Wednesday Trends and Indexes 10/03

[pm530]

College Football - Dunkel Index

NCAAF
Dunkel Index

Rice at Southern Mississippi
Southern Miss was beat up at Boise State last week (38-16) and will be without starting QB Jeremy Young (high ankle sprain) for tonight's game against Rice. That should mean more carries for Damion Fletcher, who rushed for 1,388 yards last year as a true freshman but had only 83 against the Broncos. Rice, however, is not Boise and comes in ranked No. 112 in total defense (488.5 ypg) and No. 117 in scoring defense (43.75 ppg). The Owls have been blown out in both road games this year at Baylor (42-17) and Texas (58-14). With no running game to fall back on, QB Chase Clement has had to live through the air and has thrown seven INTs with only three TDs. Even with Southern Miss banged up at the QB spot, the Golden Eagles look to have enough to cover (-20) against Rice according to Dunkel, which has Southern Miss favored by 26. Dunkel Pick: Southern Mississippi (-20). Here are all of this week's picks.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3

Game 303-304: Rice at Southern Mississippi
Dunkel Ratings: Rice 65.531; Southern Mississippi 91.346
Dunkel Line: Southern Mississippi by 26; 60
Vegas Line: Southern Mississippi by 20; 55 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Southern Mississippi (-20); Over

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4

Game 305-306: Kentucky at South Carolina
Dunkel Ratings: Kentucky 102.548; South Carolina 101.526
Dunkel Line: Kentucky by 1; 55
Vegas Line: South Carolina by 3 1/2; 57 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kentucky (+3 1/2); Under

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5

Game 307-308: Utah at Louisville
Dunkel Ratings: Utah 83.965; Louisville 93.261
Dunkel Line: Louisville by 9 1/2; 49
Vegas Line: Louisville by 15; 62
Dunkel Pick: Utah (+15); Under

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6

Game 309-310: Northern Illinois at Temple
Dunkel Ratings: Northern Illinois 65.993; Temple 67.017
Dunkel Line: Temple by 1; 55
Vegas Line: Northern Illinois by 4; 52 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Temple (+4); Over

Game 311-312: West Virginia at Syracuse
Dunkel Ratings: West Virginia 103.289; Syracuse 85.934
Dunkel Line: West Virginia by 17 1/2; 45
Vegas Line: West Virginia by 26 1/2; 56
Dunkel Pick: Syracuse (+26 1/2); Under

Game 313-314: Cincinnati at Rutgers
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati 105.022; Rutgers 96.375
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 8 1/2; 58
Vegas Line: Rutgers by 3 1/2; 53
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+3 1/2); Over

Game 315-316: Wisconsin at Illinois
Dunkel Ratings: Wisconsin 96.084; Illinois 93.225
Dunkel Line: Wisconsin by 3; 47
Vegas Line: Illinois by 3; 51
Dunkel Pick: Wisconsin (+3); Under

Game 317-318: Minnesota at Indiana
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 79.391; Indiana 95.690
Dunkel Line: Indiana by 16; 58
Vegas Line: Indiana by 12 1/2; 68 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Indiana (-12 1/2); Under

Game 319-320: Northwestern at Michigan State
Dunkel Ratings: Northwestern 77.766; Michigan State 96.124
Dunkel Line: Michigan State by 18 1/2; 49
Vegas Line: Michigan State by 14; 52 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Michigan State (-14); Under

Game 321-322: Miami (FL) at North Carolina
Dunkel Ratings: Miami (FL) 94.659; North Carolina 82.670
Dunkel Line: Miami (FL) by 12; 44
Vegas Line: Miami (FL) by 6 1/2; 41
Dunkel Pick: Miami (FL) (-6 1/2); Over

Game 323-324: Wake Forest at Duke
Dunkel Ratings: Wake Forest 90.304; Duke 81.074
Dunkel Line: Wake Forest by 9; 42
Vegas Line: Wake Forest by 7; 46 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Wake Forest (-7); Under

