7 Things We Missed This Weekend

Due to our extended absence covering the NCAC Swimming Championships in Canton, OH, there is a lot in the sports world that we need to get caught up on RSS nation! I will say that we had a better than expected time at the swim meets, and I discovered that swimming may be the toughest sport to do play by play for! Luckily we survived, and it actually was quite fun. While Snowmageddon 2010 continues in central Ohio, here's 7 Things We Missed This Extended Weekend!

1. NBA All-Star Game

-The largest crowd ever to watch a hoops game showed up at Jerry Jones palace for the 2010 All-Star Game. The NBA's version of the ASG is by far the best and most entertaining in all of sports and Sunday night's game showed why. The spectacle was one of the cooler sights that I've seen, and it takes away from David Stern's news that the league will lose 400 million dollars this year! (BTW, don't be surprised if we hear about both NBA and NFL labor trouble soon). The game was its usual barrage of highlights until late fouls made it a free throw shooting contest. Dwyane Wade won MVP and the East won 141-139, roll the highlights!

2. Slam Dunk Contest

-While the ASG is better than ever, the slam dunk contest is coming off perhaps the worst competition in the history of the event. When your star for the evening is Nate Robinson, you know there are issues. In looking at the lack of star power in the field, you knew it would take something awesome to make this a memorable slam dunk. In the end, it underwhelmed completely as Lil' Nate took his 3rd title. The dunk contest doesn't need fixed, just like the HR derby or any other skills contest. The actual nuts and bolts are still as good of an idea as ever. What it does need are the stars of the game to step up and save it before it fades away into oblivion. The dunk contest won't be able to survive the Nate Robinsons and Shannon Browns of the world too much longer. Wait a sec, wasn't this guy supposed to be in it?

3. Daytona 500

-A pothole?? At Daytona?? Seriously?? NASCAR is coming into a make or break year as far as its popularity on the national stage and 2 hours of delays during your Super Bowl of racing is not the best way to start the year. Could you imagine last week if Peyton Manning and Drew Brees had to sit in the locker room for an extra 2 hours (let alone wheeling The Who on and off stage) because of a hole in the turf? Jamie McMurray was able to hold off Little E in an exciting end, but two more problems arose for NASCAR. Another year without a big name winner, and more calamity and the end of the green/white/checkered finish. NASCAR has always been ahead of the curve (get it?) as far as rules and standards go, and they'll need to revisit plenty in the coming weeks.

4. College BBall Comings & Goings

-Coming: KU and UK - 1/2 in the polls and still with only 1 loss. They both beat Top 15 teams this week in Texas and Tennessee respectively.

Going: Texas - 5 losses out of 8 to drop them from #1 to #17 in the polls.

Coming: Ohio State - blowout win on the road at Illinois. With POY candidate Evan Turner healthy, the Bucks are a legit darkhorse

Going: West Virginia - two losses to ranked Big East teams, while tough games, this team may not be a true title contender

Coming: Big XII - Texas A&M and Baylor make the Top 25 this week while they also have strong teams like Missouri and Oklahoma, they may be the deepest conference in the country.

Going: Cornell - sorry Nard dog, the Big Red's stay in the Top 25 lasted about as long as your engagement to Angela. Maybe this video will make Cornell fans feel better...

5. NHL = No Hockey League... For 2 Weeks At Least

-Is the Olympic break a good or bad thing for the NHL? Being a casual hockey fan who checks out the occasional game and tunes in for the Stanley Cup playoffs, it's a good thing. I'll watch a lot more hockey at the Olympics than I would during the regular season. I'll get to know players that I would not care about seeing during the regular season. The Winter Olympics gives hockey a much needed attraction and attention that a normal regular season schedule would not bring. It would be foolish for the NHL to abandon the Winter Olympics because the NHL gets more focus when they aren't playing this time of year. On another note, we were at this sweet game in the 5th row yesterday between the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets. The NHL actually does put on a good show at times!

6. Epic Oprah Fail

-What could possibly put a damper on the Saints winning the Super Bowl? How 'bout Oprah trying to wipe Drew Brees' birthmark off his face...

7. Epic Torch Fail

-What could be even more awkward than #6? How 'bout an epic fail with hundreds of millions of eyes watching, and Canada's greatest athlete looking like he's going to set a stadium on fire with the Olympic flame, check out the hilarious link and Gretzky's reaction about a minute in.

Top 10 Stories of the Decade - #7 Dale Earnhardt Dies at Daytona

Our #7 Story of the Decade takes us to NASCAR and one of the most tragic stories of this or any other decade. Arguable the greatest racecar driver in the history of motorsports, Dale Earnhardt, was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt's death was so stunning because of his legacy as the Intimidator, and his tragic accident changed NASCAR in more ways than one.

Going into the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt was NASCAR's living legend. The Intimidator had won 7 NASCAR titles (tied with Richard Petty for 1st all-time), won 76 races, owned his own team, and had finally conquered the Daytona 500 a few years earlier in 1998. After a couple years of struggles, Earnhardt finished 2nd in the points in 2000 at age 49 and won 2 races. With his son Dale Jr. now racing in the Winston Cup Series, Dale Earnhardt was having the time of his life.

Earnhardt's success at restrictor plate tracks like Daytona carried over to his Dale Earnhardt Inc. teams of Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr. By the final lap, Waltrip, Dale Jr., and Dale Sr. were running 1,2,3. Then, Earnhardt made contact with Sterling Marlin beneath him in Turns 3 and 4 of the Final Lap. The famous black #3 then swerved up the race track into Ken Schrader and head-on into the wall. Waltrip and Dale Jr. went on to finish 1-2 for DEI and Waltrip picked up his first career win in NASCAR's biggest race.

But, something was wrong. Immediately there was concern when Schrader panically motioned for crews to help Earnhardt. The crash had seemed innocent enough, but something was wrong. By the end of the FOX telecast, all we knew was that Earnhardt would be taken to the hospital immediately. But still, this was the invincible Dale Earhhardt. 99% of NASCAR fans had to figure that he had taken a big knock, but would be back the week after. Then, NASCAR chief Mike Helton held a press conference...

And just like that, Dale Earnhardt was gone. It was so stunning because the impact of the accident had not seemed so bad. We had seen Earnhardt survive flipping upside down, and much more violent looking wrecks in the past. I'll always remember when I first heard the news. We were watching NBC when Ahmad Rashad came on, and then and there I knew Dale had died. It was a weird sixth sense moment, and such a sad day for any sports fan.

Racers die. It's a fact of motorsports. You hear the jokes that people watch racing for the wrecks. That's half true. We watch for the excitement of racing, for the wrecks, and to see our heroes defy death. Throughout the years though, many all-time great racers perished on the track, especially in earlier years: Fireball Roberts (1964), two-time World Champ Jim Clark (1968) in F1, two-time Indy 500 winner Bill Vukovich in 1955, and even the great F1 champ Ayrton Senna at San Marino in 1994. Indy has seen a total of 56 racers die in accidents. But, Earnhardt as a mythical figure was above every driver that came before him. Earnhardt died at the track that he had finally conquered after 20 years of frustration in the Great American Race. Dale Earnhardt... died... at Daytona. It was unfathomable. He was the one man who could stare death in the face and always come out on top, except he didn't.

Throughout the season, fans held up 3 fingers in tribute on the 3rd lap of every NASCAR race. Memorably, Kevin Harvick won in the 3rd race after Earnhardt's death in this unforgettable finish at Atlanta...

Earnhardt's #3, while not officially retired, has never been raced in NASCAR since his death. Even though he had made his reputation as the tough as nails Intimidator, he was universally loved in the latter stages of his career. As NASCAR moved into the new century, Earnhardt was the lasting mainstay to the days of Petty and Pearson. While the sport left its southern roots, Earnhardt was the one figure that embodied NASCAR's tradition. The outpouring of emotion after the death of the Intimidator is unmatched by almost any other popular figure in sport. Memorials were set up everywhere. This was even more the case when his son Dale Jr. won at Daytona in the first race since his father's death at the Pepsi 400.

Earnhardt's death was the 4th to strike NASCAR in a 9 month period. The lasting impact is seen in the incredible safety improvements since that fateful day. SAFER barriers and HANS devices have become a part of our common vocabulary. Just recently, the Car of Tomorrow was made with driver safety as the number one priority. NASCAR has not seen any deaths occur in its top 3 divisions since the 2001 Daytona 500. Safety has also vastly improved in open wheel racing where the HANS device also became mandatory.

But, why did it have to take the death of the most iconic figure in motorsports history to achieve such advances in safety? Why does it always take tragedy to inspire action? Yes, NASCAR has come a long way in the years since Dale Earnhardt's death, but it came at such a high price.

As far as the big picture of the sport of NASCAR though, the sport continued to rise in popularity throughout the earlier part of the decade. Young stars like Dale Jr., Harvick, Busch, and Johnson have stood alongside veterans like Gordon, Stewart, and others to carry NASCAR through the 2000s. Now, even Danica Patrick wants to give NASCAR a try.

NASCAR has hit the mainstream and even further expanded outside its southeastern roots with multiple races in places like California and Texas this decade. The Chase playoff system was introduced as well. But, the expansion of NASCAR into a nationwide sport has had its drawbacks. The historic Southern 500 fell by the wayside for most of this decade. However, in the last few years, NASCAR's popularity has slid. Start times have become wildly inconsistent and the sport has become commercial to the extreme. Drivers like Jimmie Johnson (named AP Athlete of the Year) have great skill, but fit the corporate cookie-cutter image of the majority of drivers on the circuit. In other words, there aren't any good old boys left. There isn't a Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR today.

Even though NASCAR is more popular and more safe than the years of #3's heyday, there is a missing element to the sport. It has become almost too mainstream. As a fan of NASCAR that goes back to the days of the Intimidator and North Wilkesboro, the raw element has evaporated. Some will say that the sport is too safe, but that's ludicrous. NASCAR is only missing a larger than life presence of a man who broke the mold. Eight years later, NASCAR is still missing a presence as big as Earnhardt's bumper in your rear-view mirror.

7 Things We Missed This Weekend

Time for our weekly look back at the world of sports. Our 7 Things We Missed This Weekend takes a look at the sports that we may not have time to cover during the week outside of the football world. Today, 2 champions are crowned, we check out college and pro bball, insanely high scoring, and just the insane. Let's roll!

1. Champions, Part I

-So Jimmie Johnson just won his 4th straight NASCAR title. It's an awesome achievement. Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon, Pearson, Waltrip, Allison, Yarborough, and any other NASCAR driver has never done that. Of course, with the whole playoff thing, does the Nextel/Sprint/Whatever Cup mean the same as the old Winston Cup did? I'm not sure that it does. It means Johnson was the best driver for the last 10 races of the year. The playoffs have ironically created exactly the opposite of what NASCAR wanted: an unexciting end to the season. If I know Jimmie Johnson is going to win the title every year, I'll spend my Sundays watching football instead of the final race at Homestead. Dynasties can be good or bad, I think it depends on the sport, but something tells me NASCAR is rooting for someone to rise up and challenge the #48 next year. The highlight of these highlights... RSS fav Mike Rowe!

2. Champions Part II

-MLS Commish Don Garber must have been pulling his hair out rooting for Becks, Landon, and the LA Galaxy to win the MLS Cup and bring some big star power to MLS' marquee event. But... this is the MLS Playoffs, where it's better off to be the hot underdog than the marquee favorite. The MLS MVP, Donovan, sorta maybe kinda choked it away by blowing a PK over the crossbar in the shootout between LA and RSL. Instead, it was Robbie Russell from RSL who was the hero in the 7th round of the shootout. RSL finished off a miraculous run to the cup after finishing below .500 in the regular season. After watching RSL beat the Crew in C-Bus, it's good to see them finish off the season as champions. They were impressive all the way through the postseason... but again, MLS's playoff format needs questioned. The 2-legged first round ties have to go. All credit though to Real Salt Lake, the 2009 MLS Champs, here's the shootout!

3. College Hardwood

-A mini Campus Countdown with 4 Random Thoughts - 1) Kentucky's offense with awesome FR PG John Wall looks outstanding, but they need to shore up their D. Wall provided the highlight of the season so far with this buzzer beater against Miami (OH), he's legit...

2) Syracuse's dismantling of UNC behind transfer Wesley Johnson in the CvC classic might be the most surprising game that we've seen thus far. 3) Nova's win in Puerto Rico showed they may have what it takes to get back to reload. 4.) With the suckiness that has been teams like A&M, Colorado, and FSU in college, and the Lions in the NFL (by the way the Raiders are also playing this Thanksgiving... yippie!), Thanksgiving for me is becoming about the fantastic college tournaments all around. Tournaments in Maui, Texas, KC, New York, and Anaheim all feature mouth watering Turkey week showdowns.

4. Two NBA Buzzer Beaters!

-At least KG knows to shoot a buzzer beater at the opposing team's basket! Check out this insane video of Nate Robinson barely missing a 1st quarter buzzer beater on Saturday... at his own basket!

I love Marv Albert's bemusement (more on him later...), and LeBron James is considering going to one of these two teams in the NY/NJ metropolitan area?? Two teams that are a combined 3-23?? On the other end of the spectrum, it's surprising that the Fab 5 (Bos, Cle, Orl, SA, LAL) haven't been as dominant as we anticipated. They all have 10 wins except San Anton, who is languishing below .500. They're gettin wins, but it isn't awe-inspiring just yet. For example, the C's needed this buzzer beater from KG to beat the Knicks at the Garden in OT...

5. Insanely High Scoring (Tott, D2 playoffs)

-Let's start in the EPL. Tottenham Hotspur scored 9, yes 9 goals against Wigan on Sunday... with 8 coming in the second half!! 8 goals in 45 minutes! English striker Jermain Defoe only managed 5 of his own in that 2nd half. It tied for the highest number of goals in an EPL game and put Tottenham up to 4th in the table. (Don't talk to me about Liverpool, languishing in 7th place in the table, there's a reason I've been too dispirited to publish those weekly EPL picks... inspire me Liverpool!)

