Thursday, September 30, 2010

College Football Weekend Preview Week 5

Aloha... Let's get to it...
  • Florida/Alabama - 8:00 Saturday CBS - The #1 game of the weekend obviously pitting 2 top-7 teams on a national stage... There's nothing Alabama has done that would make me pick anyone but the Tide in Tuscaloosa and I stand by that... Florida was impressive against an underrated Kentucky team last week, but I'm not sure they've shown enough... Should be competitive but I like Alabama to stay #1...
  • Stanford/Oregon - 8:00 Saturday ABC - A close 2nd in the battle for "Best Game of the Week" and this game will decide the Pac-10 title in my opinion... Stanford was very, very good at Notre Dame last week, and Oregon had been running through everyone until a minor hiccup in Arizona last week against ASU, but they roared back in the 2nd half and put them away... If the game was at Stanford, this would be a tougher pick... but throw in Autzen Stadium (consistently a huge homefield), and the Oregon firepower and I like the Ducks...
  • Texas/Oklahoma - 3:30 Sat. ABC - The Red River shootout is only the 3rd best game? Crazy when you think about the last couple of years... but Texas took a beating nationally after getting run over AT HOME by a previously underwhelming UCLA team... and Oklahoma hasn't impressed in 3 of their 4 games (FSU dominance not withstanding)... still the battle for the Big 12 south title.. and that's something... I like Oklahoma in the game...
  • Wisconsin/Michigan State - 3:30 Sat. ESPN2 - I really, really like Wisconsin... John Clay is a beast, they get competent QB play that never kills them, and they're physical up front... but this is their first true test and it comes on the road... Sparty has quality defensive talent (led by All-american Greg Jones), but always seems to come up small in this type of game... I like Wisconsin
  • Penn State/Iowa - 8:00 Sat. ESPN - The 3rd game at 8:00 that no one will watch... but this is a quality matchup... I'm lower on both teams than the voters are... I think Penn State is pretty woeful offensively (comes with the territory of a freshman QB), and I don't trust Ricky "pick 6" Stanzi at all... but both teams have big-time D's, and the capability of pounding the rock... I'll take Iowa at home...
  • Va Tech/NC State - 3:30 ABC/ESPN2/ESPN3 - I can't figure out where this game is televised.. but it shouldn't be slept on... Everyone has written off VT and for good reason with how they looked early... but this is an extremely talented team without a conference loss... NC State has been awesome early.. Russell Wilson does nothing but make plays, and this could be an ACC contender...
  • Texas A&M/OK State - 7:30 Thursday ESPN - Have to mention this game because it stands alone on Thursday... both teams are 3-0... both teams have big-time talent... both programs underachieve year after year... maybe this will springboard one of them... keep an eye on A&M QB Jerrod Johnson... really like him
THE PICKS! (YTD 12-7 after a 3-3 week)
  • Northwestern -5 over Minnesota - Minnesota stinks... there it is
  • Wisconsin -2 over Mich. State
  • Georgia -4.5 over Colorado... angry team... AJ Green returns... and Colorado is coached by Dan Hawkins...
  • UNLV +21 over Nevada - Letdown game for Nevada off huge win vs. BYU.. UNLV at home... like them

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

9/29: Braves Big Night, Dantonio, etc.

Quick hitters today...
  • The Braves inch closer to the wild card with a huge 3-2 win coupled with a Padres loss... Hudson was dominant... allowing only 1 run (in an inning where he shattered basically everyone's bat), and doing so on 3 days rest... big time "ace" performance there... and Eric Hinske's moonshot in the 7th did enough to get the win.... and thank you to the Cubs for shutting down San Diego yet again, and widening the gap to 1.5 games going into today's series finisher against Florida...
  • Orlando Magic plan on offering Dwight Howard an extension this summer... how is that news? If they WEREN'T going to? That would be news... but an NBA team locking down a top-5 player in the league in their prime isn't news...
  • Mark Dantonio plans to coach Michigan State this weekend... pretty crazy when you realize he had a heart attack a week and a half ago... but he'll be in the coaching box, and clearly has been given medical clearance to do so... I heard some piling on this morning that I didn't understand... if he's cleared, and out of the "fire" on the sideline... let him coach...
  • Looking forward to firing up some NBA preview discussion in the coming days... going to be going back and forth with my trusted confidant Ryan on all 30 teams... Give it some time... it'll be here...
What to watch for...
  • Marlins/Braves - 4:30 ESPN - Miller/Lowe - Huge pitching advantage for Atlanta.. playing at home... weird start time... and really need this win with Philly looming on the weekend (regardless if they are setting their rotation or not, they can still hit)
  • D-Backs/Giants - 10:00 pm ESPN - Kennedy/Lincecum
  • Cubs/Padres - Not televised in Atlanta - Yes, I know we can't watch... but Go Cubs...
CFB and NFL Previews to come Thursday and Friday... be on the lookout

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

9/28: Late Football Recap, Melo, etc.

Greetings all... whirlwind weekend corresponded with lack of content... Let's do a quick look at the weekend of football...

  • CFB Teams that impressed me - Miami, Boise State, UCLA (wow), Stanford, NC State
  • CFB Teams that took a hit - Notre Dame (ugly), Oklahoma (not impressed), Pittsburgh (sigh)
  • NFL Teams that impressed me - KC, Atlanta, Tennessee, Philly, Seattle
  • NFL Teams that took a hit - San Diego, San Fran (laughably bad), Green Bay, Washington, Houston
No one wants a full breakdown 2-3 days after the fact... so there it is... Huge slate this upcoming weekend and we'll be all over it here... now to Monday's events...
  • Green Bay self-combusts... 18 penalties for 150+ yards, and they failed to capitalize on (at least) 5 interceptions that Cutler threw (2 drops, 2 penalties including the huge one late on Morgan Burnett)... I was impressed with Rodgers (as per usual), but Brandon Jackson is pretty bad, and they're in need of at least a complimentary running game... Jay Cutler has been decent while he's standing up, and we know he has the tools, but I felt that he didn't play very well last night and he benefitted from Green Bay's lack of capitalization... but hey... Chicago is 3-0 and in the driver's seat for now....
  • Carmelo Anthony has "never said he wanted a trade"... interesting stuff out of Denver media day... I still think he's getting dealt... but it would be even weirder to do so now... the huge rumor that isn't being talked about too much is a recently-surfacing report that Stephen Curry could be available from Golden State in a Denver deal... that's the best asset they could possibly get for Carmelo, and that's something they'd need to look at IMO...
  • The Miami Heat traveling road show is out of control already... I can't wait to see them play.. but they'll be forcing alot of "mutes" and channel changes on my television screen before and after games...
  • I couldn't be more excited about the NBA... that's a given.. but with Hawks media day yesterday, and no resolution to the Jamal Crawford saga... I was worried... but Jamal came in and was as professional as can be... he hasn't abandoned his desire for an extension (#1) or trade (#2 if he can't get an extension), but he'll show up and play... 46-36 is the current Hollinger projection on ESPN... and I think I'm in line with that... it would be unrealistic to expect a jump from 53 wins with a major talent influx anywhere...
  • The Braves reclaim the Wild Card lead behind a clutch victory and some dominance by... Carlos Zambrano?! Nice of Big Z to shut down the Padres... I appreciate that... and Tommy Hanson turned in another pretty dominant start for the Braves... encouraging signs everywhere except for the Martin Prado injury... that could be a devastating one, and it's too late IMO to try the Glaus experiment at 3B... Looks like we'll be seeing alot of Brooks Conrad...
  • San Francisco OC Jimmy Raye fired... that offense looks downright pathetic, and while he's been saddled with the terribly underwhelming Alex Smith, they looked unprepared.. and that'll get you fired... esp. if you're 0-3
  • Trent Edwards cut by Buffalo... a pretty swift hacking by the Bills here.. but Edwards has been pretty bad, and they needed to cut ties... the problem is, there's not an NFL QB on that roster anywhere to go to...
  • Denard Robinson is ok and ready to go against Indiana... exhale...
What to watch for...
  • Braves/Marlins - Hudson/Sanchez - 7:00 Sportsouth - Been saying this alot... but really can't afford to lose with Hudson on the hill at home here...
  • 30 for 30 - Into the Wind - ESPN 8:00 - The widely acclaimed doc. on Canadian sports legend Terry Fox...
  • Cubs/Padres - Dempster/Latos - 10:00 WGN - Latos has tailed off recently... let's hope that trend continues this evening...
Enjoy..

