C.J. Wilson looks to turn around playoff struggles

C.J. Wilson has been named the Game 1 World Series starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers opposite St. Louis Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter.

Wilson finished the regular season 16-7 with 2.94 ERA and in three post-season starts Wilson has been rocky going 0-2 with an ERA of 8.04. Yikes. Carpenter was 12-9 in the regular season with a 3.45 ERA and has been up and down going 2-0 in three starts with a 3.71 ERA. The gem Carpenter pitched in Game 5 of the NLDS against Roy Halladay throwing a complete game shutout is something that doesn't happen very often.

Look for the Rangers to try and get Carpenter's pitch count up early play some small ball to get some cheap runs across in Game 1.

Texas Tech Football is not in a free fall...yet

Texas Tech fell to No. 12 Kansas State Saturday 41-34 and the usual sky is falling rhetoric from Tech has begun. I would join in this course, but I live for more than a sport where 19-20 year old young men throw and catch a ball.

Reality won't set in for many fans because they are in fact fanatical about their school. Texas Tech lost to No. 17 Texas A&M 45-40 and No. 12 Kansas State 41-34. Tech has No. 3 Oklahoma this week in Norman. Save for the No. 1 LSU Tigers, many team wouldn't make it out of this 3-game stretch unscathed.

Yes, Tech had good chances to win these two games, but at this point in the season they are what their record says. An average football team that plays well at home and has lost against two Top 20 Football teams in close games.

The panic should set in for Tech fans if they lose to Iowa State on October 29 in Lubbock to a team they should beat by two scores. If that happens then go ahead and burn your Tech flags and start a protest rally called "Occupy Tech" and go be as worthless as those in the "Occupy Wall Street" rif raff. Please remember that this only a game, not your life.

Chalk up the Oklahoma State and Oklahoma games a loss, but with Texas unable to put a productive offense on the field, Missouri way down this season, and Baylor not fielding a defense for 2011 gives Tech a possibility for a 8-4 season with a finish in the top half of the season.

Dan Wheldon's death brings up many questions

For those of you who are so fanatical about sports, take a breath and reassess your life. Indy Car racer and 2-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon died in a terrible crash in Las Vegas Sunday.

The crash was horrific and I was only able to stomach seeing it once while passing through Dallas Love Field yesterday. The most poignant part of the Yahoo! article ended it the best.

"What does it all mean? A man has lost his life driving a car on a track. Does his death have less meaning because it wasn't an act of heroism? Or does it mean more, because he pursued his dream right into his final moments, chased his dream with a speed we can only envy?"

How do we handle this as fans and as those who follow sports? My initial reaction to this will be my reaction any tragedy and I am not writing this to say I have all the answers. I do know that life has a purpose and that you shouldn't waste your life.

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