College Football Picks

Good lord, i suck at picking these against the spread. On a side note-, i'm something like 11-4 in a bowl picks pool, but only 6-9 ATS on here. Go figure...

Onto my next round of picks, which covers games for today and tomorrow. Quite the slate we have for the two days. I'm at work this morning, hoping to get out of here early so i can watch some games and get ready for the New Year's Eve Party tonight...

Air Force +4.5 over California
California fell off the face of the planet the last half of the year, and Air Force was playing well. I like to service academy school in the service academy bowl...

South Florida -6.5 over Oregon
Did you see how bad the Ducks played once Dennis Dixon went down?

Fresno St. +6 over Georgia Tech
I like Fresno and their coach, Pat Hill. I have seen neither team play this year however.

Kentucky -whatever over Florida St.
I think this line was 3, but i'm not sure. Florida St. is missing 35 players. 35! Kentucky will absolutely roll.

Indiana +6 over Oklahoma St.
Indiana should ride their season long emotion and determination from their ex head coach Terry Hoeppner, who passed away in June.

Auburn +3 over Clemson
I really struggled with this one, but in the end went with the team whose only losses in the last two months were to Georgia and LSU. Edge goes to Auburn.

Wisconsin +2 over Tennessee
I also struggled over this one. Wisconsin usually plays well in bowl games. That's about all i got.

Missouri -4 over Arkansas
There is a chance Missouri doesn't show up because they feel slighted they're not in a BCS game, but i think they do and i think they roll.

Florida -11 over Michigan
Which teams did Michigan have the most trouble with this year? Spread Offenses. What type of offense does Florida run? A Spread Offense. There you go.

Texas Tech -6 over Virginia
Virginia doesn't see offenses like this in the ACC.

USC -14 over Illinois
I'm sorry, i just can't see how Illinois is going to keep this remotely close.

Georgia -8 over Hawaii
Georgia is a huge step up from anyone Hawaii has played this year. I think the Bulldogs get it done.

NFL Picks

So glad i rushed to get last night's pick of the Patriots up so they could promptly not cover against the Giants who inexplicably decided to try...

44-32-6 on the year, including last night's game. This week is basically impossible to pick, due to the fact that half the league is resting their players. But hey, what kind of a prognosticator would i be if i didn't at least try?

Jacksonville +6.5 over Houston
Even with Quinn Gray at qb and probably no Fred Taylor at rb, i like the Jags here. They might be the hottest team in the league.

New Orleans -1 over Chicago
A chance at a little revenge from last year's NFC Championship game, plus the Saints still have something to play for, even though it's a long shot to make the playoffs for them.

Seattle -1.5 over Atlanta
Seattle has nothing to play for, which scares me, but i just can't see them losing to the Falcons. Though i don't think i've picked a Seahawks game correctly in about three years, so they'll probably drop a deuce at midfield in this game...

Dallas +9 over Washington
I know T.O. isn't playing, nor is Terrence Newman. And even though Washington is still playing for something and Dallas isn't, 9 points is a lot, especially since it's a division game.

San Diego -9 over Oakland
One thing we've learned this year is that Oakland's run defense isn't very good. Also, the Chargers want to win this game to get the #3 seed and avoid the Patriots until the AFC Championship game.

St. Louis +6 over Arizona
Arizona has something to play for, namely an 8-8 record and a non-losing season, which is hard to come by in these parts. Which is exactly why i think they actually will drop a deuce at midfield in this game, plus the Rams have people back healthy.

Iowa Hawkeye Basketball

Again, i try not to be homerific on this blog, but this warrants mentioning. My Iowa Hawkeye men's basketball team played a game tonight against Southeastern Louisiana. Despite their recent struggles, the Hawkeyes won the game. But there is an interesting story within the game tonight.

Iowa went 13 minutes in the first half without scoring a point. 13 minutes! They went up 5-0 45 seconds into the game, and didn't score again until there was 6 and a half minutes left in the half. 13 minutes! They took 1/3 of the game off! And still won!

I'm not sure which is worse, that they took 1/3 of the game off, or that they still won...

The Hockey

I don't write nearly enough about the Coyotes, or hockey in general, because i haven't had a chance to watch much of the Coyotes or the NHL this year yet. That being said, there is something going on with this Coyotes team. While still very young and inexperienced, they are an entertaining team with lots of talent, albeit raw. They are playing well, getting some wins, and not playing bad.

I have been watching more of them lately, though not enough yet to put together a coherent post. Wait until football season is over. Until then, check out my friend over at One Fan's Perspective. He writes a great blog and loves the Coyotes (and hockey in general).

Also, be sure to meander over to the Coyotes official site. They are the only professional team here in Phoenix, or anywhere for that matter, who have read my blog and actually contacted me about that. That impresses me.

NFL Picks

Full column coming tomorrow, but wanted to pick tonight's game.

New England -14 over New York Giants
Neither team has anything to play for except for the whole undefeated thing, so i think Belichick will try to score early and often, then let his start rest in the 2nd half. Either way, i don't think the Giants put up much of a fight...

Suns 108, Clippers 88

Wow. Apparently i should write posts blasting Amare more often. That was an absolute dominate performance, going for 30 and 15 in less than three quarters of play. If Amare could play that way every game, or even 80% of that 80% of the time, then people would believe the Suns are the Western Conference favorites. Impressive...

The Suns: 28 Games Into The Season

I haven't written much about the Suns yet this year, for a couple of reasons.

1) The Suns are gonna do what they're going to do. They're a great team, they're gonna finish in the top half of teams in the West, and no matter how much we talk about them or dissect them, coach D'Antoni has proven he's not going to change what he does.

2) The other reason is, that despite the fact i love the Suns and have watched almost every game this year, i'm just not that interested in the regular season. And therein lies the problem. The Suns just don't seem that interested in the regular season either.

Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing has yet to be decided, but it's painfully obvious to me that this team is basically just going through the motions right now.

If nothing else, it's an interesting development along the path for the Phoenix Suns. To me, it is an imitation of the Spurs of the last few years. The Spurs don't care about the regular season. It doesn't matter if they finish 1st in the West or 4th. They know they're going to be in the playoffs, they know they're going to have home-court advantage for at least the first round, and they know it's stupid to over-extend themselves during the long, regular season.

Exhibit A for this argument would be the Dallas Mavericks from last year. They played every single game of the regular season as if it was a playoff game, rolled to 67 wins and the #1 seed in the West, and promptly lost in the first round of the playoffs. They ran out of gas, a product of too much energy spent over the course of a very long season. In my opinion, the Suns have evolved to a point where they realize that the difference between 65 wins and the #1 seed and 58 wins and the #3 seed isn't all that great. They're going to be in the playoffs regardless.

That being said, it doesn't mean there aren't some things about this team that concern me a little bit. First an foremost is Amare Stoudemire. The guy is a man among boys in almost every game he plays, but is inconsistent at best in playing like that. He has the potential to be the best player on this Suns team, which is saying a lot, but doesn't seem to give the effort night in and night out, or even quarter to quarter. Take the Dallas game the other night. At times in the first three quarters he seemed to disappear, then in the 4th quarter was all over the place, dunking on pick and rolls, blocking shots, and even making a couple of nice assists. If he played that hard every play, he would be nearly unstoppable.

