Can The Cleveland Indians Do it?

How do you lift the spell of a curse that's held sway for nearly 60 years? An inch at a time, of course.

That inch was crucial in the fifth inning of last night's game between the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox. Cleveland led 1-0, with men on the corners and one out, when Asdrubal Cabrera hit the ball on a line back at Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

"If such a ball had streaked at him in May or August, the 41-year-old vet might have remembered in a blink where his infielders were positioned and simply allowed the ball to pass him untouched," writes Thomas Boswell in the Washington Post. "If he had, the drive would've skipped straight to Dustin Pedroia, standing near second base, for the easiest of double plays: step on the bag, flip to first. On such infinitesimal moments, whole seasons sometimes can turn. It may not be fair, but it's certainly the nature of playoff baseball, in which every break resounds like a rifle shot in both dugouts."

The ball trickled off Mr. Wakefield's glove for an infield hit and a 2-0 Indians lead. Next came Victor Martinez, whose single made it 3-0 and sent Mr. Wakefield to the showers. Facing Manny Delcarmen, Jhonny Peralta crushed a three-run homer. Cleveland wound up hitting for 35 minutes and finished the inning up 7-0, enough to withstand back-to-back-to-back home runs by Boston's Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez (who admired his drive as if it had won the game, instead of being merely cosmetic). Cleveland now leads the series 3-1, and can advance to the World Series against the Colorado Rockies tomorrow night.

The Woody

The 86,000-square-foot Woody Hayes Athletic Center on the Ohio State campus is a testament to Big Boy Football decadence.

It's the epicenter of OSU's football universe and where the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes report for practice every day.

"The Woody" also is where coach Jim Tressel's players hang out, because not many college dorms or apartments feature more plasma TVs than Circuit City, in-water treadmills, whirlpool and therapy tubs that rival any day spa, a weight room the size of Rhode Island, an Xbox arcade, pool tables and a fully stocked juice bar.

The place cost $21.5 million to expand and remodel this past summer.

Roadruler wins MISS VIRGINIA USA® 2008: Tori Hall

Sunday in Lynchburg, VA they held the 2008 Miss Teen and Miss Virginia USA pageant. The event was broadcast live from E.C. Glass High School Sunday afternoon, and Lynchburg Native Emily Bruce, the outgoing Miss Teen played a pivotal role in the pageant. Taking home the crown for Miss Teen Virginia was Megan Myrehn of Prince William County. Tori Hall took home the title of Miss Virginia 2008.

Tori (Viewers Revenge) actually has the chance to compete in the national pageant in the Spring, where she will be vying for the title of Miss USA. If you're a pageant fan, you know that the current titleholders for Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe all have their own reality show on MTV called Pageant Place.

Tori will also be making an appearance in the upcoming Gauntlet 3.

2008 MISS VIRGINIA USA RESULTS:
4th runner up: Amanda Jones of Blacksburg
3rd runner up: Christina Rowe of Grundy
2nd runner up: Erin Hildreth of Roanoke
1st runner up: Maegan Phillips of Fairfax
MISS VIRGINIA USA® 2008: Tori Hall representing Fredericksburg

Remaining Top Ten: Elizabeth Robinette of Big Stone Gap, Carissa Grazel of Chesapeake, Ashley Overstreet of Lynchburg, Traci Poole of Abingdon, and Leslie McConn of Mclean.

2008 MISS VIRGINIA TEEN USA RESULTS:
4th runner up: Christina Nicholson of Locust Grove
3rd runner up: Santana Warren of Abingdon
2nd runner up: Amanda French of Bristol
1st runner up: Holly Vance of Chilhowie
MISS VIRGINIA TEEN USA® 2008: Megan Myrehn representing Prince William County

Remaining Top Ten: Grayson Lambert of Bristol, Natalya Piette of Hampton Roads, Katie Turner of Richmond, Ashley Ulrich of Spotsylvania County, and Simone Gilman of Williamsburg.