The Sports Blog that needs a good name!

NFL Week 13 Picks

2009-12-03T14:53:00.002-05:00

Thursday 8 p.m.

Jets (-3) @ Bills
- The ratings might be high in New York and New Jersey, but the game is being played in Canada. And nobody else will be watching.

Sunday 1 p.m.

Eagles (-6) @ Falcons
- No Michael Turner, no Matty Ice...you do the math.

Rams @ Bears (-9)
- Anybody else get the feeling the Rams might accidentally cover?

Lions @ Bengals (-13)
- Is this what happens when the Bengals are healthy (and out of jail)?

Titans (+7) @ Colts
- Cover, not win. Don't be silly.

Broncos (-5) @ Chiefs
- The Chiefs are a respectable 2-2 since dumping Larry Johnson. Let's make it 2-3 so people don't start thinking that's a relevant fact.

Patriots (-4) @ Dolphins
- Ronnie Brown is out for the year, remember?

Raiders @ Steeelers (-15)
- The oddsmakers want you to think the Raiders will cover because Pittsburgh is playing so poorly. Don't fall for it. December game at Heinz Field featuring a California team on the east coast. Not gonna be pretty for Oakland.

Saints (-10) @ Redskins
- New Orleans may take a break this week, but 10 points is still chump change.

Buccaneers @ Panthers (-6)
- Carolina was a tough place to play last year. I almost took Tampa here, but I just don't have it in me.

Texans (+1) @ Jaguars
- Have you figured either of these teams out yet? I haven't.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Chargers (-13) @ Browns
- I'm taking too many favorites again.

Cowboys @ Giants (-2)
- Is Dallas cursed in December? You bet your butt if Tony Romo and company can't beat the Giants.

49ers (+1) @ Seahawks
- How about three touchdowns for Michael Crabtree on Sunday?

Sunday 8 p.m.

Vikings (-4) @ Cardinals
- Brett Favre is actually going to win the MVP this season.

Monday Night Football

Ravens @ Packers (-3)
- Lambeau in Decembrrrrrrrrrrrr. Get it?

Week 12 Picks: Turkey Day Bloggin'!

2009-11-26T12:23:00.004-05:00

It's about time I get back into the swing of having games on Thursday. Green Bay and Detroit are going to kick off in about five minutes, so I'll actually have my picks in on time this week!

Thanksgiving Day FOOTBALL!

Green Bay (-12) @ Lions
- I'm thankful for Greg Jennings. Not because he's been great for me this year, because he hasn't - only because he's not dropping 20+ points against me like he did twice last year.

Raiders (+14) @ Cowboys
- I'm thankful for Miles Austin. He's stepped up wonderfully for my fantasy team in Greg Jennings' down weeks.

Giants (-7) @ Broncos
- I'm thankful for not having a TV so I don't have to watch two teams in downward spirals playing each other. I guess it's good for one team...SOMEONE has to win this game. Unless it ends in a tie.

Two Days After Thanksgiving Day FOOTBALL!

1 p.m.

Buccaneers (+13) @ Falcons
- I'm thankful for Michael Turner. He stayed healthy longer than any of my previous first round picks before inevitably getting hurt.

Dolphins (-5) @ Bills
- I'm thankful for Terrell Owens. Though he's been quiet this year and seems to be fading away, I'm hoping for some awesome news conferences in the near future.

Browns (+14) @ Bengals
- I'm thankful for Chad Ochocinco. I wish I had the grapefruits to change my last name to "Ochocinco." What an awesome guy.

Seahawks (-3) @ Rams
- I'm thankful for Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk. Without them, the Rams would be lost.

Panthers @ Jets (-3)
- I'm thankful for Mark Sanchez. Brett Favre led Jets fans on for too long last year, actually believing they'd be successful. I bet the Jets are glad they moved on and let that washed up old man go to Minnesota.

Redskins @ Eagles (-10)
- I'm thankful for Mike Vick. He's not getting many opportunities, but at least he's back in the league getting a paycheck. I'm also thankful for the Redskins. The team representing the nation's capital has the most racist name in all of sports and the Constitution protects its right to have such a name. Karma is a bitch.

Colts (-4) @ Texans
- I'm thankful for Peyton Manning. Fantasy purposes. I have a bad feeling about the Colts losing this one and the Saints being the last undefeated team left...for one day, at least.

4 p.m.

Chiefs @ Chargers (-14)
- I'm thankful for Sunday 4 p.m. games. I always get them wrong.

Jaguars @ 49ers (-4)
- See above.

Cardinals @ Titans (-3)
- Yep.

Bears (+11) @ Vikings
- I'm thankful for Mike Ditka. Ditka. Ditka. Bears.

8 p.m.

Steelers @ Ravens (PICK)
- Steelers are playing terribly. Ravens are playing well, all things considered. Either way I pick, I'm wrong, so let's get Rashard Mendenhall some serious fantasy points.

MONDAYNIGHTAFTERTURKEYDAYFOOTBALLLLLL!!!!

Patriots (+3) @ Saints
- I'm thankful for the NFL. For all the Rams, Raiders, Chiefs, Buccaneers, etc... games, it's all compensated for when you get games like these.

Week 11: Missed Thursday...Again.

2009-11-21T16:47:00.002-05:00

Not that it's a huge deal, I definitely would have taken the Panthers over Miami with Ronnie Brown on the shelf for the rest of the season. There's no need to revisit last week's results because I seem to hover around .500 or worse every single week. The oddsmakers win again this year.

Sunday 1 p.m.

Redskins (+11) @ Cowboys
- That's a rather large 11 the way Dallas has been playing.

Browns @ Lions (-4)
- Blackout.

49ers @ Packers (-7)
- This, the week I finally pick against the Niners, will be the week they finally cover.

Steelers (-10) @ Chiefs
- Pittsburgh has a knack for not covering, especially against bad teams. Maybe that's not the case this week.

Seahawks @ Vikings (-11)
- A.P. is due for a huge day, isn't he?

Falcons (+7) @ Giants
- Are there any good teams playing worse than these two?

Saints (-11) @ Buccaneers
- Reggie Bush is out. I don't honestly see that affecting the outcome.

Bills (+9) @ Jaguars
- This is like me picking Washington. Why not?

Colts (+2) @ Ravens
- Look, I know Indy isn't playing its best football these days, but 9-0 deserves a little respect, doesn't it?

Sunday 4 p.m.

Cardinals (-9) @ Rams
- I've had good results on the 4 p.m. games once, maybe twice this season.

Chargers (+4) @ Broncos
- San Diego smoked Philly last week, no reason to lose to Denver this week!

Bengals @ Raiders (+10)
- Is JaMarcus Russell still Oakland's QB? What happened to this poor, lost franchise? Oh yeah, Al Davis.

Jets (+11) @ Patriots
- I can't wait for the Patriots' first 4th down situation. The fans will give a very loud, sarcastic cheer when Bill Belichick opts for the punt.

Sunday 8 p.m.

Eagles (-3) @ Bears
- Interesting fact I learned today: Jay Cutler has the top selling jersey in the NFL this season. Why? I have no idea. Brett Favre is still in the league!

Monday Night FOOTBALLLLLLLL

Titans (+5) @ Texans
- Can't be worse than Baltimore/Cleveland, can it?

Week 10 Picks: There's a Thursday Night Game!

2009-11-12T20:53:00.003-05:00

Ah! The San Fran/Bears game is still 0-0 so I can get away with it. Kinda. I did terrible last week, but I'm still giving myself the excuse of no internet and no TV. Can't follow anything.

Thursday (Now)

Bears (+4) @ 49ers
- Niners could actually win one for once, but I see it being by no more than a field goal.

Sunday 1 p.m.

Bills @ Titans (-7)
- Are they back?

Saints (-14) @ Rams
- Uh oh. This could be ugly.

Buccaneers @ Dolphins (-10)
- I should know better because the Dolphins only seem to play well against good teams.

Lions @ Vikings (-17)
- As tempting as it is to take the Lions to cover 17 points, the thought of the Vikings' defense simply won't allow me to.

Jaguars (+7) @ Jets
- Two of my least favorite teams to pick.

Bengals (+7) @ Steelers
- The Bengals are torturing me this year, so I'm giving in and picking them.

Broncos (-4) @ Redskins
- Denver should cover four points...

Falcons (-2) @ Panthers
- Falcons will win by one. Just watch.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Chiefs @ Raiders (-2)
- Who's watching this game with me?

Cowboys @ Packers (+3)
- Seems like a no-brainer. What am I missing here?

Seahawks @ Cardinals (-9)
- I'll get it wrong either way just like I do with these two teams every week, so I might as well make the logical wrong pick.

Eagles (+3) @ Chargers
- Pretty sure Philly is gonna blow SD out of the water.

Sunday 8 p.m.

Patriots (+3) @ Colts
- I'll be happy to get this one wrong. This is always the best game to watch every year.

Monday Night Football

Ravens @ Browns (+11)
- What are the Browns doing on MNF? I don't know, but I'm picking them.

Week 9 Picks: Still No Internet!

2009-11-07T19:47:00.002-05:00

I don't drink coffee, so going to the internet cafe everyday is getting pretty old. Though the hot chocolate is pretty good. I'll hopefully be up and running by Friday.

I continued my mediocre picking last week with a 7-6 mark, 60-56 overall. Yuck.

How about a perfect week this time around?

(lines c/o sportsbook.com)

Sunday 1 p.m.

Redskins @ Falcons (-10)
- Shame on me for being so blunt, but...duh.

Cardinals @ Bears (-3)
- Can you figure either of these teams out? I sure can't. When in doubt, take the home team.

Ravens (-3) @ Bengals
- Remember in Week 5 when Cincinnati visited Baltimore and won? Can a blogga get some payback?

Texans (+9) @ Colts
- Going against what I would normally do worked well last week in the Carolina-Arizona game, so picking the Texans to cover (not win) will be this week's version of that. And if I'm wrong, that probably just means my fantasy team is living large.

Dolphins (+11) @ Patriots
- Am I missing something here? The Dolphins can control the clock and run all over the Pats. Even if New England scores quick and maintains a lead, I can't see them being able to outscore Miami by 11.

Packers (-10) @ Buccaneers
- The only games Tampa lost by less than 10 were against the 'Skins and the Panthers.

Chiefs @ Jaguars (-7)
- The Jags have been terribly terrible the past three weeks. The Chiefs have been terribly, TERRIBLY terrible the past three years.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Lions (+10) @ Seahawks
- I'm going for it. The Lions lost to the freaking Rams last week. Everything about this game screams "DETROIT!"

Panthers @ Saints (-14)
- Having John Carney as my fantasy kicker is really getting old. Nobody can ever hold the Saints to just a field goal. You know it's bad when I'm rooting for a team to drive to the 20-yard line, get stopped, settle for a field goal, and still cover a two-touchdown spread.

Chargers @ Giants (-5)
-Vincent Jackson touchdowns make me happy. That has very little to do with me picking the Giants.

Titans @ 49ers (-5)
- Can Tennessee ride the wave coming off its first win? No.

Sunday 8 p.m.

Cowboys @ Eagles (-3)
- Now this is a great way to come back after Sunday Night Football got a BYE week due to things we don't speak of. I got away with playing Philly's defense/special teams against the Giants last week. Not sure if I can get away with it this week. I'm really setting myself up for heartbreak by benching Miles Austin, too. That can be potentially devastating. But what am I supposed to do with Greg Jennings, Wes Welker, and Vincent Jackson??? I wish one of those guys was a running back because all of mine suck.

Monday Night Football

Steelers (-3) @ Broncos
- The Broncos realized they aren't who they thought they were. I hope. Let's keep up the losing, boys!

Week 8: Live From Chicago!

2009-10-29T17:00:00.003-04:00

Due to my inability to deal with the thought of being near a Yankees/Phillies World Series, I've uprooted from New York and am currently residing in the Windy City in hopes of removing the Mets' curse and bringing them a championship in 2010.

But before that happens, I need to get my Week 8 picks in.

I'm blogging from a coffee shop (I don't drink coffee but they have free WiFi) because I don't have a home, and thus, no internet, so I must be brief.

Just counted up quick and it looks like I went 6-6-1 last week, the first push of the season. I'm lucky it wasn't a loss - the 49ers looked terrible (because I predicted them to look great!). I'm sure there was plenty of irony and humility which I can't cover all of right now, but let me take a moment to talk about fantasy purposes.

Vincent Jackson, the Eagles' defense, and Peyton Manning saved me big time last week as I pulled off the upset. I had Miles Austin (29 points) on the bench. Where is Greg Jennings???

(lines c/o sportsbook.com)

Sunday 1 p.m.

Dolphins @ Jets (-4)
- Miami almost beat New Orleans, not to mention embarrassing the Jets last time they met. No way they lose this game. Wink.

Giants (+1) @ Eagles
- The Giants have become freakishly human lately.

Broncos @ Ravens (-3)
- I've basically given up on Baltimore, and I've accepted that Kyle Orton is God's gift to the NFL.

Texans (-4) @ Bills
- Go Bills.

Browns @ Bears (-14)
- Seems like a good game for the Browns to cover.

Seahawks @ Cowboys (-10)
- Is it just me or are all of my post-pick blurbs contradictory to my picks?

Rams @ Lions (-4)
- Worst game ever? It's close to it, but every time the Rams play a bad team, it could be the worst game ever. Like when they lost 9-7 to the Redskins in Week 2.

49ers @ Colts (-13)
- I'm terrified that Peyton Manning will have a bad game soon. Until that happens, I'll ride the wave.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Jaguars (+3) @ Titans
- I'm terrfied that the Titans will win a game soon now that I've stopped picking them. Until that happens, I'll ride the wave.

Raiders (+17) @ Chargers
- Did nobody watch these teams play in Week 1? Oakland seems to show up to play every other week. Last week wasn't a good week.

Panthers (+11) @ Cardinals
- It's not my style to pick the Panthers in a game like this. Let's see how it works out, Cotton.

Vikings (+3) @ Packers
- Brett Favre. Brett Favre. Brett Favre. Brett Favre. Brett Favre. Brett Favre. Brett Favre.

Sunday 8 p.m.

WHAT?! NO SUNDAY NIGHT GAME?! I HATE THE PHILLIES AND THE YANKEES!

Monday Night Favreball

Falcons @ Saints (-11)
- Brett Favre. Brett Favre. Brett Favre.

Yanks/Phils - I mean...damn.

2009-10-26T16:49:00.001-04:00

There is nothing less exciting for a Mets fan than the Yankees and Phillies playing in the World Series.

I didn't think the season could get worse, but I was wrong.

The Yankees should be the Phillies in five games, and I'd prefer the Yankees win anyway.

Here's why.

Week 7 Picks: Ignoring MLB for as Long as I Can

2009-10-22T15:54:00.003-04:00

The Phillies are in. The Yankees are up 3-1. I've already written up the column I promised about which team I'll be rooting for. It's just waiting for the deed to be done so I can post it.

I'm not proud.

Week 6 Irony
- I picked the Broncos in hopes of them losing. I got the pick right. Damnit! They're still undefeated! HOW?!!

Week 6 Humility
- I went 8-6 last week, which was much better than my 4-10 implosion the week prior. One of my finer picks was the Titans, who only needed to lose by less than 10 points against the Patriots, in the cold and snow. They lost 59-0. And the Pats only played for two and a half quarters. Nice.

Week 6 Fantasy Purposes
- As I sat at Buffalo Wild Wings watching the 4 p.m. games, I watched Donovan McNabb throw up a huge brick against the Raiders. Luckily I was also watching Wes Welker having tons of fun in the snow. Peyton is back this week, and I need him to come up huuuuuuge because I'm playing against Tom Brady.

(lines c/o sportsbook.com)

Sunday 1 p.m.

49ers (+3) @ Texans
- Frank Gore is back, Michael Crabtree is going to be in the lineup. Should be a good day for San Fran. The Texans are playing well but stink at home. Confidence level: not high. Just checked my fantasy pick'em, completed Tuesday. I picked the Texans.

Packers (-7) @ Browns
- Green Bay has done its job against the bad teams this year, but the Browns have beaten the spread three straight weeks. Greg Jennings is DUE!

Chargers (-6) @ Chiefs
- KC has been playing teams tough the past few weeks, including beating the spread two straight times. Scared? I might be.

Colts (-14) @ Rams
- Why did Peyton Manning stop doing commercials?

Vikings (+5) @ Steelers
- This is probably the week that Pittsburgh turns things around. The Steelers hate me. I've gotten their game wrong EVERY SINGLE WEEK. They fail to cover every time I pick them, and the only time I didn't pick them, they beat San Diego handily.

Patriots (-16) @ Buccaneers
- Will not playing in the snow affect Tom Brady? I'm not sure. Would I still take the Pats if the spread were up around 40? Yes.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Jets @ Raiders (+7)
- Here's the thing with the Raiders. They look great one week, then completely die the next. The way the Jets looked last week compared to Oakland, there's no way New York should be favored in this game. But I'm falling for the trick and taking Oakland. I've only gotten the pick right in the Jets' games once this season, and that was easy because they were playing New Orleans.

Bills @ Panthers (-7)
- My train of thought here: Both teams are pretty bad this year. Pick Carolina to cover in hopes that I jinx them because I'm playing against DeAngelo Williams in fantasy this week. A low scoring game or a Panthers loss would hopefully mean he doesn't drop 29 points on me like he did on poor Sanger last week. That wasn't Sanger's only problem, since he was facing Thomas Jones and Tom Brady, too. I think I'm in big trouble this week.

Bears (+1) @ Bengals
- The Bengals peaked. Chicago is about to find its stride.

Falcons (+4) @ Cowboys
- Making my picks right now, I feel confident that it's going to be a good week. I'm setting myself up for a major heartbreak.

Saints (-7) @ Dolphins
- I have a terrible feeling that the Dolphins are going to show up to play and New Orleans will have a hangover from the beatdown of the Giants.

Sunday 8(ish) p.m.

Cardinals @ Giants (-7)
- Could be a good game. I'm hoping it is for about three quarters. Then New York wins by 8. Or 9. Or 10. Just more than 7, please.

Monday Night Futbol Americano

Eagles (-7) @ Redskins
- I'll point back to Week 5 when I mentioned twice that the Redskins will get hot as soon as bettors lose faith in them. Jim Zorn's job in turmoil. New guy calling plays. QBs are frustrated and confused. This has all the makings for an upset. NOBODY has the Redskins in this game. Not even me.

Week 6 Picks, MLB League Championship "Previews"

2009-10-15T16:10:00.004-04:00

Due to excessive irony, humility, and a brutal fantasy week, I'll be skipping my favorite segment this time around. I went 4-10 against the spread, 7-7 in straight picks, when I guaranteed at least 12 correct. Absolutely disgusting. I said I'd quit if the Broncos beat the Pats, and even though I'm not quitting, my heart is absolutely not in it this week. Disgusting.

Time for a quick ALCS and NLCS preview: As I do every year, I went 2-2 in my Division Series picks.

Dodgers/Phillies - There is nothing worse than the thought of a Phillies repeat...even the Yankees winning. That's right. We all have to deal with Yankees fans, regardless of outcome. They'll never shut up. At least if the Phillies are humbled, they'll go back into hibernation for awhile. The Dodgers have the edge in the bullpen, so I'll ride that to the promised land.

Dodgers in seven.

Yankees/Angels - No, I won't be surprised when picking both L.A. teams to advance turns out to be wrong. Don't care. Down with Jeter!

Angels in four.

To the NFL!

(lines c/o sportsbook.com)

Sunday 1 p.m.

Texans (+5) @ Bengals
- Not jumping on the Bengals bandwagon. Not after what Carson Palmer did to my fantasy team last year. Nope. And not even if I'm 1-4 on the Texans' games...because I'm 1-4 on the Bengals' games, too. So I'll get this one wrong regardless.

Lions @ Packers (-14)
- Packers are coming off a bye and the Lions may not have their top QB or wide receiver. 4-1 on the Lions' games (tough, I know) and 1-3 on the Packers'.

Ravens (+3) @ Vikings
- Ever since I pronounced the Ravens as one of the best teams in the league, they're 0-2. I'm not ready to give up on them yet. 3-2 on each team's games.

Giants (+3) @ Saints
- This will be a good football game. We'll find out more about the Saints' offense and defense than we will about the Giants. I'm 4-0 with the Saints, 4-1 with the Giants.

Browns @ Steelers (-15)
- Steelers couldn't cover against the Lions. Should I be concerned about the weather? Perhaps. But the Browns only managed two field goals against the Bills. Lucky for them, the Bills only managed one field goal. 1-4 with Pittsburgh, 3-2 with Cleveland.

Panthers (-3) @ Buccaneers
- This would be embarrassing to get wrong. <---I think I'm about 0-5 after saying that, so go put your money on Tampa. QUICK! 4-1 on Tampa, 3-1 on Carolina.

Chiefs (+7) @ Redskins
- This might be about where the Redskins begin to turn things around. The media, and thus the entire world, has given up on Washington. 4-1 on Chiefs, 2-3 on Washington.

Rams @ Jaguars (-10)
- The Jaguars seriously lost 41-0 last week. Against the Seahawks. At least they're at home this week...and playing the Rams. 4-1 Rams, 2-3 Jags.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Cardinals (+3) @ Seahawks
- If the Seahawks being favored is a joke, I don't get it. 3-2 Seahawks, 1-3 Cards.

Eagles (-15) @ Raiders
- Peyton Manning is on a bye this week. Donovan is IN! Do work. 4-0 Eagles, 2-3 Raiders.

Titans (+10) @ Patriots
- I haven't lost faith in either team yet, but it's going to be about 45 degrees and rainy in Foxboro on Sunday. Low scoring game, gotta love the Titans to cover. 2-3 Tennessee, 1-4 Pats.

Bills @ Jets (-10)
- You would think with similar weather conditions, I would again stay away from a 10-point spread. But did you see the Bills play last week? No? Good. I'm doing Ernie a favor by picking the Jets because I'm 1-4 in their games, 2-3 with the Bills. Citing my stats makes me really sad.

Sunday 8 p.m.

Bears @ Falcons (-3)
- Not sure what to expect from this game. 50 fantasy points from Michael Turner? Don't mind if I do. 2-2 Bears, 3-1 Falcons.

Monday Night Football....!

Broncos (+4) @ Chargers
- I'm picking the Broncos so they'll finally lose a game. Please, just lose. You aren't deserving of a 5-0 record. Or a 4-1 record. Or a 3-2 record. (2-3 Broncos, 1-3 Chargers)

Week 5 Picks: Week 4 Sucked!

2009-10-08T15:16:00.004-04:00

In Las Vegas, there exists a cult-like group of people, appropriately named "wise guys." They do what I've been trying to do (outsmart the oddsmakers), only they're much more intense and in-depth about things.

Because of the existence of these "wise guys," it has become the goal of oddsmakers to outsmart the wise guys. They aren't worried about the casual betting man, because the casual betting man does not pose a potentially detrimental threat to the money-making system.

It is the oddsmakers' jobs to stay one step ahead of the wise guys. Thus, I went 6-8 last week. Even through the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. games, with losses at 8 p.m. and on Monday Night Football.

IRONY

The Redskins have been favored against the Rams, Lions, and Buccaneers...and failed to cover every time. This is setting up for them to do some serious damage at the end of the year as the betting man loses faith in Washington.

HUMILITY

Where to start? Ah, yes. I'll quote:

"This goes against what the trend is telling me to do, but I can't, in my right mind, pick the Broncos. Denver is 2-0 as the underdog. The Broncos have an anemic offense and, by the numbers, a great defense, but they have yet to play anyone. Dallas is 2-1 when favored, 1-0 on the road. Losing this one would be a humbling experience for me."

Right then and there, everybody in the whole world should have known to put every penny they own on the Broncos. Figures. Also, picking the Raiders was just a dumb move in retrospect. They looked good ONCE - against the Chargers. That doesn't make them a good team.

FANTASY PURPOSES

I'm not concerned about last week anymore. I'm looking ahead at this week, where Greg Jennings, Vincent Jackson, and John Carney all have off. I traveled to the waiver wire early and often, so I'm counting on my scrubs to do some damage.

In other words, I'm praying for Peyton Manning to score 40 points this week. And if Rashard Mendenhall can repeat what he did last week, that would be super.

Just glancing at the games, they look very one-sided. I expect at least 12-2 in straight up picks. The spreads are probably going to be very high, so no promises or predictions for how I'll fare there.

(lines courtesy of sportsbook.com)

Sunday 1 p.m.

Browns @ Bills (-6)
- Dangerous game to start with. Buffalo can't screw this up, right?

Steelers (-11) @ Lions
- Dangerous game with such a lofty spread. Pittsburgh can't screw this up, right?

Cowboys (-9) @ Chiefs
- Vegas wants bettors to lose faith in the 'Boys ability to cover. They've been favored each week, going back and forth, win, loss, win, loss. It's time for a win! I've noted the irony that I was just talking about how the oddmakers try to stay one step ahead of wise guys, so in theory, Dallas shouldn't cover.

Vikings (-10) @ Rams
- After such a spirited victory last week, there could be a huge hangover against St. Louis.

...nah.

Raiders @ Giants (-16)
- After what I just said about the Raiders, there's no way I can pick them to beat the spread.

Buccaneers @ Eagles (-15)
- Now I might be a little crazy. I've picked double-digit favorites all four times I've had the option. One of these teams is bound to cover.

Redskins @ Panthers (-4)
- IT'S A TRAP! Though this might just be a gimme, further setting up Washington's late-season hot streak. Jake Delhomme didn't throw any interceptions last week, but he also had a BYE.

Bengals @ Ravens (-9)
- Ravens had a bad game last week, but Cinci isn't exactly New England.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Falcons @ 49ers (+3)
- I took all favorites in the 1 p.m. games. The 4 o'clock games are all a lot tougher to pick. I'll start with an underdog, though the Falcons are rested after having off last week.

Jaguars (PICK) @ Seahawks
- The Jags seem to have some swagger of late, especially on offense. The Seahawks are dealing with injuries and haven't won since Week 1...against the Rams.

Texans (+6) @ Cardinals
- I like the Cardinals to win, especially coming off a BYE, but the Texans will give them a game, keeping it close, if not actually pulling it out. Taking Houston at six points is a no-brainer (setup for Irony, Humility?).

Patriots (-4) @ Broncos
- You have no idea how mad I will be if the Broncos cover. If they win, I quit.

Sunday 8 p.m.

Colts (-5) @ Titans
- Maybe because it's prime time, maybe because it's on the road, or maybe because everybody knows the Titans aren't this bad...but I have a very uneasy feeling about this game. Considering how Ronnie Brown ran all over the Colts, I think Chris Johnson will have a huge game, and I won't be surprised if I get this pick wrong.

If I do, it's a double loss, because it probably means Peyton Manning did bad, fully securing a fantasy loss for me.

Monday Night (football)

Jets (-2) @ Dolphins
- Yawn. What else is on? Oh, playoff baseball? Nevermind, I'll watch football.

I feel sympathy for the Minnesota Twins

2009-10-07T02:13:00.005-04:00

The Minnesota Twins are full of character and the team's playoff run is a great storyline going into the playoffs - Major League Baseball really needed this as a crutch for the way the NFL and NCAA without a doubt CRUSHED MLB in the month of September. There were barely any races, therefore, no way to distract fans away from fantasy football, even for a minute or two.

That being said, they're going to be mutilated by the New York Yankees, who are a complete machine of a team. Questions in the rotation do make them appear to be mortal, afterall, but it is a facade.

Members of the offense have been on and off in la-la land throughout the season, but with all of them fully concentrating on the task at hand, expect the Yankees to put up 14 in the first game. And in the second game. And in the third game...

Yankees over Twins in 3

Boston and Anaheim will be having a very underrated series. I really hate to watch the Yankees' top two foes go at it, but it's impossible for the Yankees to have to go through both the Angels and the Red Sox in a single postseason, so I guess it's good they have to play at least one of them.

Red Sox over Angels in 4

In the National League, the Phillies play the Wild Card Rockies. Like the Yankees, the Phillies' offense will not allow them to lose this series. The Rockies would be best to concede the Cliff Lee game to open the series and save their pitchers for the ensuing games.

Phillies over Rockies in 3

Can the Dodgers surprise the Cardinals? The Dodgers have lulled baseball fans to sleep with the way they finished, but think about it - that's a larger representation of what Manny does. He takes the end of the season off to rest up for the playoffs. Every year. Only difference this year is he wasn't shut down like usual. He played, just poorly. He'll be hot in the playoffs, which might be contagious in the clubhouse. The Dodgers are struggling to find pitching, compared to what I think is the best rotation in the playoffs. Oh yeah, and there's Albert Pujols.

Cardinals over Dodgers in 5

I will be mad if the Phillies represent the National League in the World Series. I will be mad if the Yankees represent the American League in the World Series. Should the two play for the World Series, I have not yet chosen which bomb shelter to check into. I'm not 100 percent decided on which team I would root for. Should the situation arise, I promise a pro/con list analyzing a Mets fans choices here.

Week 4 Picks: Brett Favre vs. Packers Steals Headlines

2009-10-01T15:26:00.002-04:00

I decisively decimated the coin flips last week, further boosting my ego and encouraging me that I can actually make a living doing this type of stuff. Hold your laughter.

An 11-5 showing was my best of the season so far. Coin flip No. 1 (favorite vs. underdog) had an abysmal 6-10 mark, and coin flip No. 2 (home vs. away) was closer at 9-7.

A few of my splits so far this season: 28-20 overall against the spread, 17-7 when picking NFC teams, 11-13 when picking AFC teams. 17-16 when picking the favorite, 9-4 when picking the underdog, 2-0 when the line is even. Without a spread, I'm 36-12.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I'm keeping a spreadsheet of my picks this year - which team I pick, whether they're favored or not, and the result. I'll be using the stats I've compiled thus far to make this weeks picks, though I'm sure there will be some bumps in the road.

But first...

Week 3 IRONY
What's ironic about last week's pick'em is there is no irony. I've created this section for my weekly picks, and there's nothing ironic when considering last week in retrospect. Lame.

