Game of the Year........

7pm cannot come fast enough. I have waited months for this type of release. This is a Russian Mob type play (the absolute highest level of gaming). In a few short hours, Florida International travels to play Bowling Green in a lackluster matchup. Here is all you need to know- Isiah Thomas is the coach of Florida International. While I cannot name 1 player on the FIU roster, I can check statistics and my intricate model tells me that FIU absolutely stinks. Furthermore, this is a team with a lot of underclassmen and they are in the midst of an 8 game road trip, sporting a lousy 1-3 record so far. Isiah's also managed to "raid" the junior college circuit and build his team around these dopes. What does this all add up to? A complete blowout by a Bowling Green, a team that features a lot of seniors, including a frontline that are all seniors. The wood is hefty, Bowling Green -10.5 but take em minus the points and roll into December on a Hot streak.
Happy 47th birthday Bo Jackson. That sounds awful. Seems like yesterday this guy was punishing defenses and crushing baseballs almost 500 feet. Without a doubt the greatest all around athlete we have ever witnessed (no offense to Neil O'Donnell). Besides his great athleticism, Bo posessed a much more valuable skill- his teams covered! When playing for the Raiders in the 1990 season(his last), Bo's Raiders buried the Seahawks on a Monday Night as a hefty road Favorite(rules didn't apply to Bo Jackson).

Last Christmas?

Tough split in today's early games with the Bills coming through and the Panthers falling down. If Jake Delhomme just plays below average instead of awful, this game goes to overtime. That's the sign of a true gambling degenerate, rationalizing the play of Jake Delhomme. As a wiseman once told me, "If I'm stupid enough to put my money on Jake Delhomme, I deserve whatever pain comes my way". On a more salacious note, rumors continue to swirl regarding the incident with Tiger Woods this past weekend. The most recent report obtained by Propick Sports is as follows: At 10:15pm Tiger Wood's hears George Michael's "Last Christmas" playing on the radio. He then turns it up throughout the house and starts to sing along with this classic. His beautiful wife then turns off the song and tells tiger: 1) this song sucks and 2) it's not Christmas yet. After arguing, Tiger then storms into his car and proceeds to blast "Last Christmas" while honking the horn to get the wife's attention. While it's unclear what transpired next (bloody lip,etc.), judging by the reports, it is safe to say Tiger will never play this song again.

Taking the Hook......

Today's plays adhere to a strict discipline that has enabled me to amass great success in my gaming endeavors. Take the hook! When we approach this point in the NFL season and there are several bad teams playing each other, you take the points. Anything more than a field goal is a green light. When you get 3 and a hook (3.5), it is your gaming obligation to take the points and do not ask questions. If you lose with this discipline so be it. You did the logical thing and in the long run you will be very,very wealthy for doing so. Now onto the picks. Panthers +3.5 over the Jets. Both quarterbacks are ticking time bombs so my reasoning is simple- this game should be decided by a field goal either way. Since I am getting the half point the only logical choice is the Panthers in this game. I have not seen a line for total turnovers by both teams but I will circle back if one exists. Next pick: Bills +3.5 over the Dolphins. Dolphins win this game but I cannot join the 80% who think they cover. This pains me since I believe the Dolphins are one of the most physical, under rated teams in this league. That being said, these division games in Buffalo tend to get a little "screwy". Missed extra points, safeties, etc. Take the points and expect a tight contest that comes down to the wire.

Celebrity Post........

Tonight's celebrity post comes from the Green Mountains of Vermont. Handicapper to the stars, T.F. McCarthy has released the Georgia Bulldogs plus the 9 over Georgia Tech. Similiar to last years game when Georgia was the prohibitive favorite and got upset, TMac expects Georgia to seek retribution and would not be surprised to see them win the game outright.

Sucker Punched........

As if suffering another embarrassing loss this year wasn't bad enough, things got even worse for Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen this past weekend. After leaving a local pub early Sunday morning with his family and girlfriend, some local dope coldclocked Clausen in the face, leaving him with quite a shiner. Clausen who has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise forgettable year, has been wearing a tinted visor during practice this week. As someone who is well versed with "guido" culture, I can apreciate a good set of tinted windows(along with t tops, fuzzy dice, and vanilla air freshers) but not on a football helmet. If anyone wants to know what's gone wrong in South Bend here's the answer: allowing your star player to get knocked out at a bar. Unless I am missing something,like the guy who threw the punch being in an intensive care unit, I cannot fathom a scenario like this. Imagine if someone had done that to Tim Tebow? Tebow probably would have refrained from knocking the guy senseless but what about the other guys-specifically Brandon Spikes, best known for his eye gauging incident against Georgia. If people are taking aim at Clausen then no one on this team should be frequenting any local bars anytime soon. Especially members of the defense.
In honor of Turkey Day I am releasing the Detroit Lions +10.5 at home over the Packers. Why? This is a pure discipline play that has recently gone horribly wrong. Most notably last years 35-3 drubbing to the Titans. While most of this season has seen the favorites cover I think the Lions put up a valiant effort against an inconsistent Packer team. Be back later this weekend after I stuff myself into one hell of a food coma.

MNF.......

After a 2-0-2 weekend in college and the NFL, I am ready to get white hot again. They say a tie is like kissing your sister. I always found that creepy and an unnecessary analogy. Tonight I feel strongly about the Texans -4 at home over the Titans. Tennessee and Chris Johnson ran all over the Texans earlier this year and should have won the game. Instead, the purous Titan's defense allowed Matt Schaub and company to battle back and win a high scoring contest. A lot of talk has centered around the "rejuvanated" Titans and how much better they have been playing since Vince Young has returned to the starting role. Remember this, Vince Young is a turnover waiting to happen. I expect the Texans to play a spirited defensive game and put up more than enough points on offense to cover the number. Take the Texans -4 and get a head start on the holiday shopping.
On a side note I would like to reiterate my stance that Jay Cutler is the most useless quarterback in football. While there are other quarterbacks with worse numbers none of these players give their teams the "false hope" that this dope does. If I have to hear about his rocket arm and raw ability one more time I will shoot myself. This guy played for a doormat in college and posesses absolutely no leadership skills. If he was such a phenom and always had a great arm why did he insist on playing for a non competitive college program? His facial expressions are more absurd that Wade Phillips (Wadeface). At least in Denver where he played lousy teams eight times a year he could put up meaningless numbers to inflate his statistical prowess. Now in Chicago he is incapable of completing a pass of more than 10 yards. Thanks for last night's stinkbomb Jay, I really appreciate it. Enjoy that big contract you got because its only a matter of time before you are run out of Chicago.

NFL.........

Ravens +2 at home over the Colts. This is strictly a gut play. Manning has won his last few games against the Ravens but has struggled statistically. Without a strong running game to take some of the load off, I expect the Ravens to slow down this Colts offense. The Ravens are 6-1 in their last 7 at home as an underdog and need this game a lot more than the Colts. In addition, the Colts have been catching a lot of breaks the past 3 weeks, something I expect to end tomorrow. Game number 2: Chargers -2 over the Broncos. I was premature (and wrong) in calling for Denver's demise but this team is beaten up after an incredible start to the season. While the home field is a decided advantage, Kyle Orton is most likely out for the game and Chris Simms looks to be the starter (was awful in a back up role last week). I have a strong opinion on the Sunday Night Primetime game between the Bears and the Eagles. I will release that pick later tomorrow.

Reflections.......

Before getting to Sunday's NFL releases I first want to reflect on today's action. Cal came through in easy fashion as the common man got what was coming to him. Every "nobody" was lining up to lay the points with Stanford in this game. In our other release, the Minnesota line moved to +12 this morning and resulted in a push, as Iowa won 12-0. This was painful on a number of fronts. Besides being the ugliest game ever played, Minnesota had numerous chances to put points on the board and secure a not so meaningless backdoor cover. Instead, a good friend of mine had them in a 3 team parlay getting 11.5 points since this person "locked" in the action yesterday (UNC $line, Michigan +11.5 were the other 2 plays). As a result, this friend ended up getting "prison raped" by this painful 12-0 loss. On a positive note, these games were all played at noon and by the time they were over, Notre Dame was well on their way to imploding. While I like what the program stands for, as a gamer I am completely disgusted with this team. As if things weren't bad enough, NBC played a clip of Coach Weis from four years ago where he declared "I wasn't bought in here to be the coach of a .500 program. If we are 6-5 then there is something seriously wrong". Well, after three straight losses and a date with Stanford next week, this team will be 6-6 and more importantly, abysmal against the spread. While I feel bad for Weis' family, something tells me this humbling experience has made him a more sympathetic and grounded human being. Furthermore, those tears he was shedding prior to the game(this is a trend among coaches that better stop soon), may have been tears of joy because the rumor is a buyout clause is in the neighborhood of $18million.

