Sports this 'n' that

We would be remiss if we tarried any longer to acknowledge the passing of NFL Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, who passed away a few days ago. Sayers starred for the Chicago Bears in the 60's, and brought his faith to the forefront in his autobiography, I Am Third, in which he put God first, his family, friends, & teammates second, and himself third, hence the title. God has called him home. Rest in peace.

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Today's Bears sit in first place in the NFC North after coming from behind to beat Atlanta on Sunday. Yes, the Falcons committed another 4th quarter choke job for the 2nd straight week. If I'm coach Dan Quinn, I'd worry about finishing the season. Nick Foles took over at QB for an ineffective Mitchell Trubisky, and led the Bears on their 4th quarter comeback. Up next is a matchup with Tom Brady & Tampa Bay, which won its 2nd straight after beating Denver.

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The NBA finals are now set to start on Wednesday night after Miami eliminated Boston Sunday night, setting up what will be an over-scrutinized final round matchup with the Lakers and LeBron James, who won his first NBA title with Miami 14 years ago. Unfortunately, ABC insists on the opening tip being around 9 pm (ET) to maximize ratings. They don't get that there are kids who won't get to see the ending live because of school the next day.

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For the Giants & Jests, maybe it's a good thing there are no fans at the Meadowlands this season. Both teams are 0-3 after a pair of stinkers on Sunday, where each team gave up 36 points, and combined for 16. Indianapolis blew away the Jests, 36-7, while San Francisco completed a 2 game Meadowlands sweep, 36-9.

The 49ers, now 2-1, have tightened up the NFC West, as Arizona & the Los Angeles Rams each suffered their first loss, creating a 3-way log jam in 2nd behind undefeated Seattle.

Buffalo is all alone atop the AFC East, a game up on New England, after beating the Rams, while the Patriots had their way with the Raiders.

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Baseball's revamped playoffs start tomorrow:

With the exception of Tampa Bay-Toronto, all the matchups are fresh since the teams played a regional schedule. The first round is best of three, and while fans of the AL East champion Rays may think it'll be a walkover, it really won't be. The opening rounds are played as normal, with the higher seeds being at home. However, the later rounds will be in bubbles. The NL playoffs will be in Arlington (home of the Rangers), while the AL playoffs will be at Petco Park in San Diego.

The picks:

AL:

Tampa over Toronto in 3.

Yankees over Cleveland in 3.

Oakland over Chicago in 2.

Minnesota over Houston in 3.

NL:

Los Angeles over Milwaukee in 3.

San Diego over St. Louis in 3.

Chicago over Miami in 3.

Atlanta over Cincinnati in 3.

Of course, I could be wrong.