Friday, September 24, 2010

NFL Week 3 Preview

Fairly brief today... Lack of time... If you missed the last post, I'm off-line for the weekend... if anything here changes, I can't be held responsible lol...
  • Cowboys @ Texans - 1:00 - Huge for Dallas... not so huge for Houston... usually a bad recipe... but Dallas has looked so inept/unprepared with all the mistakes/penalties that it's hard to overlook... especially on the road (albeit not a long trip), I like Houston in the game... the offense is clicking and they'll put pressure on Romo with the revolving door that has been the Cowboys OL...
  • 49ers @ Chiefs - 1:00 - Simply put... must-win for SF... Even in that division, you can't start 0-3... I like them in the game as well, Matt Cassel might have turned in the worst QB performance of all-time for a 2-0 team
  • Lions @ Vikings - 1:00 - Same thing here... obvious must-win for Minnesota... they have to get their passing game on the same page, and Detroit might be a perfect test case for it...
  • Falcons @ Saints - 1:00 - It's pretty apparent already that this battle is between the 2 NFC South contenders... I still don't believe in Tampa, and Carolina has been wretched.. Would be a big game to steal as a Falcons fan...
  • Steelers @ Bucs - 1:00 - If there was ever a spot to have to rollout the Batch/Leftwich combo... this may be it... It'll be amazing if Pitt can go 3-0 with what they've run into injury/suspension-wise...
  • Jets @ Dolphins - 8:20 NBC - Battle of 2 AFC East contenders in prime-time... interested to see if Miami can run the ball on the Jets, and how Cromartie handles Brandon Marshall... who once put up an 18 catch dominance against him in Denver...
  • Packers @ Bears - MNF 8:30 ESPN - The test to see if Chicago is legit... they get GB at home, and without a semblance of a running game... but I still trust Aaron Rodgers infinitely more than Mr. Cutler... and that may be enough..
Quick picks/winners...

Texans
49ers
Vikings
Patriots
Saints
Titans
Steelers
Bengals
Ravens
Redskins
Eagles
Colts
Raiders (Upset special)
Seahawks (Upset #2)
Dolphins
Packers

And now... THE PICKS! (9-4 YTD pending CFB results)
  • Tennessee +3 over NYG... NY can't run on them... Eli outside...
  • Seattle +5.5 over SD... One of the rare home-field advantages... no run game for SD...
  • Dolphins -1.5 over NYJ... This line should be higher... public all over the Jets still
There it is...

Thursday, September 23, 2010

9/23: College Football Preview...

Greetings... Just an FYI that I'll be off-line starting today until Sunday evening... The NFL Preview will go up tonight, but I won't have internet access for the weekend... There it is...
  • Miami @ Pitt - Thursday 7:30 ESPN - A pretty solid Thursday night offering from the 4-letter network... Miami has talent coming out of its ears, and Pitt has a top-flight RB in Dion Lewis... I still think Pitt is the best team in the Big East, and they'll have a chance to prove it.. I'm taking the Panthers...
  • Alabama @ Arkansas - Saturday 3:30 CBS - Best game of the weekend on paper... Alabama has been so dominant that they've called off the dogs in every game so far, and their running game is scary... I think they'll score at will, but they certainly haven't faced an offense that even resembles Arkansas... Mallett will get yards and points, but too much Bama...
  • Oregon State @ Boise State - Sat. 8:00 ABC - This one is getting top-billing, but I'm not sure it matters as much as we all think... Boise is relegated to their normal plight with the struggles that VT has had, so it's big for them in preserving their BCS hopes, but the BCS title game is out of reach for all intensive purposes... I think OSU could beat them at home, but I like Boise at their place
  • South Carolina @ Auburn - Sat. 7:45 ESPN - Typical grind-it-out SEC game... I don't trust Stephen Garcia, esp. on the road, and I really have liked what I've seen from Cam Newton lately... the x-factor is Marcus Lattimore who's been crazy good lately, and Auburn has had some defensive issues... but I like the Tigers...
  • West VA @ LSU - 9:00 ESPN2 - This'll be a crazy atmosphere... 9:00 kick in Baton Rouge? Insanity... LSU isn't scaring anyone anymore, but this is about the battle of the inept head coaches... Bill Stewart vs. Les Miles could be high comedy.... When in doubt? Give me the athletes at home...
  • Bowling Green @ Michigan - Noon ESPN2 - Humor me a little here... The wolverine defense looked completely inept against UMass, and really against ND at times in the secondary as well... the youth isn't going away in the secondary, and they have to step it up a bit... Helped by the BG starting QB being out for this game, and the fact that Denard Robinson plays for the guys in maize/blue... Should be a pencil-in win, but the pressure is mounting a bit on Greg Robinson...
  • Georgia Tech/NC State - Noon ESPN - Fun game to watch just b/c of the contrast in styles... GT is methodical, and the option is mesmerizing to watch if it's going well... and on the other end, the most underrated QB in the country in Russell Wilson....
The Picks! YTD 9-4 (5-1 last week)
  • Bowling Green +25.5 over Michigan... That's absurdly high..
  • BYU +5.5 over Nevada - Always like them in Provo...
  • Oregon State +17 over Boise - Seems completely absurd honestly...
Until next time... Enjoy the slate

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

9/22: Braves, Vick, etc.

Greetings all..
  • Mike Minor and the Braves stumble yet again... They didn't get the best of Roy Halladay but he was enough to outlast a short (and ineffective) outing from Mike Minor, and some more bad decision-making/defense... The biggest AB of the game in my opinion was a 4-pitch walk to Ryan Howard by Mike Dunn... he openly pitched around him lefty vs. lefty (to a guy who is significantly worse vs LHP), and ended up getting beat up by Werth and Ibanez with 2 outs to put the game away... Do I think the division is out of reach? Probably... the Braves now need to win all 4 against Philly from here out to have a chance at the division IMO... and that's a tall order even with the final 3 being at home... San Diego won last night as well, making the WC lead a paltry 1 game...
  • Mike Vick to start for Philly... in a move that shocked literally everyone, Andy Reid announces Vick as the unquestioned starter going forward... I have to admit, I'm kind of pulling for Mike... and I'm not sure why? He pretty much submarined the Falcons franchise, and that should be unforgivable... but I have a soft spot for him... alas... I don't think the Eagles organization can accurately justify trading McNabb, anointing Kolb, and then pulling the plug after less than 1 game... but that's the decision they've made...
  • Braylon Edwards will play... I can't get behind this... guy gets a DWI during the week of the game... and plays? I'll never understand it... and this is a Michigan guy we're talking about.. but I've grown weary of Braylon, and it's clear he's got some personality issues to deal with...
  • Minnesota clinches the AL Central... big-ups to Ron Gardenhire and company for doing it yet again... a model of consistency without the benefit of a gargantuan payroll...
  • Not so fast my friend... (copyright Lee Corso)... all the Carmelo-Nets talk got a little blown out of proportion... the Bulls and Knicks still reportedly lead his wish list, and Melo can pretty much end any talks with any team by refusing to sign an extension with said team... no team is giving away what they'd need to to get him without assurance he'd stay...

What to watch for...
  • PTI - 5:30 ESPN - You may say... huh? Well this is always appointment viewing if you're home... but Bill Simmons is hosting with Tony all week... come on now lol
  • Braves/Phillies - 7:00 SportSouth - Hanson/Oswalt... Can't afford to drop this one... especially with the best pitching matchup (on paper at least) of the series for the Braves
  • Rays/Yankees - 7:00 ESPN - Davis/Burnett - If you don't care about the Braves...
  • Padres/Dodgers - 10:10 ESPN - Stauffer/Lilly - If you're up late after the Braves rip your heart out again... come on Ted Lilly!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

9/21: Kenny McKinley, Braves lackluster, etc.