Saturday......

Not a lot of big matchups this weekend, despite it being "Rivalry" Weekend. However, I have found a pair of games that I absolutely love. The first is Minnesota +11 at Iowa. After talk of a potential outside shot at the BCS National Championship game, the Iowa Hawkeyes are not even going to win the Big Ten. After last weeks gut wrenching loss at Ohio State in overtime, I think this game has hangover written all over it. Minnesota has a shot to win this outright, even though its unlikely. Take the 11 points with Minnesota, who incidently got blown out 55-0 in last years game and most certainly hasn't forgotten about that embarrassment. Game #2 features the Cal golden Bears visiting Stanford in this weeks PAC 10 premiere rivalry game. The past few years Cal has been the prohibited favorite in this one sided matchup. While Stanford is playing the best ball of anyone in the country, I prefer to take Cal +7.5/8 points in this game. The Common man is still talking about the beatdown Stanford laid on USC last week. This after winning against Oregon in a shootout two weeks ago. Stanford is the better team but I will take Cal and the points in this one.

Weekend Releases....

In light of last nights bomb in the form of the Carolina Panthers, I have enlisted one of the best pigskin prognisticators known to mankind. Right now "the Maestro" is in Vegas so all releases will be delayed until later this afternoon/early evening. It will serve you well to check back later.

Sportsman of the Year....

With 2009 soon to be a distant memory, it is time for Propick Sports to announce our annual "Sportsman of the Year Award". Unlike the other "more prestigious" publication, we at Propick do not believe in making the reader wait any longer than they should have to. This year has seen a slew of great performances across all major sports. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant in the NBA, Albert Pujols and Daniel Murphy in the MLB, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning in the NFL, Sidney Crosby in the NHL, and who among us could forget Tom Watson's epic run at the British Open? However, with so little separating these star athletes, we have decided to think outside the box. The 2009 Propick Sportsman of the Year Award winner also happens to be the 2009 Most Improved Player of the Year. Without further suspense I want to congratulate Vernon Gholston of the New York Football Jets as this years first ever duel award winner! As the number 6 pick in the 2008 draft, it was clear from the beginning that great things were expected from this underclassman from "the Ohio State University". Scouts deemed this 6"3 265 pound pass rusher as a "Lawrence Taylor" clone. A few rumblings surfaced about Vernon's penchant for taking plays off during the game but no one cares when you are this good? Last year Vernon had a total of 13 tackles during his first full season. Already this year he has 11 tackles with seven games remaining. Furthermore, Vernon has recorded 8 solo tackles this year versus only 5 all of last year. While Vernon has failed to record a sack, fumble, forced fumble, interception, in his early career, what the statistics do not show is his never ending passion for the game. Offenses across the league have taken notice of his 8 solo tackles (including a career high 2 vs. Miami in week 8) and now make it a priority week in and week out, to "not let Gholston beat us". Congratulations to both Vernon Gholston and the New York Jets on this award.

Thursday......

Intriguing matchup between two teams who closely resemble each other. The Dolphins had the better duel running threat until Ronnie Brown was lost for the season last week. As for the quarterbacks, its a toss up depending on which Jake Delhomme shows up (no INT's in past 3 games....there I just mushed him). With the defenses pretty even, I am taking the Panthers -3 at home. While I do not love this game, I cannot see how the Dolphin's "vaunted" wildcat has any success without Ronnie Brown running it. Take the home team to win an ugly game.

Wont' Be Fooled Again......