Game 325-326: Central Michigan at Ball State
Dunkel Ratings: Central Michigan 78.988; Ball State 87.071
Dunkel Line: Ball State by 8; 61
Vegas Line: Ball State by 13; 67 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Central Michigan (+13); Under

Game 327-328: Vanderbilt at Auburn
Dunkel Ratings: Vanderbilt 87.579; Auburn 93.526
Dunkel Line: Auburn by 6; 45
Vegas Line: Auburn by 8 1/2; 43
Dunkel Pick: Vanderbilt (+8 1/2); Over

Game 329-330: Bowling Green at Boston College
Dunkel Ratings: Bowling Green 83.039; Boston College 100.615
Dunkel Line: Boston College by 17 1/2; 50
Vegas Line: Boston College by 20; 58 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Bowling Green (+20); Under

Game 331-332: Ohio at Buffalo
Dunkel Ratings: Ohio 74.940; Buffalo 75.576
Dunkel Line: Buffalo by 1; 60
Vegas Line: Ohio by 5 1/2; 54
Dunkel Pick: Buffalo (+5 1/2); Over

Game 333-334: Tulane at Army
Dunkel Ratings: Tulane 68.481; Army 72.573
Dunkel Line: Army by 4; 51
Vegas Line: Army by 7; 43 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tulane (+7); Over

Game 335-336: Eastern Michigan at Michigan
Dunkel Ratings: Eastern Michigan 68.834; Michigan 102.784
Dunkel Line: Michigan by 34; 40
Vegas Line: Michigan by 31 1/2; 45 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Michigan (-31 1/2); Under

Game 337-338: TCU at Wyoming
Dunkel Ratings: TCU 93.327; Wyoming 88.931
Dunkel Line: TCU by 4 1/2; 45
Vegas Line: Wyoming by 3; 41
Dunkel Pick: TCU (+3); Over

Game 339-340; Oklahoma State at Texas A&M
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma State 94.352; Texas A&M 94.119
Dunkel Line: Even; 55
Vegas Line: Texas A&M by 6 1/2; 62
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma State (+6 1/2); Under

Game 341-342: UAB at Mississippi State
Dunkel Ratings: UAB 72.159; Mississippi State 84.997
Dunkel Line: Mississippi State by 13; 49
Vegas Line: Mississippi State by 19; 50 1/2
Dunkel Pick: UAB (+19); Under

Game 343-344: Miami (OH) at Kent State
Dunkel Ratings: Miami (OH) 74.880; Kent State 79.532
Dunkel Line: Kent State by 5; 51
Vegas Line: Kent State by 9 1/2; 48 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Miami (OH) (+9 1/2); Over

Game 345-346: Kansas at Kansas State
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas 101.528; Kansas State 101.022
Dunkel Line: Even; 62
Vegas Line: Kansas State by 3; 56
Dunkel Pick: Kansas (+3); Over

Game 347-348: Louisiana Tech at Mississippi
Dunkel Ratings: Louisiana Tech 75.590; Mississippi 83.265
Dunkel Line: Mississippi by 8; 55
Vegas Line: Mississippi by 13; 53 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Louisiana Tech (+13); Over

Game 349-350: Colorado at Baylor
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado 97.327; Baylor 81.271
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 16; 49
Vegas Line: Colorado by 8 1/2; 47 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-8 1/2); Over

Game 351-352: Virginia Tech at Clemson
Dunkel Ratings: Virginia Tech 96.854; Clemson 96.953
Dunkel Line: Even; 43
Vegas Line: Clemson by 5 1/2; 40 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Virginia Tech (+5 1/2); Over

Game 353-354: Oklahoma vs. Texas
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma 113.942; Texas 92.285
Dunkel Line: Oklahoma by 21 1/2; 60
Vegas Line: Oklahoma by 10; 57
Dunkel Pick: Oklahoma (-10); Over

