Tag Archives: vs.

December 9, 2010

Doin Lines Week 14

By chappy81

A 2-4 week has me thinking I will never crack the .500 mark this season. Luckily I hit a parlay to break even money wise, but I’m sure you all could care less about that. I think everyone has found this season a little strange in that there aren’t a ton of contenders that cover the spread every week, and looking through the lines I was shocked to see that there wasn’t one double digit favorite. What does this mean? Even the odds makers are a little befuddled by this season! The highest spread is New Orleans -9 at home. Speaking of NO, is it just me or are they the least hyped defending champs ever? I don’t hear the morning FOX, CBS, or ESPN gangs raving about anything the Saints are doing, and aren’t they the champs until someone knocks them off? I guess not in this Twitter age. The Patriots and Jets must be the only teams worthy of our attention, so the networks have led me to believe. I just can’t get over how many people were on their bandwagon last year and now, no love at all. What gives?!?

What gives is right!  As in, what gives with a 2-3 record last week!?  Well I am a firm believer in karma, or getting your “just dues”, and the way I was approaching my picks last week, like it was some sort of guaranteed 5-0 event, let’s just say I got what I deserved with those results.  Time to get myself back on the positive side this week.  On a side note, the Bo Sox just signed Carl Crawford!?  Looks like Bean Town’s the new “Evil Empire” in baseball …

Week 13 (By 2-3, Chap 2-4) Overall (By 32-29-4, Chap 33-38-3)

Indianapolis @ Tennessee (+3)

By picks Indy (-3). I will beat this horse dead, but I’m not going to stop riding it.  Wait, does that even make sense?  I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m not jumping off the Peyton Manning ship just yet, especially in a must win scenario at a division rival.  As horrible as Manning has been these past three weeks, he’s still one of the greatest QB’s to ever play the game, which in my book, means something.  He will right the ship this week and trust his guys more.  On the other side of the ball, Tennessee is a mess.  Vince Young, Randy Moss, need I say more?

Oakland @ Jacksonville (-4) Continue reading

23 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

November 24, 2010

Doin Lines Week 12

By chappy81

Looks like the trend for my picks is continuing. I went 4-2 last week, and said that I’d have a winning record because I alternate weeks on doing well and then doing bad. That being said, I guess you can safely pick against my picks this weekend as you will be sure to come out a winner if this seven week and counting trend continues. I know we haven’t been putting up a whole lot of posts lately, and for that I apologize. I’m guessing it’s because the W’s and Raiders hit the wall called reality that I always seem to forget exists when they are playing well. If David Lee didn’t get rabies from Wilson Chandler, and Richard Seymour didn’t throw a fit, I’d be a little more motivated. Oh well, at least I won on two parlays this weekend! Money makes up for internal pain a little! Another bright note from last weeks picks, By and I were 2-0 on picks we agreed on. Much better than weeks past!

Never would a 26-25-4 record look, and feel so good, until now.  Being that it’s been a struggle to stay within striking range of .500 all season long, to finally get over the hump after Week 11 has allowed me to breath a big sigh of relief.  This is what Steve Young must have felt like when Super Bowl XXIX was already decided and he told his sideline to get the monkey off his back.  Unfortunately, the one loss last week, came with me foolishly betting on my 49ers after all my other bets had covered, and seeing them not even show up to the game.  Anyway, like I said last week, I ain’t stopping now!  I will chase down that elusive 5-0 week, I promise.  On a side note, congrats to Chaps, he’s closing in on .500 and I know it’s coming soon!  Let the lines begin!

Week 11 (Chap 4-2, By 4-1) Overall (Chap 28-31-3, By 26-25-4)

New England (-6.5) @ Detroit

Been awhile since any Lions took any Turkey pieces for player of the game.

By picks New England (-6.5). Nothing like tradition, and Thanksgiving football in the Motor City is definitely tradition.  You know what else is tradition?  The Detroit Lions getting spanked at home during Thanksgiving brunch.  What better way to keep that tradition alive, than to send the NFL’s best team to 8 Mile Road?  The Lions have talent, there’s no question about that, but for some reason, they can never get it together.  Meanwhile, Tom Brady is in the hunt for his second MVP award, and keeping pace with the NY Jets in the AFC East is of the utmost importance to the Pats.  They’ll stay sharp Thursday and carve up some Lions with ease.

New Orleans (-3.5) @ Dallas

Chappy picks New Orleans -3.5. Let’s start it off with a tough one shall we! The Cowboys are trying to get their third straight win, but this is by far their toughest opponent. They took out a sleepwalking Giants team (who are impossible to figure out), and then went on to beat a so-so Lions team. If there’s one thing that Garrett has done since taking over for the much maligned Phillips, is that he made them look like a real football team again. The Saints are also rolling pretty good winning their last three games including one against a tough Pittsburgh team. I like Sean Peyton and Drew Brees over Jason Garrett and Jon Kitna. Speaking of Kitna, why has this great collection of talented offensive players looked better than when Romo was in the lineup? I don’t have the answer, but maybe you do…

By picks New Orleans (-3.5). Yes I get it, the Cowboys are red hot and rejuvenated by the change at the helm.  But that doesn’t change the fact that the Saints are hotter!  Drew Brees has quietly put together another magnificent season despite a some what of a slow start.  A scary fact, the Saints aren’t even close to hitting their peak stride, and so I see nothing but improvement from here on out from the boys of the bayou.  As for the Cowboys, enjoy your mini streak while it lasts.  Come Thursday, the Saints are going to stuff the Cowboys.  (Hope you guys are sensing a theme here).

Cincinnati @ New York Jets (-9)

Chappy picks Cincinnati (+9). Every analyst is in love with Mark Sanchez and his clutch performances lately. I can’t disagree that he hasn’t been clutch, but why are some of these games even that close to begin with? Seven of their ten games have been closer than a TD, and they were far from shootouts. Sanchez might be playing well at the right times, but would it kill him to throw for 300+ yards and have a 3-4 TD game. When he gets a couple of those under his belt, I’ll start believing. Cincy is the opposite. They seem to get blown out early, and come back only to fall short. The polar opposite dynamic of last year’s team. This is the main reason to take the points!

