The Sports Curmudgeon®

There is no way I will be able to put out Mythical Picks this week. The trial that I am hearing as a member of a jury has just reached its conclusion and I have not had nearly sufficient time to prepare Mythical Picks or daily rants this week. The trial was a complicated one involving alleged medical malpractice. Suffice it to say that much of the testimony was turgid at best for folks who have no medical training. At least I was able to keep up with the anatomical references made by the attorneys and the witnesses and with the “science stuff” that was presented by both sides.

I believe that we will conclude our deliberations tomorrow and have a verdict before close of business. I sincerely hope that is not wishful thinking on my part. We had about an hour to deliberate this afternoon before we were “kicked out” of the jury room and we made a bit of progress then. I hope we can get to a verdict tomorrow…

If we get out “early” tomorrow, I will probably be able to pull together a daily rant for Friday. If not, I sure hope to be back on the air on Monday.

Have a good weekend, all…

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My jury duty continues. The trial we are hearing is a complicated one and the judge says that we are not likely to get the case for deliberation until the middle of next week.

The good news is that this trial will be all that I have to do to fulfill my jury duty obligations for this time around.

The writing schedule will be erratic again next week. Please check back…

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Well the college football world had quite a few surprises last weekend. Perchance, this week will regress to the mean and have the favored teams squash the less favored teams more frequently…

The Linfield College Wildcats took a major step forward in pursuit of the school’s 54th consecutive winning season in football. The Wildcats went on the road to play Occidental College – a team that was undefeated in the regular season last year – and Linfield came away with a 31-27 victory. That raises their record to 2-0 and leading to another road game against Southern Oregon this weekend. Southern Oregon is 1-2 going into that game. Go Wildcats!

Here are a few notes regarding last week’s Mythical Picks:

I said if UVa got clocked last week, it might make life really miserable for Coach Al Groh. Well, the Cavaliers kept it close; they lost by only 3 points. HOW-EVAH, they lost a 17-point lead in the process of losing the game by “only 3 points”.

I asked if the “Ralph Friedgen mystique” had worn off in College Park, MD. Well Maryland lost again last weekend - - for the second consecutive time - - to Middle Tennessee State. Maybe Coach Friedgen needs to put out an APB for his “mojo”?

I took Fresno State with points against Boise State - - but not nearly enough points. Not good…

I said Cal would handle Minnesota and they did. Good…

I took Oklahoma/Tulsa to go OVER. It would have been a lot better as a pick had Tulsa actually – you know – scored. Not good…

I took Navy/Pitt to go UNDER. The game did that comfortably. Good…

I took BYU to win and cover against Florida State. Not even close. Not good…

I took Arkansas to win and cover against Georgia. Not good…

Clearly, no one with a smidgen of intellect would use any information here as part of the basis for making a wager on a college football game that actually involved coin of the realm. If you did something like that, you probably would not be even slightly embarrassed to tell your friends that you don’t believe in superstition because it brings bad luck.

General Comments:

Kansas State opened their season winning a game 21-17 over Division 1-AA UMass and they were held scoreless for 3 periods of the game. In the second week, they lost outright to La-Lafayette. In week three, they lost to UCLA scoring all of 9 points. Maybe it wasn’t the coach last year that was the problem for K-State? Even Saint Bill of Snyder does not seem to be able to get these players to win very much…

Jahvid Best scored 5 TDs against Minnesota last week. He is averaging 137 yards per game and 7.8 yards per carry so far this year. Might it be time for a running back to win a Heismann Trophy?

It is time to say goodbye to the BYU Cougars and the Utah Utes for this season. Both lost last weekend removing themselves from BCS consideration. BYU was crushed by Florida State and Utah lost by a TD to Oregon. What nice parting gifts do we have for these teams, Johnny…?

However, Boise State is on the cusp of an undefeated season in the WAC…

I think we can proclaim that Purdue stinks this year. A loss to Northern Illinois is bad; trailing Northern Illinois at any point in the game by 21 points is really bad. I saw one report that said Northern Illinois is 2-31- 1 against Big Ten teams in forever. One of those wins was last weekend…

Iowa State had a 17 game road losing streak going into their game at Kent State last weekend. The Cyclones broke that streak…

Syracuse beat Northwestern last weekend reinforcing my idea that the Big Ten is in the midst of a serious downcycle as a conference.

Syracuse tries to extend itself to a two-game winning streak this weekend by playing Maine. That is scheduling legerdemain…

Not to worry, Syracuse is not the only school with a Division 1-AA cupcake on the schedule this week. Ok.State plays Grambling State; Baylor hosts Northwestern State, Duke hosts North Carolina Central and Tulsa hosts Sam Houston State. Don’s spend any time flipping through your satellite channels looking for these clunkers…

The Ponderosas:

Last week the favorites covered in 3 of the 6 Ponderosa Spread games. Michigan, Alabama and LSU covered. Florida, Oklahoma State and Penn State did not cover. By the way, that is the third straight week where Penn State has been a Ponderosa favorite and has failed to cover.

Favorites for the year are 8-9 in Ponderosa Spread Games.

This week we have five Ponderosa Spread Games.

UTEP at Texas – 36 (63): If Texas started – and played – Tiny Tim at fullback and Lowly Worm at halfback, they would probably still win this game outright. They will cover if Mack Brown decides he wants to put a “trophy score” out there for poll voters to look at…

Western KY at Navy – 28.5 (50): This game has the potential to get very ugly…

Ball State at Auburn – 33 (55.5): Ball State’s season has come apart at the seams and playing at Auburn is not the way to put things back together. The new Auburn offense will score a lot here. I wonder if Ball State will score in double digits…

La-Lafayette at Nebraska – 28 (53.5): Is this game truly necessary?

Washington State at USC – 46.5 (53.5): The oddsmakers don’t think Washington State is going to score very much here and it thinks that Pete Carroll will have his charges breathing fire at the kickoff. If USC is paying attention, this will be ugly from the git-go.

Games of Interest:

(Thurs Nite) Mississippi – 4 at South Carolina (53.5): I think this game will be a defensive game - - however, I also thought that would be the case in the Georgia/South Carolina game and was dead wrong - - and so I would play this game UNDER.

Minnesota at Northwestern – 1.5 (48.5): Just a hunch on a venue call here; I like Northwestern at home to win and cover.

Michigan State at Wisconsin – 3 (54): Michigan State has lost two in a row but Wisconsin is not nearly the offensive threat that Central Michigan or Notre Dame was. In fact, I did not see anything awe-inspiring in the Wisconsin attack against Fresno State even though the Badgers won the game. I think the wrong team is favored here; I’ll take Michigan State with the points.

Buffalo at Temple – 2.5 (45.5): Temple is favored in this game; that is hardly a commonplace situation. To commemorate the event, I’ll take Temple and lay the points…

Fresno State at Cincy – 17 (61.5): The Fresno scheduling philosophy is that they will play anyone anywhere anytime. That got them Wisconsin followed by Boise State and now Cincinnati for 2009. Ouch! Where is Quadriplegics U on this schedule? The last two games have been losses and this one is likely to be one too. However, that line looks fat to me so I’ll take Fresno State with the points.

