Legends of Friday Night

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Elite Eight, Day Two

2011-03-28T02:34:00.000-04:00

Hey all! The Elite Eight is over, and the Final Four is upon us. And what a Final Four it will be! Before we get to that, how about some standings?? (Reminder, the standings read as follows: ranking, name, total points, points this round, movement since last round and bonuses, if any, remaining)

1 Andrew Logan 1238 80 --

2 Kevin Hunt              1237    100           +6
3 Brandon Lanquist     1230    80             --
4 Eric Bookmyer         1227    80             +2
5 Jake Kempf              1224    76             --
6 Drew Curth              1222    72             -3
7 Matt Fehr                 1220    80             --
8 Kevin Faigle             1216    64             -2
9 Lauren Faine            1210    80           --
10 Matt Barnes            1203    84            +3
11 Matt Rader             1199    84             +5
12 Wells Faine             1194    72             -1
12 John Gray               1194    68             -2   (Champ – UConn)
14 John Montgomery   1193    76           +1
15 Jake Young             1192    72             -3
16 Anthony Tynan      1186    76             +1
17 Doug Steiner          1185    76             +1
18 Tony Falk               1179    60             -5
18 Rachel Hoops         1179    72            +1
20 Jeff Fitzwater          1175    84            +1
21 Mallory Myers         1165    76            +1
22 Justin Reichley        1160    64             -2
23 Bethany Green       1151    80             --
24 Anne Seiler             1140    76             --
25 Todd Schleucher    1100    72             --
26 Ryan Calhoun         1037    60             --

First, Congrats to Andrew Logan for leading during the entire Elite Eight. Possibly a bigger congrats, though, to Coach Kevin Hunt. With Kentucky as a 15 and VCU as 10 (higher than anyone else) KHunt posted a hefty 100 and sits 1 point out of the lead.

Kevin and I talked earlier and figured he would need a Kansas over Kentucky championship in order to win this tournament, but we were vastly mistaken. A VCU win over Butler in the Final Four will go a long way toward bringing Coach the title.

Not a great day for John Gray, falling out of the Top 10 only a day after getting there, but a look at his line shows that it wasn't so bad. John is the only person who can still get a bonus in this tournament, and that's with UConn as the national champion. So, John won't win without that happening, but I bet not too many people are betting against it right now.

I'm going to do a Final Four preview this week and, in that, I hope to reveal who still has a chance to win the tournament.

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Elite Eight, Day One

2011-03-27T04:15:00.000-04:00

We're down to six teams, and the number of people who can win this tournament probably isn't much better. I'll try to have that figured out once we're pared down to four, but for now, here are your standings. (Reminder, the order is: total points, points this round, movement since last round and bonuses, if any, still available)

1 Andrew Logan 1158 108 +3

2 Kevin Faigle             1152    108           +5   (Big Loser – Clemson)
3 Brandon Lanquist     1150    96             -2
3 Drew Curth              1150    96             -2
5 Jake Kempf              1148    96             -2
6 Eric Bookmyer         1147    100           -1
7 Matt Fehr                 1140    96             --    (Champ – Kansas, Big Loser – Clemson)
8 Kevin Hunt              1137    90             -3   (Champ – Kansas)
9 Lauren Faine            1130    96             -1
10 John Gray               1126    104           +7   (Champ – UConn)
11 Wells Faine             1122    100           +5
12 Jake Young             1120    96             +2
13 Tony Falk               1119    96             +2
13 Matt Barnes             1119   92             -1
15 John Montgomery   1117    92             -2
16 Matt Rader             1115    84             -5   (Champ – Kansas)
17 Anthony Tynan      1110    96             +4
18 Doug Steiner          1109    68             -9
19 Rachel Hoops         1107    92             --
20 Justin Reichley        1096    80             -2
21 Jeff Fitzwater          1091    76             -2
22 Mallory Myers         1089    76             --
23 Bethany Green       1071    84             +1
24 Anne Seiler             1064    72             -1
25 Todd Schleucher    1028    68             --
26 Ryan Calhoun         977      76             --

Well, it's a day I've expected for awhile now. Andrew Logan has ascended to the top of the standings. I said before the Sweet Sixteen that if the lower seeded teams won, he'd be in good shape, and Butler winning was a big boost. He also had UConn as a 15, adding to the big total.

Kevin Faigle should be feeling good, but only if Kansas isn't winning the Championship. A shot at the Big Loser is very realistic at this point, and here's how it will happen. UNC beats Kentucky, UConn beats UNC, and VCU or Butler beats UConn. That's the only road 75 points that will bring him the title

As for Matt Fehr, UNC over UK, UConn over UNC and Kansas over UConn is the road to the championship.

John Gray has another road, and it has only one path. A UConn championship will give him the tournament title. Also, congrats to him for moving inside the Top 10 for the first time in the tournament.

Kevin Hunt is the only other person who can get a bonus. He also had Kansas winning the championship, and his road to the title most likely runs through the UNC-Kentucky game. I can't say with complete certainty right now, but it looks like if Kentucky wins, Kevin will pass Matt and kill his Big Loser, changing their positions. I need to figure it out still, but Kentucky may need to beat UConn as well to keep Kevin ahead of Matt in that race. (More on this after the Sunday games)

That's all for now!

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Sweet Sixteen, Day Two

2011-03-26T19:37:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Sorry this is late. I'm not going to do a notes section since I'm at work, but I will post the standings and make a few observations. Don't worry. I'll have the updated standings up tonight after work.

Remember, the standings are ordered: total points, points for this round, movement from last round to now, and bonuses still available.

Leuthold Memorial Tournament – Sweet Sixteen, Day Two

1 Drew Curth 1054 147 --
1 Brandon Lanquist 1054 150 +3
3 Jake Kempf 1052 150 +2
4 Andrew Logan 1050 144 -2
5 Eric Bookmyer 1047 147 +1
5 Kevin Hunt 1047 162 +4 (Champ – Kansas)
7 Matt Fehr 1044 156 +1 (Champ – Kansas, Big Loser – Clemson)
7 Kevin Faigle 1044 138 -5 (Big Loser – Clemson)
9 Doug Steiner 1041 150 -2
10 Lauren Faine 1034 153 +3
11 Matt Rader 1031 147 -- (Champ – Kansas)
12 Matt Barnes 1027 156 +6
13 John Montgomery 1025 144 --
14 Jake Young 1024 141 -2
15 Tony Falk 1023 138 -6
16 Wells Faine 1022 144 --
17 John Gray 1022 141 -4 (Champ – UConn)
18 Justin Reichley 1016 141 -1
19 Rachel Hoops 1015 144 -1
19 Jeff Fitzwater 1015 150 +3
21 Anthony Tynan 1014 147 -1
22 Mallory Myers 1013 147 -1
23 Anne Seiler 992 147 --
24 Bethany Green 987 153 --
25 Todd Schleucher 960 141 --
26 Ryan Calhoun 901 138 --

Two firsts about our leader: 1. This is the first time in the tournament we've had a leader hold his lead from one day until the next. 2. This is the first time we've had a tie at the top this year.

The question?? Are the top five just sitting ducks at this point?? None can get any bonuses at this point, so they have to be cheering hard against Kansas and UConn. Also, they need to cheer for either Kentucky to advance to at least the Final Four or North Carolina to get to the Championship. If neither of those happens, Clemson will be the Big Loser, and two people picked the Tigers.

Congrats to Kevin Hunt on a huge 162 this round. He gave VCU a 10 seed and put Kentucky above Ohio State and both very much paid off for him.

I'm going to try to figure out after the Elite Eight wins, which people still have a chance to win. We'll see if I'm smart enough or motivated enough to do it.

That's all for now!

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Sweet Sixteen, Day One

2011-03-25T01:39:00.000-04:00

The Sweet Sixteen has arrived, and in this tournament, it was just another day for the leader to change. There's been more roll over in this tournament than November in college football. I have a few things to discuss, but first...the standings (Remember, it goes: total points, points this round, movement in the rankings, bonuses still remaining)

1 Drew Curth 907 147 +1 (Champ)

2 Kevin Faigle 906 165 +7 (Big Loser)
2 Andrew Logan 906 165 +7 (Champ)
4 Brandon Lanquist 904 156 -1 (Champ)
5 Jake Kempf 902 156 -- (Champ)
6 Eric Bookmyer 900 156 -- (Champ)
7 Doug Steiner 891 126 -6 (Champ)
8 Matt Fehr 888 156 +9 (Champ, Big Loser)
9 Tony Falk 885 153 +8 (Champ)
9 Kevin Hunt 885 138 -5 (Champ)
11 Matt Rader 884 141 -4 (Champ)
12 Jake Young 883 147 +2 (Champ)
13 John Montgomery 881 144 -2 (Champ)
13 Lauren Faine 881 144 -2
13 John Gray 881 156 +7 (Champ)
16 Wells Faine 878 141 -5
17 Justin Reichley 875 132 -10 (Champ)
18 Matt Barnes 871 138 -2 (Champ)
18 Rachel Hoops 871 147 -3 (Champ)
20 Anthony Tynan 867 135 -3
21 Mallory Myers 866 147 -1 (Champ)
22 Jeff Fitzwater 865 129 -8 (Champ)
23 Anne Seiler 845 129 --
24 Bethany Green 834 126 -- (Champ)
25 Todd Schleucher 819 120 -- (Champ)
26 Ryan Calhoun 763 87 -- (Champ)

Okay, on to the analysis. Let's start with our new leader. I said Drew Curth could easily take over the lead, and he did, by the slimmest of margins.

I also said, Andrew Logan could make a big run toward the top if his lower seeded teams won. He lost an 11, a 14 and 2-16's and kept a 12, 13 and 2-15's...a difference of only 6 points, but it was his ordering that did it. The scary thing...a BYU win (he had the Cougars as a 16) likely would've given him the lead without problem because he was the only one to have them at that level.

Here's the thing to look out for. Logan and Kevin Faigle have been in about the same position most of the tournament. Their trend so far is to climb the rankings the first day of a round and fall back down on the second day. Does either one have the staying power this time around?? We'll see.

I wasn't completely right. I mentioned in the Sweet 16 preview that John Gray would be one of the players that probably wouldn't move much in this round. After a round of 156 points tonight, Gray is up 7 slots to a tournament-best 13th. Most importantly, as the only person to have UConn as his champion, if he can stay anywhere near where he is now, he could win the tournament with a Huskies championship.

Speaking of the championship, the West Region was unkind tonight. Four people lost their championship and most likely their chance to win the tournament, when Duke and SDSU went down.

As for the rest, 17 have Ohio State, 3 (Fehr, Rader, Hunt) have Kansas and Gray is tied to UConn.

One more bonus mention...Faigle and Fehr both still have Clemson as their Big Loser. Ohio State will need to lose to Kentucky to keep that possible.

That's all for now. Thanks for your loyalty!

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Sweet Sixteen Preview

2011-03-24T16:02:00.001-04:00

The Sweet Sixteen is upon us, leaving us dominant squads like Ohio State and Kansas (or Captain America and Batman as my boy John Gray would say), and surprises like the Richmond duo.

We've definitely had our ups and downs in this tournament this year with many firsts in the bunch. This is the first season the leader has changed everyday during the first two rounds, the first time no person has had the top four in every bracket still remaining and the first time no one has correctly chosen an Upset Special.

It all adds to the excitement, though, I think. And the excitement continues with the final 16. So, here's a breakdown of what could happen in the next two days.

1. The Rich Get Richer: Our current leader, Doug Steiner, could increase his margin from five to more than 30 points if his top teams (OSU, UNC, Kansas, Florida State, Duke, SDSU, Wisconsin and BYU) come home with wins. He's actually set up very well if his picks are accurate because Wisconsin (16), BYU (14), Florida State (11) and SDSU (16) are higher than most others picked them.

2. Go Aztecs: Not only will SDSU winning help Steiner, it could carry Anne Seiler all the way to the title if she hangs around well enough. She picked the Aztecs to take the title, and this round is where she could see herself start climbing the polls. Sitting in the 20's most of the tournament, getting her optimal picks in the next two days could put her in the teens and within striking distance.

3. Beauty of this Tournament: Sometimes, having your top ranked teams win isn't the best way to climb the standings. Andrew Logan could be the poster child of this in the next two days. If he gets his optimal picks, he might drop 4 or 5 spots into the teens. Meanwhile, if all of his lowest picks get wins, the points might vault him all the way to second place. I say, that's the beauty of this tournament

4. Possible Takeovers: There aren't many threats for the top spot right now, but No. 2 Drew Curth is one. He was the champion two years ago, and there are multiple ways he could take the lead this round. UConn, Florida and Butler wins would go a long way toward making that happen.

5. Going through the Motions: There are a few that are pretty locked into their spots right now. Matt Barnes (16), John Gray (20), Rachel Hoops (21) and Ryan Calhoun (26) won't see much, if any, movement in this round. Not to say they can't move up at some point, but it won't happen now.

That's all for now. I hope you'll come back very late tonight/tomorrow for an update on what's going on and to see if anything I've said is actually playing out.

Leuthold Tournament - Round Two Notes

2011-03-21T03:35:00.002-04:00

Here are some interesting notes after Round Two.

Easiest region to pick: West (110.6 out of 116 possible per person)
Hardest region to pick: Southwest (73.8 out of 116)
Highest seed eliminated: Pittsburgh (15.42)
Lowest seed still playing: VCU (5.65)
Team giving the most points: Ohio State (820, 31.54 per person)
Team giving the least points: VCU (147, or 5.65)

There were four (4) perfect regions...Kevin Faigle, Matt Fehr, Eric Bookmyer and Andrew Logan all had the top four teams in the West region.
Two (2) people can still correctly pick the Big Loser. Kevin Faigle and Matt Fehr both have Clemson, meaning Kentucky would need to beat Ohio State in the Sweet 16, ruining 17 people's champion pick.

25 out of 26 competitors still have their champion pick. Kevin Faigle lost his with Pitt's loss to Butler.

Four (4) people have all four 16 seeds remaining (Brandon Lanquist, Andrew Logan, Doug Steiner, Jake Kempf)

A couple interesting notes about the tournament...
-There are as many teams from Richmond, VA (VCU, Richmond) left in the tournament as there are Big East teams (UConn, Marquette).
-If VCU and Florida State get wins in the Sweet Sixteen, it sets up the first 10 vs. 11 match in NCAA Tournament history.

A random Ohio University related tournament note...
-Ohio and Old Dominion are the only two (2) teams in NCAA history to get a win in all four college basketball tournaments (NCAA, NIT, CBI, CIT)

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Round Two, Day Two

2011-03-21T02:55:00.000-04:00

Well, upsets all over the board made for yet another interesting round and a lot of movement once again. As always, total score is first, followed by score for this round, movement since last update and then bonuses that person is still eligible for. Without further ado...

1 Doug Steiner 765 204 +6 (Champ)

2 Drew Curth 760 194 -- (Champ)
3 Brandon Lanquist 748 184 +2 (Champ)
4 Kevin Hunt 747 196 +6 (Champ)
5 Jake Kempf 746 182 -- (Champ)
6 Eric Bookmyer 744 196 +6 (Champ) Perfect West
7 Matt Rader 743 200 +10 (Champ)
7 Justin Reichley 743 194 -4 (Champ)
9 Kevin Faigle 741 176 -6 (Big Loser) Perfect West
9 Andrew Logan 741 176 -6 (Champ) Perfect West
11 Wells Faine 737 168 -10 (Champ)
11 John Montgomery 737 184 -3 (Champ)
11 Lauren Faine 737 184 -3 (Champ)
14 Jake Young 736 192 +1 (Champ)
14 Jeff Fitzwater 736 190 -- (Champ)
16 Matt Barnes 733 194 +3 (Champ)
17 Tony Falk 732 184 -5 (Champ)
17 Matt Fehr 732 188 -2 (Champ, Big Loser) Perfect West
17 Anthony Tynan 732 190 +1 (Champ)
20 John Gray 725 192 +1 (Champ)
21 Rachel Hoops 724 188 -1 (Champ)
22 Mallory Myers 719 192 +1 (Champ)
23 Anne Seiler 716 186 -1 (Champ)
24 Bethany Green 708 188 -- (Champ)
25 Todd Schleucher 699 182 -- (Champ)
26 Ryan Calhoun 676 164 -- (Champ)

Doug Steiner hits the top of the rankings for the first time in a couple years. Three years ago, he was a Memphis championship win away from taking home the title, and now he's labeled himself a serious contender once again.

Tough day for yesterday's leader, Wells Faine. Low scores for multiple teams left him 10 spots down the rankings, tied with his sister.

Every person still has a chance to get a bonus, and Matt Fehr is the only one who can get both the champion and big loser.

Kevin Faigle is the only one who can't get the champion, but he can still get the big loser.

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - 2nd Round, Day One

2011-03-20T14:36:00.000-04:00

Well, eight tickets to the Sweet Sixteen have been punched, and for this tournament, it's a transition from sister to brother as Wells Faine knocks Lauren off the lead. Here are the standings.

1 Wells Faine 569 214 +11 (Champ)
2 Drew Curth 566 202 +2 (Champ)
3 Kevin Faigle 565 208 +7 (Big Loser)
3 Andrew Logan 565 222 +20 (Champ)
5 Brandon Lanquist 564 204 +2 (Champ)
5 Jake Kempf 564 206 +3 (Champ)
7 Doug Steiner 561 196 -5 (Champ)
8 Lauren Faine 553 186 -7 (Champ)
8 John Montgomery 553 198 +4 (Champ)
10 Kevin Hunt 551 202 +9 (Champ)
11 Justin Reichley 549 188 -5 (Champ, Big Loser)
12 Tony Falk 548 190 -4 (Champ)
12 Eric Bookmyer 548 184 -8 (Champ)
14 Jeff Fitzwater 546 196 +3 (Champ)
15 Matt Fehr 544 192 -- (Champ, Big Loser)
15 Jake Young 544 194 +2 (Champ)
17 Matt Rader 543 178 -15 (Champ)
18 Anthony Tynan 542 186 -7 (Champ)
19 Matt Barnes 539 184 -7 (Champ)
20 Rachel Hoops 536 184 -5 (Champ)
21 John Gray 533 184 -2 (Champ)
22 Anne Seiler 530 190 +2 (Champ)
23 Mallory Myers 527 182 -1 (Champ)
24 Bethany Green 520 174 -3 (Champ)
25 Todd Schleucher 517 178 -- (Champ)
26 Ryan Calhoun 512 174 -- (Champ)

First, Andrew Logan makes the largest jump in the history of this tournament, going from 23rd to 3rd with a 222 point performance. Much of that is due to his 12 point seeds to both Richmond and Butler, while most had them in single digits.

The Pitt loss knocks Kevin Faigle out of the champion race, but he still has a Big Loser in the tournament and moved up 7 spots to 3rd.

There are only two people left that have a possible Big Loser. That loser is Clemson, so for it to happen, Ohio State (the champion pick of 17 people), would have to go out in the Elite Eight or earlier.

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Round One Notes

2011-03-20T12:56:00.002-04:00

Here are some odds and ends of Round One

Easiest region to pick: East (94.2 out of 100 possible points per person)
Hardest region to pick: Southwest (76.7 out of 100)
Highest seed eliminated: Louisville (13.42)
Lowest seed still playing: Morehead State (3.77)
Team giving the most points: Ohio State (396, or 15.77 per person)
Team giving the least points: Morehead State (98, or 3.77)

There were four (4) perfect regions...Kevin Faigle in the Southeast, Todd Schleucher and Drew Curth in the East and Jeff Fitzwater in the West.

Eight (8) people can still correctly pick the Big Loser.

All 26 competitors still have their champion pick.

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Day Two Standings

2011-03-20T12:24:00.001-04:00

With the First Round (I don't count the First Four as the First Round) coming to a close, there was a massive shake up in the standings already.

Name is followed by total points, points on Day Two, movement (positive or negative) in the standings, and bonuses that person is still eligible for

1 Lauren Faine 367 187 +1 (Champ)

2 Matt Rader 365 194 +13 (Champ)
2 Doug Steiner 365 188 +4 (Champ, Big Loser)
4 Eric Bookmyer 364 195 +14 (Champ)
4 Drew Curth 364 195 +14 (Champ)
6 Justin Reichley 361 189 +6 (Champ, Big Loser)
7 Brandon Lanquist 360 182 -2 (Champ)
8 Tony Falk 358 179 -4 (Champ)
8 Jake Kempf 358 184 -- (Champ, Big Loser)
10 Kevin Faigle 357 171 -9 (Champ, Big Loser)
11 Anthony Tynan 356 186 +6 (Champ)
12 Wells Faine 355 175 -10 (Champ, Big Loser)
12 Matt Barnes 355 186 +6 (Champ)
12 John Montgomery 355 178 -6 (Champ)
15 Matt Fehr 352 178 -7 (Champ, Big Loser)
15 Rachel Hoops 352 180 -3 (Champ)
17 Jake Young 350 185 +6 (Champ)
17 Jeff Fitzwater 350 176 -9 (Champ)
19 John Gray 349 185 +6 (Champ)
19 Kevin Hunt 349 182 +2 (Champ)
21 Bethany Green 346 181 +2 (Champ)
22 Mallory Myers 344 177 -1 (Champ, Big Loser)
23 Andrew Logan 343 171 -11 (Champ)
24 Anne Seiler 340 169 -9 (Champ)
25 Todd Schleucher 339 183 +1 (Champ, Big Loser)
26 Ryan Calhoun 338 165 -15 (Champ)

First, congratulations to Lauren Faine on moving up one (1) spot into first place. And with Duke as her National Champion, she has a good chance to separate herself because nearly 2/3 of the field chose Ohio State compared to just 3 for the Dukies

Second, congratulations to the three (3) people who moved up more than 10 slots in just one day, Matt Rader, Eric Bookmyer and last year's champion, Drew Curth. Curth was helped big time by the 100 points he got for a perfect East Bracket, which proved itself the easiest bracket of Round One.

Also, two more perfect brackets today. Jeff Fitzwater in the West and Todd Schleucher in the East. That leaves the Southwest, mainly thanks to Morehead State and VCU, as the only bracket no one got perfect.

On a disappointing note, this is the first year I've run this tournament that no one has guessed an Upset Special. The Big Loser is as elusive as ever. Only 8 out of 26 members are still eligible after one round.

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Day One Standings

2011-03-20T12:01:00.001-04:00

Here are the standings for Day One, followed by a small breakdown by myself. The name is followed by # of points for the day, plus the bonuses that person is still eligible for.

