NFL Week 17

Sunday will mark the end of anther NFL season.  This has been an unpredictable season, in which we have seen a lot happen from the return of Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson (could break the single season rushing record with 208 yds rushing on sunday) to Tim Tebow.  Some of the playoffs are set, we know the six AFC teams they're just playing for seeding.  Over in the NFC we know four of the six playoff teams, the NFC east will be decided when Washington and Dallas play sunday night and the second wild card can be any one of four teams depending on the outcome of a few games.  Week 17 will defiantly be interesting as we have some races coming down to the end and we need to find out who plays who where.  

Week 17 Picks:
1)  The Miami Dolphins played the New England Patriots close the last time they played but this week they travel to Foxboro, MA where I don't see the Patriots loosing going into the playoffs with a possible No. 1 seed on the line.  I'll take the New England Patriots (-10) at home.  NE Patriots -10
2)  The Chicago Bears have a lot of talent and have been somewhat under performing at 9-6 and have been bitten recently by the injury bug to key players,  the Detroit Lions have talent and are up and coming.  I'll go with the Detroit Lions (+3) over the Chicago Bears at home.  Detroit Lions +3
3)  Peyton Manning has returned to lead to Broncos into the playoffs, the Kansas City Chiefs are a bad team that will most likely end up with the worst record in the league and the first pick in the NFL draft.  I'll pick the Denver Broncos (-16) over the Kansas City Chiefs in the mile high city.  Denver Broncos -16    
4)  The three ring circus that is the New York Jets continues with Mark Sanchez getting another start over Tim Tebow for the concussed Greg McElroy.  The Jets have issues and will probally change personell in the offseason, the Buffalo Bills once again have pieces but are one again unable to put it together.  I'll pick the Buffalo Bills (-3) to knock off the NY Jets at home in adverse conditions.  Buffalo Bills -3
5) The New York Giants will try to salvage their season after another disappointing game.  The Giants have not won many close games this season, all of their wins have come by at least four points and they haven't had may deep postseason runs either they either don't make the playoffs (occasionally they loose Wild Card Weekend) or win the Super Bowl they don't have many NFC Championship games runs and losses.  The Giants have to salvage pride (Osi, Tuck and JPP the pass rushers on defense who haven't shown up on a consistent basis need to show up for a postseason run) on Sunday, win and get help against the Philadelphia eagles who have a lot of talent but have underachieved.  I'll pick the NY Giants (-7) (to show up and play like they want something) over the Philadelphia Eagles at Met life Stadium.  NY Giants -7
A Giants win + Bear loss + Viking loss + Cowboys loss = playoffs            

NFL Week 16

We have now made it all the way to week 16, and are almost through this unpredictable NFL season.  Just when you think a team is on a roll, they lose and there is now a three way tie in the NFC east.

Week 16 Picks:
1)  The Tennessee Titians have had some luck this year, the Green Bay Packers are getting guys back for the playoffs and at least for this week the reduced role of Jeff Saturday will not hurt the Pack.  I'll take the Green Bay Packers (-12.5) at home over the Tennessee Titans.  Green Bay Packers -12.5
2) The Indianapolis Colts are trying to make a playoff run behind the impressive rookie Andrew Luck and well the Kansas City Chiefs are making a bid for the first pick of the NFL Draft.  I'll take the Indianapolis Colts (-7) in Kansas City over the Chiefs.  Indianapolis Colts -7
3) The Chicago Bears have been impressive but have stumbled a bit of late, the Arizona Cardinals have not been a very good team all year.  I'll take the Chicago Bears (-5.5) on the road in Arizona over the Cardinals.  Chicago Bears -5.5
4) the New York Jets continue to be a loosing three ring circus, they got eliminated from the playoffs last week and decided to change quarterbacks and benched Mark Sanchez in favor of third stringer Greg McElroy skipping right over Tim Tebow.  This week the Jets welcome in the underachieving San Diego Chargers who will probably be saying good bye to Norv Turner in a couple weeks.  I'll go with the San Diego Chargers (+2) over the NY Jets in a game someone has to win because I can't go with the Jets I know they'll disappoint.   San Diego Chargers +2 
5)  The New York Football Giants laid a big old egg last week in Atlanta, just when you think their playing well they lose to Washington (bad) and Atlanta. (bad)  The Giants might only played two or three compete games all year but I am one of those people who believe Eli and company know what their up against, the are the defending Super Bowl Champions.  This week they travel to face a beat up not who they say they are (always choke) Baltimore Ravens team who changed coordinators just a few weeks ago.  I'll take the NY Giants (-2) in Baltimore against a Raven team that doesn't have its whole act together.  NY Giants -2         

NFL week 15

We'v come to week 15 in what has become a very interesting NFL season.  Many teams can secure trips to the playoffs this week.  In the AFC the division winners are pretty much set.  Some NFC divisions can be decided this weekend, the East and North are still very competitive and will go down to the wire.

Week 15: picks
This was a hard week to pick games, it's showdown Sunday with a bunch of good match ups on tap.
1)  The New Orleans Saints did not look good last week in their high scoring loss to the Giants, they turned the ball over and their special teams did not look good at all.  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have surprised some people this year and are in contention for a Wild-card.  I'll take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3.5) over the New Orleans Saints in the Big Easy.  Tampa Bay Bucs +3.5 
2)  The Seattle Seahawks have been good and somewhat surprising behind rookie QB Russell Wilson, the Buffalo Bills have been an up and down team but more down as of late.  I'll take the Seattle Seahawks (-5.5) over the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park.  Seattle Seahawks -5.5 
3)  The Denver Broncos travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens, both are in the playoff race (Denver's in) I would say the Broncos are more complete.  I'll take the Denver Broncos (-3) over the Baltimore Ravens on the road.  Denver Broncos -3
4) The New York Jets got a win vs. the lowly Jaguars last week but now face a slightly better opponent in the Tennessee Titans on a week when they go back and forth on whether Tim Tebow is going to play.  I think the Jets are to disorganized against a formidable opponent,  I'll take the Tennessee Titans (-1.5) over the NY Jets at home.  Tennessee Titans -1.5
5)  The New York Giants looked good last week in David Wilson's coming out party, their defense did give up to many easy scores late.  Ahmad Bradshaw is going to sit out this week but if Wilson's the same guy it won't be a problem, the receiving core is ready to go as the team travels to Atlanta to take on the Falcons.  The Falcons are still one of the best teams in the league but have be a little pores of late.  I'll take the NY Giants (+1.5) on the road against the Atlanta Falcons.  NY Giants +1.5                    

