7:17 PM EDT Sunday, September 23 2007
The Yankees won today and the Sox lost, which has the Yankees 1.5 games back in the AL East. With the Sox off tomorrow, the Yankees could pull to within 1 game of the Sox with 6 to play. It's interesting how the wild card has changed things. People have noted quite a few parallels between this season and the 1978 season. One big difference is that if the Yankees and the Sox were tied, there would be no one game playoff and no Bucky Dent. In fact, there is very little left to play for in the AL. We know the Indians, Angels, Yankees and Sox will be the 4 teams in the playoffs AL, but they could be in any order, 1-4 seeds. Of course every team wants to get that number one seed, but I think all the teams think it is more important to get their starting rotation lined up. So it's too bad, this combined Yankees charge and Sox collapse basically means nothing. I was in New York this weekend, wanting to get an update on things, and every time I asked someone if the Sox won or lost, they all responded with a "who cares?". Everyone I talked to about it agreed on one thing, they don't want the Yankees to have to play the Angels in a 5 game series, which I totally agree with. The good thing about the wild card is that it lines up another possible Yankees v. Sox ALCS, which is something that could never happen without the wildcard.
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3:55 PM EDT Friday, September 21 2007
So after 2 weeks, I'm 14-15-3. It's nice to see the sports guy has come to the same conclusion that I have, which is that picking NFL games against the spread is a coin flip. I think that is what this exercise of me making picks each week has become; an attempt to prove the theory that picking NFL games correctly against the spread at a rate of above 60% is nearly impossible. But the show must go on...
BALTIMORE -9 over Arizona
McNair should be back at the helm, which should mean our offense should be a little more productive, although Boller played pretty well last week. Arizona will test our corners with Boldin and Fitzgerald though.
NEW ENGLAND -16.5 over Buffalo
New England looks unstoppable, Buffalo looks atrocious.
Detroit +5.5 over PHILADELPHIA
Again, 2 teams headed in opposite directions.
Indianapolis -6 over HOUSTON
I want to pick Houston, but Andre Johnson is out, and I'm not sure Houston has come this far yet.
JETS -3 over Miami
As much as this scares me, and as much as Miami has been a nemesis to the Jets, even with Fireman Ed out with a knee, I can't pick Miami. The Jets are too good to be 0-3. As you can imagine, I'm not to sure about this pick. Why can't the Mangenius just start Kellen Clemens and make this an easy pick?
Minnesota +3 over KANSAS CITY
San Diego -5 over GREEN BAY
One of the elite teams in the AFC against one of the middle of the pack teams of the NFC. This isn't hard.
PITTSBURGH -9.5 over San Francisco
St. Louis +3.5 over TAMPA BAY
I'm leaning towards St. Louis anyway, the 3.5 makes it an easy choice.
SEATTLE -3.5 over Cincinnati
I find this quote troublesome:
"They're put in the right spots," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Monday, repeatedly refusing to go into detail. "They just have to get it done, do it right consistently."
Although I hate the 3.5 points. I wish it was 2.5, I could see Seattle winning on a late field goal.
OAKLAND -3 over Cleveland
It's tough to imagine Cleveland winning on the road
DENVER -3 over Jacksonville
Straight from the Hoser:
From the "We Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department - Broncos kicker Jason Elam will be releasing his first novel, Monday Night Jihad, early next year. It's about a terrorism-fighting placekicker who also doubles as a supermodel - we believe it's based on the life of Toni Fritsch.
No, seriously.
Carolina -3.5 over ATLANTA
Atlanta doesn't scare anybody until they get Leftwich in there
WASHINGTON over N.Y. Giants +3.5
The Giants are totally dysfunctional right now. It's a wonder how Coughlin has made it this far.
Dallas +3 over CHICAGO
Dallas looks like they could be the team to beat in the NFC this year.
Tennessee +4 over NEW ORLEANS
What if last year was just a fluke, and New Orleans has reverted back to the perennially inept franchise that they are? Maybe this is the way it's going to be, that one NFC team plays just well enough each year to be 13-3 but have no legitimate shot at winning a super bowl team, and then just returns to mediocrity the next season? I predict Detroit is this year's version.
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7:18 PM EDT Saturday, September 15 2007
The Red Sox effectively clinched the division today, and Beckett effectively clinched the Cy Young. That's ok, A-Rod has had the MVP clinched for a while. But one thing that bothers me, and has for a while, is the way warnings work in baseball. When a Yankee pitcher accidentally hits Youkalis, on a 1-2 count in a 1-1 game with Big Papi on deck, on a Pitch Youk dove into the plate on (admittedly much like Jeter does), on a pitch he arguably swung at, and then Josh Beckett hits Youkalis' counter point Giambi with a first pitch fastball with 2 outs, nobody on and a 4 run lead, only the Sox should receive a warning. Why should the Yankees be penalized? What if the Yankees hit another batter, totally unintentionally? He is thrown out of the game because Beckett hit somebody on purpose? And automatic suspension are issued to Torre and the pitcher? I'm not saying Beckett shouldn't have hit Giambi, they've got to send a message with all that's happened with Youkalis, but again, why should the Yankees be penalized for this? If the Yankees bring in a guy and he pretty clearly throws at a Red Sox in retaliation, then the umpire can thrown him out of the game, but I don't think that both teams should receive a warning. Your team should only receive a warning if your team intentionally throws at someone.
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10:06 AM EDT Saturday, September 15 2007
XM and Sirius are trying to merge, but running into anticompetitive claims. Personally, I don't drive that much, and when I do I listen to music on an iPod or MP3 CD. I rarely listen to the radio, unless I'm trying to pick up local coverage of a baseball or football game while on a long trip. If I could get satellite radio for $10 a month that would give me every NFL, every MLB game, and Jam On, I would be sold. Until then, I will stick to their competitors, the iPod and FM radio.
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9:51 AM EDT Saturday, September 15 2007
Last night's improbable win, was amazing, but it means nothing unless the Yankees can sweep Boston. If they do, they will will be 2.5 games back, which is deficit that can be made up. After this series, the Yankees have 13 games left, Boston 12. And again, assuming a sweep, the Yankees would be 12-7 against Boston this year (after a 1-5 start), which gives them the tie-breaker for the division. If Yankees finish 10-3, which is totally feasible with 3 against Baltimore, 4 against Toronto, 3 at Tampa and 3 at Baltimore, and Boston finishes 7-5, which is probably less feasible with 3 at Toronto, 3 at Tampa, 2 against Oakland and 4 against Minnesota, they would finish in a tie at 96-66. With the tiebreaker, that gives the Yankees the division and possibly the #1 seed, if the Angels and the Indians each lose 5 or more in the remainder of the season. If all this happens, and the Yankees go on to win the world series, we'll look back on this game as one of the turning points. If not, at least it shows we can come back against Okajima and Papelbon.
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