Oklahoma State played like the second-best team in the nation this afternoon. There was one tiny problem, however, with Oklahoma State’s virtuoso performance, and that is that they were facing the best team, Texas. The Cowboys’ feisty resistance kept them in the game all day long, and Texas was only able to escape, 28-24, after a last-second Hail Mary fell harmlessly to the turf, batted down at the 10-yard line. Sure, superman WR Dez Bryant had gotten past the Texas secondary, but that’s mainly because the secondary was playing the ball, which was nowhere near Bryant when it came back down to earth. It was a gritty, gutty fight on both sides, though, certainly a better fight than (ahem) Oklahoma put up, and only the most careless of pollsters will drop Oklahoma State more than a spot or two for this loss.

Elsewhere in college football this afternoon… Read more…

Deciding to listen to Tim McCarver blather his way through World Series commentary on TV or turning the sound down and listening to the dulcet, confused tones of Joe Morgan on the radio is like choosing between swallowing broken glass or sliding down a razor blade hill - both choices hurt. But I went with the radio guys for Game 2, mainly because of Jon Miller. And as usual, Morgan got stuck on a mantra he kept repeating over and over throughout the game, this time about the Phillies’ not being able to hit with runners in scoring position.

Unlike many of his obsessions, he actually was right about this. But it doesn’t take a Hall of Famer to know that hitting 1-for-15 in a game (and 1-for-28 for the Series) is bad. And while they were able to find a way past the Rays in Game 1, they couldn’t on Thursday, as Tampa Bay held on for a, frankly, uninspiring 4-2 win to tie the Series at one game each.

Anyone who kept claiming that this was going to be the most entertaining Series possible can shut up now - of course Red Sox vs. Dodgers would have been more fun, and it couldn’t have been played at a more average level. This Series is less sizzling through two games as it is melting. At least we have things headed over to Philadelphia, where I’m sure the fans will be in fine spirits. Enjoy the trips, Rays!

Meanwhile, Auburn was busy just plain fizzling against West Virginia, as Noel Devine made “SEC speed” seem like a stoner going 20 miles per hour on his way to Taco Bell for some munchies. It was big run after big run, as Devine wound up with 207 yards rushing as the Mountaineers throttled the Tigers 34-17.

Think the fact that a supposedly “quality” SEC team just got waxed by an underachieving Big East squad will lead anyone to start questioning the conference’s credentials? Nah, didn’t think so either.

Here’s what else was happening while you were checking out The Flintstones’ kitchen:

• SIMON ON SPORTS wants to know: can you guess the baseball hitter just by his stance? Me either, unless Jim Leyritz is involved.
• The BOSTON GLOBE has a new online Adidas ad featuring Kevin Garnett taking a group of kids on a tour of the Garden and the city. It’s a good thing several people happened to have video camera to record this clearly spontaneous event.
• The TENNESSEAN notes that Titans’ rookie Chris Johnson was fined $10,000 for banging on some drums following a touchdown against the Chiefs. Todd Rundgren expected to lead his appeal.
• San Jose State with a piece of college football history? The LOS ANGELES TIMES says so, as the Spartans’ “Nacho Brothers” are the first siblings to lead college football in statistical categories during the same season (in this case, tackles for loss and interceptions).
• ESPN says that Florida has exonerated EliteXC of any wrongdoing in Kimbo Slice’s loss to Seth Petruzelli. I’m sure the owners will be thrilled once word reaches them in the poorhouse.
• It’s the end of the road for Allan Houston’s comeback, as the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS says he’s been cut by the Knicks and offered a role in the front office. Because he knows a lot about how to watch out for ridiculous contracts.
• Over in Phoenix, the Suns are seemingly pushing Grant Hill towards early ownership, as the ARIZONA REPUBLIC says they are benching him in favor Matt Barnes. Hill responded to the news by angrily pulling his hamstring.
• PRO FOOTBALL TALK has some burning news: Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes has been busted for marijuana possession.
• The NEW YORK TIMES has your Greg Robinson Watch update: not fired yet, but the fact that Syracuse has hired a search firm to find a replacement is not a good sign.
• Is there NFL Fever in London ahead of Sunday’s game between the Saints and the Chargers at Wembley? According to USA TODAY, not so much.

