Sportaholic Weekend Rundown 12/05/2011

As we all lament that Monday is here again and dreadfully head back to work, there were more than enough things that happened in the world of sports that should make work a little better for you today. No matter if you’re a football, basketball, or golf than you had something to cheer about. So with that being said lets jump into the weekend run down.

Tiger……….finally wins again: Insert all the jokes you want to right here but this is a moment you won’t be able to take from Woods. For the first time in over two years, he captured his first title in the Chevron World Challenge. It wasn’t just that Woods won, it was the manner in which he did as he made clutch putts down the stretch to beat Zach Johnson. “It feels good,” said Woods. “I’ve been in contention twice this year, which is not very often. I had the lead at the Masters on the back nine there, and obviously had a chance there at the Aussie Open. We all knew on that faithful day back in 2009 when his Escalade was plastered all over the news that Woods life would change from that moment but not to the extent that it has. Woods winless streak went a career long 749 days and for a guy that we could usually pencil in for at least one or two majors a year than that had to seem like an eternity. Between the infidelity scandal that led to his divorce and then a rash of injuries that limited him to only a number of tournaments, Woods has faced a challenge more remarkable than any other superstar athlete. Woods looked loose and comfortable all weekend in speaking with the media which is usually a signal that he is playing well. Hopefully this is the beginning of a Tiger renaissance as the game of golf sorely misses his dominant play that transformed golf. Cheers to you Tiger.

Miami Marlins make splash, sign SS Jose Reyes to multi year deal: As we can now see with this signing, this isn’t your daddy’s Florida Marlins. The new look new attitude Miami Marlins made the first big move of the MLB off-season signing what most experts considered the best all around offensive talent on the market. Reyes hit for a .337 average and led the league with 16 triples. The six year $106 million dollar deal means that the Marlins star SS Hanley Ramirez will be moved to 3rd base to make room for Reyes. The Marlins with the addition reliever Heath Bell and now Reyes are making noise in an already crowded NL East division. The Phillies and Braves are surely taking notice and the Marlins are still in the hunt to land the biggest fish of them all, that’s right you guessed it Albert Pujols. Stay tuned as these Marlins have the money all of a sudden and aren’t afraid to spend it.

BCS Championship set but not without debate: The LSU Tigers clinched their championship ticket with a lopsided win over Georgia in the SEC Championship game. That meant that if was down to Alabama and Oklahoma State for the 2nd spot. Both teams are more than deserving as Bama has beat everyone its faced except for the Tigers as they played them to a 9-6 lost, the closet game the Tigers have had the entire year. Oklahoma State has rolled all but one their opponents as well with their only defeat at being at the hands of Iowa State on a Friday night and one day after the tragic plane crash of women basketball coaches Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna. With all things being measured, Alabama was chosen as the 2nd best team in the nation and will face the Tigers for a rematch in the BCS National Championship in New Orleans. There has been a lot of griping from all over the nation as most fans (Fans not from the south that is) don’t seem to want a rematch from the two SEC schools. The computer systems in which the BCS uses to formulate its championship uses the AP and USA Today poll in 2/3 of its formula and Bama was ranked 2nd in both. It’s hard to make a case for the Cowboys even after they took arch rival OU to the woodshed 44-10 in their biggest victory ever over their nemesis. If the Cowboys had handled their business against the lowly Cyclones, then none of this would be up for discussion. I, just like everyone else hate the BCS system because its such a fracas that causes everyone to doubt the legitimacy of college football. When you have teams like Michigan and Virginia Tech playing BCS with more deserving teams not getting the nod, it makes everyone involved in the system look bad. The LSU vs. Bama match up does appear to pit the best two teams in the nation against each other. Ok State has a superior offense to both of those teams but as the old adage goes defense wins championships. Oklahoma State fans do have a reason to complain about as in any other year their 11-1 record would be good enough to get unfortunately this wasn’t the year.

College Basketball: #1 Kentucky downs #5 North Carolina 73-72 – In a game that was hyped as much as early season game can and it actually lived up to the billing. This was an embarrassment of riches for these two storied programs as 9 of the 10 starters on the court were projected to be drafted in the NBA. The two schools played in an epic showdown that saw the game go down to the wire with Wildcats freshman Anthony Davis blocking the Tar Heels John Henson on a last second shot. This was a preview of a potential Final Four match up. Carolina wasn’t able to get it done but no one may play the Cats this close for a long time.

NFL: Rodgers and Packers move to 12-0 – The Pack attack just won’t lose and with their latest win there is no reason not to believe that they will go undefeated. Green Bay took down the physical New York Giants 38-35 in an exciting game that saw Mr. Rodgers step in crunch time to help the Packers seal the victory. After the Giants scored to tie game at 35, Rodgers and the offense came on to the field with 58 seconds remaining and Rodgers made it look easy from there. He completed passes of 24, 27, and of 18 yards in a drive so quick that you missed it if you blinked your eyes. The quick drive set up a 31-yard field goal by Mason Crosby and just like that the Packers are 12-0. Looking at Green Bay’s schedule this was the hardest game they had remaining in my opinion. They face Oakland, Kansas City, Chicago and Detroit to end the season and should be favored in every game from this point. I fully expect them to go undefeated at this point and you would be crazy to bet against them at this point. They do have their flaws as every team does but they just seem to find a way to win each game. This looks like one of those special teams that is destined for something great.