| On Second Thought: Bowl Championship Series Champions
The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) might be the worst idea since naming bowl games after their sponsors. How proud would you be to play in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl? That's its real name - no joke. Instead of letting the teams decide who will win the championship on the field, college football takes the votes of biased sportswriters and coaches in the Associated Press and Coaches' polls, then combines them with some computerized rankings to decide which two teams get to play in the championship game.
Sometimes they get it right, but there have been a couple of instances where undefeated teams got left out, or the computers just flat-out mess the whole thing up. This year, that's not going to happen because this season has made about as much sense as wearing a parka to the beach.
Rivermen weekly
THIRD ANNUAL TEDDY BEAR TOSS NIGHT! The Rivermen invite everyone to bring a new or gently-used teddy bear to the game on Friday night and throw it on the ice when the Rivermen score so that less-fortunate children in the Peoria area can have a brighter Christmas. Firefighters Local 50 will be spearheading the bear collection this year and distributing the toys in time for the Holidays. Wrap your toy in a plastic bag to keep the moisture off its fur! Pucks 'N' Purses Night will take place on Friday as well, with local businesses setting up a female-oriented expo in the Civic Center halls just in time for holiday gift ideas and shopping tips - right guys? **nudge, nudge, wink, wink** If your business is interesting in having a table at the game, call Katie Kerr at (309) 680-3791 for more information.
Bend It Like?Blanco
The Chicago Fire striker, like Beckham, has amped up pro soccer's star power. Plus, he's pulling in Latino fans
It was David Beckham, the fair-haired English midfielder, who garnered all the headlines early this year when he came to the U.S. to ply his trade for some $250 million over five years, including endorsements. But as American pro soccer has come of age this season--at least financially--the player most responsible isn't Beckham. Instead, it's Cuauhtemoc Blanco, a fiery striker who grew up in a barrio outside Mexico City. With an explosive season, Blanco has helped boost attendance across Major League Soccer (MLS), with the draw for his own Chicago Fire rising 60%, to 16,000 people a game. .
Vitale, McNeely lead Huskies' resurgence
Northeastern is nearly two months ahead of last season's pace in the wins column. The No. 16 Huskies have won six games, a feat they didn't accomplish last season until Jan. 26.
The Huskies (6-4-1, 6-3-1 Hockey East) beat No. 19 Boston College (3-4-5, 2-3-4 Hockey East) in overtime Friday night, padding their conference lead to three points. Senior Jimmy Russo scored his first goal of the season with four seconds remaining in the extra period. It was the second overtime goal of his career.
So far in the season, however, Russo's younger teammates are outplaying him. Standout junior forward Joe Vitale has a team-leading 13 points on the season (five goals, eight assists), all of which came in Hockey East play.
Along with Vitale, freshman forward Tyler McNeely has a share of the team lead with five goals.
Rhythm on ice
The Wolves rank among the best success stories in Chicago sports, and Southwest Side native Bill Bentley has been a part of it ever since the first puck was dropped. After 13-plus seasons, the last nine as director of hockey administration, Bentley can tell you this much: Coffee is very underrated. .
Regional Sport Briefs
Fire Pro Wrestling returns Saturday night at Impact Christian Church, 401 W. 82nd Pl., Merrillville. In the main event, the "Aerial Assassin" Roach takes on Cade Lee for Lee's heavyweight title.Doors open at 6 p.m. Bell time is at 7 p.m.Table tennis tourney at Lincoln CenterThe South Bend Table Tennis Center is sponsoring The Highland Open this Saturday and Sunday at the Lincoln Center. The event is due to attract some of the top players in the nation.FYI: Call (219) 838-0114.Friday Night Baseball with Mike ColesFormer Purdue standout and Baltimore Orioles draft choice Mike Coles will hold Friday Night Baseball lessons at Dave Griffin's for ages 9-16. Coles, a member of the Windy City Thunderbolts, will offer instruction in hitting, outfield play and base running. The camp will run from Nov.
Outlaws move to 11-1 at home
MASON CITY — Great hockey teams find a way to win.The North Iowa Outlaws proved they could be a great team, escaping with a 3-1 NAHL Central Division victory over the Fargo-Moorhead Jets on Saturday at the North Iowa Ice Arena."We’re doing everything we can to win," North Iowa forward Ross-Ring Jarvi said. "Great teams always find a way to win games, and that’s what I think we are, a great team."North Iowa defenseman Matt Morin put North Iowa in front 1-0 heading into the first intermission, scoring a power-play goal with 31 seconds remaining in the opening period.Fargo-Moorhead’s Mark Johnson tied the score with 2:46 left in the second leaving the third period to decide the outcome."We were a lot better in the first period (Saturday) than we were (Friday) and then kind of got a little uninterested in the second period," said North Iowa coach Dave Boitz, whose team improved to 6-0-0 against the Jets this season.
Teams will study what Eagles did against Patriots
Maybe a little too much. To be certain, the Eagles' strategy on both sides of the ball did plenty to disrupt the Patriots and nearly resulted in one of the greatest upsets in NFL history. To be certain, the teams left on the Pats' schedule and those they could face in the postseason have a great deal to ponder in reviewing all that the Eagles did to make for a long and unnerving night for Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and everyone else in Patriot Nation. But of those clubs, which are capable of generating the same relentless blitz pressure that the Eagles did on Brady, while playing man-to-man coverage, and control the ball by mainly attacking the middle of the field through the air as A.J. Feeley did so effectively? Not many. The Baltimore Ravens, who face the Patriots in Week 13 on Monday Night Football, have some talented linebackers who can blitz well, but their banged-up and inconsistent secondary could easily be overwhelmed by one of the most talented groups of receivers in the league.
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