playoffs Page 196 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

NFL Wild Card Pants Party: Steelers Vs. Jaguars
Everybody loves the Jaguars all of a sudden. We dunno: If Big Ben stays off the bike, look out....

NFL Wild Card Pants Party: Seahawks Vs. Redskins
All right, kids, the playoffs are beginning Saturday, so it's time to start sorting some of these wild-card matchups. We find one game compelling, two somewhat intriguing and one rather dull. This is in that middle category....

The Only Playoff Simulation That Matters
Above is the second half of the Giants-Buccaneers tilt; it's amazing how compelling watching the final seconds turns out to be. We are almost certain that will be more entertaining than the actual game....

The NFL Playoff Picture Explained
Country X is planning to attack country Y, and country Y is anticipating the attack. Country X can either attack by land or by sea. Country Y can either prepare for a land defense or a sea defense. If X launches an attack by sea and Y prepares a defense by sea the probability of a successf— BAH! I'm...

Another Morning Times Column ... And It's Free This Time!
You might remember, back in March, when we wrote a daily column for NYTimes.com about the NCAA basketball tournament. Those columns ran back when they had TimesSelect over there, so you had to pay for them. Everything's free over there now, which means not only can you read the old ones, you can rea...

TNT Is Thinking Ahead
In about two-and-a-half hours, the 2007 Major League Baseball postseason will begin. As you know, all games will be on TBS, which is why we have strange start times like 3 p.m. ET and 6:30 p.m. ET. We thought this would be a problem. But TBS is off to a good start....

Where My Team Stands: Colorado Rockies
If we've learned anything about Octobers the last few years, it's that the month tests, stretches and hones every aspect of loyalty fandom....

Where My Team Stands: Cleveland Indians
If we've learned anything about Octobers the last few years, it's that the month tests, stretches and hones every aspect of loyalty fandom....

Where My Team Stands: Boston Red Sox
If we've learned anything about Octobers the last few years, it's that the month tests, stretches and hones every aspect of loyalty fandom....

Baseball Blogdome: Rockies Vs. Padres
What they're saying out there in the ether about Colorado's 9-8 win over San Diego in the NL tiebreaker ......

Not Safe At Home, But, Please, Don't Give Us Instant Replay
We're still all a-twitter about that amazing Rockies win over the Padres last night; it's rather difficult to be more dramatic than a three-run comeback in the bottom of the 13th inning with the whole season on the line. Oh, and there's controversy too!...

He Didn't Touch The Plate, But Hey: Thus, It Goes
We are not sure if that was a home run in the early innings or not — we think it probably was — but we know that he was not safe at home plate. At a certain level, we can't help but think it was a back-up-I-don't-want-any-trouble call from the home plate umpire, Tim McClellan. He knew the runner did...

Where My Team Stands: Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim
If we've learned anything about Octobers the last few years, it's that the month tests, stretches and hones every aspect of loyalty fandom....


Where My Team Stands: Arizona Diamondbacks
If we've learned anything about Octobers the last few years, it's that the month tests, stretches and hones every aspect of loyalty fandom....

Where My Team Stands: New York Yankees
If we've learned anything about Octobers the last few years, it's that the month tests, stretches and hones every aspect of loyalty fandom....

Where My Team Stands: Chicago Cubs
If we've learned anything about Octobers the last few years, it's that the month tests, stretches and hones every aspect of loyalty fandom....

MLB And ESPN Are No Longer BFF
That ongoing feud between ESPN and Major League Baseball — which was launched when ESPN announced the All-Star team minutes before MLB was about to, "exclusively" — has graduated from the All-Star Game to the postseason. ESPN isn't covering any postseason games, and now, it looks like, they don't ev...

About Last Night...
• Arena Football. Philadelphia Soul 41, Orlando Predators 26. Until Arena Football hires Don Cheadle to do AFL Playoffs commercials, no one's going to care. • MLB. Mets 6, Phillies 5. And then Mets 5, Phillies 2. Billy Wagner finished both games. He's due a good week of rest. • WNBA. Washington Myst...

About Last Night...
• Arena Football. Columbus Destroyers 74, NY Dragons 43. And the 7-9 Destroyers clinch a playoff spot. Parity reigns in the Arena League. • MLB. Seattle 9, Cincinnati 1. Never a good sign when you give up a grand slam in the first inning, is it, Kyle Lohse... • WNBA. San Antonio Silver Stars 71, Con...