Friday, October 30, 2009

Week 9 College Football Picks

Record: 21-18

As always we start with the Temple Owls. Last week, if I knew that Pierce was playing I wouldnt have played Toledo. My one qualm is that he carried the ball 40 times which was a little much for a banged up RB. This week, they face Navy who they should have beaten last year if not for an untimely fumble. The Middies will be using their backup QB who ran the offense well against Wake but Temple's rush defense is more stout. Behind the legs of Pierce and the solid defense of the Owls, I think Temple wins outright. Give me Temple +7 and if you must play a total, i'd lean under.

Elsewhere:

Idaho -3 -- I dont know why the people are on La Tech in this one. I know their offense is solid and Idaho's defense is pretty bad but c'mon the Vandals are the 2nd best story behind the Owls. Give me the Vandals in this one to win a high scoring affair.

Northwestern +15 -- This is simply a feeling as I dont like the Nittany Lions in this spot. Penn State gets into a sloppy affair in this one and I think the Wildcats keep it close.

ULM/Troy Under 58 -- Troy's defense will slow down ULM without their starting QB. The big hope is that Troy's attack gets slowed down too.

Western Michigan +2.5 -- I'll take the points with the better team in this one. I still dont know how Kent State has only one conference loss.

New Mexico State +45 -- A wise gambler once told me when the spread is close to the o/u to take the underdog as Vegas is expecting a low scoring game. Here's hoping for a 45-3 score.

Indiana +17.5 -- Iowa's banged up offensively so im hoping Indiana can take advantage of this with Doss and Chappell.

Rutgers/UConn Under 47 -- I'm not convinced in either offense to go off on the other. Solid defenses prevail in this one.

Time's yours.

Monday, October 26, 2009

I'm sorry....

There are so many apologies I must hand out in the sports world. So many mea culpas that I need to make.

- I'm sorry that I actually thought that the Skins were going to win. This is just a bad situation.
- I'm sorry for those who want to blame Jim Zorn for this mess. It's not his fault. He's about 4th or 5th down the line and it doesnt start with Campbell either. He's got nothing to work with on this team.
- I'm sorry for those who like that jerk Randle El. He's just a jerk and a loser. I dont think I've ever seen a punt that he's ever fielded and done something with other then go down or fair catch it.
- I'm sorry for those I told how excited I was about Macho Harris being an Eagle. Not very good at all right now. Kid could have a bright future but he is hurting us now...the tight end is still killing us.
- I'm sorry that the Eagles still would let Brian Dawkins go even if given another chance to get/keep him.
- I'm sorry for Washington fans because their sports suck. The Wizards won't be much better and most of DC won't follow the Caps once Ovechkin gets hurt or gets deported.
- I'm sorry for Hoos and Hokies bball fans. The season could be long for both teams.
- I'm sorry for the Big East or ACC team that gets the privilege to lose to Temple in the postseason bowl game.
- I'm sorry to Al Golden for doubting him.
- I'm sorry to my Phillies brethren but I'm rooting for the Yankees. The pain it would cause Sox fans would be too great to pass up.
- I'm sorry for those who hate the Yankees for any other reason besides being a rival. This is not a hatable team.
- I'm sorry for those of you who don't give hockey a chance. It's a lot of fun to watch and can be addictive.
- I'm sorry for those who have used my picks in the past and lost. I'm not gonna go 100% all of the time but we'll keep at it.
- I'm sorry for not blogging more often. My loyal readers (Dad) probably are very disappointed.

Time's yours.

Friday, October 16, 2009

College Football Picks Are Back!!!

Temple/Army -- It's going to be a wet one in Philadelphia on Saturday as the Owls and Army go at it. Unfortunately Army's specialty is the run game so the weather won't affect them. It may be a positive thing for Temple who won't have Charlton throw them out of the game. This game is going to be played on the ground and Temple's ground defense is pretty damn good. For the 2nd straight week, i'm faced with a point spread that's foreign to the Owls and for the 2nd straight week, i'm playing the opponent. Give me Army +10 in this one as Temple just can't make things easy for me. I see a 24-17 win or something like that.

Wake Forest +7 -- Color me unimpressed by Clemson. They lost to TCU there and while the Horned Frogs are better then Wake, I like the Demon Deacons at a few key areas more then I like Clemson. Skinner and Grobe can win this game for them.

Middle Tennessee State +5 -- This is a scary team at home and has had success against BCS schools sweeping Maryland their last two games. Miss State hasnt exactly lit the world on fire either.

Rice/ECU Under 55
TCU/CSU Under 50

Both of those above are the same game in my eyes. It's a good defense at home against an inferior opponent. I can't see Rice and Colorado State scoring often meaning their defenses have to slow down ECU and TCU. I can see like a 31-13 game in each.

Indiana +2 -- Why are they home dogs? I think that they are better then Illinois and have more to play for then the Illini do. The Hoosiers are capable of winning this game so the points are beautiful to have.

Navy/SMU Over 56 -- This game is my bazillion lock of the week. Last year they played in horrendous weather and almost got here. That won't be an issue in this game as Navy doesnt have the athletes to cover the wideouts of SMU while the Mustangs arent bright enough to be able to stop Navy. Both teams are getting to 30 in this one. Put the house on it.

