Picks of the Week

It is time for the "picks of the week". As you know, I like to keep track of what I would have earned had I actually bet on all of the games (since gambling is illegal). Each pick is using the spread (straight up is for wussies), and the betting line is from the same website each week as of the time of typing the entry. I will keep a running tally of my record, plus my winnings/losses. We will pretend that I bet $100 on each game, with one game each week going for $250. Winnings/Losses will be calculated including a 10% vig, which just makes the math that much simpler. On to the picks.

New Orleans Saints -5 v. Chicago Bears
I would love for my Bears to pull this off, but with the funeral of Brian Urlacher's mom being held yesterday, and several players and stafff flying back to New Orleans just yesterday, they will likely be a bit tired. Also, the adrenaline that will carry them through the first quarter would likley fade quickly as the game goes on.

Buffalo Bills -4 v. Oakland Raiders
Although I think that the Raiders are the better team, west coast teams flying east to play the early game just are not very successful. A big congratulations to my body Sebastian Janikowski for his record-tying 63 yard field goal on Monday night.

Washington Redskins -4 v. Arizona Cardinals
Again with the west coast teams going east. Plus, we are still a few weeks from the inevitable Rex Grossman implosion.

Baltimore Ravens -5 1/2 at Tennessee Titans
The only explanation for last week for the Ravens is "WOW"!

Jacksonville Jaguars +9 at New York Jets
The Jets offense was not impressive last week against the Cowboys. At least not 9 point spread impressive. Jacksonville still has to prove themselves, and this is their chance.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers + 1 1/2 at Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings were absolutely horrible last week. McNabb might just be done.

Green Bay Packers -10 1/2 at Carolina Panthers
What would the point spread have been if the Packers were at home?!

Detroit Lions -7 1/2 v. Kansas City Chiefs
Detroit seems to be this year's "it" team, while Kansas City was simply awful last week.

Cleveland Browns -2 at Indianapolis Colts
No Peyton Manning.

Dallas Cowboys -3 at San Francisco 49ers
Dallas should have won that game against the Jets, but they didn't. Doesn't matter because the 49ers are nowhere near the same level of the Jets.

New England Patriots -7 v. San Diego Chargers
This could be another PAtriots barnburner with tons and tons of yards and points. Exciting game to watch for sure.

Denver Broncos -3 v. Cincinnati Bengals
I really have no reason to support this pick other than the fact that Tim Tebow prayed extra hard this week.

Houston Texans -3 at Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were valiant on offense against the Patriots, but virtually nonexistent on defense. that is not the side of the ball to be weak against the Texans.

Philadelphia Eagles -2 1/2 at Atlanta Falcons
Both sides have weaknesses, but I think the Falcons might be bruising from the beating the Bears gave them last week.

St. Louis Rams -6 1/2 v. New York Giants
Is Hakeen Nicks going to play? Even if so, are the Giants that much of an offensive threat to win this game by 7? I don't think so.

BIG BET OF THE WEEK

Pittsburgh Steelers -13 1/2 v. Seattle Seahawks
Tarvaris Jackson! Plus, the Steelers should be angry after the beat down last week at the hands of the Ravens.

Previous Week's Record: 10-6
Year to Date: 10-6
Big Bet Last Week: 1-0
Big Beat Year to Date: 1-0
Winnings (Losses): $490

Picks of the Week

Welcome back to this year's "picks of the week" segment that will occur weekly at We Make It Rain. As a refresher, I like to keep track of what I would have earned had I actually bet on all of the games (since gambling is illegal). Each pick is using the spread (straight up is for wussies), and the betting line is from the same website each week as of the time of typing the entry. I will keep a running tally of my record, plus my winnings/losses. We will pretend that I bet $100 on each game, with one game each week going for $250. Winnings/Losses will be calculated including a 10% vig, which just makes the math that much simpler. On to the picks.

Green Bay Packers - 4 1/2 v. New Orleans Saints
See my entry from Thursday.

