A Sports Filled Weekend It Was

“Come in, she said, I’ll give you shelter from the storm.”

From the furthest hunkered-down corners of Florida, we did our best to pay attention to the world of sports while many people evacuated (in some cases their homes, in some cases their bowels).

TENNIS: Rafael Nadal, ranked No. 1, collected his second Grand Slam title of the year and 16th overall in defeating Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to win the men’s title. Among men, only his longtime rival Roger Federer owns more Grand Slam titles (19). Sloane Stephens came from nowhere to win the women’s title on Saturday, defeating Madison Keys 6-3-, 6-0 to become just the second unseeded winner of the U.S. women’s title.

NFL: Let’s start with stunners. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 29-7. The Los Angeles Rams destroyed the Indianapolis Colts 46-9. And the injury-battered Baltimore Colts dumped the Cincinnati Bengals 20-0. Coach Marvin Lewis’ coaching tree includes Hue Jackson in Cleveland (loser) and Jay Gruden in Washington (loser). Prune that tree! Prune that tree!

College football: No. 5 Oklahoma smashed No. 2 Ohio State 31-16. The Eyes of Buck didn’t look great in their opener and were less so against a true upper-echelon opponent. … No. 1 Alabama won because Alabama wins, and No. 3 Clemson eked (eek!) out a 14-6 victory over Auburn. This fat little blog has its eyes on No. 7 Washington, which destroyed Montana 63-7. In an especially enjoyable contest for people who hate Notre Dame, Georgia topped the Irish 20-19. In the canceled Miami-Arkansas State game, the blog declares Arkansas State the loser for being such mean-spirited and heartless swine in the face of Hurricane Irma. Miami wanted to cancel and ASU basically accused Miami of cowardice in refusing to come visit and play football while family and relatives faced death. See how you all like a flood sometime.

NASCAR: Ted Larson earned a narrow victory over Joey Logano after Martin Truex Jr. had done most of the heavy lifting Saturday night in Richmond. Logano needed a win to be part of the field of 16 for Monster Energy Cup title. Larson’s win enabled Larson’s ensured playoff spots Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman