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      2010 NFL Week 7 Picks & Predictions

      October 22, 2010 /
      SAN DIEGO - OCTOBER 3: Quarterback Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers celebrates a Charger touchdown play against the Arizona Cardinals in the third quarter at Qualcomm Stadium on October 3, 2010 in San Diego, California. The Chargers won 41-10. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

      A 2-2 Sunday in Week 6 has left me starring at a losing record this season in the NFL. While I hit the Eagles and Vikings last Sunday, the Bears and Raiders left me hanging with their horrendous efforts against the Seahawks and 49ers, respectively.

      Maybe this is the week it all turns around for good and I can start sleeping at night again. That losing record haunts my dreams…

      Browns (1-5) @ Saints (4-2), 1:00PM ET
      Despite a wide array of injuries, the Saints’ dominated a Tampa team last Sunday that had been playing with a lot of confidence. Maybe New Orleans has found a way to overcome all the injuries and will start to turn it on. Either way, the Browns are banged up themselves and don’t have the luxury of having Drew Brees under center to right the ship. I was impressed with Colt McCoy’s NFL debut last Sunday in Pittsburgh, but he may be without Josh Cribbs (head) and Mohammad Massaquoi (head) this Sunday, which is a problem considering Cleveland was already thin at receiver. The Browns will try to win this game on the ground with Peyton Hillis, but I think their defense will be on the field for long stretches of time and the Saints’ offense will kick it into high gear at some point. New Orleans rolls again this week.
      THE PICK: SAINTS -13

      49ers (1-5) @ Panthers (0-5), 1:00PM ET
      Sorry for my bluntness, but I don’t like the Panthers. I think they rival the Bills for being the worst team in the league and whether it’s Matt Moore or Jimmy Clausen that takes the snaps, I think they have a good chance of losing every Sunday. That said, I don’t trust the 49ers as far as I can throw them. Their first win came against an Oakland team last Sunday that actually may have been trying to lose based on the effort they gave. I don’t think San Fran is well coached, I don’t think they play disciplined football and I don’t trust Mike Singletary’s in-game decision-making. So while it pains me to take Carolina, I think they get their first win this week and Vegas burns those that are hoping back onto the 49ers’ shaky bandwagon.
      THE PICK: PANTHERS +2

      Patriots (4-1) @ Chargers (2-4), 4:15PM
      Before making my picks each week, I scour locate all the traps. And this, my friends, is a trap. Why in God’s name would anyone take a 2-4 San Diego team playing a 4-1 New England squad that just beat the Ravens? Because the Chargers are 2-0 at home? Not buying it. Antonio Gates is hurt and may not play and the Chargers were just dominated by the Rams. There’s simply no reason to take the Bolts this week, which is exactly why I’m taking the Bolts this week….and for a more logical take on the game: The Chargers have looked like a completely different team at home this year and Philip Rivers should take advantage of a suspect New England secondary. It’s tough for East Coast teams to travel cross-country and win on the road, and no team will travel farther than the Pats this weekend. The depleted Chargers win and cover.
      THE PICK: CHARGERS –3

      Giants (4-2) @ Cowboys (1-4), 8:30PM ET, Monday
      Speaking of traps…The Giants have won three in a row and have been awfully impressive on both sides of the ball the past three weeks. The Cowboys, on the other hand, have shot themselves in the foot at every opportunity and have essentially become a joke. With that in mind, what better time for Dallas to wake up then against a division rival on national television? Expect the unexpected every week in the NFL. Everyone is expecting the ‘Boys to lay an egg and embarrass themselves on Monday night, but I actually think the opposite plays out. I think the Cowboys put together their best performance of the season and make people consider whether or not they can climb back into the NFC East race. (Then they’ll promptly lose next week by committing 17 penalties and turning the ball over six times and then they’ll go back to being a joke.)
      THE PICK: COWBOYS -3

      Season Record: 9-10-1

      External Sports, NFL

      2010 College Football Week 8 Picks

      October 22, 2010 /
      DALLAS - OCTOBER 02: Jeremy Beal and Jamarkus McFarland of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrate a quarterback sack against the Texas Longhorns in the first quarter at the Cotton Bowl on October 2, 2010 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      Thanks to Wisconsin’s domination of Ohio State last Saturday night, I missed out on my first 4-0 week in college football. No matter, I’ll gladly take 3-1 to give me a winning record on the year. (Crap, I said that too loud, didn’t I? I did, I did say that too loud. The college football gods are going to be annnngry…)

      Utah (love them Utes), Boise State and Hawaii were all winners in Week 7, while those douche Buckeyes were my only loser. Week 8 picks are below.