Minnesota @ Washington (-3.0)

By picks Minnesota (+3). The Vikes got exactly what they wanted, a new coach.  And no, I’m not talking about the interim guy who’s pretending to be the coach, I’m talking about the “texting” guy.  He’s the real coach of this team.  With that said, Favre will rekindle some 2009 magic and unleash a few deep bombs to Sidney Rice.  Rice should have better legs under him after playing in his first game this season.  The Vikings are too talented to be losing these many games, so I expect them to prevail over another dysfunctional team in Washington.  Minnesota 27, Washington 21.

Tennessee @ Houston (-6.5)

Chappy picks Houston -6.5. I think Chris Johnson is going to have a huge day against an awful Houston offense, but in the end if you have a rookie named Rusty making his first NFL start, you can’t like your chances that much. Maybe it won’t feel like a road game for the Oilers, I mean Titans, going back to their birthplace many years ago. It’s amazing how a team can go from contender to pretender in two quick weeks after nabbing Randy Moss off waivers. I wonder when he is going to be back on waivers? My prediction, after this week’s loss and another one catch performance he’s there.

Carolina @ Cleveland (-11)

Chappy picks Cleveland -11. I think the only thing that hasn’t changed over the past four weeks in a season that my opinion changes every week is that Carolina will lose by two scores minimum regardless of who they are playing. Cleveland happens to be on the rise and at home. I like them winning big. I still wish the Raiders used one of their first four picks on McCoy. Hopefully that doesn’t bug me for the next ten years…

Tampa Bay @ Baltimore (-7.5).

By picks Tampa Bay (-7.5). This is the most intriguing match up of the weekend.  I’m pretty high on the Bucs, and I’m really high on the Ravens.  Baltimore is a legit contender, while the Bucs are good pretenders in my eyes, but with that said, Tampa plays every team tough and they’ll bring it this weekend in Baltimore. Joe Flacco has been picking apart defenses consistently all year, but Ray Rice has finally showed up to the party.  That makes this Ravens team that more dangerous.  Ultimately, I don’t see the Ravens winning by more than a touch down, and so I’m going with Ronde Barber and company to cover this week.  Ravens win by 4.

Chappy picks Baltimore -7.5. It’s funny how everyone comes to their conclusion on who is the best team in the league. I’m not sure I can give Baltimore that title, but they are about as close as it gets, and are about as complete as it gets on both sides of the ball. With all due respect to Raheem and the Bucs, they really haven’t beaten any of the “contenders” they’ve faced. They were blown out by Pittsburgh and New Orleans, then lost a sort of close one to Atlanta. Everyone else they played has a losing record. Since I see Baltimore as a true contender, I don’t mind laying the points when they are at home. I see Ed Reed getting down on one of those patent interception TD returns by baiting Freeman into thinking a receiver is open.

Kansas City (-2) @ Seattle

By picks Kansas City (-2). Who would have thought that the AFC West would have been this good, and that Kansas would play a road game this season in which they were favored?  The one two punch of Thomas Jones and Jaamal Charles would normally be enough for me to pick the Chiefs in this spot, but now throw in Dwyane “Not Wade” Bowe!?  Sold!  Dwayne Bowe has been the best wide receiver in the league over these past two or three weeks, maybe with the exception of Roddy White, and so  I don’t expect things to change this week as Bowe will have his TD and 100 yards.  Seattle’s a tough place to play, but I still feel good about KC’s chances in covering.

San Diego @ Indianapolis (-3)

Chappy picks San Diego (+3). These two teams always have good battles, and usually come down to the last play. I took the liberty of flipping a coin, and George Washington told me to take the points. Made sense to me!

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

November 4, 2010

Doin Lines Week 9

By chappy81


Last week I couldn’t quite get all the bad luck out of me before I head to Vegas this weekend. Going 2-3 did get some of that bad luck out, and I was very happy that the Raiders were one of the two wins. The Raiders have their biggest game of the season taking on the division leading Chiefs, but I’ll get to that pick later. Just like the Raiders my bets are a little more meaningful this weekend, because I’ll probably raise the ante on them a little being in Vegas. Unless of course if one of the homies  slips a Jeffery into the mix, then I might be rubbing fuzzy wall instead. Although, having Puffy chase us out of Vegas by mind f**ing us would be an ultimate story.

In honor of the World Series champions, San Francisco Giants (Still can’t believe I’m saying that), I went 4-1 last week, tying my season high for wins!  Furthermore, I lucked out during one of the toughest weeks in terms of football lines this season!  I have to say, I’m pretty impressed by myself!  Well enough gloating, as it is time to get down to business.  Week 9 is upon us, and I have an opportunity to break .500 this week.  I’m feeling more confident than usual, and I expect to hit on at least an 80% clip this week!  I guarantee it, Joe Namath style!  Or Rasheed Wallace style, what ever floats your boat.  Of course, that is, unless  a Jeffrey is involved, then all bets are off.

Week 8 (Chap 2-3, By 4-1) Overall (Chap 18-25-3, By 18-19-3)

Chicago (-3) @ Buffalo

By picks Chicago (-3): I’ve been dogging Buffalo all season long and it’s backfired despite the bagel that represents the total amount of wins the Bills have.  But like a stubborn mule, I continue to pick against them.  My reasoning for this sounds like a broken record, but this team isn’t that good. I know solid showings against the Ravens and the surprise Chiefs should have me thinking they’re better than what their record shows, but nope.  I just think the Bills suck this year.  Ryan Fitzpatrick to Steve Johnson does make for an intriguing combo, except for Fitzpatrick won’t start next year when the Bills take Andrew Luck #1.  Damn Niners, stop winning.  I’m not all that impressed with Chicago lately either, but three point dogs only?  I have to take my chances with the Bears and hope for a Matt Forte explosion.

