Bills 14, Titans 13

The Blue Jays didn't need the three runs from Troy Tulowitski's 6th inning blast to win last night's third game of the ALDS in Arlington, Texas but the team and the player need his bat if they want to win the next two games and go on to the ALCS and perhaps the World Series. The Jays were beneficiaries of a brilliantly pitched game by Marco Estrada and, with an effective bullpen performance, were able to put the pressure back on the Rangers who will not want to have a game 5 in Toronto on Wednesday. R. A. Dickey gets the call tonight with one of either Price or Stroman set to go in the deciding game. Price warmed up in the bullpen and looked as if he was about to enter the game before Osuna finally got up to come in for the 9th. I have a feeling that Marcus Stroman will get the call if there is a game 5 with David Price perhaps pitching out of the bullpen where he almost certainly will not earn the first playoff win of his career. Or another loss. Game time today is 4pm and, on this traffic-laden Thanksgiving Day, I will need to plan carefully as to the timing of my departure from Muskoka and the route I'll take - being sure than I'm back by 4pm - and then come up with a plan on where to watch the game in Toronto.

As for the Bills, I couldn't help but think of the most famous one of Dick Jauron's lines (and there certainly weren't many to choose from) which was "It's hard to win in the NFL". Both the Bills and the Titans can attest to that after yesterday's frustrating and relatively poorly played affair in Nashville. This year's Titans are considered by most observers to be a team in the bottom third of the league and the Bills, well, they're probably in the middle third with aspirations of climbing into the top third. Buffalo's offense was pathetic through the first half but, thanks to a few key plays by Tyrod Taylor and Chris Hogan, were able to generate just enough offense to come home with a road win. Taylor made some brilliant scrambling plays to extend drives but he needs to do a better job of protecting himself or we are sure to see the third incarnation of EJ Manuel before too long. The Bills earned only one turnover yesterday and it was on the last meaningful play before they moved into victory formation. All wins in the NFL are hard, for sure, and road wins are even harder. Just ask the Seahawks who blew a big lead yesterday and let the Bengals pick up their 5th win of the season. Cincinnati travels to Orchard Park on Sunday and the Bills will look to move to 4-2 before heading to London the following week.

With a week to go in the federal election campaign, it still seems to be up for grabs. The parties' strategies, as seen in the latest round of TV ads, is interesting with Harper now reminding us that the election really isn't about him and Trudeau asking us to choose hope over fear and to dismiss the Harper claim that he is the only one capable of managing the economy. I think that the Liberals have good momentum now which they can build on over the next 7 days. I'm not really sure that I want a Liberal government but, like two thirds of us, I need to see the current regime, and its shameful neo-conservative ways, thrown out. Last year, the Conservatives ran an ad which claimed that Canadian values are Conservative values. It wasn't true then and it certainly isn't true now.