This wasn’t quite as funny as the first one this guy did on Kobe’s post game interview after being swept by the Mavs last year, but it was still pretty entertaining. You have to love that Stern steps in at the end and vetoes the divorce for basketball reasons! With the Lakers on the brink of pissing Kobe off to 2007 levels, we could have a great year of soundbites from him. I can’t wait to keep up with fake funnyordie Kobe all season long!
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The A’s Re-Rebuild
Oh the holiday’s brought up a few sports topics especially the Raiders since they played, but a lot of my hometown friends seemed to be talking about the A’s once again being in rebuild mode after the division rival Angels and Rangers made an array of championship caliber moves. I can’t completely blame the A’s for thinking about rebuilding after they saw what their divisional opponents did, but at the same time it feels like they aren’t even going to try AT ALL for a few years. They kinda half-assed the rebuild the first time around when they sort of rebuilt by trading pitchers, but then traded away a kings ransom (Cargo) for a crappy Matt Holiday. This time it’s really full on rebuild mode, and they are trading away any and all assets they have which should include Andrew Bailey in the near future (he was the only piece I honestly didn’t mind seeing go). They’ll probably ship off Brett Anderson as well when he comes back from his Tommy John surgery next season. The most perplexing part of these trades to us fans is that they had control over these pitchers for a long time before they even hit their arbitration years. Not signing Willingham or Matsui also put the writing on the wall that this team isn’t going to compete for awhile because they have zero offense outside Jemile Weeks now. Hell they aren’t even keeping around the beloved backup catcher who doesn’t even cost much to keep.
Sure they got some nice prospects back for Cahill and Gio, but the growing sentiment with my A’s friends is that this team has completely given up, and they won’t be following anything they do next year or possibly ever. I can’t blame them at all. It’s going to be painful watching this team, even more so than last seasons error filled crap fest. I’ve heard numerous times that it might be better to just root for a new team, like say, the Giants. This statement pretty much crushed me every time I heard someone say it over the past couple months, especially when my Uncle said it who is one of the main reasons I’m an A’s fan at all. Some of the most loyal A’s fans over the years jumping ship to a team that I didn’t necessarily hate, but am starting to hate them more and more. Honestly, the best part about the Cahill trade is that he’s going to the Giants rival the Diamondbacks. I can see him getting numerous 4-6-3 double plays against their weak hitting lineup, but even that will only bring me minimal enjoyment.
Anyways, the A’s are in a real life version of Major League the movie as the owner is desperate to move, and seems to be fielding the least competitive team possible. There also seems to be a growing dissent for the A’s moving to San Jose among fans, and I’ll be the first to say I’d love to see them stay in Oakland by Jack London Square, but at the moment that isn’t a realistic option if we want them to be competitive again (aka get corporate sponsors to push them into the $80-$100M range in salary). Can they draw people at the coliseum if they are good? Sure, but they’ll never have a large payroll that exceeds $70M, and teams have caught up to them on all the sabermetrics stuff that helped keep Billy ahead of the competition during the early 2000’s. On an even playing field, there’s noway to compete with such little salary to work with.
It feels like the odds are against them whether it’s moving to San Jose and being blocked by the Giants. And seriously, how many fans would the Giants really lose?!? They are in SF, a HUGE city, and can take all the fairweather east bay A’s fans if they haven’t jumped teams already. Whether it’s Oakland coming up with a viable option to build a new park for this team or San Jose. It doesn’t matter what’s being proposed or done for them, it almost feels like they’re inevitably going to have to move out of the Bay Area just like the Kings will probably have to move from Sacramento. I’m not sure what my A’s friends think of them moving out of California, but as lame as they think people in San Jose are, I’d much rather have the A’s there instead of some other state. Recently it sounds like the Giants aren’t going to give up their gold mine of sponsorships (SJ) without a fight, and Selig is too stupid to make a ruling on anything, so they probably won’t know what they can or can’t do until he’s retired or dead. Once again the A’s will go into another season with no direction for the future, and most likely losing more fans in the process. They need new facilities. They need more sponsors. They need a fresh start, and now I’m just hoping it’s going to be in the greater bay area or in California. No plans have been discussed outside the bay area, but I’m sure those talks will start soon if something doesn’t give. Mark my words!
