2013 World Series Preview

October baseball has been a phenomenal thrill ride displaying surprising finishes and utter disappointments thus far. It has finally come down to the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals in game one which begins tonight from Fenway Park in Boston. The championship series features a memorable rematch of the 2004 World Series where the Sox swept the Cardinals in four to win their first World Series title since 1918 and ended the fabled 86 year drought known as the “Curse of the Bambino”.

Moreover the series showcases arguably two teams of this new century as both the Sox and Cardinals are two-time champions since the turn of the millennium.

Since 2000, the Boston Red Sox have made the post season seven times with three American League Pennants and two World Series championships. The Cardinals on the other hand have reached the post season 10 times capturing four National League Pennants with two championships.

With talent, potential, and hunger to claim fall glory once again, here is a breakdown of what gives either team the edge in the series.

Red Sox Pitching:

He has been arguably Boston’s strongest starter overall for the past several years and that is why Red Sox ace Jon Lester gets the start against St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright in game one tonight. The lefty won 15 games during the regular season and enters the series 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA throughout the postseason. John Lackey gets to start game 2 against phenom Michael Wacha and one thing providing Lackey an edge is his postseason experience. Lackey has a 5-4 career record with a 3.10 ERA in the playoffs winning a championship ring in 2002 with the Anaheim Angels. He is 2-0 going into the matchup.

Jake Peavy and Clay Bucholz have had disappointing performances in the first two rounds so expect St. Louis to gain some advantage in games three and four. The Boston bullpen has been impressive with Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow, and Brandon Workman in the late innings. They combined for 17.1 innings while allowing just one earned run. Koji Uehara has been a marvel in the closer’s spot collecting five saves with a 1.00 ERA this October.

Red Sox Hitting:

Red Sox offense has been rather consistent throughout. Lead-off hitter Jacoby Ellsbury’s performance is key to Boston’s success as he has a .318 batting average through the first two series, they need him on base. Mike Napoli stepped up in the ALCS against Detroit homering twice and fueling Boston’s bats. Look more from him this coming week. Dustin Pedroia’s presence in the lineup is always a concern for the opposing team as his ability to get on base ad produce key hits looms large for the Red Sox.

The bats of Daniel Nava, David Ross, and Xander Bogaerts have been pleasant surprises off the bench as together they went 7 for 16. Shane Victorino is only hitting a dismal .125 in the first two series, however his timely grand-slam in game six of the ALCS against the Tigers boosted the Sox’ offense and might have awaken a new sense of spirit in the outfielder.

As always David “Big-Papi” Ortiz is a juggernaut when it comes to postseason play. #34’s dreary .091 batting average seems unbelievable as he was the hero in game two of the ALCS with a game-tying grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to send Boston to an extra-inning victory against the Tigers. Fans also remember Ortiz’ heroics in the comebacks in games four and five of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees.

Cardinals Pitching:

Adam Wainwright has been marvelous throughout the season and that is why the right-hander is the ace. Wainwright comes off a 19-9 record this year and is 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA this postseason. We will see him up against Jon Lester in game one. On the other hand Michael Wacha has been an eye-opener throughout the league since his late season fill-in as a starter. The 22-year old phenom is 3-0 in the first two series with an incredible 0.43 ERA. His 6’6 height gives him an edge with a devastating from-the-top arm angle and off-speed pitch which keeps hitters off-balance.

Trevor Rosenthal and Carlos Martinez have so far been impressive out of the pen, and the Cardinals seem to depend much on Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly in the following games. They look to improve their performances after a mediocre NLCS.

Cardinals Hitting:

Carlos Beltran’s season has been nothing short of a remarkable rebound. The veteran outfielder hit .294 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs in the regular season and he has been a hero for the Cards in the first two rounds. Beltran is batting .286 in the postseason with 6 RBIs including a few major go-ahead hits against the Dodgers in the NLCS. Shane Robinson is a plus while he’s on base. St. Louis features a supporting lineup of Matt Carpenter, Matt Adams, and Matt Holliday. Their run-production at the plate will determine St. Louis’ success against the Sox. Catcher Yadier Molina brings veteran experience as he is ready to help anchor this team to a potential third World Series title within the last seven seasons.

Third baseman David Freese is only hitting .190 in the past 11 games however we cannot forget the game-winning hits in the 2011 World Series against the Rangers. We can hope to see some late-game fireworks from him.