New Orleans (-7) @ Carolina

Chappy picks New Orleans (-7). Did the Saints just dominate the Steelers? I didn’t see that one coming. I think their Super Bowl hangover might finally be wearing off. I haven’t seen Brees that sharp since last season, and it was against one of the best defenses in the league. He did what he did with a fourth string running back, and showed that maybe the Steelers secondary isn’t as good as advertised. The Saints defense looked great as well last weekend putting all kinds of pressure on Ben, and stifling Mendenhall and the Pittsburgh offensive line. Darren Sharper should be 100% for this one, so that’s just one more play maker to take the ball away from Matt Moore and the Carolina offense. The Saints only won by two in week 4 against Carolina, but since Carolina is the lowest scoring team in the league (12.1) it’s really easy to pick against them. The Saints look a lot better than they did the first time they met, I see fireworks this time. Take the Saints even if the line goes up to 8 or 9!

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta (-8.5) Continue reading

11 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

October 16, 2010

Doin Lines Week 6

By chappy81

Yikes, this season isn’t going so well for me on these picks, but at least I didn’t get skunked two weeks in a row in the win column. If my picks were a team right now, I’d probably be the Bills. Unlike the Bills, I still have hope for this season, because it only takes a couple weeks to drastically turn it around. The Bills might need at least two years to turn things around in Buffalo…

Big week for me last week, as I finally showed some life, going 4/5 on my picks!  But of course, the better news was the San Francisco Giants reaching the NLCS for the first time in eight years!  Oh, and taking Troy Glaus out in the process!  Aside from watching the Giants on Saturday, then a whole bunch of football on Sunday, I also have my fantasy basketball draft on Sunday, so needless to say, I’m a tad bit excited for the weekend to come!  Until then, let’s do some lines, shall we!?!?

Week 5 (Chappy 2-4, By 4-1) Overall (Chappy 10-18-1, By 10-14-2)

Kansas City @ Houston (-5)

Chappy picks Kansas City +5, last Sunday morning I was handed the Chiefs and Colts game on TV, so I watched. It was a lot closer than the 19-9 final score indicated. The Chiefs played Manning tough at Lucas Oil, and seemed to frustrate him most of the game. Seeing how well they did against Peyton and Co. makes me feel like they could do the same against Houston with their third ranked defense. The Chiefs were a couple of Bowe drops away from winning or being in the game in the fourth quarter, unfortunately he forgot how to catch the ball even when he was wide open. The biggest question in my mind is can Cassel actually get over 200 yards passing? I think he can against one of the leagues worst pass defenses. They made Gradkowski look like a top QB when they played the Raiders so why not Cassel? The Texans only put up 10 points against the Giants, and looked pretty bad, so they should be fired up and ready.  Problem is they aren’t usually that good at home going 4-5 in their last 9, so I think the Chiefs will be close enough to cover.

By picks Houston (-5): It’s hard to choose between these two teams, I like them both, but if it’s one thing I know about picking games, it’s not to have an emotional investment involved with it.  With that said, a good 73% of my picks come with emotional attachments, so if I can’t take my own advice, then I deserve the record I have.  Before I drown you all with self pity and sorrow, let me tell you why I chose Houston.  Simply put, they’re better than their 3-2 record.  They’re definitely better than what they put forth last Sunday versus the Giants, and you have to feel confident they won’t put up back to back stinkers at home.  I need Matt Schaub to show up this week, or else my fantasy season is over in football.  Kansas City hung with the Colts in Indy last week, but primarily based on their defense and Peyton Manning just having one of those games.  Their offense isn’t putting up consistent points, which they’ll need this week against Houston.  I have a feeling Houston’s offense will finally break out this week and turn this thing into a track meet.

Baltimore @ New England (-3) Continue reading

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

October 7, 2010

Doin Lines Week 5

By chappy81

That football is doing some serious lines!

Looks like we both need to re-evaluate how we are making these picks. We got one right out of ten last week, setting the lowest week total of wins since I’ve started doing this. Just like New Orleans picked itself up after Hurricane Katrina, we will have to do the same. We just need to hope that this turnaround happens a little faster than the real life one. This losing streak is showing me that no matter how much you think you know going into a game, you don’t really know crap compared to those lines makers. Just like the Geek and Sammy we have proven that we are good a pickin losers so far. It can’t be this bad for the rest of the year can it!?! I doubt it, so on to the picks.

What is the writing equivalent to being so ashamed, that you can’t even show your face in public?  Would it be, being so ashamed that you wouldn’t want to let anyone read your words?  Because that is how I feel after three consecutive, embarrassing weeks of football picks.  If you fancy my words, or my humor, or perhaps lack there of, I appreciate your loyalty to me.  But please, I beg of you, please do not read my picks for … *gasp* my picks.  After going 1/5 last week, it absolutely dawned on me.  I suck at this.  I suck at this bad.  Do I give up?  No.  But I am not cruel enough to wish bad upon our readers, so I hope you all either run as far away as you can from my picks, or simply pick the opposite.  My picks should have yellow caution tape surrounding them.  With that said, here are this week’s losers …

Last Week (Chappy 0-5, By 1-4) Overall (Chappy 8-14-1, By 6-12-2)

Denver (+7) @ Baltimore Continue reading

14 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

September 29, 2010

Doin Lines Week 4

By chappy81

Lost in the Sunday sports shuffle I forgot fall was upon us. I was as excited about seeing the new “Eastbound and Down” series premiere as I was about the football games. There were a lot of shows just getting started, but this one was like watching the Raiders game for me. It didn’t disappoint, opening up with a messy cock fight, and ending with Kenny being left by his new Mexican homies, and returning to the mound. I’d recommend Eastbound and Down to any sportsfan, especially the ones that liked the movie Major League. Kenny Powers is basically a washed up Ricky Vaughn trying to remake himself into a star again. His mission is to convince himself, and everyone around him that he is still the best. There are classic lines every 2 minutes. Before we get to the real reason for the post, I’m wondering why didn’t I bet against every team that clinched a playoff spot yesterday, sans the Twins. They all lost, and hopefully typing this out will be a mental note to bet on those games after a team clinches a playoff spot in baseball. On to football, last week neither of us did well. I can’t get to .500, and By is going to have to have a helluva week to make up for this past one. Our results have me questioning if we can right the ship faster than the Raiders and 49ers!?! Hopefully so, or we could be in for a loooong season.