NFL week:14

We now enter the final quarter of the football season. The same old dogs seem as though they're going to make playoff runs in the AFC, at least the divisions have shaken out to be mostly the same as last season.  Things are still being decided in the NFC as we have some good races going on, such as the New York Giants and Washington Redskins in the East.   This is when the races get really exciting.
Week 14 picks:
1) The Carolina Panthers are a team with talent but young and still going through some growing pains, wile the Atlanta Falcons have come back to the pack a bit but are still one of the best teams in football.  I'll take the Atlanta Falcons (-3.5) over the Carolina Panthers.  Atlanta Falcons -3.5
2) The San Francisco 49ers despite some quarterback controversary are a good team, wile the Miami Dolphins have been on the right end of some good luck.  I'll take the San Francisco 49ers (-10) at home over the Miami Dolphins.   San Francisco 49ers -10   
3) The Arizona Cardinals benched their quarterback after last weeks awful game with the New York Jets not that the rest of the Cardinals are a great team,  the Seattle Seahawks have been a good team especially at home and rookie Russell Wilson has been impressive.  I'll take the Seattle Seahawks (-10) at home over the Arizona Cardinals.    Seattle Seahawks -10 
4) The New York Jets played a miserable game last week in which quarterback Mark Sanchez was benched for Greg McElroy and Tim Tebow didn't even dress, luckily the Jets get a bad Jaguar team this week.  I'll take the NY Jets (-3) over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  NY Jets -3
5) The New York Giants after looking great coming off the bye looked a tick off last week and committed to many penalties, they play a New Orleans Saints team that has come back to the pack and is fighting for the playoffs after being bad early. I'll take the NY Giants (-5) at home to knock off the New Orleans Saints and continue marching towards the playoffs.  NYGiants -5    

NFL Week 13

Its now week 13 in a topsy turvy NFL season.  Things are getting fun once again as we start the playoff push.  Last nights game was interesting as the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints as Drew Brees turned the ball over 5 times.

Week 13 picks:
1)  The Chicago bears defense is back and the offense is good to, the Seattle Seahawks can be dangerous at home but not on the road.  I'll take the Chicago Bears (-3.5) over the Seattle Seahawks at home at Soldier Field.  Chicago Bears -3.5 
2) The Green Bay Packers have had their problems at times they can be slightly off at times,  the Minnesota Vikings are not very good right now and they're not the same without Percy Harvin who may be out again.  I'll take the Green Bay Packers (-8) over the Minnesota Vikings at home. Green Bay Packers -8
3)  You can score on the New England Patriots defense but their offense is excellent, the Miami Dolphins can be good when called upon but not this week.  I'll take the New England Patriots (-7.5) in Miami over the Miami Dolphins.  NE Patriots -7.5 
4) The New York Jets looked terrible in their thanksgiving game and Tim Tebow has broken ribs, the Arizona Cardinals have all sorts of problems and are now playing Ryan Lindley in a revolving door at their quarterback position.  In a game that could go either way I'll go with the NY Jets (-4.5) at home over the Arizona Cardinals.  NY Jets -4.5               
5)  The New York Giants are back their defense played well (Osi, Tuck and JPP are back) and Eli was impressive in their blowout win over the Packers on Sunday night, the Washington Redskins come in with an impressive rookie quarterback and playing well off a Thanksgiving win over the Cowboys.  I'll take the NY Giants (-2.5) to get the win in Washington against the Redskins on Monday night and they'll take a commanding lead in the division. NY Giants -2.5       

NFL Week 12

It's not only week 12 in the NFL, but is thanksgiving.  There are a bunch of thanksgiving traditions starting with turkey and mashed potatoes stuffing, gravy, pie and of course there is football.  The NFL brings us three games on this holiday, although the quality of play on these Thursday affairs hasn't been great, maybe it's not enough off time and the lack of practice time (especially if you have to fly) it is no secret that guys don't like Thursday games.  Aside from us getting together and giving thanks on this holiday there are some good football games in the next five days, some teams have to win to keep their playoff hopes alive and some playing spoiler.  The Chicago Bears will hopefully bounce back from that dreadful performance against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, and by the way there is a quarterback controversary between Smith and Kaepernick for the 49ers now.  The byes for all team are over with and we can start the stretch run.      

Week 12 Picks:
1) The Dallas cowboys should have lost to the Cleveland Browns last week but the browns beat themselves more then the cowboys won.  Dallas who coming on strong in the division but has a hurriedness offensive line hosts the Washington Redskins, who are not bad but give up a lot of passing yards, in the second game on thanksgiving.  Dallas has a good record when playing on Thanksgiving but I am going to go with the Washington Redskins (+3) to upset the Dallas Cowboys.  Washington Redskins +3
2) The Indianapolis Colts have been a bit of a surprise under the rookie Andrew Luck and at 6-3 are not out of it, the Buffalo Bills have been a bit of an up and down team.  I'll take the Indianapolis Colts (-3) at home over the Buffalo Bills.  Indianapolis Colts -3
3)  Payton Manning has come all the way back from missing all of last season to have the Denver Broncos in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt, the Kansas City Chiefs just can't get out of their own way and hold one of the worst records in the league.  I'll take the Denver Broncos over the Chiefs (-10) in Kansas City.  Denver Broncos -10 
4)  The New England Patriots despite having a porous defense visit the New York Jets on Thanksgiving and if Rex Ryan and the Jets Tebow-less offense aren't ready the Patriots could put a boat load of points up on the board despite loosing a tight end last week but they might get the other one back.  I'll take the New England Patriots (-7) on the road over the (-7) NY Jets.  NE Patriots -7  
5)  The New York Giants who come off their bye host the Green Bay Packers.  The Giants had a week off to get things back together and now they have to show it, the defensive line has to come back as well as Eli who has not thrown a touchdown pass in three weeks.  The Packers have been banged up and Aaron Rodgers has now been as crisp as he can be but they are a formidable team thats getting healthy.  I'll take the NY Giants (-3) to get back to they're winning ways and beat the Green Bay Packers at home in the Meadowlands.  NY Giants -3      

MLB Postseason Awards

Last week Major League Baseball announced their postseason awards.  Mike Trout of the L.A Angels and Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals were clear winners of the American and National League, Rookie of the Year.  The Next day Davey Johnson who led the Nationals to a 98 win season and a division title, won Manager of the Year for the second time in his career as he brought DC its first postseason run in 79 years.  Over in the American League Bob Melvin who guided the young Oakland Athletics to 94 wins and an AL West title on the final day of the regular season won the award.  In AL MVP (Most Valuable Player) voting Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, who won the first Triple Crown in 45 years beat out Rookie of the Year winner Mike Trout, in a vote that was not as close as some expected.  Over in the NL, Buster Posey of the World Champion San Francisco Giants took home the award.  As for the Cy Young, in the AL Tampa Bay Rays lefty beat out the Tigers Justin Verlander to take home the hardware.  In the NL Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets who led the league in strikeouts and ranked second in wins and ERA took the award, to become the first Knuckleballer to win a Cy Young.  Now after another Marlins fire sale (the Miami Marlins traded everyone who makes any money to the Toronto Blue Jays for prospects) we begin the long winter, as we wait to see what free agency brings.        

