Week 4 Recap: Another Black Eye for B1G

The end of the nonconference schedule couldn’t have come soon enough for Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany. cheap 49ers jerseys

Already ridiculed throughout the first three weeks of the 2012 season, the Big Ten hit rock bottom on Saturday. The worst of it was Iowa choking away a game to Central Michigan, Michigan blundering its way to a loss at Notre Dame and Illinois getting blown out at home by Louisiana Tech. It didn’t help that Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State struggled with the likes of UAB, UTEP and Eastern Michigan, respectively.

Now that the dust has settled, the wreckage looks like this: three national TV embarrassments and not a single win against another BCS conference school with a winning record. At this point, you could easily make the case that there are six Southeastern Conference teams better than anyone in the Big Ten.

This is a particularly bad year for the conference, but the scary part is that the Big Ten hasn’t been a really good conference for a decade, going back to Ohio State’s 2002 national championship season.

Heck, no Big Ten team other than the Buckeyes has ever even appeared in a BCS title game. And the two BCS title game trips Ohio State made since 2002 – 2007 and ’08 – resulted in beat downs from the SEC. Since ‘02, the Big Ten is also a horrendous 1-7 in the Rose Bowl.

The knock on the Big Ten has been that it’s too slow to play with the Pac-12 and too slow and too weak in the trenches to bang with the big boys of the SEC. Now the conference is having trouble with the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.

Even if the Big Ten has a bounce-back year next fall, what does that even mean at this point?

SAME OLD CLEMSON: The Florida State game was a perfect microcosm of a Clemson football program notorious for disappointing its fans on an annual basis. Just when you thought the Tigers were about to turn the corner and put themselves in the national title hunt, they completely disappeared after taking a 31-21 lead midway through the third quarter. Florida State scored 28 straight points in less than 10 minutes while Clemson couldn’t even pick up a first down. No wonder ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit recently called Clemson the hardest college football team to be a fan of.

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND: Is there anything 72-year-old Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder can’t do with a football team? He changed the Wildcats from a laughingstock to a national title contender in his first stint in Manhattan, and Snyder’s work in his second go-round at K-State has been just as remarkable. The program was in shambles after his replacement, Ron Prince, was let go in 2008. Snyder returned to win 10 games last year and now has put K-State back in the national title discussion by avenging last year’s blowout by Oklahoma with a 24-19 win in Norman. Kansas State already has named its stadium after Snyder; now it might be time to build a shrine for him. cheap New England Patriots jerseys

STILL SEARCHING FOR “O”: LSU fans prayed all offseason that QB Zach Mettenberger would be the answer to the Tigers’ one-dimensional offense in 2011. That certainly wasn’t the case in the SEC opener against Auburn. LSU mustered only 169 yards passing and 10 offensive points against an Auburn defense that gave up 28 points just a week ago to Louisiana-Monroe. Not that it was all Mettenberger’s fault. The LSU offensive line played poorly, and drops plagued the wide receivers. If LSU plays like that when No. 1 Alabama rolls into town on Nov. 3, it will end a lot like January’s BCS title game vs. the Tide.

LEAVE IT TO BEAVERS: Give Oregon State head coach Mike Riley a lot of credit. After two straight losing seasons, many people thought he was a dead man walking in Corvallis this fall.But a defense that was abysmal in 2011 has looked very impressive in wins over Wisconsin and UCLA, and the difference between QB Sean Mannion has been night and day from last fall. Without USC on the schedule and with Oregon at home for the Civil War, the Beavers have a shot at winning 10 games this year – something no one thought was possible a month ago.

CURSE OF THE ACCENT MARK? Since Wisconsin running back Monteé Ball announced in July at the Big Ten media days that his name is pronounced “Mon-TAY” instead of “Mon-TEE,” he has been jumped by fellow students in Madison, averaged a putrid 3.9 yards per carry so far this year and, most recently, suffered a head injury that knocked him out of Saturday’s game against UTEP. Ball’s Heisman campaign is finished, his NFL Draft stock has plummeted and now he might lose future carries to freshman Melvin Gordon, who looked phenomenal against the Miners.

FAILURE TO LAUNCH: Speaking of doomed Heisman campaigns, Denard Robinson’s performance against Notre Dame was an absolute nightmare. All the talk about his improvement as a passer during the offseason was just that: talk. “Shoelace” has thrown for eight interceptions in four games and things won’t get any easier now that the Big Ten season is starting. You can bet Michigan will see eight-man fronts the rest of this season, just begging Robinson to beat them through the air.