Greetings... First, the sad stuff...
  • Former South Carolina and current Denver Broncos WR Kenny McKinley found dead in his home... crazy story and they are treating it as an apparent suicide... hits close to home here in ATL as he is from Austell and attended South Cobb High School there... Tragedy continues to strike the Broncos too, fairly recently after the death of Darrent Williams, and backup RB Damien Nash shortly after... RIP...
Back to the field..
  • Beachy gives the Braves a chance... yes, he didn't make it out of the 5th inning, but when he left, the game was very much in reach, and despite his inability to keep the ball down, Philly didn't punish him as they could... but the real issue came to light in that if Philly pitches how they have been, the Braves are in deep trouble... Hamels was brilliant last night, and it certainly doesn't get easier tonight with Halladay on the mound (despite his relative "struggles", at least for him, lately) since he's 3-0 on the year vs. the Braves with dominant ratios.... The division is becoming less and less of a concern... and could be out of reach completely by Wednesday night...
  • Drew Brees outduels Alex Smith... Smith led a pretty impressive late drive to tie the game, and should be commended as such despite how bad he was early in this one... but you can't leave Brees any time... and now SF falls to 0-2... I firmly believe that the NFC West could have a 7-9 champion... we'll learn alot about the Saints and Falcons in New Orleans on sunday....
  • Dennis Dixon has torn knee cartilage... say hello to 2 games of the Charlie Batch/Byron Leftwich combo... on the bright side, Pittsburgh is somehow 2-0 without Ben, and 2-2 wouldn't be a bad mark when he arrives..
What to watch for...
  • Braves/Phillies - 7:00 SportSouth - Minor/Halladay - I need the 12 strikeout Mike Minor tonight...
  • 30 for 30: House of Steinbrenner - ESPN 8:00 - Always must-see TV in this series...
  • White Sox/A's - Buehrle/Cahill - 10:00 WGN - If you're up late...
That'll do it...

Monday, September 20, 2010

9/20: Weekend Football Wrap, Braves, etc.

Obviously there's a hundred games I could hit on... but for brevity sake I've picked a few... College first...
  • Arizona/Iowa - The Wildcats prevailed despite a mini-collapse in the 2nd half and managed a huge win for the Pac 10... this was the best matchup of the day and lived up to the hype despite the 2:00 am finish... Arizona looked fast... very fast... and that crowd was electric... The critics of Iowa as overrated get a little ammunition but that Arizona team was solid, so not a terrible road loss 3000 miles away
  • I really, really dislike Bobby Petrino... still... but I have a hard time hating Ryan Mallett even though he left Michigan in a 2-year lurch... he was masterful in that Georgia game...
  • Auburn/Clemson - A brutal loss for the Tigers... Kyle Parker got beat up pretty bad but was a gamer throughout, and a fluke procedure penalty cost them a chance to win it in the next OT.. great crowd for a night game in an SEC building...
  • Michigan State sneaks by ND... a crazy fake field goal pass call by D'Antonio (who later had a heart attack, but is recovering okay it seems... prayers for him) gave them the win... never seen anything quite like that... it was surreal at the end...
  • Nebraska is legit... a 5-touchdown beat down of a decently talented Washington team on the road... and they made Jake Locker look terrible... be on the lookout for the Huskers...
To the National... Football... League...
  • Dallas is 0-2... Jay Cutler and company did a number on them... and the every-year darlings of the media fall to 0-2.... they've been unable to run the ball (really they've abandoned it) and that has done them in, along with several unforced errors i.e. week 1 vs. the Skins... it's getting ugly in Dallas...
  • The Redbirds lay the wood... nice to see the Falcons offense bounce back and light up Zona... Matt Ryan was efficient, Turner was very good pre-injury (reportedly mild) and Jason Snelling was a beast... I'll keep my asterisk by the defensive performance simply because Derek Anderson is an absolute catastrophe, but it was definitely an impressive performance by the Falcons... I'm encouraged
  • Mike Vick son... Mike Vick... he's back... I have no idea how Andy Reid can keep him off the field after the last 2 weeks... he was fantastic against Detroit...
  • Pittsburgh is 2-0 without Ben... a dominant defensive performance by the Steelers (aided by Tennessee's mistakes) leads to another win... Vince Young was dreadful, and Pittsburgh's D did enough to win this one despite 25 yards from Batch and under 70 from Mendenhall... ugly football here
  • Brett Favre... abysmal... that's the only word to describe how he's looked in the Vikes 0-2 start... I'm taking a little pleasure in it... I can't lie to you... alas, Minnesota looks beat up, their receiving corps is pretty bad, and Peterson can't do it alone...
  • Mark Sanchez outplays Tom Brady... never thought I'd see the day... it was pretty surreal though, simply because I can think of 4 throws off the top of my head that were ducks/bad decisions by Sanchez that worked out in his favor... I still didn't think he played particularly well in what I saw... but they get a much-needed win
  • 497 yards for Matt Schaub... 428 for McNabb... and only 57 total points? That's pretty weird... I know 57 is kind of a lot... but there was over 1000 yards of offense in this game... lots of "between the 20s" football here... encouraging stuff from Washington in that their offense looked spry, and they kept Houston's running game in check... but that's a win they needed to steal...
  • The Giants roll over to Indy... Peyton was ridiculous yet again last night... but the story was how bad the Giants O-line looked... Mathis and Freeney wreaked havoc all night, and let's not even get into Brandon Jacobs mini-meltdown... it was an embarrassing night for NYG...
  • 5-1 in the picks segment over the weekend! Momentum building folks...
Other stuff...
  • The Phillies don't lose anymore... but with a weekend sweep of the Mets, the Bravos find themselves up 2.5 games in the WC and still within 3 of Philly as they kickoff the series tonight... The pitching matchups and the ballpark look ugly for the Braves... and I think the goal is to not get swept... but maybe Jurrjens and Hanson will rise up...
  • Carmelo Anthony officially on the block? Reportedly Denver is openly taking offers for Melo now... not shocking to anyone who's followed the story... but I'd be intrigued to see what kind of value they can get with little leverage...
  • An announcing rant... I'm sorry... Pam Ward is an abomination behind a microphone doing college football... why does she keep getting promoted into better games/spots? On the bright side, she's overshadowed by how abysmal Lou Holtz and Lee Corso are starting to be (or in Holtz case, always has been)...
What to watch for on Monday...
  • MNF - Saints/49ers - ESPN 8:30 - Time to see if San Fran is a legit threat at all...
  • Braves/Phillies - SportSouth 7:00 - Jurrjens/Hamels - I hope Jurrjens circa 2009 shows up tonight at Citizens Bank...
Enjoy...

Friday, September 17, 2010

Week 2 NFL Preview

Straight to it... Some thoughts about games of interest...
  • Pittsburgh/Tennessee (1:00) - Dennis Dixon on the road... that's terrifying as a Pitt fan, esp. considering the pass rush in Tennessee and the ball control style that the Titans play... I really like Tennessee in the game, even though Pitt will play 8 (or 9) in the box on Johnson... he'll break one or 2, and Young will do enough...
  • Baltimore/Cincy (1:00) - This is an interesting game... I thought Cincy looked terrible offensively against NE... yes, Palmer had a decent fantasy game, but they were garbage yards, and Benson looked underwhelming... Baltimore? Flacco was below average for him, and Rice got bottled up... but the Jets defense will do that to you... Palmer's probably the key to this game...
  • Arizona/Atlanta (1:00)- Gotta hit this game... Can't start 0-2 if you're the Falcons so you need this one... Arizona's D isn't Pittsburgh's, especially on the ground, so Turner needs to re-establish himself... Ryan stared Gonzalez down constantly against Pitt and was wildly inaccurate on throws to Roddy White... he's gotta play better, and this could be a nice springboard... for the Cards, Derek Anderson is a trainwreck... but we knew that... Beanie Wells is healthy this week, and they'll pound the rock more...
  • Miami/Minnesota (1:00)- Forgive me... but I don't see a threatening offense in Minnesota right now... Peterson is a monster, but Favre looked terrible in Week 1 and they have no outside threat without Rice... add that in with an older O-Line and I'm not scared of them... Miami looked decent in Week 1, esp. on defense, and Ronnie Brown looked 100%... This could be a low-scoring battle...
  • New England/NYJ (4:15) - Best game of the weekend IMO... Pats offense looked very good against an underrated Cincy defense (with great corners no less), and the Jets are obviously great on D... interested to see how Revis fares with a week under his belt against Moss... Shonn Greene got a surprise demotion in Week 1, so interested to see how the carries get distributed between him and LDT... Sanchez was flat-out dreadful last week, and if he's that bad they have no shot... the Pats are a gauntlet on offense, and I think they can put up 3 td's or more on the Jets...
  • Houston/Washington (4:15) - A nice matchup... Houston will be getting all kinds of hype (already are) based on the Indy win, but they are a historically pretty bad road team, and Washington has a little confidence now... the Skins D is pretty solid, but I feel like Andre Johnson will get off a bit in this one... key is how Donovan responds...
  • NYG/Indy - 8:15 NBC - the Manning Bowl.... possible matchup issues for Indy in that they couldn't stop the run at all last week, and NYG is much more conditioned to pound the rock than Houston ever will be... fortunately for the Colts, the Giants can't decide who their running back is... Eli playing indoors helps, but I refuse to pick against Peyton in a night game... enjoy...
  • Saints/49ers - Monday Night Football - I'm so, so, so down on San Fran... and it's all Alex Smith related... now he has to play against the crazy blitzing Saints Defense? Could be a 4-5 turnover game in store... Brees and company will have some issues against a talented San Fran D, but they may not need to do much more than capitalize on short fields...
Quick winners...

