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By Sonny Jones

Baseball can be boring, the 162-game major league season seems to go on forever and there are lots of meaningless game the last couple of months, but playoff baseball is the best.

• Tip of the hat to the Seattle Mariners for rallying from seven runs down to eliminate Toronto 10-9. As they say, it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings.

• Pitching and defense may win championships in baseball, but scoring runs is still required. Tampa Bay pitchers yielded 3 runs in 24 innings, yet were swept by Cleveland in the wild-card series. The Rays offense managed 1 run and 8 hits in losses of 2-1 and 1-0 in 15 innings. For us Rays followers, it sums up the season well.

• Phillies advance with two wins against the Cardinals. Nice to see Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina each end their careers with a base hit. Next stop, in five years, will be the Hall of Fame.

• Citi Field will be rocking tonight when the Mets and Padres play their decisive Game 3. It’s the only wild-car series to go the distance.

• Big win for North Carolina at Miami on Saturday. Drake Maye is the real deal and the Tar Heels have the inside track to win the Coastal Division. Defense is playing better.

• Florida State’s punt return play against N.C. State at the end of the first half Saturday night was pure genius. The returner faked out the entire coverage team by running away from the side the punt was going. Meanwhile, a member of the Seminoles was running down the other side of the field, picked up the ball and returned it 51 yards that set up a successful field goal as time expired. You need to see the replay to get the full effect. Never seen anything like it.

• I’m no doctor nor have I played one on TV or in columns, but the injury to N.C. State quarterback Devin Leary looked like he’ll miss significant time after injuring his right shoulder Saturday. Never want to see anyone hurt, but it’s the nature of the game. The Wolfpack had a gritty 19-17 win against Florida State.

• Thinking about watching the Panthers-49ers game this afternoon, but may opt to watch the grass grow in the backyard instead. Tough call.

• Agriculture Scholarship Golf Tournament: Saturday, Shotgun start 10 a.m., Vineyard Golf at White Lake. Four-man Captain’s Choice. Registration begins at 9 a.m. Information: 910-247-6132.

SUNDAY’S PICK TO CLICK

The easy pick to win on the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway would be Chase Elliott, but what fun is that. Let’s go with Tyler Reddick at 6-to-1 odds and see what happens.

SATURDAY’S PICK: Tyler Glasnow will keep the Rays alive in their season against Cleveland with a solid 5-inning, 7-strikeout effort. RESULTS: Glasnow allowed 2 hits and struck out 5 in 5 shutout innings, but Tampa Bay lost 1-0 in 15 innings and was eliminated from the playoffs.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE

MONDAY
• Boys’ soccer: East Bladen at Clinton, 6:30 p.m.; East Bladen JV at Clinton, 4:30 p.m.
• Girls’ soccer: Tabor City at Bladenboro, 4 p.m.; Clarkton School of Discovery at Williams Township, 4 p.m.; Whiteville at Elizabethtown, 4 p.m.; West Columbus at Tar Heel, 4 p.m.
• 5-7 Soccer at Bladen County Park: Lightning vs. Hornets, 6 p.m.; Silverbacks vs. Raptors, 6 p.m.; Grizzlies vs. Cosmos, 7 p.m.; Dynamos vs. Sharks, 7 p.m.
• 8-10 Girls’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Burn vs. Arsenal, 6 p.m.; Rapids vs. Fusion, 7 p.m.
• 8-10 Boys’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Galaxy vs. RailHawks, 6 p.m.; Revolution vs. Fury, 7 p.m.
• 11-14 Boys’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Spartans vs. Fire, 6 p.m.; Bolt vs. DC United, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY
• Volleyball: East Bladen at Fairmont, 4:30/6 p.m.; West Bladen at Red Springs, 4:30/6 p.m.; Alpha Academy at Emereau Bladen, 4:30 p.m.
• Boys’ soccer: Clinton at West Bladen, 6:30 p.m.; Clinton JV at West Bladen JV, 4:30 p.m.; Alpha Academy at Emereau Bladen, 4:30 p.m.
• Girls’ tennis: Southeastern Athletic Conference tournament at East Bladen, 11 a.m.
• Football: East Columbus at Bladenboro, 6 p.m.; Clarkton School of Discovery at Whiteville, 6 p.m.; Tar Heel at West Columbus, 6 p.m.
• 5-7 Soccer at Bladen County Park: Silverbacks vs. Titans, 6 p.m.; Quakes vs. Grizzlies, 6 p.m.; Sharks vs. Lightning, 7 p.m.; Thundercats vs. Mutiny, 7 p.m.
• 8-10 Girls’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Arsenal vs. Rapids, 6 p.m.; Fusion vs. Burn, 7 p.m.
• 8-10 Boys’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: RailHawks vs. Fury, 6 p.m.; Thunder vs. Revolution, 7 p.m.
• 11-14 Boys’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Bolt vs. Fire, 6 p.m.
• 11-14 Girls’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Spirit vs. Courage, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY
• Boys’ soccer: West Bladen at East Bladen, 6:30 p.m.; West Bladen JV at East Bladen JV, 4:30 p.m.
• Girls’ tennis: Southeastern Athletic Conference tournament at East Bladen, 11 a.m.
• Cross country: East Bladen, West Bladen in Southeastern Athletic Conference championship meet at St. Pauls, 4 p.m.
• Girls’ soccer: Elzabethtown at Tar Heel, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY
• Volleyball: St. Pauls at West Bladen, 4:30/6 p.m.; Red Springs at East Bladen, 4:30/6 p.m.
• JV football: Midway at East Bladen, 6:30 p.m.; West Bladen at Red Springs, 6:30 p.m.
• Soccer: Pender JV at East Bladen JV, 4:30 p.m.
• 5-7 Soccer at Bladen County Park: Raptors vs. Quakes, 6 p.m.; Cosmos vs. Sharks, 6 p.m.; Lightning vs. Thundercats, 7 p.m.; Hornets vs. Silverbacks, 7 p.m.
• 8-10 Girls’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Rapids vs. Burn, 6 p.m.; Fusion vs. Arsenal, 7 p.m.
• 8-10 Boys’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Galaxy vs. Fury, 6 p.m.; Thunder vs. RailHawks, 7 p.m.
• 11-14 Boys’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: DC United vs. Fire, 6 p.m.; Bolt vs. Spartans, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY
• Football: Fairmont at East Bladen, 7 p.m.; Red Springs at West Bladen, 7 p.m.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

• 2005 — Chris Burke hits a home run in the bottom of the 18th inning and Roger Clemens pitches three scoreless innings of relief in Houston’s 7-6, series-ending victory over Atlanta in the NLDS.

WHAT TO WATCH TODAY

• DP WORLD TOUR: Spanish Open, 7:30 a.m., GOLF

• NFL: NY Giants vs. Green Bay, 9:30 a.m., NFLN

• NFL: Regional, 1 p.m., CBS

• NFL: Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m., FOX

• NASCAR CUP: Bank of America ROVAL 400, 2 p.m., NBC

• PGA CHAMPIONS: Constellation Furyk & Friends, 2 p.m., GOLF

• MLS: Columbus at Orlando City, 2:30 p.m., FS1

• NFL: San Francisco at Carolina, 4:05 p.m., CBS

• NFL: Dallas at LA Rams, 4:25 p.m., FOX

• PGA: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, 5 p.m., GOLF

• MLS: Salt Lake at Portland, 5 p.m., ESPN2