1 Kevin Faigle 186 (Champ, Big Loser)

2 Wells Faine 180 (Champ, Big Loser)
2 Lauren Faine 180 (Champ)
4 Tony Falk 179 (Champ, Big Loser)
5 Brandon Lanquist 178 (Champ, Big Loser)
6 John Montgomery 177 (Champ, Upset)
6 Doug Steiner 177 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
8 Matt Fehr 174 (Champ, Big Loser)
8 Jake Kempf 174 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
8 Jeff Fitzwater 174 (Champ)
11 Ryan Calhoun 173 (Champ)
12 Justin Reichley 172 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
12 Andrew Logan 172 (Champ, Big Loser)
12 Rachel Hoops 172 (Champ)
15 Matt Rader 171 (Champ, Upset)
15 Anne Seiler 171 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
17 Anthony Tynan 170 (Champ, Big Loser)
18 Drew Curth 169 (Champ)
18 Matt Barnes 169 (Champ, Upset)
18 Eric Bookmyer 169 (Champ, Big Loser)
21 Mallory Myers 167 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
21 Kevin Hunt 167 (Champ)
23 Jake Young 165 (Champ, Upset)
23 Bethany Green 165 (Champ)
25 John Gray 164 (Champ)
26 Todd Schleucher 156 (Champ, Big Loser)

First, congratulations goes out to my Sports Director, Kevin Faigle, on leading after Day One. A big part of that is because he picked a perfect Southeast Bracket (100 points). That's no small feat considering it was the hardest to pick region for this group.

Morehead State ended up being a good pick for Upset Special after they took down a Louisville squad many thought highly of (avg. ranking: 13.4), but no one went with it, so no points to be found there.

Also, Big Losers took a big hit on Day One. Only 14 of 26 players still have a chance.

Finally, with half of the field somewhere between 170 and 179, there are still a lot of shake ups bound to happen.

2011 Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Bracket Challenge Supplement

2011-03-20T11:48:00.005-04:00

Here is a supplement to go along with the Bracket Challenge. It's just something you can look over if you'd like.

Team Rankings
Below is the ranking of each team in the tournament with how many competitors ranked them there (in parentheses)

East:
1. OSU: 16 (21), 15 (4), 14 (1)
2. UNC: 16 (2), 15 (11), 14 (8), 13 (3), 12 (2)
3. Syracuse: 16 (3), 15 (9), 14 (10), 13 (1), 12 (1)
4. Kentucky: 15 (2), 14 (7), 13 (13), 12 (3), 11 (1)
5. West Virginia: 13 (2), 12 (9), 11 (6), 10 (2), 9 (1), 8 (2), 7 (3), 6 (1)
6. Xavier: 13 (3), 12 (2), 11 (8), 10 (7), 9 (4), 8 (1), 7 (1)
7. Washington: 13 (2), 12 (6), 11 (3), 10 (6), 9 (2), 8 (4), 6 (1), 5 (1) 4 (1)
8. George Mason: 11 (4), 9 (9), 8 (2), 7 (7), 6 (3), 4 (1)
9. Villanova: 11 (1), 10 (3), 9 (3), 8 (7), 7 (3), 6 (5), 5 (3), 4 (1)
10. Georgia: 13 (1), 12 (1), 11 (1), 9 (1), 8 (4), 7 (2), 6 (7), 5 (7), 4 (2)
11. Marquette: 11(2), 10 (5), 9 (5), 8 (4), 7 (4), 6 (4), 5 (2)
12. Clemson: 12 (1), 10 (3), 9 (1), 8 (2), 7 (6), 6 (2), 5 (4), 4 (3), 3 (4)
13. Princeton: 12 (1), 6 (1), 5 (6), 4 (15), 3 (3)
14. Indiana State: 6 (2), 5 (3), 4 (3), 3 (18)
15. Long Island: 3 (1), 2 (23), 1 (2)
16. UTSA: 2 (2), 1 (24) 95

West:
1. Duke: 16 (13), 15 (9), 14 (4)
2. SDSU: 16 (8), 15 (5), 14 (7), 13 (5), 12 (1)
3. UConn: 16 (4), 15 (10), 14 (4), 13 (5), 12 (1), 11 (2)
4. Texas: 16 (1), 15 (1), 14 (6), 13 (7), 12 (5), 11 (3), 10 (1), 8 (1), 6 (1)
5. Arizona: 15 (1), 14 (2), 13 (6), 12 (7), 11 (4), 10 (2), 9 (1), 7 (1), 6 (1), 1 (1)
6. Cincinnati: 14 (2), 13 (1), 12 (3), 11 (6), 10 (2), 9 (4), 8 (2), 7 (3), 6 (2), 5 (1)
7. Temple: 13 (1), 12 (3), 11 (4), 10 (5), 9 (1), 8 (4), 7 (1), 6 (6), 5 (1)
8. Michigan: 12 (1), 10 (2), 9 (4), 8 (3), 7 (6), 6 (5), 5 (2), 4 (2)
9. Tennessee: 14 (1), 12 (2), 11 (3), 10 (3), 9 (4), 8 (10), 7 (2), 3 (1)
10. Penn State: 12 (1), 10 (5), 9 (3), 8 (2), 7 (5), 6 (7), 5 (1), 3 (2)
11. Missouri: 12 (1), 11 (4), 10 (3), 9 (4), 8 (3), 7 (3), 6 (1), 5 (5), 4 (1), 3 (1)
12. Memphis: 12 (1), 10 (2), 9 (2), 8 (1), 7 (5), 6 (1), 5 (8), 4 (6)
13. Oakland: 13 (1), 10 (1), 9 (2), 6 (2), 5 (5), 4 (13), 3 (2)
14. Bucknell: 5 (3), 4 (3), 3 (18), 2 (2)
15. Northern Colorado: 4 (1), 3 (2), 2 (22), 1 (1)
16. Hampton: 2 (2), 1 (24)

Southwest:
1. Kansas: 16 (21), 15 (3), 14 (2)
2. Notre Dame: 16 (3), 15 (12), 14 (4), 13 (5), 11 (1), 10 (1)
3. Purdue: 16 (2), 15 (8), 14 (6), 13 (5), 12 (4), 11 (1)
4. Louisville: 15 (2), 14 (12), 13 (8), 12 (3), 11 (1)
5. Vanderbilt: 14 (1), 13 (2), 12 (6), 11 (3), 10 (2), 9 (3), 8 (5), 7 (2), 6 (1), 5 (1)
6. Georgetown: 15 (1), 14 (1), 13 (5), 12 (6), 11 (7), 10 (3), 9 (1), 7 (1), 6 (1)
7. Texas A&M: 12 (2), 11 (3), 10 (7), 9 (2), 8 (6), 7 (4), 6 (1), 3 (1)
8. UNLV: 12 (2), 11 (2), 10 (3), 9 (8), 8 (4), 7 (3), 6 (3), 5 (1)
9. Illinois: 11 (3), 10 (3), 9 (3), 8 (6), 7 (6), 6 (4), 4 (1)
10. Florida State: 11 (1), 10 (3), 9 (5), 8 (5), 7 (3), 6 (5), 5 (3), 4 (1)
11. VCU: 10 (1), 9 (1), 7 (4), 6 (7), 5 (10), 3 (2), 2 (1)
12. Richmond: 12 (3), 11 (4), 10 (3), 9 (3), 7 (3), 6 (2), 5 (6), 4 (2)
13. Morehead State: 5 (2), 4 (17), 3 (6), 2 (1)
14. St. Peter’s: 6 (1), 5 (2), 4 (4), 3 (14), 2 (4), 1 (1)
15. Akron: 13 (1), 6 (1), 5 (1), 4 (1), 3 (3), 2 (16), 1 (3)
16. Boston: 2 (4), 1 (22)

Southeast:
1. Pittsburgh: 16 (17), 15 (3), 14 (6)
2. Florida: 16 (3), 15 (9), 14 (2), 13 (3), 12 (6), 11 (2), 9 (1)
3. BYU: 16 (1), 15 (2), 14 (6), 13 (3), 12 (6), 11 (5), 9 (1), 8 (1), 6 (1)
4. Wisconsin: 16 (3), 15 (4), 14 (3), 13 (3), 12 (2), 11 (5), 10 (2), 8 (3), 7 (1)
5. Kansas State: 16 (1), 15 (1), 14 (4), 13 (7), 12 (3), 11 (4), 10 (3), 9 (1), 8 (2)
6. St. John’s: 16 (1), 15 (5), 14 (2), 13 (6), 12 (1), 11 (3), 10 (2), 9 (2), 8 (1), 7 (2), 6 (1)
7. UCLA: 15 (1), 14 (1), 12 (1), 11 (3), 10 (1), 9 (4), 8 (3), 7 (3), 6 (4), 5 (3), 4 (2)
8. Butler: 12 (2), 11 (1), 10 (4), 9 (8), 8 (2), 7 (2), 6 (2), 5 (4), 4 (1)
9. Old Dominion: 10 (4), 9 (4), 8 (4), 7 (3), 6 (5), 5 (5), 3 (1)
10. MSU: 15 (1), 14 (2), 13 (3), 12 (2), 11 (1), 10 (4), 9 (1), 8 (2), 7 (5), 6 (1), 5 (1), 4 (2), 3(1)
11. Gonzaga: 10 (2), 9 (1), 8 (6), 7 (6), 6 (7), 5 (2), 4 (1), 3 (1)
12. Utah State: 13 (1), 12 (3), 10 (2), 9 (1), 8 (1), 7 (1), 6 (1), 5 (4), 4 (6), 3 (4), 2 (2)
13. Belmont: 11 (2), 10 (2), 9 (1), 8 (1), 7 (2), 6 (1), 5 (2), 4 (9), 3 (5), 2 (1)
14. Wofford: 9 (1), 7 (1), 6 (3), 5 (4), 4 (3), 3 (13), 1 (1)
15. UC Santa Barbara: 4 (2), 3 (1), 2 (20), 1 (3)
16. UNC-Asheville: 5 (1), 2 (4), 1 (21)

Some info about these rankings:
Most highly regarded #1 seed: Ohio State (avg. ranking: 15.77)
Least highly regarded #1 seed: Duke (avg. ranking: 15.35)
Lowest ranked team: UTSA and Hampton (avg. ranking: 1.08)
Hardest to rank team: Michigan State (ranked in 13 out of 16 slots)
Hardest to rank region: Southeast (131 slots, or 8.2 per team)
Easiest to rank region: East (95 slots, or 5.9 per team)

Bonus Breakdown

Here is how the Bonuses were picked:
National Champ: Ohio State (17), Duke (3), Kansas (3), Pitt (1), San Diego State (1), UConn (1)
Upset Special: Belmont (10), Oakland (7), Wofford (3), Princeton (2), Bucknell (1), Akron (1), Indiana State (1)
Big Loser: Gonzaga (3), Wofford (2), Old Dominion (2), Florida State (2), UCLA (2), Clemson (2), UC Santa Barbara (2), Temple (2), West Virginia (1), Marquette (1), Boston (1), Cincinnati (1), Illinois (1), VCU (1)

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - History and Rules

2011-03-20T10:59:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone. I'm back on here for the first time in over a year (sad, I know). Anyway, I do an annual NCAA Tournament Bracket Challenge that's a little bit different, and I've decided to move it to the blog. So, to start off, I'll explain the history, and then, I'll get to the rules.

The Leuthold Memorial Tournament started four (4) years ago while I was a freshman at Ohio University. My high school math teacher, Chris Leuthold, always did this bracket challenge as a way to combine two of his loves, sports and math. So, when I got out of high school, I wanted to continue the tradition. Naturally, it seemed that I should just do it myself with my friends.

We have four past winners. I was the inaugural champ with a small field. The tournament expanded (thanks to a growing Facebook presence) in 2008, with Mike Crofts taking home the title after Kansas won the championship. In 2009, Brandon Lanquist got top prize. And our reigning champion is Drew Curth.

Now that you know the history here are the rules.

1. There is NO bracket involved in this tournament.

2. If there's no bracket, then how does this work?? Let me tell you. There are 16 teams in each region of the tournament, so you do it like this...The team you think will win the most games in each region (AKA your Final Four team) will be assigned the #16. Then, the second best team (your Elite Eight loser) will be a #15, etc. all the way down to #1, who you expect has no chance of winning even once.

3. There are three (3) different Bonus opportunities.
- Champ: Pick the winner of the tournament (100 points)
- Upset Special: Pick a 13-16 seed that you think might win a game (50 points)
- Big Loser: Okay. A bracket IS involved in this. Take a bracket you've filled out and start at the tournament winner. Then, trace back to the team they beat in the title game. Once there, trace back to the team the title game loser beat in the Final Four, and continue all the way back to Round One. That Round One loser is your Big Loser (75 points)

4. Scoring: In the Round One, the team get face value. A #16 gets 16 points for a win. In the Second Round, the points double. In the Sweet 16, they triple, etc.

That's pretty much it. No one has much trouble with it except for some confusion involving the Big Loser. It's an interesting alternative, though, to a regular bracket.

A Simple Resolution...A Huge Impact?

2010-01-02T16:09:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. New Year's. Time to beat your brow and comb your brain to come up with a resolution that will really blow away not only you, but everyone who knows about it. Easier said than done, right?

Wrong!

With an assist from a good friend, I think I've come across resolution numero uno, year in and year out. Decade to decade. Century to century.

Be. More. Awesome.

That's right. 3 simple words that, if approached correctly, can change your life. It will apply to each day and in every situation. Just break it down.

You want to lose a few pounds, put on some muscle, and generally become a better physical version of yourself? Be more awesome. Go to the weight room and challenge yourself to lift more than you ever have. Get on the track and make yourself run more than you think you can. Look at that dinner plate and leave just a little more than you're used to leaving.

You want to get a good job or do better at your current one? Be more awesome. Put in the extra work to show future or current employers what you're capable of, and put it on yourself to do the job in a way that makes you feel you couldn't have done it better.

You want to make more friends or just be more likable in general? Be more awesome. It's not all about people's preconceptions about you. It falls on you to show people what they should really be thinking of you. Show them not only the kind of person you are. Show them the kind of person you can be, because there's always so much more in us than what's immediately visible.

I think you get the idea. No matter what part of your life needs to see improvement or even just be maintained at its current level, challenging yourself to be more awesome is the answer.

I've always been floored by the capacity for self-improvement in people. They frequently do things that were thought unheard of just to be able to prove it could be done, or to improve the situation of someone else. And now, the time of resolution has come. So, I say, why not challenge yourself at the dawn of a new decade to be more awesome. Make yourself run that extra mile when you don't think you have the energy, get one more rep on the bench press, put a little more time into that project at work, spend an extra half hour studying for that exam, and probably most importantly, reach out to that person you always thought you should have but never did.

You are a powerful person. You can change yourself, change someone else, and change the world by challenging yourself to be more awesome. If you can do it, and everyone else can do it, is there really a doubt that all of humanity can benefit in ways it hasn't seen in years? It isn't about stimulus packages, reforms or bills and laws. It's about you, me and everyone else, and us actually utilizing our ability to change life for the better.

Happy New Year's friends!

NFL Predictions 2009

2009-09-12T13:05:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone. After picking a winner for every game in the 2009 season, here are my predictions for what's to come. Ridicule me, agree with me, be indifferent toward me. I don't care. If you have a comment feel free to leave it. If you scroll to the bottom, yes, I did homer my pick this year, but can it really be much worse than my pick of San Diego to go 15-1 and win the Super Bowl last year?? Doubt it. Also, Brett Favre's a bitch.

AFC EAST
New England (12-4, 6-0)
Miami (7-9, 2-4)
Buffalo (7-9, 1-5)
NY Jets (6-10, 3-3)

AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh (13-3, 5-1)
Baltimore (12-4, 5-1)
Cincinnati (7-9, 2-4)
Cleveland (4-12, 0-6)

AFC SOUTH
Tennessee (11-5, 5-1)
Indianapolis (11-5, 4-2)
Houston (11-5, 3-3)
Jacksonville (3-13, 0-6)

AFC WEST
San Diego (10-6, 5-1)
Kansas City (7-9, 5-1)
Denver (3-13, 2-4)
Oakland (1-15, 0-6)

AFC Playoff Seeds
Pittsburgh
New England
Tennessee (better div. record)
San Diego
Baltimore
Indianapolis (better div. record than HOU)

Wild Card
Indianapolis over Tennessee
Baltimore over San Diego

Divisional
Pittsburgh over Indianapolis
New England over Baltimore

Championship
New England over Pittsburgh

NFC EAST
Philadelphia (12-4, 3-3, 9-3)
NY Giants (11-5, 4-2)
Dallas (10-6, 4-2)
Washington (5-11, 1-5)

NFC NORTH
Green Bay (12-4, 4-2, 11-3, 9-3)
Chicago (12-4, 4-2, 11-3, 9-3)
Minnesota (10-6, 4-2)
Detroit (2-14, 0-6)

NFC SOUTH
Carolina (11-5, 4-2)
New Orleans (11-5, 2-4)
Atlanta (10-6, 5-1)
Tampa Bay (3-13, 1-5)

NFC WEST
Arizona (9-7, 5-1)
Seattle (9-7, 4-2)
San Francisco (4-12, 1-5)
St. Louis (1-15, 0-6)

NFC Playoff Seeds
Philadelphia (strength of schedule)
Green Bay
Carolina
Arizona
Chicago
New Orleans (head-to-head over NYG)

Wild Card
Carolina over Chicago
New Orleans over Arizona

Divisional
New Orleans over Philadelphia
Green Bay over Carolina

Championship
Green Bay over New Orleans

Super Bowl
Green Bay over New England

Observations on Cavs-Magic Game 4

2009-05-26T23:38:00.000-04:00

I know it has been forever since I've posted, but this is the first time in the entire NBA playoffs that I've watched an entire game, and I'd like to share my thoughts. I'm going to go basically from the later parts of the game since those are the most important.

1. There is absolutely no excuse for LeBron having 8 turnovers, 5 or 6 of them coming in the fourth quarter or overtime. King James, you're the MVP. Are you kidding me?? I understand that you're trying to create, but you do your best creating by driving to the hoop and trying to score. Which brings me to my next point...

2. There is absolutely no excuse for LeBron not hitting free throws in the fourth quarter. Yea, I know he hit the two most pressure-packed free throws of the games, but that doesn't take away the misses...and that goes back to his five misses in the fourth quarter in Game 3 too.

3. Delonte West is the truth. For anyone who saw West go head-to-head under the basket with Dwight Howard, fall hard to the floor and bounce right back up after a necessary hard foul on Mickael Petrius and repeatedly hit fall away jumpers from the post, you know what I'm talking about. In my opinion, the Cavs can't win if West isn't in the game.

4. Dwight Howard stepped up big in overtime, putting his back to the basket and dunking almost at will. And don't say it was because Verejao fouled out. He was still in. Here's my question. Where was Dwight late in the fourth quarter when his team needed him to get the win?? A weak fourth quarter effort for Superman II, but a great effort when it counted most.

5. Rashard Lewis, Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Hedo Turkoglu, Michael Petrius...how can the Cavs expect to win when every one of these guys can and will hit a three whenever they have a speck of light between them and the basket. Better turn up the perimeter D Cleveland, or you'll only play one more game.

6. 4.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter: Mike Brown, you proved once again that you are not a great coach by putting Ben Wallace on one of the Magic's best perimeter shooters. Put the injury plagued, old post player on one of Orlando's stars?? Brilliant plan coach. By the way...was that really a 3 that Lewis hit?? I wasn't so sure.

7. 0.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter: LeBron, you got a gift of a foul call that gave you the chance to send the game to overtime. James and whoever it was that fouled him (Petrius?) hit legs against each other, and LeBron went down. In my book, it's a travel and the game's over, but it is what it is. Just another reason for fans to wonder if the league is trying to do their part to see a Kobe-LeBron final.

8. 0.0 seconds left in the fourth quarter: Get over it Dwight Howard. You weren't fouled, and if the refs wanted to, they could have called you for over the back.

9. Apart from LeBron's turnovers, Cleveland really didn't play a bad game. Orlando was outrageous beyond the 3-point line, and sometimes there just isn't a lot you can do about that.

10. One thing you can do Cleveland...keep Z out of the game if Orlando is hitting from the perimeter. Period. Ilgauskas is older and slower and just can't keep pace, especially if he and Verejao are in the game together with Anderson on Dwight Howard. I was that tonight, and it made me sick.

11. Skip to my Lou, Rafer Alston, whatever you're going by these days...you were clutch to the 10th power tonight, and have been for most of the series.

12. Bottom line for Cleveland...you're a miracle shot, one of the best shots in NBA history, from being swept after winning every game in the first two series of the playoffs. I know that there are serious match up problems with a deep perimeter team with a huge post threat like the Magic, but you have to find a way to win. You just have to do it.

13. Finally, for anyone who watched a Cavs game this season, what was one of the most evident things?? They were having fun. They're not having fun anymore. It's all business now, and some teams just can't do both. The Magic are hitting shots, laughing, giving high fives and having a good time (minus their perpetually constipated coach), but the Cavs are serious all the time in this series, and they need to get back to having fun or this series is over.

Prediction Time: The Magic are hungry for their first NBA finals appearance since 1994, but the Cavs will come out strong behind a desperate home crowd in Game 5, winning by about 12. I would be surprised if Cleveland gets another home game this season, though. Mike Brown, I have no faith in you to make the necessary adjustments. Prove me wrong.

NFL-Examing My Preseason Prognostication

2008-12-29T18:15:00.000-05:00

The NFL Regular Season has ended, and that means I need to re-examine my Preseason Picks. I have a feeling I'll be in for some terrible discoveries, but who knows. Perhaps I did well. Nah...who am I kidding?? My pre-season picks actually weren't bad, outdoing my week-to-week picks. The record was 152-102-1, compared to my week-to-week 147-107-1. Anyway, let's just get into it.

AFC
EAST
Miami (11-5, projected 7-9, 3rd in East) I predicted a 6 game improvement in Tony Sparano's first season in Miami, and, I'd probably do it about the same way again. There was no way to tell that Chad Pennington would have such a good season or that the Wildcat would become a game breaker for the playoff bound Dolphins. Congrats on a great season.

New England (11-5, 12-4, 1st) If I could have foretold that Tom Brady would go down 7 minutes into the season, I never would have thought they'd go 11-5, let alone 12-4. As is, Matt Cassel had a great season, and it's a shame they won't have a chance to go to the playoffs because I think they are one of the three most impressive teams of the second half of the season.

New York Jets (9-7, 9-7, 2nd) I knew the Jets would improve with Brett Favre at the helm, and after they knocked off the Titans, I thought I underestimated them. Turns out I was just right. Favre reverted to pre-2007 form, and the Jets defense fell to pieces.

Buffalo Bills (7-9, 4-12, 4th) The Bills got off to a rapid start, making me look like a complete fool. Then, just as quickly, they turned into the big joke I thought they would be. Some changes should be in store for the boys of Orchard Park.

North
Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4, 9-7, 1st) I knew they'd win the North, but it would seem I vastly underestimated the North. Pittsburgh ended up 3 games better than I expected by winning the games they were supposed to all season.

Baltimore Ravens (11-5, 4-12, 3rd) One of my biggest misses of the season. At the beginning of the year, I felt like the Ravens defense was no longer the force it was in previous years. Turns out, I was very very wrong. The defense was dynamite, Joe Flacco was great, and the Ravens will be a team to be feared in the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1, 2-14, 4th) I was looking right on the money until the Bengals "caught fire" and won their final 3 games. It may have been just enough for the idiotic Mike Brown to keep things the same and enter 2009 with another pathetic team built to lose.