Stateside, in the D2 Football Playoffs (yes, we really do cover it all here at RSS!), the West Liberty Hilltoppers beat Edinboro in a defensive struggle... 84-63!! They combined for 147 points, 1,394 yards of offense (the Raiders might struggle to get that in a season!), 4 West Liberty receivers had over 100 yards receiving, and Edinboro's QB threw for a playoff record 630 yards! 147 is impressive, but it's nowhere near the record for total points in a game... 222 by Georgia Tech and Cumberland in 1916. Unfortunately for Cumberland, the Yellow Jackets recorded all 222 points in that one. And no, there's no Youtube video of that. Could you imagine what Skip Bayless would have said about running up the score, speaking of....

*I'm currently watching First Take (sorry for the necessary segue) where the wonderful, magnanimous Jemele Hill and Skip Bayless are arguing against the 10-0 Colts and the Saints as the best teams in their respective conferences. This may be the most pointless, stupid, ridiculous argument I've ever seen. Hill talked about the Vikings' "explosiveness" on offense, shh... don't tell her that the Saints are averaging 36 ppg. Oh, and the Pats are better than the Colts even though Indy beat New England 8 days ago!! Gee, you think that maybe the teams that are 10-0 could be the best!?!?! If it were Brady and Favre who were 10-0, the world would stop on its axis and the apocalypse would be happening. Now I'm hearing how Brett Favre is the MVP... I think I have another nasty letter to write to ESPN.*

6. Marv v 50

-The best and most craziest celeb feud we've seen in a long time. Evidently 50 Cent's entourage roughed up Marv Albert's entourage, aka just him and another dude, before a taping of the Jimmy Kimmel show. Here's the link to the LA Times article, but really, 50 Cent's crew has to rough up a legend like Marv Albert?? What could he have said or done to start the conflict? Did Marv tell 50 Cent that his last album was served up a facial? Maybe he mistook Marv for a rival rapper?? If you have a bizarrer feud that you know of, send it in, because this is 1st place for me.

7. Insane UGA Fan

-This video is... well... insane. You have to love our colleges and universities in this country! Enjoy!

7 Things We Missed This Weekend

Time for our usually weekly look back at the non-football world of sports. Today, we look at the NBA including a huge mea culpa from yours truly about one of the best rookies we've seen in a long time, boxing, golf, NASCAR, and what appears to be one of the most bizarre stories in years. Away we go...

1. PacMan

-No... not that Pacman! If a man becomes the greatest pound for pound boxer in the world... does anyone know it? Does anyone care? Manny Pacquiao demolished the highly-rated Miguel Cotto over the weekend to win his 7th title in 7 different weight classes. Unfortunately, even though Pacquiao is one of the most exciting fighters of a generation, he's not bringing boxing back to prominence. I would love to watch him fight Floyd Mayweather, which would be a Top 10 All-Time clash, but I'm afraid I'm in the minority.

2. Brock Lesnar

-Speaking of fighting sports and world champions, UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar is apparently lying in a hospital bed with some sort of mysterious illness. UFC guru Dana White says Lesnar might miss his scheduled UFC 108 fight, and beyond. White offered this mysterious quote:

"He's in a hospital up in North Dakota somewhere right now," said White. "He went to Canada and some bad stuff happened to him, so we've got to figure it out.

Wow. How cryptic is that? Could you imagine Bud Selig saying that about Albert Pujols, or Roger Goodell saying this about Peyton Manning?! This is insanity. This... is the UFC. Not to make light of the situation, but this seems closer to a WWF storyline than a legitimate sport at the moment. The heavyweight champ is in a hospital bed in North Dakota and all Dana White says is that it's not AIDS or cancer... thanks Dana. We hope Brock turns out ok, and can defend his title, but we wish that this episode was more of an exception than the rule in the MMA world. Stay tuned to this story, because something doesn't seem to fit here.

3. My Bad... My Bad

"Bust - Brandon Jennings Italy - Sebastian Telfair's long lost little brother?? Running your mouth before playing a second in the NBA doesn't show the maturity needed for the league"

-That was me, before the NBA draft. Umm... mulligan? OK, I'm still not a big fan of Brandon Jennings' antics before and during the draft. Especially that stunt where he showed up at MSG only after being drafted in the Top 10. But, he is showing a maturity and skill level beyond his years for the Bucks. An unbelievable 55 point performance against Golden State is the signature moment of a great rookie campaign. He's averaging over 25 ppg and is an early runaway leader in the Rookie of the Year race.

4. 4-Peat Is On

-Much to the chagrin of sentimentalists out there, Jimmie Johnson won again at Phoenix to pretty much sew up his 4th straight NASCAR title. Is anybody surprised? Mark Martin finished 4th but it's the robotic perfection of the 48 crew that looks like it will do the job yet again. The real question though: is Johnson's dominance good for NASCAR? Sure, he's cementing a place in the sport's all-time greats... but isn't it zapping the fun out of the sport just a little bit? Or maybe a lot? I know I probably won't be watching on Sunday, another Jimmie Johnson coronation doesn't move me. The final laps from Sunday...

