Beavers let lead slip away, rally to score late in win over UCLA

The Oregon State Beavers were dominant in building a 16-point 4th quarter lead, but needed a late touchdown to beat UCLA 26-19 in Pac-10 conference football action at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon Saturday.

The Beavers led 3-0 after one, thanks to Justin Kahut's 48-yard field goal 4:25 into the game, then stretched the lead to 6-0 on a Kahut 42-yarder with 5:56 left in the 2nd quarter. Oregon State flashed it's razzle-dazzle "Wild Beaver" formation late in the half, as Jacquizz Rodgers threw the first pass of his collegiate career, a 14-yard scoring strike to Brady Camp. Kahut's PAT made it 13-0 with 1:12 left, then on the last play of the half, Kahut drilled a 27-yard field goal, giving Oregon State a 16-0 halftime lead.

The Bruins broke the shut out bid 5:16 into the second half, getting a 24-yard field goal from Kai Forbath, cutting the Beaver lead to 16-3.

Early in the 4th, it appeared that Oregon State was on cruise control, with a 31-yard field goal from Kahut giving them a 19-3 lead with 10:10 to go. However, the Reser Stadium faithful got pretty silent, as UCLA roared back to tie the game. Kevin Prince hooked up with Nelson Rosario on a 58-yard catch and run touchdown, then again on the two-point conversion 8:39 left, making it 19-11. The Bruins found themselves knocking on the door again, after a 45-yard completion from Prince to Rosario gave UCLA a first down at the Beaver 4. The Bruins nearly faltered, but Prince found Taylor Embree to the left for a 7-yard touchdown. Johnathan Franklin caught Prince's 2-point conversion pass and with 2:06 remaining in regulation, the game was tied 19-19. Oregon State showed great poise however, surviving a near interception, driving 71-yards for the winning score. After moving deep into UCLA territory, the Beavers sent James Rodgers around right end for 17-yards and a touchdown, with 44 seconds still to go. Kahut booted the PAT, giving Oregon State a 26-19 lead. The Bruins had one last chance, but a pass from the Beaver 28 netted little, time ran out and Oregon State breathed a huge sigh of relife, winning 26-19.

Sean Canfield was very solid state for the Beavers, going 25-of-34 passing for 314 yards. And, not surprisingly, the Rodgers Brothers were spectacular. Jacquizz rushed 25 times for 111 yards, caught 7 passes for 91 yards and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass. James rushed 4 times for 17 yards and the winning touchdown, and caught 10 passes for 116 yards. Justin Kahut kicked 4 field goals and 2 PATs and Johnny Hekker punted 4 times for a 45-yard average, kicking 3 inside the 20. For UCLA, Kevin Prince was 22-of-34 passing for 322 yards and 2 touchdowns, Nelson Rosario caught 6 balls for 152 yards and a touchdown and Taylor Embree had 5 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Oregon State had 461 net yards, 23 first downs, were 2-of-11 on third down and were penalized 10 times for 80 yards. The Bruins had 383 net yards, 21 first downs, were 5-of-15 on third down and 1-of-1 on 4th down. Neither team committed a turnover.

The Beavers are now 3-2 in the Pac-10, 5-3 overall, while UCLA slips to 3-5 overall and 0-5 in the Pac-10. Oregon State travels to Berkely next Saturday, November 7th, to play the Cal Bears. Kickoff is set for 7:00p.m. EST. The radio broadcast is on the Beaver Sports Network and Fox Sports has the telecast.

Devils edge Lightning in shootout again

The New Jersey Devils won their second shootout of the season in the St. Pete Times Forum Saturday, winning 2-1 over the Tampa Bay Lightning, in front of 12,154 fans.

After a scoreless first period, Travis Zajac put New Jersey on top 50 seconds into the 2nd period. 4:34 into the third, Steven Stamkos scored his tenth goal of the season, banking the puck off a defenseman's skate and through the five-hole, tying the game for the Lightning 1-1. The Devils, who outshot Tampa Bay 38-19 in the game, outshot the Lightning 4-2 in overtime, but neither team was able to score and the game went to the deciding shootout.

Both goaltenders were solid in the shootout, but a David Clarkson top-shelf backhander in round four won the extra standings point for New Jersey, as they won the game 2-1.

Goaltending was sharp at both ends. Martin Brodeur made 18 saves for the Devils, while Antero Niittymaki made 37 saves for Tampa Bay. Both teams were 1-for-9 on the power play.

The Lightning are now 4-3-3 for 11 points, tied with Atlanta for second in the Southeast, 8 points behind Washington. New Jersey is 7-4-0 for 14 points, good for third in the Atlantic, 3 behind the Rangers and 8 back of Pittsburgh. The Devils are a perfect 6-0-0 on the road this season.

Tampa Bay travels to Philadelphia for a matchup with the Flyers on Monday, November 2nd. Faceoff is at 5:00p.m. EST. WDAE has the radio call, Sun Sports the telecast.

Ti-Cats scamper past punchless Riders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders offense missed the trip to Ontario, getting just 3 punt singles and a field goal in a damaging 24-6 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Saturday in a CFL football game with big playoff implications for both teams.

After an exchange of punts gave Hamilton the ball at the Rider 31, Nick Setta kicked a 34-yard fieldgoal, putting the Ti-Cats on top 3-0 with 11:46 remaining in the opening quarter.

Hamilton capitalized on the second turnover of the first quarter by Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant, scoring on a 12-yard pass from Kevin Glenn to Arland Bruce, capping a 6 play, 53-yard drive. Nick Setta booted the convert and with 6:13 remaining in the 1st, the Ti-Cats led 10-0. The lead grew to 11-0 on a 63-yard punt single by Nick Setta, with 4:00 to go in the first.

Hamilton scored 37 seconds into the second quarter, capping a drive that started after a late first quarter interception. DeAndre Cobb scored on a 23-yard run and, with the Setta convert, the Ti-Cat lead grew to 18-0, before Saskatchewan finally got on the board via three Louis Sakoda punt singles, from 57, 43 and 46 yards, to trail 18-3, with 6:56 gone in the 2nd quarter. Setta got the points back on a 10-yard field goal with 56 seconds left, then Luca Congi kicked a 33-yard field goal on the final play of the half, and Hamilton led 21-6 at the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, Setta booted a 47-yard field goal with 5:38 remaining in regulation, pushing the T-Cats lead to 24-6. Steven Jyles came in to run the Riders offense, but didn't have much success, leading one promising drive that ended up with no points, and Hamilton held on for the 24-6 win.

Kevin Glenn led the Ti-Cats with 21-of-35 passing for 233 yards and a touchdown pass to Arland Bruce, Arkee Whitlock ran the ball 15 times for 114 yards and a touchdown, DeAndre Cobb rushed for a touchdown and Nick Setta kicked 3 field goals and 2 converts. For Saskatchewan, Darian Durant was 8-of-20 passing for 66 yards and an interception, while also losing 2 fumbles. Steven Jyles was 4-of-6 passing for 56 yards, Luca Congi had a field goal, Louie Sakoda 3 punt singles, while Jason Armstead ran back 4 kickoffs for 136 yards. Hamilton had 414 yards total yards, to the Riders 168.

The Tiger-Cats are now 8-9 for 16 points and in temporary possession of second place in the CFL East. Saskatchewan slips to 9-7-1 for 19 points, with where they'll be in the CFL West dependant on tonight's Calgary-BC game.

The Riders have one game left in the regular season. It comes at home next Saturday against the Calgary Stampeders, with kickoff set for 7:00p.m. EST. Catch all the action on Rider Radio beginning at 6:00p.m. EST.

Sports Saturday

Loads o' sports today. Here's what we're watching at Chez Meissner:

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders hope to stay perched atop the CFL West with a road win today over The Hamilton Bulldogs. Hamilton looks to stay second in the East, so today is a big game for both teams. Kickoff is at 2:00p.m. EDT, with the live broadcast on CKRM starting at 1:00p.m. EDT. Link to listen is on the right.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning wrap up a four-game homestand with a matinee contest today against the New Jersey Devils. The Lightning are second in the Northeast and look to build some momentum in the early season schedule. Game time is 3:00p.m. EDT at the St. Pete Times Forum. Kids under 12 are admitted free for halloween too. The game is on 620 WDAE Radio and Sun Sports TV.

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It's homecoming 2009 in Corvallis, Oregon, as the Oregon State Beavers host the UCLA Bruins. The Beavers try to rebound from last week's 6 point loss at USC. OSU is 4-3 on the season, 2-2 in the Pac-10. The Bruins are 3-4 overall, 0-4 in conference. The Beavers broke a five-game losing streak to UCLA last year, with a 34-6 win at the Rose Bowl and hope to break a three-game home losing skid to the Bruins with a win today.

