University of Georgia vs. Georgia Southern

Saturday, August 30, 2008 – Athens, Georgia

Final: 45-21

1 Georgia began play as the (#1) ranked team in the country. This is the first time the Bulldogs have been the pre-season #1, and although his team handled the pressure just fine, head coach Mark Richt said, “I’d just as soon not go through it again, to be honest with you. It did get pretty tiresome.”

38 The Bulldogs scored the first (38) points of the game. The outcome of this game was never in doubt, but the offensive unit made sure new mascot Uga VII got to enjoy this one stress-free. The Eagles did not get on the board until less than five minutes were left in the third quarter.

59 Knowshon Moreno ran the ball eight times for (59) yards and three touchdowns. He said after the game, “It feels good and exciting to get back out there. We got to prove some things to ourselves.” Moreno also caught two passes for 53 yards.

61 Kris Durham made a (61) yard touchdown reception that was the longest of the game. He caught three passes for a total of 74 yards.

95 Freshman tailback Caleb King led the Bulldogs with (95) yards on the ground. He ran the ball 12 times.

275 Matt Stafford was 13 of 31 passing for (275) yards. He did not throw an interception and his yardage total represents a career high. The Georgia offense amassed 535 total yards, which Stafford called “a testament to our offensive line.”

Game Notes: Stafford and Moreno are clearly Heisman candidates. Georgia suffered a key injury. Senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens injured his right knee in the first quarter and did not return. Coach Richt said, “I doubt he’ll be playing anytime soon.” Michael Adams (UGA President) and Damon Evans (UGA Athletic Director) presided over a pregame ceremony introducing Uga VII. Adams said, “It’s a job where you are always second to a dog.”

Up Next: Georgia vs. Central Michigan (September 6)

University of Oklahoma vs. Chattanooga

Saturday, August 30, 2008 – Norman, Oklahoma

Final: 57-2

1 The number of first downs (1) surrendered by the Oklahoma defense. Not too shabby. OU's offense rolled up 27 of their own first downs while compiling 487 yards to Chatt's 36. Toss up, but the game ball goes to the defense.

2 Number of touchdowns (2) credited to sophomore phenom, Sam Bradford. The Heisman hopeful threw for 183 yards on opening day. Basically, just another day at the office for the Josh Heupel coached quarterback. Could there be another National Title for Josh?

3 The number of touchdowns (3) scored by OU's Chris Brown. The running back waltzed into the end zone with runs of 1, 9, and 10 yards vs. the Mocs.

4 Still No. (4) in the rankings. Georgia, Ohio State, and USC all rolled. Leaving the Sooners at No. 4 in the polls. It's too early to leap frog or drop in the rankings, unless you're Clemson. The Tigers were embarrassed by Alabama 34-10.

5 Number of penalties (5) thrown at OU. The zebras marked off 42 yards for the Sooner mistakes.

6 Number of successful third down conversions (6) tallied by the OU offense on 13 attempts.

7 Number of points (7) scored by Oklahoma in the second half. The game was really over before anyone suited up for the contest, but at half, the scoreboard read OU 50, Visitors 0. Final score 57-2. Better than last time Chatt came into town. That was a 59-0 spanking two years ago.

All-Star Stat: 72 Number of minutes (72) the half was delayed by because of typical Oklahoma weather. Maybe this is a sign of things to come. When OU steps on the field, will lightning continue to strike the Sooner opponents? During this delay, fans were asked to leave the seating area at Owen Field. Most did, but as always, some die-hard students stayed in the student section. A large amount of Sooner fans left the stadium though, 50-0 was enough to know the outcome.

Next up for the Sooners is a Home meeting with Cincinnati on September 6. The Bearcats won their season opener vs. Eastern Kentucky 40-7.

Tampa back at the Trop, still on Top

Sports by the Numbers MLB Stat of the Week

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491 The road winning percentage (.491) for Tampa through 61 games. The Rays beat the Indians at home back on August 6, in stunning walk-off fashion—and then they left for a ten game road trip that skipper Joe Maddon said would be “great” if they could just play .500 ball. It was the first Dog Days road trip in franchise history that was actually important, because they began the trip with a 3.5 game lead over Boston. Well, the Rays are back home now, fresh off a 7-3 trip that saw them pick up a game on Boston and three more games on the Yankees. Tampa leads the East by 4.5, with 39 to go. Six left against Boston, six left against New York—half on the road, half at home.

