Lions 36 Raiders 21- And so what are we to make of the Raiders game? They absolutely sucked for a half, rallied to make a game of it, and then just as soon as they actually took a lead, fell completely apart. Just like that. Up 21-20 and on a serious roll, the Raiders promptly let the Lions roll eighty yards in seven plays to retake the lead. In response, the Raiders summoned up all they had and fought back by turning the ball over twice in a row. You could look at the good-- 375 yards of offense and great game s by LaMont Jordan and Ronald Curry or you could look at the bad-- missed field goals, turnovers, and an absolute inability to close. Or maybe it was the Lions who were unable to close? We guess we'll find out in the next few weeks whether the Raiders lost because they realized they were the Raiders and choked or whether the Raiders rallied because the Lions realized they were the Lions and choked.

Giants 4 Dodgers 2- True story-- we were waiting for the J over the weekend (it wasn't working as usual) when somebody next to us started telling us how excited he was to be going to his first Dodgers/Giants game and our reaction was to wonder if there's still baseball being played here. Oh yeah: turns out there is. And turns out the Giants took two-out-of-three from their hated rivals-- one led by the kids and the other by grizzled and much embattled veteran Ray Durham. If you were to make up a list of the biggest disappointments for the season, Durham would probably be #1, or at least in a good conversation with Barry Zito. Durham, after all, was resigned for a lot of money on the basis of a great season past and an ability to be Barry B's wingman. This year, he's been flirting badly with the Mendoza Line and the symbol of a team of aging vets aging rapidly before our eyes. But with a pinch three-run homer in the eighth, he at least can say he had one good moment in the sun and can say that he saved Matt Cain from yet another horrendously unfair loss.

Rangers 12 A's 9- It's looking like the A's had an even worse weekend than Britney's PR rep. Well, maybe not that bad. Down in Texas, the A's got swept by the Rangers and now find themselves in the dubious position of being tied for last place. This game was about as ugly as they come, especially as the rain dragged out the torture even longer than normal. The A's gave up eight runs in the second, rallied later in the game, and just like their Oakland football brethern, quickly threw it all away.