NFL Week 11

Its week 11 in the NFL and many teams go into it banged up at the quarterback position.  Four teams have quarterbacks out with injuries, three concussions and at least three of them will go into this week with back-ups.  Most of these teams with injured quarterbacks are in the thick of the playoff race, now the playoff picture may be built at least partially by the second string QB.  Michael Vick was heading down the road towards a possible benching in Philadelphia we'll now see what Nick Foles can do with Vick out.  Jason Campbell will start for the Bears in Chicago, in place of Jay Cutler this week.  Ben Roethlisberger is not a concussion but he might be out longer then the others with a broken rib, Byron Leftwich will star for Pittsburgh in the meantime.  Alex Smith is the one who may be cleared to play in the 49ers monday night game vs. the Bears and their back-up.  Concussions are a tricky injury in which symptoms can show up at any time and you don't want to rush your comeback due to the fact that you may be more susceptible to a second one if you come back to soon.  Whenever you go out of a game with a concussion you have to be cleared by an independent neurologist before you can com back.  we are almost three quarters of the way through the season and in a league predicated on how teams deal with injuries, the playoff picture (we can start looking at playoff seeding next week) might be defined by back-up quarterbacks.  how long will guys be out with injuries, how will others step up, this will be fun.
Week 11 picks:
1)  The Arizona Cardinals play has suffered of late with inconsistent line play, while the Atlanta Falcons are in the top 5 teams in the league and weren't handed their first loss until last week they have playmakers on both sides of the ball.  I'll take the Atlanta Falcons (-9.5) at home over the Arizona Cardinals.   Atlanta Falcons -9.5
2) The Jacksonville Jaguars are a bad team who can't get it going this season, while the Houston Texans are arguably the best team in the NFL (that could change from week to week) right now with only 1 loss, they are a team that can probably go anywhere and beat any one.  This week the Texans are home, I'll take the Houston Texans (-15) at home over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Houston Texans -15 
3)  The Cleveland Browns are a young team with an old rookie quarterback, while the Dallas Cowboys have run into some bad luck and some injuries.  I'll go with the Dallas Cowboys (-7.5) to win over the Cleveland Browns at home and keep themselves in the playoff hunt.  Dallas Cowboys -7.5 
4) The New York Jets are in denial about their team, since they think they still have a chance at salvaging this year.  They clearly undermined their quarterback by singing Tim Tebow, who's media circus they've kept down and their defense despite some injuries isn't very good, and their 3-6.  This week the hapless NY Jets who need something positive to go their way are on the road to face a listless St. Louis Ram team which is not very good but quite frankly the Jets might not be better.  I'll go with the NY Jets (+3.5) on the road in St. Louis because if you can't beat the Rams who can you beat.  NY Jets +3.5 
The New York Giants have the bye to rest up, (played 11 straight games give or take the preseason) get Eli right, and find their pass rush. They'll be all right, every year including last year, they got off to a fast start then their season dipped in the second half and they went on to win the Super Bowl.                                  

NFL week 10

This NFL season is flying by as we enter week 10.  We have some good story lines though as Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez lead the undefeated Atlanta Falcons, the Houston Texans are having their best start in franchise history, the New York Giants are good and had a 6-2 first half can they avoid another second half collapse and win 10-12 games (I hope so), the Chicago bears have a fearsome defense.
Week 10 picks:
1)  The New England Patriots and Tom Brady usually find a way on offense but you can score on that somewhat porous defense,  the Buffalo Bills have a 5-3 record but the injury bug has bit them lately.  The Patriots are the better team in this on, I'll take the New England Patriots (-11) over the Buffalo Bills up in Foxboro.  New England Patriots -11
2)  The Oakland Raiders are not a very good 3-5 team, the Baltimore Ravens are a good team that despite some injuries on the defensive side of the ball normally has a good D.  I'll take the Baltimore Ravens (-7.5) at home in this one over the Oakland Raiders. Baltimore Ravens -7.5 
3)  The San Francisco 49ers are on the cusp of being one of the best teams in the NFL, while the St. Louis Rams have yet to put it all together.  I like the San Francisco 49ers (-11) over the St. Louis Rams in San Fran.  San Francisco 49ers -11
4) The New York Jets have had a week off to regroup and maybe figure out how to use Tim Tebow in the offense more.  The Jets have had injuries on both sides of the ball and a sputtering offense at times, this weeks game is in Seattle to play the Seahawks where they have the benefit of the 12th man and Russell Wilson has been I think a surprise.  I'll take the Seattle Seahawks (-6) at home in Seattle over the NY Jets.  Seattle Seahawks -6  
5)  The New York Giants had a 10 point lead going into the final quarter last week and Pittsburgh scored 10 unanswered to win, were the Giants not as prepared maybe Hurricane Sandy might have had something to do with them not being as prepare but once your on the field its all X and O's and numbers and angles.  The NY Giants have to get right in a hurry and win one before their bye week, we don't want to spend the week talking about a second half collapse.  The Giants play a Cincinnati Bengals teams that isn't playing great on both sides of the ball.  I believe the Giants can get right and they'll do it this week going int the bye, I'll take the NY Giants (-3.5) over the Bengals in Cincinnati.  NY Giants -3.5                       

NFL week 9

We've reached week 9 in a very interesting NFL season.  Some people aren't very focused on football this weekend after hurricane Sandy, for those sports provide a diversion from getting back to normal.
Week 9: picks
1)  The Green Bay Packers have had some injury problems but those guys are coming back and the Packers are going to become their usual force especially at home, the Arizona Cardinals started off well but have struggled of late.  I'll take the Green Bay Packers (-10) over the Arizona Cardinals in Green Bay.  Green Bay Packers -10   
2)  The Chicago Bears can be a tricky team at times with a jackal and hyde quarterback but there defense is a force,  the Tennessee Titans are a young team who have played some tight games.  I'll go with the Chicago Bears (-3.5) on the road over the Arizona cardinals.  Chicago Bears - 3.5
3)  The Seattle Seahawks have become a good home team and have an exciting young quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings are young and I don't like them go into see the 12th man.  I'll take the Seattle Seahawks (-4) at home over the Minnesota Vikings.   Seattle Seahawks -4  
4)  The New York Giants hung on last week by a hand in Dallas and have become one of the top 5 NFL teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a tough physical team.  I'll take the NY Giants (-3) at home over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  NY Giants -3  

power rankings:
1) New York Giants
2) Atlanta Falcons
3) Houston Texans
4) Chicago Bears
5) Green Bay Packers
6) Baltimore Ravens  

World Series wrap, free agency

The San Francisco Giants beat the slumping Detroit Tigers to clam their second World Series title in three years.  The lowest rated World Series ever (according to bleaherreport.com) was a four game sweep.  The Tigers who weren't hitting great in the ALCS against the Yankees (that series was who hit more) had 20 hits and scored six runs in four games against the Giants.  The Giants had the deeper pitching staff and maybe a deeper team all together.
As of monday 127 MLB players filed for free agency, there are some good one's out there.  The Yankees have a bunch off free agents and might look a bit different next year.  Nick Swisher should not be back, he doesn't hit in October and its about Championships in Yankeeland.  Pettitte has to talk to his family about coming back, but he got injured so he didn't really pitch much this year and he might want more same with Rivera.  Hiroki Kuroda was a nice stabilizing force in the middle of the rotation and I would like to see him back.  Russell Martin did a good job behind the plate I wouldn't mind bringing him back, I can't see giving the starting job to Austin Romine, Cervelli or Stewart at this point.   In other places around the league in Boston Daisuke Matsuzaka is free and a lower level team might take a chance on him or he might go back to Japan his days in Boston are done as they are going to a bit of a transition phase.  Zach Grienke is an interesting one as he can be a difference maker on the right team, I don't see any of the big markets going after him, maybe a Houston who's coming to the American League wants to make a splash maybe he goes back to Milwaukee.  Jason Giambi is interesting because he is winding down is career and it looks like he has a shot a being the manager in Colorado.  The best guy out there may be, Josh Hamilton who is a tricky one because he can be a difference maker (all-star) when healthy, he has not played more than 150 games since 2009, drugs are making his body break down.  I don't think he's going back to Texas it seemed he burned to many bridges there, there is a very limited market for him because of his drug and alcohol use, so the major markets won't be in the market of him, maybe San Francisco, Houston, I wonder if Cincinnati is a player.                            