Wake Forest at BC – 1.5 (41): Neither team is as good this year as they have been in recent years. Purely a venue call; I like BC to win and cover.

Rutgers – 1.5 at Maryland (51): Neither of these two teams is as good this year as they have been in recent years. In fact, Rutgers seems to be headed back to the level it occupied at the lower rungs of the college football chain five years ago while Maryland is well into a year that will get its coach fired. If either teams leads by 10 points in this game it is over because neither team has a catch-up offense. I’ll take the game UNDER.

Pitt at NC State – 1 (47): Pitt wins with defense and NC State does not score a lot. I like Pitt to win and cover here and I think I like the game UNDER.

Miami – 3 at Va Tech (47.5): This may be the best game of the weekend. Miami is poised to return to the national spotlight if they win here and then win next weekend against Oklahoma. Both teams have flaws so the question here is which team can exploit the other’s weaknesses most effectively. I know VA Tech QB, Tyrod Taylor, is an icon in Blacksburg; but I don’t think he is all that good. I’ll take Miami based on its defense stopping the Va Tech offense to win and cover.

Cal – 5.5 at Oregon (58): Cal has big time bowl aspirations - - but every year that they have them the Bears find a way to gag them up. Here is a “must win game” if Cal is going to have a shot at the Rose Bowl. I’ll take Cal to win and cover here - - and not get a bone stuck in their throat yet again this year. [cough, cough…]

Arizona State at Georgia – 12 (52.5): I think that Georgia is just bigger and faster than Arizona State so that makes me want to take the Bulldogs at home here. But that line is fat indeed … Beware!

Iowa at Penn State – 10 (40): Penn State has beaten three cupcakes handily - - but not convincingly. Iowa has won eight of the last ten meetings between these teams. Penn State has a revenge situation working for it here since Iowa cost Penn State and undefeated season and a shot at the BCS Championship Game last year - - a game the NIttany Lions were not likely to win. I would stay away from this game but if forced to take a side, I’d take the game OVER.

Texas Tech at Houston “pick ‘em” (73): Tech QB, Taylor Potts, has thrown 12 TD passes in the first three games of the year and one of them was against Texas. Houston QB, Case Keenum, has thrown 7 TD passes and accumulated more than 700 yards passing in his first two games this year. That’s a big total number, but I still like the game to go OVER.

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…

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Well, my hope of getting 60% of last week’s Mythical picks correct was off by more than a little bit. The ATS picks went 7-5 bringing the season totals to 13-12. However, the Over/Under picks went far to the south coming in at 2-5 for the week leaving the season total at 5-8. Nevertheless, I shall go forward again this week - - albeit with early week lines and not so much injury info as one might like - - in search of a big winning week.

Here are some comments from last week’s Mythical Picks:

I took the Eagles/Saints game to go Under because I suspected the Eagles’ defense would hold the Saints to a reasonable score and that Kevin Kolb would be a disaster. Wrong on both counts…

I took the Cardinals with points saying they would win outright. They did. Unfortunately, I also took the game UNDER. It was not.

I took the Seahawks with the points saying they would win outright. They did not win and they did not cover.

My Ouija Board let me down with the pick of the Browns/Broncos OVER.

I nailed the Ravens plus points; they won.

Obviously, no one will take any information here and use it as the way to decide which side to back in a bet that involves actual cash money. If you did that that, you probably have already attached your brain to a T-1 line that delivers abject stupidity.

Comments:

In the lead-up to last week’s game against the Patriots, new Jets’ coach, Rex Ryan, was talking about the need for the Jets to establish a strong home field advantage for themselves. Reports said that he wanted to make the Jets’ home field “…a stadium that is absolutely miserable to come to.”

Memo to Rex Ryan: You do not need to worry about winning home games to achieve that goal. It was already miserable to come to the Meadowlands before you took over the Jets’ coaching…

The Bengals were 0-4 in the history of their franchise playing in Lambeau Field until last weekend.

The Lions lost their 19th straight game last Sunday tying them with two other franchises for the second-longest losing streak in NFL history. The Bucs hold the league record at 26 straight losses. Should the Lions be able to challenge that futility record, they will have to find a way to lose at home to the St. Louis Rams on 1 November and coming off the Lions’ BYE week because that loss would only be their 24th in a row. That may not be all that easy to accomplish but looking forward to the potential for monumental events:

The Lions 26th consecutive loss would be on 15 November on the road against the Vikings.

The Lions potentially record setting 27th consecutive loss would be on 22 November at home against the Cleveland Browns.

The Rams are a bad football team. They suffer from a condition that cannot be overcome by hustle or smarts or coaching schemes. The Rams have a severe talent deficiency. Their offense is so anemic I am not sure the Rams could score 30 points playing against a cornfield.

The Bears lost Brian Urlacher for the season to a broken wrist; that will definitely hurt the Bears’ defense. The Bills lost Paul Posluzny for the season to a broken arm; that will definitely hurt the Bills’ defense - - but that gets a whole lot less national attention than the Urlacher injury.

Here is an exchange that happened between Sonny Jurgensen (Redskins color analyst on radio) and Redskins’ coach Jim Zorn after last Sunday’s lackluster 9-7 win over the Rams. To set the stage, at one point on third down inside the Rams’ 10 yardline, Zorn called a halfback option pass that was never in danger of being completed:

Jurgensen: “Third down, I’m the quarterback, and you call the halfback throwing the ball for me, I’m calling timeout or calling an audible. I’m not letting the halfback throw it. That’s what you pay me for.”

Zorn: “We called it to work. It didn’t work. There were a lot of plays out there that didn’t work. And I’d take you out of the game. Sorry, Sonny.”

Boomer Esiason had this – less than complimentary – description of Browns’ head coach Eric Mangini:

“Eric Mangini can take the fun out of a 10-year-old’s birthday party with Big Bird there. That’s how miserable this guy is becoming.”

The really bad news for Cowboys’ fans regarding their loss to the Giants last weekend? They cannot blame it on Jessica Simpson being in the house…

The Games:

Cleveland at Baltimore – 14 (38.5): The Ravens are clearly the better team here and they seem to be allowing Joe Flacco to try to win games this year instead of having him manage the games so that the defense and the running game can reel in the victories. However, the Ravens still need to run well to be able to pass well. And that is why this line looks awfully fat to me. I’ll take the Browns with the points - - even though I don’t think they can win the game on the field.

Giants – 6.5 at Tampa (44): I think the Giants are really good and I think the Bucs are pretty bad. The Bucs absolutely need to run in order to have offensive options and I do not think they can run on the Giants. The fact that the Bucs will have to play without Jermaine Phillips for the rest of the year does not make the outlook here any sunnier. I think the Giants will win this by 2 TDs. I’ll take the Giants and lay the points.

Green Bay – 6.5 at St. Louis (41): Sorry, but I saw the Rams game last week and their 2-point loss to the Redskins was as much a statement about Redskins’ offensive ineptitude as it was Rams’ prowess. Green Bay will score here and I think they may score a lot here. I’ll take the Packers and lay the points.