Top five games: Week 5

5. No. 8 Stanford vs. Washington: Washington has been known to pull big upsets in Husky Stadium but it will have to play a lot better on Thursday than it did in a 41-3 loss to LSU on Sept. 8.

4. Wisconsin vs. No. 22 Nebraska: The Badgers and Huskers have gotten off to sluggish starts this fall but got a nice spark from running backs Melvin Gordon and Rex Burkhead, respectively, on Saturday. A victory here could revive one of their seasons.

3. Tennessee vs. No. 5 Georgia: Tennessee coach Derek Dooley’s hot seat is scorching, and this game should be close because everyone on the Volunteers sideline knows he is coaching for his job. cheap Tim tebow jerseys

2. No. 14 Ohio State vs. No. 20 Michigan State: Neither of these teams is nearly as good as its ranking indicates, but this game could decide the Big Ten regular-season champion, divisions aside.

1. No. 25 Baylor vs. No. 9 West Virginia: Is Baylor really a Top 25 team without Robert Griffin III? We’re about to find out. Expect about 90 total points between these two pass-happy offenses.

Angels 4, White Sox 1

The way things are going for the Los Angeles Angels, it's difficult for Jered Weaver to focus on the fact that he is one victory away from his first 20-win season in the majors. cheap 49ers jerseys

Then again, the only reason the Angels still have a shot at a postseason berth is because their ace keeps winning. Weaver kept them within striking distance in the AL wild-card chase, posting his league-leading 19th victory on Sunday with a 4-1 decision over the struggling Chicago White Sox.

Albert Pujols reached the 100-RBI mark for the 11th time in 12 big league seasons with a two-run double as the Angels remained 2 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second wild-card spot. Kendrys Morales hit a two-run homer that helped the Angels complete a three-game sweep.

''Obviously there's a little bit of scoreboard watching going on now as we dwindle now here,'' Weaver said. ''But we've got to do what we've got to do and not worry about what other teams are doing. It's obviously a great sweep, and hopefully we can keep it rolling against Seattle.''

The White Sox lost their fifth in a row and led Detroit by a half-game in the AL Central. The Tigers lost the opener of their day-night doubleheader against Minnesota. nba jerseys cheap

Weaver (19-4) threw 113 pitches in 6 1-3 innings, allowing a run and five hits with four strikeouts and dropping his ERA to 2.74. He finished his home slate 11-2, including a no-hitter against Minnesota on May 2.

The three-time All-Star right-hander established a career high for wins, eclipsing his total from last season.

''To get one more than last year is great, and now I've got a couple more starts to try and get 20,'' Weaver said. ''It wasn't a personal goal of mine by any means, but it's nice to get a new career high. Any win right now is important, personal accolades aside. That's what we've got to do - win ballgames, no matter what it takes.''

The victory didn't come easily for Weaver, who battled through 94-degree heat during a 33-pitch first inning. He escaped a bases-loaded jam, striking out Alex Rios at the end of an 11-pitch at-bat and retiring A.J. Pierzynski on a grounder.

''It felt like it was a million degrees out there,'' Weaver said. ''Having to throw upwards of 30 pitches in the first is obviously not what you want to do, but they made me work. That's what their game plan was, and they did a good job of it. It was a little erratic and it could have been a lot worse, so it was good to come out of that first one unscathed and be able to extend it into the seventh.''

White Sox manager Robin Ventura bemoaned his team's failure again to come through in the clutch. They were 1 for 17 with runners in scoring position during the series.

''We had Weaver in trouble early and were in a really good position, but he showed again why he's a good pitcher and we just couldn't cash in,'' Ventura said. ''I'm sure he's been in situations like that before.''

Kevin Jepsen threw 1 2-3 scoreless innings in relief of Weaver. Garrett Richards, Scott Downs and Ernesto Frieri each retired a batter in the ninth because of lefty-righty matchups.

''The reason we did that today was because a lot of our bullpen guys had been pitching a lot,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. ''Garrett had a little bit in him, Downs had a little bit in him and Ernie has a little bit in him. So when you added it up, you hope you'll get a full inning.''

Gavin Floyd (10-11) gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings while striking out eight.