Week 3 HUMILITY
While there was no irony, there's certainly some humility. I have yet to pick the Jets, still showing no faith in them, neither as underdog nor as favorite. Of course, they're playing the Saints this week...so that lack of support may last another week. Also, the 49ers have been the underdog all three weeks and covered all three weeks. I've only picked them once.

Week 3 FANTASY PURPOSES
Peyton Manning? Why, yes, I'd love another 20+ point performance. Keep 'em coming, big guy. My running backs aren't doing anything for me. Except for Willie Parker, who finally had an 18-point performance last week. But he's listed as questionable for this week. This could mean trouble for my fantasy football flourishing.

To the picks! Only 14 games on tap this time around. The BYE weeks have begun!

(lines courtesy of sportsbook.com)

Sunday 1 p.m.

Ravens (+2) @ Patriots
- The Pats are 1-2 when I pick them as the favorite. The Ravens are 1-0 as the underdog, and one of the three best teams in the National Football League.

Buccaneers @ Redskins (-7)
- The Redskins are 0-2 against the spread as the favorite, but the Buccaneers are 0-3, yet to cover a spread. The Redskins also just lost to the Lions. THE LIONS. Expect this game to push.

Titans @ Jaguars (+3)
- The Jags have been the underdog twice and covered the spread both times. The Titans were favored once and lost. Edge to the home team.

Raiders (+10) @ Texans
- The Raiders are 2-0 against the spread as the underdog. The Texans have been favored twice and failed to cover both times. This actually pretty interesting, isn't it?

Lions @ Bears (-10)
- The Lions have been the underdog each week, winning once, but that win was at home. The Bears have only been favored once, and they covered the spread.

Bengals (-6) @ Browns
- Here's one of the road blocks I was referring to since it's so early in the season. The Bengals have been favored once and lost. Cleveland has been the underdog each time and has yet to beat the spread. The Browns are averaging less than 10 PPG, allowing more than 30, but have a new QB taking snaps. I'll take my chances on Cinci.

Seahawks @ Colts (-11)
- Another tough one due to the massive spread. Indy is 1-1 as the favorite, but playing great football. The Seahawks have been the underdog once, losing to a Bears team that isn't exactly even-par with the Colts. That in mind, I won't be surprised if Seattle covers, since West Coast teams winning on the east coast seems to be the new thing this year.

Giants (-9) @ Chiefs
- The Giants are 1-1 when favored. The Chiefs have lost as underdog, as favorite, and as a PICK. So...yeah.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Jets @ Saints (-7)
- As previously stated, I have yet to pick the Jets, who are 2-0 as underdog. And though New York has the best defense in the land, the Saints have the best offense in the land...by far. I will be beyond shocked if the Jets get the win.

Bills (-3) @ Dolphins
- Bills 1-0 as favorite, Dolphins 0-3 as underdog, despite showing glimmers of hope here and there. Big day for my boy T.O.??

Cowboys (-3) @ Broncos
- This goes against what the trend is telling me to do, but I can't, in my right mind, pick the Broncos. Denver is 2-0 as the underdog. The Broncos have an anemic offense and, by the numbers, a great defense, but they have yet to play anyone. Dallas is 2-1 when favored, 1-0 on the road. Losing this one would be a humbling experience for me.

Rams @ 49ers (-10)
- The Niners have yet to play as a favorite, but the Rams have taken care of that, failing to beat the spread in three straight games to start the season.

Sunday 8 p.m.

Chargers (+7) @ Steelers
- San Diego has been the favorite each week, as has Pittsburgh. The Steelers are 0-3 as the favorite. And I've picked them every time. I'm on a two-game Sunday night winning streak. Let's keep it going.

Monday Night FUBAL!

Packers (+4) @ Vikings
- Game of the week? I actually prefer Saints/Jets, but when the MNF schedule was decided upon, I see why they chose this one. It will be better when Favre goes to Green Bay. Either way, each team has been favored each time, and each team has failed to cover the spread once. When Minnesota failed to cover, it was at home.

Week 3 Picks: Blogger vs. George Washington

2009-09-23T16:18:00.003-04:00

After a 10-6 showing last week (4-5 on 1 p.m. games, 6-1 from 4 p.m. through Monday night), I'm at a mediocre 17-15 for the season (24-8 without a spread).

My head barely above water, I'm going to switch things up a little this week. I'll still be making my picks accompanied with the same old lame one-liners, but as suggested by a friend, I'll be competing against a quarter, flipping a coin twice on each game - once to choose between favorite and underdog, and once to choose between home team and visitor.

Before we do that, it's time for my new favorite segment, "Irony, Humility, and Fantasy Purposes."

First, irony. This section is full of material this week, but some are also well-suited for the "Humility" and "Fantasy Purposes" sections, so I'll save them. Let's go with all the hoopla on ESPN about the Arizona Cardinals, a west coast team, playing a 1 p.m. game on the east coast. I had the Cardinals picked to beat the spread, but after reading a Bill Simmons column and watching NFL experts analyze Sunday's games over and over, I was convinced I should change my pick.

I did, and the Cardinals beat the Jaguars into oblivion. Figures.

Humility? Aside from changing my mind on the Cardinals because of what the experts told me, how about my bashing of UVA graduate, Matt Schaub. He lit up the Tennessee Titans' defense for 357 pass yards and four touchdowns...in Tennessee. He's still funny to look at.

And fantasy purposes...a crushing 85-82 loss left me searching for answers this week. Greg Jennings, after I told him I wasn't mad at him (more irony), went off for a whopping ZERO points, putting me in a huge hole. Peyton Manning did all he could to help me pull off a great comeback, but 20 points on MNF left me just a few points short. I blame it on Miami for having the ball for 3/4 of the game. Ridiculous.

Now for Week 3 picks (lines courtesy of sportsbook.com):

Sunday 1 p.m.

Packers (-7) @ Rams
- Can't help but look at the spread and feel like this one might push. Greg Jennings, don't make me cry.

Coin flip one (heads for favorite, tails for underdog): Rams
Coin flip two (heads for home team, tails for away): Packers

49ers @ Vikings (-7)
- Both teams have a solid offense with a decent defense. Adrian Peterson and home field advantage should outlast Frank Gore and company.

Coin flip one: Vikings
Coin flip two: 49ers

Falcons @ Patriots (-4)
- The oddsmakers aren't dumb dumbs. Though the Falcons have looked great and the Patriots have looked vulnerable, so I'm going with the Pats...even though I'm 0-2 when picking them already this year.

Coin flip one: Falcons
Coin flip two: Falcons (uh oh, I better get this one right).

Titans (+3) @ Jets
- Remember this game last year? The Titans were 10-0 and the Jets waltzed into Tennessee and trounced them, 34-13. Can the Titans right their ship in the Meadowlands? Or will Mark Sanchez and the Jets defense continue walking with that swagger? I'm betting on a hangover from the huge victory against New England.

Coin flip one: Jets
Coin flip two: Jets

Chiefs @ Eagles (PICK)
- Come on, the Eagles aren't THAT bad! You can't blame a team without it's starting quarterback for being unable to keep up with Drew Brees' offensive onslaught. And you can't blame the defense for not being able to stop him with all the weapons he has. The Chiefs? A pick'em? No way...

I can't wait to see Mike Vick back on the field.

Coin flip one: Chiefs (as the away team, I have to consider them the underdog)
Coin flip two: Eagles

Giants (-7) @ Buccaneers
- Tampa has proven it can score some points, but has also proven it can't beat the spread yet. Until then, I pick agains the Bucs.

Coin flip one: Buccaneers
Coin flip two: Giants

Browns @ Ravens (-13)
- Baltimore's defense hasn't blown me away, but they've put 69 points on the board through two games. Cleveland's defense has allowed 61 points through two games. 35-21, Baltimore sounds good. But I won't be surprised when the Browns score a junk touchdown at the end to cover.

Coin flip one: Browns
Coin flip two: Ravens

Jaguars (+4) @ Texans
- No clue what to think of this game. Jags got a wake up call after starting 0-2 while Houston really doesn't have a run game established - 101 yards total through two games isn't going to cut it. If the Jags lose this one, the season could already be gone.

Coin flip one: Texans
Coin flip two: Jaguars

Redskins @ Lions (+7)
- Yes, I'm seriously picking the Lions to cover. That's how mad the inept Washington offense made me last week. Then there's the whole Robert Henson/Twitter drama. Watch the accompanying video. Mike Greenberg chalks up a win in his book.

Coin flip one: Redskins
Coin flip two: Redskins

Sunday 4 p.m.

Bears (-2) @ Seahawks
- Chicago is coming off a huge win. Though it was probably a fluke, the offense is bound to find a rhythm soon.

Coin flip one: Da Bears
Coin flip two: Seahawks

Saints (-6) @ Bills
- I mean...there's no reason anybody should be picking against the Saints right now. New Orleans is averaging 468 yards of total offense per game. That number will eventually come down to earth. But then again, will it? (Sounds like a nice set up for my "irony" section next week!)

Coin flip one: Saints
Coin flip two: Saints (No love for my only loyal reader!)

Steelers (-4) @ Bengals
- What's that? Coming out party for Willie Parker? What's that? 25 fantasy points...at least? Sounds good to me, Willie!

Coin flip one: Bengals
Coin flip two: Bengals...(should I be concerned?)

Dolphins (+6) @ Chargers
- Makes sense to me after Miami's MNF showing. High-scoring game, should at least be close.

Coin flip one: Chargers
Coin flip two: Dolphins

Broncos @ Raiders (-2)
- I'm not the only one who thinks the Raiders have actually looked decent through two games and the Broncos' 2-0 record is the shoddiest 2-0 possible.

Coin flip one: Raiders
Coin flip two: Broncos

Sunday 8:20 p.m.

Colts (+3) @ Cardinals
- Indy isn't favored - all because of the inability to stop Miami's wildcat formation? The Colts still won that game, didn't they? Ah, thought so. Prove me wrong, Arizona. And thanks again for letting me screw myself over last week.

Coin flip one: Cardinals
Coin flip two: Cardinals...

Monday Night FOOTBALL!!!

Panthers @ Cowboys (-9)
- This should be the beatdown we didn't see last week. The Dallas celebration we didn't see last week. Jerry Jones can afford to pretend last week just didn't happen. THIS is the first regular-season game played at his new palace, which is unbelievable, I might add.

Coin flip one: Cowboys
Coin flip two: Panthers

NFL Week Two PWA (Picks With Attitude)!

2009-09-17T16:47:00.009-04:00

Get it?

I'm playing against Drew Brees in fantasy football this week. I'm MAD!

(lines courtesy of sportsbook.com)

Sunday 1 p.m.

Panthers @ Falcons (-6)
- Hey Michael Turner, feel like scoring me more than six fantasy points this week? Thanks.

Vikings (-10) @ Lions
- Hey Vikings, you know what Tony Siragusa says? "It's okay to squash a mosquito with a sledgehammer."

Bengals @ Packers (-9)
- Hey Greg Jennings, keep up the good work. I'm not mad at you.

Texans @ Titans (-7)
- Hey Jeff Fisher, the Texans lost to the Jets last week. Don't make me look like an idiot by not covering a touchdown. Seriously. Matt Schaub is a UVA graduate. That means we don't like him. Of course just by looking at him, I probably wouldn't like him anyway.

Raiders (+3) @ Chiefs
- Hey Roger Goodell, don't you think we would have been fine with just 15 games this week?

Patriots (-4) @ Jets
- This game already has enough attitude, not just leading up to kickoff, but probably throughout the game. These two teams don't need me to butt in. I just wish Rex Ryan would give me a phone call.

Saints (PICK) @ Eagles
- Hey oddsmakers, I can't even get a spread? I left the Eagles' defense on the bench this week. I'm playing against Drew Brees and Reggie Bush. I have Lance Moore and John Carney playing just in case the Saints should put lots of points on the board. This matchup has serious fantasy implications.

Rams @ Redskins (-10)
- Hey Redskins defense/special teams, something tells me I would have had you in over the Eagles anyway this week, so DON'T SCREW UP!

Cardinals @ Jaguars (-3)
- Hey Cardinals, why don't you start playing like the team that made it to the Super Bowl last season? Actually, why don't you wait another week?

Sunday 4 p.m.

Seahawks @ 49ers (+2)
- Which was a better win? Seattle blanking St. Louis or the 49ers winning in Arizona? I'll get this game wrong whichever way I pick, so I'll take the underdog.

Buccaneers @ Bills (-5)
- Hey John Gruden, you're a really good analyst. Tampa's loss, Monday Night Football's win.

Steelers (-3) @ Bears
- Hey Willie Parker. See what I said to Michael Turner above? Same goes to you. 15 points or you're benched next week.

Just joshin'.

Ravens (+3) @ Chargers
- Hey Chargers, play like you did against the Raiders this week and you're in for a major hurtin'.

Browns @ Broncos (-3)
- Hey Kyle Orton, Brandon Stokely won't be able to bail you out every week. Try a little harder in your home debut, will ya?

Sunday 8 (:20) p.m.

Giants (+3) @ Cowboys
- I like my chances with the Giants at least covering. These are two good teams. Only thing that scares me is it's Dallas' home opener.

I'm 0-6 on games from Sunday at 4 p.m. and after, so I can only improve upon that, right?

Monday Night Football (!!!)

Colts (-3) @ Dolphins
- I'm keeping a spreadsheet on all my picks this year - by team, by underdog/favorite, by time, etc...can't wait to see how many times I'm wrong about the Colts covering.

NFL Week One Reflections

2009-09-15T16:51:00.002-04:00

My first pick was incorrect as the Steelers couldn't cover on Thursday, then I went 7-1 to start Sunday, putting myself in prime position for a solid week of picks.

In the final seven games of the weekend, I shot a goose egg. 0-for-7. Gut shot.

Finished 7-9. I'll try to do better next week.

Irony, Humility, and Fantasy Purposes

First, irony. I (jokingly) mentioned potentially trading my No. 4 running back, Jamal Lewis, for Larry Fitzgerald in my fantasy league. Lewis shoved that right back down my throat, scoring nine points against the Vikings. My three other RBs combined to score seven points. Lewis still won't be in my starting lineup next week.

Next, humility. I laughed at the thought of the Chiefs beating a 13-point spread against the Ravens. Baltimore hung on, covering the spread by a point, but I was sweating that game out.

Finally, fantasy purposes. Thank you, Jake Delhomme, for exceeding my expectations. I was half-joking about having a repeat performance of last year's five-interception playoff loss, but the Eagles' defense/special teams scored me 35 points, almost solely responsible for my Week One Fantasy Football victory. Special thanks to Greg Jennings, too, for solidifying the win.

Had Jennings not caught the final touchdown, I would have had to choose between playing Vincent Jackson and Wes Welker on Monday night. And though I would have won with either decision, I contend that if I were on the hot seat to make that decision, something would have backfired and I would have lost.

Final Thoughts

The Bengals had the four points covered before the bizarre Stokely catch to win the game for Denver, so I would have chalked that up in the win column either way, as I previously stated.

The Rams are bad. Very bad.

Mark Sanchez hasn't won my trust yet.

Thanks again, Jake Delhomme.

It's Football Season! Week One Picks With a Fantasy Twist

2009-09-10T12:59:00.004-04:00

I've been waiting for football season since...well, the All-Star break. With Virginia Tech's loss last week to Alabama, college football got off to a rocky start for me. I had an un-blogged 0-3 last Saturday with Maria Sharapova, Virginia Tech, and the Mets all losing.

If my NFL picks go the same way as, it's going to be a long winter as I eagerly await another disappointing New York Mets 2010 campaign.

And no, it doesn't feel good to say that.

Here's a look at this week's games - most of my picks will be impacted by my fantasy roster, which probably isn't a good idea. If I do bad on my picks, it probably means I lost in fantasy football, too.

(lines courtesy of sportsbook.com)

Thursday:

Titans @ Steelers (-6)
-somehow I ended up with Willie Parker AND Rashard Mendenhall on my fantasy team. I guess it will work out when Parker inevitably gets hurt, but I just hope my bad luck doesn't overpower the defending champs.

Sunday:

Dolphins @ Falcons (-4)
- Michael Turner will also have an impact on my fantasy team this year. Let's start things off right and pray last season wasn't a fluke.

Broncos (+4) @ Bengals
- I actually think the Bengals will win this game since I don't have Carson Palmer on my fantasy team this year. I just don't think they have the fortitude to win it by more than a field goal. Broncos to cover, Bengals to win. Should Denver pull out the win, I'll take the cheapie despite not only knowing I was wrong, but also having it published for all to see.

Remember, Denver doesn't have Jay Cutler anymore. The top two QBs on the depth chart (Kyle Orton, Chris Simms) are both listed as questionable. But why they're even on the depth chart is questionable, too.

Vikings (-3) @ Browns
- There's apparently a conspiracy in the NFL against Brett Favre. He's being fined/investigated/trash talked as if he's on the Bengals. It almost seems that nobody wants him playing anymore. Let's ask Packers and Jets fans, as well as 50 percent of Vikings fans and players.

Regardless, I'll go out on a limb and say even the deepest conspiracies can't stop the Vikings from beating Eric Mangenius and the Browns.

Jaguars @ Colts (-7)
- Peyton Manning is my starting quarterback. Here's to hoping to him not screwing around and getting right to the point, throwing for 350 yards and four TDs.

Lions @ Saints (-12)
- This isn't good. I've taken the favorite all but once so far. We all know it never ends up that way when it's all said and done. I've got John Carney kicking for me, and Lance Moore is one of my wide receivers, but he's riding the bench this week. Carney should get at least four extra points and hopefully a couple of field goals!

Cowboys (-6) @ Buccaneers
- Again, how can I go against the favorite when its opponent is in complete shambles? The team I'm playing against has Marion Barber and Roy E. Williams, but also has Matt Cassel and Marshawn Lynch in the starting lineup (shhhhhhhhhhhhh).

Eagles (+1) @ Panthers
- This seems like a decent opportunity to take the under"dog." Get it? Too soon? Tasteless? I know.

I never took the time to write up a column about how I'm rooting for Mike Vick and the Eagles this year, but in short, Vick is a Hokie at heart and deserves a second chance. The NFL also needs to give him a second chance because if one of the league's ex-convicts can turn into a success story, it's a step in the right direction, cleaning up the NFL's image.

Back to football, the Panthers went 8-0 at home last year in the regular season, but I think a healthy Eagles team can do some serious damage. It will be interesting to see how Jake Delhomme rebounds from the five interception playoff loss to the Cardinals - which was at home. I'm playing the Eagles defense/special teams over the Redskins, in hopes of getting a few more of those INTs!

Chiefs @ Ravens (-13)
- Haha.

Jets @ Texans (-4.5)
-Mark Sanchez needs to show me something before I start picking them to win, or even cover. He conquered L.A. Can he conquer New York (New Jersey)?

Redskins @ Giants (-6.5)
- The Redskins have a great defense, and played the Giants tough last year...wait a second. No they didn't! Eli looks like he's getting pretty good at this quarterback thing.

49ers @ Cardinals (-6.5)
- Now I definitely know I'm taking too many favorites, but it seems absolutely insane to take many of these underdogs. I wish I had Larry Fitzgerald on my team, but I couldn't do that with the No. 2 pick, and by my second round pick at No. 18, he was long gone. Maybe I can trade Jamal Lewis for him.

Rams (+8.5) @ Seahawks
- This is absolutely just for the sake of taking an underdog. Last year both teams scored less than 300 total points, so maybe the Rams can keep it within a touchdown and I sneak away with a victory.

Bears (+3.5) @ Packers
- Jay Cutler was a pretty big steal for the Bears in the offseason. I took Chicago more often than not in my picks last year and I was wrong most of the time. I also drafted Greg Jennings at WR since he schooled me every time I played against him. I'll take 160 yards and 2 TDs from him in a 24-21 Bears victory.

If only we lived in a perfect world...

Monday

Bills @ Patriots (-10.5)
- First drive, Tom Brady to Randy Moss for an 80-yard TD? Brady's return is going to be big, much to the dismay of Terrell Owens and Trent Edwards. Makes you wonder...if the Bills had kept J.P. Loss man, would the two clubhouse cancers have canceled each other out?

Chargers (-9) @ Raiders
- Al Davis.

Phil Coke Talks Trash Following Yanks' Sweep of Sox

2009-08-10T12:26:00.002-04:00

Joe Girardi showed off his managerial prowess again Sunday, using Phil Coke in the eighth inning to set-up closer Mariano Rivera instead of regular eighth inning man, Phil Hughes.

To his defense, Hughes had pitched the previous two games, totaling nine pitches and two batters faced. I can see where he needed the rest.

Coke, who earned the win in New York's 5-2 win over Boston, entered the game with a 1-0 lead. He left trailing 2-1 - his fifth blown lead of the year, supporting his stellar 4.98 earned run average.

"So much for 8-0, huh?" Phil Coke said after the game, in an Associated Press report.

A win is a win, a sweep is a sweep, but should the weak link in an otherwise stable bullpen really be providing the bulletin board material for the Red Sox?

2009 MLB All-Star Game: Live blog

2009-07-14T18:11:00.066-04:00

Since I haven't so much as sniffed this blog or Bleacher Report in over two months, what better way to get back into the groove than a second annual live blog of Major League Baseball's mid-summer classic?

The game allegedly starts around 8 p.m. EST. I don't know when the first pitch will actually be thrown.

6:15 - Here are a few predictions to get the ball rolling.

1) Barack Obama's ceremonial first pitch will not be in the strike zone. It won't even travel the full 60 feet, 6 inches. It will arrive to the catcher on one bounce.

2) Michael Young will not get his third game-winning hit this All-Star game. But he is still better than Derek Jeter, who only led all players in votes because there were no other shortstops to vote for (no offense to Jason Bartlett) after Young made the move to third. For the conspiracy theory, click here.

3) The National League will finally pull through and win. With names like Tim Wakefield, Justin Verlander, Mark Buehrle, and Edwin Jackson potentially taking the hill for the A.L., there are a lot of question marks as to what level their stuff will be at tonight. National League should be able to capitalize.

4) The MVP of the All-Star game will be Ryan Braun, since Omir Santos somehow wasn't selected.

5) Alex Rodriguez will use the seventh inning stretch to steal the show, announcing he'll be comepeting on the next season of Dancing With the Stars. Wait, that's on Fox, right?

8:01 - Bad first taste. Chris Rose, reporting from down on the field, has a headset microphone on. Looks dumb. The ShamWow! guy is the only one who can pull off that look.

8:08 - Who would have thought the Rays would EVER have five representatives in a single ASG? And the crowd just booed Ted Lilly. Save the boos for Jeter.

8:12 - Mixed reaction for Jeter. Chalk it up as a win in my book.

8:14 - Nobody should be booing Roy Halladay. He could be on your team by the end of the night.

8:15 - Too bad Carlos Beltran is hurt and had to miss the game. I bet the St. Louis fans would have cheered him as much as Pujols. Ugh.

8:16 - Interesting how Joe Buck's tone changed when he announced David Wright, compared to every other NL starter.

8:18 - Not to make light of the tribute to people who have gone above and beyond to make the world a better place, but it totally could have been a lookalike contest. I saw Suzyn Waldman, Michael Jackson, and Sally Struthers all in that group.

8:26 - Stop showing Derek Jeter.

8:27 - Sheryl Crow is singing the National Anthem? Come on. Taylor Swift hit the Olympics in Beijing, why can't she grace the fine folks in St. Louis? They at least could have brought Carrie Underwood in.

8:30 - Okay, she's from Missouri. Fine.

8:31 - I've seen that jet that just flew over the stadium before. Independence Day. Will Smith.

8:37 - It must be amazing for Joe Buck to be doing this game in the town he grew up in. I'm going to try to put myself in his shoes and be nice to him tonight. No promises. He's already driving me nuts.

8:39 - A mixed reaction for President Obama. That's awkward. At least the cheers outlasted the boos. I was wrong about his pitch not making it the whole way. 0-for-1 on my predictions.

8:45 - It's cool if I'm drinking Bud Light instead of Budweiser, right? Less calories, baby. I'm not getting any younger and my metabolism isn't getting any faster.

8:48 - At least Ken Rosenthal doesn't have the same microphone Chris Rose had.

8:50 - Ichiro beats Lincecum, singling to start the game. Let's boo Derek Jeter together. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

8:52 - YES!!!!!! (Jeter drilled by Lincecum. Shows Timmy did some homework and knew to bust him inside.)

8:55 - Shut up, Joe Buck. Don't blame this on David Wright. You can't assume the double play.

8:56 - There's karma for you, Joe Buck. Trash David Wright, then your boy Pujols makes an error. Now we're losing! It's all your fault, Joe Buck!

8:58 - Did Josh Hamilton just dive into first? It's NEVER smart to do that, let alone the ASG. Lay off the blow. Too soon?

9:01 - Just switched to a bigger TV. Will this make Joe Buck a bigger thorn in my side?

9:05 - "It was A-Rod, now it's Pujols." Hey Tim McCarver, care to elaborate on why A-Rod is no longer the best hitter in baseball?

9:07 - Michael Young can save a dozen kittens from a burning building and still not get the credit he deserves. What a good baseball player. He should come play second base for the Mets.

9:09 - I'll always contend that the designated hitter is the biggest load of crap in the world...but maybe for the ASG, there should always be a DH.

9:16 - Okay, Ryan Braun probably won't be the MVP. The NL has a lot of outfielders to get in the game. He may not see another at-bat. Let's call it 0-for-2 on predictions. At least Obama is in the boooth so Joe Buck doesn't talk as much...for this half-inning at least.

9:19 - David Wright can hit Roy Halladay. That's all I'm saying.

9:22 - They're not cheering Yadier Molina for the game-tying base hit. They're cheering David Wright for being the best player in the universe. Joe Buck brought up the bailout on live television. More awkward.

9:25 - National League up 3-2 after two innings. David Wright started the two-out rally. Remember that when you're voting for MVP.

9:28 - Derek Jeter, 0-for-1 officially. Ryan Franklin, more obnoxious facial hair than Scott Spezio, officially.

9:30 - Technical difficulties in the AL dugout. Maybe Chris Rose should have kept the headset.

9:34 - Joe Buck just called Mark Buehrle "automatic" since 2001. I'm sorry, apparently Buck hasn't had him on his fantasy baseball team.

9:37 - Though Buehrle just had a perfect, three-minute inning, I refuse to rescind my previous statement. His numbers lie.

9:43 - Oops. Did we just call Aaron Hill the best No. 2 hitter in baseball? Come on, guys. You're better than that.

9:51 - This game just got really boring.

9:54 - Just checked Joe Buck's Facebook page. He has over 1,400 fans, which shocked me. Then I read down his wall. It's everyone telling him he sucks.

David Wright is out of the game. Rob & Bob (Nationals' announcers) are jumping for joy right now. Ryan Zimmerman is not better than David Wright.

9:57 - The old timers are now complaining about how Carl Crawford wears his pants. Worry about how he plays the game.

9:59 - I like the graphic they just showed about Jeter crying.

10:00 - That's 0-for-2 with three plate appearances. It's time to get Jeter out of the game. Unless Joe Maddon is being sneaky and leaving him in, hoping he'll get hurt, helping the Rays' chances of overtaking the Yanks in the division. Always thinking, Joe. Always thinking.

10:03 - I choose to ignore Jeter's two runs scored. As should you.

10:13 - Uh oh, is it too early for Michael Young to win the game?

10:14 - Yes it is. Double play. Trevor Hoffman is a better closer than Mariano Rivera.

10:19 - JETER IS OUT OF THE GAME!!!! Celebrate! And why hasn't Albert Pujols gone 5-for-5 and cured cancer yet?

10:21 - Jeter gets taken out of the game so they resort to Jeter COMMERCIALS. I will not go to JetersFordChallenge.com! I will not!

10:28 - Sara Evans performing during the 7th inning stretch! Nice!

10:32 - WHOA! Nice catch by Carl Crawford to rob Brad Hawpe of a home run! Is the game getting exciting again?

10:33 - Now Tejada gave one a nice ride, but apparently he only has warning track power anymore. Interesting. Wonder why that is.

10:43 - Granderson deserved to start this game. I guess it's better for the A.L. that he didn't. Speaking of the Tigers, where's Miguel Cabrera?

10:48 - Even though I want the NL to win, I'm glad Heath Bell is blowing the game. Let's see him run his mouth now.

10:56 - I said it before and I'll say it again. David Wright is better than Ryan Zimmerman. Donating $250k to UVA? That's not the way to my heart. He should be donating the money to charity - or at least the school's educational programs. Division I athletic programs have enough sources of income from boosters. Take that, Rob Dibble.

10:59 - Ryan Howard vs. Joe Nathan. With the game on the line. It's only bottom 8. I think Howard vs. Mariano would be better next inning, but I'll take this. I don't know what to root for.

11:05 - Nice. This can still work out. Nathan made Howard look like a fool, and Mariano can still blow the save against players who I don't hate. I'm blindly optimistic.

11:08 - Make us look good, K-Rod.

11:10 - NL has nobody coming up in the bottom of the 9th. Game's over. Feel free to change the channel. Nice catch by Werth to end the inning.

11:17 - Tony Womack and Luis Gonzalez need to come back. Then we'll see who's laughing.

11:19 - Not much to say. AL wins 4-3. The game was decent. Started great, got boring, picked up a little in the middle, then ended slow. I could live without Joe Buck and Derek Jeter.

11:26 - Looks like I went 1-for-5 on my predictions, with my only correct prediction being completely obvious. Sounds about right for me!

Best HR Swings in the Game

2009-05-09T15:14:00.001-04:00

I created a slideshow on Bleacher Report of the top 10 home run swings in Major League Baseball. Keeping steroids out of the question, here's my list.

Manny Ramirez Tests Positive, Los Angeles Dodgers Fans Put on Suicide Watch

2009-05-07T14:06:00.003-04:00

It's not quite as bad as Marion Jones' Olympic Gold Medals being taken away, Lance Armstrong being accused of doping, or Mike Tyson biting someone's ear off, but Manny Ramirez being suspended by Major League Baseball for 50 games for violating the game's drug policy is the most devastating positive test we've seen or will see.

The situation is particularly devastating for Dodgers fans, but the impact is not limited to one city on the West coast. The impact will ripple all throughout baseball.

