We also welcomed back Eli Bannister, a fellow colleague of mine and Buffalo, N.Y. native, to the final Fan’s Corner segment. A die-hard Bills and Buffalo Sabres fan, we talk the signing of Mario Williams and free agency acquisitions across the NFL.

Same story, different year. With two games remaining against the San Jose Sharks, the Kings were atop the Pacific Division and the three-seed. Three days later, they were the eight-seed, knocking themselves our of division title contention by blowing leads in consecutive games against the Sharks.

Problem is, Kings fans are used to not being able to fulfill lofty expectations. This is a Kings team that blew a four-goal lead in Game three of last year’s Western Conference quarterfinals. Truth is, the Kings haven’t won a playoff series since 2001, and appear to headed down the same bumpy road against the defending Western Conference champions, Stanley Cup runner-ups, and two-time defending President’s trophy winners: the Vancouver Canucks.

Maybe it was too much change. Firing Terry Murray before Christmas, adding forward Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets at the trade deadline, or simply the unchanging notion the Kings have trouble getting pucks in the net.

One problem that can’t be undid: the lack of scoring. If the Kings are to have any chance against the Canucks, they need to hold 1-0 and 2-1 leads late in games. If the Canucks score three or more goals, expect another early exit.

The Kings have been shutout ten times this season, and two dozen times entered the third period trailing 1-0, tied 1-1, or down 2-1.

“We do have pressure on us,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty told the LA Times. “But we have a little less pressure on us than a team like Vancouver. We’ve done well against them this season and we definitely think we can beat them. We don’t see ourselves as the underdog.”

Despite the politically correct response from Doughty, the Kings did split the season series with the Canucks, and injuries to each team’s front-line players will make the series interesting. The Canucks have been without Daniel Sedin for the past nine games, and the Kings’ Jeff Carter sustained a bone bruise March 28 and has sat out the last five games.

Fittingly enough, the last time the Kings played the Canucks, they lost 1-0 in Vancouver despite 38 shots on goal. Jonathan Quick versus Roberto Luongo.

Let the game of thrones begin. Kings fans have been waiting since 1968 to be “Kings.”

Photo by Patrick Shanahan

Cornell men’s hockey player Sean Collins will continue his career beyond the college ranks, officially signing a two-year contract with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, the team announced Thursday morning.

Originally selected by the Blue Jackets in the 2008 NHL Draft as a 7^th round (178^th overall) pick, Collins completed one of his best seasons on the hill, finishing second on the team with a career high in goals (13) and points (26).

“There have been so many ups and downs over the four years. You just dream about something like this,” Collins said in a brief statement released by the team. “I’m just so proud and thankful of the Cornell coaches and all of my teammates.”

The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native played in 136 games over his four-year career, and was one of the two assistant captains on a squad that was one win away from reaching the Frozen Four.

“It’s awesome watching Sean leave (Thursday) with just a huge smile on his face, realizing a dream come true of signing an NHL contract,” said Cornell head coach Mike Schafer ’86.

“He worked so hard for it and in coaching you push guys and you prod guys, inform them of the steps they need to take in order to realize their dream. Most of them listen but they don’t put those steps into place so when you see a kid like Sean who works really hard at his game to make himself a better player, it’s really rewarding to see him take that advice and lean on your experience to see what other guys have done to make them successful.”

Collins has been assigned to the Blue Jackets’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, which is based in Springfield, Mass. Collins is also the first of the four members of the class of 2012 to sign a professional contract.

For junior defenseman and assistant captain Nick D’Agostino, it is exciting to witness a teammate being able to continue to play hockey.

“Sean is a guy who really worked hard his four years here putting in the extra work before and after practice,” D’Agostino said in a phone interview. “He’s really improved year-to-year and is rewarded with (an NHL contract).”

Frozen Four Bound–Cornell’s Laura Fortino (center) celebrates with teammates shortly after Rougeau’s game-winning goal in triple overtime. (Photo by Patrick Shanahan)

A combined 14 goals scored through three periods and each team giving up three-goal leads was only half the story during Cornell’s NCAA Quarterfinal game at Lynah Rink against Boston University Saturday afternoon and evening.

What turned out to be the longest game in program and Lynah Rink history, suddenly turned into a defensive battle, as it took nearly three overtimes, 59 minutes and 50 seconds, for someone to come out on top–Cornell defeated Boston University 8-7 with ten seconds left in triple overtime to advance to their third consecutive Frozen Four.

The victory avenged a 4-1 loss to the Terriers in last year’s Frozen Four, and the Big Red (30-4) finished 3-0 against the Terriers (23-14-1) this season.

Defenseman Lauriane Rougeau weaved her way between three defenders before the puck slipped past the Terriers goalie, capping off a game for the ages.

“Not sure what you say about a game like that one,” Cornell head coach Doug Derraugh ’91 said. “I played at Cornell, played 13 years of professional (hockey) and been coaching for about seven years. I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a game as crazy as this one.”

The game-winning goal was only the sixth on the season for Rougeau, but she ended up making the play of the year when slipping between three defenders and beating Terriers goalie Kerrin Sperry between the legs with only ten seconds left in the third overtime.

