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Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Tough Saturday for college football fans in Florida. Miami, Florida State, and Florida all lost on the same day for the first time since Oct. 14, 1978. It doesn't quite compare to a first World Series win since 1918, but a significant event nonetheless. The biggest upset was North Carolina over 3rd ranked Miami; although North Carolina's win over 5th ranked Florida State was also major. The Florida Gators continued to slide, but their loss to 7th ranked Georgia wasn’t unexpected.

Oklahoma stayed undefeated by escaping with a 3 point win over Oklahoma State. Looks like USC and Oklahoma are on a crash course for the National Championship Game. USC shouldn't have any trouble with the rest of it's schedule and Oklahoma's toughest test is next week against Texas A&M. Although, if Auburn stays undefeated by beating Georgia and then Tennessee in the SEC Championship game, they may have enough quality wins to sneak into one of the top two spots in the BCS.

Who knows what will happen with the BCS? The only certainty is that there will be a disappointed team(s) if there are more than two undefeated teams. And it will stay that way until some kind of playoff scenario is implemented. I'll get into that later.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Boston Red Sox. World Series Champions.
How many people are relishing those words today? A phrase that couldn't be used since 1918. A lot of non-sports fans probably don't realize the magnitude of what this team did. They were only three outs away from being swept by the Yankees, but then something phenomenal happened. Boston decided to play ball. They won four straight against the Yankees, including two at Yankee Stadium. Then they disposed of St. Louis faster than Jennifer Lopez disposes of men, ending the postseason with eight straight wins.

Did anyone else get the idea that a team that took themselves more serious than the Red Sox could not have done this? A team full of enigmatic personalities, they were so reckless and carefree that they really didn't feel much pressure. They just wanted to have fun and play baseball. Nothing intimidated them. Not being down 3-0 in a series - a deficit no other team has come back against. Not Yankee Stadium and the shadows of 26 World Championships. Not St. Louis and the best record in baseball. Not the "Curse of the Bambino" and the fact that it's been 86 years since Boston was last crowned as champions. As long as there was another game to play, they were satisfied. Then they simply went out and won another game until they were World Series Champions.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Boston
Well, the World Series has been very anti-climactic after both of the League Championship Series went seven games. Boston keeps rolling along with a 4-1 win last night. The Cardinals offense just isn't getting it done. I was hoping to at least see an exciting series, but at least we won't have to hear about the curse anymore after this year. I heard of a t-shirt idea from a Boston fan: "Hey, Yankees, you've got A-Rod; we've got A-Ring."

It must be nice to be a New England sports fan these days, with the Red Sox on the verge of winning their first championship since medieval times and the Patriots now having won 21 straight games since last year. Does it get any better?

David Klingler
There’s a good article on the Christianity Today website about David Klingler, a former first round pick in the NFL draft. Klingler never really panned out in the NFL, due to injuries and other problems. But, unlike other athletes who have failed to live up to their potential (anyone remember Todd Marinovich?), Klingler wasn’t discouraged. He knew that it was his potential in God, not his potential in football that really mattered. “When things started to go bad, I didn't have a whole lot of my self-worth tied up in this football thing,” he said. "You see that with a lot of guys. Their identity comes from what they do.” Klingler knows that it's not what you do in life that matters; it's what you are.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

If you tried to email me over the past couple of days at bmcdonald@ninetyandnine.com and I didn't respond or you got an error message, please try again. We had some small technical difficulties which have since been worked out. Thanks!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

World Series
Looks like I could be way off on my World Series prediction (Cards in six). If you would've told me before the Series that Boston would make four errors in each of the first two games and still win both of them, I would've surmised that you were more a cross-stitcher and less a sports fan. Yet that's just what the Red Sox have done. Their defense has been nothing short of atrocious, but with timely hitting and a clutch pitching performance in Game two, they lead St. Louis two games to none. That clutch pitching performance belonged to Curt Schilling, who has made a fan of me by pitching with somewhat of a cross-stitched ankle this postseason. (Apparently a reporter heard a doctor say they "suture" his ankle, but I don't know what that means and have a sneaky suspicion that it's really a country in Africa and now doctors around the world are laughing at reporters using the word.)

NFL
The Kansas City Chiefs destroyed Mike Vick and the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 56-10. The Falcons, previously 5-1, proved my theory that they are a lot worse than their record. They had a fairly easy schedule starting off and could've been beat in 3 or 4 games. They need to try some "suturing" on their defense, as the Chiefs scored eight rushing touchdowns. On the opposite side, Kansas City is not nearly as bad as their 2-5 record suggests.