After watching the Nets putrid effort against a below average Pacers team, I have no choice but to take the Bucks -9.5 tonight. My first thought was "at some point this team has to win a game" but that doesn't mean it has to be tonight. Not a big fan of laying this big a number against a winless team but all this does is set the stage for a big showdown versus the Knicks this weekend. At this rate both teams might have 1 win between them.
Rumors are swirling that Lebron James might be interested in playing wide receiver for the Browns. While he would easily be the best player on the offensive side of the ball, you would have to be smoking crack to think this is a plausible scenario. The only person who probably thinks this is a option is coach Eric Mangini. With the offensive fireworks this team has displayed all year, I think the Browns should sign Allen Iverson (former high school QB and player of the year in Virginia as a senior) to replace the dynamic duo of Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson.

Crying Game.....

I would like to commend Rex Cryin, I mean Ryan for his open display of manliness within the Jets locker room. While public opinion is not endorsing the "big weepy", people need to understand the emotional advantages of what Rex did. Rumor has it that the Tuna was a huge baller. In fact, before both his Superbowl wins, there was speculation that the Tuna and Bellichek(who was the Giants defensive coordinator at the time), cried like babies for a good half hour in front of the team. How effective was that strategy? The Giants won both games. Other crying success stories include Dick Vermeil. This guy was the absolute best. Dick couldn't walk a block without breaking out in tears. Even his preseason speeches resembled eulogies. Not only do I believe that Rex Ryan has ushered in a new trend in the NFL, he has also provided a forum for men in their late 40's who like to cry. With the Jets catching 10 and a hook this weekend, it doesn't appear that Vegas has bought into the benefits of a crying head coach.

Tonight's Play.......Nets +5 over the Indiana Pacers. I think they win the game outright but take the 5 points and try not to cry if they lose by 40.

Prediction.......

A year from now Brady Quinn will be doing late night infomercials for the "AB Cruncher 15" while Eric Mangini will be coaching high school gym class somewhere in the midwest. This is the worst NFL team in the past thirty years. Maybe the Browns can continue their tradition of thinking outside the box and hire Charlie Weis to replace Mangenius.

Dream Speak.......

Just met "The Dream" at a new downtown hotspot for the starving artist/pseudo actor crowd. In addition to being told by several ladies in the bar "you look like Lance Armstrong", Dream had to deal with a waitress who kept screwing up his drink order. Never one to let things bother him, Dream got down to business and released what he believes to be "Lotto Tickets" for Tonight. Philly -135 over the Devils and the Over (5.5) for the total. According to Dream, The common man can be seen littered up and down the NJ turnpike playing air guitar to Bon Jovi in their late Model SUV's as they check out their mullets in the rear view mirror. What's worse, some of these "class acts" have New Jersey Devils flags hanging from the side of their car along with Devils stickers on the back of their car windows. I guess if you didn't go to college and cannot put a school sticker back there, a Devil's sticker is the next best thing. Take the Flyers and the Over!

Mangenius?

After looking at tonight's Matchup between the Raven's and the Browns, I immediately thought "only people with serious problems will play this game". Upon further reflection, I have come to the conclusion that most my readers not only have some issues but more importantly, they have passion! In keeping with my proud tradition of giving the people what they want, I am releasing the mother of all Monday Night Football games. The world knows just how bad the Browns are and everyone I have spoken to says the same thing: Ravens win a 30-6 type of game. Guess what? Everyone is underestimating the "Magenius" and his new, old quarterback Brady Quinn. With this electric duo, I expect a spirited effort from the Browns coming off their bye week. Who cares if this team has only scored 5 touchdowns in the past year? The new look Browns will be on display tonight. Take the Browns +10.5 and thank me tomorrow when everyone thinks you are a Mangenius.

Canton Can Wait.....

After going 2-1 with my releases this weekend, I have come to several conclusions. For starters, Wadeface and the Cowboys have not turned the corner and taken their place among the NFL elite. After proclaiming that Wadeface would leave his mark on Lambeau and the legend of Lombardi, all I witnessed was a lousy Cowboy's effort and a lot of confused/dopey looks from my favorite head coach. That being said, the biggest dope of the weekend was none other than Patriots genius Bill Bellichek. This ornery little fellow cost many an honest gambling man their Patriots Moneyline bet. Prior to kickoff, several "sharps" informed me that all the smart $ was moving on the Pats to win the game outright. At 34-21 halfway through the 4th quarter, I received quite a few "self congratulatory" text messages telling me that the Colts are lucky to be down only 13 points and that the Pats are the best team in the AFC. Then everything fell apart. Little Bill turned into Barry Switzer, Rich Kotite, and Ray Handley with his decision to go for it on 4th down from his own 28 yard line with 2 minutes remaining. While most fans will harp on this awful decision, I choose to focus on the ridiculous faces he made during the whole ordeal. Somewhere coach Wadeface must have been thinking to himself "How stupid is this guy?".