Week 8 NFL

We have now reached week 8 in what has been a interesting NFL season.  A bunch of teams are around .500 and no one is really dominant, as we go into the second half of the NFL season.

Week 8 picks:

1)   The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the worst teams in the league and lost their quarterback to a separated shoulder last week, while the Green Bay Packers are a little banged up but have one of the best quarterbacks in the game.  I’ll take the Green Bay Packers (-15.5) at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Green Bay Packers -15.5

2)   The Chicago Bears once again have a great defense, while the Carolina Panthers seem to be going through some growing pains with a young quarterback.  I’ll take the Chicago Bears (-8) at home over the Carolina Panthers.  Chicago Bears -8

3)   The San Francisco 49ers have been regarded as one of the best teams in football, while the Arizona Cardinals have ruin into trouble the past few weeks.  I’ll go with the San Francisco 49ers (-7) on the road against the Arizona Cardinals.   San Francisco 49ers -7  

4)   The New York Jets have yet to stat the most overrated player (according to SI) and last week seemed like they were playing not to lose on the road in overtime, the Jets have done okay in their division but at 3-4 could be heading down the wrong road.  The Miami Dolphins who have been up and down and hanging in their with a rookie quarterback at 3-3.  I am going to go with the Miami Dolphins (+2) over the NY Jets at MetLife Stadium.  Miami Dolphins +2

5)   The New York Giants are coming off a great win in a back and forth game against Washington in which they got their first division win.  Eli Manning to Victor Cruz has become a good combination.  The Giants are on the road in the division again this week as they face a Dallas Cowboy team which got some bad injury news this week, although the Cowboys always play the Giants well their not the force they once were.   I’ll take the NY Giants (-1.5) over the Dallas Cowboys in Big D.  NY Giants -1.5                     

NFL Week 7

The season is flying by, as we've made it all the way to week 7.  Now that baseball in New York is over with the Yankee loss, its time to turn more attention to football.  This is a football season without a dominant team, there are a couple teams with one and two losses but no one is undefeated.
Week 7 picks:
1) Andrew Luck has been impressive at the helm of the Indianapolis Colts offense, while the Cleveland Browns go in struggling.  I'll take the Indianapolis Colts (-2) at home over the Cleveland Browns.   Indianapolis Colts -2
2)  The Baltimore Ravens com into this one banged up in their secondary, while the Houston Texans have had injuries but other guys have stepped up for what is on of the only one loss teams in the league.      I'll take the Houston Texans (-6.5) at home over the Baltimore Ravens in this one.  Houston Texans -6.5 
3)  The St. Louis Rams are a young team that is still building but has surprised some people, while the Green Bay Packers just find a way week after week.  I'll take the Green Bay Packers (-5) on the road over the St. Louis Rams in this match of 3-3 teams. Green Bay Packers -5 
4)  The New York Giants come off a great momentum building win in San Francisco where Ahmad Bradshaw once agin gained 100 yards to go over the century mark.  The Giants are now faced wit the task of getting their first division win as they host the Washington Redskins and their rookie quarterback who has been impressive at times.  I'll take the NY Giants (-6) to get their first division win, Sunday at 1 against the Washington Redskins.  NY Giants -6         
5)  The New York Jets are up in New England to play the Patriots, and they are so banged up that their have been reports that Tim Tebow might play Running Back or Tight End.  Wherever Tebow plays it doesn't matter, Tom Brady's still the Quarterback of the Patriots, I'll take the New England Patriots (-10.5) at home over the NY Jets.  New England Patriots -10.5     

Yankee wrap

Pitching wins in the Postseason, but our offense still has to put you ahead on the scoreboard.   The Yankees squeaked by Baltimore to win the Division Series.  They were 2 blown saves by Jim Johnson and a couple Raul Ibanez home runs away from a first round defeat.  They were swept by Detroit in the American League Championship Series, (ALCS) primarily because their bats went cold.  I have never seen so many good hitters all go cold at once.  A-Rod (3-23 in Postseason), Swisher (4-26), Cano (3-36), Texiera (9-29) and Granderson (3-29) couldn't hit a ball placed if it was placed on a tee for them.  Texiera has never hit in the Postseason but his glove partly makes up for it, who knows what happened to Cano he's an All-Star who just went cold, same with Granderson, Swisher has not been a great Postseason hitter either and fans can say whatever they want but he won't be back with them next year, A-Rod has worn out his welcome here and after being benched a couple times in the Postseason I think he can come back, if he and the organization work things out to make sure all the bad blood is gone, next year but they have to try and get rid of him.  At the beginning of the season all the talk was do they have enough pitching the offense wasn't supposed to be the problem, well some where along the line things got crossed because there was nothing wrong with the pitching.  There has been nothing wrong with they're pitching, Sabathia, Pettitte, Kuroda and Hughes all gave really good pitching performances, their bullpen was good to.  When you have good pitching your offense has to back it up and that didn't happen with the Yankees.  Tell it like it is, this Postseason loss is on the offense not the pitching and not the injuries.
Spring Training is just around the corner, Rivera and Jeter will be back.  They have some decisions to make before then though pitching is always a must.  There are a lot of decisions to be made on free-agents, thats a lot of the team.  In all likelihood Nick Swisher has played his last game with New York, he's a good regular season hitter but can't produce in October and has now burned bridges with fans.  Alex Rodriguez has been benched and pinch hit for this Postseason, he has lost his ability to hit a lot which forced his managers hand.  I think A-Rod can come back, I don't think he's burned to many bridges but if some one will take his contract, it would be better to get him out of town.  The Yankees might have to eat a hefty sum of the remaining years and money on the contract.  At this point it would be not be a bad idea to cut their losses.  Cano, Martin, Pettitte and Rivera are some others.  Spring Training is right around the corner, but they have decisions to make before then.                        

NFL Week 6

Its week six already in what is proving to be a very interesting NFL season.

Week 6 picks:
1)  The Oakland Raiders are a bad team and well the Atlanta Falcons at 5-0 are one of the best teams in the NFL.  I'll take the Atlanta Falcons (-9.5) over the Oakland Raiders.  Atlanta Falcons -9.5  
2) The Buffalo Bills have been one of those up and down teams that I don't really know what to make of while the Arizona Cardinals have been a surprise.  I'll take the Arizona Cardinals (-4) over the Buffalo Bills at home.  Arizona Cardinals -4 
3)  The Green Bay Packers have kind of been a funky team so far this season while the Houston Texans are undefeated.  I'll take the Houston Texans (-3) over the Green Bay Packers.  Houston Texans -3 
4) The New York Jets haven't been able to get much going this season and will probably have Tim Tebow start for them at quarterback soon.  Andrew Luck has been a good rookie so far this season, with an impressive win last week.  I'll take the Indianapolis Colts (+3) over the NY Jets at Metlife Stadium.  Indianapolis Colts +3  
5) The New York Giants are coming off an impressive win last week but now they face a tough test in the San Francisco 49ers, who have a lot of weapons.  I don't like the line in this game but I'll go with the San Fransisco 49ers (-6.5) over the NY Giants at home.  San Francisco 49ers -6.5      

