Sport Chit Chat

The media blows. Even with the Leafs meant to be sucking they find stories in non-stories in the Leafs. Honest who should give a fuck?

He’s taking a lot of flak from switching goalies for the shootout. Granted it doesn’t seem like a smart idea that it hasn’t worked but it’s more then what other coaches are trying.

It’s more demoralizing to lose shootout after shootout, isn’t it worth trying something to switch things up?

That’s exact what Wilson is doing. Other then Kulemin we’ve had different shooters.

To$kala doesn’t seem like the type fazed. He’s enjoying himself out there in which he knows he’s playing for a season that’s mean to be lost. It also looks like Toskala and Joseph were told of the switching happening. How is that hurtful to Toskala’s psyche?

The Leafs should probably think of trading Toskala anyway if they can get the right price. Otherwise it’s dumb/shallow to think the Leafs made the wrong choice. Wilson has gotten the Leafs to work hard in every single game and while a 1-2-3 record isn’t sexy the outright losses are to the two best teams in the conference (New York is overrated :P).

Don’t listen to the media on this… it just isn’t important. You can’t fault a guy for trying to pull some strings.

Wilson was meant to fail this season.. it can’t hurt if he makes some insane choices or decisions. The fact that these things are still front page stories on Canadian outlets is dumb.

P.S. It IS a good strategy to switch goalies in a shoot out provided it’s done correctly. WARM the fuck up. Have the goalie in the back constantly warming up and taking shots from the guys who were scratched or something. The fact the goalies are cold shouldn’t be a big deal, back up goalies should be able to warm up in time if they know they are being called upon.

Sorry I missed last week due to being busy.

Home dogs (where most if not all the upsets inexplicably occur)

Tennessee Titans (-9, -375) vs Kansas City Chiefs (+9, +315)
Pick: Chiefs with points may tickle your fancy. The Titans are good but that 9 point spread will be hard to cover. The Titans know how to win games but they are concerned with ball control and grinding it for the win. Which means you can expect a close (ish) game.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-9.5,-450) vs Cinncinati Bengals (+9.5, +375)
Same as above. Not sure if Pittsburgh can pull away. However I suggest not betting this one. The Chiefs proved they can beat a team… Cinnci doesn’t have the D to pull it off.

NY Jets (-3, -175) vs Oakland Raiders (+3, +155)
Pick: Easily take the Jets. Spread within reasonable range and I don’t see Oakland as having that homefield advantage (as long as the psycho Al Davis is around) for awhile.

Indianapolis Colts (-1, -120) vs Green Bay Packers (+1, even)
Pick: Packers… I think it’s a trap for the Colts. Riding on a high wave. Can they stop the run? Or a dangerous pass offense. Lambeau field is no easy task. I’m not touching this being a Colts fan.

Close games:
San Diego Chargers (+1) vs Buffalo Bills (-1)
Uh-oh two of my favorite teams playing. I’ll just bring out the popcorn. I’d say this one is tough. Edwards was hurt and the Chargers aren’t consistent.

Denver Broncos (+3, +145) vs New England (-3, -165)
Pick: New England, better team (defensively) and look for Cassel to step up on Monday night. It isn’t so much Cassel’s fault but it seems like they get conservative once they hit the red zone.

Minnesota Vikings (+3, +155) vs Chicago Bears (-3, -175)
Pick: Bears at -3. Orton being so good is scary (I didn’t expect it). The Vikes need to go back with Tavaris.

New Orleans Saints (+3, +140) vs Carolina Panthers (-3,-160)
Pick: toss up…

That’s all folks.
Vegas make up your mind:
St. Louis and Dallas’ line has yet to be dislocated. Romo watch.

UFC 89 a weak but surprise surprise FREE card. It sure couldn’t hurt to put on a good card but nonetheless with a card coming up next week as well. I sure as hell don’t mind. I don’t have much to say.

Chris “The Crippler” Leben (+180) vs Michael “The Count” Bisping (-220)
Pick: The Crippler.
Who has The Count faced that makes him so good? He lost to Rashad Evans in a close but rather decisive decision. He lucked out against Matt Hamill and in general he beats on Ju-jitsu guys/grapplers. His main strength is his technical striking but he’s been dominated based on control. He just ground and pounds weaker foes and will probably have to take it to the ground against Leben to win. The Crippler will keep moving forward and most shots will probably unfaze him. Leben’s a good bet here as an almost to 2 to 1 dog. Leben’s achilles heel are guys who are willing to go to the ground and that isnt Bisping.

Keith Jardine (+155) vs Brandon Vera (-185)
Pick: Keith Jardine. Jardine is a more proven fighter while The Truth still remains a question mark after disappoint performances. To win, Vera must be ruthless and pick up and the pace looking for the KO. Or else he will be strategically picked up by Greg Jackson and Co. Vera has more improving to do but I don’t bet my money on how good a fighter will become but what he already is and Vera is just another overrated fighter who hasn’t done squat lately.

Luiz Cane (-105) vs Sokoudjou (-125): Too CLOSE to call! Should be an awesome fight. If Cane was a bigger dog I would take him as I think Sok is overrated after some big wins.

Chris Lytle (-350) vs Paul Taylor (+280): I would take Lytle here. Not betting since he’s my favorite fighter.

Paul Kelly (+235) vs Marcus Davis (-295): Kelly’s a live dog here, the odds are justified but we’ll see if he has the moxie to pull off an upset.

Dan Hardy (+285) vs Akhiro Gono (-355): Gono is a decent fighter and Hardy will be hard pressed to beat the guy the weird blog posts.

Neil Wain (+500) vs Shane Carwin (-700): Who? (Of course I know Carwin want to see more of him before laying a big one at -700)

Liaudin (+125) vs Bielkheden (-155): Liaudin isn’t very good and is a staple on these English cards. Dominating by Diego Sanchez didn’t really give us an idea where Bielkheden is.

Terry Etim (+240) vs Sam Stout (-300): Stout is overrated? Etim shouldn’t be that big of a dog though I don’t know as much. From what I’ve seen from Stout… he doesn’t belong as a 3 to 1 favorite yet.

Sorry for the off week last week. Got swamped with work…. On to the pick-ups.

Dallas Cowboys QB Brad Johnson: Well, out with Romo’s pinkie, Felix Jones, Pacman Jones and punter MrBriar, in Brad Johnson & Roy Williams. With Romo down, Johnson steps into the starting role on the most potent offense in the league. If he hasn’t already been grabbed, Johnson is a must pick-up for anyone with a sketchy QB situation. With Witten, T.O. and Roy Williams now offensive options, all Johnson has to do is be sound and effective int he short game to gain the numbers necessary. Look for anywhere from 150-250 yards + a TD.

Denver Broncos RB Ryan Torain: This is not a pick-up for now. But there are rumors that the Broncos are just keeping the starting RB job warm until Torain is fully healed from injury. This pick-up could really help down the road in playoff weeks. If you have the empty bench spot, do it!

Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub: If he’s out there think of adding him for his match-up with the Lions this week. Schaub has back-to-back 300 yard games and is going up against a winless, shotty defense in the Lions.

Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan: Another, “if he’s there, grab him” guys. He has shown that he is a legit QB in the NFL. He won’t help this week as he has a bye but if you need a QB for the stretch run, snag him!

New England RB Sammy Morris: Maroney is not preforming up to par. Morris has stepped in and taken over the majority of the work load. If you need a low end RB or RB3 or are in a deep league, take a look if Morris can help you out.

P.S. Don’t feel too bad for Romo. 4 Weeks at home with Jessica Simpson is not such a terrible consolation prize!

-Maxmillien the Fantasy Guru

Alexei Cherapanov, the New York Ranger’s top prospect has passed away at the young age of 19. He is quite well known to hockey hardcore fans as he was a top 5 talent heading into the 2007 draft and dropped to 17th after teams called for boycotting/avoiding Russian players.

Some of the details of his death are unknown… but it apparently took 15-20 minutes for the ambulance to come back (it’s normally at games but left for some reason). This was after an accidental collision with Jagr apparently… There also was no defibrillator in the arena that are normally located in NHL games.

The question with Cherepanov was also when he would come over to North America and I was personally excited to watch him play. It just sucks… only 19 to as well, he’s a year younger then me too.

Here’s a highlight of his skills:

Rest In Peace.

More details to follow…sad day for hockey.
His stats in his final 15 games: 8 goals 5 assists for Avangard Omsk.

Here’s a recording of Cherepanov’s motionless body being lifted from the bench to the dressing room:

This year, TSN bought the rights to the “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song. That means that Saturday night hockey in Canada, which is broadcast on the publicly owned CBC, will not longer have its epic musical accompaniment that most Canadians have come to hold dear. Some have called this song a second national anthem for Canada.

