It was a fitting week leading up to Halloween in the world of sports. The ghosts of Game 6 will no doubt haunt the Texas Rangers for years to come. The ghouls of the NBA are threatening to end their season before it starts. On campus, Georgia Tech turned the Clemson Tigers into pumpkins. And in the NFL, some good teams switched costumes with some bad teams with frightening results.

TREATS for the St. Louis Rams, who shocked the New Orleans Saints, 31-21. Steven Jack(son)-O-Lantern ran for 159 yards and two TDs as the Rams won for the first time all season.
TREATS for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who whipped the New England Patriots, 25-17, in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score. Ben Roethlisberger made the Pats pass defense look like scarecrows standing still as he went 36-50 for 365 yards and two TDs to move the Steelers to 6-2 and the top of the AFC.
TRICKS on the Baltimore Ravens, who fell behind the Arizona Cardinals, 24-3, in the first half and looked awful.
TREATS for Ray Rice, who ran for three TDs in the second half as the Ravens rallied past the Cardinals, 30-27.
TREATS for Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, now 13-0 after an off week after his team eviscerated the Dallas Cowboys, 34-7. The Eagles finally resembled the team they were hyped to be in the offseason. If Reid ever figures out clock management, look out!
TRICKS on USC’s Lane Kiffin, who claims the refs lied to him at the end of regulation when he asked for time to be put back on the clock to attempt a game-winning field goal. Not to excuse the refs if they did in fact lie, Kiffin should place the blame where it belongs, on wide receiver Robert Woods, who ran across the field trying to get out of bounds instead of just falling down so his team could call timeout, as well as the coaches for not clearly instructing Woods to do so before the play.
TRICKS on the Wisconsin Badgers, who lost on another last second touchdown heave, this time to the Ohio State Buckeyes, 33-29. Hey Bret Bielema, I guess it’s tough to run up the score when you have to rally from two TDs down late in the 4th quarter. Of course, in true classless coach fashion, Bielema blamed replay review for the loss like the previous week.
TREATS for David Freese, who saved the St. Louis Cardinals with a two-out, two-run triple in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 6, then won it in the 11th with a home run. As if that wasn’t enough, the Missouri native then delivered a two-run double early in Game 7 to help the Cardinals win the World Series, 6-2. NOW THAT’S AN MVP!
TREATS for Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, who retired from baseball Monday after his 3rd World Series title. Of course, he tricked himself and botched Games 2 and 5, necessitating Freese’s heroics, but the Cult of LaRussa (members of the media who credit him every time his team wins and blame somebody else every time his team loses, just like LaRussa himself) will no doubt start campaigning for LaRussa as the greatest manager ever.
TREATS for every boy and girl on this fun holiday.

THERE IT IS!

-Jake Stevens

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