The past week brought us big wins, heavy losses and still undecideds.
In politics, Hillary and Donald finished round one of their debates with both candidates throwing haymakers. Neither made great electorate gains, and unfortunately the night’s biggest loser was moderator Lester Holt who got roasted on social media for being MIA. Love is at a loss in Hollywood with the breakup of Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber’s and the Brangelina split. Most are not taking sides.
In the sports world, as great as the wins were, sadly, the losses were heavier.
National Football League (NFL)
Claps all around for William Stephen “Bill” Belichick. New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is the best in the business, and that’s not up for any debate. How is this for proof? First, QB Tom Brady is suspended, then backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo sprained his AC joint, but coach was not deterred. On Thursday Belichick mastermind a blowout victory over the Houston Texans 27-0 behind rookie third-string QB Jacoby Brissett. #Winning
Joining the Patriots as big winners and still undefeated squads are:
- The Philadelphia Eagles embarrassed the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-3. First year head coach Doug Pederson and rookie QB Carson Wentz continue to impress
- The Minnesota Vikings and their stifling defense handled the favored Carolina Panthers 22-10 in Charlotte
- The Baltimore Ravens continue finding ways to win. This week’s victim was the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars with a score of 22-10
- Defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos keep rolling along. They beat a quality Cincinnati Bengals squad 29-17
Hurricane Katrina, remember her? She is the one that ravaged the Gulf Coast and displaced the New Orleans Saints from their home field in 2005 for a year. Almost 10 years to the day, Monday night the Saints hosted the Atlanta Falcons in a rematch of the first home game the Saints played after returning home in 2006. The Falcons won this one 45-32.
College Football
The leader on campuses across America is #1 Alabama who flexed their muscle over Kent State 48-0.
Other strong winning performances were given by:
- #4 Michigan, who by the way scored 45+ points for the fourth straight game, crushed Penn State 49-10
- #11 Wisconsin went to East Lansing and destroyed #8 Michigan State 30-6
- #10 Texas A&M reminded fans that Alabama is not the only elite SEC team as they took down #17 Arkansas 45-24
- In front of 102,000 fans singing Rocky Top, #14 Tennessee overcame an 18-point deficit to drop #19 Florida and snap an 11-game losing streak to UF
Double loss…#18 LSU beat Auburn on the game’s final play, or so they thought. After review, the referees determined the clock had expired before the play and Auburn actually won the game. LSU, 2-2, fired coach Les Miles the next day.
The leader of the Heisman Trophy pack is still #3 Louisville’s Lamar Jackson who put up another ridiculous performance with seven touchdowns in an easy 59-28 victory over an outmatched Marshall team.
Big game alert for this weekend: Three outstanding top-10 matchups:
#7 Stanford at #10 Washington (Friday, 9:00pm ET)
#8 Wisconsin at #4 Michigan (Saturday, 3:30pm ET)
#3 Louisville at #5 Clemson (Saturday, 8:00pm ET)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Future NBA Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett announced his retirement last week. Garnett will be remembered for his intensity and famous “Anything is Possible!!!” declaration after winning the NBA title in 2008. Check out the Key & Peele spoof, too.
Golf
The golf world lost a legend in Arnold Palmer Sunday. “The King”, 87, transcended golf and was liked so much that they named a drink after him, The Arnold Palmer (½ lemonade, ½ iced tea). Enjoy ESPN’s tribute commercial.
Major League Baseball (MLB)
A tragic loss for the Miami Marlins, the MLB family and fans alike. Jose Fernandez, a Marlins star and one of the best pitchers in baseball died in a boating accident Sunday morning. The 24-year-old had an amazing story of perseverance that began with a successful defection from Cuba on his fourth try, and saving his mother from drowning on the voyage. Marlins players all wore #16 Fernandez jerseys honoring their teammate.
There is one week left in the grueling 162-game baseball season and the league is gearing up for the playoffs next week. Break out the Samuel Adams OctoberFest as the Boston Red Sox have won 11 games in row to clinch a playoff birth.
The Sox need one more win to join the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers as American League division winners.
Hollywood ending…after 67 years on the job, legendary Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Vin Scully called his last home game Sunday. Dodgers players showed their respect by removing their caps.
Remember at TINK Sports we watch the games so you don’t have to.
See you next time…
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