MLB Playoffs

As we enter baseballs second season, every team in the postseason has a shot at winning it all.  We have the New York Yankees in the playoffs again along with some feel good stories in Washington, Baltimore and Oakland.
The New York Yankees are I think peaking at the right time, they've been hot for about the past six weeks.  The Yankees got their key injured players back, Sabathia, Pettitte, Texiera.  Swisher and Cano have been hot and Ichiro is dynamic.  In the past Nick Swisher has not hit in the post season but now they can sit him and play Ichiro and Ibanez.  Edguardo Nunez might also be a spark off the bench for them.  I think the fact that the Yankees had to go all the way down to game 162 in order to win the A.L East, basically play playoff games for six weeks will help them.  In the first round the Yankees will face  the Baltimore Orioles.  The Orioles are a nice story, they haven't had a winning season since '97 and had to win the Wild Card game to get here.  Buck Showalter has done a nice job with the team, he has looked liked a proud papa as he watched them celebrate.  I'll take the Yankees in four games in this, the playoff pressure might get to the orioles.
The Oakland Athletics are another good story, a young team with a rookie pitching staff.  Oakland surprised some people in winning the A.L West this year, they were being built for a couple years down the line.  They play the Detroit Tigers who have a lot of talent with their good pitching, triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera and Prince fielder.  The Tigers had to fight just to win their division and get here.   I am going to go with the Athletics in this one, they can keep it going, Oakland in four.
ALCS: New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics, Yankees over A's
The Cincinnati Reds have an all around good team with a talented pitching staff, Aroldis Chapman at the end and Joey Votto.  The Reds play the San Francisco Giants who find ways to win, even after Melky Cabera's suspension. I'll go with the Cincinnati Reds in this one, Reds in four.  
The Washington Nationals are a good story, playoff baseball in Washington for the first time in 60+ years.  Washington still has a good pitching staff and a few key guys on offense but the real key will be how far can they get without Steven Strasburg.  The Nationals face the St. Louis Cardinals who come in as the defending World Series Champions after defeating the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card game.  I'll take the Washington Nationals in this one, Nationals in five.
NLCS: Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds, Reds over Nationals
World Series: New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds.
                  

NFL: week 5

As we enter week 5 of the NFL season, the pretenders and contenders are starting to emerge. 

Week 5 picks: 

1)   The Chicago Bears come into Jacksonville with their great defense and weapons on offense, the Jaguars come in struggling.  I’ll take the Chicago bears (-4.5) on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Chicago Bears -4.5

2)   San Francisco looks unstoppable with their many offensive weapons, while the Buffalo Bills are a different story one week to the next.  I’ll take the San Francisco 49ers (-9.5) over the Buffalo Bills.  San Francisco 49ers -9.5          

3)   The Cincinnati Bengals have been somewhat of a surprising team so far; the Dolphins are young and will go through some growing pains throughout the season.   I’ll take the Cincinnati Bengals (-3) over the Miami Dolphins at home.  Cincinnati Bengals -3  

4)   The NY Jets are 2-2, but somewhat of a mess, they have lost their best corner and receiver for the season and they have turned the ball over a little too much.  I think if you’re a Jets fan and things don’t turn around soon it might be time for a quarterback change, Tim Tebow anyone.   On Monday night they play the Houston Texans who might be the best team in the AFC.  The Jets are over matched in this one; I’ll take the Houston Texans (-9) over the NY Jets.   Houston Texans -9  

5)    The NY Giants come off a narrow loss to the Eagles by a few yards, a offensive pass interference penalty set up a field goal by Lawrence Tynes that landed just short, the Cleveland Browns com in winless but with a developing rookie quarterback.  I’ll take the Giants (-9) over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon.   NY Giants -9

NFL: Week 4

After monday nights debacle in Seattle, where Seattle was awarded the game winning touchdown on a clear interception, (the replacements called it simultaneous posession which gave the ball to the offense) a couple days later we got the real referees back.  The New Orleans Saints are showing us what life is like without a head coach.  The Saints are 0-3 and quarterback Drew Brees does not look like the same person.  The New York Giants showed their depth and the New York Jets lost cornerback Darell Revis for the season.
Week 4 Picks:
1)  Cam Newton has not looked the same as last year and neither have the Carolina Panthers. The Atlanta Falcons are one of the best teams in football right now.  I'll take the Atlanta Falcons (-7) over the Carolina panthers in this one.  Atlanta Falcons -7  
2)  The Tennessee Titans are a young team that despite a decent record will take its lumps throughout the season, while the Houston Texans are one of the best teams in the AFC.  I'll take the Houston Texans (-12) over the Tennessee Titans in Houston.  Houston Texans -12 
3) The Arizona Cardinals have shown some muscle with an 3-0 record on the season, while the Miami Dolphins are young and breaking in a new quarterback.  I'll take the Arizona Cardinals (-5.5) over the Miami dolphins in Arizona.   Arizona Cardinals -5.5
4) Last weel the NY Jets lost a cornerback for the season and I don't see life getting any easier this week as they host the San Francisco 49ers.  I'll go with the San Francisco 49ers (-3.5) over the NY Jets in the Meadowlands.    San Francisco 49ers -3.5  
5) The NY Giants who showed their depth in a win over Carolina, (and showed us something) visit an up and down Philadelphia Eagle team on Sunday Night.  I'll take the NY Giants (+2.5) over the Philadelphia Eagles.  NY Giants +2.5           

NFL week 3

Well it’s Week 3 and now that we enter, what I say is the grind of the season (weeks 3-12) we start to separate the good from the bad.  With only six undefieted teams, there is great parity in the league.  Week 3 got off to a good start on Thursday with some new stars emerging, on a banged up NY Giants team which was playing without many of its stars, as the New York Giants went into Carolina and beat the Panthers handily.

Week 3 Picks:

 1)The Chicago Bears have a great defense and although the St. Louis Rams are improving, it won’t be this week.  I’ll take the Chicago Bears (-7) at home over the St. Louis Rams.  Chicago Bears -7  

2)   The San Francisco 49ers are one of the best teams in football and the Minnesota Vikings are young and learning.  I’ll take the San Francisco 49ers (-6.5) over the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota.  San Francisco 49ers -6.5    

3)   The Tennessee Titans are another young team and the Detroit Lions have all the tools.  I’ll take the Detroit Lions (-3.5) over the Tennessee Titans in Tennessee.  Detroit Lions -3.5

4)   The New York Jets looked good one week and bad the next, I don’t know if they’ve shown their real identity yet there better than the Miami Dolphins.   I’ll take the NY Jets (-2) on the road over the Miami Dolphins.  NY Jets -2      

NFL Week 2

Its week two of the NFL season and we're still learning about most teams.  Some teams looked bad, some looked good but it takes about 2-3 NFL games to find out about your team.
NFL Picks:
1)  The New York Giants welcome in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Giants did not look great last week but it's early.  I'll take the NY Giants (-7) over Tampa Bay in Greg Schiano return to Jersey.  NY Giants -7 
2) At this point New England is a good team, while Arizona is going through quarterback problems.  I'll take the New England Patriots (-13.5) over the Arizona Cardinals.  New England Patriots -13.5
3) The Dallas Cowboys won last week behind an improved Tony Romo, this week the visit the Seattle Seahawks who weren't great at the quarterback spot last week.  I'll go with the Cowboys (-3) on the road over the Seahawks.  Dallas Cowboys -3      
4) The New York Jets I think surprised some people last week, Pittsburgh is going to be pumped up for this one at home after loosing last week.  I'll take the Pittsburgh Steelers (-5) over the New York Jets in Pittsburgh.    Pittsburgh Steelers -5 
5)  I'll pick the Houston Texans (-7) over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacksonville isn't very good and Houston is a Super Bowl pick. Houston Texans -7   

nf

NFL week: 1

We made it through the opening game of the 2012 football season.  The Giants looked out of sorts in a way, they had a nice scoring drive in the fourth quarter and I felt they might have been able to mount a comeback attempt if they were able to get the ball back.  The Cowboys overcame their injuries and put on a good showing, Tony Romo looked like I had never seen him before, he had renewed confidence in the team around him.  The NFL dodged a bullet by getting through the first game, with the replacement officials without any major blown calls.  