KC at Philly - - No Line Obviously, the books are waiting to see who will be the QB for the Eagles next week. Instead of only 2 choices, there are now 4. Donovan McNabb may be back, Kevin Kolb may start again, Jeff Garcia may be up to speed on the playbook and Michael Vick may be the surprise starter. Unless it is a fully recovered McNabb under center for the Eagles - - extremely low probability there - - the Eagles will not put a huge number up on the board against the Chiefs. Matt Cassell will play for the Chiefs but unless the Chiefs run the ball well, he will be under severe pressure for most of the day.

Atlanta at New England – 4 (44): The Pats have not been scoring a lot this season despite the return of Tom Brady and the Falcons’ defense is not a unit that teams should look forward to playing if they hope to “get well” on offense. I am not thrilled with the idea of taking the Falcons on the road in Foxboro, so I’ll take the game UNDER.

SF at Minnesota – 6.5 (40): The Niners have played well against the Cards and the Seahawks but I really think that the Vikings represent a different level of competition for them right now. In addition, the Niners are on the road here making it very difficult to take them. I like the Vikings to win and cover.

Jax at Houston – 4 (46.5): The Houston offense is sputtering. The Houston defense gave up 200+ yards rushing last week against Tennessee. But they are at home… The Jags played well in Week 1 and stunk last week. Coin flip time… The coin says to take the Jags with the points.

Washington – 6 at Detroit (38.5): I know that the Redskins could not score a TD last week despite running more than 20 plays in the Red Zone of the Rams. Nevertheless, I expect a much better showing this week even on the road and even against another terrible opponent they can “play down to”. I like the Redskins to win and cover and I like the game Over.

Tennessee at Jets – 3 (37): Without a doubt, the Jets are the biggest surprise of the season so far. Having said that, Tennessee is a tough out no matter where the game is played. I think the wrong team is favored here so I’ll take the Titans with the points.

New Orleans – 5 at Buffalo (51.5): The Saints can score; there cannot be any real doubt about that. However, the Saints’ defense has yet to be tested having played the Lions and the Eagles with a back-up QB at the helm. I think the Bills will score too in this game so I’ll take the game OVER.

Chicago – 2 at Seattle (37): The Bears get to play against a weaker defense this week than they have seen in the first two weeks of the season. The Seahawks should be able to move the ball against a depleted Bears’ defense. Here is another game I like to go OVER.

Pittsburgh – 3.5 at Cincy (37): After last week, you have to say that the Steelers’ defense is not quite the same with Troy Polamalu out of the line-up. Nevertheless, it is a better defense than the Packers’ unit that the Bengals exploited last week. I like the Steelers to win and cover.

Denver at Oakland “pick ‘em” (37): This is the worst game of the week. I am not enthralled by the Raiders at all but the Broncos leave me cold too. I think the Raiders have a better defense and so I’ll take the Raiders to win and I’ll take the game UNDER. If you like the Broncos, shop this line because it is as high as 2 points in one sports book.

Miami at San Diego – 6 (44): The Dolphins offense has been AWOL this year but I also think the Chargers’ offense has come down a notch too. I think this line is too fat; I’ll take the Dolphins with the points.

Indy at Arizona – 2 (47): Both teams have underperformed so far this year. I’ll just flip a coin here and the coin says to take the game OVER.

Carolina at Dallas – 8.5 (46): It would appear that the best way to beat Dallas is to throw on their defense - - but throwing the ball is not what the Panthers are doing very well these days. I really do not like this line but I cannot take the Panthers on the road against a team that can score points so I will reluctantly take the Cowboys and lay a lot of points here.

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…

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I have been summoned for jury duty over the next two weeks. That means my writing schedule could be erratic depending on whether or not I am selected to serve on a jury and then how long a trial might last.

I can’t give anyone a reliable estimate for my next entry here; so please keep checking in over the next couple of weeks.

Stay well…

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Last week, the NFL announced that it was investigating the NY Jets and specifically their former coach, Eric Mangini, related to the issue that the Jets did not report Brett Favre’s “arm/shoulder problems” at any time last year. At the end of the week, the NFL announced that they had fined the Jets as a team $75K (no big deal at all) and that they had fined former Jets coach, Mangini $25K and GM, Mike Tannenbaum, another $25K. For Mangini and Tannenbaum, these fines might mean something; the $75K fine for the Jets as a team is laughable if anyone thinks that this fine might deter less than honest behaviors within the league.

Prior to the league ruling, that there were indeed violations of league rules/policies, Mangini denied there were any violations and said that he abided by the rules at all times:

“That was true there (in New York). It’s true here (in Cleveland). It’ll be true every week of the season and that’s how we approach it.”

That sounds to me as if the NFL needs to keep a close eye on the Browns’ injury reports this season because Mangini just said that things were going to carry on in Cleveland just as they did with the Jets.

The Detroit Lions have been a horrid football team for about all of this decade with a record of 31-98 since 2001 and culminating in their 0-16 record last year. Looking over a longer perspective, the Lions last NFL Championship was all the way back in 1957. Coupled with the economic woes that have befallen the city of Detroit, the Lions’ ineptitude led them to play to the lowest percentage of filled seats of any NFL team last season. According to Sports Business Daily, the Lions played to less than 85% of capacity in 2008; that is the lowest in the league - - not considering all those seats covered with tarps in Jacksonville. Creating fan interest that manifests itself in “sold tickets” has not been easy for the Lions going into this year. Here are some of the team efforts:

They lowered the prices on about 5,000 seats at Ford Field and froze prices on all of the other seats.

They created “All You Can Eat” seats where fans can come to the game and eat an unlimited amount of food and soft drinks. Prices here start at $57 per game.

They have a new promo ad running on TV in Detroit showing assembly line workers and construction sites with a voiceover that says the Lions will work as hard as you do just as the scene shifts to Lions’ linemen hitting the blocking sled.

For Sunday’s game against the Vikings, the Lions had to get an extension from the league to avoid a blackout of the game in the Detroit area. The Ford family owns the Lions, so there really isn’t a serious danger that the team will drag down the family fortunes to the point where everyone will need to drive Ford Fiestas instead of Lincolns, but the economics of the Lions are not good.

Delonte West – Cleveland Cavs’ guard – was arrested last week. He was riding a motorcycle on the Beltway in the DC area and was pulled over by an officer for speeding. West did not offer any resistance or anything like that nor was he intoxicated or carrying drugs. The reason he was arrested – as opposed to getting a speeding ticket and going on his merry way – was that the officer found a loaded handgun in his pocket and another loaded handgun in his pants leg and a shotgun (did not see any report on whether or not it was loaded or empty) in a guitar case strapped to West’s back on the motorcycle. Before anyone goes all “Second Amendment” here, it is illegal in the State of Maryland to carry concealed weapons and it is illegal to transport loaded guns. West was released on his own recognizance.

A few weeks ago, some folks opined that the plea bargain that Plaxico Burress had to strike that will keep him out of the NFL for another two seasons might alert other athletes to the fact that laws apply to them too and that they jeopardize their careers with careless carriage of guns. Sounds good in theory, but it would surely seem as if Delonte West never got the memo…

We have come to realize that the ESPN motto really is this:

Nothing exceeds like excess.

