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October 8th 2010: Daily Sports News – Gossip – Headlines

Sports water cooler headlines and sports gossip for Friday October 8th, 2010. Shea Matthews weighs in with his analysis and opinions on today’s sports action…

Water Cooler – October 8th, 2010

Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.

Enjoy!

Dominant pitching efforts have ruled the MLB playoffs so far. Tim Lincecum tossed a complete-game two-hitter a day after Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter. Unfortunately, some controversial umpiring is starting to overshadow all that greatness. We explore it in today’s news.

MLB news: Rays/Rangers, Yankees/Twins, Braves/Giants all marred by blown calls

Strangely enough, every playoff game played yesterday had a blown umpire call fuelling the final result.

In Game 2 of the Rangers and Rays’ ALDS, Texas was up 2-0 with two men on in the sixth inning. On a 2-2 count, Michael Young checked his swing on a Chad Qualls pitch. Young’s bat clearly broke the plane but first-base umpire Jerry Meals ruled the pitch a ball. Instead of striking out, Young smashed a three-run homer on the next pitch to make the game 5-0. Rays manager Joe Maddon argued the call and got ejected.

In the Yankees/Twins game, Lance Berkman appeared to strike out looking with the score tied 2-2. The pitch was ruled a ball and Berkman ended up smacking a go-ahead double and driving in the winning run.

Lastly, in the Giants’ 1-0 win over Atlanta, Buster Posey was called safe at second base on a steal attempt in the fourth inning – when the replay showed he was out by a mile. Instead of trotting back to the dugout, Posey scored the game’s only run.

NFL news: Patriots after Vincent Jackson and/or Deon Branch?

With respect to Brandon Tate, it’s not surprising to hear that the New England Patriots might try to restock their wide receiver cupboard after trading Randy Moss. The pipe-dream rumor has them trading for Vincent Jackson. That deal is “highly unlikely,” as the San Diego Union-Tribunereports, considering that the Chargers would want a first and second-round pick from New England.

The much more realistic scenario has the Pats reacquiring Deon Branch from the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle certainly wants to dump him and Tom Brady has reportedly lobbied to bring Branch back. I’d bet on this deal happening.

NBA news: Troy Murphy (back) out indefinitely

The New Jersey Nets’ turnaround hopes have taken a hit. Forward Troy Murphy, acquired this offseason, is out indefinitely with a back injury. An MRI confirmed it as a strain and inflammation. He averaged 14.6 points with the Indiana Pacers last season.

NHL news: Bruins extend Patrice Bergeron; Sharks name Joe Thornton captain

Patrice Bergeron’s career is finally turning around. The two-way centerman, who struggled to recover from a severe concussion in 2007-08, is back to playing like he did before the injury and the Boston Bruins have rewarded him. They inked him to a three-year extension, announcing today that the deal will keep him with the team through 2013-14. Terms were not disclosed.

After Rob Blake’s retirement left the San Jose Sharks without a captain, they turned to Joe Thornton. They named the big centerman their captain for the 2010-11 season.

Comments are welcome below!

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