Best Fails of 2011
We haven’t been good about posting on the blog the last couple of weeks, and that may continue on until the new year rolls around, but what can you do… Hell, we even missed out on doin lines for the first time in the blog’s existence that I can remember. I guess the fantasy playoffs (Mceezy beat me in the semis, bastard!!), Christmas, and hanging out with family got in the way of giving our readers tips on who to pick. It’s unfortunate, because I’ve been on a roll all season long with only three losing weeks all season long. Anyways, you may have seen the video above already, but if you haven’t it’s always fun to watch the best fails of the year!
Best Plays of 2011
I’m sure there’s going to be a bunch of these types of videos as New Year’s approaches, but this one was the first that I deemed post worthy. Sure, they missed some highlights here and there, but overall it showed us a lot of our favorite moments from this past year of sports. The one’s I would’ve like to see added to it you ask? At least one Jimmer from another area code shot, and something from that final day of the MLB regular season, Dan Johnson’s homer perhaps!?!
Kobe in Taiwanimation
Sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. First, I was depressed by the Raiders loss to the Lions, then caught a cold, then last night I thought I’d take in the W’s final preseason game, then BAM just before halftime Curry rolls his often injured right ankle, and Monta has some sexual harassment charges against him to boot. All this has added up to me not being excited about writing or my teams at present. Anyways, the whole Kobe saga brought me a little joy, and I love the end of the Taiwanimation where CP3 is standing over him “taking LA”.
Doin Lines Week 15
Chappy: I feel like there’s a lull in every football season where most of the games you watch seem to blend together in a I don’t give a f**k what’s happening except if my fantasy player is doing good, which is why I never understood why people thought they should extend the season any longer than it currently is. Do I need two extra week’s of football added onto the season? Not for me. I think I mentally check out from what the analysts and writers say for a solid four to five week period aside from injury updates. By won’t be joining me again this weekend, as once again life has gotten in the way. Sam Hurd took Doin Lines to a new level, so he was the obvious choice for the picture up top of this post. Now it’s onto Tebow time with the picks!
Last Week: Chap (3-2)
Overall: Chap (41-28-4), By (27-20)
Dallas @ Tampa Bay (+7)
Chappy picks Dallas (-7). We’ll if the Tampa resident Sportschump isn’t picking Tampa Bay, I don’t see how I could. Dallas has looked good at times this year, but then they have a no show every now and then, and even though they usually collapse in December I think they should handle the Bucs who have regressed a ton this year on their way to seven straight losses. I’d be shocked if Tampa covered the spread or won this game.
Green Bay @ Kansas City (+13.5).
Chappy picks Green Bay (-13.5). This feels like the no brainer of the week since NOBODY beats the Pack, which scares me to an extent since two TD’s are a big spread in the NFL. That’s not the case here though, because the Packers can put up by 14 before all the fans are even in their seats. Kansas City usually plays well at home, but with the coaching change and a less than healthy roster with Palko leading the way, I don’t see them scoring more than 10 points, and the Pack can put up 30 in their sleep.
New Orleans @ Minnesota (+6.5).
Chappy picks New Orleans (-6.5). New Orleans in a dome, how can you bet against them!?! These two teams couldn’t be on more opposite ends of the spectrum. The Saints are on a 5 game win streak, the Vikings are on a 5 game losing streak, and are looking to lose more. I hear Adrian Peterson is going to be back for this one to help out people’s fantasy teams, but I don’t feel like that will keep them within a TD after they get down by two or three scores. Plus I’d rather just see him sit out so I win my bet.