“I saw an opening and I went for it,” Rougeau said. “I knew there wasn’t a lot of time left on the clock, and even though they were three and I was one, I’m just going for it. I just passed her, and it just happened. I was behind the net, I found out I scored, and I was happy.”

The Terriers scored the first three goals, all in the first period, to take an early 3-0 lead. However, the Big Red countered when left winger Jessica Campbell blocked a shot, and raced ahead on a breakaway, burying the puck past Sperry with 45 seconds remaining in the first to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Ten seconds into the second period, senior forward Rebecca Johnston beat Sperry on a breakaway to cut the Terriers lead to 3-2. The Big Red scored two more goals in less than a four-minute span to reclaim the lead 4-3.

After a goal from Terriers’ sophomore forward Marie-Philip Poulin tied the game at 4 apiece at the 15-minute mark of the second period, the Big Red scored three straight goals, and had a 7-4 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the game.

But the Terriers rallied for three straight goals, all on power plays, to tie the game with less than two minutes remaining in the third period. The comeback prompted the nearly 60 minutes of extra play on the ice.

“We took penalties and that’s what cost us there,” Derraugh said. “The way that game was going, it didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me is that both teams scored seven goals and then you go into overtime and you go another three periods without anybody scoring.”

Despite the tough loss, Terriers head coach Brian Durocher was proud of his team’s performance and resiliency late in the game.

“Everyone in attendance saw an absolute classic today…whoever lost was certainly going to have a bitter end to their season but I tip my cap to (Cornell),” Durocher said.

The Big Red look to continue their momentum in the NCAA Frozen Four next weekend in Duluth, Minn. when they play No. 2 seed Minnesota this Friday, March 16 at 9 p.m. The wild win extended the season for the eight seniors who have put the women’s ice hockey program on the map.

“They’ve completely changed the culture of our program and been the most successful senior class in our history and then to play their last game at Lynah (Rink), for that to be their last game, I don’t think the fans are ever going to forget,” Derraugh said.

The Cornell women’s hockey team earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament as an at-large, and will host Boston University this Saturday at 2 p.m. in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

While the Big Red (29-4) may not have been able to eat their cake and have it too after being upset by St. Lawrence in the ECAC Championship March 3, the Big Red still secured home ice for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

The team learned of the at-large bid Sunday night while watching the selection show, and with a win against the Terriers (23-13-1), will earn its third consecutive trip to the Frozen Four. The Frozen Four will be held in Duluth, Minn. on March 16 and 18.

“We knew with our track record that we had a very high chance of making it to the NCAA Tournament (as an at-large),” said senior forward Catherine White in a phone interview. “The question was whether or not we were going to get the home ice advantage.”

Despite the loss against the Saints that denied the Big Red their third consecutive ECAC crown, the team looks forward to making it back to the Frozen Four and making a run at the national title.

“We would have liked to win the ECAC (tournament), but like any team, at the end of the year the ultimate goal is to win the NCAA (championship),” said White. “The fact that our ranking was so high still gives us the opportunity.”

The Big Red and the Terriers met twice during the regular season, and the Big Red defeated them 3-1 and 7-1 respectively the weekend of Nov. 25. The Terriers locked a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a double overtime victory against Providence hours before the tournament field was announced on March 4.

“We’re looking forward to playing BU,” said White. “(Boston University) is a really talented team…we won both games quite handedly, but their a completely different team and we’re not taking them lightly at all. They’re probably one of the best teams in the NCAA Tournament in my opinion.”

Photo by Dave Burbank

The St. Lawrence Saints came marching into Lynah Rink and dethroned the two-time defending ECAC Conference champion Big Red in a 3-1 upset Saturday afternoon at Lynah Rink.

Cornell (29-4, 20-3 ECAC) was looking for its third straight ECAC Tournament title, but the Saints (24-9-4, 15-6-2) spoiled the campaign, locking the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Saints’ goaltender Carmen McDonald had 33 saves, and was able to fend off 10 shots on goal on the Big Red’s five power play opportunities.

“We outplayed them for a lot of the game, but you run into a hot goaltender and it’s tough to (win),” senior Chelsea Karpenko said. “(St. Lawrence) had their chances and they capitalized. We couldn’t capitalize on some of our key chances and that was the difference.”

The Saints struck early on a goal from freshman Jessica Hon, which was deflected into the net on a pass from Josee Belanger, to give the Saints a 1-0 lead four minutes into the second period.

Despite out shooting the Saints 17 to four in the first period, the Big Red trailed 1-0 at the end of the first frame. The game remained 1-0 into the third period, until Karpenko tied the game at one on a shot from the blue line with eight minutes left in the game.

But the Saints got a break when the Big Red turned it over in their own zone. The Saints took advantage of the breakaway as senior right-winger Kelly Sabatine knocked in a shot top shelf just under the two-minute mark in the third period to give the Saints a 2-1 advantage.

“We stuck with it, we got back in the game and again late in the game they capitalized and that turned out to be the deciding factor,” said Karpenko.

