September 2006 in sports
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30 September 2006 (Saturday)

• 2006 Australian Football League Finals Series - Toyota AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
  • West Coast Eagles 12.13 (85), Sydney Swans 12.12 (84)

• Major League Baseball:
  • American League playoff races:
    • Chicago White Sox 6, Minnesota Twins 3
    • Kansas City Royals 9, Detroit Tigers 6: The Tigers fail to clinch the Central.
  • National League playoff races:
    • Philadelphia Phillies 4, Florida Marlins 3: The Phillies win, but are eliminated from the wild-card race later in the day as a result of victories by both the Dodgers and Padres.
    • St. Louis Cardinals 3, Milwaukee Brewers 2
    • Los Angeles Dodgers 4, San Francisco Giants 2: The Dodgers have clinched a playoff berth.
    • San Diego Padres 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 1: The Padres have clinched a playoff berth.
    • Houston Astros 5, Atlanta Braves 4: The Astros remain 1½ games behind the Cards.
    • Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Cincinnati Reds 0: The Reds are eliminated from the Central race before their game starts as a result of the Cardinals win earlier in the day.
  • Non-playoff news:
    • The Los Angeles Times has reported that Jason Grimsley, a former pitcher for several MLB teams who has been accused of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to several players, allegedly named stars Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Miguel Tejada in a sworn statement as users of performance-enhancers. (LA Times)
    • The Washington Nationals announce that Frank Robinson will not return as manager for the 2007 season. (ESPN)
    • New York Mets ace Pedro Martínez will now be out until at least June 2007 after an MRI discovered a torn rotator cuff in his right (throwing) shoulder that will require surgery. (ESPN)

• American football:
  • NCAA Division I-A Top 25:
    • (1) Ohio State 38, (13) Iowa 17
    • (3) Southern California 28, Washington State 22
    • (5) Florida 28, Alabama 13
    • (6) Michigan 28, Minnesota 14
    • (7) Texas 56, Sam Houston 3
    • (9) LSU 48, Mississippi State 17
    • (10) Georgia 14, Ole Miss 9
    • (24) Georgia Tech 38, (11) Virginia Tech 27
    • (12) Notre Dame 35, Purdue 21
    • (14) Oregon 48, Arizona State 13
    • (15) Tennessee 41, Memphis 7
    • (18) Clemson 51, Louisiana Tech 0
    • (20) Cal 41, Oregon State 13
    • (21) Nebraska 39, Kansas 32 (OT)
    • (22) Boise State 36, Utah 3
    • (25) Missouri 28, Colorado 13: Mizzou goes 5-0, their best start since 1981, while the Buffaloes lose their ninth straight, their worst streak in over 40 years.
  • Other significant games:
    • SMU 33, Tulane 28: The Mustangs spoil the Green Wave's first game in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

• Basketball: University Athletics Association of the Philippines 69th basketball tournament - Championship round (Philippine Daily Inquirer):
  • Men's Finals: (3) UST Growling Tigers 87, (1) Ateneo Blue Eagles 71 - UST held off an Ateneo rally at the middle of the first quarter and built a comfortable cushion to prevent the Eagles from catching up. Santo Tomas forces a deciding third game for the championship.
  • Women's Finals: (1) UST Tigresses 67, (2) FEU Lady Tamaraws 59 - the Tigresses win their 11th championship, and their first in 11 years.
  • Juniors' Finals: (1) Ateneo Blue Eaglets 69, (2) FEU-FERN Baby Tamaraws 61 - the Eaglets win their 15th championship as they repulsed the Baby Tamaraws in the deciding game.

29 September 2006 (Friday)

• Major League Baseball playoff races:
  • American League:
    • Kansas City Royals 9, Detroit Tigers 7 (11 innings)
    • Chicago White Sox 4, Minnesota Twins 3: The Twins and Tigers remain tied for the Central and wild card.
    • New York Yankees 7, Toronto Blue Jays 2: The Yankees' win, combined with the losses by Detroit and Minnesota, guarantees them home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
  • National League:
    • Atlanta Braves 4, Houston Astros 1
    • Philadelphia Phillies 14 Florida Marlins 2: The Phillies win to avoid elimination in the wild-card race.
    • Cincinnati Reds 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 2: The Reds win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
    • St. Louis Cardinals 10, Milwaukee Brewers 5: The Cards increase their lead to 1½ games.
    • Arizona Diamondbacks 3, San Diego Padres 1: A win by the Padres would have ensured a playoff berth, but they instead drop into a tie with the Dodgers.
    • Los Angeles Dodgers 4, San Francisco Giants 3: The Dodgers score two in the top of the ninth and hold on for the win.