Tennessee
Baltimore
Detroit (Upset alert)
Atlanta
Miami
KC
Carolina
GB (by 20+)
Dallas
Seattle
Oakland
San Diego
New England
Washington
Indy
New Orleans


THE PICKS! (4-3 entering CFB Saturday)
  • KC +2 over Cleveland - Betting against Jake is fun...
  • Green Bay -13.5 over Buffalo - sorry Bernie...
  • Miami +6 over Minnesota
Enjoy the slate!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

9/17: College Football Weekend Preview...

Aloha... A quick-ish look at the Weekend slate for college...
  • Iowa/Arizona - Best game of the weekend... Cross-country road trip for the better team, but the Arizona defense swarms and they've looked good so far... I still have reservations about Ricky Stanzi, but Iowa is well-coached and they'll be ready... it'll likely come down to how Nick Foles plays at QB for Arizona... he's been excellent so far
  • Nebraska/Washington - I'm quite high on Nebraska and this is a nice road test... Jake Locker playing at home is scary for anyone... and Nebraska's QB situation is unsettled, we'll learn alot about NEB this week...
  • Florida/Tennessee - The Chris Rainey madness aside, this is big for Florida... their offense has been fairly dreadful through 2 weeks, and UT is a real opponent... should Florida beat up on them? Absolutely... but it's still a conference road game, and Tennessee has better athletes than anyone they've seen...
  • Arkansas/Georgia - The Ryan Mallett traveling road show moves on... Georgia needs this game infinitely more than Arkansas does and they get it at home... the UGA pass defense has been competent so far, but they haven't seen this attack... Georgia will score on Arkansas, but I don't have any faith that they can hold Mallett under 35 points...
  • Clemson/Auburn - Underrated game this week... should be hard-hitting, and although everyone is penciling in Auburn for the victory, we've only seen 2 games worth of Cam Newton and we KNOW Kyle Parker is good for Clemson... just putting it out there..
  • Georgia Tech/UNC - Big game for both teams... Tech needs a bounceback from the embarrassing road loss to Kansas, and UNC could still be missing half their defense... something has to give... I like Tech to maul UNC up front and control the clock (40-ish minutes), run for 350-400 yards, and win solidly..
THE PICKS! 4-3 YTD... over .500!
  • Kansas State -4 over Iowa State - Like KSU at home, and Iowa State looked paltry against Iowa
  • Duke +24 over Alabama - Call it a hunch...
  • Texas -3 over Texas Tech - Can't figure out why this line is so low... I know it's an in-state rivalry game, but the talent edge is staggering...
What to watch...
  • Friday Night - Cal @ Nevada 10:00 ESPN - Nevada is the 2nd best team in the WAC... and I like Cal... should be a fun game...
  • Saturday Noon - Arkansas/Georgia (ESPN), Maryland/West Virginia (ESPNU)
  • Saturday 3:30 - Florida/Tennessee (CBS), Nebraska/Washington (ABC/ESPN3)
  • Saturday Primetime - Auburn/Clemson (ESPN 7:00), Notre Dame/Michigan State (ABC 8:00)
  • Saturday Late - Iowa/Arizona (10:30 ESPN)
Enjoy the slate!

9/16: Time for Panic?

Greetings... Leading with the Braves...
  • One pitch, one swing... 4-0 Nationals on a grand slam by Justin Maxwell who came into the game hitting .132... yes, you read that right... Mike Minor made one mistake... in his defense, I thought he got hosed out of a strike out against Alberto Gonzalez in the previous AB, but that was it...
  • 3 games back of Philly with 15 to play, 0.5 game lead in the WC over San Fran... Those are the stakes... 9 game road trip starts Friday, and it's playoff baseball from this point forward... on the bright side? 6 more with Philly to try to make up the division... on the dark side? 9 of the 15 on the road, and 6 of the 15 with Philly, who has 15 of 19 and is playing out of their minds... not to mention 3 more with the Nats who seemingly own the Braves...
  • If I was a betting man? My money wouldn't be on the Braves, but on the other hand, San Fran isn't scoring runs, and there is a 2.5 game head-start on Colorado... One thing is for sure, the starters ERA of 5.00+ in September has to change, or it's all over... Go 5-4 on the road trip and 4-2 against Philly in those 6 games, and we'll talk
Moving on...
  • The 2005 Heisman stays vacated... in a random turn of events, a governing body associated with college football made a productive decision, and decided in favor of an absurd "re-vote" of a 5-year-old award...
  • Why the outrage about Derek Jeter faking like he was hit by that pitch? People do that all the time... if his name wasn't Derek Jeter, this isn't news outside of New York and Tampa....
  • Troy Tulowitzki is on another planet right now... 11 HR and 27 RBI in 15 days in September... the only comparable numbers to his in that period of time this late in the season go back to Harmon Killebrew... that should tell you something
  • Who else is riveted by the thought of Mike Vick starting at QB somewhere this week? Is it just me?
What to watch for...
  • Cincy @ NC State - 7:30 ESPN - If you need a football fix until Saturday...
  • WNBA Finals Game 3 - Dream/Storm - 8:00 ESPN2 - I wouldn't put it here except for its the home team and it's the finals with their backs against the wall... Angel McCoughtry ftw...
Weekend College Football preview on the way later today... keep an eye out

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

9/15: NFL Injuries, Reggie Bush, etc.

Greetings all...
  • The post-week 1 injury rash has hit the NFL... most notably? Packers stud RB Ryan Grant is out for the year... crushing fantasy owners dreams everywhere... Brandon Jackson should step in and be okay (remember that Ryan Grant was a throw-away injury replacement a few years ago), and they'll likely sign a Justin Fargas-type to help him... Jets NT Kris Jenkins is out for the year after blowing out the same ACL as he did in 2009... this is a guy who is clearly an upper-echelon player who can't stay healthy... but that's a big blow... pretty much the exact same situation as... Colts S Bob Sanders who is NEVER healthy... the 2007 NFL defensive POY can't stay on the field... it's kind of sad really...
  • Reggie Bush gives the Heisman back... sort of an aggressive play by Bush, who, by all accounts, was going to lose the Heisman anyway... could be a good PR thing for him though... I'm still not in favor of giving the Heisman to Vince Young.. that makes no sense to me...
  • Jair Jurrjens is kind of a mess right now... I had a mini-rant on Twitter about this the other day... but Jurrjens has been treated with kid gloves by Braves commentators for some reason, and he's just been flat-out bad in 2010... 4.64 ERA with 1.39 WHIP, and only about 2-to-1 K/BB ratio... I understand Derek Lowe makes $15 million a year and that makes him an easy target, but the penciling in of Jurrjens as an ace-like figure after 1 very good year and 1 average year (2008) baffles me... Derek Lowe has been the better pitcher even before his dominant performance on Monday...
  • NL Pennant Race Update - Phillies win... sigh, Cole Hamels again... Padres over the Rockies... I want San Diego to be good again, and bury the other 2... and LA shuts out San Fran... 2 back in the division, 1.5 lead in the Wild Card... 16 to play... I think 10-6 is the number...
What to watch for...
  • Braves/Nats - Noon SportSouth - Minor/Lannan - Gotta love a good businessman's special... I wish I didn't have a job... this is randomly a big game, can't lose a home series to Washington and be serious...
  • Yankees/Rays - 7:00 ESPN - Hughes/Shields - Battle for the AL East...
  • Dodgers/Giants - 10:15 ESPN - Billingsley/Cain - Go Dodgers...
Enjoy the slate... Keep an eye out for the weekend football previews...

