Here's your wakeup call -- a combination of newsworthy andor interesting tidbits -- for Tuesday, October 23:
BASEBALL
Cue Russ Hodges: The Giants win the pennant!! The Giants win the pennant!! (AP)
And cue Bob Lobel: Why can't WE get players like that??!?! (NBC's Hardball Talk)
Marco Scutaro's MVP performance reminded Will Clark of . . . well, himself. (CSN Bay Area)
Hard to believe this was the first Game 7 victory in Giants history. (CSN Bay Area)
You know how the losers all vow "We'll be back" (and usually never are) after playoff elimination? In the Cardinals' case, that might be true. (Hardball Talk)
Enjoy it while you can, Giants, because nbcsports.com's Tony DeMarco says the party's over once you get into the ring against the Tigers.
Boston Red Sox
Ever wonder how they pull Andre Dawson out of the Wrigley Field ivy in that commercial? Take a look behind the scenes at how it all happened. (CSN Chicago)
Tom Brunansky's back in the bigs. (AP)
How far has Curtis Granderson's star fallen in New York? Some in the media are calling for the Yankees to trade him to the Phillies for a positionless 26-year-old in Double-A. (www.beerleaguer.com)
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Geno Auriemma wants to speed up the women's game, and he's got some ideas -- like lowering the rims -- to make it happen. (NBC's College Basketball Talk)
Over in the men's game, Kentucky's favored to repeat as SEC champion. (AP)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Mack Brown isn't a fan of the Longhorn Network. (NBC's College Football Talk)
For the second straight year, Florida State's Chris Thompson has suffered a season-ending injury. (AP)
Oklahoma reinstates suspended defensive tackle Stacy McGee for its Saturday night showdown against Notre Dame. (AP)
That postgame snit of Wyoming coach Dave Christensen two weeks ago costs him 50,000 and a one-game suspension. (AP)
HOCKEY
CSN Washington's Chuck Gormley has an idea to break the stalemate in the NHL labor war.
And make no mistake: It is war. Right, Alex Ovechkin? (CSN Washington)
PRO BASKETBALL
Austin Rivers doesn't think his ankle sprain is "nothing too serious". (NBC's Pro Basketball Talk)
Kobe Bryant's foot is hurting, too. (AP)
There's a lot of enthusiasm building in Philadelphia for the Sixers. But it isn't shared by the league's GMs. (the700level.com)
Now Kevin Durant . . . he's someone the GMs are excited about. (Pro Basketball Talk)
Not to mention LeBron and the Heat. (AP)
Kevin McHale's dumbing things down for the Rockets. (CSN Houston)
Jeff Van Gundy confirms it was David Stern and the NBA who had his brother Stan kicked off ESPN. (Pro Basketball Talk)
PRO FOOTBALL
They're the talk of the AFC, these Texans are. (CSN Houston)
Winning ugly doesn't bother the Bears, and they did just that Monday night against the Lions. (CSN Chicago)
The price of victory, however, was Jay Cutler's ribs. (CSN Chicago)
Brandon Marshall to Ndamukong Suh: "What u did to Jay wasn't cool." (CSN Chicago)
John Harbaugh says the egg the Ravens laid in Houston Sunday is on him. (CSN Baltimore)
If the Chargers did cheat, says Shaun Phillips, they aren't the first. (NBC's Pro Football Talk)
That sideline spat Sunday between Tom Coughlin and Ahmad Bradshaw? No biggie, they insist. (CSN Philly)
The Panthers' 1-5 start cost GM Marty Hurney his job. (AP)
And the Chiefs' 1-5 start cost Matt Cassel his. (AP)
Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay says he has teammates who "aren't playing hard every snap, and that's unacceptable." (Pro Football Talk)
A broken collarbone will sideline the Packers' Charles Woodson for six weeks. (AP)
But there's no timetable on when Maurice Jones-Drew might return. (AP)
Nate Burleson? He's out for the year. (AP)
The Pro Bowl is still on Roger Goodell's chopping block, and it sounds like the players are going to have to put on quite a show this year to save it. (Pro Football Talk)