• World Chess Championship
  • A dispute leads to Vladimir Kramnik refusing to play the 5th game. The game is awarded to Veselin Topalov. Kramnik now leads 3 – 2, but the future of the match is now in doubt.

• American football: NCAA Division I-A Top 25:
  • (23) Rutgers 22, South Florida 20: The Scarlet Knights' first stay in the national rankings since 1976 nearly ended here, as they had to overcome a halftime deficit and stop a Bulls two-point conversion attempt with 15 seconds left that would have tied the game.

28 September 2006 (Thursday)

• Cricket: Allegations of ball tampering against Pakistani cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq are dismissed during an ICC Code of Conduct hearing at the Oval in London. However, Inzamam was found guilty of having brought the game into disrepute and subsequently banned for four one day international matches. The allegations stem from an incident during the Fourth Test between Pakistan and England in August. (Cricinfo article)
• Major League Baseball playoff races:
  • American League:
    • Toronto Blue Jays 8, Detroit Tigers 6
    • Minnesota Twins 2, Kansas City Royals 1
      • Joe Mauer ties the game with a home run in the ninth inning, then Jason Bartlett singles home the winning run in the 10th. The Twins pull even with the Tigers in the AL Central.
  • National League:
    • Houston Astros 3, Pittsburgh Pirates 0: Houston is eliminated from wild-card contention, but still competes with St. Louis for the NL Central.
    • Los Angeles Dodgers 19, Colorado Rockies 11: Dodgers increase wild card lead to 2 games.
    • Cincinnati Reds 5, Florida Marlins 1: The Reds keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
    • Washington Nationals 3, Philadelphia Phillies 1: Game starts over 4 hours late in front of a near empty stadium as they try to get the game in with little opportunity to reschedule this late in the season.
    • Milwaukee Brewers 9, St. Louis Cardinals 4: The Cards' lead falls to ½ game over the Astros.
    • San Diego Padres 12, Arizona Diamondbacks 4: Padres maintain 1 game lead in the West.
    • The New York Mets announce that Pedro Martínez will miss the playoffs due to a calf injury. Yahoo! Sports

• American football: NCAA Division I-A Top 25:
  • (2) Auburn 24, South Carolina 17
  • BYU 31, (17) TCU 17: The Cougars end the Horned Frogs' 13-game winning streak, and most likely end the Frogs' hopes of "busting" the BCS.

