Local football teams are keeping things busy for us here in The Beacon-News sports department. Of the seven area schools that qualified for the postseason, six earned victories in their first round games this weekend.

Waubonsie Valley got a huge monkey off its back with a 33-7 win over Brother Rice in Class 8A Friday night. The Warriors have had a long history of playoff failure -- this is the first time they've advanced to the second round since 2001.

I received a text message from reporter Jim Owczarski at halftime. The score was 7-7. I texted Jim back and told him the game would likely turn on a turnover or a special teams play. Amusingly, Waubonsie's Eric Josupait returned the opening kickoff of the second half 87 yards for a touchdown and the rout was on.

The Warriors got a career game from running back Austin Guido (pictured), who carried 22 times for 211 yards. Included was a 96-yard TD run in the fourth quarter that put the exclamation point on the victory.

Next up for Waubonsie, a second-round game with Homewood-Flossmoor.

Other winners around the area included Aurora Christian, Kaneland, Geneva, Marmion and Sandwich. The only team to lose was Batavia, which fell 23-14 to top-seeded and undefeated Lemont in 6A action Saturday night.

Aurora Christian scored a surprisingly easy 38-0 win at Oregon Friday night. The Eagles (6-4) will face a tougher opponent in the second round next week in undefeated Wilmington. The last time we saw the Wildcats in this area, they handed Sandwich its only loss of the season, 34-14 in Week 9.

Speaking of the Indians (9-1), congratulations to coach Derek Avery and his players on winning the first playoff game in Sandwich school history Saturday night -- 49-14 over Chicago Harper. The Indians' double-wing was rolling, 347 rushing yards on 56 carries. Next up, a stern test against perennial state power Geneseo (9-1). I gotta believe Sandwich is the underdog in that one, but by the same token, this is a huge opportunity for the Indians to put themselves on the map as a program.

Kaneland is already on the map, and the Knights (10-0) destroyed Chicago King 42-0 in their playoff opener Friday night. As a matter of fact, the score was 42-0 at halftime. Most predictable blowout ever. You knew it would be no contest. Next up for Kaneland, a second round 5A match with Crystal Lake South (8-2).

Marmion used its tried-and-true formula to beat T.F. North 24-0 Friday night -- stingy defense, opportunistic offense and 191 rushing yards. Next up, the Cadets (9-1) will try their luck against T.F. South in a second round 6A match.

How hot is Geneva's offense right now? 69 points for the second straight week. This time the victim was Oak Forest. The Vikings scored 27 points in the second quarter Saturday to seize a 41-14 halftime lead. They went on for a 69-28 victory. It will be real interesting to see how Geneva fares against aforementioned undefeated Lemont next week. Batavia played Lemont much tougher than many expected, perhaps suggesting that Geneva has a good shot to win next week.

It's not quite time to get out the basketballs yet. We've got another exciting week with six playoff football games coming next Friday and Saturday.

It didn't seem like much of anything was going on Tuesday night. Now we know why. All the good stuff in the sporting world was happening Wednesday night: We had Game 1 of the World Series, the Blackhawks playing at home against a good Los Angeles Kings team and the Bulls opening their season down in Oklahoma City.

In case you missed any of it, we'll fill you in on all the action here.

Game 1 of the World Series featured an outstanding pitching matchup. Texas left-hander Cliff Lee, perhaps the best postseason pitcher of this era, was opposed by San Francisco ace right-hander Tim Lincecum.

Most people expected a 2-1 or 3-2 thriller. And, naturally, both pitchers stunk and San Francisco came away with an 11-7 victory. Lee suffered the first postseason loss of his career. Prior to this, he had been 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA in eight playoff starts.

That ERA jumped up to 1.96 after Lee surrendered seven runs, six earned, on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings. Lincecum was only somewhat better as he allowed four runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Former Sox infielder Juan Uribe capped a six-run rally for the Giants in the fifth inning with a three-run homer off Texas right-hander Darren O'Day. The blast put San Francisco up 8-2, and the Rangers never really got back in the game.

Who knew that game would be a slugfest? You never know in baseball.....

Blackhawks 3, Kings 1

The Blackhawks are still giving up way too many shots against. Marty Turco made 33 saves, including 15 in the third period, to preserve this win for the Hawks. Los Angeles held a 34-28 advantage in shots on goal.

Hawks winger Marian Hossa left the game early in the second period with an undisclosed upper-body injury. No word yet on the severity, but the Hawks can ill afford to lose Hossa, who has been red-hot in the early going with seven goals in his first 11 games.

About the only player hotter than Hossa right now is Hawks forward Patrick Sharp. The veteran scored again Wednesday night, a tally late in the third period that gave the Hawks a much-needed insurance goal. Sharp leads the NHL with nine goals. He has scored at least one goal in six of his last seven games.