Well, I was absolutely destroyed last week.  I know I hit on 1/3 of my picks, but I don’t even want to look back at the two teams that came through for me.  Metaphorically speaking, last week was like eating a bad burrito that gave me the runs, now that it’s out of my system, I just want to forget about it.  I know it isn’t poetic, but it describes exactly how I feel.  But, as Jay-Z would say, “On To The Next One.”

Results for week 3 (Chap 3-3-0, By 2-4-0) Overall (Chap 8-9-1, By 5-8-2)

Denver @ Tennessee (-7)

By picks Tennessee (-7) Josh McDaniels was looking like a genius around this time last season, as his Broncos were undefeated and all the buzz.  Unfortunately they haven’t replicated the fast start in 2010, and heading into Week 4, things just got worse with the announcement of Knowshon Moreno missing his second straight game with a hamstring injury.  Kyle Orton has done a great job as the interim QB, but it hasn’t translated to wins.  Ultimately, Denver doesn’t have enough threats to compete with Tennessee.  For the Titans, Chris Johnson is a beast, we don’t have to get into it about him, what it all comes down to Vince Young.  If you throw away the Pittsburgh game, he’s done a good job directing the ship, and after dismantling the Giants in New York last week, I’ve seen enough from the Titans to feel confident in having them cover.

@ Pittsburgh (-1.5) vs. Baltimore Continue reading

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

September 23, 2010

Doin Lines Week 3

By chappy81
This week’s lines are brought to you by the legend Kenny Powers!

I can’t quite get to .500 on the season, and By fell just below .500 for the year. It’s always funny to see the games that you weren’t worried about go completely wrong, and the ones that you questioned picking, coming through without a hitch. I guess it just shows you how good those damn odds makers are, and just how much parody there is in the NFL, but they can be beat, and that shouldn’t be an excuse! Even if I’m more indecisive than all these head coaches are with picking a starting QB, it doesn’t mean that I can’t pick a winner, right?!? Now that I’ve completely lost you, I’m going to try to make this week’s picks without bias, ie. I’m not going to pick teams that I want to win! Rule number two for the week; if you see both of us pick the same team in the same game immediately pick the opposite way. We are 0-2 in games we both picked the same team; hopefully the odds will even us out soon.

Like Vernon Davis, I fell flat on my face on the guarantee to win ’em all.  I finished a dismal 1-2-2 last week, but honestly, I thought I came out better than that.  Philly was up big, and Oakland had St. Louis at home.  Those two should have been a lock to cover, but I check the final scores, and both teams let me down.  So this week I’m stepping my game up, not only more focused on spotting the winning lines, but I’m picking a career high six games!  So I’m giving you the quantity for sure, and perhaps … the … quality?  I guess we’ll find out come Sunday.  On to the picks!

Week 2 Results (Chap 3-3, By 1-2-2) Overall Results (Chap 5-6-1, By 4-4-1) Continue reading

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

September 15, 2010

Doin Lines Week 2

By chappy81

Week one didn’t go bad, but it didn’t go all that well either. I went a less than impressive (2-3-1), while By kept it mediocre with a 2-2 start. Now that we’ve seen a whole week of football action, we are experts and shouldn’t miss another pick for the rest of the year, right!?! I’m still shocked that By called that Texans game. I actually could see the Colts winning the next nine games without anyone noticing. I don’t buy TMQ’s argument that this is Armageddon because the Texans won, but do agree it would be hilarious if Houston ended up playing in the Super Bowl in Jerry Jones billion dollar stadium. Anyways, this should be another fun week, and I’m excited to win the money back that I lost in week one, so here are our picks for week 2!

What a roller coaster opening week for me.  I hit the ground running like a Chris Johnson breakaway, after my prediction of the Texans upsetting the Colts came true.  I began imagining myself hoisting up the “I Told You So” trophy after that one.  Unfortunately that image shattered immediately, as the Houston/Indy game didn’t equate to the biggest upset of the day.  The biggest upset of the day went to me.  Because I was so damn upset at my 49ers!  What a waste of one and a half hours of a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  As you can guess, I stopped watching midway through.  Anyway, to brighten up my mediocre week, let me just say, “How about ‘dem Cowboys, huh!?” I wanted to stay away from the Jets/Ravens game, but ultimately couldn’t resist.  I originally wanted to take KC over SD, but couldn’t pull the trigger on another significant upset.  Lesson learned, always go with the gut.  But like Chappy said, we learned everything I needed to know about all the teams after the first week, and ala Vernon Davis, I predict we win on all of our picks the rest of the way! Continue reading

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

September 8, 2010

Doin Lines Week 1

By chappy81

I’ve been impressed with the revival of Entourage this season. For the last couple of seasons, I thought the show was heading downhill, but this year they got Vinny on a drug binge, making bad choices, and dating a porn star. Excellent twist to what was getting to be a repetitive series. Speaking of things reviving themselves, and the true reason for this post, the NFL is bizzniizzzizzaacckk! This means that every team has hope again (including my Raiders and the overly optimistic prediction I made about them making it to the AFC Championship), but this also marks the beginning of gambling season, and the return of Doin Lines! Even if you aren’t betting on spreads, lets face it, there’s plenty of $10 bets thrown down on games amongst friends. I found myself enjoying keeping track of how I did against the spread last year, and ended the season doing surprisingly well considering I was way below .500 for awhile there, and had pondered giving up posting my picks out of sheer embarrassment. My comeback was strong, and ending 49-45-3 on the season, which made me want to see how I could do in my second year of keeping track. At points during the season, I was much more into making these picks correctly than keeping track of my fantasy teams. Not to say that I didn’t care about fantasy, but of all the fantasy seasons, football is the least attractive to me. It’s too much of a crapshoot, and everyone talks endlessly about their “squad”, which is more of a turnoff than a girl with a butterface. Instead of picking ALL of the games, we decided to each pick the top six or so games that we believe are either mortal locks, or very watchable. I did say “we” right!?! Well, this season, By has decided to join me on the adventure of posting picks, so I don’t feel like such an addict doing all these lines by myself! By also had a couple quick thoughts before we get started.

