Oakland Raiders Win In Kansas City

#20 Darren McFadden sprinting away from Chiefs defenders.

If ever there was a team of players waiting for their Coaches to catch on, that team is the 2012 Oakland Raiders. I was so frustrated in the play calling and execution during the Jaguars game in week 7, that I left the coliseum early. It had become too painful to watch the ineptness of good talent being wasted. Of course they won the game in overtime with a fumble recovery and Janowski kick, but I'm so damn tired of cheering for Janowski kicks all Sunday long.

This recent win in week 8 at Kansas City against the Chiefs saw the same through much of the game; defense doing a decent job while waiting for the running game to mesh and the receiving game to become more consistent. With the return of Denarius Moore from injury, our passing attack is beginning to look more dangerous. But even Moore, who had an early 38-yd romp after the catch, dropped a few that should've been caught.

Then just before halftime special teams recovered a muffed Chiefs punt and quarterback Carson Palmer found Moore in the back of the end zone for a 9-yd touchdown. Raiders 13, Chiefs 6.

The second half saw the no-huddle, a Darrius Heyward-Bey touchdown sprint and running back Darren McFadden breaking free and looking like his 2011 version self.

As stated earlier, I believe the players are waiting for the coaches to give them a gameplan with more meat to chew on.  Running McFadden straight into the line when everyone knows he's getting the ball just isn't working. Not with that O-Line.  Offensive Coordinator Greg Knapp is slowly realizing that. You don't have to abandon the running game, just the predictability of where your running and when.

Good news is that the Raiders are tied with the sinking Chargers for second in the division at 3-4, one game back of the Broncos.  The Raiders have not conceded the AFC West to Peyton Manning just yet.  And from the looks of it, the silver and black just might finish the first half of the season at .500 with plenty of football left to play.  Just Win Baby! Just Win.

Final Score
Raiders 26
Chiefs 16

Giants Win It All!

My San Francisco Giants are World Series Champions!

(Giants DH Ryan Theriot celebrates his game clinching run)

The Giants put on a National League baseball clinic against American League champion Detroit Tigers, sweeping them 4-0 in the 2012 World Series best of seven.  Giants pitching silenced the Tigers who had the annointed triple-crown holder Miguel Cabrera on their roster, as well as powerhouse hitting Prince Fielder. The old saying good pitching beats good hitting was truly being tested in this world series.  Guess what? The saying is true! 

 ( The Detroit News)

Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval, named WS MVP, smacked three home runs against the so-called best pitcher on the planet Justin Verlander in Game 1 to begin the sweep. Then Giants pitching and defense showed the Tigers and the sports world how to slay a baseball dragon;  douse him with water  to mute his big batting fire, then trample his tail with opportune hitting and running of bases.  Dragon down and no longer a threat.


Thanks to the fearless Giants manager and captain Bruce Bochy, the ship reached its destination and all on board are rejoicing with bubbly.

If you didn't see every game that showcased a different hero each night, then you really missed a once in a lifetime historic sports event.  You missed David slaying Goliath; Jack climbing the beanstalk and out-witting the Giant; The mighty casey swinging with redemption and Rocky being more man than Apollo Creed.

The San Francisco Giants are World Series Champions once again, and the Victory Parade begins this Wednesday at 11:00am.  Let's Do It Again!

Final
San Francisco 4
Detroit 3

World Series

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Tickets	Courtyard
Game 1	Detroit 3, San Francisco 8	Wed, Oct 24
Game 2	Detroit 0, San Francisco 2	Thu, Oct 25
Game 3	San Francisco 2, Detroit 0	Sat, Oct 27
Game 4	San Francisco 4, Detroit 3	Sun, Oct 28

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Tickets	Courtyard

THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!!! - Someone Tell ESPN

NL Series MVP Marco Scutaro

 

Yes Sports Fans, The San Francisco Giants have WON the National League Pennant by crushing the defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals 9-0 in game 7 of the NLCS. They did it with shutdown pitching, immaculate hitting, amazing defense and a home crowd roar that'll make Tony Tiger's "They'rrre Grrrreat" sound like a purr.

I was at the Oakland Raiders overtime victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars  yesterday and it was Extremely Loud. I watched the Giants/Cardinals tonight on television and it sounded louder than yesterday's Oakland coliseum, non-stop for nine innings of championship baseball. That's homefield advantage.

Giants fans should really take the next 48 hours to just sit back and enjoy this momentous sports accomplishment. Though you won't find too much written about it in the national media, or talked about on FOX Sports, you should know that the San Francisco Giants have added their name to the baseball history books by coming from 3-1 down in the NLCS, and 2-0 down in the NLDS. Nothing unusual for these Giants, they've been surprising us all season.