This summer the CBC has been running a competition to come up with a new Hockey Anthem. Well guess what CBC? THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER HOCKEY ANTHEM. There may be many more theme songs in my lifetime, but this will stay as the Hockey Anthem for a very long time. Unlike Sunday/Monday night football which has a different theme every year, Canadians wait patiently From May to October to hear those powerful chords that signify that the puck drop is near. While I commend CBC in its marketing campaign that has gained a lot of publicity from its contest, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation needs to understand that there is will only ever be one Anthem. Anything else is simply a theme song.
TSN meanwhile has been struggling with the fact that they bought an expensive piece of music and CBC still has all the publicity. To combat this, TSN is getting Canadian artists to cover the coveted hockey anthem. I hope the Tragically Hip do something sweet.
The new CBC theme will be announced today. www.cbc.ca has the finalists. Check em out.

-Apples

Straight to the pick-ups…

Philadelphia Eagles WR Kevin Curtis: If he’s available still, grab him. If he was dropped at some point this season by a frustrated owner, then snag him and stash him. He could pay HUGE dividends if him and McNabb rediscover their rhythm.

Chicago Bears WR Devin Hester: Hester is a definite 50-50 crap shoot each week. But if your in a league that counts all purpose yards then Hester is clearly your man. If Orton and him ever begin to connect in the passing game, it’s only up from here.

Philadelphia Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter: Well, he’s back on the radar. With Westbrook’s broken ribs Buckhalter will have to step in an take the snaps. If you need a bye week fill in or are desperate for a RB2, then Correll is your man!

New England Patriots QB Matt Cassell: After some pretty awful starts, the owner who added him after Tom’s injury may have given up and dropped him.After showing some deep ball skills last week with a deep throw to Moss, Cassell looks more like a real QB. For the Pats to win, Moss will have to be involved and Cassell will have to air it out from time to time, leading to some scores for the QB. If you need a desperate/bye week fill in, or you just want some ack-up QB security, look at Cassell.

Denver Broncos WR Brandon Stokley: Eddie Royal left with an injury and that’s all you need to know. If Royal misses any time then Stokley will benefit from Cutler and the Broncos passing game.

-Maxmillien

I’ve got to do this quick…

Home dogs:
Indianapolis Colts (-3, -170) vs Houston Texans (+3, +150)
Easy pick. Colts. They need a win as they sit at 1-2 and I can see them winning by 3 points or more.

Tennessee Titans (-2.5, -140) vs Baltimore Ravens (+2.5, +120)
This was going to be my pick of the week until the spread changed. The Ravens create a match up a problem for the Titans with their defense and Flacco is capable of moving the ball. They were winning against Pitt but failed to close it out. The Titans is a tough team to bet against though and at this point, I’m probably passing out taking the Ravens since the line dipped.

San Diego Chargers (-6, -265) vs Miami Dolphins (+6, +225)
Pick: Chargers at -6. I think the Chargers have been covering the spread except for their 1st loss and the Dolphins have no easy task today. They do have a good running attack but you ultimately kill the Chargers through the air and they are getting better.

Chicago Bears (-3, -175) vs Detroit Lions (+3, +155)
Pick: None. Never bet on the Lions but the Bears are too much of a wildcard team. They lose to the Panthers but play very well against the Eagles. Some people probably paid the price financially and I’m probably going to watch and see how the Bears do.

New England Patriots (-3, -170) vs San Francisco Giants (+3, +150)
Pick: I like SF at +3. Why? Frank Gore. JT O’sullivan isn’t anything special but ditto for Pennington and Ronnie Brown ran all over the Pats defense. It’ll be a surprise to see the Pats scoring more then 20.

Close games:
Buffalo Bills (+1.5, +105) vs Arizona Cardinals (-1.5, -125)
Pick: Buffalo (may be biased ;), this is a 4-0 team that still doesn’t have believers. They’ll easily be a playoff team and yeah they won’t go far but they have a great defense, a running game and by the far the best special teams in the game that will help them win these close games. Arizona is not the team that will beat the Bills. It’ll be San Diego and their division games that will be more problemsome.

Tampa Bay (+3, +160) vs Denver Broncos (-3, -190)
Pick: Tampa Bay. Can Denver be reliable to cover the spread on any team other then the Raiders? Probably not. When you call a team overrated, it’s always put a smile on your face to watch them to lose to one of worst teams in the league. I could see Tampa getting the upset or at least covering.

Atlanta Falcons (+3.5, +160) vs Green Bay Packers (-3.5, -190)
Pick: Green Bay but only if Rodgers is playing. I think the Packers lost due to the inexperience displays by Rodgers. He didn’t play too well without the home crowd against a very physical team as well. Atlanta is physical but the Packers are much better.

New Orleans Saints (-3, -160) vs Minnesota Vikings (+3, +140)
Pick: Toss up. I’m overthinking this one but the Vikings d will be problematic for the Saints.