Now, to demonstrate that they take their motto seriously, ESPN has announced the way it will welcome the upcoming college basketball season. ESPN will telecast 12 games in a 24-hour period on 17 November. Monmouth and St. Peter’s will be on at 5:00 AM; that is not a typo. Seemingly with pride, ESPN announced that they had never done a basketball game in that time slot leaving the impression that they had broken new ground here for the greater benefit of humankind. I don’t think so…

I’m half expecting ESPN to do a promotional tie-in with Kellogg’s for these early morning games. Perhaps something along the line of:

“College hoops and Fruit Loops. Start your day a whole new way…”

USC’s loss to Washington on Saturday keeps a streak of sorts alive. I think this is the fourth year in a row that USC has gone on the road to play an unranked and lightly regarded PAC-10 opponent and lost the game outright. Last year it was Oregon State; the year before that it was Stanford and the year before that it was either Oregon or Oregon State (I am too lazy to go and look it up.). Somehow, I don’t think this is a streak that the USC alums find appealing.

Finally, here is some analysis from Greg Cote in the Miami Herald:

“Olympic champion Michael Phelps has cultivated a mustache. Facial hair isn’t very aerodynamic. Analysts says that’s why a member of ZZ Top has never won a swimming gold.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…

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Talk about a boring week of mythical picks, the picks against the spread (ATS) were 6-7 while the Over/Under picks were 3-3. That is about what one might expect from a coin-flipping exercise but I promise that I only did that on those couple of games where I had no opinion whatsoever regarding the outcome. Alexander Pope said, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” What I am hoping for this week is for 60% of these picks to be in the “plus column”.

Some comments on last week’s Mythical Picks:

1. I took the Bengals to win and cover at home against the Broncos and it took the Bengals more than 59 minutes to get on the scoreboard. Blech…

2. I thought the Ravens’ offense might not be ready yet so I took the Ravens/Chiefs game Under 36. The Ravens put it over all by themselves scoring 38 and the Chiefs managed to put 24 points up. Blech…

3. I called the Lions/Saints game as an offensive shoot-out. The two teams combined to score 72 points. [That’s the good news.] Unfortunately, I took the Lions with an insufficient helping of points. Blech…

4. I picked Seattle to win by 3 TDs. My bad; they won by 4 TDs. Yippee…

Of course no one should ever use any information here as part of a decision-making process on the subject of football wagering. Only a dumbass would think that I have some kind of inside pipeline to information that coaches and players want no one outside the locker room to know. In fact, if you were actually dumb enough to take these words and translate them into football wagers, you would probably also not see any problem associated with a Semi-Annual After-Christmas Sale.

Comments:

The Arizona Cardinals are the defending NFC champions; they played in the Super Bowl last year and only lost in the final 30 seconds. This is a franchise that has been “less than routinely successful” over the past 60 years; therefore, one might expect a surge in fan interest in the team now that the team played in last year’s ultimate game. If you think that way, welcome to the world of dashed expectations.

The Cardinals did not sell out their Opening Day game at home against a division rival quickly enough to avoid a blackout; the NFL had to give them a 72-hour extension to sell more tix. Look, I can understand sports fans in Phoenix staying home from Phoenix Coyotes games in the NHL, hockey and the desert southwest just don’t have a long history together. But football – and NFL football – ought to sell in Phoenix when there is a winning team in town. But evidently, it does not.

A “correspondent” attended the Eagles/Panthers game in Charlotte last weekend and he reports that there were thousands of “Eagles green jerseys” in the house there. Evidently, the Panthers coming off a 12-4 season last year had trouble filling the house on their own. After the way the Panthers stunk out the joint last Sunday, there may be a whole lot of empty seats in the stands there come December if things do not turn around quickly.

Speaking of the Eagles/Panthers game, the potential loss of Donovan McNabb as the Eagles’ QB for a short time could not have come at a better time for the Eagles. Here is their schedule over the next five weeks: Saints, Chiefs, BYE, Bucs, Raiders. That is not exactly “Murderer’s Row”. There is no comparably soft spot in the Eagles’ schedule later on…

The Bills lost last Monday night and a rather boneheaded play by kick-returner, Leodis McKelvin, probably cost the team a win. Later, McKelvin’s lawn in suburban Buffalo was vandalized; someone painted the final score on the lawn along with “an obscenity”. I understand that “fan” derives from the word “fanatic”, but that kind of behavior is simply over the line.

After the Rams lost their opener 28-0 to the Seahawks, you have to wonder what kind of pep talk rookie head coach Steve Spagnuolo gave to the team in the locker room after the game. Maybe something along the lines of:

“Men, we are not yet mathematically eliminated. We will be soon, but not just yet…”

The last time the Cleveland Browns scored an offensive touchdown, it was in their 10th game last season. Indeed, the Browns went 6 games without an offensive TD at the end of last year. In Sunday’s opener for the 2009 season, the Browns did score an offensive TD - - albeit with only 28 seconds left to play in the game and the team trailing by 3 TDs.

I recognize that the Saints have a good offense that can score lots of points, but if the Detroit Lions are not going to stop opponents more effectively than they did last weekend, the Lions are in for another season of “losses in the teens”. It may not be “sixteen losses”, but it could be “fourteen”…

When the Raiders drafted Darrius Heyward-Bey, many were skeptical about his ability to be an impact WR. Having seen him play at Maryland, I wondered if he had the hands to be a WR at the NFL level. By my count on Monday night - - and I don’t pretend to have a coach’s clicker or access to scouting tapes - - the Raiders threw him the ball twice; it hit him on both hands twice; he dropped the ball twice. Based on one game only, perhaps he thinks an “impact receiver” is one who has the ball make an impact on his facemask before trying to catch it? If this does not get better, he will be the Dick Stuart of the NFL…

The last time the Ravens allowed a running back to gain 100 yards in a game, it was the 2005 season and the running back was Larry Johnson. Last week, Johnson and the Chiefs came to Baltimore and the Ravens’ defense held Johnson to 20 yards on 11 carries. Conversely, the Chiefs’ defense had a few problems; they allowed the Ravens to gain 198 yards on the ground and they only got to QB, Joe Flacco, one time in Flacco’s 44 passing plays.

The Lions losing streak now stands at 18 games. That is the third worst losing streak of all time in the NFL. And a tie for second place is within their grasp this weekend. Two teams have lost 19 consecutive games - - the Raiders in 61/62 and the Chicago Cardinals in 43/45. With the Vikings up this week, the oddsmakers surely have the Lions in a position to join the Raiders and Cards on the Futility List.

Of course, the platinum standard for losing streaks in the NFL belongs to the Tampa Bay Bucs in their start-up seasons. The Bucs lost 26 games in a row. The Lions aren’t there yet, but they could eclipse that mark this year…

The Games

Carolina at Atlanta – 6 (43): The Panthers were just plain awful last week at home; now they hit the road this weekend. After marching smartly for a TD on its opening possession, the Panthers’ offense just stalled for the rest of the day. Atlanta handled what looks to be a good-if-not-great Miami team last week. Can the Panthers really be as bad as they looked against the Eagles last week? I doubt it. Nonetheless, I like the Falcons to win and cover.