Chicago's only run came in the seventh, when Pierzynski doubled, advanced on Weaver's wild pitch and scored on Dayan Viciedo's sacrifice fly. cheap wholesale jerseys

Floyd matched zeros with Weaver until the sixth, when the Angels erupted for four runs. Mike Trout walked with one out, Torii Hunter sent him to third with a hit-and-run single to left field, Pujols lined the next pitch to left field to score both runners and Morales followed with his 22nd homer.

''You walk the first guy - and not a good guy to walk because it puts a lot of pressure on you with Trout getting on base,'' Floyd said. ''Torii got the base hit, and it happened pretty quick. It wasn't one of those drawn-out innings.''

Dodgers-Reds Preview

The Cincinnati Reds became the first team to secure a playoff spot and a division title seems inevitable. yankees jerseys cheap

The Los Angeles Dodgers' chance of winning their division is bleak and they're running out of time in the wild-card race.

The Reds, who hope to have manager Dusty Baker back in the dugout, could have a shot at clinching the NL Central in Friday night's series opener with the scuffling Dodgers.

By sweeping a three-game series from the Chicago Cubs with Friday's 5-3 win, Cincinnati (91-59) ensured itself of at least a wild-card berth. The Central crown could be wrapped up as early as Friday, if second-place St. Louis, which is 11 games back, loses to the Cubs in the afternoon and the Reds beat the Dodgers.

"There's a lot of work left," reliever Sean Marshall told the Reds' official website. "We've got a lot of games to win if we want to win the World Series."

Cincinnati won its last two games without Baker, who was hospitalized in Chicago with an irregular heartbeat. General manager Walt Jocketty said he didn't know if Baker would be able to manage Friday.

"Hopefully he'll be back with us (Friday) and when it really matters, when we clinch (the division)," Marshall said. "Hopefully we get to celebrate this weekend with him."

While Baker's status is uncertain, Joey Votto will be back in the starting lineup after most of the regulars rested Friday. Votto is batting .391 during a seven-game hitting streak, and is batting .348 with six homers and 22 RBIs in his last 17 games against the Dodgers, whose postseason chances appear to be fading.

Los Angeles (77-73) was one-half game out of a playoff spot Sept. 3, but has lost 10 of 14 since and is now three back of the Cardinals for the NL's second wild card with 12 to play. Winning the NL West is just about out of the question, seeing as it's dropped 10 games behind first-place San Francisco.

"We're going the wrong direction," Don Mattingly said. "For us at this point, we're going to have to put a run together that's going to be more than just win a series.''

A sluggish offense has been one of the biggest reasons for Los Angeles' recent struggles. It managed four hits in Thursday's 4-1 loss, and has totaled seven runs in its last seven defeats.

Matt Kemp has been responsible for some of this mess, batting .148 with three RBIs and 17 strikeouts in his last 13 games, dropping his average 28 points to .303.

Kemp has given scheduled starter Bronson Arroyo problems, batting .409 with two homers in 22 career at-bats, but that hasn't led to many victories for Los Angeles. Arroyo (12-8, 3.74 ERA), who has yet to face the Dodgers this season, has a 2.60 ERA in winning his last four starts in the series.

Against Miami on Friday, the right-hander allowed four runs and nine hits in six innings of a 4-0 loss. It was the first time he gave up more than three runs since Aug. 6, having gone 5-0 with a 2.40 ERA in his previous six starts. nike nfl jerseys wholesale

The Dodgers counter with Joe Blanton (9-13, 4.97), who allowed three runs and four hits in 5 2-3 innings in Saturday's 4-3 comeback win over St. Louis. The righty is 1-3 with a 6.43 ERA in his last six starts, going less than six innings four times.

Blanton, who is making his first appearance in the season series, is 2-0 with a 4.85 ERA in four career starts against the Reds.

AP Pro32 ballot from Marvez

Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Alex Marvez of Foxsports.com:

Week 3

ALEX MARVEZ (Foxsports.com)

1. San francisco bay area 49ers - The 49ers aren't just winning games. They've mauled two quality teams (Green Bay and Detroit) in the process to some 2-0 start.

2. Houston Texans - The Texans have outgained Miami and Jacksonville by almost a two-to-one margin while allowing one offensive touchdown. cheap indianapolis colts jerseys

3. Atlanta Falcons - Just as Joe Flacco in Baltimore, Atlanta's Matt Ryan is making major strides toward becoming at the very top quarterback in her fifth NFL season.

4. Green Bay Packers - The Packers' coaching staff deserves praise with the quick fixes meant to the run and defense inside a four-day span between Week 1 loss to S . fransisco and last Thursday's 23-10 victory over Chicago.

5. Philadelphia Eagles - Nine turnovers by 50 % games should translate for an 0-2 record, Instead, a lot-improved defense has carried the Eagles to consecutive one-point victories.

6. Baltimore Ravens - The Ravens have legitimate reason to gripe about the officiating in a very 24-23 loss to Philadelphia, but Baltimore's offensive line did the team no favors by getting a great deal pressure on quarterback Joe Flacco.

7. Arizona Cardinals - A 20-18 road upset of the Patriots would be a fluke, even so the Cardinals defense is designed for real plus the major reason for just a 2-0 start.

8. New England Patriots - The Patriots enter Sunday night's game against Baltimore with two major questions about offense: How they replace injured tight end Aaron Hernandez (ankle) and why has offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reduced wide receiver Wes Welker's role?

9. San Diego Chargers - If the Chargers keep rolling, gm A.J. Smith deserves consideration for NFL Executive of the Year honors. San Diego's improved depth and defensive front seven have helped carry they into a 2-0 start.

10. Gambling - Eli Manning once more showcased his capability to lead Big apple back from second-half deficits in last Sunday's 41-34 victory over Tampa Bay. The Giants may require Manning to maintain working his magic until plugging a porous secondary.

11. Gambling - Peyton Manning's comeback hit its first speed bump in a 27-21 loss to Atlanta using a three-interception outing. Manning completed 24 of 37 passes overall, but he seemed to throw more wobblers than spirals. That could not bode well with Denver playing most of its regular season games outdoors.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers - New offensive coordinator Todd Haley's emphasis on the short passing game is paying dividends for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. His 64.8 completion percentage puts him on pace for his best mark since 2009.

13. Dallas Cowboys - Teams coming off 11 days of rest and a road victory on the defending Super Bowl champions shouldn't look as sloppy because the Cowboys did in last Sunday's 27-7 loss at Seattle. Such is par for that course with one of the league's most inconsistent squads.

14. Detroit Lions - The Lions have held the lead for only 8:08 inside their initial couple of games. That ought to change Sunday at Tennessee even with injuries continuing to mount in Detroit's secondary.

15. Chicago Bears - As a result of his meltdown during last Thursday night's loss to Green Bay, the in-game dynamic between Bears quarterback Jay Cutler with the exceptional offensive line is the primary storyline heading into Sunday's home game against St. Louis.

16. Carolina Panthers - After being held to 10 rushing yards on 13 carries inside a Week 1 loss at Tampa Bay, the Panthers rediscovered their offensive identity that has a 221-yard explosion last Sunday against New Orleans.

17. Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals should tighten a defense that is surrendering 434.5 yards a casino game.

18. Big apple Jets - Could it be Tebow time yet? With starting quarterback Mark Sanchez completing just three of 17 passes during one stretch, the Jets could have used Tim Tebow to spruce an uninspiring offensive effort in Sunday's 27-10 loss to Pittsburgh.

19. Seattle Seahawks - The bone-crunching block that wide receiver Golden Tate sent to Dallas linebacker Sean Lee exemplified what amount more fight the Seahawks been on an unusual 27-7 laugher.

20. Washington Redskins - The news that followed a 31-28 loss to St. Louis only agreed to be as disheartening. The Redskins lost two key defensive players to the season in outside linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn musculus pectoralis) and defensive end Adam Carriker (quadriceps).

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - If your Bucs' secondary wouldn't have disappeared within the wife or husband of a 41-34 loss for the Giants, Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano wouldn't have had to try his desperation strategy to force a fumble for the game's final kneel-down.

22. Saints - One of the most painful defensive statistic for the slumping Saints: New Orleans averaged almost 30 points in their first couple of games and lost both. cheap 49ers jerseys  

23. St. Louis Rams - Along with his 15 catches for 160 yards and another touchdown, wide receiver Danny Amendola helped quarterback Sam Bradford look his best since winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors really.

24. Buffalo Bills - A 35-17 blowout of Kansas proved the Bills aren't badly because they looked within a horrific Week 1 loss towards the Jets.