I’m too tired to do the other games.

Maybe you should try your luck on Cinci at +160 or +700 otherwise, ultimately trust your own gut and good luck to you.

I was 0-1 on my bets which is what I care about more. I’m paying the price of taking two road teams outright which on hindsight looks poor on my part. Still I’m taking the Colts at -3 and I’m leaning toward taking the Bills at +1.5 but I may be playing a biased game.

Are you a gambling man who likes big underdogs and isn’t afraid to lose some dough? Well… then the Elite XC card on CBS tomorrow likely will fill out your pleasure because Elite XC is notorious for putting on… squash matches.

Kimbo Slice (-400) vs Ken Shamrock (+300)
Pick: Not worth betting.
Shamrock is OLD. He’s lost 7 of his last 8 fights. The Tito Ortiz trilogy was like watching a slow car crash. He followed his post-UFC career with a loss to Robert Berry (who?) (12-8 career). His only win is against Kimo Leopoldo (who?). He was once a legend but yeah he has a problem on his hands. Kimbo Slice is an improving opponent who made A LOT of mistakes against James Thompson specifically on the ground with a reckless guillotine guard pull (commentators referred to it as a DDT) and some poor guard defense which he ended up crucified (the move…not w/e). The line is justifed. You could argue that Shamrock, a wrestler should be able to take down Kimbo and expose him but I doubt Shammy could w/o getting rocked.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (+300) vs Andrei “How’s Taste My Pee-Pee-Pee” Arlovski (-400)
Pick: Andrei Arlovski but Affliction may be jinxing things so I’ll pass on betting -400.
Why? Not fat guys. Seriously. Arlovski’s fight was actually very exciting fight with Arlovski outwilling Ben Rothwell a very talented heavyweight that many (including myself) thought could upset Arlovski. Nelson doesn’t have the stand up skill and that’s a problem. Arlovski only losses are by KO/TKO. He’s too fast and strong to submit imo. Arlovski should easily beat the fat guy.

Gina Carano (-600) vs Kelly Kobold (+450)
Gina Carano is very hot. She’s also undefeated and therefore CBS has been protecting her. I would never bet on Carano though as it’s likely she’ll go down one day but it’s clear that she IS the best women martial artist in the world (a bout with Santos is what people are really looking for). Weight cutting issues aside, her striking makes it hard for most women and Kobold will likely take punishment trying to implement a game plan as Carano is well rounded on the ground.
Pick: Sprinkle on Kabold, but probably not worth it.

Paul “Semtex” Daley (+400) vs Jake Shields (-550)
This is actually a fight where Elite XC probably doesn’t have a vested interest in the result. A striker vs grappler match up however at those odds, Daley can pull out a win or win by strikes.
Pick: Good value on Semtex but he’s still an underdog. I think a +300 would be more suitable. I’m basing this on Shields dominating grapplers but I’m not sure about his stand up. Daley is a legit fighter.

Murila “Ninja” Rua (-200) vs Benji Radach (+165)
Don’t know enough about Benji. Can’t help you.

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (-600) vs Yoko Takahashi (+450)
Pick: Cyborg by murder. If you saw Cyborg’s last fight..this would not be in doubt.

Okay kids, last week was not so pretty. I bombed most of my picks and my upset of the week ended up being a HUGE blow out. I don’t have a lot of time this weekend, so i’m laying out my picks today and hoping for the best. Also, achengy wanted me to pick the over/under so i will do that as well. This one’s gonna be short, and no pics, just picture them in your head. I’m going 15 - 1 this week because i have my friend John Anthony helping me out. Just to let you know ahead of time, next week will be my last prediction post for a few weeks, i’m travelling across the globe. If i have access and time i will update you on the latest in the sports world (maybe i’ll get it 12 hours before you guys).

Colts 24, Texans 17 : Under
Titans 20, Ravens 17: Over
Chargers 27, Dolphins 20: Over
Chiefs 20, Panthers 24: Over
Redskins 24, Eagles 30: Over
Bears 30, Lions 17: Over
Seahawks 14, Giants 27: Under
Buccaneers 27, Broncos 24: Over
Patriots 17, 49′ers 24: Under
Bills 27, Cardinals 30: Over
Steelers 20, Jaguars 23: Over
Bengals 21, Cowboys 31: Over
Vikings 17, Saints 21: Under

I feel remarkably confident about these picks. I like the balls out, no reasoning and added flavor to them. Enjoy. In no way do these picks endorse gambling, nor should they be used as a source of income for an individual. See you on the gridiron.

QUANSTRONG

p.s. Okay maybe one pic.