• Football (soccer): UEFA Cup 2006-07, first round, second leg, progressing teams shown in bold.
  • Hapoel Tel Aviv 3 – 1 Chornomorets Odessa (aggregate: 4–1)
  • Chievo 2 – 1 Sporting Braga (aet) (agg.: 2–3)
  • Newcastle United 2 – 1 Levadia Tallinn (agg.: 3–1)
  • Rangers 2 – 0 Molde (agg.: 2–0)
  • Celta Vigo 3 – 0 Standard Liège (agg.: 4–0)
  • Litex Lovech 1 – 3 Maccabi Haifa (agg.: 2–4)
  • Paris St-Germain 2 – 0 Derry City (agg.: 2–0)
  • Odense 1 – 0 Hertha Berlin (agg.: 3–2)
  • Austria Vienna 1 – 0 Legia Warsaw (agg.: 2–1)
  • Metalurh Zaporizhzhya 0 – 1 Panathinaikos (agg.: 1–2)
  • Zulte-Waregem 2 – 0 Lokomotiv Moscow (agg.: 3–2)
  • Sparta Prague 0 – 0 Hearts (agg.: 2–0)
  • Randers 0 – 3 Fenerbahçe (agg.: 1–5)
  • Blackburn Rovers 2 – 0 Red Bull Salzburg (agg.: 4–2)
  • Nancy 3 – 1 Schalke 04 (agg.: 3–2)
  • Lens 3 – 1 Ethnikos Achna (agg.: 3–1)
  • Red Star Belgrade 1 – 2 Slovan Liberec (agg.: 1–4)
  • Kayserispor 1 – 1 AZ Alkmaar (agg.: 3–4)
  • Parma 1 – 0 Rubin Kazan (agg.: 2–0)
  • Sevilla 4 – 0 Atromitos (agg.: 6–1)
  • Brøndby 2 – 2 Eintracht Frankfurt (agg.: 2–6)
  • CSKA Sofia 2–2 Beşiktaş (aet) (agg.: 2–4)
  • Heerenveen 0 – 0 Vitória Setúbal (agg.: 3–0)
  • Mladá Boleslav 4 – 2 Marseille (agg.: 4–3)
  • Grasshoppers 5 – 0 Åtvidaberg (agg.: 8–0)
  • Nacional 1 – 2 Rapid Bucharest (aet) (agg.: 1–3)
  • Osasuna 0 – 0 Trabzonspor (agg.: 2–2 )
  • Rabotnicki 0 – 1 FC Basel (agg.: 2–7)
  • Palermo 3 – 0 West Ham United (agg.: 4–0)
  • Feyenoord 0 – 0 Lokomotiv Sofia (agg.: 2–2 )
  • Club Brugge 1 – 1 Ružomberok (agg.: 2–1)
  • Bayer Leverkusen 3 – 1 FC Sion (agg.: 3–1)
  • Groningen 1 – 0 FK Partizan (agg.: 3–4)
  • Dinamo Bucharest 4 – 1 Skoda Xanthi (agg.: 8–4)
  • Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 0 Slavia Prague (agg.: 2–0)
  • Ajax 4 – 0 I.K. Start (agg.: 9–2)
  • Espanyol 3 – 1 Artmedia Bratislava (agg.: 5–3)
  • Iraklis 0 – 2 Wisła Kraków (aet) (agg.: 1–2 )
  • Pasching 0 – 1 Livorno (agg.: 0–3)
  • Auxerre 3 – 1 Dinamo Zagreb (agg.: 5–2)

27 September 2006 (Wednesday)

• World Chess Championship
  • A draw leaves Vladimir Kramnik with a 3 – 1 lead over Veselin Topalov

• Football (soccer): UEFA Champions League 2006-07, group stage, matchday 2
  • Group A: Levski Sofia 1 – 3 Chelsea
    • Didier Drogba scores all three of Chelsea's goals
  • Group A: Werder Bremen 1 – 1 Barcelona
  • Group B: Spartak Moscow 1 – 1 Sporting
  • Group B: Internazionale 0 – 2 Bayern Munich
  • Group C: Liverpool 3 – 2 Galatasaray
  • Group C: Bordeaux 0 – 1 PSV
  • Group D: Shakhtar Donetsk 2 – 2 Olympiakos
  • Group D: Valencia 2 – 1 Roma

• National Football League
  • Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens denies a Dallas police report that he tried to commit suicide Tuesday night. Owens says his hospitalization was due to an allergic reaction to the pain-reliever hydrocodone. (ESPN) (FOX Sports) (AP via Yahoo)

• Major League Baseball playoff races:
  • American League:
    • Toronto Blue Jays 7, Detroit Tigers 4
    • Kansas City Royals 6, Minnesota Twins 4: The Twins remain a game behind the Tigers in the AL Central.
  • National League:
    • Florida Marlins 7, Cincinnati Reds 2: The Reds are eliminated from the wild card race, but still are in contention in the NL Central.
    • Houston Astros 7 Pittsburgh Pirates 6 (15 innings)
    • Philadelphia Phillies 8, Washington Nationals 7 (14 innings)
    • St. Louis Cardinals 4, San Diego Padres 2: Cardinals snap 7-game losing streak, maintaining 1½ game lead over Astros in the Central. Padres lead over Dodgers reduced to one game in the West.
    • Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Colorado Rockies 4: Dodgers maintain 1-game lead over the Phillies for the wild card.