Cleveland Browns (4-12, 8-8, 2nd) The Browns fooled a large group of people at the beginning of the season, including myself. I didn't forecast them to win the division like some did, but I still gave them 4 more wins than they would earn themselves. It's rebuilding time again in the Land of Cleve.

South
Tennessee Titans (13-3, 7-9, 4th) When the Titans finished last season, I saw Vince Young as a quarterback who just wasn't getting it, and the Titans as an overachieving bunch that would drop back to earth in 2008. What I didn't see was Chris Johnson rushing for over 1,000 yards as a rookie, LenDale White being a scoring machine and Kerry Collins leading the Titans to the number one seed in the playoffs. I'm still not a believer though. As well as the Titans have played this season, I think they hit their prime too early and won't be able to beat the Colts, Ravens, or Steelers, all of which should make the Divisional Round.

Indianapolis Colts (12-4, 11-5, 2nd) I was close in terms of final record, but I never would have predicted the way it was done. After fumbling out to a 3-4 start, a finally healthy Peyton Manning put his team on his back, and the team that has won 9 straight has suddenly become very dangerous now that the playoffs have arrived.

Houston Texans (8-8, 9-7, 3rd) Well, I felt like this would be the year the Texans became relevant, and, had Matt Schaub stayed healthy all season, I probably would've been right. Some poor late game play on the part of Sage Rosenfels, highlighted by his fumble and interception leading to a 21-point turnaround with under 5 minutes remaining in a 4 point loss to Indy moved Houston to 8-8 instead of the winning record they deserved. Watch out, though. Schaub showed some real potential, Andre Johnson is a Pro Bowl receiver and Steve Slaton had a heck of a rookie year.

Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4, 5-11, 1st) I've been duped. And so was nearly every other sports prognosticator, including my esteemed colleague Matt Barnes. The efficiency of David Garrard and the running of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew foretold great things to come. Unfortunately, the Jags' line fell apart, the running backs stalled, and Garrard became not-so-efficient. This ranks with the Ravens as one of my worst calls of the year, especially because I predicted them to make the Final Four of the NFL season.

West
San Diego Chargers (15-1, 8-8, 1st) To predict a team to go 15-1 was probably a bad idea, especially because it's a Norv Turner coached team. They were 7 games worse than I predicted, LT was a shell of his former self basically until Week 17 against Denver, and last year's phenomenon cornerback Antonio Cromartie had an historically bad season. BUT...my Super Bowl Champs still qualified for the Super Bowl Tournament, so not all is lost. Can they really knock off anyone else in the field, let alone Indy in the Wild Card round?? Doubtful.

Denver Broncos (8-8, 10-6, 2nd) I thought Jay Cutler would continue his play of 2007 with an even better season in 2008, and, while he did break the Broncos' mark for passing yardage, he also threw 4 interceptions in the redzone, something he had never done before this season. All in all, the Denver D was a joke, and that was their downfall.

Oakland Raiders (6-10, 5-11, 3rd) I foresaw a great turnaround for the downtrodden Raiders in 2008..."great" being a relative term of course. With a late season surge that happened. Not how I thought though. I thought that Darren McFadden and Michael Bush would form a rushing tandem that could kill opposing defenses. That didn't exactly happen, but JaMarcus Russell seems to have actually developed some toward the end of the year. It will be interesting to see what 2009 holds for Da Raidas.

Kansas City Chiefs (2-14, 5-11, 4th) Well, I predicted the 1-4 finish of the AFC's Western Division, but it would seem I didn't guess any of the records correctly. Oh well. Larry Johnson was even worse than I assumed he would be, and the Chiefs struggled all season to even compete. Tyler Thigpen did an admirable job at quarterback, but I don't see great things in the near future for the Chiefs.

NFC
East
New York Giants (12-4, 9-7, 4th) I was only 3 games off with the G-Men, but, that was last place in what I (and everyone else) assumed would be a completely stacked NFC East. The defending Super Bowl Champs really got things done in the 2007 post-season with a ferocious defensive line. I knew Justin Tuck would be a force, but with Michael Strahan retiring and Osi Umenyiora getting a season-ending injury, I didn't think New York could repeat. Turns out, the d-line is just as good as ever, and the Earth, Wind, and Fire running game was fantastic. They'll be tough to beat.

Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1, 11-5, 2nd) I foresaw great things from the Eagles this season, and they looked like a huge disappointment in a tie with the Bengals and a dismantling at the hands of the Ravens. They put things together, though, after Donovan McNabb got done being benched and Brian Westbrook got back on the field, and they ended up almost as good as I predicted. Anybody want to play this team right now?? I doubt it.

Dallas Cowboys (11-5, 9-7, 1st) They're only two games worse than my prediction, but those two games make this one of the most disappointing teams of 2008, along with the Jags. This team is in need of a total revamp because what they're doing right now just isn't working. Also, how long do we give Tony Romo before we can actually label him as a failure in big games??

Washington Redskins (10-6, 8-8, 3rd) Jason Campbell really impressed me last season, and I felt that he, Clinton Portis and Chris Cooley would wreak havoc on opposing teams in 2008. That happened as they started 6-2, but in losing 6 of the last 8, they showed who they really were, a .500 team.

North
Minnesota Vikings (10-6, 11-5, 1st) I hated picking them to finish first in the North to start the year, I hated picking them to play in the Super Bowl, and I hate them in general. But...the Vikings won 7-of-9 to finish the season and wrapped up the NFC North title. This team needs two things before it will actually challenge for a championship...a competent quarterback (Hello?? Is this Matt Cassel?? Would you like to play with Adrian Peterson??), and Adrian Peterson to stop fumbling the football. 10 fumbles in one season?? An MVP doesn't do that.

Chicago Bears (9-7, 2-14, 4th) So, I'll take the credit. This was a terrible call on my part. As bad as Da Bears were last season only a year after being in the Super Bowl, could only get worse in my opinion. 2-14 worse?? That was pushing it. Kyle Orton actually played well, the Bears Defense got things back together, and this was a team that was in it until the very end.

Green Bay Packers (6-10, 10-6, 2nd) Being a Packers fan, this team was a huge heartbreak all season. This is all you need to know about the Pack in 2008...They lost 10 games...7 of those losses were by 4 or less points...6 of those 7 losses were lost either in the final 3 minutes of the game or in overtime. That's six games that the Packers couldn't close out. This is a talented team, but 3 things held them back. They couldn't close a game, they couldn't stop the run, and Aaron Rodgers, despite a fantastic season, had a penchant for game-clinching interceptions after the defense lost him the lead. Fix those three things and this team can compete with anyone.

Detroit Lions (0-16, 3-13, 3rd) Well, what can be said about the first 0-16?? Jon Kitna guaranteed 10 wins again this year, and I was smart enough not to believe it, but even I couldn't have foreseen an 0-16 campaign. Motown better hope the new coach can get some work done in 2009. Build around Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson...as for everyone else...who cares??

South
Carolina Panthers (12-4, 10-6, 2nd) I predicted Jake Delhomme would make a triumphant return to the big stage and Jon Stewart would be a hoss in his first season in the NFL. Stewart was great, Delhomme was average. Fortunately for the Falcons, there was DeAngelo Williams. The second year man out of Memphis scored 18 touchdowns, and turned it up when the Panthers needed it most. If the rushing duo can keep up what they're currently doing, they may not be able to be stopped.

Atlanta Falcons (11-5, 7-9, 4th) In probably the best division in football top to bottom this season, I predicted they'd improve, just not the drastic way in which they did. My thinking was that Michael Turner would win them more games than they won last season, but I didn't foresee the development of Matt Ryan. This team is a blessing for Atlanta and embattled owner Arthur Blank. I wouldn't be surprised to see them stomp the Cardinals this week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7, 9-7 3rd) There were only two teams I picked completely correct in terms of record, and both, coincidentally, went 9-7. The Bucs are another disappointment in 2008. After starting 9-3, they went 0-for-December for the second year in a row, and if Jon Gruden's job isn't on the line, it should be after not winning a playoff game since his Super Bowl Championship 7 years ago.

New Orleans Saints (8-8, 10-6, 1st) They were only 2 games worse than I predicted, yet went from first to last. It wasn't because of Drew Brees. The diminuitive passer came 15 yards short of Dan Marino's seaon passing record, recording over 5,000 yards through the air. The Saints couldn't come up with any running game, though, and their vertical pass defense was atrocious. Get a power rusher and some quick defensive backs, and this is a team to give a second look to.

West
Arizona Cardinals (9-7, 3-13, 3rd) Every year people say that the Cardinals are going to turn it around, and every year I fall for it. This season, though, I didn't, and wouldn't you know it, I was wrong. Kurt Warner had a renaissance, much-aided by the unbelievable Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Give those two a real team, and they'd be about unbeatable. This team, on the other hand, packed it in already, and I'd be surprised if they win Sunday against Atlanta.

San Francisco 49ers (7-9, 2-14, 4th) This division just killed me. I couldn't really make an accurate prediction for any team. All I do know is that this team played hard for Mike Singletary, and I hope, for his sake, they continue to do that now that he has a five-year contract to his name.

Seattle Seahawks (4-12, 12-4, 1st) Statistically speaking, this was my biggest miss of the season. I thought, like almost every other season, this would be the only competitive team in the West. Turns out, they were terrible and gave Mike Holmgren a pretty pathetic swan song. The cupboard isn't bare, but I doubt they'll compete next season.

St. Louis Rams (2-14, 4-12, 2nd) It says a lot about what I thought about this division, considering I picked a 4-12 team to finish second. So, I was a little harsh. I wasn't far off on the Rams though. They have fallen hard since "The Greatest Show on Turf", and, while Steven Jackson is an incredible talent, he can't stay healthy long enough to get this team some wins.

Playoff Seeds
AFC
1. Tennessee-The Titans jumped out to an 11-0 start, then lost 3-of-5 to finish, though only one of those losses really had meaning. Injuries and fatigue seems to be getting to the Titans, and they had better hope both of those can be fixed with their upcoming two week break.

2. Pittsburgh-The Steelers have one of the most ferocious defenses in NFL history, and teams had better hope to be tough if they want to compete. Big Ben Roethlisberger, like his defense, is tough as nails, but the problem is that he has to prove it repeatedly because he has to get hit all the time. Hopefully he can recover from Sunday's concussion for their Divisional Round.

3. Miami-The Dolphins are one of the two biggest surprises in the NFL this season (along with the Falcons), and many will probably assume they'll fall to the Ravens in the Wild Card Round, because they're "just happy to be there". I, though, think the game will be more competitive than the 27-13 Ravens win in Miami earlier in the year.

4. San Diego-The Chargers have their work cut out for them, but they have picked the perfect time in the season to hit their prime. They're going to need it with Peyton's boys coming to San Diego for a rematch of Indy's 23-20 last second win a few weeks ago. A lot of this game will come down to the status of LT, who strained his groin late against Denver.

5. Indianapolis-Peyton Manning's knee injury was much more serious than anyone let on (Tiger Woods-esque are we??), and he didn't feel fully healthy until Week 8. So what has he done since he finally felt like himself again?? Won every single game.

6. Baltimore-When this is the 6th seed in the playoffs, you know it's a stacked field. I could see any of these six having a shot at the Super Bowl, and even with rookie Joe Flacco at the helm, I would rank Baltimore as the 3rd best shot, behind Indy and Pittsburgh. Flacco has developed nicely, and that defense, led by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, has been outstanding.

NFC
1. New York-The Giants have the icy Meadowlands on their side, which should bode well, since the Eagles are the only other team in the field used to playing in the cold. The biggest thing for the G-Men, though, will be the health of Brandon Jacobs. If they lose their 265 pound running back, they lose a lot of their offensive swagger, even with Derrick Ward rushing for over 1,000 yards.

2. Carolina-Carolina hasn't been to the playoffs since their Super Bowl loss to the Pats, but their running game is built for postseason success. Another matchup between the Giants and Panthers could be something special.

3. Minnesota-The Vikes started off 3-4, but won 7-of-9 to go 10-6 and wrap up the NFC North. Tarvaris Jackson was benched, then reinstated, the Williamses were suspended then re-instated, then Pat Williams broke his scapula, Adrian Peterson looked like an MVP rusher but fumbled 10 times. What I'm trying to say is, this is an unpredictable team, and I have no idea what to expect from them.

4. Arizona-The Cards have "just happy to be here" written all over them, and I expect nothing out of them in the playoffs. Congrats to Boldin and Fitzgerald though for easily being the best wide receiver tandem in the NFL.

5. Atlanta-The Falcons are looking great, and Matt Ryan has passed everyone's expectations. If they want to advance in the playoffs, though, it's going to lie on the legs of Michael "The Burner" Turner.

6. Philadelphia-The Eagles were left for dead, and I think their rise to the playoffs has more to do with the return of Brian Westbrook than the awakening of Donovan McNabb. What it comes down to, though, is that this is a suddenly dangerous team playing with house money, and that's nothing to turn your nose up at.

Playoff Predictions
Wild Card
AFC
Indianapolis-38, San Diego-24
Baltimore-24, Miami-14
NFC
Atlanta-35, Arizona-17
Minnesota-28, Philadelphia-24
Divisional
AFC
Baltimore-17, Tennessee-14
Indianapolis-21, Pittsburgh-20
NFC
New York-28, Minnesota-10
Carolina-35, Atlanta-28
Championship
AFC
Indianapolis-17, Baltimore-7
NFC
Carolina-23, New York-21
Super Bowl
Indianapolis-34, Carolina-24

It looks like my predictions for the year weren't fantastic, considering I guessed only one full division and 10 out of 32 teams correctly in terms of placement, including only 2 teams with the correct record. My playoff teams weren't good either. In the AFC, I was correct with San Diego, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, and in the NFC, Minnesota and Philadelphia. Let's hope my playoff predictions go a little better. It's been fun

Week 17 Picks-It's All Over

2008-12-28T13:46:00.001-05:00

Well, this is the last week of the regular season, and it's been a less than stellar season picking games here at Legends of Friday Night. Alas, we must finish the season. But...for my ATS picks, I did something a little different this week. I've given way to my assistant/girlfriend Kristi to do some celebrity picks this week. The only problem?? I somehow messed up my saved messages folder on Webmail so that it didn't save her email, and the King of Arguments only posted picks, not comments, so all I have for you is her picks, not her comments. Then, in straight up picks, I went a not so good 8-8 last week to bring my season record to 134-104-1. My pre-season picks record is now 145-93-1 after my first losing effort of the year, at 7-9. So, here are Kristi's against the spread picks, and my own straight up picks. Giddy Up!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28TH

St. Louis @ Atlanta (-15)
The Pick: St.Louis (ATS) Atlanta (Straight Up)

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh (-10.5)
The Pick: Cleveland (ATS) Pittsburgh (Straight Up)

New England (-6.5) @ Buffalo
The Pick: New England

Kansas City @ Cincinnati (-3)
The Pick: Cincinnati

Detroit @ Green Bay (-9)
The Pick: Green Bay

Chicago (-1.5) @ Houston
The Pick: Houston (ATS) Chicago (Straight Up)

Tennessee (-3) @ Indianapolis
The Pick: Tennessee (ATS) Indianapolis (Straight Up)

New York Giants @ Minnesota (-6.5)
The Pick: New York Giants (ATS) Minnesota (Straight Up)

Carolina (-3) @ New Orleans
The Pick: Carolina

Oakland @ Tampa Bay (-13)
The Pick: Tampa Bay

Dallas @ Philadelphia (-1.5)
The Pick: Dallas

Jacksonville @ Baltimore (-12.5)
The Pick: Baltimore

Miami @ New York Jets (-2.5)
The Pick: Miami

Seattle @ Arizona (-6)
The Pick: Arizona

Washington @ San Francisco (-3)
The Pick: Washington (ATS) San Francisco (Straight Up)

Denver @ San Diego (-8.5)
The Pick: San Diego

Week 16-NFL Picks...Do You Believe in Miracles??

2008-12-20T22:37:00.000-05:00

Last week, I took to mindlessly picking games, and it worked!! I went 13-3 against the spread and 10-6 overall. So, we'll keep it going. Here's this week's way of picking the games. I'm going to compare this year's records of the competing coaches' alma maters. Best record wins. Also, to make up for quality of competition, one win will turn into a loss for FCS teams, and for D-2 and below, it will be two wins. If the straight up winner and ATS winner can be different teams, I'll take the longest tenured player on each team, and look at their alma maters. Whoever's alma mater has existed the longest will win the game. So, even if you think I’m nuts, you’ll at least learn something…whether it be where certain coaches are from, who the oldest guys on teams are, or how long certain universities have been around. In terms of straight up picks, I'm now 126-96-1 on the year, and my preseason picks are 12 games better, 138-84-1. I need to go 39-4 and 26-16 the rest of the way to beat last year's record. Here goes!! Giddy up!!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18TH

Indianapolis (-6) @ Jacksonville
The Pick: Indianapolis
Starting off, I didn't decide to do this until after this pick was due, so I just went with Indy. Let's see how it would have worked out. Tony Dungy was a star at Minnesota which was a much-improved 7-5 this year, but the Jags' Jack Del Rio went to USC, which is 11-1. Under that, I should have picked the Jags. Great start to the week.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20TH

Baltimore @ Dallas (-4.5)
The Pick: Dallas
Baltimore's John Harbaugh starred at Miami of Ohio, where the woeful Redhawks went 2-10. Wade "Don't care what goes on, as long as I get paid" Phillips, meanwhile, played at Houston, which is 7-5 at the time. The Cowboys take the hard fought match-up of playoff hopefuls.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21ST

Cincinnati @ Cleveland (-3)
The Pick: Cleveland
Most people probably don't know that "Soon to be Starvin" Marvin Lewis was a Bengal long before taking residence in Cincinnati. Marvin was an Idaho State Bengal in college. Another fact some may not know. The last job of the "Voice of the Bobcats", Russ Eisenstein, was with ISU. Crazy. Anyway, the Bengals were 1-11 this year in FCS action, translating to 0-12 with quality of competition. Can Romeo Crennel find a way to blow it against a defeated team?? I could see it. Alas, he didn't this time. Rome went to Western Kentucky, where the independent Hilltoppers finished a terrible 2-10. Two pitiful college records to go with two pitiful NFL records, but Cleveland wins.

New Orleans (-6.5) @ Detroit
The Pick: Detroit (ATS) New Orleans (Straight Up)
New Orleans' Sean Payton was a 10,000 yard passer at Eastern Illinois (Maybe this should be the "Cradle of Coaches" [more on that later]) who went an adjusted 4-8 this season. Detroit's Rod Marinelli seems to me like an Army man, and it turns out, he did do a tour in Vietnam. He didn't play at West Point, though. He played 2 years at Utah and 2 at California Lutheran, so we'll take the Utes' first six games (6-0) and the Lutes' (actually they're the Kingsmen) second six (1-5) for a total of 7-5. That means Detroit covers. So we go to the other tie breaker. New Orleans' longest tenured player is 16 year man Mark Brunell out of Washington. And this is even better than I thought!! We have an Apple Cup showdown! Detroit has 17 year man, Jason Hanson out of Wazzu, Washington State. These guys played college ball against each other, and now the age of their schools will decide the game. Washington is 147 years old, while State is only 116 years old. Detroit covers, but the Saints win to keep the Lionesses defeated on the year.

Miami (-4) @ Kansas City
The Pick: Kansas City (ATS) Miami (Straight Up)
Herm Edwards played 2 years at Cal, one at Monterey Peninsula JC, and one at San Diego State. Cal’s first six games give you 4-2, but the Lobos didn’t list their results, so they get an 0-3, and the Spartans finished 1 for their last 3, for a total of 5-7. How about Tony Sparano?? He attended the University of New Haven, and it turns out, the Chargers played club ball this year, and didn’t list their results. That gives Sparano an 0-12, meaning KC covers. Who will win, though?? Nose Tackle Jason Ferguson of Miami is in his 12th year out of Georgia, which is a whopping 223 years old. KC has UCLA’s Donnie Edwards. The Bruins have only been around for 91 years. Miami, in its usual way, will squeak out another one.

Pittsburgh (-1) @ Tennessee
The Pick: Tennessee
The Steelers’ Mike Tomlin is a grad of William and Mary, who went an adjusted 6-5. Jeff Fisher, though, is a USC boy, so his 11-1 lifts the Titans to victory, securing the number one seed in the AFC

Arizona @ New England (-8)
The Pick: Arizona (ATS) New England (Straight Up)
Ken Whisenhunt played ball at Georgia Tech, and the Ramblin’ Wreck and triple option led the Jackets to a 9-3 record. Bill Belichick, meanwhile, played at Wesleyan. The Cards went an adjusted 0-9, so the Arizona Cards are looking good against the Pats. Arizona’s longest tenured player is Bryan Robinson, a nose tackle from Fresno State. New England’s oldest is USC’s own Junior Seau. The Pats, like the Fins, will win close because USC has been around 128 years to Fresno’s 97.

San Diego @ Tampa Bay (-3)
The Pick: San Diego
Norv “Not the Burner” Turner went to Oregon, home of the 9-3 Ducks. As for Chucky Gruden?? He was a quarterback for the Dayton Flyers, who, with an adjusted 8-4, falling just short of Norv’s boys in San Diego. Can the Bucs pull out a 1 or 2 point win, though?? Turns out, no, and by the slimmest of margins. Tampa has 3-14 year guys, but Joey Galloway of Ohio State is the oldest. For San Diego, long snapper David Binn went to California. Turns out, the Golden Bears beat out the Bucks 139-138, and the Bucks and Bucs lose out in the end.

San Francisco (-5.5) @ St. Louis
The Pick: St. Louis
Mike Singletary went to Baylor, who had a less-than-banner 3-9 season. Jim Haslett, meanwhile, went to Indiana University…of Pennsylvania. The Crimson Hawks were an adjusted 7-4, a winner in this game. As for the actual game?? St. Louis’ Trent Green went to Indiana University…of Indiana, and Isaac Bruce of the Niners (sounds wrong doesn’t it?) went to Memphis. Well, St. Louis is going to take the win because Indiana beats Memphis 188-96.

Atlanta @ Minnesota (-3)
The Pick: Minnesota
Mike Smith attended East Tennessee State University, the same as my aunt and cousin. Unfortunately, the Bucs no longer have football, so he gets an 0-12. Brad Childress, on the other hand, Brad Childress is our second Eastern Illinois head coach, but unlike Sean Payton, the 4-8 pulls out a win for his team.

Philadelphia (-4.5) @ Washington
The Pick: Philadelphia
Andy Reid is from BYU, who is 10-2, and Jim Zorn went to Cal Poly Pomona. Unfortunately for Zorn, the Broncos don’t field a football team anymore, so Philly takes the win, keeping themselves alive with the Atlanta loss.