Then there is the matter of his 'game'. Is it just me, or is he falling in love with taking 18-footers? Especially turn around, fall away 18-footers? This part of his game is really starting to frustrate me. He is 6'10 and 250lbs, and has a quick jump and long wingspan, resulting in the ability to make some fantastically explosive dunks. Those dunks can be game changing, getting the crowd into or out of it, depending on if they are home or away. They also have the ability to get Amare on the line, where he is a great free throw shooting. Yet Amare seems to shy away from those opportunities way more than he should be, instead using finger rolls and jumpers. And don't get me started on his refusal to use the glass...

The one other thing about this team that causes me concern, which has been an on-going problem under D'Antoni, is his stubbornness to not use his bench. Marcus Banks, at the beginning of the year when he was getting playing time, i thought played fairly well. His defense is great, he's quick with the ball, and has the ability to knock down some shots. Sean Marks, when he got in, played decent defense. Piatkowski was hitting the 3's.

I'm not saying we should be using them in a regular rotation. But is this team, as it appears, is basically running through the motions waiting to get to the playoffs, would it hurt them that much to get Banks 10-15 minutes a game? Or Marks and Piatkowski 6 or 7 minutes? Would it really kill us? We already have shown an inability to score or even run a basic offense through Barbosa when Nash is off the floor, would it hurt us that badly if our bench guys were on the floor?

Does it not concern anyone that Grant Hill, Mr. Injury Prone himself, is second on the team in minutes played at a shade under 35? And Steve Nash is right next to him, with the same average? You couldn't shave a few minutes off each of those guys for the bench, to keep our starters fresh and ready to go for the playoffs?

All that said, i still like this team. Despite what a lot of local and national media are saying, i think this Suns team may in fact be better than last year's squad. I absolutely love what Grant Hill brings to the team, and Brian Skinner is pretty much the same player as Kurt Thomas was last year, right? He plays solid defense, can rebound and shot-block, and hits the 15-footer regularly. Where's the difference? Boris Diaw, if he continues to be aggressive as he has been lately, is still a good player on this team. Barbosa's shot is coming around, and Raja is getting healthy and playing that tough-nosed defense he's known for. Marion does Marion things, which is perfect for this team.

All in all, i like this team and i like our chances. Let's just get to the playoffs already...

More College Bowl Picks!

Off to a rough start, going just 2-4 to start the bowl season. I have a lot of making up to do apparently to get a respectable record. Hopefully, since we're getting into more teams i know and have seen play, i can do a little better. This will cover the next round of games, through Sunday.

Central Michigan +8 over Purdue
In another matchup of two teams that faced off in the regular season, i like the Chippewa's to avenge their loss to Purdue early in the season. Ask UCLA how hard it is to beat a team twice in the same year...

Texas -2.5 over ASU
ASU beat absolutely no one this year, and lost to the only two good teams they played (USC and Oregon before Dixon was hurt). Their might be somewhat of a letdown for the Sun Devils because they thought they might make a BCS game, but i think their coach Dennis Erickson will get that out of their system. Still, i like Texas in this game.

Boston College -4 over Michigan St.
Let's see, a team who's notorious for collapsing down the stretch against a team with arguably the most NFL-ready qb in college football? I like the qb, and i think BC has something to prove.

TCU -4.5 over Houston
Ok, i'll admit i know absolutely nothing about either of these teams...

Maryland +5.5 over Oregon St.
This game was a hard one to pick. I like the way Oregon St. played at the end of the year, but i also like Terrapin's coach Ralph Friedgen's ability to gameplan with a month to do it. In the end, i still with a team who has been in more big games the last few years, Maryland.

UCONN +3 over Wake Forest
The fact that this game is in North Carolina scares me, as it's only about 2 hours from Wake's campus. I do like the way the Huskie's played this year though, so i'll go with them.

Central Florida -3 over Mississippi St.
It would be a good story for Mississippi St. to win this game, as they've had a good year and have a great coach. I don't think they will be able to pull this one out though.

Penn St. -5.5 over Texas A&M
This is one of the rare occasions this bowl season you'll see me pick a Big Ten team, cause i think they're losing most of their games. Like Penn St. here though, and haven't been impressed with A&M when i've seen them play this year.

Colorado +3.5 over Alabama
Any team that beat Oklahoma and dropped 65 on Nebraska has my vote...

NFL Picks Review

Not a bad week for me, after a couple of brutal weeks. 4-2-1, putting my sixteen week record at 44-31-6. Not too shabby. One week left to go in the regular season, then it's time for the playoffs, where the real bettors make their money...

NFL Picks

40-29-5 on the season, with two weeks left. A good week this week, and i'll be in good shape to finish the season. Off we go!

Cleveland -3 over Cincinnati
I think this line should be higher. I also don't think it will be quite the high-scoring, defense-less affair it was the first time these two teams met.

Indianapolis -7 over Houston
This game does scare me a little bit, for a number of reasons. One, Indy has nothing to play for, so they might be into the game. Two, this has all the feelings of Manning playing for 2.5 quarters, then sitting for the rest of the game, which would be incredibly detrimental to my fantasy team in the super bowl. Three, the Texans have a tendency to play pretty well against the Colts as of late. But, i still like the Colts. Hopefully Manning will be sharp, through for 250 yards and three touches before sitting down midway through the 3rd quarter.

Detroit -5 over Kansas City
How do you right the Lions ship? Bring in the Chiefs to play them.

Philadelphia +3.5 over New Orleans
The Saints are on fire right now. They are fighting for a playoff spot, needing just a little bit of help. The Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs last week and have nothing to play for. McNabb's future with the Eagles is in doubt, and other than last week's win over the Cowboys, haven't been playing all that great. That said, i like the Eagles to play spoiler here for some reason...

San Diego -9 over Denver
The Chargers might be the hottest team in football (with my own Vikings), and are playing great right now. They're at home, and have been straight killing the Broncos lately. Expect a blow-out.

Atlanta +10.5 over Arizona
The last time the Cards were a double-digit favorite at home, they lost to a terrible, terrible San Francisco team. I can't fathom a situation, under any circumstance, where the Cards should be a double-digit favorite over anyone. I don't care how well they've played at time this year and how awful the Falcons are. I don't think the Falcons will win, but i don't think they'll get blown out either.

New England -22 over Miami
I am really wrestling with this pick this week. I've been pounding the Patriots all year, but the last few weeks they haven't been playing quite as sharp and haven't been covering. Yet, Vegas hasn't adjusted for that yet and is still giving them huge lines. Still, the Dolphins are pretty bad and the Patriots are pretty good.

Haren to the DBacks, WoW

Everyone is very excited about Dan Haren joining the Dbacks starting rotation, but I thought I would add some knowledge for y'all. Webb & Haren both had 34 starts, pretty routine for them the past 3 years, or 68 starts between them. Webb had 18 wins and Haren 15 last year for a total of 33. Webby and the Dbacks also won 4 additional games (out of 6) he started but did not factor into the decision. The A's also won 4 games when Haren received a no decision. Assuming that both have similar seasons, which is highly probable, that is a total of 41 wins in 68 games. 41 - 27, or 13 games over .500 from our top two starters. If the number 3 - 5 starters can just play .500 ball for the remaining season it will translate into 88-74.

