The Pittsburgh Steelers came away with a 23-22 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday but the game would not end without controversy.

With time winding down in the final quarter, Pittsburgh down in the game, drove the ball inside the red zone. At the end of the drive the Steelers were in a 3^rd and 2 situation from the three yard line. Roethlisberger took a snap and headed for the end zone but appeared to be stopped short on a hard hit that jarred the ball loose.

While the play was ruled a touchdown, the ball clearly squirted out and after both teams piled on, a Miami defender appeared to come out of the pile with the ball. The officials explained that Big Ben did indeed fumble just shy of breaking the plane, but that they were unable to clearly determine who recovered the fumble so Pittsburgh maintained possession allowing Reed to kick the game winner with less than two minutes left.

The Steelers dominating defense got off to a strong start. In the first quarter they held the Miami Dolphins to just seven yards of total offense but still found themselves down by a 6-3 margin due to two early turnovers.

The first when Emmanuel Sanders fumbled the opening kickoff giving Miami the ball inside the 30-yard line. Three plays later Dan Carpenter kicked a 39-yard field goal. On the Steelers’ next possession, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger fumbled the ball under heavy pressure at the 13-yard line and Carpenter again connected, this time from 23 yards out for a 6-0 lead. It was nice to convert the turnovers to points but not getting the ball in the endzone with that kind of field position would come back and haunt the ‘Fins.

Ben and the Steelers offense settled down with a sustained drive that led to a 22-yard Jeff Reed field goal that cut the lead to 6-3; the key play of the drive being a 43-yard reception by Hines Ward.

Later, the Steelers defense forced a Brian Hartline fumble and James Farrior grabbed the ball in mid air, returning it to the 34-yard line setting up a Ben to Ward pass to the house and a 10-6 lead.

Miami responded by getting inside the red zone and setting up Carpenter for his third FG to narrow the gap to 10-9. That narrow lead wouldn’t last long as Emmanuel Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards and on the next snap Roethlisberger hit a streaking Mike Wallace for a 53-yard touchdown and a 17-9 lead.

Miami seemed unfazed by the big play and after a Chad Henne led drive, found the end zone and sent the teams into the half with Pittsburgh sitting on a 17-16 lead. The teams traded a pair of field goals in the second half before the controversial play that led to that final kick by Reed.

In his second game back after a four game suspension, Roethlisberger finished 19-of-27 for 302 yards with two TD’S, hitting Ward with 7 balls for 131 yards. The win was a big one for the Steelers who are in the midst of a three-game road trip and play the defending Super Bowl champs Halloween night in the Big Easy.

BOX SCORE on NFL.com

Used with permission of the author.

Drew Bastian is a Florida-based contributor to Sports Climax.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

With their two-time Super Bowl winning QB Ben Roethlisberger suspended for four games the Pittsburgh Steelers went back in history and used a strong running game and a stout defense to get the victory in OT against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday at Heinz field.

After taking the defensive contest into an extra quarter, running back Rashard Mendenhall raced 50 yards for the game’s only touchdown on the Steelers first possession in overtime and ended the game 15-9.

This was the eighth consecutive opening day victory for the Steelers and is currently the longest streak in the NFL.

Sunday marked just the second start of backup QB Dennis Dixon’s career. He did an admirable yet unimpressive job going 18-26 for 236 yards with one interception. Mendenhall finished with 120 yards on 22 carries including the one long touchdown sprint.

Ironically this was the third consecutive game between these two teams that has gone into overtime. In 2002 their game ended tied at 34-34 and in 2006 the Falcons and Michael Vick won 41-38.

Both teams performed quite well on the defensive side of the ball but you have to give the edge to the Steelers who managed to hold the Falcons to a total of 58 yards rushing on 25 carries. Falcons stud running back Michael Turner gained just 42 yards on 19 carries.

Falcons QB Matt Ryan looked solid completing 27-of-44 passes for 252 yards throwing and one interception, that miscue to the Steelers All-Pro Troy Polamalu with under two minutes to go in the 4^th quarter.

Another notable for the visiting Falcons was WR Roddy White who had a great day against the Steelers secondary snatching 13 catches for 111 yards.

Prior to OT, the team’s placekickers provided all the scoring with Matt Bryant hitting from 49, 39 and 23 yards and Jeff Reed being successful from 52, 36 and 34 yards. Reed did miss a few other kicks; one from 55 yards out when the ball hit the right side upright and again in the 4^th quarter when he was wide right from 40 out.

The Steelers have Chris Johnson and the Titans up next week and their defense better be up to the task again or it could get ugly. Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers should be in good position if they can play .500 ball during Big Ben’s four game suspension.