26 September 2006 (Tuesday)

• World Chess Championship
  • A draw leaves Vladimir Kramnik with a 2½ – ½ lead over Veselin Topalov

• Football (soccer): UEFA Champions League 2006-07, group stage, matchday 2
  • Group E: Real Madrid 5 – 1 Dynamo Kyiv
    • Ruud van Nistelrooy and Raúl each score two goals for Real.
  • Group E: Steaua Bucharest 0 – 3 Lyon
  • Group F: Benfica 0 – 1 Manchester United
  • Group F: Celtic 1 – 0 Copenhagen
  • Group G: CSKA Moscow 1 – 0 Hamburg
  • Group G: Arsenal 2 – 0 FC Porto
  • Group H: AEK 1 – 1 Anderlecht
  • Group H: Lille 0 – 0 Milan

• Major League Baseball playoff races:
  • American League:
    • Detroit Tigers 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3
    • Minnesota Twins 3, Kansas City Royals 2: The Twins stay a game behind the Tigers in the AL Central.
    • Texas Rangers 5, Los Angeles Angels 2
    • Oakland Athletics 12, Seattle Mariners 3: The A's clinch the AL West. The AL playoff teams are now determined, with the Tigers and Twins still battling for the AL Central crown.
  • National League:
    • San Diego Padres 7, St. Louis Cardinals 5: In this matchup between the leaders of the NL West and Central, the Padres maintain their two-game lead over the Dodgers while sending the Redbirds to their seventh straight loss.
    • Houston Astros 7, Pittsburgh Pirates 4: The Astros meanwhile win their seventh straight, closing to within 1½ games of the Cardinals.
    • Cincinnati Reds 5, Florida Marlins 3: Florida is mathematically eliminated from the NL wild card race, while the Reds stay 1 game behind the Astros.
    • Washington Nationals 4, Philadelphia Phillies 3
    • Los Angeles Dodgers 11, Colorado Rockies 4: The Dodgers take a one-game lead over Philly for the NL wild card. Greg Maddux throws only 76 pitches in six innings of work, prompting Dodgers manager Grady Little to announce that Maddux can start if needed against the San Francisco Giants in their season-closing weekend series.

25 September 2006 (Monday)

• Major League Baseball playoff races:
  • American League:
    • Cleveland Indians 14, Chicago White Sox 1: The defending World Series champs are eliminated, assuring Major League Baseball of a new champion for the sixth year in a row.
    • Minnesota Twins 8, Kansas City Royals 1: The win, plus the White Sox loss, punches the Twins' playoff ticket. They are now 1 game behind the idle Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.
    • Los Angeles Angels 8, Texas Rangers 3: The Angels stay mathematically alive in the AL West race.
    • Seattle Mariners 10, Oakland Athletics 9: The A's end the night as they started it, needing a win and an Angels loss to clinch the AL West.
  • National League:
    • Cincinnati Reds 5, Chicago Cubs 4: In his first appearance since a September 4 toe injury, Ken Griffey, Jr. hits a three-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth to give the Reds their winning margin, tying Reggie Jackson for 10th on the all-time home run list.
    • Houston Astros 5, Philadelphia Phillies 4: In a makeup of a September 5 rainout, the Astros win their sixth straight game and drop the Phils into a tie with the idle Los Angeles Dodgers for the wild-card lead.
    • San Diego Padres 6, St. Louis Cardinals 5: In the meantime, the Redbirds lose their sixth straight game, reducing their lead over the Astros in the NL Central to 2½ games. The Padres stretch their AL West lead to two games over the Dodgers.

• NFL Monday Night Football: New Orleans Saints 23, Atlanta Falcons 3
  • In the first NFL game in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, which saw a pregame show featuring Green Day and U2 and a coin toss conducted by former President George H. W. Bush, the Saints score a touchdown on a blocked punt 90 seconds in, and never look back. Drew Brees goes 20-for-28 passing with 180 yards and a TD, while the Saints defense holds the Falcons to 229 total yards.