I personally think that Haren will easily have a higher winning percentage due to being on a much better team than last year and expect at least 3 - 5 more team wins from the Dbacks, thus bumping that 88 wins to 92 and enough for the playoffs. Bottom Line - Webb and Haren will pitch the DBacks into the postseason if we can just get .500 ball from Davis, Owens and RJ or... ? The 1 - 2 punch of Webby and Haren will be even more effective in the playoffs, it should be a very good year! Is it February yet?

College Bowl Picks

Ok, kids, the time has come. It's Bowl Season!!!

I finished the regular season at 39-34-2, a pretty craptastic record if i do say so myself. But the slate is wiped clean! It's the postseason! It's the Bowls!

This is not the whole complete list yet, as that's pretty in-depth and i haven't had enough time yet. But since the games start tonight, i have to get a few predictions out. So this covers the first round of games, through Christmas. Six games total, let's go!

Navy +8 over Utah
I originally had this game the other way. My reasoning was that i hate teams whose coaches have left, are leaving, or are rumored to be leaving. And Navy's Paul Johnson already left. But, they have a hell of an offense to stop, they promoted from within so the continuity should be there, and i'm not sold on Utah blowing them out. So there.

FAU -3 over Memphis
I like legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger and the quickest team to ever reach a bowl game (they've been a program for just 7 years). That's all.

Cincinnati -11 over SMU
Cincinnati has a good quarterback (Mauk), and SMU has an out-going coach. There's your 11 points.

Nevada +3 over New Mexico
New Mexico lost their leading rusher for this game, and Nevada's qb has been hot.

BYU -6 over UCLA
The fact that BYU is favored by 6 in this game is surprising. Then again, i'm picking them, so it may not be that surprising. BYU has won 9 in a row, UCLA is a sinking ship without a coach (sense the theme?).

Boise St. -11 over E. Carolina
I like Boise St. They're a proven commodity, especially in bowls.

Alright, that covers games until next Wednesday, plenty of time to get the rest of the picks up. It's hard work picking games in which you know nothing about either team, nor have seen either of them play a down this year. So these were all pretty much a crap-shoot. Just a warning.

Happy Bowling everyone!

NFL Picks Review

3-4 this week, not a great showing. 40-29-5 on the season, with two short weeks left. Then it's playoffs time baby. On a side note- Go Vikings tonight against the Bears!

NFL Picks

Ok kids. This post is a little late as i meant to get it out before the Thursday game, or especially before the Saturday game, but quite frankly i'm lazy and haven't been feeling well. So there you go. 37-25-5 on the year, three weeks to finish out strong. Here we go!

New Orleans -4 over Arizona
Same argument i used last time i picked against the Cards: The Cardinals are missing three starters on defense due to injury, two in the secondary. The Saints have been playing well and throwing the ball around. The Cards are fighting for their playoff lives, and i don't think they have it in them.

Baltimore -4 over Miami
A lot of people are picking the Dolphins to win the this game and end their losing streak. I just don't see it. The Ravens still have some semblance of a good defense, and the Miami offense is still really bad.

Green Bay -8.5 over St. Louis
St. Louis still sucks, and the Packers are rolling (I hate saying that...)

Carolina +7.5 over Seattle
Seattle has struggled playing across country this year, and the Panthers are better than their record.

Indianapolis -11 over Oakland
The Colts are hitting their stride right before the playoffs, playing very well and blowing teams out. The Raiders are starting Josh McCown at qb, with rookie JaMarcus Russell slated to see his first action of the season also. I think the Colts roll.

New York Giants -5.5 over Washington
With Jason Campbell out and Todd Collins starting at qb for the Redskins, i think the Giants cruise to a fairly easy win at home.

New England -21 over New York Jets
I've gone back and forth on this one all week long. Taking into consideration the possible weather conditions, i think it might be hard for New England's aerial attack to put up a ton of points. And with everyone in the country thinking the Patriots will absolutely destroy the Jets, it makes me want to go the other way (a tried and true gambling rule). Then again, i've been banging the Patriots all year, they've only let me down a couple of times, and i do think Belichick wants to embarrass Mangini. So my pick is the Patriots. By a lot.

College Playoff System

The best argument against a College Football Playoff system i've seen yet is over at KSK. Check it out. At check out some of the other blogs i have links to on the right. And leave some comments. Oh, and have a good weekend.

George Foreman Endorses: Mike Vick (And His Line Of Grills...)

Since his sentencing earlier this week, details have come out about a letter Mike Vick sent to the judge prior to the sentencing asking for leniency. The substance and point of this letter I couldn't care less about. Of course he wrote it, of course he tried to pawn off blame on other people, and of course the judge really didn't take it into consideration during the sentencing. Whatever.

George Foreman and Hank Aaron also both wrote letters to the judge in support of Vick, presumably asking for leniency. That doesn't interest me either. Typically well-known people who get in trouble get support from other well-known people. Whatever.

What interests me is what Foreman wrote in his letter. Or, more accurately, how Foreman opened his letter to Vick's judge. Here it is, thanks to Fanhouse:

Dear Judge Hudson:
I'm a fulltime minister at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Houston, Texas, former two-time Heavyweight Champion of the world, and known all over the world as the king of the grills because of the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine.

(Sigh...) Really? I mean, seriously? That was necessary? At this point, the rest of the letter becomes irrelevant. He couldn't just start with 'I'm George Foreman'? Or stop after the 'two-time heavyweight Champion of the world' line? He had to put a plug in for his grills? This is helping Mike Vick how?

The Mitchell Report Fallout: Thoughts...

Wheeeeeeee! It's like Christmas morning! Does everyone else find this as hilarious as i do?!?

More on this later, but a couple things i wanted to point out:

What the hell were the Astros thinking trading for Miguel Tejada yesterday? Seriously, you don't think the fact that he might be in this report didn't come up once during trade talks? Either the Astros are freaking retarded, or they just don't care. As sad as it is, i'm inclined to think it's the latter...

The MLB Players Association sent out a letter to players during the investigation basically telling them not to cooperate. Lovely.

It was amazing to me how many of the players paid for these steroids with a CHECK. Hello, paper trail?! Are you stupid? Let's see, i'm buying something illegal and i don't want anyone to know about it. Instead of paying him the $1,100 to $3,200 (average payment) in cash i'm sure most of these guys carry, they pay with a personal check. The guy they were buying them from, Kirk Radomski, kept copies of all the checks players had given him. You think he wasn't covering his ass just in case?

Players mentioned in the report who have links to the Dbacks are:
- Jason Grimsley (We already knew that)
- Matt Williams (Same)
- Alex Cabrera
- Jack Cust
- Chris Donnels
- Stephen Randolph
- Mike Bell
- Matt Herges
- Troy Glaus
- Jose Guillen
- Darren Holmes
- Multiple Members of the Dbacks farm team the El Paso Diablos (Who reportedly repeatedly crossed the border into Mexico to purchase steroids.? Players on that team include the aforementioned Cabrera, Cust, and Williams, as well as notable names such as Alex Cintron, Travis Lee, Lyle Overbay, Robby Hammock, and Junior Spivey. Not for nothing, but Cintron, Cabrera, and Cust led the team in pretty much every offensive category. I'm just saying...

More on this later as more comes out and i delve deeper into the Report...

The Mitchell Report: Preview

Alright kids! 10 minutes til we get names! And i could not be more excited. This day is going to ROCK.
Lots of rumors going around, but two names already leaked and mostly confirmed: Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. Color me not shocked. More updates as this thing rolls along!

Honest Mistake or Criminal Intent?

This tale bears just a little telling this evening. And i like Mike Ditka, he was a hell of a player, a hell of a coach, and i think he's a decent studio guy. But this doesn't look good.

Ditka has been one of the loudest proponents for assistance for ex-NFL'ers in need, going so far as to starting his own charity with the idea of helping out those who are in dire straits. He has been seen and heard many times trumpeting the injustices done to former players, and three years decided to do something about it.

According to a report by USA Today last week, Ditka's charity has raised $1.3 million since it was formed. A decent sum of money for three years for a new charity. The problem? According to the same report, precisely $57,000 was actually given to former players in need. I'm not mathematician, but that's roughly 4%. Not exactly a staggering figure. To be fair, Ditka claimed they had actually paid out $159,000, but really, that's splitting hairs.

So where has the other $1.24 million gone? According to some reports, Ditka spent $750,000 on three golf tournaments, with some people speculating a lot of that went to paying people to show up. If this is the case, well... that's kinda sad. He's Mike Ditka. If he calls you up and says 'come to my golf tournament', i for one am going.

While Ditka is getting killed by some in the media, i'm inclined to believe it's less of him intentionally not paying former players and more of him a) not knowing what's going on with his charity, and b) overall poor management. Ditka has been a very vocal proponent of helping ex-players, i doubt he was intentionally whittling funds.

Either way. as a result of the fallout from the report, Ditka has decided to close the fund, which might be the best result. The fund currently has a balance of about $600,000, which will be split evenly between the the Gridiron Greats Fund, basically the same as Ditka's fund, and a residential facility for disabled youth. While admirable, the facility for disabled youth is a curious choice, as it has nothing to do with the original intent of Ditka's charity. It is most likely a PR move, and hard to argue against, but still a curious choice.

In a press conference this afternoon, appearing with several former and current players, Ditka pledged $25,000 of his money to the Gridiron Greats, and said he would focus his efforts on that group. Realistically, this was a small stain on Ditka and his reputation, but not one that will hurt him too much in the long run. I do hope that, even without his own fund, he continues his trumpeting for the plight of ex-NFL'ers in need.

NFL Picks Review

Again, apologies for the delay, but i was in Mexico, what do you want? 3-4 last week, but the Cleveland game shouldn't count owing to the terrible 'judgment' call at the end of the game. And if you think the close win by New England is going to stop me from banging them against the Jets this week, you are sorely mistaken. 37-25-5 on the year, three weeks to go.

Week 15 picks post coming most likely tonight, possibly tomorrow.

College Football Picks Review

Sorry for the delay in getting this out to the masses (All 18 of you). Another crappy week (1-2-1) puts the overall regular season record at 39-34-2. That's good enough for a winning percentage of roughly 53%, short of the 55% you need to finish even (due to the juice). I hope none of you listened to my advice this year...

This column will return in full force in about a week, where i will pick the winners of all the bowl games. I think i can do better than 53% for bowl season...

Fred Smoot: Company Schill Man

I just, i mean, i don't even know what to say. Some things in life write posts for you...

This is Awesome with a capital A. You have to read the 'ad campaign'. It's two paragraphs long, yet there's only three sentences!

The Mitchell Report

I really haven't posted much about this at all, except for a few random Barry Bond's posts, because i've been waiting to see what happens. Well, that time has come.

Tomorrow, Thursday, at 2pm Eastern, George Mitchell will hold a press conference in Manhattan announcing the results of his 20-month investigation of steroids in baseball. MLB officials reviewed the report yesterday, and commissioner Bud Selig will hold his own press conference at 4:30pm Eastern Time to discuss the findings. The report will be posted on mlb.com shortly after Mitchell's press conference.

With as many as 60 current and former players expected to be named in the report, it could be an interesting day. Big names already linked to the report include Bonds, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and Juan Gonzalez, among others. Expect more names to follow, but not necessarily big names. What i will be curious to hear are the names of lesser-known players, such as pitchers trying to crack the big leagues, or the outfielder with small power numbers. I think this will be the jewel of the report, to see how many 'regular' players have tried steroids in an effort to gain an advantage and get to the Majors.

Either way, expect tomorrow to be a fun ride, and expect radios and televisions to run with this story constantly over the next few days...

Liar in Disguise

I really have no rooting interest in any of this, mostly because i couldn't care less about the Atlanta Falcons, Louisville Cardinals, or Arkansas Razorbacks (though i do think Houston Nutt got shafted there), but this whole Bobby Petrino thing is pretty shady.

There is a great article here about all of his recent transgressions, including a graph showing all the different places he's been in the last 24 years. His longest stay was his four years at Louisville, in which he flirted with other head coaching jobs every single year he was there. The worst may have been his clandestine meeting with Auburn officials about replacing Tommy Tuberville, a man who had given him a job just one year prior.

In the rich (poor) tradition of Nick Saban, Petrino is just another coach who is looking out for just himself, all the while wooing fan bases and convincing school officials. Arkansas may be a great fit for him, but don't be surprised when he starts looking around for other jobs in a year or two...

Vacation

Ok kids:

I'm off for the next ten days. Vegas tonight, then Cancun on Sunday. Site will be dead until i return. Check out my links, and try to survive without me. See you later!

NFL Picks

I realize i usually do these picks Sunday morning, but i will be out of town this week, and all of next week, so they're coming today. 34-21-5 on the season. Let's get to it!

Indianapolis -7 over Jacksonville
Everyone is talking about the Jaguars ability to play the Colts tough. The Colts won by 22 at Jacksonville earlier in the year. Why would this be any different at home?

New York Jets +1 over Miami
How bad is it when an 0-11 team is favored over you? The Jets are in the dumps right now. Then again, I'd like to see Miami finish 0-16. I think that would be more enjoyable to me than New England going 16-0.

Carolina -3 over San Francisco
Which San Fran team will show up this week? The one that lost 6 in a row, or the one that dropped 38 on the Cardinals last week?

Chicago -2 over New York Giants
I have no idea after the ridiculous games both teams were in last week. I just don't trust Sexy Rexy, and can't imagine Hester would get any chances with the ball after last week. Then again, most NFL coaches are stupid, so who knows...

Cleveland -1 over Arizona
Let's see, in the last three weeks the Cardinals have lost their best defensive lineman (Berry), their best safety (Wilson), and their best corner (Green). And they're gonna stop one of the best offenses in the NFL? Factor in the debilitating loss last week to the Niners? Don't think so...

St. Louis -3.5 over Atlanta
This game could be terribly, terribly bad. Neither team has much working for them, but i'll go with Stephen Jackson having a good day.

New England -21 over Baltimore
Big line? Don't care. Still taking the Patriots.

College Football Picks

Alright alright alright! That time of the week again! Not nearly as many games on the slate this week, so i'm only picking a few games. 38-32-1 on the year, let's finish it out strong!

LSU -7 over Tennessee
I applaud The Volunteers effort in getting here, but I think LSU is mad and is going to roll.

Missouri +3 over Oklahoma
The Sooners beat the Tigers once already this season. It's hard to beat someone twice, and I like the way the Tigers played against Kansas last week. I'll pick Missouri.