Thunder 106, Bulls 95

The Bulls began their season with a loss, but I wasn't really expecting them to win on the road against a talented Oklahoma City team. The game was tied at 82-all going into the fourth quarter, but the Bulls managed just 13 points over the final 12 minutes of the game.

Derrick Rose scored a team-high 28 points, but he had to take 31 shots to get those points. That's too many. Rose is going to need more help offensively until Carlos Boozer (fractured finger) returns to the lineup.

Luol Deng scored just 13 points Wednesday. Not good enough. The Bulls need Deng to score around 20 if they are going to beat quality teams without Boozer. In addition, bench production was lacking. Only four points for Kyle Korver in 15 minutes. Ronnie Brewer was 0 for 6 from the field and had just three points in just over 15 minutes of action. Those guys are capable of more.

Oklahoma City shot 47 free throws in this game. The Bulls shot 22. The Thunder outscored Chicago 38-13 from the stripe. There's your ballgame.

The White Sox made their first series of offseason moves Tuesday. All of them were no-brainers.

The club exercised the 2011 options on left-handed reliever Matt Thornton and backup catcher Ramon Castro. The Sox also waived right-handed pitcher Carlos Torres, who spent most of the season in Triple-A Charlotte.

Thornton's salary increases from $2.25 million in 2010 to $3 million in 2011. He's worth every penny, especially if he inherits the closer's job from Bobby Jenks -- who doesn't seem likely to return to the South Side next season. Thornton went 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 2010, including a career-best eight saves. He also led all American League relievers with 81 strikeouts in 60.2 innings pitched.

I have no idea who the Sox starting catcher will be next season, but we know Castro will be the backup. The veteran will make $1.2 million in 2011. Castro displayed competency both offensively and defensively for the Sox this past season, finishing with a .278 average and eight home runs. Those are respectable numbers for a part-time player.

As for Torres, I'm glad he's gone. He has no business in Major League Baseball. I spent a good chunk of September mocking Sox fans who wanted the team to shut down veteran starters like Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia in order to give Torres and fellow Quad-A pitcher Lucas Harrell more opportunities. I said at the time the Sox would be in trouble if guys like Torres and Harrell were on the Opening Day roster for 2011. We know now Torres won't be around. Thank goodness.

In other baseball news, Sox bench coach Joey Cora is a finalist for the Milwaukee Brewers managerial job. If Cora jumps, wouldn't it be funny if Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen brings Cubbie legend Ryne Sandberg on to his staff?

Sandberg was recently passed over for the Cubs managing job, which went to Mike Quade. The Hall of Famer will not be on Quade's staff on the North Side, but he reportedly has an offer to manage the Cubs' Triple-A team in Iowa again.

If I were Sandberg, I think I'd try to find my way into a Major League dugout in 2011. Sandberg has nothing left to prove as a minor-league manager, and he obviously has reached a glass ceiling with the Cubs. If he can't get a MLB managing job, the next logical step for him would be to join a Major League club as either a bench coach or a base coach.

I'd be stunned if Sandberg put on a White Sox uniform, but you never know.

Chief Illiniwek lives on at the University of Illinois. He was seen in the horseshoe during Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium, a 43-13 win for the Illini. The Chief appears at the 12:15 mark of this video:

Down with political correctness! Down with intolerant liberals!

While we're on this topic, here's a good column on the Chief by my former UIUC classmate, Dave Wischnowsky.

After the San Francisco Giants won the National League pennant Saturday night, first baseman Aubrey Huff was quoted as saying, "The whole world wanted to see the Phillies and Yankees in the World Series. But you know what? It's time for new blood."

Huff is only half-right. It is definitely time for new blood, but he is mistaken if he thinks the whole world wanted to see another World Series between New York and Philadelphia. Almost everyone I know was actively rooting for both San Francisco and the Texas Rangers.

That's definitely the matchup I wanted in the World Series, and that's the matchup we're going to get. Of course, this has led to the inevitable stories about how TV ratings are going to suck for this series.

This just in: I don't care if the damn ratings are going to suck. I don't care if the series "lacks household names." Let's be honest -- "household names" equals "Yankees." And I'm personally delighted the Yankees lost. To hell with Nick Swisher.

Just because neither the Yankees nor the Boston Red Sox are participating in the World Series does not mean the baseball is going to be boring. I love baseball and I'll follow what is going on in the World Series regardless of which teams are playing.

The Rangers are in the World Series for the first time in the 49-year history of their franchise. It's a great story. The Giants are an odd mishmash of mostly veteran players that other teams didn't want. They are also a great story.

To say that "no one cares" about this World Series is an insult to these two organizations and their two fan bases. They mostly certainly care.

