Sports Chowdah Recap for Oct 22-24- Game 6 a Wash; Patriots to Take on Silly Nannies in London; ND Golden in Holy War; Et Tu Bruins? B's Slay Sens

(Steven Dunn/Getty Images)

OK- I'll be the first to admit that I've been derelict in my blogger duties. I was out having a late dinner on Thursday night and the Angels had a 4-0 lead when I left and when I was periodically listening for updates on my way to dinner. While waiting for dinner, I'd occasionally check my phone for game updates, so I couldn't believe it when the Angels blew the lead in the span of one inning. Sure enough, this dining establishment had the game on near the bar, so I figured I'd watch just in time to see Brian Fuentes pitch out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 9th- getting Nick Swisher to pop up and send the series back to a blustery, rainy Bronx for Game 6. So tonight's rainout gave me a chance to follow up on a game I barely caught in the first place. I apparently also missed some piss-poor umpiring in Games 4 and 5. Most of what I did catch was via radio- although at the time I figured it was just the Angels broadcasters being unabashed homers. And I chose to listen to the Angels broadcast because...well, I tend to welcome the sweet sweet embrace of death after listening to two minutes of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Anywhoo, now it turns out MLB is making damn sure this umpiring crew gets nowhere near the World Series.

OK....the thing I'm really starting to enjoy is that even though the 2009 Red Sox are a distant memory, alot of the sportswriters are referencing the 2004 Red Sox and the ALCS. Truth be told, all the pressure is on the Yankees after Game 5. They were the favorites, and they were supposed to run roughshod over the Angels. The longer it takes for them to seal the deal, the more they're going to doubt and second-guess themselves.

The Patriots are scheduled to kick off against the Tampa Bay Silly Nannies in London's Wembley Stadium later on today [Above is a still image from some of the Silly Nannies gameday film- NANESB!]. Curiously, the 0-6 Tampa Bay Club is owned by Malcom Glazer, who also owns one of the most successful and celebrated clubs in the English Premier League- Manchester United. This is the third consecutive season Wembley Stadium has been used as a venue for NFL regular season games.

(Marcus Marter/South Bend Tribune)

Boston College travelled to South Bend, IN for the 'Holy War' against Notre Dame Saturday. The Eagles were able to keep the Irish pinned with poor field position for much of the first half, and even get a safety when ND quarterback Jimmy Clausen was flagged for intentional grounding in the Irish end zone. BC even managed to stop a ND drive on their own 1-foot line late in the 2nd. However, the Eagles managed to turn the ball over five times in today's game, including a Dave Schinskie pass attempt being picked off with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game. RB Montel Harris, who set a BC rushing record against North Carolina State last week with 264 years was held to 38 yards against Notre Dame. This brings Boston College's record to 5-2 overall (3-2 in the ACC) which puts them in a virtual tie with Clemson for first place in the ACC's Atlantic Division. The Eagles will face the 7-1 Central Michigan Chippewas of the Mid-America Conference at Chestnut Hill next week.

[Just out of curiosity, for any visiting fans of the Mountain West, do the contests between Texas Christian and Brigham Young get some sort of 'Holy War'-esque monicker?- NANESB!]

#22 West Virginia managed to hold off UConn at Morgantown, WV Sauturday by a final of 28-24. UConn got as close as the West Virginia 33 yard line when a Cody Endres 4th-down pass was picked off by Chris Nield. This was UConn's first game since the stabbing death of cornerback Jasper Howard last weekend. The team plans to attend the funeral in Miami on Monday.

(Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen)

Coming off of Thursday's shootout loss in Philly, the Bruins headed to Ottawa on Saturday night. Down 3-1 with less than 1:30 remaining in regulation, the Bruins absolutely stole one from the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place tonight when Tim Thomas was pulled for an extra attacker and Marc Recchi scored at the 18:32 mark to make it a 3-2 game. Thomas was pulled again immediately after the ensuing faceoff and David Krejci managed to get one past Brian Elliot with 22 seconds left in regulation. Nobody scored in overtime and Tim Thomas stopped all the shooters he faced (Kovalev, Alfredsson and Spezza). Patrice Bergeron scored after Krejci missed in the shootout, and Boston wins its first game against a Northeast division opponent. Tim Thomas stopped 27 of 30 shots faced and tonight was career game #1500 for Mark Recchi.

This brings the Bruins overall record to 5-4-1 and they won't play again until Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils at the Garden.