What are the Cardinals doing????

So when the Cardinals released one of the best GMs in all of baseball, I was not very happy, but I thought maybe this will be for the best as they will spend more money to make sure the public doesn't think a decline in performance was from the owners' doing.

When they decided to go with John Mozeliak and hire in-house, instead of finding someone who had a farm system development (the area the Cardinals are the weakest), I thought maybe it's for the best to have a GM who learned under Walt.

When they decided to not offer a contract to David Eckstein, our shortstop and leadoff man, I thought maybe he's too expensive and they are trying to be able to offer a lot for a big name pitcher, minus the fact that there are not any top pitchers really in the free agent pool.

When they hired Cesar Izturis, a career .259 hitter, to be the replacement at shortstop while Eckstein was still on the market and his list of future employers were getting slimmer, and signing him was getting cheaper, I thought maybe they feel Brendan Ryan is their man of the future and needed a veteran to mentor him for a year with diminished play as they split time and felt Eckstein deserved a chance to play every day.

When they released So Taguchi, a veteran utility man who has been through thick and thin for the Cardinals, I figured, hey we have a really deep outfield, maybe the Cardinals are making room for this top pitcher they keep talking about.

When they drafted Brian Barton in the Rule 5 draft, a minor league outfielder who has never played a game in the big leagues, when we have a plethora of outfielders including good minor league outfielders that would probably make other teams but are in the minors due to a deep Cardinal outfield, I thought maybe they see something in him that we don't (at least I hoped).

When they decided they would shop Scott Rolen, one of the best third basemen of all time, I thought, he's getting old and the riff between him and LaRussa could be a cancer in the clubhouse. Maybe we could use his star power to get a stud pitcher, since we don't exactly have a whole lot in the farm system for trading.

When they didn't do anything in the Winter Meetings, even though there were top pitchers being shopped and a top starter was Mo's top priority, I thought maybe the asking price was too ridiculous. But couldn't they at least make some offers? Couldn't they at least let the Redbird Nation know they were trying?

Yesterday, they got rid of Aaron Miles, the solution to our second base problem as we can't rely on Adam Kennedy to get it done right now.

Now there have been some pretty bad moves by the Cardinals organization this offseason, but this one takes the cake. When our middle infield batted .258 and .219 last year, and we have no leadoff man, how do you expect to contend. And that is ignoring the fact that we still have a rotation consisting of Adam Wainwright, Joel Piniero, Braden Looper, Anthony Reyes and Brad Thompson. I like the top three there and we will return Mark Mulder (who the hell knows what we can expect from him), but we need a solid top-three pitcher. And a leadoff man. Oh yeah, and maybe a pair of balls to go out and get someone good and maybe spend a little money.

BCS Chaos...What is the answer?

Well one thing we can all agree on is this: What is currently being used for the BCS is not the best. But what do we do about it?

Only in the BCS Division Football can a team go undefeated and not National Champion. So what if Hawaii plays in a weak conference? What if they really were the best team in the nation? We have no idea until someone beats them. Now they don't have the money of the major conference schools, so you can't blame them for having a weak schedule or being in a weak conference, like I can with Ohio State (come on OSU AD, step up and give some legitimacy to your team's wins!). Hell, I doubt they even thought they would do as well as they have when they came up with this year's schedule.

But should Ohio State and Hawaii being playing for the national title? Should we go to a complete playoff system and bankrupt the bowl system within five years? Is there some even ground here?

• Stewart Mandel writes that Plus-One is the answer. He feels that having a championship game after all of the bowl games would better serve the purpose without taking away from the bowl games. He feels that using the major bowls to provide matchups to decide the final two could give us a better national championship without taking from the bowls.


• Luke Winn writes, "There is only one logical way to decide the national championship in the Season of Endless Upsets, when there were these options available:
  
  * One undefeated team
  
  * Two one-loss teams
  
  * Ten two loss teams
  
  The solution is to grab one of the two-loss teams (LSU) and one of the one-loss teams (Ohio State, which gained status simply by having the final weekend off), and pit them together in a winner-take-all finale. The less-fortunate leftovers can fight for the scraps in consolation bowls, and the country will be content that we've conclusively answered the "Who's No. 1" question. Especially the undefeated team (Hawaii) that didn't even get a chance to play for the title, even though just one year ago, its conference's BCS rep (Boise State) beat one of college football's juggernauts (Oklahoma) in perhaps the greatest BCS game ever. This is all so incredibly satisfying for everyone involved.
  
  The slate of BCS games this January will do nothing but guarantee dissatisfaction among fans. So what if LSU pummels Ohio State in what will be a pseudo-home game for the Tigers? What will that tell us? If Hawaii beats Georgia, an SEC team that didn't win its own division much less its own conference, to go 12-0, how does that further the Warriors' bid for a share of the title? The BCS has worked in the past -- in the years where a clear Nos. 1 and 2 existed -- but we desperately need something that works every year. That's a playoff beyond the plus-one model. Put the 12 BCS-eligible teams into a field with first-round byes for Nos. 1-4, and let them duke it out. I'd much rather be worrying about the trivial controversy over who was excluded at No. 13 than who was left out at No. 3"


• Bill Trocchi writes that there is already a playoff system in place, but we need to expand the field from 2 to 16, and kill off the rest of the bowls.


• Cory McCartney wants to know why we can't all just get along and why if a playoff system has worked for little brother Div I-AA, it won't work for the BCS. He writes that a playoff would be bigger than the basketball equivalent madness.
  

So my idea is to have a playoff with 12 teams, top four getting byes. The stipulations for choosing teams is this:

• Any conference winner that finishes in the top 25 in the BCS Standings receives an automatic bid. Top four with byes must come from this group. This rule would also keep conference winners who are not any good out. There's always the minor bowls (the football version of the NIT)
  


• The rest of the field is formed by the next highest in the BCS Standings with only two teams from each conference being selected.

If this were implemented the seedings would be as follows:

1. Ohio State (Big Ten Auto)
   
2. LSU (SEC Auto)
3. Virginia Tech (ACC Auto)
4. Oklahoma (Big 12 Auto)
5. Georgia (SEC At-Large)
6. Missouri(Big 12 At-Large)
7. USC (Pac-10 Auto)
8. W. Virginia (Big East Auto)
9. Hawaii (WAC Auto)
10. Arizona State(Pac-10 At-Large)
11. Illinois (Big Ten At Large)
12. Boston College (ACC At-Large)

This would keep No. 8 Kansas and No. 12 Florida out of the playoffs due to 2 SEC and Big 12 teams ranked higher. The first round would have the following games:

1. #12 BC at #5 UGA
2. #9 Hawaii at #8 WVU
3. #11 Illinois at #6 Missouri
   
4. #10 Arizona St. at #7 USC

A second round:

1. Winner of 1-1 at #4 Oklahoma
2. Winner of 1-2 at #1 OSU
3. Winner of 1-3 at #3 VT
4. Winner of 1-4 at #2 LSU
   

These first two rounds would be held a week after the regular season is over in two consecutive weeks. The bowls would still work as normal. The semifinals would be held a week after bowls in an actual neutral ground (Quit pretending the National Championship is a neutral field). Fields in between the two teams can put in bids for the game.

What do you think, send me your ideas on what could have been done better. I'm not perfect, but anything has to be better than this. Be sure to take into account keeping big revenue from bowls in mind and the such.

Johan Santana, Should he stay or should he go?

With the Major League Baseball offseason in full bloom there is one name on trade blocks that stands out above all other names: two-time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana. Filling in for Trever Fehrenbach and Dan Greenwell this week is sports editor Bob Prescott and editor in chief Ben Corn.

Corn: The Twins should trade Johan Santana, there is no doubt. He has made it clear he feels like the Twins are not dedicated to winning now and, thus, he wants out. Santana's contract is up after this year, and the Twins need to think about their future. With Francisco Liriano coming back, their rotation will be strong. They need a better lineup.

The Twins' current lineup, which was the team's problem last year even with outfielder Torii Hunter, consists of Joe Mauer, a solid hitter who will need many days off due to the fact that he's a catcher, Justin Morneau, the obvious heavy-hitter of the team and former AL MVP and Michael Cuddyer, a solid outfielder who, on many teams, would be a No. 6 hitter. Besides those three guys, there is no proven hitter.

The Twins just added last year's rookie-of-the-year runner-up outfielder Delmon Young from the Rays along with infielder Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie for pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett. Although Garza is a bright young player, this is a good trade for the Twins.

Actually, this helps both teams, but that's a story for another time. By adding such a good, young player in Young, the Twins are showing their commitment to improve in the future, and trading Santana can help to progress that.

Prescott: First of all, the Twins rotation is not that strong. It will get much stronger with the addition of Liriano, but losing Santana will be a bigger blow than losing Liriano was in 2006. Santana is a leader on that rotation, and relying on a second-year pitcher coming off of Tommy John surgery to be the ace and anchor of your rotation might be asking too much.

Liriano hasn't even lasted a full year in the majors yet, and now he is being counted on to lead the rotation?
It was the strong pitching of the Santana-Liriano combo that led the Twins to the top of the AL Central, now being considered one of the toughest divisions in baseball, in 2006, not the amazing lineup. It was after they lost Liriano that they began to fall out of contention. The same thing will happen if they get rid of Santana.

Corn: I think the Twins have many young guys who need spots in the rotation including Scott Baker, who almost threw a perfect game last season; reliever Pat Neshek has the stamina to be a starter and can handle it; Kevin Slowey posted a decent ERA last season with a winning record; Carlos Silva is a solid middle of the rotation guy; Boof Bonser is still young and can form a decent career, and if they can add another arm, their rotation will be very solid. Liriano should come back in good form; he seems to be really on top of his game and has a good head on his shoulders.