First and foremost, the Dodgers are in a world of trouble. Anyone who thinks they can just stand up and replace a .348 hitter with six homers and 20 RBIs is out of their mind. Even if the front office pulls a rabbit out of a hat and does replace the missing offense, the "Manny aura" is still missing.

Orlando Hudson will suffer.

Andre Ethier will suffer.

James Loney will suffer.

In turn, the pitching staff will suffer.

Straight up and down the lineup, the Dodgers are going to suffer without Manny Ramirez's name on the lineup card.

Of course, what is lost in translation through all this is the fact that Manny isn't guilty of using steroids. While it is unclear as to exactly what banned substance he is guilty of using, we can't jump to conclusions and accuse him of juicing.

Mark down Thursday, May 7, 2009. The Los Angeles Dodgers are 13 games over .500 and lead the division by 6.5 games (five in the loss column).

If I had to guess, I'd say by July 3, they'll be just 10 games over. Without Manny, they're no more than a .500 club.

Of course, that is enough to win the West.

2009 Yankees: Are They The 2008 Mets??

2009-04-16T22:04:00.004-04:00

Be it a groan, cheer, or a clever series of words strung together, everybody in and around baseball had an extreme reaction to the New York Yankees' offseason spending.

Through 10 games, it's not fair to judge the performances of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, or Mark Teixeira so far.

Fans and critics alike must give them ample time to settle in before making the decision to laugh at the Yankees' reckless spending or write a nasty letter to their own team's front office for not shelling out the green to land the big names.

After 10 games, however, it is fair to judge one aspect of Brian Cashman's latest Death Star, which may have been overlooked when being constructed this offseason—the bullpen.

Before going on, let me take you back to last September. Call me masochistic, but for some reason, I can't help but listen to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman broadcasts on the radio.

As nauseating as it is, it's also like watching Bill O'Reilly or Pat Robertson—you just can't predict what they're going to say next.

Driving in my car, Sterling and Waldman were previewing the 2009 roster when Sterling blurted out something which really made me scratch my head.

He said something along the lines of the Yankees having the most feared bullpen in baseball with the combination of Phil Coke, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera.

OK, as much as it pains me, I will admit Rivera is a great reliever.

Chamberlain, too, but as we all know now (and most of us knew then, or so I thought), isn't in the bullpen. He's a starter until he undoubtedly gets hurt again.

Now join me, everyone outside of Yankee Nation, when I say "Phil Coke? Who the hell is Phil Coke?"

I follow the Yankees enough to know who he is, but what baffled me was how anyone, even John Sterling, could crown someone with a dozen career appearances as one who should be "feared."

Maybe Coke was in the game, or had just left the game, so he was on Sterling's mind while he was sucking up to Yankee brass.

Really though, Phil Coke?

Coke had a great little run in 2008, only allowing one earned run in 14.1 innings pitched, but come on—feared? He's not even established!

Fast forward to present day, my suspicions may have had some legitimacy to them. Coke, in five appearances, has allowed seven runs, four earned, to the tune of a 9.00 earned run average.

He has yet to work a perfect full inning.

Coke isn't the only problem within the 'pen. Damaso Marte, acquired last July in the Xavier Nady deal, has appeared three times this season. In the lefty-specialist's first two outings, he faced four batters, retiring three of them.

Thursday was a different story. The offense he was facing wasn't that of the Royals or Orioles; it was the Indians.

Marte squeezed three innings worth of batters—the entire Indians lineup—into one inning. He allowed the runner he inherited from Jose Veras to score, then six more who were his own responsibility.

Veras has allowed a run in three of his five outings, including three against the Indians.

Edwar Ramirez has only allowed a single run to score in his two outings (3.1 innings of work), but has an alarming 2.40 WHIP, albeit early in the season.

Jonathan Albaladejo was effective against the Orioles, but the Rays got the best of him in two of his three innings of work in Tampa.

Newcomer David Robertson, who was just called up to take the injured Xavier Nady's roster spot, gave the Yankees a promising two scoreless innings of work, but wasn't exactly lights out in his 25 appearances last season (5.34 ERA in 30-plus innings pitched).

The Yankees are forced to make a decision, but the injury to Nady makes it a little harder. With only four outfielders on the roster, it's near impossible to permanently move Nick Swisher to the setup role, and they apparently need his bat much more than anyone could have anticipated.

To sum up, it's early in the season, but the Yankees' two left-handed specialists can't be trusted to get outs, nor can the righties leading up to Mariano Rivera, and the most impressive reliever so far other than their closer is their right fielder.

They've lost in situations where they were winning late, lost where they were called upon to hold a tie, and have let marginal deficits become huge deficits.

But hey, at least the new ballpark looks great!

Preview/Prediction: N.L. East

2009-04-03T14:47:00.002-04:00

Oops.

That's all I've got to say about that.

I picked the Mets to win 98 games and the division last year...I couldn't do it again, could I?

Obviously.

1) New York Mets (96-66)
The only thing stopping me from giving the Mets 98 wins is the perpetual question mark in the back of the rotation...and by back of the rotation, I mean everything beyond Johan Santana.

Mike Pelfrey is listed as the No. 2, but pitched well-beyond his career-high in innings last season. There is pessimism from critics as to how he will rebound this season from his breakout performance last year.

Oliver Perez at No. 3 has the talent to be a No. 1, but has yet to harness his potential and turn it into stellar results on a consistent basis. Inability to control his emotions and concentrate on the task at hand will be a thorn in his side throughout the rest of his career. Anything in the 12-15 win range with a 4.00ish earned run average is perfectly acceptable for Ollie.

John Maine just needs to stay healthy. When he does, he's a solid No. 2 option. The pressure of being in the No. 4 slot will hopefully help him take things easy this season.

As for the No. 5 slot, I see it as being a platoon all year. If the Mets get 10 wins out of that slot, chalk it up in the win column.

The offense will be productive as usual, with Reyes, Wright, and Beltran all poised to lead the attack. Carlos Delgado is an X-factor, and his production will have a major impact on the team's success. Anything out of the catcher or second base position are an added bonus.

If Ryan Church is healthy and Daniel Murphy continues to look as sharp as he was at the plate last year, the Mets will be in very good shape.

Finally, the most important changes for the Mets came in the bullpen. The signing of Francisco Rodriguez and trade for J.J. Putz will have an immediate and lasting impact. Bullpen woes were the difference in winning the division and pulling another "C" word last year and the year before. With a new-look 'pen, the Mets can make some serious noise in October.

2) Philadelphia Phillies (89-73)
Though many experts consider the Marlins and Braves as legitimate contenders, it's still just a two-team race, as it should be.

The Phils' only major change comes in right field, where they brough in Raul Ibanez to replace the departed Pat Burrell. The core of Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley is still intact, which will provide fans with some high-scoring affairs, but does Philadelphia have the pitching to back up the offense?

Yes and no.

Cole Hamels is a bona fide ace. He's legit, but had trouble with several teams last year. Behind him are Brett Myers (devastating when healthy, but otherwise unpredictable), Jamie Moyer (46), Joe Blanton (overachieved in Philly last year, leading to unrealistic expectations this year), and Chan Ho Park (don't waste your time laughing - he'll be out of the rotation very quick).

The Phillies have great role players and a great bench, but won't achieve success unless it's handed to them on a silver platter for a third year in a row. They should be able to snag the Wild Card, however.

3) Florida Marlins (84-78)
The Marlins are young and hungry, but again, won't be able to patch it together for a full season. Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, and Andrew Miller all have a lot of hype, but questions arise challenging how far they can go into games. The Marlins have a very weak bullpen which may be an Achilles' heel.

Jorge Cantu had a career-year last year, and it's tough to expect him to have a repeat performance this time around. Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez anchor the offense, but without solid production from the other power positions, may not be able to provide enough offense to give pitchers consistent run support.

They'll be contenders into late-summer, but will fade towards the end.

4) Atlanta Braves (82-80)
Another Florida-like team, the Braves are still trying to rebuild back to the team which owned the division for over a dozen years. They have one of the best managers in the game, but without the right personnel, it's tough to convert what you have into wins.

Atlanta is holding itself back by re-signing Tom Glavine, who is done. He no longer has the stuff or the health to even win 10 games. Derek Lowe was a great signing, but not as an ace pitcher. Against the other top aces in the league, he's going to be in serious trouble.

Larry Wayne Jones, Jr. and Brian McCann are still two of the best players in the division, and have a nice variety of talent around them to piece together a .500 ball club, but like the Marlins, a weak bullpen will doom them in the end.

5) Washington Nationals (68-94)
Give it up to the Nats - they at least showed some effort this offseason, spending money on Adam Dunn, and trying to bring Mark Teixeira aboard. Jesus Flores is one of the great young catchers in the game, and if Nick Johnson and Ryan Zimmerman can stay on the field, Washington will catch some teams by surprise.

Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes, and Josh Willingham are also some big bats capable of hurting opponents.

The problem in Washington won't be the offense as much as it is the pitching. Unless these young guys they've brough in have flown under everyone's radar, it will be another long year in the nation's capital.

Go Expos!

Recap:

N.L. East - Mets
N.L. Central - Cubs
N.L. West - Dodgers
N.L. Wild Card - Phils

A.L. East - BoSox
A.L. Central - Twins
A.L. West - Halos
A.L. Wild Card - Yanks

Preview/Prediction: A.L. East

2009-03-30T19:58:00.003-04:00

The Rays took everyone, including me, for a ride last year. Though I correctly predicted them being out of the cellar, I had them in fourth place, not first.

I nailed Boston's record on the head, and was only a game off of the Yankees' final tally, though I had each team's positioning wrong. Big surprise, the Orioles finished in last. Chalk that one up in the win column for me, but we're not exactly throwing me a parade.

1) Boston Red Sox (96-66)
This being the most difficult division to rank the top three teams, I'm taking what I see as the least favorite and least talented of the three teams to finish in first. The Red Sox are a year older where it hurts (Ortiz, Lowell, Varitek), but have a great wave of youth helping out (Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lowrie), as well as a core of veterans who are still in their prime (Bay, Youkilis, Drew).

Jason Bay is going to have a huge year in his first full campaign in Beantown. I expect him to be an All-Star as well as put up better than his average numbers (.282/31/103).

The Red Sox made a few small moves, acquiring Brad Penny and John Smoltz, so the experience and depth in their rotation and bullpen can very well get them to the promised land.

2) New York Yankees (92-70)
I know, I hate myself too. I can always relish in the fact that I correctly predicted the Yanks to miss the playoffs last year, but don't I do that every year?? By this estimation, they'll win the Wild Card.

The high-profile pickups of C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett are so beaten to death, I'm kicking myself for even mentioning it here.

The Yankees are young and talented, but does Joe Girardi know how to effectively use the talent he has while keeping everyone in the clubhouse happy?

Buckle up, ladies and gents, this is going to be a wild ride in the Bronx this season. Haters should get a good laugh or two.

C.C. won't earn his paycheck, but he'll be solid, maybe winning 16 games with an earned run average of about 3.40. If Yankee fans say that's worth the money he's getting, that's their delusion, and I'll have no part of it. The only reason I say Johan Santana earned his money last year is because he would have had 22 wins if not for the bullpen, and a 2.50 ERA was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

With Jeter in the leadoff hole, it will be much easier for the Yankees to create runs, because he at least gets on base consistently, as opposed to any other option outside of a healthy Johnny Damon.

I won't be surprised if the Yanks win the division, but I'm banking on clubhouse chemistry winning it for the BoSox and losing it for the Yanks.

3) Tampa Bay Rays (90-72)
The odd man out. Sorry, guys. It was a great run last year, the franchise is truly on the map, and here to stay, but this season won't be their year. The young pitching will still be spectacular, but A) they won't be blindsiding anyone this year, B) there's no chance they get away with a full season of injury-less starting pitching, and C) the front office isn't ready to play ugly like the Red Sox and Yankees are willing to do.

Starting David Price in the minors will pay dividends for the Rays down the stretch, but I don't think they'll be able to keep up.

The signing of Pat Burrell could be nice, but they already have Carlos Pena to put up great power numbers with a crappy batting average. They need people to get on base unless they want to live on solo home runs.

Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton...mmmm, nice! But there are still significant holes in the lineup, wheras the Yanks and Sox don't have any automatic outs.

4) Toronto Blue Jays (76-86)
Roy, Roy, Roy. You need to get out of Toronto, buddy. Another 20-win season for Halladay, another bottom-feeding finish for the Jays.

Burnett bounced, and Alex Rios and Vernon Wells continue to be the only intimidating names in the lineup. The Jays are going to need solid production out of unusual places to make any noise this time around.

5) Baltimore Orioles (70-92)
Jeremy Guthrie isn't really the Orioles' opening day starter, is he? Oh dear. Nick Markakis continues to fly under the radar, Brian Roberts continues to silently put up amazing numbers, and Adam Jones is only getting better, but without pitching, these guys are sellers at the trading deadline.

They have some great youth coming in, namely Matt Wieters, one of the top catching prospects in the minors. He's down on the farm to start the season, likely an Evan Longoria-type move from last year, to delay arbitration by a year, but again, it isn't enough yet.

I'd love to keep feeling bad for them, but they'd finish at the bottom in most divisions. It's just the Blue Jays of last year I felt bad for.

Coming sooner than later: N.L. East

Preview/Prediction: N.L. West

2009-03-13T15:29:00.002-04:00

The N.L. West last year started as a blowout, as Arizona, with the help of two of the best starting pitchers in the National League, came out of Spring Training hotter than Biba Golic.

As Brandon Webb and Dan Haren faded into mediocrity, so did the D'Backs. Nobody emerged as a good team in the division until the trade deadline, when the Dodgers made the deal of the year, acquiring Manny Ramirez in a three-team trade.

The Dodgers went on to win the division, beating the Cubs in the first round of the playoffs, losing to some crappy team in the NLCS.

I goose-egged the West last year, putting the D'Backs in first (2), Padres in second (5, I always overestimate their ability), Dodgers in third, Rockies in fourth (3), and Giants in last (4).

Let's see if I can do slightly better this year.

1) Los Angeles Dodgers (86-76)

This was a tougher decision than you might imagine. Nobody in the West has offense. Several teams in the West have pitching, but the same was the case last year.

The Dodgers are without Derek Lowe, and for better or worse, without Brad Penny, Greg Maddux, Nomar Garciaparra, and Jeff Kent. The team will look a lot different this season, but I still think the Dodgers have enough pitching to get into the playoffs.

Chad Billingsley is young and underrated. He won't fly under anyone's radar this season as the top gun in the rotation. Anything the Dodgers get out of Jason Schmidt is a nice surprise, but as it should be, they aren't expecting anything.

The offense shouldn't be a problem, considering the perfect mix of youth (James Loney, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier), and veterans (Manny, Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin).

The acquisition of Orlando Hudson will give them solid defense up the middle and plenty of depth, considering Blake DeWitt will start the season coming off the bench.

Juan Pierre, Mart Loretta, and Brad Ausmus on the bench gives L.A. proven starters to fall back on in case of injury.

The biggest question mark is the bullpen, which suffered a hit when Takashi Saito signed with Boston, and an even bigger hit when the Dodgers, for some reason, signed Guillermo Mota.

2) Arizona Diamondbacks (82-80)

If Webb and Haren win all of their starts, the D'Backs might be able to make some noise. Two great starting pitchers works well for you when you've got a good enough offense, and maybe a couple of mediocre-to-decent pitchers to back them up.

Arizona only has two great starting pitchers. No good enough offense, no mediocre-to-decent pitchers to back them up.

The D'Backs' season relies completely on these two. The young offense still won't be able to gel, because there are no veterans to lean on when things get murky. This year's Diamondbacks team will be like the Marlins of the past few years. The energy of the young players will make noise and scare some teams for about 120 or 130 games, but not for a full season.

3) San Francisco Giants (77-85)

If any team in the division is a sleeper, it's the Giants. They may have the best set of five pitchers in the West, but that's only if Barry Zito decides to win a couple games this time around.

Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Randy Johnson provide a solid punch day-in and day-out. The Big Unit will be primed for this season because he's five wins away from 300. He won't throw in the towel after he gets it as long as the team is competitive.

The Giants still lack the big bat in the middle of their lineup necessary to rip opponents apart, so the bullpen will be crucial to the Giants' success.

San Fran picked up Jeremy Affeldt and Bob Howry in free agency, with Brian Wilson set to close out games...for now. Affeldt and Howry have both been closers before.

If starters go deep and the offense provides a little extra now and again, the Giants will be alright.

4) San Diego Padres (68-94)

Now that I'm picking them to finish fourth, they'll finally have a good year. It couldn't come too soon for the Padres, either.

Jake Peavy, somehow, is still in SoCal, as is Chris Young. Trevor Hoffman isn't.

Adrian Gonzalez anchors the offense, but doesn't have much around him, like usual. Brian Giles is a year older, and Cliff Floyd, if healthy, will be available to pinch hit in late innings for the Fathers.

Mark Prior has a chance to win a spot in the rotation, but the odds of him not being injured are probably about even with the chances of the Padres winning the World Series (somewhere around 100/1).

5) Colorado Rockies (60-102)

I'd love to feel bad for the Rockies, but I just don't. After trading Matt Holliday to Oakland, they're left with next to nothing.

Aaron Cook may have a decent year like he did last year (16 wins), and Garrett Atkins will look to have a .300, 30 home run, 120 RBI year, but that's a lot to ask of him without Holliday in the lineup.

Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, and Atkins will all be severely affected by Holliday's absence.

Brian Fuentes left in free agency, leaving a hole in the Rockies' bullpen as well. It will be interesting to see how Huston Street and Jason Marquis react to the climate change.

Preview/Prediction: A.L. West

2009-03-05T16:14:00.004-05:00

Much to the surprise of nobody, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won the American League West division crown last year.

No other team finished above .500 in the division, as the Mariners were as big of a bust as the Detroit Tigers. Seattle finished 61-101, largely due to an overhyped starting rotation that ended up being beaten down with injuries.

The Angels had injuries of their own, losing John Lackey for a good portion of time and Kelvim Escobar for the full season, if not forever. Other starters picked up the slack and stepped up in a big way, proving their worth to the team.

The A's made some big moves in the offseason, but I still like the Angels.

1) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (93-69)

Brian Fuentes will replace K-Rod as the closer, Bobby Abreu will replace Garret Anderson in left field, and Kendry Morales will replace Mark Teixeira at first base.

How are the Angels still going to win the division? Pitching.

Jon Garland is no longer the Angels' problem, John Lackey is healthy (knock on wood), and Ervin Santana, Jered Weaver, and Joe Saunders all have less pressure on them this season.

Vlad is a year older and has less help around him, but the Angels have the best manager in the American League sitting on their bench. Mike Scioscia knows how to make puzzle pieces fit.

2) Oakland Athletics (84-78)

The A's exchanged Frank Thomas for Jason Giambi, don't have any starting pitchers you would recognize, and as a matter of fact, don't have anybody in the bullpen you would know, either.

The pickup of Matt Holliday was huge, as was the signing of Orlando Cabrera. They went out and grabbed Nomar Garciaparra, which makes me wonder what the hell Billy Beane is thinking. It's the complete opposite of what he normally does, unless he plans on folding this year with plans of trading whoever has a decent first half to make the team younger again.

The A's usually tend to make it work. They'll have great chemistry and will have fun playing the game. Some of the starters may surprise us. Or they'll just have a terrible, terrible year, finishing in last place.

3) Texas Rangers (75-87)

Arlington natives should get ready for another year of bashing the hell out of the ball but not being able to keep your opponents from doing the same thing.

Nobody scored more runs than the Rangers last year (901), but nobody gave up more, either (967). Not much has changed this time around.

The lineup is still as scary as ever, featuring Michael Young, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Chris Davis, Ian Kinsler, David Murphy, and Josh Hamilton, but it's tough to say whether any of these guys will have repeat performances after very successful 2008 campaigns.

The most interesting thing to look for will be to see how Young fares at third base while youngster Elvis Andrus hits the bigs.

The Rangers have a couple of starting pitchers who can hit double-digit wins, but their bullpen is really going to be interesting. Frank Francisco is the closer, with three ex-closers settting him up: Derrick Turnbow, C.J. Wilson, and Eddie Guardado.

The bullpen might actually be a huge strength for the Rangers. Look for them to retain big leads and maybe even pull off a few come-from-behind victories.

4) Seattle Mariners (71-91)

Something's gotta give soon for the Mariners. They can't stay healthy, and can't get solid returns on their investments.

Raul Ibanez hit the road, and Ken Griffey, Jr. came back into the lives of the Mariner-faithful. Which senior citizen will have a bigger year, Griffey or Giambi? I honestly think Giambi, though I'd love for the answer to be Griffey. He only deserves the best.

King Felix and Erik Bedard, when healthy, provide a solid 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Everything else is a question mark when it comes to pitching, especially with J.J. Putz in the eastern time zone.

Next on tap: N.L. West

Manny is in, A-Rod and T.O. are out!

2009-03-05T13:01:00.004-05:00

Relieving, unfortunate, LAME!

Manny Ramirez Signs With Dodgers

We've been waiting on this one for awhile now. Baseball season would not be allowed to begin without us knowing where Manny would be playing.

It's a little later than I'd like, but now all the players capable of making a huge splash have landed.

A.L. West preview coming later today.

Alex Rodriguez Out Until May

Rodriguez had an MRI on his hip which found a cyst. Surgery is required and preliminary reports have him out for about 10 weeks, though that may change.

This is a huge blow for the Yankees, who needed a quick start from him. They still have the firepower to stay afloat until he comes back, but they lost a lot of their offense from last year, which was already lacking, and Mark Teixeira never gets off to a quick start. He normally does his damage in the summer months and after the All-Star break.

The difference for the Yankees this year is their pitching, but without solid offensive production, they could find themselves in an early hole. A-Rod was solely responsible for a good chunk of the Yankees wins early last season.

It's too bad for A-Rod, because now people will question whether the injury is steroid-related, and whether he'll be injury-riddled now that he's clean. More questions which won't be answered. He won't be able to just shake this off.

A.L. East preview should come early next week.

Terrell Owens Cut By Cowboys

This comes at such a terrible time, mainly because we really won't know if this was a good move or a bad move until the NFL is significantly into the season. Soooo....eight or nine months? Awesome.

I think it's a bad move because T.O. is responsible for half of the 'Boys passing offense. They've got Roy Williams as their big playmaking receiver now, but he has yet to prove himself since jumping to the pros.

Most of the blame can be put on the Lions for being such a bad team, but now the Cowboys have nobody to blame when they miss the playoffs for a second straight year. Heads will roll.

NFC East preview coming in August. Maybe. Eh, probably not.

Preview/Prediction: N.L. Central

2009-02-25T13:53:00.004-05:00

Looks like Manny is going back to the Dodgers, but I'm going to be safe and stick with the least likely of his landing spots.

The N.L. Central is a little easier to predict than the A.L. Central, where like the N.L. West, anything can happen.

Last year I got the bottom two right...the top four, not so much. I put too much faith in the Cardinals (4th place), picking them to finish first. I had the Cubs (1st) in second, the Brewers (2nd) in third, and the Astros (3rd) in fourth.

The Cubs retain the best all-around team, including the best starting rotation in the division, and probably the league. They didn't exactly get better, but as if they needed any extra help, the division got much, much worse.

For the Cubs not to win this division by 10 or more games, some young kids are going to need to step up somewhere and make a huge impact.

1) Chicago Cubs (99-63)

I won't give them triple-digits, but I'll give them a 14-game pad when things are said and done. The rest of the division has absolutely nothing. The biggest question for the Cubs is the bullpen, where Bob Howry and Kerry Wood both left town. Carlos Marmol is currently the closer, but with the acquisition of Kevin Gregg, things could change quick. Aaron Heilman would like to compete for a starting spot, but he's more likely to end up a closer, as is the case with fellow Notre Dame Alum Jeff Samardzija.

The Cubbies picked up Milton Bradley (eh.) and Aaron Miles (eh.), but more importantly, likely won't be starting Kosuke Fukudome. Now that I've trashed him, he'll have a great year. But now that I've said he'll have a great year, he'll suck. And now that...nevermind.

The rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster, and Ted Lilly will be fine, even if there are some minor injuries. They've got enough to put the division away early, and it won't even be competitive.

2) Houston Astros (85-77)

This is kind of a "by default" second place pick. Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee are each a year older, and Mark Loretta and Ty Wigginton each bounced in free agency. The best news for the Astros? They still have Roy Oswalt. The bad news? The offense can't produce enough to even guarantee him another 17-win season.

3) St. Louis Cardinals (83-79)

If Chris Carpenter were to ever become healthy, the Cardinals organization might feel a little more confident. Jason Isringhausen headed to the Rays, Aaron Miles to the Cubs, and Felipe Lopez to the D'Backs. Without any decent pitchers in the rotation or the bullpen, there will be a lot of pressure on the Pujols, Ludwick, Ankiel combination. The big three will get it done on offense, but it won't be enough due to lack of production from the surrounding cast.

4) Milwaukee Brewers (80-84)

Trevor Hoffman, Eric Gagne, Jorge Julio. What the hell are the Brewers doing? Braden Looper is apparently their big replacement for Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. Yovani Gallardo is their ace. The youthful sluggers, Cory Hart, Ryan Braun, and Prince Fielder, will win them some games, but not enough to make any significant noise in the division.

5) Cincinnati Reds (72-94)

The Reds picked up a plethora of free agents, none of whom will really make a huge impact. Willy Taveras will be roaming center in Cinci, and David Weathers was retained to "help out" in the pen. Teams will be ready for Edinson Volquez this year, and without a left-handed starter, it's going to be a long season for Reds fans. They'll be lucky not to finish in last.

6) Pittsburgh Pirates (70-92)

The Pirates didn't get much better, but maybe a little bit. They picked up Eric Hinske in free agency to come off the bench. The rotation is iffy, but they'll have Jeff Karstens from the starting line. 70 wins isn't too much to ask, is it?

Coming soon: Most likely the A.L. West...but no promises.

Preview/Prediction: A.L. Central

2009-02-24T14:50:00.002-05:00

I'm about fed up with Manny Ramirez not signing, I need to talk baseball.

The safest bet would be to begin with the A.L. Central. If Manny ends up there, shame on everyone. We should all just go home now.

I was just about completely ass-backwards last year with the Central. I picked the Tigers to win, the Royals to finish last, and the Indians, Twins, and ChiSox to finished 2-through-4, respectively.

I goose-egged all the way around. Eek.

1) Minnesota Twins (92-70)

The Twins picked up Luis Ayala in the bullpen and Joe Crede at third. They retained Nick Punto at shortstop, and lost Adam Everett and Eddie Guardado. A relatively quiet offseason for Minnesota's finest. This is a young team with a solid foundation in Mauer and Morneau, a great bullpen anchored by Joe Nathan, and a young and capable pitching staff. I like them to win a few extra games than last year and take the division title.

2) Cleveland Indians (88-74)

The Indians are taking the risks with Carl Pavano and Kerry Wood, with the upside much greater than the losses if things don't work out. Cliff Lee won't have anything close to the year he had in 2008. The big question mark for Cleveland is whether Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner finally stay healthy. I'll take a gamble and say yes. Expect great things from Grady Sizemore this season (duh?).

3) Detroit Tigers (87-75)

Detroit had a much more quiet offseason this time around, bringing in role players like Brandon Lyon, Juan Rincon, and Adam Everett. Todd Jones retired, which should be worth 8 or 10 wins right off the bat. A healthy Curtis Granderson will get the Tigers started off right. You won't be seeing an 0-16 mark from this Detroit team.

4) Chicago White Sox (80-82)

This team is getting older, though Alexei Ramirez is going to have a huge year. The starting pitching will be the downfall in ChiTown. Griffey, Crede, and Juan Uribe are all gone, and Orlando Cabrera is as good as gone, too.

5) Kansas City Royals (76-86)

The Royals' offense is making strides as the young guys (Billy Butler, Alex Gordon) grow up. The acquisition of Mike Jacobs will be nice, but they still don't have the pitching to make moves. Back to the basement for K.C. after a stunning fourth-place finish last season.

Coming soon: The second-least probable landing spot for Manny - the N.L. Central.
If he signs, I'll probably do up the A.L. West.

Featured On FoxSports

2009-02-10T20:17:00.003-05:00

Watch me get killed with my half of the Duke/UNC preview featured on FoxSports. The comments are hopefully going to get juicy!

A-Rod Admits to Juicing

2009-02-09T14:52:00.002-05:00

In an interview being conducted as we speak by Peter Gammons, Alex Rodriguez has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during the 2001-2003 seasons while with the Texas Rangers.

This is a huge step for baseball to have the best player in the game over the last dozen years to come out and admit to his mistakes. It took integrity, and though he had already lied in the past, it's not like he's the only player to deny taking steroids.

Andy Pettitte got a pass for admitting use. Jason Giambi apologized for...something...and was forgiven. A-Rod deserves the same. I'm electing to believe his admission to only using for three seasons, and I don't think it should permanently taint his career.

There was no punishment set in stone in the 2003 season when he tested positive, and the results were supposed to be anonymous. A lot of different people have answers to give, including the players' union.

Rodriguez will not be subject to punishment, but he'll receive plenty of it when he travels on road games, and who's to say Yankees fans won't give him hell either?

Again, steroids don't help you see the ball or even hit it. That takes skill. Alex Rodriguez is still the best player of this era, and he should not be excluded from the Hall of Fame for it.

I'm ready for baseball season

2009-02-07T11:22:00.002-05:00

Word.

I'd love to get my previews going, but there are still some impact players left on the market.

Adam Dunn or Orlando Hudson I couldn't care less about. Whoever they sign with won't necessarily put the team over the hump - they aren't those type of impact players.

Ken Griffey, Jr. and Bobby Abreu can make a team better. But they aren't the ones I'm talking about.

Ben Sheets is probably having surgery and will miss most, if not all of this season, so his availability is a non-factor for now.

But there is the one guy whose presence can impact a team.

You know who I mean.

Derek Jeter.

Derek Jeter, Derek Jeter, Derek Jeter.

Since I've got that out of my system, let's be serious.