An empty-net goal from Alley Bero sealed the Saints’ upset bid, a team whose only ticket to the NCAA Tournament was the automatic bid from the ECAC. “Give St. Lawrence credit,” said Cornell head coach Doug Derraugh. “They played really tough in front of their net…and scored on their opportunities.”

The Big Red’s season is almost certainly still alive, and should receive an at-large bid to the tournament when the Selection Committee makes its announcement of the pool tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m.

Knocking on the fact that the Big Red won the two previous meetings this season against the Saints, St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells marked the game as the biggest win of his career.

“(Cornell) is the pioneer of women’s hockey on the east coast of where programs can go and how they can promote women’s hockey.”

“That’s been a staple of our team this year–getting after teams and speeding them up,” said senior guard Drew Ferry. “Eventually we wore (Dartmouth) down with our pressure and that kind of intensity.”

The Big Green jumped out to an 8-3 lead early, but never led by more than five points, struggling to knock down shots offensively. The Big Red held Dartmouth to 34 percent shooting on the night, and only 20 percent shooting from behind the arc, while shooting 48 percent from three-point range.

“We struggled shooting last weekend, especially against Yale,” said Ferry. “We shot terribly (at Yale), but we still have to come out confidently and even if they weren’t falling in the first half…we’re a smaller team so making those three pointers is a big part of our success.”

Although the Big Green went to the charity strike 35 times, they only shot 63 percent from the line and missed 13 free throws. A late run in the second half was capped off by a Jonathan Gray three that gave the Big Red there biggest lead of the game at 68-46 with eight minutes remaining.

The Big Red conclude their season tomorrow night against first-place Harvard, which will be the final game for seniors Drew Ferry, Anthony Gatlin, Max Groebe and Chris Wroblewski, the latter two members of the Big Red’s 2010 Sweet 16 team.

Wroblewski’s five assists on the night also put him past former teammate Louis Dale ’10 as the all-time assists leader (475) at Cornell, breaking Dale’s mark of 471.

“It’s hard for me to fathom the kind of experiences and memories that I’m going to walk away from in this program,” said Wroblewski. “To experience the things I have, it’s just surreal. It feels like I’m living a dream.”

The Crimson avoided an upset, beating Columbia Friday night in overtime to remain in first-place and a half-game ahead of Penn, attempting to clinch the Ivy League and earn their first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 1946.

“That would be a great way to end my career at Cornell,” said Ferry. “You want to beat a great team like Harvard and spoil their season. That would be ideal for us.”

Champions–Cornell presented the ECAC championship trophy after a 2-1 overtime victory against Clarkson Friday night at Lynah Rink. It is the Big Red’s third consecutive ECAC Championship. (Photo by Patrick Shanahan)

Clarkson’s desperate attempt to have officials take a second look at a Cornell goal in overtime was to no avail. The goal stood, and the No. 3-ranked Big Red prevailed in a 2-1 overtime victory against the Golden Knights Friday night at Lynah Rink.

The goal by freshman Jillian Saulnier hit the left post and went in, ending the Golden Knights seven-game unbeaten streak and avenging a loss at Clarkson Jan. 28.

“(Clarkson) beat us last time we played them, and they deserved to win the last time we played them,” Cornell head coach Doug Derraugh said. “This game could have gone either way.”

The Big Red (25-3, 19-2 ECAC) proved early why they are the three-time defending Ivy League and ECAC Champions, scoring less than three minutes into the first period on a Rebecca Johnston goal to take a 1-0 lead.

However, the Golden Knights (20-8-5, 14-5-2) answered back less than four minutes into the second period when Carly Mercer found Jamie Lee Rattay in front of the net, tying the game at one.

“We were pretty soft on the puck, turning it over a lot and trying to do too much with the puck, individually” said Derraugh.

The Big Red was also unable to score on three power play opportunities, only attempting two shots on goal during six minutes with a man advantage.

According to Derraugh, the Big Red played individually and not as a team during a majority of the game.

“(Clarkson) clogs up the middle of the ice and we’ve got some players that are obviously very skilled with the puck but at this level you’re not going to beat…that many players no matter who you are. Sometimes, when it’s a close game, some of our (players) try to take it upon their own shoulders to win it themselves and it just doesn’t work. You’ve got to stay within the team framework.”

The game was certainly close. The Golden Knights took 29 shots on goal, the Big Red 28, and each team had three penalties. And Saulnier’s goal in overtime capped off a tough battle for the Big Red, albeit with a bit of controversy.

“I saw it go in so I knew it was (a goal),” said Johnston. “ It was frustrating that a couple minutes later (Clarkson) tried to get (officials) to look at the replay. I mean, I saw it go in.”

The call stood, and the Big Red were presented with the ECAC Championship trophy at the end of the game, having clinched their third consecutive ECAC and Ivy League title last weekend.

The Big Red conclude their regular season against No. 10 St. Lawrence tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m., the final regular season home game for the winningest senior class in program history.

“It’s a special (senior) class we have,” said Saulnier. “They’re totally worth it. They’re totally worth our efforts, and every little bit we put into tomorrow’s game is for them.”

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/7/2010/11/iprc_seized_2010_11.jpeg

Maybe it took a Brady to convince the United States to seize 16 websites before Super Bowl XLVI, but it often takes a celebrity to open up Pandora’s box of the digital age.