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

9/14: Jets/Chargers Stumble, Derek Lowe, etc.

Aloha...
  • Ravens 10, Jets 9 - That's an ugly score... it was a hard-hitting game to be sure, but I took away more negatives than positives... Mark Sanchez was brutal... 74 yards... 1 passing first down and a sub 50% completion rate... Shonn Greene fumbled early and may have been unseated by Tomlinson (who was surprisingly crisp), and they were unable to hold Boldin in check... for Baltimore, 10 points is nothing to behold, but there's clearly chemistry between Flacco and Boldin, and they get a road win with Ray Rice going for 40 yards... that's a steal
  • KC knocks off the Chargers.. didn't see this coming much... but mostly because the KC defense was outstanding last night... Glenn Dorsey was flying around, Derrick Johnson made play after play, and they got enough from their young special teamers (McCluster/Arenas) to get the W... Thomas Jones was decent but Jamaal Charles was electrifying... expect more of the same there... I actually thought Rivers played well, but didn't get much help from his receivers (or the turf, whichever you believe), and that fumble by Mathews was a game-changer...
  • Rafael Nadal won the career Grand slam by winning the US Open... just an FYI... no analysis here
  • Somebody hose off Derek Lowe... 12 K's in 8 innings... 6 hits, 0 ER... he was as dominant as he's ever been in a Braves uniform from pitch 1... a very, very encouraging sign... Of course, Joe Blanton decided to turn in his best outing of the year on the same night to cancel it out... but I'd rather bet on Lowe than Blanton, so I'll take the trade-off
  • There was a fantastic pitching duel in the AL East last night.. David Price & CC Sabathia lived up to the billing pitching to a draw through 9 innings... Price with 8 innings of 3-hit ball, and Sabathia with 8 innings of 2-hit ball... it's a beautiful thing when it comes together... Reed Brignac broke the lock in the 11th with a walk-off bomb off Sergio Mitre...
What to watch for...
  • Braves/Nats - 7:10 SportSouth - Jurrjens/Livan - I still hate Livan Hernandez...
  • 30 for 30 - Unmatched - ESPN 8:00
  • WNBA Finals - Dream/Storm - ESPN2 9:00 - They get the mention because it's the hometown squad... go get 'em Angel McCoughtry...

Monday, September 13, 2010

9/13: Week 1 NFL Wrap, USA hoops, etc.

Aloha... will try to tackle this as briefly as possible...
  • Redskins/Cowboys - This game set back football by decades... lol... I can't figure out why Dallas couldn't score... Romo had a decent game on paper, the RB tandem had effective YPC averages, and Miles Austin is a beast... just mistakes/penalties at terrible times personified by the human holding penalty Alex Barron at the end of the game... Washington looked wildly inept offensively at times... Donovan was inaccurate, they don't have a legit outside threat, and outside of a freak play by DeAngelo Hall (sigh), they couldn't score either...
  • Bills/Dolphins - I wouldn't cover this... but shoutout to Andrew Bernard... For Buffalo, it's the same story... Trent Edwards is below average... can't win with bad QB play... especially when you don't have any receivers... the RB triumvirate will be fine with the explosive Spiller and the steady hand of Jackson (and eventually Lynch)... but they will be facing 9 man fronts... The bright spot for Miami had to be how good Ronnie Brown looked... 5 ypc, and there was legit explosion...
  • Lions/Bears - One note here... the "Calvin Johnson rule" is a terrible one... in what world is that not a catch/touchdown?
  • Bengals/Patriots - 25 of 35 for 258 yards and 3 TDs against the best CB tandem in the league and they stopped throwing in the 3rd quarter... Tom Brady is in eff you mode... and he doesn't care how unhappy Randy Moss is... the Bengals passing game was surprisingly effective in their own right but that was mostly garbage winging against bad corners... unimpressed, and Cedric Benson looked a step slow... Big ups to Wes Welker for coming all the way back from that knee injury and putting up 2 TDs in week 1...
  • Falcons/Steelers - I'm a little angry here... so I'll try to temper it... I thought Michael Turner reminded me alot of a cross between TJ Duckett and L. Tomlinson circa 2009... that's a bad thing... could be an overreaction, but I can't be swayed just because it was the Steelers defense... he looked slow... and Matt Ryan... you can't throw that soul crushing INT... it was a great play by Polamalu, but it was stared down, and floated... 9 points is unacceptable, and whatever progress the defense seems to have made, I'll put a star by it for facing a 3rd string QB... hey, at least Roddy White looked good...
  • Texans/Colts - What would the odds have been of the Colts winning this game if I granted you Peyton Manning's line of 40-57 for 433 and 3 TDs? They lost by 10 still! I know alot of those numbers were in catch-up mode... but Schaub threw for 107 yards... oh yeah... I haven't mentioned Arian Foster running for 230 yards and 3 Tds... there it is... Changing of the guard in the AFC South? Wouldn't say that.. but that's about as big of a Week 1 win as you can get if you're Houston...
  • Pack/Eagles - The vaunted GB offense wasn't terribly impressive although they put up 27 points... the stories here center around 1) the injury to Ryan Grant, and 2) the emergence of Mr. Michael Vick... Kevin Kolb went down fairly early, and #7 emerged with 100+ rushing yards, and 66% completion percentage and 175 yards... That'll be an issue going forward because Kolb was underwhelming in his time...
  • Seahawks/49ers - Oh Alex Smith... I'm planting my flag (again) on how bad you are... 2 INTs and a fumble, 0 TDs... complete ineptness... 52.5 QB rating! It's so baffling to me how anyone can put stock in the 49ers without considering how bad he continues to be... Alas, the Seahawks put on a fairly impressive performance offensively with efficiency from Hasselbeck (18 of 23), and were able to salt the game away late despite a lackluster running game (23 carries for 77 yards total... which isn't so bad until you realize 32 of those yards came on a garbage time carry by Forsett)... Pete Carroll ftw...
Non-NFL...
  • USA Hoops takes gold.... Mr. Durant puts up 28 including 7 of 13 threes to go with his 38 point semifinal performance... strapping them to his back a bit... but Turkey looked overmatched physically, and a random outburst from Lamar Odom (15 and 11) sealed their fate... Hedo was efficient for Turkey, but looked fat (hilariously), and they were held to under 37% shooting... Fairly impressive performance by the US without all their top guys...
  • Braves lose, Phillies win... Seems like a fairly consistent result recently... Philly takes sole possession of 1st place back behind a falter by Tim Hudson (courtesy of Pujols, etc.), and the CG shutout by Roy Oswalt... I'm as worried as I've been in months about missing the playoffs entirely with how Colorado is playing, and Atlanta inching back to the pack of the NL West contenders...
  • Tiger Woods missed the FedEx cup finals... that's crazy... he didn't even qualify...
  • The Boise State slide has begun... they were off in Week 2 and lost 7 of their 8 first-place votes... the dream is over... and no, I don't want to talk about Michigan being ranked... it's not realistic and it raises expectations that don't need to be raised when you look at the (lack of) depth on defense, and the relative inexperience of Shoelace...
What to watch for...
  • MNF Game 1 - Ravens/Jets - 7:00 ESPN - First chance for the Jets to back up the hype... I wish they were playing an undervalued team.. but Baltimore's hype is at epic levels too...
  • MNF Game 2 - Chargers/Chiefs - 10:15 ESPN - Intrigued by the KC running back situation... and the fact that SD is missing their best O-lineman and best receiver... and everyone still assumes they'll win the AFC west (me included)
  • Braves/Nats - 7:00 SportSouth - Lowe/Maya - Welcome back Derek...
Enjoy the slate...

