Eagles fall to Giants, lose Vick to hand injury
The Philadelphia Eagles lost to their NFC East rival the New York Giants by a score of 29-16 on Sunday, Sept. 25. After the game, the Eagles found out that they had also lost starting quarterback Michael Vick to an apparent hand injury. Just one week earlier, Vick left Philadelphia’s 35-31 loss against the Falcons after suffering a concussion, making this the second week in a row he has left with an injury. Eli Manning led the way for the Giants on Sunday, passing for 254 yards and throwing four touchdowns. Giants wide receiver Viktor Cruz made three catches on the day and also scored two touchdowns. Eagles running back LeSean McCoy rushed for 128 yards and scored Philadelphia’s only touchdown of the day.
Rays move closer to Red Sox in AL wild-card standings
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 on Sunday, Sept. 25, to move within a half-game of the Boston Red Sox for top spot in the American League wild-card. Tampa Bay starter Wade Davis pitched eight strong innings and the Rays used home runs from Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton to win the game. Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil didn’t make it through the fourth inning and was charged with his 11th loss of the season. The Rays were nine games back of Boston at the beginning of September. Now they have a realistic shot to shock the world and make the playoffs in 2011.
Rodgers leads Packers to win over rival Bears
Aaron Rodgers passed for 297 yards and threw three touchdown passes to tight end Jermichael Finley in the Packers’ 27-17 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sept. 25. The Packers achieved 24 first downs and outran the Bears by 87 yards. Ryan Grant racked up 92 yards for the defending Super Bowl champion Packers, who are now 3-0 this season. Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler passed for 302 yards but also was intercepted twice by Green Bay safety Morgan Burnett. The game between the two rivals, which was a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game, drew over 62,000 fans.
Crosby participates in scrimmage with Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby participated in a scrimmage on Sunday, Sept. 25, as he prepares to return to the ice following a concussion in January. Crosby had 66 points through 41 games in 2010 before a concussion cut his season short. Crosby has worked on face-offs in recent practices with teammates and is preparing as hard as he can for the 2011 season. He has been symptom-free during training camp but is still unable to participate in contact drills. There is still no timetable for Crosby’s return. The Penguins begin the season on Thursday, Oct. 6, against the Vancouver Canucks.
NBA postpones training camps, cancels 43 preseason games
The NBA lockout has now taken its toll on its owners, players and fans. The league announced last week that 43 preseason games would be eliminated from the schedule and that training camps would not start on time. The league has not been forced to cancel any games since 1998 when the regular season was shortened to 50 games. This year’s season is set to start on Tuesday, Nov. 1, barring any significant setbacks with the league’s labor deal. Camps are now set to begin on Monday, Oct. 3.