Game 355-356: Nebraska at Missouri
Dunkel Ratings: Nebraska 97.979; Missouri 97.605
Dunkel Line: Even; 58
Vegas Line: Missouri by 7; 67
Dunkel Pick: Nebraska (+7); Under

Game 357-358: Iowa at Penn State
Dunkel Ratings: Iowa 91.385; Penn State 98.469
Dunkel Line: Penn State by 7; 44
Vegas Line: Penn State by 9; 38
Dunkel Pick: Iowa (+9); Over

Game 359-360: NC State at Florida State
Dunkel Ratings: NC State 78.186; Florida State 98.909
Dunkel Line: Florida State by 21; 36
Vegas Line: Florida State by 17 1/2; 45 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida State (-17 1/2); Under

Game 361-362: Georgia at Tennessee
Dunkel Ratings: Georgia 99.250; Tennessee 97.400
Dunkel Line: Georgia by 2; 60
Vegas Line: Tennessee by 2 1/2; 56 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Georgia (+2 1/2); Over

Game 363-364: Fresno State at Nevada
Dunkel Ratings: Fresno State 82.423; Nevada 91.137
Dunkel Line: Nevada by 9; 46
Vegas Line: Nevada by 2 1/2; 56 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Nevada (-2 1/2); Under

Game 365-366: Houston at Alabama
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 84.483; Alabama 99.030
Dunkel Line: Alabama by 14 1/2; 50
Vegas Line: Alabama by 11; 55
Dunkel Pick: Alabama (-11); Under

Game 367-368: Idaho at San Jose State
Dunkel Ratings: Idaho 70.199; San Jose State 73.329
Dunkel Line: San Jose State by 3; 56
Vegas Line: San Jose State by 7; 51
Dunkel Pick: Idaho (+7); Over

Game 369-370: San Diego State at Colorado State
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego State 71.896; Colorado State 87.218
Dunkel Line: Colorado State by 15 1/2; 61
Vegas Line: Colorado State by 13; 57 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado State (-13); Over

Game 371-372: Arizona at Oregon State
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona 90.113; Oregon State 88.267
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 2; 63
Vegas Line: Oregon State by 5 1/2; 56 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+5 1/2); Over

Game 373-374: Stanford at USC
Dunkel Ratings: Stanford 79.365; USC 111.233
Dunkel Line: USC by 32; 56
Vegas Line: USC by 38 1/2; 61
Dunkel Pick: Stanford (+38 1/2); Under

Game 375-376: Akron at Western Michigan
Dunkel Ratings: Akron 76.544; Western Michigan 80.481
Dunkel Line: Western Michigan by 4; 57
Vegas Line: Western Michigan by 10; 58
Dunkel Pick: Akron (+10); Under

Game 377-378: Georgia Tech at Maryland
Dunkel Ratings: Georgia Tech 94.414; Maryland 98.155
Dunkel Line: Maryland by 4; 44
Vegas Line: Georgia Tech by 2 1/2; 41
Dunkel Pick: Maryland (+2 1/2); Over

Game 379-380: Iowa State at Texas Tech
Dunkel Ratings: Iowa State 77.143; Texas Tech 100.070
Dunkel Line: Texas Tech by 23; 64
Vegas Line: Texas Tech by 25; 68
Dunkel Pick: Iowa State (+25); Under

Game 381-382: Central Florida at East Carolina
Dunkel Ratings: Central Florida 87.467; East Carolina 88.730
Dunkel Line: East Carolina by 1; 59
Vegas Line: Central Florida by 3 1/2; 54 1/2
Dunkel Pick: East Carolina (+3 1/2); Over

Game 383-384: Florida at LSU
Dunkel Ratings: Florida 100.581; LSU 118.823
Dunkel Line: LSU by 18; 47
Vegas Line: LSU by 8; 52
Dunkel Pick: LSU (-8); Under

Game 385-386: Ohio State at Purdue
Dunkel Ratings: Ohio State 109.627; Purdue 99.348
Dunkel Line: Ohio State by 10; 50
Vegas Line: Ohio State by 6; 54
Dunkel Pick: Ohio State (-6); Under

