What a weekend.



Yankees-Red Sox massive five game showdown in Fenway is quickly becoming an anticlimatic footnote to a failed Red Sox season. Last night it was Jason Giambi, making up for missing a bad-hop ball in the bottom of the 9th with a homer in the top of the 10th that led the Yankees to another victory over the Red Sox this time increasing their AL East lead to to a season-high 5½ games.

A victory on Monday would give New York a five-game sweep and a repeat of the 1978 “Boston Massacre,”a four-game September sweep by a combined score of 42-9 that erased the remnants of Boston’s 14-game lead in the division.

Premiership Season Begins

We've been waiting for it since that fateful and disappointing loss on penalties to Portugal in the World Cup and this weekend it finally arrived, the start of the English football season.

A good start indeed for Geordie supporters. Newcastle topped Wigan to gain three points and a place in the 8 team log jam at the top of the tables.


England captain heads one home for Chelsea.

Of course this pales in comparison to the might displays put on by two of the strongest teams in the EPL; the defending champions, Chelsea, who made short work of Man City 3-0 and Manchester United, who crushed Fulham 5-1. Of course Man U will be without Rooney, who had two goals yesterday, for the next three games or so but best take those points whilst they're available.


Notice which teammates' arms Rooney is NOT jumping into.

NFL



The Jets showed some all-around improvement after last week's 16-3 loss to Tampa Bay as they entered this weekend's game against the Redskins trying to sort out two marquee positions. Three quarterbacks got a chance to make a case for the No. 1 job, but none made the kind of statement that would put them ahead of favorite in the absence of Chad Pennington, away on personal family matters or secretly nursing a sore shoulder, depending on who you believe.

The Redskins wanted to see something from their starting offense after last week's 19-3 loss to Cincinnati, but new assistant coach Al Saunders' attack generated only three first downs in three drives with starting quarterback Mark Brunell. The first-team defense was embarrassed by Smith's reverse and allowed 145 yards rushing in the first half.

Meanwhile the defending Super Bowl champs Pittsburgh Steelers were led out by Roethlisberger, a surprise starter because of his right thumb injury, threw for a touchdown on the Steelers' opening drive while running a version of the no-huddle. After that, the offense basically shut down for the rest of the game. Roethlisberger, whose name everyone was forced to learn to spell last season was injured in a motorcycle accident in the offseason but looks recovered.

However, just as in a 21-13 loss to Arizona last weekend, the Steelers' execution was spotty, with mistakes, incorrect pass routes and turnovers. They had a fumble and an interception in their final two possessions of the first half. A repeat looks like a dautning proposition.