Manny Ramirez needs to sign somewhere. NOW. He's holding up my baseball season. Maybe he'll just defer until into the season when teams are underperforming and get so desperate, they really shell out the dough (Rawja Clemens?).

Of course I'd like him on the Mets now that we have our starting rotation figured out. His bat would really put a nice shine on the rings we win in October.

I don't think the Giants will shell out the money on him. I really don't think they're ready for another high-caliber slugger/media frenzy maker.

The Angels would be a nice fit for him, but they really need a left-handed bat, so Abreu or Griffey (and Ramirez?) could work for them.

The Rangers seem to have smartened up since the 10-year/$252 million deal they gave to A-Rod earlier this century, so don't expect them to swoop in with some ridiculous number in an attempt to get their team out of the gutter.

Let's not talk about if he puts on pinstripes. Bad things will happen.

Then we come to...the Dodgers.

Playing chicken with Scott Boras. Like he said, it's a dangerous game. Most likely, he'll win. Why? Because he has Manny Ramirez, and neither of them care who he ends up with, or when he ends up with them.

Los Angeles' front office needs to just realize this, give him his money and his years, and deal with whatever follows. The fans won't accept not signing him, he's right in front of their faces.

Three years, $54 mil might do the trick, but $60 mil isn't a bad deal either, considering they started by offering $22.5 mil per year then went up to $25 mil.

Step up, do the right thing.

As for the A-Rod testing positive for steroids thing - leave it alone. We taint every single sports star in the world. What? You're good at something? Let's ruin you!! We're even in the process of ruining America's darling, Michael Phelps, because he's a 23-year old taking a bong hit.

Nobody's perfect. Let it go.

Maybe it was Super!

2009-02-03T23:34:00.002-05:00

That was one hell of a fourth quarter, no?

The first three quarters sucked for the most part, except for James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired in the first half.

My prediction (27-20) probably would have looked more credible had I NOT included a scoring-by-quarter breakdown in the comments section, because I had Pittsburgh up big, allowing Arizona to score a junk touchdown to put the total points over the 45.5 point line and break hearts of everyone who put money on it.

If I put slightly more thought into it, I would have given Arizona a few more points so they would cover the spread and make Vegas even more money (complying with my "everything is fixed" conspiracy theory). Alas, we get the 27-23 score and Vegas makes a TON of money because everyone had Pittsburgh to cover 6.5 and the under.

Commercials were decent, with Doritos and Bud Light as my winners, but Pepsi got screwed out of lots of positive attention. The MacGruber commercial was actually the second in a set of three which were debuted on NBC the night before. For more info on the snubbing and to see all three, check out this article.

Not So Super Bowl

2009-01-28T14:23:00.003-05:00

This isn't exactly Giants-Pats, but it is football. It is the Super Bowl.

I'm still not sure I understand how the Cardinals are there. I guess I'm coming around to admitting they deserve to be there. Hell, they could even win this game (if Hines Ward is less than 75 percent).

Covering the pass is a lot tougher than covering the run, which gives the Cardinals' defense an advantage over the Steelers' D. Arizona is pass-heavy, and have a playmaker lined up wide on each side of Kurt Wanrer.

The Cardinals have options in the backfield behind Warner, but Tim Hightower has been spotty the past few games. Running the ball against the Steelers isn't going to be any easier than it was against the Eagles, so look for Edge to get the majority of the carries again.

Arizona can spread it out, as nine different players caught passes in the NFC Championship game (not including Warner's reception).

Pittsburgh is more of a traditional football squad, with a pair of big name receivers, but they do most of their damage on the ground, with Mr. Willie Parker.

Ben Roethlisberger is a little banged up, but he's a gamer, so I fully expect him to play every down on offense. The Cardinals also don't feature a smash-mouth defense (ranked 14th in team sacks, Pitt ranked No. 2), so Big Ben probably won't be pushed around too much when he drops back.

The weather favors the Cardinals, but I don't think it will be enough in the end.

The Cardinals will score early, probably have 10-13 points by the half, but Pitt's defense will take over in the second half.

27-20 Pittsburgh

Best Story I've Ever Read

2009-01-20T11:31:00.003-05:00

You won't appreciate it if you've never seen "The Princess Bride," in which case I suggest you go watch it (you can borrow it from me), then read this article written by a member of Bleacher Report. It's a flawless, creative Super Bowl preview.

Who's Going To the Super Bowl?

2009-01-18T10:15:00.004-05:00

I'm predicting an all-Manning Super Bowl. This way, people won't be so obsessed with the commercials due to a boring game.

Oh. Damn.

There are three "teams of destiny" playing, so one has to lose. The Steelers are the only team playing without destiny on its side. Sucks for them, apparently.

AFC Championship
Ravens @ Steelers
Pittsburgh won both regular season matchups, which if history indicates anything, means the Ravens will win today.

Wrong.

The Steelers' offense is as balanced and healthy now as it has been since the first two weeks of the season. Pitt's D is still Pitt's D. The Ravens lose this one, going away. I'm seriously talking double-digits. Nobody is expecting what's about to happen today.

NFC Championship
Eagles @ Cardinals
Why are either of these teams here? I hate the city of Philadelphia so much right now.

Pick: Philly and a knife in my toe, please.

Pray for 0-2 so the state of Pennsylvania gets no love.

The Truth About Derek Jeter

2009-01-17T01:40:00.003-05:00

There is a massive conspiracy in Major League Baseball, and it could involve countless teams. The details are starting to come to fruition, but I'm still investigating.

The Texas Rangers' decision to move Michael Young to third base has me convinced: There is a conspiracy surrounding American League shortstops, and I'm tracing it back to everyone's favorite captain, Derek Jeter.

It all started in 1997 when Cal Ripken, Jr. was mysteriously moved to third base.

A 14-time All-Star at this point, Major League Baseball's darling, the most important player to the game, is moved from a position he had been playing in the Majors since 1981—to make way for Mike Bordick?

Please, I'm a Mets fan. I know what Bordick is all about: nothing.

Something wasn't adding up, but there clearly was not enough evidence yet.

Certainly, 1997 is an interesting year for this to happen. Who won the World Series the year before? And who jumped onto the scene? Ah, yes. The Yankees, and 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, Derek Jeter.

Camden Yards is "Yankee Stadium South," after all. Remember the Jaret Wright trade? I think the Orioles are either in cahoots with the Yankees, or they owe the Bronx Bombers some serious favors.

Anyway, around this time, there were three amazing shortstops playing in the AL: Nomar Garciaparra (1997 AL Rookie of the Year), Alex Rodriguez, and Mr. Jeter.

Now you see where I'm going with this. Hang tight.

Omar Vizquel still had a stranglehold on the Gold Glove award at the position, and was even garnering some All-Star Game loving.

Starting in 1997, here's the odd man out of each mid-summer classic for a few years:

1997—Jeter, Vizquel
1998—Garciaparra, despite finishing second in the MVP voting
1999—A-Rod
2000—Vizquel
2001—Vizquel, Garciaparra (injury)
2002—All four left made the All-Star Team, as did Miguel Tejada. Five shortstops. FIVE. A-Rod started the game. Quite the heavy load just so Joe Torre can justify taking No. 2.

Rodriguez won the Gold Glove in '02 and '03, and Vizquel's career began its downslide, so he fell out of the picture.

Then in 2003, Derek Jeter didn't make the All-Star team. The Yankees finally didn't represent the AL in the World Series the year before. Darn, bad luck for Jeter!

Commence turmoil.

The ensuing offseason, the Yankees made a minor acquisition. They traded Alfonso Soriano to the Texas Rangers for shortstop Alex Rodriguez. They moved him to third base.

Problem solved.

Garciaparra fell from grace in Boston unusually quick and was traded to the National League in July '04.

Two down, but the Red Sox got their revenge in October.

Jeter enjoyed little competition for "best shortstop in the AL" the next few years. Without Vizquel or A-Rod sharing a mutual position, he won the Gold Glove by default from 2004-2006.

However, Jeter missed the '05 All-Star game, and Miguel Tejada and rising star Michael Young got the nod over him.

I don't know who is behind the conspiracy, but I suspect it's the Steinbrenners. Baltimore already gave into whatever pressure was put on them in 1997, so they weren't prepared to do it again.

Someone started to play dirty when they had to get rid of Tejada. I'm not saying they're behind the Tejada smear-campaign, I'm just saying his fall from shortstop stardom was much uglier than anyone before him. The Mitchell Report (okay, he played in Oakland) and the age controversy were not pretty.

Since when has it taken a face-to-face interview to confront someone about their age? It wasn't the case for Rafael Furcal or Orlando Hernandez.

So now we get to Michael Young. Five straight All-Star appearances, the 2008 AL Gold Glove award winner at shortstop, and two years younger than Jeter, now the best shortstop in the AL.

He's also the poster child for everything right in the league. A less-crazy version of Tim Tebow, perhaps.

The conspirators have several tricks up their sleeves, so this one probably involves calling in a favor for taking A-Rod, a clubhouse cancer, off their hands a few years back.

"Hey, Texas Rangers, remember that time we took A-Rod from you and haven't won the World Series since then?"
"Yeah..."
"Well you kinda owe us for that. Move Michael Young to third base."
"But..."
"Just tell them you have a prospect who is gonna tear it up at the Major League level."

So, Texas Rangers, enjoy Elvis Andrus, the second coming of Mike Bordick!

Yankee fans, enjoy another undeserved All-Star appearance and Gold Glove for Jeter.

And to the Steinbrenners, or whoever is in charge of this operation, please don't hunt me down
and kill me. Even though I've figured out your diabolical plan, I won't tell anyone.

Oh, Crap! I Forgot My NFL Picks!

2009-01-10T18:10:00.003-05:00

The second half is just about to start between Baltimore and Tennessee. The game is tied, 7-7 and I was covering a swim meet/writing up the story, so I didn't get to watch much of the first half. I swear.

Let's pretend I'm doing my picks in a timely fashion. Give me a pass if this seems rushed!

Baltimore over Tennessee

Steelers over Chargers

Panthers over Cardinals

Giants over Eagles

I love the home team in three of the four games, and I really just need the Eagles to lose so Philadelphia fans can go back to the deep, dark hole they came out of a few months ago when the unspeakable happened.

3-1 last week. Can it happen again???

An Unbiased College Football Fan's Take on the BCS National Championship Game

2009-01-09T00:29:00.003-05:00

I live in New York. The BCS National Championship game means squat to me. My allegiance in college football is to Virginia Tech. That’s as far south as I roll.

Sitting at the bar to watch the game, there’s actually a hardcore Florida fan who is amped and ready to go.

He looks like a tool.

Not just because of the way he’s acting or because we’re so far away from any of these teams…I’m sure there are actual Florida fans around, but I saw this guy a couple weeks ago wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey for their Saturday night game. And this summer he would be rocking his Yankees jersey to the bar. You catching my drift?

So anyway, even though I’ve taken Florida from every way to next September, I decide to start rooting for the Sooners because of this guy. Slightly less tolerable than Bob Stoops.

Makes me wonder how much of my hatred for Derek Jeter is just due to being a Mets fan around championship-clad Yankee fans when I was growing up.

Anyway, at this point, we’re in the first half, Florida scores first, this guy is going nuts. Oklahoma ties it up and he shuts up, but then the Sooners go to the red zone twice more in the half and get nothing out of it. This guy is going crazy.

I leave at halftime to watch the rest of the game at home.

Fox has done a great job of selling me this game. I studied sports communications in college. I’ve learned all the tricks of the trade to suck in viewers, but they still sold this to me.

Tim Tebow is nuts. He has the resume of a Saint. Everyone should have a crush on Tim Tebow.

I do.

At first I thought he was faking the emotion because he knew he was on national TV, but then I realized…this guy is actually out of his mind.

I love college bands. I really took the Marching Virginians at VT for granted. If any Marching Virginians are reading this, please accept my apology to your predecessors.

We clearly see who the better quarterback is tonight. Bradford looks lost with all this pressure. He’s not ready for the NFL.

Announcers’ silence means everything when Florida makes the fourth down stop. Bedlam.

Members of the Gators are getting the Gatorade cooler with two minutes and change left in the game. Now I really hope they lose and look completely ridiculous. “They’re about to unload on [Urban Meyer],” our sexually frustrated analyst comments.

I’d love to see Utah vs USC vs Florida. I expect the analyst to suggest a three-way football game?

Chomp, chomp, chomp. Love the personal foul on the guy everyone is in awe over, Pyscho Tebow. Timmy being Timmy. Uno Cinco. This guy is going to be a great pro.

Bob Stoops is a champ for not kicking these cameramen in the face.

Excellent team effort on the Gatorade dump. Five stars.

Congratulations to the National Champions, the Utah Utes. Don't accuse me of stealing the idea of the last line from Rick Reilly. He's not the only person who thinks the Utes are getting the short end of the stick.

Marist Women Enter AP Top 25

2009-01-06T23:41:00.004-05:00

For the first time this season, the Marist College women's basketball team has entered the national rankings. Though the Red Foxes remain unranked in the Coaches' Poll, they intend on proving they belong.

The journey as a ranked team started tonight, as Marist beat down Iona, 81-58.

Rachele Fitz led had a game-high 26 points and 16 boards in only 28 minutes of play (foul trouble). She added six assists, as the team combined for 25 assists on 30 field goals, a staggering percentage you will never EVER see in the men's game.

Erica Allenspach led the Red Foxes (13-1, 4-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) with eight assists, scoring 13 points.

Lynzee Johnson dropped 14 points off the bench, including lights out (4-4) from downtown.

Marist started the game on a 12-0 run (Sean T. McMann impressively predicted the EXACT 12-0 run before the game started), and added a 10-0 run for good measure halfway through the second half.

Elise Caron and Julianne Viani didn't have their best games, but Johnson, Allenspach, and freshman Brandy Gang (11 points, two blocks, three boards) stepped up big.

Marist shot 100 percent from the charity stripe and 50 percent from long range.

What is this, NBA Jam for N64? No, it's a nationally ranked team playing in the MAAC.

Of course, slip-ups happen, so this team will be sure to show up to play 40 minutes every night to ensure it doesn't happen.

Terrifying NFL Playoff Predictions

2009-01-03T11:05:00.003-05:00

This ought to be interesting.

AFC Wild Card:

Indianapolis (-2.5) @ San Diego
Colts/Bolts is ALWAYS a great game. Bolts are playing their best football of the season (?), and playing at home. Peyton Manning was just named MVP, the Colts are also playing their best football of the season, which is better than the Chargers' best football of the season, and Indy has revenge on its mind from last year. As long as Manning isn't out taking a hike (get the reference?), Colts advance.
Pick: Indianapolis

Baltimore (-2.5) @ Miami
What's interesting about the AFC playoffs is the two lower ranked teams are both favorites on the road. No respect for the division champs! Everybody involved is probably happy, though. The Colts and Ravens get to play in warm weather, though they'd have significant advantages in the colder weather and at home. Regardless, it doesn't matter here.
Pick: Baltimore

NFC Wild Card:

Atlanta (-2.5) @ Arizona
Again, the lower-ranked visitor is the favorite. This is the toughest game for me to pick, just because I'm thinking too much about it. Arizona sucks, but can be very dangerous. Matt Ryan is young, but plays like a veteran. Against my better judgment...
Pick: Arizona

Philadelphia (-3.5) @ Minnesota
I don't think this has ever happened before where the Wild Card team is the favorite in each opening round matchup. Philly wants it more. Minnesota's offense can't roll with Philly's D. Stephen A. Smith needs to hit me with a "Quite Frankly" right now.
Pick: Philly

0-4? I'm not playing against the spread this week, I just posted the numbers to emphasize how strange it is for all visitors to be favorites.

What We Do in Week 17 Echoes in Eternity

2008-12-27T11:12:00.003-05:00

My quest to go 0-16 failed miserably, as I doubled my wins from the earlier week. I think I went 6-10, but I'm not positive. As for bowl picks, it's miserably apparent I haven't watched enough college football this year. As of yesterday, I'm 1-6-1 [no joke, but nobody should be surprised] against the spread, and 4-4 on the over/under. Vegas would loooooooove my money!

Lots of unimportant games tomorrow! Let's take a look:

St. Louis @ Atlanta (-11)
Atlanta is clinched, but still has a shot at the division. I'd guess they come to play today. For one half, maybe.

New England (-6.5) @ Buffalo
I'd like to congratulate Tom and Gisele for their recent engagement. Mike Clark should be ashamed of himself for breaking the news saying their relationship was on the rocks. I'm pretty sure the Pats have enough to play for today to cover six and a half [does my picking them mean a win for the Bills?!! Patriots fans revolt in my direction if Buffalo takes this one].

KC @ Cinci (PICK)
Oh yeah baby. I'm on a roll with the Bengals! Win numba FOOOOOOUR comes tomorrow! People who thought it would be a shootout between them and the Lions for the 0-16 should be ashamed. It's too bad these two teams don't play in the AFC or NFC West...they might still have a shot at the playoffs!

Detroit (+5.5) @ Green Bay
Just doing what I can to get them to the magical 0-16 mark.

Tennessee @ Indy (-1.5)
The Titans, to their credit, have won some big games recently when everyone thought they would lose. This isn't one of those games. The Colts are just better.

New York Giants @ Minnesota (PICK)
I could be stupid here and predict the Giants spoil the Vikings playoff hopes. Let's get real here. Nobody important is playing in the second half for the Giants. They'd forfeit if they could.

Carolina @ New Orleans (+1.5)
I might even pick the 'Aints if either team had something to play for.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh (-9.5)
Not only do the Steelers want the division, but their third string could beat the Browns' first string...and the Browns aren't playing their first string.

Oakland @ Tampa Bay (-5)
The Bucs need a win and some help to get in the playoffs. Pulling Oakland in Week 17 is TOO NICE for them.

Chicago (-4) @ Houston
Again, the Bears need a win AND help. They don't play well on the road, but Houston is no longer the hottest team in football...if it ever was.

Washington @ San Francisco (PICK)
Mike Singletary got his much-deserved extension. Now he can start losing again. Just kidding. East coast teams playing on the West coast hasn't worked out well for the visitors this season. It continues. Completely meaningless game, by the way.

Jacksonville @ Baltimore (-7)
I'm really glad my preseason pick to win the AFC South is finally playing football in recent weeks. That reason alone, I'm not picking them. What's funny is if the season ended today, the Ravens would be the No. 6 seed, playing the No. 3 Dolphins and the No. 5 Colts would be playing the No. 4 Broncos. The higher seeds are going to be INSANELY LARGE underdogs in the first round, regardless of who's in and who's out.

Miami @ New York Jets (-1)
What a loaded game! Chad Pennington vs. Brett Favre storyline has a storybook ending for one QB, but in the end, when Favre wins it won't matter, because both teams will be out of the playoffs unless Baltimore loses or ties. This is going to be a hard-fought game, to say the very least. Bill the hoodie sneaks in again. Such is life.

Dallas @ Philly (-2)
The 'Boys bring the O when it counts. Sad ending for Andy Reid and company.

Seattle @ Arizona (-5.5)
The Seahawks won Mike Holmgren's going away party at home...can they do it on the road? No. The Cardinals may suck, but they tend to do their job against the bad teams.

Denver @ San Diego (-6)
Can you say vindication? For all parties. Ed Hochuli will be celebrating on the field with the Chargers if they pull this one out. This is as basic as it gets for playoff pictures: Win, you're losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Colts. Way to blow a division handed to you on a silver platter by Hochuli, Denver. What are you, the Mets?

Let's Go Bowling!

2008-12-19T13:43:00.004-05:00

Thursday night game pushed again. Give me a break. 0-0-1 on my quest to go 0-16. Oops. Can't help it when the game pushes.

Bowl season starts tomorrow. This one will take awhile. I'll go all out like I did last year. I'm gonna battle the spread and the over/under. After all that, I don't even know if I'll have the energy to make fun of this year's bowl names!

Last year's results:
Picks: 17-15 (23-9 without the spread)
Over/Under: 16-16

EagleBank Bowl:
Wake Forest (-3.5) vs. Navy [+/-41]
They already played this season. Navy won. Wake turned the ball over six times. Won't happen again.
Wake Forest and the over

New Mexico Bowl:
Colorado St. vs. Fresno St. (-4) [+/-59.5]
Fresno St. and the over

magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl:
Memphis vs. South Florida (-14) [+/-51]
Home field advantage vs high spread. Memphis and the over.

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl:
BYU vs. Arizona (-3) [+/-61]
Hrmm...BYU is an underdog. BYU and the over.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:
Southern Miss vs. Troy (-3) [+/-55]
I've taken the over a lot so far. I think I did the same last year. Troy and the under.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:
Boise St. vs. TCU (-2) [+/-48]
Boise St. and the OVER!

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl:
Hawaii (-2.5) vs. Notre Dame [+/-48]
Sad story. Notre Dame, that is. Hawaii and the under.

Motor City Bowl:
Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan (-5.5) [+/61]
Gotta respect the home field here. The over/under looks juicy though. Central Michigan and the under.

Meineke Car Care Bowl:
West Virginia vs. North Carolina (PICK) [+/-44]
The Heels play great against non-conference opponents, but sucked it up against ACC teams this season. West Virginia still doesn't have Steve Slaton or Rich Rodriguez. UNC and the over.

Champs Sports Bowl:
Wisconsin vs. Florida State (-6) [+/-53]
ACC FTW! Florida St. and the under.

Emerald Bowl:
Miami of Florida vs. California (-7) [+/-51.5]
As much as I'd love ACC teams to sweep their bowl games, we have to be honest with each other every now and again. Cal and the......(this many dots means I'm thinking hard about defense actually coming to play)....................under.

Independence Bowl:
Northern Illinois (-1) vs. Louisiana Tech [+/-47]
Being played in Louisiana. Will either team's fans show up? Northern Illinois and the over.

Papajohns.com Bowl:
NC State vs. Rutgers (-7) [+/-51]
Wow. I'm shocked Rutgers is the favorite by a touchdown. North Carolina rocked Rutgers by 30 AT Rutgers. NC State rocked North Carolina by 30 AT Carolina. NC State and the under.

Valero Alamo Bowl:
Missouri (-13.5) vs. Northwestern [+/-64]
Not much to say. Mizzou and the over.

Roady's Humanitarian Bowl:
Maryland vs. Nevada (-1) [+/-56.5]
This is one game where I LOVE the under. As for the game itself, I hate going against the ACC, but I have to again. Nevada and the under.

Texas Bowl:
Western Michigan vs. Rice (-3.5) [+/-72]
Now here's a shootout. Rice (the game is in Texas) and (going against my better judgment) the under.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl:
Oklahoma St. (-3.5) vs. Oregon [+/-77]
I don't think Oregon's offense can keep up with the Cowboys'. Oklahoma St. and the under.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl:
Houston (-2) vs. Air Force [+/-64]
The over/under shouldn't be this high. Air Force will kill the clock, passing maybe four or five times the entire game. Houston and the under.

Brut Sun Bowl:
Oregon St. (-2.5) vs. Pittsburgh [+/-56]
Pac-10 won't sweep its bowl games, but three out of four isn't bad. Oregon St. and the under.

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl:
Boston College (-4) vs. Vanderbilt [+/-41]
Interesting when one of the best in the ACC goes up against a mid-tier SEC team. I see this game as a push all the way around, 21-17, so against my better judgment again, BC and the over.

Insight Bowl:
Kansas (-10) vs. Minnesota [+/-57]
Minnesota can cover this. That being said, Kansas and the over.

Chick-fil-A Bowl:
LSU vs. Georgia Tech (-3) [+/-48.5]
Defensive shootout. I think. Georgia Tech and the under.

Outback Bowl:
South Carolina vs. Iowa (-2.5) [+/-43]
South Carolina was a huge bust this season. But the Big Ten sucks. Gamecocks and the under.

Capital One Bowl:
Georgia (-5.5) vs. Michigan St. [+/-54]
Speaking of huge busts, here's the preseason No. 1! At least they're playing a Big Ten team. Georgia and the under.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl:
Nebraska vs. Clemson (-3) [+/-55]
I looked back to my picks last year to see if I already said something about Konica Minolta. Of course I did. Damnit. I'm still not googling it. I also put in much more effort last year, posting the team logo of my pick. I'm a lazy bitch nowadays! Clemson and the under.

Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi:
Penn State vs. University of Southern Cal (-10) [+/-47.5]
HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaUSCandtheover.
I hope the College Football gods don't smite me for that.

FedEx Orange Bowl:
Cincinnati (-2.5) vs. Virginia Tech [+/-41]
Do I really even need to get into this? The Big East has football? And the conference's representative is the FAVORITE? OVER MY HOKIES?!!!
Virginia Tech and the over. January 1, 8:30, my house. Consider yourself invited. If you aren't wearing your nicest orange and maroon, I've got plenty extra for you.

AT&T Cotton Bowl:
Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (-6) [+/-72]
I really want to watch this game. Graham Harrell will throw for 600 yards.
Texas Tech and the over.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl:
Kentucky vs. East Carolina (-1.5) [+/-43]
What a waste of a season. ECU breaks my heart by beating the Hokies, then they don't go undefeated and make the National Championship? Pff...
Kentucky and the over.

Allstate Sugar Bowl:
Utah vs. Alabama (-10.5) [+/-46.5]
Wow, looks like the oddsmakers are calling for an Alabama shutout! I'll buy that for a dollar.
'Bama and the under.

International Bowl:
Buffalo vs. Connecticut (-4) [+/-51.5]
The way UConn played against Pitt the last game of the regular season was pathetic. They came out completely flat at home. That won't change when they're in Canada! Plus, Buffalo is HOT!!! Buffalo and the over.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl:
Ohio State vs. Texas (-10.5) [+/-54]
Everyone is calling for the Big East and ACC to be discluded from BCS auto berths. How about the Big Ten being discluded altogether?
Texas and the under.

GMAC Bowl:
Ball State (-2.5) vs. Tulsa [+/-75]
Can't honestly say I'll watch this one, but it should be fun to look at the box score the next day if you love offense! Ball State and the OVER!

FedEx BCS National Championship Game:
Florida (-3) vs. Oklahoma [+/-71.5]
I think defense is going to dominate more than everyone expects. But Oklahoma's BCS woes will continue.
Florida and the under.

Looking back:
Favorites picked: 25 (I think. I messed up counting three times and gave up)
Underdogs picked: 8 (one PICK)
Over picked: 16
Under picked: 18

I Might Not Be Witty This Time...Deal With It

2008-12-18T18:44:00.002-05:00

Thursday:

Indy @ Jacksonville (+7)
This just in. I hate the Colts.

Saturday:

Baltimore @ Dallas (-3)
How bout them Cowboys? A big win for the Cowpokes makes the playoffs easier for the Pats. Let's go Vaqueros!

Sunday:

Cincinnati @ Cleveland (-1)
Cincy is still frisky. Which I can not say about the Brownies. TJ gets his third win.

New Orleans (-6.5) @ Detroit
No way the Saints want to be the team that loses to the Simbas. They'll play hard for that reason alone.

Pittsburgh (-5) @ Tennessee
Pittsburgh is just a better team overall. Steel Curtain FTW!

Miami @ KC (+6)
It isn't as obvious as you think. Homer alert.

San Francisco @ St. Louis (+4.5)
Singletary's boys are still trying to play hard. Gotta give it up for them.

Arizona (+4) @ New England
Quan is beat up. Come on Pats, you need this one. Don't let me down.

San Diego (+3.5) @ Tampa Bay
The Bucs are falling apart. The Chargers are awful. I won't be watching.

New York Jets @ Seattle (+2.5)
Sorry Holmgrem. Maybe the zoo will let you back into the walrus tank.

Houston @ Oakland (+5)
NOBODY circles the wagons like the Houston Texans. Especially after starting the season 4-7.

Buffalo @ Denver (-2.5)
JP Losman is incompetent. The end.

Philadelphia @ Washington (+5.5)
The Fighting McNabbs take this one too. Makes for an intriguing Week 17.

Atlanta @ Minnesota (-2)
Still drinking the Gatorade Ice.

Carolina (-2.5) @ New York Football Giants
In my mind, I'm picking Carolina. Can't you see the sunshine? Can't you just feel the moonshine?

Monday Night Snorefest
Green Bay @ Chicago (-7)
Dah Bears!

Week...ummm...16!

2008-12-18T13:18:00.004-05:00

Yeah, so something to the tune of 3-10-3 last week has me a little apathetic this week. But it can only get better. With that in mind, I'm going to try to go 0-16 this week to prove how ridiculous making picks can be. I'll probably finish with a better percentage than last week when I tried to be right.

Let's see how it works out.

Thursday:

Indy @ Jacksonville (+7)
The Colts don't like to cover big spreads. This isn't a big spread for them. J'Ville finally shows up this week!

Saturday:

Baltimore @ Dallas (-3)
The Ravens are good. The Cowboys are coming off a huge win. No chance the 'Boys win this one, even at home. Dallas by 10.

Sunday:

Cincinnati @ Cleveland (-1)
T.J. got his second win last week, and he'll get his third one this week! I pick the Browns!

New Orleans (-6.5) @ Detroit
That's correct. I bolded the Saints, which means...you figure it out (hint: it has something to do with 0-14 becoming 1-14).

Pittsburgh (-5) @ Tennessee
It's getting confusing picking the opposite of what I think will really happen, so bear with me here. Pittsburgh should blow the Titans out of the water, but we're talking about two really good defenses and a banged up Steelers offense. Titans should cover the five, so I'll take Pitt.

Miami @ KC (+6)
Obviously.

San Francisco @ St. Louis (+4.5)
Another obvious loss.

Arizona (+4) @ New England
The team with the worse record can't miss the playoffs, and the team with the better record can win out and still not control its own destiny. I'll take the Cardinals!

San Diego (+3.5) @ Tampa Bay
Here I go, on the Chargers bandwagon again. This time, it's actually a joke!

New York Jets @ Seattle (+2.5)
Mike Holmgren's last game. Seahawks still won't show up, as they haven't all season, except to cover spreads to destroy my life.

Houston @ Oakland (+5)
A few weeks ago, this would have looked tricky, but Houston is hotter than hell right now. It would only make sense for Oakland to demolish them.

Buffalo @ Denver (-2.5)
Regardless of whether Loss man or Edwards starts, this is just what the Bills need. A defense that doesn't care. Broncos for the shutout!

Philadelphia @ Washington (+5.5)
The Redskins are slightly better than the Browns, but slightly less inclined to care about anything from here on out. Philly has that extra motivation. Washington shows up, randomly, and destroys the Eagles!

Atlanta @ Minnesota (-2)
I'm so confused right now.

Carolina (-2.5) @ New York Football Giants
I really like how people think Carolina is playing the best football on the planet right now. I also really like how they're the favorite playing in East Rutherford. Of course they'll prove everyone right by covering (dot, dot, dot...).

Monday Night Snorefest
Green Bay @ Chicago (-7)
Apologies for calling it a snorefest. I'm just going to make sure I'm watching at Buffalo Wild Wings again so I can keep my ears on the game and my eyes on the waitresses and American Gladiators on ESPN Classic.

Hopefully by Sunday night I'll have a worse record than the Lions!

Yankees Pushing for Manny? Say what?

2008-12-17T13:07:00.003-05:00

According to Mark Feinsand and "one baseball official", the Yankees are indeed pushing hard for the services of Manny Ramirez.

So let's get this straight. The Yankees, a team that already has an influx of outfielders(and that's before you include the technicality that Nick Swisher can play OF), wants an older, defensive liability and general locker room cancer, in New York.

Sorry, I don't by it. I don't know who this "official" is, but I really find I hard to believe that they're a Yankees official. And whatever team they do work for, is providing them with some shoddy information. At least that's what I hope.

Let's look at reality here. If the Yankees are going to spend to get anyone to protect A-Rod in the Yankees line-up, they'd have to go hard after Big Tex. He'd be a force in the line-up and provide a solid defensive first baseman. That would turn Nick Swisher into a utility player who could give Tex a break on occasion at first and cover a few outfield spots.

As for Manny, he would protect A-Rod well, no doubt. But where do you even place him on the field with the current squad. Unless you're looking to trade Matsui or Nady, it's not going to happen at this point.

There is legit concern about the middle of the Yankees line-up. Abreu did a solid job for the Yankees in the three spot and they don't have anyone on the team who currently will take over that spot nearly as well as Abreu. If the team can stay healthy as is, it should score over 800 or 900 runs, but that would mean assuming Posada will return to his usual production, Matsui won't have his bum knee reduce his numbers and Cano will be back on track.

If we've learned anything, don't assume.

+/- 3 = PUSH!

2008-12-15T00:55:00.002-05:00

Time and time again I'm left questioning my sanity. These "times" I speak of tend to happen every Sunday night.

After a push in the Thursday night game, we also had a push with TB/ATL and Seattle/St. Louis. The Rams were looking good to win by double-digits like I called, but then they reverted to...you know...the Rams.

The three ties left me with not much wiggle room. After the 1 p.m. games I was at 2-5-3. Eek. Wanna hear something crazy? I was tied with Michael J. who was 2-5-3 as well.

The 4 p.m. games, you ask? I don't want to talk about it. After watching Dallas Clark score 20 fantasy points, I knew I was in for a long afternoon. I went 1-4 down the stretch to finish 3-9-3 going into Monday night.

Mr. Clark? Oh, he just sounded off to the tune of 4-1. Sitting pretty at 6-6-3. Not very pretty, but a hell of a lot prettier than me.

The end of the Jets/Bills game was wild. I thought the Jets would have a chance to cover, then they blew it, but then the Bills blew it. So nobody went home happy except for the Jets and their fans. Jets win, don't cover. MJC and I both lost that one.

Tennessee and Houston was another game where the Titans could have come back to win and cover, but they weren't playing with any heart. I hope they lose in the second round of the playoffs at home.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore was a great game which could have gone either way, and the Giants also had a chance to at least cover the spread to help me out a little, but young Manning likes to turn the ball over a lot in the fourth quarter. Jason Witten only scored me 4 fantasy points, and the Cowboys scored 16 for me...on my bench.

I'll never get it right.

Phillies Nab Ibanez

2008-12-13T12:27:00.002-05:00

Damn! He was my choice for left field.

I hope we don't end up going after Bobby Abreu to play next to Carlos Beltran since Ibanez is off the market. Abreu is a natural right fielder who is afraid of the wall. I can't imagine how ass-backwards his world would turn if he were put in left field in a Mets uniform.

I'm all for giving Daniel Murphy a full-time shot, with Fernando Tatis filling in when there's a lefty on the mound.

I'm satisfied (to say the least) with what we've done this week in acquiring JJ Putz and Francisco Rodriguez, dumping Aaron Heilman in the process.

My full article on the Putz trade can be found here. Clarkie isn't around to toot my horn, so I'll do some self-promotion. The article was also featured on CBS Sportsline.

This Bleacher Report thing is working out nicely for BMC Sports!

Sucks to see Endy and Joe Smith go, but they were our most valuable expendable assets.

Gotta do what you gotta do!

Week 15 Fo' Real

2008-12-10T15:33:00.003-05:00

Before I get started, I must first congratulate Mr. Clark on a great achievement. If you remember his NFL Week 1 Facebook Mini-Feed Recap, you'll be pleased to know he submitted a Week 14 version for Bleacher Report.

The article was received so well, it was featured on today's Sports Illustrated Hot Clicks. The piece already has over 3,700 reads at the time of this posting. Congratulations.

Onto the bad news, I'm a little bitter about going 8-8 still, so I'll take this opportunity to pledge my allegiance to this blog. Unlike my Hollywood counterpart, who will probably sell out any day now, I will stay true to my roots and continue blogging like there's no tomorrow.

Jealous? Nah, I'm proud of him! Week 15 picks onward!

New Orleans at Chicago (-3)
As Fred Durst and George Michael both famously sang, "I did it all for the nookie."
Wait, maybe it was "you gotta have faith."

Green Bay (-2) at Jacksonville
Ugly game! The Packers defense can probably stop the Jags.

Detroit (+17) at Indianapolis
It'll be 50 degrees in Indy this weekend. Weather isn't gonna stop them from covering.

Washington at Cincinnati (+7)
Oh yeah, baby. T.J. said there would be two wins. The tie doesn't count, though it may be what keeps the Eagles out of the playoffs.

Tampa Bay at Atlanta (-3)
Here's my issue: I pick ATL, I'm wrong. I pick TB, I'm wrong. I'm at a loss, so I'll go with my gut.

San Francisco (+6.5) at Miami
They win outright, right?

Seattle at St. Louis (+3)
Rams by double-digits?? You heard it here first. But still, nobody cares.

Buffalo (+7) at New York Jets
Picking against Buffalo didn't hurt me last week. Sunny and mid-40s Sunday in NJ. We will see some touchdowns. For one team, at least.

Tennessee (-3) at Houston
The Titans clinched, and aren't playing for anything, but they'd have to try harder to lose this game than to win it.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore (-2)
I finally check the weather for each game, and there's nothing juicy happening! Not that a line of two points will do much for my train of thought here. Baltimore is tough. They can hang.

Denver at Carolina (-7.5)
The Broncos are on a roll. But Carolina is apparently really good. And even better at home.

San Diego (-5) at Kansas City

The prop bet for which fantasy bust runs for more yards also has a spread of five. I'll take LT to rush for 49 yards and cover the five, as LJ only runs for 43.

Minnesota at Arizona (-3)
The Cards clinched, but they aren't settling.

New England at Oakland (+7)
Hey, why not?

New York Giants (+3) at Dallas
Just a safety precaution. I'm putting Jason Witten back in my fantasy lineup.

Cleveland (+14) at Philly
Here's the hole I found in Clarkie's predictions! The Browns have some Monday Night Swagger this year!

Err....wait....maybe that's just what they want me to think. Oh, crap.

Week 15 Lines

2008-12-10T14:23:00.002-05:00

Yes, I feel a little bad that Travis always has to post his picks first, so I'm going to make it fair and submit my picks before he does this week. 10-6 last week. 10-6. 10-6. I'm a playoff team, baby. I called it too. 10-6. This is me tooting my own horn. Let's go 10-6 this week again, shall we?

New Orleans (+3) at Chicago
Although trusting the Saints on the road is about as safe as trusting Mobil Mart sushi, I like the 'Aints to keep the pressure on the Cowboys, Skins, and Falcons. Here's hoping Week 17 counts!

Green Bay (-2) at Jacksonville
The Packers made me look like a buffoon last week. At least they're not as disappointing as the Jags. Aaron Rodgers FTW!

Detroit (+17) at Indianapolis
Another game I got wrong last week. Breaking news: I still hate the Colts.

Washington (-7) at Cincinnati
Washington is done. D-U-double N done. But even Jim Zorn can't screw up a game against the Bungles. Can he?

Tampa Bay (+3) at Atlanta
Yeah, the Bucs will be pissed after shitting the bed defensively on National TV. But I believe in Matty Ice!

San Francisco (+6.5) at Miami
The Niners are actually playing very hard for Singletary, who deserves to win the job. Perhaps this is my homerism coming out and wishful thinking.

Seattle (-3) at St. Louis
I need to find a sports bar immediately that has the dish. I have to watch this game live.

Buffalo (+7) at New York Jets
Jet fans are probably very pleased to see the Bills limp into town.

Tennessee (-3) at Houston
How is this line only 3? I respect how hard Houston is playing, but aren't the Titans one of the best, if not the best, team in football?

Pittsburgh (+2) at Baltimore
Potential to be the game of the year. Pittsburgh is riding high after stealing that game from the Vaqueros. I see a semi-upset.

Denver (+7.5) at Carolina
Exactly the type of game that Denver doesn't show up for. Viva la NFC South!

San Diego (-5) at Kansas City
Just when the Chargers think they're going to win out and make the playoffs, I see a big game for Thiggy, Bowe, and Gonzalez. Chefs take it.

Minnesota (+3) at Arizona
If this is a preview of the NFC Championship game, Howie Long probably doesn't even bother showing up. Would they send their C announcing team to that game?

New England (-7) at Oakland
Don't do that to me again, Pats. Understand?

New York Giants (+3) at Dallas
Wow. Dallas is favored in this game? I can't believe that. But you know what? I'm going to take the Cowboys. They need it more. Either way, this is a great SNF game.

Cleveland (+14) at Philly
Hmm. The Philadelphia defense against Ken Dorsey? Advantage Iggs.

Your move, Miller.

Michael J out.

Oof.

2008-12-09T12:44:00.003-05:00

DeAngelo Williams sealed my fate in the fourth quarter last night with TD runs of 16 and 36 yards, going for a buck-86. I'll pretend he was on my fantasy team and it helped me come back to win.

But really, he isn't and it didn't. I benched Jason Witten for the second straight week, and he outscored Dallas Clark by 15 for the second straight week. Gus Frerotte scored four times as many points on my bench in one half of play than Trent Edwards did. I'm the worst fantasy manager in the world!

And I'm the worst pick'em guy on this blog! 8-8, to Clarkie's 10-6.

I won't summon my inner-Yankee fan (we have 26 world titles!!!), flashing my overall record. Because honestly, it's nothing to be proud of.

Speaking of baseball, looks like K-Rod is soon to be a Met! I wonder if he'll stay healthy a full season...as long as I don't have him on my fantasy team, he should be safe.

CC wants to be a Dodger?! And Manny might go back, too?!!! That'd shake up the NL West!

Then 86 wins might take the division!

Picks are coming tomorrow - the Thursday night game is a dandy, New Orleans at Chicago. There's also much to consider now that the playoff picture is shaping up. Some teams don't need to try anymore, some teams need to give it their all, and some teams might just conjure up a little suntin' suntin' to play spoiler.

You Can Call Me Mr. Wilson...

2008-12-03T20:28:00.002-05:00

Because folks, I am a hack. No, not this kind of hack (although that bit gets me every time). I went 6-10 last week. 6-10. If 3/4 of the NFL teams this year go 6-10, the coaches would jump off a cliff. I could have flipped a coin and gone better than 6-10. I need a comeback. I'm going 10-6 AT LEAST this week. I need to save face.

Thursday

Oakland @ San Diego (-6)
The fact that I'm contemplating taking the Raiders in this game should say all it needs to about this season for the Chargers. What a disappointment for them. What a waste of talent.

Sunday

Jacksonville @ Chicago (-3.5)
The Jags just have no more fight in them. They proved that on MNF. I can see a bounce back game for Neck Beard.

Minnesota (-5) @ Detroit
Upset special? The Vikes will be without the Williams brothers in this game due to their suspensions for illegal substances. I'm not saying the Lions win outright. I think they cover, though.

Houston @ Green Bay (-4.5)
Can Green Bay really lose two straight games at Lambeau? They burned me last week by not being able to stop DeAngelo Williams, but I'm hoping their offense will fly just as high as it did to end the game last week. I think this is a fairly safe pick.

Cleveland @ Tennessee (-8.5)
Ken Dorsey is no Brett Favre.

Cincinnati @ Indianapolis (-12)
Not to win, but Indy didn't exactly set the world on fire last week. And the Bengals have some fight in them. Sometimes. Okay, rarely. But maybe this time.

Atlanta (+1.5) @ New Orleans
For more on my man-crush on Matt Ryan, check out my maiden voyage into the world of Bleacher Report. This will not be an easy game for the Falcons though. New Orleans takes it at home.

Philadelphia @ New York Football Giants (-8.5)
If Antonio Pierce plays, this is an absolute. But if he doesn't...

Kansas City @ Denver (-5)
Dwayne Bowe is probably thrilled that after having to face up against Asomugha, he gets to feast on the Denver Broncos. They are due for another embarrassment after a gritty win in Jersey last week.

Miami (PICK) @ Buffalo
Miami is just the better team. Sorry E.

New York Football Jets (-8.5) @ San Francisco
This spread is suspiciously kind of low. The Jets are definitely more than 8 points better than the Niners, but after their loss in Denver, will they be licking their wounds?

New England (-8) @ Seattle
Thank God I didn't have to see any of that disgraceful second half. One of the few times I'm actually glad that I get blacked out of Pats games.

St. Louis @ Arizona (-13.5)
I like the Cards in this one too. Travis and I have begun to think alike!

Dallas (+1) @ Pittsburgh
Barber and Ware aren't 100 percent. Gotta like the Steelers to win this. Right?

Washington @ Baltimore (-4.5)
Flying Flaccos will put the final nail in the Redskin coffin.

Monday Night Football

Tampa Bay @ Carolina (PICK)
Ugh. I really hope the Falcons can win this division because I can't watch a quarter of these teams.

Week 14 picks: I'm on a roll!

2008-12-03T17:25:00.003-05:00

In about seven hours, BMC Sports will be celebrating its one-year anniversary. How cute is that? A year ago, this little dream began with a blog entry entitled "God's Team is NOT the Ravens," a semi-live blog as the refs screwed the Ravens out of ending the Pats' perfect season.

Little did we know the Pats' perfect season wouldn't be ruined until the Super Bowl.

Though our hits have declined, and our blog production has declined, too, we're still going strong. Here's to another year, and maybe even attracting a few more readers.

With that, here are my NFL picks against the spread this week:

Thursday

Oakland @ San Diego (-6)
Just as I swear off the Chargers for good this season, the draw the Raiders as an opponent. I've gotten Oakland game right the last two weeks, let's keep it rolling.

Sunday

Jacksonville @ Chicago (-3.5)
Taking the home team. Something's gotta give.

Minnesota (-5) @ Detroit
I won't take every favorite, will I? Should've played Frerotte last week in fantasy. He did better than Trent Edwards. Ouch.

Houston @ Green Bay (-4.5)
I suddenly hate what the Packers are doing this season. They've fallen off everyone's radar. You've gotta love them at home against the Texans though, right?

Cleveland @ Tennessee (-8.5)
Still haven't picked an underdog. Let's see how long I can keep it rolling. Who is going to start for the Browns?

Cincinnati @ Indianapolis (-12)
Peyton Manning's new commercial definitely is one of his best. Is Peyton Manning in a Patriots' uniform kind of like Derek Jeter in a Red Sox uni? I don't know what the weather is going to be like in Indy, but picking against the Colts is like (insert Dennis Miller analogy).

Atlanta (+1.5) @ New Orleans
DAMN! I really wanted to pick the favorite in every game. We should just pretend the Falcons are the favorite. Because they should be. Anybody see Matty Ice knock down the zebra last week? It'd be fitting if this is the one favorite who actually covers.

Philadelphia @ New York Football Giants (-8.5)
This is going against my better judgment here. With all the drama in the Giants' lockerroom, they could be a complete mess. Something tells me that's what Vegas WANTS you to think.

Kansas City @ Denver (-5)
Here's another trap game, but I'm too wise for this one. Denver loses to Oakland, then beats the Jets. This week should be a letdown from a huge win. I'm not going that way. Denver wins convincingly, but Larry Johnson rushes for 150 to rub it in my fantasy face. He is still playing, right?

Miami (PICK) @ Buffalo
I would say Ernie will kill me for this one, but he'll probably actually be grateful. Buffalo will win by three touchdowns now.

New York Football Jets (-8.5) @ San Francisco
Another tricky game considering the spread. It's December. Favre knows how to play in December. Do his teammates?

New England (-8) @ Seattle
The Seahawks should get the first pick in the NFL and NBA draft. They're that bad. I'm not being ironic, it's just a coincidence the city lost its basketball team. Come to think of it...they appreciate football a lot more in Oklahoma City than they do in Seattle...

St. Louis @ Arizona (-13.5)
The Rams are playing for the top pick. The spread should be 21.5.

Dallas (+1) @ Pittsburgh
This is gonna be a gritty game. Dallas will still be able to move the ball. I'm leaving Jason Witten out of my fantasy lineup again this week, though. Hopefully he doesn't go off for 17 points again. Not that it would have helped me last week anyway.

Washington @ Baltimore (-4.5)
This is going to be a fun game to watch. But I won't watch it.

Monday Night Football

Tampa Bay @ Carolina (PICK)
Original pick was Carolina, but I'm a game behind Clarkie going into MNF, so I'm changing it to Tampa Bay for the tie! Holla!

To be honest, this doesn't look like a 9-7 week. I'm not very confident with my picks, so I might duck under .500 this time around.

Action's on you, Clarkie.

If you want to read a little bit about my early-season thoughts on Duke basketball, my article from Bleacher Report can be found here.

Again?

2008-12-02T00:36:00.002-05:00

9-7.

At least I'm not in Clarkie's boots. I'll let him post his record. I will tell you this--he hit double digits on the wrong side.

Anyway, here we are, ridiculing the questionably low lines, but obviously the oddsmakers think about more than we do.

Uhh...WEATHER?

And obviously they take into consideration that the Jets are coming off a high that cannot be matched, beating the league's only undefeated team, while the Broncos are not only fending off the bottom feeders of the worst division in the league, but they're also coming off a demoralizing loss to the Raiders.

The way things are going this season, it only makes sense that the Broncos would win that game. I'm going to put a lot more thought into my picks this week. I also love that the Browns covered against the Colts. What the hell?

I should issue an apology to Ernie and Trent Edwards, but I'm too pissed about my fantasy team eating dirt again this week to think about anyone but myself. Plus, it's Edwards' fault for coming back from this FIRST injury so quick that I didn't have time to drop him from my fantasy team!

What ever happened to the Bills going 12-4 this season?

I might also finally give up on the Chargers.

As for anything but Monday Night Football, the game to watch tonight was Virginia Tech's heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin. The Hokies hit a game-tying 3-pointer, only to lose on a Trevon Hughes buzzer-beating leaner, seconds later.

ESPN just did a great package about Virginia Tech's plethora of last-second losses in the past few years. Makes me proud to be a Hokie at heart. I suppose it's karma coming back for all the Wisconsin hating I did last season. Don't expect me to ease up on them this time around.

I didn't actually watch the VT-Wisconsin game. I was at the Marist-Lafayette women's basketball game. Yup, I misled you with my lead, and purposely buried it. This is actually a Marist Women's basketball blog!

The refereeing was terrible, which is why it was so close (Marist won, 66-55). It could have easily been 80-40.

Rachele Fitz went off for 34 points and 13 rebounds tonight, but as all great basketball players do, she was looking for ways to improve. Apparently five turnovers is a no-no, even when you score more than half of your team's points and single-handedly bring them out of trouble.

Her new nickname should be "And 1," because due to mismatch problems she creates, she often sees a double- or triple-team when she gets the ball inside. That doesn't stop her from sinking a layup as she's being clobbered by six flailing arms. It's truly a sight to see. She was 4-5 from the charity stripe, so I'm going to guess she had three and-one opportunities. Watching the game, it seemed like she had AT LEAST five.

Marist has some work to do. The clean-up crew isn't able to finish off wins yet, so Fitz and Julianne Viani have had to enter back into games late when they should be done for the day.

The freshman have a lot of potential, but also have some work to do in terms of vision on the court. Things are looking good, though. Just a little work on defense, integrate some of the pure shooters into the offense so Fitz and Viani don't have to carry the load each game, and it should be another great season.

Final note on the game, Viani had nine assists and the team had 17 assists on 24 field goals. That's a great stat to see. Unselfish basketball, moving the ball around, creating opportunities to score.

NFL picks should be up Wednesday.

Oh and I just looked at the Thursday night matchup...Oakland at San Diego.

So much for finally giving up on the Chargers....maybe. The line is at 4.5 right now...

OneRepublic does not accept Travis' apology...something about it being too late

2008-11-26T16:06:00.002-05:00

A disappointing 9-7 after starting hot hot hot out of the gate. I'll be back this week.

TURKEY DAY

Tenneseee @ Detroit (+12.5)
I think Jeff Fisher should be thankful that they get to play the Lions after a loss. I know I'd be.

Seattle @ Dallas (-10.5)
The Vaqueros finally got a big week from Totally Obnoxious. If Tony Romo keeps playing games like that, my "Tony Romo is overrated" argument will become null and void.

Arizona @ Philadelphia (+4.5)
Warren Sapp said it best when he said that Donovan McNabb's career will be most remembered for three things. Throwing up at the Super Bowl, Rush Limbaugh, and not knowing about ties. And yes, a part of me feels a little dirty saying that the dancing queen Sapp knows what he's talking about. Nobody does the paso doble like the QB Killa!

SUNDAY

San Fran @ Buffalo Bills (-4)
How is this line only 4? Didn't the bills just drop 54 Sunday? Come on Vegas, let's get with it.

Baltimore (-3.5) @ Cincinnati
Another line that is way to low. The Bengals are terrible. The Flying Flaccos will take this game pretty easily.

Indianapolis (-9.5) @ Cleveland
Have I mentioned how much I hate the Colts and think that they are garbage? Yes? Ok. I'll save the space.

Carolina @ Green Bay (PICK)
The Panthers, coming off an embarassment in ATL, aren't about to win in Lambeau. Prove me wrong, Delhomme.

Miami @ St. Louis (+9.5)
The Dolphins are going to miss Camarillo, but they should win the game. But 9.5 points is a whole lot.

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay (PICK)
Wait, hold on a second. Yes, I can confirm this. The Saints have just scored again.

New York Football Giants (-4) @ Washington
I'm hoping they can give a representative effort at Fed Ex. Plus Clinton Portis is 100% healthy and in manchild mode. Do it.

Atlanta @ San Diego (PICK)
Travis, Travis, Travis. When are you going to realize that the Chargers just aren't that good? This weekend, I'm drinking a six pack of MATTY ICE BABY! I want a Falcons 2 Jersey with ICE on the back of it. That would be bad ass. Cool little subplot here...Turner the burner up against the artist formally known as LDT.

Pittsburgh (PICK) @ New England
You can call me Mr. Simpson or Mr. Bush. Not because I am a vile, reprehensible, hated man, but because I am a HOMER!

Denver @ New York Football Jets (-4.5)
Denver still blows. The Jets are still a very good team. This line is toooo low.

Kansas City (+6) @ Oakland
I'm banking on Oakland cashing in on their outside shot at winning the AFC West! Don't let me down, Cable Guy.

Chicago @ Minnesota (-2.5)
Really? None, Travis? Poor Matt Forte.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Jacksonville (+2) @ Houston
In the beginning of the season, I tell you this is an intriguing, get your popcorn ready matchup. Now? Unwatchable. I hope How I Met Your Mother isn't a repeat, that's all I'll say.

Apologies to BQ

2008-11-26T12:54:00.003-05:00

I never ACTUALLY dropped Brady Quinn's name last week. I merely said I was on the "BQ bandwagon."

It didn't occur to me at the time that those few words would cost the man his season. I'm sorry. The blogging gods must have known I still have some frustration towards Matt Ryan for his comeback win with BC at Virginia Tech. That's why he's still healthy.

With that, Week 13 picks. I probably won't be picking Derek Anderson and the Browns this week. I've never been on his bandwagon (so now they'll probably win).

TURKEY DAY

Tenneseee @ Detroit (+12.5)
Oh yes. I'm feelin' it. Not only will Detroit cover, but it will win, too. Something about the pageantry of playing on Thanksgiving makes me think they've got a little magic in them. I'll still take the win if they cover. The Lions SUCK!

Seattle @ Dallas (-10.5)
Picking against the 'Boys last week really didn't make me feel as stupid as I thought it would. Seattle came through in the clutch to help me earn a tie, but that doesn't mean I'll pick them this week, too.

Arizona @ Philadelphia (+4.5)
McNabb will have a great game, but the show will be stolen when Jamie Moyer appears in the owner's box and announces to the crowd that he'll be returning the Philadelphia next season. Errr...

SUNDAY

San Fran @ Buffalo New York Football Bills (-4)
I don't know how Trent Edwards is still healthy. He's a gamer. He's been on my fantasy team for over eight weeks now, and only had the one concussion.

Baltimore (-3.5) @ Cincinnati
Something's fishy here. Baltimore has everything going for it, and the playoff spot is anything but guaranteed.

Indianapolis (-9.5) @ Cleveland
Bad times await Cleveland fans. The Anderson household's Thanksgiving dinner will be extra tasty this year. Since you can't hit quarterbacks anymore, broken fingers are the new concussion.

Carolina @ Green Bay (PICK)
I don't know if it's an upset when they're at home and the line is even, but Green Bay has shown me more flash than Carolina this year. I like the Pack here.

Miami @ St. Louis (+9.5)
Rams catch'em sleeping. They probably won't pull out the outright victory, but I like them to cover.

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay (PICK)
This can't be right. Another questionable line. Maybe that's why I don't make the odds.

New York Football Giants (-4) @ Washington
They haven't given me reason to pick against them, but I did anyway last week. How'd that work out for me?

Atlanta @ San Diego (PICK)
This is one of the more intriguing matchups. Everybody should know by now not to underestimate Atlanta. But then in the back of your mind, you STILL don't want to give up hope on San Diego returning to its old self. I'll do the wrong thing and pick the Chargers.

Pittsburgh (PICK) @ New England
Nevermind that "intriguing matchup" crap I just spit about Atlanta/San Diego. Here's a game!

Denver @ New York Football Jets (-4.5)
Something about losing by 21 to Oakland makes me apprehensive about picking Denver to cover or win this game.

Kansas City (+6) @ Oakland
I don't like either team to win this game. It will probably end in a tie, thus, KC to cover.

Chicago @ Minnesota (-2.5)
I will not have the Bears active on my fantasy team this week.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Jacksonville (+2) @ Houston
Well, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin are playing on ESPN2 Monday night, and Kent St. at Kansas could be a potential upset.

Marist (#26 A.P.) @ Oklahoma (#4 A.P.) tonight!
Oklahoma is coming off a one-point home loss to UNC. I'm still cautiously optimistic...

I Didn't Know You Can Tie....

2008-11-25T11:54:00.004-05:00

First off, I'd like to wish a happy belated birthday to Miley Cyrus. She turned 16 on Sunday. Oh, sports. Right.

I seemed to have forgotten how much more exciting the weekends are when you make picks. Fantasy Football had really gotten me down in the dumps the past few weeks, so Sundays just haven't been the same lately. That all changed this past Sunday.

Clarkie was ahead of me after the 1 p.m. games. His record was at 7-3, mine at a mediocre 5-5. The possibilities weren't endless, it was mathematically impossible for me to win, given our picks, so only two things could happen for a miracle comeback to garner a tie. I needed my two worst picks to come through for me. Oakland to cover 10 against Denver, and Seattle to cover 4 against the 'Skins.

Do you believe it? Oakland made me look like a genius, not only covering, but winning outright, winning convincingly, AND scoring a season high in points, like I predicted. I felt like a god for about five minutes.

As for the Redskins, everyone in Vegas, and around the country, for that matter, was screaming at them in the final two minutes. Up three points (the spread was four), Washington was driving, inside the Seahawks' 25-yard line, with about a minute and a half to play. They turned the ball over, then Seattle turned the ball back over to the Redskins on its first play.

Take a knee. 20-17 win. Travis gets his tie. Let's do it again this week.

Another thank you goes out to Clarkie for bashing my fantasy team management. Obviously I took no offense to it, after 10 years of fantasy baseball, basketball, football, pick 'ems, etc..., I've come to accept my poor luck. I swear I used to win at a decent clip--it all went downhill when I was on the verge of my third consecutive league title in a fantasy baseball league I do every year. I named my team "Threepeat," and finished in the bottom five.

Things just haven't been the same since. Until Sunday.

Trent Edwards went off for 33 points, Da Bears were playing Da Rams, and I think T.O.'s breakout game has been bashed into our heads enough (but I love it because he's on my team). So I had 109 points and the check mark before the 1 o'clock games were even over. Thank you, Michael J., for giving my team the bulletin board material it needed.

Regardless, Clarkie and I both finished 9-7 with our picks for the week. Acceptable, but nothing to brag about. Gotta get my picks in before Thanksgiving, so I'll probably do that tonight or tomorrow.

Oh yeah, and there are a couple new links posted on the lower right side. I linked up Clarkie's new blog which you should definitely check out, and my Bleacher Report page is linked up, too. Some of the stuff I write here is reposted there, but there's also some original stuff, too (mostly revolving around Marist Women's basketball). Holla.

Does Travis Think He's Better Than Me?

2008-11-22T03:05:00.002-05:00

Yes. He does. If he can do picks, I can do them too. Let's roll.

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-9)
For some reason, I'm thinking Ben goes for 250 yards, throw for a touchdown and runs in another.

Houston @ Cleveland (-2)
Brady with a broken finger? Trouble in Lake Erie! Something tells me a healthy Sage is worse than the golden boy. Brownies FTW!

San Fran (+6.5) @ Dallas
Romo with another week to get healthy PLUS a healthier Jason Witten? Mike Singletary is going to be caught with his pants down.

Tampa Bay (-7.5) @ Detroit
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for that hideous attempt at humor that previous line. The only reason why I am leaving that sentence in there is so that all you kids out there will know that you do not need to be funny or clever to try stand up comedy.

New York Football Jets @ Tennessee (1.5)
I'd love to drink the Jets Gatorade, but the Titans are a better defense. And I believe there is a positive correlation between the strength of ones defense and the odds that said team will be successful in a championship setting.

Buffalo (-3.5) @ KC
To answer Travis' question, they can absolutely lose this football game. Tyler Thigpen is joining Mastri and Durden as the most successful Tyler's ever.

Chicago (-6) @ St. Louis
Neck-beard should be better than he was last week against GB. He couldn't be much worse. Lovie Smith should write Roger Goodell a letter thanking him for allowing the Bears to play STL.

New England (+1) @ Miami
An absolute must win for Belichick. And he does not lose must wins. (DISCLAIMER: In order to appreciate the previous sentence, one must forget Super Bowl XLII, last year's AFC Championship game, 2006's AFC Divisional Game. Thank you.)

Minnesota @ Jacksonville (+3.5)
I jumped on the Gus bus a few times this year earlier too, T. It was a bumpy ride but All Day Peterson will be too much for the disappointing Jags.

Philadelphia (+4) @ Baltimore
Love the Flying Flaccos to bounce back this week. Viva la Delaware!

Oakland (+10) @ Denver
Can Denver give up its playoff spot? Does anyone want to see them in the post-season (except the other five AFC playoff teams)?

Carolina @ Atlanta (-1.5)
I've been drinking the Matty Ice Gatorade for awhile now. The guy is very savvy back there and has some Tom Brady-like glimpses (strong words!). Atlanta is a tough team to beat at home and the AFC South roulette will continue.

New York Football Giants @ Arizona (+7.5)
I don't know if I should be the one to break the bad news to Travis that Edge James gets as much action on Sundays as Lee Suggs does. Wow, even I think that was a low blow. My bad, dude.

Washington @ Seattle (+4.5)
Let's not get crazy, Miller. Seattle is awful and the 'Skins need to start to win some games again.

Indianapolis (-4) @ San Diego
As much as I want to hate Peyton, I can not. That son of a bitch has to make me laugh every time I see that new Mastercard commercial. God, I hate the Indianapolis Colts.

Green Bay @ New Orleans (PICK)
Reginald Bush is back and Drew Brees is coming off a strong game. Come on, Saints, show me there's still fight in you. I want to see four 10-6s in the NFC South. Is that too much to ask?

Just have to throw this in there. My love of Travis Miller is unquestioned and my respect for him as a sports fan is monumental. However, I really genuinely hope that he is in every fantasy league I am ever in for the remainder of my life. How can someone so knowledgable turn into Hank Steinbrenner on draft day. Ocho Cinco? Carson Palmer? What part of the 2007 Cincinatti Bengals inspired you to make those selections?

PS, if you check out Unsuccess Story, there is a piece on my man-crush on JT. Do the right thing.

Who Ya Got? Week 12 Picks

2008-11-20T13:34:00.004-05:00

I'm just going to pick up as if I were doing this all season.

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-9)
Ocho Cinco deactivated? I never thought that Boldin/Ocho Cinco trade in my fantasy league would turn out THIS bad. In my defense, I traded Boldin right after he was injured. Score one for Ernie.

Houston @ Cleveland (-2)
I'm on the BQ bandwagon.

San Fran (+6.5) @ Dallas
I don't understand the small spread here, which leads me to believe this game is fixed and SF is going to win outright. Vegas is gonna make a lot of money on this game. Either that, or Dallas' stock has really dropped that much and I'm going to look like an idiot by 4 p.m. Sunday.

Tampa Bay (-7.5) @ Detroit
If Kevin Jones were still on Detroit, I'd take the Lions here.
If Kevin Jones were still on Detroit, they'd be 10-0.

New York Football Jets @ Tennessee (1.5)
I actually want the Jets to win this game. Which is why I'm picking the Titans. If you know me, it makes perfect sense.

Buffalo (-3.5) @ KC
The Bills can't lose this game, can they?

Chicago (-6) @ St. Louis
Da Bears are only 5-5?? No wonder my fantasy team is so bad.
Wait, maybe it's because of Larry Johnson, Julius Jones, Carson Palmer, Vince Young, and every other player on my team.
Why does St. Louis still have a football team?

New England (+1) @ Miami
Get over yourself, Miami. Chad Pennington is your quarterback. If the Dolphins think they can run five trick plays on Billy this time around, they deserve what they get.

Minnesota @ Jacksonville (+3.5)
I'm not starting Gus Frerotte in fantasy this week. Maybe I should.
Yes, Gus Frerotte is on my fantasy team. That's how bad my team is.

Philadelphia (+4) @ Baltimore
Love Philly to cover, Baltimore to win.

Oakland (+10) @ Denver
I can't believe Oakland isn't in last place in the division. This is the week the Raiders will score a season high in points (they've scored 23 twice!).

Carolina @ Atlanta (-1.5)
I'm on the MR bandwagon! I just need to forget that Thursday night game in Blacksburg...

New York Football Giants @ Arizona (+7.5)
I'm just going to pretend this is somewhere circa 1999-2001. Edgerrin James and Kurt Warner?! How can you not love Arizona here? Eli Manning is still in high school!

Washington @ Seattle (+4.5)
What is this, college basketball? I'm taking all the upsets!

Indianapolis (-4) @ San Diego
I bet if I had done picks all season long, I would have picked the Colts every week.

Green Bay @ New Orleans (PICK)
Monday Night Football has been so screwy this year. They aren't tipping off who is going to win this game, so I have to rely on my instincts. Follow close and try to stay with me on how I think this game will play out:
1) Aaron Rodgers will get hurt early in the game.
2) Replacing him in an unprecedented comeback will be none other than Brett Favre, who sent his secret twin to play for the New York Jets.
3) We find out he doesn't really have a secret twin. It's just Chad Pennington in disguise. Jets fans forgive Chad Pennington for all the terrible things they said about him while he was "gone."
4) The Dolphins then find out that their Chad Pennington is actually Kerry Collins in disguise.
5) The Titans find out that their Kerry Collins is actually Vince Young in disguise.
6) Fantasy stats are completely revamped to apply to the actual players, and my fantasy season is saved. I go on to win my league in the most unprecedented of fashions.
7) Brett Favre's return to the Packers is ruined when down two points, kicker Mason Crosby misses a potential game-winning 47-yard field goal, wide right.
8) Crosby takes off his helmet, and reveals himself as Bills' kicker Rian Lindell. Everybody gets a good laugh as they are reminded of the Bills' loss to the Browns last week on MNF. Everybody goes home happy, except for Bills fans.

Snoop Dogg on Around the Horn!

2008-11-19T17:04:00.002-05:00

He's got Jay Mariotti and Woody Paige using ebonics.

This is hilarious!

Pedroia? MVP?

2008-11-18T17:19:00.003-05:00

Dear Baseball Writers' Association,

Dustin Pedroia? Are you serious? Come on, guys. It's not like he had a season like Ichiro had in 2001. He hit .326 with 17 home runs and 83 RBIs. Yeah, he had 118 runs and only six errors, but still, those numbers aren't impressive.

I'll show you impressive.

.300 batting average
11 home runs
69 RBIs
88 runs
12 errors

Now THAT, my friends, is impressive.

What? You say those numbers aren't as good as Pedroia's? Well you obviously can't read in between the lines.

Look again:

.300 batting average
intangibles
11 home runs
intangibles
69 RBIs
intangibles
88 runs
intangibles
12 errors

Do you see it now? INTANGIBLES! That is why Derek Jeter should be AL MVP! He got screwed in 2006 because some dumbass in Chicago didn't think intangibles counted for much, and suddenly it gets to a point two years later where intangibles don't even earn you a single MVP vote!

Derek Jeter is the greatest player in the history of baseball.

Derek Jeter is God.

Derek Jeter Derek Jeter Derek Jeter.

Pedroia plays on the RED SOX aka the scum of the world.

Derek Jeter plays on the NEW YORK YANKEES! THE GREATEST FRANCHISE EVER.

Why doesn't that count for anything anymore?

Love always,

Yankee fans

P.S. I can't wait for C.C. Sabathia to come to the Bronx. Mark Teixeira, too. Oh and Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett. And with all the money coming off the books this season, we should probably sign Manny Ramirez, too. Just so nobody else can have him.

Loading up on stars hasn't worked since we started doing it in 2001, but I've got a special feeling about next season. DEREK JETER.

How Does Manny Acta Do It?

2008-11-13T18:24:00.002-05:00

The Washington Nationals completed a trade with the Florida Marlins Tuesday, sending Emilio Bonifacio and a pair of minor leaguers to Florida, getting Scott Olsen and Josh "All I Do is Hit Home Runs Against the Mets" Willingham in return.

The deal comes much to my chagrin—with Pat Burrell unlikely to return to Philadelphia, that would have been two Met-killers out of my hair if the Marlins had sent Willingham out of the division. Now he's just going to be playing for those pesky Nat's, who will be bottom-feeders from April to August, then suddenly play like the '98 Yankees when September rolls around.

In spite of my spite, this trade begs the question: How does Manny Acta plan on keeping this circus at bay? He already has Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes on his roster—how will Scott "Temper Tantrum" Olsen fit in?

New Blog

2008-11-07T23:56:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to do some shameless self-promotion. I shall be splitting my time between BMC Sports and Unsuccess Story, a new pop-culture/sport/miscellaneous blog I have begun.

http://unsuccessstory.blogspot.com/

Check it.

A Change To The BCS We Can Believe In!

2008-11-07T22:25:00.003-05:00

Congrats are due to President elect Barack Obama for making history by being the first half-black President in US History. Good on the American people for getting it right. I will always respect John McCain for everything he has done for the country and congratulate him on his classy concession speech. But back to deportes!

On the extremely rushed and awkward halftime interview between Hack Berman and the Barackstar, el presidente did not go the obvious route when asked what he'd change about sports (roids are bad!). Instead, he mentioned that he would get rid of the BCS. So, thank you America for getting it right again. While the elimination of the BCS should probably not be the nation's number one priority right now (but it should be number two), it would be fun to imagine how the Commander-in-Chief to be's 8 team playoff would look this year.

1. Alabama
8. Boise State

4. Texas
5. Florida

3. Texas Tech
6. USC

2. Penn State
7. Oklahoma

Admit it...you'd watch that. I know I would.

Men's College Basketball Preseason Rankings, 21-25 -- Election Day Special!

2008-11-04T12:12:00.002-05:00

Since my predictions are always so...what's the word? Ah, yes. Wrong.

Since my predictions are always so WRONG, I thought I'd change things up and use the ESPN/USA Today preseason rankings 21-25 to predict the winner of today's election.

(21) University of Southern California (Blue State)

A crushing blow to John McCain to be down 55 electoral votes immediately. Lucky for him, that Orange Juice and Mayonnaise kid left for the NBA. A tough early schedule may knock USC right out of the top 25, but some resilience could vault them very high in the rankings.

The Trojans head to Puerto Rico in November for the San Juan Shootout. If they get past Seton Hall in the first round, they likely have Memphis in the next round.

A very tough trip into Oklahoma is on tap for mid-December, and Georgia Tech visits So Cal just before Christmas.

USC is better than Arizona State this year, but the teams only square off once in the regular season--at A-State. Having the home court does crazy things for some teams.

(22) Wisconsin (Blue State)

The Badgers actually tied for number 21 in the poll, but since California is worth 55 electoral votes and Wisconsin is only worth 10, they'll have to settle for number 22.

I'm not a fan of Bo Ryan's style of play, nor am I a fan of the Big Ten. Like in college football, Big Ten teams conform to a style of play that sets them up to win the conference, NOT on a national scale. This was evident last year when Duke blew them out, and Marquette beat them in their own house.

To give Wisconsin some credit, they beat a very good Texas team last year, but the mediocre offense doesn't quite complement the suffocating defense.

Wisconsin will win at Virginia Tech, but will lose to Marquette and Texas this season. I like the Big Ten to be competitive and Wisconsin to finish second.

That's Obama with 65 electoral votes and McCain with none.

(23) Kansas (Red State)

Sometimes all you need to do is get on the board. McCain will take those six electoral votes, and be damn proud about it.

However, the defending national champs have lost almost everything. The good news is that their head coach is Bill Self. He's shown he can recruit, put a competitive team on the floor year-in and year-out, and he's also shown that his team isn't always going to be a one-game wonder in the NCAA Tournament.

Depending on their seeding, they may be a nice, juicy steak in the eyes of a hungry 11th, 12th, or 13th seeded mid-major in the Big Dance.

Early tests include Washington and Florida/Syracuse in the College Basketball Experience Classic, but these are virtual home games for the Jayhawks. Kent State and UMass are dangerous mid-majors on the schedule, and the big games before conference play starts are against Tennessee and at Michigan State.

This team will be prepared come March.

65-6, Obama leads.

(24) Wake Forest (Red State)

North Carolina is still up in the air, but for the sake of competition, we'll give it to McCain.

When you play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, you really don't need early-season tests to prepare you for March. You need them to prepare you for conference play.

With that said, Wake Forest will be ready for the NCAA Tournament, but will susceptible to an arduous January and February. The Carolina directional schools won't prepare the Demon Deacons for the nationally ranked Carolina schools.

65-21, Obama still leads. McCain needs a Texas school to be tied with a Tennessee, Missouri, or Indiana school to emerge victorious in my election.

Drumroll, please...

(25) Villanova (Wait, who is going to win Pennsylvania???)

That was anti-climactic. Does it not matter who wins Pennsylvania's 21 electoral votes?

'Nova has a breezy non-conference schedule, except for the Jimmy V Classic game against Texas at Madison Square Garden on December 9.

The Wildcats can hope for students to forget about finals and hop on a train to NYC to give them the home court feeling, but Texas plays at the Garden more often than you think. Rick Barnes will have his team ready to go.

Villanova's Big East schedule is balanced. The only team in the preseason rankings 'Nova has to face twice is Marquette. The Wildcats are at UConn and Notre Dame, and hosting Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Georgetown.

Due to Sarah Palin's not-so-warm welcome from Philly fans when she dropped the puck there, I'll take the liberty of giving Pennsylvania to Obama.

86-21. Neither party achieved the 270 electoral votes required to win the Presidency.

I hereby nominate Dick Vitale to sit in the oval office. IT'LL BE AWESOME, BABY!!!

Men's College Basketball Preseason Rankings, 16-20

2008-11-03T13:59:00.002-05:00

With apologies to Wally Szczerbiak, here are teams 16-20 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

(16) Miami (of Florida)

The Hurricanes notched home wins against Duke and Clemson last year, but lost a relatively early (end of December) game to Winthrop at the BankUnited Center. The home court advantage is there, but Miami is mortal.

The toughest early home game for Miami this season is against Ohio State, which is followed by a road game at Kentucky. They would be fortunate for a split.

Clemson comes into town for the only matchup of the year between the two teams on December 21, which is very early for conference opponents to play their only game against each other. If they run into each other in the ACC Tournament, it would almost be as if they hadn't met at all yet.

Bad news for Miami is they only play AT Duke and have two games against the best UNC squad they've seen since joining the ACC.

(17) Marquette (of Wisconsin)

With four Big East teams ranked above them, Marquette might fly under the radar for much of this season, which can be beneficial. The Golden Gophers have pulled some early upsets each of the last two years (Wisconsin last season, Duke two years ago), and have Wisconsin and Tennessee on the schedule for December.

The toughest stretch for Marquette comes right before the regular season ends. At Georgetown, hosting Connecticut, at Louisville, at Pittsburgh. I'd be happy with 1-3 if I were them, how about you?

(18) Georgetown (of the District of Columbia)

Speaking of the Hoyas, this could be a very rough season for them. Early games against Wichita State and American, ranked non-conference opponents in the form of Memphis and AT Duke aren't the story here.

Georgetown has a pair of three-game stretches that could be devastating:
Dec. 29 - @ UConn
Jan. 3 - vs. Pittsburgh
Jan. 5 - @ Notre Dame

Feb. 18 - vs. Marquette
Feb. 23 - vs.Louisville
Feb. 25 - @ Villanova

Hey, at least they have Roy Hibb---oh...uh oh.

(19) Florida (of Florida)

The Gators don't have a strong schedule this year, but that doesn't mean there won't be some potential upsets. Bradley is one of the MVC teams that can give anyone a scare if they leave the door open. At Syracuse and at Florida State will be good non-conference road tests, and Winthrop and NC State head south to try to play spoiler.

Florida lost seven of their final 10 regular season games last season. A talented, young team this year will give the Gators a new look that will only get better over the next few years.

(20) Davidson (of North Carolina)

Sorry boys, you're not fooling anyone this year. Teams are gunning for you this time.

The Wildcats, however, still have that Stephen Curry kid in the backcourt.

Winthrop is on the schedule--the Eagles may not pull off the upset, but they will stun at least one team early this season.

At Purdue and at Duke are the big non-conference games for Davidson, which has gone 37-1 in-conference the last two years. Can the Wildcats earn a number one seed in the Big Dance? Early-season love in the polls and a couple of big games gives them the opportunity.

Men's Preseason Rankings 11-15

2008-11-02T15:53:00.006-05:00

(11) Gonzaga

Finally some mid-major love! Mark Few's squad is looking at a schedule similar to last year's. Oklahoma State visits Spokane in late November, and then a couple of games at Indiana and Arizona (probably seemed like decent tests at the time) will still be good preparation.

Things get juicy on December 20-- by far the best date on the schedule for non-conference college basketball. UConn visits Gonzaga, a rematch from last year where the Bulldogs prevailed on the road. Then the 'Zags have revenge on their mind January 7 at Tennessee (82-72 loss last season), and February 7 when they host Memphis (losses the last two years).

St. Mary's won't lay down, and be sure San Diego will have something to say about the West Coast Conference title before it's all said and done. Three WCC teams tasted March Madness last season, and they all want to give it another run this year.

(12) Memphis

Certainly not the same team we saw last year, but the Tigers still have a target on their back. A couple of MAAC opponents in the first three games should be laughers. I've created a mathematical equation for the Marist game on December 2:

X= Marist's score
Y= Memphis' score

2x <>This isn't an insult to Memphis, it's actually a testament to head coach John Calipari's class. He grants games to ex-assistant coaches, including Chuck Martin, Marist's new head coach, who was Calipari's aide for two years.

Marist's team is practically in shambles, after losing its head coach, Matt Brady, to James Madison at the end of last season. After its star freshman transferred to VCU, only five scholarship players returned. Martin inherited quite a mess, and Marist has been picked to finish last in the MAAC. Calipari is just trying to help out.

(13) Tennessee

I'm talking about the same three teams over and over. Aside from the Gonzaga and Memphis home games, which have already been mentioned, Tennessee has volunteered (get it?) to host Marquette in December and visit Kansas in January. Cross your fingers--hopefully we should be seeing plenty of Pat Summitt in her cute cheerleading outfit again this season.

(14) Oklahoma

The Sooners are letting themselves down with a very weak non-conference schedule. Last year they played Memphis, Gonzaga, and USC. This year, USC is the only tough test before conference play starts. Unless the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore is the one from the ACC (that was a joke).

The Big 12 isn't as top-heavy in basketball as it is in football this year, so teams can get away with the easy scheduling...until March.

Oklahoma just has to be on upset watch when an upstart VCU team rolls into town on...that's right! December 20!

I'm so excited about that day, here's a list of some of the great games to watch:

VCU @ (14)Oklahoma
(7)Michigan St. @ (8) Texas
(5) Duke @ Xavier
(2) Connecticut @ (11) Gonzaga
(20) Davidson @ (10) Purdue
Syracuse @ (12) Memphis

My popcorn is ready.

(15) Arizona State

This isn't a top 25 team we're dealing with here, but nobody will know any better unless San Diego State or Pepperdine pull a November upset, or BYU rises to the occasion on...you guessed it! December 20!

This could be the least impressive schedule for a top 25 team. It's worse than Louisville's.

Men's Preseason Rankings 6-10

2008-10-31T15:02:00.002-04:00

(6) Pittsburgh is probably a little overrated, but in another case of weak scheduling, this wont' be evident until Big East play starts. Levance Fields is already battling injury, which isn't a good sign for things to come. Hosting Siena and visiting Florida State will be ample tests before conference play starts. The Panthers have to play UConn twice, but only run into Villanova, Louisville, Notre Dame, Marquette, and Georgetown once in the regular season. I hate the Big East. But not as much as the Big Ten.

(7) Michigan State is the only Big Ten school I ever tend to respect. Tom Izzo is a great coach, and he knows it's better to prepare your team with difficult tasks than it is to just schedule Alcorn State and IPFW. A trip to Maryland for the third game of the season, UNC comes in for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, at Texas, and hosting Kansas. The Spartans will have some blemishes come March, but it will be a tested squad and a very dangerous 3 or 4 seed in the tournament.

(8) Texas is another team probably ranked too high, but the Longhorns give themselves plenty of opportunities to prove a blogger wrong. UCLA, Villanova, and Michigan State all come into town, and a visit to Wisconsin will round out Texas' schedule, all before Christmas. One of those Big Ten games might actually be played at Madison Square Garden. The Big XII only has a few teams in the top 25 for now, but Baylor, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State always come to play. Texas will win the Big XII this year.

(9) Notre Dame is the fourth Big East team in the top 10. Give me a break. A February beatdown at UCLA is on tap for the Fighting Irish. Aside from that, I guess we're just going to have to count on the Big East teams to sort out their problems head-to-head, because UCLA and Gonzaga are the only TWO ranked non-conference opponents for the FOUR Big East teams in the top 10. Pansies.

(10) Purdue might give me reason to actually give more respect to the Big Ten than the Big East this season. We already know the Boilermakers drew Duke in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, but they also host Davidson in mid-December. It takes guts to invite them in, because honestly, Davidson is probably going to win that game. I'd tell you why, but Davidson is #20. Wait a couple days!

Preseason Men's Rankings

2008-10-30T18:06:00.003-04:00

The first set of rankings came out for men's college basketball, and not only did mid-majors get a lot of love, but there are some fantastic regular season games between the top mid-majors and some of the elite teams in the country. Should be a great year for college basketball. Here's a quick look at the top five teams' potential based on scheduling.

Teams 6-10 coming tomorrow.

(1)North Carolina is the unanimous number one. No arguments over here, seeing as how the Tar Heels return all five starters, including that Hansbrough guy. A weak non-conference schedule should keep them in the top ten all year, as they should be. The Big 10/ACC challenge is looking to be one of the best ones since its inception. UNC visits Michigan State in its leg of the event. The ACC is aways very competitive, so expect a few losses here and there, but if the Heels stay healthy, that number should be below five, and a number one seed in the NCAA Tourney is imminent.

(2) UConn also has a very weak non-conference schedule, but the parity in the Big East should at list send shivers up the Huskies' spines. A December trip to Spokane will also be a great indication of things to come.

(3) Louisville plays NOBODY. The annual visit to Kentucky is in there, but props to Pitino for taking the easy road to March. I know who I'm not rooting for. Send up a prayer for Lamar or Morehead State to pull a Dayton---a team Louisville has lost to two years in a row, and surprise, surprise! Guess who isn't on the schedule this year??

(4) UCLA has a couple of tough tests, visiting Texas in early December, and then a more telling game in February when it hosts Notre Dame. Not much in the Pac-10 this season. I don't buy into Arizona State or USC. Easy season for the Bruins, so it's good to have the two top 10 non-conference opponents on the schedule.

(5) Duke must have brought in one hell of a recruiting class to earn that kind of ranking. At Purdue for the Big Ten/ACC challenge, a mid-December trip to Xavier that cannot be overlooked, and then hosting Davidson in January will be a great game. The Blue Devils' final game of the season is AT Carolina, with seeding, and perhaps the conference on the line. I think Duke fans can empathize when I ask WHY HASN'T GREG PAULUS GRADUATED YET?!?!?!

Sucks to be a baseball fan

2008-10-29T20:16:00.003-04:00

Maybe next year a good team will actually win.

My only NBA blog of the season

2008-10-29T12:53:00.002-04:00

I think I've finally got things figured out! The key is to WAIT A DAY.

I always try to make my predictions before the season starts. I just need to wait until after the first game of the season...then the answers are clear!

For example, had I waited until after opening day of the baseball season, I would have seen the error in my ways. I clearly would have known that the Mets would collapse in September and the Phillies would be World Series champs.

NFL? I would have known Tom Brady would be hurt, the Dallas Cowboys would be flawed, and Vince Y---err...Kerry Collins would lead the Titans to a 19-0 season.

And of course, in college football, I would have known that Virginia Tech can't move the ball at all on offense, and their defense isn't stellar enough to compete with any of the top tier teams outside of the ACC---let alone the sad excuses for top teams within the conference.

So here we are, after day one of the NBA's season, and boy am I grateful that I waited to blog. Had I done my predictions yesterday or the day before, I probably would have picked the Trail Blazers to win it all, led by Most Valuable Player Greg Oden.

One game into the season, I've now got the inside scoop. I'll just list my top two teams in each division. Here we go:

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
1)Boston Celtics
2) Toronto Raptors
--Boston has an easy ride for the most part. The only teams that have actually improved in the east aren't in their division. The 76ers can make a run at the playoffs, but the Knicks and Nets are going to be playing like they've overdosed on sleeping pills.

Central Division
1)Cleveland Cavaliers
2) Detroit Pistons
--The Pistons have gotten older, and LeBron has a little extra help. This looks like the only division in the Conference where three teams are a lock for the playoffs. Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago. Indiana has an outside shot.

Southeast Division
1) Orlando Magic
2) Washington Wizards
--Orlando basically wins by default. Washington should sneak into the playoffs with a 7 or 8 seed. They're probably better off without Agent Zero, but we love ole' Gil anyway. Charlotte can compete if they stay healthy.

Western Conference
Northwest Division
1) Utah Jazz
2) Denver Nuggets
--This may have looked a little different if I didn't watch the Lakers/Blazers game last night. But I did. Only two playoff teams in the northwest.

Pacific Division
1) Los Angeles Lakers
2) Phoenix Suns
--The Lakers were only a complete team for half the season last year. A full year of health is a return to dominance. The Lakers should run away with this division.

Southwest Division
1) Dallas Mavericks
2) Houston Rockets
3) San Antonio Spurs
4) New Orleans Hornets

--I list four teams here because the Grizzlies are the odd team out. Four teams make the playoffs out of the southwest again, and all four of the teams have over 50 wins AGAIN. Gotta love Mark Cuban and this competitive division.

Finals
Lakers over Cavaliers

LeBron and the boys may have lost in Boston last night, but they showed a little extra flair that was lacking last season. They'll take out the Celts in the playoffs in seven this year. The Spurs can make some noise in the playoffs, but they aren't getting any younger. Indianapolis Colts syndrome perhaps. I still like the Lakers to come out of the west. Don't expect any more NBA blogs this season. I've got Marist women's hoops to concentrate on.

The State of the Sports World

2008-10-23T13:15:00.002-04:00

It seems as though each major sport is in a whole lot of trouble, and the economy hasn't even taken its full toll on professional sports yet.

Major League Baseball - Phillies versus the Rays? Are you serious? The Royals facing the Pirates would make a better storyline than this, ESPECIALLY with the Phillies winning game one. Best case scenario: Joe the Manager pulls out all the stops, continuing to turn water into wine, and the Rays finish a miracle season. Great story for baseball.
Worst case scenario: Joe the Pitcher ends up being a more beneficial midseason transaction than the Dodgers trading for Manny or the Brew crew trading for C.C.--Philadelphia wins the title, and the most arrogant team with the most arrogant fans (that's right...sorry Yankee and Boston fans, there are bigger jackasses just a few hours away. I only say this because they don't have any grounds to gloat, yet still somehow savor the smell of their own brand anyway) gain bragging rights for a whole year. Let's go Rays.

National Football League - Further proof that everything I touch turns into anything but gold. Since I discovered my deep down amorous feelings for Tom Brady, how has his life been? The 18-0 Patriots lost the Super Bowl, he gets injured in the first quarter of the first game of the 2008-2009 campaign, out for the season, and now surgery complications have raised even more questions for the NFL's poster boy. It's a shame what's happening there. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. No Joe the Savior in this league. Peyton Manning is struggling, Tony Romo's wittle finguh has him out until mid-November at least, and Joe the Ravens' quarterback sure as hell isn't going to give fans what they need in a star. The league's best team has a racist alcoholic backup quarterback starting for the disgruntled suicidal former college star. We're a long way from the 2006 AFC Championship game.
Best Case Scenario: Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens bust out some old school end zone dances, Matt Ryan and Brady Quinn emerge as stars, and Julius Jones and Larry Johnson start giving me some fantasy production. A Jets/Packers championship game wouldn't hurt the league, either, as far fetched as it sounds.
Worst Case Scenario: Kerry Collins and Gus Frerotte run 1 & 2 in the MVP voting. A dozen more players miss time due to staph infections. Al Davis looks like a genius for firing Lane Kiffin, as the Raiders win the Super Bowl. Hey, at least JaMarcus Russell is taking the snaps.

National Basketball Association: Allan Houston needs to stop trying to come back. It's getting kind of sad. Michael Jordan pulled it off, Roger Clemens pulled it off, hell, Doug Flutie pulled it off...but Houston just can't pull it off.
Best Case Scenario: LeBron, Kobe, Shaq, or Greg Oden win a title. A repeat with the Boston Three Party wouldn't be TOO bad.
Worst Case Scenario: LeBron or Kobe win a title and decide they've finished their business in the United States...now it's time to make some REAL green. The NBA loses one of its biggest stars to some crappy European league that will pay them tens of millions of dollars AND allow them to average 70 points per game. Or seven points per game--what do they care? The $$ is guaranteed.

National Hockey League: Huh?
Best Case Scenario: People miraculously start to care. Sid the Kid is the only one who can make this happen.
Worst Case (and most likely) Scenario: Things stay as they are. Who even runs the NHL? How do they still have a job?

College sports need to save the professional sports right now. I absolutely HATE HATE HATE to even suggest this, but Joe the College Football Coach winning a National Title at age 82 would be a great story for sports. First, the Nittany Lions need to get through Ohio State. THEN the crappy defensive Big Ten style of play needs to find a way to beat a high powered offensive AND defensive showcase put on by an SEC, Big XII, or Pac-10 school.

College basketball on the Men's side is fine. I would just like to see Wisconsin win less than ten games this year. On the Women's side, Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma either need to continue their feud to make things interesting, or they need to work together to salvage the sport. Oh yeah, and Marist making a Final Four run and winning the National Title would be good, too. That's right, it's almost time for Marist Women's Basketball blogs again!!

Bedlam in St. Pete!

2008-10-20T10:19:00.002-04:00

Last night, I did the unthinkable. I rooted for the Tampa Bay Rays. All signs pointed to another Red Sox victory last night and another page in the their storied legacy. I couldn't possibly be rooting for the Rays. After I skewered the Drew Carey glasses wearing manager in a live blog last week, I didn't expect to be rooting for the Rays in Game Seven. But there I was, blaring the theme song to the "Price is Right" after JD Drew struck out in the 8th inning. Good on the Tampa Bay Rays for winning in 7. On to the World Series.

Chris Crocker is in the house!

2008-10-14T18:07:00.003-04:00

LEAVE PACMAN ALONE!!

Cowboys' cornerback Adam Jones' indefinite suspension, four games minimum, is way too excessive. I understand he had little or no room to screw up with his reinstatement agreement, but if nobody was arrested or injured in the most recent incident, I don't see why this particular off-field infraction merits anything more than a fine or maybe a one-game suspension.

The NFL brass just needs a scapegoat to take a dump on, and since Mike Vick is in prison, Jones is their guy. There was too much backlash when they tried going after T.O. and Chad Johnson for excessive celebrations, so they seem to be picking on Jones. There is an inconsistency in punishment for behavioral issues in the league...just look at the Bengals' roster...or how about Larry Johnson? I bet he doesn't get a four-game suspension, even if he's found guilty in December. For fantasy purposes, I hope he's not found guilty.

Speaking of fantasy purposes, why the hell did the Cowboys trade for Roy the wide receiver Williams? Tony Romo is out for a month, so Brad Johnson is going to be handing the ball off to Marion Barber A LOT for the next four weeks. Even when Romo comes back, this really kills the fantasy value of Jason Witten, T.O., and Patrick Crayton.

Maybe I'm just pissed because I have two of those three on my fantasy team (and Miles Austin). And my fantasy team is already collapsing around me, I can't have T.O. and Witten sharing touches with another pro-bowl wide receiver! I guess it's good that I own Calvin Johnson, too, so he'll be the main squeeze in Detroit now.

Too bad the Lions suck. Go Bills.

ALCS Game 1...It's A Live Blog!

2008-10-10T20:18:00.039-04:00

8:20: Game One of RaySox. Thought a live blog would be appropriate. Get up, Tampa fans! Make some noise! Okay, make a little noise? I think the Rays to Sox fan ratio has got to be 2 to 1 tops. That could definitely be an issue in this series.

8:24: I'm not ashamed to admit this, but I love that Bon Jovi song they play. There is zero sarcasm in there at all, it will never get old. Thank God we don't have to hear "Our Country" anymore.

8:26: Oh, I missed you HR. No way he should have been fired by the Worldwide Leader. What's a woman doing working at ESPN anyway? It's good to see that he's still alive though and not eaten by John Kruk.

8:31: Nobody fake smiles at Buck Martinez and nods like Chip Carey. He really is an first ballot Hall of Famer for manufactured excitement.

8:33: Everyone that had pink or orange in the Craig Sager's jacket pool is cursing right now. Purple it is.

8:34: That's why IIIIIIIIIIIII love this town!

8:36: Love the end of that Mastercard commercial where the kids in Japan are playing baseball in the street and break a window. Once they hear the shattered glass, everyone books it out of there like there aren't 30 witnesses on the sidewalk.

8:38: I like how the manager always throws in that his players are tremendous competitors. I'd love to see an interview where a manager gives a scouting report, but then throws in "Yeah, he really backs down at the big spots."

8:40: That's a 4 pitch K to start off the game. Way to make him work, Jacoby. Pedroia's one of those guys that I'm sure I'd love if he was on my team, but I can't stand him. Same with Youk.

8:43: Yes, James Shields. Let's walk a guy that went 1-17 in the ALDS. This is the second year in a row that Ortiz has been a shadow of himself in the playoffs. Big Papi getting old?

8:45: Lob wedge to center field. 2 gone for Beardy.

8:46: I think James Shields is trying to break the record for most bounced pitches in one inning. Joba's BFF just doubled down the line. Lucky break for the Rays that that ball bounced into the stands.

8:50: JD Drew killing rallies? That's never happened. Why is Frank TV still advertising?

8:52: Is it possible that Brooke Shields gets hotter as she gets older?

8:55: Stop the presses. DiceK walked someone. BTW, it takes a big man to go by BJ as an adult. A big man or a perverted mind.

8:58: Buck Martinez is trying to describe the Jason Giambi dilemma. Why doesn't someone bunt the ball down the line when there's a huge shift? Maybe because Carlos Pena hasn't bunted since tee-ball.

9:00: The league might be hitting .211 against Dice but the on base percentage has to be close to .400.

9:03: Carl Crawford's walk-up music is M.I.A. I'm now officially rooting for Carl Crawford. My walk-up song would have to be Rick Astley. That way I can Rick Roll 50,000 plus on a nightly basis.

9:07: Dice-K is absolute garbage. If the Rays don't score here, they will not win this series.

9:08: The Rays will not win this series. Looks like Tampa is playing Yankee baseball. I think Hank is going to throw a lot of money at Cliff Floyd so he can christen the new ballpark by grounding out to second with the bases loaded.

9:10: So far the tally is "I Love This Town" 2, Frank Caliendo 2. Come on, Jon. Plus, that Direct-TV Commercial with Jimmy Kimmel has gotten very old. Let's give Eli credit for a 10 yard pass to Plax with Plax getting 42 YAC. No, I'm not bitter.

9:13: You gotta give it up for the Red Sox really making Shields work in the second inning. What's it been, 2 outs, 4 pitches?

9:15: Shields Ks the world's second most famous Jed. In other news, I hear Dice-K walked 2 more guys in between innings.

9:17: I'm confused. There are 3 Octobers, correct?

9:23: OK, perhaps I was a bit hasty in calling Dice-K "garbage". Great start by striking out Dave Navarro and Gabe Gross.

9:25: Varitek didn't catch that because he was thinking about his next at-bat. Pop-out to Youk dog.

9:29: When Ron Darling does games with Chip Carey and Buck Martinez, he really needs to go by Junior or Ace.

9:32: Another easy inning by "Big Game" James. This could be a pitcher's duel yet!

9:35: I hate repeating commercials. If I have to see that Miller High Life commercial again, I'm going to flip.

9:38: I think McCleland makes himself a sandwich before calling the pitches. My god.

9:42: Buck just said David OR-tiz. LON-goria strikes out again. OR-tiz to lead off next inning.

9:44: Caliendo takes the lead. His Trump is awful, BTW. I am looking forward to the Office coming back on TBS. Good ep last night, too.

9:48: JD Drew. Killing rallies since 98.

9:50: Another commercial that I can't get enough of: the Friday Night Lights one with the song "Devil Town". If you haven't seen FNL, you need to Hulu that shit. Best show on TV.

9:55: Another 3 up 3 down for Dice. And guess what? He's pitching a no-hitter through 4. YOU HEAR THAT, DICE K? YOU HAVE A NO-HITTER!! YOU HAVE A NO-HITTER!!

9:57: Brian Urlacher smiling is a strange sight. Kind of scares me a little bit.

10:01: Second and third and no out for Big Game Jimmy. Let's see if he can dance out of this one. Nope. Sac Fly, 1-0 Sox.

10:04: I think Sox fans are hoping that someone can DH for Varitek.

10:07: Inning over. Good job by Jimmy getting out of that with minimal damages.

10:15: Oh my god. Another 1-2-3 inning? Did the Rays leave their bats at home. HEY DICE! NO-NO! NO-NO!

10:18: Thanks for the close-up of Youk's beard. That's just what I want in HD.

10:20: Pena with the scoop! Put a star next to that one. OR-tiz. OR-tiz.

10:21: Rays fans finally awake. OR-tiz with the K. It would be so awesome if there was a backwards K button on the keyboard.

10:23: I love the way Youk Dog plays, but he is a baby. WAH! Pop out. SWITCH!

10:26: Hey, remember when I called Dice-K garbage? Good times. One out in the sixth. STILL A NO-HITTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10:29: Great play by Pedroia on the bullet by Pena. 2 out.

10:31: Ugh. Clearly this trying to jinx Dice thing isn't working. No-no through 6.

10:34: Nothing says clutch like a single to lead off an inning, JD Drew.

10:36: Single, single to lead off the inning. Shields is tiring out there. Great catch by Aki for the first out in shallow center.

10:39: After this game, I think the Rays fans are going to their SNL convention with all those cowbells. I've got a fever...

10:39: Two straight balls called by Mclelland draws ire by the Ray fans. But who knows, maybe he'll call the strike in ten minutes. Big K for Shields.

10:42: Varitek strikes again. I hear he calls a good game though.

10:44: Archie. You're allowed to open your eyes.

10:45: I think I know why we haven't heard Bon Jovi that much this game. Because, honestly, nobody loves the town of St. Pete.

10:47: Carl Crawford finally realizes that Dice-K is not an ace. Let's go, Rays.

10:49: Now we're playing Rays baseball! First and third after Cliff Floyd (who always needs to be referred to as "the veteran" or "veteran Cliff Floyd") singles to center. The former Mr. Carmen Electra up.

10:57: Actually, now we're playing Rays baseball. Pop out and a K. It all comes down to Jason Bartlett.

10:59: What an awful 1-2 punch. The Rays end their inning and I have to sit through another Frank Caliendo terrible impression. Keep doing Barkley man, enough with this Pacino shit.

11:03: All heart performance by Shields tonight. And they're going to lost this god damn game 1-0.

11:04: Seriously TBS. Stop showing me that beard in HD. Great performance, Shields.

11:06: Wow, Cal was named the AL MVP of the World Series? Nicely said, Chipper.

11:10: Big matchup here with Howell v Papi.

11:10: Advantage ORtiz. The old base on balls. 2 on 1 out for Beardy.

11:14: The Rays bullpen catcher there needs to take one for the team and catch that pop out. Maybe we have a Jeff Maier situation.

11:15: Way to be, Crawford. What a garbage double for Beardy.

11:17: Thank you, Holiday Inn commercial. You make me happy when I'm blue.

11:19: I really hope someone pulls an Orlando Cabrera and kicks dirt at Balfour. A brawl will make this game interesting.

11:20: Wow. Looks like JD Drew reminded Balfour a bit too much of Cabrera.

11:22: The Sox need to stop crying. Balfour wasn't trying to hit him.

11:25: Great job by Balfour getting out of that jam. How about you do something now, Rays offense?

11:27: Geico has ruined Gekkos with cockney accents for me. NO JIMMY KIMMEL! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS AGAIN!

11:27: Hey, who's Kelly Pavlik fighting? You'd think they'd advertise about it during a playoff game.

11:30: Why oh why is Dice still in this game? Francona has a death wish.

11:31: Single and a wild pitch? Great managerial move, Tito.

11:33: 2 batters too late, Francona. Out goes Dice.

11:35: That's why I......LOVE THIS TOWN!

11:38: Shows how much you know saying that there's no way Pena has the green light on a 3-0 pitch, Buck Martinez. I think you underestimate how mediocre of a manager Joe Maddon is. That's why you don't have a job, my friend.

11:40: Actual texted response from my brother in law (huge Sox fan) in re: why Dice came out for the eighth. "b/c he had pitched 108 pitches, had come off an emotional 7th and sat for a wicked long time...wait did you argue for or against?"

11:42: The long lost brother of acting brothers Christopher and Danny Masterson in the game to face a slumping Longoria.

11:42: Now we're playing Rays baseball. Joe Maddon should remove himself from consideration for coach of the year for mishandling that.

11:46: Since when is a walk, a double, and a sac fly to the track a manufactured run?

11:49: ENOUGH WITH THE BEARD!

11:49: Wait...a .220 hitter who hasn't had a clutch hit in years is hard-nosed? In what world is Ron Darling living in? Travis, how do you put up with this guy?

11:52: In honor of the late great Rod Roddy, The Price is Right!!

11:53: 5-6-7 against Pap? Game over. Shut up Frank Caliendo!

11:58: Buck sure loves talking about the quadrants of the strike zone. 0-2 on Crawford. Sure enough, there's the K.

12:00: Veteran Cliff Floyd vs. Paps? Mismatch much? And let's end the whole midnight/Cinderella business, Chip Carey. Just fake smile and nod along with Buck Martinez.

12:02: Foul out. Great walk-up music for Navarro at least.

12:05: Ugh. I hate the Sox. And BTW, Chip Carey, they didn't make the most of their scoring situations today. The scored two runs.

LCS

2008-10-08T15:50:00.004-04:00

Of course, I make BS predictions and get two right. Meaning if I made real predictions, I would have gotten two right. Sticking with the 50% game, here are my LCS previews and predictions. For real this time.

American League Championship Series
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
The home team dominated in the regular season, but as we saw with the BoSox against the Angels, the regular season doesn't really matter too much in October, does it?
Another case of experience versus youth. I'd love for the Rays to win this and go to the World Series, but it just isn't gonna happen. Red Sox in six.

National League Championship Series
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
If the Mets had made the playoffs, it would be Dodgers/Mets, and the Mets would be facing the Red Sox in a rematch of the '86 series. I guess it will have to wait until next year. I'd love for the Phillies to get swept here, because they DON'T HAVE STARTING PITCHING. I'm sick of saying it, I need it to to be proven here. Like the ALCS matchup, home teams dominated in the regular season, but who cares? L.A. is hot, Philly is not, but unfortunately the Phillies will probably pull off a few wins with their slugging and decent bullpen. Dodgers in seven.

With my math, I'll get one of these right. I hope its the Dodgers, because I want Philly to lose and Tampa Bay to win. But let's pretend I'll get both right.

World Series---Dodgers featuring Joe Torre, Manny Ramirez, and NomAHHHH versus the Red Sox?! Can't write a better script. Except maybe the Cubs winning for the first time in 100 years. Or the Mets actually making the playoffs.

Dodgers in five!

Power Rankings

2008-10-01T16:57:00.004-04:00

1) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
-The most complete team. They have starting pitching, a great offense, speed, defense, and a bullpen.
2) Tampa Bay Rays
-Five great starting pitchers, youth, and plenty of energy. They also have the motivation of being a terrible team for their first 10 years of existence. With that rotation, they can win games by scoring 2-3 runs per game. More is always nice, but I'm just saying they CAN win games with mediocre offensive output.
3) Chicago Cubs
-They can run into problems against decent right-handed pitchers and lefties with a good changeup...but what National League team actually poses that threat? Oh yeah, and Rich Harden, Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, and Jason Marquis are the best starting five in the NL.
4) Boston Red Sox
-Do injuries trump experience? Probably when you're playing the Angels in the first round. Get to the ALCS and you may have a new favorite to win it all. That new favorite still being the Rays or the Cubs.
5) Los Angeles Dodgers
-Unfortunate for them that they're playing the Cubs instead of the Phillies or Brewers in the first round.
6) Philadelphia Phillies
-Unreliable starting pitching, and I doubt they've got the fortitude to win away from home (except against the Brewers). It helps that they'll probably be visiting Wrigley in the NLCS, but the Cubs' pitching can neutralize the Phillies' bats. If they play the Dodgers in the NLCS, they're toast.
7) Chicago White Sox
-They've got a great mix of youth and experience, but they've also got two of the craziest people in baseball in their dugout. One manages the game and the other is behind the plate calling pitches for nine innings. Alexei Ramirez can't hit grand slams every game, and Jim Thome and Ken Griffey, Jr. aren't the type of players who can carry a team through the entire playoffs.
8) Milwaukee Brewers
-A piss poor excuse for a playoff team, slightly better than the Mets, apparently. They don't even have a manager. How are they supposed to win any games NOT started by C.C.?

Blogging against my will.

2008-10-01T13:07:00.002-04:00

It's been over a week since my last entry, and three days since I was finally put out of my misery.

On all the sports talk shows yesterday, nobody even entertained the thought of a pitchers' duel in the White Sox/Twins game. Everybody expected a high-scoring affair since John Danks had never thrown on three days rest, nor could he keep the Twins at bay all season, and Chicago's offense had been pumping on all cylinders this weekend.

Long story short, there were a total of seven hits and one run scored in the game, and Chicago advanced to the divisional series.

Where am I going with this? Nobody's predictions are ever right.
With that, here are my playoff previews, alongside ass-backwards predictions which have absolutely no chance of being correct. Or do they?

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Yovani Gallardo goes up against Cole Hamels in game one. Gallardo was lights out against the Cubbies in his first start since returning from injury, but now faces a Philadelphia team with killer left-handed bats in the small excuse for a stadium the Phillies call home. Hamels hasn't been an ace lately, and the Brew-crew has a bunch of righties who can hurt him down the short left field line.
With high-powered offenses in mind, I predict the Brewers win this game 3-2 and the series, 3-1.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs
Derek Lowe and Ryan Dempster will not be the stories tonight. We're going to the bullpen early and often. Pitchers better pray the wind is blowing in at Wrigley, but we all know it isn't.
Dodgers win 9-6, and take the series in five games.

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The young and upstart Jon Lester faces the dominant postseason force, John Lackey. Pitchers' duel, right? Hell no! I predict Lackey crumbles under the pressure from the high expectations the Angels have finally earned. Boston will smack him around like a ragdoll, and the rally monkey will not be able to save the Angels from Jon Lester's off-speed pitches. Boston wins, 8-1, and sweeps the series.

Chicago White Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
The adrenaline from playing so many consecutive games with their season on the line will roll over to the series against Tampa Bay. Experienced veterans will have their way with the inexperienced youth for the Rays. White Sox sweep.

Hey, it could happen.

Just to add an exclamation point

2008-09-23T11:33:00.006-04:00

In a Jayson Stark article from Monday, he cited some research from Bill James Online.

If Major League games only last six innings, the Mets would lead the division by 11.5 games.
If games only lasted eight innings, the Mets would lead the division by 6.5 games.

Here's another interesting statistic I researched on my own:
The Mets are 0-2 this season in games where they give up a grand slam to the opposing pitcher.

Every time you think "Today will be different. The Mets' bullpen will keep a one-run lead today," they blow your mind and rape any confidence you have by giving up four runs to the Braves in the eighth inning.

Any other team with a one-game lead and six games left, two of which are being started by Johan Santana, would be punching their ticket for October.

As for the Mets, this is their mind set: "We're going to win our Shea finale on Sunday. Johan is pitching. But will we really have anything left to celebrate at that point?"

Santana will probably get shelled by the Cubs today, who are completely stacked from the right side. It will be a miracle if the Mets can go 3-3 the rest of the way. That won't earn a playoff spot.

I am the epitome of a disgruntled Mets' fan. I can't talk sports right now. I don't have it in me.

Week 3 Picks

2008-09-21T00:15:00.002-04:00

After a winning week 2, let's keep this up, huh?

Tennessee (-5) over Houston
Arizona (+3) over Washington
Carolina (+3.5) over Minnesota
Atlanta (-5.5) over Kansas City
New England (-12.5) over Miami
Buffalo (-9.5) over Oakland
Cincinatti (+13.5) over NYG
Chicago (-3) over Tampa Bay
New Orleans (+5.5) over Denver
San Francisco (-4) over Detroit
Seattle (-9.5) over St. Louis
Jacksonville (+5) over Indianapolis
Cleveland (+2.5) over Baltimore
Pittsburgh (+3.5) over Philadelphia
Green Bay (+3) over Dallas
San Diego (-9) over NY Jets

Vol. II

2008-09-15T21:12:00.003-04:00

Meet the Mets,
Greet the Mets,
Come on out and beat the Mets!

Hola! Bienvenidos a "Collapse, Volume II," starring those lovable losers, Los Mets!

Amidst another collapse, a little less impressive than last year's, and possibly overshadowed by that of the Diamondbacks and the Brewers, the Mets are having another domino effect.

It starts with the bullpen. New York relievers have been blowing games all year long, and just like last year, that's how it started. As the morale dropped, the starting pitching faltered. Then it drifted slowly but surely into the offense. I'm currently witnessing the beginning of stage three, where one of the most potent lineups in the National League can't put more than a single run on the board against the Washington Nationals, a team that has given up the second most runs in the league (Colorado).

I'm never big on trashing players I normally like and support, so I need to choose my next words wisely. But first, let me get this off my chest:

I've never supported Luis Castillo as a Met. I liked him...on my fantasy team...about eight years ago. He shouldn't have a four year, $25 million contract. He's getting traded in the offseason...if anyone will take him. Our GM doesn't work Brian Cashman-like miracles here (Randy Johnson, Kyle Farnsworth, Jaret Wright), though Omar Minaya does have the Guillermo Mota-for-Johnny Estrada trade under his belt (the Mets released Estrada about a week after acquiring him--how valuable does that make you feel, Guillermo Mota?).

Trashing the bullpen is too easy, so I won't contribute to my impending Carpal Tunnel.

I'm leaving the offense alone, because today was the first really embarrassing game for them. Wright has been hot, Delgado has been carrying the team, and Reyes and Beltran have been making timely contributions.

Onto the starting pitching. Pedro Martinez reminds me of a pitcher I watched contribute more than his fair share to last year's collapse, a man by the name of Tom Glavine.

I appreciate all that Pedro has done in his career, even some of the diminutive contributions he's allegedly made in his years in Queens (yeah, ouch.). Right now, he isn't much appreciated by Mets fans. Pedro is a competitor, and his consistently poor performances have to be eating him alive. The Mets won't resign him this offseason. I'll be one of the least happy people in the world if they do. I don't want Pedro to leave on bad terms, because the last thing anyone needs is the media perpetuating a war of words between Pedro and the Mets. Pedro should just realize he isn't effective anymore, and call it a career. No needs to stick around getting beaten around like Glavine, Jose Lima, or pitchers of that sort.

I feel a little better now. Still, the Mets are in the middle of a 12-game span where they only play the Nationals and the Braves. I hoped they would go 10-2 over the dozen games. Halfway through, they're only 3-3. They're trying to give the division to the Phillies again. The last thing those pompous...(taking the high road here) need is another comeback division title. The only thing happening right now is the Brewers collapse. It has allowed the Mets some breathing room, so the Wild Card AND the division are both available to ride into October. However, as I cut myself off from saying before, the Phillies are cocky, and don't need inflated egos. The Mets need to either win the division, or beat the Phillies in the NLCS to shut them up.

I had a lot more I wanted to say, but T.O. (fantasy purposes) is making it very hard for me to write an angry blog right now.

LONG LIVE NED YOST!!!
(just kidding, he should have been fired last year)

I need to start blogging about football. Look for that this week.

Week 2 Lines

2008-09-13T23:45:00.002-04:00

After a disappointing week one for me (for multiple reasons!), here we go with week 2.

Kansas City (-3.5) over Oakland

Tennessee (+1) over Cincinnati

Minnesota (+1.5) over Indianapolis

New Orleans (Pick) over Washington

Green Bay (-3) over Detroit

Chicago (+3) over Carolina

NY Giants (8.5) over St. Louis

Buffalo (+5) over Jacksonville

Tampa Bay (-7) over Atlanta

San Francisco (+6.5) over Seattle

Arizona (-6.5) over Miami

New England (+1) over NY Jets

Denver (Pick) over San Diego

Pittsburgh (-6.5) over Cleveland

Philadelphia (+6.5) over Dallas

NFL Week One, Facebook Mini-Feed Version

2008-09-12T01:25:00.004-04:00

Chad Ocho Cinco has changed his name to Chad Johnson.

Chad Johnson and Reebok are no longer friends.

Jessica Simpson posted on Tony Romo's wall:
"We're gonna kill the Indians today, right baby?"

Michael J. Clark posted a comment in the group "Patriots 19-0 in 09!"

Michael J. Clark has left the group "Patriots 19-0 in 09!"

Bernard Pollard has 2982 new friends.

Brett Favre and Jerricho Cotchery are now friends.

Mike Holmgrem created event "Open Wide Receiver Tryout!!!!!"

Scott Linehan is hoping Donovan McNabb would just get hurt already!!

Vince Young wants his mommy.

Michael Turner posted on Ernie Sims' wall:
"Later bro!"

Jon Gruden and Jeff Garcia are no longer friends.

Torry Holt and Chad Johnson have added "Without a Trace" to their Favorite TV Shows.

Terrell Owens wrote on Usain Bolt's wall
"Yo, make sure you tune in! LOL!!!!"

Rashard Mendenhall is wondering why his Willie Parker voodoo doll isn't working yet.

Braylon Edwards has removed "catching the ball" from his interests.

LeBron James and Pacman Jones are now friends.

It's Complicated between Giselle Bundchen and Tom Brady.

Steve Smith wrote on Ken Lucas' wall:
"Great win today. I still want to punch you in the face."

Kurt Warner is saying an Our Father for Matt Leinart.

Matt Leinart is looking for his Beer Bong.

Peyton Manning is hoping John Madden doesn't demand his promise ring back.

Brett Favre has created the group "Aaron Rodgers Blows"

Brett Favre has changed the name of his group to "Aaron Rodgers Got Lucky in Week One But Still Blows"

Eddie Royal has joined Facebook.

Man...

2008-09-08T11:27:00.003-04:00

I feel bad for Roy Halladay.

He has a career earned run average of 3.51, a record of 129-64, and he's done it all while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East since 1998, which hasn't exactly been an open race over those years.

Halladay DID win the Cy Young award in 2003, but thanks to names like Roger Clemens, Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Bartolo Colon, C.C. Sabathia, and the forever dominant Barry Zito, he's only got the one trophy.

Here we are in 2008, where Halladay has posted an 18-9 record so far with an e.r.a of 2.64 on top of it. Unfortunately, there's a man named Cliff Lee throwing over in Cleveland who is 21-2 with a 2.28 e.r.a.!

Though I desperately want to, I can't argue that Lee is a shoe-in for the Cy Young award this season. Halladay is having a remarkable season, but once again, he's second best.

This is how Mike Mussina must have felt throughout the 90's, how 98 Degrees felt next to N*Sync and the Backstreet Boys, and how the Mets feel next to the Phillies (thanks, Mike Schmidt).

Browsing through Halladay's stats last night, I thought I found the kicker that could potentially overtake Lee when the voting is done. Halladay's last five starts have been against the Rays, at the Yankees, at the Rays, against the Yankees, and at Boston. He is 5-0 in those starts with a 2.25 e.r.a.

His team has risen from the depths, and is now 10 games over .500, good for third in the A.L. East. The Blue Jays have scored 127 runs in Halladay's 29 starts, which is a little less than four and a half runs per game. That's decent run support for someone with such a low e.r.a., but the Jays have been shutout three times when Halladay takes the hill.

He has 21 quality starts, eight complete games, leads the league in innings pitched and WHIP, and is third in strikeouts.

Sounds like a solid Cy Young resume.

But then I looked at Lee's statistics.

Aside from the 21-2 record and the 2.28 e.r.a., Lee has 23 quality starts with a little extra run support (149 runs in 28 starts), and ranks second to Halladay in WHIP, innings pitched, and complete games. He has only 31 strikeouts less than Halladay, and the Indians' bullpen has actually blown two saves for Lee, whereas the Blue Jays' bullpen has been rock solid, never giving up one of Halladay's leads.

When all of the numbers are this close and neither team is in a pennant race, you've gotta give the nod to the wins and losses. Sorry, Roy. Maybe next year.

Time For More Crappy Picks!

2008-09-04T17:34:00.003-04:00

One of the things I have been looking forward to this year is showing the world how terrible I am with picking the games.

NYG (-4) over WASHINGTON: While I think that the Giants will not finish over .500 (!), I really see the Giants winning this game.

SEA (+1) over BUFFALO: I do like the Bills, but I get burned way too much by the Seahawks. They just don't lose games that I think they will lose.

DETROIT (-3) over ATLANTA: The Matt Ryan era will not start well.

CINCINNATI (-1.5) over BALTIMORE: You can't trust a rookie to win their first game in the season. Neither of these teams will be any good this year anyway.

PHILADELPHIA (-7.5) over ST. LOUIS: The Rams defense can't stop anyone at all. Philly takes this easily.

PITTSBURGH (-6.5) over HOUSTON: Could be a good game, but I think Pitt will win by a TD.

JACKSONVILLE (-3) over TENNESSEE: Your AFC South winner will have a tough game against the Titans, but the Jags will pull this out.

NEW ORLEANS (-3) over TAMPA BAY: The high flying offense will get off to a better start in 08. Could they get to a worse start?

NEW ENGLAND (-16.5) over KANSAS CITY: The Pats couldn't stop anyone this preseason, but come on. Brodie Croyle against the Pats? Come on, man.

NEW YORK JETS (-3) over MIAMI: Interesting game this week. Lots of subplots.

SAN FRANCISCO (+2.5) over ARIZONA: One of my few "upsets" this week. SF will take this game.

SAN DIEGO (-9) over CAROLINA: A Steve Smithless Panthers team scares exactly nobody. Come on.

DALLAS (-5.5) over CLEVELAND: I still don't believe in the Browns.

INDY (-9.5) over CHICAGO: Terrible Bears offense vs. a better than average Colts defense? Easy pick.

