FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Boston rallied from a three-games-to-one ALCS hole in '07.

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The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays might be enjoying the view from the brink of the World Series, but they shouldn't celebrate just yet.

Teams with a three-games-to-one lead in the League Championship Series enjoy advantageous positions, but history's shown their desperate opponents seldom go down without a fight.

A three-games-to-one situation has occured 26 times in the 46 playings of the LCS since its expansion to a best-of-seven format in 1985. Out of those 26 instances ...

... 12 times (46.2 percent), the team ahead won in five.

The '87 Twins, the '88 Athletics, '89 Giants, the '91 Twins, the '96 Yankees, the '99 Yankees, the '00 Mets, the '01 Diamondbacks, the '01 Yankees, the '02 Giants, the '02 Angels and the '05 White Sox.

... 7 times (26.9 percent), the team ahead won in six.

The '90 Reds, the '92 Blue Jays, the '97 Indians, the '98 Padres, the '99 Braves, the '00 Yankees and the '06 Astros.

... 1 time (3.8 percent), the team ahead won in seven.

The '92 Braves. (Francisco Cabrera, anyone?)

... 6 times (23.1 percent), the trailing team won in seven.

The '85 Royals, the '86 Red Sox, the '96 Braves, the '03 Marlins, the '04 Red Sox and the '07 Red Sox.

Perhaps the odds of a L.A. or Boston comeback aren't as long as many fans and pundits have suggested.

Between the Dodgers and the Red Sox, which team has a better chance of rallying for three straight victories?

Lambeau Field is a favorite between home and visiting fans.

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Sports Illustrated has put together its annual NFL Stadium Rankings, based on reader responses to an extensive online survey accounting for everything from ticket prices to hospitality to the product on the field.

But one interesting piece of information didn't make the final cut: We asked readers which NFL stadium they'd most like to visit, not including their hometown venue. It probably comes as little surprise Green Bay topped this table with 7.8 percent of the vote, but what about the next three buildings? Ralph Wilson Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field and FedEx Field -- notoriously frigid, hostile and cavernous venues, respectively -- hold down the next three spots. Here's the entire list.

Packers: 7.8 percent
Bills: 7.3
Eagles: 6.7
Redskins: 5.3
Steelers: 5.1
Patriots: 4.7
Ravens: 4.2
Bears: 3.8
Vikings: 3.7
Cowboys: 3.6
Broncos: 3.5
Giants: 3.4
Panthers: 3.3
Seahawks: 3.3
Colts: 3.2
Chiefs: 2.8
Browns: 2.7
Jags: 2.4
Titans: 1.9
Lions: 1.9
Chargers: 1.8
Bucs: 1.8
Saints: 1.7
49ers: 1.7
Rams: 1.7
Falcons: 1.6
Cardinals: 1.6
Texans: 1.6
Jets: 1.5
Bengals: 1.4
Dolphins: 1.2
Raiders: 0.9

Which NFL stadium, not including your hometown venue, would you most like to visit?

A screen shot from Burnout Paradise featuring an Obama ad.

BBC

Each day during the noon hour, we'll offer five reading recommendations from around the Web.

1. Obama ads to appear in EA Sports video games (AFP): Senator Barack Obama has paid for online advertising in 18 different Electronic Arts video games, including Madden 09, NASCAR 09, NHL 09 and Burnout Paradise. The ads will appear online in the XBox 360 games from October 6 through November 3.

2. Tommy Bowden deserved to be fired (By Terry Bowden, Yahoo! Sports): Terry says older brother Tommy deserved the sack at Clemson.

3. The Nittany Lion Who Beat Phelps (By Mark Viera, The New York Times): Penn State secondary stalwart Mark Rubin enjoyed a brilliant youth swimming career, even defeating Michael Phelps on a number of occasions.

4. Dodgers trail series because Phillies are a better team (By Ross Newhan, Los Angeles Times): Fans hypercritical of Joe Torre might need to think twice. 

5. Boxer soothes fists with son's wet diapers (Reuters): Vitali Klitschko, who defeated Samuel Peter in a WBC heavyweight title bout Saturday, admitted to using his son's wet diapers to keep his fists from swelling up after the fight. Said the elder Klitschko brother: "Baby wee is good because it's pure, doesn't contain toxins and doesn't smell."

Georges Gobet/Getty Images

Supporters of Senegal's national soccer team watch a 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Gambia at Dakar's Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium on Saturday. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Stephen King read an ironically titled book as the BoSox lost.

James Borchuck/St. Pete Times

The Red Sox (and their fans) | The team's ALCS hole deepened thanks to a 13-4 thumping at the hands of the Rays, who slammed three homers in the first three innings on their way to an emphatic 13-4 victory at Fenway Park. Even more disappointing? The defection of Red Sox Nation toward the exits during the sixth inning, according to the Associated Press, while famous fan Stephen King apathetically read a book in the stands. (Could the irony of the title have possibly been lost on the novelist?)

Evan Longoria | The third baseman slammed his fifth homer of the playoffs off Tim Wakefield, breaking the rookie record set by Miguel Cabrera during Florida's World Series run in 2003. Longo is batting .291 in the ALCS with three homers and six RBI.

The Flyers | Philadelphia lost its third straight game to open the season in agonizing fashion, when Pittsburgh's Pascal Dupuis scored on a slap shot with 10.8 seconds left in overtime. For the Flyers, who already trail the division-leading Rangers by nine points, the gut-wrenching defeat ensured their worst start since the 1995 season. 

Larry Johnson, Adam Jones and Sebastian Telfair | It was a busy day at the principal's office at National Football League and National Basketball Association headquarters. Johnson, Jones and Telfair each received suspensions for their respective off-field antics.