The board has been set, and managers and players are ready to take the field. The sides seem pretty even, it depends on who wants it more. Game one of the World Series arrives at prime time tonight!

Napoli Homers In Only Run of Game to Boost Sox to 2-1 Lead in ALCS

Mike Napoli entered the at-bat with a dismal .183 batting average in the ALCS before crushing a fast-ball off Justin Verlander that landed in the left-field seats in the top of the seventh at Comerica Park to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead which would be the final score giving Boston a 2-1 lead in the series.

Till that point, Verlander was dominant through six and a third innings with eight strikeouts. The former Cy Young winner finished the game with eight strong innings allowing just four hits and one run while fanning 10 earning him his sixth post-season start with at-least 10 strikeouts.

On the other end, John Lackey proved to be the better pitcher at the end of the night as he shut down the Detroit lineup. The Boston right-hander left after 6.2 solid innings allowing just four hits and striking out eight. The Red Sox bullpen finished it off from there with Koji Uehara notching the four out-save and striking out Alex Avila to end the game.

The Detroit offense went 0-7 with runners in scoring position including a major spot in the bottom of the fifth with one out and Johnny Peralta at third. Lackey struck out Omar Infante and had Andy Dirks ground out to second to end the threat. Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez led the charge for Detroit with two hits a piece and Miguel Cabrera went 0-4. The Tigers held another grand opportunity to bring home the potential tying run in the bottom of the eight as with runners at the corners and only one out, Cabrera and Prince Fielder struck out to complete what would be a disappointing night for Jim Leyland's offense.

This game continued an impressive pitching display by both sides in the series so far as all three games were decided by a run. Detroit starters combined for an incredible 21 innings pitched, two runs, six hits, and 35 Ks between Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander in the first three games of the series.

Doug Fister looks to continue that trend as he takes the mound against Jake Peavy and the Red Sox tonight in game four of the ALCS. This one looks like yet another duel as the Tigers hope to even the series up.

Giants Storm 49ers - Oct 14, 2012

October 14, 2012

     It was just earlier this year when the New York Giants defeated the mighty San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship.  Since the off-season, there have been some changes.  Brandon Jacobs decided to leave New York and head for the West Coast.  Mario Manningham would soon follow.  Certainly coming into this game, the 49ers looking strong at  4-1 were in no doubt the favorite to win the game and looked to obtain revenge on the defending Superbowl Champs.  However the New York Giants made it look easy as they came into San Fran and crushed the 49ers by a final of 26-3.

     San Fran threatened early as David Akers' 42 yard field goal put the Niners up 3-0 in the first.  The Giants defense would take care of the rest as they not only shut down the Niners' running game, but they also forced three big interceptions against Alex Smith and their offense.  The first take away was credited to Prince Amukamara in the second quarter that would set up the Giants offense from there.  A terrific 39 yard catch by Domenik Hixon brought the Giants into 49ers territory, and Eli Manning's 6 yard pass to Victor Cruz would result in a touchdown giving Big Blue a 7-3 lead.  Lawrence Tynes kicked a 34 yard field goal that gave the Giants a 10-3 advantage at the half.  

    The second half opened up as the kickoff by David Akers was returned by punt returner David Wilson for 66 yards.  Ahmad Bradshaw would run in for the touchdown giving New York a 17-3 lead.  Later on in the third, it would be Antrelle Rolle coming up with one of his two interceptions that would eventually lead to another field goal.  Lawrence Tynes would end up with 4 field goals on the day.  The Giants offense would perform impressive especially on the road and against a very tough Niner's team.  Eli Manning threw his game and let his offense roll, "We knew it was gonna be a tough game but we played smart football, our offense, no sacks, no turnovers, we knew that was the right way to play the game".  

     Indeed the offense committed zero turnovers, and the offense flashed on all cylinders.  Domenik Hixon had 78 yards especially several key catches down field that set up the Giants touchdowns and field goals.  Victor Cruz had 6 big receptions and Hakeem Nicks was back and active with 3 receptions.  Ahmad Bradshaw had an impressive display with 27 carries and 116 yards, the first time racking up 100 plus yards in 43 games.

