Week 8 Picks

Paul is dead! No, not Paul the Beatle--the Paul the Beetle? No, Michelle Beadle, who do you think we're talkin'!--but, rather, Paul the Octopus. Paul the Octopus gained international fame this past summer when he correctly predicted the winner of all 7 of Germany's World Cup matches, including Germany's loss to Spain in the tournament semi-final. For being a traitor, Paul met the swift hand of vengeance that he deserved. No, actually, he died of natural causes and the average lifespan for an octopus such as Paul is about 2 years. Knowing what's in store for me if I don't start picking NFL games better I will have to improve on my 9-5 mark last week, which brought me to 61 up and 43 down on the year. So, without further ado, the picks for week 8...in the league...where they play...for pay...

Denver Broncos (2-5) vs San Francisco 49ers (1-6) - The Niners and the Broncos will fly across the Atlantic to meet in England before taking their bye week. Neither team comes into this game flying high, as their records would indicate, as the Broncos were embarrassed by the Raiders last week in Denver giving up 59 points; and the 49ers gagged one away to the Panthers, falling 23-20. I'll say the Broncos passing game gets it done here. Pick: DENVER

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) @ Dallas Cowboys (1-5) - The Cowboys shot themselves in the foot with stupid penalties against the Titans and Vikings, and last week the Giants knocked Tony Romo out with a broken clavical. Jon Kitna will get the start for Dallas while the Jaguars will be getting their QB, David Garrard, back. Experts say that Jacksonville has a porous defense, Dallas is 1-5 for a reason. Pick: JACKSONVILLE

Miami Dolphins (3-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) - Cincinnati had a great comeback last week against Atlanta, rallying back from 24-3 down to take a 25-24 lead, but Atlanta still had enough time, an entire quarter, to score 18 more points and come away with the win. Miami lost to Pittsburgh 23-22 in one of the more controversial calls of the year, but if Miami wants to blame anyone, they should only blame themselves. Their first two possessions started deep in Pittsburgh territory, but they came away with only 2 field goals to keep the Steelers in the game. I don't trust either one of these teams, but Carson Palmer has been very shaky for the Bengals this year. Pick: MIAMI

Buffalo Bills (0-6) @ Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) - Buffalo has been close the past couple weeks, but they did what losing teams do, they lost. The Chiefs are building something worth taking notice of this season, and they should get a W to move out further in the AFC West. Pick: KANSAS CITY

Washington Redskins (4-3) @ Detroit Lions (1-5) - The Lions are an improving team, but so are the Redskins, and I think the Redskins are more talented. But, seriously, though, next year the Lions are going to be a lot better, especially if Matthew Stafford can come back this season and continue to learn how to play QB at the NFL level. For now, I think Shanahan and McNabb continue to move in the right direction. Pick: WASHINGTON

Carolina Panthers (1-5) @ St. Louis Rams (3-4) - The Panthers got their first win last week against the Niners, and the Rams lost on a last minute touchdown to the Bucs in Tampa. The Rams are 3-1 at home and the Panthers 0-2 on the road, and I think that trend continues here. Pick: ST. LOUIS

Green Bay Packers (4-3) @ New York Jets (5-1) - The Packers beat the Vikings last week on Sunday night and the Jets are coming back from their bye. The Jets won't let the Packers run the football, and chances are the anemic Packer running game couldn't against even an average defense, but the Jet secondary will be tested by these Green Bay receivers. Even still, the Jets are the better team and they've had a 2nd week to prepare for this game, so go with the Jets. Pick: NEW YORK JETS

Tennessee Titans (5-2) @ San Diego Chargers (2-5) - The Chargers made a furious rally late to nearly pick off the Patriots last week and the Titans came back in the 2nd half to beat the Eagles behind a huge day from Rutgers WR Kenny Britt. I was high on the Chargers early this season, but, except for a few minutes against New England, I haven't seen enough to back them here against a good Tennessee team. Pick: TENNESSEE

Minnesota Vikings (2-4) @ New England Patriots (5-1) - Randy Moss comes back to New England after being traded by the Patriots earlier this year. The Pats haven't lost since trading Moss, and after reacquiring WR Deion Branch from Seattle they are getting away from relying on the big play. The Vikings, in case you haven't heard, are possibly facing the possibility of being without Brett Favre, who may sit for the first time in almost 20 years. Pick: NEW ENGLAND

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2) @ Arizona Cardinals (3-3) - The Bucs had a thrilling victory over the Rams last week at home, and look to take that success on the road to the desert. The dropoff in QB from Kurt Warner is going to kill the Cardinals this year, and the Bucs seem to have a good one in Josh Freeman. Pick: TAMPA BAY

Seattle Seahawks (4-2) @ Oakland Raiders (3-4) - Don't expect the Raiders to put up 59 points again this week. I think this one is fairly even, and I'll give the Raiders a slight edge because they're at home. Pick: OAKLAND

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1) @ New Orleans Saints (4-3) - This one has the potential to be a great game. Both defenses are fully capable of shutting down the opposing offense, and on the fast track of the Superdome, the offenses could have big nights as well. The Steelers aren't going to be intimidated by the Superdome and the crowd though, and that defense will look to turn Drew Brees over 4 more times this week, as the Browns did to him last week. Pick: PITTSBURGH

Monday Night Football

Houston Texans (4-2) @ Indianapolis Colts (4-2) - The Texans get up to play the Colts, and they are all that the team from Houston thinks about during the year. They'll be ready to play the Colts in Indianapolis. The Colts have big health issues though, but the one player that matters most on the team is healthy, so those health concerns may not be much of an issue. I'll take the Texans here, even though I do like Peyton Manning's team. Pick: HOUSTON and 52 points

Note - A misspelling of the Beatles band name has been corrected. My apologies for the error.

Pawn Stars and the History Channel

I know that all of my previous posts have been about sports, but I'm going to stray a bit off course here. I've recently started watching the show Pawn Stars on the History Channel and it is really quite good. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's basically Orange County Choppers meets Antique Road Show in a Las Vegas pawn shop. The show follows 3 generations of a family pawn shop business as they evaluate and appraise goods that customers bring in to sell.