Buffalo @ Denver (-7)
The Pick: Buffalo (ATS) Denver (Straight Up)
Dick Jauron is an Ivy League man, attending Yale in his college days. The Bulldogs finished an even 5-5 with adjustment. Mike Shanahan is our third head man from Eastern Illinois, and the 4-8 isn’t enough to win this time. Buffalo makes it close, but can they win?? The Bills’ longest tenured man is Jason Whittle from Missouri State. For the Broncs, it’s not surprise that it’s center Tom Nalen, out of Boston College. BC is 145 years old, and the Bears have been around for only 103. Denver wins a squeaker.

Houston (-7) @ Oakland
The Pick: Houston
Houston native Gary Kubiak won me a big one last week. Let’s see what his 4-8 Aggies of Texas A&M can do for me this week. Answer?? Just enough. Tom Cable went to Idaho, and the Vandals finished a woeful 2-10 in the competitive WAC. Houston takes it comfortably.

New York Jets (-5) @ Seattle
The Pick Seattle
Eric Mangini, like his former mentor Bill Belichick, gets an 0-9 from his alma mater, Wesleyan. Mike Holmgren, meanwhile, was a quarterback at USC, so he gets 11-1 and a comfortable cover. Can the ‘Hawks knock Favre and the Jets out of the AFC East race, though?? Well, Favre has a little to say about it. He’s the longest tenured Jet, and his Southern Miss Golden Eagles have been around for 98 years. For the ‘Hawks, the oldest guy is Chris Gray from Auburn. The Tigers take the win and so does Seattle, 152-98.

Carolina @ New York Giants (-3)
The Pick: Carolina
John Fox was once a teammate of Herm Edwards at San Diego State. He gets the whole season’s worth of games from the Spartans instead of just the last 3, so his record is 2-10. Tom Coughlin, meanwhile, played in the backfield with Larry Csonka at Syracuse. The Orangemen pull out a close Giants’ win with a 3-9 record.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 22ND

Green Bay @ Chicago (-4)
The Pick: Chicago
Mike McCarthy went to tiny Baker University in Kansas, where the Wildcats finished an adjusted 6-6. Lovie Smith went to Tulsa, though, who was ranked for the first time in about 60 years and finished 9-3. Bears win, guaranteeing the Pack, not only their second losing record since ’92, but also their second double-digit loss season in the same period.

NFL Week 15- The Picks Are Getting Desperate

2008-12-11T02:08:00.000-05:00

Alright. Because I suck, we at Legends of Friday Night are going to do something a little different this week. When I played high school football, my number was 84, and it has since been one of my 3 favorite numbers. So...this week, I'm going to look at the number 84's on both teams and pick the team that has the more productive 84. Then, in a case where it could be a different pick between ATS and Straight Up, I'll use the longer tenured of the number 51's, since 51 was my number in Midget Football. So...here goes.
Wait. Also...I have no idea how Barnes and I compare because some games got left out in our running tally. All I know is that I am 116-90-1 right now, and I'm sure he's a good deal better. Last year I finished 165-101, meaning I'd have to go 49-10 the rest of the way in order to better last year's record. That's going to be nearly impossible. The even more depressing part...I picked every game before the season started, and those are 124-82-1, 8 games better than my current clip.
Anyway...on with the picks.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11TH

New Orleans @ Chicago (-3)
The Pick: Chicago
Chicago-Brandon Rideau-one game played, no numbers of any kind
New Orleans-No number 84
You've got to be kidding me. The winner in this one is the player who has made one appearance and doesn't have a catch or a run or any yards of any kind. We're off to quite the start.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14TH

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta (-3)
The Pick: Atlanta
Tampa Bay-Joey Galloway-7 games, 2 starts, 12 rec, 134 yds, 11.2 ypc, 0 TD
Atlanta-Roddy White-13 games, 12 starts, 78 rec, 1249 yds, 16.0 ypc, 6 TD
Well, I don't think there's any question here. White may be headed for the Pro Bowl, while the former Buckeye, Galloway, is barely in the league.

San Francisco @ Miami (-6.5)
The Pick: San Francisco
San Francisco-Josh Morgan-9 games, 1 start, 15 rec, 214 yds, 14.3 ypc, 2 TD
Miami-No number 84
Another bad number 84 strikes again. And...we go to the number 51 clause. And we have...Miami's Akin Ayodele having 7 years, and San Fran's Takeo Spikes with 11 years. San Fran not only covers, they win!!

Seattle (-3) @ St. Louis
The Pick: Seattle
Seattle-Bobby Engram-10 games, 8 starts, 32 rec, 328 yds, 10.3 ypc, 0 TD
St. Louis-Randy McMichael-4 games, 4 starts, 11 rec, 139 yds, 12.6 ypc, 0 TD
Well, neither guy has really played much this season, but Engram gets the edge and so do the Seahawks

Washington (-6.5) @ Cincinnati
The Pick: Cincinnati (ATS), Washington (Straight Up)
Washington-No number 84
Cincinnati-TJ Whosyourmama, 13 games, 13 starts, 89 rec, 885 yds, 9.9 ypc, 4 TD
The 'Skins have no 84, but it'd be tough for anyone to beat unhappy TJ anyway. And now...heading to the number 51 rule, Alfred Fincher, the Skins Lineback, has 4 years, and Corey Mays, the 'Backer from Notre Dame only has 3. Cinci covers, Skins win.

Tennessee (-3) @ Houston
The Pick: Houston
Tennessee-No Number 84
Houston-No Number 84
My God. Neither team has a number 84?!? What do we do?!? Well, says I, I guess we move on to my second favorite number, and that would be 7.
So, we'll make it, the youngest number 7. Turns out neither team has a number 7 either. Well, this is just getting annoying.
Thought number 3 was to see which team beat the Packers by more, but both were 3 point games.
So, tie breaker number 4 should be...should be...which coach is from closest to Rawson, OH, where I'm from. Jeff Fisher of the Titans is from Culver City, CA, a mere 33 hours and 49 minutes from my house. Gary Kubiak, on the other hand, is from Houston, which is 19 hours and 12 minutes from my place. Therefore, the pick is Houston.
So now, we move on to the number 51 tiebreaker, for the game's winner. Houston's Chaun Thompson has been in the league for 6 years and Tennessee's 51 doesn't exist. Can the Texans pull off the upset?? Well...the numbers, however strange they may be, say yes.

Detroit @ Indianapolis (-17)
The Pick: Detroit
Detroit-Shaun McDonald-12 games, 7 starts, 35 rec, 332 yds, 9.5 ypc, 1 TD
Indianapolis-Jacob Tamme-9 games, 0 starts, 1 rec, 6 yds, 6.0 ypc, 0 TD
The Lions cover the spread. What does the rule of 51 say about the outcome?? Indy has no 51, and Detroit has Dominic Raiola, who has played for 8 years, even though he's a bad, bad dude. Whatever. The numbers say Detroit gets off the schneid this week. Boy do I feel like this numbers game is going a bad direction right now.

Green Bay (-2) @ Jacksonville
The Pick: Green Bay
Green Bay-Tory Humphrey-13 games, 5 starts, 10 rec, 148 yds, 14.8 ypc, 0 TD
Jacksonville-Troy Williamson-5 games, 1 start, 4 rec, 27 yds, 6.8 ypc, 1 TD
Packers win. Hooray!!

San Diego (-5) @ Kansas City
The Pick: San Diego
San Diego-Craig Davis-4 games, 0 starts, 4 rec, 59 yds, 14.8 ypc, 0 TD
Kansas City-No number 84
Wow. This is truly as pathetic as both of these teams have been. Dumb.

Buffalo @ New York Jets (-7)
The Pick: Buffalo
Buffalo-Robert Royal-12 games, 7 starts, 29 rec, 308 yds, 10.6 ypc, 1 TD
New York Jets-No Number 84
Well...I wouldn't have gone this direction, but maybe the number gods know more than I do. What does the rule of 51 have to say?? Buffalo has second year man, Paul Posluszny of Penn State, and the Jet have no one. Damn you Jets. Well...just cause I'm picking them doesn't mean I can't do my weekly, The ship is sinking in Buffalo!!!

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore (-2)
The Pick: Baltimore
Pittsburgh-No Number 84
Baltimore-Edgar Jones-5 games, 0 starts, no numbers whatsoever
Just as in the New Orleans-Chicago game, Baltimore wins it with a guy who has no numbers on the year. The AFC North is heating up!!!

Denver @ Carolina (-7.5)
The Pick: Carolina
Denver-No Number 84-damn you Javon Walker
Carolina-Mark Jones-13 games, 0 starts, 2 rec, 32 yds, 16.0 ypc, 0 TD
Looks like the Panthers take it and take control of the NFC South

Minnesota @ Arizona (-3)
The Pick: Minnesota
Minnesota-Aundrae Allison-12 games, 0 starts, 10 rec, 109 yds, 10.9 ypc 0 TD
Arizona-Jerame Tuman-3 games, 2 starts, 3 rec, 41 yds, 13.7 ypc, 0 TD
The Vikings cover to make it 4-for-4 for the NFC Norse. Now, can the rule of 51 give them a win as well?? Pago Togafau of Arizona has 2 years of experience, and Minnesota's Ben Leber has been in the league 7 years. Vikes win.

New England (-7) @ Oakland
The Pick: New England
New England-Ben Watson-11 games, 6 starts, 22 rec, 209 yds, 9.5 ypc, 2 TD
Oakland-Javon Walker-8 games, 7 starts, 15 rec, 196 yds, 13.1 ypc, 1 TD
This is the closest one so far, but Ben Watson and the Pats pull out the win.

New York Giants @ Dallas (-3)
The Pick: Dallas
New York Giants-Darcy Johnson-13 games, 1 start, 2 rec, 2 yds, 1 ypc, 2 TD
Dallas-Patrick Crayton-13 games, 7 starts, 31 rec, 409 yds, 13.2 ypc, 3 TD
I'm impressed that Johnson has 2-1 yd. TD receptions and nothing else, but Crayton has pretty good numbers. Dallas wins.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 15TH

Cleveland @ Philadelphia (-14)
The Pick: Philadelphia
Cleveland-Joe Jurevicius-Physically Unable to Play
Philadelphia-Hank Baskett-13 games, 5 starts, 30 rec, 425 yds, 14.2 ypc, 3 TD
Well, I think it's obvious who gets the choice in this one.

So...two things. 1. I hope this can give me lots and lots of blind luck and lead me to a good week. 2. Number 84 is a very weak number in the NFL right now. There's TJ Whosyourmama and Roddy White, and then like two mediocre guys. That's it. Go Pack Go

NFL Week 14

2008-12-08T01:43:00.000-05:00

Well...the picks are up really late, but they were done before the games started. You'll be able to tell when you see how terrible they are. I'm not sure how Barnes and I are doing against each other, but I think he's ahead of me by 8 or 9 games.

THURSDAY,DECEMBER 4TH

Oakland @ San Diego (-9.5)
The Pick: San Diego
I have no confidence in the Chargers, but lately they seem to be able to handle the Raiders pretty well. I could easily see this going the other way though.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7TH

Jacksonville @ Chicago (-6.5)
The Pick; Chicago
The Jags just want this season to end, and the Bears should have a renewed vigor after seeing the Williamses fall for the Vikes.

Minnesota (-8) @ Detroit
The Pick: Minnesota
There's a chance for a letdown, but AD isn't going to let that happen against the Lions I expect.

Houston @ Green Bay (-5.5)
The Pick: Green Bay
Another Packer pick I have very little confidence in. I hate when I have to feel that way, especially against the Texans.

Cincinnati @ Indianapolis (-13.5)
The Pick: Cincinnati (ATS) Indy (Straight Up)
They won't win, but I feel like they'll keep it close.

Atlanta @ New Orleans (-3)
The Pick: Atlanta
Matty Ice and The Burner...that's enough for me

Philadelphia @ New York Giants (-7)
The Pick: New York Giants
I'd be crazy to pick against this team right now.

Cleveland @ Tennessee (-14)
The Pick: Tennessee
If Josh Cribbs come in at quarterback, I say Cleveland covers. With Ken Dorsey, nope.

Miami v. Buffalo (-1) (At Toronto)
The Pick: Miami
Buffalo=the ship is sinking!!!! How many times do I have to say it??

Kansas City @ Denver (-9)
The Pick: Kansas City
I don't trust Denver covering 9

New York Jets (-4) @ San Francisco
The Pick: New York Jets
Brett better get back on track against the Niners after last week's debacle.

St. Louis @ Arizona (-14)
The Pick: Arizona
St. Louis has no chance in my opinion.

Dallas @ Pittsburgh (-3)
The Pick: Pittsburgh
I think the Steelers are a force to be reckoned with

New England (-5) @ Seattle
The Pick: New England
Seattle is just plain bad.

Washington @ Baltimore (-5)
The Pick: Baltimore
They have improved rapidly, and I'm cool with it.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8TH

Tampa Bay @ Carolina (-3)
The Pick: Tampa Bay
I just think the Bucs are a better team.

NFL Picks Week Thirteen

2008-11-30T00:38:00.001-05:00

Well...it was a pretty good week last week that I'm just trying to build on during the stretch run. I went 11-5 against the spread and 10-6 straight up with my one difference being that Seattle covered but didn't win. That brings my season total to 88-73-1. Barnes, only lost one game to my good week, though, staying 9 games ahead of me, 97-64-1. I've got a ways to go if I want to beat him. Here are the picks this week.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH

Tennessee (-11) @ Detroit
The Pick: Tennessee
The Lions have a tendency to play their most inspired football in front of a Turkey Day audience, but I'm not sure their most inspired football can overcome even an 11 point spread against a pissed off group of Titans.

Seattle @ Dallas (-12.5)
The Pick: Seattle (ATS), Dallas (Straight Up)
I went with the 'Hawks and Hasselbeck last week and he got the cover for me. Can he do it against the 'Boys on the road?? Well...Shaun Hill put up 22 on them. In a 13 point game you say?? What do I have to lose says I. Give me the 'Hawks.

Arizona @ Philadelphia (-3)
The Pick: Arizona
The face that the Eagles are favored against the Cardinals, despite the fact that they have to travel across the country where no west team has won all year...blah, blah, blah...it's laughable. The Eagles may be the second worst team in the NFL right now in front of the Lionesses.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH

San Francisco @ Buffalo (-7)
The Pick: San Francisco
Two reasons...Shaun Hill has played well recently, and I told you the Bills ship is sinking twice already, and I'm not about to jump off that bandwagon.

Baltimore (-7) @ Cincinnati
The Pick: Baltimore
I'd take this line if it were 20. The Ravens are coming alive.

Indianapolis (-4.5) @ Cleveland
The Pick: Indy
The Browns are going the downward direction, and the Colts are going the upward direction. It seems so simple.

Carolina @ Green Bay (-3)
The Pick: Green Bay
I was supposed to be at this game, but my dad's shoulder isn't healed enough for the cold weather, so we're breaking tradition, which is bad but necessary. Anyway, the Packers and Panthers both got tore up last week, so I'll go with the home team because, A. I said I wouldn't pick against them again, and B. If they don't win this, their season is probably over.

Denver @ New York Jets (-8)
The Pick: New York Jets
J-E-T-S Bretts, Bretts, Bretts!! They'll tear up the mostly young Denver defense just like everyone else has been. It's stunning how many young players Denver has, and the Jets are hitting on all cylinders.

Miami (-8) @ St. Louis
The Pick: Miami
I've already said that I'm the Chad Pennington of touch football, but I'm going to trade in my throwing ball for some receiver gloves in my annual Turkey Bowl Friday. Can I be a Ted Ginn of touch football?? No, but maybe a smaller Anthony Fasano??

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay (-3.5)
The Pick: Tampa Bay
Brees will get yards, but not like he did against the Pack.

New York Giants (-3.5) @ Washington
The Pick: New York Giants
Washington almost lost to Seattle. New York lost to the Browns. The Seattle squeaker is still worse in my book.

Atlanta @ San Diego (-5.5)
The Pick: Atlanta
I still think San Diego favored is laughable. Matty Ice and The Burner taught me a lesson last week that will probably backfire on me this week.

Pittsburgh @ New England (-1)
The Pick: New England
Too much fire power for the Pats at home. Cassell is looking for a pay day.

Kansas City @ Oakland (-3)
The Pick: Kansas City
I don't think da Raidas can string two together.

Chicago @ Minnesota (-3.5)
The Pick: Minnesota
On the fake grass indoors, AD will have a day.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 1ST

Jacksonville @ Houston (-3)
The Pick: Houston
Rosenfels...Rosenfels...Rosenfels. Also, look up the combined stats for Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. It's not even funny, just sad.

That's all. Go Pack Go

NFL Picks-Week Twelve

2008-11-22T23:04:00.000-05:00

Alright. Here are my picks for the week. I was a pretty good 10-5-1 last week straight up while my Against the Spread was a miserable 4-12. My straight up record though is 78-67-1 now. Not terrible...not great. Here are my picks this week. No gimmicks. Just hoping things go better than they have.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20TH

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-10.5)
The Pick: Pittsburgh
A lot of times the visiting team wins in this series, but this isn't your average year. Despite what anyone says, the Bengals suck, and they won't cover.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 23RD

Carolina @ Atlanta (1.5)
The Pick: Carolina
The Panthers have been shaky lately, and the Falcons are fuming after last week's collapse. So what do you do?? Whatever goes against common sense.

Philadelphia @ Baltimore (-1)
The Pick: Philadelphia
Baltimore's rush D is really good, despite what happened against the Giants, but they won't need it this week. Donovan "What's a tie?" McNabb pulls it out before overtime.

Houston @ Cleveland (-3)
The Pick: Houston
Brady's not ready for DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams. Yes, I'm being serious.

San Francisco @ Dallas (-10)
The Pick: Dallas
My buddy Matt is down in Irving for his only trip to Texas Stadium, so I'll take the 'Boys even though I hate them.

Tampa Bay (-8.5) @ Detroit
The Pick: Tampa Bay
Detroit's going to get caught looking ahead to another wide receiver in the Top Five of the Draft. Oh wait...Millen's not there anymore?? No. I still expect the same.

Minnesota @ Jacksonville (-2)
The Pick: Minnesota
I don't trust either team and usually pick both wrong so everyone else should go with Jacksonville.

Buffalo (-3) @ Kansas City
The Pick: Kansas City
I said two weeks ago, I'll say it again. Buffalo is cooked. By the way...what happened to all of the people saying Trent Edwards should be MVP?? They've been awfully quiet lately. Also...I'll add that I just saw an unbelievable one-handed TD grab in the Oklahoma-Texas Tech game. My goodness.

New England @ Miami (-1.5)
The Pick: New England
Miami will finish above Buffalo but below the Pats and Jets. Belichick had 10 days to make up for the beating his boys took at Gillette. It won't happen again.

Chicago (-8) @ St. Louis
The Pick: Chicago
Steven Jackson's out. St. Louis loses bad.

New York Jets @ Tennessee (-5)
The Pick: New York Jets
Favre gets it done for the first time againt Tennessee D-Coordinator Jim Schwartz. He's thrown 4 picks and fumbled once in 2 starts against Schwartz defenses, but he gets them back in the worst way this week.

Oakland @ Denver (-9.5)
The Pick: Denver
I was very tempted to take Oakland, but I just don't feel like they can get it done.

New York Giants (-3.5) @ Arizona
The Pick: New York Giants
Kurt Warner won't be upright long enough to pass for 400 yards.

Washington (-3.5) @ Seattle
The Pick: Seattle
In Hasselback I trust this week

Indianapolis @ San Diego (-2.5)
The Pick: San Diego
San Diego favored by any margin is a joke to me right now, even if they have won their last 4 home games.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 24TH

Green Bay @ New Orleans (-2.5)
The Picks: Green Bay
I've picked against the Pack twice this year. I've lost twice. Nuff said.

That's it. Go Pack Go

NFL Picks- Week Eleven

2008-11-15T22:15:00.000-05:00

No Comments this week. And coming off another crappy showing. Boy do I suck. Barnes is ahead of me by 9 games. I don't know what the records are.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13TH
New York Jets @ New England (-3)
The Pick: New England

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 16TH
Denver @ Atlanta (-6)
The Pick: Denver

Oakland @ Miami (-10.5)
The Pick: Miami

Baltimore @ New York Giants (-6.5)
The Pick: Baltimore (ATS), New York Giants (Straight Up)

Houston @ Indianapolis (-8.5)
The Pick: Indianapolis

Chicago @ Green Bay (-4)
The Pick: Chicago (ATS), Green Bay (Straight Up)

Philadelphia (-9) @ Cincinnati
The Pick: Philadelphia

New Orleans (-5) @ Kansas City
The Pick: New Orleans

Detroit @ Carolina (-14)
The Pick: Carolina

Minnesota @ Tampa Bay (-3.5)
The Pick: Tampa Bay

St. Louis @ San Francisco (-6)
The Pick: St. Louis

Arizona (-3) @ Seattle
The Pick: Seattle

Tennessee (-3) @ Jacksonville
The Pick: Tennessee

San Diego @ Pittsburgh (-4.5)
The Pick: Pittsburgh

Dallas (-1) @ Washington
The Pick: Washington

MONDAY NOVEMBER 17TH
Cleveland @ Buffalo (-5.5)
The Pick: Buffalo

NFL-Week Ten Picks

2008-11-06T10:59:00.000-05:00

My picks this week will be based entirely on my iTunes. I'm going to play a song on my iTunes, and judging by which team I feel the song best fits and whether that shows the team in a positive or negative light will decide my pick. Also, straight up, I'm a miserable 68-62 while Barnes put a -5 on me last week to take an 8 game lead at 76-54. Man do I suck.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 6TH

Denver @ Cleveland (-3)
The Pick: Cleveland
We Built this City on Rock and Roll-Jefferson Starship
This classic song can only describe the city of Rock and Roll, and for that reason alone, Cleveland starts off the Brady Quinn era with a win.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 9TH

New Orleans @ Atlanta (-1)
The Pick: Atlanta
Become-Goo Goo Dolls
What the Falcons have become is a legitimate playoff contender. New Orleans has no defense and the Falcons will outscore them.

Tennessee (-3) @ Chicago
The Pick: Tennessee
Nothin' But the Taillights-Clint Black
The Titans are showing the AFC South and the rest of the NFL the taillights right now and just running away from everyone. When you have the NFL's leading rusher and leader in touchdowns, and it's two separate players...just wow.

Jacksonville (-6.5) @ Detroit
The Pick: Detroit
Just a Dream-Carrie Underwood
The Jags have to be thinking it's just a dream that their dream season is going down the drain so quickly. I could've said that the Lions are dreaming too because they never thought they'd go 0-for the first half, but I think it's more surprising to see Jacksonville at 3-5.

Baltimore (-1) @ Houston
The Pick: Houston
Rain-Breaking Benjamin
The hurricane rain has stopped in Houston, and the Texans have been great at home.

Seattle @ Miami (-9)
The Pick: Miami
Just Might Make Me Believe-Sugarland
Tony Sparano, Ronnie Brown and the efficiency man, Chad Pennington, are making Dolphins fans believe that this team could actually do something special. On a side note, I realized that I'm the Chad Pennington of touch football. My completion percentage is lights out, while my deep ball leaves something to be desired.