week: 1
1)  The Chicago Bears have improved their team this offseason even with Andrew Luck quarterbacking the Indianapolis Colts the Bears (-10) will prove to tough in this one.  Chicago Bears -10
2)  It was ruled today that commissioner Goodell didn't have the authority to suspend players for bounty-gate.  The New Orleans Saints are going to be better than people think, they still have a good team.  Robert Griffin III will struggle in his debut with the Washington Redskins.  That being said in this one I'll take the Saints (-7.5) at home over the Redskins.  New Orleans Saints -7.5
3)  Payton Manning is now in Denver where he will guide the Broncos.  Although the Pittsburgh Steelers are good, Payton manning will have fun breaking in his new cast of characters.  I'll go with the Denver Broncos (-1.5) at home over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Denver Broncos -1.5  
4) Tebow-mania starts this week for the Jets.  We don't really know what Tim Tebow is going to do for the Jets yet, but he could add another dimension to that team.  The Buffalo Bills are going to be good but we don't know how good.  I'll go with the New York Jets (-3) at home over the Bills for the start of Tebow-mania.   NY Jets -3                    

NFL Opening Night

Tonight the NY football Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys in the years first NFL game.  Dallas comes into this game banged up.  The Giants are of course the Super Bowl champs and have the momentum coming into this one.  This is also the regular season debut of the replacement officials, who have been learning on the job in the preseason but tonight will be a whole new ball game for them with the speed of the game and all of a sudden the guys aren't playing to get their work in and not get injured now there playing to win.  In this game I'll take the NY Football Giants to win 24-14 (-3.5) over their division rivals the Dallas Cowboys.  NY Giants -3.5       

Yankee struggles

The Yankees haven't gotten a clutch hit all season.  They have missed Rodriguez, Teixiera, Pettitte, Gardner, and Sabathia at times this season.  Injuries are no excuse, everyone goes through them, its how you come through them that matters in the end.  You have to hit, and get timely hits to score the all important tack-on runs.  Not all of the Yankees have been hitting (Jeter, Cano, Dickerson (not an every day player), Ibanez (until recently) and to an extent Martin have been getting their hits) lately but they have to come out of it.  This team will come out of it and I feel one more big run in them before the end of the year.  There are three weeks left in the season and yes Baltimore has caught up to them and Tampa Bay is nipping at their heels but there is no rule that says you have to be in first place throughout the season, as long as you're their after game 162 thats all that matters.  The Yankees have the easier schedule coming up as they play all but six games in the division and can make up ground in the last week and a half while playing Minnesota, Toronto, and Boston while Tampa Bay has to go to Texas and Baltimore has to go to the West coast.  I am not to worried about these recent struggles theYankees are a veteran team and they will start hitting.                  

2012 NFL Preview

When the NFL opens its season, the replacement officials will still be patrolling the fields.  The league and the regular officials have been unable to come to an agreement on a new contract.  I don’t think this will take to long to fix, after the teams and owners get a bad call against them in week 1, they’ll be all over the league to work out a deal as soon as possible.  The replacement officials have been far from perfect in the preseason.  No official is going to be perfect but at least the real guys are better and more consistent.     

On Wednesday night we start the road toward Super Bowl XLVII, as the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants kick off the season at home against their rivals the Dallas Cowboys.  It's been an interesting offseason for the (National Football League) NFL, Payton Manning and Tim Tebow have new homes and four rookie quarterbacks will start the season.     

In the (National Football Conference) NFC we have been pretty much drama free.  In the East the Super Bowl Champion Giants are strong, and I think primed for another Super run but as its been said it’s hard to repeat.  The did lose some big parts of that Super Bowl winning team (Manningham and Jacobs to SF) but new guys will step up (Jarrel Jernigan, Ramses Barden and David Wilson) and make a big impact.  The thing I would worry about with the Giants is the health of the offensive line and can those guys all stay healthy.  Sometimes the key in the NFL its how well teams deal with injuries.  The Washington Redskins might surprise some people with rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III.  The Philadelphia Eagles are always a though test, they just have to keep Michael Vick healthy.  The Dallas Cowboys have potential; right now I think they’re a mess.  In the South this might finally be Atlanta’s year with Matt Ryan.  Out West the San Francisco 49ers have a bunch (Mannigham, Jacobs, Moss) of new weapons.

NFC

East                                             North                                South                  

NY Giants  (10-6)                    Detroit Lions               Atlanta Falcons

Philadelphia Eagles#            Green Bay Packers#

Washington Redskins

West

San Francisco 49ers

In the (American Football Conference) AFC, we have the drama with Tim Tebow.  In the East, The New York Jets signed Tim Tebow this offseason for (backup to Mark Sanchez, I think he’ll be the quarterback of this team eventually) the Wildcat offense.  They’re going to let Mark Sanchez run the offense for most of the game and then bring in Tebow and the Wildcat.  The Wildcat is a gimmick that doesn’t always work.  In the NFL if you have two quarterbacks who can start, you have no quarterback. (chaos)   Besides having two quarterbacks the Jets have an offensive line issue.  The New England Patriots always have something up their sleeve with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.  The Miami Dolphins have a rookie quarterback and the Buffalo bills are around a .500 team.  In the North the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens are always tough, the Cleveland browns have a rookie quarterback but the Cincinnati Bengals might surprise people.  Out West Peyton Manning has a new address in Denver with the Broncos.                    