Streaming sites. The nice euphemism for what the government calls piracy sites. They allow sports fans to watch out-of-market games and even some pay-per-view telecasts for free right from their computer.

“Last year, I was rehabbing my foot in Costa Rica watching the game on an illegal Super Bowl website and now I’m actually playing in the game, so it’s pretty cool,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady told reporters before Super Bowl XLVI last month.

Oops. Is it time for more protective copyright laws? Atdhe.net, atdhe.me soccertvlive.net, sports95.com, hq-streams.tv (if you are a sports fan, you know what these sites are!); all administrators of these sites have to do is change the URL and people will continue to stream games online.

While this is a pressing issue, the main problem is the NFL’s blackout policy. The blackout policy “blacks out” a local team’s market if that team does not sell out its home game. If this is supposed to motivate people to show up to games, it isn’t working in Cincinnati, Tampa Bay Cleveland or other small markets.

You eliminate these black out games, and people will be less inclined to look for the game online, since it is not playing locally in their market.

The same policies do not apply to the MLB, NHL, or NBA, but who wants to pay 100 dollars a season to watch your favorite out-of-market team? Apparently not even Tom Brady.

If pretty boys like Brady can stream games online illegally, then I guess any average Joe can practice piracy.

Do these sites really deprive sports leagues and networks of a substantial amount of revenue? Considering its still a multi-billion dollar industry, not likely.

I am not condoning anyone to watch games illegally from streaming sites. But if Tom Brady does it, either he really feels that entitled because he is an employee of the NFL, or is just an average Joe like the rest of us.

Maybe its time for the networks and NFL to bite their tongues and let some of it slide. It took music artists and executives years to swallow, but they eventually gave in.

Moral of the story: if people are desperate enough to watch a game that isn’t on TV, they will find a way. Ask Tom Brady.

Photo by Patrick Shanahan

The Cornell men’s ice hockey team flipped the switch in a 4-2 victory over Yale Saturday night at Lynah Rink, winning their first Ivy League Championship since 2005 in the process.

The Big Red (13-6-6, 10-5-3 ECAC) re-staked their claim on the Bulldogs (10-3-2, 7-10-1), a team that won the 2011 Ivy League Championship and embarrassed the Big Red 6-0 in last year’s ECAC Championship game.

It was revenge at its finest and a bit personal according to senior forward Sean Collins, who had two goals and an assist on the night.

“I don’t think we really like them as a whole,” Collins said. “We haven’t had a lot of success against them in the past so it was nice to get two wins (this season), and I don’t think they were happy losing.”

The Big Red are 2-0 against the Bulldogs this season, a far cry from a 0-3 record against them last season.

The Big Red struck first on a goal from Collins, who slapped the puck past the outstretched arm of Yale freshman goalie Connor Wilson to give the Big Red a 1-0 lead four minutes into the first period.

Up 2-0 in the second period, a roughing penalty on Cornell forward Armand de Swardt gave the Bulldogs a one-man advantage. However, an interception at center ice led to a two-on-one breakaway, as forward Locke Jillson skated past a defenseman and slapped the puck top shelf for the short hand goal and 3-0 advantage.

“To get a (short-hand goal) was big,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “I thought they were just going to dump it and change (lines) but Locke (Jillson) kept on going and took the shot.”

The Cornell penalty kill unit played well, holding off six of the Bulldogs’ seven power plays.

Although a majority of the penalties were from skirmishes after the whistle, Schafer does not mind the roughing penalties.

“The penalty minutes (are) all because of scrums…I’m not concerned,” he said. “I like our attitude as far as sticking up (for each other). Being the least penalized team in the country hasn’t helped us…showing up and taking care of ourselves will.”

The Bulldogs only goal on the power play was from Brian O’Neill on a five-on-three advantage with the game well out of reach.

The Big Red received contributions from all four lines, which included goals from not only Collins, but also Jillson and freshman forward John McCarron, something Collins believe will help the team down the stretch.

“I think we’re tough to match up with when we’ve got four lines firing, and that’s going to be huge for us going into ECAC playoffs, and going into the ECAC Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament,” said Collins. “We got four lines that can match up really well against any other team in the country.”

The Big Red have four games remaining in the regular season, starting with two road games next weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence, and followed by a two-game home stand against first-place Union and RPI.

With the Ivy League title already clinched, the next goal is to hoist the ECAC Championship trophy and book a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.

“We had a lot of practice in 2010 winning the ECAC,” said Collins. “It’d be nice to get another one come the middle of March.”

We can probably stop making the “Why Eli Manning isn’t an elite quarterback argument?” now after he secured his second defeat of the New England Patriots in as many Super Bowls.

That’s one more Super Bowl ring than his brother Peyton has, two more than his father Archie, and two rings to throw up a peace sign to Tom Brady and yell, “That’s twice buddy!”

Push come to shove, teams have to get hot at the right time. The Giants chose the most opportune time, the Green Bay Packers, the most inopportune time. It’s time to favor the Wild Card team, or the team who gets into the playoffs on the final game of the season.