Before I reveal my picks, I must say I’m excited to hear that Entourage is back on the radar in terms of “must see” programs.  There was a point in my life where I looked forward to watching Entourage as much as I looked forward to watching a football game on Sunday, but then it slipped.  But from what Chappy just wrote, and from what friends have mentioned, Vinny addicted to hard drugs, Sasha Grey,  plus the return of Carla Gugino (who is one fine woman) equals the return of Entourage!  I have catching up to do …

Now, on to business … Continue reading

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

March 27, 2010

Doin Elite Lines

By chappy81

I know, last week's half naked Will Ferrell aka Jackie Moon picture was a disappointment, so this week I give you, body paint!

I did about as bad as I could have on my picks for the Sweet 16, but you just like Jesse James I’ll have to dust myself off and move on. Maybe I underestimated Tennessee, and I definitely gave the double digit seeds a little more credit than I should have. I thought they’d be close enough to cover a spread or two, but that wasn’t the case. I guess the last two days truly were separation days. The Cinderella’s went down, and the true contenders are headed to the Elite 8 with the Championship in sight. There was one thing I pondered while watching Duke tonight, did anyone get screwed more by the making of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy than Scheyer? He must hear so much hobbit trash talk on the court every game I wish we could hear him mic’d up. I know I’d be getting my punches in… Anyways, here’s my picks for the weekend games, and who will be making the final four.

Kentucky (-3.5) Over West Virginia

This is a tough one for me. I will be pulling hard for West Virginia, and huggy bear. But as much as I want them to win, I know they won’t. They need to pick up the defense, and if they can somehow stop/slow down Kentucky from running up and down the court, they have a shot. I just think Kentucky looks too good to be beat. This will be the first truly good team they’ve faced, and we should be able to tell if they are going to be able to walk their way to a Championship after this game. I thought Cornell would put up a little fight, but I was completely wrong. I think I’ve now forced myself to not pick against Kentucky again in fear of being eaten by Demarcus Cousins. Is it just me or is anyone else curious how much bigger he is going to get  when he hits the pros? Christ, he already looks as big as Al Jefferson out there. Ok, ok, maybe that was an exaggeration, but agianst Cornell’s twiggy center, and most other players he’s come across he looks like a man amongst boys. The guy is going to be huge after he hits the weights for a couple years.

Butler (-3) Over Kansas State

I’d really like to see Pullen have some more cracks at game winners, the guy is nails when it matters most. My biggest question for this game is, how much does K-State have in the tank after that double OT marathon. I’m impressed with how many minutes those guys have played, and maybe Gus Johnson made them seem a little longer, but it has to catch up to you somewhere along the line. Maybe they are just young and can shake off the soreness or are in that good of condition. I think adrenaline could get them through this game, but Butler is playing out of their minds right now. Never bet against the team with the longest winning streak even if you really want to win the bet. This should be a good game. I’m REALLY looking forward to this one! Continue reading

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

March 23, 2010

Doin College Lines

By chappy81


My outlook heading into the sweet 16; Two brackets gone miserably wrong, and one with plenty of hope. I never expect to win in the pick’ems, so I usually just root more for entertaining action. In the midst of all these games I realized I hadn’t done a preview for the Vegas lines in awhile, and what better time than during the always entertaining March Madness. Anyways, here’s how I see the eight games playing out.

Cornell (+10) Over Kentucky

Kentucky has cruised through the tourney so far beating both teams they played to a pulp by 29 and 30 points. They have the most “NBA” talent of any team left, and have shown why they are a #1 seed. They destroyed a sixteen seed, and a slumping nine seed. Their reward is to play the Cinderella Cornell squad who has one less tourney win (6) than Kentucky has championships (7). I could see Cornell covering the spread if they keep raining threes like they have, but their main concern will be to not let Kentucky run wild. This is much easier said than done. If their zone somehow slows the cats down, then we could see this Cinderella make some noise. I can’t believe some of the “experts” are picking them to win. I wouldn’t go that far, but maybe a single digit win for Kentucky.

Said it before and I'll say it again, Evan Turner's game reminds me of Brandon Roy's.

Ohio State (-4.5) Over Tennessee

I’ve been repping the Buckeyes pretty hard since I have them winning it all in my one bracket of hope. I probably just jinxed them, but watching Evan Turner nearly put up a triple double in their last game has me thinking there’s a chance he could single handedly get them to the final four. The Buckeyes will need to avoid making the silly turnovers like they did against Georgia Tech which was the sole reason the game even close. The Vols don’t boast a high powered offense, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can create some easy hoops with Ohio States’ mistake prone lapses during games. If this game is close, it will be because Turner was held in check, and that should be priority number one for the Vols.

West Virginia (-3.5) Over Washington

Although I’ll be rooting for an upset in this game, it’s pretty tough banking on that to happen. West Virginia is a MUCH more physical team than the Huskies first two opponents. I think the physical play will give their shooters a rough time. If Washington has any chance they will need Isiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter to play flawlessly. West Virginia is somewhat offensively challenged, but there’s good news for the Mountaineers, the Huskies are ranked 295th in free throws conceded. I see the Mountaineers being too much for the Huskies to handle.

Syracuse (-6) Over Butler

Continue reading

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 20, 2010

Doin Championship Lines

By chappy81

What a great playoffs so far, we’ve had one great game, one okay game, and six blowouts. It’s made me much less excited about the upcoming games, but hopefully now all of the “pretenders” are out of the mix. Now, crossing my fingers, we’ll get a couple hard fought games this weekend for the race to own the 32nd draft pick. For some reason I find Shaq’s ultimate fundraising/dunk contest much more exciting than anything I’ve watched over the last two weekends. It’s very unlikely to happen, but you never know! Alas, I went 1-3 last week, AGAIN. I’m now only 2-6 on my playoff picks, which doesn’t really surprise me, since at the outset I knew that picking the playoffs never works out for me. Maybe it’s given me just one more reason to not care as much about these playoffs, but when game time rolls around, I’m sure I’ll be ready to watch. As always the home teams are in bold.