Game 387-388: Notre Dame at UCLA
Dunkel Ratings: Notre Dame 82.353; UCLA 97.804
Dunkel Line: UCLA by 15 1/2; 48
Vegas Line: UCLA by 21; 50
Dunkel Pick: Notre Dame (+21); Under

Game 389-390: UNLV at Air Force
Dunkel Ratings: UNLV 84.574; Air Force 86.210
Dunkel Line: Air Force by 1 1/2; 39
Vegas Line: Air Force by 6; 43
Dunkel Pick: UNLV (+6); Under

Game 391-392: Tulsa at UTEP
Dunkel Ratings: Tulsa 87.498; UTEP 86.352
Dunkel Line: Tulsa by 1; 77
Vegas Line: Tulsa by 3 1/2; 70
Dunkel Pick: UTEP (+3 1/2); Over

Game 393-394: Arizona State at Washington State
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona State 105.696; Washington State 82.552
Dunkel Line: Arizona State by 23; 56
Vegas Line: Arizona State by 8 1/2; 61 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona State (-8 1/2); Under

Game 395-396: Utah State at Hawaii
Dunkel Ratings: Utah State 59.490; Hawaii 102.841
Dunkel Line: Hawaii by 43 1/2; 69
Vegas Line: Hawaii by 38; 71
Dunkel Pick: Hawaii (-38); Under

Game 397-398: South Florida at Florida Atlantic
Dunkel Ratings: South Florida 100.182; Florida Atlantic 76.801
Dunkel Line: South Florida by 23 1/2; 50
Vegas Line: South Florida by 15 1/2; 48 1/2
Dunkel Pick: South Florida (-15 1/2); Over

Game 399-400: Arkansas State at UL Monroe
Dunkel Ratings: Arkansas State 77.430; UL Monroe 70.853
Dunkel Line: Arkansas State by 6 1/2; 64
Vegas Line: Arkansas State by 2 1/2; 59 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arkansas State (-2 1/2); Over

Game 401-402: North Texas at UL Lafayette
Dunkel Ratings: North Texas 56.419; UL Lafayette 74.709
Dunkel Line: UL Lafayette by 18; 62
Vegas Line: UL Lafayette by 7; 55
Dunkel Pick: UL Lafayette (-7); Over

Game 403-404: Troy at Florida International
Dunkel Ratings: Troy 87.910; Florida International 56.142
Dunkel Line: Troy by 31 1/2; 53
Vegas Line: Troy by 18 1/2; 56
Dunkel Pick: Troy (-18 1/2); Under

Game 405-406: Virginia at Middle Tennessee State
Dunkel Ratings: Virginia 91.608; Middle Tennessee State 73.916
Dunkel Line: Virginia by 18; 50
Vegas Line: Virginia by 10; 46
Dunkel Pick: Virginia (-10); Over

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7

Game 433-434: New Mexico State at Boise State
Dunkel Ratings: New Mexico State 67.835; Boise State 103.436
Dunkel Line: Boise State by 35 1/2; 53
Vegas Line: Boise State by 22 1/2; 57
Dunkel Pick: Boise State (-22 1/2); Under

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[pm530]

National Hockey League - Dunkel Index

NHL
Dunkel Index

Montreal at Carolina
Carolina became just the third team in NHL history to miss the playoffs a year after winning the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes started last season with four straight losses and never really snapped out of it, finishing with a 40-34-8 record -- four points shy of a playoff berth. Montreal also missed the postseason after losing 15 of their last 28 games. The Canadiens were hurt when goalie Cristobal Huet went down with a torn hamstring in February. Huet is back and Montreal has added some talent around him with the signing of Roman Hamrlik and Bryan Smolinski. Carolina has lost its last four openers and Montreal looks like a good underdog pick (+145) to keep that streak going according to Dunkel, which has the Canadiens favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Montreal (+145). Here are all of today's games.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3