The Las Vegas bookies have it all wrong: never trust the teams sitting their starters in weeks 16 and 17 and “prepping” for the playoffs. Complacency is the number one killer in sports, and living on the edge is what fuels the fire. Just ask the Macabees when lighting up a menorah.

2010 San Francisco Giants anyone? 2011 St. Louis Cardinals anyone? 2011 Green Bay Packers anyone? Need I say more?

So maybe this Super Bowl did not entail a football, David Tyree’s helmet, and a strip of Velcro, but it did feature an over-the-shoulder-tip-toeing-maintaining-possession-of-the-ball-while-falling-out-of-bounds catch that changed the complexion of the game (not to name any names but Eli Manning’s runner-up as Super Bowl MVP-if they had such an award-Mario Manningham.)

Brady even tried to reenact his own version of Manning to David Tyree, only to see linebacker Chase Blackburn jump in front of Brady’s intended target Rob Gronkowski. A linebacker who just sixth months ago was in the classroom with a piece of chalk and a ruler.

Wasn’t it just less than two months ago the Giants were up “that” creek without a paddle after a blowout loss to Washington, and sitting at 7-7 on the outside looking in?

Tally up Manning’s game-winning drives in the fourth quarter and overtime to seven. Seven come-from-behind wins in one season. Second to only Aaron Rodgers in fourth quarter QB rating, why is everyone so obsessed with Tim Tebow? Can’t you see Manning is out-Tebowing Tebow?

And for all you Patriots fans, don’t get all your “Bradys” in a bunch. An elite quarterback and leading a dynasty of the ages. Five Super Bowls in a little over 10 years, and three rings in four years during the 2000s.

But it takes an “Eli” to make an ELI-te quarterback.

Instead, Los Angeles native Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers was awarded the MVP award, and became the first Brewer since Robin Yount won his second AL MVP in 1989.

“The reason I won is because they put a better team around me,” Braun told the USA Today in a conference call. “It’s a result of 25 guys around you and putting you in that situation.”

In that case, the baseball writers of America need a dictionary refresher of what defines a most valuable player. Because Kemp did not have a better team around him like Braun did. To tell me that Braun won because he had a higher batting average and played for a team who made the playoffs for only the second time in almost 30 years (1982). To tell me Braun won the most valuable player award because he had the likes of Prince Fielder, a player who finished third behind Braun and Kemp in the MVP voting, backing him up in the lineup, is astounding.

Does Clayton Kershaw count? Because he won the NL Cy Young. Kemp was one home run away from becoming only the sixth player in major league history to hit for 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season. A player who would have won the triple crown if not for Braun. First in home runs, first in RBI’s and first in runs scored (115). Did I mention Kemp won a Gold Glove?

My question is that if Braun were to go down with injury during the season, would the Brewers be that much worse without him?

Home runs? You have Corey Hart, Ricky Weeks and Prince Fielder for that. RBI’s and manufacturing runs? The aforementioned. The Dodgers lose Kemp, and their offense is even more atrocious than it already was. Unless we started seeing Jamey Carroll, Aaron Miles or (ahem) Juan Uribe start hitting home runs. But the Dodgers might have had a better chance seeing a game snowed out in Chavez Ravine than another 30+ homer player on the Dodgers.

In my eyes, the Dodgers are far worse without Kemp than the Brewers are without Braun. To hit for 39 home runs in a hitter-friendly Dodger Stadium for a disgruntled franchise in front of empty seats in which half of the season the team had nothing to play for is beyond impressive. It’s remarkable. And to be dubbed solely because the Dodgers were not a contender is wrong. Alex Rodriguez played for last-place Texas and won the award in 2002.

The Dodgers finished in third place in the NL West, a respectable 82-79, and probably would have been a 90-loss team and fighting for position in the NL West cellar if not for Kemp’s contributions not only offensively, but defensively.

And like Braun, Kemp is with the Dodgers for the long-haul, recently signing an eight-year, $160 million dollar extension. Last time I checked, that also puts Kemp with the Dodgers through 2020 just like Braun.

The most valuable player is the value of a player to his team. With a teammate who finished in third place in the MVP voting, it should be pretty clear Braun’s value on the Brewers is not nearly the value Kemp boasts in a Dodgers uniform.

Kemp joked with reporters he would be going for the 50-50 club next season. He very well might have to, or be the first player since 1967 to win the triple crown.

Because the baseball writers of America have a flawed definition of “MVP” in whatever dictionary they are looking at.

In the end, a team not in playoff contention, one home run short of the 40-40 club, and only two for three in the triple crown race isn’t good enough to win the MVP.

Borrowed Time–UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel on the sidelines in the Nov. 12 game against Utah. The Bruins losr 31-6 to fall to 5-5 on the season. Neuheisel has been on the proverbial “hot seat” since the beginning of the season with a career 19-26 record through the first four seasons at UCLA. (Jim Urquhart/Associated Press)

Being consistently inconsistent is turning into a rerun UCLA does not want to keep replaying.

Highlighted by a season of peaks and valleys, the Rick Neuheisel tenure hit another valley in yet another embarrassing loss, this time at Utah 31-6 Nov. 12. Forget the snow or the fact that Utah became bowl eligible with the win (6-4) and UCLA (5-5, 4-3 Pac-12)…to be determined.