A strong lineup can carry a team to the playoffs, but cannot win in the playoffs, right, Yankees? The Twins have enough of a strong rotation to win in the playoffs with a good bullpen including closer Joe Nathan, setup man Juan Rincon and Neshek if he's not moved as a starter. They need a couple bats to get them there. Jason Kubel is not enough.

Prescott: The Twins might also be losing Nathan in a trade, according to reports in St. Paul, as he is set to become a free agent after the 2008 season, and the Twins plan to use Neshek or Rincon as their closer. Just ask the Cardinals, how many blows can a pitching staff take and stay competitive?

To be able to make this deal worthwhile to the Twins, they would need to get a decent starter back in the trade, as well as some solid position players. Who's going to make a deal like this?

Keep in mind, Santana has a no-trade clause in his contract. His agent has repeatedly said that for Santana to waive this clause, the team would have to be willing to offer a contract extension that would eclipse the Barry Zito contract of last offseason. So not only does a team have to shell out prime prospects with a decent starter, but they need to shell out $150 million over six years on top of the $13.25 million he will receive next year.

They could do this same deal next year when he hits the open market and save the prospects. Are those prospects worth getting Santana a year early when you could get Santana next year for the money he demands now?

Corn: Santana is worth it if a team wants to win the World Series this year. Some teams this offseason have shown they are going for it all this year by getting good free agents or making trades giving up prospects for big-time players now (Angels, White Sox and Tigers, for example) while others are showing that, although they are close to a World Series title, their prospects are valuable (Indians, Rockies and Diamondbacks, for example).

One of those teams who wants to win now needs to pull this trigger. Giving up a starting pitcher like Phillip Hughes of the Yankees or Jon Lester of the Red Sox to get Santana would be worth it to ensure a spot among the preseason favorites for the championship.

Back to why the Twins should do it, though. The Twins will probably not compete in the AL Central this year with Santana, but the future looks bright as the Tigers and White Sox are getting older and the Indians can't find that piece to fill left field or third base for many years to come.

I've become a big Hughes fan watching his poise with the bright lights of New York on him, he could be a future Cy Young winner, just like Liriano. Why not try to build what could quite possibly become the most dominant one-two-three punch in the AL Central after you're able to add Yankees' reliever Joba Chamberlain to the mix. Chamberlain would do well in Minnesota, too (the Twins play in a dome, so the bugs can't attack him there).

Obviously, I feel the Yankees should be the team the Twins should be talking to because of the pitching prospects they can eke out of them. I know, the Yankees said they wouldn't trade Hughes, Chamberlain or outfielder Melky Cabrera, but with arguably the best pitcher in the game staring you in the face, how can you resist?

Prescott: I could resist by looking towards the future and knowing that the Twins' chances of resigning him are slim, and I could go get him for the same dollars and losing no prospects. Way too much has to be given up by the trading team to make it that worthwhile, especially if you are the Yankees, who know they could outbid anyone.

But back to the Twins, this could be a disastrous move. To lose Hunter, Santana and possibly Nathan all in the same offseason that they open a new stadium that will no doubt have higher ticket prices could cause a big uproar with the fans.

Bud Selig was ready to pull the plug on the Twins a few years back when they couldn't consistently attract a big crowd. They need to keep the fans on their side. Santana may not get them to the playoffs again on his own, but he can put the butts in the seats every fifth game.

However, Santana is not on his own. Liriano will be back, and there are a few decent bats on the hot stove. Even if they can only keep Santana for another year, who better to help Liriano adjust after surgery than possibly the best pitcher in the league?

By simply adding a good bat in the outfield and holding onto the potent 1-2 punch of Santana and Liriano, the Twins could be right back into the playoff mix next year. And who knows, maybe with the extra money Santana will bring in over whoever they would get in a trade, they can resign the best pitcher in the game right now for the money he demands.

NFL Predictions-Week 11

Talking to a friend of mine this week who entered ESPN's spread picks contest and correctly picked only four games this week to the national average five, I realized Vegas made a killing this weekend.

Who could have seen Peyton Manning throw six picks, "Automatic Adam" Viniteri miss two vital kicks in the same game, the Rams actually winning a game, "Sexy Rexy" Grossman stepping onto the field to actually lead his team to victory? The only constant of the week was that the Patriots remained undefeated (New England was on a bye week) and Brady threw for three touchdowns (Marcus Brady of the Canadian Football League that is).

Congratulations to Ryan Beard and Cindy Nichols for royally destroying me this week after my dismal 5-9 record last week. Due to Cindy's copy editor position on the Statesman staff, she is inelgible for the drawing and Ryan wins the iTunes gift card by default. Now on to picks:

Tampa Bay travels to three-and-a-half-point underdog Atlanta with a 5-4 record and only one win on the road. However, I am not convinced the Falcons can pull off any more wins than they already have (it surprised me every time they've won). I'll take the Bucs in a close one but covering the spread Bucs 27, Falcons 21.

Arizona travels to three-and-a-half-point favorite Cincinnati. The Bengals may have controlled the Ravens last week, but this season, that isn't saying much. The Cardinals stopped a strong rolling Lions team with a lot of momentum. With the up-and-down type play I've seen out of the Bengals, my expectations aren't too high right now. I'll take the Cardinals outright, Cardinals 38, Bengals 20.

The New York Giants travel to the three-and-a-half-point underdog Detroit Lions. Each team has something to prove after last week's loss. The Giants are still a very solid team, although they do not match up well in the secondary.

Expect the Lions to exploit that as the Cowboys did. Eli Manning will have his work cut out for him this week, and with the underrated Detroit defense I don't think he will be able to keep up with the Lions. I'll take Detroit outright at Lions 24, Giants 21.

The Carolina Panthers take on the strong nine-and-a-half-point favorite Green Bay Packers. Anyone who questioned whether the Packers were legit or not got his or her answer last week in the form of a Viking massacre. The Panthers are so hit or miss and even when they are on, I'm not sure they can keep the game within 10. I'll take the Packers at home with a score of Packers 34, Panthers 21.

Kansas City travels to the vengeful 14-and-a-half-point favorite Indianapolis Colts. I don't care who you are, after the loss to the Chargers, I would hate to take on the Colts. While a two-touchdown lead is pretty large, the Chiefs are coming off a 16-point loss to mediocre Broncos team. The Colts, even as beat up as they are, are twice the team the Broncos are. I'll take the Colts and it won't even be close, Colts 38, Chiefs 10.

Oakland travels to five-and-a-half-point favorite Minnesota. Even though the Vikes are without their star Adrian Peterson, they still have Chester Taylor. Especially after an ugly loss to the Bears, I doubt the Raiders can stop the Vikings right now. I'll take the Vikings to cover the spread, Vikings 24, Raiders 10.

Miami travels to 10-and-a-half-point favorite Philadelphia and will most likely be blown out by even more. Miami is sure to pull off a win this season, but it won't be this week. Don't worry, Miami, the Jets are still on your schedule. I'll take the Eagles in a landslide, Eagles 27, Miami 6.

San Diego left Indianapolis looking pretty bad in its win and travel to three-and-a-half-point favorite Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags have looked stronger each week, as Quinton Gray grows in confidence. I don't see them stopping now. I'll take the Jaguars to more than cover the spread, Jaguars 30, Chargers 17.

Cleveland travels to three-and-a-half-point underdog Baltimore Ravens. The Browns have only continued to impress me, even in a loss to the Steelers, while the Ravens continue to spiral downward. This pick is an easy one. The Browns cover the spread, Browns 28, Ravens 9.

The New Orleans Saints will attempt to pick themselves back up after an embarrassing loss to the once winless Rams and travel to the one-and-a-half-point favorite Houston Texans. I am still not convinced that the Saints have truly turned the page after a horrendous start. I'll stick with the Texans by a field goal, Texans 20, Saints 17.

The Steelers travel to the nine-and-a-half-point underdog New York Jets. The Steelers are the best non-Colts and Patriots team in the AFC and the Jets are the second-worst to only the Dolphins. And the Steelers are only favored by nine-and-a-half? I'll take the Steelers by three possessions…by the third quarter, Steelers 42, Jets 10.

The Washington Redskins travel to the NFC-best 10-and-a-half-point favorite Dallas Cowboys. This is still a strong rivalry even though the Cowboys have consistently had the better team. The Cowboys will win convincingly, well in control the entire game, but by more than 10? I think so, but not until the fourth quarter. I'll take the Cowboys covering the spread Cowboys 35, Redskins 24.

The St. Louis Rams, coming off their first win of the season, face a weak and embarrassed two-and-a-half-point underdog San Francisco 49ers. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the 49ers are lucky to have the two wins they do. The Rams take their second win of the season and even cover the spread, Rams 24, 49ers 17.

Chicago travels to five-and-a-half-point favorite Seattle Seahawks with Rex Grossman at the helm. This is a situation that could be potentially embarrassing for the Bears. The Seahawks were dominant on Monday Night Football and they won't be slowed much by this Bears team. I'll take the Seahawks covering the spread, Seahawks 24, Bears 13.

The New England Patriots come off the bye week and travel to division foe and 15-and-a-half-point underdog Buffalo Bills. While I think the Bills might be that dark horse to upset the Patriots with home field advantage, I just can't ignore what the Patriots have done this year. While I don't think the Patriots need to intimidate any more after beating the Colts, I also wouldn't be surprised if they still ran up the score to put an exclamation point on a ridiculous year. History says the Patriots will destroy and I'll go with it. Patriots cover the spread, Patriots 38, Bills 13.

