Alfonso Soriano had a great night on Saturday. He went 4-5, with 3 HR to help break the Cubs' 6 game losing streak. The Cubs beat the Reds 14-9 in a game that started off as a blowout, but ended in a slugfest, thanks to a poor performance be the Cubs' bullpen.

Jason Marquis was brilliant on the mound for the Cubs. He pitched 7+ innings, and only gave up 2 runs on 5 hits. He left the game with a comfortable 9-2 lead, after adding a solo HR of his own.

Mark DeRosa also had a 3-run HR, Derek Lee had 4 hits and 3 RBI, and 8 of the 9 Cubs starters had at least one hit.

Jeff Samardzija gave up 3 runs without even recording an out, and Carlos Marmol allowed all 3 inherited runners (courtesy of Michael Wuertz) to score when he gave up a grand slam to Jeff Keppinger, the first batter he faced.


----- Other MLB Games -----
AL:
Rangers 15, Red Sox 8
Blue Jays 7, Rays 4
Tigers 6, Twins 4
Athletics 5, Orioles 1
White Sox 7, Angels 6
Yankees 7, Mariners 4
Royals 3, Indians 1

NL:
Dodgers 7, Diamondbacks 2
Nationals 8, Braves 5
Brewers 1, Padres 0
Cardinals 5, Marlins 3
Giants 7, Pirates 6


----- MLB News/Notes -----

Lou Piniella probably isn't the best guy to ask, if you're looking for directions.

Forget rain delays from hurricanes... squirrels are the real problem.


Streakers - In case any team tries to make history, I'm going to list the teams with the longest active winning and losing streaks. Today's streakers:
Blue Jays, Dodgers: 7 wins
Orioles: 8 losses

Last season, the Skip Holtz, Chris Johnson and the East Carolina Pirates ended the season in Hawaii with an exclamatory win over Boise State. They ended up winning by a field goal, but the game was not as close as the score indicated. The Pirates were winning 31-14 at halftime, and Boise State needed a couple late TD's to even tie it up.

That game must have been a sign of things to come. Even though ECU is without Chris Johnson, who rushed for 223 yards in that game, they are a much better team than people have given them credit for. After the first two weeks of the season, they have done something that no other team in college football has done; beat 2 ranked opponents.

After last week's 27-22 win over then-#17 Virginia Tech, ECU crept up to #27 in the AP poll, a position which is otherwise known as "others receiving votes". But after Saturday's dominant 24-3 win over Pat White and #8 West Virginia, ECU now officially has the two best wins in the country.

It's obvious now that ECU belongs in the top 25. But when moving an unranked team into the top 25, voters always have the issue of deciding where to put them. Last week, ECU wasn't a top 25 team. But now they've beaten 2 (supposedly) high-caliber teams.

USC, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida, MIssouri and LSU are obviously all safe. They all won convincingly enough to at least stay where they were ranked, and all of them were ranked above WVU anyway. There's no way ECU could pass any of them, no matter how bad they beat West Virginia. Auburn, Texas, Wisconsin, Texas Tech, Alabama, Kansas, Arizona State all won convincingly enough to maintain their rank. But after #15 Arizona State is where it gets interesting, and where it looks like ECU might be able to slip into the rankings.

#16 Brigham Young and #17 South Florida both won close games over mediocre opponents. BYU needed a missed extra point to prevent OT against Washington, and USF beat Central Florida in overtime. That should allow Oregon and Penn State to leapfrog them into the 15th and 16th spots, respectively. #20 Wake Forest barely beat SEC doormat Mississippi, and the next 3 slots are upstarts like Fresno State, Utah, UCLA. Illinois already has 1 loss at #24, and #25 South Carolina will definitely drop down after a loss to Vanderbilt.

So where does that leave ECU? There's no doubt that they belong above any team with a loss. But considering the quality of ECU's wins, they also belong above teams that barely won their games, especially against non-ranked opponents.