Green Bay @ Minnesota (-2)
The Pick: Green Bay
Everything I Do-Bryan Adams
Well...clearly I took this as a love song from the Pack to me or vice versa. Pack over Vi-Queens for the season sweep.

Buffalo @ New England (-3.5)
The Pick: New England
Wish I Didn't Know Now (What I Didn't Know Then)-Toby Keith
The Pats wish they didn't know that Tom Brady won't be helping them at all this season, but they do, and it's looking like they've come to grips with it finally. Also...mark my words. The ship is sinking in Buffalo.

St. Louis @ New York Jets (-8)
The Pick: New York Jets
Livin' On a Prayer-Bon Jovi
The Jets, and every Favre pass seems to be living on a prayer these days. Jets fans are praying for wins and less picks, and while, I'm not sure if the Jets can cover this spread, Bon Jovi says otherwise.

Carolina (-9) @ Oakland
The Pick: Carolina
My Last Name-Dierks Bentley
As soon as I saw this song come up, I thought of Hunt always picking Jake "Of the man" to pull out the win, so, clearly the Panthers will get it done.

Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh (-3.5)
The Pick: Pittsburgh
Keg in the Closet-Kenny Chesney
One line says "We went to class just to pass the time, back in '89." So who was the better team in 1989?? Pittsburgh was 9-7 to Indy's 8-8. Clearly the Steelers will cover.

Kansas City @ San Diego (-15)
The Pick: Kansas City
Piano Man-Billy Joel
Names mentioned in the song are Paul, David, Bill and John. So which team has most of those names?? The Chargers have Center David Binn, Quarterback Billy Volek, and Safety Paul Oliver, while the Chiefs have Tight End John Paul Foschi, Wide Receiver Will Franklin, and Safety Jon McGraw. So...who gets the nod?? The Chiefs have one person that has two of the names. That's our clear winner.

New York Giants @ Philadelphia (-3)
The Pick New York Giants
100 Years-Five For Fighting
The ages mentioned in the song are 15, 22, 33, 45, 67 and 99. So who was better each of those years?? 15 years ago-1993-Giants win 11-5 to 8-8. 22 years ago-1986-Giants win 14-2 to 5-10. 33 years ago-1975-Giants win 5-9 to 4-10. 45 years ago-1963-Giants win 11-3 to 2-10. 67 years ago-1941-Giants win 8-3 to 2-8. 99 years ago, these teams didn't exist. So...Giants win in convincing fashion 5-0. Game over.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 10TH

San Francisco @ Arizona (-9.5)
The Pick: Arizona
Bring it on Home-Little Big Town
Just from the title, I'll go ahead and take Arizona.

So, there you have it. I've resorted to allowing songs to pick my games. Go Pack Go.

NFL-We're Halfway Home

2008-11-05T15:45:00.000-05:00

Now that every team has at least 8 games in the books, this is an appropriate time to look back again to see how my preseason predictions are looking. If they're anything like my week-to-week picks, it won't be good.

AFC

East

New England (Overall 5-3, My Pick 5-3) Interesting. I picked them at 5-3 with Brady and they've done it with Cassell instead. This team doesn't look too bad right now. Cassell does a lot of the things Brady does. He just is still getting used to being the starter. Remember, it has been nine years. The Pats are looking good, especially with Buffalo's recent struggles and the Jets' inconsistency.

New York Jets (5-3, 5-3) Once again, I'm right on the money. I predicted a 4-4 finish for the Jets, and with Tennessee, New England, Denver, Miami and Buffalo on tap still, 4-4 is possible, but I'm thinking 5-3 again to go 10-6, one better than my 9-7 prediction.

Buffalo (5-3, 2-6) So, I said at the quarter pole, and I say it again. I was wrong about this team. They have one more win right now than I predicted they'd get the entire season. Watch out though. Trent Edwards hasn't played well since the big concussion, and I feel like the Bills are a sinking ship.

Miami (4-4, 4-4) How about starting off by picking 3 of the first 4 right at the midpoint. I knew the Dolphins would be improved this year, and it's very realistic that they'll betterthe 7 wins I predicted with games remaining against Oakland, Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis and Kansas City, with division games against New England, Buffalo and New York. Would it be that surprising if they won 5 or even 6 of those. It wouldn't be to me.

North

Pittsburgh (6-2, 4-4) I didn't have a lot of confidence in the Steelers this year, but it's looking like they're going to steamroll the 9-7 prediction I had for them, and win the division easily.

Baltimore (5-3, 3-5) I never would've thought Joe Flacco would have the impact he has so far, and the defense isn't as washed up as I originally thought. They already have more than the four wins I predicted, so I guess they go in the Buffalo boat for me.

Cleveland (3-5, 4-4) I'm not looking too bad right now with the Brownies. It'll be interesting to see if Brady can pull them together and lead them to a 5-3 finish to get the 8-8 record I imagined.

Cincinnati (1-7, 0-8) So, they broke the losing streak this week, keeping me from being correct in giving them a perfectly awful defeated first half. I said they'd win against Baltimore and Washington in the second half, and I don't see them ever beating Washington this season, so I'm still feeling good about my 2-14 prediction.

South

Tennessee (8-0, 2-6) Well, speaking of horrible picks. I came into this season having no confidence in Vince Young (a good assessment), but had no idea that their defense, Chris Johnson and LenDale White would do the things they're doing this season. I like to see the Titans do well, so I'm alright with blowing this pick.

Indianapolis (4-4, 7-1) Old impressions die hard. I never foresaw the fall from grace that has been the Colts this season. They'll have to finish 7-1 to get the 11-5 I predicted. Not likely, especially with games against @ Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Jacksonville and San Diego and a home match up Week 17 against Tennessee.

Jacksonville (3-5, 6-2) I had big expectations for the running back tandem of Jones-Drew and Freddie Taylor, and the no-turnover David Garrard, but this team has been awful at times this season. They're already guaranteed to be worse than the 12-4 I predicted for them.

Houston (3-5, 4-4) Well, I was right in thinking they'd be better or as good as in the last couple years, but it's been more of a struggle than I expected. Despite a good young defense and the great Andre Johnson at wideout, they're not quite ready to take the next step.

West

Denver (4-4, 4-4) The pick was right at the quarter pole, and it's right now too, but a lot of my actual picks have been wrong. This is a strange team, and I never know what they're going to do from week to week. I picked them to have a 6-2 second half to lock up the final playoff berth. I would be surprised to see them play that well with contests remaining @ Atlanta, Cleveland, New York Jets, Carolina and San Diego, with a home date with Buffalo.

San Diego (3-5, 8-0) So I had a lot more confidence in LT and Philip Rivers than I probably should have. A lot of the Chargers' problems have been injuries on Defense, but also, just like Denver, they seem to be a different team every single week. They don't play with a sense of urgency, which scares me, considering they still have to face Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Denver.

Oakland (2-6, 2-6) A correct pick indeed. 1-3 for the first quarter, 1-3 for the second quarter, but there is no way the Raiders go 4-4 the rest of the way to go 6-10 the way I thought they would. I thought McFadden would have more of an effect this year and JaMarcus Russell would do something, but Russell has been a blob and McFadden has had some injuries.

Kansas City (1-7, 1-7) 3 out of 4 out west too, with one terrible exception. I'm proud of myself for realizing how terrible the Chefs would be this year. Which game did I predict they'd win?? Not the very surprising win over the Broncos...but an even more surprising win against Tennessee. Good one Jake. The chances of them finishing 4-4 like I said is looking almost impossible, just like for the Raiders. Stay posted.

Playoff Picture

Preseason Picks:
1. San Diego 2. New England 3. Jacksonville 4. Pittsburgh 5. Indianapolis 6. Denver

Right Now:
1. Tennessee 2. Pittsburgh 3. New England 4. Denver 5. Baltimore 6. New York Jets

I'm at 3 out of 6 right now. From the quarter pole until now, Buffalo dropped from second seed to first team out, Pittsburgh moved up one, New England moved up two, Baltimore's up one, and the Jets have supplanted the Bills.

NFC

East

New York Giants (7-1, 5-3) Well...I picked them to beat Dallas and lose to Cleveland, but I also had them losing to Seattle (oops). Anyway, this is a team I definitely underestimated, picking them to finish 9-7, last in the uber-competitive NFC East. Look at this defensive line though. Boy are they incredible.

Washington (6-3, 5-4) So they're one game better than I predicted. This is a very talented team, another that is better than I gave them credit for. With the easiest games remaining being Cincinnati, Seattle and San Francisco, they should get to the 10-6 I predicted, but it's up in the air whether it will be much more.

Philadelphia (5-3, 6-2) Pretty much exactly opposite of Washington. They're a half game behind the Skins, and I said they'd be 1 1/2 ahead. It could be a struggle finishing 6-2 to get to the 11-5 I predicted with remaining contests against the Giants twice, Baltimore, Arizona, Cleveland, Washington and Dallas with the only near gimme coming next week against Cincinnati.

Dallas (5-4, 7-2) I thought this team was going to be great, and for the first 3 games, they really were. Unfortunately, the wheels have fallen off since then, and while I predicted them to finish a modest 4-3 in finishing 11-5, I'm not sure they'll win that many with games left against Washington, the Giants, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. I'd expect about a 3-4, to finish 8-8.

North

Chicago (5-3, 1-7) I have no idea why I thought the Bears were giong to be so bad. I think I was distracted by the putrid play of Rex Grossman, and their complete lack of run game. The Defense has put it back together though for the most part, and Kyle Orton is leading one of the top offenses in the league. Wow...that doesn't feel right at all. But yea...safe to say they'll be better than the 2-14 I predicted.

Green Bay (4-4, 5-3) I haven't been very good with the Packers. In the second quarter of the season in particular, I picked them to beat Atlanta, Seattle and Tennessee and lose to Indianapolis. For those of you scoring at home, that's one out of four right. Yet, I'm pretty close on the overall record. I thought they'd finish an identical 5-3 in the second half, and it seems pretty possible with dates against Chicago twice, Minnesota, Detroit, New Orleans, Carolina, Jacksonville and Houston. I see wins against Minnesota, Detroit, Jacksonville, Houston and at least once against the Bears. Not so sure about the NFC South games.

Minnesota (4-4, 7-1) What a mistake it was for me to think this team would do so well. They have proven that a team without a quarterback can't be truly great. I should have known better. The chances of them finishing 7-1 and going 11-5 like I said is almost impossible.

Detroit (0-8, 3-5) Well, I thought they'd be decent, and I was very wrong. Will they go 3-5 the rest of the way and end the 3-13 I predicted?? I doubt it.

South

Carolina (6-2, 6-2) I was right about the comeback of the Panthers this season. With a healthy Jake Delhomme and a rejuvenated run game with Jonathan Stewart, these guys have been pretty consistent, except for a blowout loss to Tampa Bay. 4-4 the rest of the way should get them in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay (6-3, 5-4) If I'd only known then what I know now, I would have never picked Seattle to beat them, and I'd be right where I need to be with the Bucs. I had them going 4-3 the rest of the way, with near gimmes against Detroit and Oakland and home match ups with San Diego, New Orleans and Minnesota.

Atlanta (5-3, 4-4) I was right in believing that the Falcons were going to rebound this year, but they've done even better than I thought. Matt Ryan has been great, and Michael Turner has been everything that made me believe this team would improve this season. I said they'd go 3-5 over the final eight, but I think they have favorable matchups home against Denver and Minnesota, and three of their last four NFC South contests are in Atlanta. This team could still make the playoffs.

New Orleans (4-4, 4-4) Right on with the Saints. I'm kind of proud of this pick because many people had them going a long way. Drew Brees is amazing, and Reggie Bush has stepped up to the plate this season, but they won't go to the Super Bowl with a Defense like the one they employ. I predicted a 6-2 finish to take the division going away, but it will be tough with four division games (2 at home, 2 on the road), two against playoff contenders Green Bay and Chicago, and two near gimmes, Kansas City and Detroit.

West

Arizona (5-3, 2-6) I was right on with them at 2-2 at the quarter pole, but they've won 3 of 4 since then, and I had them losing all four. Go figure. The Cardinals are close to being a lock already in this terrible division, and they're two games better than I predicted for the season. It's about time they're decent.

Seattle (2-6, 7-1) Probably my worst pick of the year. Either this or Tennessee. I don't think anyone foresaw them being quite this bad, though picking them to go 12-4 seems foolish. The thing is, I thought this division would have one good team (a correct assumption), I just didn't pick the right team.

San Francisco (2-6, 0-8) They're bad, but I thought they'd be even worse. What two games did I pick them to win this year?? Buffalo and at St. Louis...both doubtful.

St. Louis (2-6, 2-6) After a division of terrible predictions, I finally got one right. I thought they'd match the second half with another 2-6, winning at San Fran and at Arizona. That second one...I doubt it, but I could see another win home against Seattle.

Playoff Picture

Preseason Picks:
1. Seattle 2. Dallas 3. Minnesota 4. New Orleans 5. Philadephia 6. Green Bay

Right Now:
1. New York Giants 2. Carolina 3. Arizona 4. Chicago 5. Tampa Bay 6. Washington

As of right now, my preseason playoff picture doesn't have a single team that will make the playoffs. That is the NFL to a tee. Honestly, how does that even happen??

My picks for the season are 76-55. I guess I should just use those for my picks, considering I'm 68-62 picking week by week. I just feel bad about myself for having to write that. In my picks, I have only 3 of 12 of my preseason teams making the playoffs, and out of last season's 12, 7 would be in. Here's to a wild and crazy second half. Go Pack Go

NFL Picks-Week Nine

2008-10-30T21:45:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of the midseason, I will give out an award for each game. It might go to a player or a team or a storyline. Maybe it will take my mind off being terrible at this. Also, my straight up picks were actually good last week. I went 10-4, improving my season record to 63-53, while Barnes went 7-7, dropping his lead over me to 3 games at 66-50. Just a little aside. Last season at this time, I was 72-45, 9 games better. It hasn't been a great season.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2ND

New York Jets @ Buffalo (-5.5)
The Pick: Buffalo
This is tough, but I'll go with Brett Favre. He gets the "T.O., Please Someone Pay Attention To Me" Award. At first I thought Favre just wanted to come back, but now it seems like he's just looking for attention. It hurts me a lot. The Bills are a close second for "Most Surprising Team"

Detroit @ Chicago (-13)
The Pick: Detroit (ATS) Chicago (Straight Up)
Dan Orlovsky gets the "You've Played Football How Long and Don't Know What An Endline Looks Like?" Award. He will never live that down. Never ever.

Jacksonville (-7.5) @ Cincinnati
The Pick: Jacksonville
Chad Ocho Cinco gets the "I Changed My Name For This?" Award. Since changing his name, he has done nothing. I was going to say nothing good, but really, he's just done nothing.

Baltimore @ Cleveland (-1.5)
The Pick: Cleveland
For Joe Flacco, the "In D-1AA Quarterbacks Can Throw and Catch" Award after bringing in a 43 yarder from Troy Smith last week.

Tampa Bay (-8.5) @ Kansas City
The Pick: Kansas City (ATS) Tampa Bay (Straight Up)
Jeff Garcia gets the "Coach Only Starts Me Because He Has To" Award, only because Chucky seems to be looking for any chance to bench the diminuitive husband of the smoking stripper.

Houston @ Minnesota (-4.5)
The Pick: Houston
Mario Williams with the "Reggie Bush Doesn't Get Number One Money But I Do" Award because although he hasn't clearly proved he was the better pick, he does make the money, and isn't that all that really matters??

Arizona (-3) @ St. Louis
The Pick: St. Louis
Jim Haslett gets the "I Only Coach Well Under Adversity" Award for bringing this team back from the dead and having his other great season be with the Saints in the wake of Katrina.

Green Bay @ Tennessee (-5.5)
The Pick: Green Bay
The Packers secondary gets the "We're Almost As Injured As The Ohio Bobcats" Award for having basically everyone suffer some sort of injury.

Miami @ Denver (-3)
The Pick: Denver
Ronnie Brown gets the "I'm Not A Tiger Anymore. Just Call Me Wildcat" Award for leading the biggest gimmick offense ofthe 2008 first half.

Dallas @ New York Giants (-8.5)
The Pick: New York Giants
The Giants D-Line gets the "Michael and Osi Who?" Award for playing unbelievably even after losing arguably its two best players.

Atlanta (-3) @ Oakland
The Pick: Atlanta
The Falcons get "Feel Good Story Of The Year" for turning into a legitimate team just a year after the Vick and Petrino fiascos.

Philadelphia (-7) @ Seattle
The Pick: Philadelphia
Mike Holmgren with the "I Came Back For This?" Award for possibly retiring a year too late.

New England @ Indianapolis (-5.5)
The Pick: New England
Bill Belichick gets the "Damn, Brady Made Me Look Great" Award for maybe not being quite as good as he made us believe.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 3RD

Pittsburgh @ Washington (-2)
The Pick: Washington
Big Ben gets the "At Least I Wear A Helmet On The Field" Award because, after all the hits he's taken, he'd probably look like he did after the big motorcycle crash if he didn't have that Black and Gold helmet.

There you have it. Another week in the books. Hooray. Go Pack Go

NFL Week Eight Picks

2008-10-24T16:34:00.000-04:00

After a dreadful 6-8 week straight up and 4-10 ATS, all I can do is pray that it gets better this week. In straight up picks, Barnes picked up two more games on me, extending his lead to 6 at 59-43 to 53-49. I can still come back, but I might want to get on that. Anyway...enough small talk. Now...on to the picks...accompanied by comments this week. It was depressing to not see any of my comments on the blog last week.

Oakland @ Baltimore (-7)
The Pick: Oakland (ATS) Baltimore (Straight Up)
Remember the movie the Cable Guy when Jim Carrey gracefully plummets from the satellite and almost kills himself by hitting the receiver, thereby blowing out everyone's signal and not letting anyone see the verdict of the big court case?? I hope someone does that this week so no one has to be forced into watching the Fighting Flaccos play this Cable Guy's team.

Arizona @ Carolina (-4.5)
The Pick: Carolina
The Panthers are dynamite at home, and going from the west to the east to play this year has been tough on all of the travelling teams.

Tampa Bay @ Dallas (-3.5)
The Pick: Tampa Bay
It's too bad Gruden doesn't get the wild hair to bring back Rob Johnson for a game just to face off against Brad Johnson for Johnson superiority. Johnson superiority...a game I'm sure Jeff Garcia must beat them all in. I mean, there must be some reason Carmella was willing to marry him...right??

Washington (-8.5) @ Detroit
The Pick: Washington
A lot of people are going with the Lionesses this week, but not me. Why?? Because I don't pick up on trends. And I refuse to believe the Redskins will play a third straight dud.

Buffalo (-1.5) @ Miami
The Pick: Buffalo
I think Buffalo's D is better than Baltimore's and Baltimore put a spanking on the Dolphins.

St. Louis @ New England (-7)
The Pick: New England
I heard Tom Brady's not playing this week. Sucks for the Pats. Oh well...I think they'll bring down the resurgent big horned sheep this week.

San Diego (-3) @ New Orleans @ LONDON
The Pick: New Orleans
Because, little do people know, Drew Brees actually grew up delivering papers on the streets of this grand old English city (that's how he got his arm), and because the Chargers infuriate me week in and week out Side note: Everyone else should pick San Diego because I almost guarantee I'm wrong on this pick.

Kansas City @ New York Jets (-13)
The Pick: Kansas City (ATS) New York Jets (Straight Up)
Favre follows up "the most disappointing game of his career" with another clunker. Meanwhile, his golden image continues to look more and more copperish. I'm starting to think he wants to just send me into a spiral of tears and despair.

Atlanta @ Philadelphia (-9)
The Pick: Atlanta (ATS) Philadelphia (Straight Up)
The Golden Boy looks awfully good with a rejuvenated line and a Burner in the backfield. Although, I'm pretty sure in real life, an Eagle would tear a Falcon to little bits, and then do it again just because he's bored.

Cleveland @ Jacksonville (-6.5)
The Pick: Jacksonville
Can the Brownies stop the run?? Clinton Portis says no, although they still kept the game close. I don't care. I'm betting that two good backs in Jacksonville will give me 6.5, whereas one in Washington could only get me a measley 3.

New York Giants @ Pittsburgh (-3)
The Pick: New York Giants
Because Eli is the new Peyton. Wow...that's funny to write and to look at. Not quite as funny as watching Josh Febus get a concussion for the Bobcats on a botched field goal though. But anyway...Eli's not Peyton, but his O-Line will allow him to make plays, whereas Big Ben will probably be sacked 7 or 8 times.

Seattle @ San Francisco (-4.5)
The Pick: San Francisco
Because JT O'Sullivan is greater than Seneca Wallace. Now...if William Wallace plays...it's Seahawks in a rout. And we'll be treated to public indecency for flashing before and after the win.

Cincinnati @ Houston (-10)
The Pick: Cincinnati (ATS) Houston (Straight Up)
The Bengals suck really bad. But are they 10 points suckier than the Texans. I hope not.

Indianapolis @ Tennessee (-4)
The Pick: Tennessee
Did you see what the Green Bay defense did to Indy last week?? Tennessee's D is much much better and less injured.

That's it. The Pack are at home recuperating this week. Hope they can get healthy

NFL Picks...Week Seven

2008-10-19T13:20:00.000-04:00

Here are my picks this week. After some family difficulties over the weekend, there are no comments this week. Barnes is ahead of me by like four games. I'll figure it out soon. All of my picks for ATS are also my Straight Up picks this week. Go Pack Go

Tennessee (-8) @ Kansas City
Tennessee

San Diego @ Buffalo (PK)
San Diego

Pittsburgh (-9.5) @ Cincinnati
Pittsburgh

Baltimore @ Miami (-3)
Miami

Dallas (-7) @ St. Louis
Dallas

Minnesota @ Chicago (-3)
Minnesota

New Orleans @ Carolina (-3)
New Orleans

San Francisco @ New York Giants (-10.5)
New York Giants

Detroit @ Houston (-9)
Detroit

New York Jets (-3) @ Oakland
New York Jets

Cleveland @ Washington (-7)
Washington

Indianapolis (-1.5) @ Green Bay
Green Bay

Seattle @ Tampa Bay (-10.5)
Tampa Bay

Denver @ New England (-3)
Denver

NFL Picks: Week Six

2008-10-09T10:32:00.000-04:00

After an 11-3 week against the spread, this week really is the most important yet. There are a few challenging calls on the schedule, and I have to find out if, like the Chiefs win against Denver, I'm just a flash in the pan...making a move one week and falling back down the next. I'm hoping to be more the 2008 New York Giants (all 8 of their 2008 games) and put together a real underdog run here, but it's all up in the air at this point.

In my straight up picks, I ended up 9-5 last week, definitely respectable. Barnes was the same so he still leads me by two games in the season series, 42-32 to 40-34. Maybe this week I can overcome my little deficit.