I was hesitant to try Pawn Stars due to the fact that I was starting to take issue with some of the programming on the History Channel, but they do a good job of mixing in entertainment and the history of the items brought in to be sold. I know, I know, that previous sentence makes me sound like a real nerd, but does that really surprise you? Now, while I get why Pawn Stars is on the History Channel, I don't get how the History Channel runs the Ax Men and Ice Road Truckers shows because they really have no connection to history. Seriously, why are these shows on the History Channel? Wouldn't it make more sense for them to be on the Discovery or National Geographic channels? Again, I know I'm being extremely picky, but it doesn't make sense to me.

Anyway, give Pawn Stars a shot, it's worth a watch.

Over/Under: Miami Heat

The NBA season opened last night and everyone got their first look at the Miami Heat version of the big 3 (all-stars Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh). For those of you who bet that the Heat would go undefeated...you lost, and so did the Heat. The Boston Celtics knocked off the Heat 88-80 in Boston last night. While it is unrealistic to think that an NBA team could go undefeated for an entire season--it's even more insane to bet that a team actually could do it--there is still a chance that the Heat could challenge the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10) for the best record of all-time. And even if they weren't to do it this year, they are certainly capable of doing it in the next few seasons.

However, right now nobody cares about the 2011-12 NBA season. First of all, there might not be a 2011-12 season because of a possible work stoppage. Second, if you believe the Mayans and other famous seers (and who doesn't?) the world is going to end sometime in 2012, so , really, there is no use worrying about a season or two down the road. Finally, I barely care about the 2010-11 NBA season (or any other NBA season since I stopped caring about the WWF too), so I really don't care about future NBA seasons.

More important than my apathy towards the NBA though, is the ridiculously low number that the bookmakers, modern day Mayans, if you will, have put the Heat's over/under win total at for this season. According to Bodog.com the Heat's over/under number is 64.5 wins. This number seems far too low for a team that boasts 3 all-stars, 2 of whom are often regarded 2 of the top 5 players in the league (Wade and James) and the third (Bosh) who is in the top 10-12. The 1995-96 Bulls had 2 of the best players in the league (Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen) and a cast of quality role players in rolling to a 72-10 record. Last year the Cavaliers, with LeBron James and a supporting cast that the media basically equated with a JV team, won 61 games en route to losing in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. If this Heat team can't win more than 64 games with 3 of the best 10 players in the league, then I would say that they have failed; in fact, I'd still say they failed if they don't win at least 70 and challenge the 95-96 Bulls. Sure, they may win the championship, but honestly, when you put that level of talent on the same team they had better do something really special and historic. Even with their opening night loss, I would still take all of your money to Las Vegas and bet the over on a ridiculously low 64.5.

Finally, as a public service announcement, allow me to apologize for devoting a post to the NBA. I promise that it will be an extremely rare occurrence, and in exchange for your patience, I leave you with, perhaps, the NBA's greatest contribution to society thanks to John Tesh...the NBA on NBC theme.

Week 7 Review

This weekend New York sent two of its team to Texas to go get 3 victories. They sent the Giants into Dallas to knock off the 1-4 Cowboys and maintain their standing atop the NFC East. They also sent the Yankees to the Ballpark at Arlington to get 2 victories over the Rangers to win the ALCS. One of those teams was able to comply, and one failed miserably. Until last night it was beginning to look like New York would not get any of those 3 victories, but then the Giants rallied back from being down 20-7 in the first half and won 41-35. Instead, it looked a lot like Christmas! The Giants won and the Yankees did not. The Yankees went deep into the heart of Texas and got whacked around by Josh Hamilton and the Rangers. Luckily for the Yankees they did not extend the series to 7 so that their big free agent signing this winter, Cliff Lee, did not have to pitch more innings this year. But, today's post is about football and the weekend that was in the league where they play for pay, as some like to say.

The Eagles looked ready to join the Giants at 5-2 atop the NFC East, but then they fumbled away a chance to put the Tennessee Titans away. All that led to was Rutgers' own Kenny Britt having a huge day as he scored 3 TDs and had 255 receiving yards, all of which came in 3 quarters because he was benched for the first quarter by the coaching staff.

The Steelers were awfully lucky that the referees could not determine who came up with the ball at the bottom of the pile when Ben Roethlisberger fumbled the ball near into the end zone. They got a huge break and a go-ahead field goal to beat the Dolphins and improved to 5-1 and first in the AFC North.

In San Diego the New England Patriots almost gave away a game against the Chargers, but thanks to a missed field goal late they got the victory. Bill Belichick apparently hasn't learned, however. Late in the 4th quarter he decided to go for it on 4th and short near midfield in order to put the Chargers, who had no time outs left, away. However, the Chargers came up with the big stop and took over on downs. Working with a short field, the Chargers easily got into field goal range for the tying field goal try, but Kris Brown's attempt of 50 yards hit the upright and the Chargers lost 23-20. To me, this move by Belichick is about as dumb as it gets. He should have punted the ball away, forcing the Chargers to come the length of the field in order to get into field goal range; instead, they only needed about 15 yards to do so, which the Chargers had no problem doing. He got burned last year doing against the Colts doing a similar thing, and apparently he still hasn't learned.

By the way, it cannot get much better: the Giants won and the Eagles lost, and the Yankees and Phillies both lost and were dismissed from the baseball playoffs. As for my picks, I went 9-5 and improved to 61 and 43 on the season.

Losing its Luster...

Okay, so I’ve figured out my role here at Say Something Funny, Mike: I’m the NHL apologist. Mike hates the Yankees, Mr. Shin is contrarian for contrarian’s sake(I love Contrarian Shin, bee-tee-dubs), and I’m the guy who wants the NHL to be as rampantly popular as hockey is in Canada….or as popular as watching vapid imbeciles on television is in the United States.

This past week, Rick Rypien of the Vancouver Canucks was involved in a scuffle during play at the Minnesota Wild and subsequently ejected from the game. On his way off the ice to the locker room, he attacked a Minnesota fan who was doing nothing more than clapping.

Rypien got ejected, was walking to the locker room, and roughed up the first Minnesota fan he saw. The guy in the stands was not shouting at Rypien, he wasn’t gesturing towards Rypien, and he certainly wasn’t provoking Rypien in any way, shape, or form. By no means is this a Ron Artest sort of incident, but I think that for the NHL, it’s a very big deal.

I already wrote about how the league has an opportunity within the next year to really boost their visibility on the American sports landscape. I honestly feel that if handled carefully, the NHL can grab a huge portion of the sports fans who are craving good athletic competition and hang onto them for years.