If I'm voting, ECU jumps ahead of West Virginia, Brigham Young, South Florida, Clemson, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Fresno State, UCLA and Illinois, and slides into the #17 spot. If you're feeling friendly, let WVU come in one spot behind them. But with the quality of wins, there's no way ECU belongs lower than #17.

Where would you put ECU if you had a top 25 vote?

Eastern Carolina has done it again. Last week, it was Virginia Tech. This week, it's #8 West Virginia. Skip Holtz' Pirates didn't even allow the Mountaineers to make it close, beating them 24-3. ECU's schedule isn't that tough from here on out, so maybe they'll be the next non-BCS team to crash the party. Is it possible?

Joe Paterno got his 374th win, passing Bobby Bowden for #1 all time. At least until Bowden's Seminoles blow out Western Carolina. The Nittany Lions looked great, dominating Oregon State 45-14.

#2 Georgia 56, Central Michigan 17 - The Bulldogs may have been upset about losing their #1 spot, but they did their part this week. Unfortunately, they'll need a loss by USC to regain the top spot, especially if the Trojans beat OSU next week.

#4 Oklahoma 52, Cincinnati 26 - The Bearcats were simply outmatched against the Sooners. This one was never really close, after OU jumped out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead.

#15 Brigham Young 28, Washington 27 - BYU looks eerily similar to last year's Hawaii team, who barely beat Washington, and then got blown out in the Sugar Bowl. BYU is everyone's pick for the non-BCS conference team to crash a BCS bowl, but if they win against Washington by a missed PAT, it looks like they've got a lot of work to do.

#18 Oregon 66, Utah State 24 - Nothing to see, here. Just a top-25 team doing what it's supposed to do.

#20 Wake Forest 30, Mississippi 28 - The Demon Deacons won, but this is just one more example of why the ACC sucks. Ole Miss isn't a "good" SEC team, by any stretch.

Virginia Tech 24, Furman 7 - Frank Beemer and his crew rebounded against Furman, but it still wasn't exactly convincing. It could get real ugly once the Hokies hit the "tough" part of their schedule.

----- Other Games -----
Notre Dame 21, San Diego State 13
Colorado State 23, Sacramento State 20
Akron 42, Syracuse 28
Louisville 51, Tennessee Tech 10
Florida Atlantic 49, UAB 34
Virginia 16, Richmond 0

Heading into UFC 88 Breakthrough, my predictions have gone 21-6. Lets see if I can keep the momentum going. Live Results for UFC 88 Breakthrough begin at 8pm ET.

Tim Boetsch vs Michael Patt
-This is the only fight on the card that appears easy to pick. Patt is a virtual unknown to mainstream MMA fans. He has some nice submission skills, but his strength is lacking. Against a powerful fighter like Boetsch, I can't see him winning. Boetsch Wins By Second Round TKO.

Roan Carneiro vs Ryo Chonan
-I am giddy about this fight. They first fought in 2005, with Chonan taking it following a stoppage by the ref because of a cut on Carneiro. The stoppage was controversial and it was clear a rematch would happen in the future. It is finally happening at UFC 88, after an aborted attempt at UFC 85 when Chonan pulled out with a rib injury. Chonan is best known for his victory over Anderson Silva. In my opinion, it is the best end to a fight in MMA history. Carneiro has the edge on the ground, but Chonan is the better stand-up fighter. It should be a battle from the opening bell. The fact this match is listed last on the fight card is mind boggling to me. It could very easily be the Fight of the Night or at least contain the Submission of the Night. I think Chonan Wins By Unanimous Decision.

Jason Lambert vs Jason MacDonald
-Jason MacDonald is a busy man. He fought less than a month ago against Demian Maia at UFC 87. In that fight he looked good, but in the end got caught with a rear naked choke. No shame to losing to Maia by submission. Lambert seemed destined for big things in the UFC after starting out 3-0 in the Octagon. Since then he has gone 1-3 and lost his last two fights by KO and TKO. I do not see him getting things back on track against MacDonald. MacDonald Wins By Second Round Submission.

Thiago Tavares vs Kurt Pellegrino
-Thiago Tavares was the golden boy of the UFC and was being molded into a future champion before two losses in three fights stopped his momentum. At 23, he still has many years ahead of him and should continue to improve. Losses are not the worst thing for a young fighter. All the top guys (other than Fedor) have dealt with defeat and come back with renewed determination. It is time to see if Tavares has the championship gene or not. It will not be easy for Tavares, as he faces UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino. Pellegrino is not exceptional in any one area, but he is an extremely tough fighter. He does not have the natural athleticism of Tavares, so he will need to impose his will from the start on the younger fighter. When people have pressed Tavares in the past, he has had trouble. I think we are in for a good fight that will feature several momentum shifts. Tavares Wins By Split Decision.

Dong Hyun Kim vs Matt Brown
-The UFC must think highly of Matt Brown because they shifted this fight to the televised card. Brown was a fan favorite on The Ultimate Fighter 7 due to his toughness and straight ahead attacking style. This is his chance to make a name for himself and prove he is more than an engaging TV character. His opponent is a former DEEP fighter, who sports an impressive record of 10-0-1. It is hard to pick against Kim. I believe Brown will put up a fight and maybe even hurt Kim at times, but it will not be enough. When he tires, Kim will take over. Kim Wins By Second Round TKO.

Read More

Thank you to everyone who voted in the FanIQ Prediction System.  Last week, you saw what my team ratings predicted, and now we'll look at what your ratings predicted.

The interesting thing about this system is how much the schedule makes an impact on it.  In fact, in the NFC, a team with the 11th highest overall score in the conference made the playoffs, and the team with the 6th highest conference score made it to the NFC final.  Remember, this is just for a bit of fun and speculation, none of us know what will truly happen.  So here is what FanIQ's ratings predicted through the system.

NFC North			NFC South
Bears	9-7		Saints	10-6
Vikings	8-8		Panthers	9-7
Packers	8-8		Bucs	8-8
Lions	4-12		Falcons	3-13
NFC East			NFC West
Cowboys	13-3		Seahawks	8-8
Eagles	10-6		Cardinals	7-9
Redskins	9-7		Rams	7-9
Giants	7-9		49ers	5-11
AFC North			AFC South
Steelers	8-8		Colts	14-2
Ravens	8-8		Jaguars	11-5
Browns	6-10		Titans	7-9
Bengals	5-11		Texans	6-10
AFC East			AFC West
Patriots	14-2		Chargers	14-2
Jets	8-8		Broncos	8-8
Bills	7-9		Raiders	6-10
Dolphins	3-13		Chiefs	6-10

Obviously, the Bears once again make little sense being a playoff team.  The Packers and Vikings both have higher overall scores over the Bears, but the schedule helped them.   Obviously, even the most biased Bears fans probably don't think they'll win the division, but who knows?

The Ravens, surprisngly, had the 8th highest AFC score, which with a weak schedule, was just able to get them the tiebreaker over the Jets and Broncos.  The Chargers beat the Patriots and Colts since they host them both, leading to them with the 1 seed.  Here are the playoff results.

1	Cowboys
		Cowboys
3	Bears	Bears
6	Redskins		Cowboys
			Saints
4	Seahawks			Cowboys
5	Eagles	Seahawks
		Saints
2	Saints
Playoffs					Colts
1	Chargers
		Chargers
3	Patriots	Patriots
6	Ravens			Colts
			Colts
4	Steelers		Patriots
5	Jaguars	Steelers
		Colts
2	Colts

Because the home-field bonus is two instead of four, the Chargers ended up being upset.  So according to FanIQ's rankings in the system, the Colts will win the Super Bowl over the Cowboys.

Thanks to everyone who participated.  We'll look at how accurate (or wrong) this was at seasons' end.