East                                       South                           North

NE Patriots                      Houston Texans             Cincinnati Bengals       

NY Jets (8-8)                  Indianapolis Colts#         Baltimore Ravens#                             

West

Denver Broncos

Wild Card #

Super Bowl XLVII: Houston Texans vs. Atlanta Falcons 

Dog Days

The Other Day the LA Dodgers claimed both Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett of waivers from the Red Sox and Boston agreed to trade Gonzalez, Beckett and Crawford, who just had Tommy John, to LA.  With this trade the Red Sox have officially thrown in the towel, and now have a lot more salary space to maneuver as they unloaded over $200 Million in salary.  This move makes the dodgers contenders if not this year certainly next, Magic Johnson and their new owners are really pumping money into that franchise.
As we near the end of August, the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoff races are heating up.  In the American League, (AL) every division and the Wild Card are going to go down to the wire.  In the East the New York Yankees who have been in a bit of a tough stretch with 20 games in a row, lead both the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays by 4.5 and 4 games respectively.  CC Sabathia looked good in his DL comeback on friday and Andy Pettitte is scheduled for a September return, as they have an always explosive offense and looked primed to win the division.  Tampa and Baltimore won't go away, Tampa has great pitching and Baltimore just made another move to sure up there pitching.  In the Central the Chicago White Sox have a 2 game lead on the Detroit Tigers.  The Chicago White Sox looked good (when the Yankees were in Chicago) behind a good offense and the pitching of Chris Sale, Detroit has had an up and down season.  In the West the Los Angles Angles have made multiple moves to compete but those moves have not paid off, Albert Pujols is injured and Zach Grienke hasn't done well.  Texas has a lot of pitching and behind Josh Hamilton and look poised to win the West, currently a 6 game lead over the Oakland A's.  The Wild Card standings are interesting with Baltimore, Tampa and Oakland (a real surprise with a mix of kids and veterans) all tied, with a half game lead on Detroit.  To pick the playoffs in the AL I would go with the Yankees, White Sox and Rangers, for the Wild Cards Tampa and Oakland. (just have a feeling about the A's)
With the second Wild Card this season more emphasis is being put on winning your division because you want the off days before you start, you don't want to have to play in that one game playoff, where anything can happen.
In the National League (NL) Washington and Atlanta are fighting it out in the East, I like Washington but how far they go depends on how big a lead they have when they shut Strasberg down and where do they go without him.  In the Central it looks like the Cincinnati reds, who may become better when Joey Votto comes back.  The NL west has the best race with the Melky Cabrera less San Francisco Giants holding a 2 game lead on the improved LA Dodgers.  I am going to go ahead and say the Giants hold on.  In the Wild Card the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis cardinals hold a 1 and 2 game lead on the LA Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates.  For the playoffs in the NL I'll go with Washington, Cincinatti and San Francisco, for the Wild Cards I'll go with St. Louis (after last year I believe) and the LA Dodgers.                                    

Steven Strasburg

The Washington Nationals have said repeatedly that they will shut down the young righty Steven Strasburg, who is recovering from Tommy John Surgery.    It is common practice to limit the innings of pitchers coming back from Tommy John, there is medical evidence to back this up.   First it was 160 innings now its closer to 180 innings before the organization stuts Steven down.  Steven has pitched 145 and a third innings to this point, and will have about eight starts remaining (he will be shut down before) in the rotation this season (plus possible playoffs) he is going to get to his innings limit before the end of the season.  (at 6+ innings a start he has about 5 or 6 starts left)  Their has been the thought that the Nationals shouldn't shut Steven down in the middle of a playoff race.  Shutting Strasburg down and not letting him start in a playoff games is not be a popular choice.  You can't really argue with what the Nationals are steadfast on doing, except for the fact that they are in all likelihood going to be a playoff team, and they won't be letting their young ace take the ball.  What I would have done, is I probably would have left him down in spring training a little longer (a month) and not brought him north with the team right away that way you get another four or so starts out of him.  The problem is that the Washington Nationals didn't know they would be this good and on the verge of the playoffs, if they had left Steven in spring training for an another month they might not have been good and pressured to bring him up of they may have not gotten to his limit.  One way or another National fans might have been disappointed, he doesn't start the season or your good and now he won't pitch in the playoffs.          

Little League World Series

Every august I like to watching some of the Little League World Series, mostly because the kids are so passionate about it.  These 11 to 13 year olds are all about having fun and playing for the love of the game.  This tournament which is held every august, in Williamsport Pennsylvania  reminds us that games are fun and pure and played for nothing but fun and pride.  There is no money involved, everyone including the umpires volunteer their time.  The kids on the teams from the United States and the World have a great time together, and will build friendships that might last a lifetime.   When you hear one of these kids interviewed their just happy to be there, they talk about how nice the stadium is and how green the grass is.  This year is especially nice because there is a team from Africa, Uganda that came from nothing to make its way here.  Little League was the springboard to the Majors for guys like Lastings Millage, Gary Sheffield, Jason Marquis, Charlie Hays and Lloyd McClendon.    

Red Sox last stand

The Boston Red Sox did not get off to a good start tonight, in their series opener with the New York Yankees.  Boston doesn't have much of a shot at the postseason anyway but they need to start winning series and a few sweeps would help out.  Being 13 and a half back at this point (8/17) in the season gives them no shot at the division, if they were to take two of three this weekend, maybe they could still entertain thoughts about a wild card in which they are only six and a half out.  Not only are they these many games out of the playoffs but they have more than one team to jump over.  The Red Sox collapsed and did not win the wild card last year, since then they seem to have lost confidence and are only 15 games over .500 since.  I am not sure Bobby Valentine was the right fit, up in New England but their hands were sort of tied at the time as the other managing candidates were scooped up before they decided.  Bobby has never really been able to gain the trust of his whole team or the boston media.  In the Red Sox defense they did have a lot of injuries to key players this year, Carl Crawford, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Andrew Bailey but every team in the AL east has had to over come key injuries, the Yankees lost Mariano Rivera, Brett Gardner, Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte.  Baseball is a long season and sometimes its about managing injuries and who can do the best job.  With Boston it's not only Injuries Beckett and Lester, two of their stars are a combined 12-20, eight games under . 500 from those two.  Going into this season I was questioning the Red Sox depth, especially at pitching and its landed them at fives games under .500 with 42 games remaining.  Its been interesting to watch Bobby Valentine age during this trying season.  I've noticed Bobby V's hair getting a lot more grey since his introductory press conference.                

Replacement Officials

Week one of the NFL preseason started on Thursday, with replacement officals patrolling the fields.  The league was unable to come to an agreement with their officials this year, the officials want their benefits and vacation like everybody else.  After awhile these new officials who have come up from college and other lower level leagues will be serviceable, teams and the league want their normal officials back.  Officials are like players in that you scout them in order to tell your team about certain crews who have a tendency to make a certain type of call.  The NFL is committed to these replacement officials until at least the second week of the preseason.  Hopefully by the third week the regular guys come back, and they can knock the rust off in time for the regular season.  Officials need some time to practice making calls in game action, to get back int the swing of things.        

Dwight Howard

The Dwight Howard saga is finally over, with a trade to the Los Angles Lakers last night.  I would say this was a good trade, not a great trade.  All the Laker fans who are declaring themselves the NBA champions, are looking at the names, not the broader landscape of the NBA.  Yes, the Lakers can put Kobe, Nash, Gasol and Howard on the floor all at once.  Now they have multiple play makers and Kobe says this is his team, so I don't think he'll tolerate the offense going to someone else. (will Kobe and Howard clash, at some point)  Howard has always seemed selfish and hard to coach to me.  The Lakers have also not gotten any younger or athletic, Steve Nash is past his prime and Kobe's not getting any younger.  The Lakers are now most likely the favorites to make a long playoff run, but I think both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat are still better.  I am not bashing the Lakers but I don't think this trade is as glamorous as all their fans are saying, the Heat have better shooters and the Thunder are more athletic.          

Yankee line-up

The Yankees had a chance to come back last night against the always erratic Jose Valverde, but Curtis Granderson who is in a slump struck out to end the game.  I don't believe to Yankees are in danger of not winning the division.  With A-Rod out probably another 3-4 weeks I would tweak the line-up a bit.

1. Jeter
2. Swisher
3. Cano
4. Teixeira
5. Granderson
6. Ibanez or Jones
7. Chavez
8. Martin
9. Ichiro

I like Ichiro in the nine spot for a double lead off.  Ichiro's on base percentage is not good enough to hit in the top of the order, but the double lead off enables you to do things such as hit and runs and steals.  The double lead off also stretches the line-up.  