This has the potential to be a great series. The New York Yankees are not missed. Let's enjoy the final baseball games of the season.

Time to re-energize the batteries. I'm taking a week off. Blogging will resume when I return to the office on Monday, Oct. 25.

Over the past few seasons, Kaneland has been known for its dynamic and diverse passing attack.

Well, guess what? The Knights can line up and run over you, too, and Sycamore found that out the hard way Friday night. Kaneland rushed 35 times for 188 yards and two touchdowns in earning a 30-13 victory in a battle between the last two unbeatens in the Northern Illinois Big 12 East.

The Knights converted 17 first downs during Friday night's game, and 12 of them came on rushing plays. Bet you didn't expect that one. I sure didn't.

Jim Owczarski, our man on the scene, said Kaneland used five different formations during an 11-play, 52-yard drive that chewed up more than six minutes off the first quarter clock. We already knew the Knights could throw. Now, we know they can run it and run it against a good team. That's going to come in handy in the Class 5A playoffs.

With the win, the Knights come one step closer to wrapping up the conference title and an undefeated regular season. All that stands in their way is a 6-2 Morris team next week, but I'll go with Kaneland in that one as well. I stated it way back at the start of the season -- of all the teams in our coverage area, Kaneland is the biggest threat to go deep in the state playoffs.

With all due respect to Marmion and Sandwich, I've seen nothing the first eight weeks that convinces me otherwise.

Elsewhere around the area, West Aurora and Oswego stayed in the playoff race with one-sided victories. However, both teams face must-win games next Friday night and both will be underdogs in their respective contests.

West Aurora (4-4) rolled Glenbard East 55-32 Friday night. However, it would take a miracle for the Blackhawks to beat undefeated Wheaton Warrenville South next week. The Tigers just might be the best team in the state. Given the difficulty of the DuPage Valley Conference schedule, the West players can exit with their heads held high if they do indeed finish 4-5. If they win next week, well, throw those kids a damn parade.

Oswego routed hapless Plainfield Central 41-14 to get back to the .500 mark. The Panthers have a better chance of winning next week than West High does, but the task is still daunting. Oswego must win at 7-1 Minooka to get to five-win mark and achieve playoff-eligibility.

Here are the rest of the scores from around the area:
Aurora Christian 40, Immaculate Conception 14 (Eagles punch their playoff ticket with this win.)
Geneva 31, South Elgin 28 (Last-second FG for the Vikings.)
Marmion 48, Chicago Christian 7 (Cadets stay unbeaten.)
Waubonsie Valley 51, East Aurora 0 (Ouch!)
Lake Park 26, Metea Valley 19
St. Charles North 38, Batavia 28 (4-4 Bulldogs must win at Streamwood next week.)
DeKalb 27, Yorkville 24, OT (Playoff bubble bursts for Foxes.)
Reed-Custer 27, Plano 22
Sandwich 24, Seneca 0 (Indians move to 8-0.)
St. Francis 42, Aurora Central 7
Plainfield North 34, Oswego East 14
Mooseheart 48, Kirkland Hiawatha 6 (4-4 Ramblers still have a shot at playoffs.)

This will make you feel better:

Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell is never going to be a beloved player in Chicago. If you wander the 300 level concourse at the United Center, you will see few -- if any -- fans wearing Campbell's No. 51 sweater.

You see, Blackhawk fans like their defenseman tough, physical and hard-nosed. Campbell is none of those things. He never has been and never will be the kind of guy who clears the front of the net aggressively. He's not going to drop the mitts and duke it out with any of the league's heavyweights either. And, he makes $7 million per year, creating the belief that he is vastly overpaid. Thus, no love from the faithful at the UC.

All that said, I believe the Blackhawks need a healthy, effective Campbell if they hope to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. You may recall that Campbell broke his collarbone last March 14 in a loss to the Washington Capitals. The Hawks dropped five of their next seven games after that.

Campbell returned to the lineup in Game 4 of the Hawks' first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators. After dropping two of their first three postseason games without Campbell, the Hawks went 15-4 after he came back and secured their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

Now, Campbell is out again with a sprained knee, and the Hawks have looked sickly on the back end during a 1-2-1 start to the season. Maybe Campbell isn't worth the $7 million a year. In fact, he isn't. But he's a helluva lot more valuable than a lot of people realize.

The key to the Hawks' success the last two years has been their transition game. You can't make the transition from defense to offense if your defensemen can't make that first pass to get you out of the zone. That's something Campbell does exceptionally well. He is also capable of skating the puck out of harm's way. The John Scotts and Nick Boyntons of the world just can't do that.

When the Hawks are healthy on the back end, their top four defensemen are the best group in the league at getting the puck out of the zone and starting the offense. Having Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook on the first defense pairing and Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson on the second pairing gives the Hawks an advantage over every other team in hockey.