Let it also be known that I can’t stand the way Gary Bettman has mis-managed the NHL as his time as commissioner, but that’s another blog post for another day. Here, the NHL had a chance to cover up what could be a HUGE black eye for the sport. Instead of ensuring that something like this rarely happens again, the league dropped the ball. Rypien was suspended for six games.

If you’ve been to an NHL game recently, you know that it is incredibly expensive just to buy tickets. In fact, the NHL locked out in the 2004-2005 season in order to put into place a salary cap and stop the financial bleeding that NHL owners claimed was going on with their clubs. Clearly, that didn’t work.

Regardless, no matter how much I pay to go sit and watch an NHL game, I…in no way shape or form…should be subject to being physically attacked by some knuckle-dragging meathead. I know that some fans feel entitled when they attend a sporting event. They feel that since they pay the players’ salaries with their ticket purchase, that they can say and do whatever they want. Heck, I’m guilty of flipping off Corey Schwab during the Devils 2003 Cup run (really, Corey Schwab was terrible). But there’s a world of difference between acting like a total jerk at a game and just being an innocent bystander to someone who’s incredibly upset that his NHL career is nothing more than a joke as a $500,000 “enforcer”.

The fact of the matter is this: if a guest complains about the meal they were served at a restaurant, the cook would never come out from the kitchen and rough them up. If a woman makes a comment about the haircut she receives at a salon, she doesn’t get scalded with a straightening iron by the stylist. Any good business knows that the customer is ALWAYS right. Try physically assaulting a customer at the place you work and see how quickly you get FIRED.

Rypien shoving a fan was absolutely uncalled for. He should be suspended, for at the very least, half the season. The league wouldn’t miss him, and nobody else would dare try to do this again. But rest assured, the NHL did the right thing here. I mean, Commissioner Bettman called the fan up, apologized over the phone, and sent him tickets to a game and an offer for a free dinner. Problem solved, right?

The NHL’s Golden Opportunity is already losing its luster.

Week 7 Picks

My apologies for the delay in getting these picks out. So without further ado, the picks in week 7 in the league where they play.........for pay

Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) @ Atlanta Falcons (4-2) - The Falcons will do just enough to pick off the Bengals. Carson Palmer will throw a key interception and the Falcons will come away with the W. Pick: ATLANTA

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) @ Miami Dolphins (3-2) - Pittsburgh's dominant defense will hold the Dolphins down and the Steelers escape Miami with a victory. Pick: PITTSBURGH

Buffalo Bills (0-5) @ Baltimore Ravens (4-2) - If Baltimore is the elite team I think they are, they'll have no trouble knocking off the Bills. Buffalo will struggle to move the ball against the vaunted Ravens defense. Pick: BALTIMORE

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs (3-2) - Even though they've lost 2 in a row, the Chiefs have looked tough through the first 5 games. I believe. Pick: KANSAS CITY

Cleveland Browns (1-5) @ New Orleans Saints (4-2) - After struggling early, the Saints seem to be regaining their form that won the Super Bowl last year. If this one was in Cleveland, it would be tempting to pick the upset, but since it's in New Orleans...laissez les bon temps rouler (let the good times roll) Pick: NEW ORLEANS

Washington Redskins (3-3) @ Chicago Bears (4-2) - Donovan McNabb returns to his hometown and the Redskins, another surprising team, pick up a victory. Pick: WASHINGTON

San Francisco 49ers (1-5) @ Carolina Panthers (0-5) - It's usually tough for a team to come all the way across the country and pick up a victory, but even at 1-5 the 49ers are still better than the Panthers. Pick: SAN FRANCISCO

St. Louis Rams (3-3) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) - This one seems like a toss-up, but Tampa is home. Pick: TAMPA BAY

Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) @ Tennessee Titans (4-2) - The Eagles seem to be picking up the pace now with Kevin Kolb at QB, and with a good defense they'll go in and pick off a team that is every bit as good as they are. Pick: PHILADELPHIA

Arizona Cardinals (3-2) @ Seattle Seahawks (3-2) - The Seahawks are 2-0 at home and the Cardinals are 1-2 on the road. I'll take the Seahawks, even though I've yet to figure them out this season (0-5 in their games). Pick: SEATTLE

New England Patriots (4-1) @ San Diego Chargers (2-4) - The Chargers are not as good as they thought they would be. Pick: NEW ENGLAND

Oakland Raiders (2-4) @ Denver Broncos (2-4) - Oakland will struggle in the Mile High City. Pick: DENVER

Minnesota Vikings (2-3) @ Green Bay Packers (3-3) - The Packers, when healthy, are an elite team in the NFC; however, they're not healthy, and the Vikings may be getting ready to go on a roll. Pick: MINNESOTA

Monday Night Football

New York Giants (4-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (1-4) - The Giants will win in a shootout, and look for the Giant defensive line to overwhelm the Cowboy offensive line. Pick: DALLAS and 50 points

The LCSs

Almost unbelievably, the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants jumped out to 3-1 series leads in their respective LCSs. Perhaps more unbelievable, if the Rangers' bullpen could have held onto a 5-0 lead against the New York Yankees in the 8th inning of game 1, they would have swept the Yankees out of the playoffs and would await the Giants or the Philadelphia Phillies. But, as they stand now, the Yankees and Phillies have both forced a game 6, albeit under different circumstances.

The Yankees sent out their ace, CC Sabathia, and got off to a hot start in game 5 to send the series back to Texas. Without 1B Mark Teixera, who will be out for the remainder of the playoffs, they built a 5-0 lead against CJ Wilson, but Sabathia was not sharp as he scattered 2 runs on 11 hits over 6 innings. Sabathia was able to do just enough to keep the Rangers from getting back into the game and the Yanks cruised to a 7-2 victory. Game 6 will feature a rematch of game 2 starters, Phil Hughes goes for the Yanks and Colby Lewis for the Rangers. Hughes was awful in game 2, giving up 7 runs on 10 hits over 4 innings, while Lewis gave up 2 runs on 6 hits in 5.2 innings. If Hughes doesn't find his game tonight, the Yankees [and their fans] can stop worrying about Cliff Lee because he'll be pitching game 1 of the World Series instead of game 7 of the ALCS. I'll be pulling for the Rangers to win this series in 6 so that Lee can open the World Series, but I just have a feeling the Yankees will win game 6 and force a game 7, but will lose to Cliff Lee, who will be a Yankee next year.