Game 1-2: Anaheim at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Anaheim 11.478; Detroit 12.477
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 1; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit (-185); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-185); Under

Game 3-4: Montreal at Carolina
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 11.367; Carolina 10.665
Dunkel Line & Total: Montreal by 1; 7
Vegas Line & Total: Carolina (-155); 6
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (+145); Over

Game 5-6: Ottawa at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Ottawa 12.127; Toronto 11.078
Dunkel Line & Total: Ottawa by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Ottawa (-120); 6
Dunkel Pick: Ottawa (-120); Under

Game 7-8: Dallas at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 11.396; Colorado 12.282
Dunkel Line & Total: Colorado by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Colorado (-135); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-135); Over

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[pm530]

Hockey – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet


Wednesday, October 3

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ANAHEIM (1-1-0-0, 2 pts.) at DETROIT (0-0-0-0, 0 pts.) - 10/3/2007, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 7-7 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 7-7-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.1 Units)

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MONTREAL (0-0-0-0, 0 pts.) at CAROLINA (0-0-0-0, 0 pts.) - 10/3/2007, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 11-3 (+6.1 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
CAROLINA is 11-3-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.5 Units)

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OTTAWA (0-0-0-0, 0 pts.) at TORONTO (0-0-0-0, 0 pts.) - 10/3/2007, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 12-4 (+4.2 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 12-4-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.6 Units, Under=-0.7 Units)

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DALLAS (0-0-0-0, 0 pts.) at COLORADO (0-0-0-0, 0 pts.) - 10/3/2007, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 194-135 ATS (+26.9 Units) as a road underdog of a half goal or even on the puck line since 1996.
DALLAS is 25-13 ATS (+10.8 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 248-215 ATS (+248.0 Units) in home games against the puck line since 1996.
COLORADO is 92-91 ATS (-99.4 Units) in home games first half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 8-5 (+1.9 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 8-5-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.7 Units)

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[pm530]

Baseball - Short Sheet

MLB
Short Sheet


Wednesday, October 3rd

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NL Divisonal Series
Game One
Series Tied, 0-0
TV: TBS

Colorado at Philadelphia, 3:05 ET
Jeff Francis (L) vs. Cole Hamels (L)

Francis:
11-3 Over vs. NL East opponents
10-5 Over in the second half of the season

Hamels:
19-9 TSR in all starts this season
16-6 TSR in home games

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NL Divisonal Series
Game One
Series Tied, 0-0
TV: TBS

Chicago Cubs at Arizona, 10:05 ET
Carlos Zambrano (R) vs. Brandon Webb (R)

Zambrano:
7-0 TSR as a road underdog
13-3 TSR away in day games

Webb:
Webb 20-10 Under in his last 30 starts
Arizona 5-14 SU off a one-run loss

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AL Divisonal Series
Game One
Series Tied, 0-0
TV: TBS

LA Angels at Boston, 6:35 ET
John Lackey (R) vs. Josh Beckett (R)

Lackey:
17-6 TSR as a road underdog
23-8 TSR pitching off a team loss

Beckett:
9-12 TSR at home in night games
Boston 16-5 Over at home on Wednesdays

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[pm530]

Baseball Today - October 3

SCOREBOARD

Wednesday, Oct. 3
Los Angeles at Boston (6:37 p.m.). The Angels and Red Sox return to the postseason after a one-year absence.

Thursday, Oct. 4
N.Y. Yankees at Cleveland (6:37 p.m. EDT). A matchup of 19-game winners Chien-Ming Wang of New York and lefty C.C. Sabathia of the Indians.


STARS
Monday

- Matt Holliday, Rockies, tripled in the 13th inning to tie the game, then scored the winning run for a 9-8 win that put Colorado in the postseason for the first time since 1995.