St Louis at Washington – 10 (36.5): Historically, the Washington Redskins play down to level of their competition and this week they will have to reduce their level of efficiency and effectiveness significantly. And the Skins had better get used to that because their next two games after this one are at the Lions and hosting the Bucs. If Seattle can hold the Rams scoreless, the Skins should hold them to single digits even accounting for the fact that the Rams should be out to prove they are not amateurs in a pro league. Last year, the Rams were outscored by an average of 15 points per game; even if you assume their defense will be better this year - - not supported by data as yet - - this game is ripe for the Skins to roll up some big offensive numbers and scores. Assuming the Rams are held to single digits, I like the Skins to win and cover at home. If by some chance they lose to the Rams on Sunday, check to see if any unemployed NFL coaches are sitting in Danny Boy’s suite over the next couple of weeks; if such a coach is there, he might take over the team in the BYE week in October…

Houston at Tennessee – 6.5 (40.5): I know Houston laid an egg last week and should be out to prove they are better than they showed against the Jets. However, the Titans have something to prove too and they are at home and they are fundamentally the better team. I see the Titans rushing the ball very successfully here. I’ll take the Titans to win and cover.

New Orleans at Philly – 1 (46): I don’t know if Donovan McNabb will play or not. If not, is Jeff Garcia really ready enough to step in should Kevin Kolb falter? I expect the Eagles’ defense to put up more resistance than the Lions’ defense did to the Saints’ offensive machine this week and if McNabb were completely healthy, I’d take this game OVER in a heartbeat. As things are, I’ll take the game to go UNDER.

New England – 3.5 at Jets (45.5): This is a division game; this is a rivalry game; this is game where Mark Sanchez will be measured against the AFC East’s top incumbent QB. The hook here is interesting. I’ll take the Jets with the points. I also like this game OVER.

Oakland at KC – 3 (38.5): This has to be the worst game of the weekend. Neither team is going to threaten to join the ranks of the mediocre this season. The Chiefs put up a small struggle of sorts against a good Ravens’ team last week; the Raiders put up an actual struggle against a good Chargers’ team last week. Both teams should be able to run the ball on the other team meaning this will be a game with a limited number of possessions. I think it will be a close game and so I’ll take the Raiders with the points.

Arizona at Jax – 3 (43): Not only do the fans in Phoenix show a lack of respect for the defending NFC champs, the oddsmakers have them as a dog to a team that was 5-11 last year and one that only scored 12 points in their opener this year. To be fair, the Cards were awful in the Eastern Time Zone last year during the regular season getting blown out more than a couple of times there. For those who were not geography majors, Jacksonville is on Eastern Daylight Time this week. If the Cards don’t score, this game could be very low scoring so I’ll take the game UNDER. I’ll also take the Cards with the points just because I do not trust the Jags at all.

Cincy at Green Bay – 9 (42): The Bengals offense was AWOL last week and there is no way that the Bengals’ defense is going to carry the team to a lot of wins this year. The Green Bay defense was not great against the Bears but it was competent. Do not be fooled by the Packers’ 4 INTs, three of them were gifts and there could have been two others had the DBs made spectacular plays. I’m sensing a Packers’ blowout here so I’ll take the Pack and lay the points.

Minnesota – 9.5 at Detroit (46.5): If the Lions’ defense does not improve by 50% this week, they are going to be run out of their building by the Vikings. The only ray of hope here is that Brett Favre has never played all that well in Detroit; he has won plenty of games there but it is clearly not his favorite venue. Forget it; the Vikes will romp and stomp here. I’ll take the Vikes to win and cover.

Tampa at Buffalo – 5 (42): I read somewhere that this is the first time in the history of the Bucs’ franchise that they have played a game in Buffalo. And that may the single most interesting thing to note about this game. Assuming that the Bills are not depressed to the point of comatose, they should handle the Bucs offense and be able to move the ball efficiently. I cannot take Tampa on the road so I’ll take the Bills and lay the points.

Seattle at SF – 2 (39): Shop this line; it can vary all the way down to “pick ‘em”. I think the wrong team is favored here. I agree that SF is a team that is improving - - but so is Seattle. I like the Seahawks to win outright so I’ll take them here with the points.

Pittsburgh – 3 at Chicago (37): I know that the Steelers did not look like an offensive juggernaut in the opener, but that was against the Titans’ defense. The Bears defense is good, but with Brian Urlacher out it is nothing better than good. If Jay Cutler thought he saw too much pass pressure last week against the Packers, he will not be a happy camper this week. Pittsburgh wins on the road; the Bears fall to 0-2; the Chicago media goes into “full-meltdown mode”. I’ll take the Steelers to win and cover. I’ll also take the game OVER.

Cleveland at Denver – 3 (37.5): If Oakland/KC is not the worst game of the weekend, this one is. Here is the good news for the Browns: No one on the Broncos’ squad wears the number “7”. I cannot take the Browns on the road; I don’t want to take the Broncos and give points; I don’t like the total line even a little bit. Out comes the Ouija Board and the spirits have spoken. They said to take the game OVER. Why not? Remember, these are MYTHICAL picks.

Baltimore at San Diego – 3.5 (40): Again, I think the wrong team is favored. I like the Ravens to win the game outright and so those points are just gravy. I’m tempted by the total line, but not enough to play it. I’ll take the Ravens with the points.

Giants at Dallas – 3 (44): This is the best game of the week - - beating out Steelers/Bears and Pats/Jets. This line can only reflect the emotion that people think will infuse the Cowboys’ squad as they play their home opener in their new playpen. The Giants’ team is better; the Giants’ coaching staff is better. Emotion will carry the Cowboys to halftime, and then the Giants will assert themselves. The Cowboys gave up 150 yards rushing to the Bucs last week and the Giants can run the ball just a little bit… I’ll take this game OVER.

Indy – 3 at Miami (42): Miami really does need this game; they really do not want to be 0-2 and looking at a cross-country flight to play the Chargers next week. However, against the Falcons last week, the Dolphins did not score until there were 3 minutes left to play and the Falcons were up by “three scores”. I see the Colts’ defense being a bit less stingy than that, but I also see the Colts’ offense achieving more than 2 TDs for an evening’s work. I like the Colts to win and cover and I like the game OVER.

Finally, Greg Cote of the Miami Herald had this observation about the Dolphins’ off-season preparations for the 2009 season:

“The Dolphins’ next OTA (organized team activity) day is Tuesday. The fellas are scheduled to make clay pots and also learn macramé.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…

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Jay Leno started his new prime time comedy show this week. I will never sit and watch an entire show; I may graze through the channel and linger a while if someone interesting is performing. Nevertheless, Leno had an interesting comment on his inaugural program:

“I had a strange thing happen yesterday. I set my Tivo to record The Biggest Loser. Got the Lions game.”