     The Giants defense showed up San Fran as they committed 6 sacks today, four of them on Alex Smith.  The 3 interceptions prompted a huge role, as Antrelle Rolle had two of them.  Michael Boley along with Prince Amukamara and Antrelle Rolle led the way with 6 tackles.

     At the end, the San Francisco 49ers never showed up as they fall to 4-2 and the defending champs improve to 4-2.  Also this win ranks Tom Coughlin with the 2nd most wins as a Giants head-coach surpassing Bill Parcells.  Coughlin now has 78 wins with the team.  Most importantly the Giants are back in first place and will host the Washington Redskins next week.

B.C Sports
Brian Chin

Tigers Defeat Yankees in Game 1 of ALCS - Oct 13, 2012

October 14, 2012

     A day after C.C Sabathia pitched a gem to finish off the Orioles in the Division Series, game one of the ALCS was nothing short of a typical Yankees playoff game.  Playing their third extra-inning game in four nights, it all ended in the 12th inning when the Detroit Tigers tacked on the go-ahead runs to win it over the Yankees 6-4.  This spoiled a miraculous Yankees comeback in the 9th inning when Raul Ibanez once again came through big in the clutch sending a 2-run homerun to tie the game at 4.  What made this game more of a heartbreaking loss was when the Derek Jeter left the game for good after he suffered a broken ankle injury in that 12th inning diving to stop a ground ball up the middle.  The Yankees Captain might have seen his last action for the remainder of the playoffs.  Jeter will certainly join Closer Mariano Rivera cheering their team on from the sidelines.

     Game 1 was scoreless for the first 5 innings as Yankees Andy Pettitte faced off against Tigers Doug Fister.  Doug Fister has had success against the Yankees especially in the postseason last year as he won game 5 in the division series against the Yankees.  It was a pitcher's duel but in the top of the 6th, the Detroit Tigers would be the first to draw blood as they put up 2 runs with Prince Fielder and Delmon Young with RBI singles.  Andy Pettitte would leave after 6.2 innings with 5 strikeouts.  In the top of the 8th, Delmon Young would homer to left field off of reliever Derek Lowe giving the Tigers a 3-0 advantage and a RBI single by Avisail Garcia would have the Tigers leading 4-0.  Doug Fister on the other hand doing what he does in the postseason completely shut the Yankees out with 6.1 innings pitched and surrendered no runs.  The Yankee offense was a complete disappointment as they had the bases loaded in three different innings and were unable to push across a run.  The Yankees offense once again not coming through with runners on base at a critical time of year.  

     That is when the bottom of the 9th inning came around and Tiger's Manager Jim Leyland decided to go to his closer Jose Valverde in a non-save situation.  Russell Martin would lead off the bottom of the 9th with a single.  With 1 Out, Ichiro Suzuki would send a 2-Run homerun to right field to finally put the Yankees on the board.  Then after a walk to Mark Teixeira, Raul Ibanez would come to the plate and for the third time in just a week and a half, Ibanez would deliver.  A huge 2-Run homerun would come off of Raul's bat into the right-field seats tying the game at 4 and posing a huge Yankee comeback.  We go to extra-innings.  In the bottom of the 11th inning, the Yankees would threaten and put themselves 90 feet away from scoring the winning run.  With Brett Gardner at third and 2 Outs, Derek Jeter would pop a short fly to right to end the inning.  Top of the 12th, and things went astray for the Yankees.  David Phelps would issue a lead-off walk to Miguel Cabrera and would break a string of 15 consecutive innings pitched by Yankee relievers while not surrendering a walk.  With Prince Fielder grounding out and moving Cabrera over to second, Delmon Young would come to the plate.  With Cabrera at second, Delmon Young would send a line drive fly ball to right field and just out of the reach of a leaping Nick Swisher.  The ball would roll all the way to the wall scoring Cabrera and giving Detroit a 5-4 lead.  The next play, Johnny Peralta would ground one near up the middle and Derek Jeter would make a diving stop for it, unfortunately for the worst, Jeter's injured ankle would go along with it.  Jeter left the game with a broken left ankle and perhaps will be done for a while.  The Tigers would tack on another run and come away with this one at the end.  Drew Smyly came in for Detroit for the win in the bottom of the 12th inning.  The Yankees continue to struggle with scoring runs and Alex Rodriguez would add on two more strikeouts with an 0-3 night.

     
     The Yankees host game 2 this afternoon in the Bronx.  Huroki Kuroda would oppose Detroit's Anibal Sanchez on the mound.  The Yankees look to take a game at home before going off to Detroit.

B.C Sports
Brian C

Yankees AL East Champions!!! - October 3, 2012

October 3, 2012    

     
     Well, the New York Yankees have clinched the American League East in fashion.  On the 162nd game of the season, who would have thought it would come down to this.  The Yankees would put a cherry on top of their season as they defeat the Boston Red Sox 14-2.  It was in the bottom of the 7th inning right in the middle of an Alex Rodriguez at-bat when the fans at Yankee Stadium suddenly erupted as they realized the scoreboard showing the Baltimore Orioles had lost 4-1 to the Tampa Rays which secures the Yankees on top and ending up clinching the East.  Also the Yankees end up with the best record at 95-67 in the American League rewarding them with home-field advantage throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs.

     Let the celebrations begin, Champagne in a clubhouse frenzy and the Bronx and Yankee fans celebrating everywhere with the playoffs to look ahead to.  Well it was Huroki Kuroda who would be sent to start and early at the top of the first, it did not seem well as Cody Ross singled in Jacoby Ellsbury to give Boston a 1-0 lead.  The Yankees would turn on the power against Daisuke Matsuzaka as Curtis Granderson cranked a 3-run homerun in the bottom of the second to put the Yanks in the lead 3-1.  It would be the Bronx Bombers from that point on.  Robinson Cano powered a 2-run homer in the third giving them a 5-1 lead, then in the 5th, Cano would launch another 2-run bomb way into the right field deck seats.  Matsuzaka's night would be done, and the rest of the damage came off of Boston's bullpen.  The Yankees led 7-1 and Robby Cano would add two more RBIs in the 6th.  Yankees would lead 9-2 in the bottom of the 7th when Curtis Granderson crushed one to right-center for his second homerun of the game as well.  Robinson Cano would go 4 for 4 on the night with 2 homeruns and 6 RBIs.  Huroki Kuroda pitched an extraordinary 7 innings giving up just two runs and end his season record at 16-11.  The Yankees would go on to win 14-12.

Certainly many great highlights and key positives for the New York Yankees the way they finished the season and hot at the right time going into the playoffs.  Robinson Cano's 9 game-hitting streak in the final games of the season certainly is a highlight but more impressive is his .615 batting average with 3 homeruns and 14 RBIs.  His two homeruns constitutes for 33 homeruns on the season and 94 RBIs.  Curtis Granderson hit homeruns number 42 and 43 and winds up with 106 RBIs on the year.  The Yankees tonight not only tied their all time record of 244 homeruns in a single season, they also surpassed it and now have 245 with Granderson's shot.  The Captain Derek Jeter is certainly an impressive story with the .316 batting average and his consecutive season record of 200 hits or more.  Closer Rafael Soriano collected 42 saves in replacement of Mariano Rivera.  Raul Ibanez contributed big down the stretch especially during the critical recent games that helped boost the Yankees.

     
     It was just a few games ago when it all seemed that the Yankee season was indeed in jeopardy as the Orioles tied them for the AL East.  It dwindled down to the remaining games as the Yankees went 14-4 in their final 18 games.  Manager Joe Girardi certainly proud of his team, "It is not easy to do what these guys did, win 95 games in our division".  Not only winning 95 games, but the fashion in how the New York Yankees fought and pulled through.  The tail end of their pitching staff was in question early in the season with newly acquired starter Michael Pineda out for the entire season and Andy Pettitte unavailable for a big part of the summer months.  Starters C.C Sabathia was injured early in the season and Ivan Nova also went through shoulder injury.  Outfielder Brett Gardner was disabled for the majority and probably the worst that befell the Yankees was when closer Mariano Rivera was injured for the remainder of the year while catching a fly ball during a practice routine back in May.  Then Alex Rodriguez spent time on the disabled list and so did Mark Teixeira late in the season.  It was a team plagued with injury all throughout their lineup and for this team to pull together and maintain their position in the Major Leagues was quite a remarkable one.  

     The Yankees lead was 10 games in July and many saw the number slowly dwindle down as the resilient Baltimore Orioles gave chase in the East.  When it finally came down to the wire, and players knew they must step up and fight to maintain first, it is exactly what they did, "If we controlled our own destiny, everything was in our control" - Curtis Granderson.