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Used with permission of the author.

Drew Bastian is a Florida-based contributor to Sports Climax.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Pittsburgh Steelers added five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Flozell Adams to their team when they signed him to a two-year deal yesterday. Adams who stands 6’ 7” and weighs in at 340 pounds was added due to the loss of Willie Colon who injured his Achilles tendon and is done for the year.

Adams who is affectionately known as The Hotel due to his massive size is 35 years old and was released by The Dallas Cowboys on April 2^nd of this year.

The Hotel is the cousin of former NBA player Hershey Hawkins and played college ball at Michigan State University before being drafted by the Cowboys in the second round with the 38^th pick of the 1998 NFL Draft.

Adams spent his entire career with the Cowboys and started 173 games before he was released this past spring due to financial reasons. Adams will bring a wealth of experience and veteran leadership to a team that is dealing with the suspension of its star quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, for at least the first four games.

The Steelers offense is also dealing with injuries to key players on the O line and the departure of one of the top wideouts in the league who was signed by the New York Jets during the offseason.

Head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are hoping that Adams who made it to the Pro Bowl in 2003, 2004 and again in the years 2006-08 and was named a second team All Pro in 2007 still has a lot of gas left in the tank.

Tomlin hopes the veteran will help guide first round pick Maurkice Pouncey to a starting position while Steeler fans are hoping the team can return to a team that can pound the ball on the ground with their newest additions opening up holes for Rashard Mendenhall.

Used with permission of the author.

Drew Bastian is a Florida-based contributor to Sports Climax.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

It’s an extremely hot and muggy night at Jackie Robinson Park in Daytona Beach as the Daytona Cubs warm up for an evening game. Surviving the sweltering heat, a man sits along the 3rd baseline in a front row box seat with a personal name tag attached to the back of it that reads, “Joe Rowe”.

A decade and a half ago on June 26, 1995, this baseball fanatic who is known more as “Front Row Joe” started an attendance streak for the Chicago Cubs Class ‘A’ affiliate that is reaching impressive numbers. Every game since that date , like clockwork, the scoreboard at Jack Park changes, reflecting that streak that stood at 1,038 on July 9, 2010.

We sat down for a Q & A session with the most familiar face at Jackie Robinson Park.

BTW, during the 2007 season FRJ’s streak was threatened when he collapsed on the field and had to be transported by ambulance, but Joe bounced back and made it to the park the following game to continue his fan “Iron Man” streak. Apparently, Joe had passed out due to low potassium levels.

FRJ last attended a MLB Chicago Cubs game during the 2008 season in the Windy City when he took in a weekend series then returned home to Daytona Beach to continue his streak.

Q:  I see you have a Daytona Cubs tattoo on your arm, tell us the story behind that.

A:  Many years ago the general manager Buck Rogers came up with a promotion that anyone who would get the tattoo would receive free general admission for life; so myself and 17 others took him up on it. The tattoo cost me $100.00 dollars and I do pay for the upgrade to have the reserved box seat, it costs me about $300 bucks for the year.

Q: Your streak of 1,038 games is amazing and shows a lot of commitment, have you ever caught a ball during a game?

A:  Yes I have caught 5 or 6 balls, now the bat boy Chris hands ‘em to me.

Q:  Do you collect memorabilia?

A:  I sure do and my pride and joy has got to be my autographed Derek Jeter photo from the Danbury Mint it is one of just 1,500, and I’m also very proud of my Daytona Cubs Florida State League Championship ring from the 2004 season that was presented to me by the Daytona Cubs owner Andy Rayburn.

Q: Cal Ripken has the player’s Iron Man streak of 2,632 games played, is that number in your sights?

A:  Yes it sure is, it will take some time but I have a goal to exceed that number. And when I do who knows where it will end.

Q: Tell me about your first Major League Baseball game that you attended as a youngster?

A:  I don’t remember the year but it was at the old Yankee Stadium and it was the mayor’s trophy game between the Yankees and the Mets.

Q:  Do you have any rituals or superstitions that you go through before during or after the game?

A:  I do have a stuffed bear cub with a Cubs jersey and batting helmet that I hang on the fence right in front of me before every game.

Q: Do you have a favorite Daytona Cub’s player?

A: Yes, that would be Jake Fox who played here during the 2005-06 season and got called up to the bigs in ‘07, I do still follow him.

Front Row Joe said he was currently unemployed but when he was working he would actually take time off from work to attend day games to keep the streak intact. A laid back guy with a true passion for baseball, his attendance streak of 1,038 games makes him worthy of the title of FSL’s “Fan of the Decade.”

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Jason Heyward who is considered to be the No. 1 prospect in Major League Baseball for the 2010 season is making a big impression in the Atlanta Braves organization as well several vehicles parked in and around the Kissimmee stadium they call home during spring training.

During a recent batting practice, Heyward damaged a Coca-Cola delivery truck then later sent another ball out of the park that smashed the sunroof of Assistant GM Bruce Mannos’ car. That ball is said to have caused $3,400 dollars damage to the vehicle but Manno handled it well saying “If I knew what happened to the ball, I would have Jason sign it.”

Heyward who stands 6’5″ and weighs a stout 245 pounds was selected 14th overall by the Braves in the 2007 draft and the then 17-year-old signed a reported $1.7 million dollar deal.

After being assigned to the Gulf Coast and Appalachian minor league system he hit a combined .302 with one home run and 6 RBI’S in 12 games. In 2008 he had a strong showing and over the course of 127 games he hit .316 with 11 HR’S 52 RBI’S scored 91 runs and even stole 15 bases.

This spring training, Heyward’s power is drawing a lot of attention and gives him a shot at earning the starting spot in right field. ” I just try to hit the ball hard, I’ve got a big frame and I guess that’s what does it.” said Heyward.

Like many others in the Braves’ clubhouse, teammate Eric Hinske is impressed. “[Heyward] is all he’s made up to be. He has got a unique sound when the ball comes off his bat, and he can hit the ball really far”.

Braves manager Bobby Cox who is in his final season as the skipper for the Braves has high hopes that he will have Heyward on the 40 man roster in this his last season.

Heyward started last season at single A Myrtle Beach team but ended at AAA Gwinnett playing in 99 games hitting .323with 17 HRs, 63 RBIs and 69 runs scored.

Expected to be in the line-up sometime this season, local Braves fans may want to update their car insurance when Heyward brings his large frame and big swing to Atlanta.

PITTSBURGH – Big Ben’s off-season troubles continue for the two-time Super Bowl Champion.

Roethlisberger’s first off-season incident came back on June 12th, 2006 when he suffered serious injuries after colliding with a car while riding his Suzuki Hyabusa motorcycle in downtown Pittsburgh.

Although his multiple facial fractures were repaired in time for the regular season and he didn’t miss any time from that accident, he clearly was not the same quarterback who had just one season prior won a Super Bowl.

After leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to another Super Bowl victory in February of 2009, prior to the season’s start he was accused of rape by Andrea McNulty of Nevada. No criminal charges were filed but a civil law suit is still pending.

In the most recent incident, Roethlisberger and his posse were out celebrating the QB’s 28th birthday this past Friday and after a night of alcohol and partying, assault accusations were made, this time by a 20-year-old female student of Georgia College and State University.

After the alleged sexual incident took place, the student and her friends sought out a police officer to notify of the attack. The student was then taken to a local hospital and treated and released. Her identity is being kept confidential by Milledgeville, GA police.

The police have interviewed the accuser and Roethlisberger and the incident is still under active investigation.

The Steelers’ organization would only say that they are monitoring the situation and will take action when deemed necessary. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office is also keeping up with the ongoing investigation, and charges if filed could lead to a suspension of the star quarterback.

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax^TM

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Danica Patrick the most popular female race car driver on the planet is currently honing her skills at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for her NASCAR Nationwide series debut on Saturday February 13th.

Danica will be driving the No. 7 Chevrolet owned by JR Motorsports; Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick and her crew chief will be Tony Eury Jr.

The two-year deal between Danica and JR Motorsports was announced in 2009 and the hype and plan for her to debut at Daytona began immediately. Patrick’s deal requires her to participate on a limited basis and the word on the street is we should expect her to compete in nearly 20 events in 2010.

Danica came to Daytona for practice sessions on the tri-oval during the winter break and made her ARCA debut this past Saturday. She has garnered a lot of media attention and qualified her Chevy appearing cautious at times while she adjusted to her new vehicle.

During that ARCA race the ride was going smoothly with a little under 30 laps left when Patrick lost control and spun through the tri-oval and the grass eventually making a sweet recovery then working her way back for a 6th place finish. Dale Jr. and the team were very pleased with that inaugural performance.

Danica and the boys played again during Nationwide series practice where she again held her own and grabbed a 26th place finish out of 51 cars, showing she wasn’t afraid to run with the big boys.

Patrick is guaranteed a spot in the race using points from CJM racings No. 11 team that finished 15th in points last season. Tony Eury Jr. was quoted as saying “She just soaks it all up” and she asks a lot of questions.

Taking it all in stride, during a recent television interview Danica said “We kept the car in one piece, I ran out there with some big guys, so that was good.”

Now she will have to earn the same respect of the rest of the competitors in the Nationwide series while she stays focused on making her way to her first trip to a NASCAR victory lane.

More Danica:

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Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax

At the age of 47 years young Herschel Walker appears ready to test father time.

In September of 2009 it was announced that Walker signed a contract with STRIKEFORCE to compete in the heavyweight division. Currently trained by “Crazy” Bob Cook at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose California, the high profile camp has trained the likes of Josh Koscheck Mike Swick, Jon Fitch, and Cain Velasquez. Walker who admits to being intensely competitive says it isn’t about the money and intends to donate his fight purse to charity.

The ex-NFL running back who currently owns a food service company has been involved in martial arts for over 30 years. He is currently is a 6th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is not taking this journey lightly. Training with some of the best, he appears to be in great fighting condition.

Walker stands at 6′ 1″ and weighed in for tonight’s fight at 214 pounds. Appearing shirtless, his chiseled physique defied his age. Born on March 3, 1962, Walker claims to do 2,500 push-ups and 1,500 sit ups as part of his morning routine before heading to the gym to train with his much younger opponents and sometimes trains as long as 5 hours a day.

Walker’s opponent for tonight’s fight is Greg Nagy who comes to STRIKEFORCE and this event with a 1-1 record. The 26-year-old Nagy was born in Hungary and moved to New Jersey with his parents in 1988, and stands 6′ 3″ and weighs in at 215 pounds.

Dana White (UFC founder and president) will undoubtedly have his eyes on this fight with possible aspirations of bringing him into the UFC in the future.

Walker best known for being a professional football player has been an athlete his entire life with a long resume that includes competing on the Olympic bobsled team.

After dominating high school football where he played in Wrightsville, GA, he attended the University of Georgia where he won a Heisman Trophy in 1982 as a junior.

He decided to turn pro and since that was prohibited by NFL rules his only option was the second rate USFL which was just getting started and was drafted by the New Jersey Generals in the 1983 draft. Walker won the USFL rushing titles in 1983 and 1985, in the latter season he gained over 4,000 total yards, rushing for an impressive 2,411 yards. In all during his USFL career he amassed 5,562 yards in just 3 seasons playing an 18-game schedule.

The Dallas Cowboys speculating the USFL was going under, drafted Walker in the 1985 NFL Draft and that’s where the running back would start his NFL career in 1986. Walker made the Pro Bowl twice, once in 1987 and again in 1988.

Shortly after, the Cowboys decided to trade him away.
The Minnesota Vikings bit on the offer and were convinced to give up 5 players in what is still considered to be one of the worst deals in the history of the NFL.

After a stint with the Vikings, Walker went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants before returning to the Cowboys where he finished his career and retired in 1997 after 12 NFL seasons.

Walker finished his NFL tenure with 8,255 yards rushing, 4,859 yards receiving and 5,084 return yards for a total of 18,168 yards. At the time of his retirement he was ranked second in total yardage and 10 years later was still ranked 8th.

He finished with 84 touchdowns, 61 on the ground, 21 through the air and took 2 to the house on kick returns. Walker is also the only player in NFL history with over 10,000 yards from scrimmage and over 5,000 return yards.

When the retired NFL star steps into the ring tonight we should assume his opponent Nagy is relying on his 22-year age advantage to help him outlast Walker.

While many expect Walker to one up his younger opponent with a display of powerful kicks and strikes and prove age is only a number the one question that is sure to be answered is Will Hershel Walker Defeat Father Time?

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax

INDIANAPOLIS – Colts quarterback Peyton Manning figured out a way to dissect the New York Jets defense and outplayed Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez on Sunday, leading his Colts to a 30-17 comeback victory and earning a trip to Miami to play the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.

Sanchez came out swinging, holding his own and taking an early lead in the game. After trailing 3-0 on an early Kelly Stover field goal, Sanchez hit a streaking Braylon Edwards with a perfect pass and the speedy wide receiver did the rest, sprinting 80 yards to the end zone and a 7-3 lead.

The Jets appeared eager to show the Colts that they could play with them and they did in the first half. Their #1 ranked defense came out with a vengeance, sacking Manning on consecutive plays in the first quarter and making the Colts earn every point in a closely played first half.

Sanchez connected with Dustin Keller on a 9-yard touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter to put the Jets up 14-6 then after the Jets defense forced a turnover they were able to turn it into 3 points when Jay Feely split the uprights for a 17-6 lead.

