Rant and Rise: Baltimore Orioles Tied With New York Yankees in AL East, Alabama Moves to No. 1 in AP Poll, Notre Dame Suspends Allen Pinkett

Here’s the edition of Rant and Rise for September 5, 2012.

Baltimore Orioles Move Into First With New York Yankees

Back in the middle of July, who would have thought the Orioles would be on top of the AL East standings with the Yankees–who were up 10 games in the division on July 18–with just a few weeks left in the regular season? While the Orioles continue to rise as one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Yankees appear to be on the verge of a collapse as they’ve lost 10 of their last 14 games.

On top of Baltimore, New York has to worry about the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays–who are 21-11 since August 11–as well in the division and Wild Card spot.

Alabama Crimson Tide Overtake USC Trojans in AP Poll

One week into the 2012 college football season, there’s already a new No. 1 team after Alabama moved ahead of USC in the Associated Press and USA Today college football polls. Considering the difference in competition for each team on opening day, it should be no surprise to see Nick Saban‘s squad move into the No. 1 spot.

While Alabama pulled off an impressive 41-14 win over previously eighth ranked Michigan, Hawaii was clearly overmatched in their 41-10 loss to USC.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Suspend Allen Pinkett For Three Games

It’s bee a rough weekend for former Notre Dame running back and current radio analyst Allen Pinkett now that he’s been suspended for three games without pay for his controversial comments during a radio interview last week. Pinkett was discussing Notre Dame’s situation on suspended players and expressed his support for having “bad citizens” and “criminals” on football teams because it gives them an edge.

As a member of the radio industry, Pinkett should know better when it comes to making these types of comments.

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