Sunday, September 12, 2010

9/12: College Football Recap

Greetings all... a quick recap of the day that was...
  • Ohio State takes 4 INT's from Harris and wins... the Buckeyes got some pretty good production (despite a sub 50% completion rate) from Pryor, and the defense stepped up picking off Jacory Harris 4 times en route to the win in the Horseshoe... it was an ugly day for the ACC (we'll see why in a minute), but this was simply a better team making plays... did anyone see defensive TACKLE Cameron Heyward take an INT back 50+ yards? Looked like a gazelle...
  • Alabama pounds Penn State into submission.... my suspicions about Penn State were confirmed... they were inept offensively behind their true frosh QB and Alabama went on cruise control... but anytime you can get a 3 touchdown victory over a ranked team (even if they shouldn't be ranked), you'll take it and run...144 yards from "backup" RB Trent Richardson too... an embarrassment of riches
  • Oklahoma beats up on Florida State... I didn't see 47-17 coming... Landry Jones was masterful (30/40, 380 yards, 4 TDs) against that battered FSU secondary, and Christian Ponder (11/28, 113 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INT) was less than stellar for FSU... simple as that... Oklahoma made a statement following their ugly opener... they're a team to be reckoned with..
  • Oregon lays the wood in the 2nd half... the single most surprising half-time score of the weekend for me was Oregon/Tennessee being tied... I thought Oregon would beat up on them from the jump... they just decided to wait until the 2nd half, and somehow garnered a 35-0 in the 2nd half... too much talent, too much speed for rebuilding Tennessee... Lamichael James had a crazy reverse-field run that was see-to-believe...
  • Georgia Tech loses to Kansas.... the same Kansas that struggled to beat an FCS opponent 6-3 in their opener put up 28 points on GT, and caused enough problems to get the win... definitely the 2nd most surprising result of the day...
  • The first? Virginia Tech losing to FCS James Madison... and single-handedly submarining Boise State's hopes in my opinion... this was obviously a shocking result, and VT would've won had Darren Evans not fumbled in the red zone late... but the bigger story for me is that I don't think Boise can do ANYTHING to get into the title game after this result... no matter what VT does from here, they'll be dismissed as the team that lost to James Madison, and that will kill Boise's perception... oh, and the ACC is still brutal.... VT/GT/FSU/Miami? Good luck...
  • South Carolina upends Georgia... freshman RB Marcus Lattimore strapped the gamecocks to his back to the tune of 37 carries for 182 yards and was the catalyst for their offense throughout... Aaron Murray showed flashes for UGA, but the gameplan was scarily reserved, and that hamstrung them...
  • Stanford 35, UCLA 0... Nobody stayed up to watch this... but watch out for Stanford... UCLA isn't a bad football team, and to beat them by 5 TDs on the road... wow.... their defense looked fast and athletic too...
and finally...
  • Shoelace.... I almost left it at that... 502 total yards for Michigan's Denard Robinson (I still laugh when I type that), and one of the greatest individual offensive performances I've ever seen at Michigan... I'm out of superlatives... and I already tweeted this, but I want to apologize to Rich Rodriguez for doubting him publicly about starting Denard over incumbent Tate Forcier... I was wrong, Rich... you were right... Now? Expectations will be through the roof for Robinson (just as they were for Forcier following the ND game in 2009), and we all need to calm down... but he's capable of carrying that offense, and is unquestionably a fantastic fit for what Rodriguez wants to do... Really a fantastic day all around... Hail to the victors...
Until next time...

Friday, September 10, 2010

NFL Week 1 Preview

Greetings all... Not going to break down every game... I don't think you need me to break down Denver/Jacksonville... I just don't... so I picked a few games...
  • Indy/Houston 1:00 pm - These 2 should battle for the division all year, and I like that they get started going at it in Week 1... the gang is all back for Indy... Manning/Addai/Brown/Wayne/Garcon/Clark... that's a staple... and you know Peyton will be ready... Houston is more of a toss-up, even with the Schaub/Johnson combo back, they have a new RB who's getting big-time attention in Arian Foster, a healing tight end in Owen Daniels, and a WR battle opposite Andre between Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter... I think Houston makes some plays on offense, and even gets some heat on Peyton early, but they lost Dunta Robinson in the offseason... they'll need him against Peyton (lol)... I like Indy\
  • Falcons/Steelers 1:00 pm - You know the storyline... no Roethlisberger for Pitt... Dennis Dixon is a guy that I'm high on... he's multi-dimensional, an accurate passer, and Atlanta has trouble with pass-rush... he's a clear upgrade IMO over Leftwich when you factor Pitt's O-line, and that worked out well for them.... for Atlanta, Ryan/Turner/White are the triplets at the skill guys, and there's been an infusion of speed/youth on defense with Dunta Robinson, Weatherspoon, Biermann, Jerry, and company joining the unit (or being promoted)... On the road at Pittsburgh will be a nice test for what people think Matt Ryan has or hasn't become... and I like the Falcons in the game...
  • Cincy/New England 1:00 pm - Maybe my favorite game... I'm incredibly high on the Cincy defense... yes, the defense... that unit you never about... they were dominant at times in 2009, sport 2 stud corners in Hall and Joseph, and get their #1 pass-rusher back in Odom.. now that that's out of the way, I like NE in the game... Brady is in eff-you mode (and the car accident won't slow him), and Welker looks virtually 100%... Cincy doesn't have the speed on offense to take advantage of the Pats' weaknesses, and New England can throw on anyone...
  • GB/Philly 4:00 pm - Welcome to your new role Kevin Kolb... you get the most talented team in the NFC (IMO)... enjoy it...
  • Dallas/Washington - I hope Donovan plays and is 100% because that would be a letdown... Tons of hype around Dallas (as usual) and it centers around Romo/Jones/Austin... I'm not sold on any of those 3.. I think we know Romo is good, but he's never strapped them to his back... Jones is violently injury-prone and has never been dominant, and Miles Austin has flash-in-the-pan tendencies... we'll find out more on Sunday night... Washington needs a playmaker on offense... there are whispers that Portis is bouncing around, but he's 29 years old, and Moss is getting up there too... that's the biggest ? for Washington... I like Dallas because we know more about what will see the field
  • Jets/Ravens - I just hope Baltimore smashes them... but at the same time, there's been an abundance of Ravens hype too... maybe they will collide and combust? I don't know...
Quickly... my picks for the week

Miami over Buffalo
Tennessee over Oakland
Jax over Denver
NYG over Carolina
Indy over Houston
ATL over Dennis Dix..er... Pittsburgh
Cleveland over TB
NE over Cincy
Detroit over CHI (Upset of the week)
GB over Philly
Seattle over San Fran
STL over Arizona (Upset #2)
Dallas over Washington
NYJ over B-More
SD over KC

The Lines! (1-2 last week, with 2 pending on the CFB preview post)
  • Miami -3 over Buffalo... I know it's a road favorite.. but I can safely bet against Trent Edwards
  • Jacksonville - 3 over Denver... MJD is healthy, and I'm piling on Denver... they are going to stink... don't say I didn't warn you...
Okay that'll do it... Enjoy the first jam-packed weekend of games... it's about that time