Arizona St. -7 over Arizona
I don't know why i'm picking ASU here. Anytime i pick them, no matter what i pick them to do, they screw me over....

Virginia Tech -5 over Boston College
Same logic as Missouri and Oklahoma.

Just Read It

I really can't even do this post justice. It's about the lack of NFL on Saturdays in December, and it's from Deadspin, but it's the weekly column by Big Daddy Drew from KSK. And it's hilarious.

ESPN is smart...

I'm not here to bag on the Worldwide Leader (I'm generally a fan because i'm lazy and they make it easy), nor am i here to question the ability of other 'bloggers', as i make plenty of mistakes on this here blog (notice my refusal to capitalize the letter 'i'). But when i see something like this, i have to point it out (homerism alert):

This morning, at 8:00am Eastern Time, Matt Mosley of ESPN's Hashmark's football blog, posted his weekly power poll. One problem: He left the Vikings off the list. The Saint's come in at #17 and #21, an impressive feat really. As one commenter on the page pointed out, it gives them double the ability to move up.

Now, small oversights can happen, and it's hard to blame Mosley for this. But when you consider that a) This has to be edited before it's posted, and b) It's now 1:30 Eastern time, and despite nearly every single comment about the post pointing out this fact, it still hasn't been corrected, it doesn't exactly lend credibility to the Hashmarks blog...

(UPDATE: The power poll has been fixed. According to timestamps on the posts, it only took Mosley and ESPN 7 hours, 49 minutes. Ridiculous...)

NFL Picks Review

Not a bad week, going 5-2, which puts me at 34-21-5 on the season. New England was in a dogfight, but did anyone really think they were going to lose? I'm not sure anyone can beat them...

NFL Picks

Alright, 3-0 on thanksgiving day, that's a good start to the week. Here's the rest of my picks:

Cleveland -3.5 over Houston
I like the Browns ability to put up points at home, though with the return of Andre Johnson the Texans can also light up the scoreboard...

San Diego -9 over Baltimore
This line scares me a little this high, and you never know what you're going to get with the Chargers. That said, i think the Chargers and LDT get it going today.

Arizona -11 over San Francisco
I mean come on, when was the last time the Cardinals were double digit favorites?! Seriously! What's even more amazing is that i'm picking them! They actually play great at home...

New England -25 over Philadelphia
Now, you want to talk about ridiculous lines. This is the highest point spread in NFL history. And consider this: The Patriots still have games left against the Jets and the winless Dolphins. The lines will get higher! Yet, i'm sticking with the Patriots. They've failed to cover exactly one spread this season, so they're still easy money.

College Football Picks Review

Now see, that's what i'm talking about. I went 5-1-1 this week. Needed one more point from BC and Kentucky not to have a field goal blocked in OT, or i would have been perfect. Oh, and even though i said i wasn't going to count it, i also called the Notre Dame game correctly. Season record: 38-32-1. Inching towards respectability...

College Football Picks

33-31 on the season. Can't seem to get on the type of roll i've had with my NFL picks. Then again, this has been the craziest season in college football since, well, maybe ever. So the fact i'm even above .500 is amazing. Off we go!

Boston College -14 over Miami
The Hurricanes have basically given up on this season, and BC still has a lot to play for...

Virginia Tech -4 over Virginia
This game is at Virginia, but i like they way Va. Tech has been playing. I think they get it done with the Atlantic division title on the line in the ACC.

Kentucky -3 over Tennessee
Tennessee only has to win this game to make it to the SEC title game, where they will killed by LSU (by the way, thanks for showing up yesterday LSU). Regardless, i think Kentucky makes one more stab at a dream season and beats the Vols, sending Georgia to the title game.

Georgia -4.5 over Georgia Tech
Georgia is playing better than perhaps anyone in the country, along with USC. With the chance to play in the SEC title game if Tennessee loses, i think Georgia comes out hitting on all cylinders.

UCLA +2 over Oregon
With Dennis Dixon, this game is something like Oregon -10. But did you see how bad Brady Leaf looked playing against Arizona last week? I think UCLA pulls it out in support of their beleaguered coach Karl Dorrell.

Florida -14 over Florida St.
Game is in the Swamp, and Florida St., despite playing decent as of late, does not have the athletes to hang with Florida. And 7 years ago i never thought i would say that...

Missouri pick em' over Kansas
I have no idea which way this game will go, and neither apparently does Vegas. But in this year of the upset, i'll go with the slightly lower ranked Tigers.

As an aside, i see that Notre Dame is the underdog in Stanford by 5.5 points. I'm not going to count it in my picks, but i actually like the Domers to finish the season with a road win.

NFL Picks

This isn't a full version, but I like the games on Thursday so wanted to throw those out there before the weekend.

Green Bay -4 over Detroit
This Lions team is starting its annual 2nd half slide, and it only gets worse with the red-hot Packers in town.

Dallas -14.5 over New York Jets
This line is pretty high, but with Dallas at home and the Jets showing an inability to do anything (except miraculously beat the Steelers, which sets them up for a letdown this week), the Cowboys should roll.

Indianapolis -12.5 over Atlanta
This pick scares me because the Colts have been STRUGGLING the last two weeks, but i think they come out with a vengeance this week against the terrible Falcons.


So there you go. Didn't think i would pick all three games tomorrow, but i like the games.

By the way, i'm starting to throw up more posts again, so scroll below to take a look at them. And post some comments already!

Phoenix Suns

I can't believe it's 10 games into the season, and I haven't put up a single post about the Phoenix Suns. That changes now!

Ok, so this isn't going to be an extremely long or in-depth post about them. I'm not prepared for that just yet. I do want to make mention of one thing i saw in last night's game that was encouraging to me: Amare Stoudemire.

Amare had a couple of issues last year, namely his propensity to get into foul trouble and his lack of an ability to take over games, especially late. The two somewhat go hand in hand, but even when Amare was on the floor, he didn't show the killer instinct needed to take over games down low (on both sides of the floor). Last night, however, against the Kings Amare really showed me something.

Amare scored the last 6 points of the game for the Suns, showing a willingness and a want to get the ball down low and take it to the Kings. He made a couple nice turn-arounds and jumpers, and had two free throws as well. On the defensive end, Amare also played well, including blocking the final shot of the Kings as time expired.

It's still early, and the Kings aren't very good, but Amare impressed me. He is showing signs of maturity and growth as a basketball player and as a power forward/center, which is exactly what this team is going to need as they make their run to the playoffs.

Iowa Bball

I try not to be too much of a homer, and write excessively about the Minnesota Vikings or Iowa Hawkeyes. This post, however, is all about the Hawkeyes basketball team...

In 1999, i started college at the University of Iowa. Iowa had just hired new coaches for both its football and men's basketball teams. In football, they hired Kirk Ferentz, who at the time, was an unpopular hire. Hawkeye nation wanted Bob Stoops (who turned out to be a pretty good coach for Oklahoma). They got Ferentz, who in retrospect turned out to be a pretty good coach. Despite the last two years struggles by the football team, Captain Kirk has put together quite probably the greatest run by an Iowa football team ever.

On the flip side, the basketball team hired Steve Alford, a young up and comer fresh off a Sweet 16 run with Southwest Missouri State. Alford was considered one of the hot coaching prospects in the country, and got a lot of looks from big programs. When Iowa landed him, it was considered a big-time hire.

