Cowboys March on Without Romo

The Dallas Cowboys will be without quarterback Tony Romo for the next 3-4 weeks due to a broken finger on his throwing hand. Romo suffered the injury on the first play of overtime during Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss at Arizona.

This is bad news for a Cowboys team that has been struggling as of late losing two of their last three games. 40 year old Brad Johnson will start in Romo's absence. His last NFL start was back in 2006 when he was a member of the Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys next next three games are at St. Louis, home vs. Tampa Bay, and then at the Giants week 9 before a bye in Week 10.

Rays Win Marathon

When Josh Beckett and Scott Kazmir take the hill you know you are in for a close game. What you would not expect however is a 9-8 final score.

It started as a shootout, but ended as a pitchers duel. Two so called aces looked more like deer in headlight rookies combining to allow an ALCS record tying seven homeruns in five innings of work.

After the fifth inning it was a whole new ball game. Over the remaining six innings the two teams combined to score a mere three runs. But it was the Rays who scored when it counted. With the bases loaded in the 11th BJ Upton hit a sacrifice fly to right to plate pinch runner Fernando Perez evening the series at a game a piece.

The series now shifts to Boston for three game beginning Monday. Jon Lester and Matt Garza will take the hill for the Sox and Rays respectively.

Myers Gets It Done...With a Bat?

Philadelphia Phillies' starting pitcher Brett Myers came into game two of the NLCS batting 4 for 58 on the season at the plate. As a pitcher a stat line like that is not all that surprising. Myers himself would be the first to tell you that he is a bad hitter, but its not his job to hit, right?

That all changed on Friday night as Myers made up for his shaky performance on the mound by nearly doubling his hit total for the season. He finished the night 3 for 3 with three runs batted in en route to a 8-5 Phillies victory in game two of the NLCS.

"I'm not a very good hitter," said Myers in his post game interview. "I just get lucky occasionally. I'm baffled by it. I would've rather pitched better."

At this point in the season it is better to be lucky than good. We will see if the luck for the Phillies can continue Sunday as the series shifts to Los Angeles for three games.

NHL Season Preview

Thursday marks the opening night (on US soil) for the National Hockey League. While we realize hockey may not be the most popular of sports, here at WAY Back Sports we never leave a sport behind...unless its Nascar (you will NEVER see a Nascar post on this site).

Anyway, heres a look at how we think the season will finish:

Eastern Conference:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins - The defending Eastern Conference champions have two of the top five best players in the the NHL (Sidney Crosby & Evgeni Malkin) and enough firepower along side them to make it back to the finals. They will have to weather the storm the first two months without top defensemen Sergi Gongar and Ryan Whitney but they have enough good young talent to hold the fort until they return.
2. Montreal Canadiens - Last season the Canadiens finished with the best record during the regular season before being bounced in the first round by the Flyers. The offseason saw the departure of RW Micheal Ryder and D Mark Streit but a little offensive fire power was brought in to replace them in LW Alex Tanguay and C Robert Lang. This season also marks the first full season for goaltender Carey Price as starter. If he has a strong sophomore season the Canadiens will be contenders in the East.
3. Washington Capitals - Third only by virtue of winning the Southeast, not necessarily the third best record. The Capitals have arguably the most exciting player in hockey in reigning MVP Alexander Ovechkin. They have a good mix of veterans (Sergi Federov, Chris Clark) and rising stars (Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin) to make for a good supporting cast for Ovechkin. The big question mark will be in goal. The Capitals will only go as far as Jose Theodore takes them.
4. Philadelphia Flyers - Having a healthy Simon Gagne back will do wonders for a team that was not that far away from having a big year last season. In the 07/08 playoffs they knocked off the #1 ranked Montreal Canadiens before falling to the Penguins in the Conference finals. The offseason saw the departure of promising young star R.J. Umberger which will sting, but I would think they Flyers would rather have Gagne than Umberger anyday.
5. Boston Bruins - Picking the Bruins to finish 5th may surprise some people but Boston is a gritty team who, with the guidance of coach Claude Julien, will win a lot of close games. The biggest difference this season for Boston will be the return of all star forward Patrice Bergeron who missed all but ten games last season following a career threatening concussion. The addition of Bergeron and the signing of free agent forward Michael Ryder will make the Bruins a team to watch out for in the East.
6. New York Rangers - The Rangers suffered some major losses over the offseason seeing forwards Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shannahan, and Martin Straka all announce their retirement from the NHL. Perhaps the player they will miss the most is not one listed above but instead agitator Steve Avery who signed with Dallas. They were able to bring in decent replacements in Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev, add that to a group that already includes Scott Gomez and Chris Drury and you have a team who will be a strong playoff contender.
7. New Jersey Devils - The Devils are a playoff team for one reason: Martin Brodeur. In Brodeur's 14 seasons as the Devils' goaltender New Jersey has made the playoffs 13 times. Coincidence? I think not.
8. Ottawa Senators - It seems that the Senators and Penguins meet in the playoffs every year, so why change that this season. Ottawa boasts the best line in hockey in Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Dany Heatley. Aside from that there isn't a whole lot to be dangerous.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning - Most improved team in hockey, but still not quite enough.
10. Carolina Hurricanes - Loss of Eric Cole means loss of playoff contention.
11. Buffalo Sabers - Ryan Miller will keep them in a lot of games, but he is just one man.
12. Florida Panthers - Good defense, not so good offense.
13. Atlanta Thrashers - They have Ilya Kovalchuk and um...who else?
14. Toronto Maple Leafs - Poor Leafs fans. Its gonna be a long season.
15. New York Islanders - They will battle the Leafs for the basement all year.

Western Conference:

1. Detroit Red Wings - The addition of Marian Hossa make the defending Stanley Cup Champions even that much better. There is no reason why the Red Wings will not go back-to-back.
2. Dallas Stars - Like the rest of the Western Conference, the Stars are just playing for second place. The addition of Sean Avery will add an element of grit to Dallas which will go a long way. Any team with that likes of Brenden Morrow, Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro, and Marty Turco will be a team that contends.
3. Calgary Flames - The Flames made perhaps the most underrated move of the offseason picking up LW Mike Cammalleri from the LA Kings. Cammalleri will likely be paired with super star Jerome Iginla on the top line making for a nice 1-2 punch. If Miikka Kipprusoff can regain his elite status between the pipes the Flames could be dangerous this season.
4. San Jose Sharks - San Jose has become a perennial powerhouse in the Western Conference and that will likely continue this season. Led by center Joe Thornton and the emergence of Evgeni Nabokov the Sharks will be right in the mix in the West. The addition of D Dan Boyle could be another overlooked acquisition.
5. Anaheim Ducks - Like the Sharks, the Ducks are another team you can count on to be in the mix in the West each season. The young stud first line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Chris Kunitz will power Anaheim to another strong season.
6. Chicago Blackhawks - In the Eastern Conference the Blackhawks might be the second best team. Unfortunately, they play in the stacked Western Conference where they will be in the middle of the pack. Chicago is just loaded with young talent and made some nice offseason acquisitions in D Brain Campbell and G Cristobal Huet. It would not be a surprise to see Chicago make some noise in the West this season.
7. Edmonton Oilers - The additions of Erik Cole and Lubomir Visnosky are big ones for the Oilers. Expect LW Dustin Penner to have a bounce back year this season after a slow first season in Edmonton. The Oilers are a solid team who will fight for one of the final playoff spots.
8. Minnesota Wild - The Wild will be as good as Marian Gaborik is healthy. They added a few nice role players in LW Andrew Brunette, RW Owen Nolan, and D Marek Zidlicky. If Gaborik plays 65 games the Wild are a playoff team.
9. Phoenix Coyotes - Young and improved, but still a year or two away.
10. Colorado Avalanche - Could sneak into the playoffs if Peter Forsberg returns.
11. Nashville Predators - Why is there hockey in Nashville?
12. Columbus Blue Jackets - Could be a sleeper team in the West.
13. Vancouver Canucks - If they got Roberto Luongo some help they could make some noise.
14. St. Louis Blues - Some good young pieces, but not enough.
15. Los Angeles Kings - Very young. Still two or three years from being a contender.

Cup Finals: Detroit Red Wings over Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Division Series Recap

What a first week of the playoff we have seen!