• So no matter that the new movie The Express might claim, West Virginia fans didn’t harass Ernie Davis during his Heisman Trophy-winning season, or ever? Next you’re going to tell me that Rudy really didn’t wind up getting carried off the field after saving Frodo from Gollum.



• Coastal Carolina’s golf team must have had John Daly as a role model, as three players were suspended for underage drinking. Drinking and golf? Who ever heard of such a thing. If they need a drinking buddy, maybe JJ Reddick news came out that his contract with the Magic could be extended - just so they can release him.
• Apparently the UC Davis Marching Band liked showing off their little Aggies a little too much for the band director’s taste - he’s filed a sexual harassment complaint against band members.
• Not fat? French league basketball player Ho You Fat. Also not fat: Bengals LB Darryl Blackstock. You usually aren’t when you’ve been yoking up with the help of steroids. Or as the Bengals call getting trouble with the NFL, “taking one for the team.”
• Mark Sanchez might not play this Saturday against Arizona St. If about 50 more players on the USC depth chart get hurt, the Sun Devils might have a shot!
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It’s hardly news, of course that a movie that’s “based on a true story” would fudge some facts, much less a historical sports movie (Sure, the Titans won a playoff game on a last-second, 80-yard reverse. Sure they did). And hey, why not, right? If we already know that the protagonist will succeed, why not have him do so in the face of as much adversity as our sick minds can imagine?

Such was apparently the mindset of the producers of The Express, the story of Heisman winner Ernie Davis and Syracuse’s magical championship season in 1959. In the “uplifting” movie, Davis and his teammates endure untold amounts of harassment from opposing fans, perhaps nowhere more so than in Syracuse’s trip to Morgantown to face West Virginia.

There, the Orangemen encountered nasty, brutal, racist fans who showered the team in garbage, threats, and epithets. In a true testament to the team’s countenance, they struggled through the hostility and kept their championship dreams alive. There is, of course, one teensy little problem with that storyline. Read more…

College football fans - how do you feel about a BCS Title Game between Wisconsin and Utah? The downside: outside of fans of either school, no one knows more than two players on the two teams combined. The upside: at least it’s not Ohio State, ready to get shellacked by an SEC school again.

The LOS ANGELES TIMES reports that title game match-up reflects the top two teams in the Colley Matrix, one of six computer ranking systems used to determine the BCS rankings. The match-up also goes to show why the Massey Rankings - another of the six - comes with the following disclaimer:

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The winner in the bitter, Kramer vs. Kramer style divorce between Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia? Despite the rough 1-2 start to Rich Rod’s tenure at Michigan, it appears that the Mountaineers are approaching total meltdown mode following their 17-14 overtime loss to Colorado on Thursday. When you go from national title contender to described as “just a mess” by Erin Andrews in the span of three games, things are bad.

But at least head coach Bill Stewart still has the support of the local press, such as THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE:

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TGIF, SbBers! And one Yankee slugger is TG-ing a little more on this lovely F.

Alex Rodriguez has reached a divorce settlement with soon-to-be ex-wife Cynthia. C-Rod had been fighting the legality of the couple’s pre-nup agreement, but may have realized it was a lost cause. All A-Rod’s lawyer would say (in a terse statement) is that the dueling duo “have amicably resolved their dissolution of marriage proceedings.”

So, he’s all yours, Madonna. (Or yours, Derek.)

The Cubs creep closer to that NL Central crown, as the Brew Crew somehow turned a 2-out, 9th-inning 6-2 lead into a 12-inning 7-6 defeat. Just call Geovany Soto the Steve Bartman of Milwaukee. The Cubbies’ magic number is now 2, while the magic number for Brewers fans is the Wisconsin suicide hotline.

Over in the Junior League, Minnesota had some 9th-inning heroics of their own, as Alex Casilla’s two-run shot helped the Twins rally to topple Tampa Bay 11-8. The win did favors for both the Twins & Red Sox - Minny’s now only 1 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central (thanks to a 9-2 Yanks victory), while Boston moves up behind the Rays in the AL East by the same margin.