Thursday, September 9, 2010

CFB Week 2 Preview

Splitting up the NCAA and NFL previews for the weekend... we'll see how this goes... all college here and there are plenty of worthy games...
  • Miami @ Ohio State - 3:30 ESPN - Game of the Week IMO... Jacory Harris and Miami go up to the Horseshoe as an underdog but fully capable of winning the game outright... Pryor looked electric (albeit against Marshall) last week, and I trust that Ohio State talent... Harris has a history of being extremely good or pretty shaky in big games, and I don't think Columbus is the atmosphere where you shake that... Randy Shannon vs. Jim Tressel too? Advantage Buckeyes...
  • Penn State @ Alabama - 7:00 ESPN - This one is getting top billing... but I honestly don't know why... Penn State isn't a top-10 version of the Nittany Lions, and they are led by a true Frosh quarterback charged with going to Tuscaloosa and winning... good luck with that... Ingram is out, but Richardson is more than capable and that Alabama offense is multi-dimensional... I don't see how Alabama loses...
  • Florida State @ Oklahoma - 3:30 ABC - This is a more intriguing game than the above for me... Florida State's offense looks to be crazily dangerous, and Oklahoma didn't show a whole lot on defense in being challenged by Utah State... FSU has the best quarterback on the field, and that can't be discounted... it'll come down to whether Oklahoma can put up 35+ on Florida State... and I think they can... but it'll be close... thinking 34-31 Oklahoma
  • Oregon @ Tennessee - 7:00 ESPN2 - Longggg road trip for the Ducks... after putting up 72 in Week 1 (good gracious), they draw the Vols and new coach Derek Dooley... another game that looks great on paper but will likely disappoint... I think Tennessee is a .500 team, and even with the 3000 mile trip for Oregon, they can score in bunches... and they will...
  • Georgia @ South Carolina - 12:00 ESPN2 - Two ranked teams here... and Georgia always has issues playing in Columbia... throw in AJ Green's absence and a redshirt freshman making his first real start on the road? I'm taking Spurrier and Garcia... I'm sure I'll regret that about 8 minutes in..
  • Michigan @ Notre Dame - 3:30 NBC - This will be buried (mostly) by the other 2 games at 3:30... and I'm okay with that... Denard takes the show on the road and faces a more talented unit... I'm confident that he'll get his yards on the ground, but the question is will the accurate passer we saw at the Big House make the trip? I'm skeptical... on defense, JT Floyd and company will need to try and slow down Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph... it'll certainly be a bigger test than last week... gun to my head? 31-27 Notre Dame... let the jinx begin...
The picks! 1-2 last week... sigh
  • Cal - 9 over Colorado.... let's try picking against Dan Hawkins again!
  • Iowa State +14 over Iowa... they won't win outright, but that's always a gauntlet of a game
Only picking 2 from college... will make an NFL pick or 2 to top it off...

Stay tuned!

9/9: NFL Kickoff, Tom Brady, etc.

Brief today...
  • The National Football League (it's a rule that every single commentator has to say all 3 words to make a point, all 3) kicks off tonight with the NFC title game rematch... You don't need me to hype this for you... But I'll say that the Super Bowl champ has won 10 straight openers... Favre is banged up, Rice is out, Harvin is a question mark, and I'll take Drew Brees... Saints 34-20
  • Tom Brady got into a car accident early this morning in Boston... fantasy owners everywhere cringed... and then he walked away and went to the stadium reportedly unharmed... I hope they cut his hair...
  • AJ Green gets 4 games... probably the best receiver in the country, so a giant blow for UGA, but the real question is: 4 games? That seems steep when he paid the money back, and all he did was sell something of his own...
  • Braves win, Phillies Win, Giants Lose... the Phillies are scorching hot... and Derek Lowe managed to help the Braves keep pace along with a minor offensive explosion... can't get swept by Pittsburgh, so that was a virtual must-win, especially with St. Louis bringing Wainwright and Carpenter the next 2 nights... 2 games clear in the Wild Card after SF lost last night... and yes, that's where I'm focusing most of my attention...
What to watch for...
  • Vikings/Saints - 8:30 NBC
  • USA hoops vs. Russia - 11:00 AM ESPN
  • US Open Tennis - All Day ESPN2
  • Braves/Cards - Jurrjens/Wainwright - 7:00 Peachtree-TV - Can't ask for a better pitching matchup again...
  • Reds/Rockies - 3:10 MLB Network - Wood/Hammel - Check out rookie Travis Wood...
Done and done...

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

9/7: A crazy (long) weekend...

Greetings all... it's been a long one... those are the words I'd use as someone who was under the weather to say the least... Alas, here we go with the tales from the weekend that was...
  • Boise leads the way... 33-30 and they are alive for the National Title (in theory)... I picked against them for several reasons (3000 mile journey, virtual home game for VT, thought VT would pound them into submission, etc.), and was proven wrong... they held the Hokie run game to only 128 yards, even outgaining them on the ground... got a fantastic performance from Kellen Moore, who just apparently doesn't throw INTs, and stepped up big down the stretch... their first quarter dominance was special to see, but I was surprised that they bounced back from the VT comeback, normally, the team that gets flipped like that doesn't find the 2nd wind... big win for Boise
  • Ole Miss loses to Jacksonville State... I saw the last 2 drives... so I won't claim to know the ebb and flow... but when you give up 49 points to an FCS team... that seems to be the problem.. I don't understand the venom toward Masoli (as far as on-field performance at least) that I've heard... he played decently.. and led them to TDs in both OT's... get a stop...
  • TCU holds serve... I was wrong in picking Oregon State (although they covered) and I misjudged how good the TCU defense still seems to be... they held Oregon State to under 300 total yards, and were good enough to overcome their best player (QB Andy Dalton) playing below his normally lofty standards.. was impressed by them... and it's definitely a debate for me about how Boise can be slotted ahead of TCU if both run the table... the Mountain West is leaps and bounds better than the WAC (better than the Big East too, which I've said repeatedly), and I'm not sure Va Tech itself in Week 1 is enough to overcome the scheduling difference in conference... just a thought
  • LSU almost blows a 20-point lead to undermanned UNC... the best sign for Butch Davis in weeks is how that team battled down the stretch without 7 defensive starters, and almost beat LSU... I blame "the Hat", Les Miles... they should've won that game by 3 touchdowns... UNC was outclassed from the jump, and LSU let down...
  • Shoelace... Don't know what I'm talking about? That's the nickname for Michigan QB Denard Robinson... who took the first snap of Michigan's 30-10 drubbing of UConn, and didn't know when he'd come out... no one did... but he basically played himself into a full-time role with that performance... he sat for 2 plays in the 3rd quarter with an injury, but the "3-headed QB monster" rumors are buried for the time being... I could go into to much greater detail about this game if it was relevant for anyone else but me... but just know that Denard broke the Michigan QB rushing record, and was 1 completion away from breaking the Big House completion % record... that's insanity... there are questions on defense (still) but the offense looks to be in good hands... at least for one week...
Non-CFB stuff...
  • The Braves lead is a half-game... panic time? Not quite there... but needless to say, I'm looking more at the wild-card lead than the division lead... I'm glad Hudson is on the mound tonight...
  • TJ Houshmandzadeh signs with Baltimore... it was a bit of surprise release by Seattle... and a more surprising (to me at least) signing with Baltimore... I can think of 10 other teams that needed receiver help more... but it could be a good fit.. and suddenly Flacco has a million weapons... also helps for when (not if) Boldin goes down for a couple of weeks
  • Tiger Woods is one of Pavin's Ryder Cup picks... the shocker of the century! Come on... Eldrick was going...
What to watch for....
  • Braves/Pirates - SportSouth 7:00 - Hudson/McDonald - The stopper takes the hill... can't afford to lose the series to Pittsburgh, that means you need a W
  • 30 for 30 - Tupac/Tyson 8:00 ESPN - This is going to be awesome I have a feeling...
  • US Open Tennis - All day - ESPN2 - If you like tennis...
Enjoy...

Friday, September 3, 2010

9/3: Football Weekend Preview!

Greetings... As a general rule here... I'm not covering Florida vs. Miami-Ohio... because unless you're a Florida fan... you don't care... First? The best game of the long weekend...

