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Parity returned to the NFL for one week as six underdogs pulled off upsets on Sunday.á But the two biggest Super Bowl favorites - the Colts and Saints - managed to avoid falling from the ranks of the unbeaten by the slimmest of margins.á So where does this all leave the Power Rankings?á
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1. (2) Indianapolis Colts (9-0)
Peyton Manning just might be the best quarterback ever.
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2. (1) New Orleans Saints (9-0)
For ...
New York Yankees Golden Infield: Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira Earn Gold Gloves
Posted: 10th November 2009 by Jordan Schwartz in MLB
In 2008, Derek Jeter would often range to his left on a ball up the middle, but fail to get his glove down in time to make the play. Even if the shortstop did get some leather on it, a throw in the dirt would rarely get picked by first baseman Jason Giambi and the runner would be safe with a single.
This season, however, it seemed like the captain got ...
In my Week 10 Power Rankings last year , only one team was undefeated, and just three teams had one loss, or fewer.á At the midway point this season, there are two perfect squads, and five organizations with no more than one win. Parity no longeráreigns in the 2009 version of the NFL. Let's sort it all out.
1. (1) New Orleans Saints (8-0)
For the third straight week, the Saints trailed ...
Worth the Wait: New York Yankees Win First World Series in Nine Years
Posted: 5th November 2009 by Jordan Schwartz in MLB
On the night of Nov. 1, 2001, I was sitting alone in the second-floor lounge of Shaw Hall on the campus of Syracuse University, having been banished there after cheering too loudly in the room of two Red Sox fans following Scott Brosius' game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.
After Alfonso Soriano singled home Chuck Knoblauch in the bottom of the 12th to win Game Five and take ...
And then there were two.á
Baltimore's 30-7 win over Denver knocked the Broncos from the ranks of the unbeatens, leaving just one team in each conference without a loss - New Orleans and Indianapolis.á Could this be your Super Bowl match-up?á There's still a long way to go.
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1. (1) New Orleans Saints (7-0)
The Saints remained undefeated by beating the Falcons, 35-27, on Monday Night Football, but I was busy watching Joe ...
Joe Girardi May Have Cost Yankees World Series by Starting A.J. Burnett
Posted: 3rd November 2009 by Jordan Schwartz in MLB
There was no reason to start A.J. Burnett on three days' rest in Game Five of the World Series against the Phillies.
I'm not second guessing. As I wrote after New York won Game Four to go up 3-1, sending the right-hander to the mound was an unnecessary risk.
Sure, Burnett entered with a 4-0 record and aá2.33 ERA in his career on short rest, but he hadn't been tested like that ...
Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter Have Yankees One Win From World Series Title
Posted: 2nd November 2009 by Jordan Schwartz in MLB
With Johnny Damon down 1-2 in the count against Brad Lidge with two outs in the ninth, things were beginning to look very iffy for the Yankees' chances of winning their 27th World Series.
After Joba Chamberlain surrendered a game-tying home run to Pedro Feliz in the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies carried all the momentum into the ninth.
With Philadelphia's ace, Cliff Lee, scheduled to start Game 5 on Monday ...
Ut-Lee Leads Phillies Past Yankees in World Series Game 1
Posted: 28th October 2009 by Jordan Schwartz in MLB
Driving home from work along Route 3 in North Jersey, I got goosebumps when I saw the Empire State Building lit up in Yankee blue and white.
But Phillies starter Cliff Lee quickly turned those goosebumps to shivers as he completely dominated New York's lineup en route to a 6-1 complete-game victory in Game 1 of the World Series.
The left-hander, who somehow lowered his already stellar postseason ERA to 0.81 over ...
Yankees-Phillies World Series: A Preview of the Turnpike Tussle
Posted: 27th October 2009 by Jordan Schwartz in MLB
The Yankees are leaning towards going with a three-man rotation in the World Series against the Phillies.
This will be a more difficult task than in the American League Championship Series, when there was an additional off day between Games Four and Five, because A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte will also have to go on three days' rest.
The other option would be to start Joba Chamberlain or Chad Gaudin in Game ...
One more team fell from the ranks of the unbeaten when Minnesota lost, 27-17, at Pittsburgh on Sunday, leaving three teams still undefeated, a record this deep in the season.
We know where that trio is ranked, so let's take a look at how the other 29 squads line up.
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1. (1) New Orleans Saints (6-0)
The Saints proved they can also come from behind to win, overcoming a 24-3 deficit at Miami.
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2. ...