By Trejan Rowbotham
October 4, 2018
September is always a month of beginnings and endings. As baseball, tennis, and golf finish their seasons, college football and professional football commence. Here is everything that happened in this jam-packed month:
MLB
The MLB regular season featured some of the closest National League divisional races in recent history. The American League playoff spots were locked long before the end of the season, but the National League spots were decided on the final day. The NL Central race and the NL West race both ended in ties after 162 games and had four franchises competed in a tie-breaking 163rd game. With the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers defeating the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies, respectively, the MLB 2018 playoffs were set and ready for October baseball.
U.S. Open Tennis
In the Women’s Final of the U.S. Open in New York, Naomi Osaka pulled off the biggest upset of her young career. The twenty-year-old defeated the sport’s most iconic figure, Serena Williams; however, the match was not without controversy. By way of three penalties, Williams proceeded to melt down in front of the American fanbase. Unable to regain her composure, Williams lost the match 2-6, 4-6.
In the overshadowed Men’s Final the proceeding afternoon, Novak Djokovic defeated Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3, to reclaim the U.S. Open trophy.
Golf
Featuring the top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup’s final tournament of the year, the Tour Championship saw a familiar face topping its leaderboard after play ended on Saturday, September 22. Tiger Woods’ comeback to golf culminated on the following night. Winning $1.62 million and finishing second in the FedEx Cup standings, Woods looks to continue his dominance as the 2019 season approaches.
College Football
The University of Alabama started the season at No. 1 and remains undefeated. The Crimson Tide, however, do not carry the longest winning streak in the nation. This honor belongs to the University of Central Florida Knights, whose last loss occurred in 2016.
Placing three teams in the top five of the country, the Southeastern Conference continues to be the cream of the college football crop. The Big 10, Big 12, and Pac 12 have impressed with several teams interchanging around the top 10 as well. With 12 of the top 25 teams still undefeated, all four College Football Playoff positions are still up for grabs.
NFL
The National Football League is back and there are several teams making a splash in the first quarter of the season. The Cleveland Browns have only lost two games. The Pittsburgh Steelers have only won a single game. The Miami Dolphins are leading the AFC East over the New England Patriots. The Tennessee Titans are riding a three-game winning streak. Jon Gruden lost his first three games as coach of the Oakland Raiders. The Chicago Bears are 3-1. The Arizona Cardinals are the last winless team. The Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs are the only undefeated teams left standing. All of this has happened in a wacky start to the 2018-19 NFL regular season, which featured two ties in its first two weeks.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Infuse Student Media or Southwest Baptist University.
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