     The Yankees with the clinch and the win will now enter the postseason for the 51st time in their illustrious history and the 24th time with the best record in the American League.  They will either face the division rivals Baltimore Orioles or the Texas who play a one game playoff to determine the first round match-up.  Congratulations and now the real season begins as the American League East Champions Yankees have their eyes on the playoffs!

B.C Sports
Brian C

Yankees Beat Boston in 12 to Remain 1 Game Ahead of Baltimore - Oct 1, 2012

October 2, 2012

     With Baltimore beating Tampa, and the Yankees lacking any sort of offense in last night's game, Raul Ibanez pinched-hit in the 9th inning and sent a 2-run home-run into the right field seats to tie the game at 3.  He would come up again in the bottom of the 12th inning with two on and 2 Outs, Raul Ibanez's single to left-field scored Francisco Cervelli coming home from second-base sent the Yankees on to win it 4-3 against the Boston Red Sox in extra-innings and keep the Yankees one game up on the Baltimore Orioles with the season's final game tonight.  

     Well indeed the Yankees season would come down to the final several games remaining, and with game 161, the magic number to clinch the American League East is down to one.  They are certainly in the driver's seat.  The Yankees are also fighting for potential home-field advantage throughout the playoffs of course the only thing to do is win.  

    With the decision earlier in the week to take Ivan Nova out of the Starting Pitcher's role in last night's game, the Yankees would pitch David Phelps.  Phelps would allow two runs in the first inning on an RBI double by Dustin Pedroia scoring Jacoby Ellsbury and a sac-fly by Cody Ross.  The Yankees would gain one back against Jon Lester in the 2nd inning on Eduardo Nunez's RBI single misplayed by shortstop Jose Iglesias to allow Curtis Granderson to score.  David Phelps in the 5th inning and the Yankees trailed Boston 2-1 the majority of the game.  The bullpen secured some quality innings and in the top of the 9th, Rafael Soriano would allow a solo home-run to James Loney which would give Boston a 3-1 lead.  Then in the bottom of the ninth with Boston pitcher Andrew Bailey to close it out, Curtis Granderson led off with a single, and Raul Ibanez would pinch-hit for Eduardo Nunez.  Ibanez drove one deep to the right field which cleared the wall and sent the Bronx fans roaring in a 3-3 game tying 2-run home-run.  Derek Lowe would then pitch 2 exceptional scoreless innings for the eventual win.  In the bottom of the 12th against reliever Andrew Miller with no one on, Francisco Cervelli would be the last line of offense from the Yankee bench.  Rejoining the team after being banished to the minor leagues, Cervelli worked the count full after a quick 0-2 count, and would draw a walk.  Andrew Miller would issue another walk to Curtis Granderson, and that is when Raul Ibanez would came to the plate and would ground one just in the hole between shortstop and third, and Francisco Cervelli would slide home for the winning run.  The entire dugout would clear and the Yankee fans would certainly enjoy this one.  Paying homage to Raul Ibanez and his late-game heroics again, he would be thanked with a bucket of ice-water on him.  

   The Yankees are one win away from clinching the American League East and the opportunity comes on the last game of the season tonight.  They also have the opportunity to sweep the Red Sox on the final day of the regular season.

B.C Sports
Brian C

Controversial Finish: Seahawks & Packers Game Spurs Last Straw for Replacement Refs - Sept 25, 2012

September 25, 2012

     The most Bizarre, Shocking, and Controversial Finish you will ever see took the stage on Monday Night Football as the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Green Bay Packers in a Stunning, and perhaps an unprecedented and questionable touchdown call to award the Seahawks a victory.  With 8 seconds left on the clock and the Seattle Seahawks down to their 4th-down, rookie Seahawk QB Russell Wilson fired a Hail Mary into the Endzone which was clearly caught and intercepted by Packers M.D. Jennings with Seahawks Golden Tate seemingly having an arm and simultaneous possession of the ball, the final ruling and result on the field was a game-winning Touchdown by the Seahawks in the most confusing and controversial finish in NFL history.  It included a sequence of events which included so many major plays that were called and not called, but towards the end, two replacement officials looked indecisively at each other and signaled two very quite opposite calls, one official was signaling what appeared to be a "dead-ball" or touch-back and the other official waving the touchdown call, and at the end was decided as a touchdown.  This happened moments after Golden Tate shoved Packers Sam Shields to the ground for an offensive pass interference that was not called and this obviously led to the "biggest" and most controversial endings that has the entire NFL, players, coaches, fans, the whole world of sports in an uproar.