24 September 2006 (Sunday)

• Major League Baseball playoff races
  • American League:
    • Detroit Tigers 11, Kansas City Royals 4: The Tigers clinch a post-season spot for the first time since 1987.
    • Minnesota Twins 6, Baltimore Orioles 4: The Tigers remain 1½ games ahead of Minnesota in the American League Central.
    • Los Angeles Angels 7, Oakland Athletics 1: Oakland's magic number for the AL West title remains at 2.
  • National League:
    • San Diego Padres 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 1: Trevor Hoffman earns his 479th career save, setting a major league record previously held by Lee Smith.
    • Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 1: Nomar Garciaparra hits a walk-off grand slam, and the Dodgers remain 1½ games behind the Padres in the NL West.
    • Philadelphia Phillies 10, Florida Marlins 7: Chase Utley hits two homers in the win, keeping the Phightin' Phillies ½ ahead of the Dodgers for the Wild Card.
    • Colorado Rockies 9, Atlanta Braves 8: This loss, combined with the Phillies' win, mathematically eliminates the Braves from the NL wild card race. This will be the first time since 1990 that the Braves will have missed the postseason.
    • Cincinnati Reds 3, Chicago Cubs 2
    • Houston Astros 7, St. Louis Cardinals 3

• World Chess Championship
  • Vladimir Kramnik takes a 2-0 lead over Veselin Topalov

• Golf: 36th Ryder Cup Matches
  • Team Europe retains the Ryder Cup by an 18½-9½ margin over Team USA. The victory, by the same margin as in 2004, also makes this European team the first to win three straight Ryder Cups outright.

• National Football League Week 3:
  • Carolina Panthers 26, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24: John Kasay's fourth field goal, a 48-yarder on the last play, gives Carolina its first win. The loss is tempered by Bucs' QB Chris Simms having emergency spleen-removal surgery and a blood transfusion following the game. Simms' life is not in danger.
  • Chicago Bears 19, Minnesota Vikings 16: Rex Grossman hits Rashied Davis on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 1:52 to play for the only offensive touchdown in a game dominated by defense.
  • Cincinnati Bengals 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 20: Two fourth-quarter Pittsburgh fumbles lead to two T.J. Houshmandzadeh touchdown receptions.
  • Green Bay Packers 31, Detroit Lions 24: Brett Favre becomes the second NFL quarterback, after Dan Marino, to throw 400 touchdown passes in his career.
  • Indianapolis Colts 21, Jacksonville Jaguars 14: Terrence Wilkins returns a punt 82 yards for an Indy touchdown, but Peyton Manning's first rushing TD since 2002 proves to be the difference.
  • New York Jets 28, Buffalo Bills 21 - The Bills record 475 total yards but commit three costly turnovers and go 0-for-3 on fourth-down conversions.
  • Miami Dolphins 13, Tennessee Titans 10: Travis Daniels seals the game with an interception after Olindo Mare kicks a 39-yard field goal with 3:39 left.
  • Washington Redskins 31, Houston Texans 15: Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell completes his first 22 passes, breaking the previous NFL single-game record of 21 straight completions by Rich Gannon in 2001.
  • Baltimore Ravens 15, Cleveland Browns, 14: The Ravens sack Charlie Frye seven times and win on a last-minute 52-yard field goal from Matt Stover.
  • Seattle Seahawks 42, New York Giants 30: Seattle takes a 35-0 lead in the second quarter and withstands a furious fourth-quarter comeback attempt. Matt Hasselbeck ties a career high with five touchdown passes.
  • Philadelphia Eagles 38, San Francisco 49ers 24 : Brian Westbrook puts up 164 yards from scrimmage and scores three touchdowns as the Eagles bounce back from last week's humbling loss in overtime to the Giants.
  • St. Louis Rams 16, Arizona Cardinals 14: Kurt Warner throws three interceptions, then fumbles a snap in Rams territory with less than two minutes left after the Rams fumble inside their 20 yard line.
  • Denver Broncos 17, New England Patriots 7: Javon Walker catches touchdown passes of 32 and 83 yards for Denver.
  • Idle: Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers.

• Basketball: University Athletics Association of the Philippines 69th basketball tournament - Championship round (Philippine Daily Inquirer):
  • Men's Finals: (1) Ateneo Blue Eagles 73, (3) UST Growling Tigers 72 - a tightly contested game all throughout, the Tigers converted a fadeaway jumper with a second remaining in the final period to put them up, 72-71. After a time out, the Eagles had an open man in the paint, in which they capitalized, escaping with a 73-72 finish.
  • Women's Finals: (2) FEU Lady Tamaraws 75, (3) UST Tigresses 67 - the Lady Tamaraws avenged their last-second loss in Game 1 to set up a deciding third game in their series against the Tigresses.
  • Juniors' Finals: (1) Ateneo Blue Eaglets 73, (2) FEU-FERN Baby Tamaraws 65 - the Eaglets shook off rust and lead practically from start to finish as they extend the series to a deciding third game.

