R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 10/5 - Friday 10/11

Notable happenings in the sports world this past week:

WNBA: The Minnesota Lynx swept the Atlanta Dream in three games to capture their second WNBA title in the past two seasons. Lynx All-Star forward Maya Moore was voted Most Valuable Player - averaging a little over 19 points and six rebounds per game in the three-game sweep.

 

MLB: The National League Championship Series got underway between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals, and as of Friday 10/11, the Red Birds have a 1-0 series lead with their 3-2, 13-inning victory at home. Game Two takes place Saturday afternoon 10/12 again in St. Louis, Missouri. Game One of the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers kicks off Saturday night 10/12 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachussetts.....The New York Yankees re-sign manager Joe Girardi to a four-year, $16M contract extension.

NFL: The Denver Broncos' "Mile High Express" continued its roll, edging out the Dallas Cowboys on the road 51-48. The 99 combined points scored by both teams were the second-highest total since the AFL-NFL merger 43 years ago. Cowboys QB Tony Romo threw for a franchise-record 502 yards in the loss. Broncos QB Peyton Manning threw four more TD passes to extend his record-breaking total of 20 in five games....The Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints are still undefeated through five games thus far. The New York Giants (0-6), Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5), Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (both 0-4) are all searching for victory #1 of the season....The teams that had Week #5 open were the Steelers, Bucs, Vikings and Redskins.....Atlanta Falcons All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones badly injured his right foot against the New York Jets at home, and will miss the remainder of the season....The Minnesota Vikings sign QB Josh Freeman.

College Football: Associated Press Top 10 - 1. Alabama  2. Oregon  3. Clemson  4. Ohio State  5. Stanford  6. Florida State  7. Georgia  8. Louisville  9. Texas A&M  10. LSU.....The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Northwestern on the road 40-30 to win their 18th consecutive game dating back to last season. OSU's next game comes on Saturdday 10/19 when they face the Iowa Hawkeyes on their home field in Columbus, Ohio.

Pro Tennis: #1 Serena Williams won her 10th WTA title of the year, besting eighth-seeded Jelena Jankovic in the China Open in Shanghai. On the men's side, Novak Djokovic defeated new #1 Rafael Nadal in straight sets to capture the China Open championship trophy.

Pro Golf: Captain Fred Couples and Team USA beat the International squad to win the Presidents Cup for the fifth consecutive time.

Pro Boxing: 37-year-old Wladimir Klitschko successfully defended his WBA and IBF Heavyweight titles with a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Alexander Povetkin in Moscow, Russia. Klitschko improved his career mark to 61-3 with the hard-fought victory.

Auto Racing: Three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti fractured two vertebrae, broke his right ankle and suffered a concussion in a crash racing in the Garnd Prix of Houston.

NHL: Through the first four games of the new season, the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche are the lone unbeatens thus far with perfect 4-0 records....19-year-old San Jose Sharks rookie left winger Tomas Hertl tallied four goals in a game at home against the New York Rangers, leading to a 9-2 win....Head coach firing - Peter Laviolette, Philadelphia Flyers.