New York Jets (+7.5) Over Indianapolis

I wouldn’t consider myself on the Jets bandwagon, but they are playing some really good football right now. Even though the Jets regular season win over the Colts was against the second stringers, it has to give them some confidence going into this road game. I do want the Colts to win, possibly because I’m already tired of the New York hype machine. The way the Jets shut down SD last week has me wondering if luck IS on their side. It was surely on the Colts side last week as both Peyton picks didn’t hurt them. The Jets situation makes me reminisce about the Steelers march as the 6th seed to a Super Bowl title. I’m wondering how the Jets are going to attack this Colts D. We know what the Jets defense is going to do, and that will be everything they can to confuse and get pressure on Peyton. I know that the Colts haven’t been known over the years for any kind of run stopping capabilities, but this season they’ve held teams to 87 yards per game, which was good for third lowest yards allowed in the league. Since they are better at containing the running game than San Diego, they should be able to keep Greene and Thomas in check enough to pull out a close victory. They also did an amazing job on Fitz last week, so it seems like Braylon should have as tough a time as he does with actually catching the ball. I think the most interesting part of this game will be seeing how many times Peyton tests Revis Island. If Reggie Wayne has a big day, I have no shot at winning this bet. If the Colts jump out into an early lead, and my hopes rely on Sanchez, I have no chance of winning this pick. BTW, can you remember the last Championship game that was over a TD spread!?! Another thing I’m weary of in this game is the home team has won the AFC Championship three straight years.

New Orleans (-3.5) Over Minnesota

I couldn’t be more wishy washy with this pick since the line came out. Who knows by game time I might change my mind again. For now it’s the Saints though! I love the way they played like their old selves last week, even if it was at the expense of a terrible Arizona D. I’m thinking that it only takes one week to get your swagger back, and they looked rested and revived with plenty of swagger at home. I think the Saints D showed what they are capable of against a high powered offense, and have the tools to slow down another old man. I see the same type of energy this week coming out of them at home. I truly believe that the home field exists more in New Orleans than any other stadium, which has helped this team thrive over the season. If Minnesota wants to win this game, they’ll need to give AP the ball more. He needs to be more of a factor than Reggie Bush. I think because Bush was a factor last week it will keep the Vikings gambling defense a little more honest. Brees is as good as it gets on getting the ball out quickly, and I don’t see him ever holding the ball Romo-like in the pocket waiting for the mullet to destroy him. I’m really hoping this prediction is correct, so we aren’t subjected to watch/listen to Favre hype for two straight weeks. Another reason I’m not buying the Vikings is because I felt they had a pretty easy schedule, and seem prone to sucking in road games. They lost three of their last four road games, and the losses were to Carolina, Chicago, and Arizona. I’ll forgive the Arizona game, but the other losses shouldn’t have happened. It’s also when all the experts were wondering if they were even contenders. I’ve decided it’s because they just don’t play well on the road, and won’t this week either.

9 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 14, 2010

Doin Divisional Lines

By chappy81

Ouch, the playoffs started rough, but I can’t say that I wasn’t aware that my picks seem to go downhill once the regular season ends. I wish I could say it was because the teams were so even, but with the exception of one game they were all blowouts. I actually missed most of the Arizona and Green Bay game because I assumed it WAS going to be another blowout when Arizona was up by 20 in the 3rd…  Anyways, my 1-3 record last week will have to improve if I want any of you to take my picks seriously this playoffs. This week I’m trying out a new strategy, and picking the teams I don’t want to win. I guess if I don’t win my picks, I’ll find some solace in jinxing the teams I want to lose. As always the home teams are in bold.

Arizona (+7) Over New Orleans

Do I want Arizona to win? No. Were they playing better than the Saints down the stretch? Yup.  I’m not sure why, but I like to root against Arizona, and for some reason the more I do root against them, the more they win! Last week they added another amazing chapter to their recent playoff history, but I guess that didn’t convince odds makers. It did convince me! The Saints defense struggled at the end of the year, and most likely will struggle again against a now very balanced Cardinals attack. With Beanie emerging as a solid back, the Saints will have to worry about more than just Warner and Fitz. I would say the same for the Saints, but their offense looked less dynamic than the Packers at the end of the year only producing 44 points over their last three games compared to averaging 36 through the first 13 weeks. I really like the Cards 10 straight wins against the spread, so I’m picking them with confidence! I kind of want to see a battle of the grey hairs in the NFC Championship game!

Baltimore (+7) Over Indianapolis

Since last week I was wrong about nearly everything, I figured I may as well go against who I want to win this week. I really don’t want to pick Flacco over Manning, which sounds retarded rolling off the tongue. You ever notice Flacco’s off hand when he throws? It looks like he’s got a disability or something. Anyways, in the end, I’m not really sure I agree with this line. Seven points is pretty high, especially when their first meeting in Week 11 was a 17-15 Colts win where the Baltimore D picked Peyton off twice. It was a sloppy Colts win, but it wasn’t anywhere near a blowout. The Ravens looked dominant against a mojoless Patriots team last week. It’s nice to see that you don’t really need a QB to win a game, you just need the other QB to NOT show up. I doubt the Colts will forget their mojo, and will hopefully win in a close one. I still think it’s lame that the Colts didn’t go for the perfect season, but I’m not Caldwell, so it wasn’t my decision.