If you missed the Colts/Jaguars game, you missed a good one. Jacksonville won the game 27-24 on a field goal with 38 seconds left. Peyton Manning threw for his usual 2,930 yards, but Indianapolis' defense once again proved how inept they are. Jaguar quarterback Byron Leftwich had an awesome game, leading Jacksonville to another come-from-beind win. The second-year player looks like he's going to be good for a long time.

Zooked
Florida Gator coach Ron Zook really felt the heat today, as he was fired, effective at the end of the season. I actually feel sorry for Zook (as sorry as I can feel for anything affiliated with the Gators), having to follow Steve Spurrier. Spurrier was an offensive genius at the college level and there aren't many coaches out there who can replicate his success.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

College Football

I was expecting a relaxing night in Tiger Stadium last night. I figured watching LSU crush a hapless team would help cure the baseball blues. Well, there was no crushing and no hapless team to be found. LSU needed a late touchdown to get by Troy by a score of 24-20. (Yeah. Troy.) Turnovers at the quarterback position hurt the Tigers again, but at least they escaped with a win.

There was only one big upset yesterday and that was Mississippi State over Florida. The Bulldogs got their first SEC win of the season and only the second win of the year by beating Florida. I bet there are some people in Florida looking for Steve Spurrier’s phone number this week. The Gators haven’t been the same since he left and Ron Zook will feel even more heat after losing to Mississippi State. I, for one, don’t feel sorry for the Gators after suffering through the Spurrier-era dominance.

World Series

Boston -11
St. Louis - 9

Looks like we’re in for another exciting postseason series. St. Louis came back twice in this game, but Boston just kept on answering. The Red Sox won despite committing four errors. I still think the Cards have a good shot at winning the Series because they are more fundamentally sound than Boston. But Boston has home-field advantage and still has Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez yet to pitch.

Schilling pitched on a dislocated ankle in Game 6 of the ALCS. Boston’s team medical doctor basically came up with a new procedure to help Schilling. It still had to be painful, as he had to push off with the bad ankle in order to be able to pitch. After the game, Schilling, a Christian, talked about how God gave him strength.

"Seven years ago I became a Christian, and [Tuesday] God did something amazing for me," he said. "I tried to be as tough as I could and do it my way in Game 1 and I think we all saw how that turned out. I knew I wasn't going to be able to do this alone. And I prayed as hard as I could. I didn't pray to get a win or to make great pitches. I just prayed for the strength to go out there and compete, and [God] gave me that.”

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Well, the pain is beginning to subside. I get really into games as they’re happening, but I can’t stay depressed too long after the game if my team loses. Too much other good stuff in life to stay dejected over a game. Plus, I have to turn into a sweetheart since my girlfriend’s birthday is tomorrow. Do I hear an “awwww”?

The biggest college football game this weekend is Michigan at Purdue. Purdue suffered a heartbreaker last week against Wisconsin that ruined any chance of a National Championship. I thought they might be right there at the end, the way senior quarterback Kyle Orton started out the season. He had been terrific, but Wisconsin’s top-ranked defense shut him down. I think he rebounds and Purdue takes care of Michigan at home this weekend, but it should be a good game.

No telling what kind of influence this weekend’s games will have on the BCS. I heard that a Miami freshman failed a test this past week, and I think GPA is a factor this year. Ha.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Cardinals 5 – Astros 2

I died a slow, painful death tonight. The Astros held a 2-1 lead early in the game, but every inning they didn’t score, the game got longer and I got more nervous. I knew the Cards would break out sometime. That sometime happened to be the sixth inning. I could feel it coming. That cracking sound wasn’t just Scott Rolen hitting a two run homerun; it was my heart breaking. Roger Clemens pitched an excellent game up until then, but you can’t keep throwing Albert Pujols and Rolen fastballs. I’m not sure why Clemens didn’t give them more off-speed pitches, but he didn’t and it cost him.

Can’t put all the blame on Clemens, though. Two runs won't win many ball games. Credit the Cardinals pitchers and fielders for holding Houston to only three hits. Jim Edmonds kept two runs from crossing the plate by making an unbelievable diving catch in center field.

The Cardinals didn’t have the best record in the Major Leagues by accident. These guys flat out know how to play ball. They really don’t have a weak spot. They can pitch, field, play small ball or hit the ball out of the park. That’s why I’m predicting St. Louis over Boston in six games. No telling with this crazy postseason, though.