But right now, Campbell is injured and Hjalmarsson is suspended. The Hawks are struggling to get out of their own end. As a result, they are struggling on the scoreboard as well. Keith and Seabrook are good, but they can't do it all. The Hawks need Campbell back. Once he comes back, they need him healthy for the rest of the year.

This just in: Cliff Lee is pretty damn tough in the playoffs. I sure wouldn't want to face the Texas left-hander in a winner-take-all game, but that was the situation the Tampa Bay Rays found themselves in Tuesday night.

Predictably, the Rays lost. Lee fired a complete-game, six-hitter with 11 strikeouts as the Rangers prevailed 5-1 in Game 5 of the American League Division Series. For the series, Lee went 2-0 and struck out 21 batters in 16 innings pitched. He allowed just two runs.

Lee is now 6-0 with a 1.44 ERA in seven career postseason starts. With the win, the Rangers complete baseball's final four. Texas will face the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Philadelphia and San Francisco will play in the NLCS.

Heading into the ALCS, you have to feel like the Yankees have the advantage. They swept the Minnesota Twins, affording them the opportunity to set their rotation. Ace left-hander C.C. Sabathia is ready to go for New York in Friday's opener, while Texas will have to use its second-best pitcher, left-hander C.J. Wilson. Lee probably won't be available to the Rangers again until Game 3. The one benefit for Texas: Lee could start Game 7 if the series goes that far.

On the National League side, you gotta feel like it's Philadelphia's tournament to lose. Heck, the Phillies are probably strong enough to beat the Yankees this year with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels at the front of their rotation. Not even mighty New York can match that trio.

But first, Philadelphia has to get past the Giants, who have some pretty good starting pitching themselves. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez are an awfully good top three, especially with Sanchez throwing the ball as well as he ever has in his career right now. The left-hander has allowed only five earned runs in his last seven starts, a span of 43 2/3 innings.

San Francisco should be able to hang tough pitching-wise, but Philadelphia has a clear advantage offensively. The Phillies have had continuity with their starting lineup over the last few years -- Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz -- it's the same faces that have gone to the World Series the last two years.

Experience is a big advantage for both Philadelphia and New York in this next round. Until Tuesday night, Texas had never won a postseason series in franchise history. For the Giants, this is their first playoff run since the end of the Barry Bonds era.

Since the Phillies and Yankees played in the World Series last year, I'd prefer to see some new blood. I'm rooting for the Rangers and the Giants. Meanwhile, I'm fully expecting both the Phillies and Yankees to win again.

This week's edition of The Sporting News arrived in my mailbox today. Blackhawks stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane and Bulls center Joakim Noah are pictured on the cover, along with the Stanley Cup. The magazine has named Chicago as the country's best sports city for 2010. They've devoted seven or eight pages to the city's sports teams, and it's a nice read.

In particular, being a baseball nerd, I enjoyed this little feature they had on the all-time lineups for the White Sox and Cubs. Here's what they had listed for each team:

Sox: Carlton Fisk, C; Frank Thomas, 1B; Eddie Collins, 2B (What? No D'Angelo Jiminez?); Robin Ventura, 3B; Luke Appling, SS; Joe Jackson, OF; Minnie Minoso, OF; Magglio Ordonez, OF; Harold Baines, DH.

Cubs: Gabby Hartnett, C; Cap Anson, 1B (What? No Phil Nevin?); Ryne Sandberg, 2B; Ron Santo, 3B; Ernie Banks, SS; Billy Williams, OF; Hack Wilson, OF; Sammy Sosa, OF.

Sox pitchers: Red Faber, Ted Lyons, Ed Walsh, Billy Pierce, Eddie Cicotte in the rotation; Hoyt Wilhelm, Wilbur Wood and Bobby Thigpen in the bullpen.

Cubs pitchers: Fergie Jenkins, Mordecai Brown, Pete Alexander, Greg Maddux and Charlie Root in the rotation; Carlos Marmol, Don Elston and Lee Smith in bullpen.

Marmol? I guess the Cubs haven't had many good relief pitchers, huh? They've got a nice lineup though. It does seem like the Sox have a much richer history in terms of pitching. Guys like Jack McDowell and Mark Buehrle didn't even make this list.

The magazine also features a guest column by Dick Butkus and remarks from other notable Chicago sports figures such as Denis Savard, Toews, Steve Stone, Mike Ditka, Gordon Beckham, Ryan Dempster, Richard Dent, Scottie Pippen, Bobby Jenks and Mark Aguirre.

The magazine is worth picking up if you happen to see it on your local newsstand.