Finally, a couple thoughts on the ALCS and the possibility of the Yankees coming back. The Yankees and their fans can't go using the 2004 ALCS as inspiration. This "why not us" idea is just ridiculous in this case because they are the team that gagged away that ALCS. (Oh, what's that, you say, you forget what happened? Well, let's go back and review.... Well, the Yankees had a 3-0 series lead against their rivals, the Boston Red Sox, and had their closer, Mariano Rivera, on the mound with a lead in game 4. Dave Roberts stole 2nd off Rivera and scored the tying run on a Bill Mueller single. Later in the 12th, David Ortiz hit a game-winning 2-run homer. The next night, Rivera AGAIN blew a lead, and after tying the game at 4 in the 8th, the Sox won on another game-winning hit by Ortiz. In Game 6, Curt Schilling, bloody sock and all, came up with a legendary performance to even the series at 3. The comeback was made complete in game 7 as the Sox knocked the Yankees around 10-3 and the greatest collapse in the history of baseball was complete.) Nor, if the Yankees do come all the way back and win, and it's a very real possibility that they will, is it as historic as the epic choke of 2004. I mean, as a good and loyal Mets fan, I am not going to cite 2007, when the Mets blew a 7.5 game with 17 to play, if my team is far back in the standings; I'll be smart and point to the New York baseball Giants coming back in 1951 against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Speaking of the National League, the Phillies are also trying to come back from 3-1 down. They got, what should be, the hardest game out of the way when they beat Tim Lincecum in game 5. Game 6 would seem to favor Philadelphia as Roy Oswalt will take on Jonathan Sanchez; Oswalt beat Sanchez 6-1 in game 2. If the Phils, whose bats have been cold most of the series, do force a game 7, it will be Cole Hamels for Philadephia against San Francisco's Matt Cain; Cain beat Hamels 3-0 in game 3. Because of the depth of starting pitching that the Phils have, I think they've got the better chance of completing the comeback and getting back to the World Series, but if Cody Ross keeps hitting like he has been for San Francisco, then it doesn't matter and the Giants will be in the Series. I'll pick the Phillies in 7.

Week 6 Review

Both the Jets and Giants struggled to earn victories in Week 6, but the only thing that matters is that they won. The Eagles are 4-2, tied with the Giants for first in the NFC East, and with Kevin Kolb now playing well the quarterback controversy should be back in full swing in Philadelphia once Michael Vick is healthy enough to play. In Minnesota, the Vikings defeated the Dallas Cowboys, who are now 1-4 and all but eliminated from playoff contention. Most importantly, however, after a 6-8 week 5, I turned in an acceptable 9-5 for week 6 to bring the season record to 52-38.

Overrated and Underrated

After 6 weeks I think it's become apparent who the overrated and underrated teams in the NFL are. The San Diego Chargers, 2-4, were favored to win the AFC West, and while they still may, they have given little indication that they're as good as they have been the past few years. So, while it is in their DNA to make a late rally after a slow start, the Chargers seem to be a team that is overrated. I mentioned them at the top, but the Dallas Cowboys also have to be considered overrated. They were a pick by many to win the NFC East and potentially represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but at 1-4 and their season pretty much over, America's Team is overrated and done. Another easy overrated is the San Francisco 49ers, who at 1-4, are clearly not as good as everyone thought they would be. The 49ers were the popular pick to unseat the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West, but they're 2.5 games out of first and even if they win next week they'll still be 2.5 out because the two teams tied for first in the West, Arizona and Seattle, are playing each other. One final overrated, the Cincinnati Bengals. I know this team plays in a very tough division, the AFC North, but they swept the division last year on their way to the division championship and thus far have done little to sustain last year's success. They added Terrell Owens to complement Chad Ochocinco at WR, yet they've yet to light up the scoreboard.

As far as teams that are underrated go, and it is still early, mind you, the Kansas City Chiefs have played very tough and at 3-2 they've nearly matched last season's win total (4). The gurus from New England, GM Scott Pioli, head coach Todd Haley, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, and players like Mike Vrabel and Matt Cassel have this team going in the right direction. The Tampa Bay Bucs, also 3-2, have matched last season's win total and are currently in the hunt for a possible Wild Card berth. In the NFC Central it seemed the preseason picks were either Minnesota or Green Bay, but at 4-2 it's the Chicago Bears sitting atop the division. The Redskins, who play Chicago this week, are 3-3 and were also undervalued going into the year, but Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan are giving fans in DC hope. My final underrated team is the Arizona Cardinals. After losing QB Kurt Warner and WR Anquan Boldin, they were supposed to have a down year; however, they are currently tied with the Seahawks at 3-2 atop the NFC West and will square off with the Seahawks on Sunday for 1st place.

Finally, about those Seahawks. I have no clue about this team. They're 3-2 for the year, but I am 0-5 in picking their games.

A Golden Opportunity

Let it be known that I am NOT a fan of football. I’m not even talking about college or pro football, in particular. I just don’t like the sport. I’ll watch the Giants if there is nothing else on, and I root for them in the playoffs….but come the fall I’m more concerned with playoff baseball, Ryder Cup golf (every two years), and more importantly, the National Hockey League.

I love hockey with all of my heart, and soul, and some of my duodenum. But I don’t feel the same way as most Americans do about the game. Pro Hockey is really not one of the major sports in this country anymore. It really had its heyday(s) in the 60s and again in the 80s. Although now, I would think it safe to say that Mixed Martial Arts, Poker, NASCAR, Soccer, and maybe even the Lingerie Football League (sarcasm…although it IS awesome) are more prominent in the forefront of the American sports consciousness than hockey is.

However, come next year that might not be the case. About 365 days from now, there is a possibility that BOTH the NFL and the NBA will lock out. If the NFL locks out, ESPN estimates that they could lose over $1 billion in revenues. And that makes sense because football is king in this country, all year round. Basketball has become an extremely globalized game. Certain NBA teams are major draws, not only in their local and national market, but around the world. When baseball ends in November, basketball and football are the sports to watch. If they both lock out and don’t bring in scrub players, then hockey has a GOLDEN opportunity to claim a lot of viewership who are craving good athletic competition.