I remember sitting in the student section at an Iowa football game, in the middle of a 1-10 first season under Ferentz, when they brought out Alford for an interview on the sideline right in front of the student section. He received one of the biggest and longest standing ovations i've ever seen, long before he had ever coached a game. When he opened that season later in the month with a win over defending national champion UConn, Alford was the toast of the town. It was a short lived toast.

7 years later, despite seeing some of the best talent wonder through Iowa City since the BJ Armstrong, Roy Marble, and Ed Horton days, the Hawkeye basketball team was a perennial underachiever. The final straw, despite Alford lasting one more year, may have come in the 2005-2006 season when a senior-laden team, which had played well enough throughout the season to garner a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, lost in the first round on a last second shot to Northwestern State.

Those Iowa teams, along with off the court troubles (Pierre Pierce anyone?), were known for one thing by anyone who watched them consistently: Bad coaching. Whether it be bad defensive positioning, bad offensive sets, or lack of discipline, Alford was never known as a good in-game coach.

And nothing personified this better than their inability to break a press. I had season tickets for two years while I was in college, watched them religiously the other three years i lived in Iowa City, and watched them sporadically after i moved away. By that point, I couldn't bear to watch them anymore. Any team that played the Hawkeyes needed to have only one blueprint for success: Play a full-court press. It did not matter if the Iowa team had four senior starters or three freshman starters, under Alford they had a complete inability to break a press. Anytime a team played a press, Iowa looked like a bunch of 4th graders. Watching it made me want to ram my head into a wall; it shouldn't be that hard. Spread the floor, find the open man, advance the ball. It seems like a simple concept.

Yet no matter how many times or how many years other teams did this to Iowa, they never seemed to learn. After a while, you could only point to one thing: Bad coaching. Alford came in to Iowa as a supposed renown recruiter, but his coaching was suspect at best. When he feebly left Iowa to go to New Mexico (New Mexico!), Alford was known as a so-so recruiter and a bad coach.

That leads me to new Iowa coach Todd Lickliter. Lickliter's reputation was as a tough defensive coach and systematic offensive scheme, albeit with a fair amount of three-pointers launched. Through 4 games this year (3 of which i've been able to watch, thanks to the wonder that is the Big Ten Network), Lickliter's Iowa's teams have been just that: Tough defensively, systematic offensively, and with a propensity to shoot a fair amount of 3's. They haven't allowed a team to reach 50 points yet, but they haven't exactly been lighting up the scoreboard themselves.

But until tonight, i still wasn't sure about Lickliter's ability to coach. That is, until late in the 2nd half against U. of Maryland Eastern Shore, when that team started pressing Iowa because they were behind. Faced with a full-court press, this year's Iowa team did something i have not seen since the Tom Davis years: They broke it with ease. Not only did they break the press, but they broke it quickly, they broke it with good spacing, they broke it with sharp passes, and they broke it so well it led to layups and dunks. And as i watched, all i could think about was how well-coached this team looked.

I don't know how well this Iowa team will do. They are very young, and very green. They are playing in what is looking to be a very tough Big Ten Conference this year. And they are playing short-handed at the moment with their starting point guard Tony Freeman out with a broken wrist for the next month. But from what i have seen so far this year, the future looks bright. And unlike 8 years ago, when that future looked bright because of good players, this time it looks bright because of good coaching.

And i think that sets up the program for more success...

NFL Picks Review

What a terribly mediocre week for my weeks. I went 3-2-2 in the NFL, which puts my overall season record at 29-19-5. 10 games over .500 isn't too bad...

College Football Picks Review

4-3 on the week. Can't seem to ever have a really good week, but i keep finishing above .500. Season record is at 33-31. Not that good...

I will continue my picks for the rest of the season, including picking every single bowl game this year. Should be an interesting last month...

NFL Picks

I missed last week's picks, so I'm a little behind. I went 5-2 two weeks ago, which puts my record for the year at 26-17-3. Not a bad year. On to this week's picks!

Cleveland -3 over Baltimore
The Raven's defense isn't the same as it's been the last few years, and Cleveland's offense is hitting on all cylinders. On the flip side, the Raven's offense is terrible. The Browns get it done.

Philadelphia -10 over Miami
I'm a little leery of this game because the Eagle's offense is a bit erratic. That said, since it's in Philly i think they get it done against a terrible Dolphins team.

New Orleans pick em' over Houston
Last week's blip aside, the Saints have been hitting their stride offensively. If they get any semblance of that going this week, they will take out the Texans.

Detroit +3 over New York Giants
The Giants were on a roll, but against mostly terrible teams. This Lions team is actually pretty good (I can't believe i just wrote that sentence), and at home I think they can beat the Giants.

St. Louis -3 over San Francisco
San Francisco might be the worst team in the league right now...

Denver -1.5 over Tennessee
Apparently Albert Haynesworth is out for the Titans, and VY hasn't been playing all that great lately. I think the Broncos will win at home.

New England -16.5 over Buffalo
A lot of people seem to think the Bills match up well with the Patriot's, and will make a game of it. I don't buy it, especially with Marshawn Lynch most likely out. Patriot's roll.

College Football Picks

29-28 on the year, had a rough week last week. This week may not be any better, the games are tough. Off we go!

Notre Dame -7 over Duke
The (non) Fighting Irish haven't had many chances to beat up on people this year, but i think they roll the Dukies. And if not.... well, that's just sad.

Ohio St. -4 over Michigan
Ohio St. has won 8 of the last 10 against the Wolverines, and i think the roll continues. This game is for the right for whoever wins to get blown out in the Rose Bowl...

Rutgers -12.5 over Pittsburgh
Rutgers are at home, and I think they get it done. Pitt is not very good...

Kentucky +8 over Georgia
I'm not sure the Wildcats can pull out the win, but I think Andre Woodson will keep it close.

Cal -7 over Washington
I think Call goes up to Washington and gets the job done. They've had a disappointing season, and i think they take their frustrations out on the Huskies.

Virginia Tech -17 over Miami
Miami is flat out bad this year, and Blacksburg is a tough place to play. Of course, every time i pick the Hokies, they screw me...

Boston College +9 over Clemson
Consider this like the Kentucky pick. I'm not sure BC wins, but Matt Ryan is too good not to put up points and keep it close.

Oregon's #83 Should Be Fired

Watching very little of the Oregon - Arizona game because the Suns are on (I'm a homer), but did flip over in time to see the Oregon fake punt attempt at the beginning of the 4th quarter. It was a FANTASTIC fake, with a driect snap to the up-man, who ran untouched 40 yards down field. As he was coming up on the Arizona return man, the runner was looking at his teammate, #83, to block for him. If #83 puts any kind of block, or hell, if he even JUST GETS IN FRONT OF THE ARIZONA RETURN MAN, the Oregon runner scores. Instead? #83 decides it would be a good idea to run five yards to the right of the Arizona player, who promptly tackles the Oregon runner and causes a fumble, which Arizona recovers. Pathetic...

Congrats!

Bob Melvin, your 2007 NL Manager Of The Year.

I can't say i'm surprised, since he led his team to the most wins in the NL, a division crown, and an appearance in the NLCS. I did wonder how much of a vote Clint Hurdle of the Rockies would get though...