      Colorado State @ Utah, 6:00PM ET
      I may take the Utes every week from here on out. They’ve covered in five of their first six games (their only blemish was a push) and you never have to worry about a letdown because, well, it’s Utah. If the Utes don’t blow everyone out by 60, then they look weak in the eyes of BCS voters because of the conference they play in (although that won’t be a problem next year when they join the Pac-12). The Rams are 0-3 on the road, where they’ve allowed an average of 43.7 points per game and have scored just 14.3 PPG. Utah, on the other hand, is averaging 40.3 PPG at home this season and has allowed just 12.3 PPG. Thirty and a half points is a steep number to lay, but the Utes have been covering big point spreads all season (albeit, this will be the biggest since they were a 29-point favorite over San Jose State on September 25, a game in which they won, 56-3).
      THE PICK: UTAH –30.5

      UAB @ Mississippi State, 7:00PM ET
      After beating Florida last Saturday to improve to 5-2 on the year, Mississippi State earned its way into the top-25 this week. That said, this has letdown written all over it. The Bulldogs are in the midst of their SEC schedule and now have to play a 2-4 UAB team at home. With games against Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss coming up over the next month, it’ll be easy to overlook a Blazers squad that hasn’t won on the road yet. It would make one team’s entire season to beat a ranked foe on their home field. The other team has its sites on tougher challenges down the road. I’m taking the former, which is also getting 19.5 points.
      THE PICK: UAB +19.5

      North Carolina @ Miami, 7:30PM ET
      I could be falling into a trap here, but isn’t North Carolina being undervalued a bit in this game? Both teams are 4-2 with identical 2-1 records in the ACC and the Tar Heels have won four straight despite having two NCAA investigations hanging over their heads. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, are only two weeks removed from laying an egg against Florida State at home and managed to beat Duke by just two touchdowns (well, two touchdowns and one two-point conversion, as the score was 28-13) despite the Blue Devils’ seven turnovers. Again, I may be falling into a trap here and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was 58-0 Miami at halftime because of this, but I’ll gladly take the 6.5 points with the hotter team right now.
      THE PICK: NORTH CAROLINA +6.5

      Oklahoma @ Missouri, 8:00PM ET
      I know I’m going to piss off the MIZZOU faithful here, but I don’t think the Tigers are good enough to be ranked No. 11 in the BCS Standings. The AP has it right with ranking them at No.18, which is more than fair considering this team was fortunate that San Diego State didn’t beat them in their home stadium a month ago. The Sooners have won seven straight against the Tigers and 19 of 20 in the series, with MIZZOU’s lone victory coming in 1998. Oklahoma has had a tendency this year of letting opponents hang around, but if Missouri can’t establish its running game, the Sooners will start to pull away in the second half. This one will be tight, but I think OU will use the diss from the AP (which has the Sooners ranked third) as motivation to come out on top.
      THE PICK: OKLAHOMA –3

      Season Record: 11-9

      College Football, External Sports

      LeBron says disgruntled fans “have to get over it.”

      October 22, 2010 /
      Miami Heat small forward LeBron James reacts during a break in play against the Detroit Pistons in their NBA preseason basketball game in Miami, Florida October 5, 2010. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      LeBron James claims he wasn’t telling his (former) fans in Cleveland to “get over it,” but it sure sounds like he did:

      “If I was a fan and I was on the outside looking in, I could be upset a little bit if one of my favorite players left,” James said. “Or if I felt like he betrayed us or whatever the case may be. But you have to get over it.”