• Auto racing:
  • Chase for the NEXTEL Cup: Jeff Burton wins the Dover 400 and claims the points lead.
  • Champ Car: A. J. Allmendinger wins the Grand Prix of Road America, marred by a major accident involving Katherine Legge.

23 September 2006 (Saturday)

• 2006 Australian Football League Finals Series - Week 3
  • Preliminary Final: West Coast Eagles 11.19 (85), Adelaide Crows 11.9 (75)

• Basketball: 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women, Final
  • Australia 91, Russia 74 — The Opals win their first gold in a major world event behind 28 points from tournament MVP Penny Taylor.

• Major League Baseball:
  • Barry Bonds hits his 734th career home run to set a new National League career record. However, his San Francisco Giants lose 10-8 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee, where previous NL record holder and current all-time MLB career home run leader Hank Aaron started and finished his major-league career.

• World Chess Championship
  • Vladimir Kramnik takes a 1-0 lead over Veselin Topalov

• American football: Associated Press NCAA Division I-A Top 25:
  • (1) Ohio State 28, (24) Penn State 6
  • (2) Auburn 38, Buffalo 7
  • (3) USC 20, Arizona 3
  • (4) West Virginia 27, East Carolina 10
  • (5) Florida 26, Kentucky 7
  • (6) Michigan 27, Wisconsin 13
  • (7) Texas 37, Iowa State 14
  • (8) Louisville 24, Kansas State 6
  • (9) Georgia 14, Colorado 13
  • (10) LSU 49, Tulane 7
  • (11) Virginia Tech 29, Cincinnati 13
  • (12) Notre Dame 40, Michigan State 37: On the 40th anniversary of "The Game of the Century", The Irish come back from an 17-point deficit to beat the Spartans in East Lansing.
  • (14) Iowa 24, Illinois 7
  • (15) Tennessee 33, Marshall 7
  • (17) Oklahoma 59, Middle Tennessee 0
  • (18) Florida State 55, Rice 7
  • (19) Clemson 52, North Carolina 7
  • NC State 17, (20) Boston College 15
  • (21) Cal 49, (22) Arizona State 21
  • (23) Nebraska 56, Troy 0
  • (25) Boise State 41, Hawaiʻi 34

22 September 2006 (Friday)

• 2006 Australian Football League Finals Series - Week 3
  • Preliminary Final: Sydney Swans 19.13 (127), Fremantle Dockers 14.8 (92)

• Major League Baseball:
  • In a 3-2 win over the New York Mets, the Washington Nationals' Alfonso Soriano becomes the first player in MLB history to collect 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 40 doubles in a season.
  • Barry Bonds hits his 733rd career home run, tying Hank Aaron for the National League record. The blast took place at Miller Park in Milwaukee, the same city where Aaron played the first half of his career with the Milwaukee Braves and finished it with the Milwaukee Brewers.

• Basketball: 82nd NCAA (Philippines) basketball tournament - Championship round (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
  • Seniors' tournament: (1) San Beda Red Lions 68, (2) PCU Dolphins 67
    • In the deciding Game 3 of the Championship series between San Beda and Philippine Christian, the Dolphins had a better start; although the Red Lions caught up with them and blew the game wide open, leading by as much as twenty points. Down by fifteen points at the start of the fourth quarter, the Dolphins mounted a furious comeback, cutting the lead into one point with 24.8 seconds remaining. After a San Beda turnover, PCU had a crack on winning the game - and the championship. The Dolphins play set up took too long, and with time running out, the Dolphins shot the ball; it bounced off the rim, leading into a San Beda rebound. San Beda wins their first seniors basketball title in 28 years. Red Lion Yousif Aljamal was named Finals Most Valuable Player.

