A-Rod, Papelbon, Orton, and random observations on the wonderful world of sports

In the words of the great San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Scott Ostler, here are my deep thoughts, cheap shots, and bon mots:

---Well that was fast. Three of the four series in the baseball postseason resulted in sweeps, as the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, and Los Angeles Dodgers made quick work of the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals. Of the three teams that have departed, nobody feels worse than Jonathan Papelbon, Joe Nathan, and Matt Holliday.

---Nathan fell victim to the late-inning heroics of Alex Rodriguez (more on A-Rod in a moment), blowing the save at Yankee Stadium in Game 2. Matt Holliday muffed a routine fly ball that would have given the Cardinals the victory at Dodger Stadium in Game 2 had he caught it. And Jonathan Papelbon's plight is worst of all. Papelbon speedily retired the first two Angels batters he faced in the ninth inning of yesterday's Game 3 at Fenway Park, and got ahead of the third hitter 0-2. With Red Sox Nation on their fate, and the Red Sox one strike away from forcing a Game 4, Papelbon proceeded to collapse in utterly shocking fashion, coughing up three runs, leading the Angels to a sweep.

---However, the blunders of Nathan, Holliday, and Papelbon are totally irrelevant. The Yankees, Angels, and Dodgers were the clearly superior teams.

---Meanwhile, the very entertaining Phillies-Rockies series continues today in the freezing cold of Denver. I have one request for whomever wins this series: Can you please beat the Dodgers?

---The most stunning development so far in this postseason has been the clutch performance of Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod has long had a reputation of being a failure in October, but with one swing of the bat in the ninth inning of Game 2, he silenced his skeptics. A-Rod's game-tying two-run blast in Game 2 is to this point the indelible image of the 2009 postseason. Rodriguez crushed Twins pitching, and my money says he'll continue to do the same against the Angels in the ALCS.

---So A-Rod has been great, but still, does TBS have to show Kate Hudson every time her boyfriend steps to the plate?

---I knew that the NBA has implemented replacement officials, but since when did baseball start using replacement umpires? The umpiring in these division series has been ugly.

---On to football now, where the Denver Broncos are off to a surprising 5-0 start following yesterday's thrilling overtime win over the Patriots. Two people especially deserve credit for Denver's perfect start: Coach Josh McDaniels and quarterback Kyle Orton. For McDaniels and Orton, the 5-0 start serves as a sort of vindication. In the offseason McDaniels was labeled by many as a rash, cocky, incompetent rookie coach due to his handling of the Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall controversies. Kyle Orton, meanwhile, has been looked down upon throughout his entire career as a soft, untalented QB. Well, the Broncos are undefeated, and it appears as if McDaniels and Orton have had the last laugh.

---The Dallas Cowboys are fresh off an overtime win at Kansas City, and the sports world is heaping praise on Big D. Huh? You mean a team who needed overtime to barely beat the lousy Chiefs is worthy of praise? I don't think so. Year in and year out, the Cowboys are the most overhyped team in the NFL. Tony Romo is good, but contrary to popular belief, he's no Troy Aikman. Felix Jones is extremely talented, but he's no Emmitt Smith. The Cowboys have no shot at winning the NFC East, not with the dominance of the New York Giants, and I don't even think they will make the playoffs. So please, let's not go crazy when Dallas barely beats the Chiefs.

---True story: Vegas has the Oakland Raiders listed as 21-point underdogs against the squad from Danville Middle School.

---Okay let's move on. I'd prefer to not talk about the butt-kicking the Falcons gave my Niners. Watching yesterday's game made me realize that the 49er players have swine flu. How else to explain yesterday's performance?

---Congratulations to Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, and company for winning the Presidents Cup. Watching the Presidents Cup took on added importance for me, as I was eager to see the beautiful sights of my hometown, through the beauty of San Francisco's Harding Park.

---I'll end by making a plea to Golden State Warriors GM Larry Riley: Trade Stephen Jackson. He's a great player, but he has turned into a distracting sideshow for the Warriors organization. As painful as it is for me to say, it is time to grant his trade request.