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Tickets	Courtyard
Game 1	St. Louis 6, San Francisco 4	Sun, Oct 14
Game 2	St. Louis 1, San Francisco 7	Mon, Oct 15
Game 3	San Francisco 1, St. Louis 3	Wed, Oct 17
Game 4	San Francisco 3, St. Louis 8	Thu, Oct 18
Game 5	San Francisco 5, St. Louis 0	Fri, Oct 19
Game 6	St. Louis 1, San Francisco 6	Sun, Oct 21
Game 7	St. Louis 0, San Francisco 9	Mon, Oct 22

Its been a season of overcoming setbacks and the Giants have somehow, someway been able to claw and scratch their way to the mountaintop of the National League.  They'll meet the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

Yes, ESPN, the San Francisco Giants are going where no Yankee will go this baseball season;
 

We're Going to The World Series!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hunter Pence Inspirational Speech

So we dug and dug and finally, some brave soul who was at the SF Giants daybreak meeting with a new Iphone 5 has released this hidden video taken of Giants outfielder Hunter Pence inspiring his  teammates to a do-or-die sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the Ohio Valley.

Hunter Pence Speech

Oakland A's Magic Dust Swept Away

The Oakland A's were in position to match their cross bay baseball brethren SF Giants in taking a game 5 to advance to a league championship series today. 

They had the homefield advantage with crazed fans cheering them on. They had a series full of comebacks and miraculous plays. They even had the other tenant of the Oakland Coliseum, the  Raiders football organization, ready to reschedule a game or more should championship or world series games conflict with the silver and black NFL schedule.

But it was all for naught as the Amazing A's of 2012 came crashing down to earth in a 6-0 series ending loss to the AL Central Division champion Detroit Tigers.

The A's have everything to be proud of in showing the baseball world what a bunch of guys who play for the love of the game and one another can achieve.  Expect them to be in the championship conversation again next season.

Congratulations Oakland A's on one helluva great season!

Win, Lose or Draw

Simply Magical!

Today the San Francisco Giants made baseball history and are going to the NL Championship Series after sweeping the Reds in Cincinnati with a 6-3 game 5 win.........We Believe II!

These are not our 2012 regular season Giants.  The team has taken that step that good teams must take to become great.  Maybe it was the Hunter Pence Knute Rockne-esque speech in the locker room before game 3. Or was it game 4.  Whenever the speech and whatever the talisman, let it be known throughout the playoff stage that the San Francisco Giants have caught fire and are scorching their way toward another championship.

And if Buster 'Freakin' Posey ain't named the NL MVP by the time this is all over, as Ricky Ricardo said to Lucy on many an occasion; Lucy, You Got Some Splainin To Do!

My Series MVP goes to manager Bruce Bochy.  He managed like there was no tomorrow. And being down two games, it seemed like tomorrow might not come.  But thanks to Boch and the boys, tomorrow not only will come but looks promising.  So Bochy, from the bottom of all us Giants fans tortured hearts, we thank you.  Now Go Get'em chief.

The Giants made all kinds of history by eliminating Cincinnati. Previously, all 21 teams winning the first two games in an NLDS since it was added to the postseason format in 1995 proceeded to capture the series. The Giants became the first club to buck this NL trend and did so with three consecutive road victories. San Francisco and Cincinnati joined Texas and Tampa Bay in 2010 by playing the only Division Series in which road teams won each game. The Giants also were the eighth team in either league to erase a 2-0 deficit and win a best-of-five postseason series. SFGiants.com 

Them Amazing A's of Oakland

Tonight the Bay Area is rockin' to a winning beat.  Earlier today the SF Giants won to force a game 5 against the Reds.  This evening the cross-bay Oakland A's scraped out three runs in the bottom of the ninth to reach a game 5 in their AL Division Series against the Detroit Tigers.

Led by rookie pitching and clutch late inning hitting, the A's on the brink of defeat simply rocked the bay and the Tigers.

There's something in the Northern California Air besides medicinal marijuana that's got baseball fans going wild; its the smell of victory in October. Not so for Detroit fans.

After finishing a chick-flick (The Vow) with my girl, I immediately tuned into the A's game in the bottom of the ninth to see the Green & Gold produce three amazing runs to win it 4-3 on a Coco Crisp base hit off Tigers ace closer Jose Valverde.  It is the fifteenth walk off win for the Amazing A's this season, most in the league. They did it in Oaktown, but I can hear A's fans celebrating in the streets and bars of San Francisco. Wow!

Seth Smith You Animal

So we baseball fans here in the Bizz-Ay should rest tonight in order not only to regain our vitality which was drained from watching our teams survive today, but to loyally cheer them on to victory in tomorrow's due-or-die showdowns.  It should be a damn holiday in the Bay.

 

LET'S GO OAK LAND ! ! ! ! LET'S GO OAK LAND ! ! ! ! LET'S GO OAK LAND ! ! ! !

Game	Matchup	Day	Date	Time ET	TV	Courtyard
Gm 1	OAK 1 @ DET 3	Sat	Oct. 6
Gm 2	OAK 4 @ DET 5	Sun	Oct. 7
Gm 3	DET 0 @ OAK 2	Tue	Oct. 9
Gm 4	DET 3 @ OAK 4	Wed	Oct. 10
Gm 5	DET @ OAK	Thu	Oct. 11	9:30 PM	TNT