A monster week for LOCKS of the Week! Turns out that my "hunches and funny feelings" played out brilliantly... Cowboys were the biggest winner of them all I think. One could have seen the Cowboys getting blasted late, but it didn't happen. In fact, the Cowboys controlled most of that game in Seattle. What a moment!
First winning week since Week 2 and this is how it all broke down:
Hit with: Washington State, Patriots, Cowboys
Missed with: A&M
That's the last time I involve Texas A&M in any football pick for quite some time. Their defense is simply terrible and their offense suddenly stops once it plays a big SEC school. For future reference, that's still zero wins against ranked opponents at Kyle Field for Kevin Sumlin's A&M career.
Anyhow, the NFL picks were red hot, and I'm thankful for good fortune this week. I also picked the Raiders +7.5 against the Chargers, but this will not count for the purpose of LOCKS of the Week. All in all, a successful weekend, and with LOCKS we now go up to 9-14 for the year. That's still quite a ways off from .500, but we'll try to cut into that deficit again next week. Stay with us!
Monday, October 13, 2014
Mike Francesa's NFL Week 6 Results: 1-2 this wk., 12-9-1 for the season
Even Mike admitted it on Friday, this was going to be a very tough week to pick games... nothing really stood out, and for the week he went 1-2. The big disappointment, from Mike's point of view, was the Steelers. I have never seen a modern Steelers/Browns game that uncompetitive from a Steeler standpoint. That was a surprise for all the wrong reasons and the Browns won 31-10.
Put simply, the Steelers stink!
Let's run it all down for Mike's Week 6 picks:
Mike hit with: Ravens, and a very gutty move by him too... barely anyone even addressed this game and this was a great job by Mike sniffing this out. Baltimore dominated.
Mike missed with: Steelers, Seahawks. You can't really poke fun at him for picking Seattle... you'd love your chances taking the Seahawks in a game like that, and many times they pull through for the betting-public.
So! 1-2, and now 12-9-1 for the year (or 13-9-1 if you ask Mike). Let's see how Mike rebounds in Week 7.
Put simply, the Steelers stink!
Let's run it all down for Mike's Week 6 picks:
Mike hit with: Ravens, and a very gutty move by him too... barely anyone even addressed this game and this was a great job by Mike sniffing this out. Baltimore dominated.
Mike missed with: Steelers, Seahawks. You can't really poke fun at him for picking Seattle... you'd love your chances taking the Seahawks in a game like that, and many times they pull through for the betting-public.
So! 1-2, and now 12-9-1 for the year (or 13-9-1 if you ask Mike). Let's see how Mike rebounds in Week 7.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Mike Francesa's Week 6 NFL Picks: October 10th
In the league where they play……………………………….. for pay.
Much like his picks segment on WFAN, we'll keep it short and simple. Here are Mike's WEEK 6 NFL Picks:
Steelers +2 at Browns
Seahawks -8 vs Cowboys
Ravens -3 at Bucs
He had a couple good fakeouts on the picks segment... he was talking about how the Browns turned the corner BUT he still thinks the Steelers will take care of them. He thought the Cowboys were playing better BUT he thought the Seahawks would be too dominant.
And careful now! Don't use the "tank mush" chant just yet, he went 2-1 last week and is 11-7-1 for the year. Many have done worse... He still claims "12-7" leaving out the one tie and adding a mysterious extra win, but we're keeping it straight for the time being. Good luck to the picks!
Much like his picks segment on WFAN, we'll keep it short and simple. Here are Mike's WEEK 6 NFL Picks:
Steelers +2 at Browns
Seahawks -8 vs Cowboys
Ravens -3 at Bucs
He had a couple good fakeouts on the picks segment... he was talking about how the Browns turned the corner BUT he still thinks the Steelers will take care of them. He thought the Cowboys were playing better BUT he thought the Seahawks would be too dominant.
And careful now! Don't use the "tank mush" chant just yet, he went 2-1 last week and is 11-7-1 for the year. Many have done worse... He still claims "12-7" leaving out the one tie and adding a mysterious extra win, but we're keeping it straight for the time being. Good luck to the picks!
Thursday, October 9, 2014
A rant about the St. Louis Cardinals: Debunking the "Small Ball" Myth
I am getting fed up with this whole SMALL BALL WINS CARDINALS PLAY THE RIGHT WAY BEST FANS IN BASEBALL thing.
David Eckstein was on w/ Herd yesterday and he was talking about how they get all these small hits etc .etc. ok… let me make something clear:
The biggest damage done by STL in the division series had nothing to do with "small ball" or taking the extra base. It was EXTRA BASE HITS. Carpenter hit a HOME RUN… no taking extra bases or stealing or "putting the ball in play" B.S.. Then he hit a DOUBLE… a bases clearing double.
As a matter of fact, with all those singles the Cardinals had early on in the Game 1 7th inning, it would have been pretty deflating if Kershaw got one out between Carpenter's at bat and the one before. I mean they had like 6 singles in a row and barely scored two runs. That sounds like station to station baseball to me.
I don't mind people praising the Cardinals, but be accurate, ok? The Cardinals basically got a) unexpected slugging, b) superior bullpen work, and c) a little luck to win their series. Even as it was, the Cardinals won all three of their games by just one run or two runs. I shall tip the cap to them, in fact I did, and they move on.
So Game 1… the Cardinals put away the game with… gasp, A HOME RUN. They tied the score of Game 2 in the 8th with: A HOME RUN. Then, in Game 3… the deciding factor was… you aren't going to believe this, A HOME RUN. Finally, in Game 4, when things got very intense, and the season on the line for LA, the Cardinals put them away with…
I know this is going to shock you: it was a home run.
The point of all this is… let's see how good this team really is when they play a more balanced pitching staff that has no fear of Carpenter whatsoever. Good luck to the Giants.
David Eckstein was on w/ Herd yesterday and he was talking about how they get all these small hits etc .etc. ok… let me make something clear:
The biggest damage done by STL in the division series had nothing to do with "small ball" or taking the extra base. It was EXTRA BASE HITS. Carpenter hit a HOME RUN… no taking extra bases or stealing or "putting the ball in play" B.S.. Then he hit a DOUBLE… a bases clearing double.
As a matter of fact, with all those singles the Cardinals had early on in the Game 1 7th inning, it would have been pretty deflating if Kershaw got one out between Carpenter's at bat and the one before. I mean they had like 6 singles in a row and barely scored two runs. That sounds like station to station baseball to me.
I don't mind people praising the Cardinals, but be accurate, ok? The Cardinals basically got a) unexpected slugging, b) superior bullpen work, and c) a little luck to win their series. Even as it was, the Cardinals won all three of their games by just one run or two runs. I shall tip the cap to them, in fact I did, and they move on.
So Game 1… the Cardinals put away the game with… gasp, A HOME RUN. They tied the score of Game 2 in the 8th with: A HOME RUN. Then, in Game 3… the deciding factor was… you aren't going to believe this, A HOME RUN. Finally, in Game 4, when things got very intense, and the season on the line for LA, the Cardinals put them away with…
I know this is going to shock you: it was a home run.
The point of all this is… let's see how good this team really is when they play a more balanced pitching staff that has no fear of Carpenter whatsoever. Good luck to the Giants.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Kids Club Podcast Picks - Week 6: October 8th
I'm still fighting the flu as I write this, so tonight we'll present the Kids Club's picks in written form only. Hopefully we'll resume the on-air podcast picks next Wednesday.
Oat Man has the lead, Ron is close behind, and John and Andy are in striking range. Let's see what they all have for Week 6...
Say Hello to Ottis (11-8-1)
Clemson -9.5 vs Louisville
Florida State -24 at Syracuse
Bears +3 at Falcons
Steelers +2 at Browns
Ron in NJ (9-10-1)
Clemson -9.5 vs Louisville
Mississippi State +3.5 vs Auburn
Broncos -8 at Jets
Patriots -3 at Bills
John in CT (8-12)
Memphis -8.5 vs Houston
Texas A&M -2 vs Ole Miss
Vikings +2 vs Lions
Falcons -3 vs Bears
Andy in Seattle (7-13)
Baylor -7.5 vs TCU
Texas A&M -2 vs Ole Miss
Packers -3 at Dolphins
Patriots -3 at Bills
These are some pretty good picks! One pick went head to head (Checker w/ Falcons -- Ottis with Bears), and we have three games were checkered on checkered:
Clemson -9.5 (Ottis, Ron)
A&M -2 (John, Andy)
Patriots -3 (Ron, Andy)
Pretty much everyone's in it... good luck to the picks for Week Number 6.
Oat Man has the lead, Ron is close behind, and John and Andy are in striking range. Let's see what they all have for Week 6...
Say Hello to Ottis (11-8-1)
Clemson -9.5 vs Louisville
Florida State -24 at Syracuse
Bears +3 at Falcons
Steelers +2 at Browns
Ron in NJ (9-10-1)
Clemson -9.5 vs Louisville
Mississippi State +3.5 vs Auburn
Broncos -8 at Jets
Patriots -3 at Bills
John in CT (8-12)
Memphis -8.5 vs Houston
Texas A&M -2 vs Ole Miss
Vikings +2 vs Lions
Falcons -3 vs Bears
Andy in Seattle (7-13)
Baylor -7.5 vs TCU
Texas A&M -2 vs Ole Miss
Packers -3 at Dolphins
Patriots -3 at Bills
These are some pretty good picks! One pick went head to head (Checker w/ Falcons -- Ottis with Bears), and we have three games were checkered on checkered:
Clemson -9.5 (Ottis, Ron)
A&M -2 (John, Andy)
Patriots -3 (Ron, Andy)
Pretty much everyone's in it... good luck to the picks for Week Number 6.
Dave's LOCKS of the Week: October 8th
Well, when you're 6-13 after about six weeks, it's hard to really keep trying, but we're going to go after it anyway. We'll have some fun with this week's edition of LOCKS. This week we're going to approach the picks a little differently.
I got burned a week ago not acting on some very strong hunches I had... sometimes it's not about the stats or the matchups, and it's about the trends and the circumstances. So! Here are this weeks IGOTAFUNNYFEELINGABOUTTHISES of the week:
First, this HAD to happen... Washington State +17.5 at Stanford. The Cougars have been very good at staying competitive with everyone in the Pac 12. There is NO way a team that's struggling to score is going to cover that, even at home, and even against a bad defense. Stanford hasn't even scored 17 points in a game since September 27th, and against the Pac 12, they scored more than that just once, in their win against Washington (20-17). THAT game was also dicey!
So, even though the Cougs are 2-4 overall, that record is very misleading. They were responsible for the huge 21 point comeback at Utah, AND they were one bad call and a few other bounces away from upsetting Oregon before Arizona did some weeks after. I like the way they sling the ball, and I'm thinking they're good for at least one touchdown, but to be fair, Stanford represents the toughest defense they've played so far. I repeat, I'm not predicting Washington State to win... but keeping the margin within 17 points, oh yeah.
Up next, Texas A&M -2 vs Ole Miss. A&M looked downright abysmal last week at Mississippi State. A&M is 4-22 against teams ranked 3 or higher all time. A&M is has ALSO never beaten a ranked team at home since 2011... 2011!!! That was against Baylor, pre-SEC era. So WHY would LOCKS of the Week take the Aggies in a situation like this?
Well it's a hunch! Selecting Ole Miss +2 seems so easy but just too good to be true. Here are some other things to watch for -- first of all the obvious: Ole Miss is under the mother of all hangovers after defeating Bama the week before. You can bet they won't be nearly as focused for a game against the theoretically overmatched Aggies. Next, watch for Bo Wallace to finally commit some serious turnovers. He had three turnovers in his opening week game against Boise State... since then he's been scott free. It makes me wonder when the other shoe's going to drop. Wallace is bound to make a lot of interceptions and it could happen as soon as this Saturday. Interestingly enough, from the department of "no-context trivia", Texas A&M is 6-0 against Ole Miss, all time.
So while it seems like an easy choice to take a #3 team against a lesser SEC opponent with zero wins against ranked opponents in Coach Kevin Sumlin's career there, I like the Aggies. Besides, when it comes to a close point spread like this, you often wind up doing better just taking the home team. I could have been well served following my own advice a week ago when these Aggies went to Mississippi State, but what can you do?
My final two picks come from the NFL. First, Cowboys +8 at Seattle. Call me nuts, but I just think the Cowboys are playing better football lately with a great offensive line and the fact that they struggled against Houston was more about Houston's defense being the real deal. The Texans have a great D-Line, some good linebackers, and in that group is NFL superstar J.J. Watt. Jonathan Joseph does a pretty good job with pass coverage in the secondary. but enough about the Texans, let's look at Dallas. I can imagine so many people will jump on Seahawks +8 at home, and for me I wonder... won't the Seahawks have to lose a home game eventually? Maybe they don't... but they haven't looked that great, underestimating team after team, including the Redskins where they needed some real heroics from Russell Wilson to put away the game. If the Cowboys focus on running the ball more, it's something they're doing better lately, I think they'll be in this game for quite a while.
Lastly, I'll go Patriots -3 at Buffalo. The Chargers had no problem kicking around the Bills a few weeks ago at Ralph Wilson stadium. I think things will go similarly for the Patriots. The only issue is that with Kyle Orton quarterbacking, I'm curious as to whether that presents some issues for the Patriot defense. But let's be honest here, when you have to go to Kyle Orton as your quarterback, just as the Bears and the Cowboys did, you hit rock bottom. This line is basically saying "do you think the Patriots will win the game?" and yes, I do think that, even as bad as they looked from weeks 1-4, the Patriots WILL win this big divisional game against the Bills. Bear in mind, people said that Rob Gronkowski had a slow start, but almost every game he's had a receiving touchdown. In week 5, he finally broke out for a monster game. I'd be hard pressed to see a poor defensive team like the Bills have much of an answer.
So! Four "hunches" this week: Washington State +17.5, Texas A&M -2, Cowboys +8, and Patriots -3. Maybe I'll get one right! Enjoy all the games, folks.
I got burned a week ago not acting on some very strong hunches I had... sometimes it's not about the stats or the matchups, and it's about the trends and the circumstances. So! Here are this weeks IGOTAFUNNYFEELINGABOUTTHISES of the week:
First, this HAD to happen... Washington State +17.5 at Stanford. The Cougars have been very good at staying competitive with everyone in the Pac 12. There is NO way a team that's struggling to score is going to cover that, even at home, and even against a bad defense. Stanford hasn't even scored 17 points in a game since September 27th, and against the Pac 12, they scored more than that just once, in their win against Washington (20-17). THAT game was also dicey!
So, even though the Cougs are 2-4 overall, that record is very misleading. They were responsible for the huge 21 point comeback at Utah, AND they were one bad call and a few other bounces away from upsetting Oregon before Arizona did some weeks after. I like the way they sling the ball, and I'm thinking they're good for at least one touchdown, but to be fair, Stanford represents the toughest defense they've played so far. I repeat, I'm not predicting Washington State to win... but keeping the margin within 17 points, oh yeah.
Up next, Texas A&M -2 vs Ole Miss. A&M looked downright abysmal last week at Mississippi State. A&M is 4-22 against teams ranked 3 or higher all time. A&M is has ALSO never beaten a ranked team at home since 2011... 2011!!! That was against Baylor, pre-SEC era. So WHY would LOCKS of the Week take the Aggies in a situation like this?
Well it's a hunch! Selecting Ole Miss +2 seems so easy but just too good to be true. Here are some other things to watch for -- first of all the obvious: Ole Miss is under the mother of all hangovers after defeating Bama the week before. You can bet they won't be nearly as focused for a game against the theoretically overmatched Aggies. Next, watch for Bo Wallace to finally commit some serious turnovers. He had three turnovers in his opening week game against Boise State... since then he's been scott free. It makes me wonder when the other shoe's going to drop. Wallace is bound to make a lot of interceptions and it could happen as soon as this Saturday. Interestingly enough, from the department of "no-context trivia", Texas A&M is 6-0 against Ole Miss, all time.
So while it seems like an easy choice to take a #3 team against a lesser SEC opponent with zero wins against ranked opponents in Coach Kevin Sumlin's career there, I like the Aggies. Besides, when it comes to a close point spread like this, you often wind up doing better just taking the home team. I could have been well served following my own advice a week ago when these Aggies went to Mississippi State, but what can you do?
My final two picks come from the NFL. First, Cowboys +8 at Seattle. Call me nuts, but I just think the Cowboys are playing better football lately with a great offensive line and the fact that they struggled against Houston was more about Houston's defense being the real deal. The Texans have a great D-Line, some good linebackers, and in that group is NFL superstar J.J. Watt. Jonathan Joseph does a pretty good job with pass coverage in the secondary. but enough about the Texans, let's look at Dallas. I can imagine so many people will jump on Seahawks +8 at home, and for me I wonder... won't the Seahawks have to lose a home game eventually? Maybe they don't... but they haven't looked that great, underestimating team after team, including the Redskins where they needed some real heroics from Russell Wilson to put away the game. If the Cowboys focus on running the ball more, it's something they're doing better lately, I think they'll be in this game for quite a while.
Lastly, I'll go Patriots -3 at Buffalo. The Chargers had no problem kicking around the Bills a few weeks ago at Ralph Wilson stadium. I think things will go similarly for the Patriots. The only issue is that with Kyle Orton quarterbacking, I'm curious as to whether that presents some issues for the Patriot defense. But let's be honest here, when you have to go to Kyle Orton as your quarterback, just as the Bears and the Cowboys did, you hit rock bottom. This line is basically saying "do you think the Patriots will win the game?" and yes, I do think that, even as bad as they looked from weeks 1-4, the Patriots WILL win this big divisional game against the Bills. Bear in mind, people said that Rob Gronkowski had a slow start, but almost every game he's had a receiving touchdown. In week 5, he finally broke out for a monster game. I'd be hard pressed to see a poor defensive team like the Bills have much of an answer.
So! Four "hunches" this week: Washington State +17.5, Texas A&M -2, Cowboys +8, and Patriots -3. Maybe I'll get one right! Enjoy all the games, folks.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Dave's Thoughts of the Day: October 7th
I've been in the mood for fruit punch for a while.
Could today be the day? We'll find out.
I have some bad news folks. I tweaked my foot this week. It happened while I was running. I think my left shoe was on too tightly and it gripped the side of my foot too much. Now it feel like some really little joker is putting a vise to my foot's side tendon. When I try to walk full stride it hits me hard. Ooh! I had to walk much more slowly today and it curtailed swimming altogether.
I gotta give it some rest. Since I got home its been feeling better. Hopefully it'll hold up and heal by tomorrow. If it doesn't I may get it checked out.
That *run* by the way was the best run I'd done in a long time. I don't run that often, but on Saturday I was inspired to try another six mile run. I did six miles once before on the track, and maybe a couple times on the treadmill. This time I ran six miles from my home down the coastline, past Santa Monica Pier, and down to the Venice Boardwalk. Great run! Scenic. Gorgeous. Then I ran back the same way. I've got to do that again sometime!
Perhaps not any time soon though, in light of my foot. Imagine? 3 years of swimming and no major injuries. One day jogging and I get a foot ACL? Just nuts.
I tried the chorizo quesadilla at "Tacos Por Favor" and it was pretty good, but I didn't think it was worth the price. It's sold for more than the price of the nachos, and yet, its much smaller. I could have had the same amount of meat, cheese, and tortilla, by ordering two chorizo and cheese tacos. AND, the two tacos would run 5 bones total or 3/5 the cost of the quesadilla. It was not to be for a long term solution.
I think the baseball Giants are putting this away tonight. The Giants are very good at closing series, and with even Vogelsong they'll take care of Gio Gonzalez who apparently is NOT very good. I had no idea of this, but then our friend Ari in Philadelphia said that the Mets won only 4 of 13 games against the Nationals this year, but all of them were against Gio Gonzalez! He's apparently a shaky pitcher and Vogelsong isn't that good either but he tends to be solid for the first 4 innings. I love the Giants here to win. I'm so confident about it that I am assigning the Giants as my quintuple-confidence LOCK of the day. So Giants to beat Washington in the NLDS and complete the series.
Dang.. unfortunately that's all I had today. I had some other stories I shared about a week ago in case you missed it. Catch you all soon.
Could today be the day? We'll find out.
I have some bad news folks. I tweaked my foot this week. It happened while I was running. I think my left shoe was on too tightly and it gripped the side of my foot too much. Now it feel like some really little joker is putting a vise to my foot's side tendon. When I try to walk full stride it hits me hard. Ooh! I had to walk much more slowly today and it curtailed swimming altogether.
I gotta give it some rest. Since I got home its been feeling better. Hopefully it'll hold up and heal by tomorrow. If it doesn't I may get it checked out.
That *run* by the way was the best run I'd done in a long time. I don't run that often, but on Saturday I was inspired to try another six mile run. I did six miles once before on the track, and maybe a couple times on the treadmill. This time I ran six miles from my home down the coastline, past Santa Monica Pier, and down to the Venice Boardwalk. Great run! Scenic. Gorgeous. Then I ran back the same way. I've got to do that again sometime!
Perhaps not any time soon though, in light of my foot. Imagine? 3 years of swimming and no major injuries. One day jogging and I get a foot ACL? Just nuts.
I tried the chorizo quesadilla at "Tacos Por Favor" and it was pretty good, but I didn't think it was worth the price. It's sold for more than the price of the nachos, and yet, its much smaller. I could have had the same amount of meat, cheese, and tortilla, by ordering two chorizo and cheese tacos. AND, the two tacos would run 5 bones total or 3/5 the cost of the quesadilla. It was not to be for a long term solution.
I think the baseball Giants are putting this away tonight. The Giants are very good at closing series, and with even Vogelsong they'll take care of Gio Gonzalez who apparently is NOT very good. I had no idea of this, but then our friend Ari in Philadelphia said that the Mets won only 4 of 13 games against the Nationals this year, but all of them were against Gio Gonzalez! He's apparently a shaky pitcher and Vogelsong isn't that good either but he tends to be solid for the first 4 innings. I love the Giants here to win. I'm so confident about it that I am assigning the Giants as my quintuple-confidence LOCK of the day. So Giants to beat Washington in the NLDS and complete the series.
Dang.. unfortunately that's all I had today. I had some other stories I shared about a week ago in case you missed it. Catch you all soon.
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