Boston Bruins

It’s back! The air is cold, the ice is fresh and the fans are pumped. Yes, it’s hockey season!

The Boston Bruins are 5-6 so far this season, most recently losing to the Minnesota Wild, 4-3. The Bruins had a 2 goal lead but lost their edge in the 3rd period as the Wild made their comeback, scoring 3 goals. Bruins forward Seth Griffin scored twice in the game but it wasn’t enough.

Boston’s team captain, defense-man Zdeno Chara is currently out for at least a month due to a knee injury he recently suffered. The Bruins were able to win their 1st game without him against Toronto, defeating the Maple Leafs 4-1. In addition to losing Chara in their lineup, the B’s must adjust to fill his void as their great leader. It has been reported that Chara is still showing his quality character to teammates off the ice despite this recent injury. Chara has been with the B’s since 2006 but has played in the league since 1997. He is the tallest player in the NHL, standing at 6’9”.

In 2011 the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Vancouver Canucks in 7 games to win the coveted championship. This was the Bruins’ 1st Stanley Cup victory since 1972. In 2012, the team made it to the 1st round of playoffs, but was defeated by the Washington Capitals in a 7-game series, 4-3. Each of the 7 games was decided by just 1 goal and 4 of the games went into overtime!

Last season, the Bruins advanced to the playoffs defeating the Maple Leafs 4-3 in the 1st series followed by their victory over the New York Rangers, 4-1. The B’s then moved on to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, sweeping the series 4-0 and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals where they faced the Chicago Blackhawks, who had most recently won a Stanley Cup in 2010. Last year was the 1st Stanley Cup meeting between these 2 teams and the Blackhawks came away victorious, winning the series 4-2.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys, the NFL’s most valuable team, are 6-1 this season. Their only loss has been their season opener against the San Francisco Giants, losing 17-28. Since then, the team appears to have found it’s stride, winning the next 6 games which included defeating last year’s Super Bowl Champs, the Seattle Seahawks as well as their division rivals, the NY Giants.

The Cowboys play in the largest domed stadium in the world, which opened in 2009 and seats 80,000. Team owner Jerry Jones funded the new stadium along with the City of Arlington for $1.3 billion dollars.

The subject of heavy scrutiny for several years, quarterback Tony Romo has been with the Cowboys since 2003 and secured his starting position in 2006. Critics have often questioned if he is cut out for high pressure, late game situations but Romo continues to prove he is. Romo currently holds NFL records for most passing yards through 100 starts and most consecutive road games with at least 1 touchdown pass. Romo has also been selected for the Pro Bowl 3 times in his career.

In addition to Romo, the Cowboys roster boasts WR Dez Bryant, RB DeMarco Murray and TE Jason Witten who have meshed well together for more than 3 seasons. While Murray has publicly stated it is not his top goal to break records and achieve milestones, his recent performance suggests this is a likely possibility this season for both franchise and league records.

In 4 of their last 6 games of this season, America’s team will face off against their NFC East division rivals: the Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins. This division’s rivalries are some of the most well known across the league. 4 of these games are also on the road and 3 of the games will be played in prime time. This is a lot of additional pressure for a team, especially late in the season as squads look to secure positions for playoffs, however, Dallas has thus far shown they can be a top competitor and opposing teams should prepare accordingly.

The Dallas Cowboys’ next game is Monday night, at home against the Washington Redskins. The Cowboys have won 2 of the 3 most recent matchups against Washington.

World Series

The hunt for October has come and gone. The World Series is in full swing and currently tied, with the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants tied at 2-2.

In the initial series faceoff, the Giants defeated the Royals 7-1 in Kansas City. The Giants had 11 hits, 7 of which were runs and the Royals’ only run occurred in the 6th inning. The Giants held a 3-run lead before the 1st inning was over. This was the Giants’ 16th win in their past 18 post season games.

Game 2 was a different story, as the Royals defeated the Giants 7-2. Each team scored a run in the 1st inning but Kansas City went on to dominate, scoring 1 in the 2nd and 5 more in the 6th inning. The Giants’ only other run came in the 4th inning. Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland struggled and after the game acknowledged he let his emotions get the best of him.

Kansas City managed to win Game 3 although it was closer than the previous 2 games with a final score of 3-2. The Royals scored 1 run in the 1st inning and 2 in the 6th.  The Giants scored both of their runs in the 6th inning as well. Royals shortstop Eric Hosmer’s 6th inning RBI proved to be the deal sealer for the team’s Game 3 victory, giving the Royals a 2-1 lead in the series.

In Game 4, the Giants came back to crush Kansas City, 11-4. Six different Giants had RBIs in this game. Giants outfielder Hunter Pence had 3 RBIs, while second baseman Joe Panik and third baseman Pablo Sandoval each had 2. San Francisco was able to come back, obtaining a 7-4 lead, which they were then able to extend to 11-4, to win the game. Giants relief pitcher Yusmeiro Petit threw 3 shutout innings following starter Ryan Vogelsong.

Game 5 will take place Sunday night at 8:00pm EST in Kansas City. The teams’ pitchers will be the same as in Game 1, James Shields starting for the Royals and Madison Bumgarner for the Giants. Whichever team is victorious will have an advantage for Game 6, heading in with a 3-2 lead.