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WEST POINT, N.Y. -- When Army coach Jeff Monken kicks back in his office chair, he can stare out the massive side window at Michie Stadium and the sign that hangs above Blaik Field on the home side -- National Champions 1944, 1945, 1946 -- and imagine Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside running rampant.I think thats awesome, said Monken, the latest Army coach to use films of the programs glory days as motivation for todays players. Its a great thing to be proud of.Army briefly became king of the hill in the decade of the 1940s after Earl Red Blaik was hired as head coach in 1941, and Notre Dame became its foil in the biggest rivalry in the nation. A series that began in 1913 had been dominated by the Irish -- 20 wins with three ties in the first 26 games -- and reached its zenith in intensity in the 1940s.Notre Dame defeated Army 13-0 and 26-0 in Blaiks second and third seasons before the Black Knights struck with a vengeance. Felix Doc Blanchard, aka Mr. Inside, and Glenn Davis, aka Mr. Outside, led the charge. Army intercepted eight passes and trounced the Irish 59-0 at Yankee Stadium.It still ranks as the worst defeat in Irish history and remains a source of pride for the Long Gray Line.Talking to players who actually competed in those games, they were bitter, bitter rivals, said Army executive athletic director Bob Beretta, whos worked at West Point for three decades. They were challenging for the place of the most elite program in the country. The Associated Press college football poll was created in 1936 to try to answer the simplest yet most divisive question in sports: Whos better? The poll helped give a regional sport more of a national scope and helped define the Army-Notre Dame rivalry.It (the poll) absolutely was a factor. I think it was a happening, Beretta said. All the eyes of the college football world were on New York City and Yankee Stadium for Army-Notre Dame. That was probably going to be the game to determine the national champion. It wasnt a game. It was an event. It was must-see football.Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 three times from 1936-39 and another 30 times in the 1940s, when the Irish won four of their eight national championships. Army was not ranked from 1936-39 but earned the top ranking 22 times in its special decade under Blaik, which included five unbeaten seasons.Army followed that 1944 trouncing with a 48-0 victory over Notre Dame the next year as the Black Knights hit their zenith under Blanchard and Davis, who each won the Heisman Trophy.We were the top dog at the time. It was very important to continue that status, said 92-year-old Arnold Tucker, standout quarterback on those Army teams. We wanted a third.The rivalry would culminate in one of the great games of the 20th century -- a 0-0 tie in 1946. Both were unbeaten and untied coming in.That was the game of the century. Always intense, said 88-year-old Bill Gompers, a halfback on that Notre Dame team who nearly scored, getting run out of bounds at the Army goal line on fourth down by Blanchard. To play in a game like that was out of this world for each of us.The big thing was the rivalry. That was the biggest because of the national championship, Gompers said.Notre Dame was voted national champion, but Army still considers that team a title team.BEST PROGRAMSMichigan appeared in 98.86 percent of all polls taken.Notre Dame, 96. 59 percent.Penn, 81.82 percent.BEST RIVALRYHow intense was the Army-Notre Dame rivalry? The series entered a 10-year hiatus after the 1947 game at Notre Dame when the Irish won easily 27-7. Blaik and the Army brass thought the rivalry had become too heated and the Irish, not Navy, had become Armys biggest rival.MAIN TAKEAWAYThe AP poll didnt necessarily make the games between the teams bigger, but it helped place more tangible stakes on the big games -- the No. 1 ranking and national title.---AP College Football Website: www.collegefootball.ap.org---AP Sports Writers Ralph Russo in New York and Tom Coyne in South Bend, Indiana contributed.---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947 Christian Okoye Youth Jersey . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Patrick Mahomes Youth Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Anthony-Sherman-Chiefs-Jersey/ .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. Frank Clark Chiefs Jersey . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Juan Thornhill Youth Jersey . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. DETROIT -- Justin Upton knows he is a talented major league hitter.Sunday, he might have started to prove it once again.Upton hit a pair of three-run homers and the struggling Detroit Tigers finished their homestand with a 10-5 win over the Boston Red Sox.This was a good day, he said. Its my brothers birthday, Mom and Dad are here and my wife and kid are here.Upton struggled in the final four months of 2015, but still impressed the Tigers enough to earn a nine-digit contract in free agency. Things hadnt gone any better in Detroit, though.From June 1, 2015 through Saturday -- a stretch of 213 games -- he was hitting .228, and was mired in another slump, going 3 for 35 with 11 strikeouts in his last 10.Uptons only recent extra-base hit was Saturday nights double off the top of the center-field fence that narrowly missed tying the game.Upton went into his home-run trot too early that time -- he was nearly thrown out at second -- but it wasnt a problem in the series finale. Both homers cleared the bullpens before landing deep in the left-field seats.I wasnt putting pressure on myself, but I wanted to perform, he said. At the end of the day, no one wants to struggle, and I was kind of buried in it. But my teammates have always picked me up, which is why this was great.Uptons big game was a welcome sight for Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, who has been trying to solve a lengthy offensive funk.You never know by one swing of the bat, but I feel a lot better about him right now than I did previously, he said.The Tigers won for just the fourth time in 14 games, and went 2-5 on their stay at Comerica Park. Boston has lost just two of its last 10.J.D. Martinez had a pair of doubles for the Tigers.Justin Verlander (13-7) allowed one run on three hits in six innings before being pulled with a nine-run lead. He is 6-1 in his last 10 starts.This was a big game, especially against a team were trying to catch, Verlander said. Were a really good ballclub that is a little hobbled right now, so to come out of here with a split was big.Henry Owens (0-1) didnt find out he was pitching until late Saturday night and didnt arrive in Detroit from Triple-A until the early morning hours. He gave up eight runs on six hits and five walks in five innings.Eduardo Rodriguez was expected to return from a hamstring injury to pitch, but felt discomfort during Saturdays game, so Owens was summoned from Pawtucket.In the third, the Tigers put runners on second and third with no outs. With two outs, Boston manager John Farrell decided to wallk Miguel Cabrera to load the bases for Martinez.ddddddddddddMartinez came into the game hitting .438 since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 3, and he poked a 1-2 pitch down the right-field line for a two-run double.Thats definitely a case of picking your poison, and I dont normally like to load the bases on my pitcher, Farrell said. I just thought Owens had a better chance of attacking Martinez, and he got him to chase a 1-2 pitch outside.But he gets it inside the bag, and after that, it is the Justin Upton show, he said.Upton followed with a homer to make it 5-0.Martinez doubled again in his next at-bat, putting runners on second and third with two out in the fifth, and Upton hit his 15th homer.The Red Sox scored four times off Shane Greene in the seventh, including a two-run homer by Andrew Benintendi, the first of his career.That was pretty cool, especially because my family was here to see it, said Benintendi, who had hit his first career triple off Verlander earlier.I wasnt sure it was going to get out until I saw J.D. give up on it. After that, I just wanted to run fast enough to avoid any trouble. You cant jog on your first one, he said.In his last scheduled game in Detroit, David Ortiz hit a 111-mph drive down the right-field line in the first. Instead of settling for his usual single, he took second on Martinez, leading to a joking exchange between the Red Sox star and Verlander after the inning.Weve had a lot of battles, Verlander said. That was just one of them.Ortiz batted for the final time in the eighth and received long standing ovations both before and after he grounded out. He tipped his cap to the crowd as he walked off.TRAINERS ROOMRed Sox: INF Devin Marrero was optioned back to Pawtucket to clear room for Owens.Tigers: OF Cameron Maybin (thumb) was activated from the disabled list after feeling comfortable in a simulated game against Jordan Zimmermann on Sunday morning. Zimmermann (neck) is expected to make a rehab start for Triple-A Toledo next weekend.UP NEXTRed Sox: Boston travels to Tampa Bay on Monday, with former Ray David Price (11-8, 4.19) facing his old team in the opener. Blake Snell (4-5, 3.06) is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay.Tigers: Off on Monday before starting a three-game series in Minnesota on Tuesday. Anibal Sanchez (6-12, 5.94) will face Kyle Gibson (5-7, 4.90). Sanchez is coming off seven shutout innings in his last start. ' ' '