Raul Ibanez emerged from the home team dugout at Yankee Stadium

Raul Ibanez emerged from the home team dugout at Yankee Stadium around 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, tasked with taking the place of a Yankee legend. He could have had no way of knowing he was about to become one himself.

Perhaps only the select members of one of the smallest fraternities in sports -- immortal Yankees-- can sense when one is about to join their ranks. And maybe that's why as Ibanez strode toward home plate to pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Yankees two outs from a 2-1 loss, Mariano Rivera turned to the displaced A-Rod and said, "Tie game."

Such a prediction would seem outlandish if not for the fact that Rivera, the all-time saves leader and the greatest postseason closer of all time, knows a little something about October magic. Ibanez had certainly been doing his part to inspire such confidence, turning in a series of almost unbelievable performances in recent weeks, each more amazing than the last. On Sept. 22, he came off the bench and went 3-for-4 with two homers, including a two-run shot to tie the game in the 13th inning against the A's. On Oct. 2, he hit a pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game against the Red Sox and then delivered the walk-off single in the 12th that kept the Yankees alone in first place in the AL East.

Wilson won’t be the Band-Aid solution this time around

This will be entirely different.

Wilson won't be the Band-Aid solution this time around. He's not a two-game fill-in. He'll have to be the answer for the rest of the Jets' season.

He doesn't have to be Revis - no one can do that - but Wilsonneeds to be good, out in the open, when he's one-on-one with starting receivers.

But working in his favor, Wilson is two years older, two years wiser. Thinking back to how he felt playing against the Dolphins and Bills in 2010 with no Revis, Wilson said he sees the game better now.

Shell gave officers the name of Smith's workplace

Shell gave officers the name of Smith's workplace. And upon arrival, authorities said Smith acknowledged calling airport police from a payphone to say that Shell was carrying liquid explosives.

Smith said he did it to "avenge" his new girlfriend because Shell had posted a compromising picture of her on Facebook, the affidavit said.

"It is the kind of photo that would incense a boyfriend," said Brennan, Smith's lawyer.

Smith, 26, of Philadelphia, was charged with conveying false information that interfered with aviation and using an instrument of commerce — the phone — to do so.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and possible restitution.

Employees are entitled to the death benefit from the first day of employment at Google

Chief People Officer Laszlo Bock, through a company representative, declined an interview request.

But he told Forbesmagazine: "Obviously there's no benefit to Google. But it's important to the company to help our families through this horrific if inevitable life event."

Employees are entitled to the death benefit from the first day of employment at Google. The benefit is offered only in the United States, but Google is looking to extend it overseas, a spokeswoman said. Google began offering the benefit earlier this year.

The death benefit adds to Google's other legendary perks — free gourmet cuisine, subsidized massages and on-site doctors.

Wieber walked out of the arena and past reporters

But the moment was bittersweet. Raisman and Wieber are not only roommates in the athletes' village, but also best friends.

"It's really hard; I don't even know what to say to her because it's something that you dream of your whole life, so I feel bad," Raisman said. "I know how much she wanted it."

After her fate was sealed, Wieber walked out of the arena and past reporters, wiping away tears. In a statement provided by Olympic organizers, Wieber called her day "a bit of a disappointment" and said, "It is what it is."

Her personal coach, John Geddert, said in a statement, "She has trained her entire life for this day, and to have it turn out anything less than she deserves is going to be devastating." 

Pak won the championship

Pak won the championship, but Chuasiriporn captured the imagination of golf fans.

"I just remember the week after the Open, we were rooming together to play the Curtis Cup and there was all of this mail for Jenny shoved under our hotel room door," said Beth Bauer Grace, a former L.P.G.A. Tour player who was a Duke teammate of Chuasiriporn's. "Jenny never changed after that Open, but things in her life certainly did."

Chuasiriporn struggled at that Curtis Cup, and the attention followed her everywhere she went. It followed her to North Carolina when she returned to the Duke campus that fall. When she began to struggle on the golf course, the news media was there to document the errant shots. 

The payoff came in the postseason

So much has changed for James since then. He moved his family to Miami, became engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Savannah Brinson, and rededicated himself to his sport. Criticized in the past for lacking a midrange game, James worked with Olajuwon on post moves and spent the season honing them.

The payoff came in the postseason, and especially in these finals. Where a year ago James drifted, now he attacks. Where he once settled for lazy fadeaway jumpers, he now grinds through traffic for layups and runners, or sets up on the block and beats double teams with his passing.

In last year's finals, James averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 assists and 7.2 rebounds. Of his 90 field-goal attempts, only 57 percent came from 10 feet or deeper. In these finals, James has moved inside, taking 60.6 percent of his shots within 9 feet of the basket.