Minnesota (-3) Over Dallas

I know, Dallas is the hottest team in the league, and not to many people are picking Minnesota since they kind of limped across the finish line. Tony Romo is playing better than I ever thought he could, the Boys rushing attack looks great, and their defense is shutting down everybody. All of this still isn’t going to stop me from picking the Vikes! The Vikings are 8-0 at home this year, and I doubt that Favre sort of came out of retirement to lose to pretty boy Romo at home nonetheless. There’s something about the Metrodome that helps them win. They play like nobody’s business when they are there, so I see this one playing out exactly the opposite of the way people are predicting. I’d say that this is the most fair line of the bunch. I hope I don’t find out the hard way this weekend when the game is on that the Cowboys are that good…

San Diego (-7) Over New York Jets

I was hoping that when I saw the LT glide music video, it would give me just one extra reason to root for the Jets, but finding out it was filmed two years ago ended that hope. As much as I don’t want SD to win this game, I have a feeling this one will be a blowout. There’s only one Revis, and three really good receivers and a decent fourth that Rivers can throw to (Jackson, Floyd, Gates, and sometimes Nanee). The Bengals only had one receiver, Ochocinco, so passing game was containable. In this pass happy era, it’s not the running game that wins games for you, especially in the non-treacherous weather of San Diego. Just look at the top two seeds in the AFC this year! Phillip Rivers, much to my dismay, is a great quarterback. No matter how much I sports hate this guy, he keeps playing well and winning. The Chargers are as healthy as they’ve been all year and are getting back Eric Weddle in the secondary. I can’t picture Sanchez putting in two good playoff performances in a row. Especially since this time around he will have to make more plays if their offense is going to be successful. They won’t be able to grind it out on the ground like they did against Cincy. I see Sanchez making some mistakes against a much better defense.

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

December 31, 2009

Doin Lines Week 17

By chappy81

I made it through my first published season here on Doin Work (minus one week when I was gone). I have to say that I’m pretty happy with the results considering I made myself pick a few here and there just because I knew they’d be on TV and interesting. I found that when I was a more avid gambler, I never really won or lost much, which probably wasn’t a bad thing! This season pretty much reflected that. I went (3-2-1) last week bringing my season record to (45-42-3). Unless this week goes terribly wrong, I should end the regular season above .500. I’m extra scared of this last week of the season, because you never know which playoff teams will rest guys. It’s almost like betting on pre-season games… Obviously the teams that need to win to get in are full throttle, but the teams that are already in and have a limited need to win this week are kind of scary. Kind of like wondering what the new year will bring tomorrow scary. As always the home teams are in bold.

Buffalo (+8) Over Indianapolis

Will Peyton pout on the sideline this week too?

Will Peyton be pouting on the sideline again this week?

With headliners at the franchise quarterback spot, we have a hall of fame duo of Fitzpatrick versus Painter. If you aren’t already extra excited about this one, you might be the type of person that needs to cancel their Antiques Roadshow on the DVR, so you can re-watch this epic battle over and over for weeks to come. I forsee this being a battle for which QB can keep his rating over 50! I know that the Bills have locked up last place in the AFC East, and the Colts have locked up the 1st seed in all of the AFC which might make some think it’s a meaningless game. I guess I’ll agree, but it DOES look like a good game to bet on. The Colts laid down for the Jets last week with a pissed off Peyton strolling the sidelines, so I think the Bills can cover this one. Speaking of the Jets, if they make it in the playoffs, they are the luckiest potential playoff team out there. They play the best team in the league (Colts), who rest guys, and then another playoff team (Bengals), that will likely rest up for their first round match up. Talk about a cake walk schedule at the end of the year against playoff teams! The Bills will be playing all their starters, and whether they play good or not it shouldn’t matter too much since they should easily beat the Colts 2nd team.

Texans (-8) Over New England

The Texans have a shot at making the playoffs for the first time in their franchise history (8 years). I figure they are going to give it everything they have, and pull out victory. They’ve been playing very well as of late, and have given themselves an opportunity to make some history for themselves. Andre Johnson has been nothing short of unstoppable, and pulling in over 450+ yards in the last three games has him atop the league leader board in receiving yards. The Patriots on the other hand, will be a guessing game on what Bellichick will do. He’s been very evasive on what his plan is with his players and their playing time. My guess is he doesn’t  play his starters for that long, and that would mean the Texans could put up huge points on a very weak 2nd defensive unit from New England. I see the Pats going into pre-season mode. If they rest Brady, Moss, and Welker for most of the game, this one shouldn’t be all that close as the Texans run the score up in their home finale.

San Francisco (-7) Over St. Louis

There is no game on the slate I feel more comfortable picking. The Niners desperately want to end the season 8-8. They had a few unlucky breaks this season that kept them from being within reach of a playoff spot, but Singletary won’t let them lay down for the final game of the year. He’s instilled a strong sense of pride, that this organization was lacking since Mariucci left. The Rams desperately want to lock up the #1 overall pick. Tanking this game would give them just that. It’s hard to pick the Rams in any situation, but here it would be plain ridiculous as they seemed to have taken the last seven weeks off after nabbing their sole win of the season. The only buzz in St. Louis is: What’s up with Holliday? Did the Cards sign him yet? The 49ers do have a lot of weapons aside from Frank Gore now. Crabtree and Davis are good complements to Gore, and have shown that they can efficiently work within the passing game. Problem for them is Alex Smith isn’t the answer at QB. I think even if they still only had Gore and Patrick Willis, they could cover the spread without breaking a sweat. Mark this as a lock on your gambling slate!

Chicago (-3) Detroit

Speaking of not messing with draft pick chances, why wouldn’t the Lions lay down for one more game to secure the #2 pick in next years’ draft? I tried to answer this question, and figured that since there isn’t one reasonable answer, this has to be a safe pick. The Bears pretty much sucked for most of the year, whether it was Cutler, injuries, or bad coaching they looked like cubs not bears more often than not. Cutler has a chance to hit 30 interceptions for the season if he can throw four this week, but I think they’ll end this year on a high note as much as I don’t want to see it. A two game winning streak might give them a little confidence going into next year. I’ve tried to look at any possible bright side for them to this season, and there aren’t many. Last week, when they looked pretty good against the Vikings most likely was, their brightest moment of the year. It also gave me hope that the Vikings could get knocked out of the playoffs sooner than later, and end all of the Favre talks for a few months, until he decides if he wants to keep playing! I could never see Detroit beating the Vikes, so the Bears must be halfway decent. This is my 2nd favorite pick of the week!