MINNESOTA (+3) over GREEN BAY: The Tarvaris Jackson/Aaron Rodgers matchup is about as exciting as...well, the second Monday night QB matchup.

DENVER (-3) over OAKLAND: If you are watching this game, you are either a fan of Denver or Oakland, or you have a gambling problem.

Legit NFL Preview NFC Edition

2008-09-03T11:00:00.003-04:00

Scroll down to see my AFC Preview....for some reason, it was posted below Travis' opening weekend post.

NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys (11-5): The Dallas Cowboy 3 ring circus is back in full force. With troubled stars like TO, Pacman, and Tank, this team looks a lot like America's Team of the 1990s. It's tough to predict any other team coming out of the NFC because right now, there isn't a more talented bunch then the Boys in the NFC. If Patrick Crayton steps up and has a good season this year, I can't see them missing the Super Bowl.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-7): This Philly team, if McNabb stays healthy all year, is another one of those dangerous teams. While they just went 8-8 last year, it was a fairly impressive 8-8. Brian Westbrook might be the most dangerous weapon in the league. I see good things from the Iggles this year.

3. New York Giants (8-8): If you want to call me biased, that's fine. Sorry Giant fans, but without Strahan and Osi, this team is not a playoff caliber squad.

4. Washington Redskins (8-8): A tough schedule for the Skins this year. Their first 3 road games are all divisional games. This pesky team, which went to the playoffs 2 of the past 3 years (I was surprised too when I realized that), will rollover for exactly no one. This is Jason Campbell's year to step up.

NFC North
1. Minnesota Vikings (9-7): Had the Vikings somehow gotten Brett Favre, I would rate them a bit higher than where they are. The truth is, I don't trust Tavaris Jackson as a reliable playoff quarterback. Their defense, especially their front line, is unstoppable though.

2. Green Bay Packers (8-8): They will miss Favre more than they realize. That's not a shot at Aaron Rodgers, but they went through a significant downgrade at the quarterback position. It will be a struggle for the Pack to make the playoffs again this year.

3. Detriot Lions (6-10): You have to feel for the fans in Motown. They haven't had a quality football team there in years. Last year was supposed to be their year, but they just collapsed down the stretch. Kitna can still make things happen with his arm, but he throws too many picks. On a lighter note, kudos to the Lions for taking a chance on a chubby writer/director as their starting running back. Wait, it's a different Kevin Smith?

4. Chicago Bears (4-12): When your quarterback and running back is Kyle Orton and Matt Forte, you're not going anywhere this year.

NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints (10-6): The Saints ended last year strong after starting 0-4. They have so many offensive weapons and a healthy Deuce McAllister will really help them out this year. Reggie Bush should not be a featured back, but a change of pace back instead.

2. Carolina Panthers (9-7): I immediately regret giving the Panthers a winning record. Jake Delhomme is coming off of Tommy John surgery, Steve Smith is suspended for two games, and they lost DeShawn Foster. But their schedule is kind of easy, so I got to give them a winning record.

3. Tampa Bay Devil Bucs (7-9): While they return most of their playoff team from last year, something tells me that the Bucs were overachievers last year. I'm not trying to hate on Jeff Garcia, but they just don't have the offense to make a return trip to January football.

4. Atlanta Falcons (3-13): I do like Matt Ryan, but this will be a long year for the BC alum.

NFC West
1. Seattle Seahawks (10-6): Seattle might be the most boring good team in all of sports. Nobody really cares about Seattle. They're just there. But every year, they finish atop the West.

2. San Francisco 49ers (9-7): Shocker of the year! I see J.T. O'Sullivan (who Matt Berry and Bill Simmons hilariously suggested has a name that sounds like a bar/restaurant) as a guy who will not make mistakes (a game manager). I really think this is the year that the Niners step up.

3. Arizona Cardinals (7-9): Hey, remember when everybody loved Matt Leinart?

4. St. Louis Rams (5-11): If Bulger, Holt, and Jackson play every game, they can actually be a 9-7 team, but I doubt all three of them will be injury free this year.

Playoff Picks
Wild Card Weekend
Philly over Seattle
New Orleans over Carolina

Divisional Round
Dallas over Philly
New Orleans over Minnesota

Conference Championship
Dallas over New Orleans

Super Bowl
New England over Dallas

I am a homer.

Opening weekend

2008-08-28T15:16:00.002-04:00

College football is in the air! There aren't many great matchups this weekend, but after App. State beat Michigan on opening day of last season, you never know what will happen.

There are a couple of great games within the top 25 and a couple good ones outside of the rankings:

Michigan St. @ Cal (-7) [+/-55]
I like Cal at home, and Michigan State has enough offense returning from last year to put some points on the board. Cal and the over.

NC State @ South Carolina (-13) [+/-45]
NC State deserves a little more credit than this, but South Carolina is a much improved team this season. At home, opening day, I like them to win big. South Carolina and the over.

Tennessee (-5.5) @ UCLA [+/-46]
Interesting matchup here. The oddsmakers don't respect UCLA's new coach and new offense. I'm not gonna join the haters. UCLA and the over.

Alabama @ Clemson (-5.5) [+/-46]
Probably the best game we'll see this weekend. Clemson has a lofty expectations coming into the season, and Alabama has that SEC blood running through its veins. Defense and ground game control the tempo. I'm taking the upset in Carolina. 'Bama and the under.

Illinois @ Missouri (-7.5) [+/-60]
I'm not gonna start hating on Ohio State YET, but I can still rip the rest of the Big Ten to shreds. They can't even compete with the mid-level Big 12 teams. Missouri and the over.

and the steal of the week:

obviously

Virginia Tech @ East Carolina (+11.5) [+/-50]
I will not vouch for the Hokies' offense until I watch this game. Frank Beamer redshirted QB Tyrod Taylor, the phenom who showed flashes of brilliance last season as a true freshman (to take pressure from competition off of senior QB Sean Glennon), and one of Tech's starting Wide Receivers was arrested for driving drunk or something like that. VT's D will do the job against ECU and the ground game should put up big numbers. I'll be shocked if Carolina puts up double digits.
VT and the under.

A.J. Pierzynski is the dirtiest player alive

2008-08-26T13:40:00.003-04:00

So here are my picks for NFL division winners (and why)
It looks a lot like the final standings from last year, but the good teams didn't get worse, and the bad teams didn't get much better.

...except for the Dolphins, but they didn't get THAT good.

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys (Osi Umenyiora, Jessica Simpson)

NFC North: Daaaaa Bears. (Kevin Jones, Brett Favre, Mike Ditka)

NFC South: New Orleans Saints (Jon Vilma, Reggie Bush)

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks (Mike Holmgren, plus nobody else in the division is any good)

AFC East: New England Patriots (Jets, Dolphins, Bills)

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers (Seahawks/Patriots syndrome...8 wins could take this division, but the Steelers will show off and win 10)

AFC South: Jacksonville Jaguars (the Colts will really win the division though. I just feel bad for the Jags, Titans, and Texans...look for three teams to make the playoffs out of this division again)

AFC West: San Diego Chargers (Denver got better, but not good enough to beat LT and the Bolts twice. 5-1 in the division always helps your chances to win)

Legit Football Preview AFC Version

2008-08-25T21:26:00.005-04:00

Just like most Yankee fans, I can not wait for the NFL Season to kick off. Going into this season, there are many valid questions. Can the Patriots get vindication for their Giant choke job last year? Will Brett Favre lead the Jets to the playoffs? Will Matt Leinart take advantage of his free time to perfect his keg stand technique? Let's delve right in.

Predictions by Division

AFC EAST

1. New England Patriots (11-5): Yes, I know that they've laid more eggs this preseason than the Red Hook Varsity Football team under the "tutelage" of Josh Mandel (had to). But if Brady is under center for Week One, this New England team has to be considered the favorite yet again. Their defense needs to stand together and adopt their "bend not break" strategy last year.

2. New York Football Jets (10-6): Perhaps 10-6 is a lot to ask of a team that was absolutely unwatchable last season. But without the drama of a quarterback controversy and a significant upgrade under center, this scrappy team will make an impressive little run to the wild-card. Jerricho Cotchery could become the next Antonio Freeman/Donald Driver/Greg Jennings.

3. Buffalo Bills (9-7): Shhhh. Don't tell anyone, but the Bills almost snuck into the playoffs last year. They really are a quality bunch of players, with Marshawn Lynch becoming an absolute specimen. If Trent Edwards can make the leap to good quarterback, don't be surprised if the Bills overtake the Jets this year. Plus, if Paul Pozlusky can play the entire year, their defense will be very underrated.

4. Miami Dolphins (4-12): I like Chad Pennington. Maybe it's because I didn't have to root for him for four years, but I kind of like the guy. However, he is not the one that will make the Dolphins into a team that anyone cares about. It should be a long season in the city where the heat is on, all night on the beach til the break of dawn.

AFC NORTH

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6): The Steelers may have faded down the stretch faster than Sugar Ray in the early 2000s (apologies to Mark McGrath...and fade away), but they have all the tools to make a return trip directly to the top of the AFC Norest. Gotta love Big Ben.

2. Cleveland Browns (9-7): I'm not completely sold on the Browns. Yeah, they have a high flying offense, led by Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, and Jamal Lewis, but they can't stop anyone at all. Everyone is high on the Browns this year, but I think 9-7 might be a stretch.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9): Another team with a high flying offense (Carson Palmer, Chad Ocho Cinco, TJ Houshmandkdhbfoadhfldjajldfeh) that might get burned by their stationary defense. Also, they are weaker at the RB position than most teams, relying on Chris Perry to carry the major rushing load.

4. Baltimore Ravens (7-9): A look at their offense and it's a who's who in great college football players over the past five years. McGahee. Smith. Flacco. Rice. Unfortunately, Tulsa is not on their schedule this year.

AFC South

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (11-5): You read that correctly. This is the year that the Jaguars overtake the Colts for first place in the AFC South. David Garrard quietly had a phenomenal season last year, the tandem of MoJo and Freddy Taylor are the best platoon in football, and the defense is tough. Plus, I love the fact that their head coach has a name that sounds like a cocktail. I'll take a Jack Del Rio on the rocks, please.

2. Indianapolis Colts (10-6): If Manning is himself, this team will have no problem winning their fair share of games. The X factor here is Bob Sanders. Although I believe him to be grossly overrated as a player, you can't argue that his presence is felt on the field by the defense.

3. Tennessee Titans (8-8): Nobody had a more disappointing 2007 season than Vince the Prince. After having arguably the most successful 2006 of any football player (Rose Bowl, leading the Titans to respectability), he just did not make the leap that everyone expected him to. Is this the year that Mr. Young becomes the stud that he can become?

4. Houston Texans (7-9): Matt Schaub proved last year that he is a legitimately good starting quarterback. But I don't think there are enough parts around him to build a contender. Not yet, at least.

AFC WEST

1. San Diego Chargers (11-5): LDT is determined to make up for his early exit in the AFC Championship game. This Chargers team has a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball and are a dangerous team for anyone. I'm concerned about Shawne Merriman's decision to play through his injuries. Hopefully, the guy doesn't end up regretting his decision.

2. Denver Broncos (8-8): The Mile-High City is desperate for a return to glory. Jay Cutler is supposed to make the leap this year, but I've heard that before. I'll believe it when I see it. This Denver team is not easy to prognosticate. They could really have 4 more wins or 4 more losses and I wouldn't be shocked.

3. Oakland Raiders (7-9): While their defense scares precisely nobody, I like their young nucleus of Russell, McFadden, and Ronald Curry to put some points on the board. Oakland fans should be happy with where their team is at right now.

4. Kansas City Chiefs (5-11): Just not enough weapons for Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez to hang out with. Should be a long season for the Chefs.

Wild Card Round
JAX over NYJ
IND over PIT

Divisional Round
JAX over SD
NE over IND

Conference Championship
NE over JAX

People who need to shut up

2008-08-20T10:47:00.006-04:00

Vin Scully - Who does he think he is? What does he think he's being paid for? He's certainly not there to observe that after hitting no more than .277 and as low as .203 in each month from April to July, Jeff Kent magically turns around and hits .410 in August. Well, okay, it's fine that he observes that, but HOW DARE HE attribute Kent's sudden success to the arrival of Manny Ramirez! Slugging up almost 100 points, on-base percentage up over 100 points...the answer is quite clear--his wife told him that if he didn't pick up his game, he couldn't ride his new motorcycle when the season ends. Come on, any 40-year old can randomly double his production 2/3 of the way through the season. It's certainly not thanks to a steady feast of fastballs because Manny is here. Jeez. Stupid Vin Scully! How long has he been doing this? He doesn't know what he's talking about.

Philadelphia fans - What kind of fans boo a player for poor production? What a bunch of ungrateful bastards! Jimmy Rollins has every right to attack them! "They're frontrunners," Rollins said in an interview on Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period. "When you're doing good, they're on your side. When you're doing bad, they're completely against you."

It's like they're paying to see him play or something.

And who can blame Jimmy for saying that?! After hitting .296 with 30 homers, 94 rbis, 139 runs scored, 20 triples, and 38 doubles last year, winning the MVP, he's hitting .263 with 8 homers, 42 rbis, 56 runs scored, 8 triples, and 27 doubles this year. Why on earth would the fans boo him? He's only making $8 million this year. What do fans expect? Him to help them win a pennant? New Yorkers are lucky Jimmy doesn't play there, because he'd REALLY tear them a new one if they dared to boo him.

Umpires - Boycotting the conference call to get the wheels turning on implementing instant replay...how selfish of them! All MLB is asking is that they create a completely new rule mid-season with the playoff races heating up and every game meaning something. It's not like the UMPS would be blamed if there is a malfunction in the instant replay and the call gets screwed up anyway. Nobody blames the umps for screwing up calls now, so why would they shoulder the blame if the technology craps out on them?! Baseball games are too fast, anyway. We need some more timeouts to run into a clubhouse to make a phone call or watch replays for two minutes. Who cares if all the nuts and bolts aren't ironed out? The pressure needs to be taken off Bud Selig's shoulders and put onto the shoulders of people who are paid less.

'Lympics

2008-08-15T15:13:00.002-04:00

Can I just say that my reactions while watching Nastia last night parred on Bela Karolyi's (if you haven't seen the video, you have to). Who'd a thunk that I'd get so into gymnastics? My favorite part of the night though had to be Bob Costas throwing it back to Al Trautwig by saying "And now let's see the elegant Nastia Liukin and the adorable Shawn Johnson." Adorable? Thanks for the journalistic objectivity, Bob. She's 16 years old. Just throwing that out there. Costas kind of sounded like that creepy 40 year old guy at the varsity girls soccer game that is not anyones father/uncle/teacher. Now that that's done, congrats to Nastia for having one of the most bad ass names ever and for kicking some 4'9" adorable gymnast butt.

Agree with Travis on Misty May-Treanor (I hate Matt Treanor) and Kerri Walsh. I've loved those two for years. Phelps is other-worldly, but people already knew that. I'm making a bold prediction, though. Michael Phelps will win silver on the 100 butterfly. He's still godly, but if people learned anything from the Super Bowl, perfection is near impossible. The Redeem Team (not sure how I feel about that name yet) has the racist Spain team coming up next. In this day, how can a whole entire team of adults think that making slanty eyes in their team picture wouldn't be a problem? Pau Gasol says that he wasn't a big fan of what they were doing, but he didn't speak up. That's extremely easy to say after everything went down.

Finally, good on my favorite tennis player James Blake (journalistic objectivity!) for knocking off Roger Federer yesterday. The changing of the guard is happening, people. Federer will never be the dominant force he once was anymore. And I could not be happier.

The Dodgers are my new second favorite team!

2008-08-15T00:32:00.002-04:00

Props to them for bringing the Phillies down to earth, though I'm not sure if I'd rather face them or the D'Backs in the playoffs now that they have Manny--and Nomar is healthy, Loney, Blake, Kent, and Martin are producing...What's next?

Andruw Jones hitting higher than the Mendoza line when he's healthy?

nahhhhhhhh

Now the Mets need to just keep winning. Swept the Nats and now the lowly Pirates are up next. This is a great chance for them to garner a significant lead in the division. Philly goes to San Diego which doesn't seem too tough on paper, but you never know.

Maddux vs. Moyer
Young vs. Kendrick
Baek vs. Hamels

On paper it looks like a sweep for Philly, winning two of three at worst (losing the first game). San Diego has no offense, though, and their best hitters are left-handed which is money in the bank for Moyer.

Pelfrey vs. Davis
Martinez vs. Duke
Santana vs. Karstens

Karstens isn't invincible anymore, but it should be an interesting series with all the pressure on the Mets.

As for the west, the D'Backs go to Houston and the Dodgers host Milwaukee, whose eight-game winning streak was just snapped. The Dodgers manage to avoid C.C. and Sheets, but the Brewers are one of those teams that has a bunch of hit or miss pitchers in the 3-5 slots.

Webb vs. Rodriguez
Petit vs. Backe
Johnson vs. Oswalt

I think due to the pitching matchups, Houston has a decent shot to take two games this series.

Billingsley vs. Parra
Lowe vs. Bush
Kershaw vs. Suppan

L.A. benefits from the pitching matchups, each coming off of decent games. The Dodgers' pitching staff has done a great job of limiting the potent offenses, so they're hoping that happens again against a dangerous Breweres squad.

I'll give L.A. two wins in that series, overtaking Arizona to stand alone in first place. But they have to watch out, Penny throws against Colorado in game one of the next series.

I'll check out the A.L. soon. This Minnesota/ChiSox race is very underrated.

P.S. The Olympics are so good. Gymnastics and Swimming are fun sports to watch. Beach Volleyball is epic. Misty May and Kerri Walsh rock. I'll squirt tears if they lose.

New York Jets Preview featuring Timbaland

2008-08-13T13:52:00.001-04:00

Patriots Preview featuring Timbaland

2008-08-12T21:04:00.003-04:00

New England Patriots (11-5)
Strengths: Brady to Moss, perhaps? The best team in the NFL last year will not even threaten with an undefeated season, but if Tom, Randy, and Wes are all clicking, the Pats will have their shot at vindication.
Weaknesses: Corners. With Asante Samuel bolting to Philly, the Pats are a bit light at the corner back position. Is Troy Brown still available?

2008/2009 Theme Song: I hear Belicheck is a Police fan. Which is why he enlisted Sting to write their rally song this year.

Every snap you take
Every huddle you break
Every single day
Every single play
I'll be taping you

Everything you say
Every plans you lay
I watch Favre get gray
I watch you pray
I am taping you

Oh Mangini
What did you do to me?
You're such a douche
Your Jets must louche

With no tape, I am lost without a trace
I wish that I could see Tony Dungy's face
LaDanian running all o'er the place
I don't care if you think I'm a disgrace
I'm begging Roger, Roger, Roger pleeeeeeease

Every snap you take
Every move you make
Every single play
Every single day
I'll be taping you.

Baseball/Olympics

2008-08-11T20:08:00.004-04:00

1) Have I ever ranted about how much I hate the Mets' bullpen? Pedro finally has a good start today (even though it was against the Pirates, I'll take it), and they managed to screw that up. I didn't know the Pirates, without Xavier Nady and Jason Bay, were even capable of scoring 7 runs. Well, against the Mets they are!

2) I hate when the Yankees play the Twins. No matter how good the Twins are, they'll never be able to take a series from the Yankees.

3) I hope I'm wrong about that like I am about everything else. Like this afternoon in the first inning of the Mets game when I told my sister I felt bad for the Pirates because the Mets were going to score 20 runs on them. I'll never take pity on an opponent ever again.

4) Even better for the Yankees is that the Rays have not only lost Carl Crawford to the DL, but now Evan Longoria! Trouble in St. Pete!

5) The Dodgers better destroy the Phillies this series. The Mets will probably have a hard time with the Nationals. Watch out for Florida to take first!

6) The Olympics have been pretty good so far. The swimming races are always intense. There were some epic ones last night where Katie Hoff lost to Rebecca Adlington by .07 seconds in the 400m freestyle then Jason Lezak had a legendary performance to help his relay team (including Michael Phelps) win gold. The difference in that race was only .08 seconds.

7) The storylines have been a bit much, like the Laure Manaudou (French swimmer) drama with Federica Pellegrini (Italian swimmer). Apparently Manaudou fled France to be with her boyfriend, Italian swimmer Luca Marin. Italian government wouldn't let Manaudou train with Pellegrini and Marin, so she went back to France, breaking up with Marin. Pellegrini and Marin started dating and then nude pictures of Manaudou were posted on the internet. Did you follow that? Yeah...excessive.

8) The Mets will not make the playoffs unless their starters go nine innings every day the rest of the way.

9) Yeah, I'm really bitter right now.

10) At least I have the Olympics. I even watched women's Water Polo this morning. The announcers on NBC really know how to instill an unsafe amount of patriotism in viewers.

Bold prediction

2008-08-09T14:32:00.001-04:00

$20 says the Yankees lose to the Angels today

The [brutal] life [death] of a Mets' fan

2008-08-07T14:37:00.002-04:00

Let me set the stage for you:

It starts in 1999. After 10 years, you finally have a contending team again. You win the Wild Card and make it to the National League Championship Series where you get blown out by your division rival, the Atlanta Braves. They win the series on an extra-inning, walk-off walk. Thank you, Kenny Rogers.

The next year, you've parted ways with an integral part of the team, John Olerud. You're not mad, though. He's a good guy and wants to be closer to home. It's fine. His replacement, Todd Zeile, helps you to the World Series (you avoided the Braves in the playoffs, thank God), but you get blown out by an even bigger rival, the New York Yankees. Names like Armando Benitez and Jose Vizcaino haunt you forever.

The next several years, your players get older, you drain your farm system, and top it off by trading the #1 left-handed prospect in the entire minors, Scott Kazmir, for Victor Zambrano. That's right, Victor. Your front office claims it's a "win now" situation, but you aren't even in first place.

After some mediocre seasons, some Zambrano injuries, and watching Kazmir grow into a #1 starter all the way down the east coast (a trade the Rays will be BRAGGING about for years to come), you finally build your club back up into a contender. You are the favorite in the 2006 season, with up and coming names like David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, etc...

You make it to game seven of the NLCS, Endy Chavez makes "the catch," then flies out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning. Carlos Beltran watches strike three to end the Mets' chances of making the World Series. The Cardinals destroy the Tigers in five games.

Down but not out, the Mets return in '07, a more competitive division, but still have a commanding lead in September. We all know what happened. I don't wanna talk about it.

So to battle "the collapse," the Mets drain their farm system to acquire the best pitcher in the majors, Johan Santana. We're the favorites again!

Santana isn't a bust at all, but his starts tend to be. The bullpen seems to blow every single lead he hands over, and to date, they have blown five saves for him.

Here I am, this is essentially a live blog now. I just watched an inning as difficult to watch as the 1999 NLCS loss, the 2000 WS loss, the 2006 NLCS loss, or the 2007 collapse.

Santana has given up two hits through seven innings. The Mets lead, 3-1. He comes out for the eighth and gives up two straight hits. Jerry Manuel comes out and takes him out of the game. Nobody is thrilled. Why did he do that?

Duaner Sanchez comes in and drills the first batter. Bases loaded, no outs. Slow and painful death is imminent.

Pedro Feliciano comes in and gets a ground ball force out at home. Then Adrian Gonzalez singles through the hole, but luckily the runner on second slides into third and can't tie the game. 3-2 Mets.

Joe Smith comes in, bases loaded, and somehow induces an inning-ending, circus double-play. You'd have to see it to believe it. The Mets maintain the lead.

Due to all of the changes for the Padres, there is some miscommunication that leads to problems with the umpires. The manager and a bench coach get thrown out of the game, it all seems to be unraveling.

In the ninth inning, Scott Schoeneweis comes in to get the save and put down the Padres for good. A line drive to the gap from the first batter is run down by Carlos Beltran. One out. Jody Gerut steps up, who has been hurting the Mets all series. Floater across the plate. SEE YA.

Into the Mets' bullpen to tie the game. Hopefully it hits them all in the head so they can't blow anymore saves for Santana. That's six times this season. He should be 15-7 but instead he's 9-7 with a 2.85 earned run average. This is pathetic. I'm not even going to watch the rest of the game. This makes me sick.

Deadline moves paying off

2008-08-06T18:03:00.004-04:00

Every team seems to be benefiting from roster moves made in July, except the teams that didn't make any...coughcoughMetscoughcough.

The Angels and Mark Teixeira are enjoying a nice symbiotic relationship, Manny is producing in L.A., Xavier Nady is on another planet in the Bronx, and Jason Bay is fitting in nicely in Boston. Rich Harden and C.C. Sabathia are doing lovely in the N.L. Central, and even Joe Blanton had a nice start for the Phillies.

But the person who is enjoying his move the most is.........Jeff Karstens! The punk kid who doesn't wear his hat straight has two consecutive gems in Pittsburgh. Last week he threw six shutout innings against the Cubbies, and today he dueled Randy Johnson, throwing a two-hit, complete game shutout against the D'Backs. His only two starts of the year in the bigs, and he's thrown 15 scoreless innings against division leaders, and has yielded only seven hits.

Some players can't flourish in New York, and the way Karstens has started leads me to believe he may be joining Jeff Kent, Kaz Matsui, Bobby Cox, and Homer Bush on the list of players who couldn't cut it in the Big Apple but then made their name elsewhere.

Okay, I was just name dropping with Bobby Cox and Homer Bush...they didn't play well anywhere. You get the point.

Brett Favre's Daily Schedule

2008-08-05T13:02:00.003-04:00

7 AM: Wake up DeAnna to tell her that I haven't decided if I'm going to the store today.
8:30 AM: Shower. Opt not to shave so I can keep the grizzled veteran stubble.
9:00 AM: Watch SportsCenter and pray that I get mentioned within the first five minutes.
9:15 AM: Shoot John Anderson a text thanking him for bringing up my name in a completely unrelated story. Suck on that, Milwaukee Brewers!
10:00 AM: Grab quick bagel as I head off to train with a bunch of high school kids.
12:00 PM: Lunch break! Shoot Aaron Rodgers an e-mail that just says "Watch ur back. Brett"
4:00 PM: Arrive home, check voicemail. Hope that Berman and Madden aren't the only ones that have called me.
4:15 PM: Curse as I realize that all 30 voicemails are from Berman and Madden
4:30 PM: Wake DeAnna up from her nap to tell her that I still haven't decided if I'm going to the store today.
5:00 PM: Watch Around the Horn and PTI to see what Woody Paige and Michael Wilbon think about me.
6:00 PM: Contemplate taking the Packers offer to stay retired for 20 million. Stop seriously considering it when Mike Greenberg brings up that I'd be a hypocrite for taking it on the 6:00 SportsCenter.
7:00 PM: Finish my Aaron Rodgers voodoo doll.
7:15 PM: Eat dinner with DeAnna. Pray that she asks me about coming back to the Packers.
7:50 PM: Announce to DeAnna that I will be going to the store.
7:55 PM: Announce to DeAnna that I will not be going to the store.
8:45 PM: Turn on ESPN Classic to see if I'm on it.
9:00 PM: Crank call Mike McCarthy.
10:00 PM: Announce to DeAnna that I have yet to decide if I'm going to bed.
10:30 PM: Tearfully tell DeAnna that I've had a great run, but it's time for me to go to bed.
1:00 AM: Go to bed.

Best trading deadline in recent memory

2008-08-01T11:10:00.004-04:00

It's just too bad my Manny BoSox jersey is now retro.

The winners at the deadline this year are all easy to figure out. Cubs, Brewers, ChiSox, Dodgers, Yankees, and Angels.

The losers? Tampa Bay and Arizona primarily, with honorable mention given to Boston, Florida, Philly, and the Mets.

Each winner made vast improvements to its team. The Dodgers and Angels each added necessary power to home run-deprived lineups, giving up minimal prospects to win now. The Dodgers really saved their own asses here, making up for that Casey Blake trade. The White Sox picked up Ken Griffey, Jr., which gives them another left handed power threat. The Cubs and Brewers each added a star pitcher they can keep for awhile. Brian Cashman was a flawless artist in July, bringing back memories of the '06 offseason when he unloaded Jaret Wright and Randy Johnson, and actually getting value for them. Picking up Sexson for virtually nothing, landing Nady and Marte from the Pirates, and then trading for Pudge (doesn't excite Yankee fans off the bat, but Cashman traded Farnsworth while his value was at its absolute HIGHEST)---the Yankees have been given the best possible opportunity to take the A.L. East.

Oh yeah, and when is the next time the Yankees ever have to face Manny Ramirez??

Tampa Bay loses since no moves were made to solidify the offense or bullpen. Arizona loses because they failed to keep pace with the Dodgers by landing another bat. The D'Backs apparently were in the hunt for Teixeira again, but were outbid the second year in a row.

I'm shocked Manny was traded, which is why Boston gets an honorable mention as a deadline loser, but getting Bay from the Pirates limits the losses offensively and upgrades the outfield defense in Bean Town. Bay is right-handed, so the Monster will juice up his numbers (Lowell-esque) , and he can hit 3rd, 4th, or 5th in any lineup. You just need to wonder what this drastic change does to the ball club and the fans. Psychological advantage in the East lays with the Yankees. Too bad for them they're playing the Angels right now and may not be able to act on that advantage until next week.

Finally, the top three N.L. East teams all get honorable mention as losers because none of them made a move to improve the roster. Sure, the Marlins picked up Arthur Rhodes, a lefty specialist from the A.L. West. He wasn't exactly facing Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in those situations. The Phillies picked up Joe Blanton...give me a break. He's pitched eight innings total since the trade, six against the Mets and two against the Braves (rain delay knocked him out), and he's given up seven earned runs to the tune of a 7.88 earned run average. Philly isn't exactly preparing a parade for him. Then there's the Mets, who did absolutely nothing. Hopefully they'll make a waiver move by the middle of August to sure up the outfield or bullpen. We'll see.

WATCH OUT A.L.!!

2008-07-29T17:58:00.004-04:00

It's being reported that Mark Teixeira has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim! With Vlad and Teix hitting back-to-back mixed with that pitching rotation and bullpen, I think we've got a new World Series favorite.

Ernie has a new reason to hate the Angels.

And there goes my pick for NL MVP.