New England @ Denver (+6.5)
Chappy picks Denver (+6.5). There’s noway God lets the Broncos lose by more than a touchdown. Actually is there anyway God lets the Broncos lose period? As much as I want to see the Pats win to help my Raiders out, I just don’t see it happening. Tebow might even look like a good throwing QB this weekend playing against such a crappy defense that even made Dan Orklovsky and Rex Grossman look good. If the Broncos can shorten the game, ie not give Brady a ton of possessions by running all game, I don’t see it being that high scoring which works in the Broncos favor. I feel like Von Miller will spend a lot of his time covering Gronk, and if there’s anyone that can do it, it’s him. I feel the same way Steve Smith does, the Broncos D doesn’t get nearly enough credit.
Detroit @ Oakland (+1)
Chappy picks Detroit (-1). I don’t feel good about this game one bit. Why didn’t Goodell suspend Suh for three games instead of two? Oh yeah, he probably heard from God’s messenger Tim Tesus that he needs the Raiders to continue to fade, so even if Suh is the anti-christ he still should get to play in this game. Both these teams playoff hopes are riding on this weekend. Right now the Raiders just don’t have enough offense to keep up with the opposing teams scoring on their so-so defense. Denarius Moore is expected to be back, so at least with a deep threat in the lineup they can get the ground game going again, but that won’t be enough as the Raiders season ends this weekend.
Goodbye Josh
Although Josh Willingham only donned the green and gold for a season, he was one of my favorite A’s players in recent memory, and it appears he’s heading to the Twins. Even if he doesn’t end up going there it doesn’t look like he’s going to be with the A’s either way. Whoever ends up with him, they got one of the most underrated guys in the league. Sure, Josh might miss a game here and there, he doesn’t play the best defense in the world, but he does give you consistency whether you have someone good hitting in front/behind of him or not at all he puts up production. He might be the first guys that came to Oakland, and didn’t bitch once about the hitting in the spacious coliseum. He didn’t bitch about switching to the AL for the first time in his career after being in the NL for five years (looking at you Holliday). He even wanted to stay in Oakland for one of those “hometown discounts” us A’s fans hear other players willing to take to stay with other franchises. While 29 homers and 98 RBI’s isn’t a monster season, in this Oakland offense, it was. I honestly can’t understand why more teams weren’t interested in him or making a push for him when he’s putting up solid numbers in the worst hitting park in baseball. I mean, didn’t Jayson Werth get a kings ransom last year for doing less than what Willingham did this past season? Why aren’t teams trying to offer him what he’s worth? There’s tons of defensive deficient outfielders out there that produce far less (see the entire overpaid Anaheim outfield). At least the A’s will get a couple compensation picks out of it or some money to bid on Yu Darvish with, since that’s all we really seem to value these days…
Boardwalk Empire State of Mind
Not sure how many of you out there watch the Sunday’s HBO series Boardwalk Empire, but even if you don’t, you will still enjoy this music video. If you do watch the show, it’s pretty awesome how they incorporated a lot of the characters and themes from the show into the lyrics, and the song is pretty catchy to boot. Either way, it’s probably better than most of the stuff you’ll hear on the radio today…
Doin Lines Week 14
Chappy: Let’s just not talk about last weekend and leave it at that since it wasn’t a good week for either of us. Unfortunately By won’t be joining me with the picks this week, because work has gotten in the way again.
Last Week: Chappy (2-3) By (1-3)
Overall: Chappy (38-26-4) By (27-20)
Oakland @ Green Bay (-11)
New Orleans @ Tennessee (+3.5)
Chappy picks New Orleans (-3.5). I’ve rarely bet on the Titans games, because they’re a very hard team to figure out. I’ve heard all about how the Saints struggle on the road, but this offense is clicking on a level they haven’t seen since their 2009 Super Bowl run. It hasn’t just been through the air either. Regardless of who’s been running the ball or catching out of the backfield they’ve been gobbling up the yardage. I know Chris Johnson is tearing it up lately, but the rest of the Titans offense just doesn’t convince me they’ll be able to keep up on the scoreboard. Maybe they’re 7-5 for a reason, but I honestly can’t put my finger on why they are.