It is debatable if the Lions or the Rams were the “biggest losers” for Week One, but anytime you go with a punch line that ties the Detroit Lions to losing, you are unlikely to get yourself in trouble…

At the other end of the NFL spectrum from the Lions and the Rams, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team in the league that has had a defense rated in the Top Ten in the league for every year of this decade. Moreover, they have been the overall “best defense in the league” four times in this decade including the past two seasons. Amazingly, they do this without ever signing any players to $100M contracts and even letting Pro Bowl caliber players leave to sign bigger contracts elsewhere. How do they do this? Good scouting and good coaching that results in good player development is the trail they blaze. If you wonder why other teams do not do this with similar results, perhaps you need to consider the competency of those other teams’ scouts and coaches with regard to player development.

My #1 son spent five years in Chicago getting his PhD at the University of Chicago. In that time he adopted the Cubs as his baseball team and “sort of” adopted the Bears as one of his favored NFL teams - - but not his favorite. After last week’s game between the Bears and the Packers where Jay Cutler threw four interceptions, he sent me an e-mail that was succinct and expressed the sentiments of at least some of the Bears’ fans for sure:

“Chicago – where quarterbacks go to die.”

Speaking of Chicago and the Bears, the “renovated” Soldier Field is a topic that seems to have dropped from the focus of many sportswriters over the past year or two. For a while, everyone decried what had been done to Soldier Field. To me, it looked as if the put a Star Trek Cap on top of a structure that looked like the Parthenon; that seemed to fall somewhere on a spectrum between “sacrilegious” and “butt ugly”. But what the heck, it did accommodate new luxury boxes for a bunch of nouveau riche folks who love football just enough to go to see it if they can do it without having to deal with temperatures and wind-chills below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Quietly, the desecration of Soldier Field has drawn recognition out side Chicago. Prior to the addition of the “Mother Ship” on top of the field, Soldier Field was a National Historic Landmark. Since then, it has been quietly “relegated” from that list. It is no longer “national” nor “historic” nor a “landmark”. Nevertheless, take heart Chicagoans, it will always remain - - ugly.

Let me put this in terms that people who never go to Chicago will understand:

What they did to Soldier Field would be analogous to putting aluminum siding on the Lincoln Memorial.

I read a report that Hulk Hogan will be “starring” in a pro ‘rassling tour of Australia later this year; it will be called the “Hulkamania Tour”. Supposedly, Ric Flair, Brutus Beefcake and The Nasty Boys will be part of this tour. Let me be kind here; I am 99% sure that every one of those gentlemen qualifies for membership in AARP. I wonder if that the organizers of this extravaganza have been in touch with Dusty Rhodes to see if he is still ambulatory and someone just has to be trying to find a medium somewhere who might channel the spirits of Haystacks Calhoun and/or Andre the Giant for these events. Those two could stage the first pro ’rassling “Other Worldly Match”…

Reading this report, I was reminded of an observation attributed to David Whitley who used to be a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel and who now writes for AOL Fanhouse. He was writing about the demographic makeup of a NASCAR audience. This is a paraphrase because I do not have the exact line in front of me:

“Rhodes Scholars: 0 percent.

“Dusty Rhodes scholars: 90 percent.”

Mike Hampton will undergo surgery this month and the recovery period for that surgery will sideline him for all of the 2010 season. Folks, if you ever wanted a poster child for why guaranteed contracts are bad things, Mike Hampton – through no fault of his own – would be your guy.

There are reports that Isiah Rider wants to come back and play for an NBA team. I am sure David Stern is just thrilled by that report. Now he has two pariahs - - Isiah Rider and Stephon Marbury - - out there looking for work when no team with a sentient GM would have anything to do with either one. I wonder how long it might be until the two of them team up with Rev. Jesse Jackson to claim that these great talents on the basketball court are being denied an opportunity to ruin yet another NBA team - - er, I mean play for another NBA team - - on the basis of their skin color.

I am on record saying that I do not like Jon Gruden as an analyst on MNF. Several friends have said that I should put those feelings on hold because they think Gruden will “grow on me”. I told one of these friends that athletes’ foot fungus grows on me, but that does not mean that I like it. Whatever. On Monday this week, I did get to hear Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic and Steve Young do the Raiders/Chargers game. And I really enjoyed their coverage of the game.

Golic and Young actually added value to the telecast with their comments. They provided insight into the actions on the field; they did not dumb-down their comments to the level of the “expected viewer” which ESPN seems to think is a person with an IQ of 75 and an attention span of 110 seconds. These guys were critical of certain plays/decisions; they praised – and showed why players were worthy of praise – when it was appropriate and they did this without talking like a pair of “insiders” whose words can only make sense if you have a “magic decoder ring”.

Finally, here is a comment from Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philly Inquirer that relates to NASCAR matters - - sort of the way David Whitley’s comments related to NASCAR matters above:

“There’s something about the resume of Jerry Gappens, GM of the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, that suggests he needs a little career counseling.

“Gappens drove a hearse, became a sportswriter, and now runs a NASCAR event.

“What’s next, blacksmith?”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…

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Those of you who were around these parts and reading these Mythical Picks last year may recall a running feature involving “SHOE Teams”. To reset the story, I track over the season the eight worst teams in college football and seed them in a mythical SHOE Tournament for the end of the season. They play each other except only the losers continue on until only one SHOE Team remains. Oh, for the record, SHOE is an acronym for Steaming Heap Of Excrement…

Demonstrating consistency, however, there will be no rankings for SHOE Teams emanating from Curmudgeon Central until the end of September. Even though these rankings have no impact on anything in the real world, I am firmly committed to the idea that early season polls for college football are the work of the Devil. Therefore, I will not issue my “Bottom-feeders Poll” at least until the calendar says “October”.

The Linfield Wildcats started their Division III football season with an upset win over “fourth-ranked” Hardin-Simmons. Linfield won the game 37-22 giving them a boost as they seek their 54th consecutive season with a winning record in football. This weekend, Linfield travels to southern California to play Occidental College. This is the first time these two teams have met in football; Occidental was undefeated in the regular season last year losing in the Division III playoffs. A road win here would be a huge step forward for Linfield. Go Wildcats!

A few notes relative to last week’s Mythical Picks:

1. I suggested taking Toledo with points at home against Colorado. Toledo won outright in a convincing fashion.

2. I liked Notre Dame to beat Michigan in Ann Arbor last week. Like that happened…

3. I thought TCU would hold UVa under 14 points. They had them at zero until garbage time when UVa scored two meaningless TDs in a 31-14 TCU victory.

4. Washington was a 3 TD favorite over Idaho. The Huskies won by approximately 3 TDs. Suddenly Seattle is sunny again…

5. I thought Tennessee would inflict serious pain on UCLA. They lost outright at home. Ouch indeed!

6. I thought Georgia/South Carolina would be a low scoring game; the total line was 38. The teams went out and scored double that total…

Obviously, no one should think of using any information herein as the basis for making a real wager on an actual college football game. Anyone who does so would have to be really stupid - - or in more politically correct terminology, “encephalographically challenged”.

General Comments:

Georgia Tech and Clemson played a Jekyll and Hyde game last week. Tech led 24-0; then Clemson scored 27 straight points; then, on the final two possessions, Tech got field goals to win 30-27.

Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times had an interesting slant on the future for LaGarrette Blount – the running back suspended for the year by Oregon for sucker punching a Boise State player in Week One:

“Q: What is the best scenario for banned Oregon tailback LaGarrette Blount still emerging as a first-round NFL draft pick?

“A: He and Raiders coach Tom Cable hit it off at the scouting combine.”

I know you have been waiting for news of this importance, so please be seated and take a deep breath. The goofs who run the Emerald Bowl (they play it in San Francisco because clearly SF is known for its emerald production and…) announced that for the next four years they will pair a PAC-10 team that finishes down in the food chain somewhere against Army, Navy or a team from the WAC. Please, no raucous outbreaks now that you know…

If UVa gets clocked again in its next game, it could be the end of the line for coach Al Groh. Sadly, his name fits ever so smoothly into chants of “Groh Must Go!” I wonder if he has thought of legally changing it to John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt…

After the opening week loss to William and Mary, Coach Groh told the assembled media that the sky was not falling and that there were eleven weeks of UVa football still to go. OK, Coach, now there are ten weeks to go…

Watching USC/Ohio State last weekend, I thought for the first 40 minutes of the game that Ohio State was as fast and more physical than USC. Then it seemed as if everything in the physical dimension evened out. Then on the last drive, USC just seemed to pound the ball down Ohio State’s throat. And yes, there is a fan blog called firejimtresselnow.com. Puhleez…

Like it or not, the Big Ten is in a downcycle. Last year the conference went 1-6 in Bowl Games; its champion – Penn State – was crushed in the Rose Bowl. This year, Iowa needed to block two field goals to sneak past Northern Iowa, Central Michigan beat Michigan State outright and Minnesota needed OT to beat Syracuse. Despite the downcycle, the polls this week have Michigan as the 25th team in the country. Might there be just a wee bit of sentimental history contained in those votes?

There is a team in the country that has won its two games by a combined score of 118-9; it averages almost 650 yards per game and just over 9 yards per offensive play; it has yet to give up a TD. Sounds pretty amazing until you see that the team is Florida and their first two games have been against Charleston Southern and Troy.

This week Tennessee comes calling at The Swamp in Gainesville. Back in the summer, Lane Kiffen accused Urban Meyer of cheating/breaking NCAA rules. Actually, the charges were baseless because the action Kiffen accused Meyer of doing is not against any NCAA rules. Nonetheless, I just don’t think all of that sat well with Meyer or with the Florida players. Unless Tennessee lost to UCLA last week because they were “looking ahead” to Florida this week - - and not because UCLA was the better team - - this has the earmarks of another Florida rout. Against UCLA, Tennessee only produced 208 yards of offense…

Florida State ran the ball 26 times last weekend against Jacksonville State and gained only 78 yards. How did that happen?

Maryland was spanked properly by Cal in its opening game and last week needed OT to beat Division 1-AA, James Madison. Has the Ralph Friedgen mystique worn off in College Park…?

It always produces a warm feeling here in Curmudgeon Central when Bill Snyder and his “Schedule-A-Cupcake” philosophy comes back to bite him on the butt. Last week Snyder’s K-State team took the field against Louisiana-Lafayette and K-State lost. Obviously, the school needs more Div 1-AA teams like UMass on the schedule. Look next year for Snyder to take on the Culinary Institute of America.

Two weeks ago, Georgia went to Ok. State and lost handily; last week, Ok State gave up 50+ to Houston losing to the Cougars. Also last week, less-than-mighty UCLA went to Tennessee and beat the Vols on old Rocky Top. Now, if this happened to some conference other than the SEC, you would fully expect all of the yahoos in the Southeast to be complaining about how no other conferences are worthy of the respect that they get in the press. But this year, I haven’t heard any of those sentiments coming from SEC-land. Just saying…

The Ponderosas

Last week, the favorites covered 3 of the 7 Ponderosa Spread games. Florida, Texas Tech and Boise State covered; Penn State, Texas, Alabama and South Florida did not cover.

For the season, the favorites are 5-6 against the line.

This week, we have 6 Ponderosa Spread Games:

E. Michigan at Michigan – 24 (54.5): At least E. Michigan does not have to travel very far to get clobbered this weekend.

Temple at Penn State – 30 (45.5): Temple started the season losing to Div 1-AA Villanova. Now they travel to Happy Valley; good luck with that. By the same token, Penn State has yet to cover this season against the likes of Akron and Syracuse. Temple has not scored a TD in any of the last three games against Penn State; I surely don’t see them scoring more than one this week. Nevertheless, I would not bet on this game with your money…

North Texas at Alabama – 38 (52.5): As if it matters, the North Texas starting QB, Riley Dodge, was injured last week and will not play here.

Tennessee at Florida – 29.5 (52): Florida really is good and I don’t think they will take their foot off the gas until there is a 6 TD spread. With foot off the gas, the game will look even…

Rice at Ok. State – 32.5 (66): Rice seems unable to stop anyone. Ok State has been very erratic so far this year beating Georgia in Week One and then losing to Houston last week - - and giving up 50+ to Houston in the process. If I were going to bet on this game, I’d take OVER.

La-Lafayette at LSU – 27 (51): La-Lafayette beat Kansas State last week; they will not beat Louisiana State this week.

Games of Interest:

This week, there are a surprising number of very good matchups and solid games for such an early part of the college football season. Let’s just say that the ACC has not contributed mightily to that interesting week as Duke travels to Kansas in what is almost a Ponderosa Spread game, Maryland hosts Middle Tennessee State, NC State hosts Gardner Webb and Wake Forest hosts Elon College.

Boise St. – 7.5 at Fresno St. (54.5): Fresno State played Wisconsin tough last week losing in two OTs; they are not pushovers by any means. Boise State is also for real. And looking at the Boise St. schedule, a win this weekend leaves them only with a visit to Tulsa that appears to be a “difficult game”. As a venue call and with that hook on a full touchdown spread, I think I’d take Fresno State with the points at home.

Cal – 13.5 at Minnesota (53.5): Cal is the better team but they are traveling two time zones for this game. Last year, they crossed three time zones and were sleepwalking when Maryland beat them outright. I suspect the Cal coaching staff has learned from that loss. I like Cal to win and cover - - even this far from home.

Ball State at Army – 7.5 (43.5): Last year, people wondered if Ball State ought to be included in a major bowl game. This year, they are 0-2 with losses to North Texas and Div 1-AA New Hampshire. Against New Hampshire last week, Ball State gained only 13 yards rushing. Army is not very good but they will run the option offense over and over and over… If Ball State loses here, the entire season could become a disaster.

Ohio State – 20.5 at Toledo (58): How will Ohio State come back from that last minute loss to USC? Toledo beat Colorado last week by 2 TDs but before you get too excited about that, they lost to Purdue in Week One by 3 TDS. I suspect that Ohio State is as good as Purdue and so… Actually, I think this game will go OVER.

Tulsa at Oklahoma – 17 (58): I like this game OVER too.