ROCKIES MOUNTAIN HIGH

Colorado won for the 14th time in 15 games, defeating San Diego 9-8 in 13 innings in a one-game playoff for the NL wild-card spot Monday night. The Rockies, who are headed to the postseason for the first time since 1995, will face NL East champion Philadelphia in the first round on Wednesday.


HOLLIDAY: IN

Colorado outfielder Matt Holliday added to his candidacy for NL MVP in the Rockies' 13-inning, 9-8 win over San Diego for the NL wild-card spot Monday night. Holliday went 2-for-6 to win the NL batting title at .340 and drove in two runs to take the league RBI crown with 137, one more than Philadelphia's Ryan Howard.


TRIPLE THREAT

For the second time in three days, San Diego reliever Trevor Hoffman, the career saves leader (524), was within outs of getting San Diego to the postseason. Hoffman gave up three runs in the 13th inning, and San Diego lost to Colorado 9-8 in the NL wild-card tiebreaker Monday night. It was the seventh blown save in 49 tries this season for Hoffman, who was one strike away from clinching a playoff spot on Saturday when Tony Gwynn Jr. hit a tying triple for Milwaukee, which went on to win 4-3 in 11 innings.


SPEAKING

"It's not going to be easy to deal with. People don't want to hear that. They want to see execution and their ballclub moving forward. That didn't happen tonight for one glaring reason - that was me.'' - San Diego reliever Trevor Hoffman after giving up three runs in the 13th inning that gave a Colorado 9-8 win in the NL wild-card tiebreaker Monday night.


SEASONS
Oct. 3

1897 - Cap Anson closed out a remarkable 27-year career, which started in the National Association in 1871. He hit two home runs against St. Louis. He was 46, the oldest player to homer in the majors.

1946 - The St. Louis Cardinals won the National League pennant by beating the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-4 and sweeping the best-of-three playoff.

1947 - Floyd Bevens of the Yankees held the Dodgers hitless until two were out in the ninth, when pinch-hitter Cookie Lavagetto doubled in two runs for a 3-2 Brooklyn victory in the fourth game of the World Series.

1951 - Bobby Thomson hit a three-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give the New York Giants a dramatic 5-4 playoff victory and the National League pennant.

1962 - The San Francisco Giants rallied for four runs in the ninth inning to win the third game of the tie-breaking playoffs, 6-4, over the Los Angeles Dodgers and move on to the World Series.

1971 - Bob Robertson's three home runs led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-4 trouncing of the San Francisco Giants, tying the National League playoffs at 1-1.

1987 - Benito Santiago's 34-game hitting streak, a rookie record, ended as the San Diego Padres snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1990 - George Brett became the first player to win a batting title in three different decades. Brett went 1-for-1 in Kansas City's 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians to win the American League title with a .329 average. Brett also won AL titles in 1976 and 1980.

1990 - Willie McGee became the first player to win a batting title in a league in which he didn't finish the season. McGee, who had a .335 average when St. Louis traded him to Oakland on Aug. 28, won his second National League crown when Dave Magadan of the New York Mets failed to catch him on the season's final day.

1993 - The Toronto Blue Jays became the first team in American League history to have teammates finish 1-2-3 in the batting race. John Olerud led the league with a .363 batting average. Paul Molitor finished at .332 and Roberto Alomar closed the year at .326.

1999 - On the final day of the season, Mark McGwire hit his 65th home run, moving past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey into 10th place on the career list with 522. McGwire finished with a two-homer edge over Chicago's Sammy Sosa, who hit his 63rd in the same game.

2002 - Alex Cabrera hit his 55th home run, tying the Japanese record set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964 and matched by Tuffy Rhodes in 2001. Cabrera ended the season with 55 homers.

2006 - Frank Thomas went 3-for-4, hitting two home runs to send Oakland to a 3-2 victory over Minnesota. The 38-year-old Thomas became the oldest player to have a multihomer game in postseason history.

Today's birthdays: Matt Murton 26; Eric Munson 30; Dave Winfield 56.

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[Dennis14072]

Thanks guys! Good luck today/tonight!