Sports Week in Review

It's been an interesting week on the world of sports. Players have been arrested (again), injured (again), suspended, defended. Seasons are winding down and starting up at the same time. This team's in, that team's out. Coaches, players and officials are all yelling, who's at fault.

Let's take a look back at some of the storylines of the last week in September.

Playoff Picture Comes Into Focus
The American League is set. Boston clinched the AL East, about two weeks late. Cleveland will represent the AL Central and Anaheim makes it out of the AL West. The big surprise? The Yankees come from 14 games back in the East and almost as far back in the Wild Card race to clinch a playoff berth. They're hot, the Red Sox are cold and Anaheim and Cleveland are calling.

The National League is a different story. Three of the four playoff spots are going to come down to the wire. The only one already decided is the NL Central title, claimed by the Cubs on Friday. The Brewers looked great for a couple of months. Too bad the season had to keep going. Arizona should hold onto the NL West, especially after San Diego lost their spark plug in Milton Bradley. But we'll get to that. The Mets just got overtaken in the East by Philadelphia. New York was the team to beat heading into the season. Now they're fighting for their postseason lives. They're a game back of the Phillies in the East and 2 games out of the Wild Card. With only two games to go, it's not looking good for the other team from the Big Apple. San Diego may end up holding onto the Wild Card spot, but the Rockies just aren't going away. Wouldn't it be a story if Colorado snatched a spot in the postseason out from under their division rivals?

Milton Bradley isn't Playing Any More Games
In another case of an official looking for the spotlight that didn't belong to him, Milton Bradley suffered a season ending ACL injury after his manager wrestled him to the ground following a confrontation with first base umpire Mike Winters. Winters accused Bradley of throwing his bat at the home plate umpire earlier in the game and then allegedly used an expletive in his "conversation" with Bradley. Bradley, known for his, um, untimely temper, lost control and went after Winters. Manager Bud Black tried to restrain his player and in the ensuing tussle, Bradley saw his season go up in a cloud of dust. Winters was suspended by MLB for the rest of the season for the altercation. What happened to nameless, faceless officials in sports? I don't want to know the names of the guys calling games. The fact that I do troubles me. It's not about them, it's not about their ego. Joey Crawford, Mike Winters and the rest need to remember they are there to keep games running, not to be seen.

Mike Vick is an Idiot
Last I checked, it was never a good idea to get caught committing a crime while you are awaiting sentencing for a previous crime. That's what our favorite dog fanatic did this week. Vick tested positive for marijuana and now faces stiffer monitoring as he awaits his upcoming sentencing. Included is a monitored curfew, increased drug testing and drug treatment (which he has to pay for). Vick also found out he is being charged in Virginia state court on charges related to dog fighting. He has a long road ahead of him and I'm not even sure if the NFL is in sight.

Soccer Catfights
No, this isn't a David Beckham item. This is about a crazy coaching move and its aftermath. Heading into their semifinal match with Brazil at the Women's World Cup, US Coach Greg Ryan made the controversial decision to bench starting Goalkeeper Hope Solo for the more experienced (read: 37 years old) Briana Scurry. The result? A 4-0 embarrassment and a spot in the third place game against Norway. After the game, Solo, who had been very diplomatic in before the match took place, let down her guard and spoke from her heart. She said how she was the better keeper and should have started the game. Ryan, never one to shy away from winning or losing on his own terms, sent Solo packing. She won't even dress for the match against Norway. Solo may have been out of line with her public comments, but the question remains: was she right or wrong?

NHL Season is Underway!
That's right, strap on your skates and head out the arena for some puck! Get ready for winter, Nashville, Tampa, Los Angeles, Dallas. Feel the temperature drop. Probably the most interesting storyline as the season gets underway is whether or not the three American fans of hockey have found Versus yet.

A Plague Has Hit the NCAA. It's ... Parity!
Let's count the Top 25 teams that were handed a loss by "inferior" teams this week, shall we? West Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas Oregon, Rutgers, Clemson and Penn State. Wow, that's gonna make for some solemn keggers at the football factory schools this weekend! And in the early part of the fourth quarter, Auburn leads Florida 17-10. Who benefits from all of the "shocking upsets" this season? Teams like Appalachian State, Syracuse, Colorado. They are loving the recognition they are getting right now. Not to mention the attention of possible recruits. Oh, and let's not forget that team down in Cali. They may benefit just a little. Looks like USC-LSU in the Sugar Bowl.

And the Rest ...
The Duke President finally did the right thing and apologized publicly to the lacrosse team and their families ... about two years too late. The US team is in control at the President's Cup. Is that golf? And there's probably a NASCAR race somewhere.