Just when it seems Neuheisel has awoken from the dead, climbed the mountain via crab-walk (Have you tried to crab-walk up a mountain? It’s pretty difficult), or turned fool’s gold into 24-carat stone, the Bruins get caught in a trap, pushed down the mountain they just climbed, or taken 24-carat stone and managing to smash it into a thousand pieces.

A thrilling win only to be followed with a terrible loss. Get embarrassed on national television and lose by 36 points to a 1-6 team who recently fired their coach, then beat Cal and first-place Arizona State in as many weeks, the peaks and valleys of this season are too much to handle for the Bruin faithful.

Might as well go 0-12, because at least then we know what to expect. One week, we are beating a Pac-12 contender, the next trying to find a way to beat San Jose State.

There’s only so many mountains you can turn into molehills, and for Neuheisel’s case, the Bruins got pushed off their last mountain Saturday against Utah, which actually fits quite well since Salt Lake City is 5,000 feet above sea level.

5-5 and still not bowl eligible with two games remaining, Neuheisel faces two scenarios: beat Colorado and lose to USC, or even better, vise versa, or lose both to close out the season 5-7 and without a bowl bid.

If Neuheisel beats Colorado and loses to USC, expect athletic director Dan Guerrero to dropkick Neuheisel straight out of his office because another 6-6 season with another loss to cross-town rival USC does not cut it.

Losing to a 1-6 Arizona team on national television does not cut it. Struggling against a team the school paid $465,000 to come to the Rose Bowl (not to name any names but San Jose State) in front of an empty Rose Bowl does not cut it. Even beating Cal and Arizona State in consecutive weeks doesn’t cut it, because in a season that is constantly changing elevations, we can almost guarantee the Bruins will find a way to take another two steps back.

It might be too early to say, but if Neuheisel does not win out and finish 7-5 before another mediocre bowl bid, he will be out of Westwood one year early.

The fun and games are over. Like Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt once said: ‘How do you spell fun? W-I-N.’ Did I mention he is also resigning after this season because he can’t seem to be having much “fun” in Oxford.

A loss next week to Colorado, and Neuheisel will have the Bruins treading sand in Death Valley. “Death” might sound a little harsh, but it just happens to be the name of a Valley that happens to be in California that happens to be the lowest point on Earth.

When you climb a mountain in sports, people expect you to stay there longer than a Kim Kardashian marriage. There is no 15 seconds of fame. Only weeks and weeks of it in college football.

Consistently inconsistent. That is the best phrase to describe Neuheisel’s past four years in Westwood. Not a compliment.

Big Red Shootout–Cornell receiver Grant Gellatly dives into the endzone for a touchdown in the first quarter in a game against Columbia Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red’s 62-41 victory over Columbia was its highest point total since 1936. (Photo by Patrick Shanahan)

It might have been Senior Day for the Cornell football team Saturday, but it was the performance of an underclassman that paved the way for the Big Red’s fourth win on the year.

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Mathews set a Cornell single-game record with 521 passing yards and five touchdowns on 40 of 46 pass attempts, single-handedly carrying the offense on his shoulders in a 62-41 shootout over Columbia Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.

Mathews’ 521 yards was just five yards short of the Ivy League single-game record set by Brown’s Michael Daugherty in 2008.

According to Big Red head coach Kent Austin, Mathews’ performance may have stood out, but it was a collective team effort that was indicative of the win.

“Jeff’s a really good player,” Austin said laughing. “ But he’s got good players around him. It always takes 11 for anyone to perform. But Jeff is just as accurate and had as good a decision-making day as any quarterback that I have been around in a long time.”

The 62 points the Big Red (4-5, 2-4 Ivy League) put up on the Lions (0-9, 0-6) was also a modern-day record for the program, breaking the previous mark of 57 points in a win over Georgetown in 2005. The last time the Big Red scored at least 60 points in a game was when they scored 74 in 1936.

But the way things started for the Big Red, it was appearing to be a long afternoon.

The Big Red appeared to have the Lions headed to a three-and-out on their first drive, but a roughing the punter penalty kept the Lions offense on the field. 10 players later, the Lions got on the board off a four-yard run from Griffin Lowry to give the Lions an early 7-0 lead.

However, the Big Red bounced back less than three minutes later, tying the game at seven just before the end of the first quarter on a two-yard reverse from Luke Tasker.

The teams fought neck and neck through the first half, with the Lions scoring just before the half to take a 34-28 lead at the break.

The second half was a different story, as the Big Red defense forced three consecutive three-and-outs and scored 17 unanswered to take 45-34 lead after three quarters, outscoring the Lions 34-7 in the second half to break the game open.

“You don’t know how a game is going to play out,” said Austin. “The best laid plans most of the time get thrown out in the first quarter because everybody has a different game plan and you start making adjustments and they start making their adjustments. It just starts turning out the way it turns out and there’s no way to predict it.”

The always-modest Mathews attributed his passing success to the game plan and his receivers’ ability to find holes in the defense.

“Honestly we have receivers in our offense that get a lot of freedom to get open and when those guys are getting open it’s pretty easy to put the ball in,” said Mathews. “We have some pretty good outside receivers so it’s a lot of fun.”

Recently coined the Empire State Bowl in 2010, the Big Red earned there first win in what had been the unofficial nickname of the series for many years.

For Mathews, it was more about getting seniors like receiver Shane Savage and tight end Ryan Houska a win in their final home game, and first against Columbia.

“It means a lot because you want to remember Cornell the right way and you always tend to remember how you finish,” he said. “So for those (seniors), they finish like this and get a big win (against Columbia).”

At 4-5, the Big Red have already doubled their season win total from all of last year, and look to finish out the season at .500 for the first time since 2007 when they play at Penn next Saturday, Nov. 19.

Despite the Big Red saying goodbye to 23 seniors following next Saturday, Austin believes the seniors will have a lasting impact on the program.

“I’m really privileged to coach a great group of guys and we have had really good senior leadership this year,” he said. “And some of the culture that they’ve helped to establish and the things that they have adopted from our vision as a coaching staff, (what) they’ve been able to implement in the locker room or away from football with our team, they’ve just made an outstanding effort in that regard…they’re all great young men and they all have great futures.”

Photo by Al Rinow

Streaking–The Cornell Big Red are 8-0-5 their past 13 games, the longest stretch without a loss since the 1995.

They say history repeats itself, but for the Cornell men’s soccer team in recent years, it appeared that repeat button may have been broken.

However, the 2011 season marks the teams surprise 8-1-5 start and first place standing (3-0-2) in Ivy League play with two regular season games remaining.

What has been the most remarkable is that the Big Red are currently riding a 13-game lose-less streak (8-0-5), second only to New Mexico (15) for the longest streak in the nation.

Last season, the Big Red did not win a single Ivy League game (0-5-2), and before head coach Jaro Zawislan arrived in 2009, the Big Red finished the 2008 season 1-15.

The always modest Zawislan believed he could make a dissertation out of the question as to why the Big Red have improved so drastically over the past three seasons.

“Well, how much time do we have to talk about it?” Zawislan said. “Because I can go on for hours about the transition of (Cornell soccer) the past two-plus years.”

“I mean when I came to the program (in 2008), it was my first head coaching position and we started with a philosophy that there’s a fresh start to the program. My record at the time as head coach was zero wins, zero losses, zero ties, and that’s the (philosophy) I expected out of the players—to come with a kind of fresh attitude and forget about the past seasons and just look forward towards the future.”

However, sophomore forward Daniel Haber believed there was a more simpler answer: the team’s dedication to the matriculation of the program has guided the Big Red in the right direction.

“I think that (Jaro’s) done a very good job of really bringing in guys that are committed,” Haber said. “Everyone in the program right now…they’re number one priority is soccer. Everyone is willing to do whatever it takes year round to make the program better.

According to Zawislan, anticipating the high level of competition in Ivy League play compelled the players to respond even hungrier in 2011.

“This season, the returning players came back ready to tackle the challenges of the preseason and season,” he said. “Newcomers came in and they were ready to contribute right off the bat so it’s been a very highly competitive environment in our program and that’s just what makes us better week to week, and from game to game.”

What started as a little hot streak turned into a surprising 1-0 win in the Ivy League opener against Penn Oct. 1 in Philadelphia, as Haber’s goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation gave the Big Red a win to open conference play for the first time since 2005.

“Penn’s a great team and they’ve been going to the tournament for the last few years and been nationally recognized consistently and we knew that being able to get a win against them would be a big turning point for the program as a whole,” said Haber. “I think it really gave us a big sense of confidence where we feel like after that (win) we can take down anyone if we play our game.”

And thus far, nobody has been able to take the Big Red down in nearly two months. That is unless their opponents consider ties moral victories.

The Big Red’s game versus Brown Oct. 22 drew 983 fans, a Berman Field record, a double overtime thriller that ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Big Red travel to Hanover, N.H. to take on Dartmouth this Saturday, a game that has serious Ivy League title implications considering the Big Green trail the Big Red by two points in the Ivy Standings in a two-way tie with Brown for second place.

Then, the Big Red close out their regular season when they host Columbia on Saturday, Nov. 12, a game that with a win has the possibility of being the Big Red’s first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 1996.

And Haber stressed the importance of the last two regular games of the season, and what it would mean for a program whose last Ivy League crown was in 1995 to not only win the league championship, but also extend their season.

“We’re going to do our best to finish out the season strong,” he said. “We want to win the Ivy League. We want to get to the NCAA tournament. Those are our goals. But no matter what looking back on the season it will be a success. Big step forward for the program, for now and for the future…”

Champions–The St. Louis Cardinals’ David Freese holds up paper headlining the Cardinals World Series win. The Cardinals came back from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Rangers 6-2 in game seven of the World Series Friday night.

Eileen Blass/USA Today

Cardinals win 2011 World Series

People counted the St. Louis Cardinals out when they were 10.5 games back on Aug. 25. The media had them out of playoff contention seven games back with 20 games remaining. The improbable turned to the nearly impossible when the Cardinals were three games back of the wild card with five games remaining.

Yet somehow, someway, the Cardinals made it to the playoffs. To many that would have sufficed. But for a club that rewrote the definition of resiliency, the journey to the promise land was a Journey-themed song: “Don’t Stop Believing.”

Counted out against the highly-favored Philadelphia Phillies, the Cardinals eliminated the very team that helped them make the postseason on the last day of the regular season.

Trailing two games to one against the Central Division champs and division rival Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals gave their season another lifeline.

A 7.03 ERA during the NLCS, the Cardinals were bailed out by their bullpen. Only one win from the starting rotation, the Cardinals found three ways to win without them.

And down to their final out, final strike, not once, but twice, what made this situation any different? All while facing Rangers closer Neftali Feliz, who was a perfect six out of six on save opportunities.

The swagger never died, the Cardinals never faltered. David Freese, St. Louis native and new hometown hero, drove a pitch to right field, out of the outstretched glove of Nelson Cruz, and the Cardinals once again defied the odds.

In the tenth, a Josh Hamilton home run created another hurdle bigger than the Gateway Arch.

Final out, final strike. Rangers well on their way to the team’s first championship in franchise history. Not quite. Lance Berkman hits a jam shot into center field, and the game is tied yet again at nine.

And fittingly, hometown glory put the icing on the cake of resiliency, as Freese drove a pitch into dead center for the game six walk-off.

The “Miracle” Mets needed Bill Buckner to gaff a ground ball. The Cardinals did it all by themselves.

Like the 1986 Mets, game seven might as well be forgotten. Because the Cardinals no longer defied the odds. The improbable practically became a guarantee.

Trip to the playoffs: win 23 out of last 32 games of the regular season to erase 10.5-game wild card deficit.

The first team in World Series history to come back from two runs down in the eighth inning or later twice: force a game seven.

Have a home-grown kid (David Freese) win the ALCS and World Series MVP: priceless.

For everyone else, don’t stop believing.

Photo by Patrick Shanahan

Sometimes a great success rate in the red zone is not indicative of the outcome of a game.

That was the case for the Cornell Big Red, who scored on five of six opportunities in the red zone, but only came away with two touchdowns inside the 20 in a 35-24 loss to Brown Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.

According to sophomore quarterback Jeff Mathews, the complexion of the game is changed when getting three points as opposed to seven.

“(Brown) is a good red zone defense and we kicked three field goals (in the red zone) and those hurt us,” Mathews said. “…We’d like to punch it in and help our defense out a little bit.”

The Big Red (2-4, 0-3 Ivy League) started out strong, scoring on their first possession of the game when Mathews connected with Shane Savage for a 14-yard touchdown pass to give the Big Red a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

But the Bears (5-1, 2-1) tied the game at seven late in the first quarter on a 27-yard touchdown pass from fifth-year senior Kyle Newhall-Caballero.

And then came the first of missed opportunities. A pass interference call gave the Big Red a first and goal at the two-yard line, but the Big Red was unable to capitalize, forced to settle for a 23-yard field goal from Brad Greenway.

According to head coach Kent Austin, the Big Red can ill-afford to not capitalize that deep in the red zone.

“We’re not good enough right now to give up those types of plays, missed opportunities, and expect to beat a good football team and outscore them,” Austin said.

The Big Red went up against a Bears defense ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense, and sixth in pass defense, yet accumulated more than 400 total yards on offense, including six trips to the red zone. Mathews alone threw for 402 passing yards and two touchdowns.

But it was the plays the Big Red failed to make that ultimately hurt them.

The Bears had the ball on fourth down at the Big Red 32-yard line with the Big Red trailing 14-13. The Bears elected to go for it on fourth down, and converted before eventually scoring a touchdown to take a 21-13 lead with under a minute remaining in the first half.

“We had other opportunities prior to that…the (Brown) touchdown before the half was big and we had a chance to get them off the field and we didn’t do it,” said Austin. “We didn’t make a play.

According to defensive end Zack Imhoff, football comes down to how you overcome obstacles.

“Things aren’t always going to go your way in a football game, and it’s just how you respond,” he said.

Down 35-16 in the fourth quarter, the Big Red looked poised to make a comeback reminiscent of last week’s overtime loss to Colgate when Mathews connected with Kurt Ondash for a 17-yard touchdown pass, and a two-point conversion cut the lead to 35-24 with 7:15 remaining in the fourth.

But once again, on third down, the Bears converted to keep their drive alive, not relinquishing the ball until a fumble gave the Big Red possession with under two minutes to play.

The Big Red hope to snap their six game losing streak in Ivy League play when they travel to Princeton, N.J. to take on the Tigers next Saturday, Oct. 29.

For Austin, the Big Red need to be able to capitalize on opportunities that present themselves throughout the 60 minutes of play.

“It’s always several plays in a game that turn a football game, and we’ve got to learn to turn the game in those situations (and) keep a game within reason,” he said. “

“(Brown) went two for two on fourth-down conversions, they had two or three big plays on us and the next thing you know we’re at a huge deficit. We’ve got to get over the hump in those areas, and when a play is there to be made we have to make the play.”