From there, Boyd carried three straight times down to the Riders’ 30. From there, Bell connected with Jermaine Copeland at the 17. Bell then carried on a draw to the 8. With one second left, the Argos elected to go for a field goal and Medlock banged in another chip shot to make it 17-13, Riders at the half.

As the second half opened, the Riders broke the game wide open when Durant connected with Andy Fantuz on a 66-yard touchdown pass to put the Riders ahead, 24-13. On the Riders next possession, Durant was sacked by the Argos’ Kevin Huntley and Eddie Johnson punted away. Boyd was able to push the ball near midfield on a pair of carries up the middle. Boyd was able to pick up a first down in Riders’ territory on a screen right. Bell successfully employed the screen to Durie at the 45. From there, Medlock hit a 52-yard field goal to make it 24-16. Chad Owens had another 35-yard punt return, giving the Argos the ball at the 50. From there, Copeland made a spectacular catch over the middle in triple coverage that was wiped out by a holding penalty. Another penalty against the Argos was declined and they punted away.

Moving into the fourth quarter, the Riders moved the ball to the 39. Durant hit Dressler at the 46 and then to Cates on the left at midfield. Durant was then sacked again by Huntley and followed with a pass that was nearly intercepted by Willie Middlebrooks and Johnson punted away. The Riders started out their next drive at midfield but went two n’ out as Durant threw two poor passes. Johnson’s punt went for 53 yards and Owens returned for 15. On third down, Boreham faked the punt and carried for a first down up to the 27. From there, Boyd carried off left tackle for 15 yards. On first down, Bell went back to pass and was flattened by Keith Shouligan. Bell fumbled and Marcus Adams scooped up the loose ball and rumbled down to the Argos’ 22. From the 15, the Riders settled for a field goal from Congi to make it 27-16. On the Argos next possession, Bell connected with Boyd in the flat and Boyd carried to midfield. Bell then attempted a quarterback draw and was flattened by Daniel Francis, forcing another punt. Grice-Mullen had a return of 30 but appeared to have suffered a hip injury when he leaped over Boreham. There is insufficient padding beneath the turf and concrete beneath. Durant found Fantuz over the middle at midfield but the Riders were about a foot short of the first down. Durant took it up the middle on a keeper for the first down. After a short gain, Johnson punted away and Owens returned to the 25 with 1:30 remaining. Durie gained 22 as the Riders were in a prevent formation. Omarr Morgan nearly intercepted Bell’s deep sideline pass at the 35. With less than a minute left on the clock, Boyd ran up the middle on third down but fell short of the first down. Durant took a knee and the Riders walked off with a very nice 27-16 win. At the end of the game, the 13th Man made a lot of noise for their Riders.

Harvard Crimson Game 3 at Lafayette (10/2/10):


10 Saturdays
10,000 Men
1 Team

The Crimson rebounded quite well from their dismal performance at Brown by soundly defeating Lafayette 35-10 at Fisher Stadium in Easton, PA on Saturday. Last year, the Leopards had the better of play, knocking off the Crimson 35-18, so the visitors were highly motivated to play well. Lafayette lost 36-33 in double overtime to Princeton the week before and were looking for their first victory in 2010. Andrew Hatch was injured and unavailable for this game, so Coach Murphy turned to third-string sophomore Colton Chapple to quarterback the team and Chapple remarkably managed the offense by relying heavily on the ground game and in particular, Gino Gordon and Treavor Scales. The Crimson scored on their opening drive as Chapple led the offense deep into Lafayette’s end of the field, where Gordon carried in from the 2. With Mothander’s point after, the Crimson went up 7-0. Moving into the second quarter, Kyle Juszczyk was on the receiving end of a 9-yard touchdown pass that capped off an eight-play, 68 yard drive. Late in the quarter, Scales carried in from the 8 to put the Crimson on top 21-0. Lafayette finally got on the board just before time expired in the first half when Rodriguez kicked a 45-yard field goal.

Midway through the third quarter, the Crimson faced a third and long at their 24. Chapple handed off the ball to Gordon, who carried up the middle and…just kept going, all the way to the house to make it 28-3. Coach Murphy began to replace the starters at that point and, late in the quarter, Rich Zajeski capped off a six play, 47-yard drive by banging in the ball from the 1. With Harvard on top 35-3 in the fourth quarter, it was garbage time. Late in the game, the Leopards scored their only touchdown of the afternoon when Andrew Shoop connected with Greg Kessel on an 18-yard pass play, and that’s how the game ended, 35-10 Harvard.

Illegitimum Non Carborundum.

Patriots at Miami (10/4/10):

Congratulations to the Pats for playing one of their best second halves of football in the Belichick Era. The special teams play (kickoff return for touchdown, two blocks) was really remarkable. The young defense still has issues but is growing into a more cohesive unit with each week. Chad Henne had a lousy game and the defense took advantage of his mistakes with three interceptions. The defense’s ability to stop the opposition on third down conversions still needs a lot of work. Tom Brady had a decent night as the offense really capitalized on the turnovers provided by the defense. All in all, it was a great night that closed the mouths of all of the doubters (including this address). We’ll be eating some serious crow on Friday with our Week 4 Review/Week 5 Preview. Stay tuned…

Boston Bruins - Off To Europe:

The Bruins made their way to Belfast on Wednesday night following a 4-1 lackluster defeat against the Capitals at the Garden. While in Belfast, they’ll play an exhibition game against a UK all-star team before moving on to Prague, where they will play one exhibition and then Phoenix in two games to open the regular season. Marc Savard did not make the trip and his return to the lineup has been indefinitely postponed.