Weekend winners
Dustin Johnson and those young gun U.S. Ryder Cup stars. Uh, Europe, there’s troubling brewing. The U.S. smoked the Europeans in the Ryder Cup. (Of course they did; I picked Europe to win.) And the Americans did it with six Ryder Cup rookies and a slew of young stars who looked fearless and focused. It was a bloodbath – they’re calling it the Slaughter by the Water since it was played at the pristine grounds of Whistling Straits on the shores of Lake Michigan – and if it wasn’t for Jon Rahm, it would have been even worse. It was such a U.S. party that Brooks and Bryson hugged. Seriously.
Sam Pittman. Wow, here’s your weekend winner, friends. Arkansas is tough and capped a 4-0 September with an impressive win over Texas A&M on national TV. Yes, we all chuckled at the Pittman hire, but dude is making hay with the Hogs in Year 2.
Matt Stafford. As his former club continues to be the model of incompetence – the Detroit fans booed the owner during her presentation speech honoring Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson on Sunday – Stafford looked the part of MVP as the Rams toppled the defending Super Bowl champion Bucs on Sunday.
The St. Louis Cardinals. Wowser, 16 in a row in anything – free throws, fairways, fastballs for strikes – is pretty excellent. But winning 16 MLB games in a row – in the ”er” months, mind you – to go from hovering at .500 to clinching a wildcard spot in two and half weeks is awesome. And with the way the Cards are playing – and the throwback season 40-year-old Adam Wainwright is having (he’s 16-7 with a 3.05 ERA and an average against in the low .200s) – who wants some of St. Louis right now? (Side question: Adam Wainwright, Hall of Famer? Thoughts, Intern Scott?)
Our Survivor pool players. A vast majority of you guys and gals were riding the Browns or the Broncos, and each rolled behind superior defensive efforts. Well done, gang. Working on the standings as we speak. Heck, we even had one brave soul take the Falcons. So there’s that.
Bonus: Justin Tucker. Man, other than an A-list QB, can you really put a value on a kicker you can trust? Tucker made a 66-yard game-winner. Let that sink in. And in the big picture, the greatest dynasty the NFL has or will ever see was Brady and Belichick’s two-decade run in New England. And while that duo’s continuity deserves the credit it receives, the Pats only had two kickers – both of whom were great – in the majority of that run, too.
Weekend losers
Auburn. Egad, what was that? Granted, every win is a good win, but after being out-coached at Penn State and then being unprepared and dagnabbin’ lucky to beat Georgia State, is anyone comfortable with the new staff handling what assuredly is going to be a divisive QB controversy heading into LSU week? Nope, me neither.
ACC’s playoff chances. Conference losses for UNC and Clemson leave the league foundering at the top. Yes, the SEC version of that argument is some form of the ”Iron sharpening iron” cliché that the league beats up on each other. But the SEC’s tiers are clear: Two elite teams (Georgia and Alabama), two very good teams (Florida and Arkansas), whatever Ole Miss may be and whatever Texas A&M is this week or next, and then a whole lot of mediocre-to-bad football teams. (Vandy, what the bleep was that?) The ACC does not have that upper tier and with the mediocrity of Clemson – the Tigers easily could be 1-3 right now – is stunning.
Boston sports. The hated Yankees swept the Sox in Fenway. The Patriots looked pedestrian, and that’s just what happened this weekend. Next weekend, some fella named Brady comes back to Foxboro. (Side note: How about this stat, and Spy, cover your eyes.) Want to see the list of Yankees to have at least three homers and 10 RBIs in a three-game span vs the BoSox? Giancarlo Stanton did it this weekend to join some dudes named Mantle (1954), Gehrig (1931) and Ruth (1927).
Man, the Jets are really bad. But from the NFL side, the Steelers offense is stagnant and Big Ben is washed. Yes, Roethlisberger threw for more than 300 yards, but he attempted 58 passes to do it. And that was against a Bengals defense that will not be confused with the Steel Curtain any time soon.
Chattanooga. Yes, the Ironman was awesome and it showcases the best of our city. But less than five miles from where we celebrated the winners Sunday, there was unspeakable gun violence on Saturday night that must be addressed, focused on and fought.