The Notre Dame Dilemma

Those of you who follow this blog or know me at all are aware that i have an unhealthy distaste of all things Notre Dame, for more reasons than i can list here. So it has brought me great personal joy to watch the Fighting Irish football team wallow in their own filth this season. That being said, i have conflicting feelings regarding their coaching situation.

Charlie 'The Great' Weis, whose brilliance as a playcaller was going to give Notre Dame a 'decided schematic advantage every game', now sits with a career record of 20-15, with two games left in the season. Assuming he wins his last two games (and even though they are against Duke and Stanford, that's a HUGE assumption), Charlie will finish his third season with a 22-15 record. As you may or may not recall, Ty Willingham was fired after three years at Notre Dame, with a career record of 21-15. Pretty similar.

Want to go more in depth? Ok, here we go. Willingham was 0-3 against USC, ND's biggest rivalry. Weis is also 0-3. Bad on both sides. How about top twenty competition? In games in which their opponent was ranked in the Top 25 at the time of the game, Willingham was 7-8. Not really good, but around .500. Weis is 4-8 in games in which his opponent was ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game. Advantage: Willingham.

Now, let's look at one of the 'reasons' Willingham was forced out by the boosters of Notre Dame. It was said at the time that the boosters, and the administration, were embarrassed by the number of losses by 20+ points under Willingham. How many such losses were there under Ty? 5. Under Weis? 7, including 4 just this year.

Add up the numbers, and you get a strikingly similar record under the two coaches, with some evidence pointing out that Willingham may have been, in fact, better up to this point. Here's some more fat to chew on. Weis' most successful season? His first in South Bend. That means his best season as a coach came with him coaching players that Willingham brought into the program. This year, which is the worst year in Notre Dame football in 50+ years, has come with some of Willingham's players, but a lot of the players Weis brought in. Was Willingham the better recruiter as well?

More to the heart of the matter: The flak that Weis is getting now, while somewhat small locally but large nationally, has come as a direct result of the Ty Willingham situation. Up to the point Willingham got fired, Notre Dame had given every other coach in it's history at least 5 years to build the program and prove himself (with the exception of the George O'Leary debacle, which doesn't really count). When the Notre Dame administration and boosters forced Willingham out after just three years, they set a precedent that they are no longer an organization built on honesty and integrity. They became like almost every other college in big-time football: All about the winning and the money.

During Weis' first season, in which they were running through college football and putting up great numbers, the Notre Dame administration gave him an extension on his contract. Caught up in the euphoria of success and the fear of Charlie bolting to the NFL, Notre Dame decided they had to lock him up long-term. You think they don't regret that decision now? You think they wouldn't mind re-visiting his original contract after this season, when Notre Dame could re-sign him for a LOT less? Instead, Notre Dame made a knee-jerk reaction, and opened itself up to criticism in the event of a historical collapse, just what happened this year with the non-Fighting Irish.

Am i saying Charlie should be fired? Absolutely not. Despite this disaster season, i still think he is a decent coach. And he does have one of, if not the, top ranked recruiting classes coming in, so he is doing something right. What i do think, however, is that Willingham got a really bum deal, and Weis is getting lauded for performing essentially the exact same as his predecessor. For his part, Weis has admitted that this season has been a disappointment and that they should be better. He has also shown loyalty to the University that lavished him with praise at the start of his tenure, instead of opting to jump ship when the going was tough.

Whatever happens from here on out, it will be interesting to see how Weis performs the next few years, and what kind of leeway Notre Dame and its boosters afford Weis going forward. It's also good to see Willingham landed on his feet, and is doing just fine out of the spotlight coaching at Washington...

College Football Picks Review

3-4 this week. Not a great showing, due to two more teams winning but not covering. Worthless. 29-28 on the season. Sorry for the lack of NFL picks, was at NASCAR all weekend and just didn't get around to it. What can i say. Back to regular updates in the next day or two...

College Football Picks

You didn't actually think I was going to skip the picks column did you? It's my favorite part of the week! Off we go!

Michigan -3 over Wisconsin
Michigan should win this game easily, as Wisconsin is not that good. I hope the Wolverines are not looking past the Badgers to next week's big game against Ohio St. though...

Colorado 4.5 over Iowa St.
The Cyclowns suck.

Kentucky -4 over Vanderbilt
I realize Vandy has been playing well and is at home, but Kentucky had the week off and is looking to get back on the winning track.

Ohio St. -15.5 over Illinois
The Illini won't be able to hang with Ohio St. in Columbus.

Virginia Tech -7 over Florida St.
Blacksburg is a tough place to play, and even though the Seminoles have shown some sign of life lately, they haven't seen a defense like the Hokies in a while.

Kansas -6 over Oklahoma St.
(Sigh). I have been picking against Kansas for three weeks straight now, and getting burned each time. After last week's complete and utter dismantling of Nebraska, i am starting to believe a little. Of course, this will be the week they do actually fail to cover, or even lose...

Arizona St. -7 over UCLA
This scares me, because ASU has gotten off to slow starts in every game this season, and on the road that can hurt them. But after last week's loss, i think Dennis Erickson will have this team ready to play.

Updates

Sorry about the lack of updates lately. I was out of town over the weekend, then my computer was out of commission for few days. This weekend is NASCAR here in Phoenix, so i will be out at that (Not attending the races, just tailgating). So, for this week at leas, updates will be few and far between. Sorry in advance.

I should have something up later today...

Purple Jesus

This was AP, runnng away from the Charger defense all day...

296 yards rushing and 3 TD's. NFL single game rushing record. I am a man!

NFL Picks Review

Pretty good week again this week. 5-2 on the season, which puts the record at 26-17-3. Special thanks to both to Redskins and Patriots, who both won as i predicted, but managed to not cover. Thanks for nothing...

21-15-3 on the year. No time to dilly dally as i'm in iowa, so let's get on with the picks!

Green Bay +2 over Kansas City
Did you know KC is the only NFL team Brett Favre has not beaten (other than the Packers of course)? He ends that drought.

Detroit -3 over Denver
Have you seen Denver play lately? No, really, have you SEEN them?

Cleveland -2 over Seattle
This game is in Cleveland, and i'm sticking to my guns that the Seahawks stink. By the way, (Homer alert), Derek Anderson is going to look real good in a Vikings jersey next year...

Dallas -3.5 over Philadelphia
The Eagles have problems, not the least of which is there head coach's sons. Dallas wins big.

Washington -4 over New York Jets
Washington will want to prove something after last week's beating by the Patriots, and the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets are starting backup qb Kelly Clemens.

New Orleans -3.5 over Tampa Bay
The Saints have found their stride, and look to be especially good at home. The Jags aren't built to put up points, no matter who their qb is.

New England -6.5 over Indianapolis
This line started at 3.5. I got it in Vegas (where it's legal) at 4.5. It's now at 6.5. It could be at 10 i'd still take the Patriots. They are that good. Then again, gambling rule #1: Anytime there is a heavy public favorite, go the opposite way. Of course, this New England team throws out all conventional wisdom when it comes to gambling, so i will too...

College Football Picks Review

3-4 on the day, 26-24 on the year. Special thanks to Michigan for winning but not covering (by half a point). Thank you very much...

College Football Picks

23-20 on the season. Good week last week. I didn't write about the Sun Devils as promised, but i had to go out of town. Get over it. On with the picks!

South Florida -5.5 over Cincinnati
USF is on a two game skid, but i think at home they get it done against the Bearcats.

UCLA -1 over Arizona
Arizona had a nice win last week, but UCLA isn't bad enough to lose to the Wildcats, even on the road, are they? (Are they?).

Michigan -4.5 over Michigan St.
It's in East Lansing (which by the way is a hole of a city...), but Michigan is rolling along lately, and the Spartans, while they can put up points, won't hang with the big boys.

Oregon -8 over Arizona St.
Even though i hate to admit it, ASU has been good. And don't you think that given the circumstances (8-0 #4 ranked ASU against 7-1 #5 ranked Oregon) that the line is a little high? Even if it is in Autzen Stadium? Regardless, i think the Ducks win. They just score too easily.

Arkansas -5.5 over S. Carolina
For a Steve Spurrier coached team, the Gamecocks have shown a patent inability to score points. In Arkansas i think this hurts them.

USC -15 over Oregon St.
I think USC comes out this week and tries to prove a point that they're still a team to be reckoned with.

Boston College -7 over Florida St.
I still think BC will lose a game before the end of the year, but this week at home against a struggling Seminoles team is not the week.

You Can't Even Make This Stuff Up

From The New York Times, via Deadspin:

Steroid testers in baseball, those of the supposed 'random' drug tests, have gotten into the habit of calling the team they are coming to test the day before they arrive to request parking passes and stadium access. Some officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity of course, said they his club usually knows two days in advance when s tester is coming.

(Sigh). What more can be said about the steroid controversy in MLB? This is just another sad tale about how the system is obviously and blatantly failing...

The NL West

Well, if nothing else, no one will be calling the NL West the NL Worst again anytime soon. The DBacks and Rockies play in the NLCS. The Padres have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball. And now the Dodgers... well, the Dodgers are making some noise.

Grady Little has resigned as manager of the Dodgers. His replacement? None other than ex-Yankees skipper Joe Torre, if you believe Tim Kurkjian of the Worldwide Leader. Kurkjian reported today that an announcement of Torre as Dodgers manager is imminent, and could come as soon as the next couple of days.

Oh, and just in case that isn't enough, there is another hot rumor about the Dodgers. LA is rumored to be one of only a few teams in the running to sign one Mr. Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod likes Torre, and the Dodgers are one of the teams that could afford to sign him. One of the weirder reasons i've heard for this signing is that Scott Boras, uber-agent, is based in Newport. A-Rod did not have a father figure growing up, and it's been speculated that Boras has become that for A-Rod.

It is strange, and a bit of a stretch, but is plausible if you think about it. A-Rod has made some strange career choices (Texas, and now opting out of the rest of his contract), and it could be due to Boras speaking in his ear. Boras is (naturally) looking out for himself, trying to make as much money as possible for his clients so he himself gets paid. This ploy of opting out of his contract, especially considering the timing of the announcement (during the 8th inning of Game 4 of the World Series), is a curious one, but figures to make A-Rod max money (somewhere in the 10 year, $30 million range supposedly). Understandably, Boras may want to be close to his best and highest paid client. Similarly, A-Rod may want to be close to someone he considers a confidant and somewhat of a father-figure.

Personally, i think the Torre rumor has legs. It was no secret they were after Joe Girardi, but he was signed as the new Yankees manager. So they went after the next best option, who is obviously Torre. As for the A-Rod thing... hard to say. The only teams i think could even afford to sign him are the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, possibly the White Sox, Dodgers, Angels, and maybe the Giants. The Yankees and Red Sox have both said they will not go after him, and i believe that. The Cubs are out because of their messy ownership situation (don't get me started on that either. MLB would be crazy not to allow Mark Cuban to buy this team, but they are too short-sighted and stupid to allow this to ever happen). White Sox won't do it because they can't really afford him, even though they think they can. A-Rod doesn't want to go to the Mets because he doesn't like the NY media.

That leaves the California teams, the Angels, Giants, and Dodgers. I just don't think the Angels will do it, it seems to go against their idea of building a 'team', as A-Rod is notorious for polarizing not just fan bases, but players as well. The Giants are a possibility, as no team in baseball understands the effect a superstar chasing a record can have on a fanbase. Make no mistake, A-Rod will be chasing records in the next 5-7 years, and will most likely break a lot of them.

And then there's the Dodgers. This team has the fanbase, tradition, now the manager, and the money to open the bank. The Dodgers have not spent mega-money on a player in many years, and with new manager Joe Torre, the Dodgers could be looking to make a splash.

If you are the Dodgers, you just sat through a season in which you were picked to finish first in the division, but in which the Padres showed off their amazing starting rotation and lost a one game playoff to win the Wildcard, the Rockie's showed off their great young talent and finished 14 of 15 in the regular season to win the Wildcard, and the Dbacks won 90 games and the division.

It will probably be a while before A-Rod makes a decision, but don't be surprised if A-Rod re-unites with Joe Torre and signs with LA. And when it happens, the NL West may be the most talked about division in baseball next year...

The Hockey

The Coyotes season is underway, and i have managed to not say a word about them up to this point. I do actually feel kinda bad about it. I admittedly do not follow the NHL as much as other sports. My friend over at One Fan's Perspective is a passionate fan, and can do a much better job writing about the Coyotes than i can, but here's a small piece on them.

Two weeks ago the Phoenix Coyotes once again took to the ice for the start of the 2007-2008 season. Starting off with a bang, the Coyotes won their first game, but promptly dropped their next two. Currently, the 'Yotes sit at 3-6, staring another long season in the face. However, unlike the last couple of years, there is reason to be optimistic about this franchise in the near future.

The Coyotes are stocked with young talent, including nine players 24 years old or younger. Their youngest, Peter Mueller, is just 19 and scored his first goal last week. They also have a decent core of veteran's including Shane Doan, who is off to his typical slow start goal-scoring wise, Steven Reinprecht and Ed Jovanovski. Doan does actually lead the team in points, but needs to start finding the net more with just one goal so far this season (his 200th career goal).

The goalkeeping has been decent, although not spectacular. With a GAA of 2.83 and 3.35, both Alex Auld and Mikael Tellqvist need to keep a few more shots out of the net to give this team a chance to compete every night.

The good news for the Coyotes is that Josh Gratton has been recalled from San Antonio after his conditioning assignment. Phoenix played well with Gratton in the line-up last year, and missed him when he wasn't there. Also, their first round draft pick, Kyle Turris (who i wrote about here), is absolutely destroying for the U. of Wisconsin. He has 5 goals and 7 assists in just 4 games so far, a ridiculous pace. This is why he was considered by many to be the top center in the draft.

So while the Coyotes are struggling a bit now, there is a bright future in store for them. This team is a hard-working, good-skating team, and eventually their fortunes will start to turn. Until then, they just need to hang on.

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A couple of other things regarding hockey and the Phoenix Coyotes. I have no idea why anyone from a professional sports franchise would take the time to look at a hack site such as this one, but i got a nice email from one H. Khan with the Coyotes saying he enjoyed the site. As such, i thought i would pass along a couple of things their website has going on:

CoyotesTrax, where different player's iTunes playlists are listed, and CoyotesHockeyHQ, where you can play games and create your own 'Hockey Face'.