Anyway, let's get right into it.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12TH

Chicago (-2.5) @ Atlanta
The Pick: Chicago
Atlanta had a nice little game against Green Bay last week. Matt Ryan was effective as a change of pace to Burner Turner's tough running. Unfortunately for the Falcons, Chicago doesn't have trouble stopping the run like the beat up Packers. Haven't heard about Matt Forte in a couple weeks...I say he goes over 100 on the turf. He'll probably have family there so he'll want to perform.

Miami @ Houston (-3)
The Pick: Houston
Houston played a great 58 minutes last week, but couldnt' get it done when it mattered most. This week, they take on Ronnie Brown, Ricky "I want pot so bad" Williams and the Wildcat Formation. I think the Texan D will put the team on their back, and whoever plays quarterback won't have to worry about blowing the game.

Baltimore @ Indianapolis (-4.5)
The Pick: Baltimore
Indy is in big big trouble. It's possible that those last couple minutes actually turned their season around last week, but I'm not counting on it.

Detroit @ Minnesota (-13.5)
The Pick: Minnesota
One of these weeks I'll say Adrian Peterson's going to run wild, and it's actually going to be true. So...this is the week!! PS-Detroit is still terrible

Oakland @ New Orleans (-8)
The Pick: New Orleans
This is a dangerous pick because NOLa doesn't have a great defense, but the Minnesota running game has been one of the best recently, and they didn't do that well last week, so I say Oakland won't either in this time of turmoil. Has Tom Cable been fired yet??

Cincinnati @ New York Jets (-6)
The Pick: Cincinnati
How can I pick against Brett's Jets?? Well...I guess by simply typing the other team's name. I just have a feeling that this is the week the Bengals put it together. They may even pull out the W. (Favre, please don't embarass me and beat them by 30...just win by 3)

Carolina @ Tampa Bay (-1.5)
The Pick: Tampa Bay
You have to be impressed that they lose their quarterback and are still in the game, especially against the NFL's number one offense. Yea...I just don't see Carolina putting up enough points. Besides, that Garcia guy is a pretty effective back-up, and have you seen his wife?!?

St. Louis @ Washington (-13.5)
The Pick: St. Louis (ATS) Washington (Straight Up)
Jim Haslett's had two weeks to make the team his own, and Washington has had a week to hear about how amazing they are. Any line under 11 I probably would have taken, but I'm just feeling hesitant for some reason. Damn me for picking St. Louis again...when will I learn??

Jacksonville @ Denver (-3.5)
The Pick: Jacksonville
Playing a hunch that the Jags go Larry Johnson (Week 4 not Week 5) on the Broncos this week and the Jacksonville defense puts on a display after Big Ben ruined their efforts last week.

Dallas (-5) @ Arizona
The Pick: Dallas
Time to take out the frustrations for Romo and TO. Arizona's gonna play punching bag this week.

Philadelphia (-5) @ San Francisco
The Pick: Philadelphia
I almost went with San Francisco and was going to explain that they had an emotional loss against New England and that Philly will be reeling after their loss, but no, I'm not going to do it. Philadelphia comes out fired up and plants the Niners.

Green Bay @ Seattle (-2)
The Pick: Green Bay
Are the Packers really to the point that they're underdogs to a team that has been blown out multiple times this season?? I say no. We'll find out. This may just be mindless rabble from a Packers fan, but I think if they can get their team remotely healthy, they're going to finish the season right where they need to, and no one will want to play them. Luckily, they play in the NFC North where they don't have to be great to stay in the race.

New England @ San Diego (-6)
The Pick: New England
First of all...only 9 guys total on the injury report for this game...must be nice. Second, the Chargers are reeling, and I don't see that ending. The Pats aren't the 2007 Pats, but they'll run their winning streak against San Diego to 5.

MONDAY OCTOBER 13TH

New York Giants (-8) @ Cleveland
The Pick: New York Giants
They are legitimate, and they are good. I don't think they'll lose a game outside the division.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Go Pack Go

NFL Picks-Week Five

2008-10-04T20:40:00.000-04:00

It's Week Five of the NFL Season, and that means it's time for the picks. I made a move last week going 8-5 in ATS and moving out of last place in Luke's league. I'm feeling just a hint of confidence, and I'm ready for more. As for my head to head against Barnes picking games straight up, we disagreed on three games last week and I won them all going 9-4 to his 6-7, so he now leads me 33-27 to 31-29. At least I'm over the .500 mark now.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 5TH

Tennessee (-3) @ Baltimore
The Pick: Tennessee
I picked against the Titans last week, but this week I feel like they're going to get it done. These are two similar teams, but I just feel like Baltimore won't get more than maybe 10 points, while Tennessee might get in upwards of 20.

Kansas City @ Carolina (-9.5)
The Pick: Carolina
It's letdown week for the Chiefs. They gave everything they had last week, but they won't have it this week. Larry Johnson says he's back. Well Larry...this isn't Denver's D you're running against this week.

Chicago (-3.5) @ Detroit
The Pick: Chicago
Detroit is terrible. Clock's ticking Marinelli.

Atlanta @ Green Bay (-7)
The Pick: Atlanta (ATS) Green Bay (Straight Up)
I'm still picking the Packers to win, but I think it'll be by a field goal. Let's be honest. The Packers are very very beat up right now, and Michael "The Burner" Turner is gonna get some yards.

Indianapolis (-3) @ Houston
The Pick: Indianapolis
This is the week Peyton starts his work on saving the season. Colts by a lot

San Diego (-6.5) @ Miami
The Pick: San Diego
The Chargers have had some trouble against possession quarterbacks this year, but they'll pull it together this week. A quick aside...Miami doesn't have a single player on its injury report. Must be nice.

Seattle @ New York Giants (-7)
The Pick: New York Giants
If the Seahawks had healthy receivers, I was going to go with them, but their running game will not mess with the Giants. Let's be honest. Deion Branch and Bobby Engram will probably be back this week, but I don't think this is the week they get back on track.

Washington @ Philadelphia (-5.5)
The Pick: Washington
I love the Eagles this season, but Washington's growing on me, and I think Clinton Portis is going to give Philly fits.

Tampa Bay @ Denver (-3)
The Pick: Tampa Bay
Because I think Derrick Brooks might not be human. The game he had last week after being in the league so long was unbelievable.

Buffalo @ Arizona (PK) - just pick the winner
The Pick: Buffalo
I wanted Arizona. Logic says, just take Buffalo Jake. You're always wrong about Arizona. So I say, okay.

Cincinnati @ Dallas (-17.5)
The Pick: Cincinnati (ATS) Dallas (Straight Up)
17.5?? No thank you.

New England (-3) @ San Francisco
The Pick: New England
Bill Belichick doesn't lose after the Bye week. I don't care if Matt Cassell is your quarterback. You're playing against San Francisco.

Pittsburgh @ Jacksonville (-4)
The Pick: Jacksonville
Three defensive linemen out for Pittsburgh against Taylor and Jones-Drew. Give me the Jags run game.

MONDAY OCTOBER 6TH

Minnesota @ New Orleans (-3)
The Pick: Minnesota
Adrian Peterson is fully healthy. NOLa is missing Marques Colston, Sedrick Ellis, Aaron Glenn, David Patten and Jeremy Shockey. Uh yea...I'll go with the Vikes. But who am I to judge. Minnesota's the only team I haven't picked right all season.

Alright. That'll do it. Go Pack Go

NFL at the Quarter Pole

2008-10-02T13:29:00.000-04:00

The NFL season is 1/4 over for most teams, so it's time to take a look back at my preseason predictions and talk a little about how I and the teams are doing so far.

AFC

East

Buffalo: (Overall 4-0, My Pick 1-3) It's time for me to be honest. The Bills are the first team I ever loved, and every year I want them to do well. So what happened?? I picked them to break out the last two seasons, and it didn't happen. I got "Stop picking Arizona to win" syndrome and decided to be what I thought was realistic. Well, this is the year they turned it around, so I look like a fool.

New England: (2-1, 2-1) Nice. It only took me two teams to get a record right. I never would've picked them to lose to Miami, but I did predict a loss at the Jets. Oh well. I'll be honest though. I'm afraid they're in trouble.

New York Jets: (2-2, 2-2) Once again, I have the record right. Not the exact picks, but the record. I think they're going to end up pretty close to my 9-7 prediction. In Favre they trust.

Miami: (1-2, 2-1) I had a feeling this team would be much improved this year, so much so that they'd beat last year's win total in the first two weeks of the season. So it didn't happen. They are better though, and they have more wins left in them.

North

Pittsburgh: (3-1, 2-2) At this point, I think I underestimated the Steelers a little, but down the line, I think I'll be pretty close because this team just can't stay healthy.

Baltimore: (2-1, 1-2) I had no respect for the Ravens coming into the season. I felt like the defense was old and falling apart, and the offense was inept. Well, the offense is pretty inept, but the defense still looks pretty tough.

Cleveland: (1-3, 2-2) I clearly overestimated the Browns. It's not showing too much yet, but it will soon.

Cincinnati: (0-4, 0-4) Everyone told me I was a fool for picking them to win 2 games. Not looking so foolish at the quarter pole.

South

Tennessee: (4-0, 2-2) I knew the Titans would have a good defense, and I didn't trust Vince Young and their offense one bit, thus constituting my 7-9 pick. Well...the Titans have an outstanding defense, and Vince Young is out of the picture. Take notice NFL. The Titans are here.

Jacksonville: (2-2, 3-1) Jacksonville had a ton of injuries to start the season. Had I known that, I may have given them one less win, probably not, but maybe. They're going to turn it up I think, and, while reaching my pick of 12-4 seems unlikely, I still think they'll be right there at the end.

Indianapolis: (1-2, 2-1) Wouldn't you know it. The one game I said they'd lose in the opening three is the one game they've won. Ridiculous. This team is in trouble, and I'd be surprised if they get double digit wins.

Houston: (0-3, 1-2) I assumed this team would be much improved and hungry for wins. They may have shown me that in the close loss to Jacksonville last week. As for the 9 wins I predicted...fuhgedaboutit

West

Denver: (3-1, 3-1) The pick is right, though I'd have never picked them to loss to KC. I said they'd fall to a team that had them beat anyway, San Diego. Either way, the offense is impressive, while the defense is atrocious. 10 wins is still likely though.

San Diego: (2-2, 4-0) My Super Bowl champs lost more games in the first two weeks of the season than I said they would all year. Oi vey...They have looked pretty good the last couple weeks, though, and I'm not ready to jump off the bandwagon yet.

Oakland: (1-3, 1-3) I'm not too bad in this division. I've picked every game right so far for Da Raidas, but from what I've seen so far, I won't be surprised if they won't get the 6 wins I promised.

Kansas City: (1-3, 0-4) I knew they'd be bad, but they had an inspired performance last week that I never would've seen coming. Either way, I said they'd win 5, but I'd be surprised at this point if they win 4.

Playoff Picture:

My preseason picks in order were:

1. San Diego 2. New England 3. Jacksonville 4. Pittsburgh 5. Indy 6. Denver

Right now:

1. Tennessee 2. Buffalo 3. Pittsburgh 4. Denver 5. New England 6. Baltimore

All I'll say is Wow...Let's see how close this looks at the end of the year.

NFC

East

New York Giants: (3-0, 2-1) The Giants have been very very impressive this season. I didn't think they'd be really tough without all of the studs they lost on the D-Line, but they're doing work in the trenches and everywhere else. Job well done so far.

Washington: (3-1, 1-3) Wouldn't you know it. I've picked all four games wrong for Washington so far. Skins fans better hope that trend doesn't continue because I had them picking up the pace and finishing 10-6.

Dallas: (3-1, 3-1) Right record, wrong loss. Oh well. The Cowboys are a great team, but they appear headed closer to my 11-5 prediction instead of something better unless they shore up that defense.

Philadelphia: (2-2, 3-1) Didn't foresee a loss to Chicago. Everything else is in check. I just want to say, if there has ever been a better last place team, I would want to know who it is. This team could win in the playoffs, and may not even get there.

North

Green Bay: (2-2, 2-2) Well, I said they'd lose to Tampa Bay, so that was a good call, and my realistic expectations are paying off as of right now. I was wrong about why they'd struggle though. I thought Aaron Rodgers would struggle. Instead, it's been Ryan Grant. I hope he's not a one hit wonder because it would be a shame.

Chicago: (2-2, 0-4) Guess who was wrong about Da Bears?? This guy. The defense is back, and I didn't think it would be. If they just had an offense they could make a run like they did a couple years ago. For now, they're gonna put some heat on the Pack while Rodgers tries to recover.

Minnesota: (1-3, 3-1) Don't mind me. Just my other Super Bowl pick drifting off into oblivion. I've picked every game wrong for the Vikes this year, and being a Green Bay guy, I hope that trend keeps up.

Detroit: (0-3, 2-1) Was it that unrealistic that the Lions knocked off the 49ers on the road?? It was?? Oh...okay...

South

Carolina: (3-1, 2-2) Not bad with the Panthers. They look to be on a pretty good track toward 10-6 and the division title I promised them.

Tampa Bay: (3-1, 3-1) Look at that. I've picked every game right this season for the Buccos. I guess Jon Gruden just likes to prove that you really don't need a good quarterback to win.

New Orleans: (2-2, 3-1) I had a little too much confidence in the Saints' defense. Boy was that a mistake. If that unit doesn't pull it together, and fast, NOLa has no shot at 10-6. On another note, Drew Brees is amazing.

Atlanta: (2-2, 2-2) The internet world asks, "You actually thought Atlanta would win of its first four??" To which I reply, ever heard of Michael "The Burner" Turner?? I rest my case.

West

Arizona: (2-2, 2-2) Not bad, not bad. I decided to jump off the "This is Arizona's year" bandwagon this year, and it looks like it was a good choice. They're not great, but the thing is, no one in that division is. Here's the challenge. Can they hold true to my prediction and win 1 of their final 12 games??

San Francisco: (2-2, 0-4) I said the Niners would tie the Bengals as the worst team in the NFL this season. Doesn't look like it's going to happen because they have some young talent that's playing hard out in the Bay Area. J.T. O'Sullivan for Governator??

Seattle: (1-2, 3-0) I figured they'd coast through this schedule to take the number one seed in the NFC even though they're clearly not the best team. Well...I'm not sure they'll even win the division. They've been terrible.

St. Louis: (0-4, 1-3) I predicted they'd win 4. Unless Jim Haslett has some magic up his sleeve, this team will not win four games. Period.

Playoff Picture:

My preseason picks in order were:

1. Seattle 2. Dallas 3. Minnesota 4. New Orleans 5. Philadelphia 6. Green Bay

Right now:

1. New York Giants 2. Carolina 3. Green Bay 4. Arizona 5. Washington 6. Dallas

Even worse than the AFC. Out of my preseason 12 postseason picks, 5 would be in if the season ended today, and 7 of last year's 12 would be in. The NFL is a crazy world. I'll check in in the same sort of way after Week Eight.

NFL-Week Four ATS Picks

2008-09-25T20:44:00.000-04:00

I want to lead off by saying I didn't have a What I Learned or Power Ranking or something this week because I've been a little under the weather.

Second, it's only week four, and I haven't picked one team correctly each week yet this year. Boy am I a joke. I have managed to guess each game wrong for the Dolphins, Jets, Chargers, Redskins, Vikings, Seahawks, and Panthers...and astounding 7 teams. Man...I am a joke. I guess this is where I guarantee to turn it around this week so, yea...I'm gonna turn it around this week!!

Also...I'm 22-25 picking games straight up this season, which is pretty awful. I just need to stay close to Barnes so I can make my move when the time comes. I'm just waiting to pounce!!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28TH

Atlanta @ Carolina (-7)
The Pick: Carolina
The only way Matt Ryan gets away from the Carolina front 7 this week is to turn into a real falcon and fly far, far away.

Cleveland @ Cincinnati (-3.5)
The Pick: Cleveland
Boy oh boy is this a matchup...Browns...I don't even want to talk about it.

Houston @ Jacksonville (-8)
The Pick: Houston (ATS), Jacksonville (Straight Up)
I'm playing a hunch that Houston will keep it close this week. Man I hope I'm right. Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans need to step up in a big way and Big Bad Schaub needs to do...something. Ahman Green for 100 yards?? Anyone??

Denver (-9.5) @ Kansas City
The Pick: Denver
Denver gives up a lot of points, but Kansas City really is not good in any facet of the game. Broncos!!

San Francisco @ New Orleans (-6)
The Pick: New Orleans
Brees throws for 400 yards and 5 touchdowns, 2 to Reggie Bush

Arizona @ New York Jets (-1.5)
The Pick: New York Jets
Favre against Warner...first one to 300 yards gets the win. Favrahhhh is usually very good coming off an injury so it bodes well for the J-E-T-S.

Green Bay @ Tampa Bay (-1)
The Pick: Green Bay
It doesn't bode well for the Packers that it's supposed to be 87 degrees outside, them being from Wisconsin and all. How can I pick against them though??

Minnesota @ Tennessee (-3)
The Pick: Minnesota
Tennessee has been good to me this year, and there I go punching the gift horse in the mouth for a team that has brought me nothing but unhappiness (except when the Packers beat them), but here I go taking the Vikings. Here's hoping the Titans win by 1.

San Diego (-7.5) @ Oakland
The Pick: San Diego
I almost picked the Raiders to cover, and then I remembered the beating San Diego put on the Jets last week. No wonder I'm in last place.

Buffalo (-8.5) @ St. Louis
The Pick: St. Louis (ATS), Buffalo (Straight Up)
Buffalo was given 8 last week, and I didn't think they could cover, and for once I was right. Let's try to keep it rolling this week with another close win against the hapless Rams this time.

Washington @ Dallas (-11.5)
The Pick: Washington (ATS), Dallas (Straight Up)
This is usually a close game, but Dallas is a great, great team. Oh well. I'm picking the rivalry.

Philadelphia (-3) @ Chicago
The Pick: Chicago
Chicago has a big time D again, and Donovan and Westbrook are hurting. I want Philly by 2.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 29TH

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (-7)
The Pick: Pittsburgh
Rashard Mendenhall gets his first major playing time, and he goes over 100 yards on MNF. Mark it down.

Week Three NFL Picks

2008-09-20T16:27:00.000-04:00

Alright. Week Three picks are in. After two weeks, this is easily my most subpar season ever for picking games. I've never had a losing record even for one week, yet I've done it two weeks in a row. Here's hoping I turn it around and beat Barnes.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21ST

Kansas City @ Atlanta (-5)
The Pick: Atlanta
It's kind of a high line, so I'm a little afraid to take the pick, but The Burner isn't even listed on the injury report, so I'm gonna say that he goes McFadden on the Chefs (does anyone else miss that Snickers commercial?? That's great, but who are the Chefs?? Great googily moogily...hahahaha) and handles business.

Oakland @ Buffalo (-9)
The Pick: Oakland
Buffalo will win the game, but the Bills don't blow people out. They don't have the offense to do it. They do, however, have the defense to stop McFadden enough to pull out the win, especially with him on a gimpy toe.
Tampa Bay @ Chicago (-3)
The Pick: Tampa Bay
Talk about being conflicted about a pick. Is Tampa Bay better than Carolina?? Isn't that what we're asking here?? I say yes. I could be wrong. And if I am, that'll only be the third time in three weeks I've picked the Chicago game wrong. At least I'm consistent.

Carolina @ Minnesota (-3.5)
The Pick: Carolina
Man, I don't feel good about this pick at all. I'm just praying that Jonathon Stewart can keep up with Adrian Peterson, and Steve Smith busts out in his first start of 2008.

Miami @ New England (-12.5)
The Pick: New England
Joey Porter spouted off that it would be nice to get their first win of the year this week. Soo...I'm thinking our boy Bill Belichick is gonna open up a can of whoop ass this week on the Fins.

Cincinnati @ New York Giants (-13.5)
The Pick: New York Giants
Most weeks and most games, 13.5 is way too much, but I think the G-Men will take out the toothless Tigers. 'Nuff said.

Houston @ Tennessee (-5)
The Pick: Tennessee
The Titans and their fearless leader Kerry Collins make it 3-0 this week. The Texans will be pumped up after a week off, but that won't matter because the Tennessee defense is very tough.

Arizona @ Washington (-3)
The Pick: Arizona
Last week I said that Arizona sucked, this week I'm saying they'll beat the team that took down New Orleans last week. I must be out of my mind. I haven't picked a Washington game right yet. Why start now.

New Orleans @ Denver (-5.5)
The Pick: Denver
The New Orleans secondary will get burnt over...and over...and over...and over...

Detroit @ San Francisco (-4)
The Pick: Detroit
The Lionesses come out of their funk, if just for one week.

St. Louis @ Seattle (-9.5)
The Pick: St. Louis
I just don't think Seattle's very good. I know St. Louis is terrible, and I said just last week that I'd never pick them again, but I'm just playing a hunch...with such a high line, is it really that unfathomable??

Cleveland @ Baltimore (-2)
The Pick: Cleveland
The Brownies put one in the W Column against the Fighting Flaccos.

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis (-5.5)
The Pick: Jacksonville
This is usually a close game, and Jacksonville hasn't played very well so far, but there are two things I see happening. Jacksonville's run game has its first break out performance of the season against a Bob Sanders-less Indy D, and the Jags D-Line pummels the Colts O-Line. If Dallas Clark and Jeff Saturday play, I'm sure none of this will matter and Indy will roll. Ha

Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia (-3)
The Pick: Philadelphia
Donovan looks good. Ben is injured. The Eagles seem to score a lot. The Steelers don't. I'm taking Philly.

Dallas (-3) @ Green Bay
The Pick: Green Bay
I picked against my Pack in week one, and I paid for it. Never again says your fearless forecaster. Romo's a hack. Don't be surprised though if TO has 180 yds receiving. Al Harris prides himself on being physical, but how physical can you get when the receiver is that much bigger than you?? Case in point...last year's Green Bay-Dallas game.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22ND

New York Jets @ San Diego (-9)
The Pick: New York Jets
The J-E-T-S can score against this team, and LT is not feeling too hot. I just don't like my Super Bowl pick at all right now.

What I Learned-NFL Week Two

2008-09-16T20:57:00.000-04:00

Here are a few things I learned in this second week of the NFL season. Let's go game by game.

Oakland 23-Kansas City 8

First impressions aren't always what they seem. The Chiefs barely lost to a deflated Patriots team in Week One, and Oakland laid an egg against what looks to be a pretty tough Broncos squad. So what did I learn?? Darren McFadden really is a man child, but he won't be able to carry the Raiders. (Also, hold on to the ball son!!) JaMarcus Russell's miserable 6-17, 55 yd outing will take Oakland nowhere. As for the Chiefs, who is Tyler Thigpen and Larry Johnson might be finished.

New York Giants 41-St. Louis 13

Heck of a move on my part for not being a complete idiot and picking St. Louis to cover against a greater opponent two weeks in a row. What did we learn?? The Giants defensive line doesn't need Osi Umenyiora or Michael Strahan (especially when you have Justin Tuck returning interceptions for touchdowns)...at least not against one of the worst teams in the league. Marc Bulger got harassed. Also...is Steven Jackson going to prove he's worth all of that money he's getting??

