Sports ...

Hey, here's a question? Why do we have a playoff system which lets a team get to the playoffs when there are seven teams better in the league? Not a rhetorical question - NL standings 30 August '05. This year, not much (if any) better: World Champions were fifth in their league!!!! I hate the playoffs anyway, but couldn't we at least take the four best teams?

And there are other sports out there, as well!

Peyton Manning

is a god

Pat Summitt

even more so

UT Lady Vols Basketball	Washington Mystics	Atlanta Braves	Baltimore Orioles	Tennessee Smokies	Montreal Alouettes
UT Lady Volunteer Basketball My first love! Pat Summitt's ladies have won the Championship six times. In the Championship game nine times. The Final Four seventeen times, twenty-one for the Elite Eight. Been in the Sweet Sixteen twenty-five times - that's every year since there's been one. No Tennessee player has ever graduated (and they all graduate) without going to the Final Four at least once. Ever. Oh yes... Pat has more wins than any other coach. Any other coach. The season is over and the Lady Vols are currently ranked #2 in the nation, #1 in the conference (which they won) and #1 seed in their region: Here's the schedule, with pre-season standings (just take a look at those out-of-conference teams!): (bold face indicates an SEC team) [preseason: USA Senior National Team (L), Carson-Newman (W)] UT-Chattanooga (W), Oklahoma (W), Texas (W), West Virginia(W), Louisiana Tech (W), North Carolina (W), Old Dominion(W), Middle Tennessee (W), Gonzaga (W), UCLA (W), Stanford (L OT), DePaul (W), Notre Dame (W), Auburn (W), South Carolina (W) Kentucky (W), Vanderbilt (W), Arkansas (W), Duke (W), Ole Miss (W), Kentucky (W), Mississippi State (W), Rutgers (W), LSU (L), Vanderbilt (W). Alabama (W), Mississippi State (W), Florida (W), Georgia (W) Then it's the SEC Tournament (starts March 2) - and then - NCAAs! The NCAA Tournament, and UT is seeded number one in their region. They cruise through the first couple of rounds - first, Oral Roberts, and then Purdue, who they beat for (a) Pat's 100th tournament win and (b) more importantly, an unbroken string of Sweet Sixteen appearances. That game was against Notre Dame, whose coach still hasn't managed to beat the Vols. Then on to the Elite Eight against Texas A&M to get into the Final Four. In that game they managed to survive Candace Parker's two shoulder separations (read the game here) to advance. In the Final Four they face LSU for the right to play for the National Championship against either Stanford or UConn. Next game: April 6
Washington Mystics Women playing basketball professionally? In America? It's about time! The Mystics are more or less my default team, since I live here, but I enjoy watching them play. Go Mystics! Things didn't change - the Mystics finished as they started, in 4th place, right in the middle of the conference. They played better than 500, though (and were well ahead of the Liberty - and would have been higher in the West) and went to the playoffs. Next year, a little better! Next game: Next Year Won Lost Pct Games Back 18 16 .529 8 Next year in Washington!
Atlanta Braves I was a Braves fan back when hardly anybody was. I remember going to Fulton County for a weekend series with the Dodgers, less than 3000 people in the stands. I remember falling in love with Knucksie. I remember Dale Murphy and Glen Hubbard and Bruce Benedict... Now they're all winning and wonderful, but a teeny part of me liked it better back then. Only a teeny part, though! In the words of the immortal Earl Weaver: "This isn't football. We do this every day." So I'll keep a running tally here, but will only post if something major happens. Like: The Mets could keep it up, but it didn't matter. 97-65, .599. Not in the Series... Every year I get less interested... I'm angry and sad about that, but it's a fact. This year, at any rate, I was totally uninterested, as the Braves - for the first time in well over a decade, didn't make it to the playoffs to get eliminated. In fact, they didn't even play .500 ball... How the mighty are fallen. Things must be better next year, but I don't know how up-to-date this page will stay. Won Lost Pct Games Back 79 83 .488 18 So: Next Year In Atlanta!
