Sunday, December 21, 2014

Dave's Christmas Thoughts of the Day: December 21st

Ho ho ho Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas!

Last blog entry before the big holiday season.   Well!  I have a question for you.   When you shower, do you take the bar of soap and scrub your feet?  I bet almost nobody does... isn't that funny?  How do they get clean?   Somehow I've gone on this way and not worried about it.   I do rub a dub the tops of the feet sometimes, but never the bottom.  It's funny this only occurred to me this year.

All done with the present shopping except for a couple things.  I have a gift to purchase for one of my grandmothers and an additional item to add for my father.  Aside from that, it's all in the books.   I did almost all the shopping online this year.  Saved me a ton of trouble and I really haven't fought through any lines.   For me it's the way to go!

Ever try the "Beef Bowl" cut at Lawry's?   I'm dying to give it a spin sometime soon, and perhaps my moment is at hand.  I've developed a sort of tradition at Lawry's.  Every year during the winter or Fall, I make one trip to Lawry's for a meal.  Unfortunately, most of my friends don't care for prime rib, so to date I have made every trip to Lawry's myself.  It's too bad too because it's a great experience.  Anyway, the "Beef Bowl" cut is an enormous, monstrous, simply ridiculous cut of standing rib roast that usually is served to participating players in the Rose Bowl game.  However, it's available to order as a civilian if you can pay the price.  I haven't up to now but maybe that time is changing.   I get a nice little cash bonus from the departments (not in the thousands or anything, but enough for a good steakhouse meal) before the Winter Break.  It's truly a nice gesture by all.   I can use it this year to furnish this beef bowl prime rib meal.   Here's a look at it:






I got a version of the picture with a guy seated next to it so you get an idea just how bit it is... the beef is six inches thick!   Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would you be able to eat the whole thing?  I'd love to try and find out.

On Saturday I kicked off the college bowl season with a trip to Tony P's for breakfast.   I think I blew everybody away coming in so early... it wasn't even 10am yet.   Everyone was friendly, nonetheless.  I ordered the pancakes and bacon... that was some of the best pancakes I've had in my life!  Eating that while watching Nevada and Louisiana-Laffayette punt the ball around was a good time, the game wasn't good at all, but the food was exemplary.   I ordered coffee with it and had about a dozen refills.  No wonder I was up past 1 that night.

The little things make me smile.   I never knew Mitch Hedberg did promos for the Atlanta Thrashers long long ago.  That made me smile.   I know it doesn't sound like much, but he did a good job with them.

I know what Mentos are, but it was funny to think about it going through the years.  It was candy, so I thought, but what particular candy was it?  It was last year when I learned Mentos are mints.   They can be chewed too so that they go down more easily.

A big atta boy to the Pittsburgh Steelers for making the playoffs!   First trip to the 'offs in three years!   Feels like it's been quite a long time, but nice to see the 'offs again.  I hope this time they don't get embarrassed at the end as they did against Tim Tebow back then.   The Steelers' defense really isn't any good, but they can have good games when they cheat with an aggressive blitzing pass rush.  Horizontal offenses like the Chiefs are such a good matchup for the Steel City and it played out Sunday afternoon.   A NICE win for the Steelers., setting up Sunday night vs the Bengals with a chance to clinch the AFC North Division.  Looking forward to it!

Hard to believe the Steelers made the playoffs after looking so dead, so lost, so beaten in the first month of the year.  Kudos to Mike Tomlin for getting his boys to believe.  That's a good offense too... it's been fun to watch although frustrating too because they often were playing down to bad teams and losing because of it.

Christmas is a great time of the year.  It's one very few moments of the year where most of society comes to a pause so we can all be together, with our families and some friends, to recognize the birth of Christ, and celebrate our own livelihood.   Many of us, the non-religious ones, emphasize the personal and family reunion aspects of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  However, I always recognize the religious undertones of this time of year.

I also like cookies!   I associate cookies with Christmas, inexplicable as it may be.   Santa eats cookies.  Families bake cookies.  I eat cookies.  It all comes together.

I am so thankful to be healthy again after the absolute worst flu of the year 7 days ago.  It was so bad that I couldn't move.  It basically killed my weekend.  I felt terrible... and I wasnt all there for three days straight.   The next four days were recovery.  I haven't gone to swim the whole time, even up to now.  However, I now am back to full health, and today, on a Sunday evening, I feel so very grateful.  Thanks so much for good health!  I hope to retain my well being through the rest of the month.

I am thankful to once again make it through another year alive, with a roof over my head, and good family to turn to.  I'm thankful for friendly faces and dependable people.  I'm thankful for continued employment and a good hobby with the DITCOW podcast.   It is great to be a functional part of society.  I hope for more good things in 2015.

And to all of you who read this blog.  My thanks to you for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed it.  Go out there and have a great holiday season!   Take care and see you again soon.  Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas!


Tuesday, December 16, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 16: December 16th

It arrives!  The final week of "Kids Club" picks in a most exciting contest.  Here we go, the picks for Week 16 - Four Bowl Picks this week plus two NFL picks.

Say Hello to Ottis (32-25-3)  
Alabama -9.5 vs Ohio State
Missouri -5.5 vs Minnesota
LSU -7 vs Notre Dame
North Carolina -3 vs Rutgers
Vikings +7 at Dolphins
Broncos -3 at Bengals

Andy in Seattle (32-25-3) 
Alabama -9.5 vs Ohio State
Rice -2 vs Fresno State
Duke +8 vs ASU
USC -6.5 vs Nebraska
Patriots -10 at Jets
Broncos -3 at Bengals

John in CT (29-30-1) 
SDSU -3 vs Navy
Cincinnati -3 vs Va. Tech
Duke +8 vs ASU
Minnesota +5.5 vs Missouri
Vikings +7 at Dolphins
Packers -10.5 at Bucs

Ron in NJ (25-31-4)  
Northern Illinois +10 vs Marshall
Texas A&M +3.5 vs West Virginia
LSU -7 vs Notre Dame
Auburn -6.5 vs Wisconsin
Vikings +7 at Dolphins
Lions -7 at Bears

First place is up for grabs.  We'll announce the winner of the contest in January!  Good luck to all the picks! 

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 15 Results: Big week for Andy and Ottis, Two way tie for 1st

And we are set for a monster finish to our "Kids Club " football picks contest.   Ottis had the best week, going 4-0, Andy was second best at 2-1-1.  Ron managed to salvage two pushes in an otherwise bad week for him and John held steady at 2-2.  Let's break it all down.

Say Hello to Ottis (4-0) 
Hit with: Patriots, Jets, Broncos, Cowboys
Missed with: [none]

Andy in Seattle (2-1-1) 
Hit with: Chiefs, Patriots
Missed with: Ravens
Ties: Seahawks

John in CT (2-2) 
Hit with: Patriots, Jets
Missed with: Rams, Chargers

Ron in NJ (0-2-2) 
Hit with: [none]
Missed with: Giants, Browns
Ties: Seahawks, Texans

15 weeks down, and one big week left, here are our standings entering week 16...

Ottis: 32-25-3
Andy: 32-25-3
John: 29-30-1
Ron: 25-31-4

Away we go!  Tonight we have our "Bowl Preview" show on the DITCOW podcast (@ditcow).   On this program we'll also provide our final "Kids Club" picks of the season.  This week each panelist provides six total picks - 4 bowl picks plus 2 NFL Week 16 picks.   It shall provide for an exciting conclusion in our contest.  Tune in!  (blogtalkradio.com/daveinthecity)

LOCKS of the Week Result: 1-0. Season Record now 19-27

Cowboys came through for me!

So with that hit, my 1-0 week brings me up to 19-27.   I may attempt one final round of LOCKS this week, but we shall see.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Dave's LOCK of the Week: December 13th

Just one LOCK of the week this time, and it was two weeks in the making.

When the Eagles beat the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, I felt an air of flukiness to it.  The Cowboys were short on rest, Romo was still hurting and the Eagles fast start took them by surprise.  The boys look like they panicked.. overthrowing in desperation and Tony Romo's throws were just off.

I thought at the time that when these teams meet again the Cowboys will get it back.  Yep, I like the COWBOYS +3.5 at the Eagles.  My LOCK of the Week for Week 15.   Here's to more success!

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 15: December 10th

Here are the "Kids Club" picks for Week 15.  This week, all NFL picks.  Next week, each panelist will offer 4 College Bowl picks and 2 NFL picks.

Andy in Seattle (30-24-2)
Chiefs -10 vs Raiders
Seahawks -10 vs 49ers
Patriots -7.5 vs Dolphins
Ravens -14 vs Jaguars

Say Hello to Ottis (28-25-3)
Patriots -7.5 vs Dolphins
Jets -1.5 vs Titans
Broncos -4 at Chargers
Cowboys +3.5 at Eagles

John in CT (27-28-1)
Patriots -7.5 vs Dolphins
Rams -4.5 vs Cardinals
Chargers +4 vs Broncos
Jets -1.5 vs Titans

Ron in NJ (25-29-2)
Giants -6.5 vs Redskins
Browns +2 vs Bengals
Seahawks -10 vs 49ers
Texans +7 at Colts

Some of the lines were adjusted so that the point spreads match in checker on checker picks and for head to head picks.   John and Ottis will go head to head with the Broncos/Chargers game.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 14 Results: Andy goes 4-0, Retains 1st Place, John + Ottis go 3-0-1

A MONSTER week for much of the Kids Club after a rough week last time during Turkey Weekend.   Andy had the best week, winning the week with a smashing 4-0 in picks.   John and Ottis were right behind him with a 3-0-1 week.  Unfortunately, several games turned on Ron in NJ very late.  Florida State for one allowed a backdoor cover to Georgia Tech, and the Packers did the same with under 5 minutes to go in their game against the Falcons.   He went 0-4, but 2 of those were snatched from his fingers near the very end.  Let's recap the results, pick by pick.

Andy in Seattle (4-0 last week) 
Hit with: Alabama, Georgia Tech, Patriots, Seahawks
Missed with: [none]

John in CT (3-0-1 last week) 
Hit with: SMU (won outright!), Georgia Tech, Cardinals
Missed with: [none]
Ties: Vikings

Say Hello to Ottis (3-0-1 last week) 
Hit with: Oregon, Cowboys, Seahawks
Missed with: [none]
Ties: Cincinnati

Ron in NJ (0-4 last week) 
Hit with: [none]
Missed with: FSU, K-State, Broncos, Packers

and on we go!  Here are the standings after 14 weeks.

Andy: 30-24-2
Ottis: 28-25-3
John: 27-28-1
Ron: 25-29-2

Tonight we'll try it again for Week 15.  This time out, we'll do four NFL picks, as there are no college games this weekend.

LOCKS go 0-2, Season Record is now 18-27

This week's LOCKS went... whatever they went.  0-2 for two games where a cover was in hand for nearly 80% of either game.   My season record is now 18-27.     Here's the breakdown:

Hit with: [none]
Missed with: FSU, Packers

Better luck next time, as they say!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Dave's LOCKS of the Week: December 4th

Here we go… trying to keep the forward momentum on LOCKS (dink!) of the Week.

Two picks (so far, I may add a third tomorrow).  Here we go.

Florida State -4 vs Georgia Tech.  I like Georgia Tech, and they've had quite a good season.  For me, the fact remains that Florida State has survived many close games and are simply the better team.  They have had their head in their butts all season but in many cases, they still found a way out of it, with every team, and I mean EVERY TEAM going right after them as defending champions.   Georgia Tech's offense is a fun offense, a different offense, that triple option, but it's also a limited offense.   FSU's front seven can hold it down and I think Florida State wins by at least a touchdown.  Why overthink it?   I've exhausted my attempts to root for someone to beat them, time to embrace the Noles (as YOTS would say).

Packers -12.5 vs Falcons.  Packers at home in prime time.  BOOM, right there, that should be enough to pick Green Bay.  The Packers are flat out automatic at home, and most of their home games this year were blowout wins.  Now you add in the Falcons, who plain *stink.*  I know they beat Arizona a week ago, but that is an aberration to an otherwise pathetic season for Atlanta.  This is NOT a good team.  The Packers are on a roll and no signs of stopping now.  The point spread would had to have been Packers -21.5 before I considered taking the Falcons in this one.  Nope!   Packers all the way.   It'll be over by halftime.

So as of the moment (Thursday December 4th) THOSE are my LOCKS of the Week!  On to another good outcome, hopefully.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 14: December 3rd

Here are the Kids Club Football picks for Week 14...

Andy in Seattle (26-24-2)
Alabama -14.5 vs Missouri
Georgia Tech +4 vs Florida State
Patriots -3.5 at San Diego
Seahawks +1 at Eagles

Say Hello to Ottis (25-25-2)
Cincinnati -7 vs Houston
Oregon -14 vs Arizona
Cowboys -3.5 at Bears
Seahawks +1 at Eagles

Ron in NJ (25-25-2)
Florida State -4 vs Georgia Tech
Kasas State +9 vs Baylor
Broncos -10 vs Bills
Packers -12.5 vs Falcons

John in CT (24-28)  
SMU +12 vs UConn
Georgia Tech +4 vs Florida State
Vikings -6 vs Jets
Cardinals -1 vs Chiefs

Good luck to all the picks.

Monday, December 1, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 13 Results: No winning weeks, Andy stays in 1st Place

Rough week for the Kids Club after the 'Club rallied in the previous three weeks.  Most of the group had a sub .500 week, with Oat Man's 2-2 the only finish at .500.  Here are the results:

Say Hello to Ottis (2-2) 
Hit with: Michigan State, Colts
Missed with: Baylor, 49ers

Andy in Seattle (1-3) 
Hit with: Georgia Tech
Missed with: Utah State, Steelers, Patriots

John in CT (0-4) 
Hit with: [none]
Missed with: Texas, UCLA, Bengals, Steelers

Ron in NJ (0-4) 
Hit with: [none]
Missed with: Colorado State, UCLA, Steelers, Bengals

No need to dwell on these outcomes, here are the standings after 13 weeks...

Andy: 26-24-2
Ottis: 25-25-2
Ron: 25-25-2
John: 24-28

The good news is that most of the Kids Club is still at or above .500, and John would still be a couple games back of the leader.  It's still anyone's game as we take the picks into Conference Championship Weekend for Week 14.  We'll see who takes charge!

LOCK of the Week goes 1-0. Now 19-25 for the year.

I was very satisfied with my pick of Stanford +5.5 at UCLA.   Right up there among my favorite picks of the year.  You may remember my favorite pick of the year so far is when I picked the Packers to cover 8 (I believe) at home against the Vikings.  This is maybe my other favorite.  

No need to elaborate on how Stanford did it, or why UCLA is tough to trust ATS.  Instead I'll say that we went 1-0 this week, back to back winning weeks and, one game at a time, my season record is now 19-25.

Soon I'll need to pick more than one game in order to get back to .500, and we'll see what comes up.  Stay tuned...

Mike Francesa's Week 13 NFL Picks go 2-3. Season record now 31-23-1

Things didn't go well for Mike Francesa's NFL Picks this week.   It could have been worse, but his Thanksgiving picks failed him.  Let's recap the results:

Mike hit with: Lions, Colts
Mike missed with: Cowboys, 49ers, Giants

So!  Mike is now 31-23-1 after 13 weeks.   Fortunately, he only went only one game under .500 for the week.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Mike Francesa's Week 13 NFL Picks: November 26th

In the league where they play......................... for pay. 

Mike Francesa did great a week ago, and this week he offers his Thanksgiving weekend NFL picks:

Lions -7 vs Bears
Cowboys -3 vs Eagles
49ers -1 vs Seahawks
Giants -2.5 at Jaguars
Colts -10 vs Redskins

Good luck to his Turkey week selections!

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 13: November 26th

Here we go!   As we come down the stretch with the contest, we're ready with some big picks and some checkers on checkers for a Thanksgiving Weekend.  Here are the Kids Club Picks for Week 13.

Ron in NJ (25-21-2) 
UCLA -5 vs Stanford
Colorado St. -7 at Air Force
Bengals -4 at Bucs
Steelers -4 vs Saints

Andy in Seattle (25-21-2)
Utah State +9.5 at Boise State
Georgia Tech +13 at Georgia
Patriots +3 at Packers
Steelers -4 vs Saints

Say Hello to Ottis (23-23-2)
Baylor -26 at Texas Tech
Michigan St. -13.5 vs some other team
49ers -1 vs Seahawks
Colts -10 vs Redskins

John in CT (24-24) 
Texas +7 vs TCU
UCLA -5 vs Stanford
Bengals -4 at Bucs
Steelers -4 vs Saints

Good luck to all the picks and Happy Thanksgiving to the Kids Club and thanks to them for the great spots on the podcasts and a most fun pick'em contest!

Dave's LOCK of the Week: November 26th

Only one LOCK of the Week, once again, but I am a huge fan of this pick.

Stanford +5.5 at UCLA.   Stanford's pass rush gave UCLA so many problems over the years, and I think, despite a limited offense, and a not terribly good quarterback in Kevin Hogan AND the loss of Montgomery, one of their best if not their single best receiver, I feel like the Cardinal are going to make this game very very interesting.  I'd go so far as to expect a win, but we'll see if their success at the Rose Bowl goes well.  Their last trip was quite the letdown, and they lost in the Rose Bowl game to Michigan State.

For me, it doesn't matter.  So much money is going to UCLA right now, 87% of the bets right now are on UCLA -5.5 per SportsInsights.   UCLA's offense really isn't that good, and I don't think there's a single standout receiver on the team, nor is their running game that great.   They caught USC at the right time too... SC made so many mistakes that did them in.   I'm not fully convinced UCLA is the team to beat in the Pac 12.  Clearly Vegas is trying to set everyone up for a big letdown.  That's why they make the big bucks, but I don't think they'll be making big bucks from me!

...they will take my big bucks from random Anaheim Ducks games but ANYWAY...   Happy Thanksgiving everybody!   May it be wonderful and delicious.  

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Lost Society in Full: Every Episode Ever - plus thoughts of the day: November 24th

Never eat liver and onions.   One night, about a decade ago, my sisters and I joined our grandparents at Mimi's Cafe for a meal while our parents were vacationing for their anniversary.   I was so confident that liver was so closely tied to steak that it would taste like steak, but everybody kept warning me "nooo!  Davey don't eat the liver and onions!"

The whole time I thought, "guys!  It's ok, it's part of the cow like the steak, it'll taste just like steak!"  Then I got it... holy moses it was like eating a tray full of cigarette ashes... incredibly awful.. no taste and this metallic texture... it was simply awful.  but being the dope I was I talked up this liver and onions all day so I tried to gut it out and act like it was delicious... everybody around me started laughing.  I couldn't do it.  I tried so hard to eat it and eventually I started to grab some bread rolls and stuff the liver into the bread... even *that* didn't work, it was a complete circus.  I wanted to puke.   Eventually I threw in the napkin.   I was done and everyone around me was rolling with laughter!   That was a *scene* folks.

Ever notice that orange juice and grape juice taste especially good out of a small can?  Try it sometime!  It is remarkably refreshing... wouldn't even believe it.  I went in for a blood test Monday afternoon, and I think this one wiped me out.  They took a lil more out of me than usual.  I was sweating, just completely fizzled, but the guy at the clinic offered me some juice and he said they had orange, grape, or pineapple and I was so thirsty that I asked to try both the orange and grape together.  He went for it!   I was doing the dance, in my head, the rest of me was pretty limp trying to restore movement to my right arm.  Eventually it came to and so did the juice... boy was it delicious!

One of my buddies, my neighbor, over on twitter is in Western NY, his homeland, this week.  He found his local pizzeria and put up a pic of the pizza which he *loved.*  He wrote "Dear Twitter, this is pizza."

See, that happens a lot with East Coast guys who move out here to SoCal.  They try the pizza and go "this is subpar!"  and then once in a while when they go home they tweet to the universe that East Coast places w pizza are pizza how its meant to be.   I have the same complex with Mexican food.  So much so that this chorizo and cheese burrito I had tonight really hit the spot... if I had seen that tweet earlier, I'd post a pic of the burrito and go "Dear East Coast Twitter:  THIS is a burrito."

and its true!   Would you even attempt a burrito west of the rockies?   Maybe Chipotle and a couple other places, but I'd say that's all.

I'm gonna go to In N Out later on this week and put that on twitter too.  "Dear Universe:  THIS is a burger, but nice try w/ the Shake Shack."  Heehee, I like the shake shack burger all right, but indeed, the In N Out beats it, or I'd think so.

For the record, the best pizza *is* on the East Coast.  I have been there, I have tried it, and it is true.

And you know what the best pizza of all the pizzas is?  It was re-affirmed by a good friend of mine, YOTS who spoke very highly of it when he went there this year.  It is Di Fara... a legend all in itself.  Hop on a train to Midwood, Brooklyn, and go to this lil place... nondescript as it seems:



You are NOT going to regret it, so long as you can wait for the pizza.  And only one guy makes all the pizzas!  His name is Dom.  He's quite a character as you'll see when you get there.

 

Perfection!

Ah, but that's pizza, and out here, it's burgers coffee and burritos.   Food is great all over this good land.   Wow, I almost forgot to do this...  today I present to you the complete works of my fake TV show "The Lost Society."   I wrote it, originally, over the summer while I was in Junior College, between High School, and my eventual Alma Matter at Cal Lutheran.   I've received several requests for all the episodes, and rather than leak them out little by litter, I decided to post the whole series today.

The first episode was written on my 19th Birthday, May 23, 2001.   It took place in Santa Barbara, because I wanted a show that was different from all the other ones which were set in LA or New York.  The original run spanned about 18 scripts, written in my room at our family's house.  Then I got into college stuffs and life.   I picked up the series when I moved to Santa Barbara for real and had a better idea of what the town was really like.  However, that "second season" never finished... I only made it through about three scripts.  Episode 20 was never finished!   I don't even know, reading it now, where I was going with it, but I did enjoy a couple zingers I wrote early on.  It's really too bad.  The original run was the best.   I was really enjoying the characters, ideas, and concepts I explored with the show.  I had a season story arc that I don't recall if I completed, but it was the season running story that Jenkins put a big bet on the Red Sox to win the World Series when the baseball season began and had great odds.   The Red Sox, this was April 2003 when I wrote this, were still 80+ years past their last championship.  Jenkins hit on an idea, and he almost hit it big, but my plan for that story arc was for the Red Sox to come back from a huge deficit in the standings, make a big run in the postseason and have everyone call them the "team of destiny."   Then I said, this was a great kicker, the Sox would enter the World Series against Hewitt's beloved LA Dodgers.    Not only that, but everybody in Santa Barbara would have caught on to Dodger fever.   So it would come down to Game 7, and Jenkins had probably 50 grand on the line and all his buddies around him were excited about the local Dodgers.   It'd come back to the last out with the Red Sox this close to winning, and of all people, little Alex Cora hit a grand slam to clinch the Championship for LA.  Everybody in the apartment erupts except for one, and it was the graphics designer Jenkins who was so close yet so far.  I can't remember if that storyline ever played out in the actual scripts, but I was really excited about making that a big running theme.  

It was a great show that never aired... writing it was great, but, I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, I wrote this in a time before I was mature and learn-ed.   There is so much inappropriate material in these scripts that I'd never come close to writing this kind of fiction again, but in those days I let loose.  I hope you'll see that I've acquired much more tact and social prowess since I began the project 13 years ago.  It's a treat!  Hope you all enjoy it.   

So here it is, without further adieu, "The Lost Society" in full:


Accompanying this set is a short TV pilot I wrote called "Welcome to Project 12" based on my college experience, I wrote it about the time I entered Cal Lutheran as a transfer.


Enjoy all the reading folks.  Hope it's enjoyable for all of you.  I'll have some other stuff for you on the Daveblog soon.   Take care!





Mike Francesa's Week 12 NFL Picks go 4-1, Season Record is now 29-20-1

A MONSTER week for Mike Francesa's NFL picks!   His selections go 4-1, bringing his season total after 12 weeks to 29-20-1.  Some great reads by him with the point spreads.  Truly, Mike is having a great year.

Here are the results:

Mike hit with: Browns, Patriots, Colts, Seahawks
Mike missed with: Bucs

He's hot, folks.   We'll see what Mike presents to us for his Week 13 picks whenever they may be.  I'm not sure if he will do the picks Wednesday or Friday.  Stay tuned.

LOCK of the Week went 1-0, Season Record now 18-25

Only one pick for LOCKS of the Week, and it hit!   We got the Raiders +7.5 and they won outright.  A great week for the Raiders, and LOCKS of the Week now moves up to 18-25.

Hit with: Raiders
Missed with: none

1-0 this week.

I like the concept of going just one game at a time.   With the win, LOCKS is now 7 games under. 500  That seems bad, and it is, but its also a lot better than where we were a few weeks ago when we were 9 under .500.   It will take a lot of decisive careful picking to get us to .500.  It's funny too... last year we were well above .500 and trying to stay away from getting under .500 and we couldn't do it.  A free fall to a game under water.   This year, there's a chance, by picking fewer games a week, with only our most confident selections, that we'll get to .500 by year's end.  We have a month to make it happen.  Here's to the best!

Note: we won't go just one game at a time every week, but something like that.  Small samples of games.   Hopefully more success as we go along.

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 12 Results: Andy 3-0-1, climbs into 1st place tie w/ Ron, everyone above. 500

Another big week in "Kids Club" picks.   We have now arrived at a point in the year where the entire Kids Club is .500 or better.  This is truly remarkable because for a good part of the year, some of our panelists were well under .500.  It was a great climb back for all.  Andy wins the week with a blistering 3-0-1 in picks, with Dallas rallying late to save a push.  John had a great week, sweeping NFL picks.  Ron did nicely himself with two keen college picks, nabbing the sweep of NCAA games.   The Oat Man nearly had a 2-2 week but the Oregon -34 pick was a push. Let's break down the results:

Andy in Seattle (3-0-1) 
Hit with: Kansas State, ASU, Patriots
Missed with: None
Ties: Cowboys

John in CT (3-1)
Hit with: Utah State, Eagles, Rams
Missed with: Purdue

Ron in NJ (2-1-1)
Hit with: SDSU, Boise St.
Missed with: Broncos
Ties: Cowboys

Say Hello to Ottis (1-2-1) 
Hit with: Bears
Missed with: Notre Dame, Broncos
Ties: Oregon

Oat Man was just a few plays from getting both the Oregon game and the Broncos game.   The Dolphins scored a very late touchdown to backdoor-cover.  Still wasn't a terrible outcome and as you'll see below he's hanging tough.  Now here are the standings after 12 weeks.

Ron: 25-21-2
Andy: 25-21-2
Ottis: 23-23-2
John: 24-24

As mentioned, everyone is now .500 or above. On to a big week 13 over Thanksgiving weekend.  Program note:  We may not do a podcast this week so check out the blog here for the picks.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Mike Francesa's Week 12 NFL Picks: November 21st

In the league where they play............................................................ for pay.

On to Week 12, where Mike Francesa has these NFL picks for us:

Browns +3 at Falcons
Patriots -7 vs Lions
Colts -14 vs Jags
Bucs +6 at Bears
Seahawks -7 vs Cardinals

Mike Francesa's Week 11 NFL Picks go 2-4, now 25-19-1 this season.

With some help from Brian Monzo, Mike Zaun producer on WFAN, we got word of Mike's picks from Week 11.  I was on vacay at the time so I didn't post it that day.  Also some props are in order to Andy in Seattle for denoting Monzo's tweeting of the picks.

...yes I realize this makes one wonder why does the 'Cow bother posting these on the blog, but the payoff is in the season record, which we can compile with tangible evidence.   Anyway here are the picks Mike made:

Mike's #NFL picks: Packers -5.5, Browns -3, Saints -7, Vikings +3, Bucs +7.5, Broncos -9.5 .. #PlayForPay ..



How'd they do?   Let's recap:

Mike hit with: Packers, Bucs
Mike missed with: Browns, Saints, Vikings, Broncos

Total: 2-4

That also puts his season total at 25-19-1 for the year.   We ran through several sources, archived audio, and numerous listeners to corroborate the record as we have it now.  Mike's still doing pretty well, but we're at a point of the year where his announced record may deviate from the actual one.   but, we're coming up on 5pm Eastern, and soon he will announce his latest NFL picks to extend his season record.  Good luck to his upcoming picks later this evening!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Dave's Thoughts of the Day: November 21st

It looks like most of the archives on the DITCOW Blogtalkradio page got deleted this week!  I will check it again later, but I'm a very sad man.  I like to go back to old episodes to get a picture of how the show evolved, the guests we had and so on.   If they're gone for good, that's really too bad.

Tonight I had a special meeting with peanut M&M's.  This time around, I put them in the freezer before eating them.   Whatever the reasons, frozen M&M's are oh so good!   Incredible.  I wasn't going crazy like that lady in the "Mile High Hardees/Carl's Jr. cheeseburger" commercial, but they popped in my mouth and tasted great.

I also officially ran out of regular food.  I'm down to one can of Chipotle Chicken Chowder and a handful of peanut M&M's.  That's it!  It's time to go back to the grocery store.

One of my favorite sandwiches, and it's not a great sandwich overall, but I love it, and it's the Subway BLT footlong sub.  It's just vegetables, bacon, and cheese, with my choices of oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, then brown mustard and chipotle southwest sauce.   I enjoy it a lot, throw in some peppers and perpronchinis.  Yum!  NOW I wonder what would happen if I asked the fine folks at Jersey Mike's to create that same sandwich?  Would it taste even better?  What would happen if I mosey'd down to Bay Cities to ask guys to make a hero with those ingredients... maybe use their fine quality provolone as the cheese and use their special hot peppers blend as the topping.  It would truly amaze some folks.   I think I already had this sandwich once.. its their "capreese" sandwich but I'd also classify it as a Godmother Sandwich without meat.  Very good.  What I *didn't* do that time was ask them to add freshly toasted bacon.   With the bacon that sandwich would be outstanding!

It's been said many times before by many people, but doesn't bacon enhance everything?   I heard some people were grossed out by bacon covered chocolate but I had it once and I liked it.    I'd add bacon to cookies to see how that went.   One thing with me and bacon is that bacon has to be crispy... at least on the edges it must be.   You'll get what they call "thick sliced bacon" and its more like beef jerky.  It's not my thing.  People get so excited too about it: "ITS THICKER BACON!!"  but the difference is, that thicker bacon means less crispy bacon.   If the bacon was thicker but still as salty and crispy as usual, itd be fantastic, OR if it was more along the lines of the high grade pork bellies with succulent juicy centers, I'm all in.  Usually it's just the dried up portions of the pork made thicker, so again, its like chewing on bacon licorice or something - not quite the same effect.

I'll tell you what - I did not mention the reuben a friend and I shared at Las Vegas' Carnegie Deli location in the Mirage.  For those of you from New York, I am willing to gamble and say it duplicates the taste of their flagship location faithfully.  For me it's all about the pastrami, and it's so delightful.  The pastrami is moist, sumptuous, and full of flavor.  It falls off and melts in your mouth.  Really the only two places I know with better pastrami are Langer's in Los Angeles and Katz's Delicatessen over in New York City.  Technically I'm eating a fellow NYC sandwich, but with a much shorter distance to travel to get to it.

And, subconsciously, that might be what keeps me coming back to Las Vegas.   So many times a year, and every time I've been since about December 2013 I've made at least one stop at Carnegie Deli at the Mirage.  It's irresistible.   Every time I go after that pastrami during the trip.  On one or two occasions I hit it at a bad time, it wasn't that fresh and it tasted grainy, but still delicious.  Oooh, but on the other occasions it's just perfect.  Try it and see, then taste!

The Mirage, without really attempting it, made a casino designed especially for Dave. They said, "ok, what kind of Casino/Hotel would Dave live for?   We start with an enormous sports book, possibly the biggest one on the strip, let's put that up front.  Then we'll add a Starbucks on site.   We will add a burger place with customizable toppings, great fries, and shakes, plus excellent beer on tap.   If he's feeling it, we'll throw in a good buffet (which I havent even TRIED yet!), and a top notch steakhouse.   Let's add a chinese restaurant, then place some top 5 national pastrami right by the door.   Lastly we'll throw in fair slots, great blackjack and craps tables, a Beatles show, a Puppet Guy who does nights, a showroom with the best comics performing every weekend, rooms with views of the strip, the largest pool around, and easy access to the Venetian and Wynn.   Finally we want to charge reasonable rates, about 50 a night on slow dates.  It is... the Mirage."  And I keep going back there time after time.

McIntosh apples are my new thing.   Peach season is over, but it gives way to Apple Season, and McIntosh is at the head of the class.  I ran out of apples, so my new supply is on its way very soon.  I like McIntosh because it's tart but not overly sour.   Pretty much everything a Granny Smith was but better.   You ever notice, nobody tries to make a candy or an ice cream McIntosh flavored?  Missed opportunity here.   I think it'd be a nice change of pace.  McIntosh apples are incredibly fun to eat.   I don't really know why I was so late coming around to them, but the last year or so it's been grand.  It doesn't seem like my store really carries them until the Fall hits full stride.  Here we are!   Next trip I'm getting a huge bag of them.

How many apples can one person eat in one sitting?  Generally I'd imagine the person would get bored with apples after eating 3 ofthem.   Overall I think my ceiling is four apples, but if really pressed, I could go up to six of them.

That's all for the moment.  I always hoped that a health study would come out that said Peanut M&M's are healthy for you! 

Have a great Friday, everyone!

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Dave's Thoughts of the Day: November 20th

This one's for Beebs, Cap, and Lubsies.   I miss doing the personal blogs on a regular basis.

The issue for me lately is time.   Work is too busy, the apartment is too busy, sports are too busy, and often I don't have the time or the energy to compose a full persoblog.  Or a "daveblog" as I call it.  So here's what was on my mind in the weeks since my last personal entry.

You ever notice that when you shower the feet get left out?   Do any of you scrub your feet?   I never thought about it.  You soap down all the other parts of your body but then when it gets to the feet I always forget.  I keep thinking "well its gonna step on the floor again w all the other gunk, is it worth it?"   I haven't done it much.   Do the feet care?  I think there's a chance it can avoid disease by simply washing it w some soap... remarkable that this never came up before.

So I have a story to share with you all from a recent Vegas trip.   A friend of mine had an idea to go to a night club in Vegas to see Lil Jon there.   And, wouldn't you know, we're walking around the Wynn/Encore complex and there's a lil dude with the wild hair walking down the other way.  Lil guy too... yep, that dude was LIL JON.   Good stuff!   So the friend is like "let's go see him tonite at the club!"  So, for the first time ever, I thought "you know what?  That sounds like a good idea!"

Remarkably, we found the tickets... the concert didn't start until 10:30!!   Can you even imagine that?   They don't even open the doors til 10:30... so the two of us had to go back to the hotel into our respective rooms, then we return iono about 9, and I'm playing dollar slots at the Encore after winning two out of three NHL over/under bets at the Wynn casino.   The dollar slots weren't going so well -- I made the crucial mistake of trying a Double Diamond Machine with the stinkin' "Megabucks" Jackpot.  Do me a favor will you?  Don't ever play a Double Diamond w/ Megabucks Jackpot machine.  Man was that eating away at my money.  After a while, I gave up and tried the regular double diamond $1 machine while waiting for the Lil Jon Nightclub to let people in.   This time I put in only 20 bucks, but this $1 machine had some staying power!  I didn't win anything there either but I got a good vibe from it.   So we are dressed up here.. a bunch of #HelloDeahs in the line and we're ready to roll.  A bunch of douchebag clowns are right behind us, one of them drops his phone.  That group was getting instantly untrustworthy, but on we went into the club.   It was a good time, and it was apparently "early" by the club's standards.. we're all dancing at about 11... it was dark in there, some smoke machines in effect, drinks, even some black jack tables, but the ones with the auto-machines instead of the shoe.  Those auto-machine tables are bad news, so I avoided the blackjack completely and we all kept dancing...... but after a while it was like "when is Lil Jon going to get here?" and eventually we gave up.  I had no idea when he even showed up... for all I know he might have started at 2.   Alas, it wasn't to be.  I might consider trying it again on another date... he's at this nightclub fairly often, YEAHHHHH, OK!

and the buffets... OH the buffets!   Life is good when you can pick apart the nuances of the Wynn lunch buffet and the Cosmopolitan brunch buffet from Sunday.  For me the Cosmo was the clear winner.  Last time out, I tried both on the same weekend and the difference was closer.  The distinction was that this was the first look at a Cosmopolitan Wicked Spoon Sunday Brunch.  Man was it good!   They touted the thick sliced fresh bacon, but their regular bacon was also so amazing.   They don't do prime rib here, but they serve a pretty succulent beef culotte.   The culotte, as great as it is even with the creamy horseradish sauce ohhhhh so good, still gets lost within a whole arena of great foods.   The angry mac and cheese, now known as "Wicked Mac" is stupendous.   The French Toast blows me away.  The gingerbread pancakes with marshmallow topping hit the spot.   There was some "mystery juice" served to us along w/ the usuals: orange juice, coffee, and soda at your option.  I didn't take the soda, but the others were stellar as usual.  Now this "mystery juice" was revealed by our server as a raspberry puree with some passionfruit and other assorted fruits.   Amazing!  Then it was time for the desserts.  I didn't partake in too many of them this time, but the gelato guy, didn't really have much to say but he was very enthusiastic w/ his action and took great pride in his gelato, served up some vanilla for me to top it all off.  He would go "WHICH GELATO?  [after your pick] VANILLA YES?  OK"  Something like that, he used very few actual words but his communication was effective.  

To give you a picture of how expansive this buffet is:  you never even *touch* the Italian Pastas, the Chinese/Thai/Japanese cuisines, or anything else on the right hand side of the gallery.   It's best to focus on the left side anyway, because the primo breakfast foods and excellent carving station are all on that end.  I must not forget the braised pork eggs benedict.  Simply delicious!

One other note, going back to the Wynn Buffets... the Wynn buffet served the single greatest flank steak I've ever had.   I don't regard flank steak as very tasty, succulent, or even interesting, but Wynn nailed it.  They cooked the flank steak in a marvelous sweet glaze, and grilled it over mesquite flames.  I could see the chefs grilling each slab to perfection.  When I saw it the first time I said "hey how come they only have the end of the meat?"  I didn't realize it was a flank cut, which is already flat by its definition.  Best flank steak I've ever had.  So good that I want to go back and try it again.

When I retire, I will make it a point to go to vegas for a whole week, trying every dish in these two buffets, provided they're still around.  If they aren't, I'll attempt the same project for two similar buffets in town.   That would be a dream of mine.  Maybe one day I can play blackjack at a table with Lil Jon and Al Michaels.   Listen folks, I do believe in miracles and playing with those two would be a blast!

If we add Jennifer Lawrence and Taylor Swift to that table, then we got a party.  Doncha think so?

Some other thoughts...

Mortadella is the grown up cousin of bologna.   Very good, and proving to be one of my favorite meats.

I have some seriously chapped lips right now that I've tried to fix with Chap Stick.  It works but then the lips dry out again.  I tried swimming on Tuesday and it made the lips even worse.   It's so painful that I can't even smile without my lips tearing and or bleeding.  Oof.  So I keep pounding the 'stick.   Eventually I hope the lips get enough moisture.

I think any situation, even ones with high tension, can be improved with cookies.

There may come a week soon down the line where I'll take a vacation from sports.  Just stop following it.  I'm interested to know how it goes...it'd be less to think about, anyway.

Nothing beats sleeping with several warm blankets on a cold night.   A very good feeling.

I think that's all for this time out.  Hope to see you again soon...








"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 12: November 19th

Here they are!  The "Kids Club" picks for Week 12.  Thanks to John and Ottis for making the picks on-air on the @ditcow podcast (this week you can go to daveinthecity.podbean.com for the complete broadcast -- youtube didnt capture a full show). 

Here we go... good luck to the picks!

Ron in NJ (23-20-1) 
SDSU -4 vs Air Force
Boise St. -13 at Wyoming
Broncos -7 vs Dolphins
Cowboys -3 at Giants

Say Hello to Ottis (22-21-1) 
Notre Dame -3.5 vs Louisville
Oregon -34 vs Colorado
Bears -6 vs Bucs
Broncos -7 vs Dolphins

Ottis also likes Florida State -19 vs Boston College, but this will not count towards the contest.

Andy in Seattle (22-21-1) 
Kansas State +2.5 at West Virginia
Arizona State -16 vs Washington State
Patriots -7 vs Lions
Cowboys -3 at Giants

John in CT (21-23) 
Utah State -13 vs SJSU
Purdue -1 vs Northwestern
Eagles -11 vs Titans
Rams +4.5 at Chargers

Two notable Checker on Checkers this week:  Both Ron and Ottis like Broncos -7, and both Ron and Andy like Cowboys -3.   Both of these could prove to be popular picks all across America.  Good luck to all the picks and here's to a great Week 12!

Dave's LOCK of the Week: November 19th

This week, just one LOCK (blam!) of the Week.

Raiders +7.5 vs Chiefs.   Home teams getting points is a consistently good play.   This week, it could play out really well with the Chiefs not only coming off an emotional win over the Seahawks, but also on short rest.   The Raiders have gotten closer and closer to winning a game, and last week they lost to the Chargers by just 7 points.   So here it is -- Raiders to keep it interesting against the Chiefs.  I've been getting killed with Thursday night picks, but this time around, there may be a chance.  On we go!   Here's to a good week of, um, LOCK in the NFL.

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 11 Results: Andy climbs above .500, Ron stays in 1st

This was a big week for Andy in Seattle on the "Kids Club" picks.  After spending the whole year under .500, he goes 3-1 to climb to a winning record.  A tremendous job by Andy getting above .500.  Oat Man wins the week due to the tiebreakers, and Ron also hangs onto 1st place in the season standings.  Let's recap the picks:

Say Hello to Ottis (3-1) 
Hit with: Michigan State, Rams, 49ers
Missed with: Clemson

Andy in Seattle (3-1)
Hit with: Cincinnati, Packers, Cardinals
Missed with: Arizona

Ron in NJ (2-2) 
Hit with: Utah, 49ers
Missed with: Middle Tennessee State, Browns

John in CT (2-2) 
Hit with: Georgia, Chiefs
Missed with: Temple, Saints

The Kids Club is doing well so far in the second half, here are the up-to-date season standings:

Ron: 23-20-1
Ottis: 22-21-1
Andy: 22-21-1
John: 21-23


LOCKS go 1-1. Season Record: 17-25

Not much to elaborate on.  FSU had a monster comeback to save a .500 week, covering the 3 point spread.  Here are the results:

Hit with: FSU
Missed with: Alabama

We'll try it again next week!

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 11: November 12th

Here we are!  Into our 11th week of "Kids Club" picks and the standings really tightened up.  Let's see what the Kids Club picked, as announced on our @ditcow podcast:

Ron in NJ (21-18-1)
Utah +7.5 at Stanford
Middle Tennessee State -5 at FIU
49ers -4 at Giants
Browns -3 vs Texans

Say Hello to Ottis (19-20-1)  
Michigan State -13 at Maryland
Clemson -3.5 at Georgia Tech
Rams +10 vs Broncos
49ers -4 at Giants

Andy in Seattle (19-20-1) 
Cincinnati +2.5 vs ECU
Arizona -9 vs Washington
Packers -6 vs Eagles
Cardinals -2 vs Lions

John in CT (19-21) 
Temple +11 at Penn State
Georgia -2.5 vs Auburn
Chiefs -1 vs Seahawks
Saints -7.5 vs Bengals

In an unusual, but otherwise pointless stat, it looks like the NFL's entire NFC West was either picked for or picked against in this week's "Kids Club" picks.  I thought that was pretty cool, albeit "Shearn."  Good luck to all the picks! 

Dave's LOCKS of the Week: November 12th

We have the picks early this week on Dave's (BLAM!) LOCKS of the Week.  Just two games this time, the NFL was impossible to pick from confidently.  I may pursue the Chiefs -1 vs Seattle as a non-lock of the week.  Watch for them on Sunday.

Otherwise, to the two picks, both from College:

Alabama -8 vs Mississippi State:  This one's simple.  'Bama is simply dominant at home, and Mississippi State's looked limited at times offensively.  Alabama simply has more talent and I feel like they hit their stride.  It is very VERY tough to trust any team with Lane Kiffin's involvement, but what's the worst that happens with this pick?  It's a great game?  Alabama loses?   I am more than happy to choose them, quite confidently to cover 8 points.  Had it been 18 points or even 80 points I still would have considered 'Bama as a LOCK of the Week.   They've gone 3-0 against the spread at home in-conference.  No real indications of this going differently unless we have simply underestimated Mississippi State's defense.   I'm not really convinced.   The game against Arkansas was too close for comfort ('Bama also had a tough time with Arkansas).   Kentucky was giving them a tough time too.  How would Dak Prescott and a relatively new-to-the-scene team react to such a big atmosphere in Alabama?   They did it before at LSU, but this is now crunch time and NOW the stakes are pretty high!   The better experienced team is the one I like, ROLL TIDE.

Florida State -3 at Miami:  Miami is VERY overrated here.  Their defense is just plain bad, and they can be had.  It may be close in the beginning, but Florida State should handle this team pretty well.  

Oh very well, I have no real argument... this is purely a win-win/spite pick.  I pick it hoping the 'Noles either cover or lose outright.   Very good chance of either happening.  Confidence well spent!

There you are!   Bama -8 and FSU -3.  The LOCKS of the Week.   Here's to a good outcome.

Monday, November 10, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 10 Results: THREE members go 4-0! Ron stays in 1st.

An incredible week in "Kids Club" Football Picks!   After Ron got the first 4-0 week of the season in Week 9, we follow up with THREE of our Kids Club members going 4-0, catching right up to Ron in NJ who hangs on to first place.  Ron also went 2-2 with his picks, splitting both his college and pro picks.   Naturally, the large number of 4-0 weeks spike the split sweep numbers for tiebreaking purposes.  What a show!  Many shows were had and it's a very close race *now* as you'll see in the standings coming up.  First, let's break down a most productive week for the Kids Clubbers.

Ottis wins the week due to a better season record than John, and more individual week wins than Andy.    John's 4-0 keeps him only a half game away from catching the two others.   Some checker on checkers had a hand in this most successful week.  Here are the results player by player.

Say Hello to Ottis (4-0)
Hit with: Oregon, Baylor, Chiefs, Falcons
Missed with: [none]

A *huge* bounce back for Oat Man after going 0-4 the week before.  Now he's right back in the game!

Andy in Seattle (4-0)
Hit with: Georgia Tech, Arizona State, Packers, Eagles
Missed with: [none]

It appears the Arizona State cover, against Notre Dame, was most satisfying to Andy personally.  He expressed as much on the internets. 

John in CT (4-0)
Hit with: Duke, Baylor, Falcons, Eagles
Missed with: [none]

It's a definite first for Kids Club Picks.  3 of our Kids Club members with 4-0 weeks, and interestingly, the fourth had a 4-0 week last week.  The club is hitting its stride with football picks!  John was very keen to bet against the long running trend of Baylor losing at OU.   Talent ultimately won out instead of past history.

Ron in NJ (2-2) 
Hit with: Utah State, Packers
Missed with: Michigan State, Steelers

So!  A most exciting week, bringing the whole group within just a couple games of each other.  Here are our standings after 10 weeks:

Ron: 21-18-1
Ottis: 19-20-1
Andy: 19-20-1
John: 19-21

Can't get much closer than that!  Everyone's nearly back to .500.   Can the Kids Club keep the forward momentum in Week 11?   Tune in on Wednesday for their next big moves.


Mike Francesa's Week 10 NFL Picks go 3-1: Now 23-15-1 for the year

Another successful week for Mike picks from the NFL!   This week, Mike Francesa goes 3-1 and extends his season record to 23-15-1.  A VERY good record against the spread if I may say so.  Let's see the particulars.

Mike hit with: Ravens, Broncos, Packers
Mike missed with: Rams

The Rams pick was pretty close to hitting too, but the Cardinals poured it on during the fourth quarter.  Now to see how Mike finishes off the year, about 1/3 of the season to go!  We'll find out his picks at this time on Friday afternoon.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

LOCKS of the Week go 3-2; Season Record now 16-24

It was a good week on LOCKS.  Not enough to give hope for a .500 year, but a positive week!  Here are the results:

Hit with: Duke, Lions, Chiefs
Missed with: Michigan State, Bengals

Not a bad result!  I should never trust the Bengals anyway, that was a bad idea.    We are now 16-24 and currently 8 games under .500, but we also have about 7 weeks left in the season.  We'll give it our best shot next week for more winning football.  

Friday, November 7, 2014

Mike Francesa's Week 10 NFL Picks: November 7th

In the league where they play............................................ for pay.

Here they are without further delay, Mike Francesa's Week 10 NFL picks.

Ravens -9.5 vs Titans
Rams +7  at Cardinals
Broncos -11.5 at Raiders
Packers -7 vs Bears

Good luck to his picks and may he extend his winning record!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Dave's LOCKS of the Week: November 6th

Here we go!  LOCKS (slam!) of the Week.

So here it is, on to continue our losing streak.  Can we sink further than 13-22?  Let's see.  We'll start with the pros.

Bengals -6.5 vs Browns.  My picks begin with tonight's Thursday game between the Browns and Bengals.    This is a classic case of not-overthinking-it.   The Browns have looked better lately, and are much more competitive than usual, but it's still a very limited offensive team and head to head with Cincy, the Bengals have had more than their share of fun.  The Bungles also rebounded after some simply abysmal football a month ago.  There's not much more to it than that.  Cincinnati is a great home team, and a great home team against the spread no less.  The last real fail ATS was the overtime game against Carolina.  Other than that, they're solid at home.   To date we have seen only two underdogs cover the spread on the new "Thursday Night Football", that was the Jets in Week 7 and the Giants earlier in Week 4.  That *also* means 7 teams covered as favorites on the Thursday Night package.  Bengals with AJ Green back against familiar foes, let's do it.

Chiefs -2.5 at Bills.  This is more of a spite pick, going back to the same matchup a year ago I used on LOCKS of the week.  In fact the same two teams played at the same place in Buffalo.  Both teams have changed on both sides of the ball since then, with Flowers going to San Diego, and Manuel giving way to Kyle Orton in Buffalo.  For me, this is yet another hot team that really isn't that good.   Sammy Watkins has been the real deal, but defensively I'm not convinced with them.   There are some tangible issues at Running Back lately with CJ Spiller still rehabbing.  For KC, Jamaal Charles looks like he's back on a roll and Alex Smith did a good job engineering a dominant home performance against the Jets last Sunday.  I expect more of the same at Ralph Wilson Stadium just as they did last week.

Lions -3 vs Dolphins.   You can see that favorites are popular picks this week in the NFL, and the Dolphins' defense looks terrific, but I still will give the edge to Detroit.  Detroit is home, their pass rush still is incredibly good, and the defense altogether has been pretty stingy.   Certainly, the Fantasy Football player recognizes how little they give up in the way of passing yards, touchdowns, and receptions.  Adding to this is the fluid nature of Dolphins RB Lamar Miller.   With his health in question, I don't think the Dolphins will take advantage of a strangely *terrible* Lions rushing defense.   On the offensive side of the ball, Stafford, Tate, and the returning Calvin Johnson will be very tough to defend, and I think Detroit wins out.  I will admit this is a coin-flip game, especially for a team so poorly coached like the Lions, but I'm sensing more overall talent in the Motor City.   I will say that the Dolphins are pretty good and provided they can make the right plays tactically they should be in this one for a while.

Now to College Football, where I continue to be a glutton for punishment.  Here are my College Football picks.

Duke -3.5 at Syarcuse.   I agree with John in CT who made the point on the @ditcow podcast that the Blue Devils are consistently undervalued at the sports book.   It was close, but they covered once again and won outright against PITT.  This week they meet a sad sack, poorly managed team in the Syracuse Orange, and Duke is simply a pretty good team.   I'd be surprised if they lost this one.  Blue Devils to give the points.

Michigan State -3.5 vs Ohio State.   While Ohio State is a much improved team and more confident from where they were about week 3 following a loss to Virginia Tech, I still think Michigan State is the class of the conference.  They beat every team in-conference so far, despite a close call with Nebraska.  Other than that, they have crushed everyone and everything in the Big Ten.  It's also a more experienced team than Ohio State at present with returning QB Connor Cook, Jeremy Langford, and a great secondary.   It's a rematch of a thrilling Big Ten Championship game from a year ago, this will be fun!

That does it for LOCKS of the Week.  I have the Bungles -6.5, Chiefs -2.5, and Lions -3 in the NFL, then Duke -3.5 and Michigan State -3.5 in College.  Here's to a great Week 10!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 10: November 5th

Here we go!  You just heard them on the @ditcow podcast.  Here are the "Kids Club" picks for NCAA and NFL in Week 10:

Ron in NJ (19-16-1) 
Michigan State -3.5 vs Ohio State
Utah State -7 at Wyoming
Steelers -4.5 at Jets
Packers -7 vs Bears

Say Hello to Ottis (15-20-1) 
Oregon -9 at Utah
Baylor +6 at Oklahoma
Chiefs -2.5 at Bills
Falcons -2 at Bucs

Andy in Seattle (15-20-1) 
Georgia Tech -3.5 at NC State
Arizona State -2.5 vs Notre Dame
Packers -7 vs Bears
Eagles -6 vs Carolina

John in CT (15-21) 
Duke -3.5 at Syracuse
Baylor +6 at Oklahoma
Falcons -2 at Bucs
Eagles -6 vs Carolina

Good luck to all the picks, and here's to an exciting Week 10!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 9 Results: Ron goes 4-0! Virtual 3 way tie for 2nd

A lot of moving and shaking in this week's "Kids Club" Picks.  Congratulations to Ron in NJ!  He went an outstanding 4-0 in his picks, first undefeated week of the season, which by definition also means two split sweeps.  The rest of the Kids Club was a mixed bag.  John continued his comeback with a nice 3-1 week, Andy kept pace with a 2-2 week, and Ottis went a disappointing 0-4 with his picks.  Let's break it all down for Week 9.

Ron in NJ (4-0)
Hit with: Missouri, Utah State, Chiefs, Colts
Missed with: [none]

John in CT (3-1) 
Hit with: Kansas St., Cardinals, Patriots
Missed with: UNC

Andy in Seattle (2-2) 
Hit with: Patriots, Eagles
Missed with: Ole Miss, Arizona

Say Hello to Ottis (0-4) 
Hit with: [none]
Missed with: ECU, Arizona, Broncos, Chargers

After this week's picks, the standings really shook up.  We now have Ron with a big lead, and three players with nearly the same record.  Here's how it looks after 9 weeks:

Ron: 19-16-1
Ottis: 15-20-1
Andy: 15-20-1
John: 15-21

Not to be overlooked is John's nice comeback so far.  It doesn't seem like much with his current record, but he had two 0-4 weeks in a row for a combined 0-8.     With two 3-1 weeks, he is back to a few games in back of the leader.  One more winning week could put him back in contention for first.  We'll keep an eye on it.

Our Week 10 picks are coming up Wednesday night... hope to see you there for it!  We'll post the show link when we go on air on Twitter: @ditcow .  Follow us!  See you all in a few days for Week 10 picks.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Mike Francesa's Week 9 NFL Picks: 1-2 this week, now 20-14-1 for the season

We were unable to post the picks Mike Francesa made on Friday, but our colleagues at themikefrancesa.com picked us up!

Mike had these three games:

49ers -10 vs Rams
Patriots +3 vs Broncos
Chargers +1 at Dolphins

Hit with: Patriots
Missed with: 49ers, Chargers

Overall, Mike went 1-2, but his great run over weeks 4-7 or so still has his total record at 20-14-1.   He's hanging in there, and will try to extend his great record in Week 10.

LOCKS of the Week go 1-3. Season Record now 13-22

If LOCKS of the Week was a company, we would declare for Bankruptcy.

Four picks, only one hit.  Here's how it went..

Hit with: Pats, and this was one I felt really good about.
Missed with:  Mississippi, Panthers, Ravens

1-3 for the week.  Now we're down to 13-22 for the season.  I suppose these ARE LOCKS of the week; it's a LOCK that you pick the other way!

You'd think my overall record including non-LOCKS is completely awful.  Amazingly, it isn't.   I've done better with other games and hunches, including MLB and NHL picks.  I'm actually ahead two weeks in a row.  but... well, I do my worst with both LOCKS of the Week and College Picks.

Been that kind of year.  We'll try it again next time.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

"Kids Club" Podcast Picks - Week 9: October 30th

Most of the crew sent the picks via text this week, with the podcast on a Thursday instead of the usual Wednesday.  Here are the picks!

Ron in NJ (15-16-1) 
Missouri -6.5 vs Kentucky
Utah State -3 at Hawaii
Chiefs -9.5 vs Jets
Colts -3 at Giants

Say Hello to Ottis (15-16-1) 
ECU -8 at Temple
Arizona +6.5 at UCLA
Broncos -3.5 at Patriots
Chargers +1.5 at Dolphins

Andy in Seattle (13-18-1)
Mississippi State -10.5 vs Arkansas
Arizona +6.5 at UCLA
Patriots +3.5 vs Broncos
Eagles -2 at Texans

John in CT (12-20) 
UNC +14.5 vs Miami
Kansas St. -12 vs Ok. State
Cardinals +3 at Cowboys
Patriots +3.5 vs Broncos

Only two checker on checkers this week: Arizona and Patriots.  We also have Ottis and John going head to head with Broncos/Patriots.   Good luck to all the picks!

Dave's LOCKS of the Week: October 30th

Here we go, time for Dave's LOCKS (aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieee!) of the Week.

Just four games this time, but I feel pretty confident about them.

We'll start with the lone college pick.  Despite my hesitance to do College Games, I nonetheless will select Ole Miss -2 against Auburn.  Auburn is really looking overrated lately and I think they got pretty embarrassed by a similarly good defense at Starkville against Mississippi State.  Ole Miss is going to win this one going away.  Mississippi -2 vs Auburn.

Next we have the Panthers +3.5 at home against the Saints.  For me it's two things:  one, home dogs in prime time getting points are a good play, and Carolina is a good choice for one because while they lost against Seattle, Cam Newton's played markedly better.  The second thing is that the Saints still are very bad on the road.  I know they'll win a game there eventually but with the extra half point, I feel pretty confident about the Panthers at least covering the spread.  Panthers +3.5 vs Saints.

I'm also taking Patriots +3.5 at home against the Broncos.  Same reason! In fact, it surprises me a good amount that the Brady's Pats are getting more than a field goal against the Manning's Broncos.  Even recent history suggests that the Patriots have the upper hand over Manning teams at Gillette Stadium.  In a showcase game such as this, as every Manning/Brady matchup is, a home team getting points is a tremendous opportunity.  It doesn't happen often, and the fact that the Pats are underdogs suggests that either the Patriots are much worse than they looked in recent weeks or that a TON of people are putting money down on the Broncos.  I tend to think it's the latter because we've seen some pretty big point spreads for Denver over the last three weeks.  The betting public is big on Denver, and I feel like I can at least get good statistical odds with Brady and Belechick at home.  Bear in mind, the Patriots have yet to lose a home game.  I actually liked them outright, but officially we have Patriots +3.5 vs Broncos.

Lastly, I'll play heel and take the Ravens +1.5 at the Steelers.   In all honesty, the Steelers have been more fun to watch lately but their defense, especially in the fourth quarter, is pretty terrible.   Their pressure on Andrew Luck seemed like more of a fluke last week, but Ryan Shazier did make his return a week ago.  Nonetheless, the Ravens are a better all around team, an improving defensive team, and they're coming off a loss.   PIT comes off a win against the Colts.  Logically you'd expect the superior roster to win out, even on the road, but we'll see how it goes.   Ravens +1.5 at Steelers.

The line has since changed, since I made the pick early in the week.  Currently the point spread is Ravens -1.   I like it more with Ravens getting the point and a half, so I'm glad to jump on it.

So there they are, LOCKS for Week 9 of the NFL.   Mostly NFL, one College Game, and with hunches I think will hit.  On to a good football weekend!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Dave's WEEKEND MADNESS goes 6-3! and LOCKS of the Week finish 3-3 (Season: 12-19)

Weekend Madness was a great success!  The capper was Redskins +10 at Dallas… I felt good about that and boy did they come through, didn't they?  Not only did they cover the 10, but they won outright in overtime.   Tony Romo was hurt during the game, but even so a great win for Washington.

That game finished off a great weekend of do-or-die picks from the weekend.  Here's how WEEKEND MADNESS broke down.

Hit with: SF Giants, Saints, Redskins, Isles over, Flyers over, Michigan State
Missed with: Penguins over, Maryland, Mississippi State (that damn half a point got me!)

Mississippi State.. would NOT have picked that game at all if I knew it was -14.5.  I thought it was -14… in fact I was waiting for it to go down to 13 but it didn't happen, but no matter, we got through it.

But, all in all, a 6-3 finish… I'm very happy to have a big finish in what could have been our last entry of this blog.   Thankfully it worked out.

LOCKS of the Week were not as lucky due to the Chargers running out of steam plus the aforementioned mis-cue selecting Mississippi State too late.   A good lesson to myself about why I need to make these picks earlier in the week.  I tend to find the point spreads more favorable when I jump on it early.  LOCKS went 3-3, bringing my season total to 12-19.  One more winning week and we're going to be in striking range for .500.  I have all the way until January to make it up too.  Let's break down the LOCKS:

Hit with: Michigan State, Saints, Redskins
Missed with: Chargers, Maryland, Mississippi State

Many of the picks here were included in "WEEKEND MADNESS."  One thing I noticed is that my pro picks have been doing much better than my college picks.   I'm going to step back through the weeks and see how it all adds up:

10/24: 2-1
10/15: 0-2
10/8: 2-0
10/2: 1-2

I did not pick NFL games this year until October, so that is my entire NFL picks history.   Well!  We went 5-5.. not as great as I thought, but it is quite a lot better than my record with College Games.

So!  Let's try to build another winning week.  We'll get it rolling by week's end, stay tuned for more LOCKS of the week coming up.

Monday, October 27, 2014

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 8 Results: Ron ties for first place, Oat Man steady.

No winning weeks out of the Kids Club this week, in a weekend featuring a few wild finishes in both College and Pro Football.   Andy and Oat Man went 2-2.  Ron and John had losing records.    Andy is doing a pretty good job not giving up ground in the race, and Ron pulls into a tie with Ottis for first place.  Ron also wins Week 8 based on the number of previous week wins.  Here's the breakdown.

Ron in NJ (2-2) 
Hit with: Mississippi State, Bengals
Missed with: Ole Miss, Packers

The Mississippi State win was very very close!   He had the Bulldogs -13.5 and picking it early was his key to success, the line went up to -14.5 later on, which would have made Ron a loser, but getting it under 14 was *the* deciding factor.   Miss. State won by exactly 14 points.

Andy in Seattle (2-2) 
Hit with: Oregon, Patriots
Missed with: Auburn, Colts

Andy went with his home town Patriots and they came through in a big way: a dominating 51-23 home win over the Bears.

Say Hello to Ottis (1-3) 
Hit with: Michigan State
Missed with: Alabama, Bears, Seahawks

The Seahawks game was very similar to their game at Carolina last year.  Both games were decided by less than five points.  Alabama was especially disappointing for Ottis because  they had covered for a large portion of the game, but won by only 14 instead of the 18 points he needed.

John in CT (1-3) 
Hit with: Nebraska
Missed with: Oklahoma State, Lions, Jets

Hard to imagine the Jets would have put up such a miserable effort against the division rival Bills.   The Lions were down 21-0 against the Falcons and made a monster comeback to win with a last second field goal.   Final score: 23-21 Lions, so while John lost the pick, the Lions could have been blown out altogether if it were not for that furious rally.

I'd call it a "steady" week for the 'Club, and it brings our standings after 8 weeks:

Ron: 15-16-1
Ottis: 15-16-1
Andy: 13-18-1
John: 12-20

On to Week 9!




Mike Francesa's NFL Week 8 Results: 1-3 this wk, 19-12-1 for the season

After a great run of winning weeks, Mike Francesa's NFL Picks go 1-3, bringing his season total to 19-12-1.   Here is how it broke down...

Mike hit with: Chiefs
Mike missed with: Ravens, Jets, Packers

Both the Packers and Ravens picks were effective pick'em's, and for Mike they just didn't work out.   The Ravens came especially close to pulling it off, only to give up the the push for a touchdown at the goal line near the very end.

Next week, Mike goes for more W's in the NFL picks.  And on we will go...

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Weekend Madness!! A large array of picks.

Well folks... we are taking the kamikaze movement and going heavy with games this weekend.   LOCKS of the Week are included here plus some other picks.  NINE games total:

Maryland +11
Mississippi State -14.5   (this one burns me because it changed from 14 pts to 14.5 at the last second)
Michigan State -17.5
Stars/Islanders over
Wings/Flyers over
Penguins/Preds over
SF Giants -115 (Vogelsong vs Vargas)
Saints -1
Redskins +10

If this goes really south, you are reading the last post ever on LOCKS of the Week.  

Friday, October 24, 2014

Mike Francesa's Week 8 NFL Picks: October 24th

In the league where they play………………………………..  for pay. 

Mike went a spectacular 6-0 last week, bringing his season total to 18-9-1 (no matter what he says).   Now, he has a golden opportunity to extend his streak and build upon an already great season record.  Here are his picks for NFL Week 8:

Jets -3 vs Bills
Chiefs -7 vs Rams
Ravens [pickem] at Bengals
Packers +1 at Saints

I will add though... just when you feel like you can trust the Ravens, that's when they let EVERYBODY down.   Something to watch for going into this weekend.  Flacco in particular -- you never know what you're gonna get.   Provocative!   Good luck to Mike's picks for NFL Week 7.


Thursday, October 23, 2014

Dave's LOCKS of the Week: October 23rd

And now time for a big edition of our LOCKS (boink) of the Week!

I promised it a few days ago... this week we have a lot of games, and when I say a lot of games, I mean "we have a lot of games."   Let's start:

First from the Pros, we have the Chargers +8 at Denver.   This is a matchup the Chargers used well to their advantage last year, albeit later in the season.  They were also getting over a touchdown in points at Mile High and the Bolts won outright.  I also think it's odd to think of the Broncos winning a divisional game against another good QB by so many points.   On the other hand, it feels like a trap.   Nonetheless, the movement of the line from 7.5 points earlier in the week to 8 suggests many people want to take the Broncos.  That makes me feel pretty confident about this one.  Rivers should be ready to go after an off game against KC.   You may see some big plays from Malcolm Floyd this time around, and while the Broncos have a great run defense, it won't affect this game as the Chargers don't run the ball that much to begin with.

Next!  We have the Packers visiting the Saints.  The Packers are the better team here, but I also think they're due for a minor let down after a monster performance against Carolina.  The Saints had a tough loss at Detroit, and they are now 2-5.  Something has to give, and the Saints are bound to have a big game at home.   Brees hasn't been completely awful of late, and I think he'll spread the ball around much like the Packers do.  I haven't seen anyone really take advantage of GB's secondary, but that will change at the Superdome.   Saints -1 in a virtual pick'em vs Green Bay.

Lastly from the pros, we have a goofy pick: I like the Redskins +10 at Dallas.  This really makes no sense at all.  The Redskins are one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL and they have struggled  defensively against good or even mediocre quarterbacks.   Their QB situation itself is brutal.   They went from RG3 (hurt) to Kirk Cousins (ineffective) to Colt McCoy.   A perennial NFL backup retread against the league's hottest team, I don't like that matchup for Washington.   HOWEVER -- it remains that the Cowboys consistently don't cover at home when favored by ten or more points.  There's no other real reason to take the Redskins, other than the usual nonsense about what a big "rivalry game" it is.   Over time, I've found the games to be pretty close anyway.  Much closer than we'd expect in some years.  There were years where the Redskins had no right to compete that year, yet, you had a game within a touchdown in the fourth quarter.   All the value will be on D.C.'s side, Redskins +10 at Dallas.

Now to College Football.   I enjoy my Saturdays a little more when I have that 9am game to watch with a little juice involved.   This time around, that game is Maryland at Wisconsin.   Once again, the Badgers scheduled 5 tomato cans in a row, seemingly all at home, to give people a fake undefeated record, then played the real teams and fell short.   It's happening again this year, and after losing to Northwestern, Wisconsin isn't really a serious contender.   In a twist -- the Badgers had LSU on the ropes, only to *lose* late in the fourth quarter.  Then, we came to find out, LSU really isn't that good this year, but they have been getting better since that early September game.  Wisconsin, on the other hand, looks pretty weak of late.  This week, they play Maryland, a pretty good offensive team with a full head of steam.  Maryland isn't really the kind of team that can hold a lead, but they are usually pretty good at scoring points.    I like Maryland and their quick paced offense because they played a team similar to Wisconsin earlier in the year: Indiana.   Back then, the Hoosiers sported Tevin Coleman, a terrific running back and a big part of their offense, and it wasn't nearly enough in a 37-15 home loss.   The Badgers also are big on running, their star is Melvin Gordon and he too is the real deal, but that's just it.  The Badgers have had a tradition of running the ball but there's not much else to work with.   Passing from Wisconsin is so-so, and eventually I think the Terps will catch up with them in this game.   Maryland's done a fine job so far fitting in with the Big Ten.  Here's to a good game - Maryland +11 at Wisconsin

Next in College, two big favorites I couldn't resist.   We'll start with Michigan State -17.5 vs Michigan.  No one has been more dominant at home against weak teams than Michigan State.  With that said, they looked pretty shaky against Nebraska, but perhaps the Huskers are better than we imagined.   This time, the Spartans take on the reeling Michigan Wolverines who can't score to save their lives most of the time.   My only hesitation was on the line getting lower, but it didn't happen.  Nevertheless, we'll go Michigan State, coming off a blowout of Indiana on the road.

Finally, I have Mississippi State -14.5 at Kentucky.  I was waiting all week for the line to come down, but instead it actually went *up* to -14.5 from -14.  Very disappointing, but we'll take the game anyway.   Kentucky is 5-2, but none of those wins were against quality opponents.   They also had a terrible outcome against LSU, where they lose 41-3 at Baton Rouge.   While UK is at home, they're also playing the best defense/QB combination they faced so far.   It took me a while to buy into Dak Prescott's offense, but they locked down Auburn and embarrassed LSU on their field.  What more could you want?  The only thing keeping them back is either an unprepared-ness for the Wildcats' Air Raid offense, or a simple action of playing down to their opponent.   Usually in college, the best defense can circumvent or limit the "let down game."   It's hard to say though, that's why the SEC is so tough!   We'll take our chances.  Mississippi State to give the points.

Quick update:  I also have selected UConn +28.5 at ECU.  This isn't a LOCK of the Week, but it does seem like an awful lot of points to be getting against ECU.  ECU beat UNC 70-41, but nonetheless I figure the score will be just a point or two lower than 29 this time out.

So!  On this busy football weekend we have six picks:

Chargers +8
Saints -1
Redskins +10
Maryland +11
Michigan State -17.5
Mississippi State -14.5

Incredibly disappointing that the Bulldogs line isn't lower.   It seems to me that they will win by right around 13, 14, or 15 points.  We'll have to see!   Here's to a good weekend in football.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

"Kids Club" Podcast Football Picks - Week 8: October 22nd

Here are the Week 8 picks from the "Kids Club" as delivered on the @ditcow podcast!

The theme of the week was "17.5" as in the many 17.5 point favorites that were chosen for college football this week.  We'll list the picks plus each person's season record, and we start with John:

John in CT (11-17) 
Nebraska -17.5 vs Rutgers
Oklahoma State -1 vs West Virginia
Lions -4 vs Falcons
Jets -3 vs Bills

Andy in Seattle (11-16-1) 
Oregon -17.5 vs Cal at Levi's Stadium
Auburn -17.5 vs South Carolina
Patriots -6 vs Bears
Colts -3 at Steelers

Say Hello to Ottis (14-13-1) 
Alabama -17.5 at Tennessee
Michigan St. -17.5 vs Michigan
Bears +6 at Patriots
Seahawks -5.5 at Panthers

Ron in NJ (13-14-1) 
Mississippi St. -13.5 at Kentucky
Ole Miss -3.5 at LSU
Bengals -1 vs Ravens
Packers +1.5 at Saints

Some of these picks are pretty bold... we'll see how they all do over the weekend.  Good luck to the picks!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Mike Francesa's NFL Week 7 Results: A *perfect* 6-0! 18-9-1 this year.

Perfection!

Mike Francesa went a perfect 6-0 for the NFL Week 7 predictions, and with the perfect week his season total is 18-9-1.   A masterful effort by Mike this year and bear in mind: he started 0-3!  So, here are the picks and the outcomes:

Mike hit with: Colts, Ravens, Vikings, Chiefs, Cardinals, Steelers
Mike missed with: [none]

That's why he's number one, folks.

"Kids Club" Football Picks - Week 7 Results: John + Andy both go 3-1, Division Standings tighten

John and Andy both needed a nice rebound and they got it with their respective 3-1 weeks.   Ron was not as lucky, with the Colorado State game in particular burning him, and Oat Man held at 2-2.  The picks were pretty well designated so the group as a whole now is closer to one another in the standings.  John wins the week, owning the better overall record and most individual week wins.  Busy day at the office so we'll just give you the straight results:

John in CT (3-1) 
Hit with: Kansas State, Ravens, Jaguars
Missed with: Louisville

Andy in Seattle (3-1) 
Hit with: Duke, Arizona State, Cowboys
Missed with: Chargers

Say Hello to Ottis (2-2) 
Hit with: Ole Miss, Broncos
Missed with: Baylor, Patriots

Ron in NJ (1-3) 
Hit with: Missouri
Missed with: Colorado State, Bears, Seahawks

and here are the standings after 7 weeks:

Ottis: 14-13-1
Ron: 13-14-1
Andy: 11-16-1
John: 11-17

On to Week 8!  It's getting intense with this competition.

Monday, October 20, 2014

LOCKS of the Week go 0-2: Season total is 9-16

It was a disaster this week, but anticipating said disaster we were keen to limit participation to two games:

Interestingly, the game we didn't use, Jaguars +6, hit in a big way.  The Jags won the game outright!  But, officially these are our results:  0-2 for two NFL picks and 9-16 for the season.

Hit with: [none]
Missed with: Bengals, Giants

I think the simple fact is, both of these teams *stink.*   I'm glad they lost, and it serves them right getting overhyped like they do and then doing nothing when you expect them to.

We're starting to run out of weeks!  I can only hope we find a way back to .500 and we're looking at some pretty juicy matchups to use for LOCKS next week.   We may include quite a few games, more than you've seen before.  Stay with us and we'll provide some future winners.

Dave's Top 5 Sandwiches in L.A.

In case you're wondering my "Top Five L.A. Sandwiches" are:

1. Bay Cities "Godmother"
1. Langer's Pastrami
1. Canter's Corned Beef
1. Capriotti's "Bobbie" Turkey/Stuffing
1. "Bayou Bomber" at Ralphs

*they're all No. 1!

Friday, October 17, 2014

Mike Francesa's Week 7 NFL Picks: October 17th

In the league where they play………………………………..  for pay.

Mike went quickly delivering his Week 7 NFL picks, and here they are!

Colts -3 vs Bengals
Ravens -7 vs Falcons
Vikings +5 at Bills
Chiefs +4 at Chargers
Cardinals -3.5 at Raiders
Steelers -3 vs Texans

Good luck to his picks and here's to a big NFL Week 7!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Dave's LOCKS of the Week: October 15th

It was a very tough week to think of games to pick from this week's point spreads.  Nothing stands out, so we have just two LOCKS for this week, and they're both in the NFL.

First, I like the Bengals +3.5 at Indianapolis.  My goodness, how quickly did everyone quit on the Bungles?   It just seems nuts that now we all think they're bums... and yes I think they're overrated and not to be trusted in big spots, but their defense is not the Jaguars now.  I don't even think the Jaguars are that bad... but that's another matter.

Anyway, the Colts have done well for themselves lately, but if they think they're going to just throw all over Cincy, they are mistaken.  Granted, the last two QBs did just that: Tom Brady and Cam Newton.  They were flat out great... but the Colts never make it easy... they struggled to put away a good D-line like the Houston Texans.  I see the same story this Sunday.  There is just way too much confidence in the Colts, and I feel like their team needs work defensively and in their O-Line.   Lastly, the Bengals are simply due for a win.  Even without A.J. Green, this team has way too much talent to have a 3 game win-less streak.  There's no way!   and... well, even if they don't win, I think I'll have a good time with them getting embarrassed anyway.

Yep!  It's another "Dave in the City"  "eff those guys!" bet!   If they cover, I win, if Indy tramples all over them, I still win.  Bengals +3.5 at Indy.

My second and final pick is Giants +6.5.   I've had enough of the Giants.   I've picked against them twice I believe and got burned both times.  This time I'm going to pick them to cover +6.5... and one of two things will happen.  a) they cover and/or win  and b) they don't cover and get kicked around by the Cowboys.  I *love* both outcomes, and the fact is, the Cowboys may come into this game a little flat after an emotional, impressive, incredible win at Seattle.   Dallas would be liable to start slowly and pull out a win at the end, but the point spread is just too big.  Dallas was about a 6.5 point favorite against Houston at AT&T Stadium and nearly lost to them.   The 'Boys did not cover on that day and I don't think they cover here either.  Giants +6.5 at Dallas.

So, with the Jaguars +6 on the table, I'll pass on that affair for now and stay with the two strongest choices: Bengals and Dallas.  No picks in college this time out... we'll be in for some fun for football, enjoy the games!