For several months this fall, I’ve been serving as the play-by-play commentator for the NSCAA Small College Game of the Week, a collaboration between NSCAA-TV and Tourbeau Sports. Our crew has been broadcasting games featuring ranked teams from NCAA Division II, Division III, and the NAIA. Our longest stretch of the season just wrapped up this weekend, with five enticing matches in a ten-day span, and we drove over 3,000 miles total to get to all the sites. Here’s our journey, both calling the games and in between…

9/17: Ohio Wesleyan vs. Ohio Northern

The first game of this stretch was a rematch of my very first game with Tourbeau, when Ohio Wesleyan overcame a second-half deficit to win on the road 2-1. In 2014, the Battling Bishops were dominant throughout the game, defeating the Polar Bears 5-1 after striking first inside three minutes. OWU has had the upper hand historically in this Division III rivalry, and this match proved no exception.

The following day, my producer and I encountered an 11-hour drive from Delaware, Ohio to Springfield, Missouri. Along the way, we stopped in Casey, Illinois, home to the World’s Largest Golf Tee, Wind Chime, Knitting Needles, and Crochet Hook! (The largest Rocking Chair is currently in construction, too!) Casey’s unofficial motto is “Big Things in a Small Town”, and their impressive sights are must-sees for travelers on Interstate 70. Upon reaching St. Louis, we drove past the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium (the Cardinals did have a home game that night), before finally arriving in Springfield, located in the southwest part of the Show-Me state, and home to our second broadcast of this stretch…

9/19: Drury vs. Indianapolis

Since both head coaches are from Scotland, and with the game coming a day after the historic vote on independence, I was curious to hear thoughts from the two men; both had wanted Scotland to become its own nation, but weren’t surprised at the result. As for the match result, Drury earned a tough conference home win, with Nick Ammann scoring the lone goal to gain some revenge for their two losses to the Greyhounds in 2013.

On the drive to Lawrenceville, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta), we encountered a cargo fire outside Chattanooga, and were backed up in traffic for 45 minutes. We did arrive in Georgia safely, and two days removed from Springfield, broadcast our first doubleheader….

9/21: Georgia Gwinnett (Men) vs. William Carey; Georgia Gwinnett (Women) vs. Northwood

Georgia Gwinnett College was founded in 2006, and the Grizzlies have not wasted time in fielding competitive athletic teams, claiming two NAIA national championships this past spring. The men’s soccer team came into their match with William Carey with a lot of confidence, having bested then-second-ranked Auburn-Montgomery in their previous game. The Grizzlies used that confidence to their advantage quickly, with both goals of the 2-0 win coming in the first 12 minutes. In the women’s match, Northwood took an early lead before Georgia Gwinnett tied the game midway through the first half, but a 39th-minute free kick put the Seahawks back on top, and an insurance goal late in the match secured a 3-1 win.

After our doubleheader, we embarked on a two-day trek back into the Central time zone, where I drove through St. Louis again, and through Kansas City, where I saw Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium up close. Our final destination on this trek took us to the hometown of Tom Osborne: Hastings, Nebraska, and this matchup…

9/24: Hastings vs. Kansas Wesleyan

This game came a day after the first NAIA coaches’ poll of the regular season, which kept the host Broncos in the Top 10, and put the Coyotes in the Top 20. The main action of this match came in the final half-hour, with Kansas Wesleyan erasing a halftime deficit to go up 2-1, only Hastings to tie the game on a penalty with 20 minutes to go. But the final quarter-hour belonged to the Coyotes, who scored three goals to get a signature 5-2 road win in their first season with a new head coach.

Driving back to Columbus, my producer and I traveled through several more hometowns: St. Joseph, Missouri (where Walter Cronkite grew up); Hannibal, Missouri (Mark Twain); and Springfield, Illinois (Abraham Lincoln). The local college in St. Joseph, Missouri Western State, had a Cronkite memorial that provided interesting artifacts from the news anchor’s career and personal life. It’s located close enough to U.S. Route 36 that visitors don’t need to take many service roads to reach it, and it is a stop worth checking out.

Our next NSCAA Game of the Week broadcast comes October 3rd from Kansas City, when Rockhurst hosts Quincy, and continues the following evening with Benedictine-Baker from Atchison, Kansas. Our final game of the series is October 30th, when Mobile visits 2013 NAIA National Runner-Up Auburn-Montgomery. You can view the matches for free on YouTube or NSCAAtv.com.

Much has been made about 2014 being Derek Jeter’s final season with the New York Yankees. With Wednesday’s loss to Baltimore, Thursday will be the last Yankees home game of the season; for Jeter, it’s his last time at Yankee Stadium as a player. A major-league career that began in 1995 will end over 19 years later.

I view it as important because I was fortunate enough to see Jeter play in person. Not as a Yankee, but as a Clipper, when my hometown (Columbus, Ohio) was the longtime Triple-A affiliate for New York. I vividly remember going to Cooper Stadium every summer and seeing a lot of future Yankees: Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, among others. There have been other great players on the Clippers (who are now with the Cleveland Indians), but that time in the 1990s sticks out to me as significant.

Jeter, of course, would go on to a long career that included five World Series titles, 14 All-Star selections, and playing nearly 3,000 games without being ejected. Gatorade released this commercial last week as their own tribute to the Yankee captain.

Thursday will also be the final time fans listen to a familiar voice: Bob Sheppard, the longtime public address announcer for the Yankees. Sheppard retired in 2007, but since then Jeter has used a recorded intro from the “Voice of God” when he was at bat. Now, Sheppard’s voice will also make its exit from Yankee Stadium.

Jeter’s last series will come this weekend when New York heads to archrival Boston, but all eyes will be on Yankee Stadium Thursday night to see the final home game of a modern Yankee legend. Share your memories of Derek Jeter below!

UEFA isn’t the only sports organization beginning a Champions League tournament this week; the Champions League Twenty20 – a cricket tournament for the top domestic teams from major cricket-playing nations – formally kicks off Wednesday in India. The qualifying stage finished Tuesday, and defending champions Mumbai Indians will not be repeating in 2014, finishing third in the preliminary round. Will Northern Districts and Lahore Lions (the two qualifiers) continue their momentum with group-stage success?

Group A features the aforementioned Lions (from Pakistan), Perth Scorchers (Australia), Dolphins (South Africa), and Indian clubs Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. Chennai is the only one of the 10 group participants to have won the CLT20 before, so that experience will prove vital in an attempt to win a second crown. Perth reached this phase last year, but finished bottom of the group without a win. Dolphins boast a fairly young team and will want to be the team that wins South Africa’s first Champions League title. Kolkata have a wealth of internationally-known players available for this tournament, including Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine, and captain Gautam Gambhir.

Group B features five teams from different nations: Northern Districts (New Zealand), Kings XI Punjab (India), Hobart Hurricanes (Australia), Cape Cobras (South Africa), and Barbados Tridents (West Indies). Northern and Cobras both have only home-grown players on their CLT20 rosters, although the latter has many players who’ve faced Indian T20 clubs before. Kings XI have Mitchell Johnson and Glenn Maxwell on their squad; both won with Mumbai in 2013. Hobart and Barbados are both making their first appearance in this competition (as are five other squads), but given results in previous Champions Leagues from both Australian and West Indian teams, it will be fun to see if they can progress from group play.

The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals, with the final being played October 4th in Bangalore, India. The tournament will be streamed live in the United States on ESPN3, so if you have a slight interest in the sport, this is a great opportunity to see it in action!

This article is on the teams in Groups E-H of the UEFA Champions League, who all begin play on Wednesday. Click here for my article on Groups A-D.

Group E

Bayern Munich won their fifth European Cup in 2013, but were embarrassed in last year’s semifinals by Real Madrid; the German club opens this season hosting a Manchester City side that’s won two of the last three Premier Leagues, but hasn’t fared as well in European competition. CSKA Moscow make their second straight group stage appearance; their best finish in the UCL was the 2010 quarterfinals. Roma could also spring a surprise, as they also bring players with experience from seasons past.

Group F

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are the favorites to advance from this group; the Catalan club has won three titles since 2006, while PSG boasts plenty of world-class talent. Ajax will surely be honoring the 20th anniversary of their most recent Champions League success; what greater way to do so than go on a Cinderella run to win the title again? Speaking of Cinderella teams, APOEL made a miraculous run to the quarterfinals in 2012, and the Cypriot champions are back for another season in Europe’s top club competition.

Group G

Chelsea are off to a flying start in the Premier League thanks to Diego Costa’s seven goals in four games, and fans will find out soon whether that form carries over to Europe. They will face Schalke for the second straight season in the group stage; the German club will be eager to continue the trend that I’ll mention at the bottom of this article. Sporting and Maribor round out this group; keep an eye on the Portuguese squad, as many former players have went on to become household names at other clubs. Maribor is another team that has advanced all the way from the second qualifying round.

Group H

The Dragões of Porto remain Champions League regulars, although they haven’t won since 2004. They will face formidable opposition in Shakhtar Donetsk, who made the quarterfinals in 2011 and generally provide stern tests, regardless of the opponent. Athletic Bilbao has enjoyed recent success in the Europa League, but now comes a greater opportunity for the Basque club. BATE has been in a UCL group before, but can the only Belarusian club to get this far go one step further into the last 16?

After Italy won the 2006 World Cup, AC Milan won the Champions League the following May. When Spain won in 2010, Barcelona lifted the European Cup the next season. Can a German club continue that trend to win the Final in Berlin in 2015? One thing is for certain: the Champions League is back and ready to produce more drama!

The 2014-15 UEFA Champions League formally starts Tuesday at various sites throughout Europe. Although qualifying phases began in July, many view the group stages as the official beginning of a new season. Subplots are plentiful ahead of the opening matchday, notably the absence of three-time winners Manchester United; and will Real Madrid, having finally captured their 10th European Cup title (La Décima) in May, become the first team in the modern era to successfully defend their title? Here’s a look at what to expect from Groups A-D, who all have Matchday 1 on Tuesday…

Group A

Atlético Madrid were roughly 90 seconds away from a first-ever Champions League triumph, only for city rivals Real to get a stoppage-time equalizer and an extra-time victory. El Atleti‘s road back to the Final starts at Greek champions Olympiacos, who reached the Round of 16 last year and hope to go one step further. Juventus will aim for a better finish than third place in the group stage, while Malmö could spring a surprise or two as group underdogs.

Group B

Before Real Madrid’s win in May, Los Blancos had come up short in three straight semifinals; before then, they endured six straight Round of 16 exits. Is 2014 the beginning of a dynasty? Liverpool are back in the UCL after five seasons, with a squad eager to prove they have returned to Europe’s elite. Basel is also seeking another trip to the knockout rounds, and Ludogorets Razgrad, who began their campaign in the second qualifying round, needed penalties to see off 1986 winners Steaua and advance to this phase.

Group C

Three of the clubs in this group have made the Final before; Zenit St. Petersburg is the odd one out as of now, but have many players with experience in big matches. Benfica haven’t won the European Cup in over 50 years; can the Portuguese champions end that drought in 2015? Bayer Leverkusen want to make amends after a 6-1 aggregate loss to PSG in the last 16 of 2013/14. Monaco is the big question in this group; having finished second in the French league last year with Colombians James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao, how will they fare without those two?

Group D

For the third time in four seasons, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund are drawn in the same group. Both clubs have enjoyed recent domestic success but are ready to extend that good fortune to the Champions League. Many pundits will probably predict those two to advance to the last 16, but you can never write off Galatasaray, who claimed Turkey’s automatic group entry spot because of Fenerbahce’s ban. Anderlecht aren’t new to this stage of the UCL, but can they cause a few shock results and make the knockout round?

Click here for my preview of Groups E-H.

Only three weeks remain until the 2014 Ryder Cup, and on Tuesday, golf fans found out the three captain’s picks for both Team USA and Europe. The American squad already had nine players qualify by having the most points in the Ryder Cup standings after the PGA Championship, leaving captain Tom Watson to choose three additional golfers who he felt will give the USA the best chance to win back the Ryder Cup. In a press conference that was streamed live online Tuesday night, Watson has made his picks.

Keegan Bradley

Bradley became a household name among golf fans when he won the 2011 PGA Championship, the fourth golfer ever to win a major in his first attempt. This is his second Ryder Cup, having played on the 2012 squad that lost after a final-day collapse. At Medinah, Bradley did lose his singles match on that Sunday to Rory McIlroy, but won three matches that weekend when paired with Phil Mickelson (who is making his U.S. record 10th appearance in 2014). Bradley is also known for his enthusiastic celebrations, and does a decent impression of British Open announcer Ivor Robson.

Hunter Mahan

Mahan will make his third Ryder Cup appearance, having been on the victorious American squad in 2008, and on the 2010 squad that lost at Celtic Manor. Mahan has a respectable 3-2-3 record in the Ryder Cup, although he has yet to win a major championship. He joins fellow “Golf Boys” Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler on Team USA. Mahan has enjoyed a productive 2014 season; he is currently 3rd in the FedEx points standings, and won the Barclays in late August. Ben Crane is the one “Golf Boy” who will miss out on the Ryder Cup, because Tom Watson’s final pick is….

Webb Simpson

The 2012 U.S. Open champion made his Ryder Cup debut later that year, going 2-2, including a loss in his singles match. Simpson has struggled in the majors this year – only making the cut at June’s U.S. Open – but has one win and a trio of third-place finishes for the season. In his four-ball and foursome matches at Medinah two years ago, Simpson was paired with Bubba Watson, so don’t be surprised if the two are playing together again, possibly for all four sessions on Friday and Saturday.

Team Europe captain Paul McGinley also selected his picks on Tuesday: Ryder Cup rookie Stephen Gallacher, and veterans Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood. Columbus Dispatch columnist Michael Arace mentioned Luke Donald being left out, but the European team still has four of the top five players in the world. That said, Tom Watson was the last American captain to win a Ryder Cup overseas (in 1993), so will he inspire his players to win the Cup for only the second time since the new millennium?

This year’s event will be held September 26-28 at the Gleneagles Hotel’s PGA Centenary Course in Scotland. Can the U.S. prevent a third straight win for Team Europe? Golf fans are ready to witness the drama that is the Ryder Cup.

Wednesday night will see a playoff atmosphere return to Central Ohio, when the Columbus Clippers host the Durham Bulls at Huntington Park. It will mark the start of the 2014 Governors’ Cup playoffs, the annual postseason tournament for the International League (one of two baseball leagues at the AAA-level, one level below MLB). It’s the first appearance for Columbus (who are affiliated with the Cleveland Indians) since winning back-to-back championships in 2010 & 2011, while Durham (affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays) are seeking their second straight IL title.

Columbus qualified for the playoffs by winning the West Division with a 79-65 record. The Clippers were one of the few clubs to have more success away from home; they were tied with Pawtucket for the best road record (41-31) but finished the regular season with home wins over Toledo after being swept in Indianapolis. With the team adding veteran Russell Branyan to their roster, Columbus is eager to win their third Governors’ Cup in five seasons. Important to mention: the Clippers not only won back-to-back Cups in 2010 & 2011, they also won consecutive Triple-A National Championship Games, too.

Durham is back in the playoffs after winning the IL South Division, and like Columbus, has won multiple Cups in the past, in addition to the 2009 Triple-A National Championship. Durham has relied more on defense throughout the season, as they rank in the bottom two in runs scored, hits, and runs batted in. Pitcher Nate Karns was one of the two strikeout leaders in the IL in 2014, and he will start Game 4 for the Bulls if necessary. Should this series go all five games, Durham would have home-field advantage, but the first two contests are in Ohio, and the Bulls were only two games above .500 on the road.

Columbus was gripped by postseason fever last April when the Blue Jackets gave the Penguins their best shot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Will the Clippers go one better and advance to the Championship series, and win another Governors’ Cup?