Slammin' Sam on Sports Media Thursday Edition

For Slammin’ Sam on Sports Media’s Thursday post, I take a look at five columns from around the Web. You may have seen them, or maybe not. If you haven’t, take a look:

First, a pair of columns on the NLCS between the Phillies and the Dodgers. The Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Bob Ford details the divergent paths of managers Joe Torre and Charlie Manuel. You might forget that Torre made three largely uneventful stops before he latched on with the Yankees. Meanwhile, baseball served as a sometimes arduous trek for Manuel until the Phils skipper ascended the summit to claim the ’08 World Series.

Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin says the crux of Phillies-Dodgers history dates to May 1977, when a number of the principle figures from the current organizations met for a weekend series in LA.

On the other side, Yanks ace CC Sabathia remains unfazed, even as the hot lava of ALCS expectations spews around him. (Bob Klapisch, Bergen Record)

Next, how about a couple college football stories?

You wouldn’t know that USC and Notre Dame are renewing their rivalry this weekend in South Bend, judging by the actions of their star quarterbacks, LA Daily News writer Scott Wolf pens.

There may just be a case against being over-prepared after all. Look at Longhorns QB Colt McCoy, Chuck Carlton of The Dallas Morning News informs.

And finally, because the roots of Free Keon lie in Illinois sports, here’s a peek at the Bulls’ frontcourt, for which Chicago Sun-Times scribe John Jackson offers measured praise.

Sam Miller/Free Keon