New England @ Washington (+8)
Chappy picks New England (-8). Is this the same New England team that was favored by 20 last weekend against a Colts team that was put to sleep with Peyton’s neck surgery anesthesia? I think so, and I’m sure they know that last weekends game was way too close for comfort. I expect to see a huge game from Brady and Co with their defense stepping up more than it has in a few weeks. I’m sure the Grossman-Helu option play will get the Pats prepared perfectly for their match up with the Denver Tebows in week 15.
Oakland @ Green Bay (-11)
Chappy picks Green Bay (-11). I wish one of the three injured guys between McFadden, Ford, and Moore was healthy enough to play. If ONE of them was playing I’d feel comfortable that the Raiders would be able to cover the spread. I’m getting annoyed with how Hue has been our defacto GM this year, and trying to wear too many hats in the organization. I didn’t mind the Palmer trade, and still don’t, but the second time he was put into a GM type ruling with McClain, he showed us why he can’t do both jobs. While worrying about trading for Palmer, we ended up getting thumped by KC. While worrying about whether or not to play McClain last weekend ended with them getting destroyed by Miami. Hue didn’t have the team prepared the two times he was playing GM instead of concentrating on winning that week’s game like a HC should be doing. I look for the Raiders to play better than last week, but let’s face it, they’re playing the Packers in Lambeau… Oh a sad note, my condolences go out to Chris Johnson, and the sister he lost to a senseless shooting, maybe Rolando will learn something from this.
Chicago @ Denver (-3.5)
Chappy picks Denver (-3.5). As if it couldn’t look more hopeless for the Raiders supposed resurgent season. Now the healthy Von Miller led Broncos D gets to feast on Caleb Hanie and his Forteless offense. Maybe Urlacher or Briggs can do us a favor and knock a snot bubble out of Tebow. I’m actually predicting there will be no Tebow magic in this one, because the Bears will never really be in this game long enough for that Tebow magic to actually happen. They could probably win with Eric Decker starting at QB this weekend. I think God has one of those stickers on his truck with a Broncos fan peeing on a Raiders logo.
St. Louis @ Seattle (-9.5)
Chappy picks Seattle (-9.5). I usually try to avoid these games, but this one was an easy choice. Seattle actually looks like a solid team recently. You could even say they’re the Dolphins of the NFC as hot as they’ve been. If you haven’t been enjoying Marshawn going all beast mode the past four weeks, then he must’ve scorned you in a fantasy league in years past. Seattle is really tough to beat at home, and St. Louis forgot how to score points a few weeks ago when they gave up on their season. Not even Steven Jackson can get interested in their games. If the Rams score more than 10 points, I’d call that a mini-win for them at this point.
Winter Meetings Bringing Some Winter Depression
As I heard the Miami Marlins making it rain with their signings of Reyes, Buerhle, and Bell simply because they’re moving into a new stadium and now have more money. It couldn’t help make me wonder if the A’s could do the same thing if they were moving into a new stadium as well. Maybe they won’t spend on that same level, but it does give me some hope that they will be able to spend like the big boys one day. Unfortunately that we won’t really know if that day exists anytime soon because the MLB still hasn’t made any rulings on the A’s stadium situation and possible move to San Jose after three very long and frustrating years of waiting. All the 1,000 A’s fans have had to look forward to is if Andew Bailey or Gio Gonzalez gets traded for a bunch of minor league guys this off-season. At least last year they were throwing offers out there to Beltre and other free agents. This off-season it’s back to standard operating procedure. Our spending has gone down for three straight years, and even when we are in the free agent market nobody wants to come to Oakland unless they’re a semi-washed up pitcher or reliever. Even guys that want to stay in Oakland like Josh Willingham for a discount nonetheless, which is unheard of, since no hitter ever wants to stay in the spacious Coliseum can’t sign with the team because we’re waiting on the MLB’s ruling. I don’t fault Billy Beane like some have in recent years, because it’s impossible to build a team or plan for the future when you don’t know where you’ll even be.
