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statecollege.com Matt Linder The Thanksgiving weekend served up more than turkey, stuffing and apple pie.  There were two key upsets in college football with differing implications for the playoff selection committee. The Associated Press Let’s start with Friday’s upset of the #2 ranked Miami Hurricanes by the Pittsburg Panthers.  Coming into the game, this did not look like a competitive matchup.  Pitt was 4-7 and The U was undefeated.  However, feeding off of their home crowd, the Panthers came away with a 24-14 victory.  So how does this loss affect the Hurricanes playoff chances?  In reality, it does not have much of an impact as the loss did not push the U out of the ACC Championship game.  As long as Miami beats #1 Clemson in the conference title game, they will replace Clemson in the top four and certainly get a chance to compete for a national title.  If the Hurricanes lose, Clemson will likely hold onto their top spot and get the opportu

sportingnews.com Matt Linder Let’s continue our look back at the 2017 Yankees with a recap of how the outfielders performed this season.  Coming into the year, there were certainly some questions marks about the outfield, particularly right field.  In spring training there was a competition between “The Aarons” for the right field opening, but nobody really knew what to expect.  Would Judge be able to be able to improve upon his September cameo in 2016?  Would Hicks, a former top prospect with loads of potential, be able to put together the caliber of performance he showed glimpses of last season.  Both players put up nice numbers in camp, but Judge won the starting spot. sportsnewsinstant.com When recapping the 2017 Yankees outfield, there is no better place to start than Aaron Judge’s awe-inspiring season.  Coming into the year, there were major doubts about Judge’s ability to handle major league pitching, even after his strong spring training.  A

statecollege.com Matt Linder As the college football season begins to wind down, the playoff uncertainty ratchets up.  Even after ten games, the four playoff spots are wide open, without any true favorites emerging from the pack.  It has been an exciting year, but not because of wild upsets and Cinderella teams.  This season’s suspense lies in its unpredictability; even with only two games remaining, there are no locks to make the playoff.  The field is extremely crowded, without much separation between the #1 and the #8 team.  All of the top eight teams in the country are “blue blood” traditional powerhouses.  This year, the importance of every week is magnified because there are so many quality teams with extremely similar resumes.  Lose again and you may have squandered the chance to compete for a national championship.  Let’s take a look at the teams in the hunt for the playoff and what each of them has to do in order to be one of the last four teams standing.  Here are th

Patrick Zeng Villanova Athletics  Much of Villanova's season has been derailed through the injuries of key players on both sides of the ball, but that was not the case on Saturday afternoon. "We played with emotion" and "we kept the Battle of the Blue where it belongs" stated an exuberant Mark Ferrante after the Wildcats victory over the rival Blue Hens. Yesterday's victory made it 6 in a row for the Cats over Delaware and 11 wins in their last 12 games. Villanova was led by a stout defense that held strong whenever they were called upon. Junior linebacker Jeff Steeb set the tone for the Cats with a 38 yard interception return for  a touchdown just 7 minutes into the game. Steeb also added 13 total tackles to go along with some bone crushing hits to lead the Wildcat defense. Senior middle linebacker Ed Shockley played his final game on the Main Line and made sure that his impact was to be felt. Shockley pressured Blue Hen quarterback J.P. Caruso

thecomeback.com Matt Linder After taking a look back at the 2017 Yankees starting rotation, let’s recap how the infielders and catchers performed this season.  There were injuries, trades, position changes and devastatingly long slumps all combined with a career year and signs of promise.  To open up the season, the infield was not at full strength.  Both Didi Gregorius and Greg Bird began the season on the DL and Gary Sanchez got hurt in early April. Although Gregorius was not the Yankees opening day shortstop, by season’s end he was the team’s best infielder, both offensively and defensively.  Gregorius missed the first month of the season because of a shoulder injury he suffered in the World Baseball Classic.  However, once he returned to the lineup, he made an immediate impact.  Didi finished the season with career highs in home runs (25), RBIs (87) and OPS (.796).  Those 25 big flies ranked second for MLB shortstops and his 3.0 WAR was 7th best at the position.  Pre

Patrick Zeng USA Today  Even after the 15 point win on Friday night, the Wildcats poor shooting was a reason for concern. That was not the case on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. Villanova shot 58% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc on their way to 117 points, a Wells Fargo Center record for the Cats. Mikal Bridges showed why he is projected as a first round NBA talent with a career high 23 points while lighting it up from three. Bridges also pitched in 6 rebounds and 4 blocks as he also made sure his presence was felt on the defensive end. Jalen Brunson also had a fantastic game with 17 points of his own while shooting 78%. His efficiency and poise used in running this offense cannot be understated. Eric Paschall and Omari Spellman's athleticism were both on full display throughout the game with the two combining for some high flying dunks of their own. Paschall again was able to have his way inside using his strength to shrug off any defenders the Colonels

mlb.com Matt Linder Going into the Yankees 2017 season, there was tremendous uncertainty and excitement surrounding the ball club.  Would the starting rotation hold up over the course of the 162 game baseball marathon?  Would the young players show promise as everyday players in the lineup?  These questions and many others were answered in the affirmative.  As a result, the Yankees 2017 campaign checked all of the boxes of a captivating season. ·      Exceeded expectations ☑ ·      Break out stars ☑ ·      Surprising playoff success ☑ ·      Major trade deadline acquisitions ☑ ·      Obstacles: Injuries and Prolonged losing stretch ☑ ·      “Win or go home” games ☑ ·      Fun group of veterans and youngsters ☑ As a way to review the 2017 season, I will break down the team, position by position.  Let’s start by recapping the Yankees starting pitching.  Coming into the season, the rotation was the biggest question mark of the team.  By season’s end, the start

Patrick Zeng NBC Sports The day we've all been waiting for is finally here. Villanova basketball is back. The Wildcats returned to action with a 75-60 victory over the Columbia Lions of the Ivy League on Friday night. Villanova played their first of twelve games at the Wells Fargo Center, their home for the season until the Finneran Pavilion is completed on campus. And just like the student turnout, the play from the Wildcats did not disappoint. This is a different Villanova team. Gone are the familiar faces of Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds, but the new additions should be more than enough to replace those three icons. Jay Wright likes to play small ball, often using four guards on the court at the same time. But this Nova team allows a different style of play and it was fun to watch. Wright set the tone with a starting five that included Mikal Bridges, Eric Paschall and Omari Spellman. The Dobbs Ferry, New York product in Paschall thrived in his expand

Riveraveblues.com Matt Linder As I mentioned at the end of my last article, the Yankees have a number of promising young players knocking on the door to the major leagues.  Therefore, even after the Yankees make their off-season moves and address their roster openings, they will still have some questions to answer, specifically with top infield prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar. Torres, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery to his non-throwing elbow, is currently rated as the top prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com.  Although he is a tremendous talent, Torres has less than one hundred at bats in AAA and as a result, needs to start the season in Scranton to make up for the plate appearances he lost after his injury.  He has the ability to play third base, shortstop and second base, and his bat will play at any of the three positions.  However, the spot he may be most valuable at is second base.  I know Starlin Castro is a four-time all star and only 27 years o