Here's your wakeup call -- a combination of newsworthy andor interesting tidbits -- for Thursday, October 4:
BASEBALL
Oakland A's, 2012 A.L. West Champions. Man, if you'd ever laid money on that last February . . . (CSN Bay Area)
How about if you laid money on the Nationals having the best record in baseball? (CSN Washington)
Maybe so, but count Jimmy Rollins among the unimpressed. (CSN Philly)
Will Oriole Magic continue now that the postseason is here? (CSN Baltimore)
It kind of sputtered out at the end there, didn't it? (AP)
Way to go, Teddy! (CSN Washington)
Boston Red Sox
And way to go, Miggy! (AP)
You've still got a lot to learn about the way things are in Chicago, Youk. (CSN Chicago)
The memories flooded back after the Astros played their last game in the National League. (CSN Houston)
Sad news amidst Oakland's joy: The newborn son of A's reliever Pat Neshek died 23 hours after his birth. (AP)
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In an affidavit submitted in Debby Jennings' sex and age discrimination suit against the University of Tennessee, Pat Summitt says she initially felt she was being forced to step down as Lady Vols' coach by athletic director Dave Hart after she was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. She said Hart told her that she'd misinterpreted his comments. (AP)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Whoa, Nick. Comments like this will get you kicked off the Bill Belichick Coaching Tree. (NBC's College Football Talk)
Georgia will have to play its Southeastern Conference showdown against South Carolina without top receiver Michael Bennett, who's out for the year because of a knee injury. (AP)
Eight remains great for the ACC. (AP)
Wait a minute. Penn State was actually thinking about raising ticket prices?? (AP)
HOCKEY
No talks, but plenty of rhetoric, in the NHL labor tussle. (AP)
And they were so worked up about this season in Minnesota . . . (AP)
You know it's bad when the bookies are giving even odds that there'll be no Winter Classic. (NBC's Pro Hockey Talk)
Ilya Kovalchuk says the lockout can last forever as far as he's concerned. (NBC's Pro Hockey Talk)
PRO BASKETBALL
Those damn Russians. (NBC's Pro Basketball Talk)
Ray Allen gets a warm welcome in Miami. (AP) The welcome isn't quite as warm for two women in Celtics jerseys.
Pre-order your Bill Walton autobiography before it's too late. (AP)
Rasheed Wallace is the Knicks' headache now. (AP)
This is it for Adam Morrison: Either he makes the Blazers, or he quits. (Pro Basketball Talk)
The Grizzles' vice-president of basketball operations, Dana Davis, was found dead in his apartment at age 56. (AP)
PRO FOOTBALL
Mario Williams says he's not a bust; he's hurt. (NBC's Pro Football Talk)
Teammate Kyle Williams is 15,000 lighter for a hit he made on Tom Brady Sunday, and he wants to know why. (AP)
Where Carlos Rogers sees lack of effort, Rex Ryan sees fatigue. (NBC's Pro Football Talk)
One person Rex won't be seeing for the rest of the year: Santonio Holmes. (AP)
Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt will be allowed to attend the Saints' game Sunday night to watch Drew Brees try and set the NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass. (AP)
Spat with Jay Cutler? What spat with Jay Cutler? Maybe you had a spat with Jay Cutler, but I didn't have a spat with Jay Cutler. (Pro Football Talk)
Maurice Jones-Drew, now he's having a spat with Jay Cutler. (Pro Football Talk)