Then the news broke that CJ Wilson and Albert Pujols will be joining the division rival LAAAAAAA for about $325M. No big deal for Moreno, just a couple additions to get more people in LA waving those game changing rally monkeys. I do hope whoever runs the CJ Wilson is a douche site keeps it going. It makes a ton of sense for the Angels to do this to try and take over the LA market while the Dodgers are in a rough downtime, and while doing so they also stole the division rival Rangers #1 starter. Weaver, Haren, Santana, and Wilson is a ridiculous rotation that was already good last year. Trumbo and Pujols makes for a solid heart of the order. The A’s haven’t spent as much as Moreno did in one day on payroll for the last four years combined made me even more depressed. While I’m not overly worried that Pujols will live up to his humongous contract, it will suck to see him playing against Oakland for 18 games a season. Another thing for A’s fans to be depressed about is the fact the Astros are joining their division which means we have more even competition to get that 3rd place finish next year. Fortunately you need 25 guys to play well to win, so there’s a little hope, but a more likely scenario is having to hitch more of my rooting interest on the Warriors and Raiders for the next couple years…
Doin Lines Week 13
Chappy: Whoa, in By’s absence, I almost had a perfect week if I hadn’t stupidly gone against the Packers on Thanksgiving. This week we both decided to skip the Thursday game altogether… I’m creeping in on my best gambling season since the first year I started betting on the games. Naturally winning a lot that first season got me hooked for life, but this year may have gotten me more into it than ever. Enough of my bragging babbling and onto this weeks picks!
By: Sucks that I was too swamped at work to put in my thoughts on the match ups last week. But with Chappy going 6-1, the hot streak continues for the Doin Work team, as both of us remain well over .500. Not much else to say other than enjoy our picks, and onto the lines!
Last Week: Chappy (6-1)
Overall: Chappy (36-23-4) By (26-17)
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-7)
Chappy picks Cincinnati (+7). For some strange reason I’m really confident in this pick. I almost feel like taking the moneyline on this game, but that’s probably not going to happen when I can take a touchdown. The Steelers are coming in banged up with Big Ben’s finger that he injured more in practice, Polamalu’s head, and Woodley’s hammy. The Bengals on the other hand have basically nobody hurt, and are healthier than any team I can think of off the top of my head. Oh and the Bengals are road warriors this year, going 5-0 against the spread. Will Cincy win and keep their playoff hopes alive? I can’t say they will, but it will definitely be a closer than a TD type game.
Atlanta @ Houston (+2.5)
Chappy picks Atlanta (-2.5). I think every week I write that a team is overlooked, and this week is no different as I think Atlanta has really rounded into form, and they catch a huge break playing against a third string QB in T.J. Yates. As if the Texans weren’t predictable enough before with their offensive scheme, now they might run 85% of the time. I see the Texans franchise long 5-game winning streak coming to an end as Matt Ryan puts up some big numbers on a defense that is on the field too much during this game.
By picks Atlanta (-2.5). Atlanta isn’t the best of road teams, but they’re definitely a talented bunch, with enough weapons to compete against the Saints or Packers in a slugfest on any given Sunday. But the fact that this game is considered an even bet, when Houston will most likely start a third string quarterback in T.J. Yates speaks volume on the balance this Texans team has. We all know of the two headed monster in the backfield with Foster and Tate, Andre Johnson is back and closing in all full strength, but it’s Houston’s underrated defense that steadies the ship in my opinion. With all that said, I can’t see the Texans holding off the Falcons with whoever they throw in at quarterback this weekend. That’s just too much to overcome when considering their opponent.
Oakland @ Miami (-3)
By picks Oakland (+3). Miami has been very tough lately, and prior to the Dallas game last Thanksgiving, their defense has been rather stiff. In fact, even in that game, they had Tony Romo against the ropes for the greater portion of that game. Offensively, Matt Moore looks just as effective, if not more effective than Chad Henne did earlier in the season. And don’t look now, but is that Reggie Bush shouldering the load as the lead back? Unfortunately Miami is facing an Oakland team that has yet to peak, but is coming off an impressive win against a then streaking Bears team. When Carson Palmer finally clicks with his receivers, watch out! The one thing the Raiders can hang their hat on, is that running game. Darren McWho? Michael Bush has filled in and at times outshined DMac. And I expect more of the same this week. Raiders by 7.
Denver @ Minnesota (PK)
By picks Denver (PK). I’m sorry, but I can’t explain the Tebow phenomenon. Like I’ve said in the past, I’ve been a Tebow fan, and I knew of what he was capable of doing in college purely on his will to compete, but this is the NFL. This is the elite among the elite. And according to the experts, Tebow is not supposed to be successful at this level. Well he’s 5-1 as a starter this year and has a once dead Broncos team in the hunt for a playoff spot. It’s tough to bet on a west coast team travelling east, but the fact that one side has a hobbled AP, and the other an improbable winner, I like my chances with the latter. God’s QB delivers again.
Baltimore @ Cleveland (+6.5)
Chappy picks Baltimore (-6.5). As much as I hate to pick the Ravens after a big win after they seem to usually choke against a crap team like the Browns, but not this weekend. I don’t see how they can play down to the Browns level even if they are division rivals. I think what makes me think they won’t play down to the competition is they get a few extra days to prepare after playing on Thanksgiving. Peyton Hillis might be back, but that won’t help as much since he’s been a huge disappointment all year long and the Ravens are pretty good at stuffing the run lately…
Green Bay @ New York Giants (+7)
Chappy picks Green Bay (-7). There’s one way to stop Aaron Rodgers, and that is to knock him out of the game. Without Osi in the lineup, I don’t forsee any Rodgers concussions. The Packers also had some extra time to prepare for the Giants, which makes me think they’ll do what the Saints did to their defense. I was watching some highlights of Rodgers that Kurt Warner went through, and it looks like he channeled some inner Brett Favre with a little Peyton mixed in. Favre in that he was taking risks, and Peyton in that he always makes the right choice on where to throw the ball. If the Pack get out to a big lead, don’t be surprised to see the boo birds coming out in NY as their team gives up early in the third quarter.
By picks Green Bay (-7). I know this is essentially a must win for Eli Manning and the Giants. And I know they’ll be playing at the New Meadowlands. But I just can’t bet against Aaron Rodgers. He’s the clear cut favorite for MVP this season, so much so that if you a bet a dollar on him to win the award right now in Vegas, and he does win it, you lose a dollar. I know it’s standard protocol for a team flirting with perfection to not talk about the potential feat, but there’s something about the way the Pack carry themselves that makes me think they’re really going to go for it. And aside from the Saints game on opening night, I must say, they haven’t been truly threatened to lose yet. If Drew Brees ripped apart the Giants secondary, what do you think Rodgers might do? Pack, big.
Detroit @ New Orleans (-9)
Chappy picks New Orleans (-9). It’s hard not to like what the Saints have been doing at home this year putting up 40+ ppg. No need to tell you about all their weapons, because that might take as long as this entire post to break down. One other thing you have to be excited about with the Saints is they are pretty much completely healthy. The Lions have fallen back into the team they’ve been for the past few decades. An undisciplined bunch that finds ways to lose. They kinda remind me of the Raiders last year, improving, but just not quite there yet in terms of maturity (not that the Raiders are mature this year). The Saints are there, and will roll them up in the Sunday night late game.
Orton’s Final Stand
Not sure who this guy is, but he does one hell of a Orton impression! I think Charlie Sheen is the only one who can describe what Tebow is doing better than Orton did above. At least Orton went to KC where he can get some revenge on New Years Day when they play the Broncos…
Hoops are back on!
The only thing I saw in the CBA deal details that I actually cared about was the amnesty clause, which gives teams the right to waive one contract on thier roster without a penalty. Goodbye Andris Biendris, and finally back to the on-court basketball talk! The lockout isn’t completely over, but it sounds like both sides are ready to approve the most recent deal. Throughout the lockout, I’ve been keeping tabs on some of the W’s players and what they’ve been up to. One of our draft picks, Jeremy Tyler, got me pretty excited when he made the video above showing that he’s staying in shape and ready to try and make the W’s roster. He looks like a 6-11″ 286 pound beast in the making. Oh yeah, and the best part about this guy is we bought his draft rights for a cool $2M off of the hard-line penny pinching Jordan in the draft last year. I hope this is another one of those Jordan blunders he seems to be getting more and more famous for as an executive!
Doin Lines Week 12
Another week down in the NFL season. Shockingly, I’m still on a pretty good run with the picks. I thought by now I’d be falling back to .500, but fortunately that hasn’t been the case. By had too much to do this week to get his picks added in, so I’ll be flying solo on picks for week 12. I’ll pick a couple more games than I normally would including upsets in two of the Thanksgiving games maybe due to no bye weeks, but mostly due to By’s absence.
Last Week: Chappy (3-2-1), By (2-2)
Overall: Chappy (30-22-4), By (26-17)
Miami @ Dallas (-7)
Chappy picks Miami (+7). There’s nothing like stuffing your face, and watching the Cowboys lose. Unfortunately, they usually seem to win on Turkey day. I’m not entirely convinced that Miami will win this game, but ever since Reggie told everyone he and the entire team sucks, they’ve played very good. Who needs Andrew Luck anyways, Matt Moore is gelling with his receivers like Ace Ventura did with Snowflake, and actually looks like he might have a future in this league. The Cowboys are on a roll lately, but we all know that Romo can inspire a downward spiral in a hurry, and I feel like this is the beginning of the usual Cowboys collapse in the second half of the season even if it is still November where Romo is usually a winner.
Green Bay @ Detroit (+6.5)
Chappy picks Detroit (+6.5). Not sure how confident I feel in either of these Thanksgiving picks, but honestly I feel like it’s going to be a close game whether Detroit can pull out a victory or not. Maybe the Lions listened to my rant in the lines last week, because they started to run the ball again. I’ve been saying for awhile that since Best went out with a concussion, they had become way too predictable in their attack. I don’t really like the Detroit secondary or any secondary against Rodgers for that matter, but they at least have the guys to knock him down a few times, and don’t worry about a penalty if they do want to hit him just to hit him.
Houston @ Jacksonville (+3)
Chappy picks Houston (-3). Anybody out there think Matt Leinart can be effective in this offense? Probably not, since the last time he took over a winning team in AZ replacing Kurt Warner, he showed that he wasn’t the right guy for it. I do have lots of confidence in him being able to hand the ball off to Ben Tate and Arian Foster. Even I can do that, so he should be fine. Plus, he’ll get back Andre Johnson this week, and you barely have to hit the area code he’s in for him to haul in the pass. Since the Jags never score more than 20 points, I could see the Houston backfield beating them in points to cover this spread. The Texans can overcome Leinart’s sucktitude, and win by more than a field goal.
Carolina @ Indianapolis (+3)
Chappy picks Carolina (-3). I was really hesitant picking this game, because it seems like the past few times I’ve picked Carolina they’ve disappointed me. That being said, I’ve felt comfortable every time I’ve picked against the Colts this season, and Cam should be able to bounce back after his mistake prone game against a team that doesn’t let the opposing team make mistakes. A bye week wasn’t going to fix all the problems the Colts had all over the field, hell, an off-season might not even remedy their problems at this point… This might be the last time Indy has a chance to win this year, but sadly I only see 0-16 in their future.
Chicago @ Oakland (-4).
Chappy picks Oakland (-4). I’ll be in attendance for this game with about 20 friends! Back when the tickets were purchased for the game, I actually was very afraid the Bears would come in to Oakland and win. Now that SD helped us out by knocking out Cutler, I feel comfortable betting on this game again. It sounds like there’s an outside chance DMac might be playing in this one. Even if he’s not, Bettis 2.0, aka Michael Bush has shown he can get the job done by showing off his own version of Beat Mode, and could be one of the most underrated back in the league. As long as Palmer doesn’t turn it over, the Raiders should be able to beat Hanie and Forte. I am worried about the receiving core for the Raiders though with Ford and Moore in walking boots, and DHB coming off a concussion.