21 September 2006 (Thursday)

• Major League Baseball: David Ortiz breaks Jimmie Foxx' 68-year-old Boston Red Sox team record for home runs in a season with his 51st, a solo shot against Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins. Ortiz later hits a second home run in the Sox' 6-0 win, which keeps the Twins one-half game behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central Division.
• Basketball:
  • Only nine months after undergoing surgery to have his entire colon removed, former NBA standout Dajuan Wagner signs a two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors.
  • University Athletics Association of the Philippines 69th basketball tournament semifinals (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
    • Men's semifinals: (3) UST Growling Tigers 82, (2) UE Red Warriors 81
      • Title favorite UE succumbed to pressure and was eliminated in the title hunt; the Tigers converted a three-point play with 55 seconds remaining to lead 82-79. Despite a two-point field goal by the Warriors, they weren't able to capitalize in the UST turnover as they missed two field goal attempts to end their season.
    • Women's Finals: (1) UST Tigresses 52, (2) FEU Lady Tamaraws 49 - a buzzer-beating three-pointer from UST puts them up 1-0 in the best of three series.
    • Juniors' Finals: (2) FEU-FERN Baby Tamaraws 67, (1) Ateneo Blue Eaglets 55 - the undefeated Ateneo squad absorbed its first setback in the season as they trail 0-1 in the best of three series.

20 September 2006 (Wednesday)

• Major League Baseball: The New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2, but they clinched their ninth straight American League East title when the Minnesota Twins defeat the Boston Red Sox, 8-2. The nine straight is the longest current post-season run in baseball.
• Basketball: 82nd NCAA (Philippines) basketball tournament - Championship round (Manila Bulletin)
  • Seniors' tournament: (2) PCU Dolphins 72, (1) San Beda Red Lions 50
    • With their backs against the wall, the PCU Dolphins overcame the San Beda Red Lions, blowing out the felines at the second game of their best-of-three series at the Araneta Coliseum. The third game will decide this year's seniors' championship.
  • Juniors' tournament: (2) San Sebastian Staglets 65, (1) PCU Baby Dolphins 41
    • After trailing 0-6, the Staglets evened the score at 6-all and ultimarely took a commanding lead - 28 points at one point - to win their second consecutive juniors' championship.

19 September 2006 (Tuesday)

• Minor League Baseball: The Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League defeat the International League Toledo Mud Hens 5-2 to win the one-game AAA Championship at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

18 September 2006 (Monday)

• Major League Baseball:
  • The New York Mets defeat the Florida Marlins, 4-0, to clinch their first National League East title since 1988, and the first not to be claimed by the Atlanta Braves since the 1994 realignment. The last team other than the Braves to win the NL East were the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993.
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning to tie the San Diego Padres, then win, 11-10, on Nomar Garciaparra's two-run homer in the 10th inning. It is the fourth time in major-league history, and the first time since 1964, that a team hits four consecutive home runs. (AP via Boston Globe)

• National Football League:
  • Monday Night Football: Jacksonville Jaguars 9, Pittsburgh Steelers 0 — In the first shutout of a defending Super Bowl champion since 1981, the Jaguars hold the Steelers to 26 rushing yards. Three Josh Scobee field goals comprise the scoring; Rashean Mathis has two interceptions.
  • Cincinnati Bengals linebacker David Pollack and Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse will miss the rest of the season with injuries, their respective teams announce. (nfl.com)

• Basketball: 82nd NCAA (Philippines) basketball tournament - Championship round (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
  • Seniors' tournament: (1) San Beda Red Lions 71, (2) PCU Dolphins 57
    • With the Dolphins keeping the game close at the first two quarters, the Red Lions charged ahead at the third period, scoring twenty points as opposed to PCU's five. San Beda pulled away at the final quarter to draw first blood ib the best-of-three championship series. San Beda's Nigerian student Samuel Ekwe was named Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and member of the all-NCAA team.
  • Juniors' tournament: (2) San Sebastian Staglets 57, (1) PCU Baby Dolphins 50
    • The Baby Dolphins posted leads at the first three quarters. With San Sebastian's shooters converting outside shots, the Staglets turned the tables and captured the lead at the dying seconds. The Baby Dolphins had two chances to tie but they missed their attempts, giving the Staglets the 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