And all this time, the AL West champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, USA, North America sit and wait - and dress up their rookies in women’s clothing. (Still, that’s nothing compared to the Padres’ parade of horrid Hooters Girls.)

Brandon Marshall could be spending more time on the sidelines - or in jail. New charges have been filed in Georgia against the Broncos receiver, stemming from a March incident where Marshall allegedly beat up his then-girlfriend. Having already been suspended from the season opener against Oakland, Marshall could be facing additional discipline from the league.

Remarkably, although he only appeared in one game this season, Marshall already leads the league in receiving with 18 catches. (But Chargers fans would argue that Ed Hochuli helped.)

Colorado looks set to take over West Virginia’s #21 spot in the polls, as the Buffaloes roam to a 3-0 record after Thursday night’s 17-14 OT thriller over the Mountaineers - all because Aric Goodman could kick chip-shot field goals & Pat McAfee could not. At least McAfee still has a roster spot, which is more than can be said for Peter Lalich.

(“Bartender! Gimme a double!”)

Virginia QB Lalich was kicked off the Cavaliers squad after admitting in court that he violated his probation for underage drinking. But after watching the Cavs’ crappy perfomances this season, anyone would be hitting the bottle.

And now on to more pressing matters:

• Slide over, Laker Girls - LARRY BROWN SPORTS has the exclusive news (and more importantly, photos) of the Los Angeles Kings’ Ice Girls dance team tryouts.

• The MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE hears that Adrian Peterson has a sore hammy, but the Vikings RB still feels ready to bring home the bacon on Sunday.

• WITH LEATHER claws up news of a Mets minor leaguer charged with killing his girlfriend’s cat in a jealous rage.

• THE WIZ OF ODDS chronicles the first blow struck in this weekend’s Florida-Tennessee football war - the Vols football Wikipedia page was vandalized!

• CNN serves up news of Ana Ivanovic bowing out early in a tourney again, this time losing in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open. Maybe she really is the next Anna Kournikova, after all.

• On the return serve, ON THE BASELINE reports that Maria Sharapova is launching a $210,000 scholarship program for students living in areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

• VARIETY wants to know if you smell what The Rock is cookin’ in Tomorrowland, as the wrestler-turned-actor is set to star in a movie based around the Disneyland attraction.

• Can’t wait for the NBA season to start? BASKETBAWFUL offers their own objective previews of all 30 teams.

• BUGS & CRANKS doesn’t know what the Yankees should do with Bobby Abreu - do you?

• John Heuser of the ANN ARBOR NEWS is concerned that this year’s Wolverines could be the first bowl-less Michigan squad since 1974.

In preparation for Saturday’s pigskin action, here’s today’s pertinent poll:

It was a super Saturday for East Carolina fans. Not only was Greenville spared of any hurricane destruction, but their pigskin Pirates blew away then 8th-ranked West Virginia 24-3. (Which means we can be promised more quips from Rece Davis about the “Fightin’ Skip Holtzes“.)

As ecstatic ECU fans stormed the field, some of the policemen present at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium purpotedly got caught up in the excitement - and started clubbing & punching some of the celebrators (with video goodness after the jump).

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• The Florida Panthers are on the prowl for some new Ice Dancers.

• A minor league hockey player scores a hat trick of rude behavior on a flight, and gets a 527,040-minute penalty.

• If the Rays win the World Series, free pizza for the whole wide world!

• A trio of Cubs fans brutally beat a fan of a rival team. This is not a repeat.

• This is the only way people will pay attention to a Pirates game: West Virginia basketball players in the stands fighting with police.

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The fact that a couple of drunk guys got arrested at PNC Park in Pittsburgh during a game versus Colorado isn’t big news. Frankly, I’d have to be pretty bombed in order to sit through a Pirates/Rockies match-up in late July. But when the two people arrested are West Virginia basketball players, including expected starting point guard Joe Mazzulla, it’s news.

He and teammate Cameron Thoroughman are facing a host of charges after their altercation with Pirates security and police. According to the ASSOCIATED PRESS (via SI.com), here’s how things allegedly went down:

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