      “Sports are very emotional and fans are very emotional,” James said. “At times they really believe you may be related to them you and you sleep in their house. When you do something wrong and you leave their house they can become very emotional. I’ve understood that over the years. But at the same time, you have to understand you have to do what is best yourself.”

      I’m not sure what the whole “you sleep in their house” bit is about — it sounds like one of those philosophical LeBron thoughts that went awry — but no one in Cleveland is going to be comforted by the rest of these remarks, no matter how nicely ESPN (headline reads: “LeBron sympathetic to fans”) wants to put them.

      LeBron later tweeted:

      Let’s clear this up! I never said to the Cavs fans to “get over it”. I’ve never and will never say anything bad about them. 7 years of joy!

      I’ll give him this — he didn’t say “those fans should get over it,” but he did imply that fans in general have to “get over it” when an athlete does something to anger them. In a time where no one is going to be parsing words in his defense, this is not going to go over well in Cleveland. Especially considering that the front-running LeBron (who grew up as a fan of Jordan’s Bulls, the Cowboys and the Yankees) simply can’t relate to Cavs fans who feel that their local hero stabbed them in the back.

      And there’s still no acknowledgment that “The Decision” was a colossal mistake, image-wise. He and his camp are still clinging to the idea that raising some money for charity offsets whatever pain he put Cavs fans through on his monumental ego trip/public break up.

      This is going to be an interesting season, for sure.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Phillies capitalize on Giants’ mistakes, push a Game 6 in NLCS

      October 22, 2010 /
      Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay in the 2nd inning during the National League Championship Series at AT&T Park in San Francisco, on October 21, 2010. UPI/ Bob Larson Photo via Newscom

      For much of this year’s NLCS, it’s been the Phillies that have made costly fielding errors, timely mistakes, and have not created their own breaks. And it’s been the Giants who have capitalized on those errors and those mistakes to build a lead in the best-of-seven series.

      But on Thursday night, it was the Phillies who capitalized on Giants’ miscues in the third inning in order to take Game 5 by a score of 4-2 and stave off elimination.

      The game was hardly the pitching match for the ages that most people expected it would be. Roy Halladay (who pitched through a mild groin pull) and Tim Lincecum weren’t their dominant selves and instead of coming down to pitching, the game was won by the team that made the fewest mistakes.

      In that pivotal third inning, Raul Ibanez reached base on a weak single off Lincecum, who then hit Carlos Ruiz after building a 0-2 count. Roy Halladay then bunted a ball that was clearly foul, but home plate umpire Jeff Nelson must have forgotten his contacts because he ruled it fair. Buster Posey’s throw to Pablo Sandoval at third was a little off the mark and Sandoval, who isn’t the fleetest of foot at defensive tackle-like size, missed the bag as Ibanez slid in safely. Ruiz went to second on the play and Halladay, who knew the ball was foul and didn’t even run, was thrown out at first.

      Shane Victorino then hit a hard ground ball to first baseman Aubrey Huff, who had it ricochet off him into centerfield as if his entire body and glove were made of rubber, and both runners scored. Placido Polanco then singled to center to score Victorino and all of a sudden the Giants’ 1-0 lead (a lead they earned in the first inning) evaporated into a 3-1 deficit.

      The Phillies never trailed after that. Cody Ross (the greatest postseason player alive, apparently) hit a double to right to score Pat Burrell in the fourth, but that was all the fight the Giants had in them. Jayson Werth homered to right in the top of the ninth to give the Phillies breathing room and then San Fran quietly went down in order in the bottom half of the inning as Brad Lidge earned the save.

      Now the series shifts back to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Saturday and probably a Game 7 on Sunday. I say “probably” because if anyone thinks the Phillies are done then you haven’t been paying attention the past couple of years. Their Game 5 victory has given them new life and while they still trail 3-2 in the series, they’re traveling back home to that Little League Park they call a stadium where a routine fly ball can travel over the wall. They’ll also have Roy Oswalt (Game 2’s winner) and Cole Hamels set to start.

      The Giants missed a huge opportunity to let a sleeping dog lie. Now they have to earn a victory in hostile environment against a veteran squad that’s used to winning in October. Strap it up – I can feel a Game 7 coming on.

      External Sports, MLB

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