Game 2

Game 2 between the Dbacks and Cubs kicks off tonight at 7:00pm Pacific time at Chase Field in Phoenix. I will be at this game, cheering loudly and unabashedly for the Dbacks. For those of you back home in the Midwest, bite me. The Dbacks are my team, and have been since i moved here more than a year ago. I rooted for them last year when they finished 10 games under .500, and i'm rooting for them this year as they finished with the best record in the NL. I had partial season tickets, and went to more baseball games this year than in my whole life combined. So no, i feel no obligation to be rooting for the Cubs.

Now that i have that off my chest, i'm a little nervous about the matchup tonight. Doug Davis has been stellar most of the 2nd half, but has had a few pretty bad games thrown in there. Hopefully he gets off to a good start in the 1st and carries it through. I do believe, either way, that the Dbacks will need to score more than the three runs they scored last night in order to win tonight. Just a hunch.

Anyway, i'm off. Have fun watching the game tonight, and Go Dbacks!

1-0 Dbacks

That's the series score, not the game score.

Two things you need to know, that's it: Great starting pitching, from both sides. Brandon Webb and Carlos Zambrano were lights out. Period. Unfortunately for the Cubs, their bullpen let them down (again), and the Dbacks bullpen was fantastic (again).

Anybody, anytime: The Dbacks got their two biggest hits, the two solo home runs, from a guy who was called up last year, has been shuffled all over the lineup, and has struggled ALL YEAR LONG (Stephen Drew), and a guy who started the year in AA ball and who strikes out a third of the time he's up to bat (Mark Reynolds).

Great performance by Brandon Lyon and Jose' Valverde. 1 win down, 10 to go. Go Dbacks!

Road To 11 Wins

The road to the World Series begins tomorrow, as all series' but Yankees-Indians kicks off tomorrow. It will take 11 wins for one team to win, and i'm making my predictions right here:

ALDS
Yankees over Indians in 5
The Indians quietly flew under the radar most of the year, but finished tied with the Red Sox for best record in MLB. That being said, the Yankees, and Alex Rodriguez in particular, have a lot to prove, and i think this is the year they finally break through.

Red Sox over Angels in 5
Like the Indians, the Angels flew under the radar most of the year, lost in the drama of Red Sox-Yankees once again. The Red Sox though, are too good, and will take the series in the full amount of games.

NLDS:
Rockies over Phillies in 5
Maybe the two hottest teams in baseball going into the playoffs, it's hard to pick a winner here. The Rockies, however, have a feel of a team of destiny, especially after that epic one game, 13-inning playoff to make the playoffs over the Padres on Monday. That team believes right now, and could be very scary.

Diamondbacks over Cubs in 5
I didn't pick a single series to go less than the maximum, but i think they're all going to be tight. The Dbacks won the season series over the Cubs 4-2, and i think they will beat the Cubs again in the playoffs. They have the best bullpen in baseball, and have a knack for late game timely hitting against the opposing teams' bullpen. The Cubs bullpen has been shaky at times (except for Marmol, who does scare me), and with Game 5 in Arizona, i give the Dbacks the edge.

NLDS

Cubs v. Dbacks. Despite the fact that the Dbacks have the best record in the NL, despite the fact that the Dbacks have the best pitcher remaining in the NL (and the reigning Cy Young winner), despite the fact the Dbacks won the season series against the Cubs 4-2, and despite the fact the Dbacks were the first team in the NL to clinch a playoff spot, the Cubs are favored.

Go figure.

Fuck 'em, Dbacks haven't been expected to do anything all year long. Anybody, anytime...

NFL Picks Review

4-2 this week bitches. Time to start paying attention and agreeing with me (you know, if gambling was legal and all).

NFL Picks

I went 4-1-1 on my NFL picks last week, and am looking to be just as hot this week. Let's get it started!

New England -8 over Cincinnati
I don't care who new England is playing and what the line is, i'm taking them all year long. They are just too good, and are now playing with a chip on their shoulders after the whole cameragate thing. Oh, and Cincinnati's defense is, shall we say, porous. Oh, and Cincinnati's missing Rudi Johnson.

Dallas -14 over St. Louis
That's a pretty big line for the NFL, but the Cowboys are good, are at home, and are playing a Rams team who is missing their best running back (Stephen Jackson), and who's starting quarterback has two broken ribs (Marc Bulger). Hello Cowboys...

Miami -4 over Oakland
Just don't like this Oakland team, and Miami has shown some signs of life.

Detroit +3 over Chicago
My first underdog. Chicago is starting Brian Griese instead of Rex Grossman this week; they might as well start Kyle Orton, i don't think any of those qb's are any good. The Lions throw the ball around, and the Bears defense is incredibly banged up. So there you go.

Atlanta +3 over Houston
I had this picked the other way, and even wrote a paragraph about it, but it only made me think it was going the other way. D'Angelo Hall, after sitting out the first quarter due to him losing it last week, will be a man possessed once he gets on the field. For some reason, i have a good feeling about the Falcons this week.

Pittsburgh -6.5 over Arizona
Yeah, Whisenhunt used to coach for the Steelers. Yeah, the Cardinals showed some signs of life last week in Baltimore. And yeah, the Cardinals are playing at home. But i just can't do it. I can't. The Steelers are too good.

College Football Picks Review

I went 3-3 on my College Football picks this weeks, putting me at 7-6 on the year. Not exactly inspiring. I have decided that college football is too unpredictable to try and win any money gambling on in it (umm, you know, if gambling was legal and all). Just take a look at this weekend, when 5 top ten teams lost, and two more won by only 3 points each. It's crazy, this college football. But that won't stop me from making more picks next week!