On Monday Night Football, the Tennessee Titans travel to two-and-a-half-point favorite Denver Broncos. The Broncos may have made a statement against the Chiefs, but then again, it was the Chiefs. The Titans play in the toughest division in the AFC and will come to this game ready. Quarterback Vince Young loves the spotlight and shines on the national stage. I expect a big game and finally a MNF game worth watching. Titans upset the Broncos, Titans 27, Broncos 21.

So those are my picks. Send me yours. Unless, that is, you don't have what it takes.

NFL Predictions-Week 10

Week nine was a crazy week in the NFL with the Lions looking like giants and the Broncos like mice, the Vikings looking like contenders as the Chargers look like lost children, and the Steelers are a force to be reckoned with while the Ravens should be lucky to stand at 4-4. However, the biggest game of the season told us absolutely nothing new: the Patriots and Colts are the top two teams in the game, it's near impossible to stop the Patriots, and if both teams are at full health, we still won't know who will win it.

Congratulations to Dustin Hall for his 9-5 mark on the week, defeating me by a single game. My 8-6 record moves me above .500 against the spread at 15-13. Let's see if we can improve that even more.

We will begin with the six-and-a-half-point favorite Green Bay Packers hosting the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay is very much the team to beat in the NFC North, although, despite their 3-5 record, the Vikings are not far behind.

Adrian Peterson has given this team the spark it needs for playoff hopes. The Packers may beat the surging Vikings, but I think the Vikings will keep it within a possession. In fact, I'll take it one step further and take the Vikings outright with a score of Vikings 28, Packers 24.

The Jacksonville Jaguars travel to the half-point favorite Tennessee Titans after a tough loss to the New Orleans Saints. I expect a big divisional clash in this game, as it marks the second-place team behind the Colts. With a healthy Vince Young, the Titans are the team to beat, although Quinton Gray is making Jacksonville ask, "David Garrard who?" Being at home, I'll take the Titans, but only by a field goal at Titans 23, Jaguars 20.

The Denver Broncos, after looking absolutely lost against the Lions, travel to the half-point favorite Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos come into this game with a lot to prove and had high expectations coming into this year. Not that Larry Johnson hasn't been largely a major letdown, but the Chiefs have been turning things around while the Broncos continue to plummet. I'll take the Chiefs, but not by much, at Chiefs 22, Broncos 20.

The Buffalo Bills have been a pleasant surprise this season and travel to the complete disappointment and threeand- a-half-point favorite Miami Dolphins. If I were a member of the Bills team, I would probably be insulted by this spread. To ever be favored by less than a touchdown to the Dolphins or Rams this season means Vegas does not think highly of you. I'll take the Bills easily in a landslide of Bills 30, Dolphins 6.

Speaking of the St. Louis Rams, they travel to the resurging New Orleans Saints, who are favored by a big 11- and-a-half-point margin. The Saints may be looking better and at home, but I really don't see them pulling away from the Rams, who are coming off a bye week, by more than a possession. The Saints will pull off the win, but (and I can't believe the words are coming out of my mouth) I'll take the Rams in the spread at Saints 23, Rams 17.

The Cleveland Browns travel to play the Pittsburgh Steelers as nine and-a-halfpoint underdogs. With the game the Steelers played Monday night against the Ravens, I have no doubt in my mind that the Steelers will come out on top, but I really think the Browns can keep this game close. I'll take the Browns in the spread with a score of Steelers 24, Browns 20.

The Baltimore Ravens play host the five-and-a-half-point underdog Cincinnati Bengals. After being completely and utterly embarrassed by the Steelers on Monday Night Football, I am honestly surprised to see them as favorites. But the again, the Bengals have looked like total flops this year, and with the loss of Chad Johnson last week, they will struggle to win many more games this year.

The Ravens may pull off a win, but only by a field goal. I can't believe I am writing this, but I'll take the Bengals in the spread at Ravens 23, Bengals 20.

The Philadelphia Eagles face-off with division rival and three-and-a-half-point favorite Washington Redskins in our nation's capitol. With two teams that didn't look very convincing last week, it's hard to tell which team is going to show up to play this week. The Redskins should have destroyed the Jets, but it took an overtime drive to win and the Eagles were destroyed at home by the best of the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys.

Until Donovan McNabb turns a corner, I really don't see the Eagles beating a team with a winning record. I'll take the Redskins covering the spread at Redskins 27, Eagles 17. The Atlanta Falcons, who are 0-4 on the road this year, travels to the four-and-ahalf- point favorite Carolina Panthers, who are 0-3 at home this year. There will be a first in this game, as someone has to win. The Falcons may have won last week, but that was at home and against the 49ers. I'll take the Panthers by a touchdown, Panthers 17, Falcons 10.

The Chicago Bears come off a bye week and face a very beatable and three-and-ahalf- point underdog Oakland Raiders. Brian Griese can breathe a sigh of relief and know he has one more week before he has to worry about losing his job back to "Sexy Rexy." I'll take the Bears to cover the spread with a score of Bears 32, Raiders 23.

The Dallas Cowboys travel to the one-and-a-half-point underdog New York Giants to battle out the division lead in the toughest division in football. The Giants have yet to lose after falling to 0-2, but I really don't see them taking the Cowboys, but it will be a close game to the end. I'll take the Cowboys with a field goal as the clock hits zero, Cowboys 24, Giants 21.

The Detroit Lions destroyed the Broncos last week and yet are still one and-a-halfpoint underdogs to the 3-5 Arizona Cardinals. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Cardinals are a lot better than their record shows, but the Lions are a solid team this year and eat teams like the Cardinals for breakfast (ask Jay Cutler). The Lions will win it outright, Lions 30, Cardinals 17.

The 8-1 Indianapolis Colts are suffering the worst start to a season in the last three years (the Colts started 2005 13-0 and 2006 9-0), but travel to the San Diego Chargers as three-and- a-half-point favorites. The Chargers couldn't touch Adrian Peterson and I don't see it changing with Joseph Addai. Look for a big running game from the Colts and a strong and message sending win by the Colts. I'll take the Colts covering the spread with a score of Colts 35, Chargers 13. For Monday Night Football, the San Francisco 49ers travel to 10-and-a-half-point favorite Seattle Seahawks.

With such a large spread, I am tempted to take the underdog, but it is after all the 49ers, which lost convincingly to the Falcons. I rest my case. I'll take the Seahawks covering the spread at Seahawks 38, 49ers 17. So there you have it. Those are my picks. Give me what you've got.

NFL Predictions-Week 9

After going 7-7 last week, I learned exactly why those guys in Vegas make so much money. Picking against the spread is very difficult, although Indiana State student Ryan Beard pulled off a 9-5 mark. So congratulations to Beard in the Statesman Picker contest. Now, on to the picks:

We begin with the San Francisco 49ers traveling to the three-point favorite Atlanta Falcons. Now honestly, I am simply surprised that the Falcons are a favorite against anyone except maybe the Rams or Dolphins, and they are on a bye this week. The 49ers have lost their last five after going 2-0 for the first two weeks, but I really don't see the Falcons beating them, even at home. I'll take the 49ers winning outright, 49ers 20, Falcons 10.

The Cincinnati Bengals are half-point underdogs at the Buffalo Bills. Cincinnati has yet to win a game away from home this year, but the Bills have not looked that spectacular either. I keep thinking the Bengals are a lot better than their record implies, but how many times can they lose before they obviously are as their record shows? Well fool me once, shame on you, fool me for the last four weeks … well, I'll take the Bills with a score of Bills 24, Bengals 17.

The Denver Broncos, after a heart-breaking loss in overtime to the conference leading Green Bay Packers, travel to the three-point favorite Detroit Lions. Though the Lions have continued to get it done this year, beating the Raiders, Vikings, Bears (twice), and Bucs, they have yet to beat an opponent as good as the Broncos, losing to both the Eagles and Redskins. I'll take the Broncos outright with a score of Broncos 30, Lions 21.

Carolina travels to play four-point favorite Tennessee. With the return of Vince Young and the confusion from Carolina last week against the Colts, you would think this to be an easy pick. However, a 4-3 Carolina Panthers team is 4-0 on the road this year. However this brings more to question, "Why can't they win a game at home?" but that is a topic for another column. Titans win it, but only by a field goal. I'll take Carolina in the spread at Titans 20, Panthers 17.

Green Bay travels to Kansas City as two-and-a-half-point underdogs, wondering what they have to do to get some respect in this league. They beat the Broncos on Monday night and sit on top of their division. Brett Favre is looking like the quarterback that led the Packers to two consecutive Super Bowls, while Kansas City has yet to wow me. This one is a no-brainer to me. I'll take the Packers outright with a score of Green Bay 27, Kansas City 13.

The San Diego Chargers travel to the seven-and-a-half-point underdog Minnesota Vikings, after showing the Texans how much they have turned a page since their 1-3 start to the season. The Vikings have really looked a lot better these last three weeks as well, despite losses to the Cowboys and Eagles, beating the Bears and keeping the game with 10 to Cowboys and with a single possession with the Eagles. The Vikings are not a playoff team yet, but they are showing signs of improvement. The Chargers will win, but I think the Vikings will keep it within a possession. I'll take the Vikings in the spread at Chargers 24, Vikings 17.

Jacksonville proved last week they could win without David Garrard, and travel to New Orleans as three-and-a-half-point underdogs. The Saints still have a ways to go before they are playoff ready, and the Jaguars are simply getting it done. I'll take the Jags to win it outright with a score of Jaguars 21, Saints 16.

