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      Can Texas finally beat Oklahoma?

      October 8, 2005 /

      Mack Brown has put together some great teams at Texas, but he hasn’t been able to get over the hump against Bob Stoops and the Sooners. So many excellent seasons have been spoiled by losses to Oklahoma. Can they finally do it this year? This year the Longhorns are 14.5 point favorites over the Sooners.

      The key to the game will probably be the health of Adrian Peterson. Oklahoma needs a healthy Peterson to have a chance in this game. If he can carry the ball 30 times and be effective, Mack Brown and the Longhorns might once again blow their chance at a National Championship.

      College Football

      Penn State gets real test against Ohio State

      October 8, 2005 /

      Penn State is 5-0 for the first time in years, but they’ve racked up those wins against a pretty weak schedule. This weak reality sets in as they host the #6 Buckeyes in an old-school matchup. Ohio State is a 3.5 point favorite on the road.

      One of the reasons for Penn State’s success thus far has been Paterno’s willingness to finally play freshman. The young wide receivers have helped to spark the Nittany Lion offense. Yet this week they face an Ohio State defense that completely dismantled Iowa. Paterno has been gushing about the Ohio State defense this week, calling it one of the best he has ever seen. We’ll see if they can live up to those lofty statements this week. Ohio State should win without too much trouble.

      College Football

      MLB Playoffs, Day 4: On Today’s Menu: Crow

      October 8, 2005 /

      Chicago 5. Boston 3 (Chicago wins series, 3-0)

      O, M, G. So much for my ‘Red Sox in 5’ prediction. In the second to last week of the season, the White Sox looked dead in the water, a team that had forgotten how to pitch, how to play defense, and most importantly, how to play small ball, that secret weapon of Scarface’s that got them this far.

      But now, they look untouchable. Their pitching has been unhittable. The vaunted Red Sox offense scored two, four, and three runs respectively in the series. If you want to know what the Red Sox did wrong, look at the box score to Game 3. Simply put, they played Cubs’ baseball: they lived and died by the long ball. Those three runs? Three solo home runs, from TWO GUYS; one from Big Papi and two from Manny, who apparently wants out of Boston, again.

      I will confess to bleeding Cubbie Blue, and that undoubtedly clouded my judgment of the Pale Hose in the playoffs. But now, I’m pulling all the way for them, and it’s actually for a noble cause: I would love to see two snakebitten, cursed teams win the World Series in back to back years. Has that ever happened?

      MLB

      MLB Playoffs, Day 3: The Year of the Blowout

      October 7, 2005 /

      All of the pundits said before the playoffs began that there were no clear favorites this year. If that’s the case, then why aren’t these games more competitive?

      St. Louis 6, San Diego 2
      Okay, everyone knew that St. Louis was going to win this series handily, but did anyone think that the Padres would just roll over and play dead like this? You’d figure that guys like Giles, Loretta, and especially Joe “The Joker” Randa, who spent most of his career marooned in cellar-dwelling Kansas City, would make the most of the opportunity. But no, instead they’ve been playing like they’ve got a plane to catch, grounding into double play after double play after double play. I originally said Cardinals in four. They’ll only need three.

      Atlanta 7, Houston 1
      On the plus side, the series is tied at 1-1, but neither game was close. Houston blows out Hudson in Game 1, and Atlanta blows out Roger Clemens, who everyone thinks is in severe pain, in Game 2. And now they head to the Juice Box for Games 3 and 4, so expect some more offensive fireworks. Hats off to John Smoltz, though, for becoming baseball’s winningest postseason pitcher, a spiffy 15-4 record in his career.

      MLB

      Week 5 Preview

      October 7, 2005 /

      First, let’s see how I did with last week’s picks:

      START

      Jake Delhomme – 206 passing yards, 2 TDs
      Kevan Barlow – 55 total yards, 0 TD
      Kevin Curtis – 6 catches, 78 yards

      BENCH

      Jake Plummer – 136 passing yards, 2 TDs
      Kevin Jones – 38 rushing yards, 1 TD
      Derrick Mason – 5 catches, 54 yards

      What we learned: Barlow should ride the pine unless you are desperate – or Alex Smith somehow helps the running game. Curtis will get a lot of looks with Bruce still ailing. Denver’s record is 8-1 when Plummer passes for less than 200 yards, so Shanahan will continue to feature the running game.

      On to this week’s picks:

      START

      QB – David Carr, HOU
      He’s got a new offensive coordinator and he’s thrilled about it. He’s facing a Titans pass defense that has allowed 227 yards per game along with ten touchdowns. I’m not saying start him over your stud, but if you have a middle of the road guy and Carr on your bench, give the kid a look.

      RB – Thomas Jones, CHI
      Cedric Benson, where are you? Most thought the rookie would be carrying the load by now. But Jones has been excellent so far (276 yards and 4 TDs over the first three games) and Chicago is facing a Cleveland defense that has given up an average of 127 yards on the ground. Start him while you can.

      WR – Joe Jurevicius, SEA
      You may be asking – the third WR for Seattle? Well, Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram are doubtful this week and the Seahawks face the Rams, so it should be a high scoring affair. If Jurevicius is on your roster, this would be the week to play him.

      BENCH

      QB – Byron Leftwich, QB
      The Jaguars face Cincinnati, who is surprising a lot of people with some very stout defense – (195 ypg and only 2 TDs over the first four games). Leftwich owners can only hope for a shootout.

      RB – Curtis Martin, NYJ
      Tampa Bay is coming to town, coming to town, coming to town. Tampa Bay is coming to town, be-ench Martin. (Sorry.) Bench all of the Jets this week.

      WR – Michael Clayton, TB
      I already told you to bench Laveranues Coles, so I’m going to go with an opposing WR. Clayton revealed this week that he’s been playing with a separated shoulder. That can’t be good. Throw in the fact that the Jets have only allowed an average of 168 yards a game through the air, and you have the makings of a bad game for Clayton.

      KEY INJURIES

      Ahman Green – Q
      Bobby Engram – D
      Bubba Franks – Q
      Carnell Williams – Q
      Chad Pennington – O
      Curtis Martin – P
      Darrell Jackson – D
      David Akers – O
      Donovan McNabb – P
      Drew Bennett – Q
      Erron Kinney – Q
      Hines Ward – Q
      Isaac Bruce – D
      Jason Hanson – P
      Joe Horn – Q
      Justin McCareins – P
      Kurt Warner – O
      Michael Clayton – P
      Michael Vick – P
      Rudi Johnson – P
      Stephen Davis – P
      T.J. Houshmandzadeh – Q
      Terrell Owens – P
      Todd Heap – P
      Tom Brady – P

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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