There was plenty of drama while channel surfing around midnight on Sunday night.
The World Series was in the ninth inning of a 4-4 game on Fox and Marshall was playing Central Florida on ESPN.
Johnny Damon singled after a nine-pitch at-bat for the Yankees with two out … flip … Marshall was running out the clock with a 20-14 lead and only 2:14 remaining … flip … Damon steals second and third with Mark Teixeira batting … flip … Marshall quarterback Brian Anderson fumbles on a second-and-one … flip … Teixeira is hit in the shoulder by Brad Lidge, putting runners on first and third … flip … Central Florida is doing a horrible job of clock management with the game on the line … flip … Alex Rodriguez rips a double to left field to score Damon … flip … Central Florida completes a pass to the Marshall 1-yard-line with 26 seconds remaining … flip … Jorge Posada lines a two-run single to put the Yankees ahead 7-4 … flip … Marshall calls a timeout and then completely blows a coverage, leaving a receiver wide open for an easy touchdown. The ensuing extra point is the difference in a 21-20 victory … flip … Mariano Rivera sits down the Phillies on eight pitches for a commanding 3-1 lead in the World Series.
‰Note to Phillie fans: There’s only one Big Red Machine.
‰I’m not sure whose loss was more devastating — Kentucky’s 31-24 defeat to Mississippi State or Marshall’s heartbreaking defeat to Central Florida. In both cases, coaching decisions have to be questioned.
‰Before Kentucky played Mississippi State: Fans and media were talking about the possibility of playing a bowl game on New Year’s Day.
After Kentucky played Mississippi State: Fans and media were wondering if Kentucky can become bowl eligible.
‰Marshall will have a harder time recovering from its loss than Kentucky.
‰I’ve watched more of the World Series than I expected even though it’s hard to root for the Yankees or the Phillies. It’s still baseball and I’m addicted.
‰The Browns are more like the Clowns. Cleveland has lost 13 of 14. Nobody needs a bye week more than the tortured Browns’ fans.
‰I’ll admit to being wrong about Brett Favre. I was on the Favre-should-stay-retired bandwagon. Well, the 40-year-old quarterback still has gas in the tank. He’s been amazing.
‰O.J. Mayo was brilliant against the Nuggets on Sunday night. He scored a career-high 40 points on 17-of-25 shooting but the Griz lost 133-123. Mayo also had five rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers. His game was marred a bit when he got into a shouting match late with teammate Rudy Gay over not getting back on defense. Both players say the incident is behind them. Of course, what are they supposed to say?
‰Flip. That’s my television and computer shutting down for the night.
MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.