5. World Cup Qualifying

-No surprises in the UEFA playoffs with France, Spain, and Russia all taking a one goal lead to the 2nd leg. New Zealand beat Bahrain to make it into the field of 32 in somewhat of an upset (don't expect them to do much damage in South Africa). In Africa, most of the big guns made it with Cameroon and Nigeria advancing. Nigeria won and got a miraculous upset from Mozambique over Tunisia to help them make it in. And yes, that will probably be the only RSS shout out to Mozambique, mark it down. Here's the highlights of Nigeria's 3-2 win over Kenya...

6. Tiger & Michelle

-2 big stories out of golf this weekend. Michelle Wie got her first career win in something called the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. While it is nice that she got a win, let's not get too excited; she beat a field of 21 players in a November tournament. It's not the US Open or even a big LPGA event. The other story is Tiger's win in Australia. I thought to myself, why is Tiger playing in Australia? Then I found out why... a 3 Million Dollar appearance fee. Hopefully that money actually goes to someone who needs it. Here's his final 3 holes from Sunday...

7. NBA Stuff

-Stephen Jackson got traded to Charlotte, at least Larry Brown is used to dealing with imbalanced stars... the Lakers were booed off their home floor after losing to Houston, though I wouldn't be too worried if I was a Lakers fan... the NY/NJ metropolitan area is a combined 1-19, ha ha ha... if the season ended today Atlanta and Phoenix would be the #1 seeds... New Orleans is the contender most in trouble with CP3 hurt and Byron Scott fired... the Fab 5 (Bos, Cle, Orl, LA, SAS) might not be as dominant as we all thought.

Check back later this evening as Y2 takes us through the world of College Pig with the YCS and Heisman Watch, and our Top 10 Games of the Decade Countdown continues this week. Bye for now...

7 Things We Missed This Weekend

An exciting weekend in sports outside of football with the MLB and NASCAR postseasons underway, the Presidents Cup staying in America, and World Cup Qualifying reaching a dramatic climax. We'll be back tonight with our YCS College Football Standings and Heisman Watch. And, as soon as the Phillies take care of the Rockies we'll give our extended thoughts on baseball's first round (we have time, the Yankees and Angels start Friday... Friday? really?). Let's get to the biggest and the best from the world of sports with our weekend recap as we go around the world in 7 Things We Missed...

1. AL Playoffs

-Well that was quick wasn't it? We knew the Yankees wouldn't have any trouble with the Twins, but the Halos ditching the Sawx in 3?? That was a surprise, especially given the history between those two teams. Given Paplebon's form, it wasn't a shock to see him blow it in a fitting end to the Red Sox season. As a Yankees fan, it's a win-lose scenario. Yes, the Red Sox and their annoying "nation" are eliminated... but now the dreaded Angels have to play the Bombers.

Would you believe that this is the first ALCS appearance by the Yankees since 2004?? So, everyone can ease off on all the hate, it's been a while, why can't us Yankees fans be welcomed back to baseball's Final 4? The starting pitching against the Twins was certainly up to snuff, it may be hard to beat Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte. I was most encouraged by Jeter's awesome play in the 8th inning, boosted by Posada and A-Rod to catch Punto at 3rd. That was vintage Jeter, and vintage Yankees. It's that sort of play from guys like Jeter, O'Neill, Tino, and Brosius that won the championships, not the money. Los Angeles/Anaheim/The OC Angels will need Scott Kazmir to step up in a big way to boost their staff to match the Yankees pitching. With both of these offenses extremely potent, it will come down to pitching to see who wins this series. Here's where the money comes in though... Sabathia and Burnett will earn the big bucks as they lead New York back to the World Series. The Game 3 highlights featuring Jeter's 8th inning magic...

2. NL Playoffs

-St. Louis got beat by the Dodgers, that's not a huge shock. But swept? Carpenter and Wainwright shut out? Very surprising. Matt Holliday's drop is certainly in contention for our upcoming D'Oh Plays of the Decade coming soon! The Dodgers have been under the radar for much of the season, especially post-Mannygate. They coasted down the stretch until they had to wake up and keep the Rockies from winning the division.

The Phils and the Rocks have to survive a chilly Rocktober (I guess whoever thought expansion in Denver was a good idea didn't anticipate October baseball, eh?). Philly got homefield back last night, although nobody east of the Mississippi saw it. With another Cliff Lee start coming up, you have to figure Philly will move on to face the Dodgers. The thought of seeing LA and NY, with Joe Torre managing against the Yanks in the World Series means the Dodgers are the pick to win the NL. Of course that's awful reasoning, but have you seen our football picks? It can't get much worse than when we actually try to use logic and reason... anyways, here's a crappy fan video of Holliday's drop (thanks MLB), but it is funny to see the crowd's reaction at least!

