Baseball Season....Over

Above, see the coolest sports moment of the year. Sure, the 4 ½ hour games are a beating, but in the end the winning team piles on itself on the pitcher’s mound and this constitutes the coolest moment of the year.

White Sox complete the sweep …

The Sox snapped the second-longest World Series drought in history. The longest dry spell, 97 years, belongs to the Cubs, followed by Cleveland at 57.

The Sox finished the season with an eight-game winning streak and with 16 wins in their final 17 games dating back to the regular season. They also won their final 11 road games.

Their 11-1 mark is the second-best postseason mark. Only the 1976 Cincinnati Reds team that manager Ozzie Guillen idolized as a kid in his native Venezuela won all seven postseason games.

This also marked the 19th time a team swept a Series opponent.

Houston enjoyed its first taste of the series …

There's only one storybook finish per season, and this one belongs to the Chicago White Sox, who completed a four-game sweep of the 2005 World Series by defeating the Astros 1-0 Wednesday in front of 42,936 at Minute Maid Park.

Once it ended, the Astros returned to their clubhouse and listened to a brief talk by manager Phil Garner. And then they were left alone — unfulfilled, disappointed, emotional.

That's when Mike Lamb — or someone — suggested they return to the field where they'd accomplished so much, where they'd had so many moments of joy.

First it was Lamb, then others, one by one, trudging back down the hallway outside the home clubhouse. They stepped onto the field, and as the White Sox celebrated behind them, they turned and began to greet and thank the fans behind their dugout.

Years from now, this may be one of the moments they remember. They'll remember how they captivated a city for a few weeks. They'll remember how they gathered themselves from a 15-30 start, how they became close and how they made themselves into a team.

They believed when almost no one else did.

Rick Telander on 88 years being swept away …



Sharks 5, Stars 4 …Stars blow a bad one here. They lead entering the 3rd period, but end up stuck in their own end, with ill-advised penalties being taken. Turco did everything he could do to keep the lead alive, but Marco Sturm tied it with :19 to play in regulation. Then, in overtime, the Stars had a goal disallowed, and then decided to have both defensemen pinch in, allowing a big rebound and a breakaway the entire length of the ice for Patrick Marleau. Not a good idea. Ballgame.

"It's frustrating," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "They're division games, and there's no excuse to give away games like that."

The Stars went into a shell in the third period and relied mostly on goalie Marty Turco to preserve the win. He was doing just that, helping kill off two power plays and holding the Sharks scoreless on 17 shots. However, Brenden Morrow took a high-sticking penalty with 38 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Sharks pulled goalie Nolan Schaefer and brought out the extra skater for a 6-on-4 power play.
Turco stopped a shot from Scott Thornton, but the rebound flipped off to Marco Sturm, who was wide open on the right side of the net. Sturm buried the puck with 19.9 seconds remaining, and the game went to overtime.

Something isn’t right about the Stars right now. They just look like they are headed for a season of disappointment. I think I may be over-reacting, but I honestly tell you I don’t like how this thing feels. There are some kids that are playing well like Jussi Jokinen and Trevor Daley, but otherwise, the youth is not making much of an impact. The veterans are not carrying the mail every night (go figure: your star players are all 35 years old) so they need the heavy lifting done elsewhere sometimes. But more than anything, they need to be smarter. Last night, Jason Arnott and Brenden Morrow both took bad penalties in the 3rd period, and Sergei Zubov made two critical defensive errors which led directly to two San Jose goals, including the game-winner.

One good thing about Thursday: The Jimmy Burch Big 12 Insider …

For the first time since 1961, neither Oklahoma (4-3, 3-1 in Big 12) nor Nebraska (5-2, 2-2) is ranked heading into Saturday's 11 a.m. meeting of the longtime rivals. But the contest remains "huge," Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said.

"Both teams not being ranked, I don't think that factors into how the kids are preparing for this game," Callahan said. "It's a huge, huge game. We're both battling [for bowl berths and division titles]."

A historic footnote: The 1961 season marked the last time that both schools posted nonwinning records in the same season. Nebraska finished 3-6-1. Oklahoma was 5-5. It also stands as the last season when neither school advanced to a bowl game.

That is quite a stat.

Gina Miller from Ch 8 to Ch 11 …

The staff changes continue at KTVT/Ch. 11, and this time it was costly for another area station. Gina Miller is leaving WFAA/Ch. 8 to join Ch. 11 and do feature stories and work on Cowboys and Mavericks pregame and postgame coverage.
"Gina will be on the air Sunday with our Cowboys coverage," said Babe Laufenberg, Channel 11 sports anchor.

Derek Harper is continuing rehearsals to be the weekend sports anchor, and Laufenberg said the former Maverick will likely move into the role "in the next couple of weeks."

Miller and Harper will work together on Mavericks telecasts.

Harper will remain an analyst on the Mavericks' shows.

Continuing rehearsals??? Never heard of that in sports television, but ok.

Stackhouse’s knee is already a concern …

From Easterbrook yesterday:

Of the top 10 teams in turnover differential, Buffalo is the only one with a losing record; of the bottom 10 teams in turnover differential, Washington is the only one with a winning record.

Don’t believe him? Check for yourself here …

Week 7 Turnovers
KC +1, Ind E, Min -1, Phil +1, StL +1, Wash +2, Det +2, Pit E, Sea -1, Arz +2, Chi E, NYG -1, Oak E, Atl +1

Week 7 totals: 7-3-4 70%
Season totals: 64-21-17 75% (lowest numbers in years)

Records for teams that finish:

+5 = 8-0 100%
+4 = 5-0 100%
+3 = 9-1 90%
+2 = 16-5 76%
+1 = 26-15 63%

Dallas’ results:

W - SD +1
L - Was +2
W - SF E
L - Oak -1
W - Phi -1
W – NYG E
L – Sea +1

Cowboys + = 1-2
Cowboys E = 2-0
Cowboys - = 1-1


Week 7 100 yard rushers
Ind W, Wash W, Clev L, Pit W, Chi W, Den L, Oak W, Atl W

Week 7 record for teams with 100 yard rushers: 6-2
Season total: 43-8 84%

Tonight:
Beamer Ball: Va Tech - BC 6:30 on ESPN
Mavs - Pistons, 7:30 on Chan 21