After an embarrassing loss to the Patriots last week, the Redskins have something to prove as they travel to the three-and-a-half-point underdog New York Jets. The Jets returned Chad Pennington recently and are not even sure if that is a good thing, as they benched Pennington in the fourth quarter last week and threw Kellen Clemens in. It's hard to win with such uncertainty around the quarterback position, and the Redskins are furious. I'll take the Redskins in a landslide of Redskins 45, Jets 10.

Arizona travels to three-and-a-half-point favorite Tampa Bay after an extra week to prepare. That extra week also means more time to get key players healthy such as Kurt Warner. The Cardinals kept it close against the Redskins, and with Warner healthier, I think the Cardinals have a good chance. I'll take the Cardinals outright with a score of Cardinals 27, Buccaneers 21.

Seattle travels to one-point favorite Cleveland in a game where both have something to prove. Seattle is expected to do a lot better than they have and the Browns are just starting to earn some respect. Derek Anderson has looked great this year and has been a large part of the big difference this year. Seattle could win this game, but not in the "Dawg Pound." I'll take the Browns covering the spread at Browns 28, Seahawks 17.

Houston travels to Oakland, who is favored to win by a field goal, and will attempt to erase an embarrassing loss in San Diego. The Raiders may be better than last year, but so are the Texans and I think Houston will be ready for them. I'll take the Texans outright at Texans 20, Raiders 17.

Dallas travels to division rival Philadelphia as three-point favorites. The Cowboys and Eagles play in one of the toughest divisions in football. This game won't be a cakewalk for the Cowboys, but with a couple of weeks to prepare, I see Dallas taking it in a big game. I'll take the Cowboys covering the spread with a score of Cowboys 32, Eagles 17.

The Ravens travel to Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football as nine-point underdogs and even then I think Vegas might be giving the unable-to-score Ravens more credit than they deserve. The Ravens have only won a single game on the road this year and I don't see the Steelers giving them another. Can the Ravens keep the game within a possession and a field goal? I highly doubt it. I'll take the Steelers covering the spread at Steelers 27, Ravens 6.

I saved the biggest game for last, even though it's not a Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football game. That's right, what the media has billed Manning versus Brady, Dungy versus Belichick, Good versus Evil, and even Super Bowl 41.5, is as big as they say.

This game has huge implications, bigger for the Colts than the Patriots. This game not only leaves only one team undefeated, but likely will give one team home-field advantage should they meet again in the playoffs, which is bigger for the Colts as they have more trouble at New England than the Patriots do in Indy.

So what team is the best in the league? We will find out this week and the Colts are billed as five-and-a-half-point underdogs in their own dome, something that has not happened in years. With the Patriots such heavy favorites, the Colts can relish that underdog role as they love to do and come out and take it. The Colts had the Patriots' number the last three meetings, and I see this Colts team, a better team than the one that won the Super Bowl, taking the game outright at a score of Colts 27, Patriots 23.

So there you have it. Think you can pick better against the spread? Well bring it, and maybe there's an iTunes gift card with your name on it.

NFL Predictions-Week 8

Last week proved me to be way off base on a couple of games, and my upset calls were completely off. I completely underestimated the Rams' ability to lose a game. I will not do that again. For some reason I figured the returns of Marc Bulger and Isaac Bruce might actually make a difference. I was wrong and will learn from my mistakes. I doubt I will take the Rams again this season.

Congratulations to Dustin Hall for winning the Statesman NFL Picker. This was the first week that we had more than one student who beat me and therefore the first actual drawing, so a special shout out goes to Ryan Beard and Michael Disher who also beat me, but lost the drawing.

I finished last week with an 8-6 mark, moving to a 59-44 season record. It was suggested to me that any monkey could pick many of the winners in the NFL, but you really have to know the teams to pick against the spread. So we are going to try picking against the spread this week. We'll see how it goes.

Now on to my picks: Detroit travels to Chicago this week as five-point underdogs. The Bears are beginning to look better after last week against the Eagles, and Detroit, although they had been digressing recently, looked in control against Tampa Bay. Bears quarterback Brian Griese is looking better each week, but I still have my doubts about him at the helm. Being at home, the Bears may pull off the win, but I doubt it will be by five. I'll take the Lions in the spread with a final score of Bears 24, Lions 21.

Pittsburgh travels to Cincinnati as three-and-a-half-point favorites. The Steelers looked rather confused against the Broncos last week, but I fully expect Pittsburgh to bounce back. The Steelers will learn from that game and use it to improve. And the Bengals, even though they defeated the lowly Jets, have yet to look that great this year. I expect to see the Steelers do what they do best and simply pound the ball at the Bengals. I'll take the Steelers covering the spread at Steelers 27, Bengals 17.

Tennessee will host Oakland this Sunday and is a seven-and-a-half-point favorite. Vince Young will be back for this game and can be a full 10-point difference for the Titans. In front of a raucous home crowd and against a far inferior opponent, I'll take the Titans covering the spread at Titans 21, Raiders 10.

Cleveland travels to St. Louis this weekend and is a mere three-point favorite. Anyone who would pick either the Rams to win or to lose by less than a field goal to the 3-3 Browns might need a drug test before applying for any government job. I'll take the Browns in a no-brainer, Browns 38, Rams 13.

The New York Giants have been climbing in the ever-tough NFC East over the last five weeks, racking up five consecutive wins. Make that six as they travel to London, in a "Let's bring American football to the world effort," to face the even-worse-than-the-Rams, Miami Dolphins. The Giants are nine-and-a-half-point favorites, and with the loss of running back Ronnie Brown, it should be more than enough. I'll take the Giants with a score of Giants 38, Dolphins 17.

Philadelphia travels to Minnesota as one-point favorites, and I am not even sure if they should be favored in this matchup. The Eagles didn't look that stellar against a weak Bears team and Minnesota put up quite the fight against the Cowboys. Tarvaris Jackson still has a ways to go, and I don't expect the Vikings to be a big playoff threat, but Adrian Peterson has caused the league to take them seriously. I'll take the Vikings in a close game at home at Vikings 24, Eagles 23.

Indianapolis takes on Carolina on the road as seven-point favorites. The Panthers are 4-2 on the year but have yet to win a single game in front of their home crowd with their two losses at home. I am not sure what is the cause of this oddity, but the Colts have been in control of every game they have played this year and I don't see that changing. The real question becomes whether or not the Panthers can keep the game within a single possession. I think they will for most of the game, but the Colts will pull away with some breathing room in the fourth quarter for a Colts win at Colts 31, Panthers 21.

The New York Jets host the Buffalo Bills as favorites by a field goal, and honestly I wouldn't pick them outright. Chad Pennington did return this last week and he looked like a quarterback in control, but one man can't win the game. I see the Bills stealing this cross-state game with a score of Bills 24, Jets 19.

Houston travels to Phoenix this weekend to face the San Diego Chargers. (Wait, don't you mean Arizona Cardinals?) Nope, with the wildfires in southern California this week, it looks like the Chargers will not be able to host the game this Sunday. The Chargers are named as nine-and-a-half-point favorites, and I doubt they can surmount a sizeable lead. I think they will pull off a win but only by a single possession. I'll take the Texans against the spread at Chargers 27, Texans 23.

After a tough loss to the Colts and an even tougher loss of quarterback David Garrard, the Jaguars travel to Tampa Bay after the Bucs suffered an embarrassing loss to the Lions with a turnover ratio of +2.

The loss of Garrard to the Jags was possibly the largest loss the organization could take, as the Jags have entered panic mode, searching for a veteran quarterback to take over the reins. Such little confidence in backup Quinn Gray tells me that Tampa Bay will have no problem taking Jacksonville at home. I'll take the Buccaneers with a score of Bucs 27, Jags 13.

Washington travels to seemingly unstoppable New England as 16.5 point underdogs. I agree with the Redskins being underdogs, but disagree with the number. I realize the Patriots have won by over 17 points in every game this season, but I see the Redskins breaking that barrier and holding some ground. I don't doubt the Patriots will climb to 8-0, but I'll take the Redskins against the spread at Patriots 32, Redskins 21.

New Orleans faces the three-point underdog 49ers in San Francisco this Sunday and receives the luxury of playing another sub-par team after narrowly defeating the Falcons. The 49ers, after jumping to a 2-0 start and hopes of contending again, have lost the last four games. The 49ers just never seem to have the answers and I don't see it changing. I'll take the Saints with a score of Saints 20, 49ers 13.

In the Monday Night Football game, the 5-1 Green Bay Packers travel to a tough 3-3 Denver Broncos. Even though the Packers have a full two-game advantage in record, the three-point favorite Broncos are looking to keep their momentum going after taking a bite out of the Steelers last Sunday. Green Bay has had a full two weeks to prepare for this game and has looked great this year. This will be the biggest test for the Packers, and if they can pull off the win in Denver, they become the team to beat in the NFC along with Dallas. I think they will. I'll take the Packers in a nail-biter at Packers 27, Broncos 24.

So there are my picks against the spread, let's see what you think. Send me your picks at sasspted@isugw.indstate.edu. There are no easy picks this week, since we are picking against the spread. Think you can beat me? Bring it.

NFL Predictions-Week 7

Excellent matchups last week led to some exciting football.
My pick of the Cowboys over the Patriots came back to bite me, as it allowed Sycamore student Ryan Beard to claim victory over me by a single win.

Ryan will receive an iTunes gift card courtesy of the Statesman. I finished this week at 9-4 for 51-38 on the season. Now on to my picks: Looking over the schedule, Ravens over Bills, Cowboys over Vikings, Patriots over Dolphins and Giants over 49ers jump out at me for easy picks.

Matchups between Atlanta and New Orleans as well as New York Jets and Cincinnati will provide such ugly games, I am shocked they aren't on Monday Night Football this year. Nonetheless, I'll take the Saints and Bengals, but only because they have home field advantage and they can't all lose.

Tampa Bay and Detroit will provide an exciting game with a pair of team that are outperforming every expectation of them. This is when football gets fun, or any sport for that matter.

Colorado Rockies, anyone? Detroit is coming off a bye week in a much-needed time after a shellacking by the Redskins and is sure to have made some improvements in the last couple weeks. The Bucs on the other hand have been playing some of the best football seen inTampa Bay in a while.

Tampa continues to grow with confidence each week. Detroit has struggled a lot against the play-action pass, but unless the Bucs establish a running game, it will become a moot point this week, but something to remember for the future. Earnest Graham is the primary running back for the Buccaneers this week, and after Tampa's run game was nearly non-existent last week against Tennessee, and I don't see it changing enough to become an issue. On the Lions' side of the ball, if the offensive line can give quarterback Jon Kitna the time to make his reads, expect that same explosive offense we saw glimpses of earlier this year. However, that is a big if. I'll take the Tampa defense for a Buccaneer win in a fun and exciting game.

The Titans travel to Houston this week for a big division battle. The Texans have slowed down after a strong start this year, so the question becomes can they come back from this slump and contend, or has the clock already struck midnight with the Texans turning back into a pumpkin? I expect to see the Texans come back, but this could be a tough week to do so.

The Titans have become a very solid football team this year, but may be playing without the likes of their star quarterback, Vince Young,and be forced to rely on the ancient statue that once was a quarterback, Kerry Collins.

The Titans need Young back, and they need him back now. We saw last year what happens when they rely on Collins, and it isn't pretty. Look for a big game from Mario Williams if Collins is behind center, although Young stated he is doing everything he can to be able to play on Sunday.

Young still may be limited in his scrambling ability, so look for Houston to test this early with a few heavy blitzes. I still like the Titans in this game, but it will be a mighty clash.

When the Cardinals travel to Washington, it will prove to be a very pivotal game for both teams. A Cardinals win keeps the team in first place in the NFC West as they are currently tied with Seattle, and, should the Redskins win, they stay in the hunt for the NFC East. Both teams are coming off losses and are hoping to regain momentum and confidence.

With Tim Rattay at quarterback, not even being a member of the team at this point last week, the Cardinals will rely heavily on running back Edgerrin James for a big game to take the pressure off the quarterback.

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs will no doubt attempt to rattle Rattay often and early, and test his capabilities. Look for quick routes to receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Bolden, with big plays after the catch. This will allow less pressure on Rattay
and more opportunities for the Cardinals. Jason Campbell of the Redskins will look to pressure the Cardinals defense right away and test their secondary.

The Redskins have some solid running backs, but they have not lived up to their
potential. I'll take the Cardinals in an emotional battle with bigconsequences. Neither Kansas City nor Oakland has impressed me in the slightest this season.

Oakland is the 2.5 point favorite (who would think Oakland would ever be a favorite this year) and even though they are at home, I really
don't see the Raiders pulling it off. This division is still wide open with the Chiefs and Chargers at 3-3 and Denver and Oakland at 2-3, so it's still anybody's game.

Sources say that running back Priest Holmes is back this week and with the two back attack, I like the Chiefs' chances. I'll take Kansas City, but it's going to be ugly.

Philadelphia has looked better last week, and the Bears only continue to add question
marks. Both teams have been so spotty this year; it is hard to tell which Eagles and Bears teams will show up. I'll take the Eagles, but, honestly, only because the quarter landed heads.

In the Seattle-St. Louis matchup, I am smelling upset. Bulger is back and healthy and Seattle just looks so unemotional, like they could care less whether or not they are even there. St. Louis has to win at some point and I think this might be the week.

I'll take the Rams in a big upset special. I expect a big game out of the Steelers in the Sunday Night Football game at Denver. Denver hasn't looked its greatest, and I see the Pittsburgh defense giving the Broncos some serious trouble. I'll take the Steelers.

In the Monday Night Football game, we finally get a matchup worthy of Monday Night Football as the Colts travel to Jacksonville. The Jags have looked pretty strong all year and look tocontenders.

However, the Colts are coming off a bye week and when you give head coach Tony Dungy an extra week to prepare, you can expect big results. Look for a big, exciting game, but I don't see the Colts falling just yet.

I'll take the Colts, and let the excitement begin. So those are my picks, send yours to sasspted@isugw.indstate.edu and see if you have
what it takes to predict the NFL. If you beat me, you will have a chance for an iTunes giftcard. But you are going to have
to beat me first.

NFL Predictions-Week 6

Things settled down a little in the NFL last week - although that wasn't saying much - but there were still a few upsets. I finished last week at 10-4 bringing my season record to 42-34.

Enough with the past, on to week six predictions: This week's match ups leave very few picks that I have a whole lot of confidence in. However, those few picks include: Ravens over Rams (until the Rams prove otherwise or are playing the Dolphins, I will always pick their opponents), Browns over Dolphins (see note about the Rams, but switch Rams and Dolphins around), Seahawks over Saints and Giants over Falcons. The only pick of those that worries me in the slightest is that the Dolphins will most likely win at some point this season, and I can see the Browns being the team to give up that one game.

In the Minnesota-Chicago battle of teams with good defenses, decent running games and pitiful quarterbacks, I see a lot of turnovers. After watching the Chicago-Green Bay game on Sunday, it makes me believe the Bears will pull off a win, but I see Adrian Peterson having a big game and with Minnesota fully rested, I like their chances. I'll take the Vikings.

Speaking of Green Bay, they play host to the Redskins this Sunday afternoon for the battle of the teams-who-no-one-thought-would-be-doing-as-well-as-they-are. Washington took the Lions to school on their own turf for the 21st consecutive time, and the Packers lost a close game to the Bears, but the Packers aren't playing the Bears, and the Redskins do not have the comfort of their own home. I'll take the Packers in an exciting game.

In the battle of the should-have-been-a-lot-better-than-they-have-been teams between the Bengals and Chiefs, I expect to see a fully rested-and-ready Bengals team blow away a lost Chiefs team. I also expected a lot more from both the Jets and Eagles, but both have fallen short this season. When they match up this week, one team will walk away a winner and a season rejuvenated, and I really don't see the Jets doing that. I'll take the Eagles.

The Titans have looked great this year and Tampa Bay is coming back around. Tennessee employs the second-best run defense in the league allowing a mere 72 yards per game, and with Pittman out this week, don't expect that to change. The Bucs have gotten more and more powerful with the passing game, but I don't see it being enough to stop the versatile Titans.

Houston travels to Jacksonville as two teams that have a lot of potential but little consistency duke it out. The Jaguars' Maurice Jones-Drew finally looked like the back he was last year, and when he is contributing in a big way, the Jags can be dangerous. Matt Schaub has become a godsend to the Texans and elevated their passing game.

However, the Jaguars have only given up two passing touchdowns this year. I'll take the Jags, but this could be a pretty exciting game (who would have thought a Houston-Jacksonville match up would be exciting?).

Carolina has been very iffy this year while Arizona has continued to look stronger. But a lot will be riding on the veteran Kurt Warner to carry a full load with Matt Leinart out for the season. If the offensive line can keep it up, the Cardinals will actually be contenders this year. If not, Warner's backup (Tim Rattay) better be good, because Warner is not as durable as he once was, and he wasn't that durable to begin with. I think they'll keep it up, so I am taking the Cardinals.

As long as we see the San Diego that faced the Broncos last week and not the team that faced the Packers and Chiefs in weeks three and four, respectively, I see an easy Chargers win. If not, we may see a winning record out of Oakland and more chants of "Schott-en-heim-er" out of the fans. I'll take the Chargers, but it makes me nervous.

The final and biggest game of the week is the showdown of the undefeateds: the Patriots and Cowboys.

The Pats have dominated every game they have played this year and the Cowboys just barely pulled off a win this last week (who would have thought a team would turn the ball over five more times than their opponent and still win?), but the Patriots have not been tested this year like they will be this Sunday. Many consider the last-second win by the Cowboys as a sign that they will lose horribly to New England, but I see just the opposite.

That game only made the Cowboys stronger, and you know Tony Romo will not throw five picks and fumble once in the same game ever again. He got that out of his system and still pulled off the win. The Cowboys never gave up and continued to push even after they kept giving the ball back to the Bills. This showed the resiliency of the Cowboys defense and the Dallas offense will bounce right back.

After Romo muffed the snap in the playoffs to lose it for the Cowboys last season, he took it personally and never wanted to let his team down again. He has taken the five picks just as much to heart and will not throw so much on his team again.

The Patriots are powerful and easily one of the top two teams in the AFC, if not the top team, but there is a certain emotion and love of the game that you find with the Cowboys and that the bone-crunching, eat-your-bones-for-breakfast Patriots just have not shown me. I'll take the Cowboys, and this is a game I will not be missing. Don't be surprised if we see a rematch in Arizona in February.

NFL Predictions-Week 5

After another crazy week in the NFL, it looks like my call of the Cardinals over the Steelers really paid off as I ended up staying on top this week, with several only one game behind me. After an 8-6 week, I rose above .500 at 32-30. Now on to the predictions:

The only easy picks this week are Dallas over Buffalo in the Monday Night Football game, Indy at home over Tampa Bay, and Green Bay at home over the mightily struggling Bears in the Sunday Night Football game. The Bucs aren't as bad as they have been in the past and actually boast a 3-1 record, but I really don't see them having much of a chance in Indy against the Colts. The SNF game will be a big game and don't expect the Bears to roll over for the Packers. This game will be played with a ton of emotion and pride, but I see the Bears making too many mistakes against a very deadly team.

A rested Tennessee will walk all over the Falcons and the Jags, coming off their bye week as well, have had plenty of time to prepare for a still rather confused Chiefs team. Fantasy owners with Maurice Jones-Drew should look for a big breakout game by the running back and a big Jaguar win.

Arizona comes out of the upset over the Steelers with a lot of confidence and an idea that they can win again, as they travel to the beaten up Rams. The Rams won't play dead for the Cardinals, but I don't think they will have what it takes to pull out the win either. I'll take the Cardinals. New England over the Browns was an easy pick for me originally, but the more I think about it, the more I see the upset possibility. This game will all depend on which Cleveland Browns team shows up this Sunday, and could really test the Patriots for the first time this year. Had the game been held in Cleveland, I would pick the Browns as my upset special, but in New England, I'll stick with the Pats.

In both the Carolina at New Orleans and Jets at Giants games, an inconsistent but potentially tough team (Panthers and Giants) faces a team that has had it rough all year (Saints and Jets). Both the Saints and Jets are looking to come back from tough starts, and I think the Saints, coming off the bye week with time to regroup, will. I'll take the Saints over Panthers, but Giants over Jets.

I'll take the Texans over the Dolphins, not because of how unstoppable the Texans have become, but because of how stoppable the Dolphins are.

Detroit will travel to Washington and prove just how much of a contender in the NFC they are, and Pittsburgh will take on a tough Seattle team at home. I'll take Detroit and Pittsburgh, but the Steelers-Seahawks game will be the one to watch of the early afternoon games.

The San Diego Chargers are not the team they were last season and they really need to figure out what is going on before it becomes too late. It's not too late yet, but in a tough AFC, it may come sooner than one might think. Denver is looking for revenge after a loss to the Colts this Sunday and travel home to face the Chargers. The Broncos will get that revenge. Look for an ugly, one-sided game and a big Broncos win.

Baltimore was embarrassed by their loss to the Browns this Sunday and will take it out on an overrated and confused 49ers team. San Francisco won't just hand the game to the Ravens, but Baltimore will pull out the win in the fourth quarter. So those are my picks, keep yours coming. You have nothing to lose and an iTunes gift card to gain. Bring it.

A crazy weekend lies ahead in the MLB

As we enter the final weekend of the Major League Baseball regular season, the playoff race is still in hot pursuit. For those Cardinals and Braves fans who aren't used to not having a team to cheer for at this time of the year, there are 11 teams still in it. Fans of other team eliminated from the playoffs? You know the drill.

Although the American League teams are already set, the match ups are yet to be determined, while seven National League teams remain in contention for the playoffs this year.

In the American League, the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (the name still drives me crazy - just pick one city!) have already clinched their divisions and the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have both clinched playoff berth, although Boston remains three games ahead of New York.

In the National League, no one has even clinched the playoffs as the New York Mets lead the East division by a game over the Philadelphia Phillies, the Arizona Diamondbacks lead the West division by a game and a half over the San Diego Padres and two and a half over the Colorado Rockies while the Chicago Cubs lead the Milwaukee Brewers by two games in the Central division.

This weekend promises to be a very exciting one in baseball. Determining home field advantage, the Red Sox host the Twins as the Indians travel to Kansas City to face the Royals. For teams fighting to simply make the playoffs, the Diamondbacks face the Rockies in a major battle for the division and the Brewers and Padres will play to keep their hopes alive.

The Cubs need any combination of three Cubs wins or Brewers losses to clinch the division, four Mets wins or Phillies losses for New York, three Diamondbacks wins and Padres losses for Arizona, and two Red Sox wins and Yankee losses for Boston.

Cleveland and Boston are currently tied for the best record in the AL, but the Angels and Yankees are not completely out of the running, although it would take a near miracle for New York. Barring a near complete break down by Cleveland and Boston, regardless of which team has the better record, in the first round of the playoffs, Los Angeles will face Boston and New York will face Cleveland.

On the National League side, the scenarios are not nearly as pretty. In fact, it is a possibility for a five-way tie for the National League wild card. The Cubs and Brewers have both been eliminated from contention in the wild card, and so they each can only reach the playoffs by way of division championship. However, the Mets, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies are all within two and half games of each other with the Diamondbacks at 89-70, Mets and Padres at 87-71, and Phillies and Rockies at 86-72.

So what if they are all tied at the end of the season? Well, first, division leaders must be determined, so the Mets and Phillies would face off in a one-game playoff on Monday to decide the East, and the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Padres would have a three-team, two-game playoff on Monday and Tuesday in a location to be determined. The Rockies have the best three-way head-to-head record and would have the option to either host the two-playoff, or receive a first game bye.

After that is determined, there will still be three teams tied for the wild card, so those three would face off in another three-team, two-game playoff on Wednesday and Thursday. If the Rockies are left, they would, once again, have the option to either host or receive the bye. If the Rockies win the West, however, there are way too many different three-way head-to-head record winners to print the scenarios here.

So should it come down to a five-way tie, the Rockies have a good shot to make the playoffs as if they choose the bye, only need to win one game out of two to make the postseason.

After all of these one-game and two-game playoffs on Monday through Thursday, we begin the actual playoffs on Friday.

Head spinning yet? Well there could also be a four-way tie for the wild card, which is possibly more absurd than the five-way tie, depending on who those five teams are. If the two NL East teams tie and two of the NL West teams tie with them as well, the Mets and Phillies would have the one-game playoff in Philadelphia to determine the division and the two NL West teams would also have a one-game playoff, unless of course the other NL West team was the division champion, in which they would face the loser of the NL East playoff in a three-team, two-game playoff. Should the other NL West team not win the division, after the two one-game playoffs, two teams remain tied for the NL wild card and will face a one-game playoff. If the Mets are involved in this one-game playoff, there will be a big coin flip to determine the site, as the Mets were so unlikely to not win their division when MLB did preliminary coin flipping to determine sites beforehand, that they never included the Mets.

And that's not even all of the possible scenarios, but I don't have room to publish them all. The craziness of the playoffs has only begun, and it should be an exciting postseason.

NFL Predictions-Week 4

Last week was a tough week in predictions. There were only a few games I was 100% confident in. Congratulations to Ryan Beard for beating me by a single game for the second week in a row. A special shout out to those following the Statesman on the web and one even beating me as well, but only students are eligible for the drawing. This week has a few more tough games, but Brandon, the Assistant Sports Editor, and I have discussed them over, and here is what we decided.

The no-brainers tell me that Dallas will walk over the Rams, Houston will find relief in not playing the Colts by beating on the Falcons, and the Ravens will destroy the struggling Browns as the fans wonder what happened to the team that got in a shootout with the Bengals in the second week. Minnesota is a better team than their 1-2 record implies, but until they get a real quarterback at the helm, I don't see them winning more than four or five games this year. Playing Green Bay this week, this will not be one of those wins. I'll take Packers.

Chicago is a better team than they have been playing and I keep waiting for Detroit to turn back into a pumpkin. Philly walked all over the Lions last week, but I don't think they are done. Until the Bears get some confidence and real production out of the quarterback position, I don't see them being the threat they were last year. I never thought I would say this, but I'll take the Lions over the Bears.

The New York Jets at Buffalo game is a tough one for me, as I don't have a whole lot of confidence in either team to be able to take a win, especially with J.P. Losman out this week.

I'm going to go with the Jets, but I doubt I would be willing to put even a dollar on it. I'll take Miami over Oakland as well, for the same reason as the Jets.

Seattle will take the 49ers, even in San Francisco. Yes, the 49ers are improved, but until they prove they can be consistent, they won't be able to beat a team like the Seahawks. Tampa Bay is climbing back into the kind of team that won the Super Bowl, but I see a big game from, imagine this, Steve Smith and a Carolina win.

Indianapolis has carried the momentum from last season and has proven itself more every week. I don't see them stopping now, especially with Jay Cutler getting hurt last week. Give me the Colts. San Diego isn't quite the team they were last year and Ladainian Tomlinson really needs to step it up, or face death threats from fantasy owners all over the nation. I think it will get better this week against a no. 18 rush defense, but it will be closer than you think. I'll take the Chargers in a close one.

In my upset special, I will take the Cardinals over the Steelers. The Cardinals' two losses were really close with one tied until a field goal as the clock hit zero and the other in a sloppy game to the 49ers that they should have won. They could just as easily be 3-0 right now and we would all be talking about this game as if it were a big match up. They just may catch the Steelers off guard and put Pittsburgh on its heels, some place the Steelers haven't been all season. Look for this game to be bigger than anyone thinks.

The Philly at New York Giants game is tough, as neither team really seems like it wants to contend with Dallas for the division. This will be a big game in a difficult division. I'll take the Giants in a coin toss.

In the Monday Night Football game New England will face an embarrassed, but better than they show Cincinnati Bengals. The easy choice would be to pick the Pats in any match up, but the Bengals have a lot riding on this game. Carson Palmer can lead his team against anyone and he has a lot more pride than to let his team slide to 1-3. If all cylinders are firing for the Bengals, and that's a big "if", it will be an exciting game, but even then I'm not sure that Cincinnati will be able to pull it off anyway. I'll take the Patriots, but I won't enjoy it.

NFL Predictions-Week 3

After going 9-7 in week one, I was hoping to improve. Instead I dropped to an even 16-16 on the season. Congrats to Ryan Beard for being the only student to top my picks and, by default, winning the weekly drawing of an iTunes gift card.

Week two was a very telling week in the NFL, but it seems I have ticked off the football gods with my statements about Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland and Tampa Bay. So a little note to all but the Chiefs: point taken, and to the Chiefs: maybe you should have stuck with Trent Green.

San Diego is coming off a tough loss to New England that made its defense look silly, while the Packers are looking better than they have in recent years. This would normally spell a Packers win, but I just can't see the Chargers staying down. Look for a bounce back and a really big game from LT. I'll take the Chargers.

Minnesota travels to Kansas City this week in a game of two teams that can't seem to close the deal. The Chiefs have really struggled and Larry Johnson has not been the running back many expected him to be this season, averaging only 3.8 yards per carry, while the Vikings have found relief in the form of rookie running back Adrian Peterson. Both are fighting for their first win of the season, but the edge comes in the form of the Vikings defense. I'll take Minnesota, but don't expect a pretty game.

New England is proving to be the powerhouse it was expected to be this season and even with the distractions of the cheating allegations and investigation by the NFL, they don't seem to be slowing down. But the NFL has gotten serious and if this cheating extends much further than the game against the Jets (and it looks like he does with reports of files upon files of video on each coaching staff in the NFL that he has been asked to hand over), Belichick might be in some serious trouble and receive the wrath of commissioner Roger Goodell. There are rumors it could cost Belichick his job, which could be a distraction this week. However, they are not playing the Colts; they are playing the Bills. I'll stick with the Pats.

Miami will take the Jets, although I see a future in Kellen Clemens. That is, if his receivers start using their hands near the end zone. Detroit will roll over a struggling Philly and the Steelers will destroy a 49ers team that is lucky to be 2-0.

The Bucs took advantage of a struggling New Orleans last week and the Rams are just that: struggling. Common logic should tell me to take the Bucs, but I can't seem to do it. I'll take the Rams, but I wouldn't put money on it. Baltimore is getting better, and I still think it is a top team in the AFC, so I'll take the Ravens over the Cardinals.

The Indy at Houston game might be the biggest Colts-Texans game in NFL history. Never before have the Texans looked as good as they do now and may finally be contenders. I think it may all come down to the Colts run defense. Last year, I would have hesitated, but this year I have confidence in the Indy defense. I'll take the Colts in one exciting game.

I'll take Denver over Jacksonville and the Browns over the Raiders, but look for a good game between the Bengals and Seahawks. Oh, and I will take the Bengals. Carolina will walk all over a lost Falcons team, while the Giants and Redskins battle another ugly NFC East game. It won't be pretty, but the Giants have more weapons. I'll take New York.

The Sunday night football game will be everything it is billed to be, and the winner will be crowned the team to beat in the NFC. The Chicago defense will really test young quarterback Tony Romo. Romo and wide receiver Terrell Owens, though, have much to prove after Romo's muffed snap that lost the playoffs and Owens' dropped passes last year, and that is a very dangerous thing. Look for an exciting game and Dallas still standing in the end.

Tennessee dropped a close game last week to the Colts and the Saints, billed as the best in the NFC in the preseason, were embarrassed by the Bucs. The Saints will look to rebound, but I don't think this will be the week for it. The Titans are looking better by the week and are finally living up to their potential. After the draft last year I knew they would be good, I just wasn't sure how soon those draft picks could play out. The Titans will win it, but the Saints won't go quietly.

Think you can do better? Send your picks to sasspted@isugw.indstate.edu. We've had one winner so far, but I don't plan to make a habit of it.

NFL Predictions-Week 3

After going 9-7 in week one, I was hoping to improve. Instead I dropped to an even 16-16 on the season. Congrats to Ryan Beard for being the only student to top my picks and, by default, winning the weekly drawing of an iTunes gift card.

Week two was a very telling week in the NFL, but it seems I have ticked off the football gods with my statements about Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland and Tampa Bay. So a little note to all but the Chiefs: point taken, and to the Chiefs: maybe you should have stuck with Trent Green.

San Diego is coming off a tough loss to New England that made its defense look silly, while the Packers are looking better than they have in recent years. This would normally spell a Packers win, but I just can't see the Chargers staying down. Look for a bounce back and a really big game from LT. I'll take the Chargers.

Minnesota travels to Kansas City this week in a game of two teams that can't seem to close the deal. The Chiefs have really struggled and Larry Johnson has not been the running back many expected him to be this season, averaging only 3.8 yards per carry, while the Vikings have found relief in the form of rookie running back Adrian Peterson. Both are fighting for their first win of the season, but the edge comes in the form of the Vikings defense. I'll take Minnesota, but don't expect a pretty game.

New England is proving to be the powerhouse it was expected to be this season and even with the distractions of the cheating allegations and investigation by the NFL, they don't seem to be slowing down. But the NFL has gotten serious and if this cheating extends much further than the game against the Jets (and it looks like he does with reports of files upon files of video on each coaching staff in the NFL that he has been asked to hand over), Belichick might be in some serious trouble and receive the wrath of commissioner Roger Goodell. There are rumors it could cost Belichick his job, which could be a distraction this week. However, they are not playing the Colts; they are playing the Bills. I'll stick with the Pats.

Miami will take the Jets, although I see a future in Kellen Clemens. That is, if his receivers start using their hands near the end zone. Detroit will roll over a struggling Philly and the Steelers will destroy a 49ers team that is lucky to be 2-0.

The Bucs took advantage of a struggling New Orleans last week and the Rams are just that: struggling. Common logic should tell me to take the Bucs, but I can't seem to do it. I'll take the Rams, but I wouldn't put money on it. Baltimore is getting better, and I still think it is a top team in the AFC, so I'll take the Ravens over the Cardinals.

The Indy at Houston game might be the biggest Colts-Texans game in NFL history. Never before have the Texans looked as good as they do now and may finally be contenders. I think it may all come down to the Colts run defense. Last year, I would have hesitated, but this year I have confidence in the Indy defense. I'll take the Colts in one exciting game.

I'll take Denver over Jacksonville and the Browns over the Raiders, but look for a good game between the Bengals and Seahawks. Oh, and I will take the Bengals. Carolina will walk all over a lost Falcons team, while the Giants and Redskins battle another ugly NFC East game. It won't be pretty, but the Giants have more weapons. I'll take New York.

The Sunday night football game will be everything it is billed to be, and the winner will be crowned the team to beat in the NFC. The Chicago defense will really test young quarterback Tony Romo. Romo and wide receiver Terrell Owens, though, have much to prove after Romo's muffed snap that lost the playoffs and Owens' dropped passes last year, and that is a very dangerous thing. Look for an exciting game and Dallas still standing in the end.

Tennessee dropped a close game last week to the Colts and the Saints, billed as the best in the NFC in the preseason, were embarrassed by the Bucs. The Saints will look to rebound, but I don't think this will be the week for it. The Titans are looking better by the week and are finally living up to their potential. After the draft last year I knew they would be good, I just wasn't sure how soon those draft picks could play out. The Titans will win it, but the Saints won't go quietly.

Think you can do better? Send your picks to sasspted@isugw.indstate.edu. We've had one winner so far, but I don't plan to make a habit of it.

NFL Predictions-Week 2

With a very telling first week, I feel like I can erase my 9-7 record from last week. So let's gaze into what the future brings us in the land of professional football. Until these teams prove me wrong, I feel very comfortable picking any team that plays Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland and Tampa Bay. So the Bengals over Browns, Saints over Bucs, Bears over Chiefs and Broncos over Raiders are easy picks.

Last week, the Titans exploited the Jaguars' poor rush defense and Jacksonville dropped its home opener. I see things repeating with the Falcons this week … that is if Atlanta had a rushing game to begin with. I'll take the Jaguars in an ugly game.

St. Louis looked confused against the Panthers last week as running back Steven Jackson failed to reach even 60 yards in 18 carries, well under the predictions for him this year. The loss of Orlando Pace doesn't help those circumstances, but I can't see Jackson being held back all year, and after such an ugly game between the 49ers and Cardinals, full of holes to exploit, I'll give the Rams another chance this week.

The Texans upset the Chiefs last week and forced America to pay attention, but I am not sure how much of that was Houston playing well, or Kansas City just dropping the ball. The Panthers started out the season proving they can be contenders. I'll take Carolina.

Green Bay upset Philly at home even though the Eagles out-gained them in both rushing and passing yards. The Packers won by forcing more turnovers. They won't be as lucky against the Giants. As long as Eli Manning is back, and reports look like he will, I'll take the Giants.

Pittsburgh plays a tougher opponent than the Browns in Buffalo, but the Steelers will stay on top. The Titans will prove to be a tougher foe than years before with another year under Vince Young, but the Colts answered the call against the Saints and don't show any signs of slowing. I'll take the Colts.

Detroit has started the season 1-0 and looks to be better than years before, but the Vikings are not the Raiders, and that makes all the difference. Give me Adrian Peterson and the Vikings. I'll take the Cowboys and Seahawks in easy games over the Dolphins and Cardinals.

Baltimore was roughed up against Cincinnati, with injuries to numerous players including Steve McNair and Ray Lewis, keys to the offense and defense. With Lewis back and McNair probable, I don't see the Jets with much of a chance. Ravens all the way.

In a possible AFC Championship preview, the Chargers and Patriots face off on Sunday night. Two questions will be answered. Can Bill Belichick win without cheating (he was caught video taping the Jets' signals last week - a big no-no)? A big yes, but he won't this week as the second question of "Can Norv Turner win a big game on the road?" is answered as well and maybe we quit worrying about whether he has "still got it." I'll take the Chargers.

For the Monday Night game, I see the Redskins and Eagles putting a lot of people to sleep early. Washington squeaked by in overtime last week, and I really don't see Philly making as many turnovers this week. If the Eagles turnover the ball three or more times again, it could be a rough season for Eagles fans. Philly will win it, but I doubt America will care.

So there are my picks, what are yours? No one sent me his or her picks last week, so the odds are in your favor. Send your picks to sasspted@isugw.indstate.edu, and see if you can do better. Can you?

An ode to the unsung heroes of college sports: the Sports Information Director

As we reflect on 9-11, it is a time of remembrance of those who lost their lives tragically in 2001 as well as a time of reflection of the things that matter most in life.

We learned a lot on that day: that we aren't as impenetrable as we once thought, that if we band together as a nation we can get through anything, that the world of terror extends farther than we had thought. Nevertheless, the greatest thing we may have taken away from this tragedy is the respect and appreciation for those unsung heroes in our lives.

As countless police officers and firefighters gave their lives in New York City, we came to appreciate the unselfish giving of their lives for our safety. We came to appreciate those people in our lives who don't get the everyday praise for their work, but work hard for the glory of others.

Well, today I would like to honor college sports' unsung heroes, the sports information directors or directors of athletic media relations as they are known here at ISU.

SIDs work hard all year, for not one sport, but all sports. While most working adults put in Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 days, SIDs put in those hours plus many nights and almost every weekend. "Coaches put in a lot of hours," said ISU women's basketball head coach Jim Wiedie, "but (SIDs) put in more." Often they do so for the salary of most assistant coaches, but are in charge of several sports.

It is the SID who makes sure the athletic program gets the attention and recognition it deserves. Everyone enjoys reading previews in the paper and most credit the paper for taking that initiative, but often it is the SID who calls the newspaper and gives them the information necessary for the article.

That brilliant feature you read on your favorite athlete and how he or she are balancing ROTC with sports and class and still remaining at the top of his or her class? It was probably pitched by the SID.During the game, SIDs are in charge of stat keeping and making sure the media has everything they need, which can sometimes be a pretty large task by itself. Preparing for the game, SIDs work just as hard or harder than even the coaches at times.

SIDs put together game previews and analyze possible story angles for the media and ways to get recognition for their athletes as well as retrieve opponent rosters, stats and other information. The SID will setup the press box, arrange a support staff to run the scoreboard and game clock, and contact local media to make sure they will have a representative available.

At smaller schools such as Rose-Hulman, the SID will even write game stories and send it to the local media outlets when a representative is not present, lest games go uncovered. Often, these stories will go into the paper with a "Staff Report" byline with no credit to the submitting SID.

However, just because SIDs get no credit from us, does not mean they go unnoticed. If assistant coaches are a head coach's right hand, the SID is their left.
"Ace Hunt (the Associate Director of Athletic Media Relations) does a lot for our (women's basketball) program," Wiedie said. "He makes our media guides look great and travels with our team and is someone I really rely on (when we are) on the road.

"He sits at the scorer's table next to me and makes sure I am aware of timeouts and substitutions. He is one of those guys that is a security blanket for me on the road, someone I feel extremely confident about, a guy who is extremely loyal to our program and just invaluable to what we do."

Michigan Who?

Ahh, the first week of college football has come and gone and everyone is talking about it. Talking about how No. 5 Michigan lost in a huge upset to little Appalachian State, how Indiana State got trounced by yearly Big Ten bottom feeder Indiana University and how great Georgia Tech looked last week.

Wait. You didn't hear about Georgia Tech? You mean if you weren't a Notre Dame fan, you didn't even know Georgia Tech even played them?

Well, unless you watched the games I mentioned above, all you really heard was how bad the big-time teams were. But why not raise a glass to those teams that did well?

Because the media often feel that's not as big of a story. In no other sport could a team claim the title of reigning NCAA tournament national champions and still be such underdogs.

This is the same system that a team can start out the season ranked tenth, but actually fall a spot in the rankings after winning by 32 points and the No 5 team dropping out of the top 25. But enough with that, that's another column.

All we want to hear about is how a select few that have a powerhouse tradition, and in turn the only ones with a chance for the BCS title, triumph or fall. And when they fall? Oh we love to see them fall.

I'll admit it; last year when everyone was talking about University of Southern California and its greatness and they lost in the final week to California, I couldn't have cared less who they were playing. I just loved to see USC go down. I fell into the trap.

But California worked hard to take USC down and played hard defense to force errors on the Trojan offense. We focus on the big dogs, but that's not the whole story.

So here's to you, Indiana University. James Hardy was a speed demon and picked apart defenses like Torry Holt and would have had a fourth touchdown had Kellen Lewis not thrown that pass an inch too far. Here's to you, Appalachian State. You may be Division I-AA, but no one can take you lightly anymore. You showed speed and brilliance and Michigan has raised the alert level on you.

And here's to you, Georgia Tech. Your defense that claimed nine sacks and forced three fumbles is still making Irish fans everywhere twitch.

And here's to you, Indiana State, Michigan and Notre Dame. Better luck next time.

Finished Before You Even Began

I am now the Sports Editor of the Indiana Statesman, so I will be writing many columns this semester. Here is my first as published in the Statesman:

It is soon to be September and you know what that means - it is football season and more importantly, college football season. Millions of rabid fans have been yearning for this day since the final whistle of the Bowl Championship Series national championship game in January.

Every newspaper, every sports magazine, anyone who is anyone in sports has some version of rankings and everyone wants to see how their team stacks up this season.

Fans of the University of Southern California can rejoice at their No. 1 ranking and know they have a lot to look forward to this year, and fans of No. 24 ranked Boise State can begin talking about how underrated they are after going undefeated and winning what is considered by many the best college football game ever in their Fiesta Bowl upset last season.

And that would be wonderful - that is if these were merely preseason rankings like any other sport, that don't mean anything more than one writer's opinion. But they aren't.

Without a playoff system in place, rankings mean more in college football than any other sport. These rankings tell us who may even have a shot at the college football championship.

Only the top two BCS ranked teams after week 15 compete for the championship at the end of the season which are determined using the Harris Poll, the USA Today Poll and computer rankings. So that third spot is like finishing fourth in the Olympics - so close, yet so far away.

Last season, Boise State finished the year undefeated, the only team to claim that feat in the BCS, but they were not awarded the championship. They were not ranked high enough by the end of the year to have a chance in the BCS championship.

When writers send in their ballots for their rankings, they often take the current rankings and decide for the ones that won, how significant their win was, and for those that lose, how significant their loss was. So where they begin in the rankings make a big difference.

Boise State wasn't even in the Top 25 when the season began, but would slowly gain recognition and appearance in the rankings after the first quarter of the season. By week 13 they had climbed into the Top 10, but their pre-bowl season was over at 12-0, one of two undefeated teams left.

They gained one more spot by week 15, which would determine who would fight for the national championship. However, only the top two contend for the championship.

Fluke incident? Ask Auburn. Its 2004 run is very similar, beginning at No. 17 and climbing to No. 3 by week 15, but was cheated out of a chance at the championship, even going undefeated for the season.

So USC and Louisiana State fans, go ahead and buy your BCS Championship ticket now. Ohio State and Louisville fans, good luck, because there's a long road ahead of you. Boise State and Texas A&M fans, look on the bright side: tickets to a minor bowl game are normally much cheaper.

Statesman

As I am now the Sports Editor of the Statesman, I will be posting my columns I ahve written on this site. Enjoy.

Dustin's MLB Preview: Angels over Mets?

American League

East Division
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Central Division
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals

West Division
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Oakland Athletics
Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners

National League

East Division
New York Mets
Atlanta Braves
Philadelphia Phillies
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals

Central Division
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates

West Division
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks

Playoffs

AL Division Series
Angels over Tigers
Red Sox over Indians

NL Division Series
Mets over Astros
Cardinals over Dodgers

AL Championship Series
Angels over Red Sox

NL Championship Series
Mets over Cardinals

World Series
Angels over Mets

MLB Preview: A West Coast World Series?

Every sporting web site has their own MLB predictions. This one was rather tough for me because I think St. Louis is even better this year than last and last year they won the World Series. However, I don't think they are going to repeat. It would be nice, but history just says otherwise. So here are my predictions. Feel free to rip them apart, but if you do, you must back them up with predictions of your own so I can rip your apart. Parentheses indicate overall rank and Asterisk indicates winner of Wild Card

American League

East Division
Boston Red Sox (8)
Toronto Blue Jays (14)
New York Yankees (18)
Baltimore Orioles (21)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (27)

Central Division
Detroit Tigers (2)
Cleveland Indians * (4)
Minnesota Twins (9)
Chicago White Sox (12)
Kansas City Royals (30)

West Division
Oakland Athletics (1)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (13)
Seattle Mariners (24)
Texas Rangers (25)

National League

East Division
Atlanta Braves (7)
New York Mets (11)
Florida Marlins (16)
Philadelphia Phillies (19)
Washington Nationals (29)

Central Division
St. Louis Cardinals (3)
Houston Astros (10)
Milwaukee Brewers (17)
Chicago Cubs (20)
Cincinnati Reds (26)
Pittsburgh Pirates (28)

West Division
Los Angeles Dodgers (5)
San Diego Padres * (6)
Arizona Diamondbacks (15)
San Francisco Giants (22)
Colorado Rockies (23)

Playoffs

AL Division Series
Oakland over Cleveland
Boston over Detroit

NL Division Series
St. Louis over San Diego
Los Angeles over Atlanta

AL Championship Series
Oakland over Boston

NL Championship Series
Los Angeles over St. Louis

World Series
Oakland over Los Angeles

So there's my predictions...Bring it.