3. NASCAR Playoffs

-MLB isn't the only sport with playoffs going on... the Chase is in full swing! Of course, seeing Jimmie Johnson win isn't all that exciting, and neither is sitting around for a half hour waiting for 4 laps to be run during a red flag. Isn't there anything NASCAR can do about alllll these late race yellow and red flags? The series right now is being dominated by Johnson, Martin, Montoya, Gordon, and Stewart. No surprise to see them finish in the Top 5 in Cali with Johnson taking the win and the Chase lead. But, all 5 drivers still have a legitimate chance at the title. With the crapshoot at Talledega coming up in two weeks, next week's Charlotte race is going to be huge to see if anyone can get some separation before these teams roll the dice at the superspeedway. Here's the highlights of the final laps...

4. Presidents Cup

-At least we here at RSS can predict something right! The US Presidents Cup win wasn't a shock, but it would have been nice to see some more Sunday drama. As we said, the big guns like Els, Singh, Goosen, and Cabrera would have to play well to win, and it didn't happen. Only Ernie and rookie Ryo Ishikawa had winning records. On the other hand, the Big 3 of Woods, Stricker, and Mickelson went 13-1-1 to lead the way to victory. Steve Stricker indeed was the perfect partner for Tiger Woods (as we also predicted before the tournament at RSS). Woods finally asserted his dominance in the match play format, and finally got his chance to exercise the YE Yang demons with a 6&5 whoopin. While Stricker played well all week, it was Tiger's Saturday morning shots on 17 and 18 which sealed the matches in a comeback win. If that match went the Internationals' way, the Cup would have been much closer. You have to wonder with heavyweights like Goosen, Singh, and Els on the backside of their prime whether the World Team will improve on their 1-6-1 record anytime soon. Here's Tiger clinching the Cup...

5. US Heads Back to South Africa

-A fantastic win for the US Soccer team in a hostile enviornment at San Pedro Sula clinched the US a place in next year's World Cup with a thrilling 3-2 win over Honduras. Yes, a country with 2 presidents where beat writers get robbed at gunpoint qualifies as hostile territory. Of course, nobody saw it as ESPN dropped the ball by not getting the TV rights to the game. What was that about a commitment to soccer again? It was great to see Conor Casey get the two goals to lead the US to victory and shut up all the MLS haters, at least for the time being. The US needed that kind of statement win on the road in Central America, and it should do wonders to rebuild the team's confidence as we are now officially on the road to South Africa. Here's the highlights of the thrilling win... in Spanish, it's the best we could do...

6. WCQ Roundup

-Elsewhere around the World Cup scene, the main story is Argentina's huge win over Peru to move into the CONMEBOL Top 4 with a last gasp goal from 85 year old Martin Palermo. Argentina need a tie at Uruguay to get in, but nothing is a given in South America, especially with Maradona still leading the team. Portugal is also back into the race, as they only need to beat Malta to get into the playoffs. There are still a lot of spots on the line all across the world, and we'll be back after European, and North and South American group qualifying ends on Wednesday with our thoughts. Here's the highlights from Argentina's dramatic win in monsoon conditions, featuring the excitable foreign commentary and a hilarious celebration from Maradona as well!

7. NBA Preseason

-The NBA is back! Of course, we're not going to waste our time or yours talking about the preseason or anything, but it is a welcome sight to see the world's best athletes back out on the court. However, the preseason does make us hope for a resolution to the silly dispute between the NBA and the refs. NBA refs are indeed bad, but replacement ones evidently are worse. Stay tuned to RSS as we'll intently cover the Association throughout the season. With all of the talented teams, it promises to be one of the most compelling NBA seasons in many years. Our preview and picks will be coming up soon. Here's a pretty slick Youtube vid of the action so far including 2 Greg Oden sightings, and Detroit rookie Austin Daye stuffing D Wade just shy of the minute mark...

7 Things We Missed This Weekend

Since it's Monday morning it's time once again for some quick hits on all of the non-football headlines of the past week and weekend. Today we cover golf, racing, soccer, baseball, cheating, and some guy named Dude Perfect. Yes, I'm serious. Here now, 7 Things We Missed...

1. The Tour Championship

-Phil Mickelson came back from a shocking 8 on Thursday to take the Tour Championship by storm and pull away with a comfortable win. Of course, El Tigre took home the 10 Million Dollars (like he needs it) by winning the Fed Ex Cup. For everyone in golf, it was the perfect year-ending scenario with Lefty and Tiger both winning a trophy. Even with winning the Cup and multiple tourneys, after the round you could sense Tiger's disappointment when mentioning his 0 majors this season. If we remember anything from the 2009 PGA Tour Season, it was the close calls in the Majors (Perry, Mick, Watson, Woods) and the drama and anguish of the fan favorites falling just short. Mickelson and Woods have one more bow on the grand stage at the vastly underrated President's Cup in 2 weeks. Here's the highlights from Yahoo...