Miami/UCF -- UCF gets another big boy at home with Miami coming in banged up and all. I really think this is a close tight game so i'm on UCF +14.5 and Under 47. Their offense isnt that good but that defense has talent all over.

Thoughts?

Rainy Friday

I honestly don't know how I survived four years in Syracuse. To me, the weather the past few days has been cold and horrible. I'm more of a bright and sunny kind of guy. Kinda like the outlook up in Charlottesville right now? Ain't that something that UVA has decided to pick up their play and start winning. One would like to think they could somehow market this and make money off of the fact that they don't wake up until October. Maybe sell some of it to the Skins who could become the most expensive embarrassment in the NFL. They rival the New York Mets as the team that thinks money wins out. It's heart and that's something that you can't purchase in the free agency market.

With regards to the much vaunted team name of the new Richmond minor league team....I love it. Why shouldnt we? It's clever...it's corny....it's minor league baseball! I for one welcome the new team name and think those who don't should really re-examine themselves. Are you really in a position to get uptight and angry over a minor league team that you may or may not see play at all next season? Honestly, the guy who's making the petition over this is the one who makes me laugh the most. If he spent more time on his work and less time on this stupid petition, his life would be so much better. Yeah, I wasn't a fan of some of those names but you know what, I moved on....I've got too many other things in my life to worry about from women issues to halloween ideas to my next great gambling picks.

Gambling picks? You want some picks? Let me tell you something...I like a bunch of games but if you want that one pick that I'm on....take Navy/SMU over 56. The Midshipmen managed 400 yards rushing on the Mustangs last year in a driving rainstorm. Weather won't be a factor in this one. For every rushing TD Navy will have, SMU will counter with a passing TD. Both teams will reach 30. Put the Hardly Workin Bucks on this one folks...and thank me on Monday.

That's all for now folks!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Yes, I'm still alive

I've wanted to do a blog for a long time because as most of you know i'm very opinionated. Problem is, that i'm not bright enough to update it enough to actually sustain followers. I'm going to try and do that again and see what happens:

MLB
It's playoffs time in baseball and unfortunately my Florida Marlins arent in it. Gotta love the stories behind the Rockies and Twins. Unfortunately neither team is going to be around that long I'm afraid to say. I really want to see an underdog series of Colorado-Minnesota but as Colin Cowherd says people like Cinderellas but the ratings don't reflect that. I'm calling Cardinals - Yankees with the Bronx Bombers taking it in 6. St. Louis is just an all around good team with two amazing aces, two great hitters and a solid manager. My Yankees pick is part bias and part recognizing the talent they've assembled. The Red Sox are their biggest threat as the Angels will prolly flame out like usual. They don't have the postseason pitching to succeed.

NFL
I really have to stop buying into the Redskins. Before the season began, I saw them as a threat to the NFC East but unfortunately this team is just a threat to the number one draft pick. I'll never get why Jason Campbell gets all the blame for this train wreck. Number one is Vinny Cerrato with number two being Jim Zorn. Zorn was put into a situation that was a lose-lose. They wanted Cowher, Shanahan or Holmgren and settled for this guy who they originally thought was good enough to just be their OC. Cerrato has shown time and time again that he's spending Danny Boy's money poorly. Effective use of the cash would make this team so much better because there are winning pieces.

Elsewhere in the league...did we overrate Tony Romo too fast? He's proven to be quite human on and off the field. While he was the greatest thing since sliced bread last year, he's become nothing more then another quarterback. His accuracy is in question and his woman (Jessica Simpson) is gone from his life. I'm also done defending JaMarcus Russell. He's just hopeless...just a cannon of an arm with a 10 cent head. Michael Vick will NOT help the Eagles this season but will go to some team in the offseason who hopes he can become their savior...which he won't.

NCAA Football
Tim Tebow's injury might be the most talked about injury in the history of college football. I really hope he doesnt play Saturday against LSU because they'll still win and hopefully Vegas gives me a good price on him. My question is...who will come down faster from their lofty college career....Psycho T or Tim "Virgin Mary" Tebow? Both will find that the pros arent as cushy as the college game has been to them.

Virginia Tech's offense has such potential and at times this year we've seen that. There are top 25 teams who would die for a situation with Oglesby and Ryan Williams AND a kid like David Wilson on the sidelines. Granted their WR core leaves a lot to be desired but Tyrod Taylor is improving in the many phases of his game. Could this be the year the Hokies have to outscore teams to win? Now that's something I'd like to see.

Quick hits....Richmond's got that title feel to them once again.....Virginia's got that feel of a comeback story which keeps Al Groh's job....Temple's got that feel of a bowl team. That's right Al Golden's got those boys on Broad Street heading in the right way.....Hey Penn State, Eastern Illinois, really? Good luck with that Nittany Lions. Frauds

NHL
The season has begun. I know most of you don't know and don't care but i'm kinda excited. Ray Emery has beaten anyone up yet and Cindy Crosby's boys are back as well. I won't waste much space on this league here but the Winter Classic at Fenway is gonna be a good one.

NBA
Really? Sorry...no time for this at all. Couldnt care less. The Lakers are gonna win 70 games...Lebron will travel at least once or twice a game and Kobe's gonna do something dumb. Moving on.