17 September 2006 (Sunday)

• National Football League Week 2:
  • Cincinnati Bengals 34, Cleveland Browns 17
  • Buffalo Bills 16, Miami Dolphins 6
  • Minnesota Vikings 16, Carolina Panthers 13 (OT)
  • Chicago Bears 34, Detroit Lions 7
  • Indianapolis Colts 43, Houston Texans 24
  • New York Giants 30, Philadelphia Eagles 24 (OT): The G-men come from a 17-point deficit - aided by an ill-advised personal foul against the Eagles - and win on an Plaxico Burress 31-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning.
  • Baltimore Ravens 28, Oakland Raiders 6
  • Atlanta Falcons 14, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3: For the third time in NFL history, a quarterback (Michael Vick) and a running back (Warrick Dunn) each get 100 yards rushing. The Philadelphia Eagles turned the trick twice before in 1990 and 2002.
  • Seattle Seahawks 21, Arizona Cardinals 10
  • San Francisco 49ers 20, St. Louis Rams 13
  • Denver Broncos 9, Kansas City Chiefs 6 (OT)
  • New England Patriots 24, New York Jets 17: Eric Mangini loses to his teacher Bill Belichick.
  • San Diego Chargers 40, Tennessee Titans 7
  • Dallas Cowboys 24, Washington Redskins 10: The Cowboys win, but Terrell Owens is lost for between three and five weeks with a broken hand.

• Cycling: Alexander Vinokourov wins the 2006 Tour of Spain.

• Tennis: The second day of the 2006 Fed Cup Final takes place in Charleroi, with the score 1-1 after the previous day. The game is decided in the fifth and final match, the doubles, when Justine Henin-Hardenne is forced to retire through injury making Italy the 2006 Fed Cup winners.
  •  Belgium 2-3  Italy:
    • Justine Henin-Hardenne beats Francesca Schiavone 6-4 7-5.
    • Mara Santangelo beats Kirsten Flipkens 6-7 6-3 6-0.
    • Kirsten Flipkens and Justine Henin-Hardenne retire against Francesca Schiavone and Roberta Vinci 3-6 6-2 2-0.

• Basketball:
  • Five players at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are shot on campus early today after they tried to calm a disturbed man at a dance. Three of the five are hospitalized, with one in critical condition. (ESPN)
  • University Athletics Association of the Philippines 69th basketball tournament semifinals (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
    • Men's tournament: (1) Ateneo Blue Eagles 76, (4) Adamson Soaring Falcons 73
      • A costly miss by the Falcons with 1.9 seconds left gave the Eagles the victory - and the first Finals berth.
    • Men's tournament: (3) UST Growling Tigers 79, (2) UE Red Warriors 75
      • A three-point play by the Tigers in the last 21.1 seconds gave UST enough breathing room to force an elimination game against the Red Warriors.
    • Women's tournament: (1) UST Tigresses 72, (4) UP Lady Maroons 68; (2) FEU Lady Tamaraws 46, (3) Ateneo Lady Eagles 44
      • UST and FEU face off in the best-of-three Finals series.
    • Juniors' tournament: (2) FEU-FERN Baby Tamaraws 76, (4) Adamson Baby Falcons 66
      • FEU-FERN meets the Ateneo Blue Eaglets in their best-of-three Finals series.

• Rugby union
  • 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup
    • The Black Ferns of New Zealand defeat England in the final to win their third title in a row. France defeats hosts Canada in the third/fourth place playoff.

Auto racing: Kevin Harvick wins the Sylvania 300 as the 2006 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup starts.

16 September 2006 (Saturday)

• Baseball - Washington Nationals second baseman Alfonso Soriano becomes the fourth player in major league history to achieve 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season. He reaches the milestone with a steal of second against the Milwaukee Brewers. (CNNSI)

• 2006 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships (TVNZ)
  • Final -  United States 34–30  New Zealand
  • 3rd place playoff -  Canada 23–19  United Kingdom
• 2006 Australian Football League Finals Series - Week 2
  • Semifinal: West Coast Eagles 16.17 (113), Western Bulldogs 5.9 (39)
• American football: Associated Press NCAA Division I-A Top 25:
  • (1) Ohio State 37, Cincinnati 7
  • (11) Michigan 47, (2) Notre Dame 21
  • (3) Auburn 7, (6) LSU 3
  • (4) USC 28, (19) Nebraska 10
  • (7) Florida 21, (13) Tennessee 20
  • (8)