  • Boise State vs. Virginia Tech in Washington DC (Monday, 8:00 ESPN) - Boise gets tested right out of the gate by a fast, fierce, physical VT team... I honestly have no idea what to make of this one... Va Tech has the right kind of attack to take the ball from Kellen Moore and pound it with Ryan Williams and Darren Evans... but it's tough to ignore 20 starters back for Boise from an undefeated team... gun to my head? I like Va Tech in the game because it's in DC, and they are just more talented from top-to-bottom, but I really, really like Boise, and in a one-game scenario, they are clearly capable of winning...
To the Saturday slate... again, only covering competitive (-ish) games...
  • Oregon State @ TCU (ESPN 7:45 pm) - Best game of the day for Saturday... Oregon State gets to play a weird "giant"-killer this year while playing TCU and Boise... I like OSU's chances in both games, but especially this one... The Rodgers' brothers will run wild on a rebuilding TCU defense, and I think it'll be too much for TCU... I like Oregon State...
  • LSU vs. North Carolina (ABC 8:00 PM) - This is the Chick-fil-a kickoff classic game in Atlanta... and would've been a bigger draw... if UNC was at full-strength... there are as many as 14 UNC players that may be held out of this one was eligibility concerns... including most (or all) of their defensive stars... gotta pick LSU with all those question marks...
  • UConn @ Michigan (ABC or ESPN2 3:30 pm) - There are only 2 ranked vs. ranked games on Saturday... this may be the next best game... alot of people are on the UConn bandwagon as a talented team that really came together late in 2009 and going to Michigan isn't the task it used to be... all that pressure/spotlight on Rodriguez will get hotter should they lose this one, and the trainwreck element is in place with Rich Rod naming a 3-headed QB monster on his final depth chart for this game... I like Michigan in the game (yes, I'm an unabashed homer), but I'm not comfortable... at all
  • UCLA @ Kansas State (ABC or ESPN2 3:30 pm) - Kansas State is a terrible non-conference team... and I'm high on UCLA... put that together? I love the Bruins... especially when considering the Big 12 is down IMO
  • Washington @ BYU (CBS College Sports 5:00 pm) - the best non-televised (major network, I mean) game... Jake Locker takes his troops to BYU, and I like BYU in the game... Washington has been a "sleeper" for alot of people, but I still see a pretty bad roster outside of Locker, and while that certainly matters, BYU is always mature, well-coached, and physical
  • Wisconsin @ UNLV (11:00 Versus) - I'm including this only because I think it's the "most likely" (still highly highly unlikely) stumbling block for a ranked team... long road trip, late kick-off... eh... I can't do it... Badgers cruise
And now... for the return of your favorite running segment... The picks... where I take semi-educated forays into the Vegas lines...
  • Colorado State +12.5 over Colorado - I don't trust Dan Hawkins... at all... and Colorado shouldn't lay 12 points to anyone... much less their in-state rival...
  • UCLA +2 over Kansas State - As stated above... UCLA wins this game outright
  • Oregon State +13.5 over TCU - This is an outrageous line in my opinion... various systems have this between 3 and 5 points for TCU... and I honestly think OSU wins the game outright...
I'd take 2-1...

Enjoy the weekend... real, live football is here...

CFB Thursday Wrap, etc.

Quick bullets about the Thursday night action...
  • USC puts 49 on Hawaii... Matt Barkley was absurd (18 of 23, 257 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT) in the win, but there is definite concern as to how Hawaii can score 36 points against that talented defense... alas, Lane Kiffin is in the win column...
  • I'm 0 for 1 on predictions... Pitt goes down to Utah in OT... the Utes were able to hold Dion Lewis in check (25 for 75) and made big plays late to hold off the Pitt comeback... pretty bad news for the Big East as their best team (IMO) loses to the 3rd or 4th best team in the Mountain West...
  • Terrelle Pryor is good at football....
  • Tim Hudson wasn't flawless last night... and as a result, the Braves couldn't get the 4-game sweep... the offensive concerns aren't going away, but I'm not at all worried about Hudson, who still was decent, and hadn't lost in almost 2 months...
  • The Rockies bullpen implodes... 9 runs in the 7th for the Phillies and a 12-11 win... the lead is 2...
  • Alabama monster DE Marcell Dareus ruled ineligible for 2 games due to improper benefits... without Ingram (probably) and Dareus for Penn State? That's concerning... fortunately Penn State isn't what they were a year ago...
Coming soon... weekend football preview... stay tuned

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

9/2: College Football Opening Night, etc.

Greetings... First some bullets...
  • The Big 10 splits Michigan and Ohio State in divisions... but ensures the every year series.... well, that knocks one big thing out... here's the 2nd.. there's been widespread talk that they may move the game from the end of the year... that would cause outrage from everyone, and probably lead to the Big 10 HQ getting burned to the ground... so the jury's out...
  • Nyjer Morgan put on a show last night... if you haven't seen it... youtube that madness
  • Tommy Hanson awoke from another brief slumber with a dominant 7 innings to take the Braves to 5 straight wins... much needed, and encouraging from Hanson, who's capable of rattling off 4-5 straight dominant starts....
An expanded "what to watch for" looking at the college football opening night...
  • Pittsburgh @ Utah - 8:30 Versus - This should be the ESPN game... why do I have to see South Carolina & Southern Miss again? Alas, I like Pitt in the game despite it being at Utah... Utah is a solid program that I always put stock in, but I'm very, very high on Pitt, and they shouldn't be an underdog in this game... Dion Lewis is one of the elite players in America, and he'll run wild...
  • Southern Miss @ South Carolina - 7:30 ESPN - Alot of heat on Spurrier... he better hold serve at home against an undermanned opponent here...
  • Marshall @ Ohio State - 7:30 Big Ten Network - Ohio State wins by 30+... but if you don't get versus, and don't like bad southern football... take a look at my national champion lol... no jinx here
  • USC @ Hawaii - 11:00 ESPN - If you're an insomniac like me... you're in for USC/Hawaii... USC is intriguing because of the "dead-end" component of being postseason banned... but this a supremely talented roster yet again, and Matt Barkley is a big-time QB talent... worth watching despite how bad Hawaii is...
  • Braves/Mets - 7:00 Peachtree TV - Hudson/Santana - A shame this gets buried by football... but a battle of pitching titans, and the last game of the set.. I hate the Mets...
Enjoy the slate...

9/1: Masoli, Ingram, Braves, etc.

Greetings...
  • Jeremiah Masoli ruled ineligibile at Ole Miss... kind of a significant blow to them... and I'll go ahead and take a raincheck on my season preview post that gave them 9 wins... whoops... Masoli is one of the most talented QBs in the nation, and while they're appealing, I don't see it... the tough part is that they gave him starter reps in all of practice...
  • Marc Ingram out for the opener and likely the Penn State game... what does it mean? #1 - Any talk that Alabama "won't miss" Ingram is absolutely nuts... yes, they have significant running back depth... but the guy won the Heisman trophy last year... stop it already... and #2 - I think Penn State is taking a step back in 2010 and Bama is a significant favorite even without him... so at any rate, if he's healthy before SEC play, they'll be fine
  • David Ross led the charge with a 5th inning grand slam last night to beat the Mets... I was in the house (thanks Dome), and had some significant thoughts... 1) Jerry Manuel was asleep at the wheel... through the entire 5th inning meltdown (culminating in the Ross grand slam), he left a visibly shaken Jon Niese out there to face righty after righty... and before they left him in to face Ross, we were yelling about how ludicrous it was to leave him in... and boom... 2) Mike Minor has juicy stuff against lefties... he buckled Ike Davis a couple of times, and while he wasn't dominant, he pitched out of jams and showed poise... 3) Bobby made a ton of moves last night... preview of September? There were 4-5 lineup/position switches in the first 5-6 innings... 4) Matt Diaz is a trainwreck in left field... it's funnier to watch in person because you can see the way he breaks (or doesn't break) on balls... and 5) Derrek Lee is coming...
  • Hawks talk... Jamal Crawford on the market? Hmm... well, I'm on record in wanting to trade him... but it's not for on-court reasons... Crawford is on the last year of his deal (making 10 million) and Al Horford is up for an extension... because I know for a fact that the Hawks can't afford to pay Crawford market value AND pay Horford... I'm on board for shipping Jamal away... if you let him go for nothing at the end of the year? You can't come close to replacing his production because of the refusal to go into the luxury tax... In the end? I don't see them trading him because it would be logical and anti-Hawks... they'll either 1) Sign him to an extension that is completely absurd for an aging(-ish) 2-guard that does nothing else outside of scoring, with Joe Johnson overpaid in the future or 2) Let him walk for nothing at the end of the year and bank on unproven Jordan Crawford to replace him ineffectively... It's too early to be ranting on the Hawks... but this is a pivotal issue.. esp. when concerning not letting Horford get away
What to watch for...
  • FIBA Hoops - USA/Iran - Noon ESPN - Iran isn't really an opponent that scares anyone... but alas...
  • Pirates/Cubs - 2:20 WGN - McDonald vs. Gorzelanny
  • Braves/Mets - 7:00 Peachtree TV - Pelfrey/Hanson... Would be nice to lock up the series win with Hudson/Santana looming on Thursday
  • Yankees/A's - 7:00 ESPN - Burnett/Anderson - Chance to see A's stud Brett Anderson...
Enjoy...