Manning and the Colts would prove they were unfazed by the Jets early success, quickly driving the field with Manning hooking up with rookie Austin Collie 3 times, the final one a 16-yard touchdown that cut the Jets lead to 17-13. It was the first TD allowed by the Jets stingy defense in the last 2:00 of the first half all season long.

When it was apparent that Darrelle Revis was containing one of Manning’s favorite target’s Reggie Wayne he had no problem finding 2nd year man Pierre Garcon and the rookie Collie for multiple completions and Jim Caldwell’s team went into locker room with regained momentum.

With the Jets’ secondary covering Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne, Manning chose Garcon who was drafted in the 6th round of the 2008 draft with the 205th pick and Collie who they acquired in the 2009 draft with the 127th pick as his primary targets.

Manning threw a perfect strike to Garcon for a 4 yard TD and a 20-17 lead in the 3rd quarter and later found Dallas Clark for a 15 yard TD and a 27-17 lead. Those scores were part of 21 unanswered points by the Colts.

The Colts defense also came into play, swarming the Jets’ potent rushing attack and holding them to just 89 yards on 29 carries.

The Jets had averaged 170 yards per game on the ground this postseason. Sanchez’ stats for the game were a respectable 17-of-30, 257 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT with two different receivers finishing with more than 100 receiving yards.

Before it was over, Peyton Manning proved why he is one of the most elite quarterbacks to ever play the game going 26-39 for 377 yards and 3 TD’s and becoming the first player in league history to throw for at least 300 yards on 7 different occasions in the playoffs.

Garcon finished with 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown while manning connected with Collie 7 times for 123 yards and a score. It was Collie’s first 100-yard game as a pro.

Jets coach Rex Ryan summed it up during post-game. “With Peyton Manning, if you can’t disrupt his rhythm, he’s going to kill you,” said Ryan.

Finishing off the scoring Stover booted a 21-yard field goal for a 30-17 lead at 5:33 in the final quarter then the Colts defense shut down Sanchez and the Jets securing a trip to Miami on February 7th.

MORE ARTICLES by DREW BASTIAN:

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Ravens Defense Smothers Brady and Blows Out Patriots

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax

MINNESOTA – Brett Favre entered today’s playoff game as only one of twelve players since 1966 to start a game at quarterback after the age of 40.

Prior to today, Favre had lost all three playoff games against the Dallas Cowboys in his career including in 1995 when Favre and the Green Bay Packers suffered a 38-27 defeat at the hands of Troy Aikman and Dallas.

Sunday would be different as Favre led his Minnesota Vikings to an easy 34-3 victory at the Metrodome.

Favre was quoted during an interview earlier in the week saying, “Doubt to me at times is a good thing. It makes you work harder.”

The only person to throw more touchdown passes after the age of 40 than Favre is Warren Moon, coming into today’s game Favre had 25 and Moon has 37. If Favre plays again next season as expected, he is on pace to pass Moon in that category sometime during the 2010 season.

The well-rested Minnesota Vikings came into this game after a two-week break knowing they had to protect Favre from the Cowboys aggressive pass rush that includes Demarcus Ware. The Cowboys talented pass rushers have put on some very strong performances in the past several weeks.

The Vikings’ offensive line was up to the task, allowing just two sacks the entire afternoon.

Favre connected early to his favorite target Sydney Rice for 47 yards and a 7-0 lead.

The Cowboys responded going down the field and getting into scoring position and Shaun Suisham connected on a 33-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.

Another Favre to Rice hookup for a 16-yard touchdown increased the Vikings lead to 14-3 and their defense took over from there, smothering Tony Romo and the Cowboys’ offense.

Romo was battered the entire game trying to avoid a swarming rush. He was sacked 6 times and hurried and hit on several other plays as the tenacious Vikings ‘D’ took control and dominated the game.

Shaun Suisham’s two missed field goals at crucial times in the game may have owner Jerry Jones and the ‘Boys shopping for another kicker next season.

Favre who has put up great numbers all year continued impressing today as he threw for 4 touchdowns finishing 15-of-24 for 234 yards and no interceptions.

His counterpart Romo fumbled three times losing two of them and was picked off once in another disappointing playoff performance.

The Vikings will head to New Orleans to take on the Saints in what should be their toughest matchup all year.
Favre is one win away from the Super Bowl.

His last trip to the big game was in 1998 when the Denver Broncos defeated him and his Packers 31-24. Favre’s one Super Bowl win was in 1997 when he defeated the New England Patriots 35-21.

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax