The Cubs magic continues, as even a loss turned into a win. By succumbing to the Brewers in the last game of the season, they let the Brew Crew into the playoffs and thereby set up a first-round matchup with the weakest of all the NL contenders, the Dodgers.
Yes, L.A. has been more solid since the acquisition of Manny Ramirez. The Cubs still have a much stronger lineup top to bottom. And much has been made of L.A.’s Game 1 starter, Derek Lowe. It’s true that he hasn’t given up more than two runs in a game for nearly two months, but five of those nine games were against some of the worst teams in the league (San Francisco, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Washington), and two more were against Arizona, which is not known for its hitting.
In other words, he hasn’t faced a lineup as potent as the Cubs’ in a while. He also hasn’t faced Ryan Dempster, who’s 14-3 at Wrigley. Advantage, Cubs. The bettors see it my way as well, installing the Cubs as -155 favorites in the opener.
Even if Lowe should sneak out a win, I feel the Cubs only need a split at Wrigley. With Rich Harden and Theodore Roosevelt Lilly on tap for Games 3 and 4, a split or a sweep in L.A. is very likely.
Add Carlos Zambrano, and the Cubs have the edge in starting pitching over a strong Dodgers staff. I also give the Cubs the edge in offense, bullpen and intangibles (crazed crowd at Wrigley), with the Dodgers getting a slight edge on defense. The most intriguing matchup is at manager, with legends Lou Pinellia and Joe Torre squaring off. I do think Pinellia has had more to do with his teams’ success over the years, but it’s hard to argue with Torre’s four rings to Pinellia’s one.
The Cubs will get by the Dodgers easily on their way to a National League title.
PREDICTION: Cubs in 4
White Sox vs. Rays
Since that other local team weaseled its way into the post-season, I guess it’s only responsible to give a preview of their series as well.
In short, the White Sox suck. They will go 3-and-out in the ALDS, and even if they should cheat their way out of the first round, they will go 4-and-out against either the Angels or Red Sox.
I like any of the other AL playoff teams at offense, defense, starting pitching, relief pitching and intangibles. And manager? Please. I’ll take the janitor over Ozzie (who, incidentally, I do not believe to be intelligible in either of the languages he purportedly speaks).
PREDICTION: Rays in 3
Brewers vs. Phillies
As long as we’re running down other local teams, why not check in on the Brewers? After all, they do often play in that grand stadium known as Wrigley North.
Unfortunately, I think they made their run just to secure the playoff berth. They are playing a Philadelphia team that is peaking at the right time. The Brewers can compete on offense, enough to make it interesting, but outside of C.C. Sabbathia their starting pitching is shot. And because of an incredibly bone-headed front-office decision, they are entering the playoffs guided by a manager with a whopping 12 games of major league experience.
PREDICTION: Phillies in 5
Red Sox vs. Angels
How the hell should I know? I’m 1,000 miles from the nearest coast, and even farther in terms of mindset. I’ll defer to the bettors on this one (although I do think the winner of this series goes on to the World Series).
PREDICTION: Angels in 5
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Bailing On The Bailout
I think I like the message the House of Representatives sent today by turning down the $700 taxpayer bailout of major companies falling apart.
Treasury Secretary Hank Paulsen and a host of other experts rung their hands and warned of dire days ahead if Wall Street wasn’t bailed out. And Congress said, you know what? We’re willing to let Wall Street take that chance.
Somehow, maybe because of the closeness of the 228-205 vote, maybe because of the odd coalition of extreme liberals and extreme conservatives who killed it, but somehow, a message was sent: Congress is willing to approve a bailout, but not this bailout. The House told Paulsen, you and your ilk got us into this mess; we don’t trust you to dig our way out of it. You want a bailout? You do it on OUR terms.
Of course the stock market tanked as this was happening. This is not, as some would have you believe, the beginning of the end. Savvy buyers have taken advantage of other people’s misfortunes for as long as there’s been currency, and that dynamic will bring the stock market back around one day.
And besides, is it really going to get worse for the average American? Housing prices are in the shitter, consumer prices are going up, unemployment is dangerously high and money is as hard to borrow as it‘s been in a generation or two. And the worst thing that can happen to the bungalow bunch is that their long-time investments are going through a correction?
All that being said, I understand that there is going to need to be a bailout, and it’s going to hurt taxpayers. But I applaud Congress for not letting the first one that came along get shoved down our throats.
Treasury Secretary Hank Paulsen and a host of other experts rung their hands and warned of dire days ahead if Wall Street wasn’t bailed out. And Congress said, you know what? We’re willing to let Wall Street take that chance.
Somehow, maybe because of the closeness of the 228-205 vote, maybe because of the odd coalition of extreme liberals and extreme conservatives who killed it, but somehow, a message was sent: Congress is willing to approve a bailout, but not this bailout. The House told Paulsen, you and your ilk got us into this mess; we don’t trust you to dig our way out of it. You want a bailout? You do it on OUR terms.
Of course the stock market tanked as this was happening. This is not, as some would have you believe, the beginning of the end. Savvy buyers have taken advantage of other people’s misfortunes for as long as there’s been currency, and that dynamic will bring the stock market back around one day.
And besides, is it really going to get worse for the average American? Housing prices are in the shitter, consumer prices are going up, unemployment is dangerously high and money is as hard to borrow as it‘s been in a generation or two. And the worst thing that can happen to the bungalow bunch is that their long-time investments are going through a correction?
All that being said, I understand that there is going to need to be a bailout, and it’s going to hurt taxpayers. But I applaud Congress for not letting the first one that came along get shoved down our throats.
Bears 24, Eagles 20: Why Must You Mess With Our Hearts Like That?
Seriously, Bears? This is how it’s going to be?
You can’t hold a 10-point lead in the last five minutes against mediocre Tampa Bay, but you can go out and beat Philadelphia wire-to-wire?
This could have been a magnificent win that gave the Bears control of their division. Instead, it was a nice win in which an inconsistent team went against predictions for the fourth straight week, which sounds like the kind of thing that happens in a season that ends at 7-9.
Sure, the defense had a nice goal line stand. If they had played 60 minutes every week, they wouldn’t have needed it. And sure, Kyle Orton had three touchdown passes. He also pissed away a nice interception return from Kevin Payne, giving Orton an 11-yard field to work with, by throwing a pick of his own.
Who knows, maybe the Bears can only win on Sunday night. Or maybe they’ll go undefeated outside of the NFC South en route to a 12-4 record. Either of those theories make as much sense as anything else coming out of this team.
Lovie’s boys have two winnable games coming up, then get the Vikings at home before the bye week. They SHOULD come out of that stretch 5-2 and a force to be reckoned with. Giving their chaotic personality, they probably WILL come out of it 3-4 with an extremely irritated fan base.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Spot Dogs It Once Again
It's a good sign when you order a hot dog and they bring you a steak knife.
Unfortunately, when this happened to me last night at The Spot in Uptown, it was not a harbinger of the meal to come.
The Spot is not one of my favorite places. It's stuffy, it's laid out poorly for people flow, and management packs in as many people as it can for an unending range of events. The idea is to offer something for everyone; the effect is to pander to any customer base with a few bucks in its collective back pocket.
I was obligated to go on Saturday night for Gigfest, a charity fund-raiser organized by a good friend of mine. While I was there, I stumbled upon a menu offering called The Ultimate Monster White Trash Hot Dog (or something like that) -- a dog, stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon, deep-fried, dipped in beer batter and deep-fried again, then served on a bed of french fries.
There's nothing in that list that's unappealing to me. Taken together, though, it's actually not quite as good as it sounds for several reasons:
-- First of all, the whole thing needed to be smothered in chili.
-- Second, all the deep-frying washed out the bacon, reducing it to a pasty goo that clung like pig-fat boogers to both the dog and my teeth. It's a shame, too, because the couple of bacon bits that fell off and were eaten separately were very tasty, but that flavor never came through in the dog. Perhaps the bacon should have been added in between the deep-frying cycles.
-- Third, it wasn't served on a bun. A fresh S. Rosen piece would have tied everything together nicely, and would have made it easier to eat. (They really did give me a steak knife, but trying to cut through deep-fried batter just makes it crumble everywhere. I ended up eating the whole thing with my hands, which should probably surprise no one after I've admitted to eating this thing in any way, shape or form.) Despite the mental image the description might conjure up, the white trash dog was nowhere near too large to fit on a bun, and if you're going to serve it on top of fries anyway that's all the more reason to drench it in chili.
All things considered, this dog was a lot of great tastes that didn't quite taste great together. It was OK, but like everything else about The Spot, was perhaps a bit over-sold.
Unfortunately, when this happened to me last night at The Spot in Uptown, it was not a harbinger of the meal to come.
The Spot is not one of my favorite places. It's stuffy, it's laid out poorly for people flow, and management packs in as many people as it can for an unending range of events. The idea is to offer something for everyone; the effect is to pander to any customer base with a few bucks in its collective back pocket.
I was obligated to go on Saturday night for Gigfest, a charity fund-raiser organized by a good friend of mine. While I was there, I stumbled upon a menu offering called The Ultimate Monster White Trash Hot Dog (or something like that) -- a dog, stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon, deep-fried, dipped in beer batter and deep-fried again, then served on a bed of french fries.
There's nothing in that list that's unappealing to me. Taken together, though, it's actually not quite as good as it sounds for several reasons:
-- First of all, the whole thing needed to be smothered in chili.
-- Second, all the deep-frying washed out the bacon, reducing it to a pasty goo that clung like pig-fat boogers to both the dog and my teeth. It's a shame, too, because the couple of bacon bits that fell off and were eaten separately were very tasty, but that flavor never came through in the dog. Perhaps the bacon should have been added in between the deep-frying cycles.
-- Third, it wasn't served on a bun. A fresh S. Rosen piece would have tied everything together nicely, and would have made it easier to eat. (They really did give me a steak knife, but trying to cut through deep-fried batter just makes it crumble everywhere. I ended up eating the whole thing with my hands, which should probably surprise no one after I've admitted to eating this thing in any way, shape or form.) Despite the mental image the description might conjure up, the white trash dog was nowhere near too large to fit on a bun, and if you're going to serve it on top of fries anyway that's all the more reason to drench it in chili.
All things considered, this dog was a lot of great tastes that didn't quite taste great together. It was OK, but like everything else about The Spot, was perhaps a bit over-sold.
The Debate: Slim Victory for Obama
I watched Friday night's presidential debate with a pretty hard-core pro-Barack Obama crowd. That made it tough to remain objective, as I found myself almost looking for ways to believe John McCain was outperforming Obama, just to balance out the universe.
Still, I have to give a slight edge overall to the Democrat. That said, neither candidate registered a knockout, by which I mean neither really gave an undecided voter a reason to pick a side.
I do think Obama did a better job of speaking to the average, everyday American, by stressing which issues (economy, health care and education) affect them most. That may have been only because Obama is far more eloquent than McCain.
I also thought Obama did himself a disservice with his constant interruptions of McCain to correct statements McCain made about Obama. His explanations were plausible, so any one of the interruptions may have been warranted taken by itself, but after a while the presidential thing to do is to rise above the mud.
And unfounded charges notwithstanding, McCain is a sincere individual who does genuinely care about the people he would serve. However, that didn't come through his stumbling rhetoric, so Obama gets the win.
I'm not the only one who thinks so. A CNN poll also gave Obama a slight win, although the audience had more Democratics to begin with. Still, that may be representative of the country right now. I've been watching state polls at Real Clear Politics since early this year, and as the economy has plummeted the last week or so, several states have been moving to the left.
Still, I have to give a slight edge overall to the Democrat. That said, neither candidate registered a knockout, by which I mean neither really gave an undecided voter a reason to pick a side.
I do think Obama did a better job of speaking to the average, everyday American, by stressing which issues (economy, health care and education) affect them most. That may have been only because Obama is far more eloquent than McCain.
I also thought Obama did himself a disservice with his constant interruptions of McCain to correct statements McCain made about Obama. His explanations were plausible, so any one of the interruptions may have been warranted taken by itself, but after a while the presidential thing to do is to rise above the mud.
And unfounded charges notwithstanding, McCain is a sincere individual who does genuinely care about the people he would serve. However, that didn't come through his stumbling rhetoric, so Obama gets the win.
I'm not the only one who thinks so. A CNN poll also gave Obama a slight win, although the audience had more Democratics to begin with. Still, that may be representative of the country right now. I've been watching state polls at Real Clear Politics since early this year, and as the economy has plummeted the last week or so, several states have been moving to the left.
Kevin's NFL Picks, 2008 Season Week 4
Here are my hastily thrown together NFL picks for Week 4. It's not like these are coming out in time to help anyone bet, but then again, since no one actually reads this blog, it all works out.
As always, all picks and records are against the spread, and lines are from sportsbook.com.
LOCK
After last week, I'm riding my Titans.
TENNESSEE -3 vs. Minnesota (O/U: 35)
Tennessee seems to be the real deal. The Vikings still haven't impressed me yet.
HIGH FIVE
These should be solid picks.
Philadelphia -3 at CHICAGO (O/U: 39)
The Eagles are very, very good, at Donovan McNabb is unstoppable at Soldier Field. The Bears should be good enough to make this competitive, but they're not.
Buffalo -8 at ST. LOUIS (O/U: 43)
The Rams haven't come close to covering an 8-point spread this year; why start now?
Green Bay +2 at TAMPA BAY (O/U: 42.5)
Hey, 2008 is a green year, in the environment as well as the battle of the bays.
OAKLAND +7.5 vs. San Diego (O/U: 45.5)
For some reason the Raiders are responding to front-office chaos well on the field. Take the touchdown and the hook at home.
Arizona +1 at N.Y. JETS (O/U: 44)
Yeah, these are the kind of picks that happen when you have six teams on a bye week. BUT, the Cardinals stayed on the East Coast all week after Sunday's game at Washington, so hopefully they've adjusted to the time difference enough to play the entire game the way they played the second half against the Redskins.
WILD CARD
Hey, it could happen.
DALLAS -10.5 vs. Washington (O/U: 46.5)
My thinking here is that the Cowboys covered this spread last week, on the road, against a better team.
STAY AWAY
Bet at your own risk.
CINCINNATI -1.5 vs. Cleveland (O/U: 42)
Something in my gut tells me to take the Browns, especially because home field seems to be a detriment for the Bengals. But based on last week's performances and common scores against the Ravens, the math says Cincinnati will win.
NEW ORLEANS -4.5 vs. San Francisco (O/U: 48.5)
The Saints probably should cover, but the 49ers have proved resiliant lately.
PITTSBURGH -5 vs. Baltimore (O/U: 34)
The Steelers think they're the class of this division. The Ravens whomped a Cleveland team that gave the Steelers trouble. Five could be a lot of points in this one.
THE REST
CAROLINA -6.5 vs. Atlanta (O/U: 39)
The Falcons own two wins against the second- and third-worst teams in the league (Detroit and Kansas City, although I can't decide what order they should be in). Panthers probably cover this at home.
JACKSONVILLE -7 vs. Houston (O/U: 43)
Nice performance by the Jags in Indy last week. Still, I wonder if they will bother to beat anyone by as much as a touchdown this year. This is a rare game where I like the under.
KANSAS CITY +9 vs. Denver (O/U: 47)
You'd think the Chiefs would be proud enough to cover a 9-point spread at Arrowhead. You would think that, but if you have to bet this game, take the over.
RECORDS Last week (season)
Overall includes lock and high five picks -- I track my wild card picks for fun but claim no accountability for them.
OVERALL: 3-3 (7-5)
LOCK: 1-0 (1-1)
HIGH FIVE: 2-3 (6-4)
WILD CARD: 0-1 (1-1)
As always, all picks and records are against the spread, and lines are from sportsbook.com.
LOCK
After last week, I'm riding my Titans.
TENNESSEE -3 vs. Minnesota (O/U: 35)
Tennessee seems to be the real deal. The Vikings still haven't impressed me yet.
HIGH FIVE
These should be solid picks.
Philadelphia -3 at CHICAGO (O/U: 39)
The Eagles are very, very good, at Donovan McNabb is unstoppable at Soldier Field. The Bears should be good enough to make this competitive, but they're not.
Buffalo -8 at ST. LOUIS (O/U: 43)
The Rams haven't come close to covering an 8-point spread this year; why start now?
Green Bay +2 at TAMPA BAY (O/U: 42.5)
Hey, 2008 is a green year, in the environment as well as the battle of the bays.
OAKLAND +7.5 vs. San Diego (O/U: 45.5)
For some reason the Raiders are responding to front-office chaos well on the field. Take the touchdown and the hook at home.
Arizona +1 at N.Y. JETS (O/U: 44)
Yeah, these are the kind of picks that happen when you have six teams on a bye week. BUT, the Cardinals stayed on the East Coast all week after Sunday's game at Washington, so hopefully they've adjusted to the time difference enough to play the entire game the way they played the second half against the Redskins.
WILD CARD
Hey, it could happen.
DALLAS -10.5 vs. Washington (O/U: 46.5)
My thinking here is that the Cowboys covered this spread last week, on the road, against a better team.
STAY AWAY
Bet at your own risk.
CINCINNATI -1.5 vs. Cleveland (O/U: 42)
Something in my gut tells me to take the Browns, especially because home field seems to be a detriment for the Bengals. But based on last week's performances and common scores against the Ravens, the math says Cincinnati will win.
NEW ORLEANS -4.5 vs. San Francisco (O/U: 48.5)
The Saints probably should cover, but the 49ers have proved resiliant lately.
PITTSBURGH -5 vs. Baltimore (O/U: 34)
The Steelers think they're the class of this division. The Ravens whomped a Cleveland team that gave the Steelers trouble. Five could be a lot of points in this one.
THE REST
CAROLINA -6.5 vs. Atlanta (O/U: 39)
The Falcons own two wins against the second- and third-worst teams in the league (Detroit and Kansas City, although I can't decide what order they should be in). Panthers probably cover this at home.
JACKSONVILLE -7 vs. Houston (O/U: 43)
Nice performance by the Jags in Indy last week. Still, I wonder if they will bother to beat anyone by as much as a touchdown this year. This is a rare game where I like the under.
KANSAS CITY +9 vs. Denver (O/U: 47)
You'd think the Chiefs would be proud enough to cover a 9-point spread at Arrowhead. You would think that, but if you have to bet this game, take the over.
RECORDS Last week (season)
Overall includes lock and high five picks -- I track my wild card picks for fun but claim no accountability for them.
OVERALL: 3-3 (7-5)
LOCK: 1-0 (1-1)
HIGH FIVE: 2-3 (6-4)
WILD CARD: 0-1 (1-1)
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Ho-Hum, The Cubs Are In The Playoffs Again
There are some teams -- the Yankees, the Braves, the A’s -- who, for long stretches of their histories, could be counted on to make the playoffs year in and year out.
Now Cubs fans know how it feels, with the team’s first back-to-back postseason appearances in 100 years. (And let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but you know what else happened for the last time 100 years ago …)
It feels pretty good. It feels like we have a real team. And it totally, seriously feels like an early bow-out is just not good enough.
By the way, I like what Lou’s doing with the lineup. Apparently there were some people crying that he had to play his starters for the integrity of the game.
But it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition, and he’s not treating it as such. You rest Aramis Ramirez and his gimpy knees a couple times. You rest Geo Soto because catcher is a grueling position (and next time, let’s try that BEFORE he gets hurt, Lou.) You get Kosuke Fukudome back in there and see if he can find his stroke again. You play Daryle Ward once so he can prove to his family that he really is on a big-league roster.
Lou’s first obligation is to the Chicago Cubs -- the players, the management and the fans, in that order -- not to baseball. Integrity of the game mandates that the guys on the field have to play their hardest, but it doesn’t mean you have to play the same guys 162 times. If anyone wants to complain about what someone else is doing or the last three games, ask them what they did for the first 159.
Now Cubs fans know how it feels, with the team’s first back-to-back postseason appearances in 100 years. (And let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but you know what else happened for the last time 100 years ago …)
It feels pretty good. It feels like we have a real team. And it totally, seriously feels like an early bow-out is just not good enough.
By the way, I like what Lou’s doing with the lineup. Apparently there were some people crying that he had to play his starters for the integrity of the game.
But it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition, and he’s not treating it as such. You rest Aramis Ramirez and his gimpy knees a couple times. You rest Geo Soto because catcher is a grueling position (and next time, let’s try that BEFORE he gets hurt, Lou.) You get Kosuke Fukudome back in there and see if he can find his stroke again. You play Daryle Ward once so he can prove to his family that he really is on a big-league roster.
Lou’s first obligation is to the Chicago Cubs -- the players, the management and the fans, in that order -- not to baseball. Integrity of the game mandates that the guys on the field have to play their hardest, but it doesn’t mean you have to play the same guys 162 times. If anyone wants to complain about what someone else is doing or the last three games, ask them what they did for the first 159.
Buccaneers 27, Bears 24, OT: Are You Kidding Me?
OK, it’s bad enough that I had $25 bucks on the Bears on this game, and it should’ve been an easy cover. Forget that. This was a winnable game for a team in a division that may be up for grabs but will only send one team to the playoffs.
The post-58-minute-mark collapse by the Bears defense was inexcusable! Yes, you could have faulted Kyle Orton for not getting into the end zone in the first half on short drives, or for throwing a completely bone-headed interception that went for six the other way. The fact is, in the second half he put the Bears in position to win this game.
That’s all that can be expected of Kyle Orton this year. He had the Bears up by 10 with 5 minutes to go and by 7 with 2 minutes to go. This team is going nowhere if the defense gives up 80-yard drives in the last two minutes, commits stupid penalties and allows last-second touchdowns.
The post-58-minute-mark collapse by the Bears defense was inexcusable! Yes, you could have faulted Kyle Orton for not getting into the end zone in the first half on short drives, or for throwing a completely bone-headed interception that went for six the other way. The fact is, in the second half he put the Bears in position to win this game.
That’s all that can be expected of Kyle Orton this year. He had the Bears up by 10 with 5 minutes to go and by 7 with 2 minutes to go. This team is going nowhere if the defense gives up 80-yard drives in the last two minutes, commits stupid penalties and allows last-second touchdowns.
Vegas Made Me Sleepy
Yes, I haven’t posted in a while. It’s not because there’s been a shortage of material. I took a little trip to Las Vegas for my birthday last weekend, and I’m just now catching up on sleep.
But it was a good time. We met a high-roller at the Stratosphere sportsbook (who, by the way, was very impressed that I went to Vegas with me and three women). I had a drink in my hand the entire time. And I even hit on two slutty looking women, at about 2 a.m. Monday morning, when the room I was sharing with others was occupied, and I was playing nickel video poker to kill time, and the only other people within 50 yards were these two young women at a slot machine one row over, and every time they would put in their money and hit the button they would yell “GIVE IT TO ME!”, (and by the way that’s the slot machine button, not each other’s … oh, never mind), and after watching this performance for a while I finally decided that if I didn’t go over and at least try to talk to them, I might as well turn in my dick right now.
We also saw a really good comedy show, and the pirate show at Treasure Island, and played a lot of Pai Gao Poker.
At any rate, I’m trying to catch up now. There will be a flurry of posts today and tomorrow. Hope you enjoy!
But it was a good time. We met a high-roller at the Stratosphere sportsbook (who, by the way, was very impressed that I went to Vegas with me and three women). I had a drink in my hand the entire time. And I even hit on two slutty looking women, at about 2 a.m. Monday morning, when the room I was sharing with others was occupied, and I was playing nickel video poker to kill time, and the only other people within 50 yards were these two young women at a slot machine one row over, and every time they would put in their money and hit the button they would yell “GIVE IT TO ME!”, (and by the way that’s the slot machine button, not each other’s … oh, never mind), and after watching this performance for a while I finally decided that if I didn’t go over and at least try to talk to them, I might as well turn in my dick right now.
We also saw a really good comedy show, and the pirate show at Treasure Island, and played a lot of Pai Gao Poker.
At any rate, I’m trying to catch up now. There will be a flurry of posts today and tomorrow. Hope you enjoy!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Kevin's NFL Picks, 2008 Season Week 3
Tough week. I love picking home dogs, but there's only one this week -- and they (the Packers) are pretty sorely overrated in this game. Guess I'll have to take some road dogs and sweat it out.
As always, lines are from sportsbook.com.
LOCK
This one won't be very close.
Dallas -3 at GREEN BAY (O/U: 51)
Green Bay is a good team that's overachieving. Dallas is an achiever. Cowboys will pull away, but the Pack could stick around long enough to push the total over 51.
HIGH FIVE
My solid picks of the week.
Arizona +3 at WASHINGTON (O/U: 42.5)
The Cardinals are finally looking like they're for real.
INDIANAPOLIS -5.5 vs. Jacksonville (O/U: 41.5)
Y'know, the Jaguars might be just not that good this year. Indy finally christens the tire barn (or whatever it's called) with a win.
TENNESSEE -5 vs. Houston (O/U: 39)
For all of their drama, the Titans put away Cincinnati pretty easily last week. Houston ain't Cincinnati.
N.Y. Jets +9 at SAN DIEGO (O/U: 44)
San Diego can't finish. Brett Favre loves Monday night. Nine is a lot of points.
Cincinnati +13.5 at N.Y. GIANTS (O/U: 41.5)
I believe in the Giants, I really do. It's just that two touchdowns is a lot to cover against an offense that should be as potent as the Bengals'.
WILD CARD
Cleveland +2 at BALTIMORE (O/U: 38.5)
Yes, I know I'm breaking my rule about picking road teams in divisional games. Shut up. They could lose and still cover, OK? Besides, that's why this is just a wild card instead of a high five.
STAY AWAY FROM
Bet at your own risk. Home team listed first.
ATLANTA -6 vs. Kansas City (O/U: 36.5)
It's possible that neither one of these teams actually knows how to win (although Atlanta has in fact done it once this season).
PHILADELPHIA -3 vs. Pittsburgh (O/U: 45)
On paper I like the Steelers quite a bit. But Rothlisberger's hurt and anything can happen in this in-state rivalry of a football-happy state.
DENVER -5.5 vs. New Orleans (O/U: 51)
They both lost big leads last week, although Denver pulled it out.
THE REST
Again, home team listed first. I'm not claiming to pick these games, just helping you out with my thoughts.
BEARS -3 vs. Tampa Bay (O/U: 35.5)
Carolina's probably the class of the NFC South, whence comes the Buccaneers, and the Bears had them down and out at their place last week. Griese or no Griese, the Bears' proud defense will bounce back.
BUFFALO - 9.5 vs. Oakland (O/U: 36.5)
I'm pretty sure the Bills will cover, all things considered. I just didn't want to lay that many points.
NEW ENGLAND -12.5 vs. Miami (O/U: 36)
And that goes double for this game. On both counts.
MINNESOTA -3.5 vs. Carolina (O/U: 37.5)
Played in a vacuum, I would guess the Panthers would win this game, especially against a quarterback (Gus Frerotte) so old his career actually started before there was a Carolina Panthers. (I looked it up.) But at some point their streaked of charmed wins will run out.
SEATTLE -9.5 vs. St. Louis (O/U: 44)
I stayed away from the Seahawk Kool-Aid last week, and they choked away a big lead and the game, which was very thoughtful of them as it made me feel like a genius. Good thing for Seattle that St. Louis is easily the worst team in the league. I love the over, though.
SAN FRANCISCO -4 vs. Detroit (O/U: 46.5)
This actually feels like a comfortable 49ers win. I guess I'm just having trouble believing that even the Lions could be this bad.
RECORD
All records are against the spread. Overall includes lock and high five picks -- I track my wild card picks for fun but claim no accountability for them.
OVERALL: 4-2
LOCK: 0-1
HIGH FIVE: 4-1
WILD CARD: 1-0
As always, lines are from sportsbook.com.
LOCK
This one won't be very close.
Dallas -3 at GREEN BAY (O/U: 51)
Green Bay is a good team that's overachieving. Dallas is an achiever. Cowboys will pull away, but the Pack could stick around long enough to push the total over 51.
HIGH FIVE
My solid picks of the week.
Arizona +3 at WASHINGTON (O/U: 42.5)
The Cardinals are finally looking like they're for real.
INDIANAPOLIS -5.5 vs. Jacksonville (O/U: 41.5)
Y'know, the Jaguars might be just not that good this year. Indy finally christens the tire barn (or whatever it's called) with a win.
TENNESSEE -5 vs. Houston (O/U: 39)
For all of their drama, the Titans put away Cincinnati pretty easily last week. Houston ain't Cincinnati.
N.Y. Jets +9 at SAN DIEGO (O/U: 44)
San Diego can't finish. Brett Favre loves Monday night. Nine is a lot of points.
Cincinnati +13.5 at N.Y. GIANTS (O/U: 41.5)
I believe in the Giants, I really do. It's just that two touchdowns is a lot to cover against an offense that should be as potent as the Bengals'.
WILD CARD
Cleveland +2 at BALTIMORE (O/U: 38.5)
Yes, I know I'm breaking my rule about picking road teams in divisional games. Shut up. They could lose and still cover, OK? Besides, that's why this is just a wild card instead of a high five.
STAY AWAY FROM
Bet at your own risk. Home team listed first.
ATLANTA -6 vs. Kansas City (O/U: 36.5)
It's possible that neither one of these teams actually knows how to win (although Atlanta has in fact done it once this season).
PHILADELPHIA -3 vs. Pittsburgh (O/U: 45)
On paper I like the Steelers quite a bit. But Rothlisberger's hurt and anything can happen in this in-state rivalry of a football-happy state.
DENVER -5.5 vs. New Orleans (O/U: 51)
They both lost big leads last week, although Denver pulled it out.
THE REST
Again, home team listed first. I'm not claiming to pick these games, just helping you out with my thoughts.
BEARS -3 vs. Tampa Bay (O/U: 35.5)
Carolina's probably the class of the NFC South, whence comes the Buccaneers, and the Bears had them down and out at their place last week. Griese or no Griese, the Bears' proud defense will bounce back.
BUFFALO - 9.5 vs. Oakland (O/U: 36.5)
I'm pretty sure the Bills will cover, all things considered. I just didn't want to lay that many points.
NEW ENGLAND -12.5 vs. Miami (O/U: 36)
And that goes double for this game. On both counts.
