The Nightcap

Tonight's Nightcap is brought to you BJ's Jeremiah Red Ale. After sampling a few this evening, I'd agree with the readers at Beer Advocate. It's a medium bodied ale with a sweet, malty flavor and hints of burnt caramel, dried apricots and.....oh, who am I kidding? If you drink enough of it, you'll catch a nice buzz. Works for me.

(Note: the Terrell Owens jokes have been removed from this post because the story just turned out to be little more serious than previously thought.)

Chargers safety Terrence Kiel was arrested Tuesday on drug-related charges according to ESPN. According to the sources, Kiel was charged with possession, possession for sale, and transportation of a controlled substance. But hold out hope, Chargers fans- this report comes from Chris Mortensen, the first and only journalist to break the story of Kurt Warner's benching, and we know how that turned out. So rather than being arrested by the police for drug charges, it's possible that Kiel was actually just seen talking to a mall security guard while buying vitamins at GNC...

The Astros are making a historic run (7 straight wins) at the NL Central which is coinciding with the Cardinals historic collapse (7 straight losses). Houston still has a game and a half to make up in the standings, but all of the momentum is obviously on their side. If the Astros do actually make the playoffs, it will mark the greatest deficit a team has ever rallied from within the last two weeks of the season. It also will mean a few more weeks of tributes to Roger Clemens in what may or may not be his last appearances in baseball. Because if ESPN knows their viewers, they know that we just can't get enough wall to wall coverage of the Rocket!

There is, however, a chance that one more story could develop if the Astros make it into the playoffs. That story would be Craig Biggio's Jerome Bettis-like run for the Hall of Fame. Like Bettis, Biggio has had a long, steady-but-unspectacular career in which he's accumulated nice stats, but thus far has no rings to show for them. Also like Bettis, Biggio is considered by those that follow him to be an all-around good guy and a rather entertaining player to interview. If somehow the Astros were to make it all the way to the World Series, the odds-on favorite to be their opponent is the New York Yankees. And check this out: Craig Biggio is from New York! A veteran player vying for a world championship in his home state. Has this ever happened before?!?! Now all Biggio needs to do in order to complete the Bettis Pathway to Success is to put on 100 pounds and make a crucial error in the top of the 9th inning of the NLDS only to be bailed out by his teammates (or maybe a Billy Wagner wild pitch?) and the Hall of Fame will be his for the taking!