25. Gambling - The Colts needed many luck - such as Andrew Luck - to win Sunday against Minnesota. Indianapolis survived offensive line injuries and fourth-quarter defensive breakdowns on account of Luck leading the overall game-winning screw a final minute.

26. Minnesota Vikings - Vikings coach Leslie Frazier admitted Monday that his young team "will play lots of close games." Actually Minnesota's defense do not want anymore late collapses like the one out of Sunday's 23-20 loss to Indianapolis.

27. Miami Dolphins - From a rough year personally and professionally, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin deserved a break. He got one - as well as the game ball - with Sunday's 35-13 blowout of Oakland.

28. Oakland Raiders - In defense from the Raiders, we were holding playing a single p.m. ET away game using a short week. That is the only defense Oakland had while surrendering 172 rushing yards and also touchdowns to Miami's Reggie Bush in a very 35-13 loss.

29. Cleveland Browns - The rookie duo of quarterback Brandon Weeden and running back Trent Richardson were considerably more productive against Cincinnati when compared to every week 1 loss to Philadelphia. Unfortunately to the Browns, the opposite was the way it is for just a defense now lacking suspended starting cornerback Joe Haden for three more games.

30. Gambling - Running back Chris Johnson (19 carries for 21 yards) isn't the Titans' only trouble spot. Second-year quarterback Jake Locker looks overmatched and the defense can't cover tight ends.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars - The fan who ran about the field seemingly forever Sunday prior to tackled by lax EverBank Field security during Jacksonville's 27-7 loss to Houston covered more ground as opposed to record-low 117 yards of offense the Jaguars produced. Jacksonville's run defense also is floundering, having allowed an average of 169.5 yards against the Texans and Vikings.

32. Gambling - Was last year's strong 2-1 finish under then-interim coach Romeo Crennel a mirage or will be the Chiefs just slow stepping out of the gate for the second straight season? It seems as if the first sort hitherto, particularly with the disappointing way Kansas City's defense has played.

Eagles' Kelce out at least 4-6 weeks

Eagles center Jason Kelce will miss at least four to six weeks because of a tore knee ligament, and it's possible he could face season-ending surgery.
Kelce injured his right knee in Philadelphia's 24-23 win over Baltimore on Sunday. An MRI on Monday revealed he tore his medial collateral ligament and has a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament.
Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said Kelce's MCL needs at least four to six weeks to heal. Kelce will undergo further testing on Tuesday to determine whether his ACL needs to be reconstructed. If so, he'll miss the rest of the season.
Dallas Reynolds replaced Kelce, taking his first NFL snap after spending three seasons on the practice squad.

Wuyang Bei "chess received weighbridges

Yangcheng Evening News reporter Stephen Miles reports: Chess Association in Guangzhou City, Guangzhou Cultural Park, the ninth "Wu Yangbei Youth Chess Competition jointly organized by Guangdong East Lake Ki, 19, received at the Guangzhou Cultural Park weighbridges.

"Small Wu Yangbei" race is a well-known brands in the chess world in Guangdong.Tournament there are three highlights: First, the number of entries. There are nearly 500 young people under the age of 18 players entered the competition, increase in number of entries than last year; competition system more reasonable.The tournament contestants are divided into nine groups, the use of a computer balloting choreography, to reduce the number of players Round, so that more reasonable results of the competition; influence and radiating wider. Participating players, many of them are from Hong Kong, Guangxi, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Foshan.

After two days of competing, Chengyu Dong, beam Tiannuo, Wu Wei Tim, Li Jiahao, Vanke and Guan Wen-Tao Men's A, B, C, D, E, have group champion.Zhang Weiyu, Feng Zhilin and Gongmeng Meng won the women's group B, C, D champion.

Hoffenheim indications Joselu from true Madrid

Hoffenheim obtained German-born striker Joselu from true Madrid on Wednesday on an undisclosed payment and signed him to some four-year contract.

Joselu, 22, scored 26 goals in 36 games using the reserve element at true Madrid last season, but made just one senior visual element from 2009-12. He began his club occupation with Celta, and returned in the direction of the club on bank loan in 2009-10.

"Joselu has currently demonstrated his school at true Madrid," Hoffenheim manager Markus Babbel informed the club's website. "But he's nevertheless youthful as well and has a tremendous amount of potential. He fits in completely on this team and at Hoffenheim."

Joselu is becoming capped for Spain at many youth levels, but has not done in the senior level.