NFL...

Not much I like this weekend in the NFL. However, I have come full circle on my favorite head coach- Wadeface! Whenever I bet on the Cowboys, the curse of Wadeface has haunted me like a ghost. Then I decided to shoot against this coaching luminary and it backfired (Eagles last week). Now I am back on board with the Cowboys and Wadeface on the road laying 3 against the Packers. If the Cowboys want to prove they are for real they need to go into Lambeau and beat the Packers. I think this is as much a statement for Wadeface as it is the Cowboys. If Wadeface notches this win, I expect a few mentions for "Coach of theYear". The pick: Cowboys -3.
The game I like most is the Panthers +1 over the Falcons. The Panthers have played much better of late, in spite of their quarterback. Over 75% of the gaming public is on the Falcons and the Panthers are the more physical team who should be able to run the ball against the Falcons.

Rocky Top ?

Looks like we got a major problem with the University of Tennessee Football program. The other night three University of Tennessee players were arrested for attempted armed robbery. In addition to being incredibly stupid, something else struck me as strange. What has happened to the Volunteer boosters? Seriously, I know times are tough but have these supporters stopped giving the players money? In an era when players families have cars and houses paid for by some shady boosters, it seems bizarre that three morons would have to rob a local mini mart at 2 in the morning. One of the three players was busted a few weeks back for failing a drug test. I would like to commend the Volunteer program for recruiting such fine "Student Athletes". I think the program needs to send a stern message that this type of behavior "cannot and will not be tolerated". How about a 1 game suspension following an appeal along with some ridiculous letter of apology written by a University spokesman? That sounds about right. In any event, this goes to show you the proud tradition of SEC football. The Florida Gators have had a slew of infractions during the Urban Meyer era (nothing as bad as this) and just a week ago the big news was how a Florida player "gauged" an opponents eye during a pile on in the prior weeks game. What a difference a week makes.
In honor of these recent events, this weekend's 5 star College Release.......Ole Miss -5.5 over Tennessee. Book this game now in case The Vols have another "incident" and the line jumps even higher.

Dream Stimulus......

As expected, the "Dream" went 2-0 and hooked the book in the process. More impressive than his winning, was the Dream's display of bravado during the game. Upon entering a well known New York Steak house, Dream proceeded to carpetbomb the waitstaff with large bills and instruct them to change the channel, despite the fact that other patrons were watching the Rutgers game. When I asked Dream if he felt the least bit ackward, he shot me a death stare before ordering the seaford tower to start. When the Devils gave us a scare up 4-1 (the under was 5.5), Dream told me to "stop embarrassing myself with all the worrying", I was starting to annoy him. I cannot tell you when the next release will come but when it does, be prepared because unlike Propick, the Dream is not one to lower himself to becoming a daily sports blogger.
Be back around Noon with this weekend's NFL releases.

Dare to Dream........

After promising a slew of winners a few weeks back, I have finally gotten an NHL play from none other than "Tommy Dream". In fact, the "Dream" was kind enough to give us 2 plays: Devils +115 over Pittsburgh and the Under (5.5). As "Dream" so deftly noted, the common man can be seen on every street corner sporting a Sidney Crosby jersey. Furthermore, the Devils are 8-0 on the road so far this season. This has all the junior handicappers swearing up and down that this trend cannot continue, let alone against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Penguins. Folks, "Dream" has made a living buying teams when people are heading for the hills and fading those same teams when everyone embraces them. Whether or not "Dream" delivers 2 winners tonight(which Im sure he will), his reputation amongst the NHL community is beyond reproach.
A little good news/bad news. Good news is the Knicks and Nets are within striking distance of division leader Boston, down 7 and 7.5 games respectively. Now for the bad news- the season is only 9 games old and the combined record of both teams is 1-16. The public relations departments are in dire need of a little creativity. Thinking something along the line of having fans make a layup during halftime of a game and then pick their choice of Knick City Dancer to go out with. How about having a Dunking both with Mike D'Antoni and Lawrence Frank? Who cares if booth these teams are down 30 at halftime? People will stick around to see the sideshow. Why else would you spend $200+ to go see these teams?

