Tiger Tiger Woods Y'All

What an interesting week for Tiger Woods. I was sitting in my house on Saturday when my friend read a headline about Tiger Woods being involved in a car accident and suffering serious injuries. Despite never being a Tiger Woods fan (just ask my Dad), there was a brief moment of concern for him and his health. But like the rest of America, that feeling evaporated quickly as the strange details became apparent and the theories began pouring in.

Yes, the facts do not add up to a minor accident. Given the time and nature of the accident, the window smashing, the injuries sustained, the infidelity rumors, and their refusal to speak to authorities it is clear that there is more to the story. Initially, I was quite irritated at the lack of cooperation on their part. But then it dawned on me that I was upset because I wanted to know what happened, not because I legitimately cared what happened to either Tiger or his wife, Elin. There is a major difference. America has become so infatuated with the details of celebrities personal lives that we start to feel entitled to them. If there was a domestic dispute, why on earth should that information be available to the public if no charges were filed and they do not wish to speak publicly about it?

Some people would say that this scrutiny is the price you pay for being a celebrity. But there was a time when an incident like this would never even make it out of Windermere, regardless of who was involved. I, for one, would like to revisit those days. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to check out TMZ for new details.

The Palestra

In July of 2007 Jim Caple from ESPN.com wrote an article about the 101 things every sports fan must experience before they die. Although I wouldn't care if I did half the things on his list (57. World Figure Skating Championship???), it got me thinking about how few things I knocked off my own sports "Bucket List."

This past weekend I made my second trip to The Palestra. This time was to see St. John's play in the in the Philly Hoops Classic. The first time was last year, inspired by Caple's column, for a Penn/St. Joseph's (#63 on his list). I grew up a St. John's fan and saw most of my St. John's games at Madison Square Garden which isn't much of a home court and whatever games they play at Carnesseca Arena aren't rivalry games by any stretch. I went to the University at Buffalo and was at 90% percent of the games there. But I was there as they were entering the MAC Conference and never really experienced a true rivalry. Despite seeing a St. John's win last weekend, the Penn/St. Joseph's game last year was infinately more enjoyable. Being in a packed gym is always great but being The Cathedral of College Basketball for a rivalry game that goes back 54 years is one of the coolest thing a college basketball fan can do.

As part of a renovation in 2000, they added a scoreboard with the all-time record in the Penn/Princeton rivalry. Something tells me I should check out that game next time I plan a trip to The Palestra.

Raleigh's Best Bets NFL Week 12

Miami (-3) @ Buffalo
I don't like taking road favorites if I can help it but I can't see Buffalo winning this game.

Jacksonville @ San Francisco (-3)
The Niners have lost 5 of their last 6 but it was against solid teams. I think they'll bounce back at home today.

Arizona @ Tennessee (-2)
I'm going to ride the Vince Young train until it stops.

Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 16-17
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 5-4

Raleigh's Best Bets NCAAFB Week 12

I didn't get to do college picks until now since I was out of town for the last two days. Here are my picks for the remaining games today:

Boston College @ Maryland (+6)
Arkansas @ LSU (-3.5)
Notre Dame @ Stanford (-10)


Last Week: 1-2
Overall:15-17-1

Bobs Best NFL Bets: Week 12

The reign is over. Three straight 1-2 weeks have dropped me to 20-11 and I'm sure people are losing confidence in me all over the world. However, I will point to 2 reasons for my collapse.
1.) I re-opened my online betting account and now that I'm gambling with real money (I was planning on taking a year off) there is no way I will continue my hot streak. The gambling Gods wouldn't allow it.
2.) Aj Sumell of Ohio started betting on my picks. And Im pretty sure he is the new Eddie Mush.

But I'm not giving up. I don't like this weeks lines at all, but I found 3 that intrigue me.

1. Denver +6 vs NY Giants: I don't like betting against the Giants but 6 points seems like too many to give a home team with a winning record. Granted, Denver has lost 4 in a row but 2 of them were without Kyle Orton an the other 2 were to Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The Giants barely avoided losing their 5th in a row last week and although they are the better team, I don't expect a blowout. Would I be surprised if the Giants cover? Not really, but 6 points at home is usually a recipe for success.

2. Indy -3 @ Houston: Indy has survived scares in 4 straight weeks, but I don't think this will be another. They barely beat Houston 3 weeks ago, and I imagine they wont let it get that close this time. Houston is a tough team, but they are only 2-3 at home and Indy is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

3. Arizona +3 @ Tennessee: I know, I know. I shouldn't bet against the Titans because they are so hot right now with Vince Young at QB. But quietly, Arizona has won 6 of their last 7 and they are 5-0 on the road. They have gotten Beanie Wells involved and that has really balanced out their attack. My prediction is AZ 31 - Tenn 20.

Last Week: 1-2
Season: 20-11

Raleigh's Best Bets NFL Week 11

I'm really tempted this week to take Tampa. They are 2-0 ATS since Josh Freeman got the starting job and New Orleans hasn't covered in 3 weeks. Not gonna do it though...

Buffalo @ Jacksonville (-8.5)
Jacksonville won't even have to throw a single pass to win this game today. The Bills are in rough shape.

Indianapolis (-1.5) @ Baltimore
Indy is 4-0 ATS on the road. I'm done picking against the Colts.

Seattle @ Minnesota (-10.5)
Seattle hasn't won (an actual game or ATS) on the road yet this year and are being outscored 31.5 to 16 away from home. I like Minnesota to keep rolling.


Last Week: 1-2
Overall: 14-16
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 3-3

Bobs Best NFL Bets: Week 11

Uh oh, is my improbable dream run of dominating NFL lines over? After 2 consecutive 1-2 weeks, some may think so. I would point out that even after the last 2 weeks, I am still 10 games over .500 at 19-9 for the season. I understand you may have lost faith. Its my job to get that back, and I'll start today.

Lions -3 vs Cleveland: Okay, I'll say it again. This is one of my favorite lines of the year. Cleveland has only covered one spread this entire year and despite having the same record as the Lions, they are supremely less talented. A team like the Lions dreams of playing a game like this, one where they can show they are better than their 1-8 record. And they probably aren't. But they will be today. Detroit 20-Cleveland 10.

Cowboys -11 vs. Washington: Washington is 0-4 on the road this year and now they are without Portis. Dallas has been hot and cold all year, but before losing to Green Bay had rattled off 4 wins in a row. I predict a blowout.

Chargers -5 @ Denver: Okay, this game is interesting. I was all set to pick Denver getting the points at home, until I saw that Orton is most likely out for Denver. That is a big deal, because if anyone watched the Redskins game last week, once Orton left the Broncos became awful. They couldn't beat the Skins with Chris Simms, and they definitely cant beat the Chargers.

Last Week: 1-2
Season: 19-9

UFC 106: Fight Predictions

Here are my picks for tonights UFC 106 event.

Tito Ortiz over Forrest Griffin: Very hard fight to pick. Ortiz says he is in better shape than ever (dont they all) but hasn't fought in 1 1/2 years. Meanwhile Griffin is coming off an embarrassing loss to Silva. I'll take Ortiz, because he beat Griffin at UFC 59 despite being injured. Healthy and rested could mean a long night for Forrest.
Anthony Johnson over Josh Koshchek: This is an interesting matchup of wrestler vs. striker. I am a huge believer in Johnson who is coming off 3 consecutive wins and I think his length and striking will get the better of Kos tonight.
Amir Sadollah over Phil Baroni: This fight almost seems to easy to call. Baroni is washed up. In fact, he was washed up 5 years ago. He hasn't fought in the UFC in almost 5 years and even then he exited on 4 consecutive losses. Amir didn't show me much in his UFC debut against Johnny Hendricks, but alot is riding on this fight for him. I imagine he'll deliver.
Luiz Cane over Antonio Noguiera
Paulo Tiago over Jacob Volkmann
Ben Saunders over Marcus Davis
Kendall grove over Jake Rosholt
Brock Larson over Brian Foster
Caol Uno over Fabricio Camoes
George Sotorpoliuos over Jason Dent

Raleigh's Best Bets NCAAFB Week 12

2-1 last week. My evaluation of Jevan Snead was a little off, but you know what, I'm out to prove myself right again this week.

LSU (+4.5) @ Mississippi
Jevan Snead versus quality opponent...Take 2

North Carolina @ Boston College (-3.5)
I've taken Boston College at home a few times this year and I'm not stopping now. They are 6-0 at home overall and 5-0 ATS.

Cal @ Stanford (-7.5)
I had trouble finding a 3rd game this week. Stanford is rolling and Jahvid Best is out for Cal. Why not?



Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 14-15-1

The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights: Episode Recap

I am going to start this entry by apologizing. Im sorry this is late and Im sorry it is going to suck. Its been a crazy few days since TUF and I havent had my usual free time.

Anyway, this latest episode of TUF actually was quite decent. For starters, the Mitrione quandary continues. Everyone wants to know if he is going to step into the octagon to face James McSweeney and he hasnt been able to give a straight answer since his cryptic and maybe imaginary trip to the hospital. Rashad tried taking the decision out of his hands by telling him not to fight, but Dana White took a different approach. He called Mitrione out in front of everyone by questioning everyone will to fight. He makes sure to mention that he isnt specifically talking about Mitrione, although he is the only person the pep talk applied to. But after all that, we still don't know if he'll fight. To top it off, Kimbo is hurt and Scott Junk looks like Joe Pesci in Casino after he was beaten and left for dead in a shallow grave in the desert so it isn't clear who would even step in for Mitrione if he bails.

This episode also featured the coaches challenge. Rashad and Rampage squared off in beach volleyball along with one of their asisstants for $10,000 and $1500 for each of their fighters. After they each won a game, it came down to the final game where Rashad edged Rampage and then proceeded to gloat obnoxiously. Things just arent going Rampages way.

As for the fight between Brendan Schaub and Jon Madsen, it started off with Schaub having difficulty finding his range while Madsen was able to get to the ground consistently. However, Madsen couldn't do much from the ground and in the 2nd round, Schaub catches Madsen with a jab that knocks him out and then follows with an unnecessary shot to the face. Schaub advances with Roy Nelson to the semis.

Raleigh's Best Bets NFL Week 10

I guess it's time to take Cincinnati seriously. They stood in my way of a 3-0 start to the second half.

Denver (-3.5) @ Washington
I try to take different picks that Bob but this is my favorite game of the week to bet. Denver has lost two straight but Washington in a mess.

Buffalo @ Tennessee (-8)
Tennessee is back! All year you just had to have a feeling that Tennessee was better than their record. The Jets ran for 300+ yards against Buffalo. Chris Johnson is going to go nuts.

Tampa Bay @ Miami (-10)
Josh Freeman looked decent last week but I don't see Tampa rattling off many more wins this week and especially no two game winning streaks. If anything their win last week helped me out. Mabye it dropped the line this week a little.


Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 13-14
1st Half: 11-13
2nd Half: 2-1

Raleigh's Best Bets NCAAFB Week 11

Ouch! And 0-3 week in College last week. That hurts.

Anyway, here are the picks:

Michigan @ Wisconsin (-8.5)
I don't really think much of Michigan, especially on the road. Wisconsin hasn't allowed a team a 100 yard rushing day in the last 6 games.

Tennessee (+6) @ Ole Miss
I do not trust Jevan Snead against a quality FBS defense. The Kiffin's have been doing a good job in gameplanning big games allowing a combined 35 points to Florida and Alabama. I think it's a field goal game in either direction.

Alabama (-12) @ Mississippi St
Run defense is the first thing I look at when handicapping a football game and Alabama allows a shade under 70 yards per game.


Last Week: 0-3
Overall: 12-14-1

Bobs NFL Picks: Week 10

Okay, so I was exposed a bit last week. I went 1-2, but I take some solace in knowing that my favorite bet of the day (Chargers +4.5) not only covered, but they won outright. So if you trusted my moxy on that one, well, that's great. Chicago and Green Bay however were just bad picks. This week is an interesting NFL week and I am going all road teams again. Last week I picked Chicago because I wanted a home team and that didn't turn out well.

Denver -4 @ Washington: This is one of my favorite lines of the season. I know Ive said that alot, but I am undefeated when I utter those words. Denver has lost 2 tough games recently to Pitt and Baltimore, so I expect them to come out like gangbusters. And although I don't like betting against Wash b/c they tend to keep games close, this is only a 4 pt line. I LOVE IT.

Falcons -1.5 @ Carolina: It comes down to the fact that I don't like Carolina and I like Atlanta. Its a home game for Carolina which basically means that the line would've been closer to 4.5 if it were in Atlanta. But I think Atlanta is more like an 8 point better team than Carolina, so I love the 1.5. Both teams are easy on the run, so I expect a high scoring game won by the dirty birds.

Ravens -10.5 @ Browns: This game could be very ugly. The Browns can't wait for the season to be over and Baltimore knows they need this win with Indy, Pitt and Green Bay on the horizon. They should run all over the Browns (who allow a whopping 170 yds on the ground a game) and rack up a 20 point lead by the time you can see Mangenius.

Last Week: 1-2
Season: 18-7

UFC 105 Preview - Chat Transcript and Picks

CLICK HERE to read transcript where we discussed each fight and made our picks

The Ultimate Fighter: Episode 9 Recap

One of the problems with this season of the Ultimate Fighter has been that the fights have been dreadful. The show is setup so that the flight is the climax, and during the first 8 episodes the show has felt very anticlimactic. But with the quarterfinals starting this week, there is hope that the 8 guys left are the best, and that will hopefully translate into better fights.

The episode starts with Rashad Evans talking about the trouble with having 7 of his guys make the quarterfinals. He determines that the best way for him to coach is to basically not coach. He decides to train cardio with all the guys, but not work with them on specifics as to not show preferential treatment towards any of the fighters.

Drama begins to unfold during one of the training sessions when Matt Mitrione begins complaining of headaches and a rattled brain from his fight with Scott Junk. This, of course, opens the door for a possible return of Kimbo Slice. Although Kimbo and his coaching staff and Rashad Evans and the fans and Dana White and the UFC would love for him to get another shot, it all hinges on Mitrione. While some of the guys believe he is milking it, Brendan Schaub gives him the benefit of the doubt and thinks that maybe he has a concussion, in which case, he would not be cleared to fight.

Meanwhile, despite being 1-7 in fights, Rampage is still finding time to play jokes on Rashad and his coaching staff, this time by placing live chickens in their cars. Rashad and co. take it well, and I wonder what ultimately happens to the chickens. We know they were let go, but where? How can I concentrate on the show when I know there are chickens on the loose?

Dana White approaches Mitrione after he spends the night in the hospital and asks about the likelihood of him fighting in the quarterfinals. Mitrione says, somewhat reluctantly, that if he is cleared to fight that he "can't say no." Another Kimbo tease.....for now.

The first quarterfinal fight was a bout between friends Roy Nelson and Justin Wren. Stylistically a good matchup, but Nelsons weight advantage and experience give him a slight edge over amateur Wren. The fight starts off and Wren is the aggressor. He lands several big combos and it appears that Nelson may be in trouble. Luckily Nelson is able to use his weight and push Wren against the cage, where they stay locked up until the ref breaks them apart. After Wren lands a few more solid punches, he appears to start tiring and Nelson picks up the pace to end the round.

The second round starts and although Wren is still attacking, it is clear that he is not as effective as he was in the first round. He lands a few shots but misses on some haymakers and Nelson seems to be the more accurate fighter. As Wren begins to tire, Nelson pushes the pace and probably wins the round despite not landing any decisive blows or taking the fight to the ground.

I score the fight 19-19, as does one judge. However, the other two judges give Nelson the win by scoring it 20-18 in favor of Big Country. It was absolutely the best fight of the season, and although it should have gone a 3rd round, it was pretty clear that Wren was out of gas. Nelson tells Dana White on his way out that he tried to make it more exciting for him, and its clear that Dana is still not a fan of Nelson or sold on his talent.

Strikeforce - Fedor vs Rogers

I've still somewhat recently gotten in to MMA. So recent that I had never seen Fedor Emelianenko fight during a live broadcast. I'm not a fan of watching things on my computer but I watched his fight against Andrei Arlovski a few days ago as the hype for the fight started growing. I had seen 22 seconds of Brett Rogers on Showtime once before in his impressive knock out of Arlovski. So that's the extent of my prep going in to watching the CBS card but here's my thoughts anyway:

Antonio Silva vs Fabricio Werdum
The first round was good. Silva landed some good hands and seemed to be pushing for a 1st round finish. Werdum survived the first and it was easy to see why Silva was looking to end it early. Both fighters started gradually getting tired. Silva's punches seemed to be taking longer to get going. The second and third round were lackluster but Werdum was the less tired of the two and did better work in the last ten minutes to get the unanimous decision.

Gegard Mousasi vs Sokoudjou
This was a non-title fight and based on what I read was supposed to be an easy fight for Mousasi and just a way for Strikeforce to showcase one of their better talents. Sokoudjou was a little more than game in the first round looking quick and explosive. The 2nd round was a different story as Sokoudjou gassed and Mousasi finished the fight by TKO.
Jason Miller vs Jake Shields
I'll skip Miller's introduction and just do the fight. A lot of people were less than impressed by the fight as a whole but I think it got a raw deal. I kind of enjoyed it. Shields isn't known to be a guy who puts on exciting fights. I'm sure this wasn't Miller's game plan, but the fight was spent primarily on the ground. It's a testament to Miller not getting submitted and actually almost winning the fight with a deep rear naked choke in one of the middle rounds. Shields needed to be saved by the bell. It wouldn't be outlandish to think that 5 or 6 more seconds and Shields would have been sleeping. Not unlike UFC's Machida/Rua fight, I think the announcers made this fight seem closer than it was since Miller was the "media darling" but the fact of the matter is that Shields dominated the fight as Miller just fought not to get caught in a submission. Shields in a unanimous decision.

Brett Rogers vs Fedor Emelianenko
Between asking people and reading previews of this fight, the popular opinion on Rogers' chances in the fight were that he had a "punchers chance." To me that means that he's a powerful guy so if he can land a lucky punch than anything is possible. So as the fight started and Rogers landed a jab that appeared to break Fedor's nose you may have had hope that an upset was brewing. Rogers did a great job of landing some punches and actually doing some work on the ground which alot of people were skeptical of his skills. Not only did Rogers last Round 1, he probably won it. Round 2 is where you could see that this fight wasn't going to last through a Championship 5th round. Rogers started to slow up and he got caught with a nasty right to the jaw that floored him. Fedor pounced and the ref stopped the fight. The legend continues.

Overall I thought it was a good two hours of fights. Especially for free. One thing I hope doesn't happen is a Fedor/Werdum fight. That would not be appointment viewing for me. I could get up for the Rogers fight primarily because it was the first time I'd see Fedor fight live. Next time they have to throw an opponent I can get excited about.

Raleigh's Best Bets NFL Week 9

Wiping the slate clean. A lackluster 1-2 last week to close out the first half.

I love the Packers this week but just so it doesn't look like I'm riding Bob's coattails this week I won't take it.

Baltimore (-3) @ Cincinnati
Baltimore is going to get revenge on Cincinnati for their loss in Week 5

Miami (+10.5) @ New England
New England has won their last two games by a combined 94-7 but that was against two team who were combined (at the time) 0-12. Unless one of the teams is terrible I don't like double digit spreads in division games.

Tennessee (+4.5) @ San Francisco
I'm a believer in Vince Young. He's had some emotional problems and whatnot but he's a winner. He won in college and all he's done in the pros is go 19-11 in games he's started. So with Vince Young playing for his career now and Chris Johnson's quest for 2000 yards, it's too late for them to make the playoffs but I think they're going to be a problem the rest of the way.


Last Week: 1-2
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 0-0

Bobs NFL Picks: Week 9

This train keeps on rolling and I am making 0$ on it. With another 3-0 week last week, Im starting to take myself seriously. Here are my picks for this week. Choo choo.

Chargers +4.5 @ NY Giants: I do not get this line at all. The Giants are in a downward spiral, not because they are losing, but because they are losing badly. Their secondary is getting torched, allowing 240, 230, and 370 passing yards in the last 3 weeks while the Chargers are 5th nin the NFL in passing. Could the Giants win? Sure, but 4.5 is a lot and the Chargers may have the better team.

Chicago -3 vs. Arizona: I dont love this game, but I am not an Arizona believer and I think they will get exposed against good defenses.

Packers -9.5 @ Tampa Bay: Green Bay is better than their 4-3 record, and they are reeling from another loss to Minnesota. And since I dont think Tampa will be able to keep this a game, I expect Green Bay to add some points late and win by 10-14.

Last Week: 3-0
Season: 17-5

The Ultimate Fighter: Semifinal Predictions

With the semifinal match ups set, below are my predictions.

Roy Nelson over Justin Wren: I absolutely hate Nelson and would love to see him lose. However, he is case in point the biggest problem with heavyweight MMA fights. A guy as big as Nelson can dominate a fight just because he is impossible to escape from underneath. A better matchup would've been Scoonover, who could have negated his size advantage.

Brendan Schaub over Jon Madsen: Madsen inflicted ridiculous damage in his fight against Abe Wagner, but it really was more of an indictment on Wagner. Schaub is longer and I imagine he will be able to land some shots without getting too close and eventually submit Madsen on the ground.

James McSweeney over Matt Mitrione: Lets face it, Meathead Mitrione had his glory moment already. In his win over Junk, he showed a tremendous lack of cardio, a propensity to leave his hands down, and almost zero takedown/submission know-how. McSweeney should be prepared for this and try and get him gassed quickly.

Marcus Jones over Darrell Schoonover: Im not sure what to think of either of these guys. Both of their wins were impressive, but how good were Wessel and Jensen? Not very. Schoonover is more talented, but Marcus seems to be one the few guys who is very comfortable on the ground. He was able to slip an armbar on Wessel while on his back in 3 seconds, that isn't easy. I expect this to be the best fight of all of them, and I'm really looking forward to an episode filled with more titty comments.

The Ultimate Fighter: Episode 8 Recap

For the first time, I'll be writing this recap without the aid of a second viewing of the episode. So it might be short, and it might miss some stuff. But its Saturday night and I'm just happy to be getting this on the blog period.

This week starts with everyone talking about Rampages reaction to Scott Junk losing the previous episode. Rampage destroyed a door and Dana White had a classic reaction saying that "it showed how cheap our doors are" and "the last thing you want to be on this show is a door." So with that loss, Marcus Jones was the last hope for Team Rampage to avoid being shut out. He was set to fight Mike Wessel of Team Rashad.

A couple incidents happen before the fight that I suppose are noteworthy.
1. Scoonover and Rampage get at it again. Its the dumbest "feud" ever so I wont elaborate.
2. Marcus freaks out at a drawing done by Brendan Schaub that says Marcus sucks balls. One of the bigger overreactions Ive ever seen by a giant black man.
3. Marcus freaks out over a dead scorpion. The second biggest overreaction Ive seen from the same giant black man.
4. Mike Wessel's wife has cancer and his emotional interviews make you pull for the guy.

Now, the shortest fight recap ever. The bell rings and the guys go at each other. You can tell that Wessel's style isn't going to match up well against a much taller Jones. He very naively decides to try and sweep Jones, who turns it around and drops Wessel on his back. Surprisingly Wessel is able to get off his back, but immediately he lands in an arm bar that forces him to verbally tap about 2 minutes into the round.

So with Team Rampages 1st win, the coaches are set to get together to pick the semifinal fights. Obviously, several of Team Rashad's guys will fight their own teammates and they call the fighters in to offer their opinions on who they'd like to fight. Dana mentions that Roy "Big Country" Nelson rubs him the wrong way during their discussion and I couldn't agree more. They guy is a fat turd.

The match ups are decided and my predictions will follow shortly.
Roy Nelson vs. Justin Wren
James McSweeney vs. Matt Mitrione
Marcus Jones vs. Darrell Schoonover
Brendan Schaub vs. Jon Madsen

Raleigh's Best Bets NCAAFB Week 10

3-0 last week...finally

These are going up late. Late night last night and computer problems this morning.

Texas A&M (-3) @ Colorado
Oregon (-7) @ Stanford - Oregon is rolling
Houston (-2) @ Tulsa - I've seen Tulsa a few times on their weeknight ESPN games and have been less than impressed each time. Houston isn't intimidated on the road

Last Week: 3-0
Overall: 12-11-1

Lost in the Shuffle: How to Fix the NBA and NHL

Lost in the shuffle of post season baseball and the NFL season is the fact that two other sports are currently under way. Maybe its just me, but I think the NHL and NBA need to take measures to get themselves some more sports attention. I mean, our blog barely covers those sports, and our blog is the blog. Without much thought or research, here are some suggestions.

1. Reduce the number of games in both the NBA and NHL from 82 to 62. The season is just too long. Alot of moderate fans lose interest early, like myself. If the season were a bit shorter, there would be more juice at the start and in the middle.

2. Start both seasons in early November, instead of October when baseball is peaking. With playoff baseball, I have zero interest in other sports right now. And thats not just as a Yankee fan, its as a baseball fan. Football takes up the weekend, but if they waited until November, weekdays would be all NHL and NBA. Now by the time baseball is over, Ive already missed about 25 NHL games and the first week of the NBA season.

3. Divide the NHL into two divisions, Canada & USA. Currently there are only 6 teams based in Canada, but I have a feeling that could be 15. I have nothing to base that on other than the fact it works for my argument. But dividing the NHL into these divisions would make the Stanley Cup an event of both local and national magnitude.

4. Do not allow players to enter the NBA draft until they are 21. Right now, the NCAA is watered down and the NBA has young talent that isn't sharp. It goes against the rights of the kids to make money, but it would revitalize the NBA if the kids entering the draft were more NBA ready. If they dont want to go to college, they can play in Europe or at Rucker park.

3 Days Rest - Did Girardi Make the Right Call?

The hot topic today on WFAN seems to be whether or not Girardi should have pitched A.J. Burnett on three days rest in Game 5 instead of Chad Gaudin.

If the Yankees were down 3-2 instead of up 3-2 then this would be a huge deal. But the fact of the matter is that the Yankees took 2 of 3 in Philly which is exactly what they needed to do and they are still very much in the driver's seat to win the World Series. It's just Yankees fan in panic mode (I would be as well if this were the Mets so it's not a critisism).

As far as I'm concerned Girardi had no choice. Unfortunately for Burnett he had a bad game. I think him pitching on short rest had little to do with it. Pitchers have bad games. In the event that the Yankees do lose the series and you want to complain that they should have used a 4th starter in the World Series then point your finger squarely on Joba Chamberlain. If he proved that he could have been a useful starter, I'm sure he would have been part of a 4-man rotation this post-season and everyone would have been on regular rest.

Raleigh's Best Bets NFL Week 8

Lucked out with the Pittsburgh cover last week, misread the Atlanta/Dallas game but it's still a 2-1 week and I'll take it. My goal is to get back to .500 this week before turning it on in the 2nd half of the season. I'm a back-9 players.


Denver @ Baltimore (-3.5)
Denver does have some nice road wins this year (Cincy and San Diego) but Denver has to throw up a clunker at some point and I think this is the day.

New York Giants (-1.5) @ Philadelphia
The Yankees go up 3-1 on the Phillies tonight but New York's taking over Philadelphia starts with the Giants beating the Eagles in a close game. Eli Manning plays well in philly for some reason.

St. Louis @ Detroit (-4)
I actually went with Detroit in my Survivor Pool this week. St. Louis is bad and Detroit is capable of beating the worst teams at home.


Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 10-11

Bobs NFL Picks Week 8

What can I say? I am on a roll. 4-0 last week brings me to 14-5 for the season. If anyone out there is using my picks please let me know by commenting on them or becoming a blog follower. Id like to know that my expertise is being appreciated by someone other than myself. That being said, I HATE the lines this week, but will do my best at keeping this train moving.

Tennessee -3 vs. Jacksonville: Boy is this a risky pick. They haven't won all season and in their last game they lost 59-0. Ouch. However, Vince Young takes over the offense this week at home against an average Jacksonville team. Both teams come off the bye, but no one needed it more than the Titans. I see them avenging their week 4 loss. Tenn 27-Jack 20

Minnesota +3 @ Packers: This is a tricky line. The Vikings are the better team but its in Green Bay and that place will be nuts with the return of whats his name. Im not sure who will win this, but it could very easily be decided by a late FG and if you're getting 3 points than you'd be looking at a push at worst.

Texans -3.5 @ Buffalo: I dont love this game at all, but I really dont like Buffalo. I would like this alot better if it were -3, or -2.5, but hey, Im not Vegas.

Last Week: 4-0
Season: 14-5