Blade runner

Some say that Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee from South Africa has an unfair advantage because he is running on carbon-fiber racing blades.  The South African who had his legs amputated shortly after birth, qualified for the Olympics and is running against able bodied runners.  I do not believe that Oscar has an advantage, its leaving the playing field in a way.  While he is running in carbon-fiber blades he does not have the best training and the best coaches and scientists to study and dissect video.        

MLB trade deadline

Earlier this week the (MLB) Major League Baseball trade deadline came and went.  Some teams solidified themselves for playoff runs and others started selling key pieces of their teams.  Both the Los Angles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants got stronger for their National League west battle.  Both NL west teams received a Philadelphia Phillie outfielder with Hunter Pence going to the Giants and Shane Victoriano going to the dodgers, the Dodgers also got former Miami Marlin Hanley Ramirez.  Things haven't gone according to plan for the Miami Marlins in the first year with a new manager, new stadium and a new name.  From the first day of the season things have gone wrong in Philadelphia, first it was injuries to Chase Utley and Ryan Howard so the offense suffered and Cliff Lee has one win to his name.  Now the Phillies have traded two thirds of their outfield and have over $100 million committed to four players for next year so it doesn't look like a quick fix in the city of brotherly love.
In the American League the Anaheim Angels and Texas Rangers made the big moves.  Both Teams added to there pitching staffs.  The Angels now have 5 top flight starting pitchers with their acquisition of Zach Grienke, The Rangers who had a pitching void created by injuries have filled there pitching need with Ryan Dempster.  The New York Yankees made some moves to add depth to their roster, by getting Ichiro it enables them to put Andrew Jones and Raul Ibanez back at the dh, they also added some depth on the infield with a utility player.            

Penn State

This week we learned of the Penn State sanctions, handed down by the NCAA and they were harsh.  All of the school's wins since the first known Sandusky rape in 1998 were vacated. (111 wins)  With that Joe Paterno went from the second to twelfth on the all-time winningest NCAA football coach list.  The football program was placed on probation and given a four year bowl ban, meaning none of the teams can play for a National Championship, BigTen Championship or any other bowl for the next four seasons.   Probably the most significant part of the sanctions is the loss of scholarships, the school will loose 20 scholarships a year for the next four years and ten immediately.  As a result of this their new head coach Bill O'Brien will have to step up his recruiting because he can't offer everyone a scholarship or a chance to play in a bowl or for a championship.  The Penn Stat Nittany Lions football team will most likely be composed of a large number of walk ons for the next five years.  The Team will probably not be very good during this stretch, as they play with walk ons and a less than elite roster.  (The NCAA is letting players transfer without a penalty)  All Bill O'Brien can sell to his players the next five years is an education, a chance to play in front 106,000 fans a game (Beaver Stadium is one of the biggest stadiums in college football) and to get ready for the NFL.  In my opinion these Sanctions (although harsh) were slightly better then the alternative, which may have been (maybe multiple years) the "death penalty".  With the "Death Penalty" all of the coaches and players would have left for the duration of the time the football program would be suspended so the program would have to start all over again from scratch, and it would take the better part of a century to build it back to respectably.  The program received harsh penalties but at least they can still play football, so when they get off probation they can get back to respectably faster.                      

Retaliation

The New York Yankees are a professional franchise.  They do everything by the book and follow almost every written rule.  There are some unwritten rules, like getting retaliation on other teams that they don't do.  Pitchers and teams retaliating and hitting guys on the other team after your guys get hit is an ago old unwritten rule.  This is not only an unwritten rule but its expected amongst teams.  When your pitcher hits a batter, everyone on your team starts fearing that they my be next.  You have to somewhat pick your spots when hitting the other teams batters because you don't want the hit batter to effect the outcome of the game.  The other night five Yankees either got hit (A-Rod broke his hand) or almost got hit by Seattle pitching.  After all these Yankees got hit, no Mariners got hit.  I am pretty sure the Mariners were expecting something but it never happened.  You don't want this to get things out of hand.  The veterans on the team or the coaches should take charge of this if it doesn't happen.  The Yankees and Manager Joe Giradi are not above this, it is expected around the league and has been for years.  The Yankees and Mariners play again next week, and something has to happen, if it doesn't happen one game its carries over to the next.                

MLB, half way point

Tomorrow, we start the second half of the baseball season. (it's just over the halfway make as teams have played around 85 of 162 games)  The first half has featured some great pitching, (first Met No-hitter in history (Johan Santana), 2 perfect games (Matt Cain and Philip Humber)) some good hitting, (Josh Hamilton 4 2-run home runs) and some great defense.  If the first half of the season was an indication, we are in for a treat in the second half.
In the American league Cleveland has been holding their own and now Detroit is getting healthy and Chicago is getting stronger with the acquisition of Kevin Youkilis.  In the East, arguably the best division in baseball the New York Yankees are winning the battle.  The Yankees have been able to overcome injuries to Brett Gardner, (has been out since april) Michael Pineda, (lost for the season before it began with a torn labrum) Mariano Rivera, and (the greatest closer of all-time, torn ACL) Andy Pettitte. (broken leg)   Veterans have come off the bench to fill in, the starting pitching has been good, and they didn't miss many beats in the bullpen with being able to replace the greatest closer with a guy (Rafael Soriano) who had 45 saves for Tampa Bay.  If I was to pick a surprise player for the Yankees in the first half, it would be Rafael Soriano because it's not easy to close out games, and they were able to replace the best with a guy who had done it before an embraced the challenge.  The Baltimore Orioles I knew would be better and have been surprising in being able to hang on to an over .500 record at the break.  The Boston Red Sox have had injuries all over the diamond, with notable injuries at shortstop, the outfield, the starting pitching, and the bullpen. With Boston barely hanging on to a .500 record, it looks like it may be the Yankees, Rays, and Orioles at the end.  We have a lot of division play remaining so every team in the division may beat up on one another.
In the National League we knew the Washington Nationals would be good but we didn't know the New York Mets would play over their heads for this long, although I don't see the Mets playing this much over .500 for the rest of the year.  Washington might come back to the pack and make the division interesting, if they shut Strasbourg down.  The Pittsburgh Pirates who have had 19 straight loosing seasons are in first place in the NL central.  I think Pittsburgh can hang in there with Cincinnati and St. Louis if they can add some offense at the deadline, so far in Pittsburgh it's been Andrew McCutchen and pitching.  There are some good stories to follow in the second half and we should be in for some good baseball.                  

Joel Peralta

Earlier this week Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Joel Peralta was suspended after he was found to have Pine Tar on his glove.  Pine Tar is considered a foreign substance and he was suspended because you're not allowed to have any foreign substances aiding you during a game.  It is my understanding that Pine Tar which is sticky (hitters use it to grip bats all the time) does not help you throw the ball with added spin or validity.  They have Rosen on every major League mound, to help guys with grip and when combined with water that gets sticky as well.  Pine Tar is like Rosen when added to water.  In certain weather, in the hotter months it's not as easy to grip a ball and guys might need a little extra tackiness.  As long as it's not doctoring the ball with scuff marks or spit to make it spin or move, differently the rule may be a little overblown.  As far as getting a competitive edge as long as its done on the field of play I don't think anyone has a problem with it.  Joel Peralta spent a year with the Washington Nationals and he had teammates that knew he had a tendency to do this so they went to their manager Davey Johnson who asked the umpire to check Peralta's glove.  The Nationals aren't his teammates anymore, now their competitors trying to get the edge.