There’s no denying that the 2010 Vancouver Olympics helped give hockey a great boost (in terms of relevance) in North America. The USA beats Canada in pool play, and then the two rematch for the Gold Medal. Zach Parise (United States) scores the game-tying goal with seconds to play and then, (who else, but?) Canada’s boy Sidney Crosby scores the game winner in overtime. Then, to follow that up, you have a Stanley Cup tournament filled with incredible upsets (the 1, 2 and 3 seeds in the East were all upset in the 1^st round), even more incredible comebacks (Philly defeats Boston in the Conference Semifinals after being down 3 games to none), and a Cup final that received one of the highest television ratings in what seems to be eons. Couple that with a very tumultuous offseason (e.g. Ilya Kovalchuk & the Devils) and you’ve set yourself up for a 2010-2011 campaign that should prepare the league for a great opportunity in 2012.

What I fail to understand is how hockey is not popular given the nature of the game. It’s incredibly fast (unlike baseball, football, and to a lesser extent, basketball which have frequent stoppages); the puck is constantly moving (again, baseball is broken up into pitches, and have you actually calculated how infrequently the football is in play during an NFL game?); hockey players are large, fast, strong and incredibly agile; there are absolutely crushing hits and bodychecks every few seconds; and once in a while you’re treated to a good fight (forget what Gary Bettman says, MMA is popular and people actually want to see fights. No need to be overly “family friendly”).

If the NHL doesn’t tinker with its product much more, they understand that they can really highlight some great young talent in the league (Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos, Doughty, Toews, Stastny, Tavares, Dubinsky, Parise, Getzlaf…the list goes on), really play up all the amazing charitable work that hockey players are doing, and stop shooting themselves in the foot in terms of promoting the game (i.e. turning down ESPN’s lower offer for more money on OLN, refusing to let players attend major televised events, etc)…they have an opportunity to not only become relevant again but regain their popularity and save such a once great sport from slipping into obscurity. Don’t blow it, Bettman!

A Mets Fan's/Yankee [and Philly] Hater's Guide to the LCSs

The Yankees and Phillies appear to be on a collision course for a meeting and a rematch in the World Series. It's the matchup that everybody seems to want to see...everybody except Mets fans. Admittedly, a Yanks-Phils match-up would pit, arguably, the two best teams on the game's biggest stage, but, for most Mets fans, this is an awful match-up. By now though, a Mets fan should be used to seeing the Yankees take on an NL East rival; the Yankees faced the Braves in 1996 and 1999, the Marlins in 2003, and the Phillies in 2009. In 2003 it was easy to support the Marlins, I must admit, because the Marlins came from nowhere and it was 4 years before they would beat the Mets on the last day of the season in back to back years to eliminate the Mets on the season's final day. Now, there are some Met fans who will be able to choose a side and back the lesser of their perceived two evils; those who back the Yankees will be supporting the local nine, while those who back the Phillies will be supporting the National League. If you're like me, however, you won't be able to bring yourself to support either of these teams. Luckily, there are still two teams who could derail both the Yankees and the Phillies.

ALCS: Texas Rangers vs New York Yankees

The good news is the Rangers have a great pitcher named Cliff Lee who is 6-0 with a 1.44 ERA during his career in the post-season. The bad news is the Rangers won't be able to use Lee until game 3 of the series because he had to pitch game 5 of the ALDS. I expect CC Sabathia will outduel CJ Wilson and the Yankees will take game 1, which will make game 2 crucial. If the Rangers can go to New York tied at 1, they can send out Cliff Lee to go for a 2-1 lead in the series. A victory by Lee and the Rangers and the Yankees would most likely bring back CC Sabathia on 3 days rest to even the series instead of using the up and down AJ Burnett in game 4 up 2-1. If Sabathia has to go on 3 days rest, then I think that the Yankees would have to bring back Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte on short rest as well for games 5 and 6 before going back to Sabathia in game 7 against Cliff Lee, who would pitch on full rest. It's nice to think that this would happen, but that assumes that Hughes and Pettitte are pushovers, which, of course, they are not. Pettitte is one of the better post-season pitchers of his time and Hughes is an arm the Yankees have a lot of faith in as well.

Pick: Yankees in 5 or 6.

NLCS: San Francisco Giants vs Philadelphia Phillies

Alright, as much as I don't want the Phillies to win, I don't really want the Giants to win either, but they're the lesser of the two evils in this one. Why root against the Giants? Chris "Mad Dog" Russo. Yes, the former co-host of Mike and the Mad Dog is reason enough to root against the Giants, but WFAN listeners don't hear from the Angry Puppy since he left for Sirius, so it takes on the old question of "if a tree falls in the woods and nobody's there to hear it, does it make a sound?" I don't give the Giants much of a chance here. The Phillies starting rotation of Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels will overwhelm the Giants, who can't hit a lick. Don't discount Giants ace Tim Lincecum, though, he's capable of winning 2 games by himself. Halladay v. Lincecum in game 1 is a great pitching match-up and will most likely be decided by the bullpens, if Halladay or Lincecum actually relinquish the ball. Even still, the Giants are taking a step up in class in this one; beating the light hitting Braves in the NLDS is one thing, beating the two-time defending NL champs is another.

Pick: Phillies in 5.

So, to my fellow Mets fans, let's hope that at least the Rangers or Giants, but preferably the Rangers win their respective LCS. Otherwise, I hear that lobotomy's are back in style...

Week 6 Picks

Last week I went 6-8 for my worst week of the year thus far and I stand at 43-33 for the year. So, without further ado, the picks in week 6 in the league...where they play.........for pay...

Miami Dolphins (2-2) @ Green Bay Packers (3-2) - Neither team is playing well coming into this one, and Green Bay has been beset by the injury bug, including their most important players on offense and defense. Pick: MIAMI

San Diego Chargers (2-3) @ St. Louis Rams (2-3) - The Chargers are 0-3 on the road and they turn the ball over regularly; however, they still move the ball effectively on offense. The Rams are coming off a blow out loss in Detroit and two of their leading receivers are out. Pick: SAN DIEGO

Baltimore Ravens (4-1) @ New England Patriots (3-1) - Since we last saw the Patriots they traded WR Randy Moss to the Vikings and reacquired WR Deion Branch from Seattle. Ray Rice and the Ravens ran all over the Patriots in last year's playoffs so you'd have to figure the Pats would be motivated. The Patriots may be motivated, but Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense will be too. Pick: BALTIMORE

Cleveland Browns (1-4) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) - The Steelers will have QB Ben Roethlisberger back under center and the Browns will look to rookie QB Colt McCoy, who will be making his first career start. McCoy will be going against one of the best defenses in the NFL, which does not bode well for the rookie. Pick: PITTSBURGH

Kansas City Chiefs (3-1) @ Houston Texans (3-2) - After hot starts by both teams, they were both cut down by the Mannings last week. The Chiefs defense held Peyton Manning and the Colts to 19 points, but they could only manage 3 field goals; meanwhile, the Texans let Eli Manning and the Giants score at will and lost 34-10. The Chiefs will look to play a close to the vest, low scoring game and the Texans will not be afraid to get into a shootout. Pick: HOUSTON

Detroit Lions (1-4) @ New York Giants (3-2) - The Lions finally got a victory last week, blowing out the Rams at home. The Giants seem to have corrected their mistakes of the first few weeks and the defense seems to be flying under defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, but, more importantly, the ridiculous calls for Tom Coughlin's job can stop. Pick: NEW YORK GIANTS

Atlanta Falcons (4-1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) - The big issue in this one is whether the Eagles will have Michael Vick or Kevin Kolb at quarterback. The Eagles have confidence in both, but have looked better with Vick. There's no controversy in Atlanta, Matt Ryan has established himself as a quality NFL quarterback. The Atlanta defense forces turnovers and has only allowed 6 fourth quarter points. Pick: ATLANTA

Seattle Seahawks (2-2) @ Chicago Bears (4-1) - Jay Cutler returns to quarterback the Bears after suffering a concussion 2 weeks ago in New York against the Giants. The Seahawks acquired RB Marshawn Lynch from Buffalo, but that won't matter much against one of the NFL's better defenses. Pick: CHICAGO

New Orleans Saints (3-2) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) - The Saints have yet to hit their stride this season and last week were tripped up in Arizona by the Cardinals; meanwhile, the Bucs have surprised many, already matching their win total from last year. This game seems similar to last week's Chiefs-Colts game and is an opportunity for the Bucs to make a statement that they are for real. Pick: NEW ORLEANS

New York Jets (4-1) @ Denver Broncos (2-3) - The Jets travel to the mile high city to face the Broncos and one of the best aerial attacks in the NFL. However, the Jets might not have the services of CB Darrelle Revis, one of last year's best shutdown corners, who has not been nearly as good this year. Pick: NEW YORK JETS

Oakland Raiders (2-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (0-5) - This is not one of those games that you get NFL Sunday Ticket for. The Raiders used their special teams to upset the Chargers last week and the 49ers failed in an attempt at a comeback victory over Philadelphia. Pick: OAKLAND

Dallas Cowboys (1-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (1-3) - Both of these teams were expected by many to be Super Bowl contenders and this week's game was to be a prelude to a possible NFC Championship game. Instead, this game turns into what amounts to a playoff game for both teams. The loser goes to 1-4 and would most likely be out of the playoff picture, while the winner would still hold on to playoff hopes at 2-3. The addition of Randy Moss should be the difference in this one as the Cowboys will have nobody who can cover him. Pick: MINNESOTA

Indianapolis Colts (3-2) @ Washington Redskins (3-2) - Like the Saints, Super Bowl XLIV's other combatant, the Colts have struggled through the season's first 5 weeks. The Colts still have one of the best offenses and the Redskins have one of the league's worst defenses. Pick: INDIANAPOLIS

Monday Night Football

Tennessee Titans (3-2) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2) - Tennessee has one of the best defenses in the league and they have RB Chris Johnson. Pick: Tennessee and 45 points

Monday Morning Quarterback - Week 5

It was a disappointing week for my picks. At 5-2 with two of the 1 o'clock games remaining, Tampa Bay-Cincinnati and Washington-Green Bay, it looked like 7-2 was a real possibility; Green Bay was up 3 and Cincinnati was up 7 with just a few minutes remaining. However, Green Bay allowed Washington to tie the game and then lost in overtime, and Carson Palmer threw 2 interceptions in the final 3:17 that resulted in 10 Buccaneer points and a Bengal loss. So, instead of 7-2, I went 5-4 after the 1 o'clock games, and the 4 o'clock games and the night game were all losses, so week 5 stands at a disastrous 5-8 with a pick of the Jets over the Vikings tonight.

So, besides my picks blowing up in my face, what else happened in week 5?

After being embarrassed in weeks 2 and 3 by the Colts and Titans, the Giants have looked very formidable in beating the Bears and Texans in the last 2 weeks. The Giants pass rush has looked especially strong as they racked up 3 more sacks of Texans QB Matt Schaub following their 10 sack performance against the Bears in week 4.

The Chiefs, led by their gurus from New England, managed to frustrate Peyton Manning and the Colts all day, keeping the Colts out of the endzone until RB Michael Hart scored on an 11 yard TD run with 4:02 to go. Unfortunately, for the Chiefs, they were stymied by the Colts defense, especially after holding the Chiefs to a field goal after Manning threw an interception deep in Indianapolis territory.

The 49ers loss to the Eagles last night puts them at 0-5 and highly unlikely to make the playoffs. The only saving grace for the 49ers is that they have 5 division games remaining, but at 0-5 that is probably not enough. The 49ers are not the only team I have serious doubts about, however. San Diego is 2-3, 0-3 on the road, and they go on the road to St. Louis next week. Cincinnati, another 2-3 team, has a defense that should keep them in games, but Carson Palmer is struggling to move the offense and put up points. Dallas, 1-3, wasted a great comeback effort in falling to Tennessee, and now faces a must win next week in Minnesota. If Minnesota loses to the Jets tonight and falls to 1-3, then next week's Dallas-Minnesota game is pretty much an elimination game.

Division Series Championship Celebrations

The New York Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series (ALDS) last night to move onto the American League Championship Series (ALCS) where they will meet either the Texas Rangers or the Tampa Bay Rays. Rather than an understated celebration, the Yankees had a full blown celebration with all the trimmings (spraying champagne, protective covering over lockers, etc.) that would make you think they had won their league championship or the World Series. At this point, teams winning a division series have not won a championship, all they have won is the right to play for the pennant and the right to go to the World Series, which hardly deserves the celebration these teams have. In comparison, in hockey, football, and basketball, you won't see a team celebrating because they win a first or second round series/game. Teams in these other sports act more humbly and realize that they have more work to do. Baseball teams should do the same. Besides, they don't hand out t-shirts and hats for winning a division series.

Halladay v. Lincecum

Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum both pitched their teams to victory in their respective game 1s. Lincecum threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout at the Atlanta Braves and Halladay no-hit the Cincinnati Reds and became only the second pitcher in history to throw a post-season no-hitter. Both pitchers were dominant in their outings, but some have argued that Lincecum's performance was better than Halladay's. These include Bill James, the noted author and baseball historian who is largely responsible for the widespread use of sabermetrics, a statistical based approach to evaluating the performance of teams and players, and Dan Rosenheck, a James disciple.

According to James' metric Lincecum scored a 96 game score and Halladay scored a 94. To derive a pitcher's game score, the following formula is used:

1. Start with 50 points
2. Add a point for each out, and 2 more for each inning completed after the 4th
3. Add one point for each strikeout
4. Take away 2 points for each hit, 4 points for each earned run, and 2 points for each unearned run.

The line on both pitchers in their game 1 starts:

• Lincecum: 9 IP, 0 R, 14 Ks, 2 H, 0 BB
• Halladay: 9 IP, 0 R, 8 Ks, 0 H, 1 BB

Both pitchers turned in great performances and I would be foolish to argue otherwise, but I have to disagree with the idea that Lincecum was better than Halladay.

First, let's start with the lineup that each team faced. Halladay faced the best lineup in the National League, a lineup that led the league in average (.272) and home runs (188). Lincecum faced an Atlanta lineup that is 6th in the league in hitting (.258) and 11th in home runs (139). To be fair, Atlanta's lineup did lead the league in on base percentage (.339), but Cincinnati was 2nd at a lowly .338. Due to the disparity in strikeouts between Lincecum and Halladay, the Reds were 6th in strikeouts with 1,218 and the Braves struck out only 1,140 times, 11th most in the league. However, since the object of the game is to score runs, the Reds again trump the Atlanta lineup with an NL best 790 to Atlanta's 5th best 738. In game 1 the Reds put out their varsity lineup, the one largely responsible for Cincinnati's being the best in the National League; meanwhile, the JV lineup Lincecum faced lacked 2B Martin Prado (.307, 15 HR, 66 RBI) and instead featured the weak bats of Alex Gonzalez, Brooks Conrad, and Rick Ankiel--in fairness, Ankiel did win game 2 with a HR, but he still hit .210, 2 HR, and 9 RBI in 47 games for Atlanta. Second, Halladay threw his no-hitter in Citizens Bank Park, a notoriously hitter friendly park and Lincecum pitched his gem in the pitcher friendly AT&T park.

Third, Rosenheck argues that 14 Ks in a game is more impressive than a no-hitter. Last I checked, the only guys with no-hitters in the post-season are Larsen and Halladay. 12 pitchers, including Lincecum, have struck out 14 or more in a post-season game; Bob Gibson, the leader in strikeouts in a post-season game, struck out 17 Tigers in game 1 of the 1968 World Series.

Fourth, it's a NO-HITTER. I could concede to Lincecum if Halladay had thrown a no-hitter and walked 8 or something like that, but Halladay allowed 1 all game long.

Fifth, the idea that Halladay didn't need to throw a shutout and Lincecum did, therefore there was more pressure on Lincecum. How can there not be more pressure on Halladay as this historic gem continued to progress. Anyone who thinks that there is no pressure on a guy throwing a no-hitter must not be watching. When a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter his teammates avoid him like he has the plague; announcers and fans alike will not even mention that he has a "you know what" going; and many become so superstitious because of that "you know what" that they will stay in the same spot or continue to do the same thing--I heard on the radio that Phillies reliever Ryan Madson would not let himself go to the bathroom for about the last 3 innings of the game for fear of jinxing Halladay. The point is that once a pitcher starts taking a no-hitter to the 5th inning and beyond the pressure definitely mounts on him even if he does have the safety net of a large lead because what he's doing is historic and that can be even more important than winning a game, even a game in the post-season. Keep in mind, only one guy before Halladay had thrown a post-season no-hitter; imagine the pressure a pitcher would feel if he could take a no-hitter or a perfect game into the late innings of a World Series game. Again, Lincecum did have considerable pressure on him to maintain that 1-0 lead, but my point here is that Halladay had just as much pressure, if not more because of the situation, on him.

Also, did I mention Halladay threw a no-hitter?!

Lastly, as great as Halladay and Lincecum were in their game 1 starts, Larsen still tops them both with his perfect game against the Dodgers in 1956. Why? Because it's a perfect game.

Week 5 Picks

With one-quarter of the regular season complete, we head toward the backstretch in the NFL season, and so far my record is a rather disappointing 37-25. Now, it's a decent record and I would be good enough for 4th place in comparison with ESPN's panel of experts, but I'm not satisfied. So, after three straight weeks of being 2 above .500, it's time to turn in a big number. So, with that being said, the picks in week 5 in the league where they play.........for pay...

Sunday, October 10

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) @ Buffalo Bills (0-4) - Last week the Jets came into Buffalo and whacked the Bills around 38-14; meanwhile, the Jaguars had an inspiring 31-28 win over the Indianapolis Colts. This game does set up as a trap game for Jacksonville as they have another division game next week against Tennessee, so it's not crazy to think that they would be overlooking the Bills, who are looking to get to the bye week next week for a chance to possibly regroup. It's impossible to have any faith in either defense, both have given up at least 28 in the last 3 weeks, Buffalo is even worse, giving up at least 34 in that stretch. However, Buffalo struggles mightily against the run--they allowed two-100 yard rushers last week--and the Jaguars have one of the best in Maurice Jones-Drew. Pick: JACKSONVILLE

Denver Broncos (2-2) @ Baltimore Ravens (3-1) - The Ravens come in to this one following their huge come from behind victory over division rival Pittsburgh, while Denver beat the Titans in Tennessee last week in a come from behind effort of their own. Denver has no running game to speak of, and against a defense as good as Baltimore's that only allows 117 yards per game, that does not bode well. As good as Baltimore's run defense is, Denver's is even better, allowing just 101 yards per game, so Ray Rice, who says he's healthy and ready to go, could be in for a long day. If this game was in Denver, I think I might take the Broncos in an upset because the thin air in the mile high city might be able to slow down Ray Lewis; however, the game is not in Denver, it's in Baltimore. Pick: BALTIMORE

Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) @ Indianapolis Colts (2-2) - The league's only remaining unbeaten team comes off its bye week and goes into Indianapolis to play Peyton Manning and the Colts, who lost last week in Jacksonville on a last second field goal. For years Manning and the Colts were tormented by Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis while they were the defensive and offensive coordinators with the New England Patriots, and now they both hold the same positions with the Chiefs, so there will be familiarity, especially in the chess match between Crennel and Manning. Colts WR Autin Collie has not been practicing for much of the week and is questionable for the game, and his absence would be HUGE. The Chiefs feature a well balanced offensive attack that averages 160 yards on the ground and through the air, but look for them to to rely on the running game against an Indianapolis defense that allows 150 rushing yards per game and to keep Manning off the field. The Chiefs have looked impressive, but they really do take a step up in class this week, despite Indianapolis only being 2-2. So, the question here is whether or not you believe in the Chiefs. Maybe you do, but I don't. Pick: INDIANAPOLIS

Green Bay Packers (3-1) @ Washington Redskins (2-2) - The Packers nearly gave one away last week against Detroit, but hung on for a 28-26 win after leading 28-14. The Redskins beat the Eagles 17-12 in Donovan McNabb's return to Philadelphia; in fact, both teams have gone into Philadelphia and won. I think Aaron Rodgers is going to have to win this one through the air for Green Bay, and my guess is that he will and the Green Bay defense will come up with a big effort. Pick: GREEN BAY

St. Louis Rams (2-2) @ Detroit Lions (0-4) - The Lions are not going to go away quietly, and they've shown that in two of the last 3 weeks, rallying against both Philadelphia and Green Bay. the Rams knocked off Seattle last week to move into a three way tie for 1st place in the NFC West. This would be a great matchup of young QBs, and the last two #1 picks in the draft, if Matthew Stafford were playing, but he's not and instead it will be Shaun Hill vs Sam Bradford. I don't have a real strong feeling on this game, and neither do the odds makers, who have Detroit as a 3 point favorite, and teams usually get 3 points for being at home. Pick: ST. LOUIS

Chicago Bears (3-1) @ Carolina Panthers (0-4) - Everyone saw the beatdown that Jay Cutler took as he was sacked 9 times in the first half of the Bears 17-3 loss to the Giants. Cutler sustained a concussion on the last of those sacks and did not return, nor will he play in this one against the Panthers. At least the Bears will not have to worry about blocking Julius Peppers, who they signed from Carolina this past off-season; however, they will have to worry about Todd Collins starting under center for the first time since 2007. It would be tempting to pick the Panthers, but they will not have WR Steve Smith, which will really hamper their rookie QB Jimmy Clausen in the passing game. I think this is going to be a low scoring game, especially with Cutler out and Collins in, and the first to 20 should come away with the win. Pick: CHICAGO

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) @ Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) - The Bucs come back from the bye week after they allowed Charlie Batch and the Steelers to throw the ball all over the field on them and the Bengals are on the rebound after an embarrassing loss to the Browns in Cleveland. While they certainly have the big names that we're all used to hearing about, the Bengals have struggled to put up points, and you have to wonder if Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens are not Batman and Robin, but rather Dumb and Dumber. I still have my doubts about the Bucs, and I'll take the Bengals, but that's out of respect for Cincinnati's defense. Pick: CINCINNATI

Atlanta Falcons (3-1) @ Cleveland Browns (1-3) - The Falcons took all the 49ers could give them last week, but squeaked by with a 16-14 win, and the Browns got a close win of their own at home against the Bengals. Peyton Hillis has run wild the last two weeks for the Browns, who have played close games all year. I would expect this one to be close as well, but the Falcons are a step up in class, and the last time Cleveland played a team as good as Atlanta, they lost to the Ravens. Pick: ATLANTA

New York Giants (2-2) @ Houston Texans (3-1) - The Giants made quite a statement last Sunday night against the Bears in getting 9 sacks in the first half, 10 overall, and knocking Jay Cutler out of the game with a concussion while winning 17-3. The Texans beat the Raiders in Oakland. I'll admit that my first thought in this one was that the Texans would win easy, but I'm not so sure anymore. Neither team has looked good in interconference play, the Giants have been embarrassed by their 2 AFC South opponents, and the Texans are 1-1 thanks to a heroic rally from 17 points down in Washington. The two defenses play right to the strengths of their opposing offenses, the Texans allow big yards through the air, although they've been better in the past two weeks; and the Giants are vulnerable against the run, but the Bears would tell you otherwise. The Giant offense worries me, and I don't think the Texans will struggle to put up points. Pick: HOUSTON

New Orleans Saints (3-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (2-2) - The Saints are 3-1 and they have yet to fire on all cylinders, while the Cardinals are incredibly fortunate not to be 0-4. Arizona takes a big step up in class this week, and the last time they played a team this good they got blown out by the Falcons in week 2. Pick: NEW ORLEANS

Tennessee Titans (2-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (1-2) - The Titans blew a 4th quarter lead last week against Denver in losing 26-20, and the Cowboys are coming back from their bye week after beating in-state rival Houston in week 3. The Titans feature one of the best rushing attacks in the league, something the Cowboys have done a good job of stopping so far. Pick: DALLAS

San Diego Chargers (2-2) @ Oakland Raiders (1-3) - The Chargers are 0-2 on the road this year, but I still have no faith in the Raiders. Pick: SAN DIEGO

Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (0-4) - The Eagles lost to Donovan McNabb and the Redskins last week in McNabb's homecoming, while the 49ers lost a hard fought game to the Falcons. More importantly, the Eagles lost QB Michael Vick, who had been playing extremely well, and will go into this one with Kevin Kolb, the original successor to McNabb, under center. The Eagles have not looked good with Kolb, but the 49ers do not boast an elite QB of their own in Alex Smith. Pick: SAN FRANCISCO

Monday Night Football

Minnesota Vikings (1-2) @ New York Jets (3-1) - The Vikings had a much needed bye last week and the Jets steamrolled the Bills in Buffalo. Both teams will get upgrades at wide receiver this week, Santonio Holmes returns from his suspension and the Vikings acquired Randy Moss from the Patriots in a trade this week. Jets CB Darrelle Revis says he's healthy and ready to go against Moss, which is encouraging news for Gang Green. Pick: NEW YORK and 42 points