Without question the most competitive series was between Anaheim Angels and Boston Red Sox. Boston, thanks to two strong pitching performances, took the two opening games. Then came the marathon game in game game three. Led by two homeruns from Mike Napoli the Angels were able to end their eleven game playoff losing streak to Boston by beating them in twelve innings. Game four brought another impressive pitching performance from a Boston starter as Jon Lester went seven shutout innings. Unfortunately for Lester that was all for not as the bullpen proceeded to squander his two run lead. Rookie Jed Lowrie was there to save the day for Boston in the ninth as he singled home Jason Bay for the walk off win.

Also punching their ticket to the ALCS was the the Tampa Bay Rays. Like Boston, Tampa cruised to a two game lead in the series before hitting a little bump in the road in game three. Chicago starter John Danks saved the season for the second time in as many starts going seven solid innings for the White Sox. Game four saw two huge homeruns from BJ Uption lead the way as the Ray continued their storybook season winning the series 3-1. What a story the Rays have been; going from the worst team in the MLB a year ago to winning the AL East this season and now they have a chance to make even more history as they advance to the ALCS.

Over in the National League we saw what may have been the most surprising result thus far of this year's playoffs as the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs, who were considered by many to be the best team in baseball going into the playoffs, never could seem to cool down the hot hitting Dodger bats. The Dodgers outscored the Cubs 20-6 over three games. The only game that was even remotely close was game three but even then it was a run late in the game that got the score to 3-1. Manny Ramirez continued to swing a hot bat, as he has since being acquired at the trade deadline, going 5 for 10 with a pair of homeruns.

Joining the Dodgers in the NLCS will be the Philadelphia Phillies who defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in in four games. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino swung hot bats for the Phillies who also got strong pitching performances from Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, and Joe Blanton en route to their impressive series victory. Philadelphia's victory should set up quite a NLCS match-up as the Phillies and Dodgers are two of the hottest teams in baseball.

LDS: Day 3

There were just two LCS games yesterday, both coming from the AL side of things. Let's take a look at what went down.

Rays 6, White Sox 2
It did not look good from the start for the Rays, but the end is all that matters. Scott Kazmir gave up 2 runs in the first inning, but pitched a solid 5 1/3 with 4 strikeouts to pick up his first playoff win. Akinori Iwamura was the hero for the Rays, hitting a 2 run shot in the 5th inning to give the Rays an insurmountable lead. Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli also added late RBI's for Tampa Bay. Mark Buehrle went 7 innings and gave up 10 hits in a losing effort. Tampa will look for the sweep as they go to Chigago for game 3.

Red Sox 7, Angles 5
It was a wild game on the west coast last night as the Sox and Angles squared off. Boston got the early lead on a J.D. Drew double and a Jason Bay 3 run shot. The Angles did not fade though, as they kept on chipping away at the Boston lead. Chone Figgins, Torrii Hunter, and Mike Napoli all drove in runs, cutting the lead to 5-4 in the 7th inning. Figgins led off the 8th with a triple, and a Mark Teixeira sac fly tied the game up. The Angles brought Francisco Rodriguez in the game, but David Ortiz led off the 9th with a double. J.D. Drew then took K-Rod deep, giving the Sox a 7-5 lead. Jon Papelbon closed out the game and gave Boston a 2-0 series lead. The Sox now come back to Boston looking to close out the series.

Saturday's Big 3: Week 6

While Major League Baseball playoffs and regular season NFL action are now in full swing, it's hard to forget that there are still some great college football games on this weekend. Let's take a look at some of the top games for week 6:

#13 Auburn at #19 Vanderbilt
It's the first time in a long time that Vanderbilt football mattered. Now that Vandy has cracked the top 2o, they get a tough SEC test as Auburn comes to town. Vanderbilt averages 202 rushing yards per game, a fact that the Tigers D knows about. They'll look to stop the running attack of Jared Hawkins and Chris Nickson. I'll take Vandy at home to prove that they're not a fluke team.


#23Oregon at #9 USC
USC is looking for a rebound. After a loss to Oregon State that all but knocked them out of the national title picture, they're hungry to get back on the winning track back in Los Angles. Oregon ranks 8th in total offense, so Ray Maualuga and company have work to do this weekend. USC is too good to be beat again this season, and they're tough to beat at home. I'm taking the Trojans at home this week.