Denver @ San Diego (-6)
Chappy picks Denver (+6). Wait, what!?! Denver is a six point dog in this one?!? I know Vegas and God don’t exactly mix, but seriously Vegas, how can you smite Tim Tebow’s team like this!?! Phillip Rivers has shown us one thing this year, and that is he can turn it over with the best of them. He’s taking on one of the most underrated defenses in the league that causes tons of turnovers and three and outs, which should make it difficult even at home. It’s even highlighted more when their offensive line is in shambles. It’s funny how all my Chargers friends gave up on their season three weeks ago, just like Rivers did, zing!
NY Giants @ New Orleans (-7)
Chappy picks New Orleans (-7). For some reason the Saints are a team that’s flying under the radar kinda like the Texans were in the AFC. New Orleans is healthier than they’ve been all season on both sides of the ball, and have the type of offense that gives the Giants problems. I think I’m picking the Saints more because they’re coming off a bye week and at home where they always show up and play well. Awesome Drew Brees stat; at home he has completed a ridiculous 76% of his passes. The Giants will get Ahmad Bradshaw back, but I don’t see that being enough in the end to keep them close enough to cover. If my picks come out correct in the NFC East, the Eagles actually do still have a shot at winning that division.
Kemp Got Robbed
Back in August I got to sit in the Dodgers dugout while working with the Fox Sports production team. Finally had the right time to pull out this picture I took!
So today Ryan Braun was named the NL MVP. It came as a complete shock to me for a few reasons. Maybe while I was living in LA, I just heard too much hype on why he was a slam dunk choice for the award, but the more I thought about it the more I didn’t see why Braun had the “better” season. Yes, the Brewers made it to the playoffs and won a lot, but since Kemp played with literally nobody else helping him on offense it made Kemp’s year that much more impressive. Make no mistake Andre Ethier and James Loney are no Prince Fielder or Corey Hart. Some might argue Ethier is good, but despite some of his numbers early on, he had a crappy year. I watched more Dodgers games last season than I’d like to admit, but honestly unless Kershaw was on the mound, the only thing worth watching in thier games was Matt Kemp’s atbats. I suffered through half hour periods of other players batting basically to watch Kemp bat. He finished with the NL lead in homers (39), RBI (126), and was third in BA (.324) in one of the closest attempts at the triple crown in years. To put Kemp in a little better perspective; his team scored a 644 total runs on the season, and he accounted for nearly 20% of his team’s offense even though pitchers were pitching around him all season long (trust me I saw how few pitches he had to hit, and it was Bonds-esque). Oh yeah, and once on base Kemp did another thing better than Braun, which was steal bases. Kemp had 40 thefts to Braun’s 33. Was it Kemp’s fault the rest of his team wasn’t able to score more runs for them to win more games? He came through every time he could and then some. You know what else was impressive in Kemp’s stats that I came across, is he has five walk off hits, and three were homers. Braun had three walk off hits this year, and only one was a homer.
Putting the all the offensive numbers aside that clearly point to Kemp over Braun, doesn’t playing a harder position much better than the other guy playing a weaker position give you an upper hand in voting? I go back to the rookie of the year race last year, and how Buster Posey won the award over Jason Heyward. Heyward had slightly better numbers and had played more games, but Posey won the award because many cited he played the tougher position. Is Braun an above average outfielder with a great arm? Yes, but he plays left field, the spot usually designated for the worst outfielder on the team. Matt Kemp plays center field at a gold glove level. Sure I get it winning means something, but after I took a closer look at it today, I don’t understand how the BWAA made thier choice. Maybe they hate McCourt as much as Dodgers fans, and decided they couldn’t have the Cy young winner and the MVP under his watch. Anyways, congrats Braun you are a great player, but didn’t deserve the award this year in my eyes. At least Kemp can sleep well on his nice pile of cash money!
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