Sunflower Showdown

Fumble! Kansas State defenders scramble to pick up a KU fumble. (KC Star photo)

Kansas State defeated Kansas 17-10 in Manhattan today. KU turned the ball over 3 times, and the offense was inconsistent and unable to establish a rhythm. K State D was stout when it needed to be and their stud running back Daniel Thomas ran for 183 yards total, running 105 of them in the third quarter when K State grabbed the game and would not let go. KU's offensive woes continue with Todd Reesing fumbling twice, intercepted once and still in a slump. This, along with Mizzou's loss to Baylor, puts K State in a position to win the Big 12 North. Not bad for a team expected to be in the basement this year.

Chiefs News

The Chiefs-Jaguars game, which is in Jacksonville will be blacked out for the home team Jag's viewers. Not terribly surprising, considering the records of the teams and that Jacksonville has been struggling with attendance. In fact, rumors have the Jags headed for the west coast...

Jarrad Page is done for the year with a calf injury. There will be more trouble in the defensive backfield now, in all likelihood, as the Chiefs will sign someone off the waiver wire or practice squad.

Chiefs pick up Jerry Chambers, a veteran receiver cut by San Diego. He had several drops against the Chiefs October 25th. So we'll see if he can be of any help...

A huge flap over a sign that attempts to say profound things about team has erupted. The sign says, "Losers assemble in small groups and complain about the coaches and other players. "Team" Winners assemble as a team and find ways to WIN." The sentiment is OK, but the sign was posted in a public area for all to see, and seems to close off all comment. It's just kind of dumb--kind of high school. I would have more respect for it if it was posted in an area less public and less likely to be seen by the press.

Believe it or not, there are still nine games left in the football season...

Baseball Round Up

So the New York Yankees, after yielding in game 5, polished off the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games. They were just a better team, playing better fundamentally, pitching better and hitting better. Congratulations to Hideki Matsui, the series MVP, who was locked in all series. Yanks will have a tough decision on whether to retain the 30+ year old hitter, who has knee problems that restrict his outfield play. Seattle should sign him and the two great Japanese hitters can play together. (Scary!)

Royals finally traded Mark Teahen to the Chicago White Sox for two infield guys. General consensus is that this is an OK deal for the Royals. I'll miss Teahen. He was a guy willing to do anything for the team, and seemed very unselfish. He hustled and worked hard. In other Royals news, the Royals declined contract options on CoCo Crisp, Miguel Olivo, and Yasuhiko Yabuta, so their careers as Royals are over.

Too bad we can say the same about Gullian and Farnsworth...

Hot Stove League next!

New Orleans Saints Still Undefeated

Pooh on the SI cover jinx--New Orleans wins on Monday night, remaining undefeated.

Weather for New York tonight. During the day, 54 degrees and partly cloudy. Tonight, mostly cloudy. A chance of showers...mainly after midnight. Lows in the lower 40s. South winds around 5 mph...becoming north around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 30 percent. Currently, at 6:50 pm EST, clear and about 50 degrees. Pitching match up: Pedro Martinez for the Phillies, Andy Pettitte for the Yankees.

I'd say the World Series has been seriously lucky with weather so far.

Area Colleges: A Mixed Bag

Kansas had a chance against Texas Tech but couldn't get it done in the forth quarter.

Kansas State was game against a better opponent at their house.

Missouri did what they are supposed to do--beat a weaker team.

Next few weeks, when everyone plays everyone, should be very interesting.

Jake Sharp, meet Jarad Wall. Nate Bukady (KU radio network) on Sharp after the hit: "Jake Sharp does not know where he is." Hope Sharp is OK.

NFL Roundup November 1

Headline: Titans, Rams get first win of the season. Tennessee makes quarterback change and Vince Young is a positive with a steady hand to lead the Titans over the Jags. Rams are in control most of the game and put the Lions away. Both teams get to skip being 0-16 this year. Tampa Bay is the only remaining win less team in the NFL (it must be noted that there are five teams with only one victory). Pah, parity.

Headline: Favre is not phased by return to Green Bay. Vikes pretty much move up and down the field as they please, with Adrian Peterson leading the way and strong defense, including another monster game from Jared Allen.

Headline: New York teams both struggling. Giants and Jets both have issues. Giants have forgotten how to play defense and Jets have forgotten how to play special teams. Both Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez are forgetting to throw the ball to people wearing the same color jersey as themselves. Makes for a long football day as a New York fan.

Headline: Chiefs didn't lose. Well, we had a bye.

Yankees in Control of Series

It appears that the New York Yankees have control of the World Series now being up 3-1. They have won impressively in Philadelphia twice now. Perhaps the Phillies can extend the series to six games with a win tonight but the way the momentum is going, it appears unlikely that the Phils can win three in a row. This is not a team that is radiating confidence and steadiness.

The Yankees, on the other hand, are like watching a controlled demolition of a building. You know the explosion is coming; you just don't know when. Also, the Yankees rarely self destruct, playing sound and alert baseball throughout the season, and continuing in the post season. Johnny Damon's alert theft of third base last night is a great example of this awareness. The Yankees will not fall apart on the big stage. Yanks will finish it up in six.

A Rod goes "BOOM" in the 9th inning last night. (AP)