Did you know  that the eagle species has recently been reclassified into the Accipitriformes order, where one would also find the  osprey, or "sea hawk"? Thus, t hat Super Bowl-winning bird in Philadelphia has a first cousin out there in Seattle.  What about the  fact that the jaguar, lion, and tiger are all members of the same  Panthera genus? And, since there's truly no feline that goes by the name "panther," each labeled as such is actually a melanistic variant of another cat? That's right. In America, the black panther is simply a jaguar with a skin condition. So, not only did Carolina and Jacksonville both enter the NFL with the same mascot, but they did so in the very same year (1995). Unbelievable, but true. Furthermore, a  "colt" and a "bronco" can describe the exact same horse — provided it's a male and under the age of four.  What I'm alluding to: Nickname duplication isn't new or confined to Major League Socce...

Pop quiz: How many wins did the Tampa Bay Rays end up with this season? Seriously, don't cheat. Attempt a guess, or at the very least, come up with a range. 75-80, right?   A few games over .500, maybe?    In major league seasons such as this, where all ten playoff teams were settled prior to the final Sunday, the average fan's stock response goes something like: "It was a busy Week 4 in the NFL. I know there's a tiebreaker or two on Monday, but I don't have a clue how the other teams ended up."  Well, would you trust me enough to not fact check it on your own if I said the Rays got all the way to 90-72?  And I'll do you one better. Take a look at all the promising teams that didn't make it to the 90-win plateau.  A sexy sleeper pick by many, this was supposed to finally be the year where the Seattle Mariners'  17-year playoff drought  would end  (89) .  Sparked by a managerial change in July, it sure looked like the St. Louis Car...