Indianapolis 18-Minnesota 15

This game made me very upset. Usually I would be happy with a Colts comeback, but I took the Vikings so that screws up everything I'm about. So what did I learn?? The Vikings don't trust Tarvaris Jackson in the slightest. They hope he can make it through the game without losing it for them, and they won't even let him try to win it. Until they either let him play or get a new quarterback, this team doesn't have a prayer at the Super Bowl. And when your running back accounts for 60% of your total yards in a game, you're probably not going to win. The Colts?? Peyton Manning has shaken off the rust, and the rest of the team had better jump on his back because this year's team will go nowhere without him. Also...Anthony Gonzalez, as expected, has become Peyton's go-to-guy.

Tennessee 24-Cincinnati 7

The Titans went through the windstorm of the Queen City without anyone being killed...a feat not accomplished by some car windows parked beside Jason Koma on Sunday. What did I learn?? The Bengals are terrible. The thing is, I didn't really learn that though. It was simply affirmed. If you look back to my NFL preview, I said Cincinnati would win two games this year. That's right...two. Doesn't look so unrealistic now, does it?? Anyway, I also feel affirmed in my statement that the Titans are better right now with Kerry Collins than with Vince Young. Collins was an efficient 14-21 for 128 yards, not great, but there were 70 mph winds, and let's be honest. When was the last time Young completed 67% of his passes?? Chris Johnson is good.

Buffalo 20-Jacksonville 16

Buffalo was about the only team that pulled through for me in a close game. I didn't trust them in my preview, but I'm getting excited about this team. As for the Jags, not so excited. What did I learn?? Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor will continue to have trouble running the ball and David Garrard will continue his already career worst season for interceptions until Jacksonville can piece together some semblance of an offensive line. They lost one starter to a shooting and two to injury. Time for the defense to step up. And the Bills?? They have a legitimate defense, and Trent Edwards is starting to show that he could truly be a playmaker for this team.

Green Bay 48-Detroit 25

What a ridiculous game. Green Bay leads by 21, trails by 1, and wins by 23, while scoring 21 points in 1:24?? You've got to be kidding me. What did I learn?? Time to insert the foot in my mouth. Aaron Rodgers is legit, and I couldn't be happier to be wrong. The guy is mobile enough to avoid the rush, can hit the long ball when necessary and is flat out doing the job. As for the run game, Ryan Grant's hammy needs to suck it up because the Pack will need him soon. Also, the defense needs to learn to avoid the late game letdown. They let leads slip away in weeks one and two. On the other side, it's the same old Lions. They showed a little bite in coming back, but after taking a 25-24 lead, Jon Kitna was celebrating the win, not realizing he had 3 interceptions left in the tank. Kitna has a lot of yards and a lot of turnovers to give that team, and it's time for Detroit to get a quarterback so that Calvin Johnson can be fully unleashed. He is a superstar waiting to break free. Finally, Lions Safety Daniel Bullocks had 12 of his 21 tackles this year on Sunday. That's impressive, but at the same time, doesn't it say some pretty bad things about your team when the Safety is the leading tackler??

Carolina 20-Chicago 17

Another game that I'd usually love the outcome in, and yet I was upset. (only until I realized I got the win because they met the 3 point spread) Anyway...I learned that Jake Delhomme might have some magic up his Tommy Johned sleeve this season, and people better start watching out for Carolina. Steve Smith comes back next week, and Jonathon Stewart is on pace for 1,000 yards rushing. Also, Middle Linebacker Jon Beason is up to 26 tackles in 2 games. Wow. Speaking of rookie phenoms, Matt Forte is now over 200 yards for the season and really is proving invaluable to this team. 2 receptions and 2 fumbles for Tight End Matt Olsen. Inexcusable. The Bears defense seems to have its swagger back too after an injury riddled 2007. Bears...find a quarterback.

Washington 29-New Orleans 24

This one really ticked me off. The Saints led big, then handed the game to a team that looked completely inept in Week One. So what did I learn?? The Redskins are not inept, just against the Giants pass rush. Jason Campbell has a cannon arm (did you see that long touchdown pass?!?), and Santana Moss did what everyone's been waiting for him to do. He just needs to find some consistency. New Orleans...hold a lead!! Reggied Bush had a good game, so don't write him off quite yet, and Drew Brees is better than the game he had, but did anyone see Jonathan Vilma?? The guy had 16 tackles. I liked him in New York, I'll continue to like him in the Big Easy.

San Francisco 33-Seattle 30 OT

The first overtime game of the season if I'm not mistaken, and it was something. Seattle's defense showed it has a lot of work to do after being absolutely thrashed two weeks in a row by seemingly average offenses in Buffalo and San Fran. Wasn't this unit supposed to be a force to be reckoned with?? Rumors of Matt Hasselbeck having a comeback year took a hit with his 50% completion percentage, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. As for San Francisco, J.T. O'Sullivan was the man of the hour, completing over 60% of his passes for 321 yards and a touchdown, with no turnovers. And Joe Nedney did the rest, hitting four field goals, two in high pressure situations, to seal the win.

Arizona 31-Miami 10

Boy was I wrong about this pick. Anyone ready to jump on the Kurt Warner three-time MVP bandwagon?? Me either, but still a great game by the old guy. 19-24 for 361 yards and 3 touchdowns. No wonder they didn't care if Matt Leinart was playing. Everyone knows how good Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are and they proved it. Their respective lines were 6-153 and 6-140-3 TD. Tough to stop two guys that good at the same time. Also, the defense is pretty tough. Miami is still Miami and Chad Pennington is still Chad Pennington. Chad Henne, though, played really well in garbage time.

Denver 39-San Diego 38

I could talk for an entire day about this game, but I won't. Ed Hochuli screwed up, and he knows it, and so does the rest of the world, costing San Diego its first win. The Chargers seemed to be a bit starcrossed right now, losing on the last drive two weeks in a row with LT hobbling both times. You can't overshadow Darren Sproles though. The little guy is absolutely electric and he showed it. Also, Quentin Jammer was a force on a day when Antonio Cromartie had probably his worst day as a pro. On the other side, Jay Cutler proved he belonged. Last week, the stats didn't look as impressive against Oakland, but this week, you see them for what they are. He completed 72% of his passes for 350 yards and 4 touchdowns, though he did have a near costly pick and a fumble that should have lost them the game. Cut down on mistakes, and this kid will be great. And has he found his go-to-receiver?? Clearly. Brandon Marshall caught the ball 18! times for 166 yards and a TD.

Tampa Bay 24-Atlanta 9

The Bucs won one they were supposed to win and did it in convincing fashion. They didn't have any amazing performances, although Earnest Graham had a nice 116 yards, but they got it done, and I think they'll win like this all season. Atlanta, on the other hand, needs Michael "The Burner" Turner in the game, or they're going nowhere. Matt Ryan showed his age and his inexperience.

New England 19-New York Jets 10

The Magic Man can't do it all. Favre had a rough day in the Big Apple, highlighted by a 20-yard sack by Adalius Thomas, and the Patriots continued to do what it takes to win. Matt Cassell had a very solid first start in 8 or 9 years, and the team seemed to rally around him. I give most of the credit to Randy Moss, who has changed his attitude and seems like he will stop at nothing to lead this team of veterans to the promised land. Also, new quarterback, same safety receiver. Wes Welker caught the ball 7 times for 72 yards. New England has to still be the favorite in the AFC East.

Pittsburgh 10-Cleveland 6

The Browns lost again, but this time the defense showed up, and showed they're not ready to give up on the season after one game, like a lot of their fans seem to already be resigning themselves to do. Derek Anderson is begging Browns fans to make the call for Brady Quinn, and Jamal Lewis needs to put it back together. As for Pittsburgh, Big Ben is injured, and that's not good. Not all is bad though. Willie Parker is setting himself up for another banner year.

Dallas 41-Philadelphia 37

I thought these teams had defenses?? Maybe they made a truce to just not play against each other. Whatever the case, the offenses torched the D's all night long, and made track meet of the game. First, Donovan McNabb is back. (except that he can't run anymore) He showed signs toward the end of last season, but after his Week One beating of St. Louis, followed by this week's 25-37, 281 yd, 1 TD performance, he's back in the saddle, and Andy Reid is breathing a sigh of relief that the Kevin Kolb era hasn't yet started. One thing though Donovan...hold onto the football!! Also, DeSean Jackson, if you're going to gain Donovan's trust and become a go-to-guy, use your brain. Cross the goalline! On the Dallas side, Romo was Romo, going 21-30 for 312, 3 TD's and 1 pick, and Jason Witten was himself as well, catching 7 balls for 110 yards. Does this Dallas team remind you exactly of last year's team?? Because it does for me.

Anyway...that's it. If you agree or disagree, let me know.

...OUT

NFL-Week Two Picks Straight Up and Against the Spread

2008-09-10T17:37:00.000-04:00

Chicago @ Carolina (-3)
The Call: Chicago
I'll take the Bears. It's too early to jump on the bandwagon that they're back, but if they take this one as easily as last week, the Cubs will have to step it up to remain the most popular team in town come October.

Tennessee @ Cincinnati (-1)
The Call: Tennessee
Tennessee...Tennessee...Tennessee...mark my words, this team is better with Kerry Collins under center than with Vince Young, and Albert Haynesworth will terrorize Carson all day. Man are the Bengals bad.

Green Bay (-3) @ Detroit
The Call: Green Bay
The only time the Lions beat the Packers is on Turkey Day. I see no turduckens in the the near future. Therefore, Packers by at least 10 over the Liedowns.

Buffalo @ Jacksonville (-6)
The Call: (ATS) Buffalo (Straight Up) Jacksonville
Should I jump on the Dick Jauron bandwagon against a tough team like the Jaguars?? I'm in last place already. I can only go up from here, right?? Besides, the Jags let me down last week, so screw them.

Oakland @ Kansas City (-4)
The Call: Kansas City
This is based on the fact that Kansas City seemed like they played a game in Week One and Oakland seemed like they were kind of hoping they could play bad enough that Al Davis would die and they could start over.

Indianapolis (-1.5) @ Minnesota
The Call: Minnesota
Give it to the Vikes. You'd think Peyton wouldn't let his team start 0-2, and Aaron Rodgers did have success against the Vikes secondary, but if Matt Forte can run all over the Colts on the road, I predict a big day for #28 of Minnesota. Also, that Minnesota D-Line has to be a little pissed off that they put Rodgers on the ground less than 5 times with no sacks. Must really be gnawing at them.

New York Giants (-9.5) @ St. Louis
The Call: New York Giants
The GGGGGGGG-Men. I CAN'T believe I gave St. Louis a chance last week. They're hopeless, and I may never pick them again.

New Orleans @ Washington (PK)
The Call: New Orleans
Tough Call. The Saints lost Marques Colston, but the Redskins looked totally inept last week, and I'm not sure I want to risk being the only one to pick Washington for the second week in a row.

San Francisco @ Seattle (-8)
The Call: Seattle
Seriously...San Francisco is hardcore terrible. And, Seattle might want to try to make a statement this week because last week they embarassed themselves, and you know what?? They embarassed me too. I wouldn't pick them, but they're playing San Francisco. I'm not intentionally trying to lose.

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay (-8)
The Call: Atlanta
What you ask?? You're going with the Ragin' Ryans over the some alliteration word followed by Chuckies?? Yes. That's what I'm doing. Not only will Atlanta cover, they'll win!!

Miami @ Arizona (-7)
The Call: (ATS) Miami (Straight Up) Arizona
How does Arizona get 7 points on Miami?? They're both bad. Anyway, I've been making a point this week to not pick teams that screwed me last week (Miami), but the Cardinals are not my team and they never will be, so screw them. Man am I bitter this week. PS-Barnes will pick Arizona because he's a hater.

San Diego (-2) @ Denver
The Call: San Diego
LT will run for 700 yards, birth a baby, and save Darfur. Then, the Democratic National Convention will come back to Infesco Field and proclaim LT as their nominee for the presidency.

Baltimore @ Houston (-4.5)
The Call: (ATS) Baltimore (Straight Up) Houston
Am I picking the Fighting Flaccos for the second week in a row?? Yes. Why you may ask?? The Texans screwed me last week, so they're getting it from me this week.

New England @ New York Jets (-2)
The Call: New York Jets
J-E-T-S...Bretts, Bretts, Bretts!! Wait...no...that's right. The Magic Man was at it again last week, and before the season even started I said they'd win this game, so why would I back down now. Now, if only he would grow a Merlin beard and start wearing a velvet robe...

Pittsburgh (-6) @ Cleveland
The Call: Pittsburgh
We saw the games last week. I won't go any farther for all of my Browns faithful.

Philadelphia @ Dallas (-7)
The Call: Philadelphia
Doesn't this seem a little high?? Clear choice for me to take Philly. Romo, to me, will always be Tony *name that rhymes with Romo but is actually a stab at his sexual orientation*. Carrie Underwood > Jessica Simpson

NFL-Week One Picks

2008-09-04T00:55:00.001-04:00

Every year, I pick a winner for every single game of the NFL season. Last year, I went a pretty respectable 165-101, going 7-4 in the playoffs. It obviously didn't hurt me that I picked Green Bay to win every game, and they finished 14-4. Anyway, since I have a blog now, I'll be posting my predictions every week this year. The team in bold and italics is who I picked to win.

Week One

Washington Redskins @ New York Giants
Detroit Lions @ Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Seattle Seahawks @ Buffalo Bills
New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins
Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
St. Louis Rams @ Philadelphia Eagles
Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans
Dallas Cowboys @ Cleveland Browns
Carolina Panthers @ San Diego Chargers
Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts
Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders

There you have it. There are a few perceived upset picks in there. We'll see how they turn out.

NFL-Now We Go

2008-09-03T21:06:00.000-04:00

Alright. After a near two month hiatus, I am back. That explains how I am with blogs. Obsessed with them for up to a month and then don't pay attention to them at all for that long or more. I apologize to all of my "dedicated" readers for not writing, but, lucky for you, I am back. So, with the NFL season starting tomorrow, let's get into this.
Here's what I did. I went on NFL.com, went through each week, and picked a winner for every single game in the NFL season. Then, I tallied them up, and this is it. I figured that was the fairest way I could do it in terms of biases. That way I wouldn't be working a team toward a certain record. If you wanna know who I picked teams to lose to, I guess ask.
So...NFL predictions...comin at ya!!

AFC East
1. New England Patriots-12-4*
2. New York Jets-9-7
3. Miami Dolphins-7-9
4. Buffalo Bills-4-12

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers-9-7*
2. Cleveland Browns-8-8
3. Baltimore Ravens-4-12
4. Cincinnati Bengals-2-14

AFC South
1. Jacksonville Jaguars 12-4*
2. Indianapolis Colts-11-5*
3. Houston Texans-9-7
4. Tennessee Titans-7-9

AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers-15-1*
2. Denver Broncos-10-6*
3. Oakland Raiders-6-10
4. Kansas City Chiefs-5-11

Playoff Seeds
1. San Diego
2. New England (4-1 common games)
3. Jacksonville (3-2 common games)
4. Pittsburgh
5. Indianapolis
6. Denver

Wild Card
Jacksonville over Denver
Indianapolis over Pittsburgh

Divisional
San Diego over Indianapolis
Jacksonville over New England

AFC Championship
San Diego over Jacksonville

NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys-11-5 (1-1 head to head, 3-3 Div., 10-4 common games)
2. Philadelphia Eagles-11-5 (1-1 head to head, 3-3 Div., 9-5 common games)
3. Washington Redskins-10-6 (7-5 NFC)
4. New York Giants-9-7

NFC North
1. Minnesota Vikings-11-5
2. Green Bay Packers-10-6 (8-4 NFC)
3. Detroit Lions-3-13
4. Chicago Bears-2-14

NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints-10-6 (1-1 head to head, 4-2 Div., 8-6 common games, .496 strength of schedule)
2. Carolina Panthers-10-6 (1-1 head to head, 4-2 Div., 8-6 common games, .492 strength of schedule) (8-4 NFC)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-9-7
4. Atlanta Falcons-7-9

NFC West
1. Seattle Seahawks-12-4
2. St. Louis Rams-4-12
Arizona Cardinals-3-13
San Francisco 49ers-2-14

Playoff Seeds
1. Seattle
2. Dallas (3-2 common games)
3. Minnesota (1-4 common games)
4. New Orleans
5. Philadelphia
6. Green Bay (head to head win over Carolina after both beat out Washington in NFC record)

Wild Card
Minnesota over Philadelphia
Green Bay over New Orleans

Divisional
Seattle over Green Bay
Minnesota over Dallas

NFC Championship
Minnesota over Seattle

Super Bowl
San Diego over Minnesota

Wow. I picked Minnesota to play for the Super Bowl. That really pisses me off. At first I had Minnesota and Green Bay playing for the NFC Championship, but I decided that Seattle might be able to beat the Pack without all of the snow. I don't know though. No matter who advanced to the title game between Seattle, Minnesota and Green Bay, I don't feel any of them could compete with San Diego. Dallas is obviously a lot of people's favorite, but I just felt like the Minnesota defense would be able to shut them down. So, here it is. In February, come back and see how I did, and feel free to get on me for my terrible picks.

Brett Favre...Once Again

2008-07-11T16:59:00.000-04:00

As of this afternoon, Brett Favre's agent, James "Bus" Cook, Jr., sent a letter to the Green Bay Packers organization to request his full release from the team. Apparently, Favre had a conference call with GM Ted Thompson and Head Coach Mike McCarthy on Tuesday about a comeback, the Packers tried to convince Brett to remain retired, and he wasn't having it.

This is a climatic moment in this situation. After my rather lengthy report on the situation, most of it now seems to be a moot point, but maybe I'm jumping to conclusions and the saga will come to an end with Brett still honoring his retirement announcement. It just doesn't seem likely.

I'm just going to say that it would seem to me that the Baltimore Ravens have to be the leading suitor for Favre right now. If he doesn't end up with them, I'd be shocked because it's a good fit, and it would be the team that would probably least alienate him from the Packer faithful. If he winds up in Minnesota or Chicago, it's not going to be pretty.

Time to watch the story unfold and find out what is going to happen in the near future.

Brett Favre...You Didn't Think I Could Let This Pass Did You??

2008-07-10T13:28:00.001-04:00

On March 4, 2008, the world thought it would never again be faced will the will he or won't he question when dealing with Brett Favre. Favre retired from the Packers after 17 NFL seasons, saying, "I know I can still play. I'm just not sure I want to." Most people chose to believe the NFL's all-time leader in nearly every passing category, while some remained skeptical. Then he had his tearjerking press conference to officially announce his intentions, convincing most of the others. Every major sports magazine devoted about a third of their next issue on Favre and his career, and Sports Illustrated even had an 84-page hard-cover tribute published. (I own it, by the way.) Everyone thought it was the end of an era.

But wait just a second...

Last week, ESPN's Chris Mortensen cited an anonymous Packers source, saying that Favre reported to the team that he has the "itch", and might be interested in a comeback.
Then, Packers CB Al Harris came on the show, confirming that Favre had confided that same information to him.
Comeback rumors began swirling, and ESPN was once again dominated by Favre's mug on their shows. Experts of all kinds came on to talk about whether a comeback will happen, what will happen to Favre, the Packers and the rest of the NFL if it does and all of the other related topics. With just the word "itch", Brett Favre again became a top story.
Favre told his local newspaper in Hattiesburg, MS that it was all just a rumor, and that he had no plans, and his agent, James "Bus" Cook, Jr. said as far as he knew, Brett was still retired and planned to stay that way.
All week, though, reports have been coming across ESPN's website claiming Favre has been texting Packers GM Ted Thompson and Head Coach Mike McCarthy. Thompson reportedly texted Favre back that he is on vacation and will talk to him another time. McCarthy, meanwhile, has been mum on the issue, even telling children in the Green Bay Boys and Girls Club that he can't talk about things like that when they riddled him with questions about a Favre return.
Then, there was the front-page article on Sports Illustrated's website July 7th from Peter King. This article holds a lot of merit for me because there is no hiding that Peter King is probably Favre's best friend in the media. They talk and text frequently, and King has even stayed in Favre's house while in Mississippi for Favre's annual charity golf tournament. That's why I took it so seriously when King said to expect Favre's agent, Cook, to contact the Packers in the next 10 days about a comeback.

That's the news as of right now, so let's slow it down a little bit and talk about different points of this situation.

First and foremost, is Favre going to return??
In my opinion, unless the Packers front office and McCarthy can convince him not to, Brett will be back in the NFL for the 2008 season. He feels great, is coming off one of the top three statistical seasons of his career, and he has a lot left in the tank physically. Should he return, though? That's the question. Favre called it quits not because he was physically tired, but because he was emotionally and mentally exhausted. He has had time to rest up that part of his body too, but when does that mental distress start to take its toll on a 38-year-old quarterback expecting to play at the highest level week in and week out? This is something Favre needs to think long and hard about.

Second, do the Packers want him back??
All signs are pointing to "no" so far on this one. The Packers have changed their offense in the last four months to fit Aaron Rodgers' strengths, and they do not want to have to change it back. Also, the reins and the torch have been passed on to Rodgers, and the team isn't sure it would be the right move to just tear those away because Brett has the "itch". Favre and McCarthy have an excellent relationship. McCarthy was his quarterbacks coach a few years ago, and he isn't afraid to stand up to the veteran and tell him he's not getting the job done. Thompson, on the other hand, has had an icy relationship with Favre...at best. Favre has never taken too kindly to Thompson for his passive approach to free agency and his draft choices, specifically his failure to acquire Randy Moss last season and this season. And Thompson has all but said he is ready to move on and make this his team and not Brett's team. So...it would appear, the Packers are ready to tell Brett to hit the road.

Third, if Brett does come back and the Packers are uninterested, what happens??
This is a tough situation. If Brett asked to be taken off of the inactive/retired list, the Packers will have very little time to trade him to another team. On top of that, two factors will hinder their trading ability. The first is that most teams will not give a top player for Favre because he will probably play only one or two more years. Second, and most importantly, teams likely won't be willing to trade because they can sign Brett without losing anything if they wait it out. What I mean by this is that, if the Packers can't get a trade done, Favre will have to be released. Then, any team will be able to make him an offer. If a team can get him this way, why would they trade for him?

Assuming the Packers are forced to release Favre, who would he end up with??
There are a few teams that would work out for both parties if Favre decides to go a different direction. Those are Baltimore, Chicago, Minnesota, and possibly Houston or Carolina.

Minnesota is clearly the best fit. They have a young quarterback in Tarvaris Jackson that still needs time, and they have all of the other pieces in place for a Super Bowl run. Their offensive and defensive lines are stellar, their running game is one of the best in football, and the rest of their defense is more than adequate. With Favre, this team would easily be the Super Bowl favorite out of the NFC. The question is, would Favre be willing to alienate all of the fans he has made his entire career for another shot at a ring? Regardless, it would definitely be intriguing to see him run out of the Lambeau Field tunnel on the first Monday Night game of the year and on the night his Packer jersey is to be retired...in purple and gold.