MINNESOTA -3.5 vs. Carolina (O/U: 37.5)
Played in a vacuum, I would guess the Panthers would win this game, especially against a quarterback (Gus Frerotte) so old his career actually started before there was a Carolina Panthers. (I looked it up.) But at some point their streaked of charmed wins will run out.
SEATTLE -9.5 vs. St. Louis (O/U: 44)
I stayed away from the Seahawk Kool-Aid last week, and they choked away a big lead and the game, which was very thoughtful of them as it made me feel like a genius. Good thing for Seattle that St. Louis is easily the worst team in the league. I love the over, though.
SAN FRANCISCO -4 vs. Detroit (O/U: 46.5)
This actually feels like a comfortable 49ers win. I guess I'm just having trouble believing that even the Lions could be this bad.
RECORD
All records are against the spread. Overall includes lock and high five picks -- I track my wild card picks for fun but claim no accountability for them.
OVERALL: 4-2
LOCK: 0-1
HIGH FIVE: 4-1
WILD CARD: 1-0
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Stuck In The Drink
I blame it all on Amber.
Amber, you see, is my friend and euchre partner. She sometimes likes to say "You're my boy, Blue!" to me when I do something commendable, like win a tough euchre hand.
It's a reference to the centenarian frat pledge in Old School, and it's funny because Amber's a good 10 years younger than me, making me an old man relative to her. We pretty much kick ass at euchre, so it's come up more than once.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, when I'm at Tavern on the Green with co-workers. I'm going over the cocktail menu, and there just happens to be an offering called You're My Boy, Blue. It's a mixture of Stoli Blueberi Vodka and lemonade. That sounds pretty good, and it would allow me to tell Amber, "Hey, Amber! I had a drink called 'You're My Boy, Blue' just like that thing you occasionally say to me." I order one up.
Now, what color would you expect a drink that's called You're My Boy, BLUE, and that's made from BLUEberry vodka, to be?
If you guessed pink, you're a lot better at this game than I am.
Here's what happened: The blueberry, as we all know, is the most egregiously misnamed food in the entire vegetable or animal kingdoms. Any right-thinking person would clearly call this thing a purpleberry.
And, when you mix a purple-ish liquid with much lighter-colored liquids like vodka and lemonade, the color gets diluted, so much so that ... well, that I end up with four righteous-babe co-workers straining their necks to the point of risking C-4 injuries for a better look, all the while whispering to each other "Is Kevin really drinking a pink drink???"
Yep. I sure was.
This naturally led to no end of fun for my friends Michelle and Kristine. There was talk of a new Facebook page called Flamingo Schweitzer; at dinner Michelle asked our waiter if my pork chop came with pink peppercorns; the laughs went on and on.
To top it all off, Michelle and Kristine accused me of drinking this unholy-pink concoction while wearing a PEACH shirt, even though it was actually ORANGE. (Or at least it was when I bought it. The way a manly man like me does laundry, it may well have faded over time. At any rate, if Michelle emails me the picture she gleefully took of me drinking my pink drink in my allegedly peach shirt, I'll post it here and you can decide for yourself.)
Speaking of being a manly man, I have to say in the ladies' defense that they did follow proper pink-teasing etiquette by handing me the tired line that I must be very secure in my manhood if I'm comfortable drinking a pink drink. You know, the type of thing you say to someone to let them know you're just playing harmlessly, whether it's true or not.
But they're right, damnit! I am secure in my manhood, enough so that I don't feel the need to prove to anyone how secure I am by drinking a pink drink.
After all that, Amber, you'd better win at euchre on Monday night while I'm away.
Oh, and for the record: I didn't share my fruity, delicious pink drink with anyone.
Amber, you see, is my friend and euchre partner. She sometimes likes to say "You're my boy, Blue!" to me when I do something commendable, like win a tough euchre hand.
It's a reference to the centenarian frat pledge in Old School, and it's funny because Amber's a good 10 years younger than me, making me an old man relative to her. We pretty much kick ass at euchre, so it's come up more than once.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, when I'm at Tavern on the Green with co-workers. I'm going over the cocktail menu, and there just happens to be an offering called You're My Boy, Blue. It's a mixture of Stoli Blueberi Vodka and lemonade. That sounds pretty good, and it would allow me to tell Amber, "Hey, Amber! I had a drink called 'You're My Boy, Blue' just like that thing you occasionally say to me." I order one up.
Now, what color would you expect a drink that's called You're My Boy, BLUE, and that's made from BLUEberry vodka, to be?
If you guessed pink, you're a lot better at this game than I am.
Here's what happened: The blueberry, as we all know, is the most egregiously misnamed food in the entire vegetable or animal kingdoms. Any right-thinking person would clearly call this thing a purpleberry.
And, when you mix a purple-ish liquid with much lighter-colored liquids like vodka and lemonade, the color gets diluted, so much so that ... well, that I end up with four righteous-babe co-workers straining their necks to the point of risking C-4 injuries for a better look, all the while whispering to each other "Is Kevin really drinking a pink drink???"
Yep. I sure was.
This naturally led to no end of fun for my friends Michelle and Kristine. There was talk of a new Facebook page called Flamingo Schweitzer; at dinner Michelle asked our waiter if my pork chop came with pink peppercorns; the laughs went on and on.
To top it all off, Michelle and Kristine accused me of drinking this unholy-pink concoction while wearing a PEACH shirt, even though it was actually ORANGE. (Or at least it was when I bought it. The way a manly man like me does laundry, it may well have faded over time. At any rate, if Michelle emails me the picture she gleefully took of me drinking my pink drink in my allegedly peach shirt, I'll post it here and you can decide for yourself.)
Speaking of being a manly man, I have to say in the ladies' defense that they did follow proper pink-teasing etiquette by handing me the tired line that I must be very secure in my manhood if I'm comfortable drinking a pink drink. You know, the type of thing you say to someone to let them know you're just playing harmlessly, whether it's true or not.
But they're right, damnit! I am secure in my manhood, enough so that I don't feel the need to prove to anyone how secure I am by drinking a pink drink.
After all that, Amber, you'd better win at euchre on Monday night while I'm away.
Oh, and for the record: I didn't share my fruity, delicious pink drink with anyone.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Panthers 20, Bears 17: Back To Reality
If you had told me before the season started that the Bears would come out of Week 2 with a 1-1 record, I would have said I'll take it any way I can get it.
But not like this.
The Bears were in total control of Sunday's game against the Panthers ever since Brandon Lloyd corraled a blocked punt and took it in for an easy touchdown. But they let Carolina turn the momentum in the second half and eventually steal a win.
Although it was Greg Olsen's SECOND fumble of the day that led to the touchdown that got the Panthers back in the game, and although the Bears consistently backed themselves up with penalties, I really blame Kyle Orton for this loss. He was not able to spread the defense by hitting receivers downfield, completing only one pass longer than 15 yards (on something like nine attempts, as is the best of my recollection from the constant Fox graphics chronicling Orton's ineptitude).
As a result, the Bears lost the field position battle. (The penalties did not help that cause, but considering that Carolina had 10 flags of its own for 65 yards, versus the Bears' 12 for 86, that element of the game was essentially a wash.) And that was the game: The key touchdown, bringing Carolina to within 17-13, was on a drive of a mere 26 yards, after Olsen's fumble.
For the record, the other scoring drives the Bears gave up were 4 yards (FG), 52 yards (FG) and 55 yards (go-ahead touchdown) as the Panthers only managed 216 yards all day long -- not exactly a defensive breakdown for Urlacher and the boys.
The play-calling was questionable, too, especially at the end. I will never understand why Lovie Smith and/or Ron Turner called that swingout pass on 3rd-and-1 with two minutes left and the Bears needing only another 20 yards to kick a game-tying field goal. This is football: If you can't move the line a yard and let your quarterback fall forward for a new set of downs, you're in the wrong game.
On the bright side, Lloyd had a good day with his touchdown and six catches on offense, one of them a jumping, twisting number reminiscent of what he used to do in Champaign to haul in Kurt Kittner's free-flying cannon shots. Kevin Payne continues to impress in the safety spot.
Overall, though, this was a disappointing day. The Bears didn't have to win this game to have a winning season, but giving away a victory you could have had is a major ingredient of a 7-9 campaign.
My Picks
Of course what you REALLY want to know is how I did in my inaugural week of NFL picks. First, some ground rules: I'm tracking my record against the spread. For my overall record I'm only tracking the Lock and High Five picks -- the Wild Card is a pick for which I refuse to accept accountability.
Naturally, I kicked ass on the Wild Card pick, not only covering but also winning it straight-up with the Bills' upset of the Jaguars. Not so much for the lock pick, where I got killed. Fucking Raiders. Do they actually like Lane Kiffin or something?
I did, however, hit with the Cardinals, Giants, Redskins and Browns to post a respectable 4-2 record. If you can do that all season and throw in a winning wild card every now and then, you will be able to make some money.
But not like this.
The Bears were in total control of Sunday's game against the Panthers ever since Brandon Lloyd corraled a blocked punt and took it in for an easy touchdown. But they let Carolina turn the momentum in the second half and eventually steal a win.
Although it was Greg Olsen's SECOND fumble of the day that led to the touchdown that got the Panthers back in the game, and although the Bears consistently backed themselves up with penalties, I really blame Kyle Orton for this loss. He was not able to spread the defense by hitting receivers downfield, completing only one pass longer than 15 yards (on something like nine attempts, as is the best of my recollection from the constant Fox graphics chronicling Orton's ineptitude).
As a result, the Bears lost the field position battle. (The penalties did not help that cause, but considering that Carolina had 10 flags of its own for 65 yards, versus the Bears' 12 for 86, that element of the game was essentially a wash.) And that was the game: The key touchdown, bringing Carolina to within 17-13, was on a drive of a mere 26 yards, after Olsen's fumble.
For the record, the other scoring drives the Bears gave up were 4 yards (FG), 52 yards (FG) and 55 yards (go-ahead touchdown) as the Panthers only managed 216 yards all day long -- not exactly a defensive breakdown for Urlacher and the boys.
The play-calling was questionable, too, especially at the end. I will never understand why Lovie Smith and/or Ron Turner called that swingout pass on 3rd-and-1 with two minutes left and the Bears needing only another 20 yards to kick a game-tying field goal. This is football: If you can't move the line a yard and let your quarterback fall forward for a new set of downs, you're in the wrong game.
On the bright side, Lloyd had a good day with his touchdown and six catches on offense, one of them a jumping, twisting number reminiscent of what he used to do in Champaign to haul in Kurt Kittner's free-flying cannon shots. Kevin Payne continues to impress in the safety spot.
Overall, though, this was a disappointing day. The Bears didn't have to win this game to have a winning season, but giving away a victory you could have had is a major ingredient of a 7-9 campaign.
My Picks
Of course what you REALLY want to know is how I did in my inaugural week of NFL picks. First, some ground rules: I'm tracking my record against the spread. For my overall record I'm only tracking the Lock and High Five picks -- the Wild Card is a pick for which I refuse to accept accountability.
Naturally, I kicked ass on the Wild Card pick, not only covering but also winning it straight-up with the Bills' upset of the Jaguars. Not so much for the lock pick, where I got killed. Fucking Raiders. Do they actually like Lane Kiffin or something?
I did, however, hit with the Cardinals, Giants, Redskins and Browns to post a respectable 4-2 record. If you can do that all season and throw in a winning wild card every now and then, you will be able to make some money.
Brain Shuffle, 9/14/08
-- With the way that middle-class women are flocking to Sarah Palin, the best thing Oprah Winfrey could do for the Barack Obama campaign is to reverse course, have Palin on the show -- and start asking questions. She's perhaps the only person who could give Palin the grilling she deserves without being accused of sexism. It would be like one of those episodes of Law & Order where a hot chick criminal is about to get away with her entire evil plot by manipulating the gender card, until a hot chick prosecutor steps up and takes her down.
-- Interesting dilemma for Brewers fans, with the Ike-blasted Cubs-Astros series being moved to Miller Park for two games. Given that the Brewers have had the Cubs in their sights all year long, you would think Milwaukee folks would turn out in droves to root for the 'Stros. Problem is, Houston is charging hard for a wild-card spot, and Milwaukee is much closer to third place in the NL Central than first, so they almost have to grit their teeth and become Cubs fans for a couple days.
-- Great stat from PTI the other day (or maybe it was Around the Horn): Going into this season, Matt Cassel had 253 career passing yards. His opposing quarterback in today's Patriots-Jets game, Brett Favre, had 253 consecutive starts.
-- The U.S. Department of Transportation would like to apologize for the slowdown in bus service experienced across the country Sunday night. Apparently what gummed up the works is that it took forever for all those passengers to disembark the New England Patriots bandwagon.
-- It's not that 16-year-olds as a group are or are not ready to drive. Some are, some aren't. There's no need to raise the age at which you can get a license; there's a need to only give licenses to kids who actually pass a driving test, rather than just take one.
-- Interesting dilemma for Brewers fans, with the Ike-blasted Cubs-Astros series being moved to Miller Park for two games. Given that the Brewers have had the Cubs in their sights all year long, you would think Milwaukee folks would turn out in droves to root for the 'Stros. Problem is, Houston is charging hard for a wild-card spot, and Milwaukee is much closer to third place in the NL Central than first, so they almost have to grit their teeth and become Cubs fans for a couple days.
-- Great stat from PTI the other day (or maybe it was Around the Horn): Going into this season, Matt Cassel had 253 career passing yards. His opposing quarterback in today's Patriots-Jets game, Brett Favre, had 253 consecutive starts.
-- The U.S. Department of Transportation would like to apologize for the slowdown in bus service experienced across the country Sunday night. Apparently what gummed up the works is that it took forever for all those passengers to disembark the New England Patriots bandwagon.
-- It's not that 16-year-olds as a group are or are not ready to drive. Some are, some aren't. There's no need to raise the age at which you can get a license; there's a need to only give licenses to kids who actually pass a driving test, rather than just take one.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Kevin's NFL Picks, 2008 Season Week 2
I love football. And I love betting. Betting on football is like putting chocolate syrup on chocolate ice cream, especially when it's sitting on top of a chocolate brownie.
In other words, it's actually too much of a good thing. But that's never stopped anyone from partaking.
In that spirit, here are my thoughts on this week's games. Lines are the Friday morning lines from sportsbook.com. For the games I'm actually picking, my choice is listed first. As you'll no doubt notice, I'm calling these against the spread, not straight-up.
LOCK
I love the Chiefs in this one.
KANSAS CITY -3.5 vs. Oakland (O/U: 36)
Kansas City competed with a team that's coming off a 16-0 season. Oakland got blown out by a Denver team that just isn't convincing. Arrowhead is a tough place to play. The hook may raise some eyebrows, but the Chiefs cover it easily.
HIGH FIVE
These look like solid picks.
ARIZONA -6.5 vs. Miami (O/U: 38)
Miami still has to convince people they've improved since last year. Take the Cardinals and lay the touchdown.
NY Giants -9 at ST. LOUIS (O/U: 41.5)
Whither the Rams?
WASHINGTON +1 vs. New Orleans (O/U: 42)
Beating the Buccaneers isn't all that impressive.
Atlanta +7 vs. TAMPA BAY (O/U: 37.5)
The Bucs may well win this one, but it doesn't have to be by a touchdown.
CLEVELAND +6.5 vs. Pittsburgh (O/U: 44.5)
Six and a half is a lot of points for a potential playoff team to get at home. That over-under strikes me as a little high, too, BTW.
WILD CARD
I think I'm right, but we'll find out on Sunday.
Buffalo +5 at JACKSONVILLE (O/U: 37)
This is exactly the kind of game the Jaguars would win 22-20 by kicking their fifth field goal of the day as time expires. The improving Bills are getting a lot of points in this one.
WATCH OUT FOR THESE
Bet either side at your own risk.
NY JETS -1 vs. New England (O/U: 37)
Three months ago, if someone had told you the Jets would be favored over the Patriots on anybody's field, you would have said, "What, did Tom Brady switch sides?" Well, as it turns out, New England has lost Brady for the season, and New York has picked up another Super Bowl winning, Hall of Fame caliber quarterback in Brett Favre. So it's kind of the same thing. And we don't know enough yet about Matt Cassell or Favre's supporting cast to really know what's going to happen here.
CINCINNATI -1 vs. Tennessee (O/U: 37.5)
This is another one with a questionable quarterback situation. Will Vince Young play for Tennessee? Will he be engaged? Tennessee should be a better team, but you always have to watch out for home teams in intra-division games, even when the road team is complete.
CAROLINA -3 v. Chicago (O/U: 37)
As noted previously, both of these teams beat AFC powerhouses on the road last week. I personally think Chicago's win was more impressive, but I'm biased.
THE REST
I make no claim to know what will happen. I'm just helping you figure them out for yourself.
Green Bay -3 at DETROIT (O/U: 45.5)
For years now, we've been hearing this is Detroit's breakout year. It isn't any more true this year than any other. Still, you have to beware those home teams in division games.
Indianapolis -2 at MINNESOTA (O/U: 43.5)
The Colts are the better team -- when Peyton Manning is healthy. I'd be gun-shy about taking them after last weeks' stinker.
San Diego -1 at DENVER (O/U: 45.5)
I don't want any part of this one. Could be fun to watch, though.
SEATTLE -6.5 vs. San Francisco (O/U: 38)
A Mike Holmgren team should cover this one at home, but I'm going to wait a couple weeks to drink the Seahawks' Kool-aid.
DALLAS -6.5 vs. Philadelphia (O/U: 47)
Donovan McNabb is back, and he could make this one close.
Baltimore at HOUSTON
This one got moved to Monday night because of Hurricane Ike and taken off the board, although I don't know if that's in deference to the city or because of uncertainty about how the weather changes this game. I loved the Ravens plus-4.5, though.
In other words, it's actually too much of a good thing. But that's never stopped anyone from partaking.
In that spirit, here are my thoughts on this week's games. Lines are the Friday morning lines from sportsbook.com. For the games I'm actually picking, my choice is listed first. As you'll no doubt notice, I'm calling these against the spread, not straight-up.
LOCK
I love the Chiefs in this one.
KANSAS CITY -3.5 vs. Oakland (O/U: 36)
Kansas City competed with a team that's coming off a 16-0 season. Oakland got blown out by a Denver team that just isn't convincing. Arrowhead is a tough place to play. The hook may raise some eyebrows, but the Chiefs cover it easily.
HIGH FIVE
These look like solid picks.
ARIZONA -6.5 vs. Miami (O/U: 38)
Miami still has to convince people they've improved since last year. Take the Cardinals and lay the touchdown.
NY Giants -9 at ST. LOUIS (O/U: 41.5)
Whither the Rams?
WASHINGTON +1 vs. New Orleans (O/U: 42)
Beating the Buccaneers isn't all that impressive.
Atlanta +7 vs. TAMPA BAY (O/U: 37.5)
The Bucs may well win this one, but it doesn't have to be by a touchdown.
CLEVELAND +6.5 vs. Pittsburgh (O/U: 44.5)
Six and a half is a lot of points for a potential playoff team to get at home. That over-under strikes me as a little high, too, BTW.
WILD CARD
I think I'm right, but we'll find out on Sunday.
Buffalo +5 at JACKSONVILLE (O/U: 37)
This is exactly the kind of game the Jaguars would win 22-20 by kicking their fifth field goal of the day as time expires. The improving Bills are getting a lot of points in this one.
WATCH OUT FOR THESE
Bet either side at your own risk.
NY JETS -1 vs. New England (O/U: 37)
Three months ago, if someone had told you the Jets would be favored over the Patriots on anybody's field, you would have said, "What, did Tom Brady switch sides?" Well, as it turns out, New England has lost Brady for the season, and New York has picked up another Super Bowl winning, Hall of Fame caliber quarterback in Brett Favre. So it's kind of the same thing. And we don't know enough yet about Matt Cassell or Favre's supporting cast to really know what's going to happen here.
CINCINNATI -1 vs. Tennessee (O/U: 37.5)
This is another one with a questionable quarterback situation. Will Vince Young play for Tennessee? Will he be engaged? Tennessee should be a better team, but you always have to watch out for home teams in intra-division games, even when the road team is complete.
CAROLINA -3 v. Chicago (O/U: 37)
As noted previously, both of these teams beat AFC powerhouses on the road last week. I personally think Chicago's win was more impressive, but I'm biased.
THE REST
I make no claim to know what will happen. I'm just helping you figure them out for yourself.
Green Bay -3 at DETROIT (O/U: 45.5)
For years now, we've been hearing this is Detroit's breakout year. It isn't any more true this year than any other. Still, you have to beware those home teams in division games.
Indianapolis -2 at MINNESOTA (O/U: 43.5)
The Colts are the better team -- when Peyton Manning is healthy. I'd be gun-shy about taking them after last weeks' stinker.
San Diego -1 at DENVER (O/U: 45.5)
I don't want any part of this one. Could be fun to watch, though.
SEATTLE -6.5 vs. San Francisco (O/U: 38)
A Mike Holmgren team should cover this one at home, but I'm going to wait a couple weeks to drink the Seahawks' Kool-aid.
DALLAS -6.5 vs. Philadelphia (O/U: 47)
Donovan McNabb is back, and he could make this one close.
Baltimore at HOUSTON
This one got moved to Monday night because of Hurricane Ike and taken off the board, although I don't know if that's in deference to the city or because of uncertainty about how the weather changes this game. I loved the Ravens plus-4.5, though.
Must've Been Some Holes In Fox's Lineup
Fox has been plugging its new show Hole in the Wall quite a bit this week. Cleaning out my DVR the other night, I happened to catch the premiere episode.
Gotta tell ya, it really never did get more interesting -- or complex -- than the 3-second clips shown on commercials. Contestants either figure out how to contort themselves through Hello Kitty-ish shapes in a moving Styrofoam flank, or they get knocked into a pool of green liquid.
That’s mildly entertaining for longer than 3 seconds, but not much longer. If this show has any chance to squeeze through the unforgiving world of TV popularity, it’s got to figure out how to offer something else.
Instead, it went the opposite way and took itself way, way too seriously. The deep-voiced announcer -- perched “high above” the action, as if that angle offered any deep insights into the action or anyone cared -- speaks of the contest as if destiny itself is riding on it. Sideline interviews with the contestants are conducted after each round by some chick in a black dress. Come on, Fox, we know you love to sell sex, but can’t you just have the hard-bodied lifeguards do something silly every now and again?
I would watch if they picked a random contestant from the audience to play the game. Trust me, hilarity would ensue. In all likelihood, at some point so would serious injury and a massive lawsuit, so that’s probably not going to happen. Still, they could give us some type of human connection with a brief profile of the candidates that goes beyond three bullet points and a video clip of a dude flexing.
Failing that, even a computerized animation of the recommended way to beat some of the walls would add some depth to the show. As it stands, though, this Hole is pretty shallow.
Gotta tell ya, it really never did get more interesting -- or complex -- than the 3-second clips shown on commercials. Contestants either figure out how to contort themselves through Hello Kitty-ish shapes in a moving Styrofoam flank, or they get knocked into a pool of green liquid.
That’s mildly entertaining for longer than 3 seconds, but not much longer. If this show has any chance to squeeze through the unforgiving world of TV popularity, it’s got to figure out how to offer something else.
Instead, it went the opposite way and took itself way, way too seriously. The deep-voiced announcer -- perched “high above” the action, as if that angle offered any deep insights into the action or anyone cared -- speaks of the contest as if destiny itself is riding on it. Sideline interviews with the contestants are conducted after each round by some chick in a black dress. Come on, Fox, we know you love to sell sex, but can’t you just have the hard-bodied lifeguards do something silly every now and again?
I would watch if they picked a random contestant from the audience to play the game. Trust me, hilarity would ensue. In all likelihood, at some point so would serious injury and a massive lawsuit, so that’s probably not going to happen. Still, they could give us some type of human connection with a brief profile of the candidates that goes beyond three bullet points and a video clip of a dude flexing.
Failing that, even a computerized animation of the recommended way to beat some of the walls would add some depth to the show. As it stands, though, this Hole is pretty shallow.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Bears 29, Colts 13: Seriously? No, Really?
Well, THAT was unexpected.
The Bears went into Indianapolis last night, home of a perennial contender in the AFC, home of the team that beat them in the Super Bowl two seasons ago, home of freakin’ Peyton Manning for that matter, and inexplicably controlled the game throughout.
The defense, in a very pleasant surprise, showed nothing of the porous model we saw all preseason long. They held Joseph Addai to 44 yards and consistently rattled receivers. Although they didn’t get a tremendous amount of pressure on Manning, they did sack him on the 1-yard-line to set up a safety.
With Lance Briggs’ 21-yard fumble return for a touchdown, that was 9 points the defense scored all day –- more than they will allow against some teams, if they play like this all season long.
And Matt Forte burst on the scene. It wasn’t just his 50-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give the Bears a lead many of us thought they would never have in this game. His tough running also converted four third downs, keeping drives alive to keep the dangerous Manning off the field. Between all that and his 123 rushing yards, he was rightfully named the Horse Trailer Player of the Game, or whatever the heck NBC calls its award (I love John Madden, but I don’t always really try to understand him).
Going into the season, I was hopeful that if the Bears could scratch out a 2-5 record by the break, they might have an outside shot at maybe going a respectable 8-8, with some soft games late in the schedule.
They’re halfway there after the first game. The Colts win raises expectations –- a bit. I’d still like to see the run defense in particular stay at this level, with Adrian Peterson careening around the NFC North.
Next up is the Carolina Panthers, another NFC team that went on the road and took down an AFC power (the Chargers). So what does it all mean? Is the winner of that game a team to beat in the NFC? Is the loser exposed as a fluke? And heck, why can't it be both?
I’m not going to get too terribly excited, even if they beat the Panthers. In 2002, the Bears started 2-0 with a couple surprise wins, on their way to a 4-12 disaster. And that was after a playoff year. But Sunday night the Bears defense looked like the classic Bears defense, and I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.
The Bears went into Indianapolis last night, home of a perennial contender in the AFC, home of the team that beat them in the Super Bowl two seasons ago, home of freakin’ Peyton Manning for that matter, and inexplicably controlled the game throughout.
The defense, in a very pleasant surprise, showed nothing of the porous model we saw all preseason long. They held Joseph Addai to 44 yards and consistently rattled receivers. Although they didn’t get a tremendous amount of pressure on Manning, they did sack him on the 1-yard-line to set up a safety.
With Lance Briggs’ 21-yard fumble return for a touchdown, that was 9 points the defense scored all day –- more than they will allow against some teams, if they play like this all season long.
And Matt Forte burst on the scene. It wasn’t just his 50-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give the Bears a lead many of us thought they would never have in this game. His tough running also converted four third downs, keeping drives alive to keep the dangerous Manning off the field. Between all that and his 123 rushing yards, he was rightfully named the Horse Trailer Player of the Game, or whatever the heck NBC calls its award (I love John Madden, but I don’t always really try to understand him).
Going into the season, I was hopeful that if the Bears could scratch out a 2-5 record by the break, they might have an outside shot at maybe going a respectable 8-8, with some soft games late in the schedule.
They’re halfway there after the first game. The Colts win raises expectations –- a bit. I’d still like to see the run defense in particular stay at this level, with Adrian Peterson careening around the NFC North.
Next up is the Carolina Panthers, another NFC team that went on the road and took down an AFC power (the Chargers). So what does it all mean? Is the winner of that game a team to beat in the NFC? Is the loser exposed as a fluke? And heck, why can't it be both?
I’m not going to get too terribly excited, even if they beat the Panthers. In 2002, the Bears started 2-0 with a couple surprise wins, on their way to a 4-12 disaster. And that was after a playoff year. But Sunday night the Bears defense looked like the classic Bears defense, and I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Brain Shuffle, 9/7/08
It's all on shuffle this week. I've been busy ...
-- I do feel bad about giving so much play to the Democratic National Convention and then ignoring the Republicans. I have travelling for business and didn't get to see much of the convetion.
-- I did, however, happen to catch Sarah Palin's speech. I love all a lot of women are coming forward and yapping about how they're going to vote for the McCain-Palin ticket, while conveniently neglecting to mention that they were going to vote for McCain anyway. She may prompt a few more McCain intenders to actually show up on Nov. 4, but I don't see her pulling a lot of middle-of-the-road voters.
-- Also noticed that McCain claimed he will appoint Democrats to his Cabinet. Smart money says he means Joe Lieberman and no one else, but even by my definition of "Democrat" I still have an easier time believing McCain on this claim than on his claim to be a conservative of the Bush mold on economic policy.
-- Get well soon, Carlos Zambrano. And when I say "soon", I mean ASAP.
-- There may be one or two of you out there reading this who knew my late friend, and Daily Illini legend, Jeff Ponczak. You'll be glad to know that he lives on in the panels of Gil Thorpe, one of his great passions.
-- The next thing out of Chad "Johnson" Ocho Cinco's mouth had better be "Look at my Super Bowl ring," or else I'm not paying attention.
-- I kind of missed my window to write an entire post ripping on former Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti, but here's all you need to know about him: It took him 17 years to figure out the Sun-Times was a sinking ship.
-- I do feel bad about giving so much play to the Democratic National Convention and then ignoring the Republicans. I have travelling for business and didn't get to see much of the convetion.
-- I did, however, happen to catch Sarah Palin's speech. I love all a lot of women are coming forward and yapping about how they're going to vote for the McCain-Palin ticket, while conveniently neglecting to mention that they were going to vote for McCain anyway. She may prompt a few more McCain intenders to actually show up on Nov. 4, but I don't see her pulling a lot of middle-of-the-road voters.
-- Also noticed that McCain claimed he will appoint Democrats to his Cabinet. Smart money says he means Joe Lieberman and no one else, but even by my definition of "Democrat" I still have an easier time believing McCain on this claim than on his claim to be a conservative of the Bush mold on economic policy.
-- Get well soon, Carlos Zambrano. And when I say "soon", I mean ASAP.
-- There may be one or two of you out there reading this who knew my late friend, and Daily Illini legend, Jeff Ponczak. You'll be glad to know that he lives on in the panels of Gil Thorpe, one of his great passions.
-- The next thing out of Chad "Johnson" Ocho Cinco's mouth had better be "Look at my Super Bowl ring," or else I'm not paying attention.
-- I kind of missed my window to write an entire post ripping on former Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti, but here's all you need to know about him: It took him 17 years to figure out the Sun-Times was a sinking ship.
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