Oakland (+10.5) Over Baltimore

The Charlie Frye era in Oakland hasn’t been anything to write home about. I hope this era will mercifully end at the conclusion of this season. He played bad last week including 3 interceptions against a pretty bad Cleveland Browns team, but the Raiders play surprisingly better at home, and keep it close. Last season they ended Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes with an upset victory that had people hoping that Jamarcus had finally taken the next step. Sadly Raider Nation was given some false hope, and he regressed into oblivion. Frye did have a bright spot last week as he threw for 333 yards. If he can keep from throwing picks in the redzone, they should at least cover the spread. Hopefully they’ll come back with a heavy dose of Michael Bush, since he looks like their best running back. Baltimore’s playoff hopes hinge on a few things happening, but they need this win to get in. I think they might be watching what is happening in the other games more than the one they are in, and get upset. I’m not sure why, but I just don’t see why everybody likes Flacco so much. He’s more hot and cold than a bi-polar Texan without his gun. There’s always at least one WTF kind of upset game each week, and I’m predicting it will be this one!

Tennessee (-4.5) Over Seattle

The Titans played really bad against SD, or it could be that the Chargers ARE that good. I’m thinking that was the case, so there’s no reason not to pick them this week. I’m sure they’d love to end the year at 8-8 giving them plenty of hope for next season in the rejuvenated Vince Young era. Not relying on old man Collins to lead the way can only do wonders for this team. I see Chris Johnson getting his 128 rushing yards this week to get to 2,000 rushing yards on the season. I’m betting he will break a couple 50+ yard runs, that is unless, the endzone is too close when he breaks them! The Seahawks are a team that regresses each week, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that they’ll get blown out. Forsett still isn’t getting enough touches! When will this change? I guess not for this season, since they’ve all but mailed it in. Watching them play it’s amazing that they’ve even won 5 games this year. Julius Jones is not as good a play maker as Justin Forsett, get it right over there Jim Mora Jr.

Philadelphia (+3) Over Dallas

I’m not sure why, but lately I’ve become somewhat of an Eagles fan. Maybe it’s because they are on Fox every week or it might have something to do with one of my favorite college players (Desean Jackson) coming into his own in Philly. He’s been making a huge difference every time he gets the ball. Mcnabb looks like he’s moving into the been there done that mode, which he has, and has to be pretty comfortable playing that role by now. He also looks like he loves his latest crop of offensive weapons that he’s been given. Celek has even been making huge strides, and even though Mcnabb couldn’t quite make good on his promise of getting him into the pro bowl, Celek still had a great season either way. I keep waiting for Dallas to fall apart at the hinges, but it keeps not happening! It’s that empty feeling of hoping that your getting something for Xmas, but in the end you don’t get it. That’s how I feel every time I watch the Cowboys hoping for a loss. Maybe it’s more rooting for Romo to fail. Maybe it’s disliking Jerry Jones. It’s just fun to them fail I guess. I’m sure both these teams will be playing everybody, so if they happen to meet in the playoffs they will have home field over the other team. Let’s hope Romo fumbles another field goal attempt!

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

December 24, 2009

Doin Lines Week 16

By chappy81

Last week left much to be desired from my picks. Going (2-3-1) is like watching the Raiders or 49ers play, they look good for a few plays, but by the end we usually met with disappointment because of our overpaid 1st round quarterbacks. I’m still happy that I’ve stayed over .500 on the year, because I’ve never kept track for a full season, and am now starting to know why I never really win or lose much on betting on sports. I’m (42-40-2) on the year, so hopefully I can finish out this season strong! As always the home teams are in bold.

San Diego (-3) Over Tennessee

Could Santa bring me two presents this year? A Lakers loss coupled with a Chargers loss would make my sporting Christmas! Probably not. I think the Titans are a solid squad, but the Chargers don’t do a whole lot of charitable work this time of year. They are an amazing 17-0 in December with Rivers at the helm. Man, that was tough to write, since there might not be another guy in the league I sports-hate more. I guess I’m still completely shocked that Norv hasn’t blown a late game decision. When will it come!?! I doubt it will this week, since they would like to give themselves a Merry Christmas by earning that first round bye as the #2 seed. I hope I’m wrong and Chris Johnson puts up 270 rushing yards to get him to 2,000 on the year, and helps Vince go to 8-1 as a starter on the season. Either way this should be a fun game to watch, and hopefully Santa will bring the Bolts a lump of coal!

Green Bay (-14) Over Seattle

Last week was a fluke at least I think it was. The Pack lost a tough road game to the Steelers in a game that Big Ben set career game records that I don’t see him beating anytime soon. I think after being thoroughly outplayed the Packers D will step it up this weekend against a Seahawks team that has regressed, even with very low expectations going into the season. I know that they are waiting to get out there and re-establish everything that was going right before their meeting with Pittsburgh. Why do the Seahawks keep giving the ball to a uninspiring Julies Jones over a budding star in the wings in Justin Forsett is beyond me. I guess Jim Mora Jr. is as clueless as we all thought he was. If Green Bay can’t roll up the score on this terrible Seattle team at home, then they don’t deserve to make the playoffs.

Cincinnati (-13.5) Over Kansas City

I guess I was wrong last week. Cincy wasn’t overly emotional to hang with SD. I think I make the outside factors out to be more than they really were. Thinking back to the worst times in my life, I guess it didn’t really affect my work all that much. Maybe I might not have wanted to be there, but I still did what I needed to do just like the Bengals performance. I think KC officially gave up on this year about week 12. They decided to start just letting teams score at will. Three of their last four opponents have hit the 40+ point mark, and the only game that was remotely close was against the lowly Bills where they still lost by 6 at home. I can proudly say that the Raiders aren’t the worst team in the division for once! I was happy to see the NFL didn’t fine any of the players that paid tribute to the fallen Chris Henry. If they had, the NFL would get three lumps of coal in their stocking from Chad himself! Continue reading

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports