Pirate Galaxy » theres a possibility two Big Ten teams

Maryhelen Zabas walked into her local Applebees on a mission. Since she doesnt have cable, she needed a place to watch Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Oct. 15 and figured there would be at least one TV in the bar area tuned to the game.But on a fall Saturday, it was college football as far as the eye could see, so Zabas politely asked a bartender if one of the stations could be turned to the baseball game. Upon noticing the Cleveland Indians T-shirt Zabas was wearing, the bartender readily complied. She herself was a Cubs fan and was hoping her team would face the Indians in the World Series.Zabas found a table with prime sight line of the game and, for the next several hours, she ate wings and watched as the Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-1, to take a 2-0 lead in the series. (They would eventually win the series in five.)After the final out, Zabas paid her tab and started for the parking lot. As she stepped outside, she felt the crispness of a fall day in Bend, Oregon, hit her face and breathed in the fresh Northwest air.She was more than 2,000 miles from Cleveland, yet, in this moment, her heart was filled with hometown pride.For most of her life, Zabas was known as Sister Mary Assumpta and had a presence in Cleveland as tall as the citys iconic Terminal Tower. She became a Catholic nun at the age of 17 and was a longtime member of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit -- an order that ministers to the elderly at the Jennings Center for Older Adults, which serves as a retirement community and nursing home in a Cleveland suburb.Sister Mary Assumpta had a claim to fame in Cleveland as one of the most diehard Indians fans in town.She and her fellow sisters were fixtures at ball games at the old Cleveland Stadium, where it was hard to miss a group of nuns dressed in full habit eating hot dogs, yelling at umps and cheering on the Tribe with fervor.At the end of the games, if we lost, people who had a little too much alcohol would say, Oh, Sister, you didnt pray hard enough, and wed turn around and say, Prayer isnt just our job, Zabas said.It seemed no amount of prayer could help the Indians during their 1985 season when the team lost 102 games, so the nuns figured chocolate chip cookies might at least lift the players spirits. After the All-Star break that year, they began taking a batch to the team at the beginning of every homestand.It was just to let them know that somebody cared, Zabas said with a laugh.Over time, it became tradition for the Sisters of the Holy Spirit to bake a special batch of chocolate chip cookies for the Indians home opener each year.Strikeouts were baked in the cookies for the pitchers and home runs into the cookies for the hitters, explained Zabas.But sometimes they got them mixed up and would eat the wrong ones, she joked.Sister Mary Assumptas celebrity grew when she had a cameo in the movie Major League wearing her habit and an Indians jacket. She got her own Upper Deck baseball card, a write-up in People magazine and served as a special World Series correspondent for a local Cleveland TV station and CBS This Morning in 1995.But as much as she was recognized for her devotion to the Indians, it was only a small part of Sister Mary Assumptas life. After beginning her career as a high school English teacher, she transitioned into healthcare administration and became an expert in end-of-life care, traveling the country giving programs and lectures on the subject. She also was the backbone of her small group of sisters and worked tirelessly to keep the order thriving. However, her unending service to others and penchant for self-described overextension eventually took its toll.My soul was burning out, she said.So after nearly 50 years as a Catholic nun, she decided to leave her religious order and took a job with the Sacred Art of Living ministry in Oregon, which works with caregivers and the dying.In the summer of 2013, Zabas set off for her new life in the first car she ever owned -- a Chevrolet Sonic. Prior to that, she always shared a vehicle with one with the other sisters. She was no longer wearing a habit and had taken the name Maryhelen, comprised of her given name Helen and decided to add Mary to it.Along the way from Ohio to Oregon, Zabas made stops at national monuments and other attractions, including the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota. It was there that she met a member of the Cherokee tribe, who bestowed upon her an American Indian name: She Who Laughs at the Unknown.It was fitting as Zabas life has been guided by a certain fearlessness. Whenever she gets a bold idea, one way or another, shell find a way to make it happen -- especially if it involves helping someone in need. For instance, there was the time she turned the sisters cookie baking into a business, Nun Better, to support the endowment of the Jennings Center for Older Adults.To this day, at the age of 71, she still lives life at a vigorous clip. In fact, prayer and baseball might be the only two things in Zabas life that force her to slow down.Theres nothing fast about a ball game. With no game clock or time limit, theres only the ebb and flow of balls and strikes. Its essentially a chess match, and the drama is in the details, which Zabas loves.I learned [the game] from my mother, she said. Ive learned the nuances and know that its a game of strategy that a lot of people dont understand.One of the difficult parts about being so far from Cleveland is no longer being able to watch the Indians regularly on TV or go to games at Progressive Field, Zabas admitted.I just long to see a baseball game, she said.She gets her baseball fix by attending an occasional Bend Elks game, the amateur baseball team in town, and always makes room in her schedule for the Indians when she visits Cleveland during the season.This past summer there, she did something all too familiar. She whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and delivered them to the Indians.Perhaps the hitters and pitchers finally got the right cookies this season with the team only one game away from its first World Series title since 1948.Whatever the outcome, Zabas will always keep her faith in the Indians even if she has to do it from afar.I will not switch my fandom no matter where I live, she said.Air Max 720 Scontate . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Air Max Scontate Donne . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. http://www.airmaxitaliascarpe.it/scarpe-air-max-plus-scontate.html . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Scarpe Air Max 2017 Scontate . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Air Max Italia Scarpe .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win.One thing we do know as we await the second ranking from the College Football Playoff selection committee: Texas A&M should no longer be No. 4 after its loss to unranked Mississippi State on Saturday.What we dont know? Who will replace the Aggies as the highest-ranked one-loss team, and whether they, too, will land in the top four.Its the biggest question this week, but not the only one. The second of six rankings will be unveiled at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday on ESPN. Heres whats facing the 12 committee members this week:1. Who is No. 4? There werent any results that should change the committees top three -- No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Michigan -- but there should be significant debate within the room about the No. 4 team. If the committee stays consistent, one-loss Ohio State could be ranked ahead of undefeated Washington. Committee chairman Kirby Hocutt justified the groups ranking of Texas A&M at No. 4 last week in large part because of strength of schedule; right now, the Buckeyes have the edge over Washington in that category, with three wins over teams currently ranked by the committee (Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Nebraska). This might be a closer debate than it was last week, though. According to ESPNs strength of record metric, it is about as hard to go 9-0 against Washingtons schedule as it is to go 8-1 against Ohio States. Because Louisville was ranked No. 7 last week -- behind the Buckeyes (No. 6) and Washington (No. 5) -- it doesnt seem likely that a win over a 4-5 Boston College team will change its position much.2. How much respect can the Pac-12 South get from the committee? If USC can earn a spot in the committees top 25 this week -- right before it heads to Washington -- thats another ranked opponent on the Huskies schedule, and they could certainly use it. So far, Washingtons only victory against a team currently ranked by the selection committee was a 31-24 win at No. 17 Utah on Oct. 29. The Huskies face USC on Saturday, and the Trojans have won five straight games with an average scoring margin of 21 points during that stretch. Even after accounting for the strength of opponents faced, the Trojans have been a top-20 offense and defense over their past five games. Last week, No. 22 Florida State was the only three-loss team in the committees rankings. If USC (6-3) can work its way into the rankings this week, and No.dddddddddddd 25 Washington State can stay ranked, Washington could significantly boost its playoff résumé before the final rankings are revealed on Dec. 3. The Huskies would also face another ranked opponent from the South in the Pac-12 title game (No. 15 Colorado or No. 16 Utah). That could all add up to four wins over teams ranked by the committee -- leaving no doubt within the room that the undefeated Pac-12 champs are one of the top four teams in the country.3. Which two-loss team is in the best position? Dont rule out the possibility of a two-loss conference champion finishing in the top four just yet, as Wisconsin, Auburn and even Penn State can still win their league titles, and Oklahoma is still undefeated in Big 12 play. Last week, No. 8 Wisconsin was the committees highest-ranked two-loss team. How far will the committee drop Texas A&M? With the Aggies loss, Auburn will win the SEC West if it wins out. And after Nebraskas loss, Wisconsin will win the Big Ten West if it wins out. OU is a long shot, but the committee likes the Sooners more than one-loss West Virginia right now, so they appear to be the leagues best hope. Penn State was one of the biggest surprises in the first rankings, at No. 12. Will the Nittany Lions take another step forward after their 41-14 drubbing of Iowa?4. Can any conference still get two teams in? This obviously isnt something the committee will decide today, but if it puts Ohio State in at No. 4, theres a possibility two Big Ten teams will make the final top four. Theres a very streamlined scenario for it, though: If Michigans only loss is a close game at Ohio State, and the Buckeyes go on to win the Big Ten title, AND -- the catch here -- Washington loses the Apple Cup. An improbable scenario? Yes, but heres another one to consider: What if Auburn runs the table and, in the process, beats Alabama? If Auburn wins the SEC, would the committee really leave out a one-loss Alabama team that had been the clear-cut No. 1 all season? The committee showed last week its not afraid to put two SEC teams in the top four. Lets see if the Big Ten holds as much clout. ' ' '