Baltimore Orioles I never paid any attention to the American League till I came to Maryland. Then the Orioles sucked me in... it was 1983, a very good year indeed for the Birds. Since then, they've had their ups and downs, but you gotta love 'em. They're still a scrappy working man's team, though that's changing, and they play in an absolute gem of a ballpark. And then there was Cal.... But again ... the Yankees - tied with the Mets for best record in baseball at 97-65, .599. Not in the Series. In the words of the immortal Earl Weaver: "This isn't football. We do this every day." So I'll keep a running tally here, but will only post if something major happens. The Orioles finished in fourth place, too, and ended with a worse record than the Braves (they still beat Tampa Bay, but really... who couldn't? Though the Royals gave it their best shot, .383, they couldn't fall to the Rays' .377... We used to say "The great thing about baseball is - the best team will lose 60 and the worst team win that many." Between them, KC and TB pushed the envelope on that saying, which isn't anything like as bad as the World Champions only winning 83. Ah well. Won Lost Pct Games Back 70 92 .377 36 So... This year in Baltimore!
The Tennessee Smokies now the Chicago Cubs' AA Farm Club. Yes, they've changed again... after 23 years with the Blue Jays, a period which followed 8 years with the White Sox, the Smokies have been changing every couple of years. We'll see how long this Cubs thing lasts... at least the bear matches! But the major league club isn't the main thing - this is minor league ball. It's different. No, there really is something about minor league ball. I'm not going to get all teary and nostalgic and claim these guys are like the big-leaguers used to be, 'cause I don't believe that's true. But, I am going to say, there's something about a small, exquisite ballyard in the mountains, with a small but fanatical home-town crowd ... If you can get up to Sevierville, or any minor league park, you should. It's a whole 'nother experience! The season starts in the spring... Won Lost Pct Games Back         You can listen to all their games at Smokies Baseball.Com. For tickets call 865-286-2300.
The Montreal Alouettes / Les Alouettes de Montréal Gone north but not forgotten... even if the Ravens did win the Super Bowl this year, I still prefer these guys. Canadian football is faster, with fewer of those "committee meetings" and more excitement ... and anyway, how can you love the NFL? By the way ... the Alouettes used to play in Baltimore (where they were the Stallions), and they played for the Grey Cup in '94, and won it in '95 ... before the NFL drove the CFL back north of the border with its expansion/movements and the foul Ravens came to Baltimore. The Alouettes have won their 14th Division title with a 24-20 win over the Argonauts on Oct. 28. The play the Argonauts again on Nov 12 in the Eastern Division, and a win will give Alouettes their fourth Grey Cup berth in five years, the fifth time in seven seasons. These two teams tied for the season, with the Als edging the Argos in division play, 8-2 against 6-4. Neither has a record quite as good as BC's 13-5, but when it's down to one game, anything can happen. But, of course - we know what happened. Congrats to the Lions. They outplayed the Als from the beginning. Paul McCallum tied a Grey Cup record with six field goals as BC went on to win their 5th Grey Cup in the team's 52-year history. The Als struggled offensively, with fumbles and interceptions by Calvillo, and although they held the Lions to one touchdown, McCallum's golden night was too much. Scott Flory was again selected to the CFL All-Star Team. The 2003, 2005 and 2006 East Division Most Outstanding Lineman, Scott Flory has become the leader of Montreal’s offensive line. Flory was previously a CFL All-Star in 2002, 2003 and 2005, and an East Division All-Star in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Als' quarterback Anthony Calvillo will be playing in his 17th career post-season game, including four Grey Cups (and aiming for five). He earned his fifth East Division All-Star selection this season, passing for 4,714 yards and 20 touchdowns. Note: as in hockey, wins are worth 2 pts, and over-time losses (otl) are worth 1 Won Lost Tie OTL Points 1o 8 0 0 20 Next game: Next year Passion. Pouvoir. Fierté. Nos Alouettes! Pride. Passion. Power. Our Alouettes! This year in Montreal! Cette année à Montréal!