There is a bright side to the Astros losing. Well, maybe it’s a dimly lit side. At least I get to sit back and relax while watching the World Series. It’s a lot easier to see the game sitting on the couch than pacing back-and-forth from the living room to the kitchen.

Bring on football!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

New York and Boston

As much as I do not like the Yankees, you’ve got to feel for the fans today. After becoming the only team EVER to lose a series after going up 3-0, this is definitely the lowest point in Yankee history. And to lose to the Red Sox, their hated rival of so many years, has got to make it worse. Then I remember New York’s 26 World Championships and my sympathy subsides.

On the other side, if you’re a Red Sox fan, you’ve got to be in heaven right now. I bet productivity at work is down about 57% today in New England. I was talking to a couple of Sox fans before the playoffs and they told me that even if they won the World Series, it wouldn’t mean as much if they didn’t beat the Yankees to get there. Well, congratulations, boys, you’re a few wins away from a dream season.

Houston and St. Louis

For all of you outside the Central Time Zone, there’s another pretty good series going on. I’ve heard this called the “off-broadway” series, but it deserves to be showcased. The Astros and Cardinals are playing baseball the way it was meant to be played. After Jim Edmonds delivered the second in-a-row walk-off home run of the series, it comes down to Game 7. With Clemens on the mound for Houston, I’d say it’s going to be another toss up. It pretty much boils down to Carlos Beltran versus Albert Pujols. The pitchers just cannot get these guys out!

Speaking of Beltran, I read this article on the Astros’ website a while back about his Christianity. With all the steroid and drug talk today in professional sports, it’s good to know that there are still some men out there who stay clean and focused on God.

I’ve followed the Astros since I was old enough to have a favorite team and the run by this year’s team has been nothing short of unbelievable. I feel like I grew up with Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, and the way they have played their whole careers, they deserve to play in a World Series.

That’s why this Game 7 tonight has my stomach in knots already! This may be their last chance to get this far. I think I’m more nervous for this game than I was for LSU’s National Championship game.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to keep sports in perspective, but it’s important for us to do that. Here’s a great quote by Cardinal’s reliever Jason Isringhausen . You can read the entire article here.

"Man, does it have to be this tough? I'm sleeping two hours a night. You get so wrapped up in it, you have to look for ways to put it in perspective. So I think about those kids over there in Iraq, getting shot at every day. Then I think: 'And I'm nervous?' How nervous are they? That's the only way I can keep my head straight."

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Bradley McDonald. I’m 26 years old. I graduated from LSU in 2001 and I have been working as a Software Developer ever since. I have no qualifications to write about sports, except that I like to write and I like sports. I was born an LSU fan (that’s the way it happens in south Louisiana) and I developed a crush on the Astros as soon as I started playing baseball. That crush has since turned into love (more on that later).

Thanks to everyone at 90&9 who helped get this started. This blog was born when I mentioned the silly idea to Kent that we should do some sports-related articles here. So, here I am, armed with nothing but opinions, a bit of sports knowledge, and a preference for seeing the humorous side of life. Hope you enjoy it.

If you agree or disagree with me, or just want to talk sports, feel free to email me at bmcdonald@ninetyandnine.com.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Hello, folks. Thanks for joining me today. We’re going to talk sports here, have a little fun, and try to look at things from a Christian’s perspective. Let’s get right into it.

How about the MLB playoffs this year? Even if you’re just a casual fan, you’ve got to be enjoying this postseason. After each winning three games in a row, Houston and Boston have turned lopsided series into one of the most exciting postseasons ever. Every game has me on the edge of my seat (or pacing around nervously - I’m an Astros fan), expecting something incredible to happen and I haven’t been disappointed.

As I watch the games, it’s interesting to observe the fans and try to figure out what they’re thinking.

Houston – “Boy, these playoff things are fun! I sure hope we keep winning. That new guy in center field is pretty good, but I wonder why Nolan Ryan isn’t pitching. He’s what? Oh. Yeah – I meant that Clemens guy. Of course.”

St. Louis – “Why are we still playing around with the Astros? I know they’re hot, but we’ve got a team batting average of .278 and a team ERA of 3.75 and ALBERT PUJOLS. We HAVE to play in the World Series.”

New York – “I’m not worried about Boston. Look at all those championship banners. We are THE YANKEES. They’ll end up choking sometime. We’re going to Game 7? Oh, well, even if we lose, I’ve got better things to do.”

Boston – “OH, MAN, WE NEED THIS!!! Maybe if I sacrifice my wife and firstborn, the curse will be over. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, WIN!!”