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Honorable Mentions

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4 Tim Lincecum is going to get some Cy Young attention—but if he got to pitch against the Braves a few more times, he’d win the award unanimously. The Giants phenom now has (4) wins against Bobby Cox and the Braves—winning all four of his career starts against Atlanta. Shane Reynolds is the only other pitcher in baseball who won his first four career starts against the Braves while Bobby Cox was managing.

7 The jersey number (7) retired by the Houston Astros in honor of Craig Biggio. The ceremony took place on Sunday, and for Biggio this was a well-deserved honor. The guy is going to the Hall of Fame, and even though he never won a ring as a player, there is plenty of talk that he will one day get a shot at it as a manager. Joe Torre and plenty of others got their rings that way, and true baseball fans will be pulling for Biggio to do the same.

12 The Arizona Diamondbacks got dealt a two-hit shutout for the second time in the past (12) days—and both times the Big Unit was the victim. Randy Johnson is working hard to get his D-Backs an invite to October, but Arizona’s offense is not cooperating. On August 6, Johnson lost a 2-0 decision when Jeff Karstens tossed a two-hit shutout for the Pirates—and after beating Colorado 4-2 in his next start, Johnson lost a 3-0 decision to the Astros on Sunday when Roy Oswalt and Jose Valverde combined for a two-hitter. The last time a pitcher fell victim to a lack of support on that level was back in 1999, when you guessed it, Randy Johnson suffered through three starts in a span of 11 days where the D-Backs were shutout on no hits, one hit, and two hits.

25 Manny Ramirez got (25) hits during his first 16 games with the Dodgers. It looks like this trade is working out a tad better for LA than did signing Andruw Jones, who has only 33 hits in 74 games with his new club. Ramirez hit six home runs among his 25 hits, and he drove home 21 runs. In case you are curious, LA is 10-6 since the trade and has climbed from three games back to being tied for first with 38 to go.

30 Brad Lidge now has (30) saves—and he has yet to blow one for the Phillies. He struck out the side in the ninth against the Padres on Sunday, which I guess would be more impressive if he had done it against a team that actually has an offense that shows up from time to time—but nonetheless, he is perfect on the season, and that includes work against some actual major league offenses. He is only the third N.L. pitcher since 1975 to convert 30 consecutive saves to begin a season. The others were Eric Gagne for the Dodgers, and the Padres very own Trevor Hoffman.

Jeter Planning an October Vacation

Sports by the Numbers NYY Stat of the Week

19 The number of four-hit games (19) at Yankee Stadium for Lou Gehrig—the most in franchise history. Derek Jeter went 4 for 4 on Sunday, giving him 18 four-hit games in the Bronx. Jeter needs another four-hit performance at home to tie Gehrig, but there are only 16 home games left on the schedule—and that’s it, permanently.

Honorable Mentions

12 The number of games (12) left on the schedule against Tampa and Boston. There are four series left against the two teams ahead of NY in the division standings—the Yanks have home-and-away three game sets left with the Rays and the Red Sox. The last three games of the season are at Fenway—let’s hope they still matter when the time comes.

16 The number of games (16) left for Yankee Stadium—unless there is a miracle in the Bronx that propels the Yanks into the post-season. Derek Jeter is a perfect 12 for 12 in his career—he has one post-season for every spring training in which he made the big club—but that streak is in serious jeopardy. If the Yankees do not rally, who takes responsibility for this season?

115 Mike Mussina is Hall of Fame worthy—so says the Elias Sports Bureau, which reported that Moose’s victory on Sunday pushed his career record to (115) games above the .500 mark. His record stands at 266-151. There are only 18 pitchers in baseball history who have records that far above .500, and 12 of them are in the Hall of Fame, five of them are not yet eligible (Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez, and Mussina), and the last guy is Bob Caruthers—who played nine seasons back in the 1800s.

532 The team winning percentage (.532) after posting a 66-58 record through 124 games in 2008. The last time the Yankees posted a lower winning percentage for an entire season was 1992. There is still time to improve, of course—38 games to be exact.

645 The team winning percentage (.645) in 1923. The first title in franchise history came in the inaugural season for Yankee Stadium—it would be a fitting capstone to one of the greatest sports cathedrals in the world if it could go out the way it came in. It’s right about now that I really wish Joe Torre was back East—and surely I’m not alone in thinking that.
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Braves Lose Skip, Tough Year Hits Bottom

Sports by the Numbers MLB Stat of the Week

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33 The number of years (33) Skip Caray spent calling games for the Atlanta Braves. The Braves club has been decimated by injuries all season, but they were dealt a much more serious blow on Sunday when they lost Skip Caray. Those of us who grew up on TBS will miss his legendary humor, his sarcasm, his intimate knowledge of the game, but most of all, we will miss his passion and love for the game that were so evident in his broadcasts.