#14Ohio State at #18 Wisconsin
At the beginning of this season, this game had the potential to be huge. Though it's not as big as it could be, Big 10 title dreams are still on the line. The Badgers are scary at home, winning 27 of there last 28 at Camp Randall Stadium, and the fans won't do anything help to Terrelle Pryor or Chris "Beanie" Wells. Wisconson running back P.J. Hill looks to have a big game this weekend as the Badgers offense averages 218.5 yards on the ground. With a bruising running game and home field advantage, I'll take the Badgers.

Division Series: Day 2

Day two of the 2008 Division Series saw an American League team make its franchise playoff debut while over in the National League there was very little change from a day ago.

Phillies vs. Brewers
When you picture an at bat between Shane Victorino and CC Sabathia, logically you would think the overpowering left would have a big advantage; not on this day. Victorino knocked in four runs with one swing of the bat and added two doubles to help the Phillies to a 2-0 series lead. Sabathia, who was pitching on three days rest for the fourth consecutive start, lasted just 3.2 innings giving up five runs on six hits. Brett Myers had a solid outing for the Phillies allowing just two runs in seven innings of work helping Philly to the 5-2 victory.

Cubs vs. Dodgers
For the second day in a row Manny Ramirez hit a monster homerun and for the second day in a row the Dodgers cursed to victory, taking a 2-0 series lead heading back to Los Angeles. It was a sloppy game for the Cubs who committed four errors in the game; certainly not a performance you would expect from the team who finished the season with the best record in the National League. Of the ten runs allowed by Chicago pitching just five were earned. It is tough to give teams extra outs, particularly a team as good as LA and the Dodgers made them pay for their mistakes.

Rays vs. White Sox
Evan Longoria homered in his first two career playoff at bats and to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to victory in their first playoff game in the history of the franchise. After ten seasons in the American League basemen many wondered how the Rays would respond to their first taste of the playoff pressure. Just as have done all season when their ability was questioned, they answered their critics with a strong performance resulting in a 6-4 victory.

MLB Playoff Recap

Yesterday marked the beginning of the 2008 Major League Baseball playoffs. Three series got underway yesterday, let's take a look at what went down in each game.

Phillies vs Brewers
The Phillies hopped on the back of young lefty Cole Hamels (8.0 Innings, 2 Hits, 9 K's 1 Walk) and fought off a late surge by the Brewers to take a 3-1 victory yesterday in Philadelphia. Chase Utley started the scoring in the 3rd inning, hitting a double that scored 2. They tacked on an another run in the the same inning after a bases-loaded walk by Yovani Gallardo forced in Utley. The Brewers put together a late charge at the end, but were shut down by Brad Lidge who picked up the save.
Brett Myers takes on CC Sabathia in game 2.


Cubs vs Dodgers
After taking an early 2-0 lead, the Cubs looked to be in good position to shut the door early on the Dodgers. That lead didn't last long as James Loney hit a grand slam to centerfield, and LA rolled on from that point. Manny Ramirez hit a homerun in his postseason debut with the Dodgers, who won by the final score of 7-2. Derek Lowe went 6 innings, striking out six. Game two features Carlos Zambrano squaring off against Chad Billingsley in a great pitching matchup.


Red Sox vs Angles
After Josh Beckett was scratched from the game one start, Jon Lester was there to fill the void. The lefty looked strong against a potent Angles order, going 7 innings with 7 strikeouts and giving up 6 hits. LAA took an 1-0 lead in the 3rd, after a Jed Lowrie error extended the inning and let Torii Hunter drive in Garret Anderson. The Sox struck back in the 6th. Jason Bay, making his postseason debut, hit a 2 run homer, giving the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz also picked up RBI's , giving Boston a 4-1 lead. Closer Jon Papelbon got his first save of the playoffs.
Daiskue Matsuzaka and Ervin Santana will take the mound in game 2.

The Rays and White Sox kick off their series later today.

Bengals Sign Cedric Benson

The Cincinnati Bengals have signed RB Cedric Benson in order to replace injured RB DeDe Dorsey. Benson was released earlier this year by the Chicago Bears after violating conduct policies during the offseason. The former fourth overall pick could fit in well as he will likely split time with starter Chris Perry.

Hopefully, Benson will look to move on from his mistakes in the past and try to revive his career with this new opportunity. He will get a new chance to change his image in Cincinnati—can anyone say, "Cedric Treinta Dos?"