Baltimore is next, and the most likely fit. As of right now, they have Kyle Boller, Troy Smith and Joe Flacco on their QB depth chart. Boller has been a major bust to this point, and the other two are very raw. If Favre comes in here, he inherits a good running game and an exceptional defense, and he can compete for a title immediately in the AFC North. Also, this is the safest place for him to go to not alienate the Packer faithful.

Chicago is next. They have a good receiving corps but one of the most pungent quarterback situations in all of football. Also, their running game is non-existent, but judging from the Pack's first 8 games last year, Favre can obviously handle that. Also, when healthy, the Bears have a strong defense led by Brian Urlacher. Favre would definitely be alright with having the return game offered by Devin Hester as well. This situation seems unlikely too, though, just because of who it is. It just doesn't seem likely that Brett would stay in the division.

The last possibility is the Carolina Panthers. Jake Delhomme was out most of last year, and appears to be healthy now, but it wouldn't be completely surprising to see this happen. Favre would love to stay in the south, and he could follow in Reggie White's footsteps as a Packer who retired and then came back for a swan song in Panther blue. This team may not have all the pieces for Favre, though. They were expected to compete for a title last year and flopped dramatically. The defense wasn't great, and some of it is obviously attributed to Delhomme's injuries. There are plusses, though. You can't say Brett Favre wouldn't love to be throwing passes to All-World wideout Steve Smith, and the running game, although it lost injury-prone bruiser DeShaun Foster, got stronger in April with the drafting of Jonathan Stewart of Oregon to team with DeAngelo Williams.

Next...what should the Packers really do??
If you're the Packers you have to really think about what you want to do here. The decision isn't as easy as just telling Brett you've moved on. ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski wrote an article the other day that I thought was very smart. If you're an NFL team, you need to do whatever has to be done, within reason, to make your team the best it can be. That being said, the Packers should take Brett back if he wants to come back. I'm not saying this as a Favre supporter, I'm saying it in terms of smart business. First, it's not going to alienate the lockerroom because Favre was always liked as a player and team leader. Second, it won't alienate most of the fans because they want their team to do well, and if Favre does well, the Packers do well. Bottom line...the Packers with Brett are better than the Packers without Brett. Aaron Rodgers could be a star quarterback in the making, but there's no telling if that will truly be the case. It also doesn't give a lot of hope when you look at his college coach's record of sending star quarterbacks to the NFL. Jeff Tedford coached Rodgers in college, along with Trent Dilfer, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, Kyle Boller, AJ Feeley, and Billy Volek. Dilfer, Smith, Harrington, Boller and Rodgers all went in the top-25 of their respective drafts and none have had memorable careers, forgetting the fact that the Ravens' defense led Dilfer to a Super Bowl title. So...why deny Brett because of Rodgers? He hasn't even tried to be a fan-friendly quarterback, telling Packer fans recently to "get on or shut their mouths." It becomes even easier to accept Favre back when you look at what's waiting. If Favre comes back, Rodgers will almost certainly leave the Packers when his contract expires in two years, but that leaves Brian Brohm to take the team. Brohm, who was projected as the number one pick in the draft in 2007, stayed at Louisville for one more year. The Cardinals were terrible, but Brohm was not, posting the best numbers of his career. He still fell to 57th in the draft, though, to Green Bay, and in my opinion, he shows as much or more promise than Rodgers. So...if you're Green Bay, you don't turn away a legend.

Finally, what does Brett Favre mean to sports??
The fact that a rumor of his comeback has garnered this much attention from ESPN, SI and the like, shows what a force he is in the media. The man has been a sports celebrity for 15 years, and just the mention of his name gets amplified more and more. John Madden's in love with him, announcers choose not to notice when he messes up, and blog sites can't wait to spoof his every move. Love him or hate him, Brett Favre is a phenomenon, and it appears that the old "gun slinger" could be on his way back for one last ride.

MLB All-Star Review...National League

2008-07-10T00:18:00.000-04:00

Alright. I did American League yesterday. Today is National League. Like last time, I'll write who was voted in to start at each position, and then who I think it should have been. I'll then explain why, and give a runner-up for each spot.

National League

Catcher
Geovany Soto-Cubs
Should have been: Brian McCann-Braves
So, we get the first EVER Rookie Catcher for the NL as an All-Star starter, and really, he's only the third best catcher in the league so far this year. Brian McCann and Russell Martin of the Dodgers are simply having better seasons. Soto, while an excellent defensive catcher, can't fall back on that either. He and McCann both have identical .995 fielding percentages, although Soto has thrown out 25% of base stealers to McCann's 23%. The bottom line, though, is that McCann leads NL catchers in doubles, home runs, and on-base plus slugging, while Soto only leads in RBI. Soto's having a great year, but he's only third best.
Runner-Up: Russell Martin, Los Angeles

First Base
Lance Berkman-Astros
Should have been: Berkman, like there was a question
Lance Berkman is far and away the class of what is never an easy position to stand out in in the NL. This year, it's a two horse race with between Berkman and Albert Pujols of the Cardinals with the Cubs' Derrek Lee, the Dodgers' James Loney, the Padres' Adrian Gonzalez and the Brewers' Prince Fielder watching from afar. Berkman and Pujols are two of the best players in the game, but this is Big Puma's year. He leads Pujols in batting average, runs, hits, RBI, doubles, home runs, walks, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging. Would things have been different had Pujols not spent time on the Disabled List?? It's tough to tell, but one thing that isn't tough to tell is that Berkman very well could be this year's National League MVP.
Runner-Up: Pujols

Second Base
Chase Utley, Phillies
Should have been: Utley
This is another one that wasn't even close. Utley leads the National League in home runs and leads NL Second Basemen in hits, runs, home runs, RBI, walks, and on base percentage. There really isn't much to say. Utley will be in the race for the MVP at the end of the season, hoping to make it three in a row for three different Philadelphia players.
Runner-Up: Dan Uggla, Florida

Third Base
Chipper Jones, Braves
Should have been: Jones
Either National League fans are a little smarter than American League fans, or there are just many more clear cut winners on the Senior Circuit. I'm going to go with the latter. Chipper has been flirting with a .400 batting average all season, and though he has dropped to a season low .379 while I write this, that still is easily the Major League lead. He doesn't win this spot without any kind of struggle, though. When you really look at the stats, Garrett Atkins of the Rockies, Aramis Ramirez of the Cubs and David Wright of the Mets have all had outstanding first halfs. Chipper wins the spot with the superb batting average and by leading the other third basemen in home runs, on base percentage and on-base plus slugging.
Runner-Up: David Wright, New York

Short Stop
Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Should have been: Ramirez
Hanley Ramirez is a rising star, and he's proving it this season, leading NL short stops in runs, home runs, RBI, walks, and on-base plus slugging. This isn't your father's short stop. This is a new age of power hitting short stop that can hit in the middle of the line up. Jose Reyes of the Mets should be applauded for the way he has played so far, as should the resurgent Christian Guzman of the Nationals and the reliable Ryan Theriot of the Cubs, but this is Hanley's season thus far. Now if they could just get these guys a glove. Ramirez is worst in the NL in fielding percentage, Reyes is closest to him, Theriot is right after that and Guzman is 3 from Theriot.
Runner-Up: Jose Reyes, New York

Outfield
Ryan Braun, Brewers
Kosuke Fukodome, Cubs
Alfonso Soriano, Cubs
Should have been: Matt Holliday, Rockies
Nate McLouth, Pirates
Carlos Lee, Astros
Leave it to the fans to get everything wrong once they get a competitive position like outfield. Matt Holliday, last year's MVP runner-up, and probably the most important piece in the Rockies run to the World Series last year, is having a stellar season, even if it isn't quite up to par with last year. He leads NL outfielders in batting average, hits, on base percentage and on-base plus slugging. Nate McLouth is a shining star for the Pirates this year. He was my second-rated outfielder and leads NL outfielders in runs and doubles. Finally, El Caballo, Carlos Lee, rounds out my outfielders. Lee is leading the National League in RBI right now, and he's second amongst outfielders in home runs.
Runners-Up:
Xavier Nady, Pittsburgh
Braun
Corey Hart, Milwaukee
(There are a lot of good outfielders in the NL Central)

Starting Pitcher
Edinson Volquez, Reds
Here is my bonus. Volquez is getting the start for my National League team, and not just because I cheer for the Reds. His competition for the start is Tim Lincecum of the Giants and Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks. Let's look at the stats. I searched 18 categories for pitchers, and the averages worked out as such. Volquez-1.89, Webb-1.89, Lincecum-2.22. So, Volquez and Webb tied with Lincecum a close third. That means it's my discretion as to whose wins, statistically speaking, are bigger. Take a look for yourself. Volquez is best in ERA, hits against, runs against, earned runs against, batting average against, strike outs per 9 innings and home runs against. Webb was on top in wins, innings, walks, complete games, shut outs, strike out to walk ratio, walks per 9 innings, ratio, and wild pitches. Meanwhile, Lincecum led strike outs and hit batsmen. Volquez is the clear winner. It seems absurd not to start a pitcher that leads his main competitors in ERA, runs against, batting average against and hits against, let alone the fact that he's the only one of the three that plays in a hitter's stadium. The edge goes to Edinson.
Runner-Up: Webb

MLB All-Stars...My Review of the Teams...AL first

2008-07-08T20:06:00.000-04:00

As the title says, I'm going to be writing my review of the All-Star teams. Basically, I'll list the elected starter at each position and the person that I think should be at that position, and then give an explanation. Today is American League day. National League will come tomorrow or the next day.

American League

Catcher
Joe Mauer-Twins
Should have been: Mauer, easily
Joe Mauer is clearly the starter at catcher for the American League. He is the heart and soul of a surging Twins team, and he has the stats to back it up. He is 2nd in the AL in batting average, and on base percentage, and he only strikes out once every 12 at bats. Also, he's fourth amongst his fellow catchers in fielding percentage, with only 2 errors in 443 chances.
Runner-Up: Dioner Navarro, Tampa Bay

First Base
Kevin Youkilis-Red Sox
Should have been: Justin Morneau-Twins
This really could be a toss-up, but Morneau is the pick here. Youk has had a great season thus far, but Morneau leads him in batting average, RBI and hits and has more walks with less strike outs. Youk leads him in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs, but Morneau's wins just seem a little bigger. Finally, their fielding percentages are almost identical with Morneau committing two errors in 730 chances and Youkilis having one in 542 attempts. It's a toss-up but Morneau gets the nod.
Runner-Up: Youkilis

Second Base
Dustin Pedroia-Red Sox
Should have been: Ian Kinsler-Rangers
Are you kidding me?? This isn't even close. Pedroia is a great player, but Ian Kinsler is having a season no other second base is even close to. He leads the entire American League in batting average, hits and runs, is second in doubles and fifth in stolen bases. And all of that comes with Pedroia having the most at-bats in the AL. Another case of a good Red Sox player beating out a great player from somewhere else because of who he plays for.
Runner-Up: Pedroia

Third Base
Alex Rodriguez-Yankees
Should have been: Rodriguez
No one else is even close. After his epic first half last year, A-Rod has cooled down a bit, but he's still head-and-shoulders ahead of the field on the hot corner. He's fourth in the AL in batting average and he leads other third basemen in runs, RBI and home runs. He hasn't had a great season, but neither have the other third basemen. His defense is shaky as ever, but the more solid third basemen in the field just aren't cutting it on offense
Runner-Up: Carlos Guillen, Detroit

Short Stop
Derek Jeter-Yankees
Should have been: Michael Young-Rangers
I understand Jeter starting the last one in "The House that Ruth Built," but Michael Young is a much better candidate. He leads AL short stops in almost every major offensive category. His fielding percentage is eleven points higher than Jeter's as well. Young is just the more deserving candidate.
Runner-Up: Jeter

Outfield
Josh Hamilton-Rangers
Manny Ramirez-Red Sox
Ichiro Suzuki-Mariners
Should have been:
Hamilton
J.D. Drew-Red Sox
Jermaine Dye-White Sox
As always, the outfield is very competitive, so I chose to go mostly statistical here. Creating an average of ranking among outfielders in the categories of batting average, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks, on base percentage and on base plus slugging, the stats show these three. Really, you can't do much better than these guys this year. Hamilton is the ML MVP at this point, putting up otherworldly numbers, Drew, the perennial underachiever is finally earning his money, and Dye is producing at the levels he has for the last few years.
Runners-Up:
Johnny Damon, New York
Ramirez
Grady Sizemore, Cleveland

Starting Pitcher
Cliff Lee-Indians
This hasn't been announced yet, but this is my bonus. Lee has been the premier pitcher in the American League for most of this season, and he hasn't even had a great team to back him up. Justin Duchscherer has overtaken Lee in ERA, and has given up 12 less earned runs, but Lee has a better record, has started three more games, has a complete game under his belt and a 9-inning shut out in an extra inning loss, and has almost twice as many strike outs and less walks. He has the resume for the job, and he deserves it.
Runner-Up: Duchscherer

A Top-10, Cedar Point Style

2008-07-01T23:57:00.000-04:00

Okay. This is going to be my first official post. I took a half hour the other night writing about the National League's ineptitude in Interleague play, but I lost my signal as I was posting it, so it is gone. I just got over the anger and am going to take a second stab at a post. I just went to Cedar Point over the weekend, so I'm going to post my top 10 rides at the park. If you agree or disagree, let me know.

Without further ado...

10. Mantis
Pros-The biggest pro for the Mantis is that it's long, lasting 2:40. Also, there are three loops and a figure eight finish, which I think are positives.
Cons-Some people may like the idea of a stand-up coaster, but I'm not crazy about it. The bicycle seat you sit on is not comfortable (especially for a guy), and it just never really gets to be a comfortable experience. Also, the line is always at least 45 minutes, which isn't too bad, but over an hour is too long of a wait for me on this ride.
Overall-It's a good ride that I would probably like better if it were a regular sit down coaster. I understand the idea of diversity, though, and if it were a sit-down, it would be too much like the Raptor. It's one that I'll usually try to get one once while I'm there, but never more than that.

9. Power Tower
Pros-The thrill of a freefall is always cool, especially because it seems to always come unexpectedly. Also, it goes up to 60 mph in the drop, which is pretty sweet. It's can be nice to have a choice whether you want to get blasted up or dropped down. For a ride like this, the 45 second ride time is good too, especially since it's rare to wait more than 10 minutes in line.
Cons-The ride time is good for the kind of ride, but it still leaves you wanting more.
Overall-I really enjoy the Power Tower, and I barely have anything bad to say about it, but it just doesn't match up with those farther up. It's something that I turn to when I need a little break so it can't be considered one of the top rides on my list. It's definitely one I'll do more than once, though, because the wait is nothing. I always prefer to be dropped. Being shot up just doesn't do much for me.

8. Wicked Twister
Pros-Nothing else offers a ride like this one. The back-and-forth motion is unique, and that's a definite plus. It's fast, going 72 mph. The track is a U, meaning you are looking either straight up or straight down when you get to the end of the track. The 450-degree twist in the end of the track adds a little extra.
Cons-It goes 5 times down the track, which never feels like enough on this ride. The line usually seems longer than I feel it should be too, especially since it never seems the ride is long enough.
Overall-When I first saw this ride, I didn't think it would be cool at all. I thought it would just go back and forth a couple times and be totally boring. I was definitely wrong. Once you get through the line, you find out that the mixture of speed, suddenness and 90-degree bends in the track make it really enjoyable. The fact that it goes through the station each time it runs the track offers a chance to entertain too, such as acting like you're running through the station or being pulled through. It just never seems long enough.

7. Skyhawk
Pros-It takes you 125 feet in the air at 60 mph in both directions. It gives you the feeling of weightlessness. Being able to look straight in front of you and see the ground 125 feet below. The wait is never very long.
Cons-It doesn't twist, spin or drop, and one minute is just not long enough.
Overall-I love the Skyhawk. It's only been at Cedar Point for 2 years, and it's gaining some popularity. It may not look great since it just swings back and forth, bringing to mind the tameness of the pirate ship, but it does offer a thrill. Being able to look straight ahead at the ground 125 feet below is unlike most feelings you can have.

6. MaXair
Pros-You go 140 feet in the air, up to 70 mph, and not only do you swing back and forth, you're spinning. The line is usually less than a half hour, and it lasts 2:30, which is awesome. At the top, you feel weightless whether you're looking up or down.
Cons-None really
Overall-MaXair is a sweet ride. It's like the Skyhawk on steroids, which kind of sucks for Skyhawk since it's a year newer. For some reason, less people are riding MaXair each year, which is alright with me because I can get on it more. It has a short wait, and lasts a long time. My favorite part is when you get to the top and you spin from the side to looking straight down at the ground.

5. Magnum XL-200
Pros-It has a 205-foot first hill, goes 72 mph, and every time you go over a hill, it feels like you're floating out of your car. The tunnels provide a good thrill, and in the middle the back-to-back turns are a chance to lean out of the car and act like you're falling out. Also, now that the Millennium Force has moved ahead of it by being taller and faster, the line is usually amazingly short. It's pretty long too, lasting 2 minutes.
Cons-Compared to some of the others, it can feel a little bit jerky, and the seats are tiny.
Overall-This is an old favorite. It was my favorite ride in the park for a long time, and though it's fallen a bit, it's still awesome. I love that I rarely have to wait to get on it, and the floating feeling you get, especially being the first car over the first hill, is amazing.

4. Raptor
Pros-Just listen to the special features: Six upside-down turns: one vertical loop, two inverted corkscrews, a zero-gravity roll and a "cobra roll" that turns riders upside down twice. Add that to the fact that your legs are dangling, and this ride is awesome. It goes up to 57 mph, which isn't terribly fast, but on this ride it feels faster. 2:15 ride time is solid.
Cons-Usually, the wait is pretty long. Don't go early in the day because a lot of people just coming in go straight to Raptor. Also, they don't have pictures anymore. They tape your entire ride and show you the whole time, which I think is just creepy.
Overall-This has always been one of my favorite rides in the park. The loops and spins are sweet, and for some reason always make me feel like I'm about to black out, a feeling I don't get on any other ride. It's all good though. I love the ride too much to worry about that.

3. Top Thrill Dragster
Pros-420 feet tall, 120 mph in less than 4 seconds, a 270-degree twist while descending 400 feet straight toward the ground.
Cons-The line is usually very long, it lasts a measley 17 seconds, and it shuts down for the slightest of bad weather conditions.
Overall-It looks like I just didn't say much about this ride, but what can you really say?? It's the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, and the thrill it gives you by going from 0-120 mph in less than 4 seconds is unmatched. It just isn't all good things. It feels like it's over before it starts, which makes it not worth it for some people because of how long they have to wait. And it shuts down for any kind of threatening weather, which also sucks. It's just an unbelievable ride, though. Totally worth it to me.

2. Maverick
Pros-There is nothing like it. It has a 95-degree drop, and two corkscrew rolls, which have never been seen before. Also, there are 8 different spots where you get airtime. There are two launch pads, and it's cool that you don't hit top speed until the second half of the ride. 2:30 is amazing considering the wait.
Cons-The wait, the wait, the wait. You have to wait over 2 hours almost every single time. That might go down in the coming years since this is only its second year, but I doubt it. Also, there is no high hill.
Overall-I have never seen a ride like this before, and I'm so glad that I have now. A 95-degree drop and 8 airtime moments?! Are you serious?? That's ridiculous and amazing. The corkscrew rolls are awesome, and this is such a smooth ride for all of the twists. You have to wait forever to get on, but the ride last 2:30, so it makes it worth it. For not having a high hill, this ride overcomes that and then some.

1. Millennium Force
Pros-It takes you 80-degrees up the first hill straight out of the station to the top, 310 feet away. Immediately, you drop 300 of those feet at 93+ mph back to the ground. The ride lasts 2:20, and it has two more hills that are higher than the tallest hill on most coasters.
Cons-Usually the longest wait in the park, easily topping 2 hours most times.
Overall-This ride has everything you want. It has height, speed, twists, turns, tunnels, lights, and airtime. The only thing it doesn't offer are rolls. It's not the tallest or fastest coaster in the park even, but when you are that big and that fast and last 2:20, that's just awesome. I love this ride, and it's well worth it for me to wait to ride it twice in one day. From the first time I rode it, it was my favorite ride in the park, and that hasn't been challenged thus far.

Interleague Baseball (National League is a Joke)

2008-06-21T22:34:00.000-04:00

Here's the deal. I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan, and a fan of the National League in general. I like that they don't just abandon their tradition and take up a Designated Hitter like the American League presses them to do, and I think that it's good that pitchers have to try to hit. Some feel that pitchers should concentrate on pitching only, (and Hank Steinbrenner apparently thinks the National League needs to "grow up" and adopt the DH after his star pitcher got hurt running the bases) but I just feel that playing baseball consists of throwing, fielding and hitting for all players. So, the National League is more for me.

Here's the thing, though. The National League has this little thing where they just can't seem to compete against the American League. They lose the All-Star game every year, and even though a National League team wins the World Series somtimes, it's been mostly American League as of late. Then there's the big thorn for the NL...Interleague. I don't know for sure, but I don't think the NL has ever beat the AL in the Interleague season series. I do know that the AL usually wins by a hefty margin, and it leaves everyone talking about how the younger league with its modern DH and higher priced stars is just a whole lot better than the Senior Circuit.

This year, though, people thought things might change. The National League picked up some talent from the AL in the offseason, and at the start of the year, it had better statistics than its counterpart in nearly every category. The Cubs and Diamondbacks were rising to the top as possible Goliaths to take down the AL dominance, and the stars just seemed to be aligned for the NL to have a big year.

Then...Interleague season started. The American League beat up on the NL at a rate that is becoming common. The AL won the season series 149-102, for a .594 winning percentage. Even more alarming is that only THREE NL teams finished with a winning record against the AL, while the other THIRTEEN NL teams had losing records. Even worse for the NL is that the three teams that did have success against the American League really aren't having a lot of success otherwise. They are the 45-44 Mets, who are just now trying to get something going after taking 3 of 4 at Philly, the 42-48 Braves, who can't win on the road or in one run games. (Stats of the day...the Braves are an NL worst 12-30 on the road and, get this...5-21 in one-run games.) Then there are my 43-47 Reds, sitting fourth in the NL Central and praying for a shortstop who won't get injured and a 5th starter who isn't terrible, not to mention an answer as to what's going to happen with Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr.

Those three teams completed 9-6, 8-7, and 9-6 slates, respectively, against the AL, but they just aren't doing much in their own league. Meanwhile, the three division leaders, the Phillies, Cubs, and Diamondbacks, were pitiful against the AL, going 4-11, 6-9, and 6-9. And the Wild Card leading Cardinals were a not as bad 7-8.

Overall, though, it was a pathetic display for a League trying to prove it was closing the gap on it's younger counterparts. I guess they're planning on showing up the AL in the All-Star game for the first time in more than a decade, or just winning the World Series?? Stay tuned. We'll find out.