It is often said the most popular player on any NFL roster is the backup quarterback. He never plays; therefore he never loses a game. And since he never loses a game, the fans and media adore him. Every time a starting QB throws a pick or has a poor performance, there's always that meatball element that wants the head coach to make a change at the most important position on the field.

Spare me.

I hate backup quarterbacks. Hate 'em with a passion. I can't stand to watch backup quarterbacks play. I cringe whenever I hear about college football teams running a "two quarterback system." Two quarterbacks means you've got no quarterbacks, dude. In the NFL, you know it's going to be a rough ride whenever the starting quarterback gets injured.

Look at what happened in the Bears game on Sunday. Sure, the Bears won 23-6 over the hapless, winless Carolina Panthers, but the victory certainly had nothing to do with the performance of backup quarterback Todd Collins -- 6 for 16 for 32 yards, no touchdowns, four interceptions. In other words, Collins completed almost as many passes to Carolina defenders as he did to his own receivers.

Here's what is really pathetic about that performance: the Bears ran the ball great Sunday. They forced Carolina to place eight men in the box to stop the run and invite the pass. Collins still couldn't pass. The Bears piled up 218 rushing yards, the franchise's best since a 223-yard effort against the Phoenix Cardinals on Oct. 28, 1990. Back then, Mike Ditka was coach and I was still in high school. Even with the Bears' best rushing performance in nearly 20 years helping him out, Collins sucked. Pathetic. Embarrassing. Difficult to watch.

I'd say there's only one reason Collins still has a job today -- the Bears guaranteed him $1 million for this season. The team is not going to pay him to go sit at home. He'll be around the rest of the year, so Bears fans have to pray Jay Cutler gets healthy and stays healthy. Apparently, Cutler is feeling better and might play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

Sunday's debacle should teach us two lessons: 1) This is the last year in the NFL for Collins. You're more likely to see Vinny Testaverde on an NFL roster next season and 2) Be grateful the Bears have a player like Cutler. Yeah, he throws some interceptions. But he's also capable of making big plays and stealing a win for you. That's something you're never gonna get out of some backup quarterback.

No matter how bad it gets, you should never, never call for your team to replace a legit starter with a backup quarterback. It's silly. Backups are backups for a reason.

Zzzzzzz....

If it's drama you want, you won't find any of it here. The seventh week of the high school football season produced a lot of blowouts. In fact, all 12 games in The Beacon-News coverage area Friday night were decided by two scores or more.

The biggest shock had to be the 43-6 whupping Neuqua Valley put on Waubonsie Valley over at North Central College. The Warriors entered the evening 3-0 in the Upstate Eight Valley and needed a win to take the next step toward locking up a conference title. Instead, they committed six turnovers and got drilled by their biggest rival.

Now, the Upstate Eight Valley race is anybody's to win. As expected, Bartlett hammered Metea Valley 41-7 Friday night and South Elgin slaughtered East Aurora 52-8.

That means South Elgin holds a slim lead in the conference now with a 4-1 record. Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley and Bartlett are all 3-1.

Bartlett hosts Neuqua Valley next week, and Waubonsie Valley travels to South Elgin in Week 9. Those are the two biggest contests remaining in terms of untangling this mess.

In Northern Illinois Big 12 East action Friday night, both Kaneland and Sycamore remained unbeaten. The Knights rolled Yorkville 34-13, while Sycamore got past Rochelle 28-24. Both squads stand at 7-0. Sycamore travels to Kaneland next Friday night for a showdown that will likely decide the conference title.

Here is the complete list of scores from around the area. It wasn't pretty for a lot of teams:
Plainfield South 57, Oswego 30
Montini 42, Aurora Christian 0
Neuqua Valley 43, Waubonsie Valley 6
Glenbard North 34, West Aurora 21
South Elgin 52, East Aurora 8
Batavia 28, Elgin 7
St. Edward 31, Aurora Central 0
Bartlett 41, Metea Valley 7
Geneva 48, Streamwood 7
Romeoville 45, Oswego East 20
Kaneland 34, Yorkville 13
Mooseheart 18, Chicago Hope 7

Don't forget two of the area's three remaining unbeatens will be in action Saturday afternoon. Plano hosts 6-0 Sandwich in the "War on 34" at 1:30. Marmion Academy (6-0) will celebrate homecoming with a 1 p.m. kick against Walther Lutheran.

My colleague Jim Owczarski sends me an e-mail today, asking "There has to be an entire team of former Sox in the playoffs, right?"

Well, The Fire and The Passion (pictured above) is in the playoffs. Let's see if we can field a whole team of former Sox currently participating in the MLB playoffs:

1B: Ross Gload, Philadelphia
2B: Wilson Valdez, Philadelphia
SS: Orlando Cabrera, Cincinnati
3B: Juan Uribe, San Francisco
C: ?????
LF: ?????
CF: Aaron Rowand, San Francisco
RF: Nick Swisher, N.Y. Yankees
DH: Jim Thome, Minnesota

SP: Javier Vazquez, N.Y. Yankees
SP: Jose Contreras, Philadelphia
RP: Boone Logan, N.Y. Yankees
RP: Nick Masset, Cincinnati
RP: Jon Rauch, Minnesota
RP: Matt Guerrier, Minnesota

Damn. We don't have a catcher or a left fielder. Am I missing anybody? Let me know if I am...

One reason baseball is my favorite sport: Every day there's a chance you'll see something you've never seen before. I had never seen a no-hitter thrown in a postseason game before -- until today.

Roy Halladay was incredible Wednesday in Philadelphia's 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS. The veteran right-hander is no stranger to no-hitters -- he tossed a perfect game at Florida on May 29. But I've already heard and read some comments that Halladay was even more dominant against the Reds than he was that day against the Marlins.

I believe it. From what I saw, the Reds never got close to getting a hit. Halladay had incredible movement on his fastball. The sinking action led to 12 groundball outs for Cincinnati; all of them weakly struck. Halladay's control was pinpoint. He could throw his breaking ball for a strike whenever he wanted to. With most no-hitters or perfect games, a pitcher needs a good defensive play or two made behind him. That wasn't really the case this time.

Philadelphia right fielder Jayson Werth caught a sinking liner off the bat of Cincinnati pitcher Travis Wood in the third inning, and that was about the only play that had any degree of difficulty at all. Cincinnati's only baserunner came in the fifth, when Jay Bruce walked on a 3-2 pitch with two outs.

Halladay's no-hitter is only the second in postseason history. The other was the famous perfect game thrown by Don Larsen of the New York Yankees in the 1956 World Series. Halladay's game was quite a way to start off what should be an exciting MLB postseason.

Texas 5, Tampa Bay 1

Cliff Lee wasn't as dominant as Halladay, but he did strike out 10 over seven innings to lead Texas to a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay.

A close call went Lee's way early, and he took full advantage. Tampa Bay had the bases loaded with one out in the first inning. Carlos Pena was at the plate. Lee's 2-1 pitch rode up and in, and Pena backed out of the way. It appeared to be ball three, but the umpire ruled the ball had ticked Pena's bat. Replay showed otherwise. Instead of a 3-1 count with the bases loaded, it was 2-2. That's a big difference.

Lee eventually struck Pena out looking on a 3-2 pitch for the second out. He struck Rocco Baldelli out as well and got out of trouble. The Rays never had a serious threat again -- their only run coming on a solo home run by Ben Zobrist.

Tampa Bay really struggles against left-handed pitching. The Rays couldn't handle Lee at all. We'll see if they can do better against the Rangers' other lefty starter, C.J. Wilson, in Game 2.

New York 6, Minnesota 4

In a game that ended late, the Yankees continued their postseason mastery of the Twins. Mark Teixeira's two-run homer in the seventh inning off Jesse Crain provided the winning margin.

I've been to several hockey games and basketball games at the United Center in my lifetime. I've even taken public transportation to get there on numerous occasions. I've made the three-block walk from the Blue Line to the arena several times. I've never been mugged. According to a new study, I'm among the lucky ones.

Apparently, anyone walking down Lake (a couple blocks north of the UC) between Damen and Western has a 1 in 4 chance of being a victim of a crime.

Who knew? Given those odds, it's a wonder anyone in Chicago is still alive.

As we wait for the baseball playoffs to begin, we'll take one last look at the 2010 White Sox, assigning letter grades to each of the players on the roster:

Paul Konerko, 1B
.312 avg., 39 HRs, 111 RBIs
Grade: A
Comment: I really don't care if Konerko is going to be 35 years old on Opening Day next year. If this guy leaves via free agency, it will be hard to replace his production. The Sox can't afford to give Konerko a blank check by any means, but they have to do as much as possible to retain him.

Omar Vizquel, INF
.276, 2 HRs, 30 RBIs
Grade: A
Comment: Once Vizquel became the regular third baseman in June, ground balls to the left side of the infield started getting caught. Sox pitchers suddenly began pitching better and the team started winning. Coincidence? We think not. Vizquel is ancient, but he's still an elite defender and his bat was surprisingly good.

Chris Sale, LHP
2-1, 1.93 ERA, 4 Sv, 32 Ks in 23.1 innings
Grade: A
Comment: It will be interesting to see what the Sox do with Sale next season. He's already proven he can pitch effectively out of the bullpen. But is his future as a starter? And if so, how soon?

Matt Thornton, LHP
5-4, 2.67 ERA, 8 Sv, 81 Ks in 60.2 innings
Grade: A
Comment: Another consistent, solid campaign from one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball. The Sox have an club option on him. It's a no-brainer to pick that up.

J.J. Putz, RHP
7-5, 2.83 ERA, 3 Sv, 65 Ks in 54 innings
Grade: A
Comment: This guy was unhittable from mid-May until the end of July. He was unscored upon for 27 straight outings. A nagging knee injury bothered Putz late in the year, but he did more than enough to earn himself a contract for next year. Will it be with the Sox?

Sergio Santos, RHP
2-2, 2.96 ERA, 56 Ks in 51.2 innings
Grade: A
Comment: Who would have thought this guy would have been so solid so quickly after converting from shortstop to pitcher? He needs to work on his control, but he was still pretty damn effective despite his wildness.

Freddy Garcia, RHP
12-6, 4.64 ERA in 28 GS
Grade: A
Comment: Even manager Ozzie Guillen thought Garcia would break down by midseason. He did not. With any help from the bullpen at all, Garcia would have won 15 or 16 games. He was consistent from start to finish.

Alex Rios, CF
.284 avg., 21 HRs, 88 RBIs, 34 SB
Grade: A-
Comment: Solid player, both offensively and defensively. The hole the Sox had in CF since the trade of Aaron Roward after the 2005 season is finally filled. Rios tapered off a bit in the second half, but the overall performance justifies his $14 million salary.

Alexei Ramirez, SS
.282 avg., 18 HRs, 70 RBIs, 13 SB
Grade: B
Comment: How good would this guy be if he would show up for the first two months of the season? From June to September, Ramirez was an elite player at his position. Too bad he takes April and May off every year.

Juan Pierre, LF
.275 avg., 1 HR, 47 RBIs, 68 SB
Grade: B
Comment: Pierre led the league in steals and played a surprisingly good LF. The guys shows up and plays hard every single day. He appeared in 160 games this season. But like Ramirez, he slumped badly early and that was part of the reason the Sox got off to a slow start.

Edwin Jackson, RHP
4-2, 3.24 ERA in 11 GS, 77 Ks in 75 IP
Grade: B
Comment: Nice midseason acquisition. His numbers in Arizona were poor, but his performance with the Sox was clearly above average. Coop will fix 'em, indeed.

John Danks, LHP
15-11, 3.72 ERA in 32 GS, 162 Ks in 213 IP
Grade: B
Comment: With 21 quality starts, he was the Sox best starting pitcher. I think this guy has "ace" stuff, but he hasn't reached that level yet. Perhaps I'm grading Danks down a bit, because I have such high standards for him.

Gordon Beckham, 2B
.252 avg., 9 HRs, 49 RBIs, 25 2Bs
Grade: B-
Comment: Really, really struggled the first half, then came on to bat .310 the second half of the year. His defense at 2B improved as the year progressed. His slump didn't kill him, so it should make him stronger in the future.

Ramon Castro, C
.278 avg., 8 HRs, 21 RBIs in 128 plate appearances
Grade: B
Comment: No complaints about the backup catcher this year. Castro demonstrated competence both offensively and defensively. A couple of his home runs were clutch. Thank goodness we don't have to put up with Toby Hall anymore.

Tony Pena, RHP
5-3, 5.10 ERA, 56 Ks in 100.2 innings
Grade: C+
Comment: Tough guy to grade. He ate up a ton of innings. He was a staff saver at times. I can think of no fewer than three games that were won this season because Pena came on in long relief and rescued the Sox. Other times, he was just an arsonist. He's arbitration-eligible, so the club has an interesting decision here.

Mark Buehrle, LHP
13-13, 4.28 ERA in 33 GS, 210 innings
Grade: C
Comment: Ho hum, another year, another 200-plus innings pitched. That said, it was a pretty average season for the leader of the Sox staff.

Andruw Jones, OF
.230 avg., 19 HRs, 48 RBIs, 9 SBs
Grade: C
Comment: Hey, he was only making $500,000 this year. He was a decent value for the money. He's still a good defender and has a little pop in his bat. Too many strikeouts to play every day anymore, however.

Gavin Floyd, RHP
10-13, 4.08 ERA in 31 GS, 151 Ks in 187.1 innings
Grade: C-
Comment: Sigh ... the same old pattern from this talented, but underachieving pitcher. Terrible in April and May, dominant in June and July, runs out of gas at the end of the year. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Bobby Jenks, RHP
1-3, 4.44 ERA, 27 Sv, 61 Ks in 52.2 innings
Grade: C-
Comment: For $7.5 million, you expect better. This is the second straight season Jenks' injuries have cost the Sox. He didn't pitch after Sept. 4. He's arbitration-eligible, and he's a classic non-tender candidate. I'd be stunned if he's back with the Sox next year.

Carlos Quentin, RF
.243 avg., 26 HRs, 87 RBIs
Grade: C-
Comment: I'm disappointed. I was really hoping for more consistency out of Quentin this year. Instead, he was the streakiest player on the team. When he was hot, boy, did he kill the opposition. But when he was cold, he killed the Sox. This guy has the talent to do better.

A.J. Pierzynski, C
.270 avg., 9 HRs, 56 RBIs
Grade: D+
Comment: His numbers are deceptively good. His average was hovering in the .230s into August. A late hot streak saved his season. Not exactly the way a player wants to enter free agency. Lucky for him, the Sox have no better option at the position and he can probably command a two- or three-year deal.

Mark Teahen, IF/OF
.258 avg. 4 HRs, 25 RBIs
Grade: D
Comment: Enough with the former Royals already. How the Sox thought this guy could be the long-term answer at 3B is beyond me. He's a utility player on his best day.

Brent Lillibridge, IF/OF
.224 avg., 2 HRs, 16 RBIs
Grade: D
Comment: No more than a bench player. He had a midseason hot streak, but his batting average plummeted quickly at the end of the season when he was filling in for the injured Beckham at 2B. Really a fringe player.

Scott Linebrink, RHP
3-2, 4.40 ERA, 52 Ks in 57.1 innings
Grade: D
Comment: Only one more year left on his awful contract. Can't be trusted in key situations. One of the most expensive mop-up men in baseball.

Jake Peavy, RHP
7-6, 4.63 ERA in 17 starts, 93 Ks in 107 IP
Grade: D
Comment: Like Danks, he's being graded harshly because of my extremely high expectations for him. He should be an ace. He was starting to pitch like one when he got injured in early July. But what good are you if you're hurt?

Manny Ramirez
.261 avg., 1 HR, 2 RBIs in 88 plate appearances
Grade: F
Comment: It was a risk worth taking, but it didn't work out. Cut bait and move on.

Mark Kotsay
.239 avg., 8 HR, 31 RBIs in 359 plate appearances
Grade: F
Comment: He was given way more responsibility than he can handle. 359 plate appearances? Seriously? Kotsay is lucky he's still in baseball.

There you have it. It will be an interesting offseason ahead...

I'm a day late with this, I know. Due to a late schedule change, I didn't work Friday night because we needed someone to work Saturday. So, I'm here tonight, offering my comments on Friday night football.

I used the night off to head over to West Aurora to watch the Blackhawks take on West Chicago. It was a sloppy game, but an entertaining one. West Aurora shot itself in the foot with a ton of penalties, but ultimately pulled off a 29-28 win to move to 3-3 for the season and stay in the hunt for a postseason bid.

It was really a tale of two halves. West Chicago couldn't seem to get a first down in the first half and West Aurora took a 14-0 lead to the break. In the second half, the Wildcats scored on their first four possessions to erase a 21-7 deficit and take a 28-21 lead with about three minutes to go.

West roared back with a nice touchdown drive with the game on the line. The Blackhawks scored with 50 seconds left. Credit West coach Buck Drach with a gutsy call to go for two and the win. Quarterback Josh Campbell hit Nate Zinzer for the conversion, and West's homecoming celebration was on.

I really like what Drach did there. His defense wasn't stopping anybody. The offense was in rhythm after effectively marching down the field. All you need is three yards for the win. Go out there and get it done. That's what West did.

Nice game by Zinzer overall, too. He had three touchdown catches in addition to the two-point conversion. Zinzer is just a little guy, but he's got game-breaking speed. That's a nice weapon to have in your offense.

Marmion 42, Aurora Christian 20

The two Aurora private schools played for the first time Friday night, and by all accounts, this game was a classic case of a Class 6A team playing against a Class 3A team. Marmion is too big, too physical and too strong for Aurora Christian.

The Cadets remain unbeaten at 6-0 and are continuing their march toward a second straight Suburban Christian Blue title. Aurora Christian falls to 4-2. If the Eagles can get that fifth win and get into the playoffs, I think they will benefit from playing bigger schools like Marmion.

AC has a tough road ahead, remaning games against Montini, Immaculate Conception and Wheaton St. Francis. Not an easy one in the bunch. But the Eagles only need to win one, and if they do, they'll be a dangerous 5-4 team in the Class 3A playoffs.

Here are the other scores from Friday night:
Geneva 40, Batavia 21
Plainfield North 49, Oswego 43
Neuqua Valley 42, Metea Valley 0
Waubonsie Valley 56, Larkin 21
Lake Park 42, East Aurora 0
Immaculate Conception 42, Aurora Central 14
Peotone 26, Plano 12
Sandwich 29, Manteno 7
Kaneland 42, DeKalb 7
Yorkville 25, Rochelle 12 (big win for the Foxes here)
Minooka 42, Oswego East 34