     Week 3 of the NFL has seen so many bizarre corners of the institution of replacement referees and the NFL analysts said "it is only going to get worse".  Unfortunately it took a highly-rated and anticipated game like the Seahawks and Packers on Monday Night to finally witness the Volcanic Explosion that was expected to happen on a season already full of infuriating, agonizing, and upsetting emotions toward the novice crew of officiating.  We have seen coaches in upsetting games erupt, player tweets, fans and NFL specialists sound off on this downward spiral and ruining of the "greatest game".  However, Bill Belichick's antics on the field as he grabbed an official after Sunday's loss and Jon Harbaugh's rant was merely the beginning of it, but what happened last night to Mike McCarthy and his Green Bay team was beyond jaw-dropping and no doubt there will be movement and unrest in the NFL world to come after yesterday's blown game.  "Don't ask me a question about the officials", was Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy's ecstatic reaction after the game.  What made it worse was the fact that Green Bay had to send 11 men back onto the field to finish the game and kick that extra point after perhaps the most disgusting call in the NFL just robbed the Packers of a win.  Give credit to the Packs for their professional display after an event like that one.  The truth of the matter is fans, players, coaches, and any follower of National Football grow more furious by the day as the continued implementation of replacement officials by the League remains in order, and any close solution of returning the regular league officials back onto the field is unlikely. 

     There should not be any reason to believe that a game like this would not shake trees and blow the top off the can.  Players and coaches have been complaining and showing their frustrations on the field, reports had it that the Packers trashed their locker rooms, throwing chairs at the television screens not believing anything that was made official in yesterday's loss which should not have even been a loss.  Nonetheless, the entire sports world and nation is tuning in, as this means the legitimacy of these new league officials are no doubt in question, and the "integrity and safety" of the game of football that has come to be so respected has now been jeopardized.  Aaron Rodgers had plenty to say immediately after the game, "It was awful... just look at the replays .. and the fact that is was reviewed.. awful".  We knew the installation of replacement referees was bad, we saw it in preseason football, we saw it the first three games of the season, coaches fired-up, players mouthing off, but it starts to get heavy when the consequences begin to affect the result of the game.  As many sports analysts and former officials of the league have reacted, nothing gets done until something bad happens and sure enough, something happened.  It could not get any worse than Monday night.  It was just fortunate this was not a playoff game, although this certainly does affect a team's course in getting to the playoffs.  What is more intriguing is the fact that player's safety is at risk, there already has been so many incidences in Week 3 and so far as this season has taken its course where players have been chop-blocked and there has been no call, face-masks attempts that were not enforced by the refs, unnecessary roughness calls that were not made, close-to injury plays that were not followed-up and flagged by the officials.  What ends up happening perhaps in response by the coaches, players, and teams is they begin to take advantage of the rules, these holes and all these flaws in officiating the game, relying on the fact that the ref might just end up screwing up a play and have the call go in favor of their team.  

     Despite such drama, and throughout all the Mayhem that "left a bad taste in the mouth", as MNF Sportscaster Jon Gruden said, there was still football laying beneath the dark shadow hovering over the field.  Give the Seahawks credit especially on that last play as Russell Wilson fired it in, and Golden Tate's efforts in competing on that "catch".  He was asks after the game if he pushed off on Sam Shields, "I don't know what you're talking about... I don't know what you're talking about", said Tate to a reporter.  It was clearly shown through many times of replay that M.D. Jennings had established possession of the ball to his chest, and Golden Tate did not have "simultaneous" possession as the rule says, it should not have been called a touchdown.  This is not even in relation to the offensive pass interference that Golden Tate should have been penalized for.  The NFL has now officially up-held the ruling of the touchdown call saying that the play is cannot be reviewed nor overturned.  This unfortunate event comes at a hefty price and the issue of replacement refs and the questionable return of the regular officials sits amidst this mayhem that has got the entire NFL, Sports and for that matter the world rumbling!

B.C Sports
Brian C