Michigan State at Notre Dame – 10 (55): Michigan State was discombobulated against C. Michigan last week; Notre Dame’s defense seemed as if it could not stop a run in a silk stocking. Don’t bet on this game but if the OVER/UNDER on the number of times Charlie Weis loses it with an official is less than 9.5, take the over…

USC – 20 at Washington (53.5): So many good story lines here… Washington won for the first time in forever last week; the new coach at Washington was the offensive coordinator at USC; the Trojans may have to do without their starting QB – frosh Matt Barkley. Too bad the referees will blow the whistle and start the game because all those nice story lines will then be obscured by the fact that USC is a much better football team than is Washington. I don’t like either number here, so I won’t bet on this game.

Utah at Oregon – 5 (52.5): Utah has won 16 games in a row; this is another of the Mountain West Conference/PAC-10 Conference showdowns. Purely a hunch, but I like Utah here with the points.

SMU – 7 at Washington State (57.5): When SMU is favored by a TD on the road, that should be a major slap in the face for the home team. We shall see… If SMU wins here, they will be 3-0 for the first time since SMU brought back football from the NCAA-imposed “Death Penalty”. I not only think they will win on the road, I think SMU will win and cover on the road. So there…

Navy at Pitt – 7.5 (53.5): I wonder where that many points will come from. I like this game UNDER - - and it might go under by two touchdowns.

Cincinnati at Oregon State “pick ‘em” (56): Cincy is traveling a long way for this game, but they have certainly been firing on all cylinders in the first two games scoring 117 points in their two wins. Oregon State has four new starters in their secondary this year. I think this game goes OVER.

Florida State at BYU – 7 (56): BYU needs this to remain “BCS relevant”. If Florida State loses, that will make them 1-2 for the season with the win coming over Jacksonville State, This is not your father’s Florida State team. I like BYU to win and cover here.

Georgia at Arkansas – 1 (53.5): Venue call and a speed call here. Arkansas is the faster team; I like them to win and cover at home.

Texas Tech at Texas – 17.5 (67): I suspect that Texas recalls what happened last year when Texas Tech beat them and took them out of the national title picture. Tech’s QB threw 7 TD passes last week but that was against Rice; the Texas defense may not be the best in the country, but it is better than that.

Kansas State at UCLA – 12 (43.5): UCLA suspended several players for violating team rules - - and Rick Neuheisel is the coach so what did they have to do to get that far off the reservation? Just asking…

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…

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Here in the suburbs of Washington DC, we have a regional sports network on cable TV. It is called MASN or the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. Their “catch-line” this summer has been “One network – two teams”. Sounds good and catchy - - until you realize that the two teams have been the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals. The Nats have the worst record in MLB and the Orioles have the second worst record in the AL. Their combined record is 109-179. MASN ought to stand for the Masochists’ Sports Network.

I guess I would need to consult the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for proof-positive here, but I have a suspicion that being a fan of either the Orioles or the Nats is a sufficient indicator of “masochism” to make a firm diagnosis of that condition. Even in the absence of any other self-inflicted painful behaviors…

MLB has released the 2010 schedule. Opening Day will be April 5th for most teams but there will be an inaugural game on Sunday night, April 4th. Since ESPN can pretty much pick and choose the game it wants to slide back to Sunday night and since the Yankees/Red Sox open against each other, anyone care to guess what the opening baseball game on ESPN will be for 2010?

Just an aside here and I hope that I am not going to offend Boston Red Sox fans too badly, but I really am rooting for the Texas Rangers to be the wild card team in the playoffs this year. A little variety in the AL playoff participants this year would not do violence to the fabric of baseball…

Despite the fact that some folks think amassing 200 hits in a single season is an over-rated statistic, it is a level of accomplishment that evades a large majority of MLB players. Ichiro Suzuki just reached that hit level for the ninth consecutive season. No one in baseball history has ever done that; his achievement breaks the record set by Wee Willie Keeler in the years leading up to 1901. Only Pete Rose ever had 200 hits in more than 9 seasons in a career (Rose did it 10 times) but they were spread out over 16 years. What is equally amazing is that Ichiro once got 200 hits in the Japan League where the season is only 130 games long. That works out to just a smidge over three hits every two games.

When Derek Jeter surpassed Lou Gehrig’s record for most hits by a Yankee, this got a lot of coverage. Derek Jeter is a great player; so was Lou Gehrig. Having said that, this was a team record not a baseball record. If/when someone breaks the all-time record for most hits as a Cleveland Indian, do you think that accomplishment will garner similar coverage? Somehow, I doubt it…

I have not been an ardent supporter of the “save” statistic in baseball for a long time. The entire concept of a “hold” is really stupid to me. Nevertheless, there is another pitching statistic that is kept today that is even worse; that would be the “Quality Start”. In order for a pitcher to record a “Quality Start” he has to finish six complete innings and surrender three or fewer earned runs. Imagine for a moment going up to Bob Gibson after he came out of a game in the top of the seventh inning having given up three runs and congratulating him on a “quality start”. His reaction would not have been a pretty one. Same goes I would suspect for (in alphabetical order): Steve Carleton, Bob Feller, Whitey Ford, “Catfish” Hunter, Sandy Koufax, Juan Marichal, Jim Palmer, Robin Roberts, Tom Seaver, Warren Spahn etc…

The NFL will try to generate some fan/attendance interest in the Pro Bowl this year by playing the game in Miami (where the Super Bowl game will be played) on the Sunday of the “dark week” in the playoff schedule. Yes, that means that players on the two Super Bowl teams will not be able to play but that really does not matter because at least a third of the players who are selected to play in that game find reasons not to play. Even with the lure of a free trip to Honolulu to play the game in Hawaii, loads of players found reasons to stay home.

The thinking seems to be that fans might come to Miami to see the Pro Bowl on January 31 and then stay in town to catch the Super Bowl the next Sunday – in person if they can score tix or at some super trendy club party in the area. Tickets for the Pro Bowl game can be had for as little as $38 at one reseller. (Seats up to $754 are also available for people with far more money than brains.) The “rub” here is that a fan would then have to spring for accommodations and incidental expenses for a full week in Miami during Super Bowl week where bargains might be difficult to come by.

Frankly, I do not see hordes of folks going to spend the week in Miami to see the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl because of cost factors and because tix to the Super Bowl game are mainly in the hands of “corporate partners” and “friends of the NFL”. And I surely do not see hordes of people flying down to Miami just to catch the Pro Bowl game; the stands in Honolulu were always at least 50% empty and Honolulu is at least as nice a place to go in the winter as Miami. So, maybe the NFL thinks it can get a near-capacity crowd for the game from the fan base in Miami itself? As René Descartes said before he disappeared in a puff of steam:

“I think not!”

Finally, here are two items from Greg Cote in the Miami Herald regarding events that led up to the start of the NFL season:

“Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson were battling this preseason for the right to take snaps behind an uncertain line and lead an offense that totaled 31 points in the 0-6 run that ended last year — an offense now minus suspended receiver Donte’ Stallworth. Did we mention the Browns’ defense is lousy, too?”

“Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones agreed to join the CFL’s Winnipeg team, which then rescinded the offer after he appeared shirtless on Ustream ranting about wanting NFL money and accidentally referring to the CFL as the ‘UFL.’ It qualified as a good week overall for Pacman, relative to being arrested again.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…

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