Kickoff at Reser Stadium is set for 4:00p.m. EDT. The game can be seen on a tape-delayed basis, beginning at 6:30p.m. EDT on Fox Sports Northwest and Prime Ticket. The live broadcast can be heard on http://www.kpam.com/ and the Beaver Sports Network.

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Game three of the World Series between the Phillies and Yankees is tonight in Philadelphia. The teams split the first two games in New York. First pitch tonight is at 7:57p.m. EDT on FOX and ESPN Radio.

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Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight. Standard time begins at 2:00a.m.. Enjoy your Saturday everyone. Go Riders! Go Lightning! Go Beavers!

Lightning sink Sens

Steven Stamkos continued to pound on the door of the elite player club Thursday night with two power play goals and an assist, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, in front of 13,213 fans at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

Stamkos opened the scoring with his first power play goal of the night at 7:20 of the opening period, giving the Lightning a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second, Todd Fedoruk scored at 4:34 and Ryan Malone at 14:48, putting Tampa Bay on top through 40 minutes, 3-0.

The Lightning expanded the lead to 5-0 in the third. Stamkos snapped home his second power play goal of the night at 7:09, then Alex Tanguay scored his first goal for Tampa Bay at 9:29. The Senators made things look a bit better, with goals by Jarkko Ruutu at 10:17 and Alexi Kovalev at 14:19, making the final score 5-2 in favor of the Lightning.

Tampa Bay had the advantage in shots on goal, 27 to 23. Mike Smith made 21 saves for the Lightning, while Brian Elliott had 22 saves for Ottawa. Tampa Bay was 2-for 6 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill.

The Lightning are 4-3-3 on the season for 11 points, good for second place in the Southeast, 7 points behind division leader Washington. Ottawa falls to 6-3-2 for 14 points, 1 point back of Buffalo in the Northeast.

Tampa Bay wraps up their current home stand Saturday against the New Jersey Devils, beginning at 3:00p.m. EDT. Kids under 12 will be admitted free to the game. Radio is on 620 WDAE, Sund Sports has the TV side.

Monday Morning Meissnervations

Sorry I'm late, but things are pretty hectic around here today. Here's what's happening....

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The World Series is set. The Yankees closed out the Angels in 6 games, with a 5-2 win over the Angels. Philadelphia visits New York for Game One this Wednesday, time to be determined on FOX.

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Remember when the baseball season ended in September, the World Series played day games, AND it was done by the middle of October? If the series goes seven games and weather doesn't interfere, the series will end on November 5th. That's just plain stupid. However, give MLB credit for scheduling the seven games in just nine days. That's better than the NBA and NHL playing a seven-game series drug out over two weeks.

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So, who do I root for? The Yankees, because one of their former players is directly responsible for starting the chain of events that ultimately led me to getting married and becoming a father? Or the Phillies, one of the teams in whose minor league system I once worked?

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The Tampa Bay Lightning split two games last week, beating San Jose 5-2 on Thursday, then dropping a 3-2 shootout decision to Buffalo on Saturday. Bolts are 3-3-3, tied for second in the Souteast with Atlanta, 3 points behind Washington.

Lightning host Ottawa Thursday, on Hockey Fights Cancer Night at 7:30p.m. EDT. New Jersey makes their second visit to the St. Pete Times Forum Saturday, at 3:00p.m. EDT.

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The Oregon State Beavers battled hard, but lost to USC 42-36 Saturday. ABC wasn't scheduled to carry the game in the East, but joined the telecast for the second half in the entire country. Broadcast crew was very complimentary of the play of Quarterback Sean Canfield. But please, someone tell Craig James the Beavers run the "Fly Sweep," not the "Jet Sweep." Oh well, right?

Beavs host UCLA Saturday for homecoming, but no T.V. is scheduled. Kickoff is 4:00p.m. EDT. The game can be heard at http://www.kpam.com.

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders remain tied with Calgary for first in the CFL West(Both at 9-6-1), after beating arch-rival BC Saturday in OT, 33-30. Riders led most of the game, fell behind in the 4th by 8, scored a TD and 2pt conversion late to tie, then almost won on the last play of regulation, but the winning field goal forgot it was supposed to go between the uprights, not bounce off one of them. Luca Congi kicked a field goal of Saskatchewan's first possession of O.T. (The CFL gives each team a possession starting at the 35) then Jason Patrick intercepted a pass in the corner of the endzone to seal the win. The Riders travel to Hamilton this Saturday, 2:00p.m. EDT on http://www.620ckrm.com.

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In the NFL:

Denver stayed unbeaten by topping San Diego 34-23 in the Monday Night game on October 19th. Yesterday, Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay past Cleveland 31-3, New England rolled past Tampa Bay in London 31-7(Both Josh's saw time at QB for the Bucs....BTW: The 80,000 tickets for the game reportedly sold out, whenever they did go on sale, in six minutes. Wow!) and Payton Manning used St. Louis for passing practice in a 42-6 win.

San Diego blasted Kansas City(who doesn't?) 37-7, Pittsburgh beat Minnesota 27-17(Vikings first loss), Buffalo beat Carolina 20-9 and the Jets pounded Oakland(Your 7-year-old's Pop Warner team could pound Oakland) 38-0 and Cincinnati blasted Chicago (a bit of surprise) 45-10.

Dallas beat Atlanta 37-21, New Orleans stayed unbeated with a 46-34 comeback win in Miami, Arizona tipped the Giants 24-17 and Philadelphia plays at Washington in this week's Monday Night game.

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Doctor visits for me continue, with Thursday the only day this week that I'm not in one doctor's office or another. My lovely bride Kim is doing her best at work, and hopefully others will see that as well and Jimmy, Snoopy and Smoke are as fun as ever.

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We need a replacement for our current car. Car shopping isn't fun, is it? Wish us luck.

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Have a great week everybody!

USC escapes determined Beavers squad by 6

The Oregon State Beavers battled all night long, but in the end, USC held the ball and ran out the clock for a 42-36 win over the Beavers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Trojans led 7-6 after one, getting a 8-yard Matt Barkley to Anthony McCoy touchdown pass, with a Jordan Congdon PAT, to offset two 48-yard field goals from Oregon State's Justin Kahut.

Barkley hit Ronald Johnson with a 22-yard scoring strike and also rushed for a 1-yard score, with Congdon converting both times. Kahut kicked a 33-yard field goal and USC led at the half, 21-9.

Both teams exchanged a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. Sean Canfield passed 6 yards to Jacquizz Rodgers with Kahut kicking the PAT for the Beavers. Allen Bradford ran it in from 2-yards out, with Congdon converting for the Trojans. Sean Canfield for Oregon State passed 15-yards to Damola Adeniji, with Kahut kicking the point after. Allen Bradford then followed with a 43-yard run for USC and Congdon made the PAT, putting the Trojans up 35-23.

Damian Williams appeared to put a lock on the game for USC, running a Johnny Hekker punt back 63-yards for a touchdown. Congdon kicked the PAT, and USC led 42-23. However, the Beavers roared back. Canfield found James Rodgers with a 7-yard touchdown pass, but missed on the two-point conversion, drawing Oregon State closer, at 42-29. The Beavers got even closer, with Jacquizz Rodgers bulling across the goal line from a yard out with just over 4 minutes remaining in regulation time. Kahut kicked the PAT and the Trojans' lead was down to 6. USC took the kick and proceeded to not only hold onto the ball, but also ran the clock out, holding on for the 42-36 win.

For Oregon State, Sean Canfield was 30-of-43 passing for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jacquizz Rodgers rushed 19 times for 109 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a touchdown pass. Joe Halahuni caught 9 passes for 129 yards, and Damola Adeniji caught a touchdown pass. Justin Kahut kicked 3 field goals for the Beavers. For USC, Matt Barkley was 15-of-25 passing for 202 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Allen Bradford rushed 15 times for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns, Ronald Johnson caught 9 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown, while Anthony McCoy caught a touchdown pass and Damian Williams scored on a punt return. Each team had 24 first downs, Oregon State was 7-15 on 3rd downs and 1-1 on 4th down, while losing 1 fumble and being penalized 9 times for 85 yards. The Trojans were 6-9 on 3rd downs, committed 4 penalties for 45 yards and turned the ball over twice.

The Beavers, who haven't beaten USC in Los Angeles since 1960, are now 4-3 on the season, 2-2 in the Pac-10. The Trojans are 6-1 overall, 3-1 in the Pac-10.

Next up for Oregon State, is their homecoming game on Saturday, October 31st, against the UCLA Bruins, who lost to Arizona 27-13 tonight. Kickoff at Reser Stadium is set for 4:00p.m. with the Beaver Sports Network and http://www.kpam.com/ having the live broadcast. The Beavers beat the Bruins last season 34-8.

Lightning drops shootout to Buffalo

Tyler Myers scored in the sixth round of the shoot out and Ryan Miller stayed undefeated on the season, as the Buffalo Sabres out-lasted the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 Saturday night, in front of 15,804 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

Vincent Lecavalier scored with one second to go in the first period, giving the Lightning a 1-0 lead.

In the second, Mike Grier scored for Buffalo at 19:14, tying the game 1-1 through 40 minutes.

In the third, Steven Stamkos slipped in a wrap-around at 4:26 to put Tampa Bay back on top at 2-1, but Drew Stafford scored for the Sabres at 19:43, tying the game 2-2.

Neither team was able to light the lamp in overtime, and the game moved on to a deciding shootout.

The shootout went six rounds, with Tyler Myers scoring in round six to win the game 3-2 for Buffalo. Myers was the only shooter to find the net in the shootout.

The Sabres out-shot the Lightning 33-26. Ryan Miller had 24 saves and is 6-0-1 this eason for Buffalo, who scored once in 6 power play chances. Mike Smith had 31 saves for the Lightning, who misfired on six power plays.

Buffalo improves to 6-1-1 for 13 points, 1 point ahead of Ottawa in the Northeast. Tampa Bay slips to 3-3-3 fpr 9 points and tied for second in the Southeast with Atlanta, 5 points behind first place Washington.

The Lightning hosts the Northeast-leading Ottawa Senators on Thursday, October 29th. It'll be Hockey Fights Cancer Night, with face-off set for 7:00p.m. EDT. 620 WDAE has the radio call and Sun Sports the telecast. New Jersey visits Tampa for the second time this season on Saturday, October 31st at 3:00p.m. EDT.

Riders top BC in O.T.

Jason Patrick's interception on BC's first possession of overtime capped an exciting come-from-behind effort for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, sending them back into a first-place tie with Calgary in the CFL West, as the Riders edged the Lions 36-33 in front of a sell-out crowd of 30,945 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan Saturday night.

BC led 3-0 after one, on the strength of a 27-yard field goal by Paul McCallum halfway through the opening quarter.

Saskatchewan took control in the second quarter with a pair of major scores. Steven Jyle snuck over from the 1, then Darian Durant found Robb Bagg from 32 yards and with the Luca Congi converts on both scores, led 14-3 with 4:14 left in the half. McCallum kicked a 33-yard field goal with 1:23 to go for the Lions, Congi connected from 49-yards for the Riders, then McCallum nailed a 46-yarder for BC on the final play of the half, and the two teams went to halftime with Saskatchewan holding a 17-6 lead.

Congi kicked a 57-yard punt single 3:21 into the second half, giving the Riders an 18-9 lead. Casey Printers, making his first start of the season for the Lions, hit Emmanuel Arceneaux from 34-yards out and with McCallum's convert, the Saskatchewan lead was down to 2, at 18-16, with 8:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Congi got another single for the Riders, after missing a 42-yard field goal attempt with 4:27 left. Jason Armstead returned a punt 54-yards, paving the way for another Congi field goal with 1:29 left and Saskatchewan's lead was 6, at 22-16, heading into the 4th quarter.

Printers found Michael Bumpus with a 29-yard scoring strike with 7:09 left and McCallum converted, putting BC on top 23-22. Barron Miles picked off an errant Durant pass and returned it 42-yards for a touchdown and with McCallum's convert, the Lions were sailing with a 30-22 lead and just 3:16 still on the clock. However, the Riders still had plenty of life left in them. Johnny Quinn caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Durant, who then found Chris Getzlaf for the 2-point conversion with 1:53 remaining, tying the game 30-30. Saskatchewan actually had a chance to win on the last play of regulation, but Congi hit the upright from 49-yards away on the last play of the quarter, setting up the CFL's third overtime game of 2009, and the second in two weeks for the Riders.

On their first possession of overtime, Saskatchewan went back on top, with a 29-yard field goal by Congi. BC took over at the 35 and moved to the Saskatchewan 8, but Printer's pass to Geroy Simon in the corner of the endzone was picked by Patrick and the Riders escaped with the 33-30 win.

Darian Durant led Saskatchewan with 27-of-46 passing for 319 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Robb Bagg and Johnny Quinn caught touchdown passes, Steven Jyles rushed for a touchdown and Luca Congi had 3 field goals, 2 converts and 2 singles. The Riders had 425 yards total offense, turned the ball over twice and were penalized just 3 times for only 20 yards. For the Lions, Casey Printers was 19-of-31 passing for 339 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Emmanuel Arceneaux and Michael Bumpus scored receiving touchdowns, Barron Miles returned an interception for a touchdown, and Paul McCallum had 3 field goals and 3 converts. BC had 406 yards total offense and were penalized 11 times for 129 yards.

With the win, Saskatchewan is 9-6-1 for 19 points, tied for first in the CFL West. The Lions slip to 8-8 for 16 points. Both the Riders and Calgary clinched playoff spots with their wins this weekend.

Saskatchewan plays at Hamilton next Saturday, October 31st, beginning at 2:00p.m. EDT. The live broadcast begins at 1:00p.m. EDT at http://www.620ckrm.com/. BC hosts Calgary next Saturday, beginning at 10:00p.m. EDT.

Sports Saturday

It's Saturday, which means plenty of sports on the tube, radio and www at Chez Meissner.

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The log jam otherwise known as the CFL West just keeps getting tighter. Calgary moved into first with their win last night, 2 points ahead Saskatchewan, 3 points ahead of BC and 5 ahead of Edmonton. This afternoon, the Riders host the BC Lions in a big grudge-type rematch. Kickoff at Mosaic Stadium is set for 5:30pm EDT, with the live broadcast on Rider Radio CKRM (link to the right) beginning at 4:30pm. This will be as exciting as football gets.

Go Riders!

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After Thursday's impressive 5-2 win over San Jose, the Lightning continue their 4-game home stand tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Tampa Bay enters tonight 3rd in the Southeast at 3-3-2 for 8 points, 4 behind division leader Washington and 1 behind second place Atlanta. The Sabres are 5-1-1 for 11 points, tied for first with in the Northeast.

Faceoff tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum is 7:30pm EDT. 620 WDAE has the radio, tv tonight is WTOG, CW 44.

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HUUUUUUUUGE Pac-10 game tonight in Los Angeles between the Oregon State Beavers and USC Trojans. The Beavers, after last week's bye, are 4-2 in '09, 2-1 in the Pac-10, after their 38-28 win over Stanford two weeks ago. USC is 5-1 overall, 2-1 in the Pac-10, along with the Beavers, Arizona and Arizona State, 1 game behind Oregon.

Oreghon State is in search of their first victory over the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1960 and hopes to use last season's 27-21 win over then #1 ranked USC in Corvallis to vault them into the thick of the conference race. Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 186 yards in last season's Beaver win, and they'll need something similar again, along with solid pass blocking, if they're to break their 21-game L.A. losing streak.

Tonight's game kicks off at 8:00pm EDT. ABC has the telecast, but just to the left side of the country. The live radio broadcast can be heard at http://www.kpam.com.

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South Florida(1-1 in conference) is playing Pittsburgh(3-0 in conference) in a significant Big East game today, and Game 6 of the American League Championship Series is tonight in New York between the Yankees and Angels. An LAA of A win forces a Game 7 tomorrow. Tonight's first pitch on FOX is 7:57pm EDT. A Yankee win puts them in the World Series against the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies, beginning Wednesday.

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Whatever you're doing today, have fun!

Lightning returns home, tops San Jose

A return home was just the thing for the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday, as the Bolts broke a two-game skid with a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks, in front of 13,343 fans at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

19-year-old rookie James Wright scored his first NHL goal on a tip-in just 30 seconds into the contest, then Ryan Malone converted another tip-in at 15:01, giving Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead after one.

Ryan Vesce put the Sharks on the board with a backhander at 12:34 of the second, but a Steven Stamkos goal at 16:39 restored the two-goal lead at 3-1 through 40 minutes.

Andrej Meszaros made it 4-1 Lightning with a goal 2:54 into the third. San Jose struck back at 13:41 on a Dan Boyle power play goal for the Sharks, but Stamkos scored his second goal of the night at 19:41 into an empty net, as Tampa Bay finished out an impressive 5-2 streak-busting win.

Mike Smith was solid in goal for the Lightning, stopping 32-of-34 shots for his first win in nine months. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 20-of-24 shots for San Jose. Special teams were a wash, with Tampa Bay going 0-for-1 on the power play while scoring a shorth handed goal. The Sharks were 1-for-4 with the man advantage.

With the win, the Lightning rebound from their two road losses last weekend, to improve to 3-3-2 for 8 points, third in the Southeast Division behind Atlanta(9 points) and Washington(12 points). San Jose is now 5-4-1 for 11 points in the Pacific Division, trailing Dallas, Los Angeles and Phoenix, all with 12 points.

Tampa Bay plays game two of their four-game home stand Saturday night, playing host to the Buffalo Sabres. Faceoff is set for 7:30pm EDT. Radio coverage is on 620 WDAE, with the live telecast on WTOG(CW 44).

Monday Morning Meissnervations

Happy Monday to you, Happy Monday to you....

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Baseball playoffs continue. In the ALCS, the Yankees are up 2-0 on the Angels, after winning 4-1 on Friday and 4-3 in 13 rainy innings on Saturday. Game 3 is this afternoon at 4:13pm EDT on Fox. Game 4 is Tuesday at 7:57p.m. EDT. Both games are in Anaheim.

In the NLCS, the defending champion Phillies are up 2-1, after pounding the Dodgers yesterday 11-0. Philadelphia won game 1 on Thursday 8-6, while the Dodgers won game 2 on Friday, 2-1. Game 4 is in Philadelphia tonight at 8:07pm EDT, with game 5 in Philadelphia coming Wednesday at 8:07pm EDT. The NLCS games are on TBS.

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders entered Saturday's game tied atop the CFL West standings at 8-6. At the end of the night, they were tied at 8-6-1, after an exciting 44-44 tie. Darian Durant threw for 427 yards, Chris Czarka rushed for 3 touchdowns and Luca Congi toed 12 points for the Riders. Joffrey Reynolds was the star for Calgary with 135 yards and 3 touchdowns rushing. Saskatchewan hosts BC this Saturday at 5:30pm EDT on CKRM Radio.

In the West, after the Riders and Stamps at 8-6-1 for 17 points, BC is 8-7 for 16 points and Edmonton is 7-8 for 14 points.

In the East, Montreal is 13-2 for 26 points, Hamilton and Winnipeg are 6-9 for 12 points and Toronto (rumored to possibly be up for sale) is 3-12 for 6 points.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning dropped two games over the weekend, losing 7-1 at Ottawa Thursday and 4-1 at Pittsburgh on Saturday. Tampa Bay struggled offensively and on special teams, but got some solid goaltending from Antero Niittymaki in Saturday's game.

The Lightning play their next 4 at home. Tampa Bay hosts the San Jose Sharks on Thursday and the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, with both those games starting at 7:30p.m. EDT. Thursday, October 29th, the Ottawa Senators come to town for Hockey Fights Cancer Night. That game starts at 7:00p.m. EDT. The New Jersey Devils make their second appearance this season at the St. Pete Times Forum on Saturday, October 31st, with faceoff set for 3:00p.m. EDT. The games can be heard locally on 620 WDAE and seen on Sun Sports, except for the October 24th game, which airs on WTOG, the first of six games on 'TOG this season.

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I understand the Small-Field League had a bunch of games yesterday.

Miami capped last week with a 31-27 Monday Night win over the Jets, who fed off that "momentum," for a 16-13 overtime loss to Buffalo(Say what?), as Mark Sanchez(You remember, the savior of the green-and-white) threw for 119 yards and 5 interceptions. Minnesota remained unbeaten with a come-from-behind 33-31 win over Baltimore(Favre does it again and the Ravens missed a last-second field goal). New Orleans blasted the Giants 48-27(The Saints are 5-0 and look pretty good). And Pittsburgh stopped Cleveland 27-14(My Grandma-remember her?-could stop Cleveland).

Green Bay blanked Detroit 26-0(Those brats taste pretty good now, don't they?). Carolina beat Tampa Bay 28-21(Bucs are 0-6 after failing to stop the run in what was their best performance so far this season). Kansas City squeaked by Washington 14-6(Chiefs first win of season, Skins are in deep sewage). And Jacksonville edged St. Louis 23-20 in overtime(Do the people in L.A. really want this team back?).

Oakland beat Philadelphia 13-9(Miracles do happen, you know and say, didn't that pidgeon look great on kick coverage for the Raiders?). Arizona beat Seattle 24-3(The one-sided score was a bit of a surprise). New England won in the snow over Tennessee 59-0(Tom Brady threw 5 touchdown passes in the second quarter). Atlanta slipped past Chicago in the Sunday Night game 21-14 and the week concludes with Denver at San Diego in the Monday Night game(I'll be watching baseball).

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Still trying to recover from the flu, I watched three whole NFL games yesterday. I think that's a modern Meissner record, not soon to be equaled.

I'd still rather watch the Saskatchewan Roughriders!

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Let's see, what can I get into next?

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Oregon State Beavers were off this past weekend. They play at USC this coming Saturday, looking for a big win that would vault them into Pac-10 title contention. Kickoff is set for 8:00pm EDT Saturday. TV coverage is on ABC, radio on KPAM and the Beaver Sports Network.

Beavers host UCLA in their homecoming game on the 31st.

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I spent last Wednesday evening/early Thursday in the emergency room. The main benefit there, was that I got to watch the United Football League game between the Florida Tuskers and the Las Vegas Locomotives. The football is okay(The Tuskers won 29-15 and it wasn't that close), but the officials red uniforms(Hey Kool-Aid man!) are horrid. It was appropriate I was in the hospital, because those red shirts made me sick.

Don't confuse this league with anything approaching the NFL. But, if you take it for what it is(a developement league for the NFL), you just might be surprised.

http://www.ufl-football.com.

BTW: What's tougher? A Florida Tusker, or an Arkansas Razorback?

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Speaking of me, hospitals and doctors, no one is able (still) to find out what's wrong with me. I'm ready to start looking at it like a shade-tree mechanic does car repairs: Just start exchanging parts until the car starts working good again.

I just want the pain to go away.

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The Portland Winterhawks are 8-5 in the early Western Hockey League season, after dropping a heart-breaker in Calgary last night, 6-5, with the Hitmen winning on a late goal. The Hawks are 1-2 on their Eastern Swing, with games at Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Kootenay coming up.

While 8-5 might not be an overly impressive record normally, it is when you consider Portland won 20 games or less in each of the past three seasons.

They are much-improved and should not only contend for a playoff spot this season, but the U.S. Division title as well.

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My old team, the Tri-City Storm, is 2-1-1 to start the USHL season. They played just once this past weekend, losing to Fargo 6-5 on a goal 27 seconds into overtime. From what I'm hearing, lots of things continue to improve, except for attendance. Through three home games, the Storm have drawn 5,246, an average of 1,748 per game, down 345 a game from last season. Apparently, only the hard core fans (a/k/a message board mouth flappers) think the entire city should be turning out, simply because of all the changes made since the sale of the team and arena. But, once you've had as big of a disconnect in your community like the Storm did in the previous two/three seasons, it takes a L-O-N-G time to rebuild the trust and acceptance. Winning consistantly on home ice will help, of course, but it will take a LOT of hard work from the staff to get the fans back out in numbers anywhere near what they used to be. Here's hoping they "Git-r-done!"

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My lovely bride Kim has the next three days off work(Take that PTO now or lose it, ya know). I don't know what she has in store, but it'll be fun to have some family time together, without the pressures of work. We're looking forward to it.

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Have as much fun as you possibly can gang!

Lightning lose 4-1 at Pittsburgh

After a modest two-game, early season win streak, the Tampa Bay Lightning have now lost two straight, losing 4-1 at Pittsburgh to the Penguins tonight.

Bill Guerin scored a power play goal at 4:56 and Sergei Gonchar scored at 17:10, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead after one.

In the second, a Steven Stamkos power play goal for the Lightning at 6:18 cut the deficit to 2-1, but Pittsburgh scored on a goal by Pascal Dupuis at 8:15 to lead 3-1 after two.

In the third, Mike Rupp scored for the Penguins at 11:21, and Pittsburgh skated it home from there, winning 4-1.

The Penguins outshot Tampa Bay 33-23. Antero Niittymaki, despite allowing 4 goals, was brilliant for the Lightning, making 29 saves, several of those coming at the end of the second period on two straight two-man disadvatges. Marc-Andre Fleury had 22 saves for Pittsburgh. Both teams were 1-for-7 on the power play.

Tampa Bay is now 2-3-2 for 6 points, third in the Southeast, 2 points behind Atlanta and 4 behind Washington. The Penguins, who have now won 5 straight, are 7-1, tied with the Rangers for first in the Atlantic.

The Lightning come home for 4 games, the first coming next Thursday, October 22nd, against the San Jose Sharks. On Saturday, October 24th, the Buffalo Sabres are the opponents. Both those games start at 7:30p.m. EDT. Thursday, October 29th, Tampa Bay meets the Ottawa Senators for Hockey Fights Cancer Night. That game starts at 7:00p.m. EDT. Then, on Saturday, October 31st, it's a matinee game as the New Jersey Devils return for the second time this season, with faceoff set for 3:00p.m. EDT. The games can be heard locally on 620 WDAE and seen on Sun Sports, except for the October 24th game, which will air on WTOG.

Riders tie Calgary in OT thriller

The Saskatchewan Roughriders battled from behind all game long, earning a hard-fought 44-44 tie against the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta.

Calgary opened the scoring with a 14 yard field goal by Sandro Deangelis, taking a 3-0 lead with 6:23 left in the opening quarter. After a Luca Congi field goal attempt that missed wide right with 2:50 left in the 1st resulted in a single point for the Roughriders, Joffrey Reynolds scored on a 38 yard run, capping a 6 play, 67 yard drive. Deangelis converted, giving the Stampeders a 10-1 lead after the opening quarter.

Saskatchewan scored first in the second, as Chris Czarka ran up the middle for 6 yards and a touchdown. Congi coverted with 11:51 remaining in the half, cutting Calgary's lead to 10-8. Congi conceded a safety touch with 7:16 to go, then Reynolds ran it in from 3 yards out with 3:36 left, and the Stamps, with the Deangelis convert, led 19-8. The Riders' Czarka scored on a 1-yard run, finishing off a 4 play, 80 yard drive that featured a 65-yard catch and run by Jason Clermont. Congi's convert, with 2:27 remaining, made it 19-15 Calgary. Burke Dales booted a 56-yard punt single with 1:13 to go in the half to increase the Stampeder lead to 20-15, and Congi rounded out first half scoring with 7 seconds to go, kicking a 15 yard field goal for Saskatchewan, to leave the Calgary lead at 2, 20-18.

The third quarter was a defensive battle, with a Deangelis 30-yard field goal with 4:45 to go the only scoring, putting the Stampeders up 23-18 lead through three quarters.

Congi kicked a 71-yard punt single to start the 4th, cutting the deficit to 23-19. Congi then booted another field goal, this one with 6:37 remaining in regulation time, slicing the Calgary lead to 23-22. With 3:06 still on the clock, Reynolds scored his third touchdown of the night on a 5-yard run. Deangelis converted and the Stamps were up 30-22. The Riders would roar back to tie the game and force overtime. Darian Durant flipped a short pass to Andy Fantuz who did the rest, scoring from 35 yards out. Durant then hit Robb Bagg for the two-point conversion with 41 seconds to go in regulation, tying the game 30-30.

In the first overtime series, a suspect call for unnecesary roughing against the Riders' John Chick gave Calgary a fresh set of downs at the 22, instead of being faced with a 3rd-and-forever. The Stampders would scored three plays later, on a Henry Burris to Rob Cote 7-yard touchdown pass. The Deangelis convert put Calgary back on top 37-30. Saskatchewan scored on a Czarka 1-yard run and Congi convert, tying the game 37-37.

In the second overtime series, Durant connected with Chris Getzlaf on a 35-yard touchdown. Congi converted and the Riders led 44-37. But, Burris found Brett Ralph with a 5-yard touchdown pass and Deangelis converted and the game finished in a 44-44 tie.

Darian Durant had a solid game for Saskatchewan, going 35-for-45 passing for 427 yards and 2 touchdowns and was sacked once. Andy Fantuz caught 10 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown, and Chris Getzlaf also caught a touchdown pass. Chris Czarka rushed for 3 touchdowns and Luca Congi kicked 2 field goals, 4 converts and 2 singles. For the Stampeders, Henry Burris was 23-of-34 passing for 285 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and was sacked 3 times. Rob Cote and Brett Ralph caught touchdown passes, Joffrey Reynolds rushed 19 times for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns, Sandro Deangelis kicked 2 field goals and 5 converts and Burke Dales had a punt single. Each team had one turnover.

Both teams are now 8-6-1 for 17 points and remain tied for first in the CFL West, 3 points ahead of both BC and Edmonton. And there's one more game in the season series between Saskatchewan and Calgary, that coming on November 7th in Regina, which will close out the regular season for both teams.

The Riders next action comes on Saturday, October 24th, as they host the BC Lions. Kickoff is set for 5:30p.m. EDT, with the live broadcast on CKRM and the Rider Radio Network beginning at 4:30p.m. EDT. Calgary is next in action on Friday, October 23rd, at home against the Edmonton Eskimos, with kickoff set for 10:00p.m. EDT.

Sports Saturday

It's another Sports Saturday at Chez Meissner. Here's what we're keeping track of at our house.

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders hope to keep a share of the lead in the CFL West today, as they take on the Calgary Stampeders.

The Riders are tied with Calgary for first, both with identical 8-6 records for 16 points. Saskatchewan tipped the Stamps 24-23 August 1st, so the Stamps need to win today to keep any chance of hosting the West Division final alive. The two teams meet again in Regina on November 7th.

The Riders beat Toronto last Saturday, 32-22. Darian Durant was 14-of-23 passing for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns, Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf and Gerran Walker caught touchdown passes, Stu Foord rushed for a touchdown and Luca Congi kicked a field goal, 4 converts and a single for Saskatchewan. Calgary lost at Montreal 32-14 on Monday. Quarterback Henry Burris failed to throw a touchdown pass in a game for just the second time since 2005, and the Stampeders, defending Grey Cup champions, also managed just 59 rushing yards. They have not scored a touchdown in nine quarters and today will face the CFL's second-best pass defense, led by Riders defensive ends Stevie Baggs and John Chick, who have nine sacks apiece.

Calgary will be without top receivers Ken-Yon Rambo and Ryan Thelwell. Saskatchewan will be missing star slotback Weston Dressler, who fractured his leg during last Saturday's game and is expected to be out for at least the rest of the regular season.

Kickoff at Calgary's McMahon Stadium is set for 3:30p.m. EDT. The live broadcast, with Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri calling the plays, begins at 2:30p.m. EDT. Links to listen are on the right side of this blog.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are in action tonight in Pittsburgh against the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins. The Lightning are 2-2-2 for 6 points, following Thursday's 7-1 loss at Ottawa. Ryan Malone leads the Tampa Bay offense with six goals so far this season. Tampa Bay is tied for second in the Southeast Division with Atlanta, 2 points behind Washington. Pittsburgh is 6-1, tied with the Rangers for first in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins beat Carolina 3-2 in a shootout on Wednesday.

Face-off tonight is 7:30p.m. The game is on 620 WDAE Radio and Sun Sports TV.

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The Oregon State Beavers are off this week, getting back into action at USC next Saturday.

So, to fill that void, we're keeping an eye on the Oklahoma-Texas game, plus the MLB playoffs. The Yankees host the Angels tonight in Game 2 of the ALCS, after winning game one last night 4-1. Tonight's game, on Fox, begins at 7:57p.m. EDT. The NLCS is tied 1-1, after the Dodgers won 2-1 last night. That series resumes tomorrow at 8:07p.m. EDT on TBS.

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I can't think of a better way to get over a case of the flu, than a Saturday full of sports. Have fun everyone!

Lightning lose at Ottawa

It wasn't the Lightning's night Thursday, as the Ottawa Senators beat Tampa Bay 7-1, in front of 17,732 at Scotiabank Place.

The Sens took control with two goals in the first period. Alexei Kovalev opened the scoring at 4:25 of the first, tipping a Daniel Alfredsson shot into the net. After that, Milan Michalek took over. Acquired from San Jose in an off-season deal for Dany Heatley, he had just one point heading into Thursday's game. Unfortunately, the Lightning caught him on the night of his coming out party. Michalek scored two shorthanded goals, the first coming at 10:22 of the opening period, giving Ottawa a 2-0 lead after one.

Michalek scored his second shortie at 5:41 of the second and the Senators were off to the races with a 3-0 lead. It was 4-0 when Alexandre Piccard scored at 6:15, then 5-0 on a Nick Foligno goal at 10:15. Ryan Malone's 6th goal of the season broke the shut out bid at 14:26, leaving Tampa Bay down 5-1 after 40 minutes.

Ottawa sealed the deal with two third period goals. Michalek rounded out his hat trick with a power play goal at 11:39 to make it 6-1, then a Jarkko Ruuto goal at 17:01 finished the scored, as the Sens rolled to the 7-1 win.

Ottawa outshot the Lightning 35-17. Pascal Leclaire made 16 saves for the Senators, Mike Smith 29 for Tampa Bay. Ottawa went 1-for-6 on the power play. The Lightning were 0-for-6 with the man advantage and allowed 2 shorthanded goals.

Tampa Bay had their two-game win streak snapped and slipped to second in the Southeast Division wth a 2-2-2 record for 6 points, two points behind division leading Washington, who beat San Jose 4-1 last night. The Senators improved to 4-2-0 for 8 points, good for first in the Northeast.

The Lightning continue their two-game road swing in Pittsburgh Saturday night, against the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins. Face-off is set for 7:30p.m. EDT. 620 WDAE has the radio broadcast, Sun Sports the telecast. Tampa Bay returns home to meet the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, October 22nd. Face-off at the St. Pete Times Forum on Thursday is 7:30p.m. EDT. Ottawa's next action is at Montreal this Saturday at 7:00p.m. EDT.

3rd period comeback propels Lightning to win

A sprawling save by Antero Niittymaki turned into an assist on Ryan Malone's third-period, game-winning goal Monday night, as the Tampa Bay Lightning won their second consecutive game, beating the Florida Panthers 3-2 in front of 14,126 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

Radek Dvorak's short-handed goal 8:10 into the game, gave Florida a 1-0 lead. Steven Stamkos continued his brilliant early-season play, netting a power play goal for the Lightning at 18:32, tying the game 1-1 through 20 minutes.

The Panthers regained the lead on a Nathan Hoton power play goal at 6:33 of the middle period, taking a 2-1 lead after two.

Tampa Bay would turn it on in the third period for the second straight game, to grab their second straight win. Martin St. Louis snapped home a power play goal from near the left circle at 7:17 of the third, tying the game 2-2. Then, with Florida storming the Lightning goal, Niittymaki made the biggest play ofn the night with a sprawling save. Stamkos picked up the puck and eventually found Ryan Malone, who zipped a backhander into the net at 13:29. Malone's 4th goal in his last two games proved to be the game-winner, as Tampa Bay held on for the 3-2 win.

Antero Niittymaki, making his second consecutive start, made 31 saves for the Lightning. Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos had a goal and assist each and Vinny Lecavalier had two assists. Tomas Vokoun made 28 saves for the Panthers, who were 1-for-5 on the power play. Tampa Bay was 2-for-6 on the power play and allowed a short-handed goal.

The Lightning improve to 2-1-2 on the season good for 6 points and a first place tie with Washington in the Southeast Division. Florida slips to 1-4-0, 4 points out of first in the Southeast.

Tampa Bay plays at Ottawa Thursday night, with puck drop on 620 WDAE and Sun Sports set for 7:30p.m. EDT. The Lightning travel to Pittsburgh on Saturday. Florida hosts Philadelphia on Friday.

Monday Morning Meissnervations

Good morning everyone. Welcome to another Monday!

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Wow, was Saturday a big day for the sports room at Chez Meissner.

First of all, the Oregon State Beavers dominated the Pac-10 leading Stanford Cardinal early and cruised to a solid 38-28 win. Jacquizz Rodgers was superb, rushing 33 times for 189 yards and a school-record tying 4 touchdowns, while also catching 5 passes for 82 yards. His brother James had 139 all-purpose yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Sean Canfield was 22-of-32 passing for 290 yards and a touchdown. Next up, the always anticipated matchup with B-Y-E. Then, it's off the Los Angeles on October 24th to play USC. That should be a good one. The Trojans were off this past week, and play at Notre Dame this week.

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat Carolina 5-2 for their first win of the season. Ryan Malone scored three goals to key the win. Perhaps the most exciting one, was the empty net goal late in the third where, along the boards at the blue line in his own end, as he was being tripped and with one of his skates over the boards and into the bench, he actually looked for and found his target, teed up the puck and shot it into the goal some 120 feet away. Now THAT takes some skill! Oh, don't forget Antero Niittymaki and his 24 saves either. Let's hope they can build off that effort, starting with tonight's game against Florida.

And the Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Toronto Argonauts 32-22. Darian Durant threw three first-half touchdown passes, to Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf and Gerran Walker. Stu Foord rushed for a touchdown and Luca Congi kicked a field goal, 4 converts and a single. Unfortunately, the news out of Regina isn't all good. Weston Dressler broke his fibula and sprained his ankle, but maintains he'll be back for the playoffs. Here's hoping his prediction is correct. He's a big part of the Rider offense. In the meantime, Jason Clermont has a chance to finally show what's still left in his tank. It all starts with this Saturday's game at Calgary against the Stampeders, 2:30p.m. EDT, 3:30p.m. EDT kickoff on http://www.620ckrm.com/. Right now, Saskatchewan is tied for first with the Stamps in the CFL West, pending the outcome of today's Calgary at Montreal game.

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Anyone know when the humidity here goes away? They get a foot-and-a-half of snow in North Platte, Nebraska(about 100 miles West of where we used to live) over the weekend, while it's still into the 90s here(with about 437% humidity). There are four seasons in Florida, you know: Warm, hot, really hot and you've got to be kidding me!)

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Baseball playoffs continue. On Sunday, the Yankees beat Minnesota 4-1, the Angels beat Boston 4-1 and the Dodgers beat St. Louis 5-1. All three of those series are over in three straight. In the only series still going, Philadelphia beat Colorado yesterday 6-5, taking a 2 games to 1 lead. Game 4 is in Denver today, 6:07p.m. EDT on TBS. If game 5 is needed, it's at Philadelphia on Tuesday, 8:07p.m. EDT on TBS.

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Mr. Baby is no more. Our little Jimmy is officially a toddler! He's walking more than he's crawling, he's talking up a storm and amazingly, he's cuter than ever! But, it appears he's getting a head start on the terrible twos. Well, we'll love him through it, to the best of our ability.

We love our Jim-Jim!

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Small-field ball had another interesting week. First, it was Minnesota winning at Green Bay 30-23 last Monday, to wrap up week 4. Aaron Rodgers had a big game for Green Bay, passing for 384 yards. But, in the end, Brett Favre had a bigger game when it really counted. He may actually have something left in the tank after all.

Yesterday, Favre threw for 282 yards to lead Minnesota past St. Louis 38-10. Dallas survived in Kansas City 26-20(Cassell wish he was still with the Pats?), Carolina edged Washington 23-20(Is Zorn saving time by starting to pack his belongings and getting an open reservation on a moving truck?) and Cleveland beat Buffalo 6-3(in Toilet Bowl I).

Pittsburgh beat Detroit 28-20(Lions are getting better), Cincinnati beat Baltimore 17-14(Bengals are showing they're better than expected), Philadelphia beat Tampa Bay 33-14(Josh Johnson isn't the answer for the Bucs and neither would Josh Freeman...no one can move that pathetic team), the Giants beat Oakland 44-7(The Ray-duhs are the league's worst team. Their quarterback, who can throw the ball 65 yards from his knees can't throw it when he's standing up and their coach might get arrested for assaulting a former assistant. Oakland is truly the worst team in the NFL) and Atlanta pounded San Francisco 45-10(Dang it!).

Denver beat New England 20-17 in overtime(Why, oh why, does the NFL continue with sudden death overtime, when no other football league does? How can you have a timed period of play and have a team lose while not getting a chance on offense? Either start with a series of plays for each team from the 25 or 35, or make the overtime a full 15-minute, non-sudden death period). Seattle beat (the living daylights out of) Jacksonville 41-0, Arizona topped Houston 28-21(The Texans failed to score from a yard out on four straight plays in the closing minute) and Indianapolis beat Tennessee 31-9(Payton Manning threw for 300+ yards for the fifth time in as many games this season).

Week 5 wraps up with this week's Monday Night game on ESPN, the Jets at Miami(I'm a Jets fan this week).

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Wanna see a really neat blog? Go to the Other Blogs of Interest section on the right side of your screen, and click on Chad, Andrea and Calla. They're a really neat couple from Kearney, Nebraska with their cutest of cute two-year old daughter, Calla. Check it out sometime. LOTS of pictures showing life in their family, starring Calla.

They were nice enough to remember me recently, and I just want to return the favor. People like them were the hi-lite of my family's stay in Central Nebraska.

BTW: Have you gotten her hooked on Storm hockey yet?

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Speaking of the Storm, they've started the new season 2-1-0, after sweeping the Indiana Ice over the weekend, winning 5-1 on Friday and 4-3 in overtime on Saturday. Reports I'm hearing indicate they will be improved over last year's 11-win season(I would hope so). How much improved remains to be seen.

I've kept an eye on the message boards over the summer/early fall, to see what the wagging tongues have to say about things there. I was getting the impression that, just because the old owner was out and a new owner, who is pouring money into the franchise like improving your business would be declared illegal tomorrow, the crowds would automatically be huge. Well, Friday drew 1,755 and Saturday 1,802.

Some just don't understand, that repairing the damage that was done in the past(including a HUGE disconnect from their fan base), isn't instantly forgotten and takes a long time to repair. Good luck to Greg Shea and his staff. They'll need it, but I'm betting they can improve things.

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Personal message to jokster:

I'm sorry for the content of my last message, but not for the tone. If you think for one moment that I believe you when you say you were "joking" with your mean, hurtful and gender-based negative comments, then you truly are dillusional. And that's not just my feelings either, others share them as well. Look yourself in the mirror, before you start hating people just because of what they are from birth, not because of who they are now. You need help and I hope you get it.

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Has anyone seen ANY news about the new United Football League? I thought they were supposed to start play this past week? And what's with that statement on their website, saying how they'll locate in markets underserved by pro football, yet they locate in New York and San Francisco? Huh?

Apparently, there's a franchise in Florida, called the Tuskers. At first, I just thought some Nebraska fan named the team, but misspelled Huskers. Someone please tell me just what a Tusker is anyway? Is that an elephant dentist? What is a Tusker?

They supposedly claim to be a "feeder league" for the NFL. Hasn't every professional league that's started in the U.S. after the NFL claim they aren't going to compete with the NFL, then are left to wonder why they've been driven out of business after trying to take the NFL head on?

I heard that cheap seats for the opening game in Orlando were $34. Say what?!?! Ummmm, no. Not for minor league football, no sir.

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Okay, I just checked out the league's website, http://www.ufl-football.com/. How 'bout that headline:

"Forget Tebow, this is Florida Tusker time." The first paragraph of the lead story is "Clearly, everyone isn't interested in the General Hospital soap opera starring Tim Tebow." That is actually the beginning on an article, not a game recap, at Orlando Sentinel's online paper. (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/florida-tuskers/orl-shannon-owens-column-ufl-tuskers-101009,0,805589.column?page=1. The writer of the article does make some very good points about taking the league for what it is---at this point--- and not to stack it up against the NFL. No league has ever won that battle. And search around the Sentinel's website---the newspaper, not the New York team of the same name---they do a good job covering the team. And apparently, they are the only newspaper in the country covering the UFL.) Still, I would think a smart league would want to distance themselves from that. (Oh, BTW: The Florida and New York teams both live and train in Orlando. To be fair though, the UFL did want to play this season with four generic teams, travel around the country and play what would amount to an exhibition schedule, but fans demanded teams, nicknames and the like.)

Excuse me, but you want my business? Don't tell me what you aren't, tell me what you are. Reported attendance at the Citrus Bowl, was 11,203.

Instead of their news finding me, I had to go looking for their news. Florida beat New York 35-13 and in the other game between Las Vegas and Redwoods(Northern California, in case you were wondering), your guess is as good as mine. I could not find the score anywhere on the league's website, which hasn't been updated to reflect opening week scores and/or standings.
I had to watch a video hilite reel to learn that Las Vegas won the game 30-17. (The local paper's online website, http://www.lvrj.com/sports not only didn't cover the game, but carries no mention of the team at all. I can find nothing in the online San Francisco newspapers either. The only mention at http://www.sfexaminer.com/sports are ads obviously purchased by the team.

And why does it appear that a game between Florida and Redwoods will look like a scrimmage game? Four teams in the league and two of them wear the same colors? Youch!

There's no season-long schedule to be found anywhere either.

Okay, okay, time for some benefit-of the-doubt thoughts. Their website, in those blue and lime green colors, actually looks good. And, it's easy enough to get around. Now, they just have to get on top of it, and keep it updated.

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Well, that's it for now. Have a good week everyone!

Riders grind out win over Toronto

The Saskatchewan Roughriders put 21 of the 35 second quarter points on the board, then ground it out the rest of the way, sliding past the Toronto Argonauts 32-22, in front of 29,361 fans in a CFL contest at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan Saturday night.

The Riders grabbed the lead 1:53 into the contest, as Darian Durant threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Chris Getzlaf. Luca Congi converted for a 7-0 lead.

It was 14-0 Saskatchewan 4:52 into the second quarter, thanks to a 7-yard touchdown run by Stu Foord and a Congi convert. The Argonauts scored with 5:34 left on a Jeff Johnson 16-yard touchdown run. Justin Medlock kicked the convert, making the score 14-7. Gerran Walker caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Durant with 3:07 remaining in the half. Congi's convert put the Roughriders up 21-7. A 7-yard touchdown pass from Durant to Weston Dressler and a Congi convert, gave Saskatchewan a 21-7 lead, but Kerry Joseph's 1-yard run for Toronto with 8 seconds left, combined with Medlock's convert, made it 28-14 Riders at the half.

The frenetic pace of the second quarter failed to show in the second half, as the Argonauts outscored Saskatchewan 8-4. Congi, punting in place of the injured Jamie Boreham, kicked a 53-yard punt single with 2:15 gone in the half for the Riders, Medlock kicked a 11-yard field goal for Toronto with 6:26 to go in the third, and Saskatchewan led after 45 minutes time, 29-17.

In the fourth quarter, Congi conceded a safety touch at the 28 second mark, giving the Argos 2 points, which drew them to within 10, at 29-19. The two teams would then exchange field goals. Medlock connected from 42-yards out with 11:22 to go, bringing Toronto within a touchdown, at 29-22. However, Congi was successful on his only field goal attempt of the night, a 12-yarder with just 1:32 left, and the Riders held on for the 32-22 win.

Darian Durant was 14-of-23 passing for Saskatchewan for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns. Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf and Gerran Walker caught touchdown passes, Stu Foord rushed for a touchdown and Luca Congi kicked a field goal, 4 converts and a single. For the Argonauts, Kerry Joseph was 8-of-22 passing for 82 yards and an interception, while Cody Pickett was 5-of-6 for 34 yards. Jeff Johnson and Joseph rushed for touchdowns and Justin Medlock kicked 2 field goals and 2 converts. The Riders had 341 yards, 22 first downs, allowed 2 sacks and had 2 turnovers. Toronto had 259 yards total offense, 18 first downs and 2 turnovers. They were penalized 8 times for 80 yards, while Saskatchewan was flagged 7 times for 63 yards.

The Riders, now 8-6 on the year, pull into a first place tie in the CFL West with Calgary, with both teams having 16 points. The Stampeders are in action Monday, traveling to Montreal to take on the East leading Alouettes. The Argonauts slip to 3-11 for 6 points, dead last in the CFL East. Saskatchewan travels to Calgary on Saturday, October 17th. Kickoff on the Rider Radio Network is 3:30p.m. EDT. The broadcast begins at 2:30p.m. EDT at http://www.620ckrm.com/.

Lightning beat Carolina, get first win of season

Ryan Malone's three goals, plus Antero Niittymaki's 24 saves, led the Tampa Bay Lightning to their first win of the new NHL season, 5-2 over the Carolina Hurricanes in front of 14,212 fans at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

Carolina grabbed the lead at the 12:42 mark of the second period, on a power play goal by Eric Staal. The Lightning responded by scoring twice in the next minute. Paul Ranger snapped home a wrister at 13:24, then Malone got his first at 13:39. The Hurricanes would tie the game 2-2 after two, on a Rob Brind'Amour power play goal at 17:28.

Tampa Bay dominated the third, scoring three times on 11 shots. Malone scored on a wrister at 10:46, Steve Downie scored a power play goal on a tip shot and Malone rounded out his hat trick with an unassisted empty net goal at 18:44.

The Lightning outshot Carolina 39-26. Niittymaki had the previously mentioned 24 saves, while Cam Ward stopped 34 pucks for the Canes. Tampa Bay was 1-for-6 on the power play, Carolina was 2-for-5.

The Lightning, now 1-1-2 on the year, host the Florida Panthers Monday night at 7:30p.m. EDT. 620 WDAE has the radio call, Sun Sports the telecast. The Panthers, 3-2 losers to New Jersey tonight, are 1-3-0. The Hurricanes, now 2-3-0, are off until Wednesday, returning home to face Pittsburgh.

Rodgers Brothers lead Beavers past Stanford

The Rodgers Brothers, Jacquizz and James, combined for 410 total yards Saturday, as the Oregon State Beavers cruised to a big halftime lead, on their way to a 38-28 win over the Stanford Cardinal, in Pac-10 Conference football action at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.

Oregon State ran the Wildcat offense for the first time and ran it effectively. Jacquizz Rodgers took a direct snap and blazed 61 yards to the Cardinal 16, then scored 4 plays later on a 7-yard run. Justin Kahut kicked the extra point, giving the Beavers a 7-0 lead 4:49 into the game. Jacquizz, who carried 8 times for 109 yards in the opening quarter, had runs of 16 and 19 yards on the next possession, then ran the final 12, completing a 9 play, 83-yard drive. Kahut's kick put Oregon State up 14-0, with 2:00 left in the first.

Jacquizz scored again to open 2nd quarter scoring, going around right end this time for a 2 yard score. Kahut toed the PAT,and with 9:56 to go in the half, the Beavers were up 21-0. Stanford responded with an Andrew Luck to Chris Owusu 21-yard pass play for the Cardinal's first score of the night. The Nate Whitaker PAT with 7:14 remaining in the 2nd quarter, cut OSU's advantage to 21-7. However, the Beavers got those points, and more back before the half ended. Sean Canfield flipped a 16-yard swing pass to James Rodgers for a touchdown with 4:32 left, with Kahut converting for a 28-7 lead. Kahut's 31-yard field goal with 24 seconds to go, gave Oregon State a 31-7 halftime lead.

After holding the Beavers to a 3-and-out to open the 2nd half, Stanford drew a bit closer. Jim Dray caught a Luck pass for a 7-yard touchdown, capping a 9 play, 83 yard drive. Whitaker converted with 7:04 left in the 3rd and the Beaver lead was 17, at 31-14.

Oregon State started their next possession at their own 20, running the rest of the time off of the 3rd quarter clock in reaching the Cardinal 5. On the first play of the 4th quarter, Jacquizz Rodgers tied the school record with his 4th rushing touchdown of the game. Kahut kicked the extra point and with just 6 seconds gone in the final quarter, the Beavers appeared pretty safe with a 38-14 lead. After Stanford went 3-and-out, they held Oregon State to a 3-and-out, getting the ball back at their own 9, after recovering the fumbled punt. The Cardinal drove 91 yards, with Toby Gerhart capping the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. Gerhart then dove in at the left pylon for the 2-point conversion, slicing the Beavers lead to 38-22, with 9:12 left in regulation time. After exchanging possessions, Oregon State once again called on punter Johnny Hekker, to pin Stanford deep. Hekker, who didn't punt once in the 1st half, kicked the ball inside the 20 for the fourth time in the 2nd half. The Cardinal fumbled the punt again, this time recovering at their own 1, with only 2:37 still on the clock. Stanford would drive the length of the field with no time outs, but did put the ball in the endzone, with Gerhart scoring on a 2-yard run. The 2-point conversion attempt was knocked away with 25 seconds left, the Beavers recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock, winning the game 38-28.

Oregon State dominated the statistical ledger. After outgaining the Cardinal 325-103 through the first 30 minutes, they would finish the evening with a 466 to 375 yard advantage in total offense. The Beavers led in 1st downs 27-22, were 8-of-15 on 3rd down to Stanford's 1-of-9. Oregon State led in net rushing yardage 176 to 149 and net passing yardage, 290-226. Beavers were penalized 9 times for 71 yards, Stanford 6 times gor 66 yards. There were no turnovers in the game.

Jacquizz Rodgers had a huge night for Oregon State. After three straight sub-100 yard rushing games, Quizz broke out for 189 yards and 4 touchdowns on 33 carries. He also caught 5 passes for 82 yards. His brother James had a big night too, catching 5 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, rushing twice for 10 yards, running back 1 punt for 23 yards and 2 kickoffs for 35 yards. Sean Canfield was very effective too, completing 22-of-32 passes for 290 yards and 1 touchdown. For the Cardinal, Andrew Luck was 12-of-30 passing for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns, Toby Gerhart rushed 20 times for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns, Chris Owusu and Jim Dray each caught touchdown passes.

The Beavers won for the second straight week, while breaking a two-game home losing skid, improving to 2-1 in conference, 4-2 overall. Stanford slips to 3-1 in conference, 4-2 overall.

Oregon State gets next week off, giving them an extra week to prepare for a trip to Los Angeles to meet USC on Saturday, October 24th. The Trojans, who were off this week, are 4-1 on the season, 2-1 in the Pac-10. USC plays their annual game against Notre Dame next Saturday in South Bend, Indiana. Kickoff for the October 24th game between the Beavers and the Trojans is 8:00p.m. EDT. The live broadcast can be heard at http://www.kpam.com. The game will be televised live on either ABC or ESPN. Oregon State upset #1 ranked USC in Corvallis last season, 27-21. Stanford plays at Arizona next week.

Sports Saturday

It's a busy Sports Saturday, as usual. Here's what's in the cross hairs at the Meissner House:










The Oregon State Beavers look to build off last week's win at Arizona State(Their first win in Tempe over ASU in 40 years), as they host the vastly-improved Stanford Cardinal at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.

The Beavers are 3-2 on the season, 1-1 in the Pac-10. Stanford enters the game with an overall record of 4-1 and are first in the Pac-10 at 3-0. Oregon State won at Arizona State last Saturday 27-18, the Cardinal won at home 24-16 over UCLA. The series dates back to 1919 with Stanford holding a 48-24-5 advantage. Since 1996, OSU has won eight of 12 meetings, including a four-game streak from 2000-04 (The schools did not meet in 2001). Last season the two teams opened the year against each other with the Cardinal posting a 36-28 victory. Toby Gerhart rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns to pace Stanford, offsetting Beaver quarterback Lyle Moevao’s career-high 404 yards (9th most at OSU) passing. Graduated senior receivers Sammie Stroughter and Shane Morales combined for 25 receptions and 308 yards for the Beavers.

Kickoff at Reser Stadium is set for 7:00p.m. EDT. The radio broadcast is at http://www.kpam.com/ and the telecast is on Fox Sports Net.










The Tampa Bay Lightning try to break their season-opening 3 game skid tonight, when they host the Carolina Hurricanes. The Lightning are 0-1-2 and have lost their past two games in a shoot out, including this past Tuesday at Carolina. The puck drops at 7:30p.m. EDT at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, on WDAE radio and Sun Sports television.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to climb back into first in the CFL West(They'll need some help in the form of a Calgary loss at Montreal) tonight, as they host the hapless Toronto Argonauts. The Riders are 7-6 following last Friday's 19-16 loss to BC. Toronto is 3-10, losing at home to Montreal 27-8. The CFL West race continues to be as tight as a banker processing mortgage applications. Calgary is 8-5 for 16 points, followed by Saskatchewan at 7-6 and BC 7-7 for 14 points, with Edmonton 6-8 for 12 points.

Kickoff at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan tonight is 9:00p.m. EDT. The live broadcast is set for 8:00p.m. EDT at http://www.620ckrm.com/.

Whichever games you're following today, have a good time, okay?

Lightning drop home opener in shoot out

The Tampa Bay Lightning let a one-goal lead slip away, then were outscored in a deciding shoot out 2-0, losing their home opener to the New Jersey Devils 4-3 Thursday night, in front of 17,454 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

The Devils took the lead on a Zach Parise wrist shot 4:46 into the contest. That lead would last until the midway point of the game, when Steven Stamkos lit the lamp for Tampa Bay at 9:49 of the second. A Jay Pandolpho goal at 18:49 put New Jersey back on top after two at 2-1.

The Lightning would grab the lead in the third. Stamkos snapped home a power play goal at 1:52, then Todd Fodoruk scored at 5:41, putting Tampa Bay up 3-2. The lead would last until the final moments of regulation. With their net empty, the Devils buzzed around the Lightning zone, finally scoring on a goal mouth scramble. Travis Zajac tucked the puck inside the right post with less than a second to go, tying the game 3-3.

New Jersey, after a scoreless overtime, grabbed the extra standings point by winning the shoot out. Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner scored for the Devils, while Steven Stamkos and Alex Tanguay of Tampa Bay were denied.

The Lightning had a 44-34 edge in shots on goal Thursday night, including a team-record 25 in the second period. Martin Brodeur made 41 saves for New Jersey, Mike Smith 31 for the Lightning. Tampa Bay was 1-for-4 on the power play, the Devils were 1-for-2.

The Lightning, now 0-1-2 on the season, host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, in a rematch of the 'Canes 2-1 shoot out win. Face off at the St. Pete Times Forum is set for 7:30p.m. EDT. 620 WDAE has the radio broadcast, Sun Sports the telecast.

Lightning lose shootout in Carolina

The Tampa Bay Lightning slipped to 0-1-1 on the season, after dropping a 2-1 shoot out decision to the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night at the RBC Center in Raliegh, North Carolina.

Jussi Jokkinen put the Canes on top with a power play goal at 13:12 of the opening period. Tampa Bay tied the game on a 5-on-3 power play goal by Ryan Malone at 6:00 of the second period. After that, the nets were sealed shut by the two goaltenders, Mike Smith for the Lightning and Cam Ward for Carolina.

The game advanced through a scoreless third period and a scoreless five-minute overtime and on into a shootout. Sergei Samsonov beat Smith with a left-to-right move for the Hurricanes to begin the shootout. Ward then stopped Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis, Smith stopped Jokinen, and following a shot by the Lightning's Vincent Lecavalier bouncing off the right post, Tuomo Ruutu beat Smith to the stick side, winning the extra standings point for Carolina.

Tampa Bay outshot the Hurricanes 30-28. Each team scored a power play goal, the Lightning in eight chances, Carolina in 5.

Tampa Bay opens their home schedule tomorrow night at the St. Pete Times Forum against the 0-2-0 New Jersey Devils. Faceoff is set for 7:30p.m. EDT. 620 WDAE has the radio call with Dave Mishkin, Phil Esposito and Matt Sammon manning the booth. Sun Sports has the live telecast with Rick Peckham, Bobby "The Chief" Taylor and Paul Kennedy.