Atlanta Falcons -1 1/2 at Chicago Bears
The Falcons are loaded for Bear this year, and the addition of Julio Jones can only mean some easier catches for Roddy White - who makes them all look easy already. I am afraid that this could be the start of a long season for the Bears.

Detroit Lions + 1 1/2 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers had a very impressive season last year, and Josh Freeman looks to be very good, but as long as Matt Stafford is healthy, the Lions will move the ball against anyone. Plus, if you believe the old adage that everything start up front, the Lions have a head start in Ndamukong Suh.

St. Louis Rams + 3 1/2 v. Philadelphia Eagles
Until the Eagles offensive line shows me that they can actually block, I will be happy taking points from this "Dream Team". The Rams are legitimate playoff contenders this year.

Buffalo Bills + 4 1/2 at Kansas City Chiefs
I can't help but think that last year was an aberration for the Chiefs. If I am correct that means both of these teams are bad. In that case, take the points. Oh yeah, and GO HARVARD!

Tenneessee Titans pick 'em at Jacksonville Jaguars
Chris Johnson over Maurice Jones-Drew. OK, both of them are good. Matt Hasselbeck over David Garr ... strike that, Luke McCown, of Josh McCown, or Cade McNown. Whichever. Yep, that makes more sense.

Houston Texans -9 v. Indianapolis Colts
The point spread seems too high, but I have a feeling the Texans want to make a strong early statement. I don't think any of us can guess the effect of Manning's latest neck surgery, placing him most likely out for the whole season, will have on this team.

Cleveland Browns -6 1/2 v. Cincinnati Browns
Peyton Hillis cannot have the same year he had last year, but this might be the year Colt McCoy steps up in stature. Either way, I have Cincinnati as one of the worst 3 or 4 teams in the league. I'll take the Browns at home.

Pittsburgh Steelers v. Baltimore Ravens
These games are always close, something like 10 points difference total in the last 7 or 8 games. Given this fact, and that both teams rely on defense and the rushing games, I'll take the points.

Washington Redskins +3 v. New York Giants
Just a hunch. Plus, Rex Grossman always starts strong to give his team's fans some hope before he rips their hearts out with a 4 int, 3 fumble game.

San Francisco 49ers -5 1/2 v. Seattle Seahawks
Tarvaris Jackson.

Arizona Cardinals -6 1/2 v. Carolina Panthers
Rookie QB, so I cannot take Carolina. Although Newton will have a couple of plays in which we will all say, "Wow". Unfotunately for Carolina, Fitzgerald will have more.

Minnesota Vikings + 8 1/2 at San Diego Chargers
I expect the Chargers to win the AFC West, but giving 8 1/2 points to a team with Donovan McNabb and Adrian Peterson seems a bit high. I would not be shocked if the Chargers won by a touchdown.

Dallas Cowboys +6 at New York Jets
The Jets have a great defense, but the Cowboys have lots of weapons. They had the number 1 offense since Garrett took over the head coaching position. I think the Cowboys are going to surprise a lot of people this year with Romo back.

Miami Dolphins +7 v. New England Patriots
Chad Henne gets way too much blame for the Dolphins woes. Now he has Marshall, Bess and Reggie Bush to play with. Look for the Dolphins to be a much harder out than people expect.

BIG BET OF THE WEEK

Oakland Raiders +3 at Denver Broncos
I feel weird putting my big bet status on Oakland, but they ran their division last year, and the Broncos are in disarray, with most of their fans cheering for their co-second string (read: thrid string) quarterback. Orton will put up numbers, but the Raiders will put up more points. Watch out for Von Miller as potential NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Previous Week's Record: N/A
Year to Date: N/A
Winnings (Losses): N/A

For Future Use

Green Bay Packers -4 1/2 v. New Orleans Saints

Draft Genius

Before we head into the college and pro football seasons, I want to take a brief respite to discuss baseball, or more importantly the future of baseball, especially since the future is so very bright. Now I know that there are problems with the game: lack of attendance, super low television ratings, football's popularity and not to mention that home field advantage for the world series is determined by the All-Star game. That being said, the future of the on-field game is very bright.

The number of young, extremely talented players is astonishing. Justin Verlander is 28, Prince Fielder is 27 as is Tim Lincecum. Felix Hernandez is 25. Not to mention the talented players that are even younger than those All-Stars, like Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro, Giants catcher Buster Posey, Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova, the Marlins trio of Mike Stanton, Gaby Sanchez and Logan Morrison, the Braves duo of Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman, the dramatic possibilities of Stephen Strasbourg and Bryce Howard, and former Hurricanes Jon Jay and Ryan Braun. In fact, it is Ryan Braun that led me to this column.

While reading about Braun one day, I decided to look up his draft class, and boy was I shocked at what I saw; simply the greatest draft class of all time (Ed. Note - not every draft class was reviewed before making this assertion). At least this draft class should be spoken about in baseball circles like the 1983 NFL draft and the 2003 NBA draft, Here are some of the selections in the 2005 MLB amateur draft.

1. Justin Upton - Diamondbacks
2. Alex Gordon - Royals
3. Jeff Clement - Mariners
4. Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals
5. Ryan Braun - Brewers
6. Ricky Romero - Blue Jays
7. Troy Tulowitzki - Rockies
9. Mike Pelfrey - Mets
10. Cameron Maybin - Tigers
11. Andrew McCutcheon - Pirates
12. Jay Bruce - Reds
16. Chris Volstad - Marlins
19. John Mayberry, Jr. - Rangers
23. Jacoby Ellsbury - Red Sox
25. Matt Garza - Twins
26. Craig Hansen - Red Sox
28. Colby Rasmus - Cardinals
30. Tyler Greene - Cardinals
40. Luke Hochever - Dodgers
42. Clay Buchholz -Red Sox

And that was just the first rounders. Uptown, Braun, Zimmerman, Tulowitzki, McCutcheon, Ellsbury and Buchholz are stars, Bruce has been an All-Star, and everyone else listed (except for Jeff Clement) is or has been a major contributor to their major league squad. That is 19 out of 42!

Makes me wonder, in hindsight of course, what Mariners General Manager Bill Bavasi was thinking in passing on all of that talent for Clement. Bavasi was fired on June 16, 2008. He has found employment as the special assistant to the General Manager for the Cincinnati Reds. Quite a bit of a fall compared to the ceilings of these present and future stars.

Baseball is indeed in good hands.

Ready for Some Football

It is that time of the year again, time for the start of college football. What would the start of college football be without a preseason All-American list. Once again, I am here to give you my preseason All-Americans. As usual, there will be more than 11 a side, to account for the different types of formations (spread, three receiver set, 4-3, 3-4, etc). I explain some of my picks, while others I do not. Why? Because I can.

Offense

QB - Landry Jones, Oklahoma; Andrew Luck, Stanford; Denard Robinson, Michigan - I just think that Jones is going to have a better year than Luck, but Luck is a great backup to have. Robinson might be the most dynamic player in the country.

RB - LaMichael James, Oregon; Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina; Michael Dyer, Auburn; Chris Polk, Washington - James and Lattimore are no-brainers, while Auburn is going to heavily rely upon Dyer post-Newton. I just have a hunch about Polk.

WR - Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma; Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina; Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State; Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M - The first three are self-explanatory, or at least they should be.

TE - Michael Egnew, Missouri

OL - Johnathan Martin, Stanford; Barrett Jones, Alabama; Mike Brewster, Ohio State; David Molk, Michigan; Matt Kalil, USC; Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State; Seantrel Henderson, Miami - All big, strong and key cogs to their respective teams.

Defense

DE - Quinton Coples, North Carolina; Brandon Jenkins, Florida State; Vinny Curry, Marshall - Coples continues the string of talented Tar Heel defensive playersnwhile Jenkins leads a defense known for making plays behind the line of scrimmage.

DT - Jared Crick, Nebraska; Billy Winn, Boise State - Crick is good enough to have moved outside of the extremely large shadow of Ndamukong Suh.

LB - Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State; Dont'a Hightower, Alabama; Tank Carder, TCU; Luke Kuechly, Boston College; Sean Spence, Miami - Burfict is my absolute favorite player in all of college football. He is the most likely player to actually decapitate someone since LaVar Arrington. Hightower is the best defensive player on a Nick Saban defense, while Spence is my favorite Miami player. A darkhourse youngster to watch is Jon Bostic of Florida.

CB - Jayron Housley, Virginia Tech; Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina; Cliff Harris, Oregon; Mark Barron, Alabama; Chase Minnifield, Virginia; Kenny Tate, Maryland - Housley is the best corner in college, while Gilmore very well could be by the time the season is over. Why Harris? I need someone to hang out with Sean Spence.

Special Teams

K - Will Snyderwine, Duke - Because it is kicker, and because it is weird to have a Duke football All-American.

P - Drew Butler, Georgia - Easily the best punter in the NCAA.

KR/PR - Damaris Johnson, Tulsa; Andre DeBose, Florida; James Rodgers, Oregon State - Johnson set the single game all-purpose yards record in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and it is time for DeBose to live up to his potential and not just try to be Percy Harvin.

First The Fat Boys Break Up And Now This...

Aaron Baddeley won the Northern Trust Open this weekend at storied Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. What was interesting however, were the names of those chasing him down the stretch. Names we haven’t heard in seemingly forever…Fred Couples and Vijay Singh. Both are supremely accomplished elder statesmen that are long past their primes and no longer a threat to contend for titles on a regular basis.

You know who else is now in that group? Yes, him.

Tiger Woods.

While most people have been content to speculate on when he will get back to his old form, let me definitively state right now that Tiger is done. Finished as a dominant golfer. Finished as a golfer feared by other golfers on tour. Finished as a golfer that made 10 to 15 foot pressure putts appear mundane. Finished as a golf’s greatest threat to Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major championships.

Just finished.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that Tiger won’t put it all together every now and then to win an occasional tournament. I am saying that the days of Tiger being a dominant athlete are long gone. In fact, I am willing to predict that he may be in jail before this golf season is out. I understand that is an outlandish prediction, but follow me for a few minutes.

Let me summarize a career for you. What if I said to you that there would be an athlete so dominant in his particular sport, that it was clear he would be the greatest of all time. Every event he participated in would be must see television. That he would change the culture! Then, what if I told you that he simply would be unable to maintain that level of excellence. He became just another athlete to his sport. It either was too high a level to maintain (possible), or the world around him made it impossible to maintain said level (more probable). We started to see the demise, but we couldn’t believe our eyes. Then there is a signature moment and it all came crashing down. We wanted to believe that it was not the end, but our fallen hero couldn’t ever seem to muster the skill and mystique that he once had. And sadly, it came to an ugly, caricature like end.

My friends, that is the story of Mike Tyson. Go back and look at the career and remember that the wheels were already coming off before the Barbara Walters interview. To me, the arcs are eerily similar.

Tiger is 60% of the way there. The wheels were coming off of this SUV long before Elin went wreckshop on his grill (not the car). Remember, when the TMZ story broke, we were 3 months beyond a WTF moment when Y.E. Yang caught Tiger from 4 strokes back on the final day of the PGA Championship. Apparently, something was already going wrong; we just refused to believe it. Y.E. Yang!!!

Now, Tiger just plays for a check. He routinely collapses late in tournaments to fall out of contention. Primarily because his short game is an atrocity! We could point to any number of issues, and most will point to swing changes that he is currently going through. I will point to the three other technical issues.

1. He doesn’t make putts anymore and he seems concerned over every short putt. I have always believed that once doubt creeps in with putting, it is over. You don’t get that back.
2. Tiger never adjusted to PGA rules changes affecting the grooves on clubs. His short game has suffered tremendously as a result
3. With the exception of Jack Nicklaus, there hasn’t been a golfer to have a run of dominance of more than 6-8 years. Ever. And Jack did it long before this era of pop culture sports.

Add to these the fact that players aren’t fearing him anymore (in fact, some that we have never heard of before are mocking him), and well, you see my point.

Now, about this jail thing...

Two things are certain about competitive people: 1) They play only to win. However, once one learns how to quit, it becomes much easier each time you do it; and 2) competitive people compete at everything. EVERYTHING.

While these points seem contradictory, they are not. Tiger has learned how to mail it in on Sundays and collect a check. Or, quit. This does not bode well for one of the greatest competitors of the last 15 years. The more you watch, the more you realize that he loses interest when his game starts to go south. Regarding his competitiveness, he still appears unwilling to lose even small insignificant battles. Especially with Elin. This is where he will get into trouble. If there is even a shred of truth to this article, Tiger is going to do something really stupid soon. Think Tyson, Jim Brown , or God forbid, OJ Simpson.

I hope Tiger figures this all out and proves me wrong. If not, get ready for the next great pop culture sports story.

Super Bowl Roundtable

Welcome everybody to the Super Bowl Roundtable discussion. Joining me are Sinickal and Hopps. It's the biggest day in American sports, so let us get right to it. Pittsburgh or Green Bay. Since I know what Sinickal is going to say, let's start with you, Hopps. Your thoughts on the game, outright?

Hopps: I have to go with Pittsburgh. Big Ben has been here before, and I think that the defense, led by James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley (not to mention Polamalu), will hit Aaron Rodgers all day.

Sinickal: I agree with you there Hopps. Pittsburgh has a much better defense than the Bears, and other than the opening drive of the NFC championship game, the Bears defense owned Rodgers. If the Bears made life hard for Rodgers, Pittsburgh is definitely going to do the same. The Bears had the Packers on the ropes with a third string quarterback.

Pepster: Don't you mean a 4th string quarterback? When Cutler went down, the Bears put in Todd Collins, and there is no way that he is a second stringer. He has to be a third string quartback. If they replace him with the next guy, Caleb Hanie, then Hanie must be the fourth string.

Sinickal: At least he isn't Henry Burris or Steve Stenstrom.

Pepster: Don't remind me.

Hopps: Plus, I just think that Tomlin is going to have the team much better prepared than the Packers coaching staff. 34 - 31.

Sinickal: Mike Tomlin - I love that magnificent bastard. If he had breasts I would try to marry him.

Pepster: Yes, we all have a man crush on Mike Tomlin, as well. I guess that means that we are all in agreement. We all think that Pittsburgh is going to win this game. Any other interesting thoughts:

Sinickal - not me, bring on the beer. And, Go Steelers. I will never, ever, ever, root for the Green Bay Packers.

Hopps: I have a few. My own personal prop bets. Forget about the over/under, I am picking these exact scenarios:

People carted off the field - 3
Blown ref calls - 2
Brett Favre mentions - 10
Christina Aguilera Hotness - 10.

Very interesting. That concludes our roundtable for today. For my final picks, see below.

OVER 1:54 - Christina Aguilera's national anthem elapsed time

OVER 6 seconds - Christina Aguilera holding "Free"

OVER 3 - Shots of Jerry Jones

OVER 1/2 - A Steeler mimics Aaron Rodgers' championship belt celebration.

BIG BET OF THE WEEK
Pittsburgh Steelers + 2 1/2 over Green Bay Packers

Previous Week's Record: 1-1
Playoff Record: 5-5
Year to Date: 109-78-5
Previous Week's Big Bet: 1-0
Big Bet Year to Date: 5-11
Previous Week's Winnings (Losses): ($140)
Winnings (Losses) Year to Date: $205