"I was able to make good pitches when I needed to" CLEVELAND -- As October's curtain rose, they were unknown underdogs. Nobody's calling the Cleveland Indians anything close to that now. via The Advocate

  Samuel Pahlsson scored a tiebreaking short-handed goal with 10:58 left in the third period to lead the defending champion Anaheim Ducks to a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. via Kentucky.com

  Eli Manning took advantage of an early Atlanta penalty to complete a 5-yard touchdown pass to Amani Toomer and added a 43-yard scoring pass to Plaxico Burress to give the New York Giants a 21-10 lead over the Falcons in the second quarter on Monday night.Reuben Droughns also scored on a 1-yard run for the Giants.The drive capped by Toomer's touchdown catch was kept alive when Falcons linebacker Demorrio Williams plowed into Giants punter Jeff Feagles for a roughing penalty.That gave the Giants a first down at the Atlanta 48, and Manning completed passes of 15 yards to Plaxico Burress, 10 yards to Toomer and 10 yards to Jeremy Shockey before completing the 5-yard scoring pass to Toomer. Read more

  "We won't surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas." Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson was fired Monday, two days after the school's once-mighty football team was rocked with its worst home loss in nearly a half-century. Pederson, along with coach Bill ... via Independent Record

  Oscar Pereiro is finally getting his hands on the winner's yellow jersey from the 2006 Tour de France. via KCTV Kansas City

  "This game could have went either way" Tom Brady threw for a career-high five touchdowns to keep New England undefeated with a 48-27 victory over Dallas in a highly-anticipated matchup at Texas Stadium. via Q1043.com

  "When you can take the sting out of them early ... I think it helped our confidence" No more slumbering lumber for the Colorado Rockies, who are one win away from roaring right into their first World Series. via Pasadena Star-News

  Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg each had a goal and two assists to lead the Detroit Red Wings over the Los Angeles Kings, 4-1, at the Staples Center. via Sports Network

  "We'll see at the end of November how things stand." Ohio State has been here before, leading the Bowl Championship Series standings. via Quick

  Dusty Baker was hired as manager of the Cincinnati Reds , agreeing to a three-year deal Saturday with a team coming off its seventh straight losing season and looking for stability at the top. via WKRC-TV Cincinnati