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Honorable Mentions

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6 Francisco Liriano tossed (6) scoreless innings against Cleveland on Sunday. The Twins lefty earned his first big league victory since July 23, 2006, but more importantly, the Twins are now in first place in the Central Division, half a game ahead of the White Sox. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is hoping to keep his team ahead in the standings, and he said of Liriano’s performance after the game, “That’s a good start to having him back in the rotation.”

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12 If you think the Braves will not play a role in determining the winner of the N.L. East, well think again – Atlanta plays (12) consecutive games against Philadelphia and New York during the final two weeks of the season. The Braves have been plagued by injuries all season – and plagued as well by their inability to win close ball games (6-23 in one run games) or anything on the road (18-35) – but their schedule and their play in September could have a big impact on who gets to play in October. So far, the Mets are 2-7 against the Braves this year, while the Phillies are 10-2.

66 Tampa has won five straight and (66) games overall – only four shy of the franchise record of 70 wins set in 2004. NY and Boston both went 5-5 during their last ten games, and both gave up two games in the standings during that stretch to the Rays. Tampa begins the first full week of August in first place in the A.L. East – and with a three game lead.

598 The winning percentage (.598) for the Chicago Cubs. Just when the Brew Crew caught Chicago in the standings, the Cubs got things going again. Chicago went 7-3 during their last ten games, while Milwaukee went 3-7 during that same stretch. The Cubs now own a five game lead and, at 67-45, the best record in the N.L.

615 The batting average (.615) for Manny Ramirez in three games for the Dodgers. He is off to a good start, batting 8 for 13 with a pair of homeruns and five RBI. Joe Torre said, “He certainly changes the personality of our lineup.” The big question that everyone is asking, however, is will Manny cut his hair?

Rick Reilly calls Favre a "seventh grade girl"

Sports by the Numbers Stat of the Week

4 The jersey number (4) for Brett Favre – who today will officially join the Packers camp to compete with Aaron Rodgers for the starting quarterback job. Rick Reilly, of Sports Illustrated fame, said Favre is on “The never can say good-bye tour.” He also said, “Favre is like a seventh grade girl who is in anguish over having to leave the party – she doesn’t want to leave the party, but nobody is really begging her to stay.”

Honorable Mentions

6 The NFL enshrined (6) players into the Hall of Fame in ceremonies in Canton, Ohio this past weekend: Fred Dean, Darrell Green, Art Monk, Emmitt Thomas, Andre Tippett, and Gary Zimmerman.

19 Kobe Bryant scored (19) points and led Team USA to an 89-68 victory over Russia on Sunday. Russia is the reigning European champion, and as a team they did well containing all of the U.S. squad’s strengths – except for Kobe, who scored 11 points in the third quarter to open up a tight contest. Kobe said afterwards, “The ball found me and I was able to make them pay. In that kind of situation where the game is kind of seesawing back and forth, we have so many weapons. It could be LeBron, it could be D-Wade, but one of us is going to kick into high gear.”

32 Vijay Singh has now won (32) times on the PGA Tour after capturing the WGC Bridgestone Invitational this weekend. Phil Mickelson could easily have won, but he bogeyed three of his last four to give away a one shot lead. Still, Singh was only 9 of 19 on putts between four and eight feet in length all week, which kept a lot of players in the mix right until the last putt fell. Singh made par putts from that distance on the last two holes to preserve a one stroke victory, saying afterwards, “I’ve been practicing four- and five-footers all week, and at the end of the day it paid off.”

68 Longtime Braves broadcaster Skip Caray died Sunday – he was (68) years old. Braves skipper Bobby Cox said, “We’ve all lost a very good friend. For me, he was a good buddy, at the park and away from the park. We always had a lot of great laughs. He will be very sorely missed.”

166 Carl Edwards made his last stop on pit road on lap (166) of the Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday. He pitted earlier on lap 127 when rain forced a delay in the action, but that stop led to a heated exchange between Edwards and crew chief Bob Osborne, who was concerned that the rain might shorten the race and the best strategy might have been to stay on the track. It worked out, though, as in the end Edwards’ car had fuel enough to finish the race while the other leaders were forced into the pits for fuel in the final laps, clearing the way for Edwards to win his fourth race of the season.