Foto-Album » figure out a way to pick each other up."

With apologies to my friend Ryan McGee for stepping on his Bottom 10 turf, it has taken only six weeks this season to expose the Powers That Be as the Powers That Used to Be. Notre Dame, Stanford and Oregon all have plummeted out of the top 25, confirming on Saturday that their earlier poor play was no fluke. The Cardinal can cling to injuries as a reason for their demise, although their losses in the secondary and the offensive line have illustrated the lack of depth that has been a perennial bugaboo on the Farm. The Irish and the Ducks appear to simply not have the talent that their opponents have. Someones luck will turn this week: Stanford goes to South Bend. The home team has won the past four games in this rivalry, all by seven points or fewer.1. Michigans 78-0 defeat of Rutgers on Saturday night ranks as the second-largest road win by a ranked team in the poll era (1936-present), according to ESPN Stats & Info research. The margin fell a touchdown shy of the Wolverines 85-0 victory at the University of Chicago in 1939. The Maroons had one foot out the door that season. Even with the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg as head coach, Chicago president Robert Maynard Hutchins decided he didnt want the university playing major college football anymore. Chicago abolished its program after 1939 and pulled out of the Big Ten in 1946.2. With that piece of history in mind, consider the plight of Rutgers, which has lost on consecutive weeks to No. 2 Ohio State and No. 4 Michigan by a combined score of 136-0. And consider the plight of Boston College, which has extended its ACC losing streak to 10 games with losses to No. 25 Virginia Tech (on Sept. 17) and No. 3 Clemson by a combined 105-10. Toss in a rebuilding Syracuse (2-4, 0-2), which has shown sparks of renaissance under new coach Dino Babers, and its a mystery why the Big Ten and the ACC dismembered the Big East for parts. There may be a lot of TV eyeballs up here, but college football has fallen behind the rest of the country.3. Rutgers has tantalized one coach after another with the promise of success if he builds the proverbial recruiting fence around the state. And yet no one has ever done it. A generation ago, Penn State, Nebraska and Iowa built winners by taking Jerseys best players. Fast forward to two of the biggest stars from Saturday. Jabrill Peppers of East Orange, New Jersey, has become this years hybrid, a Michigan linebacker who made two tackles and ran for 74 yards and two touchdowns on only three carries against Rutgers. Minkah Fitzpatrick of Old Bridge, New Jersey, intercepted three passes for Alabama, returning one pick 100 yards for a touchdown.4. Speaking of Peppers, Im trying to decide what I enjoy most about Wolverines coach Jim Harbaughs discussion of his redshirt sophomore. It could be that Harbaugh began his comment by saying, In my humble opinion ... Or that Harbaugh, after some thought to compare Peppers to a versatile player of yore, came up with Jim Thorpe. Never mind that until the early 1960s, everyone pretty much played both ways. No, Harbaugh reached for Thorpe, the All-American at Carlisle, the 1912 Olympic decathlon gold medalist, the major league outfielder who also played pro football. The AP named Thorpe the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th century. Harbaugh always thinks big. Its one reason he wins.5. Houstons 46-40 loss at Navy not only harmed the Cougars playoff chase, it may have doused quarterback Greg Ward, Jr.s chance at a major postseason award. Thats too bad. Ward threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 94 yards and another score. He threw two picks, one of them returned for a touchdown, but his QBR this season is higher (82.9) than last season (78.1), despite playing with a small tear in a shoulder ligament. Every time he throws a pass, it hurts, Houston coach Tom Herman said. It hurts less every day, because its healing. But thats the reality of it. What has Herman learned about Ward? I was a little nervous that he was not going to respond well to playing hurt. ... Ive seen a fiery competitor in him now that maybe I didnt last year.6. When Miami lost to Florida State by the margin of a blocked extra point late in the game, my first reaction was, if its a painful loss in that rivalry, then Mark Richt is on the wrong side of it. Richt was Florida States offensive coordinator from 1990-2000, which included Wide Rights I and II, and he was a graduate assistant on Bobby Bowdens staff from 1985-88, which included the epic 26-25 loss in 1987, followed by the Hurricanes 31-0 humiliation of the No. 1 Seminoles to open the following season. But it hasnt been all bad for Richt. Actually, during his years as offensive coordinator, Florida State beat Miami five straight times (1995-99) by an average margin of 22 points.7. It is a cliché as old as the postgame news conference: Ill have to look at the film/video. But theres a reason head coaches say that: The view from the sideline is not very good. If it were, thats where the coaching video -- and the TV cameras -- would perch. When Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was asked Saturday why the Buckeyes passing game had struggled in the 38-17 victory over Indiana, he said, Ill know more when I meet you guys [later in the week]. ... Id say 50 percent of the time Im wrong when I say something on a press conference. Kohl Stewart Twins Jersey . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Kirby Puckett Twins Jersey .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. https://www.cheaptwins.com/1812t-byron-buxton-jersey-twins.html . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Devin Smeltzer Jersey . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. C. J. Cron Jersey . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers.TORONTO – Tom Cheek. Tony Fernandez. Joe Carter. George Bell. Dave Stieb. Cito Gaston. Pat Gillick. Paul Beeston. Roberto Alomar. As of Sunday afternoon, approximately 1pm, Carlos Delgado will join those esteemed names on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence. Its time. More than four years after playing in his last major league game and almost nine years after concluding his tenure in Toronto, Delgado, the clubs all-time leader in several offensive categories, will be recognized for his achievements. He wasnt sure the day would come. "This was a surprise," said Delgado. "I would say that I played the game to try to win, to go out there and do the best that I can with my abilities. I was not into awards or recognition. Having said that, I can say that when I got that phone call from Mr. Beeston, I was super excited. I look up at that Level of Excellence and you see some great names, some great ball players and some great icons of the Toronto Blue Jays history. So Im completely honoured and flattered." Delgados 336 home runs, 1,058 RBI, 827 walks, 889 runs, 2,786 total bases, 343 doubles, .949 OPS are all franchise marks. A two-time All-Star in 2000 and 2003, Delgado won three Silver Slugger Awards and was the winner of the Hank Aaron Award and Sporting News Player of the Year Award in 2000. The accolades are there but Delgado isnt held in the same esteem as Alomar, Carter, Fernandez and others who played in the heyday of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its likely because he was the face of teams which, even if they won more than they lost, didnt make the playoffs. "It was always tough," said Delgado. "But I want to believe you play it out on the field. We played against some of the great Yankees teams in the late-90s, early-2000s. Boston always had great teams. We had our chances. We didnt have the deep pockets that they had. If you look at it on paper, they probably had better squads than us, but I believe this is about execution. Sometimes we made a push and fell short at the end." He played with some good ones. Delgado broke in as Alomars and Carters time in Toronto was ending. He remains good friends with Shawn Green and watched as Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay came into their own. On a personal note, his four-home run game against Tampa Bay on September 25, 2003 stands out as a highlight. He remembers signing as an amateur free agent in 1988. Only 16 years old, Delgado was assigned to the Blue Jays Class-A affiliate in St. Catharines. He chose Toronto, there were other teams interested, because of the organizations history with Latin American players. George Bell, Tony Fernandez and Manny Lee were among a strong Caribbean contingent that called Toronto home. "My dad had a big influence in this," said Delgado. "They had a good relationship, they always showed a good relationship toward the Latino players... We thought that was going to be important because you wanted to be treated fairly and they always did. Its great to represent Puerto Rico. Its great to represent Latin America. In Latin America, in the Caribbean, theres such a rich baseball tradition and were very proud about that. Since youre like two years old, youve got a bbat and a ball in your hands.dddddddddddd." Delgado, like many others, didnt author his own exit from the game. Early in the 2009 season, only 27 home runs shy of 500 for his career, he underwent what was thought to be routine hip surgery. There were bone spurs that needed removal and a labrum tear to be sewn up. Despite a 10-12 week rehabilitation period, Delgado didnt return. Then he needed another hip surgery. Then another. Suddenly, unplanned, his career was over. He isnt bitter. "It was easier to swallow because I just couldnt play," said Delgado. "Even if I wanted to play, physically I couldnt play. I couldnt perform at this level. I think it would have been a lot harder if I rehabbed, was good to go and didnt get a job. That would have been devastating, but it didnt work to the point where eight months ago, I had to go in for a total hip replacement. So I have a brand new one with a 20-year warranty, so well see how that goes. It would have been great to get 500 home runs, it would have been a nice round number. It just didnt work out, things happen for a reason but I can always look back and say I did everything that I could." Spending most of his time in Puerto Rico, he shoots down rumours of an interest in political office and is hesitant to comment on the current state of the Blue Jays. He doesnt get to see many games but is aware of the clubs record, has heard about the unfulfilled expectations and understands the frustration. "I usually dont but Im going to give them some advice," said Delgado. "Second half, just take it one game at a time. Dont start looking at the standings. Dont start trying to figure out how many games you need to win to make it to the playoffs. Just go out, have fun. But they have to play it out. Obviously theyve found out that good players on paper dont win championships. You have to figure out a way to gel. You have to figure out a way to pick each other up." "No panic but theres got to be a sense of urgency," he added. On the subject of leadership, and there was no doubt the Jays clubhouse belonged to Delgado after the departures of the early-1990s stars, he believes being a unifying force is an important role. "Because you hit .300, it doesnt make you a leader," he said. "It helps, because its easier to earn the respect from your teammates when your performance is better. Having said that, its not necessary. Its important for a leader to be accountable, be a guy thats a standup guy, good times and bad times, and is always willing to go the extra mile, is always willing to share some of his knowledge." Delgado will be remembered as a man who, whether or not one agreed with his stance, stood on principle. He quietly declined to stand for renditions of "God Bless America" in 2003 after the United States began a military campaign in Iraq. For that, he was booed at Yankee Stadium. Delgados on-field accomplishments as a Blue Jay shouldnt be diminished because the teams he led didnt have the same success as those which preceded his era. His numbers speak for themselves. Delgado is one of the Blue Jays all-time greats. He will be recognized as such on Sunday. ' ' '