Heat...........

The Miami Heat are catching 2 points tonight at home vs. the Cavs. The Cavs just issued a beatdown on the Magic in Orlando last night. How bad was it? JJ Reddick was getting a ton of playing time starting in the 3rd quarter for the Magic. With that thought process it would only make sense to expect the Cavs to blow the Heat out of the water. That is the way every Joe Nobody seems to be leaning (70% of gaming public on Cavs). This is the NBA so I expect the game to be tight. Lebron and Dwayne Wade should take about 50 free throws between the 2 of them. Take the home team and the bucket.....Heat +2.
Mike Tyson knocked a photographer around the other day and both parties are pressing charges. Regardless of who is at fault, do you really think a judge is going to believe Tyson's "self defense" argument? This guy bit a person's ear(twice), lives with a pet tiger, and has a face tattoo. The Good news for Mike is- he's flat broke so this guy isn't getting a dime.

I Love This Game.........

Nuggets 90 Bulls 89. The Beat goes on. This is the gaming equivalent of being on the right side of a ponzi scheme. In a moment of weakness I took a "free play" from some hack who recommended the Mavs -6 over the Rockets. Up 14 with 5 minutes left, I am well aware of the "fishy" stuff that can transpire at the end of these games. However, the Mavs are at home and usually the "late game run" is by the home team.
After watching the ESPN documentary on Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, I am more convinced that this was the greatest handicapper of all time. Why no one made a real movie out of his life is beyond me. This guy won 62k betting against Notre Dame in 1943 (equivalent of 800k today), against a school no one ever heard of. When he caught a cold streak he would buy tickets on every horse in the race, just so he would have something to cheer about in front of people. This guy had the whole act- Leisure suits, gold chains, ornery disposition, self loathing,etc. Never again will the gaming world see anything like this guy.

Tuesday........

Taking the Chicago Bulls plus 2.5 over the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are the better team but the Bulls are at home and everyone loves the Nuggets in this game. After watching the Knicks come back last night against the Utah Jazz, I was reminded once again how "Fantastic" the NBA is. Not since the golden age of the WWF (WorldWideWrestling), can a more predictable script be followed. Here is a brief recap of the match, I mean game: Knicks are down 22 points after shooting about 6% from the field. Fans start heading for the exits. Then out of nowhere (wink,wink) the knicks some how cut the lead to 10 points despite still shooting about 6%. Utah then makes a mini run before the Knicks go on a final late game tear, where they are the beneficiary of some generous officiating. The Knicks actually had a chance to win the game but fell short. These guys might go 2-80 on the season but if the script is entertaining, I will watch everyone of their losses.
On a separate note I would like to wish Sammy Sosa a very happy birthday. Sammy turns 41 today and will be forever remembered as the guy who A) hit alot of homers and B) still cannot speak a complete sentence in english. His performance in front of Congress a few years ago was one the most brilliant legal moves ever seen.

Stupid is......

as Stupid does. Barring a generous stimulus program by the Federal Government to promote sports handicapping, yours truly will have to figure things out on his own. I received a few "thank you" emails for being a great contra indicator this weekend. Someone actually asked me what I thought about the Giants game, to which I replied: "I don't love the game but I would take the Giants". Within minutes of that brutal Giants meltdown, I received a follow up text : "thx I took the Bolts." Congrats to those who won but for those thinking about the contra play angle, here are two words of advice for you: Tread Lightly. Even the great ones have setbacks and this is a very fickle business. Now for tonights game. The Knicks +5.5 at home against the Jazz. Yes, its gotten so bad that I will choose a meaningless NBA game over a marquee Monday Night Football Matchup. The Knicks, while awful, are 9-0 against the spread in their past 9 matchups with the Jazz. Furthermore, the Underdog in this series is 10-1 against the spread over the last five years. With 75% of the gaming public going with the Jazz, I will stick with the home dog catching the points in this highly anticipated matchup.

NFL Winners......

Feeling very good about this weekend. Ravens-3 over the Bengals. Do not like divisional road favorites but not all road favorites are created equal. Still prefer to fade the Bengals despite their recent play. Eagles -3 over coach Wadeface and both his #1 and #2 receivers. This is the easiest game of all to me. Eagles are getting healthy and playing a night game at home. The Cowboys under coach "Wadeface" have been a weak road team in big games. All the "retail" money seems to love the Cowboys because they have won their last 3 games against subpar teams. This smells like a comfortable Eagles win. My lean is towards the Bears-3 over the Cardinals at home. Having trouble with the Cardinals as road warriors despite their recent win against the Giants and a 3-1 record on the road this year. Even during last years Superbowl run the Cardinals were an awful road team towards the middle/end of the season. Barring a complete Meltdown from Jay "Jeff George" Cutler, the Bears should win this game.

Rocket Man............

As I celebrated the Yankees runline victory last night, along with the World Series futures I picked up in August at 3.5-1, there was one thing missing from this big party in the Bronx. While Andy Pettitte was basking in the glory of winning his 5th World Series ring, I could not help but think about his one time workout buddy and former best friend, Roger Clemens. If there has ever been a more precipitious fall from grace, please let me know. Just a few years ago Clemens made a complete ass of himself by accusing everyone with knowledge of his steriod use of "misremembering". Even a roomful of lying congressmen threw the BS flag on "the Rocket" as he stumbled along during his testimony, refuting the same people who stuck syringes in his ass for years. In typical Pettitte fashion he apologized profusely, prayed to god for forgiveness, and got on with rehabilitating his image. As for "the Rocket", despite having O.J. Simpson like evidence against him, he continued to deny everything until baseball pulled the plug on him. While Andy was basking in the glory last night, let us not forget about "the rocket" who was probably chugging protein shakes, scarfing down powerbars, and throwing fastballs at a cardboard cut out of Pettitte.

There is nothing I like in today's matchups but I absolutely love some of this weekend's NFL games. I will release these games tomorrow morning. You will be convinced that I have inside information when you experience the winning that is about to take place.

Game Six.......

This game defies all logic. The line is Yankees -200 yet they have a 37 year old pitching on short rest. Meanwhile the Phillies are sending out Pedro Martinez, the same guy who the Mets deemed as "washed up", against a lineup that has hit its collective stride. What does this all mean? No clue. I am taking the Yankees laying the run line (-1.5 runs), thinking they will give their middle relievers enough of a lead that even they can't screw it up. Furthermore, even if Pedro pitches well, he will leave too many innings for the worst bullpen in World Series history. The play is the Yankees run line. I also was leaning towards the over in the game (9.5) but thats way too obvious and the official World Series Common Man play. If I was having more success in my NFL picks I would take the under just to spite the common man.

Braveheart.........

After watching tonight's game 5 World Series matchup, I have found a new "legend of the Fall" in A.J. "big Game" Burnett. Not since Roger Clemens' shelling at the hands of the Red Sox in the 1999 AL Championship series, have I been more unimpressed with a pitcher. While Burnett has long had the reputation as a wildcard, this putrid effort has to send shockwaves through the Yankee organization. If Burnett was unsuccessful going on 3 days rest, what will happen to Pettite at his age? Granted, while comparing Andy Pettite to "chooch" Burnett is blastphemous, it does make you question Girardi's push to pitch his guys on short rest. Every talk radio guy predicted this loss, along with over 70% of the betting public. Hell, I even got a call from Jelly donut Jenn earlier telling me that Burnett was the next Ed Whitson. If the Yankees want to put this ugly outing behind them I have a suggestion: hang up Arod's Centaur in the dugout before game 6. What could be more re-assuring than seeing Arod's face on a horse before every at bat? The scary thing is, I am sure Arod's delusional enough to think that's a good idea. This series has the feel of a game 7. Be Back with a prediction(unlike football, I have been spot on in the series).

Congratulations to Marxy for running the New York City Marathon in 2hours and 5o minutes. While he fell well short of the 26 beers post race, he did manage to post a good time. Next year with a little more focus (possible hooters sponsorship?), maybe he can accomplish both goals.