2. 4-Peat??

-Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin finished 1-2 in the NASCAR race at Dover yesterday. While Mark might be the sentimental favorite, the 48 is looming large in his mirror in the standings. You also have to be impressed with Juan Pablo Montoya, finally making his mark with the good ol' boys and sitting 3rd in the standings, without a win this season. It should be nip and tuck throughout the chase with the old man fighting for his first title vs the superstar going for his 4th in a row. Should JJ get that 4th title, it'd be the most impressive accomplishment in NASCAR history. If you really wanna know what JJ and Crew Chief Chad Knaus think, here's a link to the postrace interviews.

3. The Yankees Clinch

-Look out America, your favorites are back! The Yanks swept the Sawx this weekend to win the AL East, become the first team to 100 wins, and they locked up homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Boston has to be worried, especially since NYY are 9-1 against the Red Sox in their last 10 meetings. The Tigers and Twins meet for a 4 game series starting today to decide the AL Central, but the winner will only get a bonus week before being knocked out by the Bronx Bombers. Roll the soon to be taken down footage...

4. Gretzky Quits

-This week, Wayne Gretzky stepped down as Coyotes head coach and GM. He was 143-161-24 in 4 seasons as coach. He has to be considered a major flop in the desert. Oh, and the team is bankrupt. Oh, and his wife was involved in the Tocchet gambling scandal. It's a close race between him and Michael Jordan for "Best Player, Worst GM" award, although at least the Bobcats aren't going under. With the NHL as hot as it's been since the lockout, the league doesn't need rumors about the spiraling future of a franchise associated with Wayne Gretzky in the news. Evidently the AP has a Youtube channel, so here's the Gretzky Era Recap!

5. The Night Life Ain't No Good Life...

-A huge scandal in world sport was exposed this week as F1 Team Renault were found guilty of race-fixing at last year's Singapore GP. Nelson Piquet Jr. admitted to intentionally crashing to help teammate Fernando Alonso win. The news only came out a year later once Piquet was released. Former team boss Flavio Briatore has been banned from F1 for life and Renault lost all major sponsorship. Because of the inherit danger in F1 it's been called the worst cheating scandal in sports history. I won't go that far, but it was pretty shocking. Ironically, Alonso picked up Renault's first Top 3 finish this year... at Singapore. Here's the scandal footage...

On the other hand, this week's Singapore GP and watching the F1 cars race at night on the Marina Bay Circuit is one of the coolest sights in sports. It is awe-inspiring to see those cars race under the lights. Lewis Hamilton picked up the win this weekend, but Brawn's Jenson Button has had the title wrapped up for a while after winning 6 of the first 7 races. Former Ferrari director Ross Brawn built an amazing car and Brawn's rise has been one of the surprises of the season in all sports as they have dominated F1.

6. Where's Becks??

-The Crew pretty much wrapped up the Supporters' Shield with a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy Saturday night in MLS action. Of course, the Yoders and the rest of the sellout crowd were disappointed that David Beckham was held out due to a hangnail or something. The fans did respond nicely with a "Where's Your Spice Boy" chant, which was entertaining. Becks might not have transformed MLS's on-field product, but he does put the butts in the seats. Impressive victory for the boys from C-Bus, especially with a crucial Champions League game vs Saprissa on Tuesday. Here's the highlights.

7. Dude... whaa??

-This video (made by something or someone named Dude Perfect) is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. Of course, this probably took 300 times to do, but it's still pretty awesome.

That's what we missed, we'll be back later today with a shaken up YCS!

7 Things We Missed This Weekend...

With all of the hype surrounding football for college and the pros, it's time to take a look back at the biggest and bizarrest (that's a word, right?) from this past weekend on this planet we call Earth. With all of our grillin' and football watchin', it was easy to lose track of just how much is going on in sports. Here now, our thoughts on 7 Things We Missed This Weekend.

1) Serena Williams

Wow, talk about the unexpected meltdown of the millennium. It's always funny to see how folks react to someone going absolutely cuckoo who never has before. It's like Peyton Manning beating down a ref Halo style. As far as tennis blowups go, this might be the best ever. I know I would be much more afraid of Psycho Serena than puny John McEnroe. Serena's had her share of run-ins, but nothing this bizarre. Threatening a little old lady by "shoving a f&*#@n ball down her f*&^$n throat" isn't exactly going to help her image. Surely she knew that her tirade would cost her the match too given what had happened, or so you would hope. The timing and sheer violent nature of Serena's outburst was perhaps most surprising. I guess Kim Clijsters didn't mind being handed a win, but probably minded having the spotlight stolen from her in an amazing comeback story/US Open title. Here's the meltdown in all its glory!

2) NASCAR

The final race before the chase at Richmond saw a surprise as Brian Vickers sneaked into the NASCAR playoffs ahead of the more highly touted Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. My boy, Mark Martin, now goes to the top of the standings on the back of his 4 wins this season while Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson sit right behind. Martin is surely the sentimental favorite, but it's hard to bet against the 3-time defending champion #48 team. If you want a dark horse, look to Richmond winner Denny Hamlin. Here's the final laps from Saturday night.

3) Tiger Woods

OK, maybe the demise of Tiger Woods was greatly overstated by some in the blogosphere, ok... by me in particular. 3 1sts and 2 2nds in his last 6 starts looks a lot better on paper than his recent run of form has indicated, including that lil 8 stroke win he just pulled off in Chi-Town. You're in the wrong place if you want the impact of Tiger's win on the Fed Ex Cup race heading in to the Tour Championship, my guess is that winning is good. But... Tiger can win all of the BMWs and Fed Ex Cups he wants, however, he won't really have it turned around till he wins the Green Jacket next April. Your final round highlights!

4) MLS Showdown

We were at Columbus Crew Stadium Sunday to see a top of the table clash in MLS as the best in the East C-Bus beat the best of the West Houston. The Crew escaped with a 2-1 win on an Eddie Gaven 90th minute PK. I was impressed with the physicality and ferocity from both sides which saw 2 red cards and several bone-crunching challenges. For anyone that says the MLS is crap and club soccer here is no good, they obviously weren't watching this game, these are two highly skilled and physical ballclubs. It wasn't thrilling for a while, but the last 15 minutes were as intense as I've seen in a regular season MLS game. If these two match up again for the MLS Cup, it could be something special. No Youtube clip, but a link to the highlights!

5) Michael Jordan HOF

Some guy named Jordan got inducted to the National Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, at least there was nothing else going on in the sports world. Jordan's speech wasn't particularly noteworthy, except for the backlash it recieved. Especially from Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski found here. From those who actually watched the speech, it seemed to be pretty good. Maybe Wojo is the one holding a grudge over missing out on an autograph or a signed photo from MJ. Here's Part I of the speech, you make the call.

6) Derek Jeter

Wait, baseball's still going on? Oh, sorry. Yes, so Derek Jeter became the all-time Yankee hit king, which I suppose is a bigger deal than being the Rockies or Rays all-time leader in hits. He did pass Lou Gehrig after all. It's a great record to have for the Yankee captain and one that he fully deserves. While juiced up sluggers have become the main story in baseball this decade, Jeter has continued to be one of baseball's best and most consistent. When we look back on the Steroid Era, Jeter will be one of the few true superstars that will stand the test of time without a scarred legacy. His Monument Park statue is on its way.

7) Kanye West

Wow, Kanye, wow. We like to think of ourselves as not just a sports blog here at RSS, but priding ourselves on keeping an eye on all of society. Of course, I'd rather watch a D III college football game than the VMA's, but this video is right up there with Serena Williams for the weirdest clip of the weekend. I don't know what Kanye was trippin on here, but it must have been something good. And for the record, Taylor Swift is ok. She's more my style than Beyonce, but she's no Faith Hill. Two words for this clip... Awk. Ward.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend, our football thoughts are coming soon!

The Old Man and the Wheel

Most of the time with sports, athletes don't get better with age. Athletic competitions are usually not arenas where old men succeed, unless we are talking about shuffleboard or bingo. Mark Martin is the exception. The veteran NASCAR driver picked up his 4th win of the season Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway. At 50 years old, Martin has found the fountain of youth in what has increasingly become a young man's sport.

NASCAR fans know Martin as the most legendary nearly man in the sport's history. He has 4 runner-up Championship finishes and lost the 2007 Daytona 500 by .020 seconds to Kevin Harvick. Undoubtedly, he is one of the greatest drivers to never win a championship. He semi-retired from competition after the 2005 year, but his great performances in spot duty, and a desire to race a whole season earned him a spot with the #5 team and a full-time ride with superowner Rick Hendrick (below right).

It's also great to see Martin replace his trademark pessimism with a youthful exuberance and optimism this year with Hendrick's team (by the way, the best owner in all of sports, future article tease!). Throughout the years Martin was known for always expecting something to go wrong, but this year has been different as his career has been rejuvenated. This is a man who has dedicated his life to his sport, and is finally getting the recognition he deserves as a great driver.

No matter if you are a NASCAR diehard, or despise it as a redneck sport, you have to appreciate Mark Martin's ability to win consistently at 50. With 4 wins leading the series, he would be a frontrunner for the